Am I doing enough?

ishkur
ishkur Posts: 41 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there. I'm new to the message boards, but I've been using MFP for a year or so (not continuous.)

So my question is, am I doing enough?

I "work out" 6 days a week.
I just started Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (Level 1), which is around 20 minutes long and I've logged it being around 90 calories burned. After that, I do 5 sets/10 reps of 10lb standing dumbbell curls, and I've logged that being somewhere around 30 calories.

I am 145lbs, 5'7", and 20 years old. My BMR is around 1500, and my TDEE is around 1800. I have set my calorie intake to be 1200. I've recently became vegan, not for weight loss, but for personal reasons before I even began working out.

I was EXTREMELY inactive for my entire life, I basically live on playing video games at my computer. Where I may be at an okay weight for my height, NONE of it is muscle, okay well... not exactly none, but I am mushy and pudgy all over, and have quite a bit of a lower tummy pooch. The last time I was taped by my military husband, he calculated my body fat percentage to be somewhere around 36%. So yea, you get the idea, I'm extremely out of shape and just blubber.

Not only that, but I can't do much of anything. I get fairly winded at the very beginning of any work out, just in the stretching phase! And I'm quite sick of it.

Please don't suggest joining a gym, where I live it takes around 2.5 hours to get to the nearest gym, so I'd like options for at home training.

So, with the information give, am I doing enough to strengthen my body, and to tighten up some of this fat into muscle? My goal is to have a strong, and enduring body in at least a year. It's when my husband comes back from deployment, and I thought it would be a nice surprise because we both love traveling and I know he's very active and loves backpacking and I really want to backpack through Europe with him, but in this state I think he'd be carrying me most of the way.

Replies

  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    You shouldn't be eating below your BMR. Get that sorted first. Add some resistance/strength training if you're worried about maintaining muscle (as you should be).
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
    Buy a bodymedia fit armband, and then you'll know so much more about your fitness level, calorie burn, caloric needs and the impact any little thing does. Stick with Jillian workouts until you've completed it. Those are great especially to start! I'd think though, if you are out of breath during the stretching, you are burning more calories during that workout than you think, which is why if you have the means... buy this armband!!!
  • tkcasta
    tkcasta Posts: 405 Member
    I would raise your calories to 1400 (gradually) since you don't seem to be hitting that 1200 mark consistently. Also with being vegan, you have to make sure you are getting enough protein. Look at some of the strength training workouts on something like bodybuilding.com - I like Jamie Eason's livefit, you seem to be more interested in body recomposition so start reading about that. Alan Aragon is a good source to start with. Also, something like 30DS is pretty intense and I would wager you are burning at least 250 calories if not more. You may have to invest a little in a home gym (like heavier dumbbells and what not).
  • ishkur
    ishkur Posts: 41 Member
    You shouldn't be eating below your BMR. Get that sorted first. Add some resistance/strength training if you're worried about maintaining muscle (as you should be).

    I thought I was supposed to eat 200-300 under my BMR to lose weight? :/
  • tkcasta
    tkcasta Posts: 405 Member
    You shouldn't be eating below your BMR. Get that sorted first. Add some resistance/strength training if you're worried about maintaining muscle (as you should be).

    I thought I was supposed to eat 200-300 under my BMR to lose weight? :/

    No, under your TDEE.

    BMR is the minimum you need for your body to function - IE digest, cells work properly, etc.
  • ishkur
    ishkur Posts: 41 Member
    Buy a bodymedia fit armband, and then you'll know so much more about your fitness level, calorie burn, caloric needs and the impact any little thing does. Stick with Jillian workouts until you've completed it. Those are great especially to start! I'd think though, if you are out of breath during the stretching, you are burning more calories during that workout than you think, which is why if you have the means... buy this armband!!!

    Ahhh! I wish I could get one of those, it would be so helpful. But I'm currently on a very tight budget, still trying to make up for the weight set, ahaha. Thank you though, I will definitely bookmark this for when I have a little more room in my budget. :)
  • ishkur
    ishkur Posts: 41 Member
    You shouldn't be eating below your BMR. Get that sorted first. Add some resistance/strength training if you're worried about maintaining muscle (as you should be).

    I thought I was supposed to eat 200-300 under my BMR to lose weight? :/

    No, under your TDEE.

    BMR is the minimum you need for your body to function - IE digest, cells work properly, etc.

    OH.

    I don't know why, but its hard for me to hit 1200, unless I'm splurging on a high calorie treat. Trust me, I'm not starving myself, or anything like that, I'm quite full each meal that I consume.

    Oh, and I get around 60g of protein daily, is that enough, because if not I do have a soy protein shake that I could add to get a good amount.
  • karimonahan
    karimonahan Posts: 25 Member
    your calorie burn for your videos would be higher. everyone is different but we are the same height and i weight 139lbs. for a 30 min JM dvd i burn 186cal. i know its 10 mins longer, but with you just starting out, i bet you would burn closer to what i am.
  • tkcasta
    tkcasta Posts: 405 Member
    You shouldn't be eating below your BMR. Get that sorted first. Add some resistance/strength training if you're worried about maintaining muscle (as you should be).

    I thought I was supposed to eat 200-300 under my BMR to lose weight? :/

    No, under your TDEE.

    BMR is the minimum you need for your body to function - IE digest, cells work properly, etc.

    OH.

    I don't know why, but its hard for me to hit 1200, unless I'm splurging on a high calorie treat. Trust me, I'm not starving myself, or anything like that, I'm quite full each meal that I consume.

    Oh, and I get around 60g of protein daily, is that enough, because if not I do have a soy protein shake that I could add to get a good amount.

    Well you don't have to splurge, but try adding some cals in like nuts and avocados. And 60 would be like a minimum. I would really suggest reading as much as you can about body recomposition if your intended results are to be more fit and toned looking.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I strongly suggest the 'slim in 6' dvd series. It's what I started with. It will help you build some muscles, without running out of breath like the 30 day shred.

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