Lost 40 lbs but not stomach -HELP!

[ajarvis]

Originally Posted by mseyes79

I have been writing down what I eat and the amt of Cal, P, C, & F ea have in them. What's the diff from writing it down than entering it on fitday.com?

Sorry didn't realize that! Must have misunderstood the question! From what I thought you were asking you could use fitday to see how many calories you were burning per day compared to how many you were consuming. For example when I did my 6mile run and entered it along with other daily activities I had burned a total of 2620 cal and consumed 2805 so I know the difference...

[MrsRiley]

I have been writing down what I eat and the amt of Cal, P, C, & F ea have in them. What's the diff from writing it down than entering it on fitday.com?

That's what I do too I keep my own spreadsheet. I just use Fitday.com to look up the info for foods I dunno.

How do you stay under the calories and still get enough C, P, and F?

I started out deciding what % of P, C and F I wanted and then divided up my target calorie range accordingly. If you come up with a breakdown you really like but the cals are too high simply cut down the portion sizes a lil bit until you get it down into your range..the breakdown stays the same.

[mseyes79]

Ok, tonight I would have consumed:

1,026.2 Cal
106.3 C
108.2 P
25 F

Comparing that to the chart I mentioned above, I've consumed way too much P. Now, what about good carbs? I'm eating veges, and salad, and wheat bread. What else should I consume? I will probably switch to the website for entering info since they have a counter.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by mseyes79

Ok, I reread over all the posts. Again I say thanks for everyone's help. I didn't have time to check out the websites that you guys listed before, but I did now. I'm going to try to do my body fat % tonight. I went to www.room42.com and entered in my measurements to see what I should be eating. They said the following for me:

Basal Caloric Intake Active C.I. Weight Loss C.I.
1391.2 Cal 2086.8 Cal 1200 Cal
46.374g F 69.561g F 40g F
52.171g P 72.256g P 45g P
191.29g C 286.94g C 165g C

Do you guys really go by their count? I was always told that your protein level should be basically your weight (1g per lb) and your Carb level should be low as possible. These aren't even near that. I thought that if I lowered my carb levels, that my body would start burning up the fat I have on it now. Is that not true? It also said that to safely lose weight, I should be consuming 1200 Cal a day or less to lose 1 lb every 18 days. Geez that's like every 2 1/2 wks! When I first started, I was losing about 2 lbs every wk! However, I do think that these #s are good and will try to go by them. I know it takes your body about 42 hrs to adjust to a new diet, but this jittery feeling is REALLY getting on my nerves! When I went to the grocery store, I bought some peaches and a bag of fruit 'n nut snack mix. I figure it would be good for me before my runs.

Today is back and shoulder day w/ a 3M run. I know the best thing would be to not do weights and cardio on the same day, but I'd be working out all 7 days then - 4 day cardio, 3 day workouts. Tomorrow is my day off - of everything! Friday is my long run - 7M this time. I haven't done legs and was going to do them w/ my abs either Sat or Sun. Should I even do legs since I'm running so much?

I also wanted to say that it's weird how everyone is in the sizes they are in and weigh what we do. That's hilarious that 3 of us are all size 8/10 but our weights range sooo much!

Clothing sizes stopped adhering to a standard in the 1980's when vanity sizing became popular. I buy mostly from manufacturers who stuck to the old measurement charts.

RE room42.cm - I gave you that site so I'll comment on it. I eat pretty close to their recommendations. Higher rather than lower. You do know to eat at your active rate not your basal rate. right?

The advice you were given to eat as few carbs as possible was from someone who follows a "low-carb" plan like Atkins or south Beach. It is not for everyone. Some people thrive on it but many people don't. Since you have chosen a highly aerobic type of fitness training you need fuel for your workouts from carbohydrates - good ones, not simple carbs like sugar or white flour, white rice etc. Get the brown stuff and stick to limited amounts of fruit for your sweet tooth. If you do not have enough carbs in your diet your body will burn muscle tissue for fuel during your workouts which will halt your progress unless of course you like that skinned rabbit look.

Use room 42.com results as a general guideline - it's a place to start. I don't know if anyone here on DF but me has referenced it.

Your protein intake is higher than necessary for someone who is not making muscle building their primary goal. .4-.7 grams protein per pound bodyweight is sufficient for what you plan to do. You are not bodybuilding.

1200 calories a day is the bare minimum anyone should eat. Try to get to a point where you are getting results at 1400-1700 cal intake a day. This is an amount below your maintenance rate and enough calories such that you can get a good variety of food. If you are not losing weight at this amount you may have to reset your metabolism.

Remember this:
1 gm fat = 9 cal
1gm protein = 4 cal
1gm carbohydrate = 4 cal

Keep you fat below 30% of total daily calories, calculate your protein needs then fill the rest of your day with carbohydrates (veggies and grains)

What do you think ?

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by mseyes79

Ok, tonight I would have consumed:

1,026.2 Cal
106.3 C
108.2 P
25 F

Comparing that to the chart I mentioned above, I've consumed way too much P. Now, what about good carbs? I'm eating veges, and salad, and wheat bread. What else should I consume? I will probably switch to the website for entering info since they have a counter.

You need to eat more. You cannot sustain your weight loss at that level of calories for very long. Your body will lower your metabolism and you will begin to store fat again. Use fitday and choose another 2-300 calories to eat today. Carbohydrates and fat. Can you eat a bowl of brown rice or some cooked squash or something?

[mseyes79]

I will fix brown rice w/ my veges tonight instead of the chicken I had planned. Also, I like trail mix - w/ almonds, fruit, banana chips, etc. Is that a bad thing since there is fruit in it? The fruit that's in my diet, should I take that out? I probably eat 2 servings of fruit a day. When I think of carbs, I think of fruit and breads. I know I should substitute veges for that. Will salad stuff work as well?

But first you said I should be eating around my active rate, not my basal rate, and then you said I should be consuming around 1400-1700 cal, which is around my basal. I'm confused.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by mseyes79

I will fix brown rice w/ my veges tonight instead of the chicken I had planned. Also, I like trail mix - w/ almonds, fruit, banana chips, etc. Is that a bad thing since there is fruit in it? The fruit that's in my diet, should I take that out? I probably eat 2 servings of fruit a day. When I think of carbs, I think of fruit and breads. I know I should substitute veges for that. Will salad stuff work as well?

But first you said I should be eating around my active rate, not my basal rate, and then you said I should be consuming around 1400-1700 cal, which is around my basal. I'm confused.

Sorry I skipped explaining something.

Basal -1391.2 Cal , what you need just to lie around awake in bed and breathe
Active -2086.8 Cal, what you need to consume to maintain your weight at you your current activity level
Absolute minimun - 1200 Cal (this is not a recommended amount for weight loss. For you it is too low)

Ideally you want to lose about 1 lb a week that means a calorie deficit of 3500 cal (3500 calories in excess is 1 lb of fat) per week. If your body is happily getting enough nutrition and exercise and is overweight, it will gladly burn one lb of fat if you eat roughly 250 calories less than you require and you increase your activity level to one which burns 250 calories more per day. The net deficit is 500 calories and you don't have to starve to do it. This is of course assuming that your metabolism is not messed up and that you are consistent. Don't worry if it is or of the scale goes up not down. There are ways to deal with that, but you need patience and trust. You should be feeling good - energetic, not wiped out or stressed.

Trail mix is OK but it sounds like the one you have is not the best choice. Banana chips are junk food in disguise. The are deep fried, contain trans fats and are sprayed with liquid sugar. Raisins and currents are concentrated sugar like most dried fruits. Use sparingly.

Expand your vocabulary of carbohydrates there is more to them than fruits and bread. 2 servings of fruit a day is a really good limit. now get 3-8 more servings of vegetables and you are all set. Don't forget to count things like vegetable broths as servings of veggies since the cooler weather is coming. Here is a good website of food catagories.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/index.html and this one
http://nat.crgq.com/

Try doing this health calcualtor too.
http://www.ivillage.com/diet/tools/h...ival_freqCap=2

Your numbers may come out differently but we can discuss that.

I really like this myeyes. Your getting very focused ! :

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by mseyes79

But first you said I should be eating around my active rate, not my basal rate, and then you said I should be consuming around 1400-1700 cal, which is around my basal. I'm confused.

Yes, that is about right. You will need to monitor for a couple of weeks (using the tape measure method) and increase or decrease the calories depending on what the tape says. A good estimate for fat loss is bodyweight x 10 to start (135 x 10 = 1350).

I had a killer response laid out for you in regards to your basal rate question and didn't get to finish it at work. It is still on my computer - if you still want it I will post it (better late than never).

I personally disagree with your ideas of running so much to lose the fat. I would do aerobics only a couple times a week and train more like a bodybuilder to increase your muscle mass. After losing 40+ lbs, I'm sure some increased muscle will look great. The more muscle the higher the metabolism. My 2¢

[mseyes79]

Please feel free to post it! Yes, I am very focused and very confident. I've eaten wrong for so long and I now that I'm in normal size clothes, I want to stay that way! I also get tied up at work on here, reading food and workout info. I probably read that more than I actually work! Psss... don't tell my boss! I GREATLY appreciate everyone's help! I have a trip to GA next wk for 4 days so that's going to be more difficult to eat correctly during the day while I'm trying to conduct a training class. But one of the ladies there eats 5x a day as well, so it might not be too bad!

I am cooking and entering info into FitDay while posting this, so I haven't got to read all of the 2 posts above yet... Tonight for dinner I'm having a serving of brown rice (1/4 C) and a C of mixed veges. I left the chicken out since I already have enough P for 2 days.

My next Q is, tomorrow is my off day as far as exercise is concerned. How many Cals should I be eating?

[CF-OC_gal]

Tommorow's another day as far as protein is concerned, no need to skip a day of protein if you ate too much today.

You might get different answers on this one about the day off. Most people I know eat the same amount everyday unless they are doing massive amounts of exercise. What ever you do just make good healthy food choices.

[mseyes79]

I entered in all my info on FitDay. That's a really cool website. Here are my results:

1335 Cal
28g F
166g C
106g P

Tomorrow is another day!

What type of trail mix is better? I do like the ones w/ the dried fruit, like mango, etc... Would it be better to make my own?

****************************
Ok, I just did my body fat %. I wasn't lying when I said I am 135lbs, 5'2"!
I did the Body Fat Calculator on http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html

My measurements for the site:
Neck 12 1/2"
Waist 31 1/2" (This # has gone up about an 1 in the last 5 days - That's depressing! WHY?)
Hips 38" (This # has also gone up 1/2". Grrr!!!!!)
When my BF was measuring me, he said he didn't know why the measurements were bigger, because I look better than the other day! What gives?!

Here's what I got. This is so depressing!
My BF% is 33% which is supposed to be at 22% for women.
Lean Body Mass is 90 lbs
'Ideal Weight' = 110 lbs
Activity Factor = .93
Recommended blocks per day = 11 (82g P)

What is Activity Factor and Recommended blocks per day? Now on the other website (room42) my Caloric Intakes said to lose weight I shouldn't be eating no more than 45g P, not this 82g. This is why I'm so confused, because everything is contradicting!

[Lady C]

OK - here it is late

Originally Posted by mseyes79

Basal Caloric Intake ----- Active C.I. ------- Weight Loss C.I.
1391.2 Cal ------------- 2086.8 Cal -------- 1200 Cal
46.374g F ---------------- 69.561g F -------- 40g F
52.171g P ---------------- 72.256g P -------- 45g P
191.29g C --------------- 286.94g C -------- 165g C

Do you guys really go by their count?

These are just estimates you have to figure out how your body works in relation to these numbers. They look like a good target for you to start with. Go two weeks and see if there is a change (fatter or thinner by tape measurements) then adjust for fat loss. I don't track my percentages but that looks close to what I eat (the above is 15%P/55%C/30%F). The protien may be low and the fat may be high but you need to figure what works for you.

Originally Posted by mseyes79

I was always told that your protein level should be basically your weight (1g per lb) and your Carb level should be low as possible.

It depends on many factors. I personally ingest .8-1.0 gms of protien - but Amkey said she likes 1.0-1.5 gms. You will have to play with it. I like between 50-60% carbs. Carbs come in all kinds of choices. Some are better choices than others. A bowl of oatmeal can be the same amount of carbs as a bowl of ice cream. Stick with raw, if possible, fruits and veggies and you should be fine. When I was trying to cut down I ate no bread, pasta, crackers, grain or potatoes. Just fresh veggies and lean protein. It is a personal choice.

Originally Posted by mseyes79

I haven't done legs and was going to do them w/ my abs either Sat or Sun. Should I even do legs since I'm running so much?

Yes, because running and weights are different goals - mass building and fat loss. You can do mass building and fat loss at the same time by just doing weight training and minmal aerobics. If you don't beleive me see these pics again or these

Originally Posted by mseyes79

I also wanted to say that it's weird how everyone is in the sizes they are in and weigh what we do. That's hilarious that 3 of us are all size 8/10 but our weights range sooo much!

That is exactly why the scale is junk for determining how fit a person is! When I started I was a tight size 6 (120lbs) and I'm still a size 6 (loose) still 120 lbs. Size doesn't mean anything - The mirror is your best judge! (Oh, and so is the BF).

Originally Posted by mseyes79

Waist 31 1/2" (This # has gone up about an 1 in the last 5 days - That's depressing! WHY?)

This is probably due to you quit (I hope) taking the fat burners and your body is trying to adjust NATURALLY. Some fat/weight gain is normal if you have been taking these for extended periods of time

[CF-OC_gal]

I did the Body Fat Calculator on http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html

I did mine on this. It came out 5-7% higher than the caliper test I had done (by the same technician who has been doing them for over 25 years - she knows her job!) I take it with a grain of salt. At some point you are going to have to pay money to make someone accountable for the infomation/analysis they give you.

Don't sweat it. It's just a tool, a place to start.

I'm going to let LadyC take over your coaching with this since one train of thought and method is going to be less confusing for you.

Good luck and stay fit!

[Amkey]

"I ate no bread, pasta, crackers, grain or potatoes. Just fresh veggies and lean protein. It is a personal choice."

That is what I am doing right now. I eat veggies and stuff but I really watching my carb intake. It is lower that it has ever been now. Of course I am doing this over a 12 week course and I am about to lower that protein intake maybe in 2 weeks to be about 1g per LBM. That would lower my calories substantially.

[mseyes79]

I apreciate everyone's input, so please don't stop! I am going to go by what the #s say and adjust by how my body is responding. I am so hungry today! It's like I eat and I'm still hungry! Instead of breaking up my sandwich and salad at different times, I ate them together at lunch, thinking that would be good. But I'm still hungry! Grrrr... Also, I'm bloated. It doesn't matter what I eat/drink... water, I bloat, food, I bloat. It's really uncomfortable!

Anyway, today is my off day from working out. Tomorrow I do a 7M run, so I will be eating more good carbs tonight and tomorrow. Yeah, giving up bread totally? You def have to have will power to do it. I did it for a while, but found myself on the verge of binge eating breads on the wkends. So I figured I'd better incorporate wheat, whole grain breads instead. I have to get some more veges tonight, so I'll probably pick up some whole wheat or whole grain bagels w/ some good-4-u spread. That'll help w/ my 7M run tomorrow!

Have you guys found it more unsatisfying than satisfying when you go out to eat? I expect so much more when I go out to restaurants on my cheat day than I normally would. I want everything to be perfect and the food to be exceptional. I guess this is because I don't get it that often, so I want to be really good and be able to really enjoy it when I do get it. My BF cooks really well, so I almost would rather him cook than go out to eat. When things aren't as good as you'd hope, it makes cheat day a whole lot less filling. I guess it's also the fact of 'going out' and not preparing it yourself, like I do 90% of the time.

Oh, one more thing. On my FitDay.com, it says w/ my daily activities, I burn up alot of calories in my Basal and Lifestyle. How do I burn up about 2,000 cal a day???