First, I have to say that this website has helped me so much with staying motivated or with giving me that little push I need so often when I get off track. It is inspiring to read all the positive input and help from so many different people from all walks of life. The support is just fantastic!
Recently I went on vacation and while there I kept up with daily running (running on the beach is a great motivator!! ) And tho' eating plan was disrupted I tried to counter with the running. Having said that... main reason for posting today is that since I have returned from vacation, it has been hard for me to refocus and get back on "the plan".
I am falling behind, even while being in fairly good shape (cardio wise), I am finding that it is just not enough to see any results, in fact I feel like i am losing some hard earned ground and it is really discouraging.
I really need some good ab exercises, I know that a strong core is key to strength training as well as running. Are the old standard situps the best, or ab crunches?
legs are naturally muscular, but am noticing fat accumulating on upper inner thighs, what kind of strength or workout can I do to reduce that? Running is not enough.
Any help, tips, positive input would be appreciated!
I don't have a gym membership anymore (a casualty of the economy ) but I do have a weight system at home. It is a two station workout system with bench press, leg press, leg curl. A pulley system with adjustable weights. I just don't have any real "program". I usually do two sets of 15 bench press with about 40 lbs, the same on the leg curls and ab crunches. I just haven't been consistent with it.
diet is not any certain plan (another area I need help!) I just try to eat alot of whole grain, low fat, fish, chicken, fresh and grilled veggies. I don't think I get enough protein and probably too many carbs.
I was always told that runners needed more carbs (good carbs), so I never paid much attention to the balance of the two. Now I think I need to concentrate on a healthy balance that will help me see results.
A good balance of cardio, weights, carbs and protein.
Boopster, you have an incredible work out ethic and look awesome! A real inspiration to us 40 + gals! I appreciate any input you can give me.
I understand exactly what "Fit over Forty" is saying.....well I am Fit over Fifty!
I have always done some sort of physical activity and consider myself to be reasonably fit. Years ago, netball, softball, squash, running..for the past 2 years I am concentrating on weights and cardio...it is harder, the metabolism is a bit slower, but I love the challenge.
I too, recently fell by the wayside, and am finding it a bit hard to get motivated and back into it and get angry with myself. I enjoy lifting weights and spinning, however I think it is the eating that lets me down as no real eating plan either.
Breakfast: 2 Weetbix
Snack: Yoghurt
Lunch: Wholemeal roll with vegemite (Aussies will know this) & cheese
Snack: Cup of Soup
Dinner: Steamed Vegies with fish or chicken
Snack: Weightwatchers dessert
Maybe I don't eat enought or it is all wrong. I get confused with low carbs, complex carbs, proteins etc. that I lose track of what is what and what the hell I should be eating.
Would be grateful for any suggested eating plan and any motivational advice. Don't mind doing the work, it is just mentally giving myself a kick in the bum from time to time that is hard to get motivated especially after a couple of days off.
In order to lose fat and gain muscle we need a combination of lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, fruits and veggies, and of course water.
Lean proteins: Protein is vital to building muslce, which aids in fat loss, increased metabolism, and injury prevention. For best results i try to aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. Examples of lean proteins include: skinless chicken breast, egg whites, lean red meats (venison is favorite), fish (the fatty fish like salmon are good too as they provide healthy fats), some slices of pork, soy, and low fat and fat free cheese/cottage cheese.
Complex Carbs: Complex carbs are usually those that have undergone little or no processing. White flour and sugar are both simple carbs. Complex carbs are best as they are broken down into glucose more slowly than simple carbs, providing a steady amount of energy instead of a sudden spurt, followed by a sudden drop. Examples of complex carbs include: oatmeal, sweet potatoes, whole grains, legumes, brown/wild rice, whole grain bread/pasta/couscous, quinoa, and high fiber whole gain cereals.
Healthy Fats: In recent years many have associated fatty food with body weight and obesity and as a result many drastically cut fat out of their diets. The truth about fat is that it is a vital part of every healthy diet and serves a wide range of purposes. Healthy fats help with brain function, cell function, heart function, lung function, eye function, digestion, and immune system function. Examples of healthy fats include: flax, fish, avacados, nuts, coconut oil, and olive oil.
Fruits and veggies: We all know that fruits and veggies are an important part of a healthy diet. I try to watch portion sizes when eating fruits higher in fructose and limit these to morning meals when metabolism is at its peak. However, fruits like cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers can be eaten throughout the day as they are low in sugar. When choosing veggies I usually go for things like asparagus, spinach, brocolli, and green beans. When choosing fruits I try to stick to thinks like apples, bananas (these are a great pre-workout food) berries, grapefruit, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Now that brings us to macro breakdowns. Throughout this forum you will often read about macro breakdowns.... a concept that i found very confusing when i first started. Macro breakdowns breaks protein, carbs (this includes complex carbs, fruits, and veggies), and fat down into ratios. The macro breakdown of 33/33/33 means that a diet is 33% protein, 33% carbs and 33% fat. The same goes for 40/30/30... this reflects a diet that is 40% protein, 30% carb and 30% fat. A diet that is 40/35/25 is 40% protein, 35% carb, and 25% fat.
So how do you calculate your macros for a certain number of calories? Lets assume a person is eating 2000 calories a day and wants to eat a macro breakdown of 40/35/25. They would need to figure out how many grams of protein, carb, and fat to eat each day in order to get this ratio while eating 2000 calories.
So to figure out how many grams of protein to eat you would take 2000 x .4 (calories time percentage of calories that will come from protein)=800 So 800 of this persons calories will come from protein. Now, we know that here are 4 calories per gram of protein so we simply take 800 / 4 to get 200. So this person will be eating 200 grams of protein a day.
To figure carbs we do the same process: 2000x.35=700 and 700/4=175 so this person would be eating 175 grams of protein per day.
To figure fats you again do the same process: 2000x.25=500. Now fats are different than proteins and carbs as there are 9 calories in one gram of fat. So to figure grams on this example we would need to divide 500 by 9 to come up with 55.56 or simply 56 grams.
Next we want to make sure our math is accurate so we simple add 500+700+800 and we get 2000 so we know these macros are correct for a 2000 calorie diet with macros of 40/35/25 (remember the macros always must add up to 100%).
For your diet I would suggest increasing protein a bit. I try to get a balance of protein and carbs with each meal... and 3 meals of the day I try to add some kind of healthy fat. What about something like this:
Meal 1: 2 weetbix, 5 eggwhites, 1/2 grapefruit
Meal 2: fruit, lean meat (low sodium deli lunch meat is good if its not overly processed) nuts
Meal 3: dont know what vegemite is? I would make sure the cheese is low fat. I would add some veggies to this meal.
Meal 4: if youre going to have soup go for soups with a broth base (no creams) and choose one that is abundant in protein and veggies. Home made chilli with lean meat, legumes, peppers, and tomatoes is great. Homemade veggie beef/or chicken is good to. I try to stay away from store bought varieties as they are often loaded with sodium and typically don't have enough veggies.
Meal 5: looks great!
Snack: I'm not familiar with weight watchers dessert but I would have something like cottage cheese or eggs with veggies here. If you want something sweet you could add a bit of protein powder to cottage cheese. Its loaded with slow releasing protein and tastes sweet so might satisfy a sweet tooth. I use cookies and cream flavored protein powder and it tastes quite yummy!
As long as youre losing weight I wouldn't take out the yummy almond crunch bar from ww. I think i read in another post that youre still losing 1.5 pounds per week? As long as its working I wouldn't change it! However, there will come a time where your weight loss will slow and you'll have to figure out where you can make changes in your diet/exercise. When that time comes you might consider the ole the protein powder an cottage cheese trick. :)
I'm not losing much scale weight these days but I am losing FAT!! Yeah!!! On the mend right now though......mentioned in a couple of other threads so I won't go into it here - hamstring
I think I'll try that Cookies N Cream stuff anyway - BTW - you mentioned in another tread that you bought your protein at bodybuilding.com or something like that - what brand do you use? I'm currenty using Body Fortress (Vanilla) and it's not bad and pretty inexpensive, but I'm open to better stuff.
Hmmm... I can't remember the darn name of the stuff I just bought. Thunk thunk thunk... yeah I don't know. :( I do know that it was only like $35 for a 5 pound tub. The taste is ok. The best stuff i've had was made by Max Muscle... Vanilla Ice cream was the flavor... tasted like HEAVEN but was very expensive. If you're willing to fork over a little extra money that stuff was yummy. I'll try to look at protein tonight to find out what brand it is.
Sorry it took me while to get back to you fitoverforty and thank you for your kind words as I do appreciate that. Diet wise I believe Cassie did a fantastic job explaining what route you need to take there. As far as the weights are concerned, you can research a book called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women "by:Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe, Alwyn Cosgrove. That's a good start that will give you a good program to get motivated. I usually subscribe to 3 days a week full body weightlifting and 3-4 days of cardio. 3 of which are HIIT. For legs, I choose to do deadlifts, squats, leg extensions, kickbacks, glute-ham raises, side lunges, and walking lunges. Abs begin in the kitchen so cleaning up your diet will help in that area. I do hanging leg raises, prone and side ab braces, weighted crunches, and an ab roller. Hope this helps! Good luck to you and all your endeavors!
I wanted to try Cookies N Cream whey protein but saw the artificial sweetener in it and put it back on shelf, not sure is it was aspartame or splenda I won't eat either if I can help it.
Thank you everyone for your tips. Wow Cassie, that is awesome! Thank you for explaining and simplifying the macro thing. I need to print that out and put in the kitchen so I can keep up with whats what.
I had no idea that zucchini and cucumbers were fruit! Go figure.
Idematto: favorite is the almond crunch bar from WW too! I would hate to give it up.
Currently for breakfast I am making own smoothie for me and husband "to go" for work. It consists of 3 to 4 frozen whole strawberries, a handful of frozen blueberries, 4 to 5 slices of frozen peaches, one banana, one 8 oz. container of light various flavored yogurt, 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds, 1/2 cup of light cranberry juice or orange juice 8 to 10 oz. crushed ice and secret weapon.....2 teaspoons (okay...tablespoons) of sugar free choc. syrup. Blend well and serve! This makes two servings, one for each of us. I sip on it all morning at work and so far have found that I don't get too hungry, I might have the almond crunch bar with it, especially if I have ran that morning, or worked out.
Do you think that is too much sugar? I haven't gotten any protein powder as of yet. I have never bought it and I am finding it hard to know what to choose. I wish they came in a smaller container so I could try it out without spending 30 bucks!
On the weightlifting...I do weighted ab crunches, leg extensions, bench presses, lat pull downs. I have pain in knees when I try to do lunges (too many years of running I'm afraid!)
I do think thats too much sugar.... and definitely not enough protein. Its ok to eat fruit in the morning however i would try to balance it with complex carbs and protein. You could add cottage cheese to that smoothie or simply throw in a few scoops of protein powder. I know what you mean about wishing protein powder came in smaller containers... I don't know how many times i've bought protein powder that i didn't care for. However, even though it might not taste the best, it is a convenient form of protein so i drink it even when it doesn't taste the best. I recently saw an add for protein powder with oatmeal in it. Not sure how it tastes or works... I think the oatmeal must be blended up in there? Anyways, that might be a good option?
) And tho' eating plan was disrupted I tried to counter with the running. Having said that... main reason for posting today is that since I have returned from vacation, it has been hard for me to refocus and get back on "the plan". 
) but I do have a weight system at home. It is a two station workout system with bench press, leg press, leg curl. A pulley system with adjustable weights. I just don't have any real "program". I usually do two sets of 15 bench press with about 40 lbs, the same on the leg curls and ab crunches. I just haven't been consistent with it.