Amanda -- TED talks are a great idea. Also, see this link for more ideas: https://run5kaday.wordpress.com/2013...-15-listening/

I have already downloaded several of the New Yorker short stories to my iPhone. If you are into that and want to know which are probably best, just sort the iTunes list according to popularity. I love short stories and look forward to listening to some of those. For now though, Rob Lowe has my attention

Amanda, that's great news that you are feeling more like yourself!

I've only had kale in soup, but since we are trying new foods in the summer thread I may just have to try it your way

And I hear you about the loose skin concerns, I was never one to wear shorts even growing up, as I always thought my thighs were huge even when I wasn't overweight. So I started wearing shorts to soccer once I lost a bunch of my weight, but then noticed I had a bit of loose skin on my inner thighs so I worried too much about how that looked running around and went back to pants! I tell myself it's silly, but I still can't bring myself to put on the shorts. Hopefully you won't give into the insecurity and besides, remember you will be in the water most of time

Thanks for the links ladies! I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Oh, trust me, if you like toasted coconut you will LOVE the kale sauteed in it. The secret is to not have the pan too hot or it burns the butter and flattens the coconut oil flavour out. I let both melt and stir them together with a wooden spoon then toss the kale in and keep turning it so it's nicely coated in the oily mix, then turn up the heat so the leaves crisp up. Little sea salt or pink himalayan rock salt makes it a super tasty side for any rich or greasy meat (awesome with duck!) Haven't had any vegetable that I enjoy this much in a long time. Drawback is that hubby is going to complain about lack of variety soon. LOL

Being in the water sounds like it should be a good thing, but do you ever sit in the bath and watch the loose fat float? I think I'm less concerned with being in the pool than I am getting from changing room to pool.

I hear you on the thighs issue - being a massively disproportionate pearshape meant that I haven't worn shorts since I was around 9 -way too self conscious for that. I also have chunky knees so never wore short skirts either. Of course, without the fat, that is where most of the loose skin is bagging - around the inner thigh, backs of the thighs the lower butt and behind the knees. I know some of it will go over time as I reduce the BF% but I am also realistic enough to know that if I want to make swimming a part of my future (and I would like to, living in Texas) then I need to consider some form of "lift" surgery. As my parents-in-law live next to a lake and love fishing and boating it's kind of hard to avoid, unless I go swimming muslim-style. LOL

Briael- Thanks so much for the info and the link!

I had a check up with my doctor last night, and your response encouraged me to talk to her about my diet and exercise plans. She was super proud of my mindset and progress so far, but did have some concerns about pushing myself too hard. We talked about how I can make it work and I agreed to call her at the end of C25K if I decide to continue into C210K.

She's also fantastic and sent me for a blood test for my thyroid before I even asked about it.

Did I mention how much I love my doctor?

Awesome Sharkie!! It's fantastic when you find a doc that you just "click" with. The three times in my life it's happened to me I've either moved continents, they've had a change of duty station or (current) are about to retire.

Glad the link was helpful and thankful that you got some professional advice.

Another interesting article on Why Meal Timing Does Matter, but only if you are actively trying to build muscle.

Checked out a handful of the quoted references and they all confirm the article is genuinely relevant.

So, if you're TRYING to build lean muscle (runners, gym rats) as you shed fat, then you may want to consider a protein supplement before bed to ensure that the MPS (Muscle Protein Synthesis) continues during the traditional "fasting" overnight period.

I thought this article was really helpful, thank you. Debunked a couple things for me, and made me feel more at ease about trusting myself a little more, esp. since I'm not training as hard as some.

Here's another great article for those who find their lean mass decreasing at weekly WI:-

Does Carb Backloading Work - I'm going to quote the most relevant section, as I see it:-

Thank you Amanda. I liked this article in combination with the last one, because there is just so much information out there. My life experience tells me it is better for me to eat a small protein snack in the later evening, and I know IP recommends that also. I started to get a little thrown by this "intermittent fasting" that people seem to like, and was starting to get some "shoulds?" in my brain, so this helped settle it.
I think for my particular body, esp. given my weaknesses in insulin production and blood sugar stability, that eating at regular intervals including at night works best, and keeping track of macros and calories etc.

It's interesting that you had come to that same conclusion alone. On my Feb bod pod test I had lost lean mass. I had been having my evening snack about an hour before I went to bed (if I am hungry or cold I cannot get to sleep) but was also concerned that it was not the best way to refuel with the increased exercise level from ramping up the C25K running segments, and had moved the fueling to immediately prior and shortly afterwards to begin the muscle rebuild.

My nutritionist commented that it was not good to be losing lean mass, even though my BF% was plummeting alongside it, and told me to increase my protein intake.

The months before that had seen me lose barely 0.75% lean mass, and my March reading saw me regain that with returning to a protein powder shake within an hour of going to bed. I have my April bod pod test next week so I'll be able to see what the lean retention has been for a concurrent month.

I agree, it's certainly helpful to know when the best times are for protein top ups in order not to sacrifice more muscle and lean mass than is absolutely necessary.

Considering the level of exercise I'm doing I was surprised not to lose more, until I checked my percentages of protein. Although the recommended value for a keto-dieter is between 0.5 to 0.8g per lb of body weight I have actually been swinging between 0.875 and occasionally up to 1g per lb.

When I first noticed it I wondered if it was contributing to slower loss (as I know that protein will be converted to glycogen in the absence of sufficient carbs or fats), but it seems to have stabilised. Most of my variance with weight seems to come from water retention in constantly repairing muscles, hormone fluctuations due to perimenopause (likewise the anemia) and an overindulgence of artificial sweetener when I am struggling with water intake.

I really like the principles behind the IIFYM, it seems fairly solid science for maintenance and doesn't advocate imbalance within food groups. I like that they have the Calculators linked from their home page and that they advocate so many different styles of macro management based on individual needs.

Finished Week 3 Day 2 yesterday!

I think I'm going to repeat Week 3 before moving onto Week 4- my body hasn't quite adjusted to the 3 minute jogging intervals, and I want to be comfortable with them before moving on to the 5 minute intervals.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Great job ImAShark, and definitely repeat the week if you feel you need to. It's not safe or healthy to overdo it while on IP and it does get more taxing on the body as the run intervals increase, so don't forget to add an extra packet or egg when your body is telling you you need it (dizzy, lightheaded..) as previously discussed in this thread.

Still doing 5k three times a week, and it's still hard! I'm hoping that it does get easier. Though I think it's mostly mental not physical that makes it hard right now as it's been a few weeks that I've been running the full 5k regularly.

I hope everyone is still running strong and staying OP!

Any time you are feeling like you want or need to repeat, do it. It won't harm you to put an extra week in here and there. Listen to the bod, it won't mislead you.

Yay, nice going DD!!! I'm still struggling with running so trying to get the fast walking and gym routines back in place until this knee decides to play nicely once more.

I did wonder whether the interval training to increase my pace has thrown me off so badly that my breathing and pace are out of sync and that is what's making me struggle mentally; because I know it's not just the painful knee - I've been running through that for so many weeks that it's more of an irritation than a game ender.

Decided that as most of the serious 5K events in this area start in September I'm going to pick it up again at the end of June and start the running intervals at the pace I want to be at, so I don't have the same problems later. So annoying when the 30 mins at the slow pace was so very doable.


On a side note, I was reading about the veteran Boston marathon runner who has just hung up his boots, and the method he advocated for learning to run a 5K. He suggested that to run for a preset time taught one to push through for an interval, rather than listening to the body and allowing it to develop a natural running/breathing rhythm that was maintainable. He suggested that you run until your body feels under pressure, walk until it recovers then run again. Never do less or more than a 30 minute session. It was an interesting philosophy and I found a lot of sense in it. As children we run almost effortlessly, we don't have goals .. we run until we are too tired to run, we hear the body's messages. As adults we look for shortcuts.



Glad to hear that you're getting your runs in - I am envious, but proud of you, DD.

"On a side note, I was reading about the veteran Boston marathon runner who has just hung up his boots..., "

Amanda - That was really cool what he said, thank you for posting.

I hope your knees feel better soon.

After repeating Week 3, I finally tied my shoelaces, hitched up my running shorts, and moved on to Week 4 with the 5 minute running intervals.

I've been steadily increasing the speed on the treadmill each week, made it to 4.8 last week, but today I pulled it down to 4.6 for the 3 minute intervals and 4.4 for the five minute intervals. Just as challenging as running the 90 second and 3 minute intervals at 4.8 last week, and I was able to complete all intervals feeling beat but strong. Quite happy with myself!