by lulumum

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Olympic Lifting|Clean And Jerk

Lucent Tank, Align Pant II, Nike Romaleo II

Sorry I missed last weeks Olympic lifting post. It's been a really crazy week and I had to miss last weekends class. Today I wanted to give you guys an update on how my Whole 30 went and what I'm up to now as far as my nutrition plan. Whole 30 went really well and I had a lot of non scale victories but I was really disappointed to have only lost 6lbs total on it. It was really frustrating to have eliminated things I loved and thought where contributing to my weight gain only to learn that those things weren't 'the thing' holding me back from weight loss. 6lbs in 30 days is not nothing, but it felt like a very restrictive diet for a moderate amount of weight loss. 

I took a few days off of whole 30 at the start of this month and then decided to throw myself into the land of food weighing and measuring, and calorie counting. My plan of choice is the Flexible Dieting/IIFYM  where you calculate your total daily calorie expenditure, and calculate your maintenance calories and then subtract 10% for a calorie deficit and macro nutrient ratio. The first week I worked on my own calculations but then this past week I decided to have my calculations done by a professional coach. 

The IIFYM/Flexible Dieting plan is going well so far. I'm noticing a big difference but I'm also learning a lot. My protein requirements are very high and I see that I've never really hit those requirements before. It's hard!!! I'm hitting them now by supplementing with protein powder, and eating a lot of egg whites and lean meats. Because I've increased my protein significantly, I'm having  some gastro issues adjusting to the amounts - but I'm noticing a change in how my clothes are fitting which is crazy for just two weeks. I've also learned that going over on your daily fats is super easy if you are not eating the leanest meats possible, or even if you enjoy whole eggs or avocados, or nuts. My diet is very 'clean', but my calories quickly go over into surplus category by eating too much healthy fats, and too many fruits and veggies, and maybe not adjusting my daily calories enough when I opt to enjoy a glass of wine or two. I'm really liking that I can eat anything, as long as they fit within these macros of mine. The catch is that I have to eat foods that are nicely balanced, and that keep me full for longer. If I eat a cookie early in the day, that means that I have to eliminate a lot of foods that would keep me feeling full all day long. I'd really rather feel comfortably satiated and have plenty of energy vs. trading that in for a cookie. I made the mistake two days ago of making protein pancakes and that took out a huge chunk of calories and carbs really early on in the day and left no room for snacking on fruits and veggies in the mid afternoon. Those pancakes where a lot more calories than I'm used to so early on in the day!

I'm at officially 10lbs weight loss since January 2nd and I'm going to stick with this flexible dieting plan long term. I'll keep you guys posted on how it's going and what I'm learning, but so far so good!
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17 comments

  1. That's great news @lulumum! Everyone's body responds so differently to "diets" (i know it's not a "diet") and you have to find what works best for you. I used to have gastro issues when I upped my protein also, but I can tolerate a lot more now that I've gotten used to it. I can't however tolerate high fibre, so I have to avoid nuts and eating too much broccoli/cauliflower or anything with seeds :( When I went from eating what I thought was healthy (whole grains, low fat..cough cough) to strict paleo, I dropped 18 lbs in 3 months (I only weighed 120 before), only to realize I was way too skinny. So, yeah - everyone responds different. Crossfit helped me build muscle back though so I"m thankful for this. Hoping you can find what works best for you!

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  2. Yesss! I like the sound of your plan, makes perfect sense, over the years I've found that nothing works better for cutting fat than creating a weekly calorie deficit of 2k-3k calories

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  3. Hi! Lulumum! You're looking great! Funny that I've been researching iifym for a few weeks. I've been debating doing it on my own with numbers I found on calculators or hire a coach...what made you decide to hire a coach versus using numbers you calculated? Were the numbers similar?

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    1. I wasn't 100% confident in my numbers because of the activity level. From what I'm reading, weightlifting is an 'intense' level exercise (and I work out 5 days per week), but as a blogger I have a desk job which is considered sedentary. My calories where just 100 off the coaches numbers so not far (macros slightly different), and I'd probably still lose weight with my original numbers - but there is something to be said about being able to trust the numbers and not second guess them constantly. Plus I think she has more of an eye towards body composition vs. just strict weightless. I wanted to be able to explain some things to the coach before she created my numbers that you just can't consider with an online calculator (being 37 and wanting to keep my hormones in check, I didn't want to go too low fat). She also gave me a huge sheet of information on how to get to the protein I need in a day, how to eat out, how to calculate for eating out, how to order, how and when to weigh myself, what to expect for weight loss the first two weeks. All sorts of information that I've found helpful.

      If you don't have a scale, I purchased this one off amazon that I really like. It's small and compact and I can travel with it (to dinner at my parents house), you can change the units to oz, litres, grams, ml etc. it tares the weight which means you can add multiple items in once bowl to weigh. You definitely need something precise like this and simple to use.
      https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B013WU0FUO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

      I'm also using an ap for calculating. I input all my food into 'my macros' but if I need to calculate a recipe I use My Fitness Pal to create the recipe and nutritional facts and then I input that into My Macros. I like My Macros better because of the way it displays the macro information - you see what you have left at the top, and at the bottom you have what you've spent. It's much more visually intuitive.

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    2. Thanks for all the information! Kind of feeling the same on how to start...I don't know how to find a coach around where I'm at but I know there's a lot online. Looking forward to seeing your progress and updates!

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  4. Nice lift! I bet you'll see some gains now that you're off Paleo/Whole30. I ate that way for a while when it was all the rage in the Crossfit world and never realized that A. I wasn't getting enough carbs for energy, and B. I was eating SO MUCH FAT! Macros work much better for me. Hope it works well for you!

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  5. Hi Lulumum,

    I just wanted to tell you I love your blog. Thank you for taking the time to update so frequently. I find your fit reviews and new product uploads very useful. And, thanks to you, I signed up for eBates. I don't know why it took me so long to do it.

    I admire your discipline and hard work. What turned you onto Olympic lifting?

    I used to be a bodybuilder and very active. Then I learned I had a very rare genetic disease that affected me neurologically. It has only been 6 months since I've been out of my wheelchair, regained my balance and am able to care for my basic needs. Because of tremors in my hands, I cannot weight train like I used to be able to do. Now I am doing Pilates and walking a lot.

    Since I am no longer working (trial attorney), I live in my Lulu gear and continue to work hard to fully recover.

    Thanks so much for your wonderful blog!

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    1. Hi! Thank you so much for reading!
      Wow! what an incredible year it must have been for you. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you to go through such a drastic change. I'm glad you are able to do pilates and walk now that your balance is back. Do you do a lot of physio?
      My husband is an attorney and I imagine it must have been very hard for you to adjust from a hectic trial schedule and such an intensely focused career. Focus that intensity on your recovery and physio and you will move mountains. I'll be thinking of you and hope you fully recover soon!
      Let me know how you are doing in your recovery! I'd love to hear about your progress!

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  6. Thanks for the encouragement! I go to physical, occupational and speech therapy once a week. I've been doing that for 9 months now. I have Wilson's Disease. Basically, my body cannot metabolize copper. So, I had copper poisoning in my brain and liver. I'm very blessed to be in a drug study at UCLA. It's a miracle drug. So much better than the ones on the market now.

    I've come a long way from not being able to take more than 5 steps to over 10,000 steps a day.

    Keep up the good work with the new diet and training.

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  7. I started the 5:2 diet/life style, as research really does back up the health benefits, in my option. I'm curious if anyone else s on it, or seen the documentary on it?

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    1. I think 5:2 is just another gimmicky way to get people to create a weekly calorie deficit of 3,000 calories or more per week. You can do it by cutting 500 calories per day or you can do it by cutting 1500 calories per day for two days a week. They can frame it all different ways but the basic laws of thermodynamics will always prevail. Energy in = energy out. If energy in is greater we get fat, if energy out is greater we lose fat. The only caveat is to keep lifting weights so that your body doesn't decide to burn muscle, and eat sufficient protein.

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  8. Congrats LLM in all you've accomplished. I am in awe in such strong women such as yourself. Totally off topic, but I need to reach for help as I do not have a Facebook account and am trying to get my hands on a pair of "skinny will" bottoms. I've been an avid collector of their gear for 10+ years and the have alluded me. I would be very grateful to you, LLM or anyone out there that may be able to help me. TIA LuluDel

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  9. Hi LLM, this's very interesting ! I'll have to look into it. Please keep us posted on how it works for you. I'm on Reverse diet or Carb cycle or hi-low. There are many names for it , but it's the same principal. 3 days low carb, 4th day carb spike, then 3 days low , then dirty spike when you can have a cheat meal. I'm 126lbs right now trying to loose 6-7 pounds. Lost 3 pounds since January . It's very difficult because I'm very close to my goal and don't have much to loose. My husband thinks I'm crazy and too hard on myself since I'm a size 4, but I would love to lean out. I'm happy to see that we can discuss diets and different workouts here as well as workout clothes!!

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    1. you're not crazy, I'm right there with you. The goal is not to weigh less, but to lose fat, I totally get it. I always get annoyed when people focus on their weight, when really you could weigh 105 lbs and still be 25% body fat, i.e. you are skinny fat. Contrast that with the UFC girls when they weigh in at 135 lbs on weigh in day and are probably at 10-12% body fat. My goal is to be between 15%-17% body fat and >38% muscle. I monitor my measurements but I don't even pay attention to the weight.

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    2. I know what you guys mean. My goal is to be slim and muscular but I don't have a number in mind yet. It's hard to tell because before I had kids when I was at my slimmest - 128lbs and a size 4 - I was still very dense and muscular. I'd like to get a dexa scan done soon so that I know what an appropriate weight is for me based on my muscular volume. I know I'll never be bellow 120.

      Another thing I worry about and am very aware of is that I have two impressionable daughters and I don't like them knowing about dieting for vanity and weight loss. I don't want them seeing me count calories and weigh food and equate that with a notion of 'trying to get skinny'. So far I've told them that I'm trying to meet protein targets so that I can build my muscles and get really strong so that I can lift 160lb clean and jerks. I hope that's what they see.

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    3. I have a daughter and she has noticed my dietary "habits". She asked me about it and I told her something along the lines of "Lately I have gotten more fat around my belly, and belly fat is not healthy when you are an adult. When you are a kid, if you have some fat around your belly, it is like stored up energy that your body can use to grow taller, but when you are an adult, you are done growing, so you need to find other ways to use that stored up energy, or it can can lead to bad things like diabetes and cancer" (two diseases she is familiar with because her grandma, my mom, has suffered from both). I don't tell her these things to cause anxiety, but to bring attention to the health risks that excess fat can create. Some people will focus on the vanity side of being overweight and highlight that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and you don't have to be thin to look and feel attractive, and I agree with that wholeheartedly. However, I've seen how being overweight has caused my mom to suffer, and I feel that it's important to keep in mind the very real health risks.

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  10. LLM, I just watched your clean and jerk video and that is badass, seriously, I am impressed. Also, I can see that you have a lot of muscle density, especially in your lower body. It will indeed be challenging to lose fat, while keeping the muscle that affords you the ability to do these types of strength based activities. Protein intake will be critical. Also, you may want to incorporate some walking. Sounds silly, but I've been reading how intense cardio works against you by using muscle for fuel, but that simple walking helps burn fat, especially if done first thing in the morning before you eat breakfast. I've been incorporating this into my daily routine and it has helped me get over a plateau, so thought I'd mention it in case anyone out there is "stuck" in weight loss land.

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