Ready to take advice..heres my goals

allana1111

I fluctuate between 124-126. I started at 139 this past summer, so I've made decent progress so far. I want to TONE and look good (inspiration is my honeymoon to the Bahamas this June). I do not necessarily want to build a ton of muscle. Is it possible to lose another 6-7 lbs and be toning up at the same time.

You all informed me I was eating too few calories before - where should I be at for this goal? MFP has me on 1200 a day but I haven't been losing. Ready to hear some advice and success stories. My stats are 5'5", 22 yr old, female, bout 125.

Also, the website I calculated my BMR at said 1400 but I don't know enough about that to know if that's accurate

sunsetzen

At that weight, you're already at a healthy weight. Why not just focus on firming up, and not focus on the number on the scale?

allana1111

True that... I just feel like I have extra fat on my outer thighs a little which I hate.. and I've always had a big booty. so to me I have to get rid of some of that weight to tone it up.

so what type of calories should I be eating?

I workout most days of the week, incorporating strength training 3-4x per week with cardio, and on days I don't strength train I do HIIT on the elliptical

TavistockToad

set your calorie goal to lose 0.5lb per week, eat back your exercise cals, stop worrying about the scale number so much, set your macros to 40c/30f/30p... carry on with your strength training 3-4 x a week and do the cardio on the other days with 1 days rest.

allana1111

do you think its realistic to completely tone (Following that suggestion) by May?

stefanieraya

You need to figure out your basic macros based on your goals before you even think about how that translates into food intake. I'm going to focus on protein for this discussion but I can give more info if you want. Also read about timing of food intake as it relates to exercise. I would suggest eating your carbs before 1pm daily to ensure you burn them during the day. Also read about glucagon and why its just as important as insulin in relation to blood sugar.

Protein = The RDA (recommended daily allowance) of protein intake for sedentary adults, 0.8 g/kg (1)(2), is grossly inadequate. Clinical trials show muscle loss with this RDA. You must increase muscle (ie. lean body mass) if you want to burn fat. Expert Michael Colgan and others recommend higher amounts for those who are considered athletes or want to be athletes. (3) Since you are athletic and want to tone I would suggest you make sure your protein intake is at least 1.4 -1.6 g/kg of lean body mass.

I see you understand your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate (metabolism). Do you have a way to measure that accurately and often for progress?
Do you know your BMI? Losing 6-7 pounds of what? If you want to lose fat then I would focus on building lean muscle. To do that, keep strength training with HIIT like you have been.

TO CALCULATE BMI:
To calculate your % of lean body mass you take your current weight and multiply that by your percentage of body fat.
For example if you weigh 125 pounds and your BF is 20% then you are 80% lean. so 125 x 0.8 = 100 lb.

CALCULATING PROTEIN INTAKE:
1. Convert your lean body mass to kilograms = For you approximately 45 kg
2. Multiply that result by your % of lean body mass = I estimated 80% but you need to find out exactly. 45 x .80 = 36
3. Multiply that result by 1.4 = 36 * 1.4 = 50 g of protein

REFERENCES:
1. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=1324
2. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=1325
3. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki1.htm

stefanieraya

At that weight, you're already at a healthy weight. Why not just focus on firming up, and not focus on the number on the scale?

Just because someone is within what we perceive to be a healthy weight range doesn't necessarily mean they are healthy. I know very thin people who have diseases that keep them from gaining weight.

deksgrl

You want fat loss, not weight loss. At your already low weight, losing fat may not result in much weight loss. Eat at a small calorie deficit (half a pound a week loss range). Strength train with heavy weights. You will not bulk, I promise.

auddii

No seriously....READ THIS:

http://sophieologie.me/2013/09/26/1200-calories/

Here's just a snippet:

I don’t know why “1200″ managed to be the magic number of calories women should consume if they want to lose weight.

I don’t even know how I know of this number. Only that I know it, and my friends know it, and my mom knows it. Somehow, somewhere along the road, I was taught that if I want to have a flat stomach and tight tushy, I need to limit my calories to 1200 a day and do cardio. I don’t know how it got in to all of our collective brains, but somehow it did (if any ladies remember how or when they first heard the 1200-calorie rule-of-thumb for losing weight, please let me know via comment box).

What I do know is that 1200 is the general number of calories health professionals say women cannot drop below without suffering negative health consequences.

Interesting, isn’t it? 1200 calories. The line between health and what they call “starvation mode”. 1200 calories. The dangerous tightrope that many women are trying to walk, because they think this is how thinness is achieved.

“Starvation mode”
means your body realizes it is not getting enough food – calories-, thinks that you are starving, and slows down your metabolism to a crawl to conserve energy. Because it thinks you are starving, when you do feed yourself, your body will try to store more of your calories as fat, because those are your long-term energy deposits.

A long term calorie deficit can mess with your blood sugar levels, reduce bone mass, cause weakness, fatigue, cold intolerance, irregular menstrual periods, dizziness, constipation and swelling of the hands and feet (source). If a woman decides to get thin by maintaining a steep calorie deficit (1200 calories is very steep) and pairs it with long sessions of steady-state cardio, it results it thyroid issues. “Too little T3 (hypothyroidism), and the body accumulates body fat with ease, almost regardless of physical activity level. Women inadvertently put themselves into a hypothyroid condition when they perform so much steady-state cardio” (source).

Women: If you are trying to go about your business during the day, on only 1200 calories, and perform cardio to burn those dreaded calories, you really are not going to succeed. You will most likely pass out.

TavistockToad

do you think its realistic to completely tone (Following that suggestion) by May?

i dont know what you mean by 'completely tone'? toning is essentially lowering your bodyfat... in 3 months you can definitely make changes to your body for the better, but patience is key with losing bodyfat when you are already at a healthy weight. i know cos thats exactly what i am doing at the moment!

allana1111

okay! I know I'm probably just being picky but my trouble spot (in my mind) is my outer thighs, big booty (which isn't a bad thing but I'd like it more firm) and tummy looks fine but I want more tone. I've just been scared to up my calories in fear I will gain fat. I want to be little.

When I do HIIT, I only have time for a half hour. I do a minute and a half of moderate pace and then 30 seconds of high intensity and I do that routine for the full half hour, but I do this on my lunch break so I don't have a lot of time. I guess I'm just concerned this isn't enough. However, on strength training days, my fiancé and I go after work so we stay for a bit over an hour. I can lift more, so I know I'm getting stronger. I just wish I knew how long to see transforming results.

Is cardio necessary after my HIIT?

allana1111

You want fat loss, not weight loss. At your already low weight, losing fat may not result in much weight loss. Eat at a small calorie deficit (half a pound a week loss range). Strength train with heavy weights. You will not bulk, I promise.

this is true, thx

allana1111

You need to figure out your basic macros based on your goals before you even think about how that translates into food intake. I'm going to focus on protein for this discussion but I can give more info if you want. Also read about timing of food intake as it relates to exercise. I would suggest eating your carbs before 1pm daily to ensure you burn them during the day. Also read about glucagon and why its just as important as insulin in relation to blood sugar.

Protein = The RDA (recommended daily allowance) of protein intake for sedentary adults, 0.8 g/kg (1)(2), is grossly inadequate. Clinical trials show muscle loss with this RDA. You must increase muscle (ie. lean body mass) if you want to burn fat. Expert Michael Colgan and others recommend higher amounts for those who are considered athletes or want to be athletes. (3) Since you are athletic and want to tone I would suggest you make sure your protein intake is at least 1.4 -1.6 g/kg of lean body mass.

I see you understand your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate (metabolism). Do you have a way to measure that accurately and often for progress?
Do you know your BMI? Losing 6-7 pounds of what? If you want to lose fat then I would focus on building lean muscle. To do that, keep strength training with HIIT like you have been.

TO CALCULATE BMI:
To calculate your % of lean body mass you take your current weight and multiply that by your percentage of body fat.
For example if you weigh 125 pounds and your BF is 20% then you are 80% lean. so 125 x 0.8 = 100 lb.

CALCULATING PROTEIN INTAKE:
1. Convert your lean body mass to kilograms = For you approximately 45 kg
2. Multiply that result by your % of lean body mass = I estimated 80% but you need to find out exactly. 45 x .80 = 36
3. Multiply that result by 1.4 = 36 * 1.4 = 50 g of protein

REFERENCES:
1. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=1324
2. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=1325
3. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki1.htm

thx for your help... all these terms confuse me but this helps a bit

TavistockToad

okay! I know I'm probably just being picky but my trouble spot (in my mind) is my outer thighs, big booty (which isn't a bad thing but I'd like it more firm) and tummy looks fine but I want more tone. I've just been scared to up my calories in fear I will gain fat. I want to be little.

When I do HIIT, I only have time for a half hour. I do a minute and a half of moderate pace and then 30 seconds of high intensity and I do that routine for the full half hour, but I do this on my lunch break so I don't have a lot of time. I guess I'm just concerned this isn't enough. However, on strength training days, my fiancé and I go after work so we stay for a bit over an hour. I can lift more, so I know I'm getting stronger. I just wish I knew how long to see transforming results.

Is cardio necessary after my HIIT?

HIIT is cardio...

you cant pick where you lose fat from... you just have to do the work and you will lose it from everywhere eventually...

you wont get fat from eating more as long as you are in a deficit

allana1111

What's a deficit for me? If my BMR is 1400, don't I have to be eating at less than that? I get confused.. that's why I tried to stick between 900-1200 calories, which obviously hasn't been working for me

TavistockToad

What's a deficit for me? If my BMR is 1400, don't I have to be eating at less than that? I get confused.. that's why I tried to stick between 900-1200 calories, which obviously hasn't been working for me

you need to eat a LOT more than that... work out your TDEE and take 10% from that...

mara232

Find your TDEE here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

deksgrl

What's a deficit for me? If my BMR is 1400, don't I have to be eating at less than that? I get confused.. that's why I tried to stick between 900-1200 calories, which obviously hasn't been working for me

BMR means Basal Metabolic Rate. It is what a person your size, age, gender needs to maintain life, heart function, organ function, brain function. This is the amount they would feed you if you were in a coma. It is not smart to eat below this number unless you are very obese.

MFP calculates BMR + more for your daily life. Getting up, moving around, going to your job or school, whatever. Then it takes a flat rate deduction based on how many pounds a week you say you want to lose (most people do not pick the appropriate amount and then get set at less than BMR). MFP also does not include calories you need to fuel exercise (this is why MFP is set up so you eat more when you exercise).

TDEE means Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the calories you need for absolutely everything you do. A common weight loss method is to get your estimated TDEE and then deduct 20% (less than 20% if you are nearing your weight goal).

A properly set MFP + exercise calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set TDEE-% goal.

Understand now?

KarenJanine

What's a deficit for me? If my BMR is 1400, don't I have to be eating at less than that? I get confused.. that's why I tried to stick between 900-1200 calories, which obviously hasn't been working for me

BMR is the calories your body burns just performing essential functions to keep you alive.

I think you are confusing this with TDEE - the total calories your body uses in a day. This is the sum of BMR + NEAT + TEF + exercise*.


Eating anything below your TDEE is eating at a deficit. Try a 10% or 15% cut from TDEE. Use Scooby's calculator linked above to estimate your TDEE. Be sure to factor in your exercise.



*NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) = calories burned going about your daily business, eg shopping, working, showering, etc.
TEF (thermic effect of feeding) = calories burned by digesting food

auddii

What's a deficit for me? If my BMR is 1400, don't I have to be eating at less than that? I get confused.. that's why I tried to stick between 900-1200 calories, which obviously hasn't been working for me

Some of the terms can be very confusing. BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate. The simple description that people like to use is that it's what the basic bodily functions burn, so if you were in a coma, that would be what you would burn every day. Everything else also burns calories, brushing your teeth, walking to your car, exercise, etc. So, to account for that, there is your TDEE, or the total daily energy expenditure. It's everything you end up burning in a day including exercise, so it will likely be a lot higher than your BMR depending on how active you are. If you eat at your TDEE you will maintain your weight.

Usually, the sweet spot for weight loss is somewhere between BMR and TDEE. Since you mostly want to "tone" (there's not such thing, you actually want muscle to show), and you don't need to lose a lot of weight, I'd suggest a pretty small deficit. Maybe TDEE -5% or 10%. There are several calculators for how to calculate TDEE.

If this is confusing for you, you can use MFP. Make sure you set your activity level accurately, log your exercise and eat back the calories it gives you, and change your weight loss goal to half a pound a week.

allana1111

this is all very helpful. if I work out 6 days a week (taking the recc 1 day of rest), then 3-4 months should be enough time to give me pretty awesome results then I'd think if I up my calories