Feeling LOST + pics
motivatekait
Posts: 90 Member
What does it REALLY take?
I'm 5'5", I weigh around 128-130lbs, and I would like to get somewhere around 120lbs (more concerned about body composition than weight though, of course.)
(this was taken directly after my 10 day sugar 'cleanse', so I think I'm a little fluffier now)
I've lost 20lbs so far over the course of a few years, but now that my body is in a pretty healthy range, I'm noticing it's very difficult to make progress. I've heard from everyone that the last 10lbs are incredibly difficult so I'm wondering what kind of adjustments I need to make in order to make that happen.
I've only started counting my macros for the past 4 days or so, but before that I eliminated sugar, dairy, and gluten for 10 days (just for a personal challenge) and I got to 126. Water weight, I know, but is that the type of restriction I'll need to put in in order to make a serious transformation?
I've been doing pilates/some HIIT for like 8 months or so and I feel like I've capped in terms of what progress bodyweight exercises can give me. I want to get into lifting but I can't afford weights or a gym membership at the moment.
I currently eat around 1300-1400 cals, 30f/40c/30p, work out for 45-60 minutes a day 6 days a week (only 15-20 of that alotted to hiit). I have a hot lemon water every morning before breakfast. I drink 2L of water a day (not including lemonwater/green teas). I drink 1 cream 1 sugar in my coffee and I love pb+honey on some toast in the morning, I usually have an activia yogurt with flax every day, and otherwise stick to protein + veg based meals. If I hit my macros every day, even if my sugar content may be a little too high, is this enough to transform my body over time? If not, what do you think I need to change? I know if I cut out sugar and bread and everything I could get down there relatively quick I'm sure, but I know that's not a sustainable change for me. Is there anyway I could compromise a bit?
Thanks so much!
I'm 5'5", I weigh around 128-130lbs, and I would like to get somewhere around 120lbs (more concerned about body composition than weight though, of course.)
(this was taken directly after my 10 day sugar 'cleanse', so I think I'm a little fluffier now)
I've lost 20lbs so far over the course of a few years, but now that my body is in a pretty healthy range, I'm noticing it's very difficult to make progress. I've heard from everyone that the last 10lbs are incredibly difficult so I'm wondering what kind of adjustments I need to make in order to make that happen.
I've only started counting my macros for the past 4 days or so, but before that I eliminated sugar, dairy, and gluten for 10 days (just for a personal challenge) and I got to 126. Water weight, I know, but is that the type of restriction I'll need to put in in order to make a serious transformation?
I've been doing pilates/some HIIT for like 8 months or so and I feel like I've capped in terms of what progress bodyweight exercises can give me. I want to get into lifting but I can't afford weights or a gym membership at the moment.
I currently eat around 1300-1400 cals, 30f/40c/30p, work out for 45-60 minutes a day 6 days a week (only 15-20 of that alotted to hiit). I have a hot lemon water every morning before breakfast. I drink 2L of water a day (not including lemonwater/green teas). I drink 1 cream 1 sugar in my coffee and I love pb+honey on some toast in the morning, I usually have an activia yogurt with flax every day, and otherwise stick to protein + veg based meals. If I hit my macros every day, even if my sugar content may be a little too high, is this enough to transform my body over time? If not, what do you think I need to change? I know if I cut out sugar and bread and everything I could get down there relatively quick I'm sure, but I know that's not a sustainable change for me. Is there anyway I could compromise a bit?
Thanks so much!
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Replies
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I think you are in the right weight range for your height and look good now. My opinion would be to focus on lifting to change your body composition. You probably could bump your calories up a bit.0
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You look great, imo get into lifting heavy or even a progressive body weight routine like You are your own gym or Convict conditioning.
Honestly, I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve exactly. Do you want to reach a certain number on the scale like 120 lbs or a certain look/aesthetic? And if it's a certain look/aesthetic, maybe providing a pic of what you would like to look like may help.
Edited to add: Have you checked out reddit's bodyweight sub reddit? Maybe that might help you along with a more progressive routine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/0 -
That's quite a change - your doing great, keep it up!!!0
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strong_curves wrote: »You look great, imo get into lifting heavy or even a progressive body weight routine like You are your own gym or Convict conditioning.
Honestly, I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve exactly. Do you want to reach a certain number on the scale like 120 lbs or a certain look/aesthetic? And if it's a certain look/aesthetic, maybe providing a pic of what you would like to look like may help.
Edited to add: Have you checked out reddit's bodyweight sub reddit? Maybe that might help you along with a more progressive routine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/
Thank you, I'll check those out! http://motivatekait.tumblr.com/post/52806633048 Something like this would be my ultimate goal. Like I said I'm not quite as worried about the scale so much as I am my appearance. I'm almost certain everyone who's body I admire most lifts weights, so it's difficult to be in a position where I can't really participate in that yet.0 -
Want to change your body composition? Lift heavy weights. Eat at a small deficit if you're set on losing a few pounds. By small deficit, I mean eat more than you're eating now. And unless you have an actual problem with any of these foods (diabetes, Celiac, etc.), stop cutting stuff out of your diet. It's pointless.
The thing about eating at a small deficit and lifting is that it's essentially a body recomposition. Don't expect dramatic changes in a short period of time. Recomp takes time.0 -
I think you are in the right weight range for your height and look good now. My opinion would be to focus on lifting to change your body composition. You probably could bump your calories up a bit.
I really want to try lifting but like I said I can't really afford any of the equipment. I've tried to make my own at home but it hasn't worked out haha. I'm not sure whether I should eat more or less! I thought I should eat more (especially if I lift weights) but a few people have told me to lower my cals, including Jillian Michaels said to eat 1200 to lose the last 10. Gah!0 -
suggestion: in place of weights/gym, use household items . fill empty jugs (like juice, punch, soda,etc) with sand/dirt/water; use canned goods-the weight is on the label; resistance bands are cheap and the more tense you pull the band, the more weight resistance you will have. good luck-you look GREAT-if only i was your age again!
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Wow, you look seriously great! The hard work you have been doing had paid off! My advice is to maybe try changing routines a bit, I notice when I have done the same body weight moves for awhile the body doesn't respond as well. If I change it up I start feeling it . I use the daily burn program, if you have high speed Internet you can try it for a month free....0
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LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »Want to change your body composition? Lift heavy weights. Eat at a small deficit if you're set on losing a few pounds. By small deficit, I mean eat more than you're eating now. And unless you have an actual problem with any of these foods (diabetes, Celiac, etc.), stop cutting stuff out of your diet. It's pointless.
The thing about eating at a small deficit and lifting is that it's essentially a body recomposition. Don't expect dramatic changes in a short period of time. Recomp takes time.
Thanks for the advice. I'm relieved to hear I don't need to, it's just been difficult to differentiate between the heaps of information I've read.womaninred53 wrote: »suggestion: in place of weights/gym, use household items . fill empty jugs (like juice, punch, soda,etc) with sand/dirt/water; use canned goods-the weight is on the label; resistance bands are cheap and the more tense you pull the band, the more weight resistance you will have. good luck-you look GREAT-if only i was your age again!
I've tried some home-made weights before and they just never ended up working for me unfortunately. I'm not even sure how much weight I should get to begin with though, so I guess I'm uneducated. The resistance bands aren't a bad idea though, maybe I'll look into those.
Thanks
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Do you belong to a gym or do you need all exercises that can be done at home without equipment? Sorry to say this but by looking at your dream body pic..that takes a lot of work to acheive. A lot of lifting etc that you will have a hard time acheiving with no equipment or gym. Doing body weight exercises will help though... but maybe not enough to get that kind of muscle definition0
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@motivatekait Do you belong to a gym? 1200 is low. I cut back to 1250 while doing extensive cardio and lifting and it was a mistake. I'm now doing a reverse diet to get my calories back up. I'm now lifting with no cardio.
In my profile, I posted a pic of my arm/shoulder progress. I was eating 1450 and lifting. Newbie gains don't last long tho, therefore I am changing things up.0 -
Squats planks burpees pushups will help and can be done with no equipement0
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leanne0627 wrote: »Do you belong to a gym or do you need all exercises that can be done at home without equipment? Sorry to say this but by looking at your dream body pic..that takes a lot of work to acheive. A lot of lifting etc that you will have a hard time acheiving with no equipment or gym. Doing body weight exercises will help though... but maybe not enough to get that kind of muscle definition
No gym membership unfortunately. I do squats, planks, burpees and pushups usually every day to some degree. I just follow the Blogilates calendar. If lifting is absolutely essential then I guess I'll have to try and squeeze it into the budget one way or another. Thank you!@motivatekait Do you belong to a gym? 1200 is low. I cut back to 1250 while doing extensive cardio and lifting and it was a mistake. I'm now doing a reverse diet to get my calories back up. I'm now lifting with no cardio.
In my profile, I posted a pic of my arm/shoulder progress. I was eating 1450 and lifting. Newbie gains don't last long tho, therefore I am changing things up.
No gym yet. I love the sounds of no cardio though haha. You look great! I'll definitely try my hardest to get into the gym. I heard the stronglifts 5x5 program works wonders, do you follow any particular plan?0 -
leanne0627 wrote: »Squats planks burpees pushups will help and can be done with no equipement
@motivatekait are you doing the above already?0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »leanne0627 wrote: »Squats planks burpees pushups will help and can be done with no equipement
@motivatekait are you doing the above already?
Yes, just about every day.0 -
I used to strength train 4x/week and limited cardio to about 3x/week but have switched it up a bit and now do more cardio than strength train. I've lost about 4 lbs in three weeks and that is the only change I've made so I think it's working.
Bottom line: switch up your fitness routine.0 -
Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »I used to strength train 4x/week and limited cardio to about 3x/week but have switched it up a bit and now do more cardio than strength train. I've lost about 4 lbs in three weeks and that is the only change I've made so I think it's working.
Bottom line: switch up your fitness routine.
Yeah I think while I can't hit the weights just yet it'll probably help if I at least add more HIIT to my routine. Thanks0 -
@motivatekait I worked with an on line coach. I have two months of custom program on a five day split. I only did cardio before. Lifting has helped me a lot with changing composition.0
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motivatekait wrote: »leanne0627 wrote: »Do you belong to a gym or do you need all exercises that can be done at home without equipment? Sorry to say this but by looking at your dream body pic..that takes a lot of work to acheive. A lot of lifting etc that you will have a hard time acheiving with no equipment or gym. Doing body weight exercises will help though... but maybe not enough to get that kind of muscle definition
No gym membership unfortunately. I do squats, planks, burpees and pushups usually every day to some degree. I just follow the Blogilates calendar. If lifting is absolutely essential then I guess I'll have to try and squeeze it into the budget one way or another. Thank you!@motivatekait Do you belong to a gym? 1200 is low. I cut back to 1250 while doing extensive cardio and lifting and it was a mistake. I'm now doing a reverse diet to get my calories back up. I'm now lifting with no cardio.
In my profile, I posted a pic of my arm/shoulder progress. I was eating 1450 and lifting. Newbie gains don't last long tho, therefore I am changing things up.
No gym yet. I love the sounds of no cardio though haha. You look great! I'll definitely try my hardest to get into the gym. I heard the stronglifts 5x5 program works wonders, do you follow any particular plan?
Here are some options for making a gym membership affordable:- Is there a $10 per month Planet Fitness near you?
- YMCAs offers a sliding scale for people of lower income.
- My gym halves the rate for people who agree to only go on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the weekend.
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I don't see walking lunges in your workouts... got a back pack? fill bread bags with sand or gravel do walking lunges... modify your strides on alternate days... go straight ... then side to side... then crossovers... keep the back pack on... do push ups, find a bench and do tricep extensions...box steps...burpees...create your own circuit routine... and by bench I mean a park bench... drop the back pack in your lap and do hip thrusts... use the backpack like a kettle bell... IF you want to get lean... only one thing... and lots of it... running... not jogging...running... train until you have a 6 minute mile...When you can run a sub 40 minute 10K YOU should like what you see in the mirror0
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motivatekait wrote: »What does it REALLY take?
I'm 5'5", I weigh around 128-130lbs, and I would like to get somewhere around 120lbs (more concerned about body composition than weight though, of course.)
I've lost 20lbs so far over the course of a few yearsgreat job!, but now that my body is in a pretty healthy range, I'm noticing it's very difficult to make progress. I've heard from everyone that the last 10lbs are incredibly difficult Sho' 'nuff so I'm wondering what kind of adjustments I need to make in order to make that happen.
I've only started counting my macros for the past 4 days or so focus on this, but before that I eliminated sugar, dairy, and gluten for 10 days don't worry about these if you don't have medical reasons and/or allergies. continuing to hit macros on a regular basis within your calorie goal will be enough of a challenge. No reason to needlessly deprive yourself just for the sake of making it even harder (just for a personal challenge) and I got to 126. Water weight, I know, but is that the type of restriction I'll need to put in in order to make a serious transformation? No, your transformation will depend on you sticking to your calorie goal, meeting your macros (carbs, protein, fat) and your workouts. How many of your carbs come from sugar will make no difference to your transformation. Cutting sugar only works for weight loss when it becomes a mechanism for lowering calories below maintenance. Since you're already counting/restricting your calories anyway, there's no need to cut sugar. Your body won't grant you any bonus points for it. Eat what you like while meeting macros.
I've been doing pilates/some HIIT for like 8 months or so and I feel like I've capped in terms of what progress bodyweight exercises can give me in this form, maybe, but probably not with a structured bodyweight resistance program. I want to get into lifting but I can't afford weights or a gym membership at the moment. Check out You Are Your Own Gym. It's a bodyweight program designed for resistance training without equipment.
I currently eat around 1300-1400 cals, 30f/40c/30p, work out for 45-60 minutes a day 6 days a week (only 15-20 of that alotted to hiit). I have a hot lemon water every morning before breakfastonly do this if you like it. There's no science for this helping weight loss. it's a placebo. I drink 2L of water a day (not including lemonwater/green teas). I drink 1 cream 1 sugar in my coffee and I love pb+honey on some toast in the morning, I usually have an activia yogurt with flax every day, and otherwise stick to protein + veg based meals. If I hit my macros every day, even if my sugar content may be a little too high, is this enough to transform my body over time? Yes, hitting your macros while staying within calorie limits is all it takes (assuming your workouts are aimed at your goals as well) If not, what do you think I need to change? I know if I cut out sugar and bread and everything I could get down there relatively quick I'm sure, that's inaccurate. as long as you hit your calorie and macro goals, it doesn't matter where your carbs come from. whether you eat sugar with a 500 calorie deficit or eliminate sugar with a 500 calorie deficit, you'll lose one pound per week either way. but I know that's not a sustainable change for me. which is why i recommend against it. not only is it not necessary for your goals, it would be difficult to stick with anyway. Is there anyway I could compromise a bit? Absolutely! Just eat things you like while you adhere to your calorie limit, meet your macros and lift (body)weight. If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) then you're ok and on track!
Thanks so much! You're very welcome!
See my responses in bold. 0 -
motivatekait wrote: »Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »I used to strength train 4x/week and limited cardio to about 3x/week but have switched it up a bit and now do more cardio than strength train. I've lost about 4 lbs in three weeks and that is the only change I've made so I think it's working.
Bottom line: switch up your fitness routine.
Yeah I think while I can't hit the weights just yet it'll probably help if I at least add more HIIT to my routine. Thanks
HIIT, done properly (enough intensity to be HIIT), should require at least a day or two of recovery before repeating. For many, it's a once per week activity.
I'd recommend incorporating a structured bodyweight strength routine in place of some of the cardio.
Let the calories you eat guide the weight you lose and let the workouts focus on health and body composition (building muscle through resistance).0 -
Also, though you didn't specifically ask about a flat stomach (which is what this thread deals with) I think the info given in the OP here would really help steer you toward what your goals seem to be.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »Also, though you didn't specifically ask about a flat stomach (which is what this thread deals with) I think the info given in the OP here would really help steer you toward what your goals seem to be.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach
While I don't necessarily agree with the notion that what you eat is completely trivial so long as you meet your macros, I appreciate all the advice 0 -
You look so great!!
There are really difficult bodyweight exercises, so do check out the programs people suggest. Can you do 'push ups' in a handstand position? If not, you haven't exhausted bodyweight lifing yet
And do make sure it's progressive, yes, so when you can do something there should be a harder goal that follows next, on a schedule. Weights are just much simpler to progress with, imho. 0 -
That's amazing progress! For a true transformation, I'm sure you got the answer to achieving that. Lifting heavy. While I do not support planet fitness, I do think that if you are near one then you should probably try to sign up so that you can have easy access to the dumbbells and some machines. Lifting something is better than nothing. And I hear they are pretty cheap.0
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motivatekait wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »Also, though you didn't specifically ask about a flat stomach (which is what this thread deals with) I think the info given in the OP here would really help steer you toward what your goals seem to be.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach
While I don't necessarily agree with the notion that what you eat is completely trivial so long as you meet your macros, I appreciate all the advice
Assuming you're also getting your micros (vitamins and minerals) it's a scientific fact that it really doesn't matter where your macros come from so long as you meet them.
There is no credible scientific evidence to suggest otherwise.
ETA: and you're welcome!!0
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