Thread: What's wrong w/ this?...Plz be kind!

Yeah, probably should've separated it, but my workout is listed within diet info.

Comments in bold.


1/2 cut skim milk w/ 1 cup of special K in the morning (9 am) This isn't much of a breakfast by itself. It's only about 150 calories
followed by 1/2 hour Ty Bo
followed by 1/2 hour to 45 minutes on treadmill (inclined)

Lean Cuisine (approx 7-8g fat 250 cal lunch) (12 pm) I don't know much about Lean Cuisine, but I'm sure something else would be MUCH better.

Slim fast shake - snack (3 pm) This isn't a meal. It should be replaced with real food.

Lean Cuisine OR 1 1/2 cups of lettuce w/ vinigar and 5-6 slices of ham for dinner) (6 pm) Once again, I don't know much about Lean Cuisine; the other stuff seems better though.

AT LEAST 2 gallons of water (throughout the day) That's good.

Another 1/2 hour to 1 hour treadmill (9 pm)

End of day: Free Weights - 5 lbs (altnerate days of shoulders and triceps w/ 1 day rest in between) 4 reps of 10 (2 "moves" for triceps and 3 for shoulders) You're doing all this lifting/cardio without any food before/after.


That's only about 1,000 calories, I think. Not enough at all. I'll let someone else like Emma or Jodi give you more detail. They know much more than I do.

32 lbs in 2 months sounds like quite the bit to loose. Your diet needs to be fixed. Your height,weight and bf are needed for that. Best place to start is to study Jodi's sticky 'Guide to...' then come up with a diet plan based on it and post your diet, meal by meal with all cals and macros for a critique.

For training, see the stickies in the training forum and do the same there.

Thanks guys. I'll take all the info into consideration. I appreciate the advice

It sounds like you are still starving yourself. How much do you weigh now? What is your height? You said you lost 32pounds and now you are frustrated? Why are you frustrated? Has your weight loss stopped? How long has it been since it stopped?

One of a few things is happening here (or a combination of all of them):

1) This really isn't your diet. How closely have you monitored it? Do you write down everything that goes in your mouth? Do you sneak occassional cheese and crackers or a little something here and there between meals. I think it would be very, very, very difficult for anyone to eat that few calories every day for a 2 month period especially if you are doing and hour of cardio a day. You would be starving constantly. Use some software like www.fitday.com to record EVERYTHING you eat.

2) You're not eating enough. If you diet is anywhere close to what you listed, you are starving and your metabolism is likely shutting down making weight loss harder. Once you are recording everything you eat, start to slowly increase your calories (every week add about 200 calories to your daily allowance) until you get up to a more appropriate amount of calories (I wouldn't go less that 10 calories per pound of body weight for a cut... and even then you could need more. If you find yourself hungry, increase the calories). Eating enough so you are only losing 1-2 pounds a week will do wonders for your metabolism.

3) Look at the foods your are eating. Make it a goal to eat as much food as possible while staying under your calorie goal. Browse through some foods on www.nutritiondata.com or www.calorieking.com. Notice foods like grapes and cantalope... you can eat a cup for about 60 calories. Other things like celery are even better (but maybe not as exciting) If you are aiming for 2000 calories, you can eat a lot of fruits and vegetables to get to this. Don't neglect protein either, it will help fill you up. 3 oz of chicken, turkey, tuna or other meat several times a day will go a long way to filling you up and provide the protein you need without adding a ton of calories. I would get rid of the slim fast shake. Replace it with good low calorie foods. Lean Cuisine? It's not the greatest but it is okay and since you have 50ish pounds to go, you can eat just about anything and lose weight as long as you stay below your calorie range (without going too low). But you need to have more variety. Peas, carrots, corn, oatmeal, whole grains, oranges, apples, grapes, lettuce, celery... just about anything that you would tell your kids is healthy is probably a good choice.

4) You are probably expecting too much. You lost a lot of weight fast. Don't expect to lose at that same rate. Aim for a pound or two a week. Don't be discouraged if you weigh yourself everyday and you gain a pound 2-3 days in a row. If you are eating properly, you could just be retaining water or something. Stick with it and you will notice those pounds fall off again within a few days and you will more than likely hit a new low (and then probably gain back a couple again before hitting a new low). Chart it over the long run and even though you might not think you see a difference from weigh in to weigh in, if you stick to your calories, you will notice a downward trend from month to month. It is kind of like a good stock... there are up days and down days but the long term trend is what you are really interested in. There have been times when I looked at my trend and thought that I haven't lost anything in weeks but a month after that I look back at the graph and notice that during that period, my highs were the same as the previous months lows and that the lows during that period were now my highs. This is just the way it goes and it can be frustrating at times unless you keep really good records and understand the trends you are looking at.

its actually very easy to get where you want if your motivated. stick around the forums and just hearing people talk about bodybuilding stuff makes you want to do it yourself. you wont hear conversations like these with family and friends..we`re your new family now

My suggestion is that you read the sticky at the top, figure out your calorie needs, and put together a totally new diet. That one can use a lot of work, although I certainly respect that you are making strides toward a healthier lifestyle. Don't think I'm trying to discount that.

I also think you should re-work your training routine. You should definitely consider working out your entire body through resistance training. You will see much better results for a variety of reasons. Yes, training your entire body will help your shoulders and triceps develop to a much larger degree. Check out the stickies in the training section of the forum and post your regimen over there so we can dissect it for you.

Also, don't say you can't achieve your goals. There are people on this site who have lost 200 pounds, people who have gained 50 pounds of muscle, people who look better at age 50 than they did at 25, etc. It can be done my friend; it can be done.

Thanks again guys for all the advice and encouragement. It means alot to me. I've also been directed to great food lists. Lotsa alternatives.

I've added chicken and converted rice to the diet and I feel SO much better.

Few questions I wanted to answer...No, I don't write down everything I eat, cause it's exactly the same every single day.

No, I don't cheat w/ cheese & crackers (lol). I work out 5 days a week, and maintain the "diet" (hate that word, but you know what I mean) for 6 days. One day a week I might have a favorite meal and/or snack, but nothing crazy.

Lastly, I'm 5'3'' and I currently weigh 186 lbs. (from 218).

And just to clarify, I'm VERY happy w/ the weight I've lost, and I continue working at it. It's just this plateau I'm stuck on that's a little frustrating. I hear you guys though, and I know it'll pass.

All the best to all of you, too.

Hey Zeem - All I can say is keep it up! You should congratulate yourself for what you have accomplished so far! I know when I first started "dieting" I was actually not eating enough either and was frustrated. I did go to a trainer and he set me up with an eating plan (I was already working out) for only 10 bucks! I just had to follow the guidelines.

I can only say that I didn't step on the scale for the first week, because I thought for the amount of food I was eating I would be a total blimp!!! But, when I did I was amazed that I was 5 lbs lighter!!!

It does take a little planning, and I would suggest that you do write everything down,, it helps me with my "focus" on what I'm trying to accomplish. Granted, it does take extra time, but it is totally worth it!

Hi Zeem

First, I want to say Welcome. I'm fairly new here too...there is a plethora of information listed above! Read and re-read.

It sounds like your eating habits are similar to what mine were. I have 3 small children and to me...when I 1st got into the weight room and healthy choices...I needed something quick. I ate many "lean cuisine" and 'weight watcher" type food and shakes. This worked for awhile...because it sure as hell beat Taco Bell and pizza!!!! It was a great baby step towards your goals!

I'm so happy you lost the weight...you got motivated and have seen progress.

Now

It is your time to LEARN...

and this is why you are ASKING questions.

GREAT! Keep asking, keep learning. One day...you'll be able to inspire others.

Be sure to eat...you don't want to mess up your metabolism.

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

Lioness