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

ST99000722

Great thread , thanks :flowerforyou:

stroutman81

I just joined a week ago i planned to loose 2lbs and have been eating all my calories including my exercise calories and only lost .8lbs is there someone who can look at my food diary and help me figure it out...what am i doing wrong . I did notice my sodium is high. but I am drinking alot of water and excising every single day

1. What is your current weight?

2. What daily calorie intake are you shooting for?

3. How active are you in and out of the gym?

4. Would you say your sodium is abnormally high right now? It's not really sodium per se that leads to big water weight gains... rather it's when sodium intake goes above what you customarily consume.

5. Most importantly. It's been a week. You can't label something as working or not working in that amount of time. Weight loss isn't as MFP suggests where you can pick a calorie intake and reliably lose a given amount of weight each week. Not even close. It might take someone years to reach their goal weight and physique. Now think about how powerful a single week is in isolation...

Not very.
[/quote


My weight is now 155.4. I was given 1200 calories, i workout at least 6 days a week .....all spin classes and some walking, I am averaging 425 calories burned a day between 45-60 minute workouts. My sodium has been calculated at over my limit by 1,000mg , which I am now being very conscious of.
So I eat 1200 calories I workout around 6:45 come home and eat the calories I just burned so I'm at around 1600 calories a day. My scale which is a full body scale says I should be eating around 2100 calories to maintain so minus 500 I'm about right....but still not losing anything over 1/2 a lbs. I'm Frustrated !!!

Oh, and my first thought is this...

My recommended intake for you would be around 1500-1600 to start. But if you're not losing what you "should be" losing at that intake, it begs a few questions.

The most obvious is are you eating more than you think you are? I'm sure your answer to that is a resounding no, but believe me, even the most diehard trackers tend to underestimate their intake. If you're off only slightly, the weekly total of the overage adds up and slows the rate of weight loss.

Are you using a food scale? Are you consistent with it?

The other thing is, there's nothing wrong with a half pound loss. You're just starting. Don't give so much weight to individual weeks. This is a very long process, which you have to accept, In the grand scheme a week or two means nothing.

I mean heck, you could be retaining water for whatever reason this particular week which could mask fat loss on the scale.

You could be adding some muscle slowly if you went from being sedentary to regular exercise.

The list goes on.

My best advice would be to relax, zoom out a little bit with your perspective, and make adjustments based on what's actually happening every 2-4 weeks.

eileen0515

Wow thanks for taking the time for this, hoping I can squeak in a question.


I'm a 55 year old women, 5' 9' tall. I have lost 59 pounds so far. I am very near where I need to stop losing. I would like to now really work on strength and fitness.

My question is, is it possible to work with weights, and not contract the pectoral muscles? I have a medical reason for not wanting to do so. Thanks.

stroutman81

Hi Stroutman! What would be your advice regarding people who are very near their goal (way 5lbs to 10lbs away), is it advisable to cut their calories further in order to reach that goal or to stay the same daily calorie allowance?

Great thread btw, really enjoying reading it :flowerforyou:

Hmm, I'm not sure I follow. Are you saying create bigger deficit vs. a smaller deficit? Or small deficit vs. no deficit?

I'm pretty sure you're talking about the former, and unfortunately it depends on the individual and the situation. Generally speaking, I'm hesitant to run big deficits in small folks since a) their calorie allotment is already so damn tiny so why make it more of a struggle? and b) their bodies are a bit more sensitive to stress, meaning a lot of important systems can get wonky pretty fast, thus throwing everything off kilter.

When you're at that last stage, having things dialed in is vital. Up until this point, pretty much anything works in terms of fat loss. Once you're toward the end of the spectrum of leanness though, the slightest oversights can be the difference between losing and maintaining. Unfortunately this is when many people think to themselves, "it's time to push harder or slash calories deeper," when, in fact, they were simply eating 50 calories more than they thought, thus slowing fat loss down to such a degree that it's not really detectable on the scale on a week to week basis... especially once you factor in the craziness that can go on with water flux toward the tail end of this journey.

Some folks are fortunate though... they can ride their tried and true general approach right across the finish line. Others need to get more complex. For some of my clients, for various reasons, I'll really get nuanced with their nutrient timing - namely with carbs - in an attempt to grab hold of whatever nutrient partitioning advantages this has to offer. I can't explain it, but it seems some people's bodies are more sensitive or receptive to this sort of approach.

I'm rambling at this point, but yeah... at the end of the day it's going to be a case by case basis.

stroutman81

I am trying to maintain my weight now but because I live in Asia and their food are mostly high in sodium. If I go over sodium everyday, will my body adjust to the sodium level or the weight is going to pile up more and more.

I'd make an attempt to manage sodium at least somewhat.

But remember, weight isn't going to pile up endlessly unless you're in a chronic calorie surplus.

Excess sodium promotes water storage. But your body can only store so much water... so if you're not in a surplus... there's a defined limit to how much weight can be gained.

Dottyb1940

bump thank you

__Di__

Hi Stroutman! What would be your advice regarding people who are very near their goal (way 5lbs to 10lbs away), is it advisable to cut their calories further in order to reach that goal or to stay the same daily calorie allowance?

Great thread btw, really enjoying reading it :flowerforyou:

Hmm, I'm not sure I follow. Are you saying create bigger deficit vs. a smaller deficit? Or small deficit vs. no deficit?

I'm pretty sure you're talking about the former, and unfortunately it depends on the individual and the situation. Generally speaking, I'm hesitant to run big deficits in small folks since a) their calorie allotment is already so damn tiny so why make it more of a struggle? and b) their bodies are a bit more sensitive to stress, meaning a lot of important systems can get wonky pretty fast, thus throwing everything off kilter.

When you're at that last stage, having things dialed in is vital. Up until this point, pretty much anything works in terms of fat loss. Once you're toward the end of the spectrum of leanness though, the slightest oversights can be the difference between losing and maintaining. Unfortunately this is when many people think to themselves, "it's time to push harder or slash calories deeper," when, in fact, they were simply eating 50 calories more than they thought, thus slowing fat loss down to such a degree that it's not really detectable on the scale on a week to week basis... especially once you factor in the craziness that can go on with water flux toward the tail end of this journey.

Some folks are fortunate though... they can ride their tried and true general approach right across the finish line. Others need to get more complex. For some of my clients, for various reasons, I'll really get nuanced with their nutrient timing - namely with carbs - in an attempt to grab hold of whatever nutrient partitioning advantages this has to offer. I can't explain it, but it seems some people's bodies are more sensitive or receptive to this sort of approach.

I'm rambling at this point, but yeah... at the end of the day it's going to be a case by case basis.

You are not rambling at all. Much appreciated for your reply :flowerforyou:

stroutman81

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

I tend to agree with this. I think most people are trying to be helpful, but don't realize how little they actually know. Regurgitating the same old answers (eat more, lift heavy, weigh your foods) doesn't mean you actually know anything.

And for the record, there's been more than one occasion where I've been one of those people, so I'm pointing the finger at myself as much as I am anyone else.

I've been guilty myself. ****, when I was younger I'd waste hours on forums proving points that really mattered little in the grand scheme. Plus, there was a time where I'd ramble off any old general answer as long as it fit the question.. the problem was it didn't necessarily fit the person.

Context is everything when it comes to this and most people don't have the time or inclination to understand context.

I understand that's the nature of the 'net and communities like this, so I'm not out to change anything. I've learned to adapt my style to the way things are and likely always will be.

stroutman81

Wow thanks for taking the time for this, hoping I can squeak in a question.


I'm a 55 year old women, 5' 9' tall. I have lost 59 pounds so far. I am very near where I need to stop losing. I would like to now really work on strength and fitness.

My question is, is it possible to work with weights, and not contract the pectoral muscles? I have a medical reason for not wanting to do so. Thanks.

Just when I thought I heard it all...

Wow.

Honestly, that's sort of out of my scope of practice. I think it'd be very hard to not avoid, at a minimum, some low level contractions. But hell, you've to contract them anytime you're bringing your arm in front of you or across your body, for example. So I suppose it's really doing to depend on how extreme the "no contraction" thing is.

Obviously, no matter what, you're going to be very limited.

Kicker12

Bumps

eileen0515

I can do some contraction. I mean I don't avoid heavy things. I guess to really have my question understood, I need full disclosure. Yikes,

I have had breast reconstruction. I want to keep the pectoral muscle soft, as that can effect the look of the reconstruction. And if feels really weird to contract the implants. I know it is unreasonable to expect you to be an expert on this. I mean you probably have not run into this. Fro the record my surgeon, says I can do anything I want.

Thanks.

toutmonpossible

Save for later.

Thanks.

Pattyo57

Bump!

splashblob

Bump!

Thank you very much for your reply. I am appreciate it. :flowerforyou:

stroutman81

I can do some contraction. I mean I don't avoid heavy things. I guess to really have my question understood, I need full disclosure. Yikes,

I have had breast reconstruction. I want to keep the pectoral muscle soft, as that can effect the look of the reconstruction. And if feels really weird to contract the implants. I know it is unreasonable to expect you to be an expert on this. I mean you probably have not run into this. Fro the record my surgeon, says I can do anything I want.

Thanks.

In that case, I'd simply avoid heavy loading of horizontal pushing.... so things like bench press variation, chest press machines, etc. You'll get low level contractions with most movements, but I don't think they'll be something you should concern yourself with.

How do you know for sure that hard contractions will cause issue? Just curious.

missdibs1

bump

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?

eileen0515

Gosh thank you so much!

I don't know for sure it would cause issues. I do know I am different than the augmentation girls, as they have breast tissue and fat over their implants. I just have the muscle. Also a pocket has to be built in a reconstruction. My concern is that they are already firmer than a native breast, so building that muscle will make them that much firmer. Also I would be concerned that it could displace them.

Thanks again, I've wanted to ask this for a long time.

paprad

tagging

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?