Revamp Diet and Workout for Maintenance

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eso2012
eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Would like to get my hands on some good resources for the following....


1. What I eat vs How much I eat

This is my phase 2. On top of calories in vs out, I want to learn more about what I eat. Carbs vs Protein vs Fat. Vitamins and Minerals.

QUESTION: Any good resources out there - at a glance charts, reliable easy-to-follow guidelines etc.? Lots of half-baked info out there...

2. Even more effective workouts

I started from zero, and now doing advanced Pilates, HIIT, dance..pretty much anything that interest me. Now moving onto Phase 2. I want to further my knowledge of the anatomy and add in more specific training. e.g. really reduce fat %, sculpt arms.

QUESTION: Apart from Anatomy books (I have a few, for strenght and for pilates), have you come across any good websites? So many ad hoc articles and pictures out there, not useful.


Thanks!

Replies

  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
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    I found an awesome doctor recently and switched to him because he practices "proactive medicine." My standard physical included a DEXA scan and meeting with a dietician. (I wanted these things because I'm at--or a little under--goal, so I was also looking for a new plan too.)

    The dietician recommended 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein. I've been pretty good about hitting that and have focused my days' plans around it.

    My body fat is quite low. I have a lot of muscle, but I should probably gain several pounds in general. (I lost to under goal to provide a cushion, so I'm not surprised by this--I had actually planned in it.) The doctor recommended intense strength training to protect my bone density. I'm going to meet with a personal trainer tomorrow to set up a plan. I've given him all of my info--DEXA, blood work, etc--from the doctor. I'll meet with him twice per week to start, then once per week after I'm on track. I'll also scale back on (or possibly even eliminate) cardio. I've been told that the yoga I love will be a perfect compliment to the strength training.

    So I've added some calories back, but not quite to maintenance yet I think. I wanted to wait until I get in a routine with the trainer before I added enough to actually gain weight--of course I want to do it smartly and slowly.

    If I learn anything from the trainer that may be universally helpful, I'll try to remember to share it here.
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
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    I found an awesome doctor recently and switched to him because he practices "proactive medicine." My standard physical included a DEXA scan and meeting with a dietician. (I wanted these things because I'm at--or a little under--goal, so I was also looking for a new plan too.)

    The dietician recommended 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein. I've been pretty good about hitting that and have focused my days' plans around it.

    My body fat is quite low. I have a lot of muscle, but I should probably gain several pounds in general. (I lost to under goal to provide a cushion, so I'm not surprised by this--I had actually planned in it.) The doctor recommended intense strength training to protect my bone density. I'm going to meet with a personal trainer tomorrow to set up a plan. I've given him all of my info--DEXA, blood work, etc--from the doctor. I'll meet with him twice per week to start, then once per week after I'm on track. I'll also scale back on (or possibly even eliminate) cardio. I've been told that the yoga I love will be a perfect compliment to the strength training.

    So I've added some calories back, but not quite to maintenance yet I think. I wanted to wait until I get in a routine with the trainer before I added enough to actually gain weight--of course I want to do it smartly and slowly.

    If I learn anything from the trainer that may be universally helpful, I'll try to remember to share it here.

    Thank you for sharing - and more in the future hopefully!

    I like your approach, starting with DEXA etc. I should do that too, especially since I want to pay more attnetion to my fat%.

    I am quite sure I am average/OK throughout. I have physical exams every year and my numbers have been excellent. At my age (45) and size, I need to pay attention to calcium in take (pills, everyday) and bone density. For the latter, I had seen amazing results with bodyweight training...but in the last few days decided to go back to a bit more weight just to mix things up a bit.

    Part of me just want to do whatever I feel like doing - which is the success behind my transformation, learn to love as opposed to just "do" - but part of me also want to be a bit more strategic and plan out my diet and exercise to see even better results.

    Good luck with your new plan - how exciting!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    starting strength and new rules of lifting for woman are great resources for learning compound movements…

    40% protein/30% carbs/30% fat is a pretty standard macro setting or recomp….

    as far as eating ..that is really going to be trial and error…you can go to some online calculators but those are just going to be estimates…really, you will have to experiment with it and eat at a certain level and see if you maintain/gain/lose and then adjust from there….
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    40/30/30

    Strength training
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    Options
    starting strength and new rules of lifting for woman are great resources for learning compound movements…

    40% protein/30% carbs/30% fat is a pretty standard macro setting or recomp….

    as far as eating ..that is really going to be trial and error…you can go to some online calculators but those are just going to be estimates…really, you will have to experiment with it and eat at a certain level and see if you maintain/gain/lose and then adjust from there….

    I bought New Rules of Lifting for Women as well after seeing so much about it on MFP. I'm about halfway in. So much seems to be about fat loss, which I actually don't want. I do need to gain fat too. (I did notice that there's info for just maintaining, and perhaps the focus on fat burning is just because that's what will sell a book.) If personal training wasn't an option for me, I would certainly give the book's program a shot--and maybe I will in several months, after I feel more confident about everything and need the trainer less.
  • eso2012
    eso2012 Posts: 337 Member
    Options
    starting strength and new rules of lifting for woman are great resources for learning compound movements…

    40% protein/30% carbs/30% fat is a pretty standard macro setting or recomp….

    as far as eating ..that is really going to be trial and error…you can go to some online calculators but those are just going to be estimates…really, you will have to experiment with it and eat at a certain level and see if you maintain/gain/lose and then adjust from there….

    Thanks! I actually come from the old school of lifting (gym, machine, single muscle group movement) which explained why I never liked working out till now :) I am definitely going back to strength training now and appreciate your recommediations re compound movements. Way better than isolated ones.

    Now that I am paying more attention to my macro, holy moly, I am definitely low on protein. I think like calories, I need to start tracking and learning what's what for macro. As you said, trial and error. Am not going for Ms Bodybuilder of the Century so I am quite relaxed about experimenting :)

    Thanks!

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