what ratio?

[abida]

Hi everyone!

What a great site! I am 5.1 and weigh 80kg (175?) i am a mother of 4 (all c-sections) which coupled with poor diet and little exercise have left me with a terrible body.

kids are at school now so i have a strong desire and determination to sort myself out! Can anyone tell me what the best way to utilise the 2 hr gym time i have now 5 days a week? How long/which machine for cardio and how long should i be strength training? Maybe i am so fat i should just be doing cardio? Also how low on the calories should i go? I tried two weeks with relatively clean eating(2 cheats) all the recommended foods-but didnt weigh or measure......gained 5 pounds!
I am 36 yrs old with no medical problems......just dont want to be without an aim.......thanks in advance.

[swanso5]

2hrs at a time is too much


do wts 3 x 40 - 50mins a week

cardio 2 x 30mins max a week doing intervals for 20mins max if you can

go to diet section and read "read before posting.."

[abida]

Thanks for your response swan..........could you tell me roughly the amounts of protein in grams please?

[swanso5]

1 gram per pound of bodyweight so 175-ish grams everyday

[Boss Man]

Being a female, I'd suggest you reduce to around 0.8g per lb of bodyweight, so it's around 140, which for around 6 meals a day, works out at roughly 23g Protein per meal.

I would suggest, you go for 25g Protein per meal, and then just 15g in the last meal, so you're not getting a shed load of calories at night if you don't want them.

[abida]

OK, thanks for your advice swan and boss man.

[Boopster]

Hi everyone!

What a great site! I am 5.1 and weigh 80kg (175?) i am a mother of 4 (all c-sections) which coupled with poor diet and little exercise have left me with a terrible body.

kids are at school now so i have a strong desire and determination to sort myself out! Can anyone tell me what the best way to utilise the 2 hr gym time i have now 5 days a week? How long/which machine for cardio and how long should i be strength training? Maybe i am so fat i should just be doing cardio? Also how low on the calories should i go? I tried two weeks with relatively clean eating(2 cheats) all the recommended foods-but didnt weigh or measure......gained 5 pounds!
I am 36 yrs old with no medical problems......just dont want to be without an aim.......thanks in advance.

Welcome to the site! Remember the toughest job you'll ever have is being a mom. But you can be the best mom to them by taking the steps to care for yourself. The rewards are endless and you're children will thank you for it

2 hours...much to long workout hun. I only do 20 minutes on weight training days (4 days a week) and 45-60 on cardio days only. You have better things to do than be a slave to the gym sister! Work on trying to eat 6 smaller means a day ( I know that can be difficult with family) but do the best you can. Eat good quality proteins to bulid that muscle and shed that fat! Good luck to you

[abida]

Thanks Boopster for your reply. I am still unsure about how many calories i should be having on a daily basis. i am sure struggling to divide 1200 cals over the day into six meals! I try and have protein in each meal...200 cals a meal is such a challenge! Because i am so short, unfit, and so overweight i am afraid to consume more cals.....but saying that i always end up overeating and calories creep up to 1500-1600! Surely i wont lose body fat at this rate?

Your opinion/advice would be really appreciated.

[JNicole2009]

1200 is very low! What are your regular meals like right now?

[Boopster]

Thanks Boopster for your reply. I am still unsure about how many calories i should be having on a daily basis. i am sure struggling to divide 1200 cals over the day into six meals! I try and have protein in each meal...200 cals a meal is such a challenge! Because i am so short, unfit, and so overweight i am afraid to consume more cals.....but saying that i always end up overeating and calories creep up to 1500-1600! Surely i wont lose body fat at this rate?

Your opinion/advice would be really appreciated.

Glad I could help you. I wish I could offer solid advice as far as your nutrition goes, but I have no formal education in nutrition and only have knowledge on the subject given to me specifically per trainer. I do know this. You need to eat to lose weight. It's what you eat that makes the big difference. Check out the diet and nutrition section on this board. I never really counted calories. I weighed all protein, and measured all carbs. You may want to PM poster SarahPT or get in contact with a nutritionist that can lead you in the right direction. I wouldn't want to lead you down the wrong path nutritionally. Hope this helps and keep moving girl

[abida]

1200 is very low! What are your regular meals like right now?

hi Nicole,

At the moment each meal either has egg/egg whites, 1 quarter of a chicken, cottage cheese, salad or steamed veg and i have 3 pieces of fruit, 2 x rice cakes, 1 tsp of peanut buttet and 1 slice of wholemeal bread.i try to eat every 3 hrs but sometimes its not possible.

[abida]

Glad I could help you. I wish I could offer solid advice as far as your nutrition goes, but I have no formal education in nutrition and only have knowledge on the subject given to me specifically per trainer. I do know this. You need to eat to lose weight. It's what you eat that makes the big difference. Check out the diet and nutrition section on this board. I never really counted calories. I weighed all protein, and measured all carbs. You may want to PM poster SarahPT or get in contact with a nutritionist that can lead you in the right direction. I wouldn't want to lead you down the wrong path nutritionally. Hope this helps and keep moving girl [/quote]

Thanks Boopster.......i will have to look into this more carefully.....anyone with advice on calorie amounts? I am alternating weights and cardio days..but will i lose weight on the days i am not doing cardio? thanks

[Boss Man]

Yes you can help yourself to lose weight on Cardio days, as you're still spiking your Metabolism, but the alternate weight asnd Cardio days, is a better option that just endless Cardio, so you're doing the right thing on that score.

At the moment each meal either has egg/egg whites, 1 quarter of a chicken, cottage cheese, salad or steamed veg and i have 3 pieces of fruit, 2 x rice cakes, 1 tsp of peanut buttet and 1 slice of wholemeal bread.i try to eat every 3 hrs but sometimes its not possible.

With the Diet you outlined above, can you put it into a sort of timetable, I.E. what foods at what times, as I don't know what combinations of the foods you just listed you eat, and how you space them.

They are good choices pretty much, but a meal schedule will help us to tweak what you're doing. Thanks .

[abida]

]
At the moment each meal either has egg/egg whites, 1 quarter of a chicken, cottage cheese, salad or steamed veg and i have 3 pieces of fruit, 2 x rice cakes, 1 tsp of peanut buttet and 1 slice of wholemeal bread.i try to eat every 3 hrs but sometimes its not possible.

With the Diet you outlined above, can you put it into a sort of timetable, I.E. what foods at what times, as I don't know what combinations of the foods you just listed you eat, and how you space them.

They are good choices pretty much, but a meal schedule will help us to tweak what you're doing. Thanks .[/quote]

OK, thanks for your advice Boss man.....heres what and when i eat......

MEAL 1=9AM 1oz homemade chicken grilled, 1 wholemeal toast with 3% cheese triangle and 1 tsp of jam...coffee little skimmed milk.

10.30-11.30 GYM alternate days i do weights or cardio. i do 20 mins each HIIT session on treadmill and elliptical followed by core ball exercises and squats for 15 mins. On a weights day i do about 1 hour of chest dumbells presses, weighted squats and lunges, push ups, swiss ball ab work with kettle ball and dumbells, flutter kicks, bicycle, ball pull ins etc.

MEAL 2=12.00 150 cals or fruit

MEAL 3= 2.30PM 1 egg +1 egg white(no fat), 1oz chicken grilled, 1 tbspn low cottage cheese, small salad, 1 tsp of hot pepper sauce.

MEAL 4= 5.00PM 2 rice cakes with 1 tsp of peanut butter tea

MEAL 5= 8.00PM 1 quarter grilled baby chicken, 5 tbspns boiled/steamed veg, 1 whole sharon fruit

i try to abstain from further eating till bed (around 11pm) but sometimes i have the rice cakes again with low fat cheese triangle and smidge of jam

cant wait to here what you think!

abida

[abida]

]
At the moment each meal either has egg/egg whites, 1 quarter of a chicken, cottage cheese, salad or steamed veg and i have 3 pieces of fruit, 2 x rice cakes, 1 tsp of peanut buttet and 1 slice of wholemeal bread.i try to eat every 3 hrs but sometimes its not possible.

With the Diet you outlined above, can you put it into a sort of timetable, I.E. what foods at what times, as I don't know what combinations of the foods you just listed you eat, and how you space them.

They are good choices pretty much, but a meal schedule will help us to tweak what you're doing. Thanks .

OK, thanks for your advice Boss man.....heres what and when i eat......

MEAL 1=9AM 1oz homemade chicken grilled, 1 wholemeal toast with 3% cheese triangle and 1 tsp of jam...coffee little skimmed milk.

10.30-11.30 GYM alternate days i do weights or cardio. i do 20 mins each HIIT session on treadmill and elliptical followed by core ball exercises and squats for 15 mins. On a weights day i do about 1 hour of chest dumbells presses, weighted squats and lunges, push ups, swiss ball ab work with kettle ball and dumbells, flutter kicks, bicycle, ball pull ins etc.

MEAL 2=12.00 150 cals or fruit

MEAL 3= 2.30PM 1 egg +1 egg white(no fat), 1oz chicken grilled, 1 tbspn low cottage cheese, small salad, 1 tsp of hot pepper sauce.

MEAL 4= 5.00PM 2 rice cakes with 1 tsp of peanut butter tea

MEAL 5= 8.00PM 1 quarter grilled baby chicken, 5 tbspns boiled/steamed veg, 1 whole sharon fruit

i try to abstain from further eating till bed (around 11pm) but sometimes i have the rice cakes again with low fat cheese triangle and smidge of jam

cant wait to here what you think!

abida [/quote]Hi Bossman..........may i ask what your opinion is on diet at the moment? I am so worried......i feel i am putting on weight!