New and confused

Daisy253
Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
edited November 8 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi all,

Have been a member for a while but first post today :)

So I am what I describe as skinny fat!! 34yr female, 53kg, 5,4 currently eating 1820 cals per day which according to scooby calculator is my tdee. ( was only eating 1620 but have upped it recently as I was tired all the time and though maybe I wasn't eating enough.

Started weight training in feb this year as I was convinced this was the way to go by reading all you awesome ladies (and men) success stories. I was soo weak!!! Started with 5 kg for deadlift, squat, hip bridge etc and am now up to 30-35kg on those lifts. Have roughly based my workouts around sc program but I have no time for the gym so workout at home 3-4 days lifting and 2 days cardio which is usually a brazil butt lift DVD.

I am very motivated during my workouts and my diet is pretty good I think. Although I do like my alcohol but I fit it in.

My question is, I don't think I have had any change in tone to my body?? I was trying the recomp route as I wasn't concerned with fast changes but my body just loves holding onto fat!! Especially my butt!! I feel healthy and strong and I look great in skinny jeans but still would not be caught dead in a bikini!!!

All I want is some nice toned muscles and not cellulite!! Please help. Any advise greatly received :)

Replies

  • panzerduff
    panzerduff Posts: 21 Member
    Take a progress picture once a month to know for sure what direction you're going in. It seems like you're making strength gains so in turn you're probably building muscle. What changes have you seen in your body weight?
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    Thank you for your suggestion.

    I did take a starting photo and 3 month progress pic but none since so I will do that today and take them monthly.

    Bodyweight has actually gone down from 55 kg.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    I think you might need to speed up your progression, if you can?

    If you started in February, you should have been able to progress well past a 35 kg deadlift. Don't be frightened to add more weight - you are simply not going to gain muscle or strength if you don't tax what you've got.
  • SusanRojas928
    SusanRojas928 Posts: 3
    Looking for new friends for motivation please add me :D
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    3laine75 wrote: »
    I think you might need to speed up your progression, if you can?

    If you started in February, you should have been able to progress well past a 35 kg deadlift. Don't be frightened to add more weight - you are simply not going to gain muscle or strength if you don't tax what you've got.

    I wish I could but every little bit extra has been a hard slog for me, I think I really did start out very weak!! In saying that I did add some weight to this mornings session and will continue to do so as I progress, hopefully quicker from now on, I have noticed it becoming a little easier since adding the extra cals.

    I find dead lifts the hardest as the bar just pulls through my hands with more weight. Any suggestions??

    Thanks for replying, I appreciate it.


  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Just keep at it :). Try adding a little every workout or every week - you'll surprise yourself. Your body is built to adapt every time so you should be able to keep adding for a while before stalling - then you just cut back and build up again.

    My numbers suck compared to most but that's the beauty of strength training - you're only competing with yourself. Trust me, it's well worth it once you start to hit weight goals you're proud of and start noticing new bits of definition.

    I definitely thing you'll start noticing visible changes if you challenge yourself a bit more. I'm not saying your doing nothing now, but it'll be closer to a cardio workout if you're not finding the weight you're working with tough.

    Chalk helps with grip and using alternate grip when you're doing your heaviest sets.

    Get 37.5 on next session - I'm sure you'll nail it :)
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Oh, and I don't know if this will help but my mum had a bit of an issue with deadlift, in that she was trying to pull the bar. I know, I know but that's the only way I can think to describe it.

    If this is you, just try to simply grip the bar, keep your arms locked and push with your heels. It's more a standing up thing than a pulling the bar up thing.

    You mentioned sc. is that 'strong curves'? I just ask as Bret contraras has some good videos on YouTube (I like mark rippetoes and Allan Thralls too). Sometimes just one thing on one of those videos will help me improve something I didn't even know I was doing wrong in the first place.
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    Thanks for that info, very helpful.

    Yes I did mean strong curves :)

    Ok, new goal on Friday is 37.5!!! , tomorrow is rest day
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    hmm there's a great deal to respond to you in your post. Here's a few thoughts from me.


    If you want to get toned, figure out your body fat percentage and then lose weight. Msucle building itself will make you look better but you can build all the muscle you like and the fat sitting on top will make you look anywhere from skinny to healthy to downright flabby.

    Its fat you must lose if you want to get that buff look. To lose fat you must adjust your diet.

    If you are tired there are multiple possible reasons for that. First you need to consider that at some point you should talk to your doctor about it.

    If you are pushing yourself physically you will be tired.
    If you are not eating enough energy food be it carbs or fat you may struggle during workouts or fitness. Carbs is more accessible and fat will only be there for you once you have exhausted your glycogen (carb) reserves which are temporarily stored in your muscles.
    If you are not getting enough sleep you will be tired. When you do a lot of hard exercise every day you need extra sleep and you really should be taking regular rest days.
    Your diet may lack nutrition. Are you eating enough fruit and vegetables.
    Are you eating enough protein? You don't need
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    if you are not happy with your fat loss then you need to get in a deficit…you could go for .5 pound per week loss, which would be 250 calorie reduction from what you are eating now ….
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    In response to the above posts. I don't think at this point I can afford a deficit if I want to build muscle, I believe I don't have enough muscle yet and that loosing any more weight will make me look skinnier than I already do and have done my whole life. My aim is to look fit not skinny, my mother and grandmother are naturally skinny also but hold no muscle and that has contributed to me being more prone to osteoporosis which they both suffer with.

    I know at some point I will have to cut the fat but now I think gaining mass should be my priority. I do want that toned look. I think my next step should be to get my bmi tested.

    Please anyone correct me if I am totally wrong with those points.

    I tend to be over for protein p, spot on with cals and under on the rest most days. Is this possibly not helping either??
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    I have just opened up my diary if that will help with any suggestions
  • malibutigger
    malibutigger Posts: 15 Member
    my guess would be you need more carbs. had a quick look and you are in the green for carbs most days. I'd cut out bread completely and eat more potatoes, brown rice etc
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Daisy253 wrote: »
    In response to the above posts. I don't think at this point I can afford a deficit if I want to build muscle, I believe I don't have enough muscle yet and that loosing any more weight will make me look skinnier than I already do and have done my whole life. My aim is to look fit not skinny, my mother and grandmother are naturally skinny also but hold no muscle and that has contributed to me being more prone to osteoporosis which they both suffer with.

    I know at some point I will have to cut the fat but now I think gaining mass should be my priority. I do want that toned look. I think my next step should be to get my bmi tested.

    Please anyone correct me if I am totally wrong with those points.

    I tend to be over for protein p, spot on with cals and under on the rest most days. Is this possibly not helping either??

    well you original post said that you want to look good in a bikini and lose fat …so this is somewhat confusing as you now say you want to bulk ..

    I am bulking right now for the first time, and before I did I got down to 12% body fat, because I knew that I would put on some fat while bulking….my goal is to get to 185 by mid-january and then cut back down in time for beach season …

    If you are comfortable with your body fat % now, and understand that you will gain fat, then go ahead and do the bulk ….

    If you do bulk go ahead and increase your calories by 250 calories a day, which should be a .5 pound per week gain ….

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    malibutigger wrote: »
    my guess would be you need more carbs. had a quick look and you are in the green for carbs most days. I'd cut out bread completely and eat more potatoes, brown rice etc

    why cut out bread????
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    Have read everyone's posts, and will reply later. Off to work now

    Big thanks for all the response.
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    Hi all,

    I am worried about the amount of fat I carry on my body but I feel at this point that if I lost more it would just look worse than it does already. Since I don't carry much muscle I think if I put up with the fat and weight train heavier for a period of time then lose the fat that it may benefit me more for the long term. Not so much a bulk but a recomp which is what I have been trying to do but I think I may have been exercising too much and eating too little up to this point.

    I am going to give the upped cals and heavier weights a try into the new year and assess again. Good plan or no??
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Good plan (IMO)

    My first bulk, I was far from optimum bf% percentage (sub 24% for a female, I think) at around 30-32 and I was delighted with my results. In fact, I'm starting my second on Monday and I'm still way off where I should, ideally, be.

    If you're doing more of a recomp deal, I can't see any harm in it. You can always decide to cut fat again later. Good luck with it :)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Daisy253 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I am worried about the amount of fat I carry on my body but I feel at this point that if I lost more it would just look worse than it does already. Since I don't carry much muscle I think if I put up with the fat and weight train heavier for a period of time then lose the fat that it may benefit me more for the long term. Not so much a bulk but a recomp which is what I have been trying to do but I think I may have been exercising too much and eating too little up to this point.

    I am going to give the upped cals and heavier weights a try into the new year and assess again. Good plan or no??

    I say no ..it sounds like you are just spinning your wheels…pick a strategy - cut or bulk - and do it for eight weeks, at the end of the 8 weeks reassess.
  • gemmamummy
    gemmamummy Posts: 185 Member
    I think you need to up your weights and be really pushing it. I started an all over body programme in April and I felt for ages that nothing was changing. Then out of nowhere, the muscle came. You should be at least squatting your own bodyweight by now. You need to go hard.
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    Thanks everyone, I have booked a session with a personal trainer who is also a bikini competitor just to check my form and give me a better plan to work with. Depending how the first session goes I will probably continue once a month or when else I can afford it.

    Have taken some more photos so will update with pics and progress in the new year.

    I appreciate the time everyone has taken to respond :)
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    How did you go with the heavier weight? Did you get the 37.5?

    If so, do 40!

    Good luck with the trainer :)
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    Ok!! Not as many reps but not far off. Will do another session at 37 then up to 40 after the pt session.

    Thanks for asking :)
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Just out of curiosity - what's you're rep range?

    I ask as it'll be relevant to your goals. If you're looking to build muscle 6-12 (I think) is the way to go but you'd really need to be eating at surplus to achieve that. 15+ is more an endurance/cardio deal.

    If you want to gain strength (while at maintenance or deficit) 5 or 6 reps is the way to go. I do a mixture of both so, obviously, when I'm doing more reps I use a lower weight.
  • Daisy253
    Daisy253 Posts: 42 Member
    I usually mix it up a bit but mostly in the 6 to 12 rep range with 3 to 5 sets of each lift. Once I can easily do 12x5 that's when I add more weight.
  • steveyinasia
    steveyinasia Posts: 121 Member
    If you are finding the bar is slipping through your fingers because of the weight, get some wrist straps. They loop around your wrist and then you wind the stars around the bar, best for assisting you in lifting heavier when your grip just cannot hold.
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