beginning, need help.

rubylette29

Hello, so im 5'7 (175cm) 160 (72.9kg).
I had gastric sleeve surgery just a little over 12 months ago. Now i have gotton to my first goal, i now want to gain muscle and lose more weight but have no clue how.
I can only eat small amounts due to my op, i have started working out more, running, walking, strength training at home. Gym cost to much so i have to do it at home. I only have small weights at the moment.
I just want to know the basics to get me started, every time i read stuff i get lost in things i don't understand. Some one explain it to me in the simplest way or a good website? Youtube channel?
I just want to know what i should be doing and what i should be eating and how much? I know what i have to do to lose weight but no clue on how to gain muscle.
Thank you.

samanthamurphy7

You need to find a calculator online to figure out your daily calories.

Then WITHIN that you have to get your macros in check- percentage of carbs, protein and fats.
The app on here is the best for that.

To gain muscle you need to do the following:

1. Keep your LEAN protein percentage high- maybe aim for 40% carbs, 35 protein and 25 fat? Its totally up to you- whatever you can tolerate yourself.
2. Lift HEAVY weights. That's what stimulates muscle growth. Do like 3 sets of 12 of each exercise.

If you really can't afford gym, then I recommend a cheap set of TRX straps- can get fake one's for 20 euro. You use this on your door and can do heavy moves on it using your body weight.

Or even pick up ONE heavy kettle bell (about 30euro)- you can do a whole body workout with this.


Hope this helps!!

Good luck

PS. I find Scott Hermann very good on youtube!

samanthamurphy7

Oh and ideas for food:

Two boiled eggs for breakfast with one small slice of bread
Omelette with lots of veg
Porridge with small bit of honey

Lunch
Protein shake
Baby spinach salad with avocado, tomato, chickpeas, chicken

Chicken breast and broccoli and nut salad
Lean mince beef- can make chilli beef with this- serve with salad ( no rice)-- brown if you must

Also bolognese with lean mince beef and courgette noodles

I find keeping the carbs down really helps keep the calories down too as these are the food that usually bump your calories up!

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

It is highly unlikely that you will gain muscle whilst eating at a calorie deficit. Lifting and ensuring you get enough protein can stop you losing lean muscle mass though.

Lift as heavy as you can. If you don't have weight you can use your own body weight.

Congratulations on reaching your first goal

bioklutz

This is a great list of lifting programs: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

Because you only have small weights I would focus on body weight exercises to start. At the bottom of the first post is a link - strength training guide.

This is also worth a read - progressive overload is really the most important concept: https://bretcontreras.com/progressive-overload/

Can you discuss your diet with your doctor? Explain what your goals are? Or maybe you can elaborate on what some of your restrictions might be after the surgery.

A common recommendation is your body weight in pounds x 0.8 = protein minimum goal. That would be about 128 grams of protein for you. And body weight in pounds x 0.4 = fat minimum goal. That would be 64 grams of fat for you. The rest of your calories would be carbs.

rubylette29

Thanks every one, now i have some reading to do and things to work out. I go back to my Dr on the 31st of Jan and will talk to him about it.
I can manage at the moment around 1300 cal in a day on whole natural foods i have trouble with the protein part i have started having chicken brest at luch and beef/fish for tea to get more in.
I can never understand the macros thing but hopefully with this new info i can get it right.
Thanks everyone

Jvalexc

I would definitely recommend starting off with body weight exercises to get your body used to the concept of lifting. To be honest you don't need heavy weights at all but instead focus on your time under tension which help help develop muscle a lot. For instance when doing a pushup take a slow and controlled approach by going down slowly, holding your position and the hardest point for a second and then slowly pushing yourself back up. As you get stronger you will be able to go slower and slower. This is a great way to start with little to no weights at home.

[Edited by MFP Mods]

rubylette29

Thank you, now that i have watched some videos on body weight exercises i know i can do that at home!! Witch is really good, and although i have been eating clean i now know im not having enough protein and way to many crabs so sitting down tonight and working on a new plan.

FlufferCat

A good body weight exercise to start is simply deep knee bends.It's called a squat.
You can put your hands on a stable chair,or table at first.
Don't just fall into the squat.Always stay under control.Down,and up at a steady pace.
When you get stronger you could lift a bag of sand,or cat litter for weight.
You can do some push-ups against a wall if you're not strong enough to do them from the floor yet.

Athlean-X is a good channel to watch on YouTube.The man is an experienced athletic trainer.
If you do join a gym someday,the Starting Strength channel is a teaching channel for beginning weightlifters.They also have a book out.

psuLemon

Jvalexc wrote: »

I would definitely recommend starting off with body weight exercises to get your body used to the concept of lifting. To be honest you don't need heavy weights at all but instead focus on your time under tension which help help develop muscle a lot. For instance when doing a pushup take a slow and controlled approach by going down slowly, holding your position and the hardest point for a second and then slowly pushing yourself back up. As you get stronger you will be able to go slower and slower. This is a great way to start with little to no weights at home.

[Edited by MFP Mods]

If you are looking at efficacy, heavy weights will provide your body with a greater opportunity to have muscle growth. Not saying that you can't build muscle with body weight, because you can, it's just going to take less time and it's a lot easier to increase volume with weights.

psuLemon

rubylette29 wrote: »

Thank you, now that i have watched some videos on body weight exercises i know i can do that at home!! Witch is really good, and although i have been eating clean i now know im not having enough protein and way to many crabs so sitting down tonight and working on a new plan.

The good news is, being a complete beginner to this, your body will be more primed to develop muscles... commonly referred to as noob gains. Just work on increase protein a bit and follow a good structured program. But 1300 calories will definitely be a huge limiting factor.

rubylette29

I have worked out my macros and it says i need at least 1,956 calories a day!! In a normal day i spend 7 hours on my feet running around a supermarket and im use to lifting heavy boxes plus i walk/run up hill home every day from work so about 3-5 times a week depending on what i work it takes about an hour as my work is at the bottom of the hill and my house is right at the very top. Im trying to work my way up to running the whole way home. Im a mum so have to get my workouts when i can and found that i had time between finishing work and picking up my daughter. Now shes a bit older i want her to see me do my work outs at home plus still do my walking/running coz i love it. I think she needs to see her mum doing exercise and being healthy.
So my macros are
Protein is 163g
Fat 81.5g
Carbs 142g
The fat and carbs are the easy part but im going to have to really work on the protein, have looked at good foods high in protein and where i can add the extra i need so time to do some shopping!
I also plan on doing a pilates class every Friday as i need it for my back.
Mon will be rest day/weigh in day/photo day
Tue Cardio 1 hr plus body weight training
Wed cardio 1hr
Thurs body weight training/ abs work out
Fri Pilates 40min plus 30-1hr of cardio
Sat body weight training plus ab workout
Sun cardio and yoga.
This is my plan let me know if im doing anything wrong! My most problem area is my stomach i have no core strength and thats where i carry a lot of weight and lose skin as i have lost 57kg in the past year.
Thank you every one for your input and time!!

Commander_Keen

rubylette29 wrote: »

Hello, so im 5'7 (175cm) 160 (72.9kg).
I had gastric sleeve surgery just a little over 12 months ago. Now i have gotton to my first goal, i now want to gain muscle and lose more weight but have no clue how.
I can only eat small amounts due to my op, i have started working out more, running, walking, strength training at home. Gym cost to much so i have to do it at home. I only have small weights at the moment.
I just want to know the basics to get me started, every time i read stuff i get lost in things i don't understand. Some one explain it to me in the simplest way or a good website? Youtube channel?
I just want to know what i should be doing and what i should be eating and how much? I know what i have to do to lose weight but no clue on how to gain muscle.
Thank you.

Lift weights
drink Protein
there are groups on facebook that you can join for lifting weights.
You can do 5x5 as well.

psuLemon

rubylette29 wrote: »

I have worked out my macros and it says i need at least 1,956 calories a day!! In a normal day i spend 7 hours on my feet running around a supermarket and im use to lifting heavy boxes plus i walk/run up hill home every day from work so about 3-5 times a week depending on what i work it takes about an hour as my work is at the bottom of the hill and my house is right at the very top. Im trying to work my way up to running the whole way home. Im a mum so have to get my workouts when i can and found that i had time between finishing work and picking up my daughter. Now shes a bit older i want her to see me do my work outs at home plus still do my walking/running coz i love it. I think she needs to see her mum doing exercise and being healthy.
So my macros are
Protein is 163g
Fat 81.5g
Carbs 142g
The fat and carbs are the easy part but im going to have to really work on the protein, have looked at good foods high in protein and where i can add the extra i need so time to do some shopping!
I also plan on doing a pilates class every Friday as i need it for my back.
Mon will be rest day/weigh in day/photo day
Tue Cardio 1 hr plus body weight training
Wed cardio 1hr
Thurs body weight training/ abs work out
Fri Pilates 40min plus 30-1hr of cardio
Sat body weight training plus ab workout
Sun cardio and yoga.
This is my plan let me know if im doing anything wrong! My most problem area is my stomach i have no core strength and thats where i carry a lot of weight and lose skin as i have lost 57kg in the past year.
Thank you every one for your input and time!!

Honestly, since you have an active job and limitations due to surgery, I would drop the cardio to help decrease your TDEE. Also, you don't need that much protein. You really only need around .8 to 1g per lb of lean body mass (all things not fat; roughly .6 to .8g per lb of weight).

So I would put greater emphasis on body weight training and less on cardio. Once you get closer to your goal, you can add in cardio.

rubylette29

What is TDEE??

JeromeBarry1

Total Daily Energy Expenditure

rubylette29

Thank you