Hey there Pacificwahine!

[RottenWillow]

Pacific, what is your whole protein (eggs, meat, whey) intake daily? If you're getting at least one gram of quality protein per pound of lean body mass then your mass building problems might be caused by insuffient caloric intake. Protein is the "parts" and calories are the "labor".

As women its real common (and I include myself!) for us to be afraid of getting fat and we just dont eat enough calories to allow our bodies to build muscle.

And thanks for posting.

 

[pacificwahine]

anya- so very true that i am terrified of fat gain but i have been able to keep up about 150 g protein every day- sometimes more if i am up late ( i work at night). i am currently at @ 100 g carbs and am not too sure about that # yet. i weigh in at 114 lbs so i think that is good since i think it is a 1:1 ratio carbs per lb right? i can't seem to get above 116 no matter what i do....i even stopped cardio altogether thinking maybe i was burning too much.i am sticking with training 5 days a week but still, here i am, 114. any other ideas on what to do besides Var?

 

[smb_69]

pacific - I am very curious about 2 things:

1) 150g - what does that consist of? What kind of food, etc
2) 100g of carbs - the same question.
3) and last, but not least - what is your fat intake?? this can be key to your problem.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Good questions.

 

[smb_69]

DG - took a while to figure some of these things out - I only wish I knew what I know now about 10 years ago -

 

[pacificwahine]

guess those are need to know questions....protein comes from chicken, turkey and steak (once a week) for dinners, lunches.for snacks i take 2 shakes a day (optimum) or protein bars (low carb hi protein) and breakfast is usually egg white omlettes or scrambled. i also drink a lot of fat free milk. carbs are from wheat bread, english muffins, potatoes and rice mainly but i have pasta once a week. i have been trying to keep my fat intake low but usually end up around 35-50. so please tell me what i am eating wrong or too much of or not enough of. thanks!

 

[Daisy_Girl]

I'd drop the bars, even the low carb ones are full of crap. Real food is better as a snack. Bars are okay every now and then, but don't keep them as a staple in your diet.

FF milk is pretty high in calories, carbs and sugar. I'd try to limit your milk intake to one 6-8 oz glass. If you are concerned with calcium, take a supplement or eat some cottage cheese.

As far the carbs, bread and bread products are not the best choices for carbs. Even wheat bread products are relatively high glycemic. Stick with red potatoes, yams, oatmeal, veggies (green), lentils, and brown rice. Start the day with the starchier ones, and mid-afternoon switch to veggies only.

 

[smb_69]

First of all - DG has great points - listent to her -
Second - you are trying for something that is very hard - to gain lean muscle. Most of us bulk up and then get cut, but there are some girls here like PhysicalGirl that were able to put on lean muscle, but it took longer. So here a couple of suggestions:

1) You need to add more fat into your diet - if you do not have enough fat - I do not care if you protein intake is 2g/LB - aint going to happen. One of the great sources of fat is Udo Oil - I know a few people that live by it - it is pure fat, but great fat - try to add a tsp to each of your shakes - it taste like shit, but it is great. You can also use whole milk for the shakes as well - has less carbs, but more fat. Add a whole egg to your egg whites, or some almonds - a little fat with your protein will go a long way.

2) if you are afraid of gaining weight - you can try to eat more food (increase caloric intake) on your workout days and less calories on the days off - this way you can try to gain some lean mass.

good luck.

 

[RottenWillow]

2) if you are afraid of gaining weight - you can try to eat more food (increase caloric intake) on your workout days and less calories on the days off - this way you can try to gain some lean mass.

Hey again Pacific, Smb is referring to basic carb rotation strategy. Its definitely effective at helping to maximize LBM gain and minimize fat gain. Its not surefire but it's a good plan.

Ok about your lack of success in gaining weight, you're just plain old not eating enough. And you already know why too, you're afraid of getting fat. I think most of us have this fear too....we want to add some muscle but at the same time we're women and we've been programmed to be terrified of being fat. Since your weight isnt going up or down right now you know anything at all you add will be a surplus right? So add 300-400 calories on workout days and 100-200 on rest days. That's not much of an increase but it'll be enough to get you gaining.


My .02 on the bread topic. If you like rye bread and you can find real rye it has a low GI score. Personally I love rye but its hard to find in most supermarkets.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Interesting on the rye ANya. How do you know if you have REAL rye? I know most breads at supermarkets have tons of processed crap and sugars, so how do you differentiate?

smb, good call onthe fats. I didn't even mention them. Healthy fats - almonds, avacados, flax oil, olive oil, natty peanut butter (kind with the oil on top)