HI! I'M NEW! Need some advice..

M

mtmaria

New Member
Hey everyone!

I'm Maria and I'm 18 years old. I'm new to Cathe and have been doing the videos for about 3 weeks now!

I was wondering if any of you can give me some advice about my normal approach to diet/exercise..

I was overweight up until I was about 15 and I went on a diet that consisted of eating less and doing exercise videos (I was doing Gilad's Quick Fit System). Initially, I went down from 155 to 130 in a month (too fast I know) and then experienced slow weight loss. My lowest was 105 (5'2") but got several comments from family and friends that I did not look well, so now I'm trying to maintain around the 110-115 range

I'm in college now, so my routine there is doing an hour on the elliptical everyday and doing 15 min of weight/abs everyday. I think I eat clean, I don't eat sweets and mainly eat very little fat.

However, when I'm at home, I'm under constant surveillance (family). I usually eat a banana and 2 Jello fat free pudding cups in the morning, 2 slices of bread with 2 slices of turkey and a huge apple for lunch, do Drill Max premixes in the afternoon (usually the Ultra cardio blast and the cardio/leg blast)

Dinner is when I have to eat the most. I usually overdo it on vegetables and either eat Pork loin cutlets or roasted chicken tenderloins with an apple. On the weekends, I like to go crazy on eating potatoes (I eat very large ones) Afterwards I'll do 15 min of cardio with weights.

Is what I'm doing correct? I'm baffled at the fact that I can't stay at the same weight. When I'm in college, time restraints usually causes me to exercise more and eat less and when I'm at home, I keep them at a balance but I slowly gain weight....what should i do? Is maybe working out everyday hindering me?

advice is greatly appreciated...and I'm sorry if the post is long and/or confusing
 
Just from what you have posted I'd say you are not getting enough calories. I don't see much in the veggie category. I would try to get a source of fiber and protein and carbs at every meal. Your breakfast is all carbs. Maybe something like oatmeal or eggs with whole wheat toast. Add in some veggies at lunch and dinner. Also many people like to eat every 2-3 hours. Small meals (or snacks) this helps me get my calories I need because I cannot eat a lot at once. I am sure some others will have advice for you. Good luck.

ETA: Welcome!! I didn't mean to sound so negative in my post. Good for you for being so diligent and congrats on your weight loss!!


Catherine

http://bestsmileys.com/exercising/1.gif
 
I would suggest you take a look at sparkpeople.com. It's a free site but it allows you to track your cals by nutrient (carbs, protein, fat) and also makes meal suggestions.

I'm especially concerned that your breakfast is essentially empty calories. I would ditch the pudding cups altogether and have some oatmeal or steel-cut oats with your banana or scrambled eggs with a slice of ww toast. Midmorning you might try plain yogurt or lf cottage cheese with some fruits. Snacks should be nutritious and you do need to eat some of the good fats (i.e., nuts, lf cheese, or similar). Fat is really not evil (only the kind you fry in) :) .

It's really difficult and misleading to give diet advice here, so I would also recommend you check some books out of your library - Body for Life is a great and easy program and will give you more info about what your body needs to function.

BTW, congrats on the weight loss! I know it's difficult to keep off in college, so you're doing great.

Take care,
Marie

Edited for ridiculous spelling errors!
 
Yes, I would definitely up the vegetable intake. In my experience, when you educate yourself on nutrition (beyond just protein, carb, and fat) and you really fix your mind on feeding your body for health, the rest tends to fall into place. Even if you're not perfect or follow it 100%, just having the knowledge makes things a lot easier. I think that takes time, though.

But, my basic advice is to just concentrate on getting vegetables throughout the day (salads being the most convenient way to do it), and try to make healthy choices most of the time. Get a better breakfast, too... pudding cups are a not a good choice for anything other than an occasional treat, in my opinion. My body personally loves an all-fruit breakfast, but many people need more substance to keep them full, such as some fat and protein to go with it.

You might also want to try playing with more weight work, and cutting down just slightly on the cardio. That may help a lot, too.

Good luck :)
 
Welcome to the forums, Maria!


>However, when I'm at home, I'm under constant surveillance
>(family). I usually eat a banana and 2 Jello fat free pudding
>cups in the morning, 2 slices of bread with 2 slices of turkey
>and a huge apple for lunch, do Drill Max premixes in the
>afternoon (usually the Ultra cardio blast and the cardio/leg
>blast)
>
>Dinner is when I have to eat the most. I usually overdo it on
>vegetables and either eat Pork loin cutlets or roasted chicken
>tenderloins with an apple. On the weekends, I like to go crazy
>on eating potatoes (I eat very large ones) Afterwards I'll do
>15 min of cardio with weights.

I think you may be too concerned with avoiding fat, and are lacking in healthy fats (vegetable and nut fats).

Also, I'd replace fake foods (like jellow fat-free pudding cups) with real food.

It's hard to "overdo on veggies" (unless you cover them with sauces), but potatoes are not the best veggies (they are high glycemic). Instead, try sweet potatoes/yams, and emphasize the dark green leafy veggies. Try to go for color on your plate by choosing a variety of fruits and vegetables (different colors correspond to various nutrients).

One reason why you may be 'overdoing' dinner, and going crazy with potatoes on the weekends is that you aren't getting enough calories (as Catherine stated). Exercise is a form of stress, and if your body isn't getting enough nutrients, it will tend to hold onto pounds.

Stick with whole foods (foods close to their natural state, rather than processed foods) and try eating more frequently.
 
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