Posts by maryg2

If the class you plan on attending is a cardio-type class rather than a weight lifting class, I have read that doing cardio on an empty stomach is a more effective way of burning fat.  However, if you are strength training, your body will need food (carbs) to sustain the training.   Some recommend cardio in the morning on an empty stomach and weight training in the afternoon after having something to eat.

I have done early morning cardio on an empty stomach and found it tolerable, but everyone is different.  Try it out and see how you feel.   If you are lifting weights, I would suggest eating something about an hour or two before working out.

Yeah, I would suggest you stay within a deficit of 500 to 1000 to be safe, depending on how quickly you want to lose the weight (which is usually "real fast" LOL!).  You can go below 500 but that just means that you will lose at a slower rate rather than 1 lb per week.  But definitely do not go over the 1000 deficit because your body will start to rebel against you, which is totally what you do not want.

Yes, depending on how much you burn, your intake can fluctuate.  If you natrually burn 1900 and burn 800 calories working out, you're at a total burn rate of 2700.  You should at least eat 1700 calories that day so you don't go past the 1000 deficit.  Just make sure it's all good food - lean proteins, fruits, veggies, whole grains etc...

Also, as you get slimmer and leaner, your natural burn rate will go down.

Thanks so much Melkor!!

Okay, I'll keep chugging along to my goal of 13% bodyfat.  I am currently at 15%, 111lbs.  Not so worried about the weight at the moment because I am trying to lean out and lose the remaining 2% bodyfat while maintaining muscle. 

When I'm ready to bulk up I'll come back to bug ya!!!  Thanks again 

Maryg

Melkor, just so I'm understanding this, if I am close to my target weight and I want to start to gain muscle mass, I have to stop eating at a caloric deficit? 

If that's right, how what and how much more should I eat calorie-wise to gain mass (I'm 35 yo a female, 5'1", 111 lbs)?

I'm close to my target weight now with a little more bodyfat to lose, but I want to tone and increase muscle.  Should I stop eating at a deficit?  If I do this, won't I gain all of the fat again?

Besides the bloating, I always become insanely hungry and want to eat and snack on everything in sight.  I hate it because the cravings are so much harder to control around that time..... 

Hi all,

I have a BEING SHORT rant too!! I'm female, 35 years old, only 5'1", 113lbs, 18% bodyfat.  My daily burn rate without working out is only 1500 calories per day.  If I minus the required 500 calories on that, it leaves me a measily 1,000 calories per day to sustain life!!! 

If I work out, my burn rate goes up to 1800, but even with that amount on my workout days, I can only consume 1,300 calories when I go to the gym (which is about 6 days per week for about an hour - 25 mins on elliptical/35 mins weight training).  It is hard for me to workout much longer than that during the week because of commitments at work and home.

How do you other shorties do this?  I feel like I cannot eat anything with the 500 deficit required to lose 1 lb per week.  So I have had to spread out my weight loss to 1 lbs per week and a half to two weeks.

It is beyond frustrating!!  Am I doing something wrong or calculating my intake incorrectly?

Hi there,

Can you guys tell me what you do at the gym to burn 1000 to 1900 calories?  I do 25 mins of vigorous elliptical and 35 mins of weight training, but that only adds up to about 400 to 500 calories. Are you guys working out for hours a day?  Just wondering if I should do something different at the gym.

Thanks!