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2003/10/16, 02:52 PM
I want to lose weight. I loss weight before by going to the gym. I didnt do alot of strength training. I was sucessful at losing the weight, but I did not gain muscle. After a long vacation from consistent exercising, I find myself wanting to lose weight again.
I am 5ft4 and 200lbs. I want to lose weight and tone up. I have a gym membership, but I am considering cancelling b/c of the time constraints. I plan to work out at home using free weights,aerobic tapes. I am considering purchasing THE FIRM to add more variety to my routine. I have already started to eat healthier again. I need help with proper nutrition.
I want to know what is the correct number of calories that I should intake to assure that my body is getting the nutrition it needs. How many meals? What is the average amount of calories per meal?
I have purchased protein shakes, but I am not sure how to properly use them for weight loss. I know they can serve as a meal replacement, but I wasnt sure how many meals per day. I also wanted to know how many grams of protein I should have per shake. The serving size is 3 scoops of powder, which contain 46 grams of protein. I dont think I need this much at one time.
Also, should these protein shakes be taken after strength training?
What types of food, if any, should be eaten before and after strength training?
Also, is the "dont eat after 8" rule effective? Is there a "cut off" time or an amount of time that I should wait between last meal and bedtime?
I am sorry that I have so many questions. I am just eager get started -- the right way.
sweetbrown
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2003/10/16, 04:02 PM
To help you it would help us to know if you are male/female and what your eating is like now. Fill out your profile. FT has a calculator that will give you a pretty accurate place to start, going by your size and goals. The carbs will be high though, so cut in half. FT also has a great 'at home' workout that you could try. Protein powders are not meal replacements. They are 2 different things. And they are not necessarily for weight loss. They are to supplement your protein intake if you are not getting enough from real food. You will need to eat about 6 small meals a day. Once you have your total caloric need for a day, divide it by 6 and use that as a guide to plan your meals and snacks. All of this kind of info is repeated many times throughout the posts on this website. Take some time and read some of them and you will get a lot of answers to your questions. You will need both carbs and protein before a workout, but just protein immediately after and then a high protein, but well-balanced meal of healthy foods about an hour after. You can adjust the amount of scoops of protein powder to your own needs. I hope this helps. I just touched on everything, but you can find in depth explanations here at FT. Good luck.
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~Victoria~
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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2003/10/16, 04:16 PM
Thanks for responding so fast.
Silly me. I thought about it after the fact. I am a female. I have been eating ok for the last two weeks. For breakfast, I usually have an omelette (1 whole egg,2 egg whites) w/ half slice of cheese made w/ 2% milk. For mid-morning snack, I usually have a peice of fruit. For lunch, I eat salad w/ romaine or fresh spinach, a peice of chicken or turkey, and balsalmic vinegar and olive oil. For dinner, I usually eat a peice of chicken and vegetables and maybe a small potoatoe. On some days, I have a protein shake for dinner.
I did look at my personal nutritional profile. It says that I should 204g protein, 408g carbs, 33g fats, calories 2717. Those carbs and calories are high. Should I cut both in half?
I have info that I am following for a at-home workout.
I have MetRX Ultimate Protein (Vanilla Butter Cream). The container says that it can be used as a meal replacement, but not for weight loss. Should I incorporate this into my diet? If so, how many meals per day?
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2003/10/17, 03:12 PM
NO, don't cut the calories in half! That would be way to low. I would say start out with about 2200 calories a day. One gram of protein per pound of body weight is ok so that is about right. You may find it hard to get that much at first, but at least try for 150g. This site always figures the carbs high for beginners so try 175-250. As for the fats, you could probably get away with a daily goal of not more than 50g as long as they are good fats. Meal Replacements are usually high in calories and if you are trying to lose weight you would be better off eating real food and having a mostly protein drink post-workout. How many carbs are in your Met RX? The best thing you can do is start a daily food journal and a daily workout journal. Schedule your meals and add up your days totals for a few days and then start adjusting as needed. I eat 6 times a day, usually 2-3 hours apart, and if I have calories left over after dinner, I will have a healthy snack later. Try to eat green vegetables and have a sweet potato instead of a white one. Really they can be prepared anyway reg potatoes can and taste great. Have brown rice instead of white. White food is the enemy! Have whole wheat bread or tortillas instead of white. I know if you read through the posts here you will get the drift of the proper nutrition. Hope that helps a little.
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~Victoria~
...There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.--Beverly Sills
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