BMR is very low. :/

ishkur · January 2014

I sit from 8am-6pm every day on my butt at a computer. I get up, eat breakfast & workout first thing in the morning. I get in 45 minutes of exercise 6 days a week. The 30 minutes are Jillian Michael's 6W6P, and every other day I include a small weight routine after which is 10x4-15lbs arm/chest/back routine. I'm pretty sure from my heart rate during working out that I burn somewhere around 150 calories per 30 minute workout dvd, not including the weight routine but I doubt thats much at all. (I also work out at home because my closest gym is 2 hours away from me, and I don't really have the time or the money, so I set up at home.)

I currently have my calories set to 1250. My BMR is 1275, very low, and for how much time I spend sitting at my desk all day long I'd say I'm pretty "sedimentary" so thats why my calories are set so low as well. They were 1200 but I've been stalling at 118lbs and same fat% for about a month, so I raised them in hopes to boost my metabolism, but yet here I am, still sitting at the same percent and same weight after 2 weeks. I'm cool with my weight being at 118lbs, but not my fat being at 26%. I look gross. I'm 5'7" and I carry almost all the fat around my torso, and I KNOW I need to lose about 5-10 more lbs of fat before I should start lifting more heavy and bulking a bit. But I've stalled for so long I'm not sure what else to do. I'm actually afraid to move my calories up any farther because I'm pretty scared of gaining more fat without gaining/maintaining muscle since my BMR is so low and I'm so... skinny fat.

I also am vegan but I make sure to get my macros somewhere around 40 carbs, 30 protein, 30 fat. I'm not sure if that's good or not?

My breakfast and lunch are usually healthy-ish, oatmeal or cereal, protein shake for before workout, possible peanut butter on whole wheat. Lunch is peanut butter on whole wheat and/or oatmeal, with apple slices or some other fruit with a protein shake about an hour or two afterward. My shakes are around 21g protein each. My dinner how ever is usually NOT healthy, as I usually carb up on pastas, or home made burritos, or quinoa and garlic "faux meat" burgers on whole wheat buns with green leaf lettuce, miso soups, or something of that nature. Processed, microwavable foods usually. When I move back to my home where all my utensils are in a week or two I'll be making much healthier foods, but right now my apartment's utilities are crap and so microwave and quick meals are just what I eat. I snack on fruit after that, or a singe piece of dark chocolate, depends of amount of calories left and carbs available.

Anyway, yea. I know this is pretty choppy info, so if you need more please ask.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

MoreBean13 · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

Seconded

Cindyinpg · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

Agreed. 100%. I am so sorry that I did not start lifting earlier. These are all great inspirational threads with hundreds of posts by fit and sexy ladies who lift.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1102508-mfp-fitspiration
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/977538-halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1045433-women-lifting-heavy-with-pics
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/987513-lifting-is-the-most-horrible-thing-to-a-woman-since-twiggy

ishkur · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

Yes, I know this. I don't look underweight at all though, with the pudgy gut ahaha.

Alright, so my maintenance is around 1500 I believe, if this seems wrong tell me. I got it from this site: http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

So should I be adding 50-100 calories a week until I get to the maintenance level? I'm afraid of going to fast.

I only have a small set of dumbells, ranging from 10-30lbs. They are the interchangeable kind. Can I get a good routine in with just those and body weight? And if possible could anyone help me set up a good home+beginner routine with this?

I currently do a really small one:
10x4 15lb standing bicep curl
10x4 15lb overhead press
10x4 20lb tricep extension
10x4 20lb "bench"(i'm laying flat on the floor, because i don't have a bench) press
then I usually do 30 body weight squats after that. Working out my legs is pretty tough because I have a ton of issues with my knees.

Also can I still do the 30 minute cardio?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

Yes, I know this. I don't look underweight at all though, with the pudgy gut ahaha.

Alright, so my maintenance is around 1500 I believe, if this seems wrong tell me. I got it from this site: http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

So should I be adding 50-100 calories a week until I get to the maintenance level? I'm afraid of going to fast.

I only have a small set of dumbells, ranging from 10-30lbs. They are the interchangeable kind. Can I get a good routine in with just those and body weight? And if possible could anyone help me set up a good home+beginner routine with this?

I currently do a really small one:
10x4 15lb standing bicep curl
10x4 15lb overhead press
10x4 20lb tricep extension
10x4 20lb "bench"(i'm laying flat on the floor, because i don't have a bench) press
then I usually do 30 body weight squats after that. Working out my legs is pretty tough because I have a ton of issues with my knees.

Also can I still do the 30 minute cardio?

You can do body weight like "You Are Your Own Gym"

I think some people do the usual suggestions for barbell routines but with dumbbells. What you're doing now is mostly isolation exercises. Nothing wrong with those but you'd benefit much more from a routine with compound lifts. There's someone on my friend list who has been lifting with dumbbells-- I'll message her and see if she's got any tips.

If squats are hurting your knees check your form. There are tons of form videos on YouTube.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics · January 2014

My advice for finding your TDEE is to gradually increase your calories until you start to gain weight. I'd do something slow like 100 calories per week, to minimize water weight fluctuations. If you gain a pound or two overnight don't worry, that's just water retention/extra food in your digestive tract.

You can still do cardio.

cmeiron · January 2014

I second the suggestion that you consider doing a lifting routine emphasizing compund lifts. There are lots of barbell based programs that can easily be adapted to your dumbbells. I have been working out at home doing a dumbbell version of the All Pro Beginners routine (check out my profile for the link to the program and also a link to an All Pro mfp group). I have had really excellent results with this program since starting last February, first while retaining muscle while losing fat, and now more recently to put muscle on while bulking.

gigglesinthesun · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

Yes, I know this. I don't look underweight at all though, with the pudgy gut ahaha.

Alright, so my maintenance is around 1500 I believe, if this seems wrong tell me. I got it from this site: http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

So should I be adding 50-100 calories a week until I get to the maintenance level? I'm afraid of going to fast.

I only have a small set of dumbells, ranging from 10-30lbs. They are the interchangeable kind. Can I get a good routine in with just those and body weight? And if possible could anyone help me set up a good home+beginner routine with this?

I currently do a really small one:
10x4 15lb standing bicep curl
10x4 15lb overhead press
10x4 20lb tricep extension
10x4 20lb "bench"(i'm laying flat on the floor, because i don't have a bench) press
then I usually do 30 body weight squats after that. Working out my legs is pretty tough because I have a ton of issues with my knees.

Also can I still do the 30 minute cardio?

Have you thought that your perception of yourself might not be entirely accurate? Anorexics frequently see themselves as fat even though they are not. It's a slippery slope that one ... not saying that you are, just giving you some food for thought :-)

djthom2 · January 2014

Try this site http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workout/muscle-groups.html they are very informative. You can find exercises there that will work with what you have at home plus body weight exercises. They have videos to show you proper form. Good luck

candiceh3 · January 2014

I agree with a previous poster - I think you need to reexamine your body image. I am a female of the same height as you, same activity level, and there is no way you are podgy.

Also, your maintenance is not 1500, that is your BMR. Your maintenance at "sedentary" is your BMR times 1.2, so 1800. You don't need to lose weight, so you should be eating at least 1800 cals per day, and extra if you are working out. What you sound like you need is to do a body recomposition, rather than body weight loss.

Sabine_Stroehm · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

This.
Losing more weight isn't the answer. Also, Eat more.
I'm twice your age and am the same height, my BMR is less than yours. I eat more than you do.

psuLemon · January 2014

You're right on the line of underweight right now.

What I would recommend is eating at maintenance while lifting weights to improve body composition.

Yes, I know this. I don't look underweight at all though, with the pudgy gut ahaha.

Alright, so my maintenance is around 1500 I believe, if this seems wrong tell me. I got it from this site: http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

So should I be adding 50-100 calories a week until I get to the maintenance level? I'm afraid of going to fast.

I only have a small set of dumbells, ranging from 10-30lbs. They are the interchangeable kind. Can I get a good routine in with just those and body weight? And if possible could anyone help me set up a good home+beginner routine with this?

I currently do a really small one:
10x4 15lb standing bicep curl
10x4 15lb overhead press
10x4 20lb tricep extension
10x4 20lb "bench"(i'm laying flat on the floor, because i don't have a bench) press
then I usually do 30 body weight squats after that. Working out my legs is pretty tough because I have a ton of issues with my knees.

Also can I still do the 30 minute cardio?

Why don't you look into a program like new rules of lifting for women or starting strength. They are well designed programs. Also, TDEE includes exercise, so even if your bmr is 1230, your TDEE is closer to 1700-1900.

At some point, you will probably need to add mass, which means doing a bulk phase. Adding muscle will fill out your body, which will make your more lean and lower your effective body fat %. Below is another good example. Concentrate on Staci from when she went from 120 lbs to 130 lbs. You achieve that kind of goal when you do bulk/cut cycles, which is very common for those people under weight or close to it. Essentially, your body composition is lacking. You need more muscle to provide the definition.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Homemaker57 · January 2014

I agree that it's possible your self perception is a little off. Everyone has a different build though, so of course what's normal and healthy for your is different than for me. I'm 5'7 also and currently 178, hoping to end up in the 130-140 range unless I have a lot of muscle in which case I'm fine with a higher number. But like you already said in the first post, it's more about composition. I'm curious how you got the 27%bf number? Some methods of calculating body fat are quite inaccurate. Just a thought - you might not be as bad off as you think.

With all that said, one idea that probably won't appeal to you is considering changing your diet. My sister was always the skinny-fat type; low weight and looked thin but it was all fat, very little muscle tone. When she went paleo, even though she still didn't exercise at all, she noticed a change in body composition and began to put on more muscle. I know others have said the same thing. I don't think paleo is right for every body out there but I also don't think vegan is right for every body out there. I really believe different bodies do better on different diets. If eating vegan isn't giving you the body you want, you might consider trying something different just to see how you like the results, that's all I'm saying.

Heavy lifting has been covered by others so though I agree on that I won't add additional advice. Good luck OP, I hope you find the perfect diet and fitness combination for YOU!

mccindy72 · January 2014

Get someone else's opinion. At 5'7" and 118 lbs you are at a low weight. It's possible you are suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, and what you see in the mirror is not accurate. Ask your family, and your doctor. Don't worry about fat loss, worry about building muscle and reshaping your body.

aakaakaak · January 2014

- Good move on increasing your protein from 60-90-ish
- Keep on with the current increase in protein for at least a month to see results
- Absolutely, positively, compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, etc. Any isolation exercise you can turn into something freestanding, which requires core stability, do it. Never do another situp or crunch again...ever.
- Lift heavy weights in the 8-12 repetition range at a weight where you may fail at 15 reps. This range is your muscle gaining range of repetition.
- I see by your diet you're vegetarian/vegan. Sarauk2sf is a good reference for what to eat, but she's eating way more than you. Heck, she eats more than me. She also, as of a few months ago, holds weight lifting records in the state of California and does not look "bulky". You may want to lurk the group she runs with Sidesteel: Eat, Train, Progress

ishkur · January 2014

I agree with a previous poster - I think you need to reexamine your body image. I am a female of the same height as you, same activity level, and there is no way you are podgy.

Also, your maintenance is not 1500, that is your BMR. Your maintenance at "sedentary" is your BMR times 1.2, so 1800. You don't need to lose weight, so you should be eating at least 1800 cals per day, and extra if you are working out. What you sound like you need is to do a body recomposition, rather than body weight loss.

Yes, I am pudgy. Because I have a super high body fat (26%) from years of just sitting around on my pc all day gaming (so much regret). I was never really active, but I started working out and dieting about 5ish months ago and have lost 30lbs but still have all this pudge.

Pudgy proof:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6470443&d=1387390347
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6470443&d=1387390347

I've had this lower stomach pooch since I was in 5th grade, and I've been sick of it since then because obvious reasons like not being able to wear form fitting clothing, or bikinis at beaches/pools because it just sticks out. My legs are pudgy from the knee up as well. The rest of me is what I consider a normal balance of muscle and fat.

Anyway, I've mostly been working out for more endurance when I plan to backpack a lot in Europe this year, and trying to get rid of this pudge so I can be comfortable in all my clothes. I'd like to get to 20-22% fat.

ishkur · January 2014

I agree that it's possible your self perception is a little off. Everyone has a different build though, so of course what's normal and healthy for your is different than for me. I'm 5'7 also and currently 178, hoping to end up in the 130-140 range unless I have a lot of muscle in which case I'm fine with a higher number. But like you already said in the first post, it's more about composition. I'm curious how you got the 27%bf number? Some methods of calculating body fat are quite inaccurate. Just a thought - you might not be as bad off as you think.

With all that said, one idea that probably won't appeal to you is considering changing your diet. My sister was always the skinny-fat type; low weight and looked thin but it was all fat, very little muscle tone. When she went paleo, even though she still didn't exercise at all, she noticed a change in body composition and began to put on more muscle. I know others have said the same thing. I don't think paleo is right for every body out there but I also don't think vegan is right for every body out there. I really believe different bodies do better on different diets. If eating vegan isn't giving you the body you want, you might consider trying something different just to see how you like the results, that's all I'm saying.

Heavy lifting has been covered by others so though I agree on that I won't add additional advice. Good luck OP, I hope you find the perfect diet and fitness combination for YOU!

I eat vegan for personal reasons.

I was shooting for 125-130lbs when I began. But when I got there, I was still very pudgy, thus I continued to drop to try to shed the fat around my waist. I get my body fat % from my BIA scale, which says 23%-24% right now, but I've been estimated at bodybuilding.com at around 26% from just looking at my full body pictures.

psuLemon · January 2014

I agree that it's possible your self perception is a little off. Everyone has a different build though, so of course what's normal and healthy for your is different than for me. I'm 5'7 also and currently 178, hoping to end up in the 130-140 range unless I have a lot of muscle in which case I'm fine with a higher number. But like you already said in the first post, it's more about composition. I'm curious how you got the 27%bf number? Some methods of calculating body fat are quite inaccurate. Just a thought - you might not be as bad off as you think.

With all that said, one idea that probably won't appeal to you is considering changing your diet. My sister was always the skinny-fat type; low weight and looked thin but it was all fat, very little muscle tone. When she went paleo, even though she still didn't exercise at all, she noticed a change in body composition and began to put on more muscle. I know others have said the same thing. I don't think paleo is right for every body out there but I also don't think vegan is right for every body out there. I really believe different bodies do better on different diets. If eating vegan isn't giving you the body you want, you might consider trying something different just to see how you like the results, that's all I'm saying.

Heavy lifting has been covered by others so though I agree on that I won't add additional advice. Good luck OP, I hope you find the perfect diet and fitness combination for YOU!

I eat vegan for personal reasons.

I was shooting for 125-130lbs when I began. But when I got there, I was still very pudgy, thus I continued to drop to try to shed the fat around my waist. I get my body fat % from my BIA scale, which says 23%-24% right now, but I've been estimated at bodybuilding.com at around 26% from just looking at my full body pictures.

Those scales are very inaccurate. It's possible you have 26% body fat, but it's your body composition that is the major problem. If you have a time frame, then a bulk/cut phase is much quicker than recomposition which most people talk about. I worked with a person and it took her a year to go from 26% body fat (dexa scan) to 18% body fat.

ishkur · January 2014

I agree that it's possible your self perception is a little off. Everyone has a different build though, so of course what's normal and healthy for your is different than for me. I'm 5'7 also and currently 178, hoping to end up in the 130-140 range unless I have a lot of muscle in which case I'm fine with a higher number. But like you already said in the first post, it's more about composition. I'm curious how you got the 27%bf number? Some methods of calculating body fat are quite inaccurate. Just a thought - you might not be as bad off as you think.

With all that said, one idea that probably won't appeal to you is considering changing your diet. My sister was always the skinny-fat type; low weight and looked thin but it was all fat, very little muscle tone. When she went paleo, even though she still didn't exercise at all, she noticed a change in body composition and began to put on more muscle. I know others have said the same thing. I don't think paleo is right for every body out there but I also don't think vegan is right for every body out there. I really believe different bodies do better on different diets. If eating vegan isn't giving you the body you want, you might consider trying something different just to see how you like the results, that's all I'm saying.

Heavy lifting has been covered by others so though I agree on that I won't add additional advice. Good luck OP, I hope you find the perfect diet and fitness combination for YOU!

I eat vegan for personal reasons.

I was shooting for 125-130lbs when I began. But when I got there, I was still very pudgy, thus I continued to drop to try to shed the fat around my waist. I get my body fat % from my BIA scale, which says 23%-24% right now, but I've been estimated at bodybuilding.com at around 26% from just looking at my full body pictures.

Those scales are very inaccurate. It's possible you have 26% body fat, but it's your body composition that is the major problem. If you have a time frame, then a bulk/cut phase is much quicker than recomposition which most people talk about. I worked with a person and it took her a year to go from 26% body fat (dexa scan) to 18% body fat.

I actually planned to cut for 6 months and lose as much fat as I could in that time and them bulk for a while to gain muscle, and cut again and back and forth until I was happy with my shape and then maintain it. I'm STILL aiming for 125-130lbs, I just want it to be lean, and I'm not lean at all and I've ruined my metabolism with my lower calories I assume. I know I need to up my intake and I'm currently doing that slowly (100 calories a week).

***I'm reading all the links you guys are sending me, thank you so much! I'm going to continue to read up on them and choose one I think will be my best bet and try it out. Continue sending me advice, I need all of it! I'm a total noob at weight training and "bulking".

mccindy72 · January 2014

I agree that it's possible your self perception is a little off. Everyone has a different build though, so of course what's normal and healthy for your is different than for me. I'm 5'7 also and currently 178, hoping to end up in the 130-140 range unless I have a lot of muscle in which case I'm fine with a higher number. But like you already said in the first post, it's more about composition. I'm curious how you got the 27%bf number? Some methods of calculating body fat are quite inaccurate. Just a thought - you might not be as bad off as you think.

With all that said, one idea that probably won't appeal to you is considering changing your diet. My sister was always the skinny-fat type; low weight and looked thin but it was all fat, very little muscle tone. When she went paleo, even though she still didn't exercise at all, she noticed a change in body composition and began to put on more muscle. I know others have said the same thing. I don't think paleo is right for every body out there but I also don't think vegan is right for every body out there. I really believe different bodies do better on different diets. If eating vegan isn't giving you the body you want, you might consider trying something different just to see how you like the results, that's all I'm saying.

Heavy lifting has been covered by others so though I agree on that I won't add additional advice. Good luck OP, I hope you find the perfect diet and fitness combination for YOU!

I eat vegan for personal reasons.

I was shooting for 125-130lbs when I began. But when I got there, I was still very pudgy, thus I continued to drop to try to shed the fat around my waist. I get my body fat % from my BIA scale, which says 23%-24% right now, but I've been estimated at bodybuilding.com at around 26% from just looking at my full body pictures.

Those scales are very inaccurate. It's possible you have 26% body fat, but it's your body composition that is the major problem. If you have a time frame, then a bulk/cut phase is much quicker than recomposition which most people talk about. I worked with a person and it took her a year to go from 26% body fat (dexa scan) to 18% body fat.

I actually planned to cut for 6 months and lose as much fat as I could in that time and them bulk for a while to gain muscle, and cut again and back and forth until I was happy with my shape and then maintain it. I'm STILL aiming for 125-130lbs, I just want it to be lean, and I'm not lean at all and I've ruined my metabolism with my lower calories I assume. I know I need to up my intake and I'm currently doing that slowly (100 calories a week).

***I'm reading all the links you guys are sending me, thank you so much! I'm going to continue to read up on them and choose one I think will be my best bet and try it out. Continue sending me advice, I need all of it! I'm a total noob at weight training and "bulking".

You can't "ruin" your metabolism. It will adjust somewhat as you eat less and more, and work out less and more. Don't trust a scale to give you an accurate body fat measurement. Buy a set of calipers and measure yourself. And again, get a professional opinion. It can't hurt and may even help.

BMR is very low. :/

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