Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

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intvenus
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Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by intvenus »

Hi all! Glad to be here, hope to hear some advise from you.

I am 33 y.o. female. I used to follow Body Pump and Body Combat classes and saw some results before stopped due to appendix surgery. Few years later I was 65kg and hit the gym again with trainers, 60 minutes (outside the cardio) session, 1x a week. There was slow result with one trainer but I felt slimmer. Another trainer focused on heavy weights, result was fast (on abs and thigh) but friends said I looked bulkier! I was still weighed 64kg. Then I went for another abdominal surgery. A trainer helped me on a short core training to build up strength post-surgery, but it didn't help to shape up.

Post the recent surgery, I was 63kg and was on an anti-hormone injection for 6 months. The weight was maintained until after the injection stopped, it boosted up to 72 kg in 7 months! I tried some diet, cut down sugar and salt, take fruits and veggie, avoid starch and rice, and prepare the meals myself. It didn't shed a bit! I decided to hit back gym, set a progressive goal of 0.5kg loss each week, combined with sensible eating. It's been 2 weeks where I exercise 3x a week. I did cardio for 30 minutes on each session, 1x class (Body Pump) in a week or muscle training with machine. No budget spent for trainer but the gym subscription comes with classes. I dislike running so I used elliptical trainer. While I feel the fitness level increased, to shock, the weight remains! I know it's not accurate to base on weight but I want to return to at least 63kg!

What could go wrong with it? When I was with a trainer, they only advised to eat sensibly (e.g. no fried food, no processed food, etc) and I still see the result (although the arms were bulky). Everyday I leave home at 7:30am, leave office at 6-6:30pm, finish exercise at 9pm. There was no time to cook. If I eat before exercise I'll get tummy cramp, so I took light meal outside after exercise. I take protein shake after training, sleep around 11pm for 7 hours.

Need some advise on what training plan I should follow. Thanks in advance!
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Boss Man
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by Boss Man »

Hi Sherly good to speak with you.

Firstly I'd like to say that I'm proud of you for being able to recant all that stuff, as I appreciate it must have been difficult to some extent to do so, but you should be proud of being able to speak of such difficult things and it does you no end of credit :).

Secondly I'd like to say that sometimes the body composition of people can appear to be static, due to a few factors.

Some people eat better food but in insubstantial portions, causing a "starvation mode" where the body hangs onto fat. Think 1,200 calories a day versus 2,000 and you might get the idea :).

Also some people actually gain muscle and 1lb of muscle burns an extra 45-50 calories a day, but because the fat is being replaced by muscle, the weight of the person can remain pretty much static, but the body composition does actually get better.

I'd like to ask a few questions at this point.

1. Are you planning to use a gym?

2. What times do you eat at and what foods do you eat at those times?
intvenus
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by intvenus »

Hi Boss Man, thanks for the compliment :D I'm a detailed person and now I'm so much motivated to get back at where I was. I was not skinny but only when comparing the photo now and then that I realize size now is no joke.

To answer your questions:
1. Yes, I'm currently on gym membership. I've been using gym regularly 3x a week, 1-1.5 hrs each.

2. meal time:
7am: 1-2 cups of water upon waking up + 1 cup of warm lemon water. If I have time, I made green apple or tomato smoothies with 1 spoonful of ground sesame seed or flax seed (without milk)

9am: 2 hardboiled eggs and a slice of toasted bread on it's own or using olive oil, 1 serving of fruit.

12:30pm: lunch (2 serving of vegetables + 1 serving of meat + rice). I live in Asia country and most foods are either noodle or rice-based. The best variety I can get is a mix of boiled vegetables and fish cakes, without rice.

8pm: dinner (I usually cook fish or chicken or pork: steamed, boiled or grilled, with boiled or sauteed vegetable). If I go to gym, I dine out around 9-9:30pm after the exercise.

After exercise, I take whey protein mix with water.
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Boss Man
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by Boss Man »

intvenus wrote:
I've been using gym regularly 3x a week, 1-1.5 hrs each.

(Are you currently doing a weights routine defined by one of the instructors, as I don't want to contradict anyone if I post something)

2. meal time:
7am: 1-2 cups of water upon waking up + 1 cup of warm lemon water. If I have time, I made green apple or tomato smoothies with 1 spoonful of ground sesame seed or flax seed (without milk)

(The smoothies would be a good inclusion every day.)

9am: 2 hardboiled eggs and a slice of toasted bread on it's own or using olive oil, 1 serving of fruit.

(I'd eat the fruit first to give it more time to digest better then around 15 minutes later, consume the rest of the meal. I'd also scramble the eggs as then you can add olive oil to the eggs to bolster up the calories, as the calorie intake from that meal could be somewhat on the low side, especially as large eggs are around 72 calories a slice of bread is roughly 70 calories, but cooking and heating reduces the carbs and fat is food, so you'd potentially have less than 215 approximate calories anyway, but you would be wise to have something like a large banana, an apple, a portion of watermelon, or a small to medium pear would help to boost the calories up, as berries and things like tangerines, satsumas, tangelos etc, are low calorie.)

12:30pm: lunch (2 serving of vegetables + 1 serving of meat + rice). I live in Asia country and most foods are either noodle or rice-based. The best variety I can get is a mix of boiled vegetables and fish cakes, without rice.

(That's good)

(I'd have another meal inbetween here, because you're going for around 8 hours with food and the body might think it's being starved, so another meal around 4PM would be good, with some kind of flesh in it and the you could have a vegetable source or two.)

8pm: dinner (I usually cook fish or chicken or pork: steamed, boiled or grilled, with boiled or sauteed vegetable). If I go to gym, I dine out around 9-9:30pm after the exercise.

After exercise, I take whey protein mix with water.

(Good choices on the food and the shake)
intvenus
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by intvenus »

Boss Man wrote: (Are you currently doing a weights routine defined by one of the instructors, as I don't want to contradict anyone if I post something)
I'm not doing any training with instructors, so I would be glad to hear your advise.
(The smoothies would be a good inclusion every day.)
Thanks, Boss Man.

Got it on the smoothies.
This morning I tried frozen banana+chocolate whey protein+sesame seed powder because last night I did a 1-hr body pump class, so I think I need some energy boost. It's super delicious! Hope it didn't contribute much on the calorie-gain :D
(I'd eat the fruit first to give it more time to digest better then around 15 minutes later, consume the rest of the meal. I'd also scramble the eggs as then you can add olive oil to the eggs to bolster up the calories, as the calorie intake from that meal could be somewhat on the low side, especially as large eggs are around 72 calories a slice of bread is roughly 70 calories, but cooking and heating reduces the carbs and fat is food, so you'd potentially have less than 215 approximate calories anyway, but you would be wise to have something like a large banana, an apple, a portion of watermelon, or a small to medium pear would help to boost the calories up, as berries and things like tangerines, satsumas, tangelos etc, are low calorie.)
Noted, I'll take the fruit before the meal. But is it OK to take bread for breakfast? Actually I'd prefer eat normally rather than the low-carb one. Few years ago when I trained under a trainer, I experienced non-stop hunger, then he said it's because body need energy. So I'd rather eat sensibly and work out more.

Is it good to take smoothies 2 hrs before workout? Should I take whey protein before workout too?
I'm thinking on getting a portable blender to make smoothies at office.
(I'd have another meal inbetween here, because you're going for around 8 hours with food and the body might think it's being starved, so another meal around 4PM would be good, with some kind of flesh in it and the you could have a vegetable source or two.)
I'm thinking PB with cucumber or banana or apple slice. Will it be enough? Fruit alone can't hold the hunger, so sometimes I also take 2 pcs of biscuit.
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Boss Man
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by Boss Man »

In relation to the last thing you asked, add a protein source so things like peanuts, low fat cheese, flax seeds, some sort of flesh product etc, but remember that owing to the peanuts, low fat cheese and flax seeds having carbs in them, you might want to be a little more conscious of what carb source(s), you add in with them.

I'd use the whey protein after the workout, but I'd keep the smoothies, to 30-90 minutes before a workout, just because if you have one too far in front of a workout, you might find the energy supply you would get might start waning or tapering off before you finish working out, so at least 30 minutes closer to the workout should alleviate this, especially as you'll probably be having more than enough carbs to last through the workout without needing to consume something immediately before the workout, so a time frame of 30-90 minutes beforehand should be fine.

Bread should be fine for breakfast but you might want to limit it to one slice when using other options to create a breakfast.

As for a workout, this should work fine for you.

Squats, 2 sets 10 reps

Lunges, 2 sets 10 reps

Deadlifts, 2 sets 10 reps

Bent over Rows, 2 sets 10 reps

Bench press, 2 sets 10 reps

Shrugs, 2 sets 10 reps

Planks 30-45 seconds

In relation to the weight used, you would use the smallest barbell you can on the squats, rows and deadlifts, then you use the second smallest dumbbells on the lunges and bench press and the smallest on shrugs.

Every couple of weeks you could increase the weight a bit and the planks could be increased by 5 seconds a week.

You can include cardio if you wish, but you only need 2 sessions a week at 30 minutes, of stuff like HIIT and interval.

The schedule would look something like this.

Day 1. Weights

Day 2. Cardio

Day 3. Weights

Day 4. Day off

Day 5. Cardio

Day 6. Weights

Day 7. Day off

Splitting the off days stops you doing nothing for 2 consecutive days and then training consecutively for 5 days, which I feel would a better way to utilise rest days.

Hopefully everything I said makes sense :).
intvenus
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by intvenus »

Hi Boss Man,

Sorry for the late reply.
Thanks so much for the arrangement, I will try it tomorrow when coming to gym. However one question, as the cardio and weight trainings are in different days, does it mean on the cardio day I only need to do cardio and vice versa? I thought that cardio and weight have to be done subsequently and next day will be rest day.

Recently I love to go extra cardio at StairsMaster (StepMill). A trainer told me that it's trainer's favorite machine for fat burn/weight loss. Indeed in only 10 minutes I was soaking in sweat.

On top of that, I do body pump class 1-2x a week (1 hr session). The first session made me sweating and completely sore, but after few classes, I no longer sweat that much and no muscle sore the next day. Does it mean I'm not burning enough? Can I rely on the sweat as a measure on how effective workout is?
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Boss Man
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by Boss Man »

The fact you were sweating less is not down to efficiency of workouts, unless you were doing less, it's more than likely I think, that its down to your body becoming more accustomed to the workout and coping better and it could also partly be down to something like the temperature in the room.

As for cardio and weights, this is the order of merit regarding both.

Weights one day, cardio on a different day.

Weights one day, cardio later in the day.

Weights followed by cardio

Cardio followed by weights

These are ranked from best option to least option.
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lockheart.1989
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Re: Newbie here, need help for shedding the stubborn weight

Post by lockheart.1989 »

intvenus wrote:I used to follow Body Pump and Body Combat classes and saw some results...
I loved Body Pump and Combat classes <3 However, some time ago I was doing them all the time but wasn't seeing a lot of results. I mean, I had more endurance, etc but wasn't losing that much far or getting muscles.

They recommended to start changing eating habits to have way more proteins and also not to do that much cardio, but starting with more weight lifting excercises, and results were great! This post is from a few months ago, but I'd be happy to share with you some of the routines I got at the time.

xx
Tifa
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