Hi I'm new, need advice. Want to firm up but not lose weight

[zeytin]

Hello there,

I'm Andrea, I'm a 26 year old graduate student, and I need some advice from fitness experts.

I am 5'7'' and about 125 pounds. I have always been a naturally active person in terms of walking everywhere, but have never been a big exerciser. Even though I still feel like I'm 18, I'm not, and I've realized that in order to keep things, um, firm, I need to start exercising. So for the last six months or so I've been trying to do aerobic exercise a couple of times a week, and I usually use the elliptical machine.

I have a few questions.

I know I am not anywhere near overweight but I definitely have some jiggly-ness in the tummy and butt that I would like to minimize. I know you can't spot burn but I don't really want to lose weight over all, so should I just be working on firming up the muscle in these regions?

I know I should start doing strength training but in my university gym the weight room is like, a stinky man cave (okay it's not that bad but it's more than a little intimidating as there are usually no women in there). Maybe I could get a resistance band and do stuff at home?

I have a pretty good diet, my question is if I start to do strength training, but I am not doing anything that serious do I need to change my diet at all, like more calories or more protein or something? I do not like calorie counting but I don't want to either short myself calories or alternately start overcompensating by adding too much.

If anyone could give me any advice I would be really grateful.

Andrea

[PORKLE]

I'll qualify this by saying that I'm not fitness expert but I am a rear-end enthusiast. And lunges are an amazing way to firm up a butt. If lunges aren't hard enough, carry some heavy stuff while doing them.

Regarding the tummy, if the jigglyness is due to lack of muscle, there are a bunch of ways to work on abs. Abs are mostly stabilizer muscles, so a lot of "stinky man cave" type guys will just do things like squats or deadlifts (which work the abs too). If you don't want to do those, the usual situps/crunches/ab roller stuff will probably work.

However, if your jigglyness is extra fat, your best bet is a dietary adjustment which will cause you to lose fat all over.

[PORKLE]

Oh, one last thing... Steve has some articles and videos about performing basic weightlifting movements. And most man-cavers are pretty friendly and will respect a lady who shows up to work out hard, so don't be shy if you have an interest in trying out that sort of exercise.

It's totally different from walking/ellipticals and some people (me!) really like it...

[zeytin]

Thanks for the advice.

However, if your jigglyness is extra fat, your best bet is a dietary adjustment which will cause you to lose fat all over.

This is the thing, there is some fat on my belly, but because you can't spot burn, I think if I were to lose enough weight to eliminate the fat on my stomach I would look way too skinny elsewhere. I mean, I could probably lose 5 pounds and still be normal but if I went under 120 I would start to look too thin.

So lets say I did want to burn off some fat, but I also want to build muscle... if I start decreasing calories won't that impede my ability to build muscle?

I am going to look up how to do lunges and squats now.

Andrea

[Steve]

Hey Andrea,

If you consume a decent amount of protein in your diet, and your exercises consist of squats, lunges, some pushups, and maybe some ab work (like planks, sit ups on an exercise ball).

You are correct that you can't spot reduce fat on your stomach, but if you cut back on your carb intake and bump up your protein (and fruits and veggies), the fat will start to come off your stomach and you'll start to build some muscle ("tone" as many people say) in your legs and arms and stuff.

Don't worry about getting too bulky or anything like that...you have a long way to go, even if you start lifting heavy weights, before you'd get there. That would require you to overload your system with a bunch of calories, on a consistent basis, for a long period of time...at which point if you started to even THINK you were getting too bulky you could just back off on your diet.

-Steve

[zeytin]

Thanks!

I already eat a diet full of fruits and veggies, and I eat a lot of eggs, tofu, legumes, whole grains, and low-fat dairy for protein. I do eat meat but I don't eat it all that often, a couple of times a week.

If I eat carbs I eat whole grains. The bread that I eat has like 7 grams of protein per slice and tons of fiber, and it's very filling and satisfying. Or have brown rice. I think all carbs can't be painted with the same brush.

I stay clear of liquid calories except milk, which I find invaluable if I am hungry for a snack late at night and I don't actually want to eat something.

Yeah, I'm not worried about getting bulky, I'm worried about getting too skinny! I want a flat and tight tummy but honestly I would like my upper body to stay just how it is!

I will work on the exercises you guys suggested and maybe I will try to eat more protein... If only I had a personal trainer and chef to keep track of all this for me, ahaha.

Thanks again!

Andrea

[PORKLE]

Your diet sounds completely amazing. If I could eat like that I'd be an unstoppable machine.

Good luck with the lifting and ab work and such...

[zeytin]

Soooo.... little update. I have been trying to do pushups, crunches, squats and lunges along with my normal cardio routine. A problem has arisen (of course). My knees are starting to hurt a little! Probably from the squats and lunges. I have been following videos on youtube in order to try to have good form, but maybe my knees aren't cut out for that kind of impact. Any suggestions?

Porkle-- I kind of think of each meal as a "chance to put money in the bank", in the sense that every meal is a chance to give your body and mind the nutrients that it needs to function optimally. Of course I splurge every once in a while but I see this as taking money out of the bank. Just like shopping, I can do it every once in a while but if I did it all the time I would be bankrupt. I know it sounds weird and I have no idea how I developed this analogy but it works for me. It's like, do you want to use eating as an opportunity to be your healthy best, or do you want to waste that opportunity on a fleeting pleasure?

Plus food really does affect your mental state as well. I can study better when I've eaten well for sure.

Thanks for the comments, good luck with your efforts as well.

[audj]

Zeytin, you might try swimming. Super easy on the knees and a total body workout.