Decreasing body fat/building muscle - long term w/ sustainability

retrolina
retrolina Posts: 14 Member
edited November 10 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I have a few questions about the next phase of my fitness regime!

I am 27 years old, female, approx. 125 lbs, 5'8". Back in October '14 I started the Insanity program (60 days) and completed it in late December. Since then I have been doing an Insanity workout every other day. When I started, I set my daily calories to 1800 (going over frequently, though!), with no real focus on macros, although I did make an effort to up my protein%... At the end of Insanity there was a noticable difference. I am very happy with my progress. My bodyfat% definitely went down.

I am now moving on to NROLFW. I did the first workout today. I workout at home (I have an adjustable bench, barbell, dumbbells, lots of weights, power tower, swiss ball, step bench... and most importantly... a bigg *kitten* mirror!!).

What I want changed in my body is

- a slightly lower bodyfat% (ideally a 6 pack) (my thighs are still a bit flabby)
- firmer/bigger butt

In terms of diet, I know I need more calories than maintenance in order to build muscle. I will start looking into IIFIYM. However, I am a social person and like a glass of wine or 3 at least 3 nights a week and/or desserts frequently. I am pretty much not going to be able to give these things up... Although I could cut down on size/frequency, I suppose.

How many calories would I need to consume to achieve my goals? More on lifting days? My exercise plan will be lifting on Mon-Wed-Fri and cardio on Sundays (so I get to eat more on Sundays - yay).

Also, I tend to prioritise calories over macros (ie. I will cut back on food in order to fit in alcohol on Friday and Saturday nights) - how does that affect muscle growth?

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Any feedback appreciated.
x

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    1st off-you look pretty dang good. My suggestions for tweaking what's already working for you is to eat as much nutritionally dense foods so that you can splurge on the wine and desserts. But also it wouldn't hurt to pick your battles with those "treats". I'm of the opinion of making sure you want it, then indulg guilt free. I guess think quality over quantity. Getting leaner than you already are is going to take some effort and even a little trial and error. Good luck.
  • cottonman86
    cottonman86 Posts: 6 Member
    I agree definitely you have a great figure. Not far from getting that six pack. Even though I see nothing wrong with your legs myself but if you want to tone them up high reps of squats/leg press/ any good elliptical machine with incline elevated or stair climber machine would do great. The elliptical with steep incline and high resistance level is great for what you're wanting Bc its building muscle, toning, and getting great cardio all in one. The hardest part is by far the diet I've been on a bulking cycle for 6 months gained about 50 lbs with some help to unwanted fat. But now it's time to do more reps, way more cardio and unfortunately change the diet. You already look great now can't wait to see your results! Keep us posted. Good luck.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    My feedback is... keep doing what you're doing, damn. You're appearance is really good in that you're pretty damn lean but you still look very feminine; just my personal preference I don't think ultra-lean women are sexy.

    If you're having a couple drinks on Fri / Sat I wouldn't worry about it all that much. If you notice that it's starting to hinder your results then cut some of it out, but being social is part of life and hard to avoid. IIFYM might work well for you, so give it a shot. Based on your age, height, weight stated above your maintenance calories are approximately 1618 based on TDEE. Start small and add 5% to 10% more calories per day to your maintenance and slowly add as you see fit. Macro-wise, shoot for 0.8gms to 1gm per/lb for Protein. Carbs and Fat kind of depend on the individual and how they respond to those to energy sources accordingly. For Fat, generally speaking something in the realm of 20% to 25% of calories from Fat but that's not to say you couldn't go low-carb if that works for you.
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