90 minute Q&A - All fitness and weight loss related please

Oneal77

Their consider dry estimates. They have no way of knowing what ingredients or what type of fattening you might add during the cooking process. There is an article you can read, and a video you can watch at www.uncommonwebshop.com. Just click on the weight loss link. There is alos a video on healthy foods to eat. For this, you would need to click on the (bread and bakery link). Good Luck!

REDI4CHANGE60

BUMP TO READ LATER.

marci2lip

Bump!

Topsking2010

Bump

PinkNinjaLaura

I didn't quote it...but the "in the middle" thread is the most sane thing I've read on these forums. Makes total sense. In the past few months I've finally found the middle and now I understand why it's working.

lin7604

just in case you get extra time to answer more here goes one from me:

I hit my weight goal and still need to lose body fat. I am 5.2 ft and 116-117 lbs i am around 23% body fat and my goal was to be around 20-21 % max. I have been told that if i want to get to that i will need to be around 105-110 lbs. is that true?. can i not get to that body fat % being around 115 lbs? I am currently doing clx ( chalean extreme) and i am starting t25 on monday.

Here is the formula for calculating goal weight is: Current Lean Body Mass / (1-Goal Body Fat percentage as a decimal)

Your current lean body mass is approximately 90 lbs calculated by multiplying your weight by your percentage of nonfat tissues, that being .77.

So going back to the formula...

90 / (1 - .21) = 114 lbs

This is all theoretical, mind you. All it's saying is that in order to be 21% body fat, you'd have to drop another 3 lbs while preserving all of your existing muscle, which could be a stretch depending.

All of this begs a question in my mind though... what's so significant to you about being 20-21% body fat? Honestly, none of my clients track bf%. We simply go by feel and reflection/pictures. We're not doing this to be a certain number... we're doing this to look and feel great. Once my clients truly realize this and adopt it, there's an immediate release of anxiety. They're no longer focusing on their proximity to rather nebulous numbers and they're focusing on what actually matters to them... that being building a better body.

You could very well get down to 114 lbs and preserve all the muscle you currently have and think, "Wow, I'm really not that content... I want more improvement." Which is why the numbers are really rather worthless in this context. And by the way, if you wanted more, you'd have to do a cycle of surplus eating and focus on adding some muscle, right? We're only working with those two tissues - fat and muscle - when it comes to altering our physique. Well, unless you found a way to extend your bones or change the insertion points of your muscles, lol.

And we can only lose so much fat until we start looking sickly thin, frail, or worse... unhealthy. So for many folks it's about embarking on this process of fluctuating goals. At times they're working on losing fat and preserving muscle. At other times they're focusing on building muscle while minimizing fat gains. It's a touch concept for some people - especially women - to wrap their heads around. But it's the nature of the beast for many.

Hopefully this helps.

thanks so much for taking the time to answer me. i guess it's not so much about hitting that bf number but really in losing the body fat in general. I am content with my body except my lower belly , where it seems all my last bit of fat wants to stick around. So i need to lose more fat/ weight i guess in order for that last spot to start reducing. I had a flat belly all my life until i gained, so i know it's possible to get it back. Just didn't know the best way to get there..... when i look at pics it seems the 20-21% body fat is what i like and thought if i achieve that, i will have lost that last bit of fat on my lower belly... i am content with my weight but not that darn lower belly!

stroutman81

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me. I truly appreciate it. I realized you are right - I do tend to do extremes and then I can't handle it so I fall off the horse, so to speak. I always get back on because I'm hard headed like that but it's discouraging. I WILL adjust my caloric intake to match something that I can do a little better (for the time being). I was already doing resistance training and I'm using some P90x DVDs at home when I can't get to the gym. I try to aim for five days a week at the gym or working out but I have two kids and just finished my masters degree so timing has been tough. Four a week has worked well for me. I think I just need to keep going. My main aim is to be healthier in my life OVERALL, so I know I can't "diet" because this is a lifestyle change to aim to be healthier.

Thank you again for helping me see I'm too hard on myself. I HAVE lost over the last two years and I've been praised by my doctor and my friends and family but I guess I want to get there FAST and that is not realistic at all.

In general, the faster people get there, the shorter they actually stay there.

Really think about that.

I'm glad to hear I was able to help a bit and if you ever have any additional questions, feel free to reach out.

stroutman81

I was doing crunches, sit ups, planks, and leg lifts once a day for three weeks (along with other training) and I was seeing results.

Until my tail bone started to get injured (cut/scraped, etc)

I could no longer continue.

I was excited at my progress.

Do you have a suggestion on how to avoid this type of injury?

How much were you doing? Why are you only focusing on abdominal exercises? And if you're rubbing your tailbone against something that's causing injury, why not just use a yoga mat or some other soft surface to avoid irritating the area?

Yoga matt/pillow did not help (but area was already injured at that point)

I was up to 75 sit ups/95 crunches/ 60 leg lifts/ and 2 min plank (as fast as I can)

I was not only doing abs...just trying to work them 5 days a week.

What are your intentions with all the ab work though? Are you training all of your muscles 5 days per week?

no.... i was told abs every day

Told by who? More importantly, for what reason? What do you believe it's accomplishing? I'm not knocking you or your approach... I'm simply trying to learn if you're doing this for the right reason. I find many people who are blasting away on ab exercises, focusing much of their attention on it, because they want a toned midsection. Then I bring up something about spot reduction and they chime in, "Oh I know how that's not possible blah blah blah." Yet, they're still doing all of this crazy ab work trying to spot tone their midsections.

Follow me?

stroutman81

I didn't quote it...but the "in the middle" thread is the most sane thing I've read on these forums. Makes total sense. In the past few months I've finally found the middle and now I understand why it's working.

Thanks and I'm glad to hear it resonated with you.

stroutman81

just in case you get extra time to answer more here goes one from me:

I hit my weight goal and still need to lose body fat. I am 5.2 ft and 116-117 lbs i am around 23% body fat and my goal was to be around 20-21 % max. I have been told that if i want to get to that i will need to be around 105-110 lbs. is that true?. can i not get to that body fat % being around 115 lbs? I am currently doing clx ( chalean extreme) and i am starting t25 on monday.

Here is the formula for calculating goal weight is: Current Lean Body Mass / (1-Goal Body Fat percentage as a decimal)

Your current lean body mass is approximately 90 lbs calculated by multiplying your weight by your percentage of nonfat tissues, that being .77.

So going back to the formula...

90 / (1 - .21) = 114 lbs

This is all theoretical, mind you. All it's saying is that in order to be 21% body fat, you'd have to drop another 3 lbs while preserving all of your existing muscle, which could be a stretch depending.

All of this begs a question in my mind though... what's so significant to you about being 20-21% body fat? Honestly, none of my clients track bf%. We simply go by feel and reflection/pictures. We're not doing this to be a certain number... we're doing this to look and feel great. Once my clients truly realize this and adopt it, there's an immediate release of anxiety. They're no longer focusing on their proximity to rather nebulous numbers and they're focusing on what actually matters to them... that being building a better body.

You could very well get down to 114 lbs and preserve all the muscle you currently have and think, "Wow, I'm really not that content... I want more improvement." Which is why the numbers are really rather worthless in this context. And by the way, if you wanted more, you'd have to do a cycle of surplus eating and focus on adding some muscle, right? We're only working with those two tissues - fat and muscle - when it comes to altering our physique. Well, unless you found a way to extend your bones or change the insertion points of your muscles, lol.

And we can only lose so much fat until we start looking sickly thin, frail, or worse... unhealthy. So for many folks it's about embarking on this process of fluctuating goals. At times they're working on losing fat and preserving muscle. At other times they're focusing on building muscle while minimizing fat gains. It's a touch concept for some people - especially women - to wrap their heads around. But it's the nature of the beast for many.

Hopefully this helps.

thanks so much for taking the time to answer me. i guess it's not so much about hitting that bf number but really in losing the body fat in general. I am content with my body except my lower belly , where it seems all my last bit of fat wants to stick around. So i need to lose more fat/ weight i guess in order for that last spot to start reducing. I had a flat belly all my life until i gained, so i know it's possible to get it back. Just didn't know the best way to get there..... when i look at pics it seems the 20-21% body fat is what i like and thought if i achieve that, i will have lost that last bit of fat on my lower belly... i am content with my weight but not that darn lower belly!

Fair enough. Couple thoughts...

1) First on, last off. That's generally how fat storage and burning goes. Problem areas are usually the first to start accumulating fat and they're generally the last place to start releasing it.

2) I could show you pictures of a dozen women at 21% body fat and some of them you'd think look great and others you'd think look not so great. It's just a number and everyone will wear it very very differently depending on their base of muscle, the length of their frames, their genetic fat storage patterns, etc.

All in all though, you're correct. If you want to lose more fat, you have to make sure you have things dialed in and from there, you need to be very consistent and very patient.

deeruns

Amazing. Bumping to read later.

missdibs1

I was doing crunches, sit ups, planks, and leg lifts once a day for three weeks (along with other training) and I was seeing results.

Until my tail bone started to get injured (cut/scraped, etc)

I could no longer continue.

I was excited at my progress.

Do you have a suggestion on how to avoid this type of injury?

How much were you doing? Why are you only focusing on abdominal exercises? And if you're rubbing your tailbone against something that's causing injury, why not just use a yoga mat or some other soft surface to avoid irritating the area?

Yoga matt/pillow did not help (but area was already injured at that point)

I was up to 75 sit ups/95 crunches/ 60 leg lifts/ and 2 min plank (as fast as I can)

I was not only doing abs...just trying to work them 5 days a week.

What are your intentions with all the ab work though? Are you training all of your muscles 5 days per week?

no.... i was told abs every day

Told by who? More importantly, for what reason? What do you believe it's accomplishing? I'm not knocking you or your approach... I'm simply trying to learn if you're doing this for the right reason. I find many people who are blasting away on ab exercises, focusing much of their attention on it, because they want a toned midsection. Then I bring up something about spot reduction and they chime in, "Oh I know how that's not possible blah blah blah." Yet, they're still doing all of this crazy ab work trying to spot tone their midsections.

Follow me?

I follow you ...
but:

I was told abs every day 9in some form) by the head trainer at my gym (old gym) I was also participating in a cumulative ab challenge I saw online.

I do HIITS (ZGYM) 5 days a week and toss in extra ab work...

mrswine

Bumping for awesomeness.

stroutman81

I was doing crunches, sit ups, planks, and leg lifts once a day for three weeks (along with other training) and I was seeing results.

Until my tail bone started to get injured (cut/scraped, etc)

I could no longer continue.

I was excited at my progress.

Do you have a suggestion on how to avoid this type of injury?

How much were you doing? Why are you only focusing on abdominal exercises? And if you're rubbing your tailbone against something that's causing injury, why not just use a yoga mat or some other soft surface to avoid irritating the area?

Yoga matt/pillow did not help (but area was already injured at that point)

I was up to 75 sit ups/95 crunches/ 60 leg lifts/ and 2 min plank (as fast as I can)

I was not only doing abs...just trying to work them 5 days a week.

What are your intentions with all the ab work though? Are you training all of your muscles 5 days per week?

no.... i was told abs every day

Told by who? More importantly, for what reason? What do you believe it's accomplishing? I'm not knocking you or your approach... I'm simply trying to learn if you're doing this for the right reason. I find many people who are blasting away on ab exercises, focusing much of their attention on it, because they want a toned midsection. Then I bring up something about spot reduction and they chime in, "Oh I know how that's not possible blah blah blah." Yet, they're still doing all of this crazy ab work trying to spot tone their midsections.

Follow me?

I follow you ...
but:

I was told abs every day 9in some form) by the head trainer at my gym (old gym) I was also participating in a cumulative ab challenge I saw online.

I do HIITS (ZGYM) 5 days a week and toss in extra ab work...

A lot of trainers say a lot of things. Yeah, I'm a trainer. I also consult with gyms helping to train their trainers - head trainers included.

I don't see the rationale but can't win them all. If you enjoy doing it who am I to tell you otherwise.

Best!

littlepinkhearts

thanks for the great info!!! bumping for more good reading :P

splashblob

Hi, it's me again. I have question regrading TDEE and exercise calorie.

Now, here is the question, back when I was trying to lose, my TDEE is around 1680-1735. I didn't not exercise, just counting calories of food I ate. Now I am try to maintain my weight and I am exercise more. I based my TDEE by using fitbit.

I exercise about 30-45 min in the morning and in the evening 5 days a week. Mostly I run or brisk walking. I am planning to do more weight lifting soon though.

Should I continue eating at around 1700-1735 daily, this is based from fitbit number

or

Should I eat more as in 1735+exercise calories daily now?

For example, today, it is 11:40PM where I live and from Fitbit currently I burn 2476 kcal. Should I eat more or atleast average my calories out during the week? Usually I don't eat more if I am not hungry but then I have read that it is advisable to eat as close as the calorie goal per day or per week-by average weekly calories out , so now I am confused.

stroutman81

Hi, it's me again. I have question regrading TDEE and exercise calorie.

Now, here is the question, back when I was trying to lose, my TDEE is around 1680-1735. I didn't not exercise, just counting calories of food I ate. Now I am try to maintain my weight and I am exercise more. I based my TDEE by using fitbit.

I exercise about 30-45 min in the morning and in the evening 5 days a week. Mostly I run or brisk walking. I am planning to do more weight lifting soon though.

Should I continue eating at around 1700-1735 daily, this is based from fitbit number

or

Should I eat more as in 1735+exercise calories daily now?

For example, today, it is 11:40PM where I live and from Fitbit currently I burn 2476 kcal. Should I eat more or atleast average my calories out during the week? Usually I don't eat more if I am not hungry but then I have read that it is advisable to eat as close as the calorie goal per day or per week-by average weekly calories out , so now I am confused.

I don't recommend being so exact. I mean, if that's what you prefer... have at it. It's just not my preferred method. You'll never see me suggest someone eat 1735 calories. I'll saying 1700... maybe 1750... but given the degree of error involved it's pointless to go anymore exact than that if you ask me.

Secondly, regardless of goal - lose, gain, maintain - I don't put a lot of time in picking an initial calorie intake. I don't see the point since this is about a process of refinement and adjustment over time. It's not sexy, but in very general terms I'll tell active people to start at 10-12 calories/lb for fat loss, 13-16 cal/lb for maintenance, and 17+ cals/lb for gain. That's about as much time and concern I give to initial calorie intakes. From there we dial things in based on what's actually happening with weight, measurements, physique, etc.

lexoxoc

bump to read later!

elvensnow

It's way past the deadline but I'm still gonna throw this out. My question is: Where can I hire a trainer like you? :flowerforyou:

I wish I knew what I was doing. Been on a plateau for about a year and a half now. Gained a teeny bit in the middle due to life stuff and not tracking, or caring, -at all- for a couple months. I have tried eating at 1200 calories all the way up to TDEE and the scale just doesn't move (up or down apparently). Trying to make the scale go down again and it's just not happening. Sometimes I think I should hire a professional, but then I hear horror stories of the crap that seemingly "professionals" tell some people and think I'd rather save my money.

It should be simple right? Eat less than you burn to lose weight? If only it were that simple in execution.

Anyhow, you gave some great information in this thread, so this is mostly just to tag for my future reference. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

mebepiglet123

Bumpty bump

fit921

Love all of the links, thank you!

caitlyn012284

Bump!

peggymdellinger

Bump

stroutman81

It's way past the deadline but I'm still gonna throw this out. My question is: Where can I hire a trainer like you? :flowerforyou:

Quality trainers are hard to come by. That's the unfortunate reality of the industry. There are very low barriers to entry and it tends to attract a lot of jocks who think they know how to reach people and get them to their goals simply because they were "good at football" or whatever.

You know it's bad when I hesitate telling people what I do at social gatherings... not because I'm ashamed... but because I don't feel like explaining how or why I'm a bit different than what they're likely accustomed to seeing.

To answer your question though, I wrote an article on my website under the industry section that explains how to determine if a trainer is quality or not. Of course this one of the very reasons why I started online coaching, which is obviously another avenue you might consider eventually.

I wish I knew what I was doing. Been on a plateau for about a year and a half now. Gained a teeny bit in the middle due to life stuff and not tracking, or caring, -at all- for a couple months. I have tried eating at 1200 calories all the way up to TDEE and the scale just doesn't move (up or down apparently). Trying to make the scale go down again and it's just not happening. Sometimes I think I should hire a professional, but then I hear horror stories of the crap that seemingly "professionals" tell some people and think I'd rather save my money.

Don't blame you. And it's hard to troubleshoot you without really diving in and getting to know your situation. But the knee jerk thought I have is, over the course of that year or whatever, what was the average intake. Maybe it's closer to maintenance than you realize? Or maybe you weren't as meticulous with tracking as you believe? Or maybe you were doing stuff that added muscle while you were losing fat which than masked any "progress" on the scale? Or maybe there's something going on medically that's screwing with water retention, metabolic rate, or whatever? On and on it goes.

Very hard to say.

It should be simple right? Eat less than you burn to lose weight? If only it were that simple in execution.

Honestly, I find that it is that simple. But I also find that very few people are patient enough to actually realize their goals. Or if they are, I find that of those, very few are actually consistent and accurate enough to ensure a deficit. Seems so damn simple, but you wouldn't believe the number of people I encounter who eat a supposed deficit, which we later find out wasn't a deficit, or it was such a small deficit that their rate of weight loss was immeasurable on a week to week basis, so they get frustrated and jack calories up, sometimes controlled, other times uncontrolled, then they go right back to trying again with that same supposed deficit and the vicious cycle continues.

I'm not suggesting this is the case with you.

But with some of my online clients, I literally don't allow them to track calories or nutrients. I give them a rigid meal plan, and only I know the nutritional breakdown behind the actual food. I ask them to please avoid logging. It's much easier for them to simply follow a preplanned list of meals than worry about the numbers. Wouldn't you know that in almost all cases, they lose the fat? Even though the deficit is almost always about what their supposed deficit has always been.

There's nothing magical here. I mean MAYBE they're seeing some optimization from my nutrient breakdown and such. More than likely though I'm removing their bias in their measurements. And maybe since they're paying me each month I'm providing some accountability and incentive to be consistent. I don't know. But over the years it's been very telling for me - it really shows me the reality of much of the research out there showing the erroneous nature of self reporting. It also tells me just how close most people are to really making a difference, they're right on the cusp, but they never quite get there because they think slashing calories deeper will put them in some sort of "danger zone," and yeah, on paper, based on their tracking, it might appear that they're too low, but in reality, the actual intake or caloric value of their consumption is optimal.

I'm rambling tons as I'm half asleep, lol, but again, this is pretty frequent in my experience with my clients.

No reflection on you and your issues at all as I know very little about your situation... but maybe some food for thought.

spunkybunny

bumping for article links

ellis222

bumping to read later

amandal00

bump to read later....

sun_fish

Tagging to save all this great info. Thank you!

ukchic25

I may be late but I started reading through everyone's posts and I have to admit, I started over two ago and I have yo-yo'd a bit and I know it's my eating habits. I started at 150-something over two years ago and I am now at 135. I am 4'11'' and I, unfortunately, have 33% body fat. I began going to the gym four times a week since the beginning of April and/or doing P90x workouts at home when I am unable to get to the gym. I have tried counting my calories but when you look at my overall graph (weekly, monthly, whatever) I tend to be erratic.

My question is this, I would like to get to a healthy BMI, but considering I'm a latin girl who would like to put on muscle I don't think that would be the best way to set my goal. I was thinking it would be better through body fat percentage, right? Also, is there ANYWHERE i can find example menus of simple things to make to stay under 1200 a day so I can follow a better diet? I hate the idea of "dieting" but I really need to tweak my caloric intake. Simply staying under 1200 before helped me lose the weight I needed to get to 135 but I wasn't following a diet - just keeping my mouth shut when I didn't want to go over. Now I have a harder time saying no when I get hungry. (Hence the reason I turned to focusing on the gym). I just need some guidance. I really want to focus on lifelong health rather than just "getting skinny."

It sounds to me as if you have an issue of excluding the middle. Put differently, you tend to focus on the extremes of the spectrum rather than the middle. The problem is, the middle tends to be where people find their sweet spots. By that I mean, they find methods of eating and exercising that jive with their lives. They find sustainability and if they're persistent enough, they learn to love a lifestyle that garners health and a good body.

Extremes work in the sense that they'll get the ball rolling initially. They'll lead to weight loss and such. Often times though, after some time has passed, they either leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere feeling desperate and directionless or they leave you rebounding back to where you were before... or worse.

I'm not knocking the approach you've taken to get here... not at all. I commend you actually. You've lost some weight and you're working towards figuring stuff out. Just realize that you're in the midst of a process of experimentation. It's really the only way to go about it if you're truly going to custom tailor an approach to YOU.

Why do I say you exclude the middle.

1. You yo-yo diet, which is a telltale sign.

2. It's either eating really low calories or it's exercising by the sound of it... not more subtle combinations of both.

The latter one is where you need to focus. If your goal is more fat loss, which sounds like is the right focus, stick with something like 1300 calories. Don't deprive yourself. Don't think of it as a diet. In fact, if you want to be as loose as possible while still doing likely enough to generate positive physique changes... eat 130 grams of protein, 3-4 servings of fibrous veggies, and a piece or two of fruit per day. Maybe throw in some healthy fats like fish oils, nuts, avocados or whatever. Let that stand as your baseline target each day. Beyond that, do you. Eat whatever the heck you want. Is that a perfect approach? Nope. Perfectionism is the root of failure though.

Forget about BMR and don't sweat your body fat percentage. Dial in your diet as I suggested and focus on being consistent. If, after a few weeks things aren't heading in the right direction, you adjust. Maybe knock your calories down by 10% or so. Maybe you add in some conditioning work.

I'd keep resistance training in the mix for sure, as that's one of the only arrows we have in our quivers for helping preserve muscle while losing weight. Do you need 4 days per week? Absolutely not. A handful of full body sessions per week would cut it... maybe just two.

Welcome to the middle.

Quite possibly the best thing I have ever read on this site. Thank you!

That's because, as far as I can tell, the conversations on this forum (speaking very generally obviously) have deteriorated to levels where it's all about being right opposed to actually feeling out the people asking for help and offering contextually relevant advice. Everyone seems to think they have The Answers, as if there were such a thing. And those knowers-of-all feel the need to preach because they've lost 10 lbs and they happened upon a pubmed abstract that confirms their bias... never minding the remainder of the available body of research on the topic they're clamoring about or the real life application of it all... all while never actually coaching someone in their life.

I don't point that at anyone in particular and I don't mean to be a blowhard. It's just frustrating that it's nearly impossible to have intelligent conversations anymore because everyone lets their ego get in the way.

And I hate using words like everyone, this entire forum, and such... there are some amazingly bright and awesome people around here. But the forums have been painful as of late, which is why I generally choose to start my own threads.

/rant

Bumping...but also, thank you SO much for the last part!! Fairly new here, and for the most part I find the forums to be very negative, rude, and critical. It's like a certain group have their own little snarky sarcasm club and they like to belittle others to feel better about themselves. I appreciate you taking the time to answer all these questions! It means a lot, to a lot of people!

coffee4me57

bump for later