Looking for some advice and motivation

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MardellD
MardellD Posts: 42
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,
I am looking for any kind of advice/support/motivation that I can get. I don't have alot of weight to lose, some body fat yes but not actual pounds really. Alot of my story as to what has happened to me is in my blog. I am trying to get in to better physical shape and to tone up with out getting really bulky. I do cardio work outs of some form every day and am strength training atleast 5 days a week. On my rest days I am still incrediably active and always get in a long walk or run. Not seeing the results that I really want though so any advice would be really appreciated!

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  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    First, you only mention exercise so I'm going to touch on food:

    1) How many calories are you eating? What is your base set at and are you eating your exercise calories?
    2) WHAT are you eating? Are you eating a lot of veggies, lean meats, and healthy fats?
    3) How much water are you drinking?
    4) Do you track your sodium intake & how high is it on a consistent basis?
    5) Do you consume a lot of sugar, real or fake (high fructose corn syrup, asparatame - such as "diet" "low fat" "low carb" "no sugar" foods)?

    Here are my tips:

    1) If you're working out everyday, you should be eating a LOT. 1400 base or more and eat all your exercise calories. Set your goal to 1/5 lb to 1 lb per week as you will lose slowly since you only have 6 more lbs to go.
    2) You should be eating as clean as possible. This means little to no processed foods (in boxes, things with added sodium, sugar, breaded, chips, high sugar, etc.)
    3) Divide your weight in half and drink that amount in OUNCES per day, MINIMUM, i.e.: You weigh 150, you need to drink AT LEAST 80 oz of water. This is 10 8-oz cups of water per day.
    4) Recommended intake is 2400mg of sodium & this shi+ is in EVERYTHING, especially if you eat out a lot or buy frozen dinners or anything that's not freshly made/is processed. Excess sodium causes you to hold water and this makes you heavier... drink a lot of water and that goes away, so low sodium, high water intake is your best friend.
    5) Recommended sugar intake per day is about 40g (or go to http://www.dietitian.com/calcbody.php and put in all your information, it'll give you what your body should be taking in as far as fiber, protein, carbs, fat, etc.) Try to get your sugars from natural sources such as honey in granola, or honey sweetened yogurt if you have to have it sweetened, and fruit. Fruit is also very touchy. It's still sugar so your body will still convert it to fat so try to eat fruits that are lower in sugar, which are going to be berries. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries. Strawberries are a bit higher so you can eat those in moderation or just not eat them at all. Bananas are high in sugar but are great for potassium so just don't eat 5 a day! lol

    Also, protein & fiber are very important, especially because you work out so much. Set your goals for 50% carbs (you need these because you run and work out a lot), 30% protein (you need protein to repair your muscles and burn fat), 20% fat (healthy fats include avocado, olive oil, almonds).

    You could be underestimating how much you're eating so get a food scale and measuring cups and weigh/measure anything that needs to be, i.e.: meats, granola, milk, whatever.

    You could be overestimating what you're burning as well so if you don't have a heart rate monitor, GET ONE. Then subtract your BMR from what you burned and log THAT number into the database, in other words:

    Tools / BMR / divide that number by 24, then divide that number by 60. However many minutes you worked out, subtract the number you got from dividing by 60 (how much you burn per minute) from the amount of minutes you worked out. The remaining number is what you're going to eat, so log that into your exercise.
  • sunset19
    sunset19 Posts: 22 Member
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    I am at your same place. I only want to lose 5 pounds and it is tough, but it would be the weight I was at a few years ago, which is completely reasonable for me. But it IS tough to get very lean. I think the key is to be patient. And to try to mix up workouts. I am going to start a new workout regimen this month- do something different and workout in the mornings instead of the evenings. I am not expecting to lose it fast, I think about 0.5 lbs a week is reasonable since there's not a lot left and I want it to stay off. I know in reality it will probably take months though to get rid of the "last 5". I just need to stick with it. Weight training is great and I do it often, but I know I need to do more running and stuff, so that's what I am focused on for the next few weeks!
  • MardellD
    MardellD Posts: 42
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    When it comes to food that is a bit complicated or me. I work with a dietician and nutritionaist because of genetic protein complications (both for myself and my son). I follow a very strict rule for protein but it's what works for my body.
    I am a vegetarian who eats little dairy. I try to use limited soy products because they are processed. I don't eat refined white sugar, have maybe 1-2 soda's in 6 months and keep alcohol, junk foods and the like to a minimum. I DO not eat any pre-prepared/frozen meals because I can't track the amout of proteins properly. Not alot of extra sodium in my diet, I maintain a fairly healthy level for that luckily.
    I do have a hard time eating enough calories. As hard as I try I seem to fall short all the time. So that is something that I am working on.
    On average about 2 litres of water a day. Because I can't drink juice or the likes. I do drink way to much coffee but again am working to cut that down.
    I eat alot of fruit but it is all on the lower end of the sugar scale.

    I have a small frame I am 5'4" and at a low but healthy weight. It's trying to tone up with out looking bulky that I am having an issue with.
  • MardellD
    MardellD Posts: 42
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    was actually a vegan, and happy about that. But due to some blood work complications, some dairy is being put back in my diet until it is under control again. This is an issue that I face occasionally and it does make it hard for a few weeks to adjust again.
  • MardellD
    MardellD Posts: 42
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    I guess the other thing when it comes to food is that I don't/can't eat any preservatives, msg or food dyes so I eat about as clean as you can get.
  • mzenzer
    mzenzer Posts: 503 Member
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    "I do have a hard time eating enough calories."

    That may be your problem, so as a result perhaps your metabolism isn't running as fast as it should be. Get your daily calories up to at least your resting metabolic rate.
  • bonniecameron68
    bonniecameron68 Posts: 16
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    you sound just like me, only I have a bit more weight I want to lose. I weight train only 3 times a week because I do a full body workout each time. I also train for triathlons and the training guide is to lift weights at a lower weight for more reps. I do the recommended 2 sets of 15 reps for my entire body. I have really toned up doing it this way, because it builds endurance mucscles and not bulk, good for triathletes, or anyone else! also I find pilates really helps to tone me up in a leaner way, not bulky. I also run 4 days a week, and hike or mountain bike once a week. I only lost the flab recently and I started in May of this year. I know its tough but you have to keep going, it will show soon, it will. I do have to disagree about increasing the food intake though, I have been athletic my whole life and only in the last few years I have gained weight, not from inexercise but because I have eaten more over the years. the more I cut down on my overall calories the more I lose weight and the weight stays off. Carbs and sugars are not my friends so I do have to be careful when consuming these. good luck and hang in there!

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