I must be doing something wrong. Advice?
Flufferoon
Posts: 14
Hello, I am a 19 year old female at 5'3'' and between 110 and 113 lbs.
- I am a vegetarian
- I work between 23 and 28 hours a week, on my feet and walking around (retail job), but nothing too serious or intense at all.
- I get to the gym about 3 to 4 days a week although I'd like to be going more often.
- At the gym I focus on fast-paced walking on the treadmill (4.0 mph between 12.5 and 15 incline until I burn a certain amount of calories)
- I also focus on planks, leg lifts (on the floor), leg adduction and abduction, lat pull-down, and a small amount of chest press.
- I do not get much protein.
- I eat mostly fruits and vegetables, but included in breakfast I'll have some Cheerio's Multigrain cereal or Bagel Thins.
- I've been attending the gym since the beginning week of January (it is now late February) and have not seen sufficient results.
- I believe I take in around 1000 calories a day but I might be taking in 100 or 200 extra, since I have a bit of a problem with grazing on small bits of fruit like strawberries, melon, or grapes or a handful of cereal or one or two crackers.
- I would like to tone, but I don't want to become thicker or bulkier, I would like to slim down and get to between 90lbs and 100lbs.
- At the beginning of January at the gym, they told me I was at 27% body fat.
- Apparently, when I arrived at the gym and they took measurements, I was 108lbs, Lean Body Mass: 78.8 lbs, Fat Mass: 29.2 lbs, and BMR 1120. BMI was 19.1.
So, I'm not very sure what to do. I have a very busy schedule between school and work, and that doesn't leave much time anymore for the gym, unfortunately.
-I get hungry often, and the worst time is in the morning and around dinner time. I always crave a snack after dinner, and I always crave fruit.
-I'm afraid that all this fruit is too much sugar for me.
-Generally, I have about 3 servings of fruit per day, containing 2 cups of melon and 1 cup of strawberries, or an apple.
-I do eat frozen vegetables, mainly from Green Giant, Birds Eye, or Pict Sweet.
-I think I have a problem with night snacking.
What should I do? Do i need to give more info on everything?
- I am a vegetarian
- I work between 23 and 28 hours a week, on my feet and walking around (retail job), but nothing too serious or intense at all.
- I get to the gym about 3 to 4 days a week although I'd like to be going more often.
- At the gym I focus on fast-paced walking on the treadmill (4.0 mph between 12.5 and 15 incline until I burn a certain amount of calories)
- I also focus on planks, leg lifts (on the floor), leg adduction and abduction, lat pull-down, and a small amount of chest press.
- I do not get much protein.
- I eat mostly fruits and vegetables, but included in breakfast I'll have some Cheerio's Multigrain cereal or Bagel Thins.
- I've been attending the gym since the beginning week of January (it is now late February) and have not seen sufficient results.
- I believe I take in around 1000 calories a day but I might be taking in 100 or 200 extra, since I have a bit of a problem with grazing on small bits of fruit like strawberries, melon, or grapes or a handful of cereal or one or two crackers.
- I would like to tone, but I don't want to become thicker or bulkier, I would like to slim down and get to between 90lbs and 100lbs.
- At the beginning of January at the gym, they told me I was at 27% body fat.
- Apparently, when I arrived at the gym and they took measurements, I was 108lbs, Lean Body Mass: 78.8 lbs, Fat Mass: 29.2 lbs, and BMR 1120. BMI was 19.1.
So, I'm not very sure what to do. I have a very busy schedule between school and work, and that doesn't leave much time anymore for the gym, unfortunately.
-I get hungry often, and the worst time is in the morning and around dinner time. I always crave a snack after dinner, and I always crave fruit.
-I'm afraid that all this fruit is too much sugar for me.
-Generally, I have about 3 servings of fruit per day, containing 2 cups of melon and 1 cup of strawberries, or an apple.
-I do eat frozen vegetables, mainly from Green Giant, Birds Eye, or Pict Sweet.
-I think I have a problem with night snacking.
What should I do? Do i need to give more info on everything?
0
Replies
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You need to eat more calories, especially on your exercise days... 1000 calories isnt enough for anyone0
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110-113 Is a perfect weight for you! 99-100 is a huge no-no!! You just need to focus on being healthy. Continue working out and get yourself a good diet that you can stick to. I am 19 as well and I weigh 172, i have work to do and weight to lose, you do not need to.0
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You do not need to worry about losing weight. It would be much healthier for you to fix the body fat % by making more of your body into muscle.
To make muscle, you will need more protein: nuts, beans ad yogurt.
Lift heavy things, take a body sculpt class, or get resistance bands (cheapest option)0 -
You are eating too little..
Period.
As a vegetarian you need to increase your protein intake, as well as your overall calorie intake. I was a ****ty vegetarian for years, i know how it is..
You work a on your feet job you are constantly moving around, you need more calories to sustain yourself, as you say yourself you are very hungry.. that means you need to eat..
Do research.
Find out what your BMR is and what your TDEE is.. If you enter these terms in the search bar on the forums you will get lots of hits and great advice.0 -
Let me get this straight: You're 5'3" and you weigh between 110-113 pounds, but you want to weigh between 90-100 pounds?
ETA: Perhaps you meant to say that you are 3'5"?0 -
Who in their right mind would want to go under 100 pounds with 5"3'?! You need to turn off Fashion TV, eat at least 1800 calories and focus on your studies and career and future instead of trying to get an eating disorder. Sorry.0
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Let me get this straight: You're 5'3" and you weigh between 110-113 pounds, but you want to weigh between 90-100 pounds?
ETA: Perhaps you meant to say that you are 3'5"?
Perhaps she meant to say she has a thinly disguised eating disorder?0 -
You do not need to worry about losing weight. It would be much healthier for you to fix the body fat % by making more of your body into muscle.
To make muscle, you will need more protein: nuts, beans ad yogurt.
Lift heavy things, take a body sculpt class, or get resistance bands (cheapest option)
I am not happy with how my body is. I believe that if I cut down 10lbs or so and increase muscle mass, I'll be happier with the results. I don't want to have the same amount of fat on my body now, I would rather slim down and then tone up. Weight lifting makes me nervous because I don't want to become thicker, I want to become leaner.
You are eating too little..
Period.As a vegetarian you need to increase your protein intake, as well as your overall calorie intake. I was a ****ty vegetarian for years, i know how it is..
You work a on your feet job you are constantly moving around, you need more calories to sustain yourself, as you say yourself you are very hungry.. that means you need to eat..
From what I've researched, I need the caloric deficit. I believe that if I increase my calorie intake any more, i will gain weight from it. My job is retail, so I'm just strolling through the isles most of the time and then standing the rest of the time, so.. Not too intense.0 -
You do not need to worry about losing weight. It would be much healthier for you to fix the body fat % by making more of your body into muscle.
To make muscle, you will need more protein: nuts, beans ad yogurt.
Lift heavy things, take a body sculpt class, or get resistance bands (cheapest option)
^^^^^^This all day long0 -
Let me get this straight: You're 5'3" and you weigh between 110-113 pounds, but you want to weigh between 90-100 pounds?
ETA: Perhaps you meant to say that you are 3'5"?
Perhaps she meant to say she has a thinly disguised eating disorder?
The disguise wasn't as thin as she'd like to be. I picked up on it right away.0 -
I don't want to sound dismissive, but girl you sound like you are super healthy as it is. You also have a healthy BMI and getting down to 100 lbs is underweight. If you want to be more toned, lifting weights is a great way to do it. When lifting, use a weight that you can only complete 5-7 reps. If you can do anymore than that, you likely need more weight. I read recently that when women lift weights, even weights that are considered "heavy," their arms and legs tend to NOT increase in circumference but become more defined and "cut." Increasing protein and minimizing the sugars could help, but I wouldn't cut anymore calories, just change where you get them.
Self love is a powerful thing, and loving the gifts that your body gives you is super important. Good luck to you!
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods0 -
I'm not really sure I understand what you are trying to achieve? You're 5'3", 110-113 pounds, sounds like you are in excellent health. I do agree with one poster, you aren't eating enough calories. I fell victim to this myself, and found I was under-eating by nearly 1,000 calories per day (900+)
You should be be eating back 3/4's or so of the calories you burn from exercise, so that you are feeding your body the nutrition it needs.
I would recommend, if you can, faithfully and exactly logging your foods, and, if you can, consider getting a FitBit, which I have found a very very valuable tool for ACCURATELY recording physical activity...Based on the walking you're doing, you probably are burning hundreds of calories per work-out, and not eating those, on top of not eating enough to begin with.
-BootJockey0 -
Let me get this straight: You're 5'3" and you weigh between 110-113 pounds, but you want to weigh between 90-100 pounds?
ETA: Perhaps you meant to say that you are 3'5"?
Uh. it's actually not that unrealistic, seeing as how I have quite a bit of fat percentage that I would like to get rid of and get a more reasonable percentage such as between 12% and 17%, to have a leaner and more toned look.Who in their right mind would want to go under 100 pounds with 5"3'?! You need to turn off Fashion TV, eat at least 1800 calories and focus on your studies and career and future instead of trying to get an eating disorder. Sorry.
- I don't watch fashion tv.
- 1800 calories is actually, technically, above my BMR and would cause me to gain fat.
- I focus on my school work and goals for my career just fine, thanks.
- I'm pretty sure I don't have an eating disorder, since last time I checked I'm eating 5 meals a day and just trying to find a better way, like everyone else on here, to reach my goal for a better body.0 -
Eat more protein, eat more in general, start lifting, maybe start some hiit0
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Hi I think you have some numbers wrong too. Your BMR should be higher than that based on your age? I would think it would be 1300+.
What you need to do is to keep a SMALL deficit whilst doing everything you can to hang onto your lean muscle mass. You need to eat more protein and use those muscles. Reduce the treadmill/cardio and do more resistance/weight exercises. If you eat below your BMR you will not be doing yourself any favours. Your body will try to hang onto the fat stores.
You will NOT bulk up if you put on more muscle. You can't diet your way to a toned body.0 -
You do not need to worry about losing weight. It would be much healthier for you to fix the body fat % by making more of your body into muscle.
To make muscle, you will need more protein: nuts, beans ad yogurt.
Lift heavy things, take a body sculpt class, or get resistance bands (cheapest option)
^^^^^This. This. A thousand times: THIS.0 -
- I don't watch fashion tv.
- 1800 calories is actually, technically, above my BMR and would cause me to gain fat.
- I focus on my school work and goals for my career just fine, thanks.
- I'm pretty sure I don't have an eating disorder, since last time I checked I'm eating 5 meals a day and just trying to find a better way, like everyone else on here, to reach my goal for a better body.
Well it sure looks like that is where your idea of ideal body weight comes from. About the ED thing, several of us associated to that immediately. You know if it walks like a duck...
Everyone else here is trying to achieve a NORMAL BMI and great health. And not, a 17 or 18 or some underweight BMI (calling it "toned" won't help the facts) that you are.
EDIT: and you don't seem to get the concept. Eating below BMR makes you ill. Eating between BMR and TDEE makes you lose weight. Eating above TDEE makes you gain weight. Go figure where 1000 calories belong here.0 -
You do not need to worry about losing weight. It would be much healthier for you to fix the body fat % by making more of your body into muscle.
To make muscle, you will need more protein: nuts, beans ad yogurt.
Lift heavy things, take a body sculpt class, or get resistance bands (cheapest option)
I am not happy with how my body is. I believe that if I cut down 10lbs or so and increase muscle mass, I'll be happier with the results. I don't want to have the same amount of fat on my body now, I would rather slim down and then tone up. Weight lifting makes me nervous because I don't want to become thicker, I want to become leaner.
You are eating too little..
Period.As a vegetarian you need to increase your protein intake, as well as your overall calorie intake. I was a ****ty vegetarian for years, i know how it is..
You work a on your feet job you are constantly moving around, you need more calories to sustain yourself, as you say yourself you are very hungry.. that means you need to eat..
From what I've researched, I need the caloric deficit. I believe that if I increase my calorie intake any more, i will gain weight from it. My job is retail, so I'm just strolling through the isles most of the time and then standing the rest of the time, so.. Not too intense.
^^^ What you just said is so wrong. You're starving yourself. At your height, 90 -100 lbs is borderline underweight. I'm agreeing with everyone else BUILD SOME MUSCLE it will actually lift and hold whatever fat you have so that it is not flabby, and make you firmer, more defined. It would take YEARS of heavy - heavy lifting to make you look bulky, you'd also have to be eating in the 3000+ calorie range. So stop starving yourself, eat at least 1500 cals, get some lean protien, like spinach, alfalfa, edamame, etc. and work those muscles!0 -
Let me get this straight: You're 5'3" and you weigh between 110-113 pounds, but you want to weigh between 90-100 pounds?
ETA: Perhaps you meant to say that you are 3'5"?
Uh. it's actually not that unrealistic, seeing as how I have quite a bit of fat percentage that I would like to get rid of and get a more reasonable percentage such as between 12% and 17%, to have a leaner and more toned look.Who in their right mind would want to go under 100 pounds with 5"3'?! You need to turn off Fashion TV, eat at least 1800 calories and focus on your studies and career and future instead of trying to get an eating disorder. Sorry.
- I don't watch fashion tv.
- 1800 calories is actually, technically, above my BMR and would cause me to gain fat.
- I focus on my school work and goals for my career just fine, thanks.
- I'm pretty sure I don't have an eating disorder, since last time I checked I'm eating 5 meals a day and just trying to find a better way, like everyone else on here, to reach my goal for a better body.
It is your TDEE you need to worry about, not your BMR. You should net your BMR every day, and even more. At your current weight, you should eat at maintenance (TDEE), and lift weights. You will like the results more.0 -
Hi I think you have some numbers wrong too. Your BMR should be higher than that based on your age? I would think it would be 1300+.
What you need to do is to keep a SMALL deficit whilst doing everything you can to hang onto your lean muscle mass. You need to eat more protein and use those muscles. Reduce the treadmill/cardio and do more resistance/weight exercises. If you eat below your BMR you will not be doing yourself any favours. Your body will try to hang onto the fat stores.
You will NOT bulk up if you put on more muscle. You can't diet your way to a toned body.
THIS. I think you don't understand this nutrition thing. Besides the fact that 90lbs at 5'3 would be underweight, according to every measurement, you can't diet your way to the body you want. You need to eat close to maintenance and lift heavy. You won't get bulky, but you will shape your body. "Tone" is a meaningless term used by the health industry to fool women into buying meaningless exercise equipment. Look up Stronglifts, do a lot of squats, deadlifts, presses, bench presses and eat a lot of protein.0
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