NEW YEARS RESOLUTION WEIGHT LOSS THREAD 2012

[TCAT]

Nice job everyone! These are some amazing goals. I am on the same boat as all of you, and just started last Monday. My goal is to match the leanest I've ever been. So, 10 pounds of fat mass loss should put me around the 5% Bodyfat range. This will take me 8-10 weeks, and the workout won't change much. Resistance will be performed three times per week, and intense cardiovascular work will be done 4-5 times per week depending upon how all my joints and muscles feel. My eating habits are clean, portions sizes are a tad smaller and I have 4 virtually identical (in terms of macronutrients) meals per day, with a smallllllll snack in between meals. I also coordinate my workouts around meal time to ensure proper energy balance, as well as proper calorie intake to spark the recovery process after the workout.

[CFD]

Originally Posted by TCAT

Nice job everyone! These are some amazing goals. I am on the same boat as all of you, and just started last Monday. My goal is to match the leanest I've ever been. So, 10 pounds of fat mass loss should put me around the 5% Bodyfat range. This will take me 8-10 weeks, and the workout won't change much. Resistance will be performed three times per week, and intense cardiovascular work will be done 4-5 times per week depending upon how all my joints and muscles feel. My eating habits are clean, portions sizes are a tad smaller and I have 4 virtually identical (in terms of macronutrients) meals per day, with a smallllllll snack in between meals. I also coordinate my workouts around meal time to ensure proper energy balance, as well as proper calorie intake to spark the recovery process after the workout.

That's an extremely low body fat % and requires much dedication an strict meal planning. I'd assume it's not something you maintain for an extended period of time. I find that getting into the single digit bodt fat % range has been becoming more difficult for me than in years past but then again the next time I wake up I'll be 57, if I wake up LOL. Meal timming is also critical in building muscle/recovery especially pre and post workout nutrition, something often overlooked by many. I think that people are stuck with the mentality that after working out eating adds the calories that you worked so hard to burn and is counterproductive but that is not the case, you work hard to burn fat but you must eat to feed your muscles and maintain energy levels needed to support the workouts. This is why proper macronutrient percentages are so important. When talking fat loss it basically boils down to cals in versus cals out BUT not all calories are created equal, you could be eating 1600 cals a day but if those 1600 cals come from Twinkies, well need I say more. I am quite aware that you know this, I'm saying it for the bemefit of others. Good luck with reaching that 5% mark, you definately have your work cut out for yourself.

[BowtieBelle]

Well, I have started back at the gym again. I've cut my calorie intake down, trying to stay under 1400 calories a day. I've done some research and apparently I burn 2200 Calories a day normally, so adding in these workouts I feel like I'm on the right track.

Saturday I jogged 2 miles and biked 2 miles.

Sunday I jogged for 30 minutes, did the elliptical for 20 minutes, then did 3 reps of 15 on the ab machine at 40 lbs and 3 reps of 15 on the shoulder press at 20 lbs.

I was really sore after that, so I skipped Monday.

Tuesday, I ran for 30 minutes and did the same lifting, adding in bicep curls. Average HR has hovered right around 135.

Today I plan to jog for 20-30 minutes, elliptical for 20 minutes, and the same lifting.

Does it sound like I'm on track, guys?

Also what exercises can I do to take inches off from my upper body/ribcage area? My problem areas are all upper-body but I have a bad back and have to be careful what I do.

Any tips or tricks from you all would be much appreciated! I try to have at least one food a day that I genuinely enjoy-- such as cereal and a banana for breakfast, then protein (like fish) the rest of the day. I've never been a breakfast eater so I'm trying this thing where I eat small amounts of healthy food every 3-4 hours so my body doesn't go into starvation mode and start storing fat. I've also been working out on an empty stomach.

Anything y'all think I should change? If I could just lose 10-15 lbs by the time my cruise comes around at the end of February I'd be a happy girl.

[CFD]

Originally Posted by BowtieBelle

Well, I have started back at the gym again. I've cut my calorie intake down, trying to stay under 1400 calories a day. I've done some research and apparently I burn 2200 Calories a day normally, so adding in these workouts I feel like I'm on the right track.

Saturday I jogged 2 miles and biked 2 miles.

Sunday I jogged for 30 minutes, did the elliptical for 20 minutes, then did 3 reps of 15 on the ab machine at 40 lbs and 3 reps of 15 on the shoulder press at 20 lbs.

I was really sore after that, so I skipped Monday.

Tuesday, I ran for 30 minutes and did the same lifting, adding in bicep curls. Average HR has hovered right around 135.

Today I plan to jog for 20-30 minutes, elliptical for 20 minutes, and the same lifting.

Does it sound like I'm on track, guys?

Also what exercises can I do to take inches off from my upper body/ribcage area? My problem areas are all upper-body but I have a bad back and have to be careful what I do.

Any tips or tricks from you all would be much appreciated! I try to have at least one food a day that I genuinely enjoy-- such as cereal and a banana for breakfast, then protein (like fish) the rest of the day. I've never been a breakfast eater so I'm trying this thing where I eat small amounts of healthy food every 3-4 hours so my body doesn't go into starvation mode and start storing fat. I've also been working out on an empty stomach.

Anything y'all think I should change? If I could just lose 10-15 lbs by the time my cruise comes around at the end of February I'd be a happy girl.

It seems like you are trying to implement strategies that work but it's like throwing a bunch of parts in your car that don't compliment each other.

For starters you should determine what your daily cal intake SHOULD be, then subtract 500 cals for fat loss. Normally eating meals 2 1/2-3 hrs appart is ideal, it takes roughly that time to digest your meal if it is proportioned right. You will not go into starvation mode that quickly, it takes a bit more time than 3-4 hrs lol, starvation mode usually happens when there is a cal deficet for too long a period of time, days not hrs. Eating protein is very important but more importantly is eating the proper ratios of proteins, carbs AND FATS. Some people think fats are your enemy but in fact healthy fats are essential for fat loss. Cardio along with resistance training is also ideal but you should not haphazardly perform exercises, you should work muscles in a balance manner and should not work the same muscle groups without allowing adequate recovery time. Unfortunately there are no exercises that will promote fat loss in any specific area, you can build muscle or like the ladies like to call it tone muscles in a specific area but fat loss cannot be isolated to specific areas. Earlier in this thread are some sample meal plans and workouts that will give you an idea of how to eat properly proportioned meals and balanced workouts, I will scroll through and direct you to them in a moment.

[Bonnie]

Just wanted to share this to everyone who is working out hard and eating properly, I read this and it put things in perspective, because I am feeling pretty hungry these days especially between meals 4 and 5.... lol


If you are following a nutrition plan that includes eating solid food every 2-3 hours and find yourself STARVING between meals - it does NOT mean you need more food, it actually means your plan is working! When you feel like you are going to naw your arm off and you still have an hour til your next meal -your metabolism is RACING and you are burning fat!! Just picture little Pac-Man Guys CHOMPING the FAT off of your A** and be EXCITED for the change in your physique to come!!!

[Jeffm]

i am feeling like that right now

[Bonnie]

Originally Posted by Jeffm

i am feeling like that right now

Let the little Pac-Man Guys CHOMP!

[CFD]

Hi BowtieBelle. If you go to the first two pages you will see a chart of recomended foods and there nutrient breakdown, on pg 2 is a sample of properly proportioned meals, it will give you an idea of what meals should be. Also if you scroll through the thread and take a look at Bonnie's eating plan it will also give you an idea, her meals are very well balance and proportioned correctly. Her workouts may be a little intense for you although I'm not sure of your fitness level. I believe TCat has posted some advice that also has some very good advice on balanced exercises. If you would like I could scan a couple of workouts that are also balanced that will show you how to properly workout. Exercise is an excellent health benefit and tool to aid in weight loss but you should follow a proper exercise routine to prevent injury.

[BowtieBelle]

Originally Posted by Bonnie

Let the little Pac-Man Guys CHOMP!

I'm feeling that way too, LOL.

Thanks everybody, I am researching. I guess I just always thought losing weight was simple: burn more calories than you take in.

[CFD]

Originally Posted by Bonnie

Just wanted to share this to everyone who is working out hard and eating properly, I read this and it put things in perspective, because I am feeling pretty hungry these days especially between meals 4 and 5.... lol


If you are following a nutrition plan that includes eating solid food every 2-3 hours and find yourself STARVING between meals - it does NOT mean you need more food, it actually means your plan is working! When you feel like you are going to naw your arm off and you still have an hour til your next meal -your metabolism is RACING and you are burning fat!! Just picture little Pac-Man Guys CHOMPING the FAT off of your A** and be EXCITED for the change in your physique to come!!!

Something mentioned here that is very important, SOLID FOOD. Very often those who workout supplement with protein drinks and smoothies etc. which is fine and sometimes the best way to get high enough protein intake for muscle building workouts BUT the body is designed to digest whole foods, the process of digestion in itself raises your metabolic rate. You should always try to get your nutrients from whole foods and keep protein drinks and the such for supplimentation.

[CFD]

Originally Posted by BowtieBelle

I'm feeling that way too, LOL.

Thanks everybody, I am researching. I guess I just always thought losing weight was simple: burn more calories than you take in.

Basically you are correct in that it is cals in versus cals out but cals are not all equall. From reading some of your posts I can see that you know a bit about your car so we will use that as an example. You can add headers, a cai and cam ( we'll call that muscle) which is great and then fill up with low octane fuel (we'll call that poor food choices) you still have a full tank and will get performance benefits, or you can fill your tank with high octane fuel ( good food choices) and the performance increases. Now we can go drag racing and fill your tank(stomach) it slows you down so for each run you put enough fuel to make your run and not much more ( portion control), If you fill it up all the extra fuel is stored in your tank but if you don't use it it eventually goes bad, your body does not efficiently store fuel for future use,it does efficiently store fat so all the extra cals (gas) goes bad (turns to fat). Get the idea?

[TCAT]

Originally Posted by CFD

That's an extremely low body fat % and requires much dedication an strict meal planning. I'd assume it's not something you maintain for an extended period of time. I find that getting into the single digit bodt fat % range has been becoming more difficult for me than in years past but then again the next time I wake up I'll be 57, if I wake up LOL. Meal timming is also critical in building muscle/recovery especially pre and post workout nutrition, something often overlooked by many. I think that people are stuck with the mentality that after working out eating adds the calories that you worked so hard to burn and is counterproductive but that is not the case, you work hard to burn fat but you must eat to feed your muscles and maintain energy levels needed to support the workouts. This is why proper macronutrient percentages are so important. When talking fat loss it basically boils down to cals in versus cals out BUT not all calories are created equal, you could be eating 1600 cals a day but if those 1600 cals come from Twinkies, well need I say more. I am quite aware that you know this, I'm saying it for the bemefit of others. Good luck with reaching that 5% mark, you definately have your work cut out for yourself.

Thanks CFD, I appreciate the support. It's DEFINITELY a lot of hard work, and not nearly as much room in my diet for "fun" food. However, it's worth it in the end. Once I get to that point, I can maintain a 5-6% bodyfat relatively well without loosing too much muscle mass, as long as I continue to resistance train with properly intesity and frequency, as well as nutritionally dense food. You're right, the same level of calories in a diet from unhealthy foods versus healthy foods may be the same number, but the huge difference that people do not realize is nutrionally density in terms of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Nutritonally dense foods are your keys to a proper functioning body, and it's extremely curcial to eat right when they love exercising. This will aid in their venture to whatever goal they choose.

You are definitely spot on with your comment on nutrition. MANY people overlook the fact of the timing of their food intake before, during, and after a workout. This is KEY to an efficient and productive workout, as well as getting the MOST you can out of the workout in terms of recovery. Nutritionally dense food is the key to achieving whatever someone goal may be, whether that be more muscle mass, less bodyfat, more strength, more endurnace, etc. A lot of times, people tend to put in the work in the gym, but do not take the time to put into their nutrition. They always miss the mark when trying to achieve their goals, and they get extremely frustrated because they aren't sure what's wrong. Exercise is NOT an efficient way to loose weight (when I mean weight, we are always talking about fat mass to clarify). It can definitely aid in weight loss, and help maintain weight as well. Exercise is for all the health benefits and to allow the body to function at optimal status. However, some people, men or woman don't weight very much, and they are limited how low they can limit calories. Many registered dietitians do NOT want anyone eating less than 1200 calories per day to ensure they get proper nutirent balance, so the body is able to carry on with its normally bodily processes and sustain life in a healthy manner. So, for a person that doesn't require a lot of calories to sustain life, exercise is needed to create a deficit of calories to allow the body to also use more stored fuel as energy. They don't have any room to play on calories, and should not drop below that limit. Now, a heavier individual (by this, I mean anyone that obviously has enough bodyweight that needs a larger energy cosumption than 1200 calories per day) has more calories to work with in their diet, and can provide a deficit of calories just by simply eating a bit less calories, and therefore loosing weight. This person also has the luxury of using cardiovascular work to expend energy to achieve this "calorie deficit". So, there are two primary ways to achieve this energy (aka calorie deficit, calorie reduction from the diet, and exercise. Ideally, we want to use both exercise AND a reduction of calories to achieve a calorie deficit (we only need enough deficit to achieve the desired weight loss per week), but as we explained some people don't have the luxury of dropping calories any further since their bodyweight is so light in the first place. This is relatively rare though, but can happen. There are some people that are very "skinny" but have some of the most unhealthy bodyfat numbers I've ever seen. The average person does have enough bodyweight usually to be able to reduce calories AND use exercise to loose weight/bodyfat. Some individuals that are extremely overweight or obese can loose weight quicker than someone who is not obese or extremely overweight. For the average person, 1-2 pounds of weight loss is MAXIMUM per week. I don't recommend more than .5-1 pound per week of weight loss. At 1 pound per week, I'm not horribly hungry, and I can still hold on to great strength and muscle mass. Too much weight loss too quickly, really takes a toll on the hormonal system, muscular system, vervous system, etc. Muscle mass loss is more evident with quick weight loss, and that's definitelyyyyyyy not the goal. We want to hold on to as much lean body mass as possible to stay strong, keep the muscles burning energy, stabilize joints, and we also want to keep the immune system healthy and bone structure strong. So, to put this all into perspective, 1 pound of fat mass contains roughly 3500 calories. So, let's say we have a man or woman that requires 2000 calories per day (this is just a random number that we are assuming we calculated from his/her age, gender, activity, etc. However, every person may need much more or much less depending upon their weight, activity levels, and hormonal factors that come into play, gender, age, etc.), and he/she wants to loose exactly 1 pound of weight in 1 week. Well, since 3500 calories are roughly in 1 pound of fat, we need them to have a deficit of calories (aka energy) of 3500 calories by the end of 1 week, which as everyone knows is 7 days. We take 3500 calories and divide it by 7, which equals 500 calories. So, this person needs to eat 500 calories less in their diet, than they currently need to maintain weight, which for this person is 2000 calories. So, what would this person need to eat, 2000 calories minus 500 calories equals 1500 calories. If this person ate 1500 calories per day (which is 500 less than what he/sheneed to loose weight) for 7 days, he/she would theroetically loose 1 pound of weight. So, this person can achieve this deficit through just exercise, or eating less, or a mixture of both (which is recommended).

Make sense? I always recommend to my clients to ALWAYS make an appointment with a Registered Dietitian (RD). These ARE the professionals who can and will make complete alterations to your diet. They have very strict standards to become an RD and requires professionally schooling (degrees), along with a licensed exam, and many hours of internships/residencies. If you have any questions about your diet, and you think it needs fine-tuning, especially if your body is for some reason not functioning correctly, go see an RD. Even make an appointment with them if you have general questions about nutrition. They will provide the most amazing educational experience in regards to food, you will be astonished, and you may even learn things you may not have wanted to know. Hahahaha. I knew when I took some classes with an RD in college, it blew my mind.

This was a veryyyy breif crash test so to speak in nutrition/weight loss. I can on for days about proper nutrient timing pre-workout, during wrokout, and post workout. DAYS!!! I love that stuff.

[CFD]

TCAT we share the same views on nutrition and exercise. When I joined in on the first thread last year the first thing I said to everyone is that they are starving themselves, some were eating as few as 600-800 cals a day, that is insane especially if they are exercising, the other thing was they were limiting food choices and in most cases poor choices as well as no regard as to when they were eating. A wide variety of quality foods is always best as not all foods contain the same vitamins and minerals. Sumplementing with a multi vitamin can help but it is always best to get your nutrition from whole foods when possible. Fat loss is not an overnite thing, healthy fat loss as you mentioned is usually 1-2 pounds weekly, usually when there is weight loss of more than that it is not fat loss, it is water and/or muscle loss, both are undesirable. One should always try to preserve muscle as much as possible.

[TCAT]

Originally Posted by CFD

TCAT we share the same views on nutrition and exercise. When I joined in on the first thread last year the first thing I said to everyone is that they are starving themselves, some were eating as few as 600-800 cals a day, that is insane especially if they are exercising, the other thing was they were limiting food choices and in most cases poor choices as well as no regard as to when they were eating. A wide variety of quality foods is always best as not all foods contain the same vitamins and minerals. Sumplementing with a multi vitamin can help but it is always best to get your nutrition from whole foods when possible. Fat loss is not an overnite thing, healthy fat loss as you mentioned is usually 1-2 pounds weekly, usually when there is weight loss of more than that it is not fat loss, it is water and/or muscle loss, both are undesirable. One should always try to preserve muscle as much as possible.

I agree! I'm glad to have your here, as you provide great information. That's what's so fantastic about this thread. The spread of valid information is vital in health and fitness. There is enough "trash" information out there to fill the world over an infinite amount of times, lol. You are also correct, as FOOD is much better to get your vitamins and minerals from as they need a proper energy source (carbs, protein, or fat) to properly metabolize and to do the job it's meant to do. People use supplements like a multi-vitamin and others products as their sole means of proper eating. Supplements are there to SUPPLEMENT their diet. The word says it all, lol. A multi-vitamin can be just a means of making sure you cover all the bases by getting in enough micronutrients, but it's just an insurnace policy and nothing more.

Try to make your meals as colorfull as possible, as this usually helps to introduce a variety of nutrients in the meal and overall diet. A general guideline in terms of meal plate organization is to divide the plate into three sections (not literally, ha-ha . Just in terms of spacing out the food). Half of the plate should contain vegetables and/or fruit. Now you have two quarter left of the plate. One of those quarters should consist of your LEAN protein. The second quarter should consist of your whole grains. You would obviosuly have your beneficial fat mixed within the meal as well, but that can be added during cooking, or as part of the meal such as avocado mixed into quinoa, or olive oil in the sauce you made to glaze the protein, etc (MANY different ways). Now, this is a general guideline, but helps organize a more balanced meal. You portion size within those three sections of the plate really depend on how many calories you should eat for whatever your goal you have.