A little advice here? anything..
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So weight training and eating a certain amount of protein every day will help me lose BODY FAT?
No. A calorie deficit will help you lose body fat. Weight training and eating sufficient protein will help preserve muscle mass.
I mean if we want to nitpick we could argue that weight training and sufficient protein can also help with fat loss. But by and large, those two variables are in place to promote muscle preservation while dieting. Heck, you could even add a bit of muscle since, from the sounds of it, you've been under-consuming protein and lifting suboptimally.
Granted, based on what you've mentioned thus far, I'd wager you'd chalk this up as a failure since the scale would tick up a pound or two.
But other things you're saying scream, "I want to look better naked."
And in order to look better naked you must manage both sides of the coin - fat and muscle. Obviously we want to minimize the former while maximizing the latter.0 -
Heavy lifting.0
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My goal weight is 120lbs at least. and even when i was that weight in the past, i still had a decent sized belly.
Im trying to figure out a way to be that weight again WITH a flatter stomach..does that make sense?
That is my absolute goal here..what I just said above...
Boil all the advice you've been given into an action plan.
1. Bring calories up systematically over the next week or two. My suggestion would be to bring them up to maintenance. At 136 lbs, this might be something like 1800 calories. If you're very sedentary outside of the gym, maybe shoot for 1700 calories. So from 1200 ramp up 10% or so every few days until you're at 1700-1800 and park yourself there for a week.
2. Once you've given your body a break and gotten yourself to a baseline intake, start dieting again with more sensible parameters. Shoot for an average daily intake of 1500 or so. Stay consistent and see what that does for you over the course of 3-4 weeks. If it's not giving you the desired results... you NOW have wiggle room to adjust accordingly.
3. Make this more than simply about calories. Shoot for .8-1 gram of protein per pound of goal body weight. Get 25-35% of your calories from a balanced array of fats. Obtain 1-3 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of fibrous veggies per day. Fill in the remainder of your calories with whatever suits you.
4. Adopt a better strength training routine. Something that covers a larger array of your body and has you working reasonably hard in the 5-12 rep range for the majority of the time. You certainly wouldn't need more than 3 sessions per week that focus on your entire body. I'm biased toward free weights for the majority of work... but if you're not comfortable with them... so be it. Machines aren't the poison many make them out to be.
5. Add in cardio as needed. I'd say 2-3 sessions per week is more than enough. If you aren't realizing progress with that paired with everything else outlined above... something is likely off with your nutrition. Either you're not being as consistent with your calories as you believe, you're not tracking everything, you're not tracking everything precisely with a food scale, or you still have something going on metabolically in which case I'd be heading back to the doc to get more blood panels drawn and make sure the meds are actually helping you.
6. Most importantly, set realistic expectations. It's pretty obvious that your expectations aren't in line with what should be expected with this sort of process. And when this is the case, it's too easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed.
Stroutman, I think I love you!0 -
My goal weight is 120lbs at least. and even when i was that weight in the past, i still had a decent sized belly.
Im trying to figure out a way to be that weight again WITH a flatter stomach..does that make sense?
That is my absolute goal here..what I just said above...
Boil all the advice you've been given into an action plan.
1. Bring calories up systematically over the next week or two. My suggestion would be to bring them up to maintenance. At 136 lbs, this might be something like 1800 calories. If you're very sedentary outside of the gym, maybe shoot for 1700 calories. So from 1200 ramp up 10% or so every few days until you're at 1700-1800 and park yourself there for a week.
2. Once you've given your body a break and gotten yourself to a baseline intake, start dieting again with more sensible parameters. Shoot for an average daily intake of 1500 or so. Stay consistent and see what that does for you over the course of 3-4 weeks. If it's not giving you the desired results... you NOW have wiggle room to adjust accordingly.
3. Make this more than simply about calories. Shoot for .8-1 gram of protein per pound of goal body weight. Get 25-35% of your calories from a balanced array of fats. Obtain 1-3 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of fibrous veggies per day. Fill in the remainder of your calories with whatever suits you.
4. Adopt a better strength training routine. Something that covers a larger array of your body and has you working reasonably hard in the 5-12 rep range for the majority of the time. You certainly wouldn't need more than 3 sessions per week that focus on your entire body. I'm biased toward free weights for the majority of work... but if you're not comfortable with them... so be it. Machines aren't the poison many make them out to be.
5. Add in cardio as needed. I'd say 2-3 sessions per week is more than enough. If you aren't realizing progress with that paired with everything else outlined above... something is likely off with your nutrition. Either you're not being as consistent with your calories as you believe, you're not tracking everything, you're not tracking everything precisely with a food scale, or you still have something going on metabolically in which case I'd be heading back to the doc to get more blood panels drawn and make sure the meds are actually helping you.
6. Most importantly, set realistic expectations. It's pretty obvious that your expectations aren't in line with what should be expected with this sort of process. And when this is the case, it's too easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed.
Stroutman, I think I love you!
Think? That's BS!
Thanks.0 -
Ideal meals to have before and after a work out?0
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pre-workout protein shake - then workout (put this in your schedule anywhere)
breakfast - 3 egg whites and lean meat (Canadian bacon, chicken) w/veggies omelet
snack - Cottage cheese and fruit
lunch - salad or veggies with lean protein (chicken breast, salmon, tuna, shrimp)
snack - cheese stick and lean deli turkey
Dinner - veggies and lean protein0 -
How much Fat do I also need to consume daily in my diet?0
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My goal weight is 120lbs at least. and even when i was that weight in the past, i still had a decent sized belly.
Im trying to figure out a way to be that weight again WITH a flatter stomach..does that make sense?
That is my absolute goal here..what I just said above...
Boil all the advice you've been given into an action plan.
1. Bring calories up systematically over the next week or two. My suggestion would be to bring them up to maintenance. At 136 lbs, this might be something like 1800 calories. If you're very sedentary outside of the gym, maybe shoot for 1700 calories. So from 1200 ramp up 10% or so every few days until you're at 1700-1800 and park yourself there for a week.
2. Once you've given your body a break and gotten yourself to a baseline intake, start dieting again with more sensible parameters. Shoot for an average daily intake of 1500 or so. Stay consistent and see what that does for you over the course of 3-4 weeks. If it's not giving you the desired results... you NOW have wiggle room to adjust accordingly.
3. Make this more than simply about calories. Shoot for .8-1 gram of protein per pound of goal body weight. Get 25-35% of your calories from a balanced array of fats. Obtain 1-3 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of fibrous veggies per day. Fill in the remainder of your calories with whatever suits you.
4. Adopt a better strength training routine. Something that covers a larger array of your body and has you working reasonably hard in the 5-12 rep range for the majority of the time. You certainly wouldn't need more than 3 sessions per week that focus on your entire body. I'm biased toward free weights for the majority of work... but if you're not comfortable with them... so be it. Machines aren't the poison many make them out to be.
5. Add in cardio as needed. I'd say 2-3 sessions per week is more than enough. If you aren't realizing progress with that paired with everything else outlined above... something is likely off with your nutrition. Either you're not being as consistent with your calories as you believe, you're not tracking everything, you're not tracking everything precisely with a food scale, or you still have something going on metabolically in which case I'd be heading back to the doc to get more blood panels drawn and make sure the meds are actually helping you.
6. Most importantly, set realistic expectations. It's pretty obvious that your expectations aren't in line with what should be expected with this sort of process. And when this is the case, it's too easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed.
How much Fat do I also need to consume daily in my diet?0 -
Im worried upping my calories will just make me gain more, It was hard to even lose this much weight, it seems like I lose weight very very slowly, that or im just not working hard enough or eating well enough. as far as excerising, I do a mixture of walking and running on the treadmill, using the Eplitical, and using 3 different weight lifting machines at the gym.
You have lost 20 pounds in 2 months...do you know what "slow" means???? I have lost 10 pounds in FOUR months. You are going several times my speed. Trust me, you are losing REALLY FAST. If anything, is there even more that you should lose? I think you can stop with the weight loss and focus on building muscle.0 -
I would redo your goals. I stopped losing weight as effectively and didn't see much of a difference even when I did. (Remember it gets harder as you get smaller). I changed my activity to light and put in about how much I exercise in a week, and it upped my cal intake and I lost one pound in one day. As you become more active your body needs more calories to burn fat - even though that sounds backwards. If you don't have enough for how active you are your body will go into starvation mode and fat storing mode.0
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The problem with overly aggressive weight loss is that as you lose the fat you also lose the underlying muscle. What that means is when you hit yor goal weight rather than looking slim and fit you will still look pudgy just a lot smaller. Trick there is to eat more, do some resistance exercise (weights or bands) and try to conserve muscle while losing fat at a slower pace. That way when you lose the fat you reveal the muscle and that sculpted or svelt look. Also you are healthier instead of just skinny fat.
1200 calories a day is not a good way to attain this in my opinion. Eat more, include lots of protein and accept a slower more long term weight loss.0 -
Also if you thought fat loss was hard try putting muscle back on after you lose it. You just don't want to go there.0
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Ive lost mostly water weight, muscle and some fat, but i have much much more fat to lose.
So how do I effectively start losing the fat I have and gaining muscle in place? I ask this question and
hear like 10 dfiferent responses.....0 -
Ive lost mostly water weight, muscle and some fat, but i have much much more fat to lose.
So how do I effectively start losing the fat I have and gaining muscle in place? I ask this question and
hear like 10 dfiferent responses.....
Listen to stroutman, He's given you a sensible, realistic plan that answers all your questions. You really can't get any simpler than that. Right now, you're focused on details that aren't important for someone with your goals. Things like CLA and pre- and post-workout nutrition aren't going to get you where you want to be. Those things become important for folks who are already at or near their goals and are trying to fine-tune the program for maximal results. Right now, that's not you. For now, you should be concentrating on adequate calories, adequate protein and fats, and a suitable weight lifting program. The rest will fall in line once you get these details in place. Good luck!0 -
Ive lost mostly water weight, muscle and some fat, but i have much much more fat to lose.
So how do I effectively start losing the fat I have and gaining muscle in place? I ask this question and
hear like 10 dfiferent responses.....
At this stage for you weightlifting and adequate protein intake are important to retain what muscle you have. I think trying to put on muscle and lose fat at a desirable rate is not possible. Once you get rid of the fat while retianing muscle if you want to be fitter you can look into heavier lifting with much more calories in your diet.
What you want to avoid though is a low protein diet where you arent lifting and are therefore losing your muscle in addition to fat because putting muscle back on afterwords is not easy and you wont look slim or fit without muscle you will just look smaller.0 -
I know there is a lot of anti supplement people on here but what about taking CLA? People say don't waste your time, yet Im hearing nothing but good things about its effectiveness in fat reduction exp in my biggest problem area-Stomach.0
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I know there is a lot of anti supplement people on here but what about taking CLA? People say don't waste your time, yet Im hearing nothing but good things about its effectiveness in fat reduction exp in my biggest problem area-Stomach.
No. Stop with the CLA and supplements. There is no fast fix or pill that will get you what you want.
You need to lose fat and retain muscle. That is no simple task. Listen to STroutman. He's a bit of an expert around here. Also read the guide to sexy pants (SideSteel and Sarauk2sf are also experts around these parts). It will answer your other questions and provide more details like how much fat to eat.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants0 -
How much carbs and fat should I have in my diet per day0
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Im worried upping my calories will just make me gain more, It was hard to even lose this much weight, it seems like I lose weight very very slowly, that or im just not working hard enough or eating well enough. as far as excerising, I do a mixture of walking and running on the treadmill, using the Eplitical, and using 3 different weight lifting machines at the gym.
Losing 20 pounds in 3 months is fast, that is over 2 pounds per week. It is also why you are unhappy with how you look, because when you take aggressive deficits, you lose lean body mass (muscle), so when you get to your goal weight, you still have a proportionally high body fat %.
Been there, done that. Listen to the advice here, and eat enough, get enough protein, and lift heavy.0 -
more like 10-15 lbs in two months. and it was only water weight and muscle (the first couple lbs you lose is water weight anyway) and i lost muscle, because during the time of calorie counting this low, I was not working out or eating much protein at the time,
i was just eating low calorie anything. So in reality, its only been maybe a month of eating the right foods (lean meats, leafy greens, veggies and fruit plus, working at atleast 4 times a week for an hour. I still have soo much fat to lose. Its all over but mostly my stomach.0
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