Ask me anything about fat/weight loss....
Replies
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If I'm 5'6" and 142 and my weight loss has stalled for almost a month is it possible that I may not be eating enough?? I typically eat between 1450-1550 calories a day. I'm not currently working out because I just returned to work from maternity leave and haven't quite got a routine down yet that allows me too. I calculated my BMR (1441) and my TDEE (1921) so at what I'm eating I'm shocked my weight has stayed exactly the same for almost 4 weeks. Thoughts??
*edited to correct my calories.0 -
I'm gonna ask this here too for more ideas...
My stats:
5'7
138lb (gained 3-4lb since started doing bodyweight exercises)
average around 1400cal per day / week
Ok so I have been doing bodyweight exercises for about 2,5 months now. My body has responded really well, flat stomach, visible abs, banging bum and sculpted back yadda yadda. I look great naked.
The problem is that even though my stomach is getting flatter, my waist is expanding and getting wider! I've gained a whole inch on my waist and it doesn't seem to be going away. This combined with my hips getting more narrow I'm scared that I'll lose my hourglass shape completely.
I'm happy with how my body has tightened up really quickly and nothing wiggles.... but my waist needs to go back down!
Should I stop doing all exercises that target obligues? Or lower my calories and try to lose more fat...(scared that this will make my hips shrink even more!)
You had me a 'banging bum.'
Seriously though, it is most likely the exercises you do yeh. In the physique world, it is all about the illusion. Smaller the waist, the wider the back will look. Wider the shoulders the smaller the waist looks. Most of the top level bikini competitors are always putting most focus on glutes, hams, and shoulders in order to produce the "effect." Lots of the chappies(AND chippies) think that doing a lot of ab and oblique work is good when to produce the overall effect, it could be THE WORSE thing for you. I use to hammer abs and obliques super hard, but they just spoiled my shape because I was building these big lego-block abs and a thick waist. I don't train abs whatsoever any more because of that. Intense deadlifting and back squatting session can sometimes make this happen also.
Yup, it's me again. I had asked a similar question on the prior thread. I get that if you want to keep a narrow waist, you gotta NOT bulk up on ab and oblique exercises, but that does that mean not training them *at all*? I intend to incorporate more exercises into my routine like lunges and such to help work the shape I want, but I do have some ab work in there, too -- will some light work on abs through crunches and leg lifts cause that waist thickness, if I'm not doing it a lot? My internet research on the topic is incredibly contradictory.
And a secondary question... when deciding on goals for weight loss, it seems like it's better to focus on body fat % rather than pounds lost, yeah? In which case... if 1-2 pounds per week is a good loss goal on the scale, what is a good rate of body fat % loss to shoot for?
Thanks lots!
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When cutting, is it best to do cardio, weights or both?0
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interesting0
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i'm new to MFF and I'm loving it. So far, I've lost 3 lbs in 2-weeks on Insanity. Here's my dilemma.... when I try and stay within the recommended calorie intake, then I exceed all of the other categories like protein and sugars, for example. But, when I try and stay within the recommended categories, then I wouldn't get enough calories.
Should I focus more on maintaining the correct calorie intake and less on the category breakdown?
BTW, I'm not gonna start a donut and soda diet just the calories but I don't know if I should be concerned if I eat good calories and exceed the intake calorie goal by a few hundred.
The calories are what are always gonna be most important for weightloss. It's biochemistry 101. Burn more than you take in, lose weight.0 -
One of my favorite tools in my home gym is my stability ball. My ab toning exercises are the 'knee tuck' and the 'ball transfer'. It doesn't take much to get a really great core workout. These really work on me!0
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Can you tell me if I am on the right track to healthy weight loss? I started MFP over a week ago, and since then I have lost 5 pounds. I am a 5' 5.5" female, starting weight was 170 last month. Now I am at 162lbs. For exercise I always do 30 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of strength training everyday. I like to switch up my cardio and do different things. Lastnight I ran 3 miles and we have this huge sledding hill where I live so I ran up and down it 3 times (one time backwards). For my diet, MFP tells me to be on a 1200 calorie diet and I am always under my calories. Some days I am really low because of my workouts. My goal weight is to be a lean muscular 140lbs. Am I on the right track? I wanted to add that I have a very athletic body. I have played sports all of my life and even at 162 I have muscle cuts, a flat tummy (no abs though), and nice biceps. I want to lose body fat and sculpt lean muscle. And also, should I have a rest day?
Don't see any problem so far. Keep doing what you're doing. As for the rest day, if you aren't overtraining and you want to workout 7 days a week, that's perfectly fine. If you start burning out and overtraining though, definitely take a day or two of rest.0 -
I'm gonna ask this here too for more ideas...
My stats:
5'7
138lb (gained 3-4lb since started doing bodyweight exercises)
average around 1400cal per day / week
Ok so I have been doing bodyweight exercises for about 2,5 months now. My body has responded really well, flat stomach, visible abs, banging bum and sculpted back yadda yadda. I look great naked.
The problem is that even though my stomach is getting flatter, my waist is expanding and getting wider! I've gained a whole inch on my waist and it doesn't seem to be going away. This combined with my hips getting more narrow I'm scared that I'll lose my hourglass shape completely.
I'm happy with how my body has tightened up really quickly and nothing wiggles.... but my waist needs to go back down!
Should I stop doing all exercises that target obligues? Or lower my calories and try to lose more fat...(scared that this will make my hips shrink even more!)
You had me a 'banging bum.'
Seriously though, it is most likely the exercises you do yeh. In the physique world, it is all about the illusion. Smaller the waist, the wider the back will look. Wider the shoulders the smaller the waist looks. Most of the top level bikini competitors are always putting most focus on glutes, hams, and shoulders in order to produce the "effect." Lots of the chappies(AND chippies) think that doing a lot of ab and oblique work is good when to produce the overall effect, it could be THE WORSE thing for you. I use to hammer abs and obliques super hard, but they just spoiled my shape because I was building these big lego-block abs and a thick waist. I don't train abs whatsoever any more because of that. Intense deadlifting and back squatting session can sometimes make this happen also.
As for your hips. Most women carry fat on the hips, and as you lean out, you will lose them. But, you CAN kinda trick the effect back on by using exercises that focus on building muscle around the hip area. The abductor machine is a great one to start with. Hope this helps.
This is so sad. I LOVE side planks (+ thrusts), russian twists, deadlifts etc etc...
Oh well. Now I just need to find a way to spot reduce muscle to get rid of what's already there.
I'm big deadlift fan, and I do them but I track my measurements with them. Waist starts adding to much muscle and size back, I put the deadlifts on the shelf for a month or two.0 -
Another question, if it is just calories in vs. calories out, how come some people seem to lose faster on certain diets (I.e. Atkins)? I agree that if you follow any program as intended it will work and you should find one that works for you that you can stick with, but just curious.0
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Hi there! Okay, I have a question. I've lost all the weight I wanted to lose, but now I'm trying to tone up. I want that flat stomach, you know? I'm pretty close to it, but there's still some fat in the way. I lift weights 3x a week and do cardio most of the other days. I have recently started eating "clean" and plan to stick to it. However, I am eating at maintenance level, not a deficit since I'm not really trying to lose any more weight. Will I need to go back to eating at a deficit to tone up, or will eating clean, lifting heavy, and cardio be enough? I've heard evidence from both sides.
Stats:
5'4"
130 lbs
About 23% body fat
I want to be about 20% body fat
Thanks!
Most likely you're going to have to lose more body fat. That's all "tone up" really means. You can't TONE body fat, you have to burn it off. Try losing another 5 and then reevalutaing. At 5'4, I would shoot for at LEAST 18% body fat to really start seeing that toned look. Most pro level bikini competitors are around 12%, so 18% for you would definitely be doable.0 -
If I'm 5'6" and 142 and my weight loss has stalled for almost a month is it possible that I may not be eating enough?? I typically eat between 1450-1550 calories a day. I'm not currently working out because I just returned to work from maternity leave and haven't quite got a routine down yet that allows me too. I calculated my BMR (1441) and my TDEE (1921) so at what I'm eating I'm shocked my weight has stayed exactly the same for almost 4 weeks. Thoughts??
*edited to correct my calories.
You're probably not spot on with the counting. We're not just talking food, we're talking EVERYthing that goes in your mouth. Drinks, condiments, food, EVERYthing. Look for hidden calories too. Something's not adding up.0 -
I'm gonna ask this here too for more ideas...
My stats:
5'7
138lb (gained 3-4lb since started doing bodyweight exercises)
average around 1400cal per day / week
Ok so I have been doing bodyweight exercises for about 2,5 months now. My body has responded really well, flat stomach, visible abs, banging bum and sculpted back yadda yadda. I look great naked.
The problem is that even though my stomach is getting flatter, my waist is expanding and getting wider! I've gained a whole inch on my waist and it doesn't seem to be going away. This combined with my hips getting more narrow I'm scared that I'll lose my hourglass shape completely.
I'm happy with how my body has tightened up really quickly and nothing wiggles.... but my waist needs to go back down!
Should I stop doing all exercises that target obligues? Or lower my calories and try to lose more fat...(scared that this will make my hips shrink even more!)
You had me a 'banging bum.'
Seriously though, it is most likely the exercises you do yeh. In the physique world, it is all about the illusion. Smaller the waist, the wider the back will look. Wider the shoulders the smaller the waist looks. Most of the top level bikini competitors are always putting most focus on glutes, hams, and shoulders in order to produce the "effect." Lots of the chappies(AND chippies) think that doing a lot of ab and oblique work is good when to produce the overall effect, it could be THE WORSE thing for you. I use to hammer abs and obliques super hard, but they just spoiled my shape because I was building these big lego-block abs and a thick waist. I don't train abs whatsoever any more because of that. Intense deadlifting and back squatting session can sometimes make this happen also.
Yup, it's me again. I had asked a similar question on the prior thread. I get that if you want to keep a narrow waist, you gotta NOT bulk up on ab and oblique exercises, but that does that mean not training them *at all*? I intend to incorporate more exercises into my routine like lunges and such to help work the shape I want, but I do have some ab work in there, too -- will some light work on abs through crunches and leg lifts cause that waist thickness, if I'm not doing it a lot? My internet research on the topic is incredibly contradictory.
And a secondary question... when deciding on goals for weight loss, it seems like it's better to focus on body fat % rather than pounds lost, yeah? In which case... if 1-2 pounds per week is a good loss goal on the scale, what is a good rate of body fat % loss to shoot for?
Thanks lots!
That's dependent on you. 1) On how easy you add to the waist area, and 2) how important it is to you to train them. I have extremely strong core strength from years of dance and gymnastics so I keep a great baseline of health and strength in them so I don't train them. From an aesthetic side, once again you may or may not need to train them. Up to how YOU want to look. Just don't be the person that trains them hours on end thinking that will give them a ripped or toned midsection.
Question 2: Once again up to you so long as you're healthy. Me I focus on bodyfat percentage because I do NOT want my weight to go down more than five pounds from what it is right now. That is why I do bulking and cutting cycles.0 -
When cutting, is it best to do cardio, weights or both?
Depends on how you work. I usually don't use cardio to cut until the very end of a cutting cycle. When I start a cut, my calories are usually pretty high, but as I approach the end, they are low and I use cardio to tap into a deeper deficit. Having said that though, usually a combination of the two IS best not only for cutting, but DEFINITELY for health reasons. Get your nutrition air tight, your cardio on track, lift your weights, and make sure you're getting your rest and recovery, and you're definitely gonna see awesome results in time.0 -
interesting
I'd like to hope so.
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One of my favorite tools in my home gym is my stability ball. My ab toning exercises are the 'knee tuck' and the 'ball transfer'. It doesn't take much to get a really great core workout. These really work on me!
Great exercises. Bringing the lower body to the upper body, works the lower abs. Bringing the upper body to the lower body works your upper abs. Good thing to remember.0 -
Another question, if it is just calories in vs. calories out, how come some people seem to lose faster on certain diets (I.e. Atkins)? I agree that if you follow any program as intended it will work and you should find one that works for you that you can stick with, but just curious.
Easy: Genetics. It's always gonna be calories in vs calories out, but we are all still unique. Some with faster metabolisms, others with slower. Some with more natural muscle, others with less.0 -
I am 131.3
5 1/2 ft tall
Workout 5x a week sometimes more
My question is am I eating enough cals at 2200??
My TDEE is 2247
My BMR 1449
Thanks!!0 -
BUMP0
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Hi there! Okay, I have a question. I've lost all the weight I wanted to lose, but now I'm trying to tone up. I want that flat stomach, you know? I'm pretty close to it, but there's still some fat in the way. I lift weights 3x a week and do cardio most of the other days. I have recently started eating "clean" and plan to stick to it. However, I am eating at maintenance level, not a deficit since I'm not really trying to lose any more weight. Will I need to go back to eating at a deficit to tone up, or will eating clean, lifting heavy, and cardio be enough? I've heard evidence from both sides.
Stats:
5'4"
130 lbs
About 23% body fat
I want to be about 20% body fat
Thanks!
Most likely you're going to have to lose more body fat. That's all "tone up" really means. You can't TONE body fat, you have to burn it off. Try losing another 5 and then reevalutaing. At 5'4, I would shoot for at LEAST 18% body fat to really start seeing that toned look. Most pro level bikini competitors are around 12%, so 18% for you would definitely be doable.
Thanks! I'll start eating at a bit of a deficit again. But, isn't anything under like 20% considered "underfat" for women? I definitely want to stay at a healthy body fat %. I understand it may be different for bikini models, but I'm just a regular ol' gal.0 -
If I'm 5'6" and 142 and my weight loss has stalled for almost a month is it possible that I may not be eating enough?? I typically eat between 1450-1550 calories a day. I'm not currently working out because I just returned to work from maternity leave and haven't quite got a routine down yet that allows me too. I calculated my BMR (1441) and my TDEE (1921) so at what I'm eating I'm shocked my weight has stayed exactly the same for almost 4 weeks. Thoughts??
*edited to correct my calories.
You're probably not spot on with the counting. We're not just talking food, we're talking EVERYthing that goes in your mouth. Drinks, condiments, food, EVERYthing. Look for hidden calories too. Something's not adding up.
Yeah I'm thinking I must be not counting my calories accurately. Maybe I'll look into getting a scale to weigh my food, I'm probably way off in my estimate of exactly how much I'm eating. When I was working out I had a buffer of the exercise calories, so that would make sense now that I'm not working out. Thanks!!!0 -
Best thread ever! Bumpers!0
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bump to follow the second thread! thank you for all of your great answers. simple and to the point, without being pushy or full of conspiracy theories!0
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bump0
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deleted.0
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Hi there,thank you so much for time here replying to everyone's posts:)The info given here is just so awesome.My question is,suppose I am walking on the treadmill on various speeds and intensities for an hour or so and final result is that I burnt 1000 calories....I know the gym machines are not that accurate.So according to you how much do you think I burnt out of 1000.The one I hop onto is a "Freemotion" treadmill.And which is the best machine to work onto,a treamill or Elliptical.I have lost 40 pounds since October 2011,starting at 185 and have to loose 30 pounds more.can you please tell me a good exercise regimen,It will be of great help to me.Do you think the "Body Bug" that they sell at the gym is good enough in terms of accuracy??
Sorry for all the questions
Thanks!!0 -
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer questions.
Here's mine:
Right now I'm 5'4" and weigh 178.
I have lost five pounds and that's great but I struggle with losing because I'm a really bad asthmatic and I'm on heavy steroids. For example, most people go on a prednisone ween that starts at 10-20 mg and then they drop it gradually over a week. i start with 60 mg and drop. When I start to get sick i have to start at 40mg at home then self-ween. This has really hampered my efforts.
I'm physically fit, though. I do at least four 5K mud runs a year and work out at least 4 days a week. I think I can definitely up the intesity, but it gets frustrating when friends or my hubby start to work out with me but they lose at a much quicker rate.
Any suggestions on what I can do to help kickstart my weight loss?
Thanks!0 -
what macros worked best for you for getting under 10% body fat? or do you carb cycle? low carb? and do you try staying lean year round or do you have bulking phases as well?
appreciate your response.0 -
Great thread -- really appreciate all your responses to everyone's questions!
I'm a 5'8" guy, 49 years old. Last June, I was 197 lb, 27% body fat & had a very sedentary lifestyle and lots of health problems (mostly sick a lot) and decided I needed a change. I started tracking all my food, reducing my calories and started walking and doing the elliptical every day for 30-60 min. After consistently losing 2 lbs a week, I got to my current 155 lb. & 17% body fat, and I've successfully stayed there for the last 6 months. And I'm much healthier now rarely every getting sick anymore! I don't do any real weight lifting to speak of (the occasional weight machines) but I do crunches & pushups every other day.
I'd like to hold to my current weight in the mid-150's, start building more muscle, and maybe lose a little more body fat (pretty skinny but still a little fat hanging on for dear life). I understand that to build muscle I'm going to need to start lifting. But I'm nervous about increasing my calories to build muscle and then putting on fat. Is it even possible to do all 3 things at once (lose fat, gain muscle, keep weight roughly consistent?) How should I start?!?
Thanks a ton!0 -
QUOTE
I wanted to ask your opinion on this muscle building programme that I have as a new thread:
Muscle Building Program:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/felicia-romero-muscle-building-program.html
Cutting program:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/felicia-romero-cutting-program.html
Would you start with the muscle building program or the cutting program if you had a lot of fat to lose? For instance, 40 pounds to lose? The answer I got was muscle building program first. But I imagine you would also have to be losing fat at the same time. When I do a lot of leg exercises they tend to really bulk from past experience but it probably means that I wasn't losing the fat while building muscle. The above program lists 1300 calories, Felicia is 112 pounds and 5ft 3". I am 5ft 2".
Do you personally know of a good strength training program for women to do, i.e. have a link?
END QUOTE
YOUR COMMENT
Me personally, at 40 to lose, I would say cutting no doubt. This is completely YOUR decision though. Most usually want to be lean first. If you have 40 pounds to lose and went on a bulk, that would take you up at least 10 more pounds. I would even tell a chappie to cut first. My mantra is usually this: If you're skinny as hell, dirty bulk. If you're skinny fat, clean bulk a lil' over maintenance. If you're fat, then definitely cut. I advise this on not just looks, but also health. Your waist size is your lifeline basically. Obesity is the number one and two cause of death in the states. Hope this helps
END COMMENT
Re the above calories of 1300 that is listed above - do you think someone at 5ft 3" can bulk on that amount?
Not that I will be bulking as I clearly need to cut first.0 -
Bumping this to read more thoroughly later. Great information. Thanks. 0
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