E-Mail from a friend

carrie_eggo
carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
in Motivation and Support
Here is an email I got today from one of my friends:

"Carrie,
When you were dieting and watching what you ate what did you eat throughout the day? (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack)
What was your normal workouts? (45 min. cardio, 45 min. weight training 5 days a week?)

(Name withheld--he he)"

A lot of friend requests I get come with a "do you have any tips?" message, so I thought I'd share my response here with you all. :smile:

"Ha! I'm still watching what I eat. I have a horrible food addiction and I will almost always go overboard if I don't watch. I count calories. I use MyFitnessPal.com. I can't tell you exactly what I did, because I have learned SO much. I've been on this fitness journey for over a year now and I have a totally different mindset about fitness and nutrition than what I did when I started. I will tell you some of what I learned, and then I will tell you what I do now.

1. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't matter at all when you eat. As long as you are eating less calories than your burn, you will lose weight. No one can reasonably dispute this. It's the plain and simple truth. No need to over-complicate things by following some strict regimen or outdated nutrition myths. You can go all day and not eat, and then eat a huge dinner and dessert and still lose weight (again, as long as the total calories you consume are less than the total calories you burn.). It also doesn't matter what you eat, if you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight...shocking, I know. (Ever hear of the man that went on the twinkie diet?) This means that you don't actually need to exercise, just eat less. Of course, exercise helps speed things up a little and allows you to be able to eat more.....

So, I count calories. I weigh my food or measure it out. It takes time, but I have been doing it for a while, so it's not that big of deal anymore. I track my food with MyFitnessPal.com.

2. The better your diet and exercise program, the better your results. It can go the other way too. If you are exercising too much and/or eating too little, you can damage your metabolism or cause your body to hold on to everything it's got, halting your weight loss and making you feel like hell. You have to find out the right amount of calories that your body needs to balance this out. Also, a calorie deficit without adequate protein intake and strength training can cause you to lose lean body mass as well as fat (think--muscle, organs, connective tissues...).

3. Strength training (not little 5 pound weights--HEAVY--as in, as heavy as you can, in good form, for 6-8 reps) is very important...You don't want to lose your muscle--this is what keeps your resting metabolism up--aka able to eat more and not gain...

4. Women cannot get big and bulky by lifting heavy weights. You'd have to be eating massive amounts of food, or taking hormones or steroids to get big, bulky man muscles. You lift while cutting calories and you lose the fat, revealing your beautiful, defined, lean muscles. :)

5. Read this whole article: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

6. It takes time. Especially if you do things right and not get too impatient or be too hard on yourself.

Here is what I do:

I figure out how many calories I burn in a day. I either eat less than or equal to that. (For fat loss, eat about 20-30% less, depends on the person.)

I count calories and track my protein, fat, and carb intake.

I lift heavy weights 3 times a week. Each session is about 40-50 minutes long. I have 2 workouts that I alternate:

Workout A:
Deadlift-- I am up to 130/135 pounds
Bench press-- I am up to 75 pounds
Split squat --I use 25 pound dumbbells
Dumbbell Curls-- 15-20 pound dumbbells
Bench dips
Prone jackknife

Workout B:
Squat-- I am up to 110 pounds
Standing military press-- I am up to 50 pounds
Dumbbell row-- 25 pound dumbbell
Reverse lunge from box-- 25 pound dumbbells
Push up
Swiss ball crunch
I do 3 sets of 6-8 reps. 3 sets of 10 on ab exercises and push-ups.

I workout M-W-F. So I do Mon-A, Wed-B, Fri-A and the next week I do Mon-B, Wed-A, Fri-B.

I rarely do cardio/running. Maybe once a week. More often if I want to eat more.

I recommend the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler. That is a great place to start. I have my own lifting routine now, but that book got me started. And I definitely recommend tracking calories. MyFitenssPal is a great website for doing this as well an awesome community of members.

There is SO much more I could tell you. If you want me to help you out, let me know!

Carrie"
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Replies

  • cgrout78
    cgrout78 Posts: 1,628 Member
    great post and i'm totally stealing your lifting routine
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    Great post and more people need to read this
  • sarah_ep
    sarah_ep Posts: 580 Member
    Love it!
  • talamer
    talamer Posts: 516 Member
    very supportive post,
    Thanks for sharing information Carrie =) it will be very useful ..
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I will have to read this later! love it though!
  • lmnosser
    lmnosser Posts: 43
    good post!

    thanks!
  • cbart2818
    cbart2818 Posts: 188 Member
    Great post!
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    I <3 Carrie :)
  • ccguillory
    ccguillory Posts: 30 Member
    Sounds great!
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    I <3 Carrie :)

    Aww....:heart: Thanks :)
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
    You're great to be so detailed and supportive and then to share it here. Thanks. You rock!
  • lisakyle_11
    lisakyle_11 Posts: 420 Member
    rad lifting routine and great advice!:smile:
  • Training2Tri
    Training2Tri Posts: 28 Member
    You rock Carrie! Thanks for being awesome. You make MFP better because you are active on this site. Keep up the awesomeness!
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Thanks everyone. It will be interesting to see her reply. I tend to forget how foreign this all is to "normal" people.:ohwell:
  • luhluhlaura
    luhluhlaura Posts: 278 Member
    awesome advice!
  • Abells
    Abells Posts: 756 Member
    awesome post and thanks for pushing women to lift!!!
    I"m glad you are lifting as heavy as you are :) whoop!!
  • saralynn594
    saralynn594 Posts: 321
    bumpin!
  • momswanson
    momswanson Posts: 76 Member
    As I lose weight and get stronger, I am definitely going to use your lift routine! Thanks1
  • mightymom2
    mightymom2 Posts: 312 Member
    thanks for sharing
  • Langlady
    Langlady Posts: 51 Member
    Wow. Great post. This really help with how to find a good lifting plan. Need to start lifting more. I do primarily cardio and htis is inspiring.
  • HollywoodDJ
    HollywoodDJ Posts: 296
    I too have been getting a few emails from people since I have been posting my progress on Facebook...and from people I NEVER thought I would hear from. They all want to know my "SECRET" and how I stay motivated. It's hard to tell them because I know it might not be an answer they want to hear. YOU HAVE TO WANT IT....Determination is such a key (at least for me) and I am not using any kind of SECRET DIET company or shake or pills or surgery...it's just the "HOLY @!&% I'm 40 Time to Move My *kitten*" Program! I worry about losing my motivation and going back to where I was but I also know there is a part of me that is terrified to go backwards. At this point, for my health....I need to do this...FOR ME.

    I'm only 17 lbs in but I am not stopping! I am going to do this...because I am WORTH IT and so are my kids!
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Bump.
  • alaina216
    alaina216 Posts: 103
    BUMP
  • Victoriav99
    Victoriav99 Posts: 260 Member
    You are right on it!! Great post!
  • Poniesarepretty
    Poniesarepretty Posts: 77 Member
    Bump bump bumpity bump! Great post!
  • dawnmichelea
    dawnmichelea Posts: 112 Member
    Thanks!
  • armitchell83
    armitchell83 Posts: 4 Member
    bump
  • DoingthisforChris
    DoingthisforChris Posts: 38
    Dont mean to ask a ridiculous question but I have too LOL

    If my calories for the day is set at 1200 and I burn lets say 580 I should be eating less than 580? I am also foriegn to this and would love some tips..

    Currently daily cal is 1200 if I burn 580 I try to eat 1480-1580 is this wrong?
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Dont mean to ask a ridiculous question but I have too LOL

    If my calories for the day is set at 1200 and I burn lets say 580 I should be eating less than 580? I am also foriegn to this and would love some tips..

    Currently daily cal is 1200 if I burn 580 I try to eat 1480-1580 is this wrong?

    When I say calories burned, I mean ALL the calories you burn daily, not just from exercise...

    To lose weight, the total calories that you eat in a day should be less than the total calories you burn in a day, also called TDEE--Total Daily Energy Expenditure. (Some people average this by the week instead of daily.)

    Your TDEE is all of the energy you expend from being alive (breathing, heart pumping) plus daily activities (walking, working, laughing, talking), plus any exercise you may or (may not) do.

    "Exercise calories" are specific to the MyFitnessPal set up. MFP doesn't take any exercise into account when approximating your calorie goal. If you are using it exactly the way it is set up (which most people do) and logging in your exercise calories, you should be eating them back. If you have your goal at 1200 calories and you burn 580, you should technically be eating 1780 calories (net 1200). Some people don't eat all of the exercise calories, some do. Here are a couple of links for you:

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/474-unofficial-mfp-faq

    Hope this helps. :flowerforyou:
  • DoingthisforChris
    DoingthisforChris Posts: 38
    Dont mean to ask a ridiculous question but I have too LOL

    If my calories for the day is set at 1200 and I burn lets say 580 I should be eating less than 580? I am also foriegn to this and would love some tips..

    Currently daily cal is 1200 if I burn 580 I try to eat 1480-1580 is this wrong?

    When I say calories burned, I mean ALL the calories you burn daily, not just from exercise...

    To lose weight, the total calories that you eat in a day should be less than the total calories you burn in a day, also called TDEE--Total Daily Energy Expenditure. (Some people average this by the week instead of daily.)

    Your TDEE is all of the energy you expend from being alive (breathing, heart pumping) plus daily activities (walking, working, laughing, talking), plus any exercise you may or (may not) do.

    "Exercise calories" are specific to the MyFitnessPal set up. MFP doesn't take any exercise into account when approximating your calorie goal. If you are using it exactly the way it is set up (which most people do) and logging in your exercise calories, you should be eating them back. If you have your goal at 1200 calories and you burn 580, you should technically be eating 1780 calories (net 1200). Some people don't eat all of the exercise calories, some do. Here are a couple of links for you:

    http://shouldieatmyexercisecalories.com/
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/474-unofficial-mfp-faq

    Hope this helps. :flowerforyou:

    Really appreciate that, I was thinking I have this all wrong... Thank you and I also will be using your workout regimen :wink:

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