Does this make sense?

I'm ten lbs above my goal weight and I've plateaued for a month. I'm 5-0, 125 lbs, 39 yo. My goal was/is 115. My weight is just within the healthy BMI range.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my current size/physique. I'd like a little more chub to come off my belly and would like a little more toning all over. I started at 158 in January and have felt so much better ever since.

Here's the deal: to keep a 500 cal deficit I would either have to dip below 1200 cals daily or I would have to really increase my activity, which is already 30 mins+ daily. Plus, I'm a mom of 4 and I'm busy with home/yard activities also. Both options aren't very appealing to me right now. And, obviously, calorie reduction isn't working for me right now.

So.....

I'm pretty resolved to start eating at my goal weight maintenance for light activity which is 1540. I think this would cause very gradual weight loss and allow me to focus less on deficit so I can tone more.

Any thoughts on this approach? Does it make sense? OR

Do you think I should maintain for my current weight for a week, let my metabolism bounce back, then try for weight loss again at the minimum cal of 1200?

TIA for any ideas/opinions.

tomatotomata:  I would definitely not drop below 1500 calories a day.  I would think that with 30 minute workouts here and there and raising 4 children, you are getting plenty of exercise.  I do think the pounds will come off surely, even if slowly.  I am strongly recommending that you do not go down to 1200 or even 1300 calories.

To get your metabolism bounced back, try drinking around a 20 oz glass of water first thing in the morning.  Then eat a healthy, high-in-protein breakfast.  Also, eat a series of meals---5 to 7 throughout the day, combining your protein, healthy carbs, and the right fats.  You can eat one good breakfast and 5 more additional small meals/snacks (nuts--fruit--vegetables--lean meat or fish--beans--whole grain pasta or bread, etc) and still stay within 1500-1600 calories.

Thanks for the response.

It has occurred to me that I may have been creating too large a deficit.  As a mom, the things I do are so random and not easily plugged into a calorie burn formula, kwim?

Wouldn't it be great if the 1500-1600 range was perfect to eke out my last 10lbs AND it was a good transition to maintenance?

Do you think I can tone/strength train on this amount?

Yes!I am guessing the difficult thing would be for you to find time and maybe the space to do a bit of weight training, such as lifting small dumbbells 10 minutes 3 times a week, or that sort of thing.  But, yes, staying active and getting in a few 30 minute workouts a week will definitely help tone.  If you had the time and place to say walk at a nice clip for 30 minutes carrying/swinging 1 and 1/2 pound dumbbells up to 3 pound dumbbells, if you were ready for that, will definitely give you a good 30 minute workout and help tone both arms and legs.  But just staying active, eating healthy, etc. will eventually tone you and help you lose a few pounds.

Walking and running outside the home is a problem for me. My 4yo balks at a stroller and is too slow otherwise. Not impossible, I do take walks here and there.

I have a stationary bike I use frequently. In fact, it's my favorite workout. When I remember, I'll take a 5lb weight and do bicep curls, tricep kickbacks and generally just twist my torso, etc.

I read recently (dang, I can't remember where!) that a really effective HIIT is to alternate a low pace for 12 seconds  and "sprint" on your stat bike for 8 seconds for a total of 20 mins. I use a low of 40-ish rpms and peg out the dial for my "sprint".

I hope this would be a good equivalent for your suggestion.

Really, thanks so much for your advice. I think I really needed confirmation that it's time to switch gears. :)

tomatotomata:  Yes, that would be a great way to ride the bike.  I tried a similar thing, but I didn't have the mental toughness to do it.  So, instead, I often will ride my stationary bike (while I have my earphones plugged into the TV) for 30 minutes, wearing a Polar wrist/chest heart monitor and keep my heart rate around 145.  That workout really makes me sweat, but I just wasn't tough enough to do the low pace-sprint pace workout.  Walking with a slow-pace, sprint-pace is also suppose to be very beneficial, but, again, it just is too difficult for me to follow through with doing it.  I can walk fast if I choose to wear the Polar, but there is something about the "interval" method that works against my will.

As far as my 20 minute weight workouts go, on one day I do just a variety of bicep exercises and on the alternating day I do tricep curls (including kickbacks) and hand-grips.  I have found that just doing those 3 weight workouts also have helped tone my back, shoulders, chest, and abs.

If I were in your shoes, within a healthy BMI range and pretty happy with my physique, I would go to maintenance at your goal weight.  You might gradually drop down, but even if you don't, it will give you a break from "dieting" and let you learn how you will be eating for the rest of your life.  Later, if you really feel motivated to get down to a lower weight, you can drop your calories for the last few pounds.  Also, if you find that maintenance calories for your goal weight is too restrictive, and that you constantly yearn for a little more food, it might be a sign that your body isn't really meant to be at that weight, and you could bump up to mainteance for your current weight.

Original Post by tomatotomata:

Walking and running outside the home is a problem for me. My 4yo balks at a stroller and is too slow otherwise. Not impossible, I do take walks here and there.

I have a stationary bike I use frequently. In fact, it's my favorite workout. When I remember, I'll take a 5lb weight and do bicep curls, tricep kickbacks and generally just twist my torso, etc.

I read recently (dang, I can't remember where!) that a really effective HIIT is to alternate a low pace for 12 seconds  and "sprint" on your stat bike for 8 seconds for a total of 20 mins. I use a low of 40-ish rpms and peg out the dial for my "sprint".

I hope this would be a good equivalent for your suggestion.

Really, thanks so much for your advice. I think I really needed confirmation that it's time to switch gears. :)

Vyperman is on the forums and he's like the poster boy/lead PR manager for HIIT.  A "real" HIIT workout according to him (this applies to bike, elliptical, running) is warm-up 5 min to about 50% of your full potential, 15-30 sec sprint at 90-100% your full potential, recover 60-90 sec at 40-60% of your full potential, alternate for 15 - 20 min, 5 min cool down.   If done right you should feel like you're going to die...or so I've read.  It sounds like you've got the effort down, but if you can really max out the dial with only a 12 sec recovery I'm not sure that's enough.  I'm sure you could PM vyperman and ask him.

At the beginning of the workout, it seems too easy. By the end, I'm drenched in sweat and feeling like I'm gonna die. The point is to to not allow your body to stablilize. I think this does that. Of course, I'm open to suggestions. In the  "workout center" here, there is an interval plan that can be applied to the stat bike. I did that for a while, but my bike is old and can't be programmed in any way so it's easier to alternate the way I have been. Plus, when I do steady-state, I tend to watch the timer. Now, I just mentally count out eights and twelves and the time goes fast.

On a HAPPY note:  Monday I ate at current weight maintenance. Tuesday and yesterday I ate at goal weight maintenance. This morning I had dropped 2lbs!

This tells me 2 things: 1)I was eating too low for my activity level before, even though I was eating what was recommended. 2) I should be able to maintain at more than the calorie level recommended (yay!) 

Original Post by tomatotomata:

Walking and running outside the home is a problem for me. My 4yo balks at a stroller and is too slow otherwise. Not impossible, I do take walks here and there.

 

 

 I don't know if this is possible where you live but I've seen people in the park and in my neighborhood running while their kids bicycle beside them.  They both get beneficial exercise, plus you get a built in cheerleader.  I learned to ride a bike with training wheels when I was 4, it's about the right age.  It sounds like you have a great routine that you love but this might be a fun change of pace for you both.

Keep up the great work!

Karen

Change up your routine or the intensity of your routine if you can't add more time.  Your body may be getting to use to your workout routine, so you aren't placing any stress on your muscles to change.  Do intervals - for example, if you use the treadmill, walk 2 minutes, run your hardest for 1 minute - repeat for 20 to 30 minutes...or change incline to get your heart really pumping on the 1 minute high intensity portions.  You are probably like me and right at where your body is comfortable - I'm 5'1" @ 121 lbs.  I have a lot of muscle but I'm at 20% body fat.  I want to drop to 14 to 15%, which would put me at my goal weight of about 115.  I have been pretty much this weight - with a flux of 2 to 3 pounds - FOREVER, even after having two kids. (which by the way, I don't know how you find time for anything with four - good job!)    I found that when I increase the  intensity of my workouts or include interval training that it helps me to push that plateau, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the consistency of my diet that keeps me from busting through that plateau completely.  I know that I will not lose that soft overlay of fat if I don't keep my carbs below 50% of my consumption. With my body time (I'm an X frame), I need at least 40% protein, 40% carb, and 20 % fat ---  when I eat like that for a couple of weeks, I begin to notice a difference,  but when I start to get out of my body's weight comfort zone, I start to get cravings like MAD!  I'm sure this is my body's way of fighting the loss of fat, but if I could get the willpower to overcome it, I'm 99% positive, the rest of what I want to lose will come off.  It just takes a lot of planning to eat that much protein and that little in fat and carbs, and like you, with two kids and a stepdaughter, a career, husband and home, I usually come last.   I started with a  personal trainer just recently, and she told me after she assessed me on the first visit that the remainder of what I wanted to lose would all come from changes in my diet and cardio.   I also had a body builder tell me that a couple of years ago - his suggestion was supplementing with the lower calorie protein drinks.  His wife was built similarly to me but leaner and she had upped her protein and dropped her carb and fat intake to compensate for the increased protein.  I'm not a proponent of the Atkins, so that's not the kind of upping the protein that I am talking about.    I just started up on Muscle Milk Light, using both the premixed  and the powder because the premixed gets expensive!   If I get some good tips on my next training session (next Saturday) I'd be glad to share.  Good luck and let me know if you are able to start breaking  that barrier and how your body reacts to it.          

Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate it.

I upped my cals to between 1500-1600, lost 2 lbs, and now I'm at 123. It's so nice to be able to compare to someone with similar stats. Before kids, 115 was my highest weight (now it's my goal weight also) but I was very comfortable with it. I had been underweight much of my childhood. Not voluntarily. I think that's why it took me this long to really try to do something about the "baby fat".

I checked your pics for comparison. Dang, girl!! You look great. I doubt I'll ever look that good but it's nice to know what's possible. I definitely have more tone now than in the pics I have in my gallery (I think 131 is my most current full shot). I really need to update.

I have to admit, I get bored easily with exercising so I'm always switching up. I'm starting today on Denise Austin's 12 in 12---12 exercise in 12 minutes, with a new workout every day of the week. I also got the The Firm for Abs. That's my weakest area, pregnancy did a number on me!

What you said about 40/40/20--I could so do that!  Protein is what I seem to crave the most and I know I need more to fuel my workouts.

Out of curiosity,what are your workouts like? How often? What is your calorie intake? I really struggle with calore intake because I feel that most calculators are geared for much larger people, kwim? Also, I'd love for you to pass on any tips you get from your trainer.

Original Post by kcburk:

Original Post by tomatotomata:

Walking and running outside the home is a problem for me. My 4yo balks at a stroller and is too slow otherwise. Not impossible, I do take walks here and there.

 

 

 I don't know if this is possible where you live but I've seen people in the park and in my neighborhood running while their kids bicycle beside them.  They both get beneficial exercise, plus you get a built in cheerleader.  I learned to ride a bike with training wheels when I was 4, it's about the right age.  It sounds like you have a great routine that you love but this might be a fun change of pace for you both.

Keep up the great work!

Karen

 There's a lady in my area who runs while her little guy rides. I'm torn between respecting her and cringeing whenever a car comes near. There is a bicycle trail I could drive to... thanks for the thought.

Hey tomatotomata ;)

I take in anywhere from 1200 to 1800 calories a day.   Even on days that I consider free days,  I have found that I usually stay around 1400 to 1600 calories.  I started learning about health and fitness when I was 13 years old, so I've been reading it and doing it for so long that judging portion size and calorie content is like second nature to me.  My weaknesses include chocolate, homemade cookies,  cake and Lifesavers Spearmint candies, so I just don't buy the stuff on a regular basis.  I'd do really well if the secretaries would keep the mini chocolate bars out of the office because it is really hard for me to not hit up a few in midafternoon - I am getting much better though.  I can divert myself with fruit sometimes, but it's tough.   You are lucky that you crave the protein, because a lot of times for dinner, I'd rather fix the kids something fast (not drive through fast) and sit down with a bowl of cereal than cook a meal for everyone.   I drink the Muscle Milk Light for extra protein or pop a can of hormel chicken breast.  I eat fish occassionally, but I don't like to prepare it and I usually have to use butter to give it the taste I like.  My friend does all kinds of marinades and they are great, I just don't enjoy finding new recipes and cooking like she does. My saving grace is that I do love egg whites - scrambled or "fried" (with Pam cooking spray) and I don't mind making breakfast for dinner...my kids and husband don't either.  I love vegetables and salads, but I hate the effort they take to prepare sometimes.  To cut on dressing,  I dip my fork into the dressing before I get a bite on my fork rather than drizzling it all over my salad. You'd be surprised how much dressing you don't eat that way and how much flavor you get. I've even got my husband doing it! I love fruit and definitely get my days recommended worth - too bad it isn't as low in calories as veggies, but I go for red grapes, watermelon, kiwi, banana, black and raspberries, cherries, apples, grapefruit and oranges.  I love this time of year as far as fruit goes!   I try to get in 4 workout sessions a week.  I do a full body weight workout circuit style  twice a week using free weights.  Because of my genetics and natural muscularity, I do light weight and higher reps for the most part.  I do throw in a heavier day about every fifth strength workout or I'll change my exercises for the body parts I'm working.  I rest no more than 30 seconds between each set and no more than 1 minute between exercises.   Most of my cardio comes from running, walking and doing the elliptical.  I will walk on at least one of my  "off days"  for about one hour at 4.0 to 4.3 mph.  On the running and elliptical, I have days that I workout at a steady pace - no change in resistance or incline - then I have other days where I will do interval work.  Sometimes I combine and do steady for 15 minutes and then do interval work for the last 15 or so minutes.  The girl I picked as a trainer wasn't expecting someone at my level to train, so she didn't have what she considered to be a proper workout for me on the day we met.  However, my abs are one thing that I neglect, and I have never used the stability ball; so she taught me several strength exercises on the stability ball and some ab moves that led to some seriously sore abs and hip flexors the following couple of days.  The hardest part for me is managing time and family and career.  I'm also HORRIBLE at setting things out to thaw out to cook because I never know in the morning what I'm going to be in the mood for at dinner.   My husband and I are both police officers, and our schedules can get beyond nuts, but I just need to get some fast, easy, healthy recipes that I can prepare on a regular basis.  I just bought the biggest loser cookbook, and I prepared the baked ziti last week - it was yum. ( OH YEAH! Speaking of biggest loser, I bought Jillian Michael's 20 minute fat shredder video, and Oh my - that woman is intense.  I thought I'd go easy on myself and try Level 1, and honey, there was nothing easy about it.  It is definitely a quick but effective workout, and for $9 it's a great option.)   I've always been a picky eater though, so a lot of things that healthy recipes call for, I won't eat (tomatoes, onions, pico de gallo, chunky salsa,  bell peppers, celery, mayonnaise, capers, mushrooms --- blech)  and since I'm not one of those people who can taste foods and figure out what it needs for more flavor, I usually end up with something edible but bland and boring all the same.  If you want an actual run down of my weight exercises, just let me know and I'll write them out for you in a separate post because this one is entirely too long! :)  Good luck!      &nbs p; 

Looks like we are taking in about the same cals. I have alot of the same food issues as you. Salads seem so tedious and I much prefer fruit. So much of what I've read practically equates fruit with candy so I don't eat as much as I crave out of guilt. But, ya know, I think I'm going to stop letting that bother me. I think eating more fruit is better than eating less vegetables out of laziness.

I tried the Shred and liked it except for the jumping jacks-they gave me terrible shin splints! Still there are some very good moves in there and it really worked me over. Level 1 also.

I used to do the stability ball about three years ago when I made a mild attempt at getting fit. It was very effective but I fell off the wagon...or the ball? Hmmmm....

Have you heard of e-mealz? It's $5 a month and gives a complete dinner menu and shopping list for each week. There are different categories to choose from, like regular, lo-fat, and lo-carb. I have the "regular" one and modify to make it healthier, if needed. They are pretty well-balanced. When I renew, I'll probably go lo-carb. not sure. But, I find I need to plan less cuz everything is available and the recipes are simple but good. It's at e-mealz.com, if you're interested.

Yeah, I'd like to know your weight exercises, if it's not  a bother. I'm starting to do more strength training now and would like to compare. Thanks!

BTW, my name is Tammy, short for Tamatha, pronounced like Tabitha with an "m", not like "tomata", thus the jokey nickname. :)

Original Post by tomatotomata:

Looks like we are taking in about the same cals. I have alot of the same food issues as you. Salads seem so tedious and I much prefer fruit. So much of what I've read practically equates fruit with candy so I don't eat as much as I crave out of guilt. But, ya know, I think I'm going to stop letting that bother me. I think eating more fruit is better than eating less vegetables out of laziness.

I hate those people who bash fruit and equate it with candy.  Candy sugars are refined and more complex than fruit sugars.  Eat as much fruit as you want, girl!  I will tell you to have veggies as well [everything in balance, right?].  I usually work fruit into my breakfast, veggies on my sandwich and a fruit on the side for lunch, and a lot of veggies at dinner...perhaps a dessert of fruit.  Eat what you like and like what you eat.

You are absolutely spot on about the sugars.  Vegetables like onions and cabbage and fruits like strawberries and watermelons all are high in sugars.  Even CalorieCount, which gives all of these "A's," lists the "Bad Points" as "high in sugars."  However, these are healthy, natural sugars, and most people they can eat "a ton" of fruits and vegetables and not be worried about the sugars, as opposed to refined and processed sugars.

Thanks for the reassurances. I crave fruits now the way I used to crave candy when I first started trying to lose weight.

I have a little vegetable garden this year and have my own lettuce, so salad has recently become pretty easy for me. I'm growing yellow squash and sampled my first one this week-yummmmm! I have radishes too. It's very gratifying to raise your own veggies and takes all your excuses away about not eating them also.