I have no idea what I'm doing

dottic1

I am going on 50 years old, medically, I'm in menopause, have hypothyroidism, high cholesterol, gastroparesis, major depressive disorder, ptsd & allergies to trees, weeds, grass, dust, dust mites, mold, as well as other inhalants. The allergies have many foods that r cross sensitivities. For example, carrots, alcohol, pickles, celery all trigger migraines.

This is the first time in my life that I have had to "diet", most of my life, I've had trouble gaining weight, now that I'm older, the opposite true. I am 5' 7", 163 lbs. I have been taking Herbalife shakes in place of breakfast & lunch, then I have supper. I go to the gym 5 days a week, for a full body workout by working about 30 minutes of cardio & 1-2 hours on different strength training machines (16 machines in total). I don't want to build muscle, just tone.

My question is, am I doing this the right way to get down to 140 lbs & is it better to work more machines & less reps or less machines, increasing weight & reps?

psuLemon

I will try not comment on calories as sara or sidesteal will approach that, but here is what I have seen in the past. Generally speaking, those women that have gone through menopause or those with hypothyroidism generally have lower BMR or RMR's than the average person their age which will then lead to lower TDEE's. Additionally, the few women I have worked with have been required to a lower carb diet (100g's or less). It may not be a requirement for you, but if after a few months you don't see much weight loss, it can be an option.

I would however suggest dropping the herbalife shakes. There are plenty of shakes on the market that are just as good but a lot less expensive. Additionally, you are better off eating real food as you will see greater satiety and probably macro nutrition. If you have the ability to eat egg, I would make it one of your staples for breakfast. I generally believe shakes are better suited for post workout or snacks if you are on the run.

In terms of exercise, it's good to see you are doing full body routines. They are a good start to developing some muscles. When you want to take it to the next step, you can get off the smith machines and start working with free weights. A bunch of information can be found in the below thread. It's all about of great stuff.

Good luck though.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

Sarauk2sf

Tagging as I just realized we had not responded - apologies.

Sarauk2sf

Could you let is know what your gross calories are over the last 2 months and what your average grams for protein, fats and carbs. Also, how much weight you have lost over this period.

How active are you in the day time? For example, do you have a desk job. run around after kids etc.