Help with body fat % and goals

Help with body fat % and goals

My plan is to begin with the Classic P90X program and then have a look around for any other programs or workouts or use them as a base to my own.
Do you know any good articles or anything to read for me to begin with?

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Eat now and worry about cutting later!

 

Help with body fat % and goals

This is going to be very difficult. Im eating as much as I can till I feel like I cant eat anymore... and so far today Im on about 1000 calories. But the good thing is Ive eaten 130g protien.

 

Help with body fat % and goals

^^this^^ is great advice. I have to say that I'm not entirely sure that P90X is gonna get you where you need/want to be. I think, even though there is a strength component, it's still a lot of cardio and you aren't going to be pushing heavy enough weights. You also mention only wanting to focus on certain body parts. Unfortunately, that's not really the way it works and not a smart way to go about things. You need to work on EVERY body part. I really think you need to re-evaluate wanting to be 12% bodyfat. Its low. Really low, and most likely pretty hard to sustain for any length of time. Oregonchick's advice of 17% with some decent muscle is seriously a pretty perfect range to aim for.

Regarding when people say "sticky" here, it means a post that has been "stuck" to the top of the forum because it's a common question or an important thing. They are located at the top of each forum and say "Sticky" on them. Again, I apologize for not being able to post the links for you. Someday I'll figure it out LOL

And listen, I know this is hard. It is hard for women to wrap their minds around seeing numbers on a scale creep up, har to think of having more fat on their bodies, but trust me, its a good thing. I joined the bulking thread maybe a month ago and several women have posted pictures at the end of a bulk and it is very eye-opening. You should definitely check it out.

 

Help with body fat % and goals

130g protein is fine. I forgot to say in my other post that since you mentioned you're vegan, maybe do a search on here about that, about ways people who are vegan get enough protein or meal plans, etc. I'm sure there's got to be a lot of posts on the subject.

Do you mean it's the end of the day and you've only had 1000 calories? If so, it's way too low no matter what your goal is so you need to find a way to eat more. You mentioned coming up with 2000 calories from your calculations which might be a reasonable place to start bulking at as you can add more as you see how your gains come along. You don't have to add a huge amount of calories all at once. Do it gradually if you need to. You are just starting out so this is going to take a lot of time no matter what so there isn't any rush.

 

Help with body fat % and goals

ah ok thanks for that Ill have a look for the sticky things. And putting the links... if you go on the page, then at the top in the web address bar, if you left click once in there all the text should be highlighted blue then leave that and on your keyboard hold 'CTRL' and press C, then go to where ever you want to post the link, click in the text box and hold 'CTRL' again and press V (or, when the text is highlighted blue you can right click on it and select 'copy' then when you want to insert the link right click and select 'paste')... hope that helps.

I was thinking of just using P90X to get me going then moving onto more stuff but if you have any suggestions then Id be grateful.

 

Help with body fat % and goals

New Rules of Lifting for Women is a common recommendation. It's a book and there is also a nutrition component in it that might help you as well. Other recommendations are Starting Strength, and I haven't personally looked here on this site, but I know there are programs listed somewhere here as well.

In a general sense, though, since you're just starting out, you would make really great progress with full body workouts focusing on compound lifts, squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press. The important thing is to find a program you like and will stick to. Don't get me wrong, P90X isn't inherently bad, definitely not for me or anyone who really wants to build serious muscle, so if that's where you want to go, i.e., build muscle, you should just start lifting heavy weights. Just my $.02.

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Bulk dont cut. Just eat what you need for maintance calories then eat 250-500 more. Dont be scared to do this. Get on a good solid lifting routine. Try starting strength. When you want your muscles to grow, you need to give them extra to do so. If your taking calories away and eating more for a fat loss goal how can your muscles grow when your body is shedding fat. One thing at a time.

(Cut) Lifting heavy + Calorie Deficit = Fat loss while retaining muscle (proper diet)
(Bulk) Lifting heavy + Calorie Surplus = Muscle gain while keeping fat in check (proper diet)

 

Help with body fat % and goals

Hooray for protein, but you're forgetting about the big picture. You need fats. You need carbs. You need micronutrients. These are essential components of any body's proper functioning. As a vegan, I'm surprised that you haven't done more research into proper nutrition. I was vegetarian for 7 years and vegan for 1 year and I know firsthand the importance of knowing all your facts or else you're setting yourself up for some major problems.