Workout beginner seeking advice to lose inches, build muscle/endurance

[WishfulThinking]

Not having any solid advice about if what I'm doing for my body is worthwhile has been plaguing me all month, so today I decided to sign up for a forum like this since I'm in a motivated mood. I apologize for blabbering on and on about myself in the next paragraphs, but it'll hopefully help me get some answers.

I'm an 18 year old female, 5'9", around 174 pounds. I'm certain that I'm genetically predisposed to have a medium/large frame, which is perfectly fine with me, but obesity runs in the family from my mom's side. She had gastric bypass surgery two years ago and has always struggled with her weight. Unfortunately, I do as well. My lowest weight in the past 4 years was 159.

In 2005, I did Weight Watchers with her and dropped 25 pounds (I used to weigh 184 in 10th grade, really unhealthy), which I've essentially kept off until now, minus about the Freshman 8-10 I gained. At least it wasn't the Freshman 15.

In all honesty, I'd say 3 or 4 pounds of it was muscle, since I became a member of the marching band. My university's band is one of the most intense in the country. Tons of running, and an incredibly demanding marching style. I have the quads to prove it! But, I know that I did gain back some fat (mostly over winter break at home). Some of my clothes started to fit a bit snugly, so I put my foot down and started working out with the scant knowledge I know.

Here's what I'm aiming for, and what I do right now. I feel like there is no one to talk to to tell me if this stuff I'm doing is going to HELP ME at all, so I don't want to waste another minute!

- I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, around 8:30-10 at night.
- I do 25 minutes of running (run 5 minutes, walk 2, run 5, walk 2, etc.), or use an exercise bike for 25 minutes before lifting.
- When I lift, I don't do the "lift your lightest set, move to another machine, and go in a cycle, then repeat 3 times" thing, which is wrong, from what I hear. I'll go to the lateral pulldown, for example, and do 50 lbs, 60 lbs, 70 lbs. with a minute or two break in between.
- Right now I'm trying out a low fat, low-moderate carb, and high protein diet . Some foods I eat almost every day are salads with egg/turkey or chicken/beans/lots of vegetables/fat free Italian dressing, cottage cheese, lean meat on wheat bread with no cheese, and basically staying away from breads/starches, but eating more fruit and yogurt. I'm successfully weaning myself off comfort sweets for once in my life.

What I'd like to do is to lose inches, gain endurance (My band will be marching in the Rose Bowl Parade next January, which is a six mile parade, so I'm conditioning to make that easier) and build a shit load of muscle. Ideal weight would be around 155 lbs (as in lean weight... I dunno how adding muscle into that works out). I am not a small girl. I won't ever be, and that's fine. I'm not afraid of "bulking up." - in fact, that would be freakin' awesome (bit of a muscle fetishist, y'know, gotta love that intimidation factor and the satisfaction of having strength). I like to think I have elevated testosterone levels to begin with, and though I've never gotten that medically checked, I have a hunch, haha.

I was actually an employee at GNC for a little over a year, so I do know the importance of consuming protein in accordance with a weight training plan, and supplementing. From time to time, I'll drink a protein shake before lifting (either Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey, or a Muscle Milk shake). But, I don't have much access to those supplements anymore, because one, I don't work there right now since I'm in college, and two, there are no GNC stores around here. I attend school out of state. I'm sticking to just eating lots of natural protein.

So, I ask you all: how can I modify what I'm doing right now to help me lose fat/inches? How could I change my workouts? I DO know that I can do that by building muscle, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Yell at me. Tell me, "You idiot, what are you doing?" Something like that.

ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED.

Thanks so much for reading, I applaud you if you got through all that!

 

[SaiBoT]

Get this book, German Body Composition program by Charles Poliquin and do those weight programs.

Then do high intensity cardio and diet like he says down here:

Training

High intensity interval training burns more calories overall than long slow cardio. The bulk of these calories are burned post exercise. Intervals should consist of 40 sec – 2 min on, and 1 minute off. These sessions should last a max of 42 minutes total including warm-up. The bad news is that the workouts must be very intense, as the subject must get to nausea in order to produce enough lactic acid. Luckily 2 sessions per week is all that is needed to lose fat at a noticeable rate. The catch is that velocity without resistance is useless, so going really fast is not the answer. Working really hard against resistance is the solution.

Continuous aerobic work (long jogs) raises cortisol, which in turn makes you fatter in the long run. So don’t bother doing it unless it is sport specific training.

For strength training, vary the program every 25 days; everything works, but only for a short time. Vary the exercises often so you overload the muscles at different points. You must surprise the muscles with something new in order to force it to adapt. Other possible changes include rest time, muscle grouping, tempo, etc.


Diet

Approximately 75% of people are carb intolerant and should not be eating grains; the grains are getting people fat. The first step is to get the Omega 3’s in balance by taking hi-quality fish oils. You must eat protein with every meal even breakfast. A meat and nut breakfast will make you leaner even if you do not change the rest of your diet. It is best if you rotate the meat each breakfast. Eat 6-7 meals per day with protein plus smart fats in every meal.

A long-term low carbohydrate diet is the solution for fat people even after they have lost the fat. To begin the diet, eat only meat, fish, eggs, cheese and vegetables (50g of carbs per day or less). Follow this diet for 14 days then have a cheat day, eat whatever you want for the entire day. Return to the ultra low carb diet and have a cheat meal (one sitting) every 4th or 5th day.

1. Once you are starting to lean out you can add berries to the diet. They are strong antioxidants and low glycemic.

2. As you get leaner still you can introduce the Orange family of fruits.

3. As you get leaner again you can add Plums, nectarines, peaches and apples.

4. Then grapes and bananas

5. Then the root vegetables such as yams, and sweet potatoes

6. Then rice, the darker the better

7. The last food to add is grains, and it should never be added for those that are carb intolerant. (If eating carbs made you fat)

A no or low gluten diet is a good thing, it interferes with reaction time.

Stick with this diet 80% of the time and you will do fine and not stressed out by it. Eat more vegetables.

Do not eat Peanut Butter, even the natural kind; it contains a mould that has phyto-estrogens in it.

Fructose syrup is the most fattening food we know of and it ages you; avoid it at all costs.

Have your cheat meal late in the day instead of early when you are likely to keep eating bad the rest of the day. The best cheat meals have some nutritional value

Fatty foods have a reputation for causing bad health but it is Carbs that raise cholesterol and bad blood lipids

 

[needtogetaas]

Welcome to ef. I hooked you up with a free plat.

 

[lockdownd7]

Here's what I'm aiming for, and what I do right now. I feel like there is no one to talk to to tell me if this stuff I'm doing is going to HELP ME at all, so I don't want to waste another minute!

- I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, around 8:30-10 at night.
- I do 25 minutes of running (run 5 minutes, walk 2, run 5, walk 2, etc.), or use an exercise bike for 25 minutes before lifting.
- When I lift, I don't do the "lift your lightest set, move to another machine, and go in a cycle, then repeat 3 times" thing, which is wrong, from what I hear. I'll go to the lateral pulldown, for example, and do 50 lbs, 60 lbs, 70 lbs. with a minute or two break in between.
- Right now I'm trying out a low fat, low-moderate carb, and high protein diet . Some foods I eat almost every day are salads with egg/turkey or chicken/beans/lots of vegetables/fat free Italian dressing, cottage cheese, lean meat on wheat bread with no cheese, and basically staying away from breads/starches, but eating more fruit and yogurt. I'm successfully weaning myself off comfort sweets for once in my life.

Well, I'm not sure specifically what all you're doing, but if you're looking to build some muscle, lat pulldowns aren't the best choice

If you were just looking to drop fat, I'd say it's less important, but if you really do want some muscle, it'll take something more along the lines of this. You need workouts that stimulate your body as a whole, not as a collection of parts. SL 5x5 is a great starting point.

On the diet end, it sounds like you're definitely on the right track. You should see nice improvements in both fat loss and muscle gain simply by providing a better physical stimulus through your workouts, so your current diet looks fine imo. Keeping carbs fairly low is pretty important, especially for women, but I wouldn't stress over it unless you're not getting the results you want.

 

[WishfulThinking]

Welcome to ef. I hooked you up with a free plat.

Wow, I can't thank you enough!

Well, I'm not sure specifically what all you're doing, but if you're looking to build some muscle, lat pulldowns aren't the best choice

If you were just looking to drop fat, I'd say it's less important, but if you really do want some muscle, it'll take something more along the lines of this. You need workouts that stimulate your body as a whole, not as a collection of parts. SL 5x5 is a great starting point.

On the diet end, it sounds like you're definitely on the right track. You should see nice improvements in both fat loss and muscle gain simply by providing a better physical stimulus through your workouts, so your current diet looks fine imo. Keeping carbs fairly low is pretty important, especially for women, but I wouldn't stress over it unless you're not getting the results you want.

What's wrong with lat pulldowns? I like 'em. I do all the other machines, though, that was just my example. My lifting sessions usually take about an hour. I heard about working in "pairs" when I was doing a bit of research: for example, doing an ab machine, then doing a back extension, etc. Or do bicep curls, then go to a tricep pull/pushdown.

Also, thanks for that link! I'm already lost in all the helpful information there. It's greatly appreciated.

Phew, good to hear about the diet. I'd marry a carbohydrate if I could, but two weeks now I've eaten less of them and I'm feeling quite alright with that. I thought I'd feel a lot less energetic because I cut out a lot of carbs and sugars, but I'm feeling fine.

@SaiBot: that thing about doing aerobics until you're nauseous sounds a bit... unhealthy, but the other information is all good stuff. Thank you.

 

[Thandie]

Not having any solid advice about if what I'm doing for my body is worthwhile has been plaguing me all month, so today I decided to sign up for a forum like this since I'm in a motivated mood. I apologize for blabbering on and on about myself in the next paragraphs, but it'll hopefully help me get some answers.

I'm an 18 year old female, 5'9", around 174 pounds. I'm certain that I'm genetically predisposed to have a medium/large frame, which is perfectly fine with me, but obesity runs in the family from my mom's side. She had gastric bypass surgery two years ago and has always struggled with her weight. Unfortunately, I do as well. My lowest weight in the past 4 years was 159.

In 2005, I did Weight Watchers with her and dropped 25 pounds (I used to weigh 184 in 10th grade, really unhealthy), which I've essentially kept off until now, minus about the Freshman 8-10 I gained. At least it wasn't the Freshman 15.

In all honesty, I'd say 3 or 4 pounds of it was muscle, since I became a member of the marching band. My university's band is one of the most intense in the country. Tons of running, and an incredibly demanding marching style. I have the quads to prove it! But, I know that I did gain back some fat (mostly over winter break at home). Some of my clothes started to fit a bit snugly, so I put my foot down and started working out with the scant knowledge I know.

Here's what I'm aiming for, and what I do right now. I feel like there is no one to talk to to tell me if this stuff I'm doing is going to HELP ME at all, so I don't want to waste another minute!

- I go to the gym 3-4 times a week, around 8:30-10 at night.
- I do 25 minutes of running (run 5 minutes, walk 2, run 5, walk 2, etc.), or use an exercise bike for 25 minutes before lifting.
- When I lift, I don't do the "lift your lightest set, move to another machine, and go in a cycle, then repeat 3 times" thing, which is wrong, from what I hear. I'll go to the lateral pulldown, for example, and do 50 lbs, 60 lbs, 70 lbs. with a minute or two break in between.
- Right now I'm trying out a low fat, low-moderate carb, and high protein diet . Some foods I eat almost every day are salads with egg/turkey or chicken/beans/lots of vegetables/fat free Italian dressing, cottage cheese, lean meat on wheat bread with no cheese, and basically staying away from breads/starches, but eating more fruit and yogurt. I'm successfully weaning myself off comfort sweets for once in my life.

What I'd like to do is to lose inches, gain endurance (My band will be marching in the Rose Bowl Parade next January, which is a six mile parade, so I'm conditioning to make that easier) and build a shit load of muscle. Ideal weight would be around 155 lbs (as in lean weight... I dunno how adding muscle into that works out). I am not a small girl. I won't ever be, and that's fine. I'm not afraid of "bulking up." - in fact, that would be freakin' awesome (bit of a muscle fetishist, y'know, gotta love that intimidation factor and the satisfaction of having strength). I like to think I have elevated testosterone levels to begin with, and though I've never gotten that medically checked, I have a hunch, haha.

I was actually an employee at GNC for a little over a year, so I do know the importance of consuming protein in accordance with a weight training plan, and supplementing. From time to time, I'll drink a protein shake before lifting (either Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey, or a Muscle Milk shake). But, I don't have much access to those supplements anymore, because one, I don't work there right now since I'm in college, and two, there are no GNC stores around here. I attend school out of state. I'm sticking to just eating lots of natural protein.

So, I ask you all: how can I modify what I'm doing right now to help me lose fat/inches? How could I change my workouts? I DO know that I can do that by building muscle, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Yell at me. Tell me, "You idiot, what are you doing?" Something like that.

ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED.

Thanks so much for reading, I applaud you if you got through all that!

Hi and welcome!

I'm sorry to disagree,but a low carb diet is what's gotten many people in trouble. You need a healthy balanced diet of Lean protein, complx carbs and healthy fats.
I suggest you have about 5 meals a day. Not eating or eating infrequent will slow your metabolic rate and will help you gain weight as a consequence.

You do need carbs. That's what will give you secondary energy and will help you burn fat. If you don't eat carbs your metabolism will slow down as well and your weight will rebound.

You don't need the whey protein, in fact is best to have all whole foods. However, I do like a protein shake post training because it will go through your system faster, rather then waiting for the food to be digested.

Here is an example:

Meal #1 1/3 cup of oatmeal (with water) and 3 scrambled egg whites.
#2 Breast of chicken or turkey or tuna fish or fish with a small salad and vegetables.
#3 Same as #3, but with brown rice or sweet potato or quinoa or couscous.
#4 Protein shake. Post training
#5 Fish and vegetables.

You may have 6 meals, but start with 5.
Do not have potato or rice at night. Keep it simple with vegetables.

Don't have any processed foods. Have just whole foods. Initially you will be more hungry, but your body will get used to it and you will feel better as a result.

Drink lots of water and green tea.

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Hey Girl just wanted to say welcome to Elite and make a comment regarding your weight. Do not let a scale rule your world you are rather tall I used a BMI calulator and your currnet BMI is 25.7
BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

So your weight is really not that far off at all. I would see if you can find someone that does calapured bodyfat measurments that is a much better tool to use to check progress then a scale.

 

[WishfulThinking]

I'm sorry to disagree,but a low carb diet is what's gotten many people in trouble. You need a healthy balanced diet of Lean protein, complx carbs and healthy fats.
I suggest you have about 5 meals a day. Not eating or eating infrequent will slow your metabolic rate and will help you gain weight as a consequence.

Thanks thandie! And nah, disagreement is fine by me! I'm just going on what I've heard. I've always been moderately interested in becoming a better athlete and healthier person, but from that standpoint, I don't know a huge deal about proper nutrition.

Though can I ask you what the difference between a carbohydrate and a complex carbohydrate is? I thought complex carbs were things like rice and stuff. I'm not sure...?

Also, with the way my schedule at college is, there's probably not a convenient or affordable way for me to eat that many meals a day... I'm only allotted so much money and/or meals a week. But, saying that is like making excuses. I will look into getting food in my dorm that adheres to smaller meals (which I figured I'd ask about eventually: yet another thing I've heard bodybuilders mention when I used to work at GNC).

Hey Girl just wanted to say welcome to Elite and make a comment regarding your weight. Do not let a scale rule your world you are rather tall I used a BMI calulator and your currnet BMI is 25.7
BMI Categories:
Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

So your weight is really not that far off at all. I would see if you can find someone that does calapured bodyfat measurments that is a much better tool to use to check progress then a scale.

Hmm, thanks for checking that out for me! I've checked my BMI numerous times over the years and I've been down to 23% at one point, and the highest was 27%. So I know that I'm in a "comfortable" range, but I'd of course like to bring that down to maybe 20% or something around there. I'm perfectly content knowing that I'll never be "small" or "thin."

Scales suck, but I've learned from my mom to "not let them rule my world," like you've said. Hell, half the time I don't even check my weight because if it stays the same, I'll think, "I haven't lost any weight! Oh no!" and get discouraged.

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Thanks thandie! And nah, disagreement is fine by me! I'm just going on what I've heard. I've always been moderately interested in becoming a better athlete and healthier person, but from that standpoint, I don't know a huge deal about proper nutrition.

Though can I ask you what the difference between a carbohydrate and a complex carbohydrate is? I thought complex carbs were things like rice and stuff. I'm not sure...?

Also, with the way my schedule at college is, there's probably not a convenient or affordable way for me to eat that many meals a day... I'm only allotted so much money and/or meals a week. But, saying that is like making excuses. I will look into getting food in my dorm that adheres to smaller meals (which I figured I'd ask about eventually: yet another thing I've heard bodybuilders mention when I used to work at GNC).



Hmm, thanks for checking that out for me! I've checked my BMI numerous times over the years and I've been down to 23% at one point, and the highest was 27%. So I know that I'm in a "comfortable" range, but I'd of course like to bring that down to maybe 20% or something around there. I'm perfectly content knowing that I'll never be "small" or "thin."

Scales suck, but I've learned from my mom to "not let them rule my world," like you've said. Hell, half the time I don't even check my weight because if it stays the same, I'll think, "I haven't lost any weight! Oh no!" and get discouraged.

Not all carbs are created equaly what Thandie was getting at was your carb selection choice I believe and it is best chose fiber rich carbs such as:
Oats
Yams
Brown Rice
Whole grain breads
Bran
Wheatgerm Barley
All bran
Wheetabix
Shredded wheat

Are you on a meal plan or can you shop on your own? Some very inexpensive and healthy choices would be things like cottage cheese, steal cut oats, tuna you can prepare all your food ahead of time and bring it with you in a small cooler bag the better planned you are the better chance of succes.

 

[WishfulThinking]

Not all carbs are created equaly what Thandie was getting at was your carb selection choice I believe and it is best chose fiber rich carbs such as:
Oats
Yams
Brown Rice
Whole grain breads
Bran
Wheatgerm Barley
All bran
Wheetabix
Shredded wheat

Are you on a meal plan or can you shop on your own? Some very inexpensive and healthy choices would be things like cottage cheese, steal cut oats, tuna you can prepare all your food ahead of time and bring it with you in a small cooler bag the better planned you are the better chance of succes.

Yeah, that's just what I was looking for. Thank you, perfect answer! I just needed to know what "good" carbs and "bad" carbs were.

Then I seem to be on the right track: the first thing I bought when stocking my dorm before leaving for school was a TON of tuna fish. I eat that a ton. And yes, I have a meal plan, but can also transfer meals to a market in the dining halls at which I can buy my own food. It's limited, but I'm almost sure they have all of those things there. Freshmen can't own cars on campus, so I can't drive to Wal-Mart, but I can get stuff uptown. It's just a matter of doing so.