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2003/12/01, 04:47 PM
Hi all. I have a few questions regarding work outs and diet. I am 29yr old female. I recently lost 35lbs on Weight Watchers but I hit a plateau at that. I decided to join and gym and get a personal trainer. I have been working out at the gym for 3 months and in that time only lost about 5lbs but I wasnt really following the program that well. Anyway now I have a PT and have joined a 12 week body challenge! My question is regarding nutrition. Should I just try to stick with the weight watchers program or should I modify it for the more active lifestyle? Should I watch carbs? Incerease protein?? I guess Im just confused. Thanks.
Lisa
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2003/12/01, 04:51 PM
Oh one more thing I forgot... I still have about 35lbs more to lose in addition to toning up and gaining strength.
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2003/12/02, 09:55 PM
You said "body challenge 12 weeks". Are you doing body for life challenge by any chance? Im doing that right now... www.bodyforlife.com
I do not know a ton about weightwatchers. I do know that my best buddy's mom lost about 60 lbs on it and is now a spokesperson for it heheh. However, shes thin and frail now IMO. The only thing she did was walk 2 miles every morning at a brisk pace , which is great, but she never did do any kind of weight training. Weight training is essential to keep what you have for muscle or add muscle. Adding muscle will also increase your metabolism and burn more calories i.e. the more muscle you have the more u burn.
The way i kinda feel toward weight watchers (and i am not by any means an expert on them) is that their goal is solely to watch SCALE weight fall. Thats cool for most people, but if you truly want to look and feel great, you should be weight training as well to look nice and toned...(mm nothin like a woman with nice strong healthy legsss..ok back to the point).
Heehhe, as I was saying, you probably should adjust your portions of carbs and protein. I think a good strategy, at least what I am doing, is 40% protein, 40% carb, and 20% fat. Ive lost 12 lbs of fat, put on 2 lbs of muscle, in 4 weeks on the BFL challenge. I weigh 330 and my BF% is about 37% so i have a ways to go but i feel like a million bucks, and i weight train and do cardio on alternating days for 6 days a week.
Hopefully that adds some insight. A great site to look at is www.hussman.org for dieting ideas and a BMI calculator.
Take care.
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2003/12/03, 11:08 AM
Wow thanks. Thats a great page. I need to read through it a couple of times because its a lot to take in. Im trying to eat more meals rather than my regular 1 small and 2 large meals. Im also trying to eat more protein and watch the carbs but it really is a lot to remember. Eat this, dont eat that, eat now blah blah. Weight Watchers helped me to change my views on food and now I have to change them again. Thats not so easy. Im not currently doing WW any longer because frankly I cant afford to pay them and my Personal Trainer. Plus I agree that their goal is strictly the scale and that is not my goal at all. I want to drop my body fat % and drop size. My weight doesnt matter to me.
If anybody would be willing I would love to know what other people who are trying to lose weight and build muscle eat in a day. Thanks for the info.
Lisa
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2003/12/03, 12:47 PM
By the way, the more muscle you have on your body the easier it is to lose fat...just something to think about. IF you never do anything to preserve the muscle you have or add muscle, then once that fat stops coming off, and you cheat, it will be much easier to put all the weight back on.
Thats why body builders with tons of muscle can eat tons of food, because they just burn it all off. I think i read somewhere that 1 solid pure lb of muscle burns about 50calories per day. That probably varies with people but that is a general statement. So if you added 5 lbs of muscle, you would burn 250 MORE calories per day than normal.
I found that fact at www.hussman.org.
As far as eating habits, once you figure out what you should and shouldnt be eating, you will get used to it. You wont have to "remember" what to eat and what not to. It will just become second nature. It has for me.
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2003/12/04, 11:52 PM
Is a high protein diet such as Atkins a good idea?
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2003/12/05, 12:35 AM
BFL is a good plan for women (as well as beginners and people looking to drop significant weight). Its supplements, though, aren't necessarily the best option, and you'll want to make sure you're getting flax oil a couple times a day because it's extremely low fat otherwise.
Atkins isn't really a high protein diet. Rather, it's a high fat (high saturated fat at that) diet. Its carb cuts are excessive, too.
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2003/12/05, 08:21 AM
From what I have learned about the Atkins diet through my research of diets it is not a healthy balanced diet. My neighbor was on it and lost weight but when she quit it she gained it all back and then some. She had no energy to speek of and here I was working out at the gym and eating all the time and feeling great. So I don't know on a medical stand point if the Atkins is a good idea but on a personal stand point it doesn't look like a great diet. Healthy, well balanced meals is the way to go. Like bb1fit told me your body is a vehicle that you drive and you must use the right fuel to drive it and keep it running in top condition. I hope this helps.
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2003/12/05, 08:40 AM
Any diet that tells you carbs are the enemy When carbs are your natural fuel must be wrong lol.
Its just moderation is all. Sure, if you eat 6 pizzas a day carbs become the enemy lol. But atkins wants you to limit your carb intake so severely that you risk all your muscle tissue, and that is not the way to a healthy lifestyle.
Shane,
I do BFL and i am dead against any supplements. I take a multi-vitamin and THATS ALL! I target 40% protein 40% carb, and 20% fat. Sometimes 50% protein 40% carb and 10% fat.
Besides, I dont see the problem with a very lowfat diet. Sure you need SOME fat, but you typically get all the fat you need from the natural protein you eat anyways like Fish, Chicken, Dairy, etc.
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2003/12/05, 06:33 PM
You do not get the healthy fats needed, like fish oils, flax oil, olive oils, etc. Omega 3's do come from good foods, like salmon for instance, but most do not eat enough of it to suffice. Omega 6's are plentiful in olive oil, nuts, etc. But your best bet is to supplement with flax oil or fish oil or both. EFA's provide a plethora of health benefits, some of which include fat metabolism and protein synthesis, and insulin sensitivity.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
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