You’ll be ready for the pullups.
Thanks for the kind comments. Hockey jerseys are big and shoulder pads help.
I suspect the size of your picture is relative to the size of the original’s resolution.
I thought your deficit pulls looked good
and your 200 for 13 on the money set is solid.
Men have body issues too- I know you where a gymnast
I wrestled and feel like I got on a scale 5x a day for too long.
Maschy is right- you have a good look very athletic and still curvy.
and +1 on weighted pullups
I have super tendonitis and crap shoulders
so I have to reign in pullups-
doing weighted triples or weighted 5’s will push your bw numbers pretty quickly.
You don’t have to load them too high to see results.
I really love that you are whining on my behalf. Makes me go all verklempt. The truth is, I’m lucky to be able to run at all.
Really enjoyed the pulls. I do think you are putting a bit too much back into it. But then again, I’d trade your pulls for mine in a heartbeat.
Honestly, I’d way rather you wrote “I am going to eat healthful foods that help me meet my goals” rather than setting a poundage-based weight loss target. But, I understand all too well the body-image issues. Let me know if I can help you with this in any way.
Good luck with attaining your pull-up goals. I know that the pic is your before pic, but you really do look great!
I think you look great. Remember, camera flash will always smooth you out a bit. Great legs.
But then I’m a fully paid up member of the bad body image club. I actually took a video of myself walking around my flat naked so I could see what I looked like from different angles (rather than just standing in front of a mirror). It wasn’t so bad until I turned around. Ye gods.
so i read the last page first, then went back to page 4, then re-read page 5.
my notes-
- your daughter is adorable and god bless her for swimming. its a great sport to be hard on yourself, bc even in a relay, when you’re in the water, ITS ALL YOU, BRO. and for when she gets older- i remember my senior year of high school when i thought itd be a good idea (for the second year in a row) to join a local swim team in addition to my high school, which meant an additional 90 min of practice each week.
i routinely lost 5-8lbs during the week and gained it back on the weekend, all the time eating everything in sight (see a trend). there were no books in my locker that year- chips and dip on the top shelf, 12 packs of pop in the bottom, and a locker organizer for twizzlers, m&m’s, whoppers, bagels, and pb. i had no concept of “clean” eating back then, just knew i was hungry all the damned time and still losing weight.
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your bikini pic- i’d bang you. nom.
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your mugshot- you have capped delts, a 4 pack (i can see shadows despite the flash), and monster calves. youre looking at the things you dont like instead of seeing all the things that are awesome. cut the crap food and carbs for a couple days, and be surprised at how much water weight you drop. (not as a diet just as an experiment, if you feel froggy enough) with all of the activity you do, you probably don’t notice (realize?) that what you think is fat is just fluid- muscle gain brings water with it, and im betting that theres more than a little inflammation going on. nothing to be alarmed at, just… don’t get all girly about it.
Busy: Thanks for the vote of confidence on the pullups. I still chickened out though and set them over to this morning. Any other lift I’m ok training short of 100%, but I have issues with pullups. I’m unreasonably vested in them.
Thanks Kmcnyc. I learned that BW matters in sports in gymnastics–but only inferentially. As a wrestler, with a weight class to meet, I imagine that the issue was even more pronounced. It’s a tough issue.
Kimba: I’m hoping the deficits will get my legs working on those deads. My back really does want to do the work. Also, I appreciate your willingness to help me with my dietary goals. I’ve thought a lot about your rephrasing and the different mindset that it communicates. I realize that if I’m going to make a lasting change I need to change the way I think. I’m not sure I know how to do that though.
Sbmart: Thanks!
Cal: The rear view is a tough one for me too. Not the ass–it’s the love handle/back fat that gets me. Icky. good luck with your dietary goals.
Cbear: My kids are starved after swimming too. It’s a cool sport. And I’m happy that Ella likes it. I wish I could swim. I won’t drown, but I can’t move through the water efficiently. I’ve thought of taking swim lessons, but I’m not really excited about the prospect of some HS kid teaching me how to blow bubbles.
With respect to my body, I’m not really unhappy with it. THat’s not to say that I don’t think that I look better a few pounds lighter–I do. But, aesthetics has never proved to be a very good motivator for me. Performance is though, and I’m driven to get my pullups. And a lighter body is a more pullup-able body. In theory anyway.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yesterday: 5 mile run; set over my pullups because I was still sore from deads and I’m a pussy.
Today: Pullups, I mean 3-3-3 MP
Pullups
2x11
3x10 (last two sets were a struggle)
3x5 (so toasted I even struggled with the 5 sets)
MP
barx10
55x3
65x3
70x3 (still toasted)
GMS
45x10
55x10
65x10x3
Midway through this workout I determined I was weak because I needed to eat. I shoveled oatmeal down my throat between sets. Didn’t help. Bagged BBB. Nearly failing on 3 of my pullup sets left me amped–3 mile run to settle down. Next week I’m supposed to do 8 sets of 10. I’m totally fucked. And I have to go to work NOW.
Gosh, I could write endlessly about food in relation to goals. Especially when I’m punting about writing the things that start with the letter “b”.
You aren’t really motivated by the scale. You aren’t really motivated by the mirror. You seem to be extremely motivated by the pullups.
OK, let’s work with that.
In order to do the maximum amount of pullups, you need good muscle in your upper body and you need a minimum of fat. Muscle helps pull your shit up. Fat weights you down.
Therefore, it follows logically from the above that foods that help you reach your pullup goals need to feed muscle (but not too much muscle, or you’ll get weighted down) and need to not contribute to fat.
So, lean protein is good. This feeds muscle and a bit of muscle growth. Veggies (all you can put down the hatch) and fruit (in moderation) are good. Energy for your pullups. Cheetos, pretzels, bread, pasta, rice, crackers, chips, cookies…yeah. Your pullups would run SCREAMING away from this stuff.
So, its not about staying away from these foods because you won’t lose weight/you’ll gain weight. Its because these foods do not contribute to your top priority, which is proving to yourself that Grown-up Nadia can still kick Little Nadia’s ass in the pullup department.
If your true top priority is reveling in gluttony, then just admit it to yourself and be done with the agony. Life is too short.
How’s that for restructuring?
shorter version- eat shit food all the time and perform like shit all the time.
with the amt of pullups you can do, a lighter body isnt going to be that much easier. you’re finding every excuse to do what you want to do anyway, so why don’t you just do it and stop worrying about it?
you’re so determined and so driven and accomplish so much with everything else that i find it difficult to believe you have THAT much puss about cleaning up your diet. you dont need to do anything major, just cut the crap some.
whole thing reeks of a symptom of a bigger problem (although im not sure what), so im gonna leave the comments about that there until you made a decision one way or the other.
Kimba and Cbear: Isn’t it poetic that my screen name is Nadia Come-and-eat. Yes, beating little Nadia is what drives me and what has been driving me since I started this whole lifting business in March of 09. And I have tried. And I have improved. But not enough.
When I was home this summer I asked my mother, the keeper of all my records, what my best 5k time was in hs. She pulled out her little notebook and it said 20:44 which equals 6:40 miles. I ran that as a freshman. And I ran it on the strength and the conditioning that I had as a gymnast. I thought I was running well now, but with my current best of 24:43, I’m still not even close.
It’s more or less the same story with the pullups. As a kid I could do them without trying. Every week, 3x a week, every time we conditioned. At the end of a 3 hour practice. No deload required. No everything needs to perfect.
With that background, when I set out to do 25 pullups more than 2 years ago, I didn’t think it would be that hard. I hate being wrong. It’s been hard.
You may be right cbear. My problem is that I am motivated as much by a desire to succeed as I am by a fear of failing. If I do everything perfectly and still fall short then where am I?
Out of the game.
[quote]Nadia Comeandeat wrote:
You may be right cbear. My problem is that I am motivated as much by a desire to succeed as I am by a fear of failing. If I do everything perfectly and still fall short then where am I?
Out of the game. [/quote]
Wow. I’m not even sure how to respond to this. Its raw.
Nadia, you know that feeling - when you’re racing that mile, that last minute, the final push, when you think you’re going to vomit and your legs are going to give out, but you’re just holding on and screaming in your head “just a few more seconds, just a few more seconds”. You love that feeling and know you can’t get there unless you push for failure. Don’t forget that you’re an athlete, woman! You’re meant to test your boundaries, failure be damned.
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
If your true top priority is reveling in gluttony, then just admit it to yourself and be done with the agony. Life is too short.
[/quote]
gluttony is a little harsh how about my top priority is total satisfaction of both pallet and lifting 
I feel the need to remind you that I heart you before I say this-
[quote]nads wrote: When I was home this summer I asked my mother, the keeper of all my records, what my best 5k time was in hs. She pulled out her little notebook and it said 20:44 which equals 6:40 miles. I ran that as a freshman. And I ran it on the strength and the conditioning that I had as a gymnast. I thought I was running well now, but with my current best of 24:43, I’m still not even close.
It’s more or less the same story with the pullups. As a kid I could do them without trying. Every week, 3x a week, every time we conditioned. At the end of a 3 hour practice. No deload required. No everything needs to perfect. [/quote]
you are SO fucked. out of your damned mind. literally. and we all have to be, to be able to push ourselves when we dont have to and society doesnt want us to. HOWEVER. your line of logic is so far fucked im questioning whether youve been trained in it or just magically passed all of your graduate exams, rain man style.
my awesome nads-
Nads and Nadette are not in any way on equal ground for any kind of comparison other than, “oh hey, lookit that.” <–AND JUST THAT.
lets assume that Nads is 40 and Nadette is 15. Nadette gets better sleep, has less stress, no children, and the beauty of puberty and its growth spurting hormones on her side.
Nads is fighting every single one of those advantages with some more fuckaroos- in addition to being 25 years older, Nads doesn’t have the support group/ team mates/ hands on coaching that Nadette does.
How about you pull your head out of your ass and try to beat yourself from 3 or 6 months ago instead of 2.5 decades ago?
It’d be like walking into a trial and seeing your daughter sitting on top of a briefcase on the table across the aisle from yours. you really think that’d be a logical proceeding?
you look and perform so far above par compared to the GP and compared to where you were a year ago… i dont get why you still beat yourself up the way you do. it eats at you. get stoned and let it go.
[quote]CBear84 wrote:
I feel the need to remind you that I heart you before I say this-
[quote]nads wrote: When I was home this summer I asked my mother, the keeper of all my records, what my best 5k time was in hs. She pulled out her little notebook and it said 20:44 which equals 6:40 miles. I ran that as a freshman. And I ran it on the strength and the conditioning that I had as a gymnast. I thought I was running well now, but with my current best of 24:43, I’m still not even close.
It’s more or less the same story with the pullups. As a kid I could do them without trying. Every week, 3x a week, every time we conditioned. At the end of a 3 hour practice. No deload required. No everything needs to perfect. [/quote]
you are SO fucked. out of your damned mind. literally. and we all have to be, to be able to push ourselves when we dont have to and society doesnt want us to. HOWEVER. your line of logic is so far fucked im questioning whether youve been trained in it or just magically passed all of your graduate exams, rain man style.
my awesome nads-
Nads and Nadette are not in any way on equal ground for any kind of comparison other than, “oh hey, lookit that.” <–AND JUST THAT.
lets assume that Nads is 40 and Nadette is 15. Nadette gets better sleep, has less stress, no children, and the beauty of puberty and its growth spurting hormones on her side.
Nads is fighting every single one of those advantages with some more fuckaroos- in addition to being 25 years older, Nads doesn’t have the support group/ team mates/ hands on coaching that Nadette does.
How about you pull your head out of your ass and try to beat yourself from 3 or 6 months ago instead of 2.5 decades ago?
It’d be like walking into a trial and seeing your daughter sitting on top of a briefcase on the table across the aisle from yours. you really think that’d be a logical proceeding?
you look and perform so far above par compared to the GP and compared to where you were a year ago… i dont get why you still beat yourself up the way you do. it eats at you. get stoned and let it go. [/quote]
I heart you too Cbear. But really? Fuck you. I don’t need your excuses. They are so predictable. Nadette only has a head start on me–that’s it. I haven’t even been lifting for three years. I spent 23 years out of the game. Not training. I refuse to believe that …
Wait, is this a mind fuck? YOu can’t really think that I should just give up, let go, and concede that I reached my athletic peak at 15?
Regardless, I don’t think that. Nadette’s going down Cbear. I just need more time.
NOw I feel bad for skipping gymnastics tonight. Shit. But, I do feel less pouty. Thanks. I think I needed that.
This confusion is the start of clarity. Don’t shake it off, run into it.
Nadette is gonna go down, I have no doubt about that. It’s gonna happen more to your liking if you can let go of the supposed grudge match you have with her (she doesnt know about it, btw).
Stop taking tally before its over. You have all the time you give yourself.
You’re a serious perfectionist. Bear’s not wrong when she says you, your body and your circumstances have all changed. I have no doubt you’ll regain your gymnastics skills but you need to be a little more forgiving of yourself.
I get frustrated that I can’t do things I could do two years ago, let alone 20, but then I think about the things I’ve done in the last year - running a half marathon, learning some basic gymnastics - that I never did before. I am absolutely not saying give up because I think you should persevere and I know you’re single minded enough to get there - but sometimes it’s more rewarding to set new challenges rather than recapture old glories.
there was a livespill i read recently. are you stronger than a 7 year old girl? someone pointed out that 7 year olds seem to lose their ability on bodyweight stuffs as they hit puberty - even when they keep up their training. how old is the younger you that you are competing against? three years training after a long lay off isn’t that much training in the larger scheme of things…
comeandeat. i didn’t get that. had wondered about the name though. now i know how to read that, lol. i’m not sure what to say about the food. need to sort my shit out at some point. i’m getting better, but not as good with that as i would like. is part of it about finding convenient substitutes?
Ok-my two cents:
Strictly physiologically speaking, the cards are against you. Kids are chock full of type I muscle fibers, that’s why they can run around all the live long day and not get tired, whereas adults run up and down the slide a few times and get winded. As we age, the type I is converted more towards type II-which is good because we can lift heavy shit. Plus, you are DLing/squatting something like, double your body weight, yes?
You are training completely different systems and still expecting to be freakishly amazing at both. Am I saying to stop chasing those goals? Definitely not. You are an inspiration to me and others by setting goals and being a woman of action to accomplish them. I’m just asking to give current Nadia a friggin break, and realize that what you are currently doing is actually really, really amazing. Besides, nobody wants to be that skinny, starving bitch with no ass who crosses the finish line in 20 minutes.
[quote]nlmain wrote:
[quote]kimbakimba wrote:
If your true top priority is reveling in gluttony, then just admit it to yourself and be done with the agony. Life is too short.
[/quote]
gluttony is a little harsh how about my top priority is total satisfaction of both pallet and lifting
[/quote]
Trust me, I wouldn’t have said “gluttony” if Nads hadn’t said it first.
And, I must add, that Frenchy has a kick-ass life philosophy. 
Nadia, I will always applaud tilting at windmills. There is a reason we’re cut out for doing that as a living. We’re fucking nuts, in the most charming possible way. Carry on.
[quote] tiny freak wrote:
We’re fucking nuts, in the most charming possible way. Carry on. [/quote]
Nomination for the official PW slogan.