So you want a nice stomach

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  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    All that karate is a hard workout! I used to be a karate student until I took an arrow to the knee.... no actually, developed really bad arthritis lol. I would say your workout is very sufficient!!! If it's the abs thing, try doing planks.
  • CamoGirl1985
    CamoGirl1985 Posts: 41 Member
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    USMCMP.... You are just flat-out awesome! You are such an inspiration to others and you have become my new role model :) I also think it is so great that you truly care about people and try to help them reach their goals. I am just starting out with trying to get back to my ideal weight/figure (I don't want to get stuck on a number). I am trying to lose fat but also increase my lean muscle mass, and I guess my question is.... Did you ever focus on certain macro ratios to get where you are? I have been going with pretty low-carb, high-protein and moderate-fats for the last couple weeks and it seems to be working ok so far. I am just not sure if it is sustainable/will get me where I want to be. I haven't had a lot of energy for exercising, but really my focus is dropping some weight first, then increasing activity later. I have found it is better on my joints to do it that way.... Any thoughts or advice you have would be excellent. Thanks for being such a great member of the community on here, and thank you for your service to our Nation!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    CamoGirl1985 wrote: »
    USMCMP.... You are just flat-out awesome! You are such an inspiration to others and you have become my new role model :) I also think it is so great that you truly care about people and try to help them reach their goals. I am just starting out with trying to get back to my ideal weight/figure (I don't want to get stuck on a number). I am trying to lose fat but also increase my lean muscle mass, and I guess my question is.... Did you ever focus on certain macro ratios to get where you are? I have been going with pretty low-carb, high-protein and moderate-fats for the last couple weeks and it seems to be working ok so far. I am just not sure if it is sustainable/will get me where I want to be. I haven't had a lot of energy for exercising, but really my focus is dropping some weight first, then increasing activity later. I have found it is better on my joints to do it that way.... Any thoughts or advice you have would be excellent. Thanks for being such a great member of the community on here, and thank you for your service to our Nation!

    In general I focus on protein (although I have lower protein days and don't beat myself up over them). I try to get about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. Most people don't know how much lean mass they have, so body weight x .8 to determine grams of protein is usually plenty. I try to get some carbs in the morning because it helps with that initial boost of energy and I eat carbs at lunch. I do try to get fats in because they are the easiest to cut down on and make the biggest impact on calorie intake.

    I suggest just going with a balanced and sustainable approach to macros. Cutting back on carbs will help you drop weight initially simply due to the fact that you drop water weight. To help with energy for workouts eat some carbs a few hours before a workout. You may have to increase your carb goal by 30g or so, but it really does help.

    Thank you for all the complements! I really do want people to be healthy and to reach their goals (especially in a safe, sane manner).
  • MoHousdon
    MoHousdon Posts: 8,719 Member
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    @junitu79‌ check out this post. Good stuff.
  • CamoGirl1985
    CamoGirl1985 Posts: 41 Member
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    Awesome... Thank you for the advice!
  • landriajennette7
    landriajennette7 Posts: 7
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    maz2469 wrote: »
    Love it!

    Need to rid the house of all crappy food and start a fresh, i got so close but my sweet tooth got the better of me, again and again! :-/
    I can relate to that. It crashes me every.damn.time......
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    landriajennette7 wrote: »
    maz2469 wrote: »
    Love it!

    Need to rid the house of all crappy food and start a fresh, i got so close but my sweet tooth got the better of me, again and again! :-/
    I can relate to that. It crashes me every.damn.time......

    @landriajennette7
    A better method is to include a small treat each day to satisfy the sweet tooth. I try to make sure I have something daily (usually after dinner). Sometimes it's a piece of Dove chocolate or a tablespoon of peanut butter with some honey. There are lots of options out there worth using 100ish calories on to fill that sweet craving while helping you stay on track.
  • lilystars
    lilystars Posts: 36 Member
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    usmcmp wrote: »
    lilystars wrote: »
    This thread is really interesting, I am so impressed by your story, and I would love to learn more about the points you mention!

    I'm afraid I really do not understand how this whole IIFYM/ TDEE thing works though...
    When I set the IIFYM calculator to calculate from BMR, this brings me to a recommendation of 1214 cal/day which sounds very close to the one recommended on MFP. Also when I play around with the macros, it gives me more or less the same recommendations on IIFYM as here on the MFP tool... so I have to ask, is there a difference? Or is this just the opportunity to see how to play with the macros? Or am I just not getting something here?

    Also, more importantly, might I ask if the activity "Body Pump" is sufficient strength/weight training?
    I have been doing quite a bit of this and it includes compound exercises, deadlifts, bench presses..etc as you mention but my understanding is that not all lifters would consider Body Pump to be "real lifting"( it has lighter weights, and more reps- ) what is your opinion?
    Could I just stick with the Body Pump for strength training or do I need to add some free weights? If so, what should I add?
    Thanks so much in advance!!
    :)

    My guess is that you are either super short or that you entered something wrong. If you use the calculator on the IIFYM website ( iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ ) and you just follow the directions for step 1, pick fat loss 20% for step 2, pick .8g for protein for step 3 (without changing the plan) then you should get more than 1200 calories for your results. The difference with IIFYM set up and MFP is that with IIFYM you do not count exercise calories. It's just simplifying the process for a steady calorie intake.

    Most of us do not count body pump as strength training. It's better than just cardio though. I think venturing into the free weights is a good idea. You might be surprised at your strength and what your body can handle. If you are just wanting to see what you think then a free program like Jamie Eason's Live Fit (free on Bodybuilding.com) might be a good place to start. If you enjoy it then there are tons of threads on here about a variety of lifting programs for women who are just starting.

    Thanks usmcmp for all of this great advice!
    I will have to check out the IIFYM site again ( because haha yes, at 5"5 I guess I am not THAT short ;) ) probably because I selected BMR instead of TDEE I am guessing...
    And I am definitely going to look into how to get started lifting for real...sounds so exciting!
    Take care :)
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    Thanks for your advice.. I am currently doing everything, you listed....Just the patience part is tricky, but getting there :smiley:
  • My2cent
    My2cent Posts: 2 Member
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    Great advice :D
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I'm working with a 250 calorie a day deficit, set to lose .5 a week (though it rarely happens as I'm obviously over eating and not too concerned).

    I'm currently doing 5/3/1. Do you think doing the body building assistance work with it would be beneficial to get a balance of strength and hypertrophy?
  • bk5678
    bk5678 Posts: 1
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    Thank you so much for this!
  • shelleygold
    shelleygold Posts: 178 Member
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    Hi, I have a question pertaining to healthy and realistic goal creating. What is a reasonable rate of loss per week? I selected a kg a week and mbf calculated 1200 cal max a day. I'm struggling a bit with that. Would appreciate your advice.
  • xMeshi
    xMeshi Posts: 1
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    Even if this post is a year old. Thank you! It gives me hope and now I'm even more motivated! But how much calories should I eat each day? 1700 enough?^^
  • romsie
    romsie Posts: 3 Member
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    bump
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    I'm working with a 250 calorie a day deficit, set to lose .5 a week (though it rarely happens as I'm obviously over eating and not too concerned).

    I'm currently doing 5/3/1. Do you think doing the body building assistance work with it would be beneficial to get a balance of strength and hypertrophy?

    I think when doing a strength program it's a very good idea to add in hypertrophy as assistance work. I know that Jim Wendler built a hypertrophy assistance template for 5/3/1 called Boring But Big. That way you aren't trying to build your own assistance work and hamper your progress in 5/3/1.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    shelleygold wrote: »
    Hi, I have a question pertaining to healthy and realistic goal creating. What is a reasonable rate of loss per week? I selected a kg a week and mbf calculated 1200 cal max a day. I'm struggling a bit with that. Would appreciate your advice.

    The method I use removes the need to calculate exercise calories. It's a flat intake through the week and takes into account your exercise.

    MFP sets your calorie goal and assumes you'll exercise then eat those calories back. Your goal might be 1200, but if you burn 300 calories and consume those calories you'll actually be eating 1500 calories a day (which is closer to what you should probably be eating).

    If you exercise fairly consistently I would go to this website and let them tell you your intake (just select -15% or -20% under fat loss on step 2): iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
    Doing this method you would count your exercise as 1 calorie burned, because it takes into consideration that you are exercising.

    I know that may be a bit confusing, so feel free to send me a private message and we can try to sort it out better to help you understand or find a method you are comfortable with.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    xMeshi wrote: »
    Even if this post is a year old. Thank you! It gives me hope and now I'm even more motivated! But how much calories should I eat each day? 1700 enough?^^

    You're a 21 year old male. 1700 is probably not enough for you. Use this link to find a better calorie goal: iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    BFDeal wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    xMeshi wrote: »
    Even if this post is a year old. Thank you! It gives me hope and now I'm even more motivated! But how much calories should I eat each day? 1700 enough?^^

    You're a 21 year old male. 1700 is probably not enough for you. Use this link to find a better calorie goal: iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    But take the calculators number with a grain of salt. I was eating what it said and it worked for a while then stopped. So there's that.

    Our bodies adjust when we are in a deficit. This is simply a starting point for someone who is new. You know that many people lose lean mass as we lose weight because they don't do strength training. On top of that our hormones and metabolic activity adjust as well. I'm not saying that calculator is 100% accurate for every person and every situation. It's a reassurance that people can eat more than 1000 calories and still lose weight. It's trying to set an appropriate starting point to help them stick to a calorie goal.

    Yes, we all have to eventually make adjustments or take a break from dieting because at some point hormones do play a role.

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