So do you all recommend getting a heart rate monitor? I have no idea where mine is at in my workouts, but that is usually why I have to stop for a second, not because I am in pain but because my heart is leaping through my chest LOL I walk it out for a few seconds and then jump back in. Just enough to keep the heart from burstin LOL I guess having a monitor would help me know if I am seriously going to high or to low LOL
Yes my scale measures body fat but that changes alot it seems to me, last one I got said 31%, I think it was 32.5 - 33 when I started and 36 at my all time high weight. Not sure how accurate a wal mart scale is though LMAO
I am not a nutritionist, personal trainer or medical professional, but as a chemist I can offer you one assurance: thermodynamics apply to everything, even your body. There's no infinite free energy, and there's no way to burn more calories than you consume without depleting your energy reserves.
Now, that said, there's more than one way to deplete your energy reserves, and with that more than one way to alter how many calories you're burning...my theory is that your body is just a little too eager to burn muscle tissue for energy instead of fat. In a way, it makes perfect sense for your body...lean mass requires more calories every day to maintain than fat, so if you've got a calorie deficit you can make up for the gap by metabolizing muscle, while at the same time decreasing your daily energy needs. (This is what people are talking about when they mention "starvation mode" and that sort of thing...your metabolism plummets to try to cope with too little food, and when you start eating normally again the body is often reluctant to rebuild the lost muscle tissue.)
You're doing strength training, but are you eating enough protein? The Dietary Reference Intake suggests 46 g/day to avoid an outright deficiency, but if you want to maintain muscle mass in the face of a calorie deficit, you need to be looking at 1g/kg of body weight...which with your numbers works out to about 82 g/day. 82 grams of complete protein, by the way...if you're short one essential amino acid, your body can't do much with the rest but metabolize it and stick the calories on your tush. Some sources suggest you need even more...assuming you don't have chronic renal failure, if you're already around 80 grams a day, try upping it for a while and see what happens. And if you (like me) can't really convince yourself to down another bowl of cottage cheese, whey protein powder really isn't bad.
And if that doesn't work, see if you can find someplace that will measure your resting metabolic rate to take the guesswork out of your daily needs...even the most sedentary person will lose (albeit slowly...but half a pound a week will add up!) if they keep their calories a couple hundred below their resting needs, and re-measure periodically.
And I missed your last couple posts while I was working on my novel of a response...
I'm glad you really have seen some loss in size! Gaining eight pounds of muscle generally takes longer than a couple months, but you will often gain water with it (is my understaning, at least) and water can mess around with your numbers a lot. The best way to avoid that is to try to stay hydrated and avoid going on a salt binge before weigh-in day. Just keep at it, and the fat will come off!
Thanks honeydew, so what would you recommend as far as a caloric range daily? All the numbers are different on every site.
For example the RMR measures me at
655+315.468+783.8-126.9 = 1627.37
and then add in the activity level and I get:
1952 for sedentary(1.2 multiplier) and up to 2521 for moderately active (1.55 multiplier).
Oooh I like what you said about the water WITH the muscle, that makes so much since.
As far as protien goes.. I am trying to get more, but what i get adds up from things in my food which isnt always an animal source. I do try though, but being an ex-vegan, some things are just harder to do, plus I am picky and dont like red meat or many fish. So that leaves me to chicken and turkey mainly LOL My average is 74 grams this last month (per day)
18.2% P 25.6% F 56.2 C
My average has been 20 grams fiber as well, so I can work on that too, I should be aiming for 25 grams + right?
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents in too. For calories, I used to think that I HAD to eat 1300 calories a day, no more, no less. What I've learned on this site is that your body is wonderful at adapting to everything and if you continue to always give it the same thing day in, day out - be it food or exercise - it will acclimate and get better and better at utilizing energy. And that makes its hard to get the fat off. I've started zig-zagging my calories so that I'm eating w/in a calorie range in a week. Maybe 1400 one day, 1700 the next day, 1500 for 2 days, 1300 for a day, etc. You get the idea. The idea behind this is to keep your body guessing. If you consistently give it 1300 calories a day, it will adjust. Have you every stuck to said calorie count for weeks w/little to no weight loss, gotten discouraged and eaten a good amount over that count and all of a sudden the scale drops? You're shaking things up and that is good. Just don't fall into the mindset that "ooo, I can eat like this all the time and lose fat". Constantly change it up.
I've also taken to eating 5-6 smaller meals a day vs. B, L, D and maybe a snack. Just take your calorie total for that day and divided it by 5 or 6 to get an idea of the calories you should eat each meal. I also always, always eat a combo of some kind of protein and carb. If I only have a choice of one thing, I'll eat something like a cheese stick 'cause it will stick w/me a bit longer. And by eating well every few hours, it spikes my body's metabolism and keeps me from getting into that "out of control eat everything in sight" mode!
I've completely changed how I exercise. I started out on the TM walking then slow jogging M-F for like 50-60 minutes. Oh, I always made sure I was in the "target heart rate" zone (or as I came to think of it as the 'gerbil-on-a-wheel-zone' ). My legs were constantly sore ('cause I wasn't ever giving them a chance to recoup) and the weight lose was minimal. I started using weights about 5 wks ago, gave the TM a rest for a few weeks while I adjusted to the weight routine. I've added the TM back in BUT, after a brief warm up I run at a quicker pace and I interval up and down the entire time. Up down and sideways. This also keeps your body guessing at to what is coming next. The "steady state cardio" just doesn't cut it. You burn calories during the exercise but you have to work harder and harder to reach your "zone" because the darn body keeps getting more efficient! With the intervals, your body just doesn't know what to expect. I read that it also keeps your metobolism up for quite a bit burning away after you're done. I'm off the TM in 30 minutes and I am sweating like a pig and definintely know I've worked out.
Hope some of this helps. I agree w/others -- do not give in to the temptation and give up! I'm just starting to really see some results so I know that constantly changing and tweaking is the right way to go. Don't get stuck in a rut. Good luck!!
Hey, there's a thread in the "Ladies Who Lift" forum called "Epiphany -- Building the Fat Buring Factory" by BeezKnees. It's really, really good. Great perspective and I think would help alot.
Jo: That is what I am doing right now, for the last 2 weeks, 1500 one day 1800 the next. and small meals, for no other reason but to make me feel more satisfied LOL but I get 5 meals a day all about the same size.
from there just find more posts by her and read. She had an unusual journey with a few trouble a long the way. I think you'll find her inspiring.
She post regularly in Maintainers.
Based on your size, age and activity level, you can likely lose at 1,500 - 1,800 Calories a day, but the only way to know for sure is to find someone to hook you up to a machine for about half an hour and figure out how much carbon you're breathing out...I know my university will do it for like $20, but you may need to look around a bit. Try googling "RMR testing" and look for something in your area.
Short of that, there's trial and error if you're patient...keep within one range for a while and see how you do, adjust as necessary. You've seen some of the drawbacks to this, though...sometimes you can be making progress and not really notice much of a difference, and sometimes it can be hard to tell if you're making small (but important) progress of if you're just not doing enough. Try to collect data over several months before coming to any solid conclusions...and definitely take measurements if you're exercising.
As for fiber, I personally find it's more about comfort...yeah, it'll decrease your risk of colon cancer and stuff, but I eat it because it keeps me less hungry and more regular, and don't really keep track of how much. (Granted, my pantry is a sea of Triscuits, Fiber One and whole wheat pasta, so take from that what you will.)
Look. If someone is eating over 1600 cals a day and not losing, it's probably too many calories. How hard is this?
Sumi, you don't need a machine to monitor your heart rate--you just learn to take your pulse. Count your pulse for ten seconds by a clock and multiply by 6. You can use the pulse in your throat or your wrist.
If you are exercising so hard that you have to stop because your heart is jumping out of your chest, you are exercising too hard. That puts you into the anaerobic range, which does not burn fat as efficiently because of oxygen debt.
You will find as many theories as people here. No one can tell you exactly what to do. My own experience has taught me how many calories I can eat to lose weight. You have to find your own way by trying different things. I know you're getting contradictory advice here, but choose something and do it for a couple of weeks. And just keep trying different things until you find something that works--but give each attempt time to work. Two weeks is about the minimum to see whether a combination of calories and exercise is working or not.
). My legs were constantly sore ('cause I wasn't ever giving them a chance to recoup) and the weight lose was minimal. I started using weights about 5 wks ago, gave the TM a rest for a few weeks while I adjusted to the weight routine. I've added the TM back in BUT, after a brief warm up I run at a quicker pace and I interval up and down the entire time. Up down and sideways. This also keeps your body guessing at to what is coming next. The "steady state cardio" just doesn't cut it. You burn calories during the exercise but you have to work harder and harder to reach your "zone" because the darn body keeps getting more efficient! With the intervals, your body just doesn't know what to expect. I read that it also keeps your metobolism up for quite a bit burning away after you're done. I'm off the TM in 30 minutes and I am sweating like a pig and definintely know I've worked out.
