Not just focusing on CICO; need proper nutrition
soccerkon26
Posts: 596 Member
I still want to lose about 5 pounds, but I am seeing that my stomach is not toned in compared to my legs and arms. I have lost some weight just focusing on calories but I feel that I need to watch al of my macros/micros in order to lean up.
If I eat less carbs and fat, would I lean out more? Sodium? Sugar,
I often go over my carbs and sometimes my fat. And sometimes I don't reach my protein goal that MFP gave me. What do you suggest in order to lean up? Thank you!
If I eat less carbs and fat, would I lean out more? Sodium? Sugar,
I often go over my carbs and sometimes my fat. And sometimes I don't reach my protein goal that MFP gave me. What do you suggest in order to lean up? Thank you!
0
Replies
-
Do you do resistance training...to "tone up" you have to have muscle...to have muscle you have to do resistance training. Nutrition is good, but nutrition isn't going to "tone" anything.
At any rate, there is no one size fits all macro ratio...my guess is your macros are MFPs default which means your protein goals are pretty low to begin with...so eat more protein...eat more meat, poultry, fish, eggs, etc. Eat a lot of veg and a couple servings of fruit every day and some whole grains and healthy fats and you should be good.0 -
as you want to get leaner then you are going to need to be more accurate and consistent with your logging, and also with your macros…
what is your current body fat%?
do you strength train? If not, what is your training regimen?
0 -
Strength training and 25-30% protein.0
-
Your profile pic looks familiar to me....could you let us know your stats to refresh the old memory?0
-
I am 21 years old, 5 foot 5 and about 134 pounds. My current goal is 130!
My daily routine is usually 2-3 miles total on the treadmill or elliptical as cardio. Then if I am training legs I will do weighted lunges, deadlifts, leg press, etc. Abs are just crunches and using TRX bands0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »I am 21 years old, 5 foot 5 and about 134 pounds. My current goal is 130!
My daily routine is usually 2-3 miles total on the treadmill or elliptical as cardio. Then if I am training legs I will do weighted lunges, deadlifts, leg press, etc. Abs are just crunches and using TRX bands
What about arms? Chest? Back?
Less carbs and less fat is subjective. You need an appropriate amount of all the macronutrients. Focus on adequate protein first, then determine a good balance of fat and carbs for you.0 -
OK, OP is not the one I thought...which is good, because I was remembering another pretty young-un who had some real disordered ideas and goals.
You do lots of cardio, OP. Spot resistance work on legs (are you training for a particular sport?) and some abs. You need to do some upper body weight work, OP, and if your time is crunched, feel free to cut some cardio time. It's great if you enjoy it but you will definitely be seeing diminishing returns in your results, because the body gets really efficient at cardio and will be able to run or elliptical (?) using progressively less effort.
Learn some good free weight lifts and don't be afraid to challenge yourself. You'll get some great results.
Oh, and just in case your workouts are so leg-dominant because you want to lose fat in your lower body? You can't spot reduce. Work out all of your muscles and just eat a balanced diet within your calorie goals to lose body fat across the board.0 -
here is my suggestion …find a structured lifting program like strong lifts, new rules of lifting for woman, starting strength, etc and stick to that. I would say only do cardio on off lifting days, and make sure that you have at least one, one hundred percent rest day.
as far as macros go, go into custom settings and go 35% carbs/35% protein/30% fats.
As far as intake I would suggest the following:
set MFP to .5 pound per week loss and eat to that number.
figure out maintenance and eat to that number, lift heavy, and do a recomp.
figure out .5 pound per week gain and do a slow bulk for about four months and eat to that number….
0 -
OK, OP is not the one I thought...which is good, because I was remembering another pretty young-un who had some real disordered ideas and goals.
You do lots of cardio, OP. Spot resistance work on legs (are you training for a particular sport?) and some abs. You need to do some upper body weight work, OP, and if your time is crunched, feel free to cut some cardio time. It's great if you enjoy it but you will definitely be seeing diminishing returns in your results, because the body gets really efficient at cardio and will be able to run or elliptical (?) using progressively less effort.
Learn some good free weight lifts and don't be afraid to challenge yourself. You'll get some great results.
Oh, and just in case your workouts are so leg-dominant because you want to lose fat in your lower body? You can't spot reduce. Work out all of your muscles and just eat a balanced diet within your calorie goals to lose body fat across the board.
I run cross country in college, but even though it's off season, I still enjoy cardio! Plus I eat my exercises calories.
I don't really care to strengthen my arms or back, but maybe I can try it, since you suggested it!
Thank you for your thoughtful response
0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »OK, OP is not the one I thought...which is good, because I was remembering another pretty young-un who had some real disordered ideas and goals.
You do lots of cardio, OP. Spot resistance work on legs (are you training for a particular sport?) and some abs. You need to do some upper body weight work, OP, and if your time is crunched, feel free to cut some cardio time. It's great if you enjoy it but you will definitely be seeing diminishing returns in your results, because the body gets really efficient at cardio and will be able to run or elliptical (?) using progressively less effort.
Learn some good free weight lifts and don't be afraid to challenge yourself. You'll get some great results.
Oh, and just in case your workouts are so leg-dominant because you want to lose fat in your lower body? You can't spot reduce. Work out all of your muscles and just eat a balanced diet within your calorie goals to lose body fat across the board.
I run cross country in college, but even though it's off season, I still enjoy cardio! Plus I eat my exercises calories.
I don't really care to strengthen my arms or back, but maybe I can try it, since you suggested it!
Thank you for your thoughtful response
A strong back and arms will help you prevent injury both in sports and in everyday life, and will also help you improve your posture, etc...you will be amazed at how great you look with some better core and arm strength, just from changes in how you hold yourself.0 -
Lifting isn't going to make you bulky ... just in case it's what is causing you concern 0
-
-
My stomach is not toned/defined and was wondering if that was because I constantly go over my carbohydrate goal while being constantly under my protein goal. 0
-
soccerkon26 wrote: »My stomach is not toned/defined and was wondering if that was because I constantly go over my carbohydrate goal while being constantly under my protein goal.
It's because you either still have body fat or you don't have enough lean mass, but probably a combination of both.0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »My stomach is not toned/defined and was wondering if that was because I constantly go over my carbohydrate goal while being constantly under my protein goal.
It's because you either still have body fat or you don't have enough lean mass, but probably a combination of both.
So is that just a focus on calories and weight training, or more fine-tuned on what I am actually eating?
0 -
soccerkon26 wrote: »soccerkon26 wrote: »My stomach is not toned/defined and was wondering if that was because I constantly go over my carbohydrate goal while being constantly under my protein goal.
It's because you either still have body fat or you don't have enough lean mass, but probably a combination of both.
So is that just a focus on calories and weight training, or more fine-tuned on what I am actually eating?
She already answered ya.soccerkon26 wrote: »I am 21 years old, 5 foot 5 and about 134 pounds. My current goal is 130!
My daily routine is usually 2-3 miles total on the treadmill or elliptical as cardio. Then if I am training legs I will do weighted lunges, deadlifts, leg press, etc. Abs are just crunches and using TRX bands
Less carbs and less fat is subjective. You need an appropriate amount of all the macronutrients. Focus on adequate protein first, then determine a good balance of fat and carbs for you.
0 -
Thank you all!0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 396.9K Introduce Yourself
- 44.2K Getting Started
- 260.9K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.3K Food and Nutrition
- 47.6K Recipes
- 232.8K Fitness and Exercise
- 455 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.7K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.3K Motivation and Support
- 8.3K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.5K Chit-Chat
- 2.6K Fun and Games
- 4.5K MyFitnessPal Information
- 16 News and Announcements
- 18 MyFitnessPal Academy
- 1.4K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 3.1K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions