Critiques On Some Basics

tameko2

Or 3 300 cal. meals with 3 100 cal. Snacks (apple, V8, and low fat yogurt or mini ice cream sandwich) will keep hunger from ruining your diet.

The point is, hunger is HIGHLY individual. I'm not arguing that small meals MAY help SOME people, but there are just as many people for whom small meals actually make hunger worse (myself included).

Any blanket recommendation for a specific meal frequency is simply wrong.

A 100 calorie snack would piss me off so hard. 3 of them would probably lead me to kill someone.

And sure you can eat 3 300 calorie means and some snacks. Or you can be the awesomesauce that is me and eat 3 600 calorie meals, or 2 900 calorie meals or 2 750 calorie meals and a 300 calorie snack.

(I'm 5'6" 164 and burn about 250 calories in a workout so I am neither killing myself on the elliptical nor am I huge. I just don't feel happy with a huge deficit)

Pandorian

Don't know about where you are but we have a 24-hour cooldown period to "think about" contracts we've signed and are generally free to cancel within that time-frame.

heybales

Right now I eat between 1200-1400 and burn down to 700-1000 depending on my day. I know I should eat back calories and blah blah blah but I'm not hungry so I won't force myself to eat.

So I would be curious what they say about that.

You planning on giving your body 700-1000 calories each day to work with for basic metabolism for the functions of merely living.

Might want to research that if the math doesn't jump out at you looking like something could go the wrong way with your body.

jarrettd

Don't know about where you are but we have a 24-hour cooldown period to "think about" contracts we've signed and are generally free to cancel within that time-frame.

Most contracts I've seen give you 72 hrs (3 days) to cancel without penalty. I'd say BAIL!

taso42

See here's the thing. None of those things will hurt you. In fact those are pretty much the list of rules I followed when I first started out, plus 6 days of training per week (3 x HIIT and 3 x strength). I didn't even count calories back then. I totally transformed during those first few months.

Nowadays, I still do some of the same things. I still eat 5-6 times a day, I still tend to combine carbs and protein every meal, still drink a lot of water. And still train hard.

But, I've learned that these "rules" are not the be-all end all. In fact, none of them are really required for success. All that's really required to get fit and lean is to keep a moderate calorie deficit, good nutrition, and sensible training. The rest is up to each individual to fill out however they like. Some do intermittent fasting. Some eat 3 square meals and snacks. Some eat every few hours. Some eat clean. Some just wing it and just try to get the numbers to work out at the end of the day.

If this plan the trainer gave you appeals to your lifestyle, then by all means go for it. Yes, it's broscience to claim that eating 5 times a day boosts metabolism. But it's an ok way to eat, and for a lot of people it's keeps hunger in check for the whole day.

Here's how you can tell a plan is sensible. Can you picture doing things this way for the rest of your life? If yes, then it's probably pretty sensible. If not, well then it's probably not. That's why low-carb diets, paleo diets, intermittent fasting, eating clean, etc work for people. Certain plans resonate with certain people. But if the wrong person tries low-carb, for example, they will be miserable and fail. Likewise, some plans don't really work for ANY people in the long term. Like the cabbage soup diet or detoxes or juice fasting or master cleanse. It's pretty easy to use your intuition to decide what's rational and what isn't. And you can always confirm or deny your intuition by continuously reading, asking questions, and discussing nutrition and fitness with people.

Always think long term. And always keep your bullsh!t meter tuned in.

HorrorChix89

Don't know about where you are but we have a 24-hour cooldown period to "think about" contracts we've signed and are generally free to cancel within that time-frame.

Most contracts I've seen give you 72 hrs (3 days) to cancel without penalty. I'd say BAIL!

Sadly I don't have any type of cool down. The money is out of my account so I'll just have to count it as a loss. I can cancel for the next month though

1a1a

Sounds all pretty sensible to me :-) (all that recommended water might be in anticipation of how wickedly thirsty you'll feel after a full on cardio session - I say, drink when you are thirsty, pay attention to your body so you know when that is).

About your goal weight, I'm the same height as you. Was around 150, lost 10 kilos, now I'm very happily (and a tad heavily) on 137, I may lose more later but I'm feeling pretty trim (just goes to show it's all relative). As you are already many pounds lighter than I and I can't even imagine how small you must be, I would say, don't worry about a number on a scale so much as conditioning your muscles :-) I bet after a bit of strength training you'll be tighter all over with the added bonus of being able to lift things :-D

HorrorChix89

Sounds all pretty sensible to me :-) (all that recommended water might be in anticipation of how wickedly thirsty you'll feel after a full on cardio session - I say, drink when you are thirsty, pay attention to your body so you know when that is).

About your goal weight, I'm the same height as you. Was around 150, lost 10 kilos, now I'm very happily (and a tad heavily) on 137, I may lose more later but I'm feeling pretty trim (just goes to show it's all relative). As you are already many pounds lighter than I and I can't even imagine how small you must be, I would say, don't worry about a number on a scale so much as conditioning your muscles :-) I bet after a bit of strength training you'll be tighter all over with the added bonus of being able to lift things :-D

Lol I can already lift things, and what I can't lift I get some random man to do it. That's why they are put on this planet, right? Lol but still I like the scale, it's my friend. And I talk to her every Monday at 6:10am and she makes me feel happy. Until she's ragging and tells me I'm fat then I throw her out the window :laugh:

Seriously though, right now I'm not all that crazy about muscle or getting stronger. For me, building muscle under fat just makes everything look bigger. My arms already look too huge for my taste and I know I have abs forming, but my belly fat is in the way. And don't get me started on my thunder thighs. So looking at the scales keeps me motivated and makes me want to go out and work harder. Without SOME motivation, what's the point?

tameko2

by the way - your goal weight seems ok if you're shooting for that low of bodyfat. One of my friends on here is 4'11 and 99 lbs and she's like 14% bodyfat so that would be 11 lbs more for 2 extra inches which seems ok?

you can use the calculator on the right hand side here to see.

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

funkycamper

Don't know about where you are but we have a 24-hour cooldown period to "think about" contracts we've signed and are generally free to cancel within that time-frame.

Most contracts I've seen give you 72 hrs (3 days) to cancel without penalty. I'd say BAIL!

Sadly I don't have any type of cool down. The money is out of my account so I'll just have to count it as a loss. I can cancel for the next month though

Are you sure? In most states there is a grace period required by law for changing your mind on something like this. It's 3 days in my state.

HorrorChix89

Don't know about where you are but we have a 24-hour cooldown period to "think about" contracts we've signed and are generally free to cancel within that time-frame.

Most contracts I've seen give you 72 hrs (3 days) to cancel without penalty. I'd say BAIL!

Sadly I don't have any type of cool down. The money is out of my account so I'll just have to count it as a loss. I can cancel for the next month though

Are you sure? In most states there is a grace period required by law for changing your mind on something like this. It's 3 days in my state.

Well I guess I can check with the gym, I did contact customer service about canceling the program so I'll see.

HorrorChix89

by the way - your goal weight seems ok if you're shooting for that low of bodyfat. One of my friends on here is 4'11 and 99 lbs and she's like 14% bodyfat so that would be 11 lbs more for 2 extra inches which seems ok?

you can use the calculator on the right hand side here to see.

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

Yeah I didn't think going that low would be a bad choice. But the look he gave me made me feel like I failed the "smart" test

IronSmasher

Planning is good, the rest is nonsense.

If you were in the UK, I'm sure there is a 14 day cooling off period for any contract, where you can change your mind without penalty. I'd advise you to phone your local citizen's advice bureau or trading standards. Unfortunately I don't know you equivalent, but you WILL have one.

HorrorChix89

Hmm well I guess it pays to read the contract. (I hate fine print, and it doesn't help that I'm farsighted)

Apparently if I send a letter stating I want to cancel within 3 business days (Mon-Fri) of the signed contract I will be refunded but a deduction will be made if I use any of their services.

Also they said I should be eating about 1400 calories daily, which I usually eat anyway. Everything in moderation type thing. I had to write out my top 20 must-have foods and will start to focus more in portion control. Ha so far so good lol. They didn't say anything about net calories or eating back exercise burn.

I've lost about 6lbs since I started this site back in November. After reading some threads and slowly adding strength training into my routine, I'm lowering my body fat on my own.

zafferFL

Hmm well I guess it pays to read the contract. (I hate fine print, and it doesn't help that I'm farsighted)

Apparently if I send a letter stating I want to cancel within 3 business days (Mon-Fri) of the signed contract I will be refunded but a deduction will be made if I use any of their services.

Also they said I should be eating about 1400 calories daily, which I usually eat anyway. Everything in moderation type thing. I had to write out my top 20 must-have foods and will start to focus more in portion control. Ha so far so good lol. They didn't say anything about net calories or eating back exercise burn.

I've lost about 6lbs since I started this site back in November. After reading some threads and slowly adding strength training into my routine, I'm lowering my body fat on my own.

Not going to comment on the fitness and diet, but seriously if you want out of any contract you have signed especially if services have not been rendered yet, trust me, cooling down period or not you can get out of it. It just depends on how loud you shout and how many times to ask to speak to supervisors at HQ, it's more of a pain to deal with a complaining customer than pocket the money.

cmriverside

Yeah, don't wait for customer service at the gym, they will try to stall until the 72 hour rescission time limit passes. (The time a buyer has to request a no-reason cancellation of contracts.)

Contact your bank and stop payment or put in a dispute on your credit card.

Oh, and if you are sending a hard copy letter by snail mail, make sure you send it Registered Mail (it's about $2), so there is a record with the USPS that they received it. Usually an email is sufficient, but I wouldn't chance it, use the method stated in the Contract.


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Azdak

Also do you guys and gals think 5'1" CW: 118 with GW: 112 is too low? I was told that's low and he even did that "heh" laugh when i said that. Didn't boost my self-esteem any lol.

I want to be 112-115 with a BF% of 15-18. I prefer the lowest though, but that's just me. I'm small with a S/M frame so I don't think my goals are THAT bad. I could be wrong though.

The "heh" laugh didn't seem to prevent him from taking your money, though. Oh well, that's all I will say about that--you've got to live with these guys for a year, so let's stay positive.

With your body and at your age, I would recommend that you focus more on body fat % than scale weight. Your goals are not unrealistic for your size and , but, with the type of program you are going to need to reach those body fat goals, there's a good chance you are going to see some changes in overall body composition that will render those numbers "obsolete". In other words, in 6 months that 115lbs is going to look differently than it does today.

HorrorChix89

Also do you guys and gals think 5'1" CW: 118 with GW: 112 is too low? I was told that's low and he even did that "heh" laugh when i said that. Didn't boost my self-esteem any lol.

I want to be 112-115 with a BF% of 15-18. I prefer the lowest though, but that's just me. I'm small with a S/M frame so I don't think my goals are THAT bad. I could be wrong though.

The "heh" laugh didn't seem to prevent him from taking your money, though. Oh well, that's all I will say about that--you've got to live with these guys for a year, so let's stay positive.

With your body and at your age, I would recommend that you focus more on body fat % than scale weight. Your goals are not unrealistic for your size and , but, with the type of program you are going to need to reach those body fat goals, there's a good chance you are going to see some changes in overall body composition that will render those numbers "obsolete". In other words, in 6 months that 115lbs is going to look differently than it does today.

Yeah that's understandable. The scale has been my motivation so far, so I still go by it. Although I do have a WiThings Scale that tells me BF% and seeing that number go down keeps me motivated even more. Plus people are starting to see a difference in me, which makes it even better. So I'm not as focused on the scale as I once was, but it's just a motivational tool.