Some Advice Please

MACnificence

Hi Sara and Sidesteel

Hoping ye can help me out with this one

Ok so started my journey the start of sept last year , 196Ibs currently 118Ibs my goal weight was 120Ibs but now 112-115Ibs and want to reduce body fat percentage aswell

Can i just get your guys advice on how i should do this i have been doing quiet abit of cardio all along cut back recently but still am unsure am i fuelling my body enough as i have been having trouble sleeping and very irritable ( was at doctors today getting cortisol levels tested)

have been strength training since may but not gaining any strength

I am unsure at my weight is my deficit too aggressive and causing too much stress on my body

Provide your stats (height/weight/age/bodyfat% if you know it/etc)

5'2 118Ibs and not too sure on body fat but thinking somewhere between 23-25 by estimations

What's your current gross intake of calories, on average?

1450 avg over last 4 weeks

What's your current average intake of protein, carbs, and fats, in grams? (GRAMS, not percent!)

wasnt paying any attention to this until last week have protein set to 120g
fat set to 54g but never reaching it
carbs set to 196g again sometimes short of this aswell

this was a recommendation from another member based on 1750 calories still avg around 1450

Do you use a food scale and measure everything?
yep scale is my best friend

Do you track all of your intake, daily? (Everything?)
yep everything

Do you take cheat days or days off?
1 cheat meal a week on my rest day have done this from week1 of this journey

How much weight have you lost so far and over what time period?

78 Ibs over last 12 months ,
6Ibs over last 4 weeks
was up by 1/2 Ib this week but thinking this could be due to water retention so will weigh in again tomorrow

Describe your activity (exercise and non exercise) and did you change that activity withing the last couple of months?

6 days at the gym cardio 6 days 30-40mins (just recently cut that from an hour cardio)
4 days strength
walk dog 1 hour every evening
pretty sedentary during rest of the day

How long have you been stalled and if it is not a complete stall please be very specific as to how much you have lost over the stalled period.

not stalled
Are you breastfeeding? no

Do you have thyroid issues/risks or PCOS? not that im aware of


my main goals - reach 112-115Ibs but also get FIRM , still very soft

any thoughts/insight you have would be very much appreciated

thanks

SideSteel

Tagging

MACnificence

Just another update weighed today 116.7Ibs

MACnificence

48 hour bump :flowerforyou:

Sarauk2sf

What lifting routine are you doing currently?

MACnificence

Hi Sara

That's where I was hoping ye could also chime in , I was just following a routine I found on simple shredded.com , 2 day upper body
2 day lower body routine has a good mixture of movements deadlifts, squats, bench press , dips etc
But being honest I was thinking of possibly starting all pro programme because there's a lot more guidance and support out there surrounding programmes like that and SL
The reason I pick all pro over SL is because my gym doesn't have a power cage or squat rack and I hear that makes it harder to progress in them programmes and I don't have access to another gym
I want to get a lot more serious about lifting and progressing I just got frustrated at my lack of strength gain and kept resorting back to cardio then , stupid I know

Sarauk2sf

Do you have the link to the routine?

MACnificence

yep heres the link

http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-ultimate-female-training-guide.html

Sarauk2sf

yep heres the link

http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-ultimate-female-training-guide.html

I think that there are some good things and some bad things about this program. Bear in mind that pretty much any program that is not completely stupid (which this is not) will bear good results, particularly for a total beginner.

I like the fact that you start off at slightly higher reps and then gradually drop down. The progression is good. What I do not like is that it is not very well balanced with pushes/pulls.I would swap out the Thursday curl/tricep work and add something like face pulls and bent over lateral raises. I would also swap the dips for incline press (or pec flys), but that is mainly because I do not like dips personally as I have shoulder issues. Lower body looks good imo.

Sarauk2sf

When did you start this routine? What did you do for strength training before?

MACnificence

I first started in May with this programme I did the first phase fine but then struggled to progress upping the weight to a lower rep range on some movements , I will add though i wasn't as committed to it as I should have been as I was focusing on dropping the Ibs
So do you think possibly I should start this programme again or maybe would all pro be a better choice ?
I'm gunna start fresh I think because I think I was hindering all my chances before by overdoing cardio and probably not eating enough to get anywhere strength wise

Which brings me to my next question ? Have you any advice on where my calorie/macro intake should be going from the information I gave above

Thanks Sara for looking over this

MACnificence

Oh sorry and I forgot to say I did absolutely no strength prior to that

MACnificence

48 hour bump ????

Sarauk2sf

With the small amount you have to lose, and the fact that you are now lifting, I would start to walk your calories up. You have been averaging about 1,430, with your protein a little under 100g (which is probably good at your weight), fats a little over 30g and your carbs at 170g - 180g.

I would start by adding 5g to your fat minimum, to get that up a bit, and 15g of carbs. This will give you an intake of about 1,530. Sit there for a week, then add another 20 - 30g carbs.

Could you get back to us with what your weight is doing at that point (or earlier if you have questions/concerns).

As a heads up - your weight may go up due to the extra food (and related water weight). Don't be concerned as this will not be fat.

MACnificence

Thanks Sara , really appreciate the help I will start working my calories up and ill be back to ye with results ????

MACnificence

Hey

Back with an update and some wanting some further assistance

Still working on upping calories, last few weeks have been a struggle emotionally due to lack of sleep and feeling quiet poop to be frank

I'm still not getting in as much calories as previously suggested by Sara but I'm working on walking them up just with everything going on I found it a struggle to wrap my head around eating more

I calculated my calorie intake from my last weigh in with ye which was sept 4th and from then until oct 10th I seem to be averaging 1,515 calories a day over a 6 day variable considering I don't count Sundays

My weight over that time has been like this

Sept 4th. 116.7Ibs
Sept 11th. 115.9
Sept 18th 115.2Ibs
Sept 26th. 115.9Ibs
Oct 3rd 113.9Ibs
Oct 10th 112.8Ibs

I want to maintain weight somewhere between 110-115 , 110 being ideal but considering people say you can put on 5Ibs of glycogen stores when you hit maintainance 115 be highest I'd like to go

So do you think I should continue to diet down to 110 ? Or just continue on walking calories up and seeing as I will be doing it slowly my weight might continue to drop anyway

My doctor seems to think my lack of sleep is down to my calories being too low for my exercise routine and my body fighting against me

Should I just continue to walk calories up slowly Or what's your thoughts ?

Thanks for yer help again

MACnificence

Sorry I should of added do you think there could be a link to my insomnia and calorie deficit , my cortisol levels were elevated slightly! Does my weight loss still seem too aggressive for where I am in my weight loss journey ?

And by walking calories up slowly , by slowly I mean 50 calories a week - is this still too conservative or is it reasonable ?

MACnificence

Hey

Just back looking for further advice moving forward
I have hit my goal weight so now I want to work on body composition

I am currently entering week 10 of all pros but haven't gained much in terms of strength yet , possibly still wasnt eating enough to make much gains tho that and I am currently being treated for a vitamin b12 deficiency which can cause weakness so that could be contributing but I'm not sure

I had my cortisol levels tested for a 3rd time and they were once again elevated so doctor has urged me to get my calories up as she thinks its down to too much exercise on too low of calorie intake

So to start again I'm ready to work on upping my calories I struggled for awhile but I realise I can't keep losing weight

My weight for the last few weeks has been as follows

Oct 10th - 112.8Ibs

Oct 17th - 111.9Ibs

Oct 24th - 113Ibs

Oct 31st - 111.9Ibs

Nov 6th - 109.5Ibs

So main goal now is lowering my body fat percentage and making some strength gains I'm getting so frustrated at not gaining strength

I'm really trying to find a balance between strength calories and cardio

Hoping ye can help and thanks again

MACnificence

48 hour bump :flowerforyou:

MACnificence

Today's weight November 13th - 108.8

ETA : machine reading body fat % at 24% but I don't know how accurate the machines are but I am definitely still carrying extra fat especially in my lower stomach , it seriously hangs like a little kangaroo pooch . It's my main problem area now

SideSteel

The main issue I can see with regards to your weight continuing to drop is that you haven't followed Sara's original intake advice.

Your average intake between Sept-Oct is almost identical to your average intake between Oct-Nov indicating that you've not done any incremental increases in calories, (or fats, or carbs).

Set your intake as follows:

1520 calories
180 carbs
40 fat
110 protein

Please PM us in 1 week with an update so we can check your average intake and check your body-weight and we'll go from there. Continue on with All-Pros as you have been.

MACnificence

Ya and I am sorry again about that , I had some sort of mental block and kept failing to up calories but I am on it now and ill be back with a update next week
Thanks for your reply

MACnificence

Hi

Just back with an update after a week

Today's weight 109.7

Where do you suggest I go from here ?

Worked out averages for the week at

Calories 1500 P. 113 F. 32. C. 195


Thanks

Sarauk2sf

- those machines are terribly inaccurate

- how are your strength, sleep and energy levels doing?

- nicely done on hitting the macros.

MACnificence

Went up on weight on all movements Monday which I was happy with as I felt I was seriously stalling on bench press and OHP so I was happy I got the weight up a bit ( would Sunday being a rest day / treat meal have a baring on this I nearly always feel stronger on a Monday I felt great getting movements out Monday whereas week before I was big time struggling ) but I still managed to get all movements out Wednesday aswell even though I didn't feel as strong I still got through them so happy with that

Sleep has been bad since the weekend again it had improved but not great again , weekend was very bad and hasn't been great since either last night was again very disturbed

Energy levels seem ok tho which is funny because I'm currently getting shots for a vitamin b12 deficiency which causes fatigue and tiredness but I feel okay energy wise , Tuesday I found my run abit tough but I'm putting that down to aches from strength the day before
Have 2 more vitamin shots left before ill be getting retested for cortisol levels , was hoping to have it under control by then though because doctor has said she'll be referring me to a specialist if it is still elevated
Still unsure if this is down to calorie deficit or what's causing it ?

Oh and thanks really made the effort to get my calories /macros up this week don't know what I was so afraid of :laugh:

ETA : just weighed in again 109.5 so not much of a change there

Sarauk2sf

Bumping to the top so I respond tomorrow.

MACnificence

Thanks Sara really appreciate the help :flowerforyou:

Just to add strength was down again yesterday failed at the 6 rep of my 2nd working set of bench press , bit disappointing because I finally felt I was seeing some progress on Monday

Sarauk2sf

Hi!

Lifting days can be up and down so don't get too disheartened.

We would like you to up your fat target by 5g and up carbs target by 20g from what we last recommended, so you are at:

Carbs: 200
Fats:45g
Protein: 110g

Can check back with us in 2 weeks so we can make further recommendations, if appropriate. Obviously check back with us earlier is you have concerns or questions.

MACnificence

Ok perfect , just so I have it right that sets my calories at 1645 for the following 2 weeks is that right ?

My weight has came back down to 108.6 again as of this morning so was most likely holding water last week

Thanks again for yer help and ill check back in with ye in 2 weeks time

MACnificence

Also should I keep exercise as is?
I'm logging 6-7 hours of cardio a week on HRM , alot of that is running some biking and a small bit on the stepper
I do intervals 3 days - and I do endurance running

Trainer at the gym pulled me aside last week and said his afraid I'm overtraining , I'm still doing 6 days
Basically my routine is something like this
MWF - 10 min warm up ., strength (all pros) and interval running after
TTS 4-5 mile run often followed by 5k on d bike or else a longer run


Is this prohibiting my strength gains aswell and driving cortisol through the roof ?

SideSteel

Also should I keep exercise as is?
I'm logging 6-7 hours of cardio a week on HRM , alot of that is running some biking and a small bit on the stepper
I do intervals 3 days - and I do endurance running

Trainer at the gym pulled me aside last week and said his afraid I'm overtraining , I'm still doing 6 days
Basically my routine is something like this
MWF - 10 min warm up ., strength (all pros) and interval running after
TTS 4-5 mile run often followed by 5k on d bike or else a longer run


Is this prohibiting my strength gains aswell and driving cortisol through the roof ?

It could potentially be doing one or both of those things but the latter of the two isn't likely something we'd attempt to diagnose.

I'd instead like to know why you're doing that much cardio. Are you doing this for endurance based goals, for any competitive purposes, or for enjoyment? Are you doing it because you believe you need to for fat loss or conditioning?

My apologies if you went over this earlier in the thread. It's 5am here and the coffee hasn't quite kicked in....