Bit of a problem, requesting help. Please read.

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  • cls_333
    cls_333 Posts: 206 Member
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    You are definitely not eating enough. I am 44, a runner, run up to 40+ miles per week, plus do speed work, core/pull-ups/push-ups, plyos, etc. and I feel TREMENDOUS! I have more energy than I know what to do with most days. I weigh 124 and eat every single excerise calorie back, plus some. If you take care of your body, you will have energy & be happy. Starving yourself & cutting out carbs is the worst thing you can do. I honestly don't think you can work out too much as long as you take care of yourself. There are people who work out 6-8 hours a day, and run 100+ miles per week that are super strong & healthy & energetic. Good luck to you!
  • pickledginger
    pickledginger Posts: 172
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    The way you are feeling and what your body is doing sound like what I went through, once upon a time. I was trying desperately to get down to what the height-weight charts (and my doctor, who didn't look at the actual patient) said I should weigh and get rid of that tiny tummy bulge... and had managed to get my body fat down well into the single digits. (Not good.) I applied for a medical study that needed healthy obese-according-to-BMI controls, and was turned down because, though I fit the criteria, I "wasn't overweight" -- really bad science, but also, you'd think I would have listened.

    Friends told me I didn't need to lose any more weight -- I thought they were just being kind. Strangers stopped me to ask how long I had been a body-builder -- I thought they were strange. I sank in salt water -- this should have been a clue!

    I was tired and achy all the time. My periods stopped. I started passing out -- and finally, finally, re-evaluated my goals.

    I am glad you're not making yourself as sick as I did, before taking a hard look at what you are doing. You seem to be eating pretty well, what you're eating, but it may not be enough.

    1,200 calories is not a magic number. Every body is different. This is not medical advice. Et cetera. But you sound like someone who has a serious metabolic problem.

    Even if the main problem isn't too few xalories but something else, overstressing your body by trying to lose more weight right now.may be a bad idea. Presumably, your doctor has checked you for mono and maybe Lyme. Probably, the expert you might be seeing will look at thyroid and adrenal function. Maybe nutritional deficiencies are causing part of the problem -- a good sports nutritionist might be able to help you a lot.

    But really, if I were you, the first thing I would try is eating more. Maybe taking a good stress vitamin. Maybe taking a week off from exercising. Then forget losing more weight right now; work on building muscle, if you want, but those extra pounds you want to lose may be a bad idea, and some of the sagging may just be because you're unwell.

    Good luck -- hope you feel better soon!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    EAT MORE. And take rest days. Two days a week just do the dog walking. And you probably don't need to be doing two other workouts a day.

    edit: taking a week or two off completely to rest and recover is also a good idea.
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
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    Get heavier weights. 15lbs isn't going to cut it - get a bar set. Then get a book like Starting Strength or New Rules of Lifting for Women and follow that program. That'll get you where you want to be a lot faster.
  • pickledginger
    pickledginger Posts: 172
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    No, you won't lose your muscle if you take a week off.

    Yes, you might want to ask your doctor for blood tests: Iron, B6/B12, D, at least. A lot of women are short on calcium, magnesium, iodine and other trace minerals, too -- it's just about impossible to get enough from food on less than 2,000 calories per day, even if you eat right, from what I have read, and working your body so hard means you need more, anyway.

    When you see your doctor / gynecologist / endocrinologist / nutritionist / counselor, take along the MFP report and all your workout info.

    See if you can't find a cheap local gym. There are a couple around here for $10 per month. The leg and back and ab machines make it easier to tone the areas you're worrying about.

    Please, take a break.
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
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    Get heavier weights. 15lbs isn't going to cut it - get a bar set. Then get a book like Starting Strength or New Rules of Lifting for Women and follow that program. That'll get you where you want to be a lot faster.

    I don't have money or access to these things, can I still get toned with body weight and dumbbells?
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
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    I have one more question.

    Do I have to do a lot (if any) cardio exercising (besides walking the dog) to get toned?
    I mean, if I just do be fit in 90 (which has both cardio and strength) will I see toning? Do I have to be sweating profusely, and feeling like I am going to die, to actually be doing SOMETHING?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I have one more question.

    Do I have to do a lot (if any) cardio exercising (besides walking the dog) to get toned?
    I mean, if I just do be fit in 90 (which has both cardio and strength) will I see toning? Do I have to be sweating profusely, and feeling like I am going to die, to actually be doing SOMETHING?

    You do not have to do any cardio to get 'toned'. A low enough BF and strength training will do that. I would do an actual strength training program and not the DVD.

    ETA: I would like to emphasise that your BF may well be low enough/too low but you are lacking LBM.

    Also, you may have missed the question, but what did your doctor say when you saw them a few weeks ago? You appear to be worrying about the wrong things here - you have missed 5 periods which indicates some type of possible issue - which may well be caused by diet/exercise etc.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Do you do these workouts all at once, or spread throughout the day? It looks pretty aggressive, but if spread throughout the day it's probably okay for someone your age if properly fueled, which you probably are not. Also, take a rest or light day every now and then.

    I glanced at just a couple of days of your food diary and it looks like you need to eat more calories and more carbs. That kind of workout schedule needs fuel.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Does anybody know any ROUTINES for toning with body weight and dumbbells? Preferably on you tube? I know a lot of different exercises, but no routines.

    Go get a kettlebell, they aren't very expensive, and google kettlebell exercises.....I think that will really help.

    The thing is, I would like full routines, so I know I am not missing anything...

    You can get a long way with one 15lbs/20lbs kettlebell and a $10 dvd like Angie Miller's kettlebell bootcamp - lots of levels to do... EAT more, are you trying to starve youself ? Your body cannot do all the exercise and stay healthy on no fuel....
    If you want to combine strengh (for "toning") and cardio, the kettlebell will be your best friend......
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
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    What if I do some of the exercises in fitness blender (on you tube) combined with be fit in 90? will I get results? I am not looking to have totally rock hard abs (Although that would be nice) I am just looking to not jiggle and be able to look OK in a swimsuit...
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    How are you going to fix your diet first? Because you can't sustain the workouts until you fix the food.

    And yes, what did the doctor say?
  • TKCG74
    TKCG74 Posts: 9 Member
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    My two cents.......Throw it all away and make a drastic change...........instead of high rep cardio, try weight lifting. I am sure you are on the low end of your BFP. Eat 80 to 100 grams of protein and around 1500 cal. per day. As you build muscle you will see a more toned body appear. the mental thing can also be from not eating enough. you have to treat yourself now and again. Most important, be happy. Thousands of women would kill to be 5'7" 127! Also keep in mind muscle weighs more the fat. So keep 135 in the back of your mind. It is a great number, but only a number.

    good luck
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
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    How are you going to fix your diet first? Because you can't sustain the workouts until you fix the food.

    And yes, what did the doctor say?

    Doctor said I need to stop losing weight, not a whole lot else. I will try to up my calories, but I am scared. I think I will stop 30 day shred, at least for now, and try to finish be fit in 90. I am thinking of adding some fitness blender workouts for my butt, core, and abs. Do you think this will help?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    How are you going to fix your diet first? Because you can't sustain the workouts until you fix the food.

    And yes, what did the doctor say?

    Doctor said I need to stop losing weight, not a whole lot else. I will try to up my calories, but I am scared. I think I will stop 30 day shred, at least for now, and try to finish be fit in 90. I am thinking of adding some fitness blender workouts for my butt, core, and abs. Do you think this will help?

    What will help is to pay attention to your doctor and stop losing weight. Get your calories up to maintenance and start a proper lifting program if you want to improve body composition.

    Sorry to be harsh, but you really need to stop worrying about what DVD to do and eat more.
  • joannathechef
    joannathechef Posts: 484 Member
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    Stop excercising for 1.5 hours a day - 30 minutes or so should be enough - it is best for fat burn.

    Add weight training about 2 times a week min - this helps tone lift and keep lean muscle mass

    Eat more... I think you are eating to few calories a day add some more protein

    Rest one day a week - no exercise at all you need to recover too
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
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    Stupid question, do I HAVE to lift heavy to get toned? Or can I eventually achieve that with only body weight and dumbbell exercises? And by upping my calories. I don't have access to heavy weights, and I might not for quite a while. (If I ever do, will 30 minutes every other day be good? I am hoping to sometime in the future (a year or two) to get a gym membership and a personal trainer but it could be a while till this happens) Also, If I decide to take a week long break from hardly ANY exercise, and up my calories to 1400 a day, will I turn into a giant ball of fat and skin? Or will that only happen if I eat over?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Do you ever want to be healthy? Do you ever want to have children? You may be wrecking the possibility of ever having children, and always having messed up hormones, unless you eat. You can always fix fat. I'm almost 50 and I am fixing my fat. Fix your health.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Stupid question, do I HAVE to lift heavy to get toned? Or can I eventually achieve that with only body weight and dumbbell exercises? And by upping my calories. I don't have access to heavy weights, and I might not for quite a while. (If I ever do, will 30 minutes every other day be good? I am hoping to sometime in the future (a year or two) to get a gym membership and a personal trainer but it could be a while till this happens) Also, If I decide to take a week long break from hardly ANY exercise, and up my calories to 1400 a day, will I turn into a giant ball of fat and skin? Or will that only happen if I eat over?

    You will not turn into a giant ball of fat and skin no matter what you eat for a week. You can definitely get benefit from body weight and DB exercise. One of the best exercise is a body weight one - the simple push up.

    However, you seem to be missing the point - you need to up your calories to what should be maintenance permanently - which at your age should not be 1,400 calories - it should be a lot more.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Stupid question, do I HAVE to lift heavy to get toned? Or can I eventually achieve that with only body weight and dumbbell exercises? And by upping my calories. I don't have access to heavy weights, and I might not for quite a while. (If I ever do, will 30 minutes every other day be good? I am hoping to sometime in the future (a year or two) to get a gym membership and a personal trainer but it could be a while till this happens) Also, If I decide to take a week long break from hardly ANY exercise, and up my calories to 1400 a day, will I turn into a giant ball of fat and skin? Or will that only happen if I eat over?

    1400 will not likely be enough calories to correct your hormonal imbalance. It's very likely that you'll need to eat more than that and I'd take a full week off of exercise. 1400 will likely be a deficit, you need to eat at least at TDEE.

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