118 lbs, 5'3", 20 years old; trying to lose

lapina11
lapina11 Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
I want to know how many calories other 5'3" women are consuming each day. Before, I would eat around 1200 calories a day and run for about an hour 4 days a week, if not more. I got down to 114-115 but I felt very weak and hungry all the time. (I wouldn't eat back my burned calories). I stopped watching what I ate, maintained my weight, and felt a lot better. I would even say I was consuming over 2000 calories a day with barely any excercise.

I decided to start watching what I ate again almost 2 months ago by eating 1400 per day and began exercising about 4-5 times a week. I even added strength training which I've never done! Unfortunately, I've gained 3-4 lbs since then and I don't know why :(. Am I eating too much? Too little? I normally dont eat back my calories. This is what my workout looks like:

30 minutes of cardio: I change it up and will either run 4 miles or I'll do speed intervals (7 mph for one minute, then 8.5 mph the next minute and keep doing that until 30 minutes is up).

30-40 minutes of strength training: I'll do abs every time I workout and then I'll have upper and lower body days alternating.

I don't know if this really makes a difference, but I also work outside pollinating corn. I am either standing or walking around in the sun for about 8 hours a day. (M-F)

Any advice? I haven't really been losing inches so I dont think its muscle weight.

Replies

  • r_balogh
    r_balogh Posts: 42 Member
    It sounds like you're building muscle to me measure arms waist and other key points and track it monthly. You're definitely not consuming too much probably just gaining definition
  • wblau1991
    wblau1991 Posts: 9
    Seems like you're really into losing weight so I would suggest you start researching a little bit to figure out how many calories you burn a day. Once you have figured that out, eat less than your burn. Also you should focus a little more than just calories because how you distribute your calories is also important. People generally eat about 1g of protein/body weight and play with their carbs and fats to find a sweet spot that works for your body.

    Sounds great that you're incorporating strength training and cardio! In addition to abs try focusing on larger muscle groups because working them out burns the most amount of calories. These compound movements include exercises such as squats, bench press, and pullups. Not only do they help you burn more calories since these movements target large muscle groups it will also tone your body proportionally. Don't worry about looking like a freaky bodybuilder because women naturally do not have enough testosterone to build that a lot of muscle.

    If you feel like your typical cardio is no longer helpful you can try to do some high intensity interval training. People argue that it helps you raise your metabolism so you will burn more calories even after the workout.

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