Everyone thinks I look great BUT I DONT!

Capt_Apollo

Whats considered heavy on universal gym set? Right now i use 30lbs.

heavy is relative to you.

can you lift it 15+ times in a row and not feel too sore/winded/tired?? then it is too light.

can you make it to a gym? if so, you should be using free weights and barbells. the weight lifting bench marks you should be shooting for are: squat 1x body weight, chest press 1x body weight, over head press 0.75x body weight, dead lift 1.5x body weight.

Are the benchmarks you list for women? Where did you find this info? Not trying to be a smart *kitten* but I've always wondered what would be a good benchmark standard.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/02/23/a-newbies-guide-to-nerd-fitness/

I asked Staci to come up with similar benchmarks for a nerd female in REALLY GREAT shape:

35 push ups in a row
5 pull ups in a row
Bench press .75 her body weight 10 times
Press 75% of her body weight overhead 5 times
Deadlift 1.5 times her body weight 5 times
Squat her body weight 10 times
Run a 5k in under 24 minutes.
Hike for many hours with a 30-pound backpack
Touch her toes

so maybe i was off with the chest press, but still, i was close.

bradwwood

I AM SORRY TO READ THAT I WISH YOU THE BEST ON YOUR JOURNEY AS YOU SAIL TO NEW WATERS MAY THE WATERS BE CALM AND CARRY YOU ON TO A BETTER PLACE TO FIND YOUR TRUE DESTINY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IF YOU HAVE FAMILY I IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE SOME FAMILY OF SOME SORT DON'T WE ALL REALLY WHETHER RELATED BY BLOOD OR NOT REGARDLESS I WISH YOU THE VERY BEST HUGS

WTF type of response is this?


Anyway, don't be so quick to give up. Besides this idiot post noted above, everyone here has given good advise. Listen to them and stick with it.

Also - congrats on the smoking. Look at it this way, if you quit smoking, you can do pretty much anything you want when it comes to what you put in your mouth. It may not always be easy. You may want to give up some days. But, think it all the way through when you are eyeballing that extra large french fry order. Stay focused on the long game.

btw - i just passed two years a bit ago.... I know how hard it is

Dreamerlove

Same thing happened to me, try upping your cals.

californiagirl2012

Hi, I want to lose these last 10lbs. I am on the verge of giving up on MFP. I see no success. I track everything and do a bit of exercise. I'm usually very close to the 1200 cal BUT somedays I do eat fast food (FAT and CARBS!) But I feel that I eat really healthy 90% of the time. Why am I not seeing any progress? And why can't other people understand that having fat roll over my jean that never used to be there is making me look good. LOL. I don't think so. I will never be happy until I fit into my size 28 jeans again. No over flap standing OR sitting!!!!!

If you are this close to your goal then you are lean enough most likely that you can't eat so low. It really depends on your RMR which is mainly driven by your height. The last 10-15 lbs are super slow compared to when you have more body fat.

Macro's don't matter except that you eat somewhat balanced and mostly healthy which it sound like you do. BUT, even maintenance takes work and balance, I've found it needs to be even more balanced because you are walking a thinner line with calories in order to maintain.

It really is about calories. I tell people this all the time and they say "Well if calories are all that matter why do you eat so clean???!!" Well, because it makes me feel better, sleep better, and perform better at my sports.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

But this is why you can't eat so low anymore when you get close to your goal like you are. You need a nice shallow deficit that takes longer and requires even more patience than people with more body fat.

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

You might have to give up the fast food and splurges until you reach your goal. Be consistent, then learn to maintain which also requires discipline. This article describes exactly the type of plan I follow for social eating, except I keep up on my normal workouts compared to the holiday workouts he describes:

http://johnbarban.com/whats-your-diet-and-exercise-plan-for-the-next-7-weeks/

Capt_Apollo

i'm surprised it took you this long to jump into this thread california girl.