Does this sound about right? Diet and exercise opinion

_L_A_

Diet:
- 1900-2000 kcal per day
- Try to stick to macros C:F:P 45:30:25, as closely as possible, I usually have one day a week where I'm wildly off on the macros due to having a sugary or high fat treat but I still stay within my calorie allowance

Exercise:
3 gym sessions a week focussing on strength training:
- 5-10 minutes cardio warm up (treadmill, cross trainer, arm bike)
- Abs work out: mix of different types of crunches, plank, leg lowering
- EITHER Free weights and some resistance training for upper body, relatively light weights currently because I'm quite weak but trying to build up the weight whenever possible
- OR Machines for lower body (weak knees), but I do squats with a bar because I've managed to get my technique good enough to mainly keep my knees safe
- Slow walk and stretching to cool down
- Whole workout is usually between 1-1.5 hours depending on whether I'm focussing on lower body or upper body, whether I'm working out at the gym or at home
2 cardio sessions a week
- So far I've done swimming, aqua aerobics, running in intervals, 20 minute run, 30 day shred work out. I want to aim to use one cardio work out for running, aiming to increase my distance, and the other cardio work out for swimming or an exercise class.

Stats:
5'7"
25 years old
Female
Weight
- 3 weeks ago I weighed 172lbs (BMI 27)
- I haven't weighed myself since, but noticed big changes in the first 10 days and no change since
- Aiming for slow-ish weight loss, but weight loss none the less, with an aim of weighing 135-150lbs
- I was aiming to weigh in every 30 days, but I am thinking of changing to every 14 days, undecided so far. I am tempted with more regularly so I can tweak my diet accordingly, but as I'm aiming for slow weight loss I am worried there won't be much change fortnightly and I'll get disheartened not seeing the number go down
Fat percentage
- 2 weeks ago my fat percentage was measured at 31.7%
- Would prefer a reduction in this than a reduction in my weight
- Aiming to get to 20-25% roughly
- Will measure again in December (costs me to get access to this machine)

So my questions are:
- Does what I'm doing sound about right for what my aims are?
- My calorie allowance seems to be significantly higher than most people who are on a weight loss diet on this site. Does it sound too excessive?
- Would you recommend weighing monthly or fortnightly?
- Do you have any suggestions to improve what I'm doing or my aims?

I'll be so grateful for any advice and suggestions!

LazSommer

Get a program for weights, cals seem high but probably accurate for your weight assuming a .5lb deficit. Weigh whenever you like, don't over think things. Weigh your food.

_L_A_

LazSommer wrote: »

Get a program for weights, cals seem high but probably accurate for your weight assuming a .5lb deficit. Weigh whenever you like, don't over think things. Weigh your food.

Thanks I always weigh out my food! No point counting calories and not being accurate!

I went through with one of the PTs at the gym which weight stuff would be best for me, I did once try strong lifts 5x5 and really loved that, but I got to a point where I really needed a friend to spot me, especially with knees that occasionally give way! The smiths machine is my friend though so I might try start that program again or look for a different program

Any opinion on how long with no weight loss would suggest maybe changing things up? If I don't lose over a 2 week period do you reckon it's worth changing things (lowering calorie intake) or better to give it maybe 4-6 weeks and then if no change in weight make some changes?

4legsRbetterthan2

"Larcher91 wrote:

So my questions are:
- Does what I'm doing sound about right for what my aims are?
- My calorie allowance seems to be significantly higher than most people who are on a weight loss diet on this site. Does it sound too excessive?
- Would you recommend weighing monthly or fortnightly?
- Do you have any suggestions to improve what I'm doing or my aims?

I'll be so grateful for any advice and suggestions!

- Not going to comment on your workout routine since I don't feel qualified to, but your calorie goal does seem reasonable. This website can be cool if you want to play with numbers and get a little more info than the MFP calculator gives you: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
- that's because most people select activity levels below their actual level and a rate of loss much faster than is appropriate for their goal. It is awesome that you are comfortable with having a higher goal. Saves you the whole quitting because your starving and then having to figure out how to get back on track song and dance most people go through.
- how often you weight really depends on your personality. some people can weigh often and handle the natural fluctuations they see, some people cant and do better weighing themselves less often.
- make sure you learn to log accurately, otherwise your calorie goal means almost nothing! http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

_L_A_

4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »

- Not going to comment on your workout routine since I don't feel qualified to, but your calorie goal does seem reasonable. This website can be cool if you want to play with numbers and get a little more info than the MFP calculator gives you: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
- that's because most people select activity levels below their actual level and a rate of loss much faster than is appropriate for their goal. It is awesome that you are comfortable with having a higher goal. Saves you the whole quitting because your starving and then having to figure out how to get back on track song and dance most people go through.
- how often you weight really depends on your personality. some people can weigh often and handle the natural fluctuations they see, some people cant and do better weighing themselves less often.
- make sure you learn to log accurately, otherwise your calorie goal means almost nothing! http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

Thank you

That scooby website is great, I have used it before but completely forgot about it! I've just put all my stats in to it and it says I should lose 1lb per week if I eat around 1960kcal a day, so I am assuming depending on whether I've over or under-estimated my activity levels I will be losing 0.5-1.5lbs a week (although I'm expecting I over estimated so it'll be 0.5lbs which is about what is healthy for me IMO)

Habiteer

Your diet plan seems pretty good to me, macros are in line with the macros I've read about elsewhere.

Your exercise plan is a bit unspecific. Some people lay out exactly what they've been doing in the gym and what their goals are for the next week. I think it helps to be a little more specific than what you've told us.

F.Y.I. most knowledgeable people in the weightlifting industry will tell you that the smith machine is bad for your joints and knees when compared to a regular squat.

It's really hard for anyone other than yourself to figure out the best calorie goal for you. 2000 is a sound starting point, but everyone is so different in activity levels and metabolism. The best way of narrowing it down, to see if you're correct about that calorie goal, is to measure some things: a) the way you feel b) your lifts c) the mirror d) the bathroom scale.

If you feel like utter crap the whole week, you might need to up your calories. If you feel fine - you may be on the right track. If you struggle between weightlifting sessions, you may need to up the calories, etc. If you seem slimmer and more toned in the mirror, you're obviously going in the right direction, but it takes a lot of time to notice. The bathroom scale is the most objective one on the list, and I recommend weighing yourself often and recording the results. It doesn't bother me if the scale goes up in the short term - it can mean a variety of things, but it is important to see trends of weight-gain or weight-loss to see if you want to cut back on calories or if you can eat a little more (and by eating more, perhaps gaining better lifts and muscle in the gym).

RoxieDawn

Larcher91 wrote: »

LazSommer wrote: »

Get a program for weights, cals seem high but probably accurate for your weight assuming a .5lb deficit. Weigh whenever you like, don't over think things. Weigh your food.

Thanks I always weigh out my food! No point counting calories and not being accurate!

I went through with one of the PTs at the gym which weight stuff would be best for me, I did once try strong lifts 5x5 and really loved that, but I got to a point where I really needed a friend to spot me, especially with knees that occasionally give way! The smiths machine is my friend though so I might try start that program again or look for a different program

Any opinion on how long with no weight loss would suggest maybe changing things up? If I don't lose over a 2 week period do you reckon it's worth changing things (lowering calorie intake) or better to give it maybe 4-6 weeks and then if no change in weight make some changes?

You should wait it out for a min of 4 - 6weeks. Don't just start changing calories, but changing exercise activity (EAT) is always good, also increase your non exercise activity (NEAT) as well.

If you stall (and remember a stall is not a stall if you are 100% on point with calorie deficit and exercise calorie burns).. its just slowed.. Weight loss is NOT linear. Some weeks you lose some you don't.

But simply apply logic to your situation after you have "stalled out in 4 weeks".. Is your calorie intake on point and you are adhering to your deficit daily? Are you eating back too many exercise calories? Are you moving less now than before?

chandraminick

It depends on how fast you want to loose weight if that is your goal. Your calories SEEM high to me for what you are doing. I think your weight loss will slow down eating that many calories. I think you have to take into consideration whether or not you can maintain that workout as a lifestyle if the chance of gaining back weight is too great since it comes off slowly.

_L_A_

So I weighed in today and in 19 days of this plan I've lost 1.5lbs... Which is what theoretically I should have lost, but I felt like I'd lost a lot more than that if I'm honest so I'm disappointed. I have lost 1.5 inches from my waist though in that time so that's good. My clothes fit better too.

Is it possible I could be seeing small muscle gains that could be obscuring weight loss?

I don't know if I can cope with losing weight so slowly last time I lost weight I was losing 2-4lbs a week! It may have been done unhealthily but at least it got the job done quickly!

Habiteer

Larcher91 wrote: »

So I weighed in today and in 19 days of this plan I've lost 1.5lbs... Which is what theoretically I should have lost, but I felt like I'd lost a lot more than that if I'm honest so I'm disappointed. I have lost 1.5 inches from my waist though in that time so that's good. My clothes fit better too.

Is it possible I could be seeing small muscle gains that could be obscuring weight loss?

I don't know if I can cope with losing weight so slowly last time I lost weight I was losing 2-4lbs a week! It may have been done unhealthily but at least it got the job done quickly!

So many variables go into weighing yourself. Diet, sodium and water retention, glycogen reserves. 1.5 inches off the waist is huge though, so yeah I would say that muscle gains are a possibility if you stuck with the routine you laid out. It's more common in newbies to quickly gain muscle quickly early on as well, so if you're newer to lifting that would make it a higher likelihood.

_L_A_

Drawoc wrote: »

Larcher91 wrote: »

So I weighed in today and in 19 days of this plan I've lost 1.5lbs... Which is what theoretically I should have lost, but I felt like I'd lost a lot more than that if I'm honest so I'm disappointed. I have lost 1.5 inches from my waist though in that time so that's good. My clothes fit better too.

Is it possible I could be seeing small muscle gains that could be obscuring weight loss?

I don't know if I can cope with losing weight so slowly last time I lost weight I was losing 2-4lbs a week! It may have been done unhealthily but at least it got the job done quickly!

So many variables go into weighing yourself. Diet, sodium and water retention, glycogen reserves. 1.5 inches off the waist is huge though, so yeah I would say that muscle gains are a possibility if you stuck with the routine you laid out. It's more common in newbies to quickly gain muscle quickly early on as well, so if you're newer to lifting that would make it a higher likelihood.

Thanks. Yeh I'm thinking of weighing tomorrow and checking just because I did weights late yesterday evening and I know from a couple of years ago when I was doing strong lifts 5x5 I often weighed more the next morning. I'm going to keep this regime up for another 3 weeks and if the changes are slowing down I'll drop 100kcal off of my daily allowance.

I'll be checking my body fat % in about 9 weeks so hopefully that'll show bigger changes than my weight!

sijomial

Larcher91 wrote: »

So I weighed in today and in 19 days of this plan I've lost 1.5lbs... Which is what theoretically I should have lost, but I felt like I'd lost a lot more than that if I'm honest so I'm disappointed. I have lost 1.5 inches from my waist though in that time so that's good. My clothes fit better too.

Is it possible I could be seeing small muscle gains that could be obscuring weight loss?

I don't know if I can cope with losing weight so slowly last time I lost weight I was losing 2-4lbs a week! It may have been done unhealthily but at least it got the job done quickly!

My jaw just dropped!
Surely you don't really think health is less important than speed of loss?

You made (IMHO) a wise choice to lose weight slowly to match your goals and that's what you have achieved. Well done.
Think ahead to arriving at your goal weight, the transition to maintenance will be so much easier and your body composition will likely be far better than if you crash dieted. Be patient and think long term.

PS - beware that weighing infrequently can mean that one high or low weigh in due to perfectly normal weight fluctuations can mask the trend. Don't think that just one weigh in gives absolutely empirical evidence of anything other than "that is my weight at this precise minute".
I'm not saying infrequent weigh ins are bad by the way (it's a very personal thing) but it's just a single data point so don't over-react to it.

_L_A_

sijomial wrote: »

My jaw just dropped!
Surely you don't really think health is less important than speed of loss?

You made (IMHO) a wise choice to lose weight slowly to match your goals and that's what you have achieved. Well done.
Think ahead to arriving at your goal weight, the transition to maintenance will be so much easier and your body composition will likely be far better than if you crash dieted. Be patient and think long term.

PS - beware that weighing infrequently can mean that one high or low weigh in due to perfectly normal weight fluctuations can mask the trend. Don't think that just one weigh in gives absolutely empirical evidence of anything other than "that is my weight at this precise minute".
I'm not saying infrequent weigh ins are bad by the way (it's a very personal thing) but it's just a single data point so don't over-react to it.

Thanks for your support, and yes I know that my thought processes regarding weight loss can be a bit shocking to others (I've struggled with an eating disorder in the past), but be assured I'm not going to over-react and change things up to lose weight fast. I know you are right and the sensible, healthy and best thing to do is to lose weight slowly and build up my fitness. Hence why I decided on this plan.

I'm keeping up with this plan despite the discomfort of slow weight loss, it'll be worth it in the long term to stay healthy and not become unwell again!

sijomial

Yay!