What kind of body will I get?

So I'm 5'3, 113ish pounds and I recently started going to the gym. I'm planning on 6 times a week, 30-45 min cardio (warm up and cool down included) on threadmill (running at about 6-7 km/h, with 7-12 incline). On some days I replace some of the running with weight training.

My diet, on the other hand is nothing special. I eat 2 pieces of fruit a day, and usually a huge 2 pound salad, the bread is unrefined rye, and most of the stuff I eat is non-processesed (stuff like eggs, sheep cheese, spreadable cheese, plain yoghurt, chicken breast, tuna,  etc.)...except for the chocolate, and icecreams, which are quite a lot. I'm also a fan of salted pretzels. All that junk takes up maybe a third of my diet?

I get about 2000 calories per day.

Anyways, I was wondering what kind of body will I get in, say, 2 months time, considering I eat so much junk, but I also work out vigorously. My ideal would be toned, lithe muscles, but still soft all around. I'm not into those chizeled physiques AT ALL.

Thanks

Original Post by suzushii:

Anyways, I was wondering what kind of body will I get in, say, 2 months time

Pretty much the same one you have now. 

Is that a joke or is it literal - Meaning there won't be any obvious toning?

Because I highly doubt it, ever since I started my stomach looks better and better. I'm pretty slim now, but my stomach always was distended and flabby. Now, it's getting increasingly firm.

Original Post by suzushii:

Is that a joke or is it literal - Meaning there won't be any obvious toning?

It's literal.

Suzushi, I posted a topic in this forum yesterday, and the replies I got were just as useless as this one. I am not qualifed to advise you on how the routine you have planned may change your body, but it seems that this forum is heavily skewed towards weight-lifters who think that cardio is a waste of time, that everyone should be lifting ten times their body-weight like ants, and who assume that popping muscles and ropey veins are de rigeur. Don't be discouraged!

Original Post by vejitarian:

Suzushi, I posted a topic in this forum yesterday, and the replies I got were just as useless as this one. I am not qualifed to advise you on how the routine you have planned may change your body, but it seems that this forum is heavily skewed towards weight-lifters who think that cardio is a waste of time, that everyone should be lifting ten times their body-weight like ants, and who assume that popping muscles and ropey veins are de rigeur. Don't be discouraged!

 

 ???

No one discouraged the OP and no one knocked her routine.  2 months is too short for body transformation.  The OP needs to drop bodyfat while maintaining muscle mass.  This takes time and will only happen if the diet is clean.

As far as routines go the most effective way to burn fat is to lift weights and do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

People on this forum favour heavy weight lifting because it works, simple as.  Do not assume that peoples responses are useless just because it's not the answer you were expecting.

So why didn't you explain that to her instead of giving one word replies?

It's really discouraging to post here because everyone is so smart and so in the clique about what programme they feel is best. Your fitness goals are different to the OP's, yes? You want the chiselled look she rejects in favour of keeping her curves. So how does heavy weight lifting 'work' for her if her ideals are different?

Sorry if I caused you offence but can you at least acknowledge that your initial replies did not assist the OP in formulating a programme which assists her goals? Maybe I'm a little sensitive because exactly the same thing happened to me and so far four out of four of the regular posters on this forum have turned off two out of two of new posters.

Lets be constructive please!

You say I need to drop body fat.

My body disagrees, any lower and I lose my period. We're talking a few pounds here. Any lower and you can see ribs *between* my A cup boobs. You can already see them above my waist. Which is 24 inches. Trust me, I NEED the body fat I have.

If 2 months is too short, say it's too short. I don't really have a deadline, so, whatever, 4 months, 6 months, a year.

vejitarian - thanks for the reply, it sparked a discussion instead of one-word answers :)

As I said, I'm not an expert, but considering that your diet is a bit unhealthy, you will want to keep some cardio for the sake of your heart health, but I would drop cardio to 2-3 days and rather do pilates, yoga, tai chi or bellydancing for the other days. These activities will tone you but keep your curves ( I've heard belly-dancing is particularly rad for this). Pilates will give you the litheness you desire.  I think you are doing too much running at the moment and probably breaking down muscle tissue before it builds up. I think its a good idea to look at people who do the exercise you are doing competitively and see if its their physique you are after. Do you want to look like a marathon runner? From your description, it doesn't sound like it. So, if you carry on with this regime, you may well look skinnier in two months time, with less boobs lol.

Also if you are this skinny at 2000 calories a day and you are adding exercise, you may need to put some more (healthy) calories in your engine.

I'll explain why I said the bodyfat comment.

The word "Toning" is viewed as a bit of a dirty word in the fitness world because you cannot tone muscle.  Muscles can shrink, stay the same or grow.  That's all.  When people use the word tone, they're normally refering to definition or in other words a lower bodyfat percentage. 

You will have to undertake some form of resistance training in order to reach your goal of showing "a little bit of muscle".  You will also have to make sure you're consuming enough protein to support your muscle mass.

I'm obviously biased towards weight training, but you can also achieve your goal with push ups, chin ups and other bodyweight exercises.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Pretty much the same one you have now. 

+ 1 (this was a good answer.  the poster didn't ask for a routine, why would anyone give her one?)

Original Post by vejitarian:

So why didn't you explain that to her instead of giving one word replies?

It's really discouraging to post here because everyone is so smart and so in the clique about what programme they feel is best. Your fitness goals are different to the OP's, yes? You want the chiselled look she rejects in favour of keeping her curves. So how does heavy weight lifting 'work' for her if her ideals are different?

 It's not about what sort of routine is going to give you what sort of body type. The point is, and why everyone get's frustrated with the same kinds of questions over and over, is that your body type is determined purley by genetics. If she is an apple shape now, she will be an apple shape tomorrow.

What confuses me is what sort of response was she actually looking for here? Like, "Don't worry OP, the junk you are eating will ensure that you do not get too buff like weight lifters ,and the cardio you are doing will ensure you lose weight and get toned and lengthen your muscles. Maybe if you do more crunches though it will define your abs a bit more."

People just need to do a little research before posting is all.

Look, I understand noob questions are annoying. There are some forums where I'm active and people ask the same questions over and over again. But guess what, if I don't feel like answering, I don't. Nobody is forcing anyone to answer so I don't get the "frustration" thing. So I don't get people answering just to tell me how boring my question is, or in cryptic one-liners. If you don't care to answer, for goodness sake don't, maybe someone else will.

I posted because I wanted a reality check. In my noob mind, what I'm doing ain't ideal, but it's something I can sustain without warping my lifestyle to fit a fitness ideal. I mean, my weight is normal, my blood tests are perfect, and I eat just fine 75% of the time, AND I added some cardio 3-4 times a week, plus weight 2 times a week. In my book, that's FINE. My vanity jumped so I assumed I might look even better in the future if I sustain this.

But just in case what I'm doing is somehow counterproductive or useless, I decided to post. The answer I was expecting was something of the following:

- sure, that's not ideal, but it's better then nothing. You won't see anything visible since you're not doing X.

OR

- errr, you're doing too much/too little of this, and on the long run X will do you more damage then good

OR

- you will see maybe some muscle definition in X and Y but not in Z, for that you need R

OR

- you might be doing X wrong, but Y is a good idea, build up on it with Z

OR

- if your ideal is a fit, compact, no bulges but soft all-around body you should do X, Y, Z

OR

whatever

basically, a honest answer with maybe 0.5 cent effort from the person answering.

your question wasn't annoying... it was just very straightforward.  Here it is: "I was wondering what kind of body will I get in, say, 2 months time, considering I eat so much junk, but I also work out vigorously." 

That question kind of begs a one line answer, and (to me at least) it didn't seem like you were asking a question about what you should be doing differently.  Answering questions in enough detail takes time, so it wouldn't be worth it to write out a whole routine for you if you didn't ask for one in the first place.  Please don't hate on us for answering the question you asked and not reading into it in the way you were hoping.

P.S. if your ideal is a fit, compact, no bulges but soft all-around body you should X - eat better, Y - eat better, and Z- trade some cardio for 2-3x per week of a more intense weighlifting program.

You could also get results if you substitute other things for Z, but X and Y should be done.  Especially if you're not 20 years old any more.

I'm coming into this late but here's my perspective - posters who take the time out to reply long, thoughtful, intellegent responses are often ignored.

suzushii, you gave a list of possible responses that people could have given... but honestly, I've seen the reaction that OP's have given to those types of responses. More often than not, this is how an OP will respond:  "Look I wasn't asking for a critique, I just want to know if what I'm doing will work" or "I'm not interested in doing X, which is why I only asked about Y. Learn to read."

Then a new poster will post "Hey, I started lifting soup cans and drinking Crystal Lite and it completely reshaped my body and now I'm a Victoria Secret model"

"Oh thank you, new poster! I'm going to ignore all of the other people who gave me the truth, and embark on your fad exercise routine!"

So.... yeah, as danielle said, sometimes the snappy one-liner comes out first. It isn't personal, we swear.

ps. I wish I were exaggerating, but that's really often what happens. Ok, not the VS model part, but the rest of it.

Hey, cardio is excellent for your lungs and heart, so, I will never dissuade a person from doing it. Not ever. I think you could definitely see some changes if you change your diet. Losing bf is not necessarily losing weight [numbers on scale]. Have that ice cream and chocolate but do it one day a week instead of junk being 25 percent of your daily caloric intake.  That is counterproductive to your fitness goals. If doing cardio is new for you..and you maintain your current diet, you WILL see some fluctuations in your weight but it will be temporary. Once your body gets use to the routine, your diet will basically sabotage all the work you are putting into working out.

As far as wanting to see 'little muscle/definition''...this will be achieved through strength/weight training. I would make this at least 2 of the days of the week you attend the gym. As someone else posted, you could also do bodyweight exercises such as push ups, planks [which are EXCELLENT for strength and your core], pull ups, dips off a bench or chair, etc.  But, it honestly ALL boils down to your diet. If you do not eat enough protein, those ''little muscles'' that you want will never develop bc you hard work will literally work them away [tear them apart].

Best of luck to ya!

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Then a new poster will post "Hey, I started lifting soup cans and drinking Crystal Lite and it completely reshaped my body and now I'm a Victoria Secret model"

 That is a real diet for many models. They lift soup cans [but never do they dare open and eat the contents since all they consume all day long is Crystal Lite....Oh, ok...may be some crystal meth too]. ;) ;) ;)

Then a new poster will post "Hey, I started lifting soup cans and drinking Crystal Lite and it completely reshaped my body and now I'm a Victoria Secret model"

"Oh thank you, new poster! I'm going to ignore all of the other people who gave me the truth, and embark on your fad exercise routine!" 

Lol, well said.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

I'm coming into this late but here's my perspective - posters who take the time out to reply long, thoughtful, intellegent responses are often ignored.

suzushii, you gave a list of possible responses that people could have given... but honestly, I've seen the reaction that OP's have given to those types of responses. More often than not, this is how an OP will respond:  "Look I wasn't asking for a critique, I just want to know if what I'm doing will work" or "I'm not interested in doing X, which is why I only asked about Y. Learn to read."

Then a new poster will post "Hey, I started lifting soup cans and drinking Crystal Lite and it completely reshaped my body and now I'm a Victoria Secret model"

"Oh thank you, new poster! I'm going to ignore all of the other people who gave me the truth, and embark on your fad exercise routine!"

So.... yeah, as danielle said, sometimes the snappy one-liner comes out first. It isn't personal, we swear.

ps. I wish I were exaggerating, but that's really often what happens. Ok, not the VS model part, but the rest of it.

LOL, I know exactly what you mean (with people reacting like that).

So I guess it's true that the diet thing is undoing the advantages of exercise *reluctantly puts down the pretzels*. My question would be - I still need all those calories, and I have no idea what to use them for? I usually eat 500 calories per meal, and that gets me to 1500. I was maintaining at 1700 while doing no exercise and sitting in bed reading. So with exercise I need at least 2000.

What do I eat for the rest of the calories? More fruit? More vegetables? More protein? If I eat more vegetables I get bloated (like I said I usually eat 2-3 tomatoes, 2-3 cucumbers, and 1-2 peppers, and an onion daily, plus one head of salad). Protein - I'm struggling enough as it is to get enough, it's so EXPENSIVE.  I guess fruit?

Protein powder helps, although i haven't priced it out compared to chicken... one barrel is expensive, but lasts a long time, plus, doesn't add a lot of bulk (and if you get the chocolate, it can double as a chocolate fix).

But real protein is always better - look for sales on chicken and buy as much as will fit in your freezer (we wait til the store has a sale, and get it at over 50% off).

Nuts are a good fat, and you only need a few to add in the extra calories. If you aren't already, cook your food in olive oil, and get some extra calories there.