Relatively light people trying to get leaner
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Bump to read later
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"Personally, I don't ever weigh. I own a gym that has 3 scales in sight and I step on one of them maybe 5 times per year. I just don't care what I weigh. I care what I can do (big on mountaineering) and how I look. But I train for performance and how I look follows suit."
I quoted you because, like you, I don't ever use a scale and have never even owned one. I've always felt, at a very young age, that people obsess way too much about their weight, and constantly weighing oneself is counter-productive to the mind. The only time I've ever stepped on a scale was at a doctor's appointment or to prove someone wrong (that I actually weigh more than they believe me to weigh). Some people have said I don't need to because I'm not, nor really have been overweight; however, I reply that just because "my weight isn't hitting the roof, doesn't mean I feel OK in my body".
A little history about me ... I am on the leaner side and lbs aren't as important to me than my BMI. At present it is 28.5 % with my weight @ 136 lbs. I'm wanting to bring my BMI down to at least 23%. My thought process is this ... my main goal for fitness is to reduce stress and carry a healthy body. For me, the "body molding" is a plus that comes along with being physically active. With the BMI in mind, the other goal is toning. Just because my weight is ideal (I'm 5' 7 1/2"), I can see the lack of muscle tone and it bothers me tremendously.
Currently I am participating in a 6-week xfit challenge with 6 other beginners (started on 10/17/16). Our coach is teaching us as if each one is a true beginner, which I like, because I am 51 and want to learn proper form of lifting, etc. I also don't have a car at the moment (gave mine to my daughter) so I take buses to/from work and ride my bike Mon, Wed, Fri for xfit (which totals approximately 5-6 mi on those days).
Eating is where I'm most frustrated, because my nature is to eat when I'm hungry. Most times when I am hungry I'm not in the position to eat or don't have food available. By the time I can eat, I'm no longer hungry (plus, I don't have a sweet-tooth). And so the vicious cycle goes. Basically in a nut shell ... eating for me is simply survival. My coach wants us to eat 5 small meals per day keeping nutrients in mind. As a specific instruction to me, he says I should eat more fat. UGH!!! This eating process (calories, macro nutrients, etc.) is driving me crazy!!!
Now, as far as my question (or maybe even questions) to you. What would you suggest food wise (PLEASE make it simple), xfit, weight lifting, etc., so I can attain my goal of lowering my BMI and toning my body to be what it should for my body frame?
Thanks for your time,
Cyndy
P.S. Is there any way we could communicate outside this forum should you be willing to mentor me somewhat?0 -
MelaniaTrump wrote: »Why is this being answered 6 years later?
Sometimes even when we know, we need to be reminded.
Your user name is unfortunate because I come on MFP to get away from all that noise and crap.***sigh***
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"Personally, I don't ever weigh. I own a gym that has 3 scales in sight and I step on one of them maybe 5 times per year. I just don't care what I weigh. I care what I can do (big on mountaineering) and how I look. But I train for performance and how I look follows suit."
I quoted you because, like you, I don't ever use a scale and have never even owned one. I've always felt, at a very young age, that people obsess way too much about their weight, and constantly weighing oneself is counter-productive to the mind. The only time I've ever stepped on a scale was at a doctor's appointment or to prove someone wrong (that I actually weigh more than they believe me to weigh). Some people have said I don't need to because I'm not, nor really have been overweight; however, I reply that just because "my weight isn't hitting the roof, doesn't mean I feel OK in my body".
A little history about me ... I am on the leaner side and lbs aren't as important to me than my BMI. At present it is 28.5 % with my weight @ 136 lbs. I'm wanting to bring my BMI down to at least 23%. My thought process is this ... my main goal for fitness is to reduce stress and carry a healthy body. For me, the "body molding" is a plus that comes along with being physically active. With the BMI in mind, the other goal is toning. Just because my weight is ideal (I'm 5' 7 1/2"), I can see the lack of muscle tone and it bothers me tremendously.
Currently I am participating in a 6-week xfit challenge with 6 other beginners (started on 10/17/16). Our coach is teaching us as if each one is a true beginner, which I like, because I am 51 and want to learn proper form of lifting, etc. I also don't have a car at the moment (gave mine to my daughter) so I take buses to/from work and ride my bike Mon, Wed, Fri for xfit (which totals approximately 5-6 mi on those days).
Eating is where I'm most frustrated, because my nature is to eat when I'm hungry. Most times when I am hungry I'm not in the position to eat or don't have food available. By the time I can eat, I'm no longer hungry (plus, I don't have a sweet-tooth). And so the vicious cycle goes. Basically in a nut shell ... eating for me is simply survival. My coach wants us to eat 5 small meals per day keeping nutrients in mind. As a specific instruction to me, he says I should eat more fat. UGH!!! This eating process (calories, macro nutrients, etc.) is driving me crazy!!!
Now, as far as my question (or maybe even questions) to you. What would you suggest food wise (PLEASE make it simple), xfit, weight lifting, etc., so I can attain my goal of lowering my BMI and toning my body to be what it should for my body frame?
Thanks for your time,
Cyndy
P.S. Is there any way we could communicate outside this forum should you be willing to mentor me somewhat?
A few random thoughts:
1. BMI can be somewhat misleading when applying it to active people who are carrying meaningful muscle mass. I wouldn't hold it out as the be all end all metric that defines health. I'm overweight per BMI standards. I'm also pretty damn healthy and fit.
2. You're right... your lack of muscle tone likely has more to do with your body fat levels than it does your muscle mass. That said, it's nice to hear that you're doing some lifting. That'll only help matters - on the physique front and the health front.
3. What makes it that you're not in a position to eat when your'e hungry? Better yet... what could you do to improve your ability to honor your hunger when it arises?
4. How do you lower your BMI through nutrition? That's a huge question that doesn't really have a blanket answer that I can put in a neat little box. I wrote an all-encompassing article about nutrition fundamentals that you can find here: www.body-improvements.com/eat. You can give that a look and if you have any specific questions, let me know.
5. Outside of the forum I do coaching, which you can learn more about on my bio.
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Bump
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I'm a "relatively light" person trying to get a bit leaner. Thanks for bumping this, I have some reading to do. 3
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lbs aren't as important to me than my BMI. At present it is 28.5 % with my weight @ 136 lbs. I'm wanting to bring my BMI down to at least 23%. My thought process is this ... my main goal for fitness is to reduce stress and carry a healthy body. For me, the "body molding" is a plus that comes along with being physically active. With the BMI in mind, the other goal is toning. Just because my weight is ideal (I'm 5' 7 1/2"), I can see the lack of muscle tone and it bothers me tremendously.
BMI is just weight divided by height, do you mean body fat, body composition?
I feel like we are probably built similarly; I'm 5'9" and don't get fat or heavy, but have at times gotten dumpy, misshapen due to being, well, out of shape. Skinnyfat.
ANYTHING you do, exercise-wise, should work fine. Just work out more often. Did the 6-week challenge get you back on board?
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What qualifies as 'relatively light?!' LOL!0
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Ancient post by MFP standards, but still very useful. Giving it a New Years bump.5
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Bump0
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Ancient first post, but it could use a bump.3
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I always mean to go back through and read this entire thread but then I end up forgetting to do that. Thanks for bumping, @diannethegeek . You are the master bumper 5
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Ahhh this is great.. forgot about this thread. I feel like this comes up so often, definitely worth a read2
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I was just thinking about this thread the other day. Reminding myself that I'm already lean, I shouldn't feel guilty about not being motivated to get ulta-lean again right now.
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Funny thing @mom23mangos, I feel similar. I didn't think I would be the size I am with the fitness level I have when I first started out, or even 3 years ago when I was well into maintenance weight wise.
Over the past 3 years I have been doing a slow recomp, very pleased at my results, but only today I was sat thinking of how I could up my efforts, without doing a bulk (probably silly at my age) because of a few jiggly bits.
I came to the realization that the balance I have now is a maintainable one long term, and in reality I am hitting the point of diminished returns. Yes I could lift heavier, yes I could do more cardio, but the further benefits both, health wise and visually, would be minimal.
I think accepting physical/health and visual maintenance is hard and I am going to probably waffle about this for a long time even though mentally I know I am in a good place right now.
Cheers, h.10 -
@middlehaitch.. I also have thought a lot about this. I most certainly am not exactly where I want to be as far as my body fat, but mostly because it all settles around my waist in a small muffin Top.
I'm not overweight and sometimes wonder if my efforts, which sometimes feel all consuming, are for naught, and maybe I should be just working to maintain rather than continue to strive to improve?? I'm almost 56, and my husband asked me not too long ago, when do you get to enjoy that you look better than 90% of 56 year olds, and just try to maintain your fitness level?
Good question. I don't know the answer to that.
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@frankiesgirlie, I too am someone who has blobs around my middle even thought I am low on the BMI scale.
Mine, as someone who carries fat above and below the waist (B belly), is never going to go completely, but it has really improved.
I think accepting is hard, I am 63 but want the stomach, never mind the abs, of someone half my age, it just ain't going to happen- ever.
I am not giving up, I am still progressing, but much more in a maintenance mode. If I miss a day at the gym because there is something else going on, I don't stress it.
Like eating and going into maintenance where you have to learn how to manage your food intake to fit in with life's events, that is what I am trying to do with my exercise. It doesn't matter where I am I can always walk. If I can't lift 3 days, I will do 2 heavy. If none of those options are available I do nerdfitness bodyweight, and every now and then I will just take a break from everything because I have hit a wall, lost my mojo, or whatever.
It is up to you to decide when it is time to maintain. I know the time is probably right for me, now. I also know 6 months or a year from now I can change my mind and push a bit further to see what I can do.
And yes, you look wonderful, for any age.
Cheers, h.5 -
Y'all are saying what I have been thinking! Only I have gained this winter, and now I need to lose 10-15 lbs! But seriously, this is supposed to enhance our lives, not make them worse!4
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mom23mangos wrote: »I was just thinking about this thread the other day. Reminding myself that I'm already lean, I shouldn't feel guilty about not being motivated to get ulta-lean again right now.
+1 yes lets cut ourselves some slack 1 -
When trying to lose weight, weightlifting is valuable. It creates a buffer for people trying to lose a good amount of body fat. However, you only have 10 lbs to go. I'd focus everything on your diet and add in some cardio. You can easily tone/lift heavy after, but keep in mind there's an art to that, and from what I've read, you could end up adding a few pounds at that point, but it's lean body mass (muscle) so that should be taken into account. What is in the number 120 anyway, if it's not healthy lean body weight?1
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mom23mangos wrote: »I was just thinking about this thread the other day. Reminding myself that I'm already lean, I shouldn't feel guilty about not being motivated to get ulta-lean again right now.
Me, too. I'm lean enough and I'm enjoying eating maintenance calories. I may do a small cut in May but I have not been motivated to try and stay sub-20% body fat for the last few months.3 -
I needed this post today, however old it is, lol. Gotta just keep my head down and keep biking into the wind.3
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frankiesgirlie wrote: »@middlehaitch.. I also have thought a lot about this. I most certainly am not exactly where I want to be as far as my body fat, but mostly because it all settles around my waist in a small muffin Top.
I'm not overweight and sometimes wonder if my efforts, which sometimes feel all consuming, are for naught, and maybe I should be just working to maintain rather than continue to strive to improve?? I'm almost 56, and my husband asked me not too long ago, when do you get to enjoy that you look better than 90% of 56 year olds, and just try to maintain your fitness level?
Good question. I don't know the answer to that.
Your hubby is aok in my book!
Long ago I gave up my pursuit for forever abs. I've had very visible abs. I've been very lean. The tradeoffs simply weren't worth it for me. I was consumed by food nuances. I was low on energy. My joints hurt. I was weak in the gym. I was distracted from things that really matter to me... like family, this business, outdoors, etc. It'a personal decision, but I do think a lot of people are in the pursuit of physical perfection because that's the path they've been shoved down by our culture. Of course there's no such thing as perfection. And most never find this elusive happiness at the "end of the rainbow."
Delaying happiness for when your body looks good enough is a recipe for frustration, self-loathing, and time wasted in my opinion.7 -
mommarnurse wrote: »When trying to lose weight, weightlifting is valuable. It creates a buffer for people trying to lose a good amount of body fat. However, you only have 10 lbs to go. I'd focus everything on your diet and add in some cardio. You can easily tone/lift heavy after, but keep in mind there's an art to that, and from what I've read, you could end up adding a few pounds at that point, but it's lean body mass (muscle) so that should be taken into account. What is in the number 120 anyway, if it's not healthy lean body weight?
While there are a lot of ways to skin this cat... in an ideal world, I wouldn't delay lifting until after the fat is lost. It's one of the primary tools in our toolbox to give our bodies the signal to hold onto muscle in the face of a caloric deficit. Not that your muscles are going to fall off if you don't eat enough. But your body's tendency to give up muscle will increase the leaner you get. Hence why things like heavy, progressive lifting are an important part of the fat loss process for those who are interested in optimizing their physique.
Not to mention that, especially for novices... you can experience meaningful and concurrent changes in fat and muscle... meaning you're losing fat while gaining muscle at the same time.
Food for thought.6 -
Hi
I've found this thread really helpful although I must admit I haven't read every post... In my defence it is quite a big thread now!
I need a bit of help please, if anyone has any time.
I am trying to lose 5lbs, but I want to do it sensibly and without neglecting strength training. I'm 5'6.4", 131lbs, my scales estimate that my body fat % is 17.7%. I do full body strength training three times a week. Once I can comfortably perform 12 reps at a certain weight I move up a weight. I mix in some HIIT and SIT, once or twice a week but some weeks I give myself a week off the cardio. I train with my Polar watch and I wear a Fitbit One, the Fitbit is out of curiosity really, but I love my Polar watch, I'm a bit of a geek and it's all about the numbers for me! It allows me to track what I'm doing and compete against myself.
As far as food is concerned, I tried using calculators like IIFYM. My general life is sedentary because of various restraints but I do like being active. I was concerned that using the rather generalised terms in the calculators (define 'moderate' and 'heavy' exercise by heart rate percentage?!) I set up the calculator to find out my BMR and TDEE based on a sedentary lifestyle with NO workouts. It gave me 1319 and 1517. Now originally I thought that I should reduce from 1517 to about 1400 because I was aiming to lose weight. The IIFYM calculator told me to cut 15%-20% to lose weight but if I cut that much I am quite a way below the given BMR, which of course I didn't want to do. Working on the basic principle of eating a little more to weigh a little less (sic) I took 1517 as my baseline, and added any exercise calories (taken from my Polar watch) onto the 1517 to give me the total number of calories for that day. For two weeks I did try taking 1408 as my daily basic intake and adding exercise calories onto that but I was so tired that I was concerned I was being counterproductive. Going back to 1517 as my base I am still quite tired and low a lot of the time so I'm worried that I'm either not eating enough or just having a low patch, hard to tell, it's been a stressful few months. I watch my protein levels but I'm not trying to skip carbs or anything like that, I'm trying to keep a sensibly balanced diet, no guilt and no excess, just a little of everything with snacks that include some protein.
I've been training like this for about six weeks. My weight and body fat haven't budged but I am much stronger and I'm pleased with my strength training progress. I would still like to reduce my body fat percentage a touch, I want to get a little leaner. Not much, just a little. Based on all the above, what would you recommend I do with my calories? Should I be eating more as my baseline? Is it alright to cycle the calories this way, eating more on my exercise days and less on my rest days?
Any thoughts you have would be welcomed.
***********
ETA: P.S. I don't know if it's worth mentioning but the one macro I am quite strict about is my sugar intake. I watch my sugars carefully and try to make sure that I keep them below 15g. I don't like many fruits so I don't really eat them I eat veggies instead.0 -
stroutman81 wrote: »These same people come to me claiming they've been in a plateau for nearly a year, feel like crap, have nagging injuries, zero motivation, etc. Turns out that if they'd just sit down, stay out of the damn gym, and eat some food... things would be much better.
This! So glad I found this thread!!
After years of being a cardio slave, I'm now a 3-weights-sessions-a-week-and-2,000-calories person, and in some of the discussions here I start to feel like I'm doing it wrong because I'm way more about macros, protein and gains than pure CICO
Big up to the leanies who like lifting heavy things! 1 -
After years of being a cardio slave, I'm now a 3-weights-sessions-a-week-and-2,000-calories person...
For some reason my reply wasn't posted with this quote!
This is my question - based on the info I gave in the post above yours, should I be eating the same number of calories on my rest days as I eat on my exercise days? When I exercise I eat 1580 cals + exercise cals, usually around 1900-2000 calories. On my rest days I eat 1580. Am I wrong?
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After years of being a cardio slave, I'm now a 3-weights-sessions-a-week-and-2,000-calories person...
For some reason my reply wasn't posted with this quote!
This is my question - based on the info I gave in the post above yours, should I be eating the same number of calories on my rest days as I eat on my exercise days? When I exercise I eat 1580 cals + exercise cals, usually around 1900-2000 calories. On my rest days I eat 1580. Am I wrong?
If it's working, then no!
I'm 1,930 on rest days and 2,000 on training days, with slightly different macro splits. I've basically negotiated my way to this with my trainer, as I don't find lifting makes me as hungry as cardio used to so I can take a flatter profile. It also doesn't burn all that many calories per session - the benefit is in increasing muscle mass and hence increasing your background burn all the time.
I might do a bit of a cut when barbecue season is over, but this split makes me happy, so...1
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