I am new here and Need some help!!

[Acuarius69]

Hi all: I´ve read a lot of your posts and got great info here. I worked with weights a few years ago and I got great results. I was in good shape, good muscle definition. But I started running three years ago, serious long distance running, stopped lifting and started eating plenty of carbs, bye bye proteins. I got used to eating carbs but I was burning them all during my runs. I wasn't very lean, but I was slim and healthy. Then, I got pregnant and now I have a beautiful 2 month baby boy, and a lot of fat to lose . Now, I started working out in the gym, but I am kind of disoriented. It is great I found this website. This is what I am doing:

Mon -- Legs
30 min. cardio (elliptical)

Tu -- Back/tri/shoulders

Wed -- Abs
1 hour cardio (step class)

Thu -- Chest/Bic
30 min. cardio (stair master)

Fri -- Legs
30 min. cardio (stair master)

Sat --Cardio (1 hour run or 30 min HIIT)

Sun -- rest

Eveytime I go to the gym I work with weights 45 min. to 1 hour, 10 to 12 reps, I try to lift as heavy as I can.

I am kind of lost in the "diet department". I am trying to eat about 1500 calories a day. 30%prot. 40%carbs and 30%fat. I am 5'4 and 130 pounds, a lot of fat (my prepregnancy weight was 115). I would like to get lean and lose weight. Am I doing the right things? Any advice and opinion about my workout and diet would be very very helpful. I have been doing this during the last 2 weeks and see no visible results. Maybe I need patience. Thank you very much in advance.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Acuarius69

Mon -- Legs
30 min. cardio (elliptical) - Kill this cardio session

Tu -- Back/tri/shoulders

Wed -- Abs
1 hour cardio (step class)

Thu -- Chest/Bic
30 min. cardio (stair master)

Fri -- Legs
30 min. cardio (stair master) - Kill this cardio session

Sat --Cardio (1 hour run or 30 min HIIT)

Sun -- rest.

I would not do cardio on a leg day because it is too intense for working the legs. Once you have depleated your glycogen stores you are just using mucsle to fuel that workout. This means any gains you might have had from the weights are lost. I would increase the weight such that you can only do 4-6 reps of each exercise. Heavy weights will increase the muscle mass which will increase your metabolism. You will not get BULKY.

I would like to see in more detail what you are eating. Have you logged what you are eating and calculated the actual caloric intake? This is really important because many of us UNDER estimate our intake. Here are some diet tips to get you started.
Eat more frequent smaller meals (5-7 daily)
Eat a protein and a carb source with each meal
Eat unprocessed grains and veggies (raw is best, steamed next best)
Eat veggies in almost every meal if possible
Eat lean proteins (cottage cheese, chicken breast, eggs, tuna, salmon, lean beef)
Work out hard.

It takes patients, girl!. You didn't put that fat on overnight so don't expect it to come off overnight. Bodyfat loss and scale weight are not the same. DON'T GET ON THE SCALE. Muscle weighs more than fat. Use the mirror and a tape measure as your progress tools. I would expect you not to see many results for about 4 weeks. That is how long it took me. You are exchanging fat for muscle and it takes some time to SEE results.

[atherjen]

I dont think I could offer anymore advice on top od LadyC's! GREAT advice there!
Best of luck, hard work and determination will pay off!

[AnnaD - TX]

Welcome newbie! There is so much info here, take advantage!

[midgetcop]

Welcome! You'll find these boards quite useful...and not to mention, entertaining.

[Suzi]

Very good advice from Lady C. I totally agree.

A few thing I would try to remember (some have been mentioned), your diet is at least as important as your training esp if you are trying to get into shape, more frequent (small) meals, clean lean protein (very important), grains, veggies and don't skip breakfast! Lots of water and take your multivitamins.

You have to work hard and push yourself a bit with the weights to see good gains. As Lady C mentioned I don't know that it is such a good idea to be doing cardio and legs on the same day. Overextending yourself can sometimes lead to your body becoming too run down as well as breaking down too much hard earned muscle.

For motivation it might help to take pics every few weeks so you can actually see you are making progress, and you will if you keep at it.

Best of luck
LIFT HEAVY!

[SurfinAmy]

Hi Acuarius! Welcome! ya, patience is the most important thing I think....Good thing it's only February.....you still got a good 3 months before summer.....YAY!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SUMMER!!! I'm so sick of the rain......
(smile)
-Amy

[Acuarius69]

Hi , wow and thanks for the wonderful advice. Yes, I was thinking about cutting off those two cardio sessions on legs day. I have been logging what I eat at FitDay, and I am eating between 1400 and 1600 calories a day. Should I increase or decrease this amount? My biggest problem is consuming the proteins. I think I am eating way too much fat, 30%? Should I try to eat more proteins and less fat? It is confusing, maybe 40 percent proteins, 40 carbs and 20 fat?
I eat 5 meals a day. Two of them are protein shakes. I was thinking about taking one more protein shake before bedtime, what do you think? I am also drinking my water and taking my vitamins.
I promise I will work harder, and lift heavier with less reps .
thank you all again.
Reading your posts on this site is a great source of motivation :

[SurfinAmy]

I think Lady C hit the nail on the head when she said, eat protein and carbs at each meal. I don't really worry too much about making an exact science or anything. Personally I probably eat around 2500 calories a day and still losing weight, but then again I have a physically demanding job, so I guess it all depends on what you're doing all day.
Just seems like 1400-1600 calories isn't really very much! What's with all the fat? I mean, what KIND of fat is it? I find that if I avoid processed foods it pretty much eliminates most fat. also, I only use olive oil.

I know a lot of people say to avoid butter on this board, but I much prefer butter to margarine. BTW did you know that margarine is actually grey, but they add food coloring to make it yellow???? Isn't that gross?

-Amy

[midgetcop]

Originally Posted by SurfinAmy

I know a lot of people say to avoid butter on this board, but I much prefer butter to margarine. BTW did you know that margarine is actually grey, but they add food coloring to make it yellow???? Isn't that gross?

-Amy

You've just ruined margarine for me!!

[SurfinAmy]

I certainly hope I ruined it for you! The stuff is NASTY!!!! LOLOL
-Amy