Lost and Weak!

[Jenefer]

Hi there!

I know none of you know me to be able to give exact advice but I am trying to get in shape and more healthy and I need some advice and basically a training/eating/suppliments plan!

I was wondering if anyone could help me with that. I have very bad eating habits and I sit in front of a computer 10-13 hours a day (not all at once) because I am self employed!(so the more I work the more money i make)

I am 5'8" and 111lbs so loosing weight is not the issue. I am very weak in my back and my knees and all of my joints crack when I move. I hyper extend my knees as well. I am fearful of getting osteoperous because of my poor eating habits.

If just got a gym membership at a ladies only gym so I have access to all the eqipment and stuff. I am not afraid of hard work I just got myself into a rut. I actually used to be quite fit a few years ago.

So if anyone could post a good beginners work out to start off with to overall strengthen my body (careful cuz of the bad knees) and a possible things to add to my diet, suppliments or even what food to eat would be helpful! Thanks!

P.S> Ill add any more info as needed!

 

[bikinigirl]

great place to get info.. and welcome.

the info still needed is what your current diet and workout (if applicable) is consisting of...

what are your goals?

 

[Sassy69]

Welcome Jenefer! Congrats on gettin' that gym membership for starters. The first thing I would make sure of is checking w/ a doctor about your bone mass-- is osteoporosis an issue???

This points to some supps to throw in-- a good multivitamin, calcium and L-glutamine.

Diet -- how do you eat now? Its good progress just to make the choice to move to a healthy diet, but it takes a bit of lifestyle examination and planning-- by this I mean, most anyone on this board is going to tell you to eat 5-6 small meals per day, good quality protein, carb and fat (e.g. Udo's Choice or a good flax seed oil) sources. You definitely need to have a good diet that you can guarantee to yourself that you will eat. I don't know if your diet is currently bad because of lack of eating or not knowing what to eat, or just eating junk? You need the stuff to have energy to train and also to build your body. Its probably starving for the right nutrients right now. I'm not well versed in defining a diet for building up -- I'm forever trying to lose!

As far as training, start out light - you probably have a couple sessions / orientations with a trainer or someone who at the gym to show you how to work the equipment -- tell them your goals and concerns and that you are looking for a serious training program that will give you some results -- make sure they don't just give you the "easy tour around the circuit training machines" for the aerobics bunny sort of gym member. Get them to show you the correct form and what muscles you are working so you can recognize what you are working, how it should feel (so you dont' just guess and then either get a lame workout or hurt yourself) and so that your form is good. You should be able to translate those moves to any machine or free weight or cable machine that works those muscles (e.g. shoulder press machine should feel the same, have the same form as a dumbbell shoulder press). You can probably ask them to lay out a routine for you that you can follow on your own, adding weight or reps as you feel you can. Then get it changed up every 6 weeks or so to stimulate new muscles!

Sorry -- its way past my bedtime so I'm going to stop here -- "bump" for more input from the Elite girls!

 

[buksoon]

Jen,

Most insurance charts will tell you that 5'8" and 111 pounds is too low. Can I ask a very personal question? Do you get a regular period? Because I can't imagine you have much body fat.

Regardless, I definitely agree with Sassy about the calcium supplementation. Even if you're a tiny bit undernourished, the bones can become brittle, and osteo can set in.

Other than that, you seem on a good course! And these ladies here are very smart. It's just that the weight to height ratio jumped out at me. I'm 5 or 6 lbs lighter ... but half a foot shorter! And people tell me I'm too "slight" to donate blood.

So with you, I can't even imagine that they'd let you donate blood at your body weight. They would consider it a hazard to your health, and that's a little scary.

 

[Jenefer]

answers!

question #1

current diet - anything i can find, i hate greasy and fatty foods so i dont eat bad foods just not enough food! mainly cuz i dont know what to eat so i just avoid everything! *ack*!
current workout - not really applicable i only started the gym a few days ago

question #2
My goals. to have more energy, to be stronger and be able to sit properly at my computer for a few hours without pain cuz my muscles are too weak to hold me in proper posture. (long term: to run triathalons)

#3 period is regular, i have always been very skinny!. but yes i know i am unhealthily skinny right now.

Also I don't espicially like the plan the lady has given me at the gym so I though maybe someone here could help me figure something better out. It seemed at the gym she jsut picked random machines that at the time she felt like showing me. I dont exactly know what she showed me so if someone could just tell me what they think ill try it and give feedback after that!
Also i know NOTHING about supliments how do i know how much of what to take?

What about protein powder? good or bad idea?

Thanks!

 

[Jenefer]

Also what doe "bump" mean I have seen it many times here!!

I don't know if i said it very well but basically I am looking for someone to lay out a routine for me..

sorta like eat this then work out these muscles by doing these excersises this many reps on this day and then eat these food groups and then the next day have this before a work out and then work these muscles etc.

i also have no idea how this whole eating before working out thing goes.. is it lots or a little? or what!

 

[buksoon]

Protein powder--yeah! Atta girl! With 2 % milk (for most people I say skim, but you 2%) and a banana or berries. Some add flax oil to the mix, but I'm too lazy for all that (and concerned with taste).

A great food for caloric density is peanut butter! Lots of calories in a small portion. Good ratio of fat/protein/carbs. Throw some in your protein shake or eat it with apple or banana slices!

It's good to cut out the grease and all that from your diet, but make sure to take in enough "good" fat. You can make stir-fry's in safflower oil. It's delicious!!

Remember to supplement your diet with calcium! It's important for all women, but especially very thin ones!! (I've always heard that the calcium in dairy is hard to absorb. So unless you want to eat 20 bushels of broccoli a day, a girl's gotta supplement. Maybe someone else knows more about this??)

 

[Jenefer]

thanks so much for all the info! I dont intend to eat a bushel of broccoli! hehe! how much calcium though?! whats this flax seed oil i hear so much about.. sounds gross to me!

Thanks!

P.S> Check out this image I found!

 

[tripleV]

hi jenefer...i don't mean to be mean here, but judging from your questions, there is a lot of stuff you could be reading. Please use the top right search button for topics like diet, calcium, flax, anything and everything. You will amaze yourself with the results.

 

[tripleV]

and i honestly don't want to come accross as mean here, there's just lots of "value" in these boards to take advantage of on top of current replies.

 

[Jenefer]

i am reading I am I am!! I wanted some more personal info! Rather than just general info! I am new to this whole fitness thing and find it easier to just ask the questions rather than try to search for info when im not really sure what I am searching for!

 

[tripleV]

ok sure thing girl. don't be afraid to ask anything, even about what to search for.

 

[tripleV]

flax seed oil, is an essential fatty acid (efa's) basically you need fat to lose fat.
you need to add this to a clean diet. you can also eat natural peanut butter (nat pb) (just peanuts)

i buy UDO's perfect blend of flax oil and other efa's and put it in a protein powder shake, excellent. highly recommend it!

 

[Jenefer]

I just joined today! Well its 2:40am so yeasterday! so as I start to understand it a bit more Ill start grabbing my own info out of here.. but right now its all greek to me so I am sorry if I am asking stuff i could find out but i really dont think this is something I can afford to do wrong. Cuz it is my health!!

Thanks You for the tips though!

 

[tripleV]

more...you need to focus on protein protein protein....

eat it at all meals....if you can.

maybe it will b helpful to list all the foods you should be eating and just go with that. eat eat eat firl, you need the energty. don't be afraid to eat!!!

i eat:
egg whites, scrambled (i but the carton of egg white)
plain oatmeal with blueberries or maple syrup (a la Phemomena)
tuna with little low fat mayo
chicken, veggies like green beans, broccoli, etc
sweet potatoes
brown rice
steak, fish, and grilled meat
cottage cheese
protein shakes with milk

supplements
protein powder, glutamine, multi-vit, vit c, vit e, calc & maggnesium...

 

[Jenefer]

Thanks Ill write all those things down.

Hey is there another way of taking suppliments rather than pills? I tend to feel sick if I am swallowing so many pills. Not like after they are inside but just choking down so many pills gets to me after a while.

Also I have a hard time eating meat cuz I am allergic to most fish and i dislike beef very much and chicken is so boring after a while.

as i was writing this i realized i could try turkey and pork.

Also I jsut dont know how to cook any of this stuff!!!

 

[FitFossil]

Welcome Jenefer!

Definite yes on protein, flax oil, and food food food. No one cannot build muscle without it, especially someone like you who is already at a low bodyweight.

Your "ladies only" gym worries me a little. Do NOT be brainwashed by anyone telling you that ladies should train any differently from men. Train for STRENGTH, and all the aesthetic stuff will fall into place. Concentrate the most on weights and diet, but don't completely neglect your cardio training. Your heart is a muscle too, plus it will give you some extra energy.

Two excellent books I'd recommend are:

Bodyfitness for Women - awesome motivational pictures, lots of training routines from beginner to advanced, nutrition and supplement advice, even information on fitness and bodybuilding competition.

Serious Strength Training by Tudor Bompa - advocates "periodization" training which means cycling the emphasis of your training routines between muscle growth, strength/power, and muscle definition. Sample routines for beginner, intermediate, recreational bodybuilder and pro bodybuilder. Excellent diet advice and pictures of all exercises.