Niquii77, you can lose weight and build strength at the same time but to do so requires careful planning of nutrition, exercise intensity and rest. If you try to lose weight too fast, you may find that you have insufficient calories and nutrients to fuel your exercise and maintain muscle mass. If you are exercising at high intensity levels without adequate rest, you won’t recover and rebuild and grow muscle tissue. Your food intake must have a macronutrient allocation between protein and carbs to support your activity levels and goal of building strength while still putting you in a calorie deficit for weight loss. When you talk about your cut cycle, what exactly are you doing? How you structure all of this really depends on your current weight, body composition, specific strength goals and weight loss goals. And if you are trying to significantly add to muscle mass as opposed to getting stringer with your existing muscle mass, losing weight could be counterproductive. Where are you now and what are your goals?
abasket – I haven’t had a good Ruben sandwich in years – can I have the other half? 
ohiopublic – interested to hear how the cadence workouts are going. When I focused, I was able to do 180+/minute (but then read the article someone posted here about how that’s not gospel).
PlantMom – thanks, racing twin Migraine was over by dinner last night and this morning, I felt good enough to run for the first time since the marathon. 6 miles in the Park and it’s totally back to normal – finish line is gone, stands are down. Amazing how much work goes into building up and breaking down everything for the race.
Signed up for 2 races in January: a 10k and a half. I need some new motivation and goals.
Thank you so much for the guidance, @MichaelNKat!
My main goal is to lose fat. When I see quad seperation, I know I’ve gotten there. Literally, that’s my main driving force.
Secondary goals are to squat 185 lbs, bench 100 lbs, and increase cardio heath. I’m completely untrained in bench. I started to bench this past Wednesday and today I was not fully recovered from it and it messed up my squats today. I also did HIIT Wednesday, not sure if that affected today. It’s been three days, though.
I’m currently getting about 1600 calories and about 90g of protein. I don’t eat many grains except a 1/8 cup of granola and some wanton strips in my salad. The rest of my carbs come from veggies and fruit (spinach, green beans, carrots, pears, and bananas). I feel like it’s not enough but I think my TDEE is around 1700. I haven’t checked lately. I work out 3 days a week for 1.5 hours.
I just checked my TDEE and it was much higher than what I thought it was. Like…700 calories higher. :))
Oh, my gosh. To think of all the pasta I can eat.
My TDEE is about 2200 calories and my deficit will be at 1900. I think this explains why today went how it did.
I’m a bit nervous on planning my meals because I don’t want to get the ratios wrong. Where am I supposed to get 137g of protein??
Besides, Niquii, you are balancing your classes and everything! That’s a lot. Sounds like you are generally doing well, though.
Sometimes I amaze even myself at the things I do. I was seriously questioning my need to run this half marathon. But- I made it! I sort of did do the reverse time goal- I did the obnoxious thing of making sure everyone I knew clearly understood that “I wasn’t racing today.” In a smallish race, I generally wind up alone. Well, I was near a few women for the early miles and one of them NEVER SHUT UP. I mean- loud and constant. It was nice for awhile to have the distraction, but on those hills, I could barely gasp out a few words, and we were getting the entire story of her kid’s travails in middle school! We were all doing a little walking up the hills, and I finally got in front of them and dropped them. The course is very hard, and I took frequent walk breaks. I did well on the downhills. The course is 13.2 (admitted by the race director) and not certified. I ran 2:17 (2:16 for 13.1 which beats my completely flat Bethlehem time from September in the heat). I’m happy with how I did and how I felt. I only wanted to quit a few times. I ate 1 Huma and had some Gatorade at a number of the aid stations. Stomach did fine. It is a gorgeous scenic course in the country- lots of cows and horses. My splits were all over the place depending on the hill situation. I had miles in the 9:30s and one over 12.
Finisher medal is nice. Won my age group and the prize is a water bottle (the old plastic kind) and a big candy thing called a Cow Pie (don’t ask) in a spike bag. They had great food at the end- pizza, cookies, fruit etc. Last week I did NOT want pizza after the 10 miler, but today it sounded really good and I had a piece.
Woo hoo MOWC!! That is great – you jumped into this race and aced it! I would have shut down the chatty Cathy in a not so subtle fashion. Good for you for listening to her. What a great feeling!
Way to go, MOfWC! Chatty Cathies are so annoying!
Great job @MomofWildChild ! Speaking of halfM, I have raced nothing longer than 5 miles (and very few of those - almost all 5k) in the past 20 years. I run almost every day, but 3 or 4 miles. Today my neighbor asked me if I was running in our local town 1/2 marathon next month, that goes right in front of my house. I got all psyched up (Jimmie Johnson has run this race in past years) and went for a 7 mile run, and if felt great! The race is Dec 10 and I figure if I get in a few training runs up to 10 miles I should have no problem with the 13.1. So I go to the registration page and it’s 70 freaking dollars! The 5k is $25, so I will probably stick with that.
Checking in
I was hospitalized two weeks ago for pain and long story short, I was diagnosed with Central Pain Syndrome and found out that I can’t take most pain drugs (morphine made me feel like I was having a heart attack- to the point that they checked to see if I was) because they increase, not decrease, my pain.
I was diagnosed with this earlier in the year too but didn’t respond to any of the meds they tried so the pain clinic basically gave up on me and told me that it was probably just related to my lupus and not actually CPS. The hospital doctors re-diagnosed me and started me on a different medicine and so far, so good.
So the brag: I’ve gone swimming twice this week and so far, no bad break through pain. Definitely muscle pain but that’s because I haven’t swam in months. The pain has just been too high to even try.
I know you like swimming @romanigypsyeyes - I hope that can continue with some regularity - good for the body and the mind!
@NJres , folks here can probably share how far in or off $70/half marathon seems for fees. Do they list any of the swag you get- more than a plain tshirt I hope? The perks might make it worthwhile!
I’m really frustrated with H. I’ve talked about his weight issues before. Nice success with WW almost 3 years ago (lost about 40 pounds) He attended the WW meetings religiously and came home and shared what he learned/heard. And, he looked better! He had such a good handle on eating, kept a journal, planned ahead snacks to take to work, was so energized talking and SEEING how it made a difference (the choices).
Then got a knee injury at work and fell off the wagon (the eating, not a wagon that injured him!). His eating is NOT good. Our schedules are different so I often cook and he eats later or takes food to work the next day - except he often is not taking my cooked food because he’s buying out instead! (and I’m a decent cook!) His exercise is not bad - his job requires him to walk a decent bit - at least he used to - he probably spends more time in the patrol car now (he’s a park ranger) - and he will go to our fitness center but well, I don’t know if he’s breaking a sweat. He pays WW fees but only goes and weighs in but never goes to meetings anymore - my guess is because he took steps back(?)
Lately I’m noticing his eating getting worse. Empty ice cream pints and bags of chips in the trash. Stashed bags of candy bars and Oreos (not like secret hiding but in the cupboard spot I don’t frequent). He is retiring the end of the month - is he stressed? I’ve been bugging him a bit which he pretty much ignores and shuts me down. I think retirement (especially this time of year) is NOT going to help. Too much opportunity to chow down - especially when I’m not home. He doesn’t really cook (he will cook meat on the grill or make Hamburger Helper - yep, VOMIT!) .
My kids are annoyed too that he let so much progress totally go. I have no idea what to do for or with him! I think recently all the sugar and carbs - well, it’s encouraging and making him crave MORE sugar and carbs.
I’m so frustrated! I can see the weight gain - he must feel it! 
I suppose I could have put this in the “say it” thread - but there no one can even nod their head “yes” or offer an ounce of sympathy or help!!!
^^Too bad we can’t edit after 15 minutes. I think I had a weak moment and rambled on above. It was necessary but now I wish I could be a little less lengthy. Oh well, at least MY weak moment didn’t include candy bars!!!
Abasket, it is OK to ramble to let out the steam. Your buddies are here for you.
abasket, if you can’t let it out here, where can you! I can only imagine how frustrated and powerless you feel. Not to play armchair psychologist here, but have you ever sat and spoken with him about whether he thinks he has a weight issue that impacts on his health, what he’s feeling when he gorges himself on all the junk food, why he thinks he has difficulty managing his diet? If you haven’t already tried, maybe encouraging him through open ended questions can help him become more invested in making some changes.
Oy vey… My cat ate my fitbit!!! She was purring in my lap, gently nibbling on the strap. A few minutes later, I reached for the little button on the side to look at my step count… The button was GONE.
^^^OH NO! You can’t make things like that up! Is your cat ok?!
MK, I never seem to get to far with questions. I think he feels like any “talk” is a lecture. While there have certainly been eating issues for awhile, he seems to recently be really over the top. I’m wondering if it’s anxiousness about retiring. He is pretty much retiring by choice - though admittedly he has always loved his job. The plan is for him to find something part time after the holidays…I kind of feel like I need to tread lightly until he finishes work. But I have my moments! Like above!!!
Thanks for understanding my bit of an outburst though.
LOL, the cat is more than fine! She probably bit into it, and the flimsy object fell out.
Vent away abasket. I would be very concerned!
Bunsen- oh no! Call Fitbit and tell them it’s a design defect and attracts cats!
A basket- I am your husband (except my husband is way more overweight than me). Many times in my life I have lost 50# only to regain it. I wish I could explain the disgust I feel after regaining the weight. Why don’t I stick to a plan? Lack of discipline I guess and the fact I love to eat junk. My husband never says anything and I appreciate that. He tells me I am ‘hot’ no matter my size ( I tell him the same), but my parents always brought up my weight. I will never forget my dad saying once after a regain ‘you’re going to be fat your whole life.’ Now when I get to the weight when he said that, people carry on about how great I look. I don’t believe it because I heard so many times how fat I was even when I was a healthy BMI.
abasket, yeah, I get what you’re saying. Even just asking non-judgmental open ended questions about what he is thinking and feeling can be perceived as pressure and when it comes to food and weight, anything perceived as external pressure can be counter-productive. It’s a tough spot for you to be in. Who does the food shopping for your household? Would it be possible to eliminate or at least limit the junk food in the house and replace it with healthy snacks? What if everyday the two of you took a walk together for 30 minutes as “us time” rather than trying to force formal exercise, do you think he would buy into that? I would imagine that his impending retirement, even though of his choice, is creating a lot of stress for him. The fact that he still goes to WW for weigh ins and is willing to go to the gym suggests that on some level he knows he has to make a change. Do you think that approaches not couched as efforts to get him to lose weight would avoid creating additional stress or would avoid triggering a “resistance reaction” (don’t try to control me, I’ll control my self) that could be part of what’s going on with his eating?