Couple of questions (I miss Steve)

G

Gator1

New member
Alright, so my schedule is hectic. The only time I have to work out iss at 5:00 am. Let me start with breakfast... I try and have a smoothie, but usually don't get to it until I get to the gym. Is it better to have the smoothie while working out, or eat after working out? This is my biggest question. I wake up at 4:30 to make it by 5:00.

I'm going to try the P90x workout. Prior, I did the 3-day split and worked for the most part. I dropped 35 lbs (but im sure gained some back this holiday season). I get a good 2-2.5 hour workout in, is that too much? I would start with weight training then finish off with abs and cardio. Is that doing too much?

Can anyone point me to the direction of how many calories I should be consuming? I created myself a spreadsheet of what I am eating and tracking everything from calories, protein, sodium, carbs, fat, etc. I want to know how much I should be eating to stay healthy.

I've been doing this for a year and felt great. I want to spice things up and I want to make sure I'm doing everything 100% correctly.

any of the old posters still here? Michelly? Chef?
 
I try and have a smoothie, but usually don't get to it until I get to the gym. Is it better to have the smoothie while working out, or eat after working out? This is my biggest question. I wake up at 4:30 to make it by 5:00.
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It really doesn't matter. You should get in some carbs and some protein within about an hour or an hour and a half of working out ... but before or after doesn't really matter. If you don't have time to eat before and you're ok with that, then go with it. For me, if I work out first thing in the morning on a completely empty stomach, I get queasy. Some people do fine with it. Some people actually get queasy if they eat too soon before they workout. Whatever works best for you is the best thing to do.

I get a good 2-2.5 hour workout in, is that too much? I would start with weight training then finish off with abs and cardio. Is that doing too much?
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Honestly 2.5 hours of working out, IMO, is excessive. Unless you're training for an event or some kind of professional athlete, there is simply no need to put your body under that kind of stress. 30 mins of weight lifting 3x a week and 30-45 mins of cardio 3x-4x a week (whether on the same day as the weight lifting or on alternating days) is fine.

Can anyone point me to the direction of how many calories I should be consuming?
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A good way to estimate your calories is to figure that to lose weight safely, you'd eat 10 calories per pound of body weight (so for me, at 170 lbs, I'd eat around 1700 calories). To maintain your weight, raise that to around 14-15 calories per pound of body weight. Again, remember this is an estimate, so you may have to tweak it up or down slight, but it tends to work for most people (barring medical conditions).

I'd suggest registering for fitday.com or thedailyplate.com - those sites will make it much easier to keep track of your calories and your nutrients and help you figure what the right figures are for you.

I want to spice things up and I want to make sure I'm doing everything 100% correctly.
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Keep in mind that there's not really any such thing as 100% correctly. Each of us is different and each of us has different goals. What might work really well for one person might not be optimal for another. There are certain guidelines you need to work within - eating enough, getting a good balance of nutrients, getting exercise, etc., but the balance of everything is so individual that you just can't say X is 100% right for everyone
 
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