Hobbit seeking validation and support

[artsenert90]

Hi there!

 

I am new to NF (obviously) but I have been doing a lot of reading and I agree with just about everything I have read here. This is a first for me compared to other fitness sites I have looked into which is why I created an account and started to follow the advice from the blog. I am seriously considering joining the NF Academy because I like the idea of having all this info easily accessible and having a concrete way of measuring my progress. In the past, I have given up way before I saw any results because I had nothing to prove to myself I was on the right track and because food is too good (how I know I am a Hobbit). I am hesitant, however, to buy into anything so quickly.

 

My first goal is fat loss. I would like to get down to about 20% fat I think, and then really start to work on building muscle at that point.

I made the terrible mistake of looking at the scale this morning and was disheartened (I’m still at the same weight) though I know this might be due to water weight or muscle possibly. (??)

 

I have been doing the beginner body workout every other day and alternating with either a short interval run/jog, or some kind of walk to keep me active. Does this sound like a good track? I am 5’1â€, female, and 160lbs but the fat I am most concerned about is all on my abs. The rest of my body does not have much fat and I swear I am building muscle in these areas but not on my abs. Is this possible while still eating a calorie deficit? Will this still help with fat loss?

 

I am concerned with keeping my workout habits safe and healthy for fear of causing my body more harm than good. My joints tend to make clicking sounds and I don’t want to do anything that might injure me… Any advice about this would be helpful!

[Elastigirl]

Congrats on all the changes you have made. How long have you been doing this and what is your eating plan? It may take some time before you see changes.

 

Your workout plan seems very good. I'm like you, as are a lot of females, with the fat around the abs.Generally speaking, that is the last fat to leave and the hardest. You will see improvement in other areas first.

 

Scales are probably the worst way to tell if you are losing fat. More accurate ways are; tape measure, clothes, or a picture log.

[artsenert90]

Thank you for your reply!

 

I have tried this sort of thing several times on my own but to no avail. Since I've started again it's only been a bit more than a week so I'm not expecting any changes yet. I'm just trying to keep myself motivated.

 

I'm not really good with keeping schedules and meal plans but I have been eating more vegetables and minimizing carbs as much as possible. I have also been keeping track of what I eat in a journal.

[JPrev]

You're off to a good start.  The key is just to remain consistent.  Get into a good groove with your workouts and you'll start seeing some results after a few weeks.  It'll be easy to tweak things down the road if necessary once you have a solid set of habits in place.

 

Unless it's causing you pain, the clicking and popping is fine.  Bodies do that, and they're not fragile.

[Elastigirl]

Thank you for your reply!

 

I have tried this sort of thing several times on my own but to no avail. Since I've started again it's only been a bit more than a week so I'm not expecting any changes yet. I'm just trying to keep myself motivated.

 

I'm not really good with keeping schedules and meal plans but I have been eating more vegetables and minimizing carbs as much as possible. I have also been keeping track of what I eat in a journal.

Great start. Just keep at it and be consistent and you will see results.Remember, if you are minimizing carbs add in some fat. If you go so low, then you are eating too few calories. too big a deficit, just makes your body scream for food, and you will end up not sticking to your plan.

 

If you track calories/carbs for a few days, it will give you a good idea of the portion size that is appropriate.

[artsenert90]

Thanks JPrev, that's really reassuring.

 

And thanks Elastigirl for reminding me!! This is the first day I've been able to go all day without an abundance of carbs!!

[Noname123]

Also as a note- unfortunately there is no such thing as 'spot reducing'- You'll have to watch diet and keep up that regimen you posted to reduce body fat everywhere you can't reduce it just in one spot. You mentioned you want to get down to 20% BF, fantastic goal, just really have to hammer down the diet portion of it to get that low. The fatloss war is one that's primarily fought in the kitchen!!

 

Do you have some healthy meal plans ready? I found that I ate a lot of junk because I didn't always have the time to cook (or so I thought) I started precooking things like chicken and precutting a bunch of different veggies and keeping them in tupperware so I had an easy 10 minute meal (veggie stir fry taking 10 mins with all the ingredients pre chopped and a salad taking 2 minutes to put together!)

[artsenert90]

Also as a note- unfortunately there is no such thing as 'spot reducing'- You'll have to watch diet and keep up that regimen you posted to reduce body fat everywhere you can't reduce it just in one spot. You mentioned you want to get down to 20% BF, fantastic goal, just really have to hammer down the diet portion of it to get that low. The fatloss war is one that's primarily fought in the kitchen!!

 

Do you have some healthy meal plans ready? I found that I ate a lot of junk because I didn't always have the time to cook (or so I thought) I started precooking things like chicken and precutting a bunch of different veggies and keeping them in tupperware so I had an easy 10 minute meal (veggie stir fry taking 10 mins with all the ingredients pre chopped and a salad taking 2 minutes to put together!)

 

Thanks! I am trying to ease into the food thing though I am starting from a point where I have never liked soda or eaten a lot of fast food. Those are some really great suggestions and I will definitely try that! Most of my difficulty is figuring out calorie count when I make my own food... I tend to just try and eat until I'm just full which is feeling like a good level for me I think...

 

So far what I have been doing is working out in the morning before I eat, and then having a yogurt with chia seeds and some tea. Lunch Ive been having leftovers from dinner, and then for dinner something simple with veggies and protein and fat. (chicken curry, black beans and some rice, etc) I have some snacks that I love that I eat in moderation like cheese with rice crackers, and walnuts.

Does that sound good so far?

 

This is all food that I love to eat but like you said, when things get busy, it gets harder to keep up.

 

I forgot to mention earlier I would guess by the images in here http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/02/body-fat-percentage/that I am at about 30% body fat right now or maybe a bit higher. If I can get to a point where I am noticably losing body fat (to start with) I will be super happy. Then I can really start to buckle down to get to that 20%.

[Buff Brogan]

I'm a huge advocate of the keto diet for losing weight. It's high in fat, moderate protein, and very low carb. The important thing is to find a diet plan that you can stick with.

Also, you said you just started working out. It's not uncommon to see the scale move up a little in the first few weeks, so don't become disheartened if that happens. Pay more attention to how you feel and how your clothes feel on you. Sounds like overall you're off to a good start.

[artsenert90]

Yeah I've been trying to eat paleo for the past three days and, while I am eating more veggies and fats and less carbs, I can't seem to fully commit. I don't eat a lot of meats normally and tend to eat more legumes and dairy.

[Noname123]

What kind of dairy do you eat? I don't eat all paleo, but have phased out a good chunk of carbs with replacements that are either lower calorie or higher in protein for me. (The only real dairy I get at this point is from muscle milk if that counts and cottage cheese for that protein!) If you have some trouble with some I"ll see if there are any transition foods I can suggest!

[artsenert90]

What kind of dairy do you eat? I don't eat all paleo, but have phased out a good chunk of carbs with replacements that are either lower calorie or higher in protein for me. (The only real dairy I get at this point is from muscle milk if that counts and cottage cheese for that protein!) If you have some trouble with some I"ll see if there are any transition foods I can suggest!

 

Thanks! I mostly eat whole milk yogurt (sometimes I add chia seeds), sometimes chocolate milk, and I love most kinds of cheese (I don't eat cheese constantly, but I do love it). I also have had ricotta cheese in the past because I know it has a lot of protein. For the most part, if I eat something dairy, it's about a half cup to a cup depending on the day.

[Barfly]

Well, paleo + dairy = primal eating. Check it out here:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/#axzz3WOxdDMUU

[artsenert90]

Well, paleo + dairy = primal eating. Check it out here:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/#axzz3WOxdDMUU

 

...wow I already do a lot of this.... this might work...

 

I've been finding it surprisingly easy to give up breads and such this past week and I feel less tired which is interesting. I've been mostly junk food/ sugar free for a while now.

 

thanks!

[Barfly]

It's remarkably similar to Dr. Gott's No Sugar, No Flour diet. I think Primal/Paleo is just a "sexier" way of saying the same thing.

It's hard to sell "don't eat crap" as a program

[artsenert90]

It's remarkably similar to Dr. Gott's No Sugar, No Flour diet. I think Primal/Paleo is just a "sexier" way of saying the same thing.

It's hard to sell "don't eat crap" as a program

 

Haha I love it, so true though that's what all of these plans are basically saying...

[Barfly]

I have some friends, a couple I've known since high school, that are constantly dieting. They go on 3 or 4 diets a year, so they're either dieting or planning or lamenting about how much weight they have to lose.

I tell them "eat right and exercise", but they won't. Always some excuse.

So 3 or 4 times a year they throw away all their junk, sugar, flour, etc., pour out all their alcohol and buy (literally) $1000 of Atkins, Nutrisystems, or weight watchers food/supplements and suffer through all that for 6 weeks or so, whatever the program is.

They lose ~15 pounds (I can't tell, because they don't exercise so they don't look any different to me), go off the diet, and put it all back on - and sometimes more - in less time than it took to take it off...

Every once in a blue moon they ask me what I do/what should they do and I tell them "eat right and exercise".

I've even given them sample menus, reviewed them together and substituted for things they wouldn't eat. I've offered to take them out for easy runs, teach them some list bodyweight workouts, whatever, all to no avail. The closest they've come to taking me up on any of this is ordering the same meal as me in a restaurant.

So, there's the mind of the American public. Maybe I should come up with a plan and a meal replacement bar and retire

[Noname123]

So, there's the mind of the American public. Maybe I should come up with a plan and a meal replacement bar and retire

 

I've thought this so many times. I have friends who are on a new kick of pre-made meals and are raving about it. They posted pics of their dinner last week, green beans, butternut squash and grilled chicken....Pretty much what my dinner was except mine was fresh and cost a fraction of their pre-made meal.

 

Pre made portioning service would probably make bank. Set up jar salads and dinners at 200 cal increments and upcharge 300 percent- profit.