Conflicting Information

Couldn't agree more!

No!! You are not alone!!! lol.... I guess we just have to dibble dabble around until we find what works for us.

You have to take all the information that you read and decide for yourself what resonates with you; What makes sense to you. But number one priority is to read, read, read. The more informed you are, on both sides of everything, the more you can make decisions and opinions on what you believe. The second most important thing is experience. Do what works for you. Try different things. The third most important thing is to understand that no matter what you believe and what your experience, someone else's is going to be different.

i get overwhelmed by conflicting info too

quite a few ppl suggested peanut butter to get my kcals up, as i started on 1200 and only now, after 6 weeks, did i let MFP calculate them and they're up by 430kcals a day - im somewhat used to 1200 so needed a high kcal low micro food

when i added peanut butter to my diary and asked ppl to take a look and give any advice, one person messaged me and said i was sabotaging myself and peanut butter is the worst thing ever, its full of salt and sugar and if i eat it, i am sure to gain weight

i ate the peanut butter, 1 tbsp, this morning on toast - its my weigh in tomorrow morning - needless to say, if i do pile on the weight overnight i think i'll cry, but was really confused as to what else i could have to get my kcals up without affecting my micros too much

i really really appreciate all the support and motivation on here - i jsut get confused as to what will work and what 'may' work

I am totally with you! I have felt in the past that I need to do everything right and I would make myself crazy with percentages and sodium and sugar, not to mention what the best work out order or option is. I would simply quit because it was too overwhelming.

This time I am taking a different approach, I have 3 simple rules, move more, eat less, and when faced with a choice, try to make the best one available. If you look at my diary, you will see I go over on sodium and sugar alot, but I am pretty consistently under on fat grams. This has really given me a sense of freedom and confidence. You can't focus on all that stuff all the time, but you can make better choices that will help you get to a healthier you. Hang in there!

It's a balance...cardio & strength training both boost metabolism & burn fat. I do both either together or alternatively. Change it up every 30 days to keep from plateauing. As far as eating back calories, I do do that because I'm at my goal weight & want to maintain it . Everyone is different, it's about trial & error. Just don't give up.
:happy:

quite a few ppl suggested peanut butter to get my kcals up, as i started on 1200 and only now, after 6 weeks, did i let MFP calculate them and they're up by 430kcals a day - im somewhat used to 1200 so needed a high kcal low micro food

when i added peanut butter to my diary and asked ppl to take a look and give any advice, one person messaged me and said i was sabotaging myself and peanut butter is the worst thing ever, its full of salt and sugar and if i eat it, i am sure to gain weight

There is nothing wrong with peanut butter, if you are eating good peanut butter. Yes, most national brands like Jiffy or Skippy are full of sugar and salt, but I personallt buy a brand that contains nothing but peanuts. Peanuts. Period. It's sodium free, sugar free and everything else free. Check it out: http://www.teddie.com/nutrition.html

I have 3 simple rules, move more, eat less, and when faced with a choice, try to make the best one available.

I love this!

What I can say for sure is make sure you do strength training at least 3 days a week. That's a must. Cardio I feel is bonus but your DIET is what will make changes the most. You can do cardio until you're blue in the face but if your diet is off you'll get frustrated.

It will take you some time to tweek your diet perfect but simple obvious rules that will never change is to limit white sugar, white bread, white flour all that stuff. Anything processed is bad, just read the labels and fast food will always be a no no of course. Once in a while is fine. I think that's a start then you can begin to experiment. I hope this helps.

I have to agree with other posters, you find what works with your body. I read article after article and it gets overbearing. So honestly i stopped reading, Only thing now i look up are recipes for healthier cooking.

OK so here I what I learned from getting my degree in exercise science.... I hope this helps for you a bit.

Lifting- Only lift large amounts of weights if you are tying to look like Arnold. Women, especially those trying to get in shape, should lift lower weights, higher reps. This allows the muscles to tone and by gaining moderate strength. This does not mean lift only a 5 pound weight; you should still be trying. Go for three sets with 15-20 reps in a set and only 30-60 seconds rest between sets. Do not lift the same muscle groups two days in a row. If you lift entire body in one day, you need at least 36-48 hours to recover (ie if you lift on Monday, don't lift again till Wednesday). You can lift upper body one day and lower body the next if you like lifting everyday, but I don't. Try different lifts that work the same muscle groups to switch up your workout and keep your body guessing. There are helpful websites that will show you these to give you ideas. Do LIGHT cardio for 20 minuets after lifting to reduce lactic acid build up.

Cardio- Intervals are what is called high intensity interval training (HIIT). When doing HIIT cardio you only need to do 15-20 minutes, but you might have to build up to that. HIIT causes high levels of lactic acid build up which will increase stiffness at first. The intervals should range between 30-60 seconds at a high pace/speed and 1-3 minutes recovery at a moderate pace/speed. When at the higher pace, you really need to push (the last 10 seconds should feel like you are going to die). The benefits of HIIT training is that it may boost your metabolism for up to 24 hours after your workout (research suggested). New research also says it increases amount of fat burned as compared to normal cardio. That said, only 20% of your cardio workouts should be HIIT workouts due to the fact that its anaerobic (without oxygen) so you aren't getting the full cardio benefits.

You only need to do cardio 2-3 days a week and I usually do mine opposite of my lifting days (For example: I ran 7 miles yesterday and lifted this morning. Tomorrow will be HIIT). Keep it within your fat burn zone for max benefits.

You need both cardio and weights to lose weight, there is no way around it. Lifting burns fats just like cardio and increases muscle mass. Cardio burns fat and boosts metabolism for a time after.

Food- When you lift, your body needs protein to build the muscle. It doesn't have to be meat, but just lean sources of protein (fat free dairy, edemame, tofu, high protein cereals, nuts). Its a good idea to have a protein snack or some with a meal right after you lift. Carbs aren't bad for you, in fact your brain needs them to function. Just stay away from the white ones which have high glycemic indexes (they raise your blood sugar the most. White bread has the highest). Plus whole grains have protein. Fruits and veggies are good for you, period. What sugar they do have is natural, unprocessed sugar. Your meals should be balanced. Just remember the food pyramid; don't binge on one, neglecting the rest. If you eat back your exercise calories is up to your body. If you don't eat them back and your find yourself stuck in weight loss that means your body is in starvation mode (it just stores everything you eat as fat because its not getting enough; nature's way of preventing us from dying) and you need to eat some/all of your earned calories.

I hope that was helpful.

OMG Im so with you! I read up so much on diet and fitness and everyday there seems to be a new strategy! Its frustrating!!

I think I've found help! I contacted the University in my town and discovered that they have programs there open to the Community. They have one called Metabolism Matters which performs test such as Resting Metabolic Rate and Exercise Metabolic Testing to see what your true numbers are rather than going with the general calculations you find online. I'm waiting for the Department to call me back! I REALLY hope they do so soon!! Thanks again!

Good Deal! We do that in our school but only during the Spring and Fall semesters. So, don't be discouraged if you don't hear back from them soon since it is now the Summer semester. Give them another call in the Fall semester (mid-August) if you don't hear from them before then.