New idea

But first, the exercise log...

Lower Body #1
BB Squat 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Stiff-legged Deadlift 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Leg Extensions 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Standing Calf Raise 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Lying Ball Raise 3 X 12
Ball Crunch 3 x 10

So I happened to stumble across this website www.leangains.com

The content is about Intermittent Fasting for Strength Training and Fat Loss.

I was fascinated to say the least. At first I sort of cringed when I read the word "fasting", because I'm not one to enjoy missing meals. But as I delved further into the blog, I realized that it doesn't seem a whole lot like fasting when a majority of it is done while you sleep!

This idea (referred to as IF - intermittent fasting), spoke to me because I have been like a hamster in a wheel, spinning and spinning without getting anywhere!

Einstein said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." --My husband reminded me of this quote, and I saw it again that night as I read the leangains blog, I HAD to find out more!

Surprisingly, what he says in this blog (backed up by scientific research and testing, of course) is that eating frequently has no more of a beneficial effect on your metabolism than eating 3 bigger meals a day. WHAT? You mean ALL this time I have been timing my meals to eat every 2-3 hours, and it hasn't done a thing to stoke my "metabolic fire"??

The basics of IF are: you fast for 16 hours, then feed for 8 hours (for women though, the "sweet spot", as he says, is fasting for 14 hours rather than 16). My example would be to break the fast at 10am and my feeding window would be from 10am to 8pm, in which I would eat 3 bigger meals. I tried it yesterday, I didn't eat breakfast until 10am, I ate lunch at around 1:30pm after my weight training session, then ate dinner at 5pm and was done for the night by 6pm. Now, technically I could have eaten until 8pm but I was so satisfied that I didn't want to!

It wasn't surprising to find out that getting to eat 3 good sized meals, instead of 5-6 mini meals that always left me wanting more, made me feel incredibly satisfied. All while staying within the perfect calorie range! No kidding, after my second meal, I still had 1 whopping 1000 calories left to consume!! HELLO pasta dinner!

I really think that this is worth giving a try. For me, anyway. My problem these days is that I'm pretty lean, yet I had those stubborn areas where fat loves to hang on, no matter how hard I try to get rid of it. And I'm human, so no matter how good I do at eating pretty "clean", I manage to slip now and then. So, I am at a point where I've been eating not enough calories to build lean muscle and not few enough to lose fat. Hamster in a wheel.

It was time to try something new and this fell into my lap. So I am giving it a go. One day down and I'm really excited that it seems to work very well for me. Eating big meals keeps me from being hungry and snacking in between, therefore, resulting in fewer unnecessary calories. And being I will be eating most of my calories after my workout, my muscles (hopefully) won't suffer. I am going to find out if the elusive "lose fat while gaining lean muscle" holy grail of fitness, is attainable ;)

Please, if you get a chance, check out the website www.leangains.com. There is so much more to IF that I cannot mention. He gives all the details, how it works and how to implement it. Worth the read!