I'm a long time reader on this forum, and it's always been super helpful for me to read others questions and learn from the answers! I've been slowly getting into bodybuilding this past year, learning mostly through experimentation and online, but really started taking it seriously around the end of May (about 2.5 months ago). I've been having a few problems with my training though, and thought I'd throw it here and see if anyone has any thoughts.
For quick and dirty background, I'm 5'6, 29 years old, about 147lbs (i did stop weighing myself about a month ago because it was making me miserable and trying to go off progress pictures/measurements instead) and rooughly 24% body fat (I think this might be higher tbh but that's what the height/weight calculators say). I've been a on and off dieter/exceriser since I was a teenager, and although ive fluctuated up and down a little, I've mostly stayed around 150 and had little success, mostly because I bought into all the wrong things.
Discovering bodybuilding and weightlifting has been great, and it feels like a lifestyle that i can really stick with because I genuinely enjoy it and look forward to going to gym. It doesn't feel like a chore at all, and that's an amazing feeling.
That said, I feel like despite having a MUCH better understanding of nutrition and exercise than I have ever had, I'm still seeing results that are either non-existent, or so painfully slow I'm having a hard time seeing them, which does make it hard to stay motivated. I FEEL like I'm doing everything right, but I'm sure I'm missing things. It's a huge battle to lose even one pound of body fat for me. And often there are LONG stretches where I lose nothing, so it's not exactly a slow and steady situation.
I've been tracking calories for awhile, although just recently started to REALLY track by weighing ingredients instead of measuring volume. It's been helpful, but I do know I tend to undereat. I know there's a million mixed opinions about undereating and whether it can hurt your weight loss or not, but I can definitely say I'm having a hard time cutting, and I cutting calories MORE would be really unsustainable (I currently shoot for 1500 a day and eat 1200 on a good day). I'm entirely plant-based, and have been for a long, long time, but I know that makes calorie DENSITY really hard to achieve.
A fairly typical day of eating for me is
BREAKFAST
-Coffee with soy milk
-A clean protein bar
LUNCH
-A half cup of cauliflower
-Grilled Tofu
-Cup of Romaine
-A tbps or two of Avocado dressing
SNACK
-And apple or banana
-Low carb paleo granola
DINNER
-Whole wheat tortilla with hummus, grilled veggies, spinach and white beans
On heavy lifting days I will add in a protein shake somewhere as well, usually with a protein rich nut milk of some kind, and every day I try and drink as much water as I can without feeling like I'm FORCING it. I'm pretty meticulous with my food and don't really snack, nibble on other's food or add any condiments or additives that i haven't accounted for.
I only go to the gym twice a week (this is all my work schedule allow) but recently I've been trying to do HIIT (usually from Insanity max 30) 3 or 3 other days during the week. On my gym days I generally warm up with some interval sprints, stretch and then focus my time on weights, usually putting in a 90 min session all combined. I've been focusing mostly on big muscles groups and varying it as much as I can although I generally squat, deadlift and do some glute work every time. I'm probably not lifting as heavy as I can/should (usually in the 40-80lb range) because I'm still kind of unfamiliar and nervous with equipment and about about my technique. I try and increase a little bit each week though, and I'm slowly getting more comfortable.
Since I started really started this routine at the end of May, I don't feel like I've seen much change in myself. I'm trying to cut, because I have quite a lot of excess fat for my build, especially from the waist down. At first I felt like I did lose a little, but it was most noticable in places that weren't ideal...my face, my boobs and chest/collarbone area. Since then I don't think i've seen too much change. I HAVE noticed some increase in muscles in my arms for sure, and sometimes, I feel like maybe a little definition in my legs, although the extra bf makes it hard to tell. I'm pretty explicitly *trying* to cut, so I would think that the way I'm eating, I would be seeing a *little* more progress*. I'm worried that i've dieted for so many years that my body is just used to this and I'm not in a true deficit. Cutting 500 calories would be pretty rough, and make getting the right vitamins nearly impossible, so I really don't want to do that.
I'm not sure if maybe I'm just recomping at the slowest imaginable rate, which would be better than nothing, but at this speed, It's hard to feel like I'm really accomplishing anything. I'm willing to stick with it because I enjoy working out, I just wish I could see SOME kind of result a little bit faster, and figured I would see if there's something obvious that I'm missing.
Sorry for the LENGTHY post, but I look forward to any advice you guys might have!!
For quick and dirty background, I'm 5'6, 29 years old, about 147lbs (i did stop weighing myself about a month ago because it was making me miserable and trying to go off progress pictures/measurements instead) and rooughly 24% body fat (I think this might be higher tbh but that's what the height/weight calculators say). I've been a on and off dieter/exceriser since I was a teenager, and although ive fluctuated up and down a little, I've mostly stayed around 150 and had little success, mostly because I bought into all the wrong things.
Discovering bodybuilding and weightlifting has been great, and it feels like a lifestyle that i can really stick with because I genuinely enjoy it and look forward to going to gym. It doesn't feel like a chore at all, and that's an amazing feeling.
That said, I feel like despite having a MUCH better understanding of nutrition and exercise than I have ever had, I'm still seeing results that are either non-existent, or so painfully slow I'm having a hard time seeing them, which does make it hard to stay motivated. I FEEL like I'm doing everything right, but I'm sure I'm missing things. It's a huge battle to lose even one pound of body fat for me. And often there are LONG stretches where I lose nothing, so it's not exactly a slow and steady situation.
I've been tracking calories for awhile, although just recently started to REALLY track by weighing ingredients instead of measuring volume. It's been helpful, but I do know I tend to undereat. I know there's a million mixed opinions about undereating and whether it can hurt your weight loss or not, but I can definitely say I'm having a hard time cutting, and I cutting calories MORE would be really unsustainable (I currently shoot for 1500 a day and eat 1200 on a good day). I'm entirely plant-based, and have been for a long, long time, but I know that makes calorie DENSITY really hard to achieve.
A fairly typical day of eating for me is
BREAKFAST
-Coffee with soy milk
-A clean protein bar
LUNCH
-A half cup of cauliflower
-Grilled Tofu
-Cup of Romaine
-A tbps or two of Avocado dressing
SNACK
-And apple or banana
-Low carb paleo granola
DINNER
-Whole wheat tortilla with hummus, grilled veggies, spinach and white beans
On heavy lifting days I will add in a protein shake somewhere as well, usually with a protein rich nut milk of some kind, and every day I try and drink as much water as I can without feeling like I'm FORCING it. I'm pretty meticulous with my food and don't really snack, nibble on other's food or add any condiments or additives that i haven't accounted for.
I only go to the gym twice a week (this is all my work schedule allow) but recently I've been trying to do HIIT (usually from Insanity max 30) 3 or 3 other days during the week. On my gym days I generally warm up with some interval sprints, stretch and then focus my time on weights, usually putting in a 90 min session all combined. I've been focusing mostly on big muscles groups and varying it as much as I can although I generally squat, deadlift and do some glute work every time. I'm probably not lifting as heavy as I can/should (usually in the 40-80lb range) because I'm still kind of unfamiliar and nervous with equipment and about about my technique. I try and increase a little bit each week though, and I'm slowly getting more comfortable.
Since I started really started this routine at the end of May, I don't feel like I've seen much change in myself. I'm trying to cut, because I have quite a lot of excess fat for my build, especially from the waist down. At first I felt like I did lose a little, but it was most noticable in places that weren't ideal...my face, my boobs and chest/collarbone area. Since then I don't think i've seen too much change. I HAVE noticed some increase in muscles in my arms for sure, and sometimes, I feel like maybe a little definition in my legs, although the extra bf makes it hard to tell. I'm pretty explicitly *trying* to cut, so I would think that the way I'm eating, I would be seeing a *little* more progress*. I'm worried that i've dieted for so many years that my body is just used to this and I'm not in a true deficit. Cutting 500 calories would be pretty rough, and make getting the right vitamins nearly impossible, so I really don't want to do that.
I'm not sure if maybe I'm just recomping at the slowest imaginable rate, which would be better than nothing, but at this speed, It's hard to feel like I'm really accomplishing anything. I'm willing to stick with it because I enjoy working out, I just wish I could see SOME kind of result a little bit faster, and figured I would see if there's something obvious that I'm missing.
Sorry for the LENGTHY post, but I look forward to any advice you guys might have!!
by nonvieta via Bodybuilding.com Forums - Female Bodybuilding