90 minute Q&A - All fitness and weight loss related please
Options
Replies
-
Amazing. Bumping to read later.0
-
I was doing crunches, sit ups, planks, and leg lifts once a day for three weeks (along with other training) and I was seeing results.
Until my tail bone started to get injured (cut/scraped, etc)
I could no longer continue.
I was excited at my progress.
Do you have a suggestion on how to avoid this type of injury?
How much were you doing? Why are you only focusing on abdominal exercises? And if you're rubbing your tailbone against something that's causing injury, why not just use a yoga mat or some other soft surface to avoid irritating the area?
Yoga matt/pillow did not help (but area was already injured at that point)
I was up to 75 sit ups/95 crunches/ 60 leg lifts/ and 2 min plank (as fast as I can)
I was not only doing abs...just trying to work them 5 days a week.
What are your intentions with all the ab work though? Are you training all of your muscles 5 days per week?
no.... i was told abs every day
Told by who? More importantly, for what reason? What do you believe it's accomplishing? I'm not knocking you or your approach... I'm simply trying to learn if you're doing this for the right reason. I find many people who are blasting away on ab exercises, focusing much of their attention on it, because they want a toned midsection. Then I bring up something about spot reduction and they chime in, "Oh I know how that's not possible blah blah blah." Yet, they're still doing all of this crazy ab work trying to spot tone their midsections.
Follow me?
I follow you ...
but:
I was told abs every day 9in some form) by the head trainer at my gym (old gym) I was also participating in a cumulative ab challenge I saw online.
I do HIITS (ZGYM) 5 days a week and toss in extra ab work...0 -
Bumping for awesomeness.0
-
I was doing crunches, sit ups, planks, and leg lifts once a day for three weeks (along with other training) and I was seeing results.
Until my tail bone started to get injured (cut/scraped, etc)
I could no longer continue.
I was excited at my progress.
Do you have a suggestion on how to avoid this type of injury?
How much were you doing? Why are you only focusing on abdominal exercises? And if you're rubbing your tailbone against something that's causing injury, why not just use a yoga mat or some other soft surface to avoid irritating the area?
Yoga matt/pillow did not help (but area was already injured at that point)
I was up to 75 sit ups/95 crunches/ 60 leg lifts/ and 2 min plank (as fast as I can)
I was not only doing abs...just trying to work them 5 days a week.
What are your intentions with all the ab work though? Are you training all of your muscles 5 days per week?
no.... i was told abs every day
Told by who? More importantly, for what reason? What do you believe it's accomplishing? I'm not knocking you or your approach... I'm simply trying to learn if you're doing this for the right reason. I find many people who are blasting away on ab exercises, focusing much of their attention on it, because they want a toned midsection. Then I bring up something about spot reduction and they chime in, "Oh I know how that's not possible blah blah blah." Yet, they're still doing all of this crazy ab work trying to spot tone their midsections.
Follow me?
I follow you ...
but:
I was told abs every day 9in some form) by the head trainer at my gym (old gym) I was also participating in a cumulative ab challenge I saw online.
I do HIITS (ZGYM) 5 days a week and toss in extra ab work...
A lot of trainers say a lot of things. Yeah, I'm a trainer. I also consult with gyms helping to train their trainers - head trainers included.
I don't see the rationale but can't win them all. If you enjoy doing it who am I to tell you otherwise.
Best!0 -
thanks for the great info!!! bumping for more good reading :P0
-
Hi, it's me again. I have question regrading TDEE and exercise calorie.
Now, here is the question, back when I was trying to lose, my TDEE is around 1680-1735. I didn't not exercise, just counting calories of food I ate. Now I am try to maintain my weight and I am exercise more. I based my TDEE by using fitbit.
I exercise about 30-45 min in the morning and in the evening 5 days a week. Mostly I run or brisk walking. I am planning to do more weight lifting soon though.
Should I continue eating at around 1700-1735 daily, this is based from fitbit number
or
Should I eat more as in 1735+exercise calories daily now?
For example, today, it is 11:40PM where I live and from Fitbit currently I burn 2476 kcal. Should I eat more or atleast average my calories out during the week? Usually I don't eat more if I am not hungry but then I have read that it is advisable to eat as close as the calorie goal per day or per week-by average weekly calories out , so now I am confused.0 -
Hi, it's me again. I have question regrading TDEE and exercise calorie.
Now, here is the question, back when I was trying to lose, my TDEE is around 1680-1735. I didn't not exercise, just counting calories of food I ate. Now I am try to maintain my weight and I am exercise more. I based my TDEE by using fitbit.
I exercise about 30-45 min in the morning and in the evening 5 days a week. Mostly I run or brisk walking. I am planning to do more weight lifting soon though.
Should I continue eating at around 1700-1735 daily, this is based from fitbit number
or
Should I eat more as in 1735+exercise calories daily now?
For example, today, it is 11:40PM where I live and from Fitbit currently I burn 2476 kcal. Should I eat more or atleast average my calories out during the week? Usually I don't eat more if I am not hungry but then I have read that it is advisable to eat as close as the calorie goal per day or per week-by average weekly calories out , so now I am confused.
I don't recommend being so exact. I mean, if that's what you prefer... have at it. It's just not my preferred method. You'll never see me suggest someone eat 1735 calories. I'll saying 1700... maybe 1750... but given the degree of error involved it's pointless to go anymore exact than that if you ask me.
Secondly, regardless of goal - lose, gain, maintain - I don't put a lot of time in picking an initial calorie intake. I don't see the point since this is about a process of refinement and adjustment over time. It's not sexy, but in very general terms I'll tell active people to start at 10-12 calories/lb for fat loss, 13-16 cal/lb for maintenance, and 17+ cals/lb for gain. That's about as much time and concern I give to initial calorie intakes. From there we dial things in based on what's actually happening with weight, measurements, physique, etc.0 -
bump to read later!0
-
It's way past the deadline but I'm still gonna throw this out. My question is: Where can I hire a trainer like you? :flowerforyou:
I wish I knew what I was doing. Been on a plateau for about a year and a half now. Gained a teeny bit in the middle due to life stuff and not tracking, or caring, -at all- for a couple months. I have tried eating at 1200 calories all the way up to TDEE and the scale just doesn't move (up or down apparently). Trying to make the scale go down again and it's just not happening. Sometimes I think I should hire a professional, but then I hear horror stories of the crap that seemingly "professionals" tell some people and think I'd rather save my money.
It should be simple right? Eat less than you burn to lose weight? If only it were that simple in execution.
Anyhow, you gave some great information in this thread, so this is mostly just to tag for my future reference. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.0 -
Bumpty bump0
-
Love all of the links, thank you!0
-
Bump!0
-
Bump0
-
It's way past the deadline but I'm still gonna throw this out. My question is: Where can I hire a trainer like you? :flowerforyou:
Quality trainers are hard to come by. That's the unfortunate reality of the industry. There are very low barriers to entry and it tends to attract a lot of jocks who think they know how to reach people and get them to their goals simply because they were "good at football" or whatever.
You know it's bad when I hesitate telling people what I do at social gatherings... not because I'm ashamed... but because I don't feel like explaining how or why I'm a bit different than what they're likely accustomed to seeing.
To answer your question though, I wrote an article on my website under the industry section that explains how to determine if a trainer is quality or not. Of course this one of the very reasons why I started online coaching, which is obviously another avenue you might consider eventually.I wish I knew what I was doing. Been on a plateau for about a year and a half now. Gained a teeny bit in the middle due to life stuff and not tracking, or caring, -at all- for a couple months. I have tried eating at 1200 calories all the way up to TDEE and the scale just doesn't move (up or down apparently). Trying to make the scale go down again and it's just not happening. Sometimes I think I should hire a professional, but then I hear horror stories of the crap that seemingly "professionals" tell some people and think I'd rather save my money.
Don't blame you. And it's hard to troubleshoot you without really diving in and getting to know your situation. But the knee jerk thought I have is, over the course of that year or whatever, what was the average intake. Maybe it's closer to maintenance than you realize? Or maybe you weren't as meticulous with tracking as you believe? Or maybe you were doing stuff that added muscle while you were losing fat which than masked any "progress" on the scale? Or maybe there's something going on medically that's screwing with water retention, metabolic rate, or whatever? On and on it goes.
Very hard to say.It should be simple right? Eat less than you burn to lose weight? If only it were that simple in execution.
Honestly, I find that it is that simple. But I also find that very few people are patient enough to actually realize their goals. Or if they are, I find that of those, very few are actually consistent and accurate enough to ensure a deficit. Seems so damn simple, but you wouldn't believe the number of people I encounter who eat a supposed deficit, which we later find out wasn't a deficit, or it was such a small deficit that their rate of weight loss was immeasurable on a week to week basis, so they get frustrated and jack calories up, sometimes controlled, other times uncontrolled, then they go right back to trying again with that same supposed deficit and the vicious cycle continues.
I'm not suggesting this is the case with you.
But with some of my online clients, I literally don't allow them to track calories or nutrients. I give them a rigid meal plan, and only I know the nutritional breakdown behind the actual food. I ask them to please avoid logging. It's much easier for them to simply follow a preplanned list of meals than worry about the numbers. Wouldn't you know that in almost all cases, they lose the fat? Even though the deficit is almost always about what their supposed deficit has always been.
There's nothing magical here. I mean MAYBE they're seeing some optimization from my nutrient breakdown and such. More than likely though I'm removing their bias in their measurements. And maybe since they're paying me each month I'm providing some accountability and incentive to be consistent. I don't know. But over the years it's been very telling for me - it really shows me the reality of much of the research out there showing the erroneous nature of self reporting. It also tells me just how close most people are to really making a difference, they're right on the cusp, but they never quite get there because they think slashing calories deeper will put them in some sort of "danger zone," and yeah, on paper, based on their tracking, it might appear that they're too low, but in reality, the actual intake or caloric value of their consumption is optimal.
I'm rambling tons as I'm half asleep, lol, but again, this is pretty frequent in my experience with my clients.
No reflection on you and your issues at all as I know very little about your situation... but maybe some food for thought.0 -
bumping for article links0
-
bumping to read later0
-
bump to read later....0
-
Tagging to save all this great info. Thank you!0
-
I may be late but I started reading through everyone's posts and I have to admit, I started over two ago and I have yo-yo'd a bit and I know it's my eating habits. I started at 150-something over two years ago and I am now at 135. I am 4'11'' and I, unfortunately, have 33% body fat. I began going to the gym four times a week since the beginning of April and/or doing P90x workouts at home when I am unable to get to the gym. I have tried counting my calories but when you look at my overall graph (weekly, monthly, whatever) I tend to be erratic.
My question is this, I would like to get to a healthy BMI, but considering I'm a latin girl who would like to put on muscle I don't think that would be the best way to set my goal. I was thinking it would be better through body fat percentage, right? Also, is there ANYWHERE i can find example menus of simple things to make to stay under 1200 a day so I can follow a better diet? I hate the idea of "dieting" but I really need to tweak my caloric intake. Simply staying under 1200 before helped me lose the weight I needed to get to 135 but I wasn't following a diet - just keeping my mouth shut when I didn't want to go over. Now I have a harder time saying no when I get hungry. (Hence the reason I turned to focusing on the gym). I just need some guidance. I really want to focus on lifelong health rather than just "getting skinny."
It sounds to me as if you have an issue of excluding the middle. Put differently, you tend to focus on the extremes of the spectrum rather than the middle. The problem is, the middle tends to be where people find their sweet spots. By that I mean, they find methods of eating and exercising that jive with their lives. They find sustainability and if they're persistent enough, they learn to love a lifestyle that garners health and a good body.
Extremes work in the sense that they'll get the ball rolling initially. They'll lead to weight loss and such. Often times though, after some time has passed, they either leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere feeling desperate and directionless or they leave you rebounding back to where you were before... or worse.
I'm not knocking the approach you've taken to get here... not at all. I commend you actually. You've lost some weight and you're working towards figuring stuff out. Just realize that you're in the midst of a process of experimentation. It's really the only way to go about it if you're truly going to custom tailor an approach to YOU.
Why do I say you exclude the middle.
1. You yo-yo diet, which is a telltale sign.
2. It's either eating really low calories or it's exercising by the sound of it... not more subtle combinations of both.
The latter one is where you need to focus. If your goal is more fat loss, which sounds like is the right focus, stick with something like 1300 calories. Don't deprive yourself. Don't think of it as a diet. In fact, if you want to be as loose as possible while still doing likely enough to generate positive physique changes... eat 130 grams of protein, 3-4 servings of fibrous veggies, and a piece or two of fruit per day. Maybe throw in some healthy fats like fish oils, nuts, avocados or whatever. Let that stand as your baseline target each day. Beyond that, do you. Eat whatever the heck you want. Is that a perfect approach? Nope. Perfectionism is the root of failure though.
Forget about BMR and don't sweat your body fat percentage. Dial in your diet as I suggested and focus on being consistent. If, after a few weeks things aren't heading in the right direction, you adjust. Maybe knock your calories down by 10% or so. Maybe you add in some conditioning work.
I'd keep resistance training in the mix for sure, as that's one of the only arrows we have in our quivers for helping preserve muscle while losing weight. Do you need 4 days per week? Absolutely not. A handful of full body sessions per week would cut it... maybe just two.
Welcome to the middle.
Quite possibly the best thing I have ever read on this site. Thank you!
That's because, as far as I can tell, the conversations on this forum (speaking very generally obviously) have deteriorated to levels where it's all about being right opposed to actually feeling out the people asking for help and offering contextually relevant advice. Everyone seems to think they have The Answers, as if there were such a thing. And those knowers-of-all feel the need to preach because they've lost 10 lbs and they happened upon a pubmed abstract that confirms their bias... never minding the remainder of the available body of research on the topic they're clamoring about or the real life application of it all... all while never actually coaching someone in their life.
I don't point that at anyone in particular and I don't mean to be a blowhard. It's just frustrating that it's nearly impossible to have intelligent conversations anymore because everyone lets their ego get in the way.
And I hate using words like everyone, this entire forum, and such... there are some amazingly bright and awesome people around here. But the forums have been painful as of late, which is why I generally choose to start my own threads.
/rant
Bumping...but also, thank you SO much for the last part!! Fairly new here, and for the most part I find the forums to be very negative, rude, and critical. It's like a certain group have their own little snarky sarcasm club and they like to belittle others to feel better about themselves. I appreciate you taking the time to answer all these questions! It means a lot, to a lot of people!0 -
bump for later0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 913 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions