about post gym eating...its normal to feel hungry, and also good to eat within 45 minwhen ur metab is high and also to replace glycogen stores...but its key not to eat fatty foods...i read the meal should consist of mostly healthy carbs and light protein right after the gym...and the healthy carbs will fill u up so u dont feel so crazed...and something very light before your exercise, like yogurt and fruit, milk and fruit...

I have a question or two about exercising also - I just joined a gym and am so excited. I've been exercising at home for the last month trying to build my endurance, which has been very poor, but I've already improved so much - I've mostly been doing stationary bike, treadmill, and my Biggest Loser Workout DVD. A group from my office joined the gym and I have a meeting with the trainer late next week. Of course my goal is to lose weight - a lot of it to improve my overall health. Until I meet with the trainer, I'm not really certain what I should be doing - should I just continue with the bikes, treadmills, etc? I have no idea how long I should work out. I always hear about calories in/calories out but am not quite certain what that means - does that mean if you eat 1200 calories a day you should try and burn 1200 calories a day? I know - probably a stupid question, but this stuff has always confused me. Thanks for your help.

Hi FellingGood congrats on starting to exercise and eating healthy....

You can find umpteen sites that will tell you how many calories you should eat and how much you are burning through exercise, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, everyone's metabolism is different and what works for one person may not work for another. You just have to find the amount of calories and exercise that works for you.

At your present weight IMO you could start at high as 2200 calories/day and along with at least 20-30 mins of exercise daily... This is to start, as you lose weight you will need less calories to keep losing, and probably more exercise as you get better at working out.

For the moment I would just keep doing what you were doing til you meet with your trainer...

angie!
hey there, welcome to 3FC! Kudos to you for making a change in your life, you're on your way to a healthy new you!
first off, 1200 cals? no no no, thats way too little for u, esp if ur exercising...heres a link, one of the other ladies on this site posted...its easy to follow and gives you how many cals you should eat based on your weight, height, activity level...but in my opinion they are a bit too high, and until you see your trainer you should stick to the stationary life style caloric intake values even though your exercising...heres the link...
http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...tion_guide.htm
another thing, keep doing what your doing exercise wise, you dont want any drastic changes before meeting with your trainer...you dont want to go in there with sore muscles or an injury bc you're trying to impress your trainer...
so, eat lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats, low fat dairy, and healthy carbs, stick to your exercise regimn, and good luck to you with your trainer!

one last thing...about cals in vs. cals out...
for you to lose 1 pound of fat..you have to spare 3500 calories in ONE week...
so that can mean eat 500 cals less per day, or lose it with exercise....(500 x 7 day=3500) if u want to lose 2 lbs per week,7000 (2 x 3500) calorie deficit per week...now your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the amount of food you have to eat to sustain all your vital organs functioning (thats the 1200 most ladies are talking about)...but ur BMR varies based on weight, mines 1500 or so...you can check it on the website link i sent you...anyway, BMR isnt how much you burn per day, thats what you burn if u slept the entire day, just what your organs need, not your muscles!...
so you have to take into account every activity in your waking day...probably adds another 1000cals (reading, walking to the store, cooking and so on...)...in a nut shell before i totally lose you...ur BMR plus what you burn 'LIVING" equals lets say 2200 (BMR 1200 and LIVING 1000) so to lose a pound of fat per week you have to eat 500 less per day~ 2200-500= 1700 cal! OR exercise it off, so you eat 2200 cals but exercise 500 off! which still equals 1700 input per day...thats what intake vs output means,..remember these values are based on someone close to their goal, so your will probably be higher...i really hope i didnt confuse you, lol...the website i posted before already does this for you, just thought you might want to kno how it works, i would definately ask the trainer to explain it once again! hope this helps!

reddalice~ after the gym you can have carbs and protein! you acually should have carbs and protein to restore your livers sugar stores (glycogen)...just think lean protein, and healthy carbs to cut out excess fat..you dont have to eat a banana or starve! lol...before the gym is when you should be light...nothing for 2 hrs before and 2 hrs before should be yogurt and fruit, skim milk and fruit....

Thank you for posting this article, something similar happened to me a few months back. I didn't gain weight, but I wasn't losing any weight, and I became very frustrated with people telling me it was muscle I was gaining.

Great article, and loved reading the replies to this post as well. VERY helpful. Now to absorb it all.

If you exercise regularly you will develop your muscles. Size for size muscle tissue weighs twice as much as body fat, so although you may be decreasing in size, you may not necessarily be decreasing in weight.

Weight is not that crucial, if you stayed at your current weight but slimmed down to your desired size, would you be happy? You should be!

Better to ditch the scales and use a tape measure.

Hi, I've always exercised in one form or another but after I hit 40 the weight increased. It got worse in my 50's. A doctor told me to except it. Has anyone else been told this by a doctor with regard to getting older?

TryItDiet: I was told that at my last apt. w/my doc. She mentioned that my metabolism is slowing down a bit and also a few other odd things. I am going for bloodwork to figure see everything is in order... Ie: my thyroid levels, my meds (at correct levels) etc.

Hmmmm, well, I gained weight when training for my half marathon and well, pretty much I've been gaining weight overall and I work out like a dog. I have cut my carbs WAY down to 50 g/day or less and have seen dramatic increase in muscle mass and a visible drop in body fat. For me, the carbs...any carbs at any time is the cause for my weight gain. As long as I eat carbs real low on the glycemic index and a lot of healthy fat I'm on the losing side. I would be STARVING after a 10+ mile run and eat complex/healthy carb and my body just stored it for some reason. Now I have protein and a healthy fat and I'm losing wonderfully. I guess our body chemistries are all different

love it, love it, love it!! very true

great article..thanks for posting