Novice Female - 47 - Training Log

[fuzzyhead]

Hello all,

It's been great to read through the inspiring posts here. Novice female here, age 47, 5'8", 165lbs. It's never too late, right?

My Journey So Far
Since my 20's I've had a long history of gaining and losing weight. My most recent and successful effort so far was when I started keto in Jan 2013 at 180lbs, 30%bf, 40" waist. It took a while to get fully into living the keto life, but by Aug 2014 I was down to 152lbs, 24.8%bf, 35" waist.

I discovered Starting Strength around that time and joined the forum, but I only lurked as I wasn't following the program carefully. But I was doing some regular weight training and I was also a commuter cyclist, doing around 40-60 miles per week. Unfortunately I then was laid off from my job and started working at home. And eating. A lot. No more cycling, lots more potatoes. It didn't happen all at once but over the next year and a half the weight came right back. The lowest point was buying new trousers because I couldn't fit my old ones, only a year and a bit after giving my 'too big' trousers to charity. Cue more emotional eating and the continued growth of the spare tire around my midsection.

Fast forward a few months and I've recently relocated to southern California from London to look after my elderly parents. As I now have endless amounts of sunshine and a flexible schedule, I have decided enough is enough and I'm going to sort this body out once and for all. I joined a local gym and have been using the Starting Strength App since 15th April 2016. I went back to strict keto on that day too.

I train by myself so I thought it might be good to post here to get some inspiration, insights and feedback. So hello everyone, thanks for reading and nice to meet you!

My Training So Far

I do what the app tells me to do, except for the bench presses. I haven't started those yet. I only do overhead presses so far. I am planning to start the bench presses next week.

I work out M/W/F and I have missed 2 training sessions so far since I started.

Measurements as of 2016-06-02 = 168lbs, 30.0%bf, 39" waist.

2016-04-15 (Starting)

• Squat: 45lbs x 5 x 3
• Press: 20lbs x 5 x 3
• Deadlift: 40lbs x 5 x 1

2016-06-01

• Squat: 75lbs x 4 x 2, 75lbs x 3 x 1
• Press: 48lbs x 4 x 2, 48lbs x 3 x 1
• Deadlift: 130lbs x 4 x 1

I've just moved up to these weights and I'm not able to do the work sets yet so I'll be staying here until I can.

I feel as though I'm struggling a bit because I've never this kind of training on keto. Sometimes I feel like my body needs more fuel. I'm thinking about changing up my diet but I'm going to seek some professional guidance on that before I do. Keto is the only thing I know how to do, so I'd like to have a concrete plan to follow if I decide to try something else.

For now, here are my macros:

2016-04-15

• 1212 kcal Goal, a 40% deficit. (810 min, 2021 max)
• 20g Carbohydrates
• 115g Protein (70g min, 115g max)
• 75g Fat (30g min, 164g max)

I'll be honest and say that I didn't hit this every day, but I track all meals in MyFitnessPal and I'm on target about 75% of the time, and not terribly far off when I miss.


As of today I've changed to this:

2016-06-02

• 1405 kcal Goal, a 30% deficit. (880 min, 2007 max)
• 20g Carbohydrates
• 117g Protein (71g min, 117g max)
• 95g Fat (37g min, 162g max)

I've gone to a lesser deficit so I can put more calories in my body and see if that helps me to feel a bit less like I'm going to fall over.

Thank you for reading. Feedback is welcome!

Edited to add: I forgot to add my goals! Lifting heavier weights and getting stronger is the obvious one, which is why I'm here! My other goal is to get back down to 25%bf, which I know I can do, and then 20%, which I've never done before.

[chromoly]

Welcome! I'm in SoCal too! (LA) For nutrition, one of the "things to read" is Jordan Feigenbaum's "To Be a Beast" article.

[fuzzyhead]

Thank you for the welcome and also for the reading material! Nice to hear from someone in the area too. I'll check that out right now.

[fuzzyhead]

Haha! Your analogy is quite accurate. Thankfully I was spared the Boris/Santander bicycle experience as I had my own trusty steed, a lovely Surly Long Haul Trucker. I don't think I would have survived otherwise!

[peez]

Thankfully I was spared the Boris/Santander bicycle experience as I had my own trusty steed, a lovely Surly Long Haul Trucker. I don't think I would have survived otherwise!

Welcome to these parts, fuzzyhead. That Surly reminds me of previous commuting machine, from a Swiss manufacturer Sursee, (with a Brooks saddle and all) that I think is long gone. Steel is real ... loved that bike. I've since switched to a 26" MTB fully for commuting.

It's quite a feat to lift and make progress on such a caloric deficit, but it can be done. I wonder if you want to up the protein intake, 1g protein per day per per lb of body weight is usually recommended. Taking creatine might help you make it through lifting sessions on a deficit. It'll increase weight a little bit (for me it's about 5lb) but it's useful weight.

If you can see a coach, CA has a few SSCs. Really good ones, too. I went to see Tom Campitelli when I was in CA n a business trip this year - highly recommended.

[Ian Short]

Never too late. Good luck.

[chromoly]

A Surly! I've been wanting to get a Long Haul Trucker to use as a commuter. I love me a good steel frame.

[Viola]

Welcome!! It is never too late. I started 3 years ago at 43...

[hondotbt]

It's never too late, right?

Never too late indeed. I've tried various different programs, routines through the years and only thing that has stuck with me is SS. I started Oct 2014 @51 years of age and continues to be a great experience. Welcome!

I forgot to add my goals! Lifting heavier weights and getting stronger is the obvious one, which is why I'm here!

Getting stronger happens with consistency and for me the accountability of an online forum and the support have been invaluable for getting stronger. Looking forward to watching your progress.

[fuzzyhead]

peez - Brooks saddles are heaven! I had one on my Surly that made every journey a joy. And thank you for the protein suggestion too. I'm currently researching where to go next with my whole nutrition plan as my body is telling me that a change is needed. The coach suggestion is a good one too and I will look into that.

chromoly - The LHT is magical. I can't recommend it enough. It's a beast - the more you load, the better it rides.

Thanks to all for the welcomes!