interested in weightloss & toning

[titeNtonedN08]

Hi!

I've been lurking for a few days.. i'm looking for weight loss advice, and possibly supplements..

i know you guys like to see records.. but i have a hard time being consistent with what i eat, what i record..etc.. I'll tell you about my exercises:

sun: 1 hr kickboxing; 1 hr complete body weightlifting (chest, bi/tri, squats/lunges, deadlifts, clean and presses?..etc) both are group classes at my gym

mon: 30 min elliptical, 60 min pilates

tues: weightlifting class, 30 min elliptical

wed: 60 kickboxing

thursday : weightlifting class, 30 min elliptical

friday rest

saturday rest.

My diet is inconsistent- i try to make it high protein, lower carb, lower fat. i use sparkpeople for tracking..this week i bought some protein shakes that i took after my workout and my ratio was between 40-50% carbs, 25-30% of proteins and fats..with some slip ups..and not enough water.. i've been eating about 1500 calories a day.

I think my calories may be high.. i've put on 2 lbs since 7-10 days ago when i started working out and eating as above... i almost wanna go back to just diet pills and starving myself.. but.. i would like to be toned and lose the weight right.. (some background- i'm 5'7"/189/23 yrs old and my first goal is to go back to my weight from 18ms ago which was 153.. eventually i'd like to be even smaller.. )

So..whatever advice you can give will be greatly appreciated?

 

[titeNtonedN08]

P.S.- what are your thoughts on new whey and rtd51 protein supplements? i think they're great after strength training and a really easy way to get some protein down!

what other supplements do you recommend? i take a multivitamin about 3-4 times a week, and b12 shots every one or two weeks.. it's out of habit.. i don't really notice a difference in how i feel..

 

[ceo]

get a really good green tea extract supp. highest ECGC you can find. Cutoff carbs after 5-6pm. get most of your carbs from good low GI sources like brown or basmati rice, sweet potatos, oats, etc. Save the high GI carbs for post workout to refuel glycogen stores. also, make sure you're getting enough GOOD fats, at a 2:1 ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6.

 

[Tatyana]

Hello and welcome

Your calories are not too high, in fact, I am fairly positive they are too low, especially for the amount of activity you are doing.

Starvation diets don't work.

Check this thread

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...-training/help-sort-out-your-diet-582178.html

And this thread is an interesting read on dieting and metabolic damage

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...training/dieting-metabolic-damage-570773.html

Don't make dieting any more difficult than it has to be

 

[chazk]

You are active 5 days a week ?
How long have you been active like this ?
Usually things take times to take effect. If you just started being this active then give it a few months. I have seen women start areobics and kick boxing then not relize it but after 3-4 months their body starts firming and toning up,

So I think the whole time thing might be a factor.

A guy in the gym asked me about gaining muscle and loosing some fat , he said " I WORK OUT 7 DAYS A WEEK " as he shouted it out I kinda stepped back from him him and thought ok well you work out 7 days a week, I said how long have you been doing this he shouted " FOR ALMOST TWO WHOLE WEEKS " I said buddy this is not a 1-2 month ordeal to build a muscular body it is going to take years of weight training, conditioning and a pretty strict diet . He seemed to be stunned and then said " WHAT" I said yes I along with other guys in the gym have been training day in and day out for several years some guys have been training for decades.

So back to you're work outs and diet plan. I mean lets be honest with ourself how long have you been doing this ? How off is the diet ?
Now what are you going to do about it ?

You are doing great training about 6 hours a week but remeber rome was not built in a day ...

 

[Tatyana]

Chaz you have a point.

Everyone keeps looking for the 'magic' combination of foods, the right level of calories etc.

There are no secrets.

This is how it works:


The equation is this:

Ass busting work + consistency + time = results.

Burn that into your head and quit looking for quick fixes and secrets.

Because they don't exist.

 

[Bikini Mod]

My advice?

THROW AWAY THE SCALE. It will mess you up every single time.

A more accurate indicator of where you are in relation to your fitness goals is the tape measure and the way your clothing fits. Are you clothes becoming looser in the areas where you typically carry more body fat while (maybe) getting tighter in the areas where you don't? <---- how you answer this one question will very succinctly answer where you are in the lose fat/build lean mass quest.

And as stated above, Rome was certainly not built in a day. I've been training for OVER 20 years and I am STILL evolving.

No quick fixes here, but only solid advice and steady guidance.

 

[titeNtonedN08]

you guys are awesome! thanks for the responses and motivation-

tatyana- i read all those articles last night, and did some calculations.. i honestly thought i need to be eating like 1000 cals to lose weight.. but according to that long equation to maintain my weight with my moderate level activity i need 2,565 calories. Now I've gained and lost weight in the past just by eating v. little so i think my metabolism is not used to eating so much.. i'm also usually cold so i think i may have a slightly sluggish metabolism, but blood tests don't confirm this... in any case.. based on the lbs of fat (at least 30) i'm carrying around, i figure i can sustain a -930 calorie deficit.

2565-930 = 1635!!! which is right around the estimates of weightloss based on lbs (that 12-13 x body weight in lbs eqn)...

I don't know.. this is good news and bad news.. in the past when i've exercised the weightloss has been so slow.. but cutting the food = fast results..

which brings me to chazk and bikinimom's points

thank you for reminding me that it takes time.. i swear i feel good, and alive, and skinnier (although no objective measures are confirming this part ) and when i do weigh or measure myself i get really discouraged when the numbers aren't reflecting.. i'm trying to focus on all the good that working out does, and keep going. I just need to fix my diet so that it's conducive to weightloss..

i've been working out like this for 3 weeks, and this week i started the AM weightlifting and ellptical sessions on tues/thurs to free up my nights and to also try out the AM workout benefits in terms of fat burning.. previously i was not lifting more than once a week due to my schedule.. (now i wake up at 5:30 am to do it ) I have the entire summer to dedicate to this working out schedule.. i should be able to continue in the fall but w/school and exams it's not as easy to predict..

thanks guys!

 

[Tatyana]

The calorie thing is not an exact science, and a lot will depend on what you were eating before.

If you drop your calories too severely at first, your body will think it is starving.

If you increase your calories too quickly, your body will think it is time to store fat.

Really, I think it is always better to start with moderation, see if that works for you, if it doesn't, then either drop calories or up the cardio.

If you start on the lowest possible calories, you don't have much room to alter things.

Also, as you put on more lean tissue, you need more calories to support it.

 

[velvett]

Can you have your body fat measured where you work out?

I would highly recommend this, it is really the best way to see if you are putting on lean muscle and loosing body fat and try and have the same person do it every time (unless of course you get someone really bad then go to someone else).

It's very possible to gain weight but be shrinking in size because 1 pound of fat takes up a lot more space than 1 pound of muscle. If you're starving you'll get smaller but fatter which is really no fun even if you can fit into those smaller clothes.