Relatively light people trying to get leaner

Sammyluvsteve wrote: »

Also, I have to be able to work out at home.

stroutman81 wrote: »

Great post! Thanks! I am in a similar situation. I have been running for about 2 years -- and after an overuse injury decided to do a little more cross training. I started weight-lifting, swimming and biking on my non-running days. After 5 months I have gained 3 pounds! It's very discouraging. Luckily I did do a body composition analysis before I started -- and look forward to comparing before/after results. I know I have toned so I should have a lower body fat %. I tend to be a slave to the scale but am trying desperately to quit using it until my 6 month assessment....next month.

Thanks for the great info!

You're very welcome.

If I were to make one suggestion... if you're a runner logging significant mileage, on your non-running days I'd either be relaxing or strength training. Don't do more cardio. High volumes of cardio (distance running, swimming, biking, circuit training, etc) can do wonky things to lean women trying to get leaner.

Plus, you're interested in optimizing your body composition, obviously. Being lean is a function of fat loss AND muscle gain/maintenance. Strength training is what facilitates the latter, yet very few people prioritize it and/or do it correctly.

stroutman81 wrote: »

more questions...

so, I eat healthy most days. A normal day is....Oatmeal/whole wheat english muffin with pb or hardboiled egg for b'fast-- almonds or fruit for snack -- sandwich or salad with fruit for lunch -- greek yogurt for snack -- grilled chicken for dinner/brown rice/ green beans. I am 41 :noway: 5'3" and 130 lbs (hoping to get back to 120). MFP says I should eat around 1250 calories plus exercise calories. How do you count weight lifting? Some days I can exercise 1000+ calories but don't feel like eating till the next day. Do I deprive myself? Very frustrated -- too much to take in -- there must be an easier way :bigsmile: .

Did I mention I'm an accountant -- and all this gray area does not work for me. I need someone to say -- do this....eat this....and you'll get the desired results. Not asking much....right?:blushing:

Haha, you're fun.

Unfortunately I'm not your guy. I don't give rigid guidelines to follow because in my experience.... it simply doesn't work well. People need to take the fundamentals and apply them in a customized way to themselves.

What are the fundamentals? Well to name a few....

1. Set calories according to your goal. A deficit for weight loss, equal for maintenance, and a surplus for weight gain

2. Set protein at approximately 1 gram per pound of goal body weight. There are 4 calories in each gram of protein.

3. Set fat at approximately 30% of total calories. There are 9 calories for each gram of fat.

4. Eat 4-6 servings of fibrous veggies per day. Calorie content of veggies varies depending on the type... but a ballpark might be 20-40 per serving.

5. Eat 2-4 servings of fruit per day. Like veggies, calorie content varies here. A ballpark might be 60 or so.

I don't use MFP for anything but the community and helping people. I'm not sure how all their calculators work. I can tell you this though... I'm not a fan of estimating calorie expenditure. It's something I've never done with my clients or myself. I take a much simpler route.

I pick a reasonable estimate of calorie maintenance assuming sane amounts of exercise. What's a sane amount of exercise? About an hour per day of moderate to above moderate activity. Weight lifting, cardio, etc. Maintenance works out to be roughly 14-16 calories per pound.

If you're very lean or very overweight... or if you feel you have a bit of a sluggish metabolism... you might need to adjust this starting point. In your case though, I'd go with 15 given your level of activity. Remember, this isn't a contract you're signing here so there's no need to make a big deal about it.

130 x 15 = 1950

From there, it's a matter of creating your deficit. I generally like a deficit of 30% or so. This would put you at about 1400 calories or so. If you were my client, that'd be your initial daily calorie target.

Then it'd be a matter of filling in those calories with the "right mixture" of nutrients.

On the protein front, 1 gram per pound of goal body weight would put you at 120 grams. 120 grams of protein equates to 480 calories, leaving you with 920 left to "fill."

Good sources of protein include chicken and turkey breast, fish, lean ground beef, lean cuts of steak, pork tenderloin, nuts, eggs, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, protein powders, etc.

On the fat front, 30% of total calories comes to 420. Since there are 9 calories in each gram of fat, this would equate to 47 or so grams of fat. You'd be left with 500 calories left to fill.

Good sources of fat include fish oils, flax, fish, olive oil, avocados, nuts, natural peanut butter, etc

If we go with our ballparked numbers for veggies and fruits, we'd have 130ish calories coming from veggies and 180ish coming from fruit. We'd be left with 190 calories left to fill.

This final allotment is your freebie. Fill it with whatever you'd like.

Just remember this is a process. You don't get to sign a contract and expect things to work indefinitely. The process should look *something* like this:

1. Estimate total energy expenditure. (this is where I start with the 14-16 cals per pound)

2. Set your caloric intake at a level above or below the above estimation depending on whether you want to gain or lose weight, respectively.

3. Track your measurements, weight, body fat, pictures, etc every 2-4 weeks.

4. Based on the trend you’re seeing with your tracking, adjust your intake accordingly.

5. Rinse and repeat steps 2-4 until you a) reach your goal or b) your goals change.

You're an accountant, so you must like numbers. Therefore you must like this post.

kdiamond wrote: »

Take it from me - I went from weighing 105 to 109 now. This transformation took 4-5 months of HEAVY lifting.

I used to do endless cardio and low calorie eating thinking that is what made me "thin". Then I realized I don't want to be "thin", I want to be firm, muscular, athletic and in great shape. I have reduced my body fat approx. 2-3% during this process, yet I weigh more. I still fit into the clothes I did 4 pounds lighter. I look 10000x better. I have no - zero - cellulite on the back of my legs now. I went from being able to do 75 pounds on the leg press to 155 pounds now. My deadlift went from 20 pounds to 50 pounds now. My bicep curls went from 5 pounds each arm to 15 pounds now. I see actual muscle definition. I eat way more now too!

My friends, weight lifting made my body look SO much better. I do not look bulky or big, I look smaller, tighter and athletic. Give it a shot!