Ask me anything about fat/weight loss....

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Replies

  • choface
    choface Posts: 107 Member
    Stats:
    Female
    5'5"
    180 lbs

    I need help figuring out how many calories I should start eating to lose weight. I have my food set to 1400 calories and I feel like I'm starving. I am about to start working out, but anytime I try to regulate and lower how many calories I am consuming and start a workout regimen. I end up eating a crazy amount because I feel like I'm starving. Any tips would be appreciated.
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
    simple question....i'm building a weight-lifting routine, well attempting to anyways. I have 28 different lifts n stuff I want to do. I'm doing 2 sets of each. While i'm resting from doing a set of bicep curls, say....can I be doing a set of deadlifts for example. Or is it more beneficial to just be completely resting between sets and do the 2nd set of whatever you're doing, immediately after the 1st set. I'm still kinda in the 1st stages of weight-lifting and still figuring stuff out. I'm not lifting anywhere near heavy yet, but I expect when I am this won't be a concern. I hope the question makes sense and thanks...again :):flowerforyou:
  • secretgirl4611
    secretgirl4611 Posts: 474 Member
    Do u believe in the NEVER eat below ur BMR, find your TDEE minus the 500 calories to lose 1 pound per wk??.. I am now eating 1900 calories and believe it may be working.. :)
  • mylovelyhumps
    mylovelyhumps Posts: 16 Member
    I looove this thread. Not like I want to marry it but like I enjoy it :-)
  • moe5474
    moe5474 Posts: 162
    What rate of weight loss is realistic (and healthy) for someone who is of a healthy weight but is wanting to get down to their fighting weight. I've listed them in a previous question, but below are my stats

    26 yo female
    5'9
    149
    23% bg

    I'd like to get down to 135. I know it's more about the journey than a quick fix, so I'm not looking for that. I know there isn't any typical rate of weight loss because everyone is different, but would it be too eager beaver of me to shoot for 1 or 2 lbs of loss per week?

    it's just that I've always heard that 1/2 lb/week is better if someone is closer to their goal weight.

    Thanks!
  • mikek333
    mikek333 Posts: 78 Member
    Someone pointed me here from a thread I made asking if it's possible to build muscle/strength or not in a deficit? My curiosity was caused because I notice I'm stronger in my workouts than when I started. I was curious as to whether your body sort of makes up the difference, if you've got fat stores to break down and use as energy to build the muscles? Or is it just that, like someone suggested in my thread, your body just sort of starts working more efficiently with the muscles it already has?

    Lol. You don't need to build muscle to get strong. There's correlation, but it's definitely not the end-all. Look at Olympic lifter Pyrros Dimas. The guy is 175 pounds soaking wet, but routinely throws 400+ pounds over his head like it's dirty laundry! And lord knows there are plenty of extremely big people that are weak as hell. You can get stronger while being in a deficit. No big eal there, but growing MUSCLE while in a deficit, well that is exTREMELY hard unless you're experiencing noob gains. Most think they're gaining muscle, but the fatloss is just making the muscle they already had more visible.

    I'm a male, 44y/o 5' 9", 155lbs. Almost near my goal weight, but now I want to build muscle, and burn remaining fat. How should I eat (currently at 1470 cal)? I.e. How many cals should I raise my daily intake to? How should I work out (just started a stronglift 5x5)? Should I ignore the scale now, if so, how should I track progress?
  • caseydimples
    caseydimples Posts: 173 Member
    If you had limited time and had to chose between doing cardio and weight lifting, what would be more beneficial? I'm working on losing weight and ideally want to do both cardio and weights, but sometimes I don't have time for it all so I'm forced to chose. Which one?

    Neither. Much more easier to focus on the food. I can eat 800 calories in 5 minutes, but that's basically over an hour of cardio on an elliptical. Good forbid you have the chips too. ;D
    Seriously Official Epic - I freaking love your responses. What I'm picking up is I need to make it simple. I work out all the time but I haven't had my nutrition dialed in so I've not lost anything in a very long time. I'm focusing on the food! Don't get me wrong, I'll still be running about 20 miles this week but the food is my focus. Deficit is key. Thanks!
  • Pascua_j
    Pascua_j Posts: 67 Member
    Thank you very much! The closer I get the more I want better, if that makes sense.
  • rach7turtle
    rach7turtle Posts: 47 Member
    Ive been reading through these posts and am learning so much! I just wanted to say thank you soo much for giving all your insight and knowledge. I can tell you're passionate about being healthy and fit. For so long I've put all this stuff in a box and you put it in ways that take it outside that box and make it about each individuals needs. I also like how you say we have to push past the hard stuff because getting to where you want to be in life is rarely easy. THANKS AGAIN!
  • how do you prepare whey protein drinks?


    Mine taste yuk

    I don't. I usually just snort the protein and then chase it with a shot of whiskey.

    I don't use protein powder often....not unless I can't get to real food. If I do though, I usually keep it bones simple: Just the powder and milk or water. But that's just me. My powder actually tastes pretty freakin' awesome on it's own.
  • Stats:
    Female
    5'5"
    180 lbs

    I need help figuring out how many calories I should start eating to lose weight. I have my food set to 1400 calories and I feel like I'm starving. I am about to start working out, but anytime I try to regulate and lower how many calories I am consuming and start a workout regimen. I end up eating a crazy amount because I feel like I'm starving. Any tips would be appreciated.

    Lol on the starving.

    1,400 sounds pretty good for right now. You'll eventually have to readjust, but looking at yer stats, this is decent. Be serious as you can with the counting on calories in and calories out. The more black and white you make it, then easier to figure yourself out. People screw it up, because they don't count everything, or throw in an occasional cheat. It's like you're in a lab basically. Ok this didn't work, so let's vary X but still keep Y and Z the same. If you were to manipulate all three variables, then how do you know which of them really did the work?!
  • simple question....i'm building a weight-lifting routine, well attempting to anyways. I have 28 different lifts n stuff I want to do. I'm doing 2 sets of each. While i'm resting from doing a set of bicep curls, say....can I be doing a set of deadlifts for example. Or is it more beneficial to just be completely resting between sets and do the 2nd set of whatever you're doing, immediately after the 1st set. I'm still kinda in the 1st stages of weight-lifting and still figuring stuff out. I'm not lifting anywhere near heavy yet, but I expect when I am this won't be a concern. I hope the question makes sense and thanks...again :):flowerforyou:

    Depends on what your ultimate goal is. You don't train a bodybuilder like a crossfitter. You don't train a sprinter like a marathoner.
  • dia77
    dia77 Posts: 410 Member
    I am new to the gym and I want to boost my energy so I get the most of it .
    Do you think that taking a pre-workout supplement such as Jack 3d is safe? Will you recomended ?
    If not , what pre-workout suplement should I take to boost my energy?

    I tried protein shakes and B12 ,but they don't help too much...:(
    Thank you:)
  • Do u believe in the NEVER eat below ur BMR, find your TDEE minus the 500 calories to lose 1 pound per wk??.. I am now eating 1900 calories and believe it may be working.. :)

    No I don't. I do a detox once every about 4 months. The first day is nothing but water. That's probably just a lil' bit under my bmr. ;D

    As far as for dieting purposes. It CAN be beneficial in the right situation, but these are usually VERY limited occasions where people have destroyed their metabolisms by going way too low way too fast and for way too long on their calories and refuse to do a refeed to try and bump it back up a bit.
  • I looove this thread. Not like I want to marry it but like I enjoy it :-)

    I think you should marry it. He's nice, and he enjoys long quiet walks on the beach. ;)
  • firstnamekaren
    firstnamekaren Posts: 274 Member
    Hello! I have a question.
    I've bumped my calories up to 1776 because of the heavy lifting program I'm on. I stopped doing as much cardio, and only do 30 minutes sessions 2-3 times a week, in addition to lifting heavy 3 times a week. It's only been about 3 weeks of eating this much, and honestly, it's usually between 1700-2000 calories. So far, I've gained about 4-5 lbs - how long should I wait before going back lower, if I need to? And do you think this is to many calories? I'm 5'5, 180 lbs. Thanks!
  • What steroids do you take?
  • What rate of weight loss is realistic (and healthy) for someone who is of a healthy weight but is wanting to get down to their fighting weight. I've listed them in a previous question, but below are my stats

    26 yo female
    5'9
    149
    23% bg

    I'd like to get down to 135. I know it's more about the journey than a quick fix, so I'm not looking for that. I know there isn't any typical rate of weight loss because everyone is different, but would it be too eager beaver of me to shoot for 1 or 2 lbs of loss per week?

    1-2 is good number for you at this point. I'd recommend this to 90% of the people I work with on losing weight. It keeps you accountable. Now if you were 125 pounds, it definitely wouldn't be AS reasonable. At that point I would probably cut those numbers in half for you.

    it's just that I've always heard that 1/2 lb/week is better if someone is closer to their goal weight.

    Thanks!
  • Someone pointed me here from a thread I made asking if it's possible to build muscle/strength or not in a deficit? My curiosity was caused because I notice I'm stronger in my workouts than when I started. I was curious as to whether your body sort of makes up the difference, if you've got fat stores to break down and use as energy to build the muscles? Or is it just that, like someone suggested in my thread, your body just sort of starts working more efficiently with the muscles it already has?

    Lol. You don't need to build muscle to get strong. There's correlation, but it's definitely not the end-all. Look at Olympic lifter Pyrros Dimas. The guy is 175 pounds soaking wet, but routinely throws 400+ pounds over his head like it's dirty laundry! And lord knows there are plenty of extremely big people that are weak as hell. You can get stronger while being in a deficit. No big eal there, but growing MUSCLE while in a deficit, well that is exTREMELY hard unless you're experiencing noob gains. Most think they're gaining muscle, but the fatloss is just making the muscle they already had more visible.

    I'm a male, 44y/o 5' 9", 155lbs. Almost near my goal weight, but now I want to build muscle, and burn remaining fat. How should I eat (currently at 1470 cal)? I.e. How many cals should I raise my daily intake to? How should I work out (just started a stronglift 5x5)? Should I ignore the scale now, if so, how should I track progress?

    Fat loss comes from a deficit...and it's very hard to build muscle on a sub-threshold diet. I bulk basically the opposite of the way I cut. I add in 250 calories above maintenance, and then slowly increase this as I stop gaining. Usually the 250 is enough for the first 3 weeks, and then it's another bump of roughly the same. Towards the end I'm usually taking in about an extra thousand calories a day from where I started.

    As for the lifting. Stronglifts is good, but not the first thing I would recommend. More importantly is just that you're lifting, and that you're doing it progressively more intense. Powerbodybuilding, 5X5, HIT, classical, 5-3-1, etc......they all work, you just have to apply them correctly.
  • Ive been reading through these posts and am learning so much! I just wanted to say thank you soo much for giving all your insight and knowledge. I can tell you're passionate about being healthy and fit. For so long I've put all this stuff in a box and you put it in ways that take it outside that box and make it about each individuals needs. I also like how you say we have to push past the hard stuff because getting to where you want to be in life is rarely easy. THANKS AGAIN!

    Thanks for the love yeh. You hit it on the head. It's all about figuring yourself out. If there was one end-all cure-all, we'd all be taking it! Wtf?! We're all unique. The science is there, but you still have to find out how it applies to your unique situation. It IS calories ingested vs calories expended....but some of us have faster or slower metabolisms depending on everything from body comp to gender, stress levels, etc. Cheers yeh
  • What steroids do you take?

    Lol. None, I only way 175 pounds. U mad?....
  • Lol thought it was funny man. Gonna add you if cool for future advice.
  • Hello! I have a question.
    I've bumped my calories up to 1776 because of the heavy lifting program I'm on. I stopped doing as much cardio, and only do 30 minutes sessions 2-3 times a week, in addition to lifting heavy 3 times a week. It's only been about 3 weeks of eating this much, and honestly, it's usually between 1700-2000 calories. So far, I've gained about 4-5 lbs - how long should I wait before going back lower, if I need to? And do you think this is to many calories? I'm 5'5, 180 lbs. Thanks!

    First of all, why in the world did you do that?! You're bulking right now! Now if that's your goal, then by all means keep it up. Female, 5'5 2,000 calories and just lifting?!.....That's a bulk! You DEFINITELY need to readjust down if your goal is fat/weight loss.
  • CRenaeB
    CRenaeB Posts: 66
    Heyyy! Ok my question! Im 40, 193, 5'2, and I have that disgusting stomach apron. What is a woman to do, ugh? I m losing inches, but the apron looks even worse the more I lose. Is there an exercise to blast that?
  • Lol thought it was funny man. Gonna add you if cool for future advice.

    Definitely, man. I do add gorilla blood to my protein shakes though.....made my strength gains go up 200% in less than a week! Lol. Only not. :D
  • Monda
    Monda Posts: 271 Member
    Bump
  • 8break
    8break Posts: 11
    bump
  • Argent78
    Argent78 Posts: 151 Member
    Soooo I've been doing weight lifting with a pers traier for 3 months, and added good cardios 2 months ago:
    - 3 times a week: 40 min weights + 30 min elliptical
    -1 time a week spinning

    eat 1700/1800 cals a day, high prot diet. 6 meals a day
    No processed foods, heathy

    Height" 5'5
    Weight: 139
    Waist: 29
    Hip: 36

    And I haven't see ANY changes in weight loss or lost inches... My muscles look really good, but the fat in my floaters I stuck there!!

    What am i doing wrong!!!??? I'm desperate :'(
  • Heyyy! Ok my question! Im 40, 193, 5'2, and I have that disgusting stomach apron. What is a woman to do, ugh? I m losing inches, but the apron looks even worse the more I lose. Is there an exercise to blast that?

    Skin elasticity usually always falls behind fat loss. That is why most of the contestants on Biggest Loser have all that hanging skin. It will tighten up as time goes by so long as you keep it at a certain level for long enough. If you keep losing though, then it's going to stay the case until you stop. I'd finish losing the weight, and then just let the body do it's thing with the skin.
  • MrsLVF
    MrsLVF Posts: 787 Member
    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.' :D

    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.
    Makes sense, i was having the same issue, & so glad I'm not the only one.