need some help please - thank you

C

cm1977

0
hi there, i dont really know where to start with this but i guess i am just after a bit of advice.
I will start with my stats
i am only 5ft and am normally about 103 lbs. To remain at this weight i really have to watch what i eat and i dont look particularly slim at 103lbs. I have read a few posts and am beginning to think that my body is in stravation mode though when i increase my calories i just seem to put on more weight still. I generally eat very little during the day - i prob only reach about 300 calories up until dinner time and then i still eat very little in the evening but then crave chocolate and sweets.....i was about to say that i binge on them but typically i might eat 400 calories worth of choc so i still dont think i am over doing it on the calorie front. I just love sweets and choc and need to know that i can have the odd bit

now, i got engaged a few months ago and the wedding is at the end of august. two months ago i joined a gym and was spinning almost every day for 45mins. I found that it made me eat more so i upped my calaorie intake (which i thought would take my body out of stravation mode if thats was what had been happening) and i didnt pig out i just ate a bit more normally and had a healthier attitude to my food. whilst i noticeably developed muscle , my clothes started feeling much tighter around the legs (which i think was muscle) but also the stomach - my stomach actually looked fatter and i think that my eating more made my put on some fat as well as the extra muscle gained from exercising. My stomach is normally flat when i have been 101lbs etc (but that is normally if i am miserable in my personal life or stressed and not eating) my weight went up 3lb which is quite a bit for someon of my height but still i carried on with the exercise as it was allowing me to eat more so i was happier and i know that everyone says muscle weighs more than fat. however i did find it hard putting on weight when the aim of all this was to lose it. I then aggravated an old back condiiton thru spinning and as a result havent been able to exercise or do anything for 3 weeks. this has torn me apart as my wedding is in 10 weeks and i have a dress fitting on saturday. Prior to hurting my back i had a one to one with my instructor at the gym who added some exercises to my cardio work (tricep dips, push ups, sit ups etc ) i am ok at doing all of these and used to do lots of weigfhts a few years ago. I told him that i wanted to lose some bulk, slim down and look toned and the weights added to my regime were a result of my telling him this.

admittedly i didnt give it a proper go as i hurt my back a week after adding these exercises to my cardio but having been to physio i am now allowed back to the gym - hooray and plan to go for the first time on saturday. i am so happy that i can go back as my weight has been permanently stuck at 4-5lb higher then when i first decided to make a concerted effort to go to the gym and lose weight and tone for the wedding. i am now 107lb :(

My physio has shown me how to do squats and lunges etc so that i dont aggravate my condition but what i now need is some advice if you guys dont mind as to how i can lose weight (my mum is toned, musecly and less heavy than i am, but my height, so i know it can be done) and tone - all in 10 weeks.

I plan on going to the gym almost every day between now and the wedding and doing the weight training as well and will do whatever i need to do and eat in order to be slimmer and look better than when i started this whole thing. If someone could let me know whether i should be doing more weight training, eating more carbs (the only carbs i have are in the form of the odd sweet/choc really - i knwo thats not good - i will come off them compeltely if i need to!) then i would really appreciate it. i cant afford to get it wrong at this stage and put on weight before the wedding as that would really mess my head up

i will follow whatever i am told to do to the letter if it will work i just need to know that i wont suddenly put on loads of weight as that is what has happened whenever i do more exercise and eat more to get away from stravation mode

thanks so much for reading and for any advice you might give
 
It's going to take time for your body to readjust itself to your new habits - not only exercise but nutrition, to get your metabolism going. A rule of thumb I've seen around this forum is to multiply your body weight by 15 to get an idea of how many calories you need to maintain that weight. If you have a target weight in mind, multiply it by 15 and that will be the number of calories you'll allow yourself in a day (it may need tweaking if you're training hard). Spread them over 5 or 6 small meals in a day, making sure you have carbs and proteins together at each meal (at the very least, the combination will make you feel fuller longer). Also, don't forget the value of rest - muscles aren't built in the gym, they're rebuilt when you allow them to rest. Good luck on your quest - keep posting updates.
 
Last edited:
I contemplated not posting... but I am going to. Hope you don't mind me speaking my mind.

Your weight is not what you should be focusing on. Your goal is to "lose weight". What difference does it make if you're 100 pounds of 107 pounds? What matters is how you feel and look in clothes.

I did get a touch of body image problems in your post. I'm not saying you have a problem, but that the thought crossed my mind. Being obsessed with what the scale says is wrong and hurtful to you and your emotions and progress.

Someone your height, weight is not fat. Period. I'm taller and weight much more than you. I dare anyone to call me fat :) I also dare anyone to look at me and guess my weight. They always think I weigh around 100 pounds. But I don't. I weigh over 130!

Point being... think and boney with no muscle tone typically leads to obesession with the number on the scale. It also tends to mean that the person is losing too much fat and their metabolism is whacked. It also tends to mean that the person is focusing on cardio too much and not enough weight training. At the least it means the nutrition is off.

Personally, in 10 weeks you can lose fat. You can do it the right way or the wrong way. The right way... in my opinion... would be to begin cycling your calories so that your metabolism can start to rev itself up again. It needs repaired.

Then I'd ditch the scale and test your body fat percentage. That number is a better indicator of what you need to do. Since you are so small... I'd focus on eating a caloric surplus (once you get your calorie level up) and focus on weights.

This will ADD weight to you. But hopefully you'll realize the scale doesn't matter. You'll also probably gain inches because of the muscle. I have a feeling from your post that you are skin and bones :) Anything you do (other than starving yourself- which is what it sounds like you're doing right now- you don't have enough calories) will result in a gain of some sort.

I don't want the post to be negative. I want it to be truthful. All of that cardio... particularly spinning!... and so little calories.... bad idea. Your body wants food. That's why you have cravings and when you do eat it gains weight.

Hope that helps. Overview: you can continue what you're doing now or completely change your lifestyle to a healthier one that includes eating at least enough calories to gain some muscle.
 
Lynn i really appreciate the time you have spent reading my post and writing your advice to me. I hear what you're saying and agree with bits of it although i am definitely not skin and bones - noone would look at me and say i look at tho i was skinny they would say im average i think (well actually i know!)
i do want to eat more healthily and exercise in a healthy way. if i put on weight on the scales then fine - i hear what you're saying, that weight is not important and that how i look is important. the one think i dont want is for me to expand in size and get broader - my main thing is that i want to look narrower and for things like the top of my arms to not be as broad.....if you could give me some advice as to how i should increase my calories then i will follow what you say and really try and chnage my lifestyle. at the moment im just not sure how to do that.
would it still be ok for me to spin every day if i am eating more or do you suggest that in orde for me to get the results i want, i do some weights instead of spinning?
thanks lynne
 
Hi,
Lynn made some excellent points. To answer your question, I do think weights as well as cardio would be beneficial. I think if you would like the way you look (firm and fit) if you added just a bit of muscle. Both cardio and weights are important to keep you healthy and strong.
And yes, you need carbs! Carbs are vital for our body's survival. If you're going to increase your calories doing so slowly is a good idea. The body needs time to adjust to changes like that. I think you need to add calories. Your body is starving. Like Lynn said, cycling is probably a good idea to rev up the metabolism.

Sarah
 
I agree with Sarah. I am not sure what you mean when you say "my main thing is that i want to look narrower and for things like the top of my arms to not be as broad..."

I never recommend specific programs on these boards because so much is involved in creating a good, goal specific routine/menu. Cycling calories means eating a bit more each day for 3 days and then back down to the start. So for example if you are eating 1000 calories a day right now, tomorrow aim for 1200, the next day aim for 1400, the next day head back to 1000 and repeat. Eventually you can make your lowest calorie day 1200 instead of 1000. You keep repeating the cycle until you can consistently eat your proper amount of daily calories.

I think you can do cardio still, but while eating so little... it's not a good idea. I'd rather you eat more than enough calories, do cardio and do a really good muscle building routine.

Like I said though, I have no idea what you look like (since you aren't skin and bones ;)) You may increase your size. I don't know. Try it and give it time. See what the final result is.

Don't get afraid of things though. Test it for a month and then re-assess things based on your new measurements. Your body will level out to a healthy level. It may be a bit whacky at first though.

You have a deadline of 10 weeks... that's going to be hard for you to gain weight/size and still feel confident. But that's something you're going to have to decide how to handle.
 
Try to block the numbers out of your mind. Body weight can be misleading. Aim to lower bf% instead.

What about how often you eat? Ideally you should eat 5 meals a day every 3 hours or so. Keeps your body burning calories since it knows that more will come consistently. However, if you only have time to prepare 3 meals a day, you should eat a good breakfast and cut down on lunch and dinner portions (with small healthy snacks in between). Eating only 300 calories until dinner time is not good. This places your body in "starvation mode" for the whole day. An alternative to the 5 meal a day plan is below. Again, you should go for 5 small meals a day but if you don't have time, try this:



Some tips: Eat healthy. Drink water to curb your appetite and keeps you hydrated. Don't give up and good luck.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top