DangereuX posted:

Herxmurder...i wonder if you can help me. im 20 yrs old, 5'5" at 150 lbs. i have NO muscle mass because ive never continuously went to the gym to build anything, or played any kind of sport or been any type of an athlete. i want to lose down to 125-130, where every BMI calculator in the world says i should be for my stats.

since you're a girl, maybe you have more insight to what i should be doing for maximum weight loss, because i have no clue what to do.

can you help me out?

First, go get this book Making The Cut

It is based on circuit training and you will achieve great defined muscle/strength/endurance/fat loss.

Secondly, you need to be patient loosing weight. So I am going to put that right out there right away. It takes you months to years to put on weight, so its not going to magically disappear over the course of one month. Follow the book for one month like it says. Then, repeat the whole cycle but increase weights. Then when you are done doing that, do it again by increasing weights and doing each circuit twice. After, those 3 months are done, you can fall into your own written schedule. Bodybuilding.com in the women's section has great plans or will help you make one to fit your needs/goals.

Here is something, I did, that you can follow after you complete your first 3 months on Making the Cut:

Cardio:
3 x 20-30min of Cardio every week: You can choose whatever cardio you want to do... but to stay lean you need to do at least 3 days of pretty intense cardio. Running/cycling is always good for the problem areas such as upper thighs, butt, and lower abs. Start slow and gradually move up to 20 minutes, 25 minutes, then 30-45+ minutes.

Weights:
3 x 30min of weight lifting a week: Start with high repetitions and low/medium weight. You should increase the weight whenever the exercise is getting easier... about every 2-3 weeks. For example, I do 5 sets of 12 working all my major muscle groups, this takes about 45mins. You should do cardio say on Monday, then weights Tuesday, then cardio again Wednesday and so on. It has to be every other day for each type of exercise to allow your muscles to repair properly and efficiently.

*Note: Combination of cardio and weights promotes the fastest weight loss results. Add in good eating, and you will be fit in no time.

Tear Down Process:
In all cases, exercise essentially tears down old, less adapted muscle in order to rebuild more functional muscle. While the remodeling process is much more complex than I can describe here, it's important for me to emphasize that this remodeling only takes place if the muscle is provided the right raw materials. In particular, during the exercise bout and immediately following it, exercise breaks down our muscle carbohydrate stores and our muscle protein structures. Then, the immune system comes in to clean up the mess.

And finally, signals are generated to tell the body to rebuild. However, as I hope you can now see, without the proper protein and carbohydrate raw materials, this building can't take place. You'll be left with muscles that never reach their potential. So this is why right after your down working out, to drink a protein shake or eat a banana to replenish depleted glucose wait a bit then eat your meal, which in turn will lead to quicker recovery. But remember you have to deal with a "window of opportunity" after your workout. You NEED to eat something that will quickly absorb before 60 minutes is up, otherwise, you will take slower at the recovery process. Basically, if you don't replenish glycogen rapidly, your performance will suffer next time you train and you may even lose some muscle along the way..

Nutrition:
Do not fall into the trap of fad diets that cut out "carbs" or "fats". You need to eat everything, just remember everything in moderation. Each food group has a specific function in your body, so cutting anything out completely will affect you negatively and actually slow you down in the long run of reaching your goal. The best way to speed up your metabolism is to eat 5-6 small meals a day every 2-3 hours. Think the size of the palm of your hand. Not only will this keep you satisfied and happy, but it will keep your blood sugar levels stable and you will not experience energy dips.

Organic foods, which mean foods that are not processed and in their most natural state is the best you can possibly eat. The more processed a food is, the worse it is for your health. You also need to be aware of saturated/hydrogenated fat and unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats). Saturated fats need to be eaten in moderation while hydrogenated/Trans fats need to be avoided all together. Hydrogenated/trans fats take healthy unsaturated fats and basically chemically alter them, which is the unhealthiest of all of them. The best to consume are unsaturated fats and low amounts of saturated fats, but with everything, moderation is key.

If you are one to starve yourself, thinking it's the only way to loose weight, yea your going to eventually lose weight but what you don't realize is that your not loosing fat, your loosing muscle. What happens is when the body is starved of vital nutrients it sets a full attack on your muscles, using it for fuel for your body and hordes every fat cell it has because it is in starvation mode. So the end result? A sack of bones, skin and FAT; hence why anorexic women are thin but flabby and un-toned looking.

Recovery:
This is very important to gaining muscle and losing fat on your body. You need to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night, no more no less. Active rest, don't let the word rest fool you here; this actually refers to using light activity to hasten recovery, most notably your cool-down period. By taking 10-20 minutes after working out to do some light aerobic activity and stretch you help to boost your recovery immediately. Consider this - 10 minutes of light jogging (no more than 60% of estimated max heart rate) will help remove around 60% of the lactic acid built up in your muscles, another 10 minutes will clear out an additional 25%.

Massage can be used to help speed recovery between sets as well as between training sessions. It is used to increase blood circulation, reduce muscular fatigue, lower excessive swelling, stretch muscle adhesions and knots and increase lymphatic circulation. Trainees should seek a massage at least once every few weeks.

Protein breakdown (protein catabolism), happens when you sleep. Think of your body fasting for 7-8 hours while you sleep which means it hacks into your muscles a bit for energy. Because of this many serious athletes wake up in the middle of the night to eat protein/carb rich snacks like cottage cheese and an apple to prevent muscle break down. You can avoid this by simply eating cottage cheese/apple 30 mins before you go to bed and eat immediately when you wake up in the morning.

Know:
It takes time to get rid of year's worth of fat. To gain weight, in essence you have to work at it, and it's gradual. So too will be losing weight. No over night miracles, sorry be realistic. And no amount of fad diets or diet cure all pills will make you lose weight any faster. So don't get caught up in the hype

Unlike macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, alcohol supplies what nutritionists often refer to as empty calories: calories without nutrition. To make matters worse, it is the first fuel to be used when combined with carbohydrates, fats and proteins, postponing the fat-burning process and contributing to greater fat storage.

Here's the problem with all alcoholic beverages, and the reason I recommend refraining from alcohol consumption on the diet. Alcohol, whenever taken in, is the first fuel to burn. While that's going on, your body will not burn fat. This does not stop the weight loss, it simply postpones it, since the alcohol does not store as glycogen.

If you must drink alcohol, wine and champange is an acceptable. If wine does not suit your taste, straight liquor such as scotch, rye, vodka, whiskey and gin would be appropriate, as long as the mixer is sugarless; this means no juice. Sugarless natural juices, tonic water, diet soda, and seltzer are appropriate.

Alcoholic drinks also contain calories from other sources, which add to overall caloric intake. Certain cocktails, for example, contain fats. Beer has high carbohydrate content. Although the affects these various calorie types have on the body are different - carbohydrates release insulin, which can hasten fat storage, while fats will be stored directly in the fat cells - the overall result is added body fat.

While drinking, people usually will not stop to consider the impact alcohol is having on their bodies; such is alcohol's affect on loosening the inhibitions. The result of this relaxed thinking could mean more calories consumed and extra body fat gains. Those drinking might also eat more of the wrong kinds of food, without thinking of the consequences.
Testosterone, which has a powerful fat loss effect, is reduced whenever alcohol is consumed, thus halting its full potential as a fat burner. Also, testosterone as an anabolic hormone, contributes to gains in lean muscle mass. Lowered testosterone means fewer muscle gains, and less muscle means a lowered metabolic rate.

Drink in moderation and when you do, try to pick the best options. I will only allow myself 1-3 drinks a month, and sometimes I do not even drink for months on end. Because one drink consumed will impact althete proformance for up to 25-48 hours. Don't believe me? Drink a few drinks, then wake up early and go to the gym the next morning, your power/endurance won't be what it should/or could be. Not only that, but your strength, reaction time, hand/eye coordination, temperature will decrease and you will experience an increase fatigue.

Weight also fluctuates on a daily basis. So if you ever lose ten pounds, and one day you look at the scale and it says you have gained 5 pounds do not freak out. You can hold up to 5-10 pounds in water weight. That is why is it very important to drink water all day to flush this out so you can get an accurate reading on the scale. Always weigh yourself in the morning after you go to the bathroom. Best way to see how your weight progess is going is to mark it down in a daily journal. Whatever weight seems to be constant, i.e 123,127,126,123,123,124,123....would be 123, is the weight you are at. As long as you are sticking to the plan, a little weight gain one day that goes back down the next is just water weight. And remember, the more muscle you build, you will weigh more. Muscle is heavier than fat. Don't rely on the scale, instead use it as a mere guide and rely on the mirror to what looks healthiest. This is also why "diet pills" and "miracle pills" do make you lose 12 pounds in one week. Becuase all that $50 bottle full of pills is doing is flushing out excess water. May as well just drink water and save the $50 for something nice. Oh, the trickery.

Herxmurder:

omfg. thanks! that was just what i needed. my bf was in the army and trained people, and he's been trying to tell me what to do, but it just didnt feel right. maybe i just needed a girl's perspective.

this all gets printed now. thanks so much for the info. its more than i needed, and awesome.

thanks so much again!

i ordered Making the Cut this a.m. gonna put it to goo duse once it gets here.

and again, thanks so much for the advice and info!

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 04:15PM by jd84.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2012 04:15PM by jd84.