I'd love to know, How long did it take you to get from flab to fab?

[polarpixie]

What are you eating? Can you paste your spreadsheet or email it to me?

Sometimes the problem isn't what's IN your diet, it's what's missing.

Thanx Spatts! This is a typical day for me lately:

Meal 1:
one-a-day supplement
2 egg whites,
1/2 yolk

Meal 2:
1 c wheat chex
1 c soy milk
1 tbs raspberry

Meal 3:
6oz tuna salad (no-fat mayo)
6 pc. macadamaia nuts.

Meal 4:
1 nonfat chai latte
3 oz. roasted chicken breast
sm. mixed salad, croutons, low fat dressing

Meal 5:
6 oz. Of tuna salad
1 low-fat salmon burger
______
This runs me about 1400 cals/ 146g P/ 133g C / 29g F


I'm also pretty sure I don't get enough water either even tho I drink about 10 glasses a day, I am still constantly thirsty. So maybe that will help too...


What do you think? Any help you can give would be appreciated...

 

[polarpixie]

Well, you're trying to lose fat right? IMHO, you need to pick those cals up a bit, drop the carbs, change the carb sources, and rotate them according to your activity level.

Spatts, yes, I'm trying to lose fat. Change the carb sources? You mean like to complex carbs? I am confused about your advice to pick up the cals tho, since I am not in 'starvation mode' and my body clings to execessive cals..I like the idea about rotating according to activity level, I think that makes complete sense. I can see eating more cals, higher carbs on high activity level days, but I don't know how low I should go on my OFF days. WAH. This whole process of trying to figure out what works for me is so frustrating...

 

[polarpixie]

This is what I've generally been following (at the minimum):

day 1
50 mins. of cardio
abs

day 2
40 mins. of cardio (20 HIIT jog/walk)

day 3
15-20 mins. light cardio
biceps/triceps/shoulders

day 4
50 mins. of cardio
abs

day 5
40 mins. of cardio (20 HIIT jog/walk)

day 6
15-20 mins. light cardio
back/legs/glutes


day 7
abs
REST


I've only been following this as a minimum for only two weeks. I'll add more cardio if I have the time or patience. Before that I was kind of more lax about this routine, and doing cardio only 3x a week, and working the upper body 1x a week.

 

[polarpixie]

Hmm...it really does help to post this kind of stuff. Helps to be more critical and analyze.

 

[polarpixie]

Are you not working your chest? Are you lifting heavy? When you do cardio is it running or something low-impact/moderate heart rate? What is your current and goal weight again, please?

Do you have a way of finding out what your BF is?

Oh yea, for chest, I do pushups on the days I do abs. Heavy...um...I don't know? I lift as heavy as I can to last me 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps with about a 20sec. rest in between sets. My muscles are worn out by the time I'm done...So I guess I lift moderately?

For Cardio, I do a combination of jogging, walking uphill or at a fast pace, bike, or rollerblade.

As for my BF...I don't belong to a gym right now, but last time I had it checked it was 24% ... I'm 115 and I'd be happy to get down to 20% fat (minimum, setting realistic goals for myself), but optimally I'd like to be around 18% BF, whatever weight that may be.


I really appreciate your input on this. I've gone on practically starvation diets, lost weight, but gained it back as fat. Now I'm just trying to come up with a routine that I can follow long-term.

 

[polarpixie]

OK. I will try this revised routine and work on a new diet. Do you think wheat chex cereal counts as complex carbs?



day 1
60mins. of cardio
pushups/abs

day 2
60mins. of cardio (20 HIIT jog/walk)

day 3
biceps/triceps/shoulders

day 4
60mins. of cardio
pushups/abs

day 5
back/legs/glutes

day 6
60mins. of cardio (20 HIIT jog/walk)
pushups/abs

day 7
abs
REST

 

[polarpixie]

Hey Spatts, what do you think I should expect as my progress goes assuming I do everything correctly? How much weight/percentage fat loss should I be watching out for? I'd like to know what to expect so I don't get discouraged if nothing happens, but also to know when I need to change something else, or work even harder if I'm not seeing anything change.

I know I've said it already, but thanks for all your help so far, Spatts, I mean it!!!

 

[new@gettinbig]

Great to see you are still at it!!!! I agree w/ spatts...I would eat more food...you need it to keep that metabolism going...I would cut out the chex cereal..not a good source that u need..and when it comes to leaning out it will not help you much....I would really focus my attention on my diet and training heavy....keep a journal of both...3 sets of like 8-10 reps...3-4 exercises per body part. Your diet is 90% of it....if that is not on...it wont matter how you train or what you do...cardio is good....but I wouldn't run....walk on an incline or ride the bike...only run if you do the HIIT training...nothing long and excessive....gets catabolic. goodluck

 

[polarpixie]

OK, now that I have a second, I would like to bag on your training routine.

Why are you doing abs 4 days a week?

Don't say it's because you need to lose fat there...PLEASE tell me you know you can't target burn fat??

Heeeeeeeeeeeyy.....LOL! I know I can't spot train, I just like doing abs. It makes me feel better. I feel fat when I don't do them...I want them nice and toned for when all the fat disappears...lol.


I'd hate to have to add on a 2nd session of cardio. I don't mind if I have a kickboxing class to take, but since I don't have a gym right now and it's pretty cold outside. I get bored of machines.

new@gettinbig -- thanx!! You guys are making it harder for me to goof off. I'd love to have something to show for it in a few months. I used to really beat myself up if I ate too much, or skipped a workout, and then I wouldn't get right back to it because I'd be so depressed that I had messed up. I'm over that for the most part now, but I don't want to get into that bad pattern of making myself feel bad for not sticking to something (but yet kick my own ass, kinda like what mrmuscle's said above).

I can't wait to work out today!! Woohoo!!

I saw some rice protein at the grocery store, how does that compare (or not) to whey protein? maybe i will make a thread.

 

[dieslgrl]

last year I dieted down for my first bb show... I was psycho, but in 20 weeks, I was contest ready.... I was in awesome shape in probaby 12 weeks... I have freakish genetics, and have the ability to do what I want with my body... from what I came from, and what I went to, it would probably take another person years to do... I did start with a HUGE amount of muscle, so that did help... along with a flaw-less diet, and extreme training. (not to mention AAS)- but you can do without the anabolics...
When I was 19 I competed fitness, and in 12 weeks completely natural, I took my body from nuttin, to something pretty amazing for 19 with no help, no juice, and no clue.

so its gonna depend on you.

dg