Hi, I am a bit new to muscle building and I want to make sure I am moving in the right direction. Female 5'5" around 115lbs. I have always been a cardio junkie but the last two months I have started weight lifting at a gym where we do circuit training (weights mostly and cardio also), 5 days a week. My weight has stayed the same for the most part, was increasing the first few weeks until I changed my macronutrient ratio's around. I know I am already fairly lean but I am looking to get ripped and I am beginning to see muscle definition in my arms but no where else. I wanted to know if I am doing anything wrong or any suggestions on improvement. I am doing around a 40/40/20 ratio of carb/protein/fat and eating 6 times a day, getting in around 1300-1400 calories. Protein right after work outs (something I used to never do) and complex carbs earlier in day and a TON of veggies at night. The veggies give me a lot to munch on but keeps it low calorie since I tend to eat more at night. Also I am taking two capsules of CLA at breakfast and dinner. I want to lean out a bit more, so I can show off the muscle I have worked hard for in the last two months but don't see the fat coming off. Anyone have any ideas?
Help please-what am I doing wrong? http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981 Read. Profit. Do all the math because it'll be well worth it. Your body will tone up all over so just give it time, two months is a relatively short time to notice any major toning such as ripped abs. You can take protein whenever, doesn't need to be after a workout but it helps. Make sure you meet your proteins and all your macros. Don't use any "fatloss" pills because they are just nonsense. Take natural supplements such as Fish Oil or Acai Berry pills/tablets. Fat loss is a long term process, everybody wants fast results and it just doesn't work that way. Keep at it.
Help please-what am I doing wrong? Statements in bold do not matter. If you're not losing weight, then you're eating too much. Plain and simple. You'll argue with everyone that says this, I did the last time I posted a thread like this, but that is where the problem lies. Calculate your caloric needs using the sticky Gorgix posted, eat .45-.5g of fat/lb bodyweight and ~1g protein/lb bodyweight, then fill the remaining calories with carbs. Carbs/Protein= 4 calories Fats= 9 calories Meal timing and frequency do not matter.
Help please-what am I doing wrong? Thank you guys. Gorgix, I did see that sticky and I did the calculations but given my small weight, the difference between cutting back 10-20% is a big difference as well as what my activity level should really be given I do a hour at the gym a day but sit at a desk for the remainder of the day. I multipled by 1.45. My BMR was just under 1300 and with activity it was 1881 but cutting back 10-20% means eating 1693 vs 1505. I have found that eating more than what I am doing now causes me to gain (years of dieting habits) but cutting more worries me that I will stop the fat burning process. Shankapotamus-I am around that caloric intake for protein but that fat amount seems really high. I am taking in almost 50% less than that!
Help please-what am I doing wrong? Read everything in the link Gorgix posted, it will cover it all. Take the time to do the math, post a picture on here to get a bodyfat estimate, it's well worth it. How do you measure out your foods?
Help please-what am I doing wrong? Just follow that thread to the letter. If you fail to meet your proteins, your body will eat muscle to get what it needs. A cut is designed to not gain (or gain very minimal) muscle mass while forcing the body to resort to eating away at the fat storage. If you eat 1g protein per 1lb LBM then your body has no need to eat muscle. If you are trying to tone up then I suggest eating at around a 300cal deficit and workout for a period of at least 6 months; by then if you arent seeing any results then you lower your calories again. However you could be at a weight that is too low to even begin a cut, you may need to add on some muscle mass before you can cut. Underweight cutting is never a good idea even though just about everybody who is self-conscience wants to "just lose fat" and thinks that they can do just that. A higher LBM = more calories burned. And as a result cutting is relatively easier. You just never really know.
Help please-what am I doing wrong? Shankapotamus: I did and I used the Katch-McArdle method to get my BMR. I eat foods that are easy to portion, individual greek yogurts, hardboiled egg whites, count out olives, almonds etc and have a food scale to measure sliced turkey and other meats. UAHGorgix: Good point, I am at a good spot with protein, maybe I should just keep this consistent and focus on gaining muscle. The owner of my gym said to focus on gaining more muscle first then cut later if needed but he thinks just gaining muscle will take care of the fat I have to lose just by burning more with more muscle but I was hoping to be more proactive. Was hoping to see more definition in my legs and stomach. Maybe I just need more patience!
Help please-what am I doing wrong? Since you are doing the measuring part correctly, could you have under/over estimated your BF%?
Help please-what am I doing wrong? Be sure to count EVERYTHING as accurately as possible. If you aren't losing weight, then the simple truth is that you aren't eating at a deficit. Play around with your daily intake and whenever you start losing weight, keep it there.
