lifting and eating properly

xoalynnxo

hey all! i'm doing the livefit program and i had a few questions. Since this is my first time weight training i really want to make sure i'm doing everything right.

Before my question, a little history. I have a medical condition that makes it difficult to eat. Please do not tell me that i need to "eat more". Please elaborate on what "more" i need to eat and refrain from rude comments. My food diary is public so feel free to take a look at it. I am just here trying to get healthy like everyone else.

my food intake is always between 1100-1300, fat under 50g, carbs under 160, protein between 90-100g, fiber at 15g or higher, and a multivitamin. I also eat 5 times a day. I have a sensible breakfast that contains a protein and carb (cereal with almond milk), protien for a snack (FF cottage cheese with strawberries), lunch (salad with chicken and a fruit), more protein for a snack (almond milk with muscle milk protein), and then dinner (another protein, carb, and veggie). I generally dont have an evening snack, but if i do it's usually light yogurt with fruit in it. No sodas, coffee maybe once a week, no "junk food", and about 100oz of water daily.

my exercise plan follows the livefit guidelines which is, right now, 5 days of lifting with 2 rest days. I also throw in cardio randomly which includes running, rowing, jacobs ladder, etc.

Now i know some of you are gying to say "you need to eat more!" but i do not. there are several people who do just fine not eating back their exercise calories. Once again, it is not intential to have a low intake, but when it takes almost 2 hrs to eat one meal it makes it difficult.

I guess what i want to know is what do i need to improve on to see results. I've been strength training for about 4 weeks now and i dont notice any difference in my body. I am trying to lose weight, but trying to focus on my goal body rather than my goal weight. My measurements havent changed, my weight hasnt changed, and i dont look any different. am i just hoping for results too quickly? Am i honestly not eating enough? I see people with great results that work out even harder and only eat maybe 200-300 calories more than i do. I feel better, which is great, but i want to tone up and drop lbs, not stay the same size and feel better about myself occasionally. I felt great about how i look yesterday until i went to the gym. it's just discouraging not seeing any results yet. If i'm being honest some of this probably because I havent been following the food plan 100% and i know that you have to eat clean too. Over the 4 weeks i've been training i've followed it for 2...so i know i need to be more consistent on that.

I appreciate any advice! I know opinions are like b-holes and everyone has one so bring it on! and thanks!

kdiamond

What is your goal with weight training? If you are trying to gain muscle (i.e., "tone up"), you need to eat at a surplus. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to eat at a deficit. I'm sure you know that. Those are just logistics.

I guess I'm a little confused about your question. It sounds like you are looking to lose bodyfat while gaining muscle at the same time? I've done this, it is called a recomp. However, I was already at my goal weight when I did it and I still ate more than 1300 calories at that time, I ate at maintenance which is ~1750 for me.

Also, 4 weeks isn't really enough to see any kind of muscle development. Women gain muscle at the rate of 1/2 pound a month of muscle on average. Per your request I'm not going to tell you to eat more, but instead I shared my own personal experience. Hope this helps in some way.

KarenJanine

Sorry I cannot give you the response you are looking for, but if you want to see results:

1. Lifting must be fueled well. You will struggle to see increases in strength when eating so little. TDEE -20% is a good starting point.
2. Results take time. Four weeks of lifting is not going to suddenly give you the results you are looking for; it can take years.

Sean_The_IT_Guy

you do NOT need to eat a surplus to gain muscle. This is the biggest lie i keep hearing perpetuated. To gain muscle you need

1. to have the energy to lift at a progressive overload
2. enough protein to rebuild damaged muscles

That's all. Surplus eating may cause testosterone levels to spike, which can cause increased gain over the normal gain you'd get. But as long as you have the energy to lift at a progressive overload (meaning dietary energy, and the energy you get from burning excess body fat) you will gain strength and muscle. I agree with the above post that you can't be eating WAY under your TDEE, but the figure of TDEE -20% sounds like a good starting point to lose fat and gain muscle. Ensure you are eating enough protein (1g per lb of lean body mass is a good starting point) and getting enough sleep, and water.

Have realistic expectations. 5lb of lean muscle mass in a year would be phenomenal for someone losing fat at the same time. Males in their late teens and early 20s often put on a ton more in a year than this while lifting, but they'd likely have put on some of that without lifting, just filling out normally as they finish the trip to adulthood.

Just another side note. Stop worrying about your fat. Worry about your carbs. Carbs lead to hunger rebound and cause all kinds of addiction side effects, as well as low level allergy symptoms, if you get most carbs from wheat. Fat doesn't make you fat. Fat also helps your brain make neurotransmitters that you need to be happy and healthy. Low fat diets are linked to depression.

HypersonicFitNess

What type of lifting program are you doing? How many sets, how many reps? Are you following a program or are you "winging" it? Do you have a trainer? If you new to weight training it would not hurt to have a good trainer to get you started if you can.

I agree 4 weeks is not enough time to see change in your body composition; this takes time and patience.

Also, I have seen great results through use of circuit training (circuits of weight training, cardio/plyometrics and the method of taking your body to the ground and back up again for the next exercise), but that is just my experience.

Example of what I'm talking about is the Tough Mudder boot camp (I noticed changes in my strength and size in a short amount of time and that might have been 2 months; I took their "quiz" and started with the Maybe Mudder, doing this 3x per week for the first month, then moved to the Tough Mudder 3x per week for the second month):

http://toughmudder.com/tough-mudder-boot-camp-training/

Edit: I eat around 1300-1500 calories and try to get 50% from raw vegetables & fruits

myofibril

What is your exercise routine in detail?

If you can't eat more then do less exercise but the exercise you do make as efficient as possible for your intended goals.

wareagle8706

What type of lifting program are you doing? How many sets, how many reps? Are you following a program or are you "winging" it?

She told this you already. Go back and read again.

SteveJWatson

If you have trouble eating - could you perhaps look at protien/calorie shakes or whatever?

After surgery I couldn't eat so I was given some hideous tasting calorie drinks - I forget what they are called...complan?

I dont normally advocate having powdered shakes etc, just eating your foods, but your case seems an appropriate use of them.

xoalynnxo

What is your goal with weight training? If you are trying to gain muscle (i.e., "tone up"), you need to eat at a surplus. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to eat at a deficit. I'm sure you know that. Those are just logistics.

I guess I'm a little confused about your question. It sounds like you are looking to lose bodyfat while gaining muscle at the same time? I've done this, it is called a recomp. However, I was already at my goal weight when I did it and I still ate more than 1300 calories at that time, I ate at maintenance which is ~1750 for me.

Also, 4 weeks isn't really enough to see any kind of muscle development. Women gain muscle at the rate of 1/2 pound a month of muscle on average. Per your request I'm not going to tell you to eat more, but instead I shared my own personal experience. Hope this helps in some way.

thanks for the advice many times, we get to our goal weight and are not happy with our bodies so then we tone...i am trying to tone up while losing weight and get to my goal body before my goal weight. Basically, i just want to be happy with my body and i dont think weight loss will be the 100% answer to that. I figure if i focus on nutrition and fitness, the weight loss will follow. i figure that i need to take more time for muscle to develop, but i really thought i'd lose weight and inches in the process.

bcf7683

I'm familiar with that program, I've been doing programs from BB.com for around a year now. First, I would like to say don't worry about not following the diet exactly. I've never followed the diets of the programs that I follow- many of them are just pushing tons and tons of supplements. Do a diet that feels right for your body. Second, as others have said, 4 weeks really isn't a long time to expect super-noticeable results. I've been at it for around a year now, and I'm finally starting to see some results that I'm happy with. Weight training has tons of other benefits besides the obvious muscle gain/fat loss. Which, brings me to my third point- if you're trying to lose fat, you aren't going to gain much muscle. I'm in the "gain" portion of my program now, and I haven't lost any weight. I've been eating 1800-2000cals/day and lifting 4 days a week for 1 1/2 hours/day. I've actually put on a small amount of weight, which is the goal. It's looking to me like if you stay on the path you're on (diet & program wise) that it will ultimately end up in fat loss. There won't be much muscle gain, but you will look more "toned" if you shed some body fat. It's just a fact that to build noticeable muscle, there needs to be a caloric surplus. Your body can't create new tissue unless it has the building blocks to start with. I understand that you have a hard time eating (I'm not sure of the specifics of the condition you have) but have you tried eating more calorie dense foods? It sounds like the things you are normally eating are pretty low-cal. Try throwing in some small amounts of nuts, avocado, olive oil when you cook, peanut butter, healthier cheeses... All of those things are high in calories mainly because of their fat content. You need fat in your diet when you are looking to build muscle- it helps with brain functioning and nutrient absorption among other things.
Lastly, when you are doing your workouts each day, make sure you are actually going as hard as you can. When I first started lifting, I thought I was lifting heavy until my brother basically walked behind me observing me throughout my entire workout. He was pointing out form errors and other small things that were keeping me from lifting at my actual potential. Also, he would come over as I was resting in between sets and slip on another 5 or 10 lbs. and tell me to keep going. I looked at him like he was nuts, but as he kept doing that, I kept pushing harder- lifting way more than I initially thought I could. Perhaps you would benefit from working with a trainer for one session, telling them the program you're on and asking if they have any ways to improve upon it.

Hope I could help

xoalynnxo

thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that. I will wait and see how WI goes monday, and then try to adjust to allow for more calories for a week and see how that affects my loss.

I'm not necessarily looking for results from lifting after 4 weeks to see muscles; i'm looking for lower measurements from toning up and some weight loss on the scale. I'm not seeing that after 4 weeks so i didnt know if i was doing something wrong.

xoalynnxo

to clarify: i am not looking to see results of muscles from weight training after 4 weeks. i just figured that inches and lbs would fall off as a result and that's what i didnt understand. if inches and lbs should be coming off and they arent, i want to know how to fix it

basically, i am trying to tone and lose weight at the same time. weight training helps burn fat and increase your metabolism while toning and helping you lose weight. i am not seeing any toning or weight loss results after 4 weeks and i just want to know why and if i need to change something

xoalynnxo

i do actually regulary drink protein shakes and eat bars. i just dont want to be eating processed foods all the time. part of the reason why my calories are lower is because i do eat a lot of fruits and veggies.

xoalynnxo

I'm familiar with that program, I've been doing programs from BB.com for around a year now.

....................................

Hope I could help

all of that was very much helpful! thank you! i'm not weight training to build muscles, but am doing it to slim down and tone while trying to lose weight. i just want to know if what i'm going is going to get the results i want

jaymek92

thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that.

no, you're 500 calories below that number, which means you're eating somewhere between tdee - 45% and tdee - 51%. that's actually a really big difference from tdee - 20%. eating half the calories your body needs is not a good idea.

ninerbuff

you do NOT need to eat a surplus to gain muscle. This is the biggest lie i keep hearing perpetuated. To gain muscle you need

1. to have the energy to lift at a progressive overload
2. enough protein to rebuild damaged muscles

Lol, so in other words natural bodybuilders who have put on muscle didn't eat in surplus, but just ate enough protein to build them?:laugh:
To build muscle is to ADD weight. To add weight, you NEED a surplus. It's not a lie, it's actually the truth.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

xoalynnxo

thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that.

no, you're 500 calories below that number, which means you're eating somewhere between tdee - 45% and tdee - 51%. that's actually a really big difference from tdee - 20%. eating half the calories your body needs is not a good idea.

if you read my original post you will see that i stated it is hard for me to even eat 1300 calories. i am monitored by dr's and blood work to make sure all my nutrient levels are good for my calorie intake. eating 1300 calories is not bad for me.

xoalynnxo

you do NOT need to eat a surplus to gain muscle. This is the biggest lie i keep hearing perpetuated. To gain muscle you need

1. to have the energy to lift at a progressive overload
2. enough protein to rebuild damaged muscles

Lol, so in other words natural bodybuilders who have put on muscle didn't eat in surplus, but just ate enough protein to build them?:laugh:
To build muscle is to ADD weight. To add weight, you NEED a surplus. It's not a lie, it's actually the truth.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

^^^this isnt productive to the content of the post in my opinion as my post is not about me gaining muscle.

TavistockToad

thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that.

no, you're 500 calories below that number, which means you're eating somewhere between tdee - 45% and tdee - 51%. that's actually a really big difference from tdee - 20%. eating half the calories your body needs is not a good idea.

if you read my original post you will see that i stated it is hard for me to even eat 1300 calories. i am monitored by dr's and blood work to make sure all my nutrient levels are good for my calorie intake. eating 1300 calories is not bad for me.

i think the point she was trying to make was, even though you may not want to hear it, to get the results that you want, eating more is probably your best bet.

Cr01502

to clarify: i am not looking to see results of muscles from weight training after 4 weeks. i just figured that inches and lbs would fall off as a result and that's what i didnt understand. if inches and lbs should be coming off and they arent, i want to know how to fix it

basically, i am trying to tone and lose weight at the same time. weight training helps burn fat and increase your metabolism while toning and helping you lose weight. i am not seeing any toning or weight loss results after 4 weeks and i just want to know why and if i need to change something

I would say if you're goal is to "tone up" try to shoot for 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

If you're not trying to bulk up you don't need to eat at a calorie surplus. However if that was your goal you would need to.

The amount of carbs you need is going to vary depending on the amount and type of training you do. (i.e. long endurance based cardio will need more carbs)

Fat should be about 20% of your diet.

firstsip

What weights have you been at? In the four weeks, were you able to go up weights?

I'm also curious as to what medical condition you have that doesn't allow you to eat more than very close to your BMR, but allows you to lift weights? Not being sarcastic, and I'm sure you ran lifting by your doctor, but it does seem at odds.

You can definitely improve strength at a deficit, and in four weeks, the gauge I'd use to see if you're actually doing anything would be: has your strength improved? As in, have you been able to bump up any weight.

Edit for clarity: The strength may come before you see visible differences. If you feel you're not losing pounds or inches (which could all be water retention from starting a new program), then check to see how your strength is to gauge if you're just spinning your wheels or not.

UsedToBeHusky

Okay... so you are vegan. You neglected to mention that. You do need to try and eat more. Perhaps you can add more olive oil to bulk up the calorie intake on your meals. Quantity-wise it shouldn't make it too much more difficult to eat.

I am curious though, what kind of condition makes it so difficult for you to eat? Is it some kind of esophagal issue?

jaymek92

thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that.

no, you're 500 calories below that number, which means you're eating somewhere between tdee - 45% and tdee - 51%. that's actually a really big difference from tdee - 20%. eating half the calories your body needs is not a good idea.

if you read my original post you will see that i stated it is hard for me to even eat 1300 calories. i am monitored by dr's and blood work to make sure all my nutrient levels are good for my calorie intake. eating 1300 calories is not bad for me.

if you're not allergic to nuts, have two tablespoons of peanut butter. now you're at 1500 calories.
you eat fat free products (which are processed to get that way- something you say you want to avoid). eat the full fat version.
instead of almond milk, drink skim milk (if you're really that concerned about your fat intake), which has an extra 40 cal/cup or whole milk, which has 85 cal/cup more.
look how easy it is to actually eat at tdee - 20%! you can just add some peanut butter and real milk to your daily protein drink! although i would imagine it might taste better if you used chocolate powder instead of vanilla.

you should also be more accurate with your tracking. the other day you said you ate something that included four strips of bacon with green beans and onions, but it was only 66 calories. highly doubtful, considering one strip of bacon is 70 calories.

jaymek92

Okay... so you are vegan.

weird, she's eating cream cheese, whey protein, bacon, chicken, cottage cheese, s'mores luna bars (which i'm assuming are not vegan), pork chops, mayonnaise, etc.
none of those are vegan. half of them aren't even vegetarian.

UsedToBeHusky

Okay... so you are vegan.

weird, she's eating cream cheese, whey protein, bacon, chicken, cottage cheese, s'mores luna bars (which i'm assuming are not vegan), pork chops, mayonnaise, etc.
none of those are vegan. half of them aren't even vegetarian.

I just spotted the vegan vitamins, scanned through a couple of days, and thought that I didn't see any meat. If I'm mistaken, then fine, but that doesn't take away from my advice.

Olive oil is a good way to add calories to your meals without making them bigger volume-wise.

myofibril

thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that.

no, you're 500 calories below that number, which means you're eating somewhere between tdee - 45% and tdee - 51%. that's actually a really big difference from tdee - 20%. eating half the calories your body needs is not a good idea.

if you read my original post you will see that i stated it is hard for me to even eat 1300 calories. i am monitored by dr's and blood work to make sure all my nutrient levels are good for my calorie intake. eating 1300 calories is not bad for me.

You're right, it's not depending on your level of exercise which is why I asked for your routine in detail previously.

You can of course get the sufficient amount of nutrients on 1,300 calories a day and if you are being monitored by your Doctor then this appears to be the case. However the problem is energy availability depending on how active you are or intend to be.

Your body will allocate your energy intake first and foremost to vital functions like your major organs, respiratory and circulatory functions. This then doesn't leave much left over on that intake to support a lot of exercise. You probably won't be able to exercise with the relative degree of intensity necessary or have sufficient energy resources to trigger a lot of adaptation. Ideally the body should look to fat stores but if you do too much exercise on a low intake it will prefer to slow down metabolic function. In short you'll end up spinning your wheels if you are not careful.

Hence my initial post of eat more or exercise less but more efficiently.

Give it a few more weeks. If it doesn't work consider the above.

UsedToBeHusky

thank you! my TDEE - 20% is 1600-1800 so i'm not super off of that.

no, you're 500 calories below that number, which means you're eating somewhere between tdee - 45% and tdee - 51%. that's actually a really big difference from tdee - 20%. eating half the calories your body needs is not a good idea.

if you read my original post you will see that i stated it is hard for me to even eat 1300 calories. i am monitored by dr's and blood work to make sure all my nutrient levels are good for my calorie intake. eating 1300 calories is not bad for me.

You're right, it's not depending on your level of exercise which is why I asked for your routine in detail previously.

You can of course get the sufficient amount of nutrients on 1,300 calories a day and if you are being monitored by your Doctor then this appears to be the case. However the problem is energy availability depending on how active you are or intend to be.

Your body will allocate your energy intake first and foremost to vital functions like your major organs, respiratory and circulatory functions. This then doesn't leave much left over on that intake to support a lot of exercise. You probably won't be able to exercise with the relative degree of intensity necessary or have sufficient energy resources to trigger a lot of adaptation. Ideally the body should look to fat stores but if you do too much exercise on a low intake it will prefer to slow down metabolic function. In short you'll end up spinning your wheels if you are not careful.

Hence my initial post of eat more or exercise less but more efficiently.

Give it a few more weeks. If it doesn't work consider the above.

This guy is very knowledgable. I think the best way for you to go is to choose food items with higher calories. There are lots of foods that are high in calories and still very nutritious.

xoalynnxo

Okay... so you are vegan. You neglected to mention that. You do need to try and eat more. Perhaps you can add more olive oil to bulk up the calorie intake on your meals. Quantity-wise it shouldn't make it too much more difficult to eat.

I am curious though, what kind of condition makes it so difficult for you to eat? Is it some kind of esophagal issue?

i'm not vegan...where did you get that from?

i have gastroparesis. it means that my valgus nerve that contracts to push food down and digest in my stomach doesnt function properly so it makes it difficult to eat, and even more dififcult to eat healthy. anything high in fat or fiber makes me sick. i'm supposed to stick with bland foods, no raw fruits and veggies. safe gastroparesis foods are bread, rice, applesauce, juice, etc. i obviously do not follow this because it is a very nutrient poor diet and i feel sick regardless so why not eat healthy? calorie dense foods are nice, but those are usually high in fat or sugar which is very difficult for me to digest.

xoalynnxo

Okay... so you are vegan.

weird, she's eating cream cheese, whey protein, bacon, chicken, cottage cheese, s'mores luna bars (which i'm assuming are not vegan), pork chops, mayonnaise, etc.
none of those are vegan. half of them aren't even vegetarian.

im not vegan or vegetarian...just eat healthy

jaymek92

just saw on your profile that you're recovering from an ed. if this is the case, you should be talking to your psychologist and your doctor about your caloric needs because the idea that you need to eat at a high calorie deficit could just be your ed. the idea that you can't eat high fat/sugar foods might be because of your condition, but it could also be because of your ed.

firstsip

just saw on your profile that you're recovering from an ed. if this is the case, you should be talking to your psychologist and your doctor about your caloric needs because the idea that you need to eat at a high calorie deficit could just be your ed. the idea that you can't eat high fat/sugar foods might be because of your condition, but it could also be because of your ed.

If she has gastroparesis, that could be FROM the ED. She said she's working with her doctors.

OP, it looks like you might not have read my post, but DID you run strength training by a doc before you started it?

Edit: Got your message OP! If you're building strength, give your body time to adjust, then inches/weight will fall off. Keep with docs to monitor your nutrition because at a deficit, eventually your body will reach its plateau in strength/repairing of muscle, and good luck with dealing with multiple tricky diagnoses.