Advice for a Petite Gal

[Fit Chick]

I am 32 years old, a Fitness Instructor (been teaching Step Aerobics and Pilates for three months), 5'3 and 110 pounds. Since I started teaching (eight classes/wk) I've lost ten pounds. I'm not certain what my BMI is but I'm pretty sure that it's low. I'm really concerned about the sudden weight loss. I'm actually shocked because I always thought that muscle weighed more than fat and I've gained nice muscle tone since I spend the last twenty minutes of my step class body sculpting.

I know that I will probably get some rolled eyes over this post because I'm sure that some wished that they had this problem. I should add that my doctor thinks my weight is within a healthy range. I've always been a slender person but now it's just getting ridiculous. At the risk of sounding vain, I want a womanly (read: curvy) body.

I try to eat as healthy as possible (no processed foods, lean meats and veggies etc.) because I have a family history of heart problems and high blood pressure. I wondered if anyone had any suggestions of what healthy foods I could eat that have a higher caloric content.

Also, should I be doing any lifting in my spare time? Will this help me to gain some size overall?

Help. Thanks.

 

[theleip]

Well first off you aren't getting more muscle "tone". You are losing body fat and it is showing the muscle and making it more defined from what is underneath.

The answer to your problem is actually pretty simple.

You have increased your activity and lost weight. So just increase your calories. If you want to have a softer look eat in a little bit of a surplus of calories for a little while to gain back some body fat. I would start with 200-300 extra calories a day. Unless you want more muscle I wouldn't lift at all while doing this as a surplus of calories+lifting=muscle.

Here is a good start at figuring out your caloric needs.

 

[[Focus]]

Who's rolling their eyes? I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to retain a feminine appearance. I for one, like it. Not big on the women with he-man or stick-woman physiques, no sir.

..I'd add something pertinent to your actual question, too, but leip already covered it.

 

[calcium]

I find that are easy to eat more of (which is good if you are not eating enough) are:

yams or sweet potatoes (or white if you must) - Reason: Not sure, but can easily eat an 8 ounce potato and want more.

brown rice (preferably long grain) - Even with brown rice there isn't that much fiber and just doesn't seem to give me that full feeling.

peanut butter - It's so gosh darn yummy I can down 2 tablespoons at any point of the day (210 calories right there!)

fruit - Again, there is fiber but not that much. Plus it's simple carbs and burn off quickly leaving you wanting more.

Cliff bars - They're just so darn good! You can take them anywhere since they don't melt and they are all natural (especially compared to other bars).

I'm just talking from personal experience here. I'm carb cycling and when I'm on my high carb days I sometimes find it hard to hit enough carbs. These are some things that never seem to fill me up and are therefore perfect if I have to eat but don't want to feel weighed down


~Nicole

P.S. Some things I eat on my low carb days to get rid of that "my stomach is caving in against my spine" feeling are: lentils, beans, certain soy products, sprouted grain bread, tomato sauce/soup, broccoli, romaine lettuce, brussel sprouts, oat bran, and wheat bran.

 

[dswithers]

You might want to do a small amount of heavy lifting. I would guess the "body sculpting" you do is light to moderate weight, medium to high rep stuff. If you want to add some muscle mass, which can help you add both body weight and non-fat curves, a few sets of heavy squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, pullups, overhead presses 3 times a week might help. I would stick with heavy weights and low reps (3-6).

 

[bedfordfitness]

I would say she is both losing weight AND adding tone, considering she is doing more toning in her class as she stated...

I would get your body fat% checked out, to be sure you are maintaining a healthy one. I know it sounds crazy, but too low and you can cause all sorts more problems. Many aerobics instructors who work out too much also end up having issues with bone mineral density, so I would make sure you are getting all the veggies with calcium, and maybe add some yogurt or cottage cheese. I have a hard time though recommending the dairy products though because of conflicting research, some stating that calcium from dairy products is actually hard to digest (but then where is everyone else getting their calcium??? I am left with the opinion that dairy calcium digestion and absorbion is a genetic thing... ) OOH, and nuts, almonds, yummy yummy!

If your body fat% is ok, I would agree that you could actually build your curves, keeping a nice tight tummy and firming the gutes and thighs, chest and back. You will especially want to be sure you are getting enough food to support the extra work out though (something I would not recommend right away, especially because you just recently started teaching and you don't know if this weight loss is going to continue! I would personally recommend you stabilize your weight BEFORE adding any other workouts, to be safe and healthy. (but then if you do the reps mentioned before to build are a bit low anyway, though they may work for some, I would start at 6-8 reps when you determine this is a safe idea for you!)