How many carbs?

jingyd32

I am 34, female, 5ft tall and 119lbs. I had gone down to 112lb but since strength training and some light cardio in the last 4months I am back up to where I started but it must be muscle as I have lost inches.

Anyway, I am lifting weights 3-4 times a week. I was eating too fewer calories until recently, I was sticking to 1200-1400 a day and I was feeling really weak and exhausted, even dizzy at times. I have since increased it to 1800 on workout days and 1600 in non workout. I keep my fats around 25% usually less than 40g, protein can be anywhere from 80-100g a day but carbs I am having a real problem with. I can't get them down, they are 250-270 every day. I have it set at 55% for carbs which is around 220g but I can't seem to stay around that figure. I eat very healthy foods. Oats at breakfast, fruit, sweet potatoes, chicken fish, vegetables, greek yoghurt, ..... I can't believe how many foods have carbs in. I eat 2 bananas a day so that bumps them up as does the yoghurt. In the evening I tend to eat fish/chicken with salad and sweet potatoes or new potatoes, brown rice.... It's lunch times I am struggling with to try and get a low carbs lunch, everything seems to have them in.

I have a body fat % of 26 and am trying to lose some fat I am still carrying around my middle area. I am not big, I am feeling slim again and love the muscle I have gained but I want to lose this last bit of fat, but I can't seem to, I am thinking it could be my carbs. Can anyone advise?

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yarwell

Your diary is closed.

Oats are just carbs so that doesn't help hit your goal.

40g fat - 360 cals
100g protein - 400 cals

760 cals total

so 200g of carbs for a further 800 cals etc.

jingyd32

Sorry I didn't realise my diary was closed to the public.

With weight training I have to increase my calories because to build muscle you must eat higher calories. Eating 1200-1400 a day plus the amount of daily exercise I do it just wasn't enough, I was feeling very faint and I wasn't building any muscle at all. Now I have increased my calories to 1800 on my workout days I feel much better in myself.

I shall cut out the oats. Thank you.

Jburch1982

I think your focusing to much on the calories. What type of foods are you eating? Just to let you know I am new to this forum so my profile doesn't show my success with weight lost. I have lost 81 pounds in the past. I also turned around and packed on 30 pounds of muscle. I never once counted calories.

terbusha

I agree that 1800 cal/day seems like quite a bit for reducing body fat. Try sticking to 1600 cal/day whether your exercise or not. Also, try bumping up your protein intake to ~40%. I'm doing 40/40/20 (protein/carb/fat) and it is working pretty well for fine tuning my body fat %.

Allan

jingyd32

Thanks Allan. Appreciate it. Fitness pal has set me at 1400, I've set my macros to 50/30/20 carbs, protein and fat. Gives me carbs of about 180g so that's almost 100g less. I achieved that yesterday too. I always get high protein in on workout days so go over the 80g ish they suggest.

So 1400 to lose 1lb a week plus I eat back exercise calories? So I guess that's about 1600 I'm eating a day? I do 45 minutes of strength training 6 days a week and I think I burn around 150-200 calories a time, hard to know exactly.

Thanks for your help

FitnessInstructorKhalil

If you're cutting fat then your carbs intake is a little too high, more protein needed. Eat protein for breakfast, not carbs and eat more protein right after your workout too.

jingyd32

I'm getting my protein to 80-100g a day. And straight after a workout I eat protein Rich foods as I can't have the drinks.

I'm only 5ft tall but I find too fewer carbs makes me light headed and weak. I'm lifting 6 times a week for 45 minutes. Lifting or some strength training if at home.

My carbs are now set at 180g ish, to go down to 40% carbs it's too few for me:/ 130g carbs would surely not be enough?

Could you advise me on a good breakfast that's low carb as I find oats great for energy before the gym (I go 10am) so eat oats before I go but need something low carbs.

Thanks for your advice

LoupGarouTFTs

I always thought that you couldn't increase muscle and lose fat at the same time. You need to eat at a deficit to lose fat, which is contrary to needing to eat enough calories to fuel your body for strength training? If I'm wrong, I'm sure that someone who does body building will be happy to set me straight! :laugh:

jingyd32

I'm confused too to be honest. I want to gain muscle but I'm also needing to cut a bit of fat but I don't want to stop my strength training in the meantime.

JusticejamesbMBA

In your lifting make sure you're doing compound lifts: Bench, Squats, Deadlift, Overhead press are really the only exercises you should do the first year or so in weight training, doing anything more than that you run risk of getting injured. Keep things light, do the correct form, try to get 10 to 12 reps in, with 2-3 sets to start, working to 10 sets in a year, make sure you're resting 30-60 sec between sets with a 3-5 min. rest between exercises. NEVER WEIGHT TRAIN LONGER THAN AN HOUR! Weight train 3 days a week; I like Monday, Wednesday, Friday, do aerobic training 3 days a week; Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. NEVER TRAIN AEROBICALLY MORE THAN 45 MIN, that is the point where the body starts to experience diminishing returns. I like spin classes, the treadmill, stair-stepper, or sprints the best for aerobic training, (I like sprints best because you're done within about 10 minutes.)

Carbs, protein, and fats. To build muscle you have to get 1 - 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, that is what you have to have as a woman. Many people cannot get enough "clean" protein, so they get protein shakes. If this is what you would like to do, make sure the protein you choose has at least 25g of protein per scoop. Try to keep carbs under 80 grams per meal. No pop, no white bread, no juice, basically nothing white, or processed sugars. Start drinking 1/2 gallon of water a day. Increase that amount 1/4 a gallon every month, until you're between 1-1.5 gallons, don't drink more than this. The dollar store, calorie-free, drink mixes help with water the first little while. Keep fats low enough to where you get < 25% of total calories from fat. Veggies / fruits/nuts you're free to go off on, eat as many as you want.

To lose the most amount of bodyfat and gain the most amount of muscle you need to be eating 5 clean meals, (a protein shake is considered a meal,) 1,800 - 2,400 calories a day.

You won't like this plan at first. But, I promise if you stick with it, you'll lose body fat very quickly.

Work hard, good luck.

jingyd32

Thanks for your advice.

I'm only 5ft tall and I'm told 1800 calories a day is too much even though I'm doing strength training.

I do 12 reps and 2 sets and 60 second rest. I'm enjoying strength training. I do arm and leg days in the gym. I've been training 4 months and have gained muscle and lost weight but still I've some tummy fat I want to lose.

JusticejamesbMBA

The four exercises I listed are what I call the "Core Four," and they are the only thing you do for about the first year. Many strength trainers follow this plan.

If you're weight training 6 days a week, you're doing too much. at most it should be 3 days a week, unless you're past that first year mark that is. 3 days aerobic, 3 days anaerobic is perfect for a beginner.

What exercises do you do? Let me ask that...

Do you know how you lose tummy fat? You train your legs. And no, 1,800 calories is not too many.

JusticejamesbMBA

If you follow my advice or not, you need to be adding a set, per exercise, monthly. Until you hit that 10 set mark. Otherwise your body will become complacent and any gains will become non-existent.

jingyd32

Arm day I'm doing my bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep extension, dips, skull crushers.... Leg day dead lift, lunges, squats, bridge, leg press, extension, curls.....

I'm lifting 4 days and other 2 I'm doing some cardio and yoga. I was lifting 6 but now I do 2 days of cardio but I'm still holding a weight at times.

At 1800 I've not lost any fat. I've been at 1800 for a while now. So fitness pal says to reduce to 1400 then eat exercise calories back?