Headed towards Lipo

[jungerer]

Background: 5'2", 130 lbs. 23.9% BMI~verge of 'alert' according to my scale. I'm trying to get down to my college weight of 118. I go to the gym every day. 30 min stationary bike, 45 min walking/running or eliptical machine. Cardio calories burned per day is 500-600. I work out my abs for 20 mins; do 100 squats and rotate 20 minute days of legs and arms with weights. I don't use really heavy weights cause I'm mainly looking to tone.

I eat caesar salads for lunch and low-carb food throughout the day (steak, chicken, eggs, bacon, etc.) I may subsitute a slim fast shake for a snack or meal. I drink plenty of water and V-8. Sounds great, right? Oh, the big one I stop drinking alcohol completely. I would say I'm well under 2000 calories intake a day, maybe even 1500.

I have put on 4lbs in the 3 weeks that I have followed this regimen. Clearly not the effect I was going for. Essentially I went from losing weight by laying on my couch 7 days a week and drinking an obscene amount of vodka to gaining weight by doing a complete 180 and trying the correct approach to this maddness.

I'm ready to grab to my camping gear and sleep at the gym since two hours a day is not working. I'm getting frustrated. Is losing 1lb too much to ask? Just so I know it's working.

 

[NooneKnows07]

first of all id look into starting a strength training program along with your cardio. also what are you eating on the salads? any dressing? and 1500 calories is too low, it sounds weird but in order to lose weight you need to eat 5-6 times a day..with about 2-3 hours b/t each meal. eat a lean source of protein every time you eat (tuna, chicken, turkey, shrimp), and try to avoid white bread and focus more on whole wheat grains for your carbs. and honestly id probably do away with the v8 youd be better off drinking just the water.

 

[theleip]

Background: 5'2", 130 lbs. 23.9% BMI~verge of 'alert' according to my scale. I'm trying to get down to my college weight of 118. I go to the gym every day. 30 min stationary bike, 45 min walking/running or eliptical machine. Cardio calories burned per day is 500-600. I work out my abs for 20 mins; do 100 squats and rotate 20 minute days of legs and arms with weights. I don't use really heavy weights cause I'm mainly looking to tone.

One that is way to much training and the wrong kind of training. Also "toning" just means losing body fat to show the muscle definition you have underneath. Its a womens magazine word, it means nothing in the fitness world. Cardio should be no more than 45 mins a day. You shouldn't lift everyday, you shouldn't train your abs everyday. You can't spot reduce, fat falls from where it wants to. Try to start with a 3x a week full body routine with compound movements and cardio on the days you aren't lifting. No need to train like an athlete to lose a few pounds. It will just cause you to store fat, wear down the muscle you have and give you the exact opposite of the effect you want.

I eat caesar salads for lunch and low-carb food throughout the day (steak, chicken, eggs, bacon, etc.) I may subsitute a slim fast shake for a snack or meal. I drink plenty of water and V-8. Sounds great, right? Oh, the big one I stop drinking alcohol completely. I would say I'm well under 2000 calories intake a day, maybe even 1500.

Guesstimating your calories starting off is a no no. In order to lose fat you have to be eating under what your body need for energy, but not to under or you could store. Read the Fat loss troubleshoot thread at the top of the forum. You need to get whole foods, lean meats, complex/fibrous carbs, and good fats. The diet is the most important part. Slim fast isn't a good diet staple.

I have put on 4lbs in the 3 weeks that I have followed this regimen. Clearly not the effect I was going for. Essentially I went from losing weight by laying on my couch 7 days a week and drinking an obscene amount of vodka to gaining weight by doing a complete 180 and trying the correct approach to this maddness.

I'm ready to grab to my camping gear and sleep at the gym since two hours a day is not working. I'm getting frustrated. Is losing 1lb too much to ask? Just so I know it's working.

I understand your frustration, but it is well within your control to get the needed information here and start fresh. Overtraining isn't going to fix it and getting upset and stressed out will just make things worse. Take a deep breath, read the good info that is here and make a solid, smart and safe plan of attack. You are not largely overweight and it shouldn't take you very long to see some good results.

Good Luck.

 

[MarkMyWords]

One that is way to much training and the wrong kind of training. Also "toning" just means losing body fat to show the muscle definition you have underneath. Its a womens magazine word, it means nothing in the fitness world. Cardio should be no more than 45 mins a day. You shouldn't lift everyday, you shouldn't train your abs everyday. You can't spot reduce, fat falls from where it wants to. Try to start with a 3x a week full body routine with compound movements and cardio on the days you aren't lifting. No need to train like an athlete to lose a few pounds. It will just cause you to store fat, wear down the muscle you have and give you the exact opposite of the effect you want.



Guesstimating your calories starting off is a no no. In order to lose fat you have to be eating under what your body need for energy, but not to under or you could store. Read the Fat loss troubleshoot thread at the top of the forum. You need to get whole foods, lean meats, complex/fibrous carbs, and good fats. The diet is the most important part. Slim fast isn't a good diet staple.


I understand your frustration, but it is well within your control to get the needed information here and start fresh. Overtraining isn't going to fix it and getting upset and stressed out will just make things worse. Take a deep breath, read the good info that is here and make a solid, smart and safe plan of attack. You are not largely overweight and it shouldn't take you very long to see some good results.

Good Luck.

Right on, very well put. You just need to do some research, and maximize your time spent in the gym to get what you want. And as said, diet is extremely important. You can lift the world in the gym, but if you're not feeding your body correctly, you won't get anywhere.

 

[greyd]

Background: 5'2", 130 lbs. 23.9% BMI~verge of 'alert' according to my scale. I'm trying to get down to my college weight of 118. I go to the gym every day. 30 min stationary bike, 45 min walking/running or eliptical machine. Cardio calories burned per day is 500-600. I work out my abs for 20 mins; do 100 squats and rotate 20 minute days of legs and arms with weights. I don't use really heavy weights cause I'm mainly looking to tone.

I eat caesar salads for lunch and low-carb food throughout the day (steak, chicken, eggs, bacon, etc.) I may subsitute a slim fast shake for a snack or meal. I drink plenty of water and V-8. Sounds great, right? Oh, the big one I stop drinking alcohol completely. I would say I'm well under 2000 calories intake a day, maybe even 1500.

I have put on 4lbs in the 3 weeks that I have followed this regimen. Clearly not the effect I was going for. Essentially I went from losing weight by laying on my couch 7 days a week and drinking an obscene amount of vodka to gaining weight by doing a complete 180 and trying the correct approach to this maddness.

I'm ready to grab to my camping gear and sleep at the gym since two hours a day is not working. I'm getting frustrated. Is losing 1lb too much to ask? Just so I know it's working.

Sounds like you gained weight because you were GAINING MUSCLE. You were probably LOSING muscle and gaining fat when you were sitting on the couch. doing nothing. Gainining muscle helps you to burn fat in the long run, losing it (muscle) makes the job that much harder to do. In addition I think most people agree that BMI is a pretty crappy standard.

Low carb does not always mean good either. That bacon ain't good for you. you need good lean protein and some good complex carbs. Looking toned comes from losing body fat all over your body. you can't spot reduced as mentioned above. If you do it the wrong way, you can lose weight but look skinny/fat, because youre losing muscle along with your fat. You need to lose fat and keep good lean muscle.

From what I've learned, weighing yourself should only be one of your standards to gauge your progress. You should be looking at body fat % and how you look, how your clothes fit,etc. Looking at the scale only can be a very misleading and counterproductive way of measuring body fat loss.