Fitness and Nutrition Q & A
Replies
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TavistockToad wrote: »Hi. About a year ago, I offered to answer people's fitness related questions on here and it turned out pretty well, so I decided to go for it again. If you have any fitness, nutrition, or gym related questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them for you. Also, if you have questions about exercise technique, feel free to post a video of you doing the exercise and I'll do my best to help you out. The more specific the question the better.
If you want to check out the previous discussion, here is the link:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10376020/ask-a-personal-trainer-gym-owner/p1
whats the best way to fuel a HM?
What's a HM?0 -
Half Marathon maybe?0
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MeanderingMammal wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »What's an appropriate training plan structure for a 50km trail race with a marathon the following morning?
I'm assuming this is a trolling attempt, but if serious, I would do a lot praying and drink lots of red bull.
Nope, I've got one of those weekends in September. Curious to hear what you think.
Well, that going to be a tough one. Which one is more important for you?0 -
I need to know how to stay compliant with nutrition, training, sleep/rest, supplements and medications when life seems "crazy" because there is always too much to do and never enough time. I feel unwell, physically, a lot of the time - and I believe if I could finally get myself to be consistent I would feel better. I make myself feel unwell through my own inconsistent behavior- for example, forgetting necessary medications or making poor food choices because of time crunch.
Any tips or suggestions?0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »What's an appropriate training plan structure for a 50km trail race with a marathon the following morning?
I'm assuming this is a trolling attempt, but if serious, I would do a lot praying and drink lots of red bull.
Nope, I've got one of those weekends in September. Curious to hear what you think.
Well, that going to be a tough one. Which one is more important for you?
What's most important is finishing the double. If either was my A race I wouldn't be running the other.
Fwiw I'm intending on using a modified 50 Mile plan with lots of back to back longs, so July will be back to back 20s every weekend with 10s midweek.
There is an argument that a standard Marathon plan will be fine, as 50K isn't a significant increase over a full.
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DannyYMi54321 wrote: »I need to know how to stay compliant with nutrition, training, sleep/rest, supplements and medications when life seems "crazy" because there is always too much to do and never enough time. I feel unwell, physically, a lot of the time - and I believe if I could finally get myself to be consistent I would feel better. I make myself feel unwell through my own inconsistent behavior- for example, forgetting necessary medications or making poor food choices because of time crunch.
Any tips or suggestions?
Sorry for the tough love, but if all those things were a priority you would be doing them. Lack of time is only an excuse to shift blame from yourself.
You need to plan ahead. Meal prep your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Block out your training time on your schedule. Put down the phone and turn off the tv at night, so you can go to sleep. Everyone is busy, you just need to manage your time better.2 -
Traveler120 wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »42F, 5'4", and after losing 30+ lbs, I've maintained 120 lbs +/-5 for 1.5 yrs on 1700-1900 calories. In the last 2 yrs, I've mainly done cardio (hiking, cycling) and no serious resistance training. I have apple shape genetics so my lower body looks good, hips 34in., but my upper body needs help - arms need to lose 0.75-1 in. to look really defined, and abs 1.5-2 inches off for proper abs. With muscle growth and fat loss, I expect to drop to 115 lbs to achieve this toned look.
My 4 questions are:
1. If I start a well planned, balls to the wall, 5x/week bodyweight training program (no gym) and continue with my hiking and cycling, is 3 months a reasonable time frame to achieve those goals and have a more "toned" look, assuming high motivation and plenty of time to exercise and recover?
ps: The training will use bodyweight, TRX, dumbells, pullup bar, bands, med balls, beachbody dvds etc. No barbells.
2. I've read that women only need a 125 calorie surplus to build a realistic 0.5-1 lb of muscle per month. Do you agree? If not, how much is required?
3. Someone suggested bulking and cutting but I think that's rubbish and unnecessary given I'm happy with my current size and don't want/need to gain unnecessary fat that I then have to lose again. I just need some body recomposition. What d'you think?
4. What pointers can you give me to achieve my goals in the 3 month time frame.
Thanks.
1. That might be pushing it a little, especially if you're trying to put on some muscle at the same time. 2-4lb of weight loss is realistic and sustainable for most people. Anything more than that usually results in the rebound effect or a loss of a lot of muscle.
2. I think that number is a little low. I would probably recommend 250kcal and adjust from there.
3. Yeah, I would probably go for the recomp route with your current stats.
4. You'll have to be close to 100% on you nutrition if you want to achieve that goal in 3 month. If you're highly motivated it's possible, but I know that would be to much for a lot of people.
Hope that helps.
Yes it helps, thanks. Regarding surplus for muscle growth, I got that 125 calorie figure from >http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/how-many-calories-to-build-muscle-or-gain-weight/
and 250 is for men.
Since my current maintenance is 1700-1900, the 125 is so small that it's within the margin of error and I don't want to start weighing my food on a scale. That's too obsessive. Plus, TDEE is an estimate. And even at the high end of female muscle growth rate of 1 lb/month is so small, it's unmeasurable.
Q - So given all that, instead of risking eating too much, wouldn't it be smarter to just use my performance as an indicator of muscle growth and a measuring tape to measure fat loss? If I'm able to do more reps/volume/weight over time on all my exercises, wouldn't that be the best way to know if I'm gaining muscle while I keep my intake at roughly the same 1700-1900?
Yes, that sounds reasonable. There is other factors associated with getting stronger, but muscle growth usually a part of that. Also, I always recommend using the mirror/tape measure to gauge progress, opposed to scale weight.1 -
No offence but your advice is far below the standard of advice I normally read on these boards.4
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RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »No offence but your advice is far below the standard of advice I normally read on these boards.
I disagree. I read his previous 9pg long Q&A that he linked on the first post and I thought he gave some solid advice. That's the only reason I bothered to ask his opinion. I asked similar questions on the forum this week and got some really bogus answers, some from people who themselves said were trainers.2 -
Traveler120 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »No offence but your advice is far below the standard of advice I normally read on these boards.
I disagree. I read his previous 9pg long Q&A that he linked on the first post and I thought he gave some solid advice. That's the only reason I bothered to ask his opinion coz I asked similar questions this week and got some really bogus answers, some from people who themselves said were trainers.
Wow just wow. Those weren't bogus answers you got at all. You still believe you can lose 5 lbs and gain 5.5 lbs of muscle in 3-6 months on a 125 calorie surplus.3 -
Strength gains don't necessarily mean muscle gains and it's not a good way to measure muscle gain. What happened to your DEXA scan?1
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singingflutelady wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »No offence but your advice is far below the standard of advice I normally read on these boards.
I disagree. I read his previous 9pg long Q&A that he linked on the first post and I thought he gave some solid advice. That's the only reason I bothered to ask his opinion coz I asked similar questions this week and got some really bogus answers, some from people who themselves said were trainers.
Wow just wow. Those weren't bogus answers you got at all. You still believe you can lose 5 lbs and gain 5.5 lbs of muscle in 3-6 months on a 125 calorie surplus.singingflutelady wrote: »Strength gains don't necessarily mean muscle gains and it's not a good way to measure muscle gain......
Please let's not derail this thread by rehashing old ones. I got the answers I wanted from @JonDrees and he seems to know what he's talking about.singingflutelady wrote: »... What happened to your DEXA scan?
I'm still shopping for one cheaper than the $90-125 I've found so far.0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »No offence but your advice is far below the standard of advice I normally read on these boards.
I disagree. I read his previous 9pg long Q&A that he linked on the first post and I thought he gave some solid advice. That's the only reason I bothered to ask his opinion coz I asked similar questions this week and got some really bogus answers, some from people who themselves said were trainers.
Wow just wow. Those weren't bogus answers you got at all. You still believe you can lose 5 lbs and gain 5.5 lbs of muscle in 3-6 months on a 125 calorie surplus.singingflutelady wrote: »Strength gains don't necessarily mean muscle gains and it's not a good way to measure muscle gain......
Please let's not derail this thread by rehashing old ones. I got the answers I wanted from @JonDrees and he seems to know what he's talking about.singingflutelady wrote: »... What happened to your DEXA scan?
I'm still shopping for one cheaper than the $90-125 I've found so far.
Except if you read what he said he didn't say anything that confirms your beliefs. He said:. That might be pushing it a little, especially if you're trying to put on some muscle at the same time.
How do you get yes you can gain 5.5 lbs of muscle and lose 5 lbs overall out of that?
Also how is his answer
There are other factors associated with getting stronger, but muscle growth usually a part of that
Different than pointing out there are tons of things involved in strength not just muscle gain?
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I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death
) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
My guess it's a combination of water, glycogen, and muscle gain, which is off-setting your fat loss.0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
My guess it's a combination of water, glycogen, and muscle gain, which is off-setting your fat loss.
Question conserning glycogen...should I be decreasing my carb intake even though I rarely go over the "allowance" mfp has set for me. Will increasing my fluid intake make a difference?? Or just stick with it and ride it out.
Thanks.0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
My guess it's a combination of water, glycogen, and muscle gain, which is off-setting your fat loss.
Question conserning glycogen...should I be decreasing my carb intake even though I rarely go over the "allowance" mfp has set for me. Will increasing my fluid intake make a difference?? Or just stick with it and ride it out.
Thanks.
That's hard to say. Carbs are important for energy when you are training, so I wouldn't cut them too much. I personally set mine to 40%.
Water won't decrease your glycogen, but could potentially flush out some water around the cells - it all depends on fluid and mineral balance in your body.0 -
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »No offence but your advice is far below the standard of advice I normally read on these boards.
Tell me how you really feel.3 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Losing inches is more important than scale weight. I wouldn't worry too much. Your body is still healing from having a baby.
Your calorie goal sounds low given your activity level, what are your stats?2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Losing inches is more important than scale weight. I wouldn't worry too much. Your body is still healing from having a baby.
Your calorie goal sounds low given your activity level, what are your stats?
Yipee I can eat more????!!! *hopefull*
I'm 5'8" and weigh 175lbs. Before pregnancy I usually weighed 150 lbs or there about.2 -
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »No offence but your advice is far below the standard of advice I normally read on these boards.
Tell me how you really feel.
I did.
I had high hopes that your advice would be great and in depth with you starting your own thread.
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Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Losing inches is more important than scale weight. I wouldn't worry too much. Your body is still healing from having a baby.
Your calorie goal sounds low given your activity level, what are your stats?
Yipee I can eat more????!!! *hopefull*
I'm 5'8" and weigh 175lbs. Before pregnancy I usually weighed 150 lbs or there about.
What settings did you use to get 1630?
You should be aiming for 1lb per week, set to light active?0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Are you breast feeding?0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Losing inches is more important than scale weight. I wouldn't worry too much. Your body is still healing from having a baby.
Your calorie goal sounds low given your activity level, what are your stats?
Yipee I can eat more????!!! *hopefull*
I'm 5'8" and weigh 175lbs. Before pregnancy I usually weighed 150 lbs or there about.
What settings did you use to get 1630?
You should be aiming for 1lb per week, set to light active?
"Not very active" settings and to lose 1lb per week. If I set to light active what difference will that make?0 -
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Are you breast feeding?
Not breastfeeding anymore, stopped at 4months-ish.0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm 23 weeks post pregnancy. I gained around 42 lbs and have lost 21 lbs up to 8 weeks ago, that was when I decided to take it really seriously and reduce calorie intake to 1630 a day(I can't reduce it further otherwise I'll starve to death ) I walk every day anyway and mostly do 14000 steps and above. I do home workouts 5 days a week - HIIT sessions and bodyweight. In 8 weeks I have noticed great inch loss but no lbs loss. Before I started exercising and eating less I was losing lbs.
Any thoughts as to why this is? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Losing inches is more important than scale weight. I wouldn't worry too much. Your body is still healing from having a baby.
Your calorie goal sounds low given your activity level, what are your stats?
Yipee I can eat more????!!! *hopefull*
I'm 5'8" and weigh 175lbs. Before pregnancy I usually weighed 150 lbs or there about.
What settings did you use to get 1630?
You should be aiming for 1lb per week, set to light active?
"Not very active" settings and to lose 1lb per week. If I set to light active what difference will that make?
Sedentary?
The more active you are the more calories you burn.0 -
I'm in the U.K and sedentry is not listed. I chose "not very active" thinking it would allow me less calorie intake and easier to lose weight(?) I think it's safe to say that I don't understand which setting I should have it on.0
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Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm in the U.K and sedentry is not listed. I chose "not very active" thinking it would allow me less calorie intake? I think it's safe to say that I don't understand which setting I should have it on.
On MFP?0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm in the U.K and sedentry is not listed. I chose "not very active" thinking it would allow me less calorie intake? I think it's safe to say that I don't understand which setting I should have it on.
On MFP?
Yes. For activity level it has - not very active - lightly active - active - and very active to choose from.0 -
Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »Iwanttolosemymummytummy wrote: »I'm in the U.K and sedentry is not listed. I chose "not very active" thinking it would allow me less calorie intake? I think it's safe to say that I don't understand which setting I should have it on.
On MFP?
Yes. For activity settings it has - not very active - lightly active - active - and very active to choose from.
They must have changed it!
Go light active2
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