Nutritionist?

Thank you, BLF

This IS an informative website. I printed out the page called "Shaking Up Your Weight Training." It has brief descriptions of 8 ways to train with weights that can help break through plateaus and increase results. Nifty!
 
Nutrition

Thanks all for the advice. I appreciate it. I am going to cancel my next appointment with the nutritionist. I think he is a quack. I am taking his "Oxycise" back to him. I am just not motivated to even try it. It sounds too good to be true. It might work for some that get absolutely no exercise. I just can't get motivated to even try it. I am not going to restrict my calories to 1400. I exercise too hard and too long to only eat 1400 calories. I am going to try to cut back on starchy foods and replace them with vegetables and complex carbs. I hope it works. If not, I guess I will have to accept my body for what it is. I just don't want to do that right now. That website you posted was great and loaded with good information. Thanks again.
 
You'll get there

I understand your frustration. It's slow going doing this stuff the right way. I find myself one pound lighter with pages and pages in my food diary, my weight training diary, my cardio diary:) The article about why the scale lies was good for me. I weigh myself too often. The "diet" I am following is becoming second nature now and although I have been weighing things and measuring things, I am learning how much, how often I really need. Thank God, I love to exercise! I think you are wise to dump the oxycising nutritionist! I KNOW that you know how to live a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes that's the best reward! keep posting.
Bobbi
 
Take a break

The exercise advice your nutritionist gave you was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. You are smart to go with your gut instinct and to try to find a diet that works for you.
I just wanted to add that maybe you should take a break from the dieting mentality. Without adding anything up, just listen to your hunger cues and make an effort to choose a variety of healthy foods in moderation.
Also, take a "scale holiday". See how long you can go without weighing yourself and use other measures of your health and fitness. Focus on how great your body feels after you workout!
Accept where you are NOW and know that are millions who wish they were within 10 lbs of their goal weight.
Take care,
Yas
 
What a quack

My experiences with RD's has been terrific, especially the sports nutrition guidance. Your guy sounds like a quack. He sure doesn't follow the ADA party line (you might report him).

Like the others, I concur that his caloric targets were way too low. Trevor mentioned a book a few weeks ago called "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition." I borrowed it from my library & thought it was very good. It's recommended on the website that was suggested above (Liked the website).

Debra
 
Nutritionist - Diet

From looking at what he recommended, over half of your calories are coming from fat, which is shocking if you are also working on a cholesterol issue. Some general guidelines I have used (as an R.D. myself) are to look at 1500-1600 calories a day, with 900-1000 calories (250 gms) from complex carbs meaning fruits/vegetables/whole grain type food items, 225-300 calories from protein (75 gms) and 300 calories from fat (unsaturated if possible)(33 gms)

Be sure that you also include at least 2 servings of calcium foods (like nonfat yogurt and skim milk) which would count as part carbs/part protein. AND LOTS OF WATER - especially if you are exercising daily.

Also, the amount of exercise you are doing will burn calories, depending on your weight and muscle mass, but the idea with weightloss is to reduce the amount of calories going in compared to be burned (3500 calories = 1 pound, so if you wanted to loss 1 pound in 2 weeks, you would need to burn 250 calories per day more than you are eating)

I would also suggest that you have your body fat tested. Weight can fluxuate by as much as 6 pounds daily due to water retention, the best way to figure out where you are is with b.f. testing -and he should have suggested this for you. I would recommend that you find another R.D. in your area that is more in touch with YOUR goals and can help you establish what is sensible for you personally.

Most people I know that are successful with weight loss in the long run are eating healthy foods that they enjoy (not some diet regime), exercising and building muscle mass through weight lifting - and splurging once in a while because you should get to! Hope this helps -
 
Kathy, everybody reading this thread...

...should send you a nice check. You've given sound professional advice in a nutshell, and I appreciate it!
 
Kathy, may I ask a question?

When I decide how to break down my caloric intake, into percentages, 25% fat, 15 protein, 60 carbs, is there a simple way to be certain I am getting approximately those percentages without obsessively looking up the ratios within each thing I eat? Is there a rule of thumb or general guideline? I find the pyramid too general--should I have six servings or eleven? Since I tend to be a little compulsive, I enjoy really getting into all the nutrition info I can but a simple version would be great! I appreciate any advice and I agree we should all send you a check for the great advice!
Bobbi
 
Nutrition

Hi RBurke! I've been looking at all of the responses and the thing that I didn't notice is the fact that you should start to condition yourself to eating 5 to 6 small meals a day. Portion size is also very important. Using the palm of your hand, your protein and carb size should be the same as your palm. I want you to get out of the habit of eating 3 meals a day with 2 snacks. I did this also and my body hung to those last pounds until I tricked my metabolism and started eating smaller meals. Now I don't know what your schedule is but mine is such that I'm not able to cook all of these meals so I use a protein shake from EAS or I use shakes from Gary Null's new nutrition book. Let me know what you think. I know just how frustrating this is. Oh, also I had about 7 months incorporating Pilates into my program and this made a tremendous difference with my abdominals. Much more leaner and more definition. Good luck! Kathy
 
Not kathy, some quick info

Hey Bobbi,
Just wanted to let you know that you do not have to figure out the ratio of everything you eat or even every meal. The Food guide pyramid was designed as an easy reference to the number of total daily servings from all the different food groups to make up a diet that is about 50% carbs, 30% fat and 20% protein. The lower end of the recommended daily servings is for about 1600 calories. Broken down into servings:
Bread 6 servings
Vegetable 3 servings
Fruit 2 servings
Milk 2-3 servings
Meat 5-6 ounces
Fat 3 servings

Try to choose fat-free or lowfat dairy products and lean meats as much as possible. Add one more serving to each of the food groups to get the total calories to about 2000. Refer to the pyramid for a breakdown of the serving sizes.

Hope this helps, Yas
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That last 10 pounds

Isn't it frustrating? I used to be able to skip a meal and lose five - now I'd need to skip a week! I have tried a bunch of diets, but I also found myself being hungry all the time and wanting to cheat. I then looked into the Body for Life program, one of the latest fads, and I tell you, this one is really working for me. I think someone else alluded to it previously, but you eat five to six small meals a day incorporating a quality protein and carbohydrate. I'm not sure that I buy into the program 100% as these folks seem to be more into serious bodybuilding, but I think their focus on intense exercise and a grazing-type diet really is working for me. I haven't followed their fairly strict list of foods, but I have lost 2-3 lb of body fat per week using the principle of the thing. They recommend you eat about 500 kcal above your basal metabolic rate, which they help you calculate, instead of some fixed number of calories. On this plan, I've not been hungry, my energy level is much improved, and I am losing my insatiable craving for sweets (well not really, but at least I can say no because I feel so much better). They have a website,www.bodyforlife.com and also a guy named Hussman has a very good website with much more explanation as well - I think it's www.hussman.com/EAS - it's posted under a Body for Life thread somewhere in here.

Bottom line, is like others have wisely said, you've got to find what works for you - this is just another suggestion. Best of luck, and keep us posted.

Cheers!
Colia
 
Oops - I goofed!

Regarding the above message - goofed on the caloric intake part. According to the Hussman website, you should never take in less than your BMR or body will go into starvation mode and conserve any extra calories. He says for those who are exercising rigorously, you will burn somewhere around 1.7 times your BMR - if you subtract 500 kcal from that, you should lose bodyfat. I also forgot to mention that on this plan, you have one day a week to eat whatever you want - this supposedly protects the body from going into starvation mode. Obviously, if you gorge excessively that day, you won't make fast progress, but still a nice way not to deprive all fun stuff. Sorry if this was and is confusing!

Cheers,
Colia
 
website

I tried to access the Hussman website but it gave me an error. I would like to look at it. Do you have the correct website address?
Thanks.
 
help

Can you suggest a diet plan where I will be eating 5 or 6 small meals. Should I just take what I am eating now and stretch it to 6 meals? For example, I eat a smoothie with tofu or protein powder for breakfast. I eat some kind of fruit for a snack. I eat a tuna sandwitch, lean cuisine, or left overs for lunch. I usually eat another snack in the afternoon of about 100 calories, then I eat a well balanced dinner (a protein, a carb, and a veggie). Sometimes I get hungry at night if I have worked out really hard and eat a small cup of cereal, crackers or a protein shake. I need suggestions on what to eat or how to break this up for 6 mini-meals. I feel like I am already grazing because I don't eat that much at one sitting usually. I am gettting so very frustrated. I can see muscles forming in my legs and arms but my belly still has too much fat. This makes my clothes fit too tight in the waist. It makes me sad when I can't get my pants from last year buttoned anymore. I can't exercise more. I don't have time. I workout now for about an hour to 1.5 hours, 5 days a week. Any suggestions on a meal plan would help me out. Thanks.
 
Patience...patience

Sounds like you're doing just fine. Seeing those muscles develop is your reward. You are exercising quite a lot--I assume you are including both strength and aerobic workouts. Be sure you are eating enough calories to cover both your basic metabolic needs and what you use exercising. Too few and your body will rob those muscles and slow your progress.

Although my fat deposits are in my butt and thighs, not my stomach, I'm convinced that everybody has a genetic body design that can't be changed dramatically. That bit of fluff on your tummy might not go away until your total body fat is reduced way too low for good health. Getting older makes it even more stubborn. Perhaps the waist is too tight because of those great, firm abs you're making! Those muscles will improve your posture, make you feel energetic.

Don't let last year's pants stress you out. Life is too short. Buy new pants.
 
Stomach fat is tough, isn't it?

Since I came home from vacation my scale shows I have dropped 5 of the 8 pounds I gained but the "slab of flab" remains! While I definitely look slimmer, I can't believe how much fat remains! I weight train almost daily but I have the kind of body which doesn't become very muscular although I would love to be muscle woman! Those darn genetics! I am an apple, albeit a safely within the healthy range apple. That used to worry me alot! Persist, my friend, and together we will lose these guts! I will not give up. I am 37 years old and I am determined that I will become as lean as possible without becoming unhealthy or consuming too few calories! When I was 30, my life, for many crazy reasons, was out of control and I weighed 100 pounds and it was HELL! Never again would I go there but I am extremely obsessed with being healthy and having my body LOOK like it should for all the exercise I do and how carefully I eat! You see these people who scarf down horrible junk food and never put it on in the stomach and two of my sisters, who do not weight train, (I have 9 sister) have these beautiful, well-defined arms and shoulders. It isn't fair! Of course, I ran a marathon last December and they couldn't do that nor even a 5K so, why am I complaining? I have a picture of these incredible abs on my fridge to inspire me. I hope I will acheive my goal to lose that fat and be very lean and I will continue to try. I have set a six week goal and I am three week into this admittedly obsessive but not unhealthy diet program! I am intrigued by the body for life program but I know I would never go as for as 30-30-40. In fact, I would never drop my carbs below 50 percent. Nutrition is a science and it's not all that simple is it? Remember, to eat to live and not live to eat. I am babbling now:) I should go! Good Luck to all us!
 
Frustrating Pounds

Hi RBurke! I was looking at the latest Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine and they have a meal plan suggesting the 6 meals a day. I'll give you an example of day 1:

Meal 1: 5 egg whites, scrambled
1 slice fat-free cheese
1/2 c. oats, cooked
3/4 c. strawberries
Meal 2: Stir-fry:
3 oz. skinless chicken breast, cubed
3/4 c. brown rice, cooked
1/4 c. shredded cabbage
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
Meal 3: 3 oz. top round steak, grilled
small whole-grain roll
small apple
Meal 4: 3.5 oz. swordfish, grilled
1-1/2 c. shredded potatoes, cooked
Meal 5: 4 oz. flounder, grilled
1/2 c. rice, cooked
3 Tbsp. salsa
3/4 c. asparagrus tips, steamed
Meal 6: Cold salad:
3 oz. low-fat deli roast beef
1/2 c. cold cooked pasta
1 c. shredded lettuce
1/4 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. diced tomato
3 tsp. low-cal dressing
total calories: 1,859
As you can see, you'd be spending a great deal of time in the kitchen. I don't have this kind of time and neither does anyone else. I usually eat oatmeal w/raisins and orange juice in the morning or eggs and whole wheat toast, lunch consists of exactly what you eat and dinner is when I have my protein shake. I snack on cottage cheese w/yogurt and fruit or peanut butter and Triscuit crackers or pretzels. It does sound as if your right on target with your diet. I too have a little bit of a bulge in the belly but I've come to believe that women's bodies are just meant to look like this. Everything we eat and drink shows right away in the belly. Cathe's just the exception! Keep up the good work and purchase the magazine if you didn't already. Take care, Kathy
 
Another apple must speak out!!

I am also an apple, and boy is it frustrating
sad.gif
! The only good thing is I'm a muscular apple, I gain muscle quite quickly(that I love
happy.gif
) However, I got this stubborn layer of fat in my tummy and my upper arms. I do cardio twice a day and lift weights 4 days a week and unless I'm dehydrated you can't see my abs!! It sucks. Anyway, I read M&F Hers also, and while I do find it good, there is a mag out that I think is fantastic!! OXYGEN! Sometimes its hard to find, but if you do find it, pick it up. Good advice and lots of musclar women. Timea Majorova is one of my role models along with Cathe! In fact, I think Cathe should be featured in one of these mags! OK, I'm getting off the subject, Oxygen doesn't believe in low calorie diets, they have good exercise tips and it's geared toward women who are serious about working out. As we all are
wink.gif
! Has anyone read this mag? Let me know what you think of it!
 
Hi RBurke!

I'm not sure I am qualified to give you a diet plan - but I can kind of tell you what I do - I can't get in the six time a day thing - I usually eat my first meal between nine and eleven in the morning first off - usually high-fiber cereal with protein powder on top and soy milk, or a protein berry smoothie, lunch is sandwich with bona fide whole grain bread and apple, maybe some raw veggies in there, afternoon an EAS bar or Myoplex lite shake, dinner - a serving of meat, maybe some whole wheat pasta, and veggie, or just a big serving of veggies. I could certainly eat a snack at night if I wanted, and sometimes I cheat and have a little popcorn, but usually I'm not hungry. I also drink a LOT of water. The key for me is that there is always a protein and a carb involved, and I think that's what keeps me from getting so hungry - rather than eating a little bit of veg or fruit to try and tide me over - I don't think that would work for me.

There is a Q and A section to the Hussman website and several of them refer to inadequate weight loss. He has several things to say about it - I will refer you there in trying to tweak this and that, and also to be patient. He says it often takes four weeks to begin to see results. Also, he gives you several web sites to get EAS products at a discount. The exercise part of Body for Life sounds a bit different than what you doing - perhaps you might consider a switch to see if that would 'shock your sytem'. Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Colia
 

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