Can I ask what you ladies do diet wise? Do you follow the plan in the book? Do you eat clean? About how many calories do you eat (considering you count calories).

I was vegetarian for a long time and recently starting eating meat every now and again but I know I don't get any where near enough protein and eat too many carbs.

LisaTcan: I don't follow the diet in the book per se. I eat 80% clean and 20% not-so-clean, if that makes any sense. On training days which is three times a week, I eat 2100 calories and on maintenance days, 1800 calories. I weigh pretty much what your goal weight is and haven't had a problem maintaining it either. Hope that helps. :)

For 2 months I have been eating the number of calories the book recommends for me--actually, maybe ~100/day more. So 1700-1800 on non-workout days and 2000-2100 on workout days. I weigh most of my food, but not absolutely all of it, so I could be eating a bit more. My weight is holding steady now. In the past, I aimed for ~125+ grams of protein a day. Lately I've aimed for ~100, and I have seen no difference in results. But if I was eating at a deficit, I might up it again to make sure I didn't lose muscle mass.

I don't eat clean. I eat plenty of processed, pre-packaged food. I am vegetarian. Typical foods include soy meats, frozen multigrain waffles, Greek yogurt, hardboiled eggs, cheese, multigrain crackers, prepackaged soups, occasional frozen meals (pesto tortellini bowls YUM), cream in my tea, and occasional junky-junk (chocolate bars, Cheese Nips, etc). And of course I try to get in my fruit and veg, though I'm better about that at some times than at others.

Eating clean is great if you have the commitment to do it, but at this point in my life, I don't. I suspect that for most people, weight just comes down to calories; it does for me, anyway. I do take a multivitamin to "fill the gaps" in my diet. I had some blood work done in Nov, and it was all really good (I actually have more good cholesterol than bad!). I suspect that's due as much to exercise as to diet.

Well, I completed the first workout (A) in stage 6 this morning and yikes! :eek: It was no joke. 10 sets of pullovers at only two reps but still...

I was kind of bummed that I had to drop the weight in the 6th set because my arms were so fatigued and almost shaking; proving that my upper-body is still kind of weak. Grr. :mad:

On the other hand, I managed to do 20 reps (per side) of the Bulgarian split squats with no problem as well as 20 full push-ups. This workout definitely makes me see that there's still a lot of room for improvement. Oh welz.

Thanks for the advice ladies :) I'm still want to lose so I think I may aim for 1800 on lifting days with a lot of protein and 1500 on non-lifting days. I try to eat clean but with my life style it's hard.

Thanks again!! Heading to the gym now :)

Hi girls, I am currently doing this program and am a little more than halfway through phase 1. I am working out at home. I love it so far, except lunges, I hate lunges :lol:

Well, I feel like I am starting over from scratch. I have been sick - some kind of respiratory infection - and have been lazy, lazy, lazy. I hope to start the lifting program again soon - AND I will probably be back with more questions :D

you ladies are an amazing resource!!

LisaT - I'm with you on the calorie confusion and (ideally) wanting to lose a few more pounds. I'll keep posting about my calorie intake and weight, and I took the dreaded "before" photos so it will be an interesting experiment to see what happens.

I noticed a workout day is recommended to be about 250 cals more than a non-workout day (for me at least) so I am thinking of a 250-cal high-protein post-workout snack I can add to keep things simple. Unfortunately I tend to work out late and I hate to eat late, but oh well.

I'll check in whenever I start up again. Power on, ladies!

jomatho: I hate lunges, too. They're my least favorite exercise! But I do them dutifully...

EmmaD: Hope you're feeling better!

I have 2 workouts left in Stage 2--boy, they do fly by now! I'm continuing with my extracurricular chin-up practice, and I think I'm *thisclose* to getting that first unassisted chin-up. I can do single chin-ups with my smallest resistance band to assist. When I try without a band, I get stuck at the halfway point, but it only takes a tiny boost from hubby to get me past that point, & then I can make it to the top. So I'm excited all the time-- is this the day I'll get my chin-up?? :D

Hi everyone! I'm just reading this book now, but as you can see I still have ALOT of weight to lose. I'm wondering if I'm better off starting when I lost another 30-40 lbs.....thoughts?

Laura78: Start now is what I say. Don't wait. You'll lose weight and firm up at the same time.

I start stage 7 in just two weeks. How crazy is that?!? I feel like I just started this program and I'm almost finished.

Okay, so this is another thing I noticed in the way of progress since doing this program. I tried on some shorts today because I was getting some of my spring clothes out from storage. The seats of all my shorts and capris are not loose or baggy anymore. I seriously fill in the rear of my pants now. I was almost contemplating giving most of my pants away before starting this program. I'd lost too much weight and had to get the waists on many of them taken in. I gained back (on purpose) 11 lbs. so I was afraid that the shorts didn't fit anymore. The waist fit perfectly and for once in my life, the back of my pants/shorts actually fit the way they were supposed to. I've always had a flat and almost non-existent behind but not since doing NROL4W. All those darn variations of squats and lunges have really worked. Who knew?!?

I guess I'm on sucha good role that I'm nervous for the period where my body adjusts and I may have some weight gain. I guess it's the price to pay for a toned body though.

It will just be some water (retained by your muscles as they recover) and a little bit of muscle (which is a good thing). As long as you mentally prepare, there is no reason at all to be afraid of either of those things.

Also, I like to point this out: weight lifting is fun! It's so great to able to push yourself and compete with yourself and have new accomplishments every time you go to the gym. And it is AWESOME to feel strong!! Love it. :)

Laura78 - I'm on my third week of the program and when I started I gained 5lbs..it worried me but I've since dropped it. I wouldn't worry about it :)

fitmom- that's so exciting about the clothes fitting well! I have a thick waist and a small flat bum so pants are hard for me to buy. I'm hoping this program might change that a little.

I used the barbell for the first time last week! I've been too intimidated but one day the gym was relatively empty so I just went for it. So fun!

fitmom - Did you have 29% body fat at your current weight? That's what mine was when I got assessed right before starting the program. How long did it take you to get it down to 20%? That is my goal.