ITT: Ask me anything about losing weight..

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  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    Thanks for putting yourself out there! I'm most excited because you are the first "lean gainer" I have found on MFP =)

    I just recently started heavy lifting using NROLFW... I'm lifting about 12:30 pm MWF, do u think I should jump in on this fasted right away? And what BCAAs are u taking? I believe LGs recommends a 10 hour window for women ( I used to do this daily, but have gotten out of the habit)..


    Thanks ahead of time for your reply =)

    Sure why not? I personally use a 5g scoop of L-Luecine powder PWO. It's cheaper than BCAA's and I've been doing it for a while now, so it's a habit. :)

    I thought it was a 14 hour window for women???
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    How accurate do you reckon those machines in the Gym are when it comes to giving you an accurate reading of the calories you have just used.

    We have 2 rowers at our Gym, and I can match the person next to me stroke for stroke on the same levels, and see the machine say they have burned oh so many more cals that mine lol,
    I stick to what I call the hard rower, if its wrong I do not wana cheat myself.

    They are simply predictions/estimate. My guess is about 75% accuracy if you enter in your weight in them. There is no way a machine can tell your how many calories you burned.
  • cessnaholly
    cessnaholly Posts: 780 Member
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    Bumpity bump bump bump
  • thamre
    thamre Posts: 642 Member
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    bump - need to read later.
  • krysten90
    krysten90 Posts: 5
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    i am supposed to be eating 1200 calories a day. can you tell me what i need to be eating!? like ratio wise with protein, carbs, and fat. thanks!
  • L_amore
    L_amore Posts: 52 Member
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    Bumping so I can see all the questions and answers! Great post, btw! Thx! :)
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    This will no doubt be swamped amongst the rest of it, but why not :)


    What's the best setup for macros, percentage-wise, if you're more interested in dropping body fat and increasing lean muscle (through machine+free weights)?

    Best setup for the above scenario but that's sustainable with a reasonable diet?
    (i.e low carb be a struggle for me because I tend to have them from grains/rice at least once a day in some form)


    in case its relevant:
    I'm 134.5lbs (61kg), and according to fat2fit, at 23.07% body fat.
    The weight is considered within normal BMI limits for my height (~5"4 / 162cm)

    Setting up macros based on %'s is not wise since we all have different intakes calorie wise. I do a 35/35/30 ratio right now at 2500 calories, but if you ate 1500, it might not work for you.

    For most women, I tell them aim for 80-130g of protein per day and about 30-50g of fats and fill the rest of their calories with carbs. It's okay to go over on protein if you like. It's not going to hurt anything. :)

    To drop body fat, it's all about doing resistance training and eating a high protein diet to spare any muscle loss while dieting and to drop the fat, keep the muscle.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    I was wondering if you could take a look at my food diary and let me know what you think of the foods that I am eating and so forth. I had a nutritionist help me with the formula for calories as using MFP had me on a plateau for quite a while. I am currently at 1630 with my activity level already counted in. On some days I was below which I know isnt very good but I am working on making myself eat more. I thank you for any advice you could give me on my eating habits. I try to eat 3 meals with 2 snacks daily. I got my macronutients set up per the guy who set up my calorie intake but I don't think Im hitting it right. I seem to have hit a plateau again and don't want it to drag out like last time. Please and thanks in advance. Also, for everyone here if you need to look at my diary to see what he is talking about when he replies, go for it. My diary is open to public.

    I really don't pay attention to people's food choices. Individual food choices are largely irrelevant in terms on net body composition changes. It's how they add up at a macro level which influences your results.

    Eat a diet rich in whole, nutritious foods, hit your macro-nutrient goals and fill your other calories with discretionary stuff you like to eat.

    There are no taboo foods, just taboo days. (Although I do try to avoid synthetic trans fats).
  • ErB56
    ErB56 Posts: 71 Member
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    More of a weight lifting than weight loss question. I have always been on the tall, skinny side. In college I was 6'-2" and 145 pounds. Building muscle has never been one of my genetic strong points. Throwing another wrench in the works is my age. I will be 55 this year and by now, a lot of the muscle building hormones have started to decline. Any advice for trying to build muscle at my age?
  • raw14
    raw14 Posts: 22
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    My goal is to have a low fat, high muscle body. I've read over and over you can't build muscle on a low calorie diet, but I don't want to gain weight. Currently I upped my calories to my goal weight maintence and will be lifting heavy 3 to 4 days with cardio. I wear a heart rate monitor and aim to burn 500 calories a day. I don't add in those calories so it would drop me to a 1500 calorie diet basically. Will I be able to build muscle on this. Any ideas appreciated.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    Hello Brave One & Congrats on your success! :happy:

    Ok, there was a recent question in my group that came up about the effectiveness of drinking a glass of chocolate milk after a workout... have you ever heard of this?

    I see from your profile you like to eat ice cream, daily (wow)... is there something scientific to this dairy/protein/sugar that makes you a fan or is it just your way of making your lifestyle change sustainable??

    Would this help a person have better results is what I'm getting at?

    I love ice cream. :) Nothing special about it. I just find it easier to enjoy dieting when I eat ice cream every day.

    And yes, I've heard of choc milk PWO.

    Here's an article about a study comparing it to a recovery drink.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/an-objective-comparison-of-chocolate-milk-and-surge-recovery.html
  • sexyrosey
    sexyrosey Posts: 137
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    I have lost 84 lbs in the last 2 years, I wil admit I lost 78 by doing it the wrong way crash diets and hcg. I got really sick with my hcg round. I have been doing it the right way the last 6 month and my scale is not moving much at all. I go to the gym 5 days a week, some people said to do cardio and some have said weights. What is the best way to lose weight and burn fat and should i do wieghts one day then like and hour of cardio the next day?
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
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    My turn my turn.... :)

    I am wanting to lose 30 - 35lbs...I am only 5'2" and just now really starting to lose any weight...I have heard by many on here to lift heavy now(which I have been doing since 3/1/12) but a good friend of mine (he is into lifting weights) told me that I should lose weight first before I start the heavy lifting b/c I am going to look bigger with the muscle underneath of my fat....I definitely do NOT want that to happen....I believe that I am the type that will bulk up pretty quickly but am wanting to lose more than anything....But I also love lifting & have just started the Chalean Extreme a couple of days ago....I am going to give you my stats to see if you can give me any advice on this...Thank you for helping all of us!! :)

    Age 37
    Sex Female
    Height 5'2" (62in)
    Starting Weight on Jan. 23, 2012: 169
    Current Weight on April 16, 2012: 162.2
    BMR:1313
    TDEE: 1949
    I put my calories at 1400cals/day
    Macros: 40/30/30
    Sedentary: 1554 x 155(10% digestion) = 1709 - 341(20%) = 1368 -Which is why I set cals/day at 1400 (I hope that is right)
    *I try to eat back my exercise calories but don't always make it & go over hardly ever*

    Weight training 3x/week - Low-Impact Cardio (ab work, push ups, walking, etc.) 2-3x/week

    Any help would be great!! I thought I was doing things right until my friend said I would look bigger lifting w/o losing some weight first....Is he right?

    **Also, I drink protein shakes (1) on a daily basis so my protein daily is very good....Just wanted to put that in there.
    I opened my diary as well...
  • Keeta83
    Keeta83 Posts: 427 Member
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    So I've read so many conflicting theories and I've heard that MFP sets the protein levels quite low...I was wondering what your take is on how much protein I should be consuming per day? I'm getting close to my goal weight but do still have a few more to lose and would basically just like to tone everything. I know there are mixed reviews on whether or not you can build muscle on a calorie deficit, my personal opinion is that you can because I can see it in myself...what are your thoughts?
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    I have lost 84 lbs in the last 2 years, I wil admit I lost 78 by doing it the wrong way crash diets and hcg. I got really sick with my hcg round. I have been doing it the right way the last 6 month and my scale is not moving much at all. I go to the gym 5 days a week, some people said to do cardio and some have said weights. What is the best way to lose weight and burn fat and should i do wieghts one day then like and hour of cardio the next day?

    The best way to lose weight is by having a good diet. While possible, it's difficult to out-train a bad diet. Assuming your metabolism is not damaged from doing crash dieting, I would assume with that activity level if you're not losing weight you might want to re-examine your diet.

    Weights are better for improving body composition. Think of cardio as an extension of your diet. A deficit is a deficit for the most part whether it's created through cardio or by eating less.

    Weight training stimulates muscle growth/increases your metabolism even after you're finished. It causes your body to improve it's calorie partitioning ratio as well.

    My personal opinion is that a full body weight (professionally designed) training routine is far superior to cardio alone in improving body composition. Sprinkle in a few sessions of light to moderate cardio and get a good diet and you should be successful at obtaining any fitness goal within reason and patience.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    My turn my turn.... :)

    I am wanting to lose 30 - 35lbs...I am only 5'2" and just now really starting to lose any weight...I have heard by many on here to lift heavy now(which I have been doing since 3/1/12) but a good friend of mine (he is into lifting weights) told me that I should lose weight first before I start the heavy lifting b/c I am going to look bigger with the muscle underneath of my fat....I definitely do NOT want that to happen....I believe that I am the type that will bulk up pretty quickly but am wanting to lose more than anything....But I also love lifting & have just started the Chalean Extreme a couple of days ago....I am going to give you my stats to see if you can give me any advice on this...Thank you for helping all of us!! :)

    Age 37
    Sex Female
    Height 5'2" (62in)
    Starting Weight on Jan. 23, 2012: 169
    Current Weight on April 16, 2012: 162.2
    BMR:1313
    TDEE: 1949
    I put my calories at 1400cals/day
    Macros: 40/30/30
    Sedentary: 1554 x 155(10% digestion) = 1709 - 341(20%) = 1368 -Which is why I set cals/day at 1400 (I hope that is right)
    *I try to eat back my exercise calories but don't always make it & go over hardly ever*

    Weight training 3x/week - Low-Impact Cardio (ab work, push ups, walking, etc.) 2-3x/week

    Any help would be great!! I thought I was doing things right until my friend said I would look bigger lifting w/o losing some weight first....Is he right?

    **Also, I drink protein shakes (1) on a daily basis so my protein daily is very good....Just wanted to put that in there.

    You're not going to be big or bulky by lifting weights. 1. You are a woman, 2. You're dieting, 3. It takes years to build muscle. Don't listen to your friend.

    Lift now and you'll enjoy your body at the end of your weight loss process much more. :)

    Muscle takes up less space (volume) than fat. Just ensure that you are losing weight over time and you will not get any bigger as a result of lifting weights.
  • Angelabec
    Angelabec Posts: 505 Member
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    OK, sorry if this is a bit long winded. I have already lost a considerable amount of weight, but still have plenty to go. I'm quite happy with the way I have been doing this, it works when I do it properly, but so far all of the exercise I have been doing has been cardio. I started off just walking and using a stationary bike, I'm now doing C25K 3 times a week, and swimming and a spin class once a week, plus additional walking when I have the time. However, I don't really enjoy the spin class, and it occurs to me that once I have completed C25K I won't necessarily want to jog 3 times a week either, so I was thinking of joining a gym and adding some strength/resistance training.

    However, I have seen a lot of people say that you cannot build muscle whilst eating at a deficit, so I am not sure whether there would be any point in doing this. Can you clarify for me?

    Thanks in advance, and congratulations on your fantastic loss!
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
    Options
    My turn my turn.... :)

    I am wanting to lose 30 - 35lbs...I am only 5'2" and just now really starting to lose any weight...I have heard by many on here to lift heavy now(which I have been doing since 3/1/12) but a good friend of mine (he is into lifting weights) told me that I should lose weight first before I start the heavy lifting b/c I am going to look bigger with the muscle underneath of my fat....I definitely do NOT want that to happen....I believe that I am the type that will bulk up pretty quickly but am wanting to lose more than anything....But I also love lifting & have just started the Chalean Extreme a couple of days ago....I am going to give you my stats to see if you can give me any advice on this...Thank you for helping all of us!! :)

    Age 37
    Sex Female
    Height 5'2" (62in)
    Starting Weight on Jan. 23, 2012: 169
    Current Weight on April 16, 2012: 162.2
    BMR:1313
    TDEE: 1949
    I put my calories at 1400cals/day
    Macros: 40/30/30
    Sedentary: 1554 x 155(10% digestion) = 1709 - 341(20%) = 1368 -Which is why I set cals/day at 1400 (I hope that is right)
    *I try to eat back my exercise calories but don't always make it & go over hardly ever*

    Weight training 3x/week - Low-Impact Cardio (ab work, push ups, walking, etc.) 2-3x/week

    Any help would be great!! I thought I was doing things right until my friend said I would look bigger lifting w/o losing some weight first....Is he right?

    **Also, I drink protein shakes (1) on a daily basis so my protein daily is very good....Just wanted to put that in there.

    You're not going to be big or bulky by lifting weights. 1. You are a woman, 2. You're dieting, 3. It takes years to build muscle. Don't listen to your friend.

    Lift now and you'll enjoy your body at the end of your weight loss process much more. :)

    Muscle takes up less space (volume) than fat. Just ensure that you are losing weight over time and you will not get any bigger as a result of lifting weights.

    Thank you for reassuring me on that....I have one other thing though....

    Could you tell me if you think my calories & everything look right the way that I did it....Usually someone else does them for me but I did it this time & just wanted to make sure that is pretty accurate for me....Thanks again! :)
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    So I've read so many conflicting theories and I've heard that MFP sets the protein levels quite low...I was wondering what your take is on how much protein I should be consuming per day? I'm getting close to my goal weight but do still have a few more to lose and would basically just like to tone everything. I know there are mixed reviews on whether or not you can build muscle on a calorie deficit, my personal opinion is that you can because I can see it in myself...what are your thoughts?

    While not likely to build muscle on a deficit, (especially as a woman), it's possible to "appear" to have gained muscle. Strength increases can come from CNS adaptations, and not muscle tissue growth itself. Lowering body fat gives the appearance that muscle have grown, but really fat has shrank. Muscles can become engorged as well also playing into this role.

    If you have a background in lifting, you can sometimes recoup muscle loss to sendentarism over time and/or if you an overlyfat (obese or larger) can gain some muscle as well - Many men do this.

    Yes, MFP sets protein I think by RDA recommendations ( I think). This is not set for your average dieter. Protein requirements go up when you diet and when you work out.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    Be back later - gym time. :)

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