Relatively light people trying to get leaner

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  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    Steve, Thanks for your input. You make more sense than anything else that I have read in recent weeks. I will never give up again! I have been losing weight since last July (60#) I am working out 5 to 8 hours per week and carefully counting calories. I have found this site to be the most accurate of anything that I have tried previously. Thanks again for your time and motivation. LD

    Thanks for the recognition and more importantly, congrats on your progress thus far!
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    Yea, it's a great one. On my forum I have a subforum which is an RSS reader. It pulls in articles and links to all of the websites and blogs I follow. And there are MANY. It's an easy way for people to stay abreast of what all the gurus and professionals are putting out.

    Can you give me a link for that please? Sounds great.

    Edit: I've found it myself. Very cool...
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    Yea, it's a great one. On my forum I have a subforum which is an RSS reader. It pulls in articles and links to all of the websites and blogs I follow. And there are MANY. It's an easy way for people to stay abreast of what all the gurus and professionals are putting out.

    Can you give me a link for that please? Sounds great.

    Sure, the forum is www.forum-body-improvements.com. You'll see a subforum under "general stuff" titled "RSS Feeds." Most of the websites I follow are linked here. So whenever one of them updates, the update gets posted on the forum just as any other new post would. The best way of utilizing the feature is to hit "new posts" each time you visit the main forum and look for any new posts from the RSS Feed section. Let me know if you have any questions. And it's a work in progress. There are feeds I add near weekly as I consolidate all the information I pay attention to.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    Yea, it's a great one. On my forum I have a subforum which is an RSS reader. It pulls in articles and links to all of the websites and blogs I follow. And there are MANY. It's an easy way for people to stay abreast of what all the gurus and professionals are putting out.

    Can you give me a link for that please? Sounds great.

    Sure, the forum is www.forum-body-improvements.com. You'll see a subforum under "general stuff" titled "RSS Feeds." Most of the websites I follow are linked here. So whenever one of them updates, the update gets posted on the forum just as any other new post would. The best way of utilizing the feature is to hit "new posts" each time you visit the main forum and look for any new posts from the RSS Feed section. Let me know if you have any questions. And it's a work in progress. There are feeds I add near weekly as I consolidate all the information I pay attention to.

    Thanks for that. I managed to find it myself and it's like a "Who's Who" of influential names in training and fitness.

    Eric Cressey, Dan John, Tom Venuto, Ross Enamait ("The Underground Guide to Warrior Fitness" is insane...)

    Great stuff. Keep up the good work.
  • 1113cw
    1113cw Posts: 830 Member
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    Thank you so much for this post. I am in the same situation.. 126 lbs right now and trying to lose 7 lbs and I am experiencing the same speed (or lack thereof) as you describe. Thank you for shedding some light on this as it can be very discouraging to be working hard but not see much happen.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    I've a lot of other blogs I follow too. Some unfortunately don't pump out RSS feeds, which stinks. But anyone who I feel is worthy is on my own personal RSS feed. I just have to get everyone migrated over to the forum feed. Enjoy!
  • mariasheehan
    mariasheehan Posts: 335
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    :smile: Steve I think you're a legend too, I actually give your blog to a lot of new people starting on the site, because it answers so many of the questions I KNOW they're going to have. MFP is lucky to have you. Thanks for all your great advice...Maria
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    Thank you so much for this post. I am in the same situation.. 126 lbs right now and trying to lose 7 lbs and I am experiencing the same speed (or lack thereof) as you describe. Thank you for shedding some light on this as it can be very discouraging to be working hard but not see much happen.

    You're welcome. Change your frame of reference in order to change the emotional journey. This doesn't have to be a battle that's full of frustration and dominated by some arbitrary number that plays hardly a role in defining defining how you're doing and more importantly who you are.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    :smile: Steve I think you're a legend too, I actually give your blog to a lot of new people starting on the site, because it answers so many of the questions I KNOW they're going to have. MFP is lucky to have you. Thanks for all your great advice...Maria

    I appreciate that a lot, Maria. This is a HUGE community so it's easy to drown in the abyss of information that's here. I think we're all lucky that this community exists though. I get as much from this community as everyone else - just in different ways.
  • fimm
    fimm Posts: 191 Member
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    This thread looks very useful to me but I don't have time to read it right now so I'm being cheeky and posting on it so I can find it again!
    Thanks for the advice!
  • clohessy
    clohessy Posts: 394 Member
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    You mentioned "high volumes of cardio" can do "wonky" things to lean people trying to get leaner,could you please elaborate on those things that happen. Great info to have.
  • peaches6311
    peaches6311 Posts: 32 Member
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    How do you know if you are over training?

    I am also a hypothyroid 5'3", 45 year old woman that weighs around 140# (body fat % as measured by calipers 25-26%). Pretty happy with my weight though I would like to lose about 5 pounds so I can compete in a lower weight class, but never seem to get around to doing it. After I lose about 3 pounds it is like my body goes crazy and I start missing periods or start having one every other week and even though I continue to track my food and wear a GoWear Fit, I will gain weight on a deficit. Then I will put the 3 pounds back on everything goes back to normal and it starts all over again. Since I am pretty happy with the way I look, I don't freak, but it is a little annoying.

    I exercise 1-2.5 hours 6 days a week. I do martial arts 3 days a week 1.5 - 2 hours each, I do Pilates once a week 1 hour, I run 1 day for about 30 min, I workout with a powerlifting coach once a week and I workout by myself lifting once a week. About every 6 week, I take a break from lifting but continue with my other exercises. Do you think that my problems might stem from over exercising. I hope not because I love everything I do besides running. I would happily give that up :)
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 825 Member
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    I've been eating around 1200 calories for about six months or so. It does vary. If I workout and burn 400-700 calories, I will definitely eat at least half of those.
    You have some great advice on this thread and I enjoy reading it!
    Thanks for taking the time to post advice for all of us!
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    You mentioned "high volumes of cardio" can do "wonky" things to lean people trying to get leaner,could you please elaborate on those things that happen. Great info to have.

    Let me be clear by saying many people can get away with daily cardio as long as it's controlled. 30 min here and 60 min there and moderate and below intensities isn't going to kill you. But it seems that it's the "in thing," especially for women, to start a fat loss program and pair this with marathon or triathlon training.

    Athletes who train for performance and sport eat to fuel said training.

    When you mimic this sort of stuff when you're short changed on calories, you're really backing your body and it's recovery ability systems against the wall. Which is why women who are logging serious mileage each week while dieting wind up injured, losing quite a bit of muscle and thus looking soft, plateaued on the weight loss department, irritable, and anything else that can be associated with "overtraining."

    And even for those who aren't logging serious mileage... many are still do militant with their exercise. If they're not 100% they're failing in their minds, which is silly. The body will reward them for implanting recovery in their programming. The leaner you are, the more important this becomes as our bodies become more "sensitive" to stress the leaner we get. Which is why a lot of my thinner clients have "back off" weeks every 4-8 weeks.

    A while back a buddy of mine wrote a great article on chronic stress, which you can find here:

    http://www.ampedtraining.com/2009/exercise-science/explanation-adrenal-fatigue-metabolic-damage
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    How do you know if you are over training?

    True overtraining is tough to get into. Generally people are overreaching, which is really the short-term of overtraining. No matter how you slice it though, when you overextend your body's ability (which is dynamic mind you) to manage stress, many things can happen and it'll vary from person to person. But remember, if we can't recover from the stresses we're imposing on our bodies, we're not going to improve. And if this goes on long enough, things can and will head south.

    Performance reductions, generally feeling like utter poop, minor aches and pains in the joints, muscle loss, weight loss plateaus, fatigue, delayed recovery between sessions, poor sleep patterns, changes in blood pressure, changes in heart rate, reduced appetite, self esteem issues, colds, amenorrhea, and the list goes on and on.

    What manifests will vary from person to person and depend on how "overtrained" they become.
    Do you think that my problems might stem from over exercising.

    If I had to take a stab at it, which keep in mind is just a stab, I'd say yup. Not over exercise per se, but over stress. How many calories per day are you consuming on average, out of curiosity?
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    http://gubernatrix.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/getting_into_weight_training_feb2008.pdf

    This seems to describe Crossfit almost to a T. I started doing it 6 months ago (3x a week) and I have never been in better shape! I used to think doing deadlifts with a 25 pound bar was doing something! Now I am deadlifting 95+ pounds depending on the workout. I went from 102 pounds to 108 pounds but reduced my body fat 4%! I still fit in the same clothes (they fit me better actually).

    Weightlifting (heavy) is the best thing I have ever done, and I recommend it to anyone! I can tell you at 108 pounds, I am not bulky! I am lean and muscular and have zero cellulite. I will never go back to the 45 minutes dragging on the elliptical ever again!
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    I've general issues with crossfit. I noted them in the crossfit thread which you can read here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/95227-crossfit

    But yeah, what they're describing in the link you referenced doesn't sound like crossfit. Rather, crossfit sounds like what they're describing. Slight distinction, but one I feel is necessary since so many people are thinking crossfit is the be all end all when it's merely one application of the basic principles that any worthy strength training approach applies. And frankly... I see more people applying these principles under the umbrella of crossfit in very poor manners than than most other approaches to strength training.

    My last post in the CF thread I linked you to bares repeating:
    Anything works for losing fat as long as it establishes a calorie deficit. Period.

    Anything works for gaining muscle as long as it provides a tension overload with sufficient volume at the muscle. Period.

    A wise man once said, "As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”

    Crossfit is merely one method of applying the foundational principles that fat loss and muscle gain are built upon. It just so happens that it's an extremely heavily marketed method that many people are flocking too. And truthfully, guided by the right coach, it can be a very reasonable approach.

    Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad coaches and "box" owners who espouse CF methods in extremely unsafe manners. I mean, locally here I've witness time and time again olympic lifts being taught to rank novices under extreme states of fatigue, which for anyone who understands olympic lifting knows, is a huge no-no.

    Like any other method though... it's about taking the good and weeding out the bad.

    I'm sure this post comes across as somewhat snotty. If so, my apologies. Nothing against you at all. Or even CF for that matter. I just deal with a lot of CF zealots who worship CF while not understanding the principles.

    Carry on. :)
  • peaches6311
    peaches6311 Posts: 32 Member
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    According to my GoWear Fit I average about 2200 calories a day burn, and I eat about 1800 calories a day. So I am not starving myself by any means :)

    I will steadily lose for awhile, and then it seems as if everything goes haywire and I put it all back (and maybe a few) and then it starts all over again :(
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    According to my GoWear Fit I average about 2200 calories a day burn, and I eat about 1800 calories a day. So I am not starving myself by any means :)

    I will steadily lose for awhile, and then it seems as if everything goes haywire and I put it all back (and maybe a few) and then it starts all over again :(

    Not starving yourself, no. But you're adding to the pot of stress you're imposing on your body. Less nutrition coming in the door means less ability to recover. And when you're doing marathon 2 hour sessions per day, stressing out about plateauing, and whatever else you have going on in the gym and in life and this stuff's paired with a calorie deficit... well...

    Competitive athletes can have crazy workloads. But they eat to support it. And they take planned breaks to allow for recovery (periodization).

    Who knows... maybe this isn't the case with you. But it's the case with most I encounter in your shoes. Maybe you're the one off who is eating more than you believe or expending less than you believe.
  • marathongurl4
    marathongurl4 Posts: 4
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    bump! this topic is perfect for me! I'm also a runner and I'm using weights to increase my performance. Lots of interesting information, thanks!

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