New girl- need advice, please help?

[alicia1971]

I have currently been on a diet and exercise regimen now for about 8 months and have lost 35lbs. My exercise consists of about an hour of weight training 3-4 times a week (low weight, high reps), with about 1/2 hour of cardio after. My diet isn't perfect, but I have been learning to eat cleaner, small meals/snacks about 5-6 times a day. I just started a womens vitamin pack and 2 protein shakes a day just over the last week. My caloric intake is low, about 1000-1500 calories per day, witout much fat or carbs, to drop fat and pounds, but I'm finding that even with losing the fat, I seem more flabby. I was an athlete in my youth and have some muscle under the flab, but I am not happy with my overall results (except losing the pounds). My husband just started a cycle and this has raised some questions about some help for me to gain muscle and enhance my results. He has suggested Winstrol, Anavar, or HCG but even he doesn't know alot about using for women. I am especially concerned about health and using something that might pose health risks, or cause virilization. Any guidence?

 

[musclemom]

You need to provide the board with a little more information, specifically, height/weight/age and what a typical day's worth of food looks like, what you eat/drink, and when you eat it.

At a glance, honestly, you're eating too little and haven't gained muscle so much as just lost both muscle and fat by starving, i.e., the "flabbiness" you're not happy with.

When you don't eat enough your body perceives it is in a famine situation. The FIRST goal is survival, ergo, dump ALL ballast. Since muscle is metabolically wasteful (using more calories to maintain than fat) our bodies burn muscle up BEFORE they burn fat (which are long term reserves). You cannot burn fat while eating starvation rations and 1000 a day, no matter how short/tiny your frame is, is too little.

As for that whole low weights/high reps shit, hogwash. That's just like doing arm aerobics and boring to boot. Heavy weights will not turn you into the Hulk, you don't have the testerosterone to do it. If you don't need to put weight down after 10 or 12 reps, it's too light.

So give the board some facts to work with and let's see if we can't help you out, hon!!!

 

[thelion2005]

You need to provide the board with a little more information, specifically, height/weight/age and what a typical day's worth of food looks like, what you eat/drink, and when you eat it.

At a glance, honestly, you're eating too little and haven't gained muscle so much as just lost both muscle and fat by starving, i.e., the "flabbiness" you're not happy with.

When you don't eat enough your body perceives it is in a famine situation. The FIRST goal is survival, ergo, dump ALL ballast. Since muscle is metabolically wasteful (using more calories to maintain than fat) our bodies burn muscle up BEFORE they burn fat (which are long term reserves). You cannot burn fat while eating starvation rations and 1000 a day, no matter how short/tiny your frame is, is too little.

As for that whole low weights/high reps shit, hogwash. That's just like doing arm aerobics and boring to boot. Heavy weights will not turn you into the Hulk, you don't have the testerosterone to do it. If you don't need to put weight down after 10 or 12 reps, it's too light.

So give the board some facts to work with and let's see if we can't help you out, hon!!!

Don't like her hubby wanting her to use aas. Men can handle some sides. Women have to be super careful.

 

[alicia1971]

I am 38yo, 5'5' and 126lbs. A days worth of food looks something like this:
Breakfast: 8:30 Coffee first then fruit,usually a banana. Some days I skip breakfast. I have a hard time eating in the morning ( I know skipping is not good).
Snack: 10:00 Some sort of nut, or cereal bar. Lately I have been having a protein shake instead.
Lunch: 12:30 turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread sometimes with mustard and tomato, or 2 eggs.
Snack: 3:00 or 4:00 another protein shake.
Dinner: 7:00 Pasta or rice dish with a lean meat and a vegetable or beans.
My portions are really small and if I have a busy day at work I sometimes don't get in my snacks. This is not always a strick regimen, depending on my schedule, but I never deviate from eating things that are fresh, I try to never eat processed foods, and I'm trying to get in more veggies.

 

[tps]

are you weighing and measuring your food. you have to do this! and your stats are right on....shit im 5 foot and 130!

 

[musclemom]

I am 38yo, 5'5' and 126lbs. A days worth of food looks something like this:
Breakfast: 8:30 Coffee first then fruit,usually a banana. Some days I skip breakfast. I have a hard time eating in the morning ( I know skipping is not good).
Snack: 10:00 Some sort of nut, or cereal bar. Lately I have been having a protein shake instead.
Lunch: 12:30 turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread sometimes with mustard and tomato, or 2 eggs.
Snack: 3:00 or 4:00 another protein shake.
Dinner: 7:00 Pasta or rice dish with a lean meat and a vegetable or beans.
My portions are really small and if I have a busy day at work I sometimes don't get in my snacks. This is not always a strick regimen, depending on my schedule, but I never deviate from eating things that are fresh, I try to never eat processed foods, and I'm trying to get in more veggies.

Fitday.com has a free food diary that would allow you to put in what you're eating so you could track your protein/fat/carb intake as well as calories.

You don't need to lose any weight. If anything, you probably need to eat more to gain muscle to get the look you desire.

As it is, if your portions are tiny, and you really are eating only 1500 calorie and under, you will not gain any muscle and being in a state of constant starvation mode like you are will encourage your body to hoarde any extra calories as fat.

Check out the stickies at the top of this and the Diet forums. To maintain or gain the basic concept is to eat 13 to 15 times your body weight in food divided into five (or more) meals/snacks with the macros of the food being 40% of the calories come from protein, 30% come from fat and 30% come from carbs.

 

[slat1]

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You should be getting your carbs for brain and body function then.
You don't need AAS. Improving your diet will make all the difference in the world!
Hold tight. The ladies here will give you a great meal plan!

 

[alicia1971]

Thank you all for the help! I see now that improving my diet and eating smarter will benefit me the most, instead of cycling. I haven't been weighing food but I will start and thanks for the fitday.com suggestion. Much, much karma to you all!!!!