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Great, thanks! That would be super! …is there, by any chance, a carb nite cheat sheet somewhere so I can get started right away?
– carbs less than 30g day for 8-10 days (preferably <10 g per meal)- consume protein and fat at a 50:50 based on grams
And I sincerely apologize for insulting anyone, however, I also find it insulting when my experience is dismissed because it doesn't fit with what's expected to happen. I'm telling you, every time I have taken the advice of anyone who assured me I would not get big muscles by lifting heavy I regretted it - SHE-HULK! Granted, the bulk I got was probably nothing for a man aiming to get Arnold big, but for a petite 5' 2", small-framed female, it was not up to my own personal aesthetic - for me. Perhaps I have genes for it that, as a girly girl, I'd rather not have or perhaps the amount of fat on top of the muscles made me look all the more Michelin Man'd out, but like it or not, that's what happens to me.<---- It's more likely that the excess fat you were carrying around is what made you look "bulky". Strip away all that and you likely have far less muscle than you think. Heavy lifting does wonders for any physique and there are countless examples out there. You just need to let go of the stigma you are desperately clinging to. Through years worth of trial & error, lifting heavy & getting discouraged & giving up, then trying again, what I've found works best to give me my desired results is to keep weights to 3-5 lbs & do 2 or 3 sets of 16-30, doing everything at a fast enough pace to keep my heart rate fairly high in a circuit style...Since learning that this is what my body responds best to I've tried going to 8 & 10 lbs for areas like my chest & shoulders, where I think a little fuller look is okay, but it tends to bulk up my biceps & triceps too much...funny thing is that I don't really struggle with the heavy weights. I am strong...I can't do a full pull-up or chin-up (though I haven't tried in a while), but I can do at least 20-25 fast-paced boy-style push-ups (on toes) - I can remember when I couldn't even do 1!. <----It worries me that you're only using 3-5lb weights. You will likely see exactly zero progress doing this. You're not giving you body any kind of stress to actually adapt and change. You're effectively like a hampster on wheel; working hard, but not moving forward. I'll post some articles and places for you to go to help you get a good idea of how little 3-5lb weights help. To start, google "Girls Gone Strong".I do like HIIT too! I enjoy cardio, it clears my head...I find it therapeutic so I'd rather not give it up altogether. Though I do admit I may be overtraining...Again it was my effort to be thorough, achieve my goal & move on to maintenance & other things.<----if you're feeling stir crazy go for a walk. You don't need HIIT for Carb Nite to work.
I realize all of this may make me look like an asshole, but I think you need a shift in your mind set to start making REAL progress towards your goals. Again, if there's any more help I can provide let me know.
Here are some links to look at:http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/a-few-candid-thoughts-on-women-and-training/http://www.jencomaskeck.com/2011/12/ladies-how-to-be-comfortable-in-weight.htmlhttp://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/4-things-your-girlfriend-should-know-revisted/http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/a-girlfriend-responds/http://www.jencomaskeck.com/2011/11/video-ggs-trains-in-baltimore.html (all very beautiful women. And STRONG)http://www.niashanks.com/2011/07/how-to-be-a-beautiful-badass/ (3 part series. I would read all of them)http://www.niashanks.com/2011/12/11-beginner-strength-training-tips-women/
Carb Nite you go ultra-low carb for 6 of the 7 days of the week. Under 30 g of usable carbs. On the 7th day of the week you go on a six hour binge of high glycemic carbs. When you go low carb for more than this period of time, as you found out, you start to feel like crap. The Carb Nite reignites your fat burning hormones. As an engineer, I am very skeptical of everything and I want scientific proof. I review scientific documents for a living and I can say the amount of research Kiefer (the author of Carb Nite and Carb Backloading) did is astounding. The science is solid.I think the main problem with your lifestyle is your exercise. You exercise too much and do too much cardio. This is putting a massive amount of stress on your body. Under Carb Nite or Carb Backloading you won't do any steady state cardio. Maybe one HIIT workout which should only be 20 minutes. You will also want to lift heavy. You don't turn into the she-hulk. As a bodybuilder I find it insulting you think getting big is that easy. Check out Julia Ladewski (she's on this website). She is a competitive power-lifter and she doesn't have a massive physique. You don't have to completely annihilate your muscles just a decent stimulus. For questions about a female appropriate workout ask Naomi (the admin), she also lifts heavy.For more info why your current exercise program is wrong I highly reccomend this article by Kiefer: http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/women-running-into-trouble/
I'm finally caught up... I agree here, that I think you're doing too low cal and too much exercise. 60 minutes of this hard yoga, then another 60-90 minutes of weights circuit, then spin 2x a week, then running (possibly) in the evening. I think you've been doing it for so long your body is just way off track. How to reset that (metabolically, hormonally, etc), I'm not really sure.Regarding the science... yes, Kiefer bases all his stuff on science. And it's right and it works. Or he wouldn't put it out there. That having been said, there are always individual adjustments, needs and concerns. So please don't take the science and throw it out the window. Will you need some tweaks? Most likely based on your situation. And honestly, Kiefer might be the one with most of the answers.Both books (carb nite and carb backloading) are worth the read. Whether you end up "following it to a T" or not, you need to understand the metabolic and hormonal processes. That will then help you make adjustments further.Getting lean was not easy for me. I've always been (at 5'2") between 130-140. sure I'm probably a little more muscular that you, but I never could get lean... cut calories, run more, lift more, didn't matter. that is UNTIL I started backloading a year ago. I began to slowly see my abs. It was slow (b/c remember, CBL isn't the best for cutting fat... at least not like Carb Nite) but it did start slowly cutting fat. I was ok with the slow process. After 6ish months, i tweaked it some more... based on the book (that's when the ebook finally came out). Then I tweaked a little more. I felt AMAZING, strength-wise, i wasn't bloated, i had great energy, etc. etc. Then, I began working with Kiefer. And it all took off. And even the pictures in the article that were just put up weren't my leanest days!!! My weight only dropped a couple pounds... and the kicker is that i was doing this to make weight for a powerlifting comp... not to get lean. And the other kicker, I did a whole 2 sessions of HIIT. I typically don't do cardio (other than maybe going for a walk with my kids)... I did 2 HIIT sessions the first week of working with Kiefer and that was it!Sometimes when we focus on losing weight or even losing fat, the results just don't seem to go as planned. Unless you have someone else doing your training and nutrition. Oftentimes what we see is very different. I agree that heavier lifting will definitely help... in fact, I am one of the co-founders of the Girls Gone Strong movement that you'll find on face book (http://www.facebook.com/girlsgonestrong). I'd be curious to see pictures of what you looked like when you were "bulky"... again, typically our vision of ourselves is skewed by what we think we see. Please get the book(s). CBL comes with access to parts of this forum that you otherwise wouldn't have access to. Carb Nite will help you understand that portion as well (although much of it does need to be updated, but it will still help). And finally, if you're still not certain, I would consider getting a consultation.
Hi and welcome. I am just chiming here not with expert knowledge (yet) but someone who is also new to everything. Like you,I have a whole library of books on weightloss and fitness, and was reluctant to buy into yet another philosophy, but determined to keep trying to find the solution. The book is a fast read, and I have read it a few times as some of the information didn't stick the first time around. I will get and read CBL eventually, as my plan is to lean with CNS then move to CBL. (Julia eluded to the possibility of new materials for CBL for women…I can't wait!)My results started quickly then slowed a bit, but I am figuring things out as I go, I seem to be on the right track now. Some of the things that were hindering my progress were: too much cardio, (I thought a few cardio classes that seemed easy to me wouldn't matter, but they do), hidden Ace K in products, sodium, and stress. But this is just me. Even though we are all human with basically the same pieces and parts, we all have to figure out our specific chemistries and how to work this into our lives.Thanks to all those that take time to answer these posts. I appreciate the knowledge and time spent even though I was not the originator of the thread.
Hi and welcome. I am just chiming here not with expert knowledge (yet) but someone who is also new to everything. Like you,I have a whole library of books on weightloss and fitness, and was reluctant to buy into yet another philosophy, but determined to keep trying to find the solution. The book is a fast read, and I have read it a few times as some of the information didn't stick the first time around. I will get and read CBL eventually, as my plan is to lean with CNS then move to CBL. (Julia eluded to the possibility of new materials for CBL for women...I can't wait!)My results started quickly then slowed a bit, but I am figuring things out as I go, I seem to be on the right track now. Some of the things that were hindering my progress were: too much cardio, (I thought a few cardio classes that seemed easy to me wouldn't matter, but they do), hidden Ace K in products, sodium, and stress. But this is just me. Even though we are all human with basically the same pieces and parts, we all have to figure out our specific chemistries and how to work this into our lives.Thanks to all those that take time to answer these posts. I appreciate the knowledge and time spent even though I was not the originator of the thread.
;D possibly... ;Dyou're right Jenn... sometimes those little "cardio" classes don't seem like much, but can hinder progress. I also started to notice hidden things (Ace K, other sweeteners, etc). It does take some time to adjust to your own workings... hell, i just did the basics for 6 months!!
Oh you should check out some daily logs on the Carbnite forum, it will give you an idea of how to gauge your progress. Just re-do the math to your weight and body type. But definitely CarbNite and then backload later on, when your goal weight and outcome is found. Also buy the Carbnite book it has great recipes and testimonies from every gender, size, and body type.
Auroracle – I did read all of your posts and responses at the other post location but have read through here and I don't think I could have said it better than Julia or acarnovale. You are in in good hands here. Have faith in the the science and ditch that prick PhD guy. Any one who looks you over and says “you don't look like you're starving” deserves very little of your future attention.
I want to thank you all for your generous responses. I've just returned from a trip with a cold, so I'm finding a little more time for the internet 😉I've started reading Carb Nite, but it seems it includes some hard to find items (like Carb Countdown milk & fruit smoothies) - do they still make these? I'm challenged to find them.With all the suggestions to cut down on exercise I chose to take it a bit easier while I was away. However, I also overindulged a little too much. Now that I'm 3 days back with a bad head cold, I'm finding it hard to get back on course. And I've worked too hard & struggled too long to see it all fall apart. Julia, you seemed to suggest I could have a consultation with Kiefer. I think this would reassure me that I'm on the right track & possibly save me a lot more time & effort in trial & error. I have been so focused on this fitness goal for so many years now, I'm impatient to just achieve & maintain it so I can move onto other things (like learning French, since I'm going to Paris next year 😉 So how do I go about having such a consultation?Thank you again!All the Best, Auroracle
I want to thank you all for your generous responses. I've just returned from a trip with a cold, so I'm finding a little more time for the internet 😉I've started reading Carb Nite, but it seems it includes some hard to find items (like Carb Countdown milk & fruit smoothies) - do they still make these? I'm challenged to find them.With all the suggestions to cut down on exercise I chose to take it a bit easier while I was away. However, I also overindulged a little too much. Now that I'm 3 days back with a bad head cold, I'm finding it hard to get back on course. And I've worked too hard & struggled too long to see it all fall apart. Julia, you seemed to suggest I could have a consultation with Kiefer. I think this would reassure me that I'm on the right track & possibly save me a lot more time & effort in trial & error. I have been so focused on this fitness goal for so many years now, I'm impatient to just achieve & maintain it so I can move onto other things (like learning French, since I'm going to Paris next year 😉 So how do I go about having such a consultation?Thank you again!All the Best, Auroracle
you'll get back on track, girl! No worries! I just think that kiefer might have some more insight into your situation being that you've had some issues in the past. (I think you said you've been ultra low carb for a long period of time). but honestly, i think if you upped the resistance training and did either small backloads or even CNS, you'd see some results. to get in touch with Kiefer, I'd send Naomi a PM and see if he's taking on any consultations right now.
Thanks! I tried to message Naomi, but it doesn't show up in my outbox so I'm not really sure if my messages are reaching her. I'm starting the 9 days of low-carb today & I am curious how I might switch back & forth between backloading & carb-nite for the fastest, most efficient route to lean & (compact) muscular. I agree, I think Kiefer would know exactly what I should be doing to achieve my goals & how to get my metabolism back on track if I've done any damage to it. Thanks again 😉
Your case is exactly what Kiefer wrote Carb Nite to address. After too long on a low-carb diet, T3 levels decrease to the point where you can't mobilize body fat anymore. The usual reaction is to decrease carbs even lower, but all you'll do is depress thyroid hormones more — this is the body's natural defense mechanism against calorie and carb restriction.The solution is to follow a cyclic ketogenic diet -- such as Carb Nite -- to make sure T3 and leptin levels are reset, which keeps body fat mobilization for fuel going strong.I don't understand how an expert endocrinologist wouldn't know that.
Your case is exactly what Kiefer wrote Carb Nite to address. After too long on a low-carb diet, T3 levels decrease to the point where you can't mobilize body fat anymore. The usual reaction is to decrease carbs even lower, but all you'll do is depress thyroid hormones more -- this is the body's natural defense mechanism against calorie and carb restriction.The solution is to follow a cyclic ketogenic diet -- such as Carb Nite -- to make sure T3 and leptin levels are reset, which keeps body fat mobilization for fuel going strong.I don't understand how an expert endocrinologist wouldn't know that.
This is why I'm all for CNS as opposed to a long term ULC diet. However, I'm super paranoid about overindulging on Carb Nite! Is there a section in this forum that talks about indicators of that? Sorry this is a random place to ask this but you seem to know what you're talking about ;D
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