What to change

[Angi]

Sorry, I replied on someone when I was trying to post a new thread. Sorry. I basically am wondering if someone can give me a little guidence on my workout/eating. I have been working out for sometime, but have been hitting it a little harder, in the last 6 months. I need about 5 to 7lbs to come off that I can't get off. I feel I do a pretty good job on eating although there are times when I don't. But for the most part I'm good. I need a little more of the fat on top of my muscles to go away. Especially in the ab area. I was running 3 miles 5-6 times per week. I recently have been doing the eliptical due to getting shin splints. An average day goes like this:

7:30-8:30 2 cups of coffee
8:30-9:30 1 cup with 2 slices of wheat toast with peanut butter on it
10:00 a whole grapefruit
10:00-12:00 water
12:00-1:00 workout
1:30 salad
2:00 snack yogart or crackers/cheerios
3:00-3:30 orange
and water throughout the afternoon. I generally drink 8 glasses a day.
dinner is either chicken or salad.

So what to do? Any suggestions? Do I need more protein? Should I do shakes?

[Fit1]

Angi:

It is hard to tell exactly from your post, but it looks like you aren't eating enough food. Not enough complex carbs. The PB in the morning is too much fat...even though its a good fat.

And..........how hard are you exercising...........what heart rate are you sustaining?

[teresand77]

My comments/questions are in parenthesis. I think you should keep the peanut butter on your morning meal (about 1-2 tablespoons) because that's about the only fat that you're getting from what I can see. You need some healthy fats. Do you do any weight training?

If you give us more information we can help better

7:30-8:30 2 cups of coffee
8:30-9:30 1 cup with 2 slices of wheat toast with peanut butter on it
(one cup of what? I would add some more protein here like egg whites...actually I would eat this meal as soon as you wake up too)
10:00 a whole grapefruit (eat some protein with this too...even a piece of string cheese would be good)
10:00-12:00 water
12:00-1:00 workout
1:30 salad (what kind of salad are you eating?)
2:00 snack yogart or crackers/cheerios (again, add protein...maybe cottage cheese)
3:00-3:30 orange (add protein)
and water throughout the afternoon. I generally drink 8 glasses a day.
dinner is either chicken or salad. (what time is dinner?)

[Angi]

I do some weight training, I build muscle mass but I get frustrated because I do not get defined. What else do you suggest I eat, if I'm not eating enough? My workout I think is hard, running exhausts me. I do not keep tract of my heartrate, etc. I am eating just plain lettuce and cheese (shredded) feta and fat free bacon bits. I eat dinner between 5-7:30.

[teresand77]

How much do you weigh? That will tell us how much you really need to eat,

I'd say you're only eating about 1100 calories a day if I had to guess and that depends on how big your dinner is. If you weren't exercising and weighed about 100-110 pounds that would probably be enough.

The thing is...if you don't eat enough your body goes into "starvation mode" and holds onto it's extra fat which I don't think any of us want I know it's hard to get used to eating MORE to lose weight but sometimes that's really what you have to do.

Running is a really good form of cardio...it's very efficient and burns a lot of calories. Stick with that if you can...the elliptical is good too.

~teresa

[Angi]

I weigh 123 and am 5'2". But don't get me wrong, I do cheat and eat sometimes whatever I want i.e McDonald's, chocolate, etc. but I don't consume that everyday. For the most part especially during the week, that is my schedule. I'm ok with how I look, I just need a little help in getting to exactly where I want to be. I'm wanting to get a little of the body fat off. Also, do you have any suggestions on getting my arms defined. I have the muscle mass, I just can't get it defined. I am lifting 3 sets of 12 between 8-10 lbs because I don't want to "bulk" up. I put muscle on fast.

[teresand77]

3 sets of 12 reps is fine but the weight should be high enough that you are lifting to fatigue (you can't do anymore reps). If not, increase the weights a little.

I think you'll see some definition in your arms if you lose some fat. That's usually the problem if you know you have muscle. People tell me all the time that they have "rock-hard abs" but can't see them. That's just because they have too much fat covering them.

Have you looked at Trainer Lynn's Top 5 tips for fat loss? I'll post that following this...

By the way, it's always hardest to lose those last few pounds/percentages of bodyfat. You don't weigh that much to begin with so cleaning up your diet is the key most likely.

~teresa

[teresand77]

Trainer Lynn says it much more eloquently than I could so I just cut and paste this from another thread:

1) Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Each meal should be 2-3 hours apart. Each meal should contain one protein and one carb. The first meal should be eaten within an hour after waking.


2) Drink lots of water


3) Rest properly. This means taking at least 24-48 hours between strength training the same muscles, and it also means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Lastly, it means taking 1-2 days off from exercising per week.


4) Cardio. This should be done at different intensity levels and different session lengths. Consider doing a low intensity/long session, a high intensity/short session and a few medium intensity/medium length sessions.


5) Strength Training. Strength train each muscle 1-3 times per week. You should lift a proper weight and perform the proper amount of sets/reps for your strength training method

If you have any questions, please let me know.

~teresa

[SXIPro]

McDonalds is the devil, Angi!!!

If you are somewhat satisfied with what you look like, but can't reach your ultimate goal, I would hope the Mcdonalds visits are once a month, not once a week. It's not only the fat content, but the low grade of beef quality they use just is not healthy. They are the chief purchasers of 'downers'. In the cattle industry this is a term for cattle that are sickly, emaciated or near death. These sell at auction at a far cheaper per lb rate than healthy cattle, and McDs pretty much buys all of these they can get thier hands on.

On another note, if your 2 cups of coffee have sugar and cream in them, I'd cut back to one cup, or if possible, drop the coffee altogether.(easier said than done, I know)

To get abs to show, or striations in arms, shoulders, etc to show, your bodyfat needs to be pretty darn low. So a healthy diet is key. Again, do your body a favor and avoid the fast food places like the plague.

[Trainer Lynn]

I'll just add in from the other fab posts...

My thoughts are that you are not eating enough. You need to add in more protein. You need to vary your cardio routine. You need to strength train more efficiently. You WILL NOT BULK UP

Well maybe you will if you are taking steroids. Are you? Just kidding. Don't worry about bulking. Basically right now you need to have a complete overhaul of your program.

To lose that extra fat you must get serious about all of the 5 tips to fat loss. Eat often and eat enough. Strength train every muscle and do it till fatigue (8 reps should do it). Cardio should vary in session length and intensity. Rest at least 1 day per week. Drink water

You'll get there. It's just a matter of writing it all out in detail and organizing into a weekly/daily schedule. You can do it and I totally applaud your dedication.

But to see the results you want... there will have to be a few tweaks

Good luck!!

[Angi]

Thanks for all the advise. Now I can see where to get on the right foot, but I need just a little bit more help. Can someone advise me on what protein to eat with what carbs.

Thanks.

[teresand77]

Here are some examples I got from www.bodyforlife.com. there are more than this, obviously, but here's a start anyway! Hope it helps!

Proteins
Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Lean ground turkey
Swordfish
Orange roughy
Haddock
Salmon
Tuna
Crab
Lobster
Shrimp
Top round steak
Top sirloin steak
Lean ground beef
Buffalo
Lean ham
Egg whites or substitutes
Trout
Low-fat cottage cheese
Wild-game meat

Vegetables
Broccoli
Asparagus
Lettuce
Carrots
Cauliflower
Green beans
Green peppers
Mushrooms
Spinach
Tomato
Peas
Brussels sprouts
Artichoke
Cabbage
Celery
Zucchini
Cucumber
Onion

Carbohydrates
Baked potato
Sweet potato
Yams
Squash
Pumpkin
Steamed brown rice
Steamed wild rice
Pasta
Oatmeal
Barley
Beans
Kidney beans
Corn
Strawberries
Melon
Apple
Orange
Fat-free yogurt
Whole-wheat bread
High-fiber cereal
Rice cake
Popcorn
Tortilla
Whole grains

Vegetarian Proteins
Tempeh
Seitan
Tofu
Texturized vegetable protein
Soy foods
Veggie burgers