I'm now at the point where I can start to feel the difference in my thighs. Literally. I run my hand over the top and I swear I can feel muscle movements in a striated way. I attribute this development purely to non-impact cardio, a good 25 miles a week during the winter. Now I'm down to 18 miles. I don't work calves because I'm "blessed" with "bulldog legs" (yes, a gang of ghetto teenage guys once called that out to me as they passed by) which is another southeast Asian body trait. I can see the hearts in my calves from the back and they measure 13" so no additional size required.
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| From www.workout-routines-that-work.com |
At some point I will get brave enough to ask the nutritionist/spin trainer at my gym to determine my body fat percentage. I'm just hoping to get away without having to sign up for any sort of "package". (I'm notoriously non-social, don't employ trainers or buy supplements. My gym probably hates me. No, I'm kidding. My workouts are apparently too intense, and I get puzzling looks from some of the guys. Well, at least they stay out of my way.)
Then I'll face a dilemma I never thought possible: do I lose more body fat ('cuz dammit, I really wanna see that 6-pack!) or should I work on building more mass. Photos are suppose to add 10 lbs to your image so I'm shocked to see how scrawny I appear in my own pics. Looking back on my weight loss (a painfully slow 1-2 lbs a month because I was also building muscle), I'm loathe to give up my cardio. It just feels too good. I'm an endorphin junkie.
So I just have to eat more. But more quality food. Body builders call it "eating clean". But I don't think I can deal with eating 6 small meals a day centered around protein and vegetables. I'm too lazy, and heck, I have a life! That's why I drink the Ensure High Protein in the car after every workout. 25 grams of protein and it doesn't make me ill! When I get home after running errands (grocery shopping, post office, bank, etc.), I might eat a bowl of instant oatmeal. Or fry an egg or two and have it over rice or toast. Or eat a bowl of Kashi high protein cereal. Before getting to laundry and dishes! And having to meet the afternoon school bus.
I'll credit an interview I read with TV's Dr. Oz who, as I recall, claimed not to be very interested in food, for planting a thought in my head. He only ate because it was necessary and he preferred powders and concentrates. Now I absolutely LOVE food, but I've grown pickier over the years. First because I can't process a lot of things anymore (lactose, peanuts, apple skins, etc.), but also because I figure that if I'm going to eat it, it has to taste good, and it has to be good for me, ie, not make me ill or fat. Except for dessert. Because I WILL eat dessert. I will eat ice cream, and not that gross artificially sweetened stuff. Real ice cream with real sugar. So I do the cardio, so I can eat the ice cream. So far it works for me.
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