What am I doing wrong?!

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  • Raptor2763
    Raptor2763 Posts: 387 Member
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    I trust my personal trainer to help with my workouts, however, I know nothing about nutrition and don't need know where to start. I would appreciate any advice you have! 30, 5'3", 120lb/F

    Diet is key to weight loss - I'm gonna guess about 75-80% of the answer lies in diet. When you get down to it, diet is all about three things: what, how much and when you eat. As active as you are, you still need to run a calorie deficit to lose weight. However, here's where timing is key - you need to refuel following a workout, preferably with high protein.

    That all said, try three smaller meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner, with two snacks in between (one in the morning, the other in the afternoon). Also, refuel after your workout - a couple hardboiled eggs will do. Lastly - remember the 3 hour rule. That is, don't go to bed until at least 3 hours after your last meal.

    See if that works - should take a couple weeks to see results.
  • meganwbell849
    meganwbell849 Posts: 26 Member
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    This is the first mention of timing, so helpful!! Thank you!
  • msalicia116
    msalicia116 Posts: 233 Member
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    meganwbell849 wrote: »
    This is the first mention of timing, so helpful!! Thank you!

    When, what, and how many times you eat does not matter. It's eating at your recommended deficit, that's it. MFP gives you your calorie range and suggested macros if you want to follow that.

    I do intermittent fasting or IF, and also exercise while fasted. Find what method and foods you enjoy to create a diet lifestyle that you can be consistent with, and you'll be successful.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    meganwbell849 wrote: »
    This is the first mention of timing, so helpful!! Thank you!

    It's because timing is largely irrelevant. It may be worth watching to see if more snacks or fewer leave you hungry and more likely to not follow your plan. You can eat right before bed without any problems, unless you have GERD or other issues that will interfere with your sleep. I used to have a hard time falling asleep on an empty, growling stomach, so I would save a few cals for evening snacks. No effect. If you are an elite athlete, then this may be more important.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
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    I'm 5'3", 31 years old, and I fluctuate between 108 and 109 pounds, so we're pretty similar except I'm at the area you're aiming for. I'll tell you right now it has zero to do with meal timing and everything to do with calories. Track your food and invest in a food scale because at this stage of the game it will be a necessity for you to see progress without trial, error, and guesswork on calories.
  • bugzinc
    bugzinc Posts: 291 Member
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    meganwbell849 wrote: »
    Hello everyone! I'm desperately needing your advice! I started working out with a personal trainer in Februrary, on average 4 days a week. I also started running for 30 minutes a day and try and do some weight training on the days I'm not with my PT.

    I feel like I workout all the time. Eat, workout, walk my dogs, workout, take a shower, workout,etc. that not reality but it feels that way.

    I am definitely more tone and can see definition, but I'm not losing any weight and still at 21% body fat but my goal 16-17.
    What am I doing wrong? Is there a calorie goal I need to be aware of? What about how they are consumed (%of carbs/proteins/etc).

    I trust my personal trainer to help with my workouts, however, I know nothing about nutrition and don't need know where to start. I would appreciate any advice you have! 30, 5'3", 120lb/F


    Do you ever relax?
    Do you ever take a couple days off? Get some rest? Yoga? Something to release your stress and let your body Truly recover?
    Do you ever have a cheat day? (high calorie, not necessarily junk food)

  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
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    meganwbell849 wrote: »
    This is the first mention of timing, so helpful!! Thank you!

    I would say you can definitely try this if you want, but timing is really only a personal preference thing, and has nothing to do with weight loss. You clearly are doing just fine the way you are because you are maintaining at a very healthy weight, which is hard for people in the first place, and why they try different things.

  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Raptor2763 wrote: »
    I trust my personal trainer to help with my workouts, however, I know nothing about nutrition and don't need know where to start. I would appreciate any advice you have! 30, 5'3", 120lb/F

    Diet is key to weight loss - I'm gonna guess about 75-80% of the answer lies in diet. When you get down to it, diet is all about three things: what, how much and when you eat. As active as you are, you still need to run a calorie deficit to lose weight. However, here's where timing is key - you need to refuel following a workout, preferably with high protein.

    That all said, try three smaller meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner, with two snacks in between (one in the morning, the other in the afternoon). Also, refuel after your workout - a couple hardboiled eggs will do. Lastly - remember the 3 hour rule. That is, don't go to bed until at least 3 hours after your last meal.

    See if that works - should take a couple weeks to see results.

    again, these aren't real rules, just somebodies personal preference that has been passed around as rules. Just do you, not what it is good for somebody else.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Raptor2763 wrote: »
    I trust my personal trainer to help with my workouts, however, I know nothing about nutrition and don't need know where to start. I would appreciate any advice you have! 30, 5'3", 120lb/F

    Diet is key to weight loss - I'm gonna guess about 75-80% of the answer lies in diet. When you get down to it, diet is all about three things: what, how much and when you eat. As active as you are, you still need to run a calorie deficit to lose weight. However, here's where timing is key - you need to refuel following a workout, preferably with high protein.

    That all said, try three smaller meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner, with two snacks in between (one in the morning, the other in the afternoon). Also, refuel after your workout - a couple hardboiled eggs will do. Lastly - remember the 3 hour rule. That is, don't go to bed until at least 3 hours after your last meal.

    See if that works - should take a couple weeks to see results.

    OP you do not have to follow this advice. Timing of when you eat has nothing to do with anything.. This 3 hour rule, ummm no.. this is all bro science..

    There is no refuel window to hit after working out, there is no requirement for eating breakfast, you can eat breakfast (if you do), lunch and dinner anytime you feel like it. And if you do not like hard boiled eggs, certainly do not eat that. If you like to eat something before bed time, you certainly can very well eat something right before bed!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,181 Member
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    "5'3", 120lb/F "

    Pardon me while I contemplate.

    You're doing nothing wrong.

    If you want to lose another 10 pounds, keep yourself in a calorie deficit. Be patient. You'll get there.
  • meganwbell849
    meganwbell849 Posts: 26 Member
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    This is the dumbest question ever, but what does it mean that I never want to "net" lower than 1,200? Sorry guys, I'm so new to this!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,181 Member
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    The 1200 calorie standard for women is actually a nutrition standard. It is saying that the average woman will find it very difficult to get all the nutrients she needs from her food if she consumes less than 1200 calories of a diverse variety of food. Your exercise is quite vigorous and frequent, and that increases your bodily needs for protein. Your body weight, 140, divided by kilograms, 2.2, multiplied by 1.2 yields the number of milligrams of protein you should consume each day. That works out to 76 mg of protein. The point of the '1200 calorie' rule is nutrition. If you are getting the nutrition you need, modified with protein in light of your exertion, you do well. Don't obsess about net calories for the sake of net=1200. You will notice if you are in a deficit of glycogen or electrolytes. If that happens, a sports drink is adequate to restore your energy. It will have calories and you do have to count them. Stay in your calorie deficit. Accurately log all you eat and drink. Work as hard as you wish. Get plenty of protein.
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
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    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    16%-17% body fat is very hard to get too. This takes perfection and if and when you ever get there, maintaining that will be the devil. This body fat range is around competition level.

    Good luck with this..

    I was thinking the same thing - that is a difficult bf % to reach for a woman and would be hard to maintain without possibly causing hormonal issues. Fitness competitors only reach low body fat level for a few days or a week at a time, peak for the show, then purposefully gain some back in between shows. That is because it is not good for your body to maintain a body fat level that low.

    21% is pretty fit for a woman. You may want to instead work on recomp - eating at maintenance while lifting heavy weights and lose a little fat and gain a little muscle.

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