Sneaks Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Hello, all!I've been reading articles on Nerd Fitness for some time now - but I'm finally deciding to dive in. I'm 5'6" and have been 120-125 lbs since high school (I'm currently 24) with very little effort... well, no effort, really. My dad is super skinny and I just happened to win the genetic jackpot in terms of weight. But, that doesn't mean I'm strong or in shape! I spent the past year in Haiti and for a couple months I did the beginner body weight circuit posted on the site. Pretty perfect considering where I was living there was no gym equipment. And even though I had really no control over my diet at all, after a month and a half or so, I saw more results than I ever did working out in gyms and running in the States! I was sold.However, I eventually fell off the wagon and now I'm back to square one... but also back in the States and determined to make it stick this time -- especially since I have control over my diet now! I got the Nerd Fitness Strength Guide and have just started the "Basic Training" four week portion. After I finish it I plan on continuing with the "Body Weight Brigade" sections. I don't really have a "weight goal"... I just want to feel stronger and healthier! However, this makes me hesitant to add all the extra calories to my diet that the Guide recommends. I wouldn't mind gaining more weight as a result of building muscle, but since I'm not dying to majorly change my body type, it makes me worry about just adding a boat-load of calories. Any advice on the topic would be welcome!This will be the first time I've ever gotten involved with a site's message boards, but reading all the great things about this online community got me intrigued!Nice to meet you all! Thanks in advance for all the guidance and support! Quote My First 6 Week Challenge Link to comment
ebm1224 Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 welcome to the community! it's so awesome to hear about girls who don't just want to be skinny (though i'll admit i'm jealous that you can stay in the 120s without any work!). but you're right - it's about way more than weight and how you look. as for the calories question, i wish i had that answer but i dont. i'd say a good starting place is to track what you eat for a couple weeks without and modifications. look at not only the number of calories but also the nutrient amounts - fats, carb, and protein. esp protein. i used to eat under 60g a day which was on the low end of the recommendations from most diet tracking website but now i aim for at least 100 per day. i think that's the gonna be your biggest help in building muscle. also, make sure you're getting enough fruits and veggies Quote Link to comment
Gainsdalf the Whey Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Finally, someone I can overhead press. Welcome!you're going to have beginner gains that make your current muscle more efficient and you won't need to build muscle at first in order to gain strength. So like ebm says, I'd test doing the workouts without changing anything else if that's what your worried about and see how it works out. If you plateau down the line, then experiment with your diet. Hopefully Waldo stops by, he's one of the bodyweight & calorie counting gurus around here. Quote Massrandir, Barkûn, Swolórin, The Whey Pilgrim 500 / 330 / 625 Challenges: 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 34 35 36 39 41 42 45 46 47 48 49 Current Challenge "No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. " ~ Socrates "Friends don't let friends squat high." ~ Chad Wesley Smith "It's a dangerous business, Brodo, squatting to the floor. You step into the rack, and if you don't keep your form, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ Gainsdalf Link to comment
Book Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Darn it... you're ruining my 'silver lining' for those of us who pack on pounds easily... that you high-metabolism types never get the push to eat healthier and exercise, and are prone to a bunch of other issues. Horrible disillusionment.Still... warmest welcomes Quote Character and Epic Quest! Current Challenge Battle Log Link to comment
Sneaks Posted March 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thanks, guys!I appreciate the welcomes and the advice - you're definitely right, ebm, about making sure I get enough protein - I already suspect I don't but plan on doing a food diary to check. And CoreyD, thanks for bringing up the point that I won't be actually building muscle right away - just working on the muscle I already have. Definitely something to keep in mind that I might have forgotten otherwise. These forums are already helping. Love it. Quote My First 6 Week Challenge Link to comment
Morrigainz Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 TL;DR version: EAT MOAR!Long version: If you want to add muscle, you need to be eating a calorie surplus. With protein. And ebm is probably right; you likely don't get enough protein unless you eat a lot of meat/eggs/stuff like that....I know I definitely struggle with 100+ g. Many people say you should aim for 1g protein per pound of bodyweight...which is sort of what I'm trying to do.If you eat excess calories and strength train, you're not going to immediately turn into some kind of she-hulk. Building muscle takes time and effort. I would suggest eating at maintenance (to get used to the idea) and then a slight surplus if you are interested in packing on some muscle. Otherwise, if you just want to be stronger, you are probably fine at maintenance...but I believe that if you go this route, you will eventually stall on your strength gains...i.e. you won't be able to lift MOAR, heavier things.Also with ebm on the slight jealousy Welcome! Quote Level ? Half-Dwarf/Half-Amazon Warrior STR:21.25 STA:15 DEX: 10.95 CON: 14 WIS:15.5 CHA:17 SWOLE BUCKS: 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Link to comment
Tiara Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Hey, welcome!! I"m kind of in the same boat as you are I've always had a high metabolism thanks to my dad who has a six pack and never works out! I'm not sure what I weigh, I haven't weighed myself in over two years, but I'm 23 and noticed a bit of a weight gain regarding clothes mainly in my mid section (I blame it on the beer and the fact that I didn't work out much in the last couple of years) But since I've started lifting weights in January, I've been eating way more protein and food in general. I've cut out a lot of the junk food that I used to eat which only made me more lazy. I'm much much stronger now and it feels really awesome to go to the gym and curl heavier weights then some of the guys there!!!I eat all the time now and I never feel guilty about it! I can even do over 10 pushups (full pushups, to the ground) such a confidence builder!! Quote You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted. -Ruth E. Renkl Link to comment
Guest Snake McClain Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Where's waldo? (see what i did there?)Welcome aboard sneaks. Quote Link to comment
katscratch Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Welcome!!I've learned I *have* to track what I'm eating, because I'm hungry enough for 2000-2300 calories (which I assume is what my body likes for maintenance) but to eat enough to gain for my height and current weight I need 2600-3000. Avocados are my friend I will seriously cry if I get sick of them!! Quote Link to comment
aj_rock Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Where's waldo? (see what i did there?)Welcome aboard sneaks.Pfft I've made that joke on like ten threads. Get with the program All the same, welcome to the rebellion Sneaks! Quote Why must I put a name on the foods I choose to eat and how I choose to eat them? Rather than tell people that I eat according to someone else's arbitrary rules, I'd rather just tell them, I eat healthy. And no, my diet does not have a name.My daily battle log! Link to comment
Sneaks Posted May 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2012 Thanks, all! You guys are all pretty dead-on with my needing to eat more. One of my goals for this six week challenge (my first!) involves keeping a tight food diary -- collecting all the data I need to make the best change possible. I'm finding that even on a day when I feel like I'm getting a ton of protein, in the end I'm still at least 20 g below my goal -- usually more like 40-50.Oh, and I don't know where Waldo is, but I'm in Washington DC! Quote My First 6 Week Challenge Link to comment
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