Ask me anything - nutrition coach

A lot of people need guidance , and I’m here just to help you.

Ask me anything regarding nutrition, fitness, weight lifting.

Credential:
Trained and coached 30+ clients with great results
Retired Bodybuilder with 15+ experience with losing and gaining weight.

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Replies

  • omfederico
    omfederico Posts: 4 Member
    It’s been maybe a week and I haven’t lost a single pound. I haven’t gone over my calorie intake and I have been exercising. What am I doing wrong?
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    omfederico wrote: »
    It’s been maybe a week and I haven’t lost a single pound. I haven’t gone over my calorie intake and I have been exercising. What am I doing wrong?

    It’s hard to tell you when I know nothing about your fitness plan or calorie intake
    But in general the scale is not a good measurement of progress; it’s one of the options to track progress but not the best.
    Take pictures every week and compare them together.
    If you started a weight lifting program when you start dieting; you could be gaining muscle mass especially if you worked out so little in the past.
    Maybe a week? Always weigh the same day every week upon waking up, weighing everyday will discourage you.
    Sometimes on paper the calorie intake is good but in real life it doesn’t translate.
    What I would do; finish the week strong; weigh in the morning : I would suggest Sunday, if you didn’t lose weight; I’d decrease 100 calories from carbs or add a cardio session of 30 min.

    Rule of thumb; don’t drop calories unless your weight isn’t moving for 2 weeks
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    omfederico wrote: »
    It’s been maybe a week and I haven’t lost a single pound. I haven’t gone over my calorie intake and I have been exercising. What am I doing wrong?

    It’s hard to tell you when I know nothing about your fitness plan or calorie intake
    But in general the scale is not a good measurement of progress; it’s one of the options to track progress but not the best.
    Take pictures every week and compare them together.
    If you started a weight lifting program when you start dieting; you could be gaining muscle mass especially if you worked out so little in the past.
    Maybe a week? Always weigh the same day every week upon waking up, weighing everyday will discourage you.
    Sometimes on paper the calorie intake is good but in real life it doesn’t translate.
    What I would do; finish the week strong; weigh in the morning : I would suggest Sunday, if you didn’t lose weight; I’d decrease 100 calories from carbs or add a cardio session of 30 min.

    Rule of thumb; don’t drop calories unless your weight isn’t moving for 2 weeks

    How much muscle mass do you think someone would gain in a week?

    Not much, but if you been dieting and exercising for a while when dieting; you’ll gain enough to stall your weight loss.
    I can show you a video of one of the people I coached, she went from 170 to 165 a totally different physique.
    It’s mind blowing.

    I have no doubt that one can undergone remarkable physical transformations through fitness, I just didn't think it was the issue at play here if someone hasn't lost in "maybe a week."

    It’s very hard to answer “why I didn’t lose weight” questions if I’m not responsible for your fitness plan or know nothing about it.

    But I can tell why maybe you few reasons why you didn’t lose weight..

    I hope you guys understand

  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    I'm running my second Marathon in less than 5 weeks. What strength training exercises would you recommend, how often, how long? I loathe strength training and I barely do any, even though I know it would help.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    What’s the best tasting protein powder (vanilla or unflavored)?
    Do you bake with protein powder ?
    Which kind works the best for cooking? Again vanilla or unflavored

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    Building muscle with a low protein diet? I get sick when I eat too much protein, and certainly never reach 1g per 0.8kg lean mass.
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    What macro goals or other nutritional strategies do you recommend for a post-menopausal woman (60+) who has goals of weight management and fitness improvement?

    Hi there! I respect our 60+ community who are still healthy !

    Few things
    -fitness pal to calculate your maintained calories
    -macros will go for 1g of protein per lean body mass. if you’re not overweight; then 1g per body weight.
    -your fats and carbs will equate for the rest of your calories. I like to have a 50/50 healthy fats and carbs %.
    -carbs from fruits, starch and veggies
    -fats from nuts, avocado and healthy oils like coconut oil or avocado oil

    For exercises
    4-5 weight lifting a week. it increases bone density and balances hormones
    For cardio:
    3-4 cardio sessions a week. I like HIT training for cardiovascular health. 20-30 min circuit training or HIT on the bike sprints for 15 seconds/45seconds steady then repeat
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    I'm running my second Marathon in less than 5 weeks. What strength training exercises would you recommend, how often, how long? I loathe strength training and I barely do any, even though I know it would help.
    Problem is you only have 5 weeks...

    I worked with a sprint runner in the past. so obviously he loved to sprint which gave him the best endurance.
    -So what I would do; I would train legs 2x a week,
    *squats
    *seated leg curls
    *leg presses
    *lying hamstring curls
    *jumping squats
    *lunges

    and rest the week before the marathon.

    -I would do High intensity sprints 20 seconds full speed sprint/40 seconds slow run and repeat. 4x a week then increase the sprint every week
    -your nutrition is also important
    1g of protein body weight to recover those fatigued muscles

    To run far and fast; you have to fill up your glycogen in your muscle. Dextrose which is in Gatorade, glucose in starch rice, bread, pasta.. ect
    Especially the day before the marathon
  • CaitlinWeatherford1
    CaitlinWeatherford1 Posts: 1 Member
    I have a question about my calories and building weight, so I'm currently running around 4 miles a day just added 1 more today to make it 5 and I'm not sure if I'm getting enough calories. my husband says I'm not my deficit runs around 500 + i'm not necessarily wanting to lose more weight but am trying to tone up and get rid of my stubborn MoMA pooch do I need to add more calories (basically what is a good calorie deficit to stick to to help gain muscles)
  • 406MamaBear
    406MamaBear Posts: 48 Member
    Beginners weight training? I only have light dumbbells, no gym membership...I already do cardio and yoga. Down 12 lbs since Dec, but no idea how to start incorporating lifting for weight loss & bone health?? TIA for your insight! :)
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    What’s the best tasting protein powder (vanilla or unflavored)?
    Do you bake with protein powder ?
    Which kind works the best for cooking? Again vanilla or unflavored

    I use premium protein from Costco ; i love the flavor and it’s easy to drink on the go. No powder; no shaking , the vanilla is great and it’s a cheap protein

    For baking i use Quest unflavored protein. I don’t bake with protein but I make pancakes
    yirara wrote: »
    Building muscle with a low protein diet? I get sick when I eat too much protein, and certainly never reach 1g per 0.8kg lean mass.

    you can build muscle with a low protein diet. you also don’t have to eat it, you can drink it; make smoothies. premium protein from Costco or Walmart are easy to drink; i down it on the go.

    Or use supplements like BCAAs in your drink. They have some like taste amazing like Xtend BCAAs

    But to answer your question; carbs are protein sparing so add lots of carbs in your calories
    So 50% of carbs and 30% protein, 20% fats
  • idontcarroll
    idontcarroll Posts: 216 Member
    Hi there! Welcome and thanks for offering help to the community.

    Little back story...I’ve recently started lifting again and track my macros.

    How important is cardio? I jump rope every day before my lifting session for about 5-10 minutes, but I loathe doing cardio.
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    Hi there! Welcome and thanks for offering help to the community.

    Little back story...I’ve recently started lifting again and track my macros.

    How important is cardio? I jump rope every day before my lifting session for about 5-10 minutes, but I loathe doing cardio.

    Thank you man.


    Cardio is a great addition to either gaining muscle or losing weight programs

    It increases appetite if you’re gaining muscle and eating in a calorie surplus and it is great for burning calories if you’re trying to lose fat

    I would start at 3x sessions for either goals and only go up if I’m trying to lose weight. doing too much cardio when gaining muscle is just sacrificing your calories you’re eating when your body could use them for something else
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    I'm running my second Marathon in less than 5 weeks. What strength training exercises would you recommend, how often, how long? I loathe strength training and I barely do any, even though I know it would help.
    Problem is you only have 5 weeks...

    I worked with a sprint runner in the past. so obviously he loved to sprint which gave him the best endurance.
    -So what I would do; I would train legs 2x a week,
    *squats
    *seated leg curls
    *leg presses
    *lying hamstring curls
    *jumping squats
    *lunges

    and rest the week before the marathon.

    -I would do High intensity sprints 20 seconds full speed sprint/40 seconds slow run and repeat. 4x a week then increase the sprint every week
    -your nutrition is also important
    1g of protein body weight to recover those fatigued muscles

    To run far and fast; you have to fill up your glycogen in your muscle. Dextrose which is in Gatorade, glucose in starch rice, bread, pasta.. ect
    Especially the day before the marathon

    Thank you! I appreciate all of the advice! I use Smarties, too, for a sugar kick and I think that's dextrose also.
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    Beginners weight training? I only have light dumbbells, no gym membership...I already do cardio and yoga. Down 12 lbs since Dec, but no idea how to start incorporating lifting for weight loss & bone health?? TIA for your insight! :)

    I would high suggest to get a cheap membership but if you don’t want to

    There’s so many exercises you can do with Dumbells. there’s so many exercises to mention here but if you type “only Dumbell exercises” on YouTube you’ll get 1000 hits.

    But remember nutrition is 70% of your fitness plan
  • MamaMc3
    MamaMc3 Posts: 213 Member
    How much strength training do you need to do to make a difference over time? My goal is health - not strength, not thinness, just health. Should I be aiming for a certain number of minutes of strength training each week?
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    I have a question about my calories and building weight, so I'm currently running around 4 miles a day just added 1 more today to make it 5 and I'm not sure if I'm getting enough calories. my husband says I'm not my deficit runs around 500 + i'm not necessarily wanting to lose more weight but am trying to tone up and get rid of my stubborn MoMA pooch do I need to add more calories (basically what is a good calorie deficit to stick to to help gain muscles)

    A lot of people don’t understand this concept.
    Let me clarify few things.
    1st toning requires weight lifting, no questions asked
    2nd toning up also requires you to lose fat 100%
    3rd to tone up; you need developed muscles under your fat tissue so when you lose the fat; the muscle will make you look toned. Which brings us back to point 1 and 2.

    All cardio will do is make you look stringy and skinny fat. Can you lose fat doing only cardio, absolutely but would you look toned; NO.

    Now, to figure out your calorie intake, fitness pal is the best app that does it. Open the app and put your details in, go to goals and put what your goal is; I recommend lose 1.5 lbs, then fitness pal will give you the calories you need to eat

    Then you’ll go to your calories and change your macros %. 35% protein, 45% fat and 20% carbs. I like this breakdown personally but I would do what you want to eat more of but keep protein at 35%

    I would suggest you start lifting 4 times a week before adding any cardio
  • TakeTheLongWayHome
    TakeTheLongWayHome Posts: 816 Member
    Are full body workouts any good, or should I just focus on something like chest/triceps or bicep and shoulder workouts? I have three different full body workouts that I alternate every other day right now. I want to get stronger, but I would Really like to look better with my shirt off, tbh.
  • mikhnpaitsmum
    mikhnpaitsmum Posts: 119 Member
    Thanks for the offer!

    What are easy core strengthening exercies I can do at home? I need to be mindful of spinal fusion c5 -c7 as well as recent shoulder surgery with bicep involvment and shoulder has now frozen.
    I walk alot and have noticed back discomfort which I am attributing to lack of movement in my arms as well as poor core strenght.

    Thanks again!
  • sandboxfitness
    sandboxfitness Posts: 69 Member
    Are full body workouts any good, or should I just focus on something like chest/triceps or bicep and shoulder workouts? I have three different full body workouts that I alternate every other day right now. I want to get stronger, but I would Really like to look better with my shirt off, tbh.

    any workout programs are good if you are consistent with them. Choose one and stick to it for 6 weeks and if you like it, continue with it

    you can do upper body, lower body; upper body, lower body, rest for few, and repeat.

    Take all your lifts to failure. 12-10 reps, life heavy with good form and keep your protein high.
    Thanks for the offer!

    What are easy core strengthening exercies I can do at home? I need to be mindful of spinal fusion c5 -c7 as well as recent shoulder surgery with bicep involvment and shoulder has now frozen.
    I walk alot and have noticed back discomfort which I am attributing to lack of movement in my arms as well as poor core strenght.

    Thanks again!
    Speedy recovery. I would do workouts that do not aggravate your injury. Only you can know what triggers your injuries. Work around them; don’t do something that puts more pressure on that shoulder or spine.

    Regular Crunches, do them every 2 days. 100 every morning and leg raises 100 as well. Also do planks if your spine can handle it
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    A lot of people need guidance , and I’m here just to help you.

    Ask me anything regarding nutrition, fitness, weight lifting.

    Credential:
    Trained and coached 30+ clients with great results
    Retired Bodybuilder with 15+ experience with losing and gaining weight.

    Ask away

    Thanks for contributing Sandbox fitness. I've been 141lbs for one month, I'm also 5'6. No matter if my deficit is low or moderate. I haven't lost any pound. However I look different, like more compact. Also my pants size went down by an inch. I workout for 250 minutes most weeks. My goal is 72g protein and 150g carbs everyday. My calories are 1,410-1,660 perday. Could I be gaining muscle? I've only been in a deficit for one month. After coming off a 3week diet break. I do a lot of Pilates and body weight exercise with light weights of 21Lbs.
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