i there - I am a newbie !

meta0525

meta0525

New member
Hi all. I have been on a weight loss journey for over a year. I initially lost 35 pounds with the help of a very good friend who is 21 years my junior ! I did a 1400 calorie diet, and worked out in the gym with him 4-6 days a week. My workouts consisted of 30 + minutes of cardio with weigh training. We did HIIT worgrams 3X a week - doing stair runs coupled with a set of weight and cardio exercises.

After 8 months and 35 pounds, I decided hit a plateau and was sick of dieting ! I was on a Weight Lifting forum ( the brother of my trainer who are both "strongmen" ) I was asked if I wanted to do strongwoman...I thought - ok - I'm really strong, and fit - why not? I still wanted to loose 45 more pounds, but thought the change would do me good. I did 2 competitions since April, but have gained back 18 pounds ( and went up 2 sizes) I am back in a 18 and really pissed !

My eating habits changed to include 200 g of protein a day, 100 g of carbs a day - and more good fats. My work out routines went from HIIT sessions with 30 min of cardio a day to doing Westside Barbell training - which does not include cardi on a daily basis. my box squats are up to 275#, by bench press was up to 135#, and my deadlift was up to 275#'s - all good numbers for strongwoman. But now my mindset has GOT to change back to weight loss !!!

I have really gone off the wagon, and have been eating cakes, pies, cookies and ice cream again. I feel like an alcoholic with food !!!!!

I have decided that i feel better about myself when I am thinner - I like the strongwoman - and would go back to it - but only after I can drop 50 or more pounds ! The belly is a real hindrance - and my weight keeps my time don on tire flips and car pulls - so I don't think I will ever place in the top 3 if I don't focus on my weight for another year or so.

I am 44 years old, and have 2 teen age daughters - my 12 year old has my body type, so I asked her to join the gym with me - We are up to 50 min of cardio a day ( 4 - 5X a week) and work on different body parts wach session. We include core in every workout.

I know I have my mother's body type - she is 225 and 5' 4" tall. I am currently 208 and 5'2"tall. I am currently a size 18. When I started my journey in January of 2008, I was a 22W and weighed 225. I was down to 190 and a size 14 in November of 2008.

iI am hoping to gain a new found enthusiasm for a life time of good eating, and health . I want to learn new recipes - as I am SO SICK of talapia and chicken !!!!! I'd like to learn new exercises for the gym, and share with you some of the pitfalls I have encountered.

I look forward to sharing my continuation of the journey with all of you.
 
We are where we are - but I have to say that 1400 calories a day sounds an awfully low number for you.

Before setting off this time - read up on the nutrition section and start logging your food and activity using .

There would normally be no real reason why you cannot hit all your protein and other nutritional targets with a higher calorie level and still end up with a calorie balance appropriate for weight loss. The only concern is that your previous dieting at such a low number might have got your body used to that level of eating. Certainly cutting out that junk food that you listed would be a great start.

Other more knowledgeable people would be able to give you advice if you do hit problems.

Certainly keep up the exercise - as that always helps our weight loss.

Good luck with your renewed enthusiasm for weight loss. I am sure that your daughter will appreciate you doing this project together.
 
I agree with Omega.

Sounds like you could lose weight easily on a few more calories than 1400 ... you should be able to lose easily on around 2000 calories a day. At least until you get down into the 160s or so. At that point, you could drop down closer to 1700 calories.

Right now I aim for around 1600 calories a day and can easily hit 130g of protein w/out even stretching. Add in a couple of scoops of protein powder and I'm easily in the 180g range.

I don't think you need to beat up on the cardio necessarily, as much as you need to get a handle on your food intake. It's possible to lose weight while lifting weights w/out any cardio (I know people who have done it). I personally like cardio, so I do it about 3x a week in addition to my weight sessions.
 
Thanks Omega and Kara for your input - so I should be looking into increasing my cal intake to about 1700-2000 for weight loss at this point? OK! I have NOT had any goodies yet today !!!! Going for 24hrs with no junk! :)



 
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Yeah I would definitely increase your calories. You may see a little weight gain at first as a result, but stick with it and you'll lose it again soon.

One of my favorite high protein dinners is shrimp. I buy the raw, peeled, frozen shrimp at Costco and either grill it or boil it in water that's seasoned with lots of Tony C's cajun seasoning. Really yummy and loaded with protein.
 
KaraCooks said:
I agree with Omega.


I don't think you need to beat up on the cardio necessarily, as much as you need to get a handle on your food intake. It's possible to lose weight while lifting weights w/out any cardio (I know people who have done it). I personally like cardio, so I do it about 3x a week in addition to my weight sessions.
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Interesting - the Strongwoman site I am on has always told me differently - they say you cannot loose weight while building muscle. I think the weight came back on when I started Westside BB training and shocked my body by not doing ANY cardio - after 4-6 X a week of cardio prior to that.

Is it OK to do the cardio every session - maybe just 20-30 min? I can stop focusing on 45-50 min cardio sessions. I'm kinda liking it these days - and my daughter - who is a total couch potato is moving now !!!

Thoughts?
 
they say you cannot loose weight while building muscle.
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I think there's a conceptual misunderstanding going on here. :)

It's true that you can't BUILD muscle while in a calorie deficit. It's simple logic: In order to gain muscle, you have to eat more food.

But you can LOSE WEIGHT by lifting weights. Lifting weights while in a calorie deficit will not build muscle, but it will strengthen and maintain the muscle you have and it will burn calories. So if you eat in a calorie deficit AND lift weights, you'll lose weight.

If you eat a calorie surplus and lift weights, you'll build muscle (and gain some fat).
 
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