Need Diet Tips and a Swift Kick in the Pants!
O.k. I’ll admit it, I’m a hater, a FAT HATER and I’ve done pretty well so far, loosing close to 50 lbs without a trainer. However, recently I’ve stalled. Not from lack of mixing things up, or from hitting a plateau, but from a general lack of discipline in the diet area. There are things I know to get my goals, but so many more questions:
- I know I have to eat clean and cut out alcohol.
- I know I have to watch portions
- I know I have to burn off more than I put into my mouth
- I know I should eat protein, carbs and good fats
- I know how to do all this, but it is not registering in my little pea-brain recently.
What I don’t know are a few things that have me stymied. If I want to loose more fat to look totally ripped, cut, shredded, uber-lean:
- Do I eat more carbs (veggies) than protein or is it the other way around?
- Do I do more cardio (currently about 30 min. a day) and less weight training (about 1 hour 4 - 5 times a week)?
- Do I continue the same weight training and do even more cardio?
- Do I take fat burners, currently I’m taking BCAA’s, CLA’s, Fish Oil, Vitamins, Calcium, Whey Protein Isolate (post workout)?
- Do I hide under a blanket with a bag of Doritos and give up?
As an aside, I have made a calculation which tells me that to get my BF percentage to under 15% I will need to weigh 122 lbs (a loss of another 7 to 10 lbs). I seem to have a mental block on this, its as though I am afraid to get that low as I am afraid I will get sick or look immanciated. I really have to get past this mental issue and move on, I have weighed as low as 116 lbs in the past (decades ago) and although I had no muscle, I was still perfectly healthy.
Input from all you fabulous BS.com members would be greatly, GREATLY appreciated.
If anyone can provide any input on this issue, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Kick the S*%@ out of Fat, people!
May 27, 2009 at 3:30 pm
LOL…….well don’t hide under a blanket with a bag of Doritos and give up! On this I’ll have to defer to more experienced & ripped BS’rs. But you’ve done GREAT up to this point Brandy. Good luck getting to the next level.
May 27, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Personally I always play with my carb intake to loose the fat. When I do this I will increase my Fat intake (sorta like Keto diet). Personally I think 30 min cardio a day is plenty and anymore than that could take away some of your hard earned muscle (which you count on to burn your fat). Your routine looks very solid play with the carbs mostly and maybe adjust calories if that doesnt work. GL!
May 27, 2009 at 4:34 pm
You seem to know what you are doing so far and it looks llike it is working! Keep it up.
As for your unknowns…I can offer my advice, however I’m no dietician or personal trainer.
I would keep your quality protein intake the same and adjust the amount/type of carbs since you want to keep the muscle and lose the fat. You are obviously better off getting most of your carbs from fibrous veggies, fruits, and complex grains. If you are dedicated enough to do this, then you might not have to decrease the amount of carbs as much. A lot of people swear by carb cycling to get really lean, so you could look into that.
As for your exercise routine, if you are still challenging yourself and shocking your body, then I wouldn’t change it. A lot of people add more cardio, but in the end it’s all about a caloric deficit which can be achieved by diet. So would you rather do an hour of cardio a day, or be more strict on your diet? That’s up to you!
Fat burners are not a magic pill, just an energy source in the form of caffeine. If you need that extra kick in the gym, then go for it. You get the same effect from a cup of coffee (no sugar of course!). Just drink lots of water to avoid dehydrating. The other supplements you listed look good.
It will take some experimentation; not everyone gets result the exact same way. Just find what works best for you. Good luck!
May 28, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Try smaller meals I eat 5 or 6 small meals a day….high protein diet…all complex carbs…which means no sugar,rice,white bread etc. and just watch the calories…you look great and have come a long way….stay focused on your goals you should take pride in your accomplishments…..
May 30, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I thinka lot depends on your schedule, what "works" for you mentally and your discipline. I found nutrition manipulation too advanced for me intitially so I stuck (and mostly still do) with a caloric deficit of around 400 calories a day. Kept protien above .8 grams per pound and fat below 20% daily calories. I saw good progress but it wasn’t until I really hit the treadmill 3-4 days a week that I broke through my plateau. I feel that it really helped keep the metabolism elevated - not just burning calories while I was on it. Also - journal, journal, journal - you don’t know what worked and why if you don’t write it down religiously! Good luck!
June 4, 2009 at 7:46 pm
what type of cardio routine are you doing? i’ll tell ya that i never believed in HIIT until this january when I committed to doing nothing but that 20-5min, 2-3x a week. I’ve seen more fat drop off my midsection than EVER before.
June 10, 2009 at 12:29 pm
How about HIIT cardio first thing in the AM on an empty stomach? How about a guarana-green tea pill - aspirin stack as well?
Also, according to Shanan’s Journey, carbs are only needed in minimal amounts and can all come from veggies. This is not how I live my life though, but that may change when i get older and fat loss gets evne harder than it is for me now at 40.
June 17, 2009 at 10:09 am
French_pedi said what I was going to say. You can even lift first thing in the AM on an empty stomach and lose a lot of fat. That’s what I do, lift first thing in the AM on empty stomach.
June 18, 2009 at 4:32 pm
DO yuo have a HEART RATE MONITOR ??