So if you want to know why I’m experiment with cutting weight like a powerlifter, read HERE.
If you missed my week one recap, read that HERE.
If you’re here for the GOOD STUFF–aka the results–keep reading!
Week 2: MONDAY
So Monday I ate about 700 calories and drank almost TWO full gallons of water. I think I got 100 ounces of the last 120 down before bed. I have no idea how people can drink that much water. I even went to the gym for light lifting (it’s a deload week) and poured some BCAAs into 32 ounces of my water and STILL had trouble finishing it.
TUESDAY: WATER SUCKS. Sort of.
Drank less water. Period. I think I got down a gallon and a half. Ooops. I also finished off a jar of peanut butter. I’m sorry but I just CRAVE it–or the fat–SO much. Maybe it’s an energy thing…maybe it’s a body type thing…I really don’t know. I’ve read that endomorph body types (stocky, can gain weight and muscle easily, hard time losing fat) need more fat than carbs. And when I cut my calories, I actually don’t crave carbs. I crave fat. This happened to me when I went ultra low carb one other time. All I wanted to do was eat almond butter and macadamias. Oh gosh that sounds good. I know that peanut butter isn’t a part of my plan but I can’t help myself. This morning, I threw an empty jar in the recycling bin….with two others. #OMG.
Oh you want to know the good thing about Tuesday? I felt like I looked awesome! 🙂 Who knows if it was in my head or what, but I felt like I was really rockin’ it!
WEDNESDAY: Trying to pass the time…
I’m currently sitting one gallon down, and about 300 calories in. I did a quick cardio workout this morning (3 rounds of 15 calorie row and 10 burpees) and some light lifting since it’s a deload week. I really hate trying to drink two gallons. I’m getting ready to go home and I know I’m out of peanut butter. I don’t know what else to eat other than chicken and vegetables. I’m glad there’s only two days left after today. Saturday, mom is taking me out to lunch (I’m hoping for pizza or Thai) and Sunday, I plan on making cauliflower hash with cheese and bacon and onions…oh my!!
THURSDAY: I bought more peanut butter.
I think I stayed under 1000 calories on Wednesday, but I know I went over my allotted 700. I didn’t drink two full gallons of water either–but I got closer than Tuesday. :/ I can’t stop eating peanut butter. I am craving fat. Or energy. IDK.
Today I got up and decided (even though it’s a de-load lifting week) that I’d squeeze in a fun CrossFit conditioning workout early to start my day. When I realized that Sean was coaching, I knew I was in for a crazy morning. Sean always seems to get us warmed up quicker and more intensely than other coaches. I had hardly been awake for 30 minutes and the next thing I know I was doing 15 wall walks, (walking up the wall backwards so that your nose touches it!) and 15 strict pullups, 30 push presses and 60 double-unders. Sheesh! Then the actual workout totally kicked my ass, but I could SERIOUSLY tell something was “off.”
The workout started with 100 double-unders (I got 80 in a row before stopping…and then I couldn’t get two in row after that…) and I immediately felt dizzy. Like, really weird dizzy. Then we had to do 21 95-lb shoulder to overhead presses with a barbell, 21 sit-ups, then 18 of each, 15, 12, and 9 of each. We finished with 100 double-unders. It took me right over 16 minutes to do the whole workout because I kept feeling so dizzy! Every time I pressed the barbell, dizzy. Room spinning. Eventually I just said to myself, “I’ll do this til I fall..there are enough people to pick me back up!” I could just REALLY tell that either my new caffeine pills were way too strong (cheapest pre-workout EVER btw), or I was weak and underfed. I prefer to think the latter, but seriously, I have eaten enough peanut butter to feed an army. Who knows? I’m not working out tomorrow (my final day!) and probably won’t lift too heavy again ’til next week. But seriously, that was so weird this morning!
Friday: LAST FREAKING DAY.
I don’t think I’m seeing the results I wanted. Granted, I’m sure I didn’t “stick to the rules” the entire time either. I mean, I tried really hard but when I’m not actually competing, knowing “it’s ok” even if I don’t cut weight, makes it hard to do this exactly right. If it weren’t for knowing that people would be reading this, I’m not sure my will power would have even been this strong. Peanut butter makes this hard. I’ve learned that if I REALLY have to do this for a meet, I’m going to have to clean the kitchen out of EVERYTHING that might tempt me. I think it will be a little bit more doable if I plan out exactly what and when I’ll eat and save some calories for snacking on something like chicken or broccoli or freaking something other than a spoon full of peanut butter every night.
So my last day. I just ate one bowl of egg whites. I’m allowed another bowl of egg whites and a half gallon of water by 6pm and nothing more. #FML. I reeeeallllly want tomorrow to be here SOON.
PS-I’m grouchy, tired, sore, and HUNGRY for CARBS. And more peanut butter.
THE FINISH!!
Ok so Friday night was flat out miserable. Don’t talk to Erik about it; apparently I wasn’t so pleasant to be around. During the entire day Friday, I had two bowls of egg whites and about two spoon fulls of peanut butter plus my half gallon of water. I didn’t eat or drink anything past about 6:30pm which is SO hard for me. Typically I’m so busy that I don’t even eat dinner til after 8. And I always have a little something before bed. This was definitely the hardest part for me.
BUT I WOKE UP SMALLER ON SATURDAY!
I had Erik weigh me bright and early Saturday morning and I lost a total of 5.6 pounds! Not to shabby, right?! Erik asked me on a scale of 1-10, how much I cheated on this plan–1 being a LOT, and 10 being not at all. I told him 3, maybe 4. I mean, peanut butter wasn’t a part of the plan and I ate it every day. I think I would have actually reached my goal of 8 pounds–if not more–if I had stuck out the original plan. I think next time I just need better planning. I love knowing that I can do it though!
I think I’m going to try to find a place where I can get my body fat tested (like, a legit type of testing–a bodpod or water testing, etc.) I want to know exactly how much muscle I’m packing and what a good weight is for me. I HATE the scale, and even through all this, I had Erik do all the numbers because I don’t want what I weigh to mess with my head. Isn’t it awful what society has done to women?! But I think if I can get some testing done to see what I actually should weigh according to my muscle mass, it might be easier to figure out where I need to be for competitions as well. Anyway, just some random thoughts…
Want to know how I celebrated my success?
By eating 5.6 pounds of pizza, of course! Haha! Ok, I did have a great little weekend of foods, but I AM right back on track today as I type this (Monday morning). I’ve decided I like the really clean eating, the gallon of water a day, the smart carbs (sweet potatoes!) and meal prepping. I guess I always have, but I’m getting a little more serious and a little more on point with it to meet my overall goals. SO I’m back at it… but this weekend?
Well, first, I woke up Saturday morning STARVING! I had a scoop of protein and then helped work the Youth Triathalon at work. Which, by the way, was the CUTEST thing I’ve ever seen. I teared up every time a kid crossed the finish line. Especially the girls! #likeagirl!
So then I went downtown for a quick CrossFit workout and ohmygod, that workout (20 minutes of 5 thrusters, 7 hang power cleans, 10 sumo deadlift high pulls) just flat out kicked my ass! I was DRIPPING all over the place and the weight was only 65 pounds! But that made me feel awesome because I knew I had a BIG day ahead. Mom came over after my workout and she, Erik, and I went wine tasting. Then we took mom for appetizers at a local Caribbean restaurant (she had never been wine tasting OR eaten Caribbean), and last we took her to Benny’s for the BEST.PIZZA.EVER. We stuffed ourselves. And later that night–dinner I guess?–I drug Erik out to Dairy Queen because I saw the stupid commercial for the Chips Ahoy Blizzard. It wasn’t as good as I thought it might be though, I mean, it was ice cream with chocolate in it–it definitely wasn’t bad! (But if you want my advice, save your splurge for the Pumpkin Pie blizzard in a couple months!)
Yesterday, I went back to the gym and trashed my legs. I did 30 back squats at 215 pounds, and then a conditioning workout of 12-9-6 front squats at 125 lbs and 24, 18, 12 kettlebell swings at 53 pounds. I also sprinted 200m after each round. I could hardly walk the rest of day and am struggling today! BUT I made my cauliflower-bacon-cheese hash that I had been craving for two weeks and ate the entire pan throughout the rest of the day! Erik and I also had some more wine–we bought a bottle Saturday of an awesome one that we tasted. So yeah, it was a pretty great weekend both food and workout wise.
I’m glad I did this experiment. I learned a lot about my will power and my obsession with peanut butter. I am also excited to continue this journey and keep leaning out some more. I’ve already food prepped for this week and I have 10 containers of chicken and veggies in my fridge along side a massive container of turkey and spaghetti squash with green beans and asparagus. I’m glad I’m not “cutting” weight because now I can load up on my favorite seasonings. 🙂 Looking forward to my progress…will keep you updated!
I didn’t cut like a powerlifter but I competed in the fitness category of a fitness competition and had to diet down for that. I understand what you are talking about with the pb and with the craving fat and not carbs I am the exact same way. PB love…OMG! I had to take it out of the house completely.
The water load was also pretty harcore annd I thought I went to eh abthroom a lot on the normal gallon a day….pfffff
Ha!! It sounds like we are pretty the same!! I know if I do this again, there will be ZERO pb in the house and I’ll just have to figure out how to snack on egg whites and still be happy–LOL!!! And the water…OMG I’m so over it!! Ha!!