What should I do? (soreness, muscle, lifting weights, treadmill)

[InferiorityComplex]

I recently lost about 70 pounds in a year. Now I don't really know what to do to improve my body. I'm underweight (6' 140 lbs) and it seems like I can't get abs or muscle no matter what I do.

Here are some pictures, look at your own risk:

Spoiler

Spoiler

I've tried P90X. I've tried cardio and weight training. I've changed my diet and I'm just not seeing results.

Can someone recommend a diet and exercize plan for me, please?

Edit: Also, notice how my hip bones stick out and look disgusting. Is there anything I can do to fix it? :/

[Carlingtonian]

First, see a doctor.

If there are no underlying medical problems that could explain rapid weight loss (such as a parasite or some rare disease), then the only thing you can do is consume more calories. Lifting weights will only turn the calories you consume into muscle--but if your metabolism is so high that you're not getting enough, then all the lifting in the world won't help. In fact, it will simply burn off the calories rather than turn them into muscle (or fat).

By calories, I don't mean junk food like sodas, etc. A balanced diet with lots of high-calorie, quality foods like nuts, lean meats, eggs, olive oil, avocadoes, etc. Even peanut butter--it's high in fat, but it's good fat.

And hey--there are lots of thin guys. Not everyone can look like whoever the latest buff male celeb is. In fact, there are many women who are into slim men. And as you age (and your metabolism slows down), you'll be glad you don't have to worry about gaining a spare tire like most guys do.

Good luck!

[InferiorityComplex]

Thanks for the reply. My diet is mostly protein and good carbs and fats. Egg whites, fresh fruit, green veggies, whole grains, chicken, etc

I really believe I lost this weight healthily; I worked hard and stuck to a very strict diet. Didn't drink any soda and didn't even "reward" myself on occasion for losing some weight. It did take a little under a year to lose it all and I was very big when I started (200+lbs). So they weight kind of dropped off quickly in the beginning.

I'm not really aiming to be buff, just kind of muscular and toned. Something like this would be just fine:

Spoiler

I'm willing to eat more or less and do any exercises that are necessary. I have a weight bench, some weights and a treadmill and I'm only 16 so I don't really have access to any other machines, so keep that in mind.

My diet is as follows:

2 slices of whole wheat toast, 3 egg whites, and 3 slices of bacon for breakfast
Unbreaded chicken and corn for lunch
Cheerios for dinner

I've been considering eating another smaller meal between lunch and dinner to increase my caloric intake. Maybe some fresh fruit and a small salad or something. I heard whole milk and dark chocolate can help build muscle so I've been eating cheerios with whole milk and 2 squares of semisweet 78% cacao dark chocolate after workouts.

One of my major concerns is my hips. I'm not going to sugarcoat it; they look absolutely disgusting and I'm ashamed to look this way. Would gaining some weight and muscle help hide them?

I'm really confused about where I should go from here, help please.

[McBain II]

You've done a great job losing the weight! Now what you'll need to do is start gaining taking in a surplus of calories and lifting heavy weights to put on muscle. There's lots of good information out there on how to do this and we can help you out if that is the route you want to go. There are also some weight gain supplements out there that can help you get a good calorie surplus. This link here is a solid read that will give you an idea of what to do.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-n...tion-or-is-it/

[InferiorityComplex]

I guess I'll start "bulking" and then once I get muscle do more cardio and eat less fat.

My biggest concern are my hips though. Do they just look that way because I'm underweight or is it something else? I really dislike how my hip bones are visible and look bad.

I'm thinking of bulking up to at least 160 then burning off all the fat and see what the results are but I have a few questions concerning exercise and WHEN to eat.

Would it be okay to exercise different areas of my body everyday and should I completely cut out cardio while bulking? For example, would it be alright if I did Ab Ripper and maybe some other lower body exercises one day then the next day I did all upper body and weight training? Would it be better to do both the same day then rest for a day and do them again? I know resting is important and I've been doing muscle building exercises as often as I can unless I'm sore. Does a healed muscle preclude soreness?

Also WHEN should I eat? Right now I'm going to try to add more calories, protein, and good fats to my diet and eat four times a day instead of three. But should I exercise in between meals or wait until I've eaten everything I'm going to that day then exercise?

Thanks for the help so far! I really appreciate it.

[Opsimathia]

Teen Health and Teen Diet Program From SparkTeens.com

That will help you with everything. You may still be too young to bulk. So don't get discouraged. But you are undereating and that should change. Your intake is not enough. Your hip bones look fine. It can take awhile for your brain to adjust to your new body once you have been fat. When you start eating enough and doing the right exercises they should lift that hipbone cup up and flatten/smooth the area so the bone is not so sharp looking. But really..relax. You look like a normal teen that is on the slim side.

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by InferiorityComplex

Thanks for the reply. My diet is mostly protein and good carbs and fats. Egg whites, fresh fruit, green veggies, whole grains, chicken, etc

I really believe I lost this weight healthily; I worked hard and stuck to a very strict diet. Didn't drink any soda and didn't even "reward" myself on occasion for losing some weight. It did take a little under a year to lose it all and I was very big when I started (200+lbs). So they weight kind of dropped off quickly in the beginning.

I'm not really aiming to be buff, just kind of muscular and toned. Something like this would be just fine:



I'm willing to eat more or less and do any exercises that are necessary. I have a weight bench, some weights and a treadmill and I'm only 16 so I don't really have access to any other machines, so keep that in mind.

My diet is as follows:

2 slices of whole wheat toast, 3 egg whites, and 3 slices of bacon for breakfast
Unbreaded chicken and corn for lunch
Cheerios for dinner

I've been considering eating another smaller meal between lunch and dinner to increase my caloric intake. Maybe some fresh fruit and a small salad or something. I heard whole milk and dark chocolate can help build muscle so I've been eating cheerios with whole milk and 2 squares of semisweet 78% cacao dark chocolate after workouts.

One of my major concerns is my hips. I'm not going to sugarcoat it; they look absolutely disgusting and I'm ashamed to look this way. Would gaining some weight and muscle help hide them?

I'm really confused about where I should go from here, help please.

Simply speaking, eat more and lift heavy. By heavy I mean concentrate on a lower number of repititions and go to failure. The suggestion of eating high-calorie, healthy foods is a good one. Avacado, nuts, peanut butter, eggs, oatmeal... At your age, you need a LOT of calories to put on any muscle, particularly if you are exercising. You are probably eating 1500 calories or less by what you listed. Doubling that would be a good start, you may even need more to add muscle. Also, you will gain weight gradually as you mature.

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by InferiorityComplex

My biggest concern are my hips though. Do they just look that way because I'm underweight or is it something else? I really dislike how my hip bones are visible and look bad.

That'll go away when you put on some more weight, so no worries there.

I'm thinking of bulking up to at least 160 then burning off all the fat and see what the results are but I have a few questions concerning exercise and WHEN to eat.

I'd say 160 would be a good goal for now. Very obtainable.

Would it be okay to exercise different areas of my body everyday and should I completely cut out cardio while bulking? For example, would it be alright if I did Ab Ripper and maybe some other lower body exercises one day then the next day I did all upper body and weight training? Would it be better to do both the same day then rest for a day and do them again? I know resting is important and I've been doing muscle building exercises as often as I can unless I'm sore. Does a healed muscle preclude soreness?

You'll want to ditch the cardio while bulking, or at the very least minimize it. Your weight lifting routine will vary depending on your goals and experience. If you want to PM me your email address, I have a really good book aimed at beginners that you can read. It's in PDF form.

Also WHEN should I eat? Right now I'm going to try to add more calories, protein, and good fats to my diet and eat four times a day instead of three. But should I exercise in between meals or wait until I've eaten everything I'm going to that day then exercise?

Generally speaking, nutrient timing is rather unimportant. Making sure you're hitting your macronutrient goals for the day is much more important.

Thanks for the help so far! I really appreciate it.

No problem!

[InferiorityComplex]

Thanks,

I changed my diet a lot and I think I may have found a good diet plan for bulking. My only concern is that it's not very high in calories and all the bread is probably going to be too many carbs.

Meal1: 3 egg whites, 3 pieces of bacon, 2 pieces of wheat toast
Meal2: a baked chicken breast and an ear of corn
Meal3: Steak, a peanut butter sandwich, and a banana
Meal4: 2 more peanut butter sandwiches.... and cheerios and milk

Too many carbs? Should I replace the sandwiches/cheerios and milk with some kind of meat? I feel like it's enough protein, but probably way too many carbs and too few calories. I'm not sure about fat.

As for weight training, would 4 sets of 10 100 lbs bench reps and 4 sets of curls with 25 lb weights every other day be enough?

I'm planning on bulking for about a month then cutting after and hopefully the end result will be similar to the picture I posted earlier. Is this exercise/meal plan fine for this?

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by InferiorityComplex

My diet is as follows:

2 slices of whole wheat toast, 3 egg whites, and 3 slices of bacon for breakfast
Unbreaded chicken and corn for lunch
Cheerios for dinner

dude you're 16 and you aren't eating enough to keep a bird alive. You aren't eating any vegetables, you aren't eating any fruit. You have to give your body MATERIAL to build with. Cheerios? Seriously?

20yrsinBranson