Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ok so I've been struggling with seeing any sort of results from my workouts. I know you're not supposed to see much after a short time but I've been really really flabby and wondering how this could be since I've been hitting the weights hard. Well, I think I may have found out my problem. I haven't been eating. I've been dieting. Eating less than 1800 calories. Little cans of tuna and rice and beans and Lara bars for lunch. A protein shake and a small chicken breast max.
But but one night I just gave in and had a huge burger. It totally changed everything. I noticed the next day that it all went away as if I didn't have anything and actually felt like it helped me! I tested it out again after a workout and I had a bunch of fajitas for dinner. Again I was amazed at how my body just absorb it all and the next day it felt like it helped me out again.
I'm thinking that I should increase my protein intake. I actually feel like I'm losing weight by eating more which is weird?? I also feel stronger and more tight.
Now is all this just kind of cheat day stuff or am I really supposed to eat this much when exercising this hard? I don't wanted to plateau and then I just start getting fat again.
Ok so I've been struggling with seeing any sort of results from my workouts. I know you're not supposed to see much after a short time but I've been really really flabby and wondering how this could be since I've been hitting the weights hard. Well, I think I may have found out my problem. I haven't been eating. I've been dieting. Eating less than 1800 calories. Little cans of tuna and rice and beans and Lara bars for lunch. A protein shake and a small chicken breast max.
But but one night I just gave in and had a huge burger. It totally changed everything. I noticed the next day that it all went away as if I didn't have anything and actually felt like it helped me! I tested it out again after a workout and I had a bunch of fajitas for dinner. Again I was amazed at how my body just absorb it all and the next day it felt like it helped me out again.
I'm thinking that I should increase my protein intake. I actually feel like I'm losing weight by eating more which is weird?? I also feel stronger and more tight.
Now is all this just kind of cheat day stuff or am I really supposed to eat this much when exercising this hard? I don't wanted to plateau and then I just start getting fat again.
DEFINITELY increase your protein intake significantly. You need that in order to build lean muscle mass as you're working out. When you get enough protein, you'll see the flab melt away. The increase in lean muscle mass will also help you lose weight faster. It becomes a benign circle, as opposed to a vicious circle. Keep carbs low, but amp up the protein.
Rebound hunger. A little secret the gurus refuse to address because it makes their preferred "diet" look undesirable. Most people (even if they like it) will quickly tire of the standard variant of tuna/so-called lean chicken/low fat yogurt/green vegetables/oats for breakfast/nuts for snacks with really very little in-between options. Even with the Atkins vs South Beach vs Paleo vs Protein, the same foods seem to keep popping up. Those diets all have one similarity - they're founded on an extremely limiting array of food, thus lowering calorie intake, meaning most will lose some weight short term if they stick to it.
What none of them realize, the desire to eat food you like is as strong as eating itself. Even a starving man who hates asparagus is not going to be happy if you serve him a plate of asparagus, in fact, it may make him feel worse. Just by eating food you like, you can feel like yourself again. The key is to mix in portions of food you actually like, and not just in the "cheat day" sense. You're better off eating two burgers plus some low fat snacks or yogurt if it keeps you at a lower daily calorie intake than eating all those recommended foods that you don't even like (without eating anything you like) and possibly going even higher in calories, or going on an all-you-can-eat blitzkrieg every few days because you miss food you like.
You may actually be taking in less calories than before. Firstly, calories are estimates. Who really counts the number of peanuts they eat? Probably no one sane. It's extremely easy no matter what someone does to go over 2k calories. A turkey sandwich w/ cheese & 8oz glass of apple juice, and you're over 500 in just a few minutes. Most Americans go heavy on the mayo, so it's probably closer to 700 for a small basic lunchtime meal. Those protein shakes are nothing but calories as well. They're typically not even debated but they should be.
Dieting fads are really no different than political campaigns, and they're equally annoying.
I agree with most of the above ^^^. PLUS I have read that you cannot lose weight (diet) and build muscle at the same time. To build muscle you actually have to eat a surplus (protein, clean foods). OP, if you have weight to lose, get it off first and then work on building muscle. If it is muscle you want NOW, then you definitely must eat more, especially of the protein and good whole foods.
I agree with most of the above ^^^. PLUS I have read that you cannot lose weight (diet) and build muscle at the same time. To build muscle you actually have to eat a surplus (protein, clean foods). OP, if you have weight to lose, get it off first and then work on building muscle. If it is muscle you want NOW, then you definitely must eat more, especially of the protein and good whole foods.
Technically you can but its a slow process. Much easier to work one one goal at a time than try to go north and south simultaneously. Its much easier to do it this way the first 6 months or so(depends on the person) than when your body has adapted to training. Most people new to training will still see significant increase in body changes than people that have been training a while regardless if they are counting macronutrients/calories or not. Some people call it noobie gains. AFter a while people stop growing and that is when nutrition becomes more important than training if you want to keep gaining lean mass.
As far as workouts go, more calories usually mean better workouts in my experience.
My first year of training i went from 130lbs to 155(yeah i was skinny dont laugh) without caring about what I ate. AFter the first year it took a lot more work and food planning just to put on 5lbs over the course of a few months than it did when i first started lifting weights.
I still eat healthy but just eat more food. For instance I ate a grass fed beef hamburger on a gluten free bun. It wasn't McDonald's. I also at fajitas but skipped the guacamole, and sour cream. I only ate the meat, veggies, and corn tortillas. Also the rice and beans.
I'm gonna still eat healthy but just increase the calories and proteins. I've noticed its helped me lean up a lot quicker than the small portions of food I've been having.
. Those protein shakes are nothing but calories as well. They're typically not even debated but they should be.
Yeah, because a protein shake with 400 calories with 50g of protein is the same nutritional value as a mountain dew with 400 calories and 2g of protein and 48 g of carbs...
Yeah, because a protein shake with 400 calories with 50g of protein is the same nutritional value as a mountain dew with 400 calories and 2g of protein and 48 g of carbs...
Please don't give any nutritional advice.
Every comment like this you make, you save me from saying something mean. Thank you.
A lot I can say but I'll boil it down to this: Don't focus on losing weight, focus on building lean muscle. Muscle weighs a lot more than fat - you can weigh the same as you do now but look different.
And yeah, don't restrict good calories when weight training. Your body needs the food.
Best of luck.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
