Still learning.. Am I on track?
fitspo145
Posts: 81
Hi SS and Sara! Firstly compliments to you guys for making the effort to offer the help and support you have in this group. Seriously you guys are awesome. :flowerforyou:
I've been on MFP for a while but only have started really using it 3-4 months ago. I started out at 1200 kcal because that was what MFP put me at until I got a wake up call from some great people in the forum and found out my TDEE-10% at the time was 1700. So I bumped up my limit and started doing Insanity. On a side note: I am glad you guys ask people to provide their average kcal intake and macros in gs because until then I never actually looked.. I just thought "within my calorie limit? Awesome. Onwards to the next day." regardless of macros.
So it appears that when I was eating normally I would consume an average of 1300-1400 kcal per day. After I finished Insanity my best friend who is a Les Mills Instructor asked if I would do the Grit Nutrition Challenge with her. Out of curiosity and moral support I tried it out only to be terrified that my daily kcal count was so low so I started introducing some treats to balance stuff out and gradually bumped up cals to get back to my usual range (the nutrition challenge may explain why some days look dangerously low, that's not how I normally eat).
My stats are 5'5 height, weight is 199 lbs, current BF% is at 22.6% according to the gym scale thing.
Consumed around 50-100g of Carbs, 60g Fat, 90-100g Protein on a daily average.
In terms of workouts, I work out at 3-5 times in a week. I like to do RPM and Body Pump classes with the odd bit of HIIT when I'm bored. I try to dedicate two days a week to lifting heavy now. Compound exercises with heavy weights and low reps.
Finally discovered your posts on IIFYM and love it and have set my macros accordingly using your formula and reset Protein to 30% (rounded way up), Fat 20% (rounded down) and Carbs at 50%.
My main goal now is to lower my BF% to around the 18s (something like Sara's body would be famazing but baby steps :bigsmile: ), and I just wanted to know if I'm on the right track or whether I've kind of messed things around by trying too many inconsistent things in such a short period of time? :ohwell:
So sorry for the uber long post!
I've been on MFP for a while but only have started really using it 3-4 months ago. I started out at 1200 kcal because that was what MFP put me at until I got a wake up call from some great people in the forum and found out my TDEE-10% at the time was 1700. So I bumped up my limit and started doing Insanity. On a side note: I am glad you guys ask people to provide their average kcal intake and macros in gs because until then I never actually looked.. I just thought "within my calorie limit? Awesome. Onwards to the next day." regardless of macros.
So it appears that when I was eating normally I would consume an average of 1300-1400 kcal per day. After I finished Insanity my best friend who is a Les Mills Instructor asked if I would do the Grit Nutrition Challenge with her. Out of curiosity and moral support I tried it out only to be terrified that my daily kcal count was so low so I started introducing some treats to balance stuff out and gradually bumped up cals to get back to my usual range (the nutrition challenge may explain why some days look dangerously low, that's not how I normally eat).
My stats are 5'5 height, weight is 199 lbs, current BF% is at 22.6% according to the gym scale thing.
Consumed around 50-100g of Carbs, 60g Fat, 90-100g Protein on a daily average.
In terms of workouts, I work out at 3-5 times in a week. I like to do RPM and Body Pump classes with the odd bit of HIIT when I'm bored. I try to dedicate two days a week to lifting heavy now. Compound exercises with heavy weights and low reps.
Finally discovered your posts on IIFYM and love it and have set my macros accordingly using your formula and reset Protein to 30% (rounded way up), Fat 20% (rounded down) and Carbs at 50%.
My main goal now is to lower my BF% to around the 18s (something like Sara's body would be famazing but baby steps :bigsmile: ), and I just wanted to know if I'm on the right track or whether I've kind of messed things around by trying too many inconsistent things in such a short period of time? :ohwell:
So sorry for the uber long post!
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What he said!0 -
Hi! I just wanted to clarify something. Is your pic a recent one of you (not sure which one you are) as neither look 199lb.
Also, could you answer the questions (that you have not covered already) from this thread.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/910257-the-new-and-improved-asking-questions-about-your-intake
Thanks0 -
Hi! I just wanted to clarify something. Is your pic a recent one of you (not sure which one you are) as neither look 199lb.
Also, could you answer the questions (that you have not covered already) from this thread.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/910257-the-new-and-improved-asking-questions-about-your-intake
Thanks
Hey Sara! I am currently the one on the right wearing the yellow in my picture and this was 6 months prior when I was fluctuating between 58-62kg. I think in that picture I am 58kg.
Oh and here are the details as requested!
Provide your stats (height/weight/age/bodyfat% if you know it/etc) :
165cm, 54kg, 24, 19.5% (as of yesterday according to the horribly inaccurate gym device)
What's your current gross intake of calories, on average? 1300
What's your current average intake of protein, carbs, and fats, in grams? (GRAMS, not percent!)
Carbs around 50-100g, Fat: 60g, Protein: 90-100g
Do you use a food scale and measure everything?
I mainly use measuring cups but have not been strictly measuring.
Do you track all of your intake, daily? (Everything?)
Recently I've tried to track everyday and get most days of the week. Some entries are however incomplete.
Do you take cheat days or days off?
I don't take days off but I have cheat meals or treats.
How much weight have you lost so far and over what time period?
I was 64kg last year and over the past 4-5 months I've gone down to 54kg from 60kg.
Describe your activity (exercise and non exercise) and did you change that activity withing the last couple of months?
On days where I do not work out I spend mostly at the desk and a 10-15 walk from the bus stop to the train then another 10-15 walk to home/office. Not much of that has changed apart that I walk more within the office when we have experiments (I work in a laboratory).
In terms of workouts, I completed Insanity almost 2 months ago and have been working out 3-5 times a week. There's a more detailed description of what I do in my first post
.
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.
I would not say that I have stalled per se since I am not interested in losing more weight but want to focus on recomping and wondering if I am going the right direction. I just had a fitness analysis last night and the PT recommended that although the machine says I'm at 19ish% BF, I should gain around 2.5kg of muscle to up my BMR.
Are you breastfeeding? No
Do you have thyroid issues/risks or PCOS?
I have PCOS but am taking the BCP as prescribed by the OBGYN for treatment.
My diary is also open and if you need any more details, let me know. Thanks guys! :flowerforyou:0 -
Hi! I just wanted to clarify something. Is your pic a recent one of you (not sure which one you are) as neither look 199lb.
Also, could you answer the questions (that you have not covered already) from this thread.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/910257-the-new-and-improved-asking-questions-about-your-intake
Thanks
Hey Sara! I am currently the one on the right wearing the yellow in my picture and this was 6 months prior when I was fluctuating between 58-62kg. I think in that picture I am 58kg.
Oh and here are the details as requested!
Provide your stats (height/weight/age/bodyfat% if you know it/etc) :
165cm, 54kg, 24, 19.5% (as of yesterday according to the horribly inaccurate gym device)
What's your current gross intake of calories, on average? 1300
What's your current average intake of protein, carbs, and fats, in grams? (GRAMS, not percent!)
Carbs around 50-100g, Fat: 60g, Protein: 90-100g
Do you use a food scale and measure everything?
I mainly use measuring cups but have not been strictly measuring.
Do you track all of your intake, daily? (Everything?)
Recently I've tried to track everyday and get most days of the week. Some entries are however incomplete.
Do you take cheat days or days off?
I don't take days off but I have cheat meals or treats.
How much weight have you lost so far and over what time period?
I was 64kg last year and over the past 4-5 months I've gone down to 54kg from 60kg.
Describe your activity (exercise and non exercise) and did you change that activity withing the last couple of months?
On days where I do not work out I spend mostly at the desk and a 10-15 walk from the bus stop to the train then another 10-15 walk to home/office. Not much of that has changed apart that I walk more within the office when we have experiments (I work in a laboratory).
In terms of workouts, I completed Insanity almost 2 months ago and have been working out 3-5 times a week. There's a more detailed description of what I do in my first post.
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.
I would not say that I have stalled per se since I am not interested in losing more weight but want to focus on recomping and wondering if I am going the right direction. I just had a fitness analysis last night and the PT recommended that although the machine says I'm at 19ish% BF, I should gain around 2.5kg of muscle to up my BMR.
Are you breastfeeding? No
Do you have thyroid issues/risks or PCOS?
I have PCOS but am taking the BCP as prescribed by the OBGYN for treatment.
My diary is also open and if you need any more details, let me know. Thanks guys! :flowerforyou:
Oh and apologies Sara! I did not see my typo in my first post. I meant to write 119 lbs not 199! Hahaha my bad. :laugh:0 -
lol - that makes far more sense. I was wondering how you could possibly be 199lb at 22% BF%.0
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lol - that makes far more sense. I was wondering how you could possibly be 199lb at 22% BF%.
Hahaha yeah I'd have to be some genetic anomaly or some super mutant. :laugh: Glad I clarified that.0 -
What lifting routine are you currently doing?
Would you be able to drop one of your classes and do lifting 3 x a week?0 -
What lifting routine are you currently doing?
Would you be able to drop one of your classes and do lifting 3 x a week?
Hey guys! Sorry for the late response.. Currently at my grandparent's in the Philippines and wifi is a little difficult to come by in this small town.
I am kind of just sticking with SL 5x5 except that I am doing it around twice a week rather than three. I could drop one of the classes and just alternate between RPM and BodyPump every week rather than doing both in one week.0 -
Bumping to the top as this slipped through0
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It sounds as if you are in a good place to either recomp or do a bulk/cut cycle.
A recomp is slow and pretty inefficient but you do not gain fat. You basically eat at maintenance as slowly make mass gains and lose BF.
A bulk/cut cycle you gain muscle a bit quicker but will gain some fat - the amount depends on how much of a surplus you are at, and you then diet down to lose the fat gained.
Either way, I would suggest that you do your strength training 3 x a week rather than 3.
Which method sounds preferable to you?0 -
Hi Sara,
Sorry for the late reply but have finally returned to a world of reliable Internet connection!
I assume eating at maintenance would be the 'safest' option in terms of avoiding fat gain but building the shape I want would most probably take a year or so? Would this assumption be correct?
I have seen people talking about the effectiveness of bulking and cutting and would be open to trying it out, however it would depend on how long one would usually have to bulk for and how much? I'm in the lower end of the BMI scale so I don't have any qualms in gaining a little to build muscle but just fear that too long or too extreme a bulk would kind of derail my progress.
Anyway hope you had a great Christmas and a good start to 2014 so far! :happy:0 -
48 hour bump just so it doesn't slip through the cracks. 0
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Bumping this up again. :glasses:0
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Hi!
Sorry. We will be catching up today/over the weekend. Thanks for your patience.0 -
Hi!
We would suggest that you start reversing up to maintenance by slowly adding calories. It may be challenging to do this in a methodical manner due to your logging inconsistency. You do not have to log accurately, but it does provide better control over reversing up to maintenance and better data to assess maintenance. Normally, we would have people adding between 10 and 25g of carbs a week/every two weeks, depending on the circumstances, and assessing the trend of their weight fluctuations to determine the need to slow down or stop the increase.
With regard to your lifting, we would recommend that you add the extra day of StrongLifts .0 -
Hi!
We would suggest that you start reversing up to maintenance by slowly adding calories. It may be challenging to do this in a methodical manner due to your logging inconsistency. You do not have to log accurately, but it does provide better control over reversing up to maintenance and better data to assess maintenance. Normally, we would have people adding between 10 and 25g of carbs a week/every two weeks, depending on the circumstances, and assessing the trend of their weight fluctuations to determine the need to slow down or stop the increase.
With regard to your lifting, we would recommend that you add the extra day of StrongLifts .
Hi Sara!
Thanks for getting back to me. I'll try extra hard to log every day and will increase my calorie intake by 100 each week till I reach my maintenance of 2000. Does that sound reasonable? As for adding carbs, I'll increase it by the increments suggested and keep track of weight fluctuations. I'll be doing SL5x5 from next week onwards as well and will just see how it goes. I'll be sure to update both of you of my progress in a few weeks time! 0 -
Hi!
We would suggest that you start reversing up to maintenance by slowly adding calories. It may be challenging to do this in a methodical manner due to your logging inconsistency. You do not have to log accurately, but it does provide better control over reversing up to maintenance and better data to assess maintenance. Normally, we would have people adding between 10 and 25g of carbs a week/every two weeks, depending on the circumstances, and assessing the trend of their weight fluctuations to determine the need to slow down or stop the increase.
With regard to your lifting, we would recommend that you add the extra day of StrongLifts .
Hi Sara!
Thanks for getting back to me. I'll try extra hard to log every day and will increase my calorie intake by 100 each week till I reach my maintenance of 2000. Does that sound reasonable? As for adding carbs, I'll increase it by the increments suggested and keep track of weight fluctuations. I'll be doing SL5x5 from next week onwards as well and will just see how it goes. I'll be sure to update both of you of my progress in a few weeks time!
I would add less than that - 40 calories (from carbs) every week would be better based on your size and intake levels.0 -
Hi!
We would suggest that you start reversing up to maintenance by slowly adding calories. It may be challenging to do this in a methodical manner due to your logging inconsistency. You do not have to log accurately, but it does provide better control over reversing up to maintenance and better data to assess maintenance. Normally, we would have people adding between 10 and 25g of carbs a week/every two weeks, depending on the circumstances, and assessing the trend of their weight fluctuations to determine the need to slow down or stop the increase.
With regard to your lifting, we would recommend that you add the extra day of StrongLifts .
Hi Sara!
Thanks for getting back to me. I'll try extra hard to log every day and will increase my calorie intake by 100 each week till I reach my maintenance of 2000. Does that sound reasonable? As for adding carbs, I'll increase it by the increments suggested and keep track of weight fluctuations. I'll be doing SL5x5 from next week onwards as well and will just see how it goes. I'll be sure to update both of you of my progress in a few weeks time!
I would add less than that - 40 calories (from carbs) every week would be better based on your size and intake levels.
Alright thanks guys! Will recalculate my macros for each week just to make sure I don't go over on carbs!
Thanks so much for your help.0 -
Locking for admin purposes. Please do not hesitate to PM either myself or SideSteel if you have any further questions, including a link to this thread, and we will unlock it so you can pose them.0
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Unlocked.0
