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Ponder Me This

vtjim

Beware of Milo & Otis
Jan 6, 2006
1,346
0
North Andover MA
I've been working out for about 3 months now. I get to the gym 4 times a week which is about all I can fit in to my schedule. I have a full time job, a two year old and an infant, so time is always an issue. I've also been taking whey powder to help build muscle.

I've been eating about 1600 to 2000 calories a day.

I went from about 171 lbs to 156 lbs in that time and then hovered around 156 and 157 for about a week and half to two weeks. The past 7 days were hectic as hell and I didn't get to the gym. In fact I ate whatever I wanted including bacon, ice cream, cake, potato chips, beer, wine etc etc. (It was great!!)

I weighed in tonight and I'm now down to 153 lbs. The scale is acurate and I got on and off just to be sure. It's also the same scale I always weigh in on at the gym and is one of those stand up kind, so I know it's acurate.

Finally getting to the point... have I not been eating enough? I wonder if I haven't been getting enough calories. Any thoughts?
 

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
Huh, that puts me well over 2000 calories a day, up to 2800. It's just that I've heard that by under eating you can keep yourself from losing weight.

My goal by the way is to lose fat and gain muscle.
You're right, the body has a magnificent ability to adapt depending on your diet. It'll do whatever it takes to survive, within reason of course.

On average, what's the makeup of your diet? It is my observation that we Americans tend to put too many carbs in our diets and not enough protein.
 

vtjim

Beware of Milo & Otis
Jan 6, 2006
1,346
0
North Andover MA
You're right, the body has a magnificent ability to adapt depending on your diet. It'll do whatever it takes to survive, within reason of course.

On average, what's the makeup of your diet? It is my observation that we Americans tend to put too many carbs in our diets and not enough protein.
I've cut down on carbs and increased protien as much as I can. Most of my carbs come from a bowel of cereal in the morning and maybe some bread if I have a sandwich for lunch, which I typically don't. I eat meat every day and also take whey protein to increase it.

My biggest issue is trying to eat enough food during that day, that's also good for me, to make up enough calories.

Keep in mind I'm between 5;9" and 5' 10" and weigh 153 lbs, so I'm not overweight at all, at least not any more. I'm really trying to burn fat and tone up at this point.
 

vtjim

Beware of Milo & Otis
Jan 6, 2006
1,346
0
North Andover MA
Indeed. Fat doesn't make you fat. Fat makes you happy. Sugar makes you fat.
In that vein I haven't steered free of fats, at least what I think are the good ones. Olive oil, peanut butter, nuts etc. No problem eating that stuff.

And I'm not much of a sugar person so not much of a worry there. I don't drink soda anyway (I can't remember the last time I had soda actually).

My biggest guilty pleasure is beer honestly. If I didn't care about my weight I would probably drink 2 to 4 beers a nights after work. And if there's a ball game on? Forget it!
 

Jettj45

Monkey
Oct 20, 2005
670
3
Butthole of NC
Given your height and weight you definitely don't need to lose anything. Are you eating 5-6 meals a day? Eating every 2-4 hours really does help a lot. This is mainly because insulin release in your body is on about a 3 hour cycle. And the release of insulin triggers fast storage. So when you eat every 2-4 hours you're body does not need to release as much insulin into your blood since it is getting what it needs from food.

I am not sure what brand of whey protein you use but a lot of that stuff you can get is designed to make you gain weight. If you're not already doing so use the most basic stuff you can find.

Since your trying to tone up are you workouts catering to this? Keep rest between sets minimal like 15-60 seconds, that way your heart rate stays up. Do you do any interval training?
 

yentna

Chimp
Jun 22, 2005
13
0
Were you hydrated? You can fluctuate 5+/- lbs a day based on hydration alone. Otherwise, try the small meal method...I love it...

Breakfast, second breakfast, lunch and second lunch, first dinner and dinner, and night snack. :) Mostly vegetables and fruit and healthy fats like nuts, with some lean red meat and fish, so I'm almost constantly chewing on something since veggies/fruits are lower in calories.

(And btw I'm a 5'7" girl, 150-155 lbs sprint athlete, body fat 18%, eating 1800-2400+/- calories a day depending on the workout and intensity.)
 

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
Doesn't sound like you are eating close enough to what you need daily.

I've been reading some interesting stuff on "starvation" You should take your weight and multiply it by 10. That number, about 1530 calories for you, is about the number of calories you would need daily to keep you from dying if you were in a coma. Factor in any living that you do (eating, digesting, walking, carrying your baby) and any working out you do (a fair amount by the looks of it) and that will help you figure out about how much you need to be eating daily. Any less than that and your body starts to shut down, to conserve. That's what it is adapted to do.
Shockingly we need a lot more calories than we think, and calorie restriction is an unsustainable way to lose weight.

And where are your carbs dammit! Add lots of good carbs to your diet, you need them. As well, the fiber from whole grains (good carbs) could aid in you shedding that last little bit of fat you are trying to get rid of. Fiber actually plays a large role in weight loss.
 

vtjim

Beware of Milo & Otis
Jan 6, 2006
1,346
0
North Andover MA
Doesn't sound like you are eating close enough to what you need daily.

I've been reading some interesting stuff on "starvation" You should take your weight and multiply it by 10. That number, about 1530 calories for you, is about the number of calories you would need daily to keep you from dying if you were in a coma. Factor in any living that you do (eating, digesting, walking, carrying your baby) and any working out you do (a fair amount by the looks of it) and that will help you figure out about how much you need to be eating daily. Any less than that and your body starts to shut down, to conserve. That's what it is adapted to do.
Shockingly we need a lot more calories than we think, and calorie restriction is an unsustainable way to lose weight.

And where are your carbs dammit! Add lots of good carbs to your diet, you need them. As well, the fiber from whole grains (good carbs) could aid in you shedding that last little bit of fat you are trying to get rid of. Fiber actually plays a large role in weight loss.
Actually I make sure I get in a lot of fiber. That's not an issue for me.

I've changed my workout routine over the past week or two. Instead of focusing on losing weight I'm now going to focus on lifting and building muscle. Now that it's warm enough to ride, and I just picked up a road bike I should be able to stay aerobically fit without having to use a treadmill or elliptical machine. Not to mention lifting is so much more enjoyable than a treadmill.

I've also stopped trying to restrict the amount of food I eat. I'm not going overboard but have become less concerned with calorie intake and am eating when I'm hungry. As long as any new weight I gain is in the form of muscle than I'll stick with this plan, see how it works.

Thanks for everyone's feedback, I appreciate it.