Will this plan work?

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Virgiree21
Virgiree21 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For a few days now I've been eating like this: breakfast- juice celery, and spinach sometimes kale and an apple sometimes carrots too. Then for lunch I'll have a chicken lunch meant wrap a little ranch on it and cut up some chunks of cheese. Then for dinner mostly pan cooked chicken tenders with some diced baked potatos or brown rice and veggies or salad and veggies. I do leg butt thigh and stomach workouts 5 days a week. Do I have to do cardio to lose weight or will my eating help with that while I build muscle with my workout? I was running for 30 mins a day on my trampolin and drinking whey protein after. I've heard you should eat 5 small meals a day. If so what should I eat? Also if I start cardio how will I know how many more calories to eat so I don't burn them all off and not lose any weight I am 5'5 and about 180lb goal is 140lb but I really don't care about weight because I plan on building muscle. Don't won't to lose my butt or thighs just want to tone them. I do want to lose my belly and tone it perhaps even work on a four pack :) but over all my eating habits mustvchange. So this is a get healthy and stay healthy plan.

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  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    In order to lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit.

    In order to know if you're in a calorie deficit, you have to weigh/measure/log your food.

    Exercise is important to health, but not necessary to lose weight.

    Meal timing is irrelevant to losing weight. Eat at the times that work for you.

    Eat foods you like, make healthy choices along the way, learn portion control/moderation.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    I'm just going to leave this here, I can't handle responding to several points in a wall of text this morning:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
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    In order to lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit.

    In order to know if you're in a calorie deficit, you have to weigh/measure/log your food.

    Exercise is important to health, but not necessary to lose weight.

    Meal timing is irrelevant to losing weight. Eat at the times that work for you.

    Eat foods you like, make healthy choices along the way, learn portion control/moderation.

    This. Also buy a food scale and read this

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • Lives2Travel
    Lives2Travel Posts: 682 Member
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    Anyway you achieve a calorie deficit will work, but you need to figure out what you are willing to do for the long term (i.e. forever).

    IMO, that takes some trial, error, soul searching and honesty with ones self. I know that what I've designed for myself over the last 9 months is sustainable for me and I'd encourage anyone starting out to do the work to figure out what is sustainable for them.

    Best of luck!
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    It's less about what you eat, and more about how much. So, if you're not weighing and measuring your food, you could be eating more calories than you burn. That's #1. #2. Unless you're eating at a surplus and lifting heavy, you're not going to gain any appreciable muscle. In most circumstances, fat loss and muscle gain are mutually exclusive goals. "Toning" is simply a word coined by the fitness industry that basically means you have low enough bodyfat to show the muscle that's underneath. So, if you want a four pack or more visible muscle, you have to lose bodyfat. That comes from consuming less than you burn. That can come through diet alone or a combo or diet and exercise.
  • roniredd
    roniredd Posts: 48
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    Calorie deficit!
    Track what you eat ....
  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
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    Do I have to do cardio to lose weight or will my eating help with that while I build muscle with my workout? I was running for 30 mins a day on my trampolin and drinking whey protein after. I've heard you should eat 5 small meals a day. If so what should I eat? Also if I start cardio how will I know how many more calories to eat so I don't burn them all off and not lose any weight I am 5'5 and about 180lb goal is 140lb but I really don't care about weight because I plan on building muscle. Don't won't to lose my butt or thighs just want to tone them. I do want to lose my belly and tone it perhaps even work on a four pack :) but over all my eating habits mustvchange. So this is a get healthy and stay healthy plan.


    What everyone said previously is spot on. What are your goals here? You want to lose weight, but you don't care about your weight? You don't want to lose your butt and thighs but you want a 4 pack.

    Honestly these goals are all over the map.

    Here is an oversimplified breakdown. I like to personally think of them differently so they don't blur together.
    Eating = weight loss/gain

    cardio = getting fit

    Lifting = muscle definition.

    If you want the rocking booty, there is really one thing you can do to keep it, firm it up. Squats. Personally I'd recommend them with some heavy weights. (with a plan such as strong lifts 5x5 or new rules of lifting for women)

    To get the 4 pack abs you are going to have to knock your body fat percentages down. Since you can not spot reduce fat, just forget about what parts are getting leaner faster. Otherwise it will just be maddening.

    TO sum up. Figure out specific goals and develop a plan to obtain them.
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
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    In order to lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit.

    In order to know if you're in a calorie deficit, you have to weigh/measure/log your food.

    Exercise is important to health, but not necessary to lose weight.

    Meal timing is irrelevant to losing weight. Eat at the times that work for you.

    Eat foods you like, make healthy choices along the way, learn portion control/moderation.

    this covers it
    To figure out what your caloric goals are you need to figure out your TDEE

    Go to one of these 2 sites for that
    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    then once you have the TDEE (what you need to maintain the current weight) it's easy
    1 pound = 3500 calories so to lose 1 pound a week you need to eat at your TDEE-500 calories
    to lose 2 pounds a week it's 1000 off your TDEE (You should only target this if you are obese/quite overweight as it's pretty extreme - if you only have 10-15 pounds to lose this is too much)

    Exercise will achieve 2 things it will allow you to eat more (as it raises your TDEE) and it will tone you so you lose fat more than muscle while losing weight. Aerobic/Cardiovascular exercise has additional benefits as well whether you are losing weight or not
  • Virgiree21
    Virgiree21 Posts: 71 Member
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    Thank you guys!
    And eat less than I burn? I had a friend who stopped losing weight because she was working it all off. how would i know how many more calories to eat without takeing in to much?
  • Virgiree21
    Virgiree21 Posts: 71 Member
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    I don't care about my weight in the sense I know muscle weighs more than fat. So if I'm 160 but its mostly muscle not fat I'm okay. And thank you for your feed back
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Seriously, really read and study this link. Everything you need is there. If you still have questions, join the group (Eat, Train, Progress) and you will get a spot on answer.
  • Virgiree21
    Virgiree21 Posts: 71 Member
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    Thanks! I read it already and some of the links. Really helpful!
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
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    I don't care about my weight in the sense I know muscle weighs more than fat. So if I'm 160 but its mostly muscle not fat I'm okay. And thank you for your feed back

    One pound of muscle = 16 oz
    One pound of fat = 16 oz
    One pound of feathers = 16 oz

    A pound is a pound. I really don't know where people get the idea that muscle weighs more than fat.
  • eslcity
    eslcity Posts: 323 Member
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    while a pound is a pound... but clearly a pound of steel takes up less room then a pound of feathers... and that is the point people are truly trying to make when they say muscle weigh more then fat... ^^ don't you think.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    I don't care about my weight in the sense I know muscle weighs more than fat. So if I'm 160 but its mostly muscle not fat I'm okay. And thank you for your feed back

    One pound of muscle = 16 oz
    One pound of fat = 16 oz
    One pound of feathers = 16 oz

    A pound is a pound. I really don't know where people get the idea that muscle weighs more than fat.

    This is where:

    1 cc of muscle weighs 1.15 gm
    1 cc of fat weighs .9 gm.

    But hey .. to each their own. I don't know why people think airplanes weigh more than chickens either ...
  • sargessexyone
    sargessexyone Posts: 494 Member
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    I don't care about my weight in the sense I know muscle weighs more than fat. So if I'm 160 but its mostly muscle not fat I'm okay. And thank you for your feed back

    One pound of muscle = 16 oz
    One pound of fat = 16 oz
    One pound of feathers = 16 oz

    A pound is a pound. I really don't know where people get the idea that muscle weighs more than fat.

    This is where:

    1 cc of muscle weighs 1.15 gm
    1 cc of fat weighs .9 gm.

    But hey .. to each their own. I don't know why people think airplanes weigh more than chickens either ...

    CC's measure volume not weight. It would take a hell of a lot of chickens they would still weigh the same as a plane in pounds

    So if you're saying that by volume muscle weighs more then fat, I will happily stand corrected. :smile:

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