New to Forum/Advice Please

[jlmhoward]

Hey,
I am new to the forum. I am just getting back into the gym and would like some advice. I am about 5'3 and 128lbs. I would like to reach a healthy/trim body fat %. (I have not had mine done in a while...I believe a year ago it was 24%). I am looking to lose some weight but build muscle. I have had success in the past losing weight, but did so with mostly cardio and lost a lot of muscle in the process.

My diet is not perfect but I am working on it. It consists of Special K, wheat toast, cottage cheese, yogurt, apples, peanut butter, vegetables, rice, chicken, turkey, and granola. I consume about 1700-1900 calories a day.

I am interested in taking supplements/fat burners to help me in my goals. There are just so many out there I have no clue where to start or what works and how to take it smartly. Being new to this, I am ignorant about alot.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Rosie Chee]

Hey,
I am new to the forum. I am just getting back into the gym and would like some advice. I am about 5'3 and 128lbs. I would like to reach a healthy/trim body fat %. (I have not had mine done in a while...I believe a year ago it was 24%). I am looking to lose some weight but build muscle. I have had success in the past losing weight, but did so with mostly cardio and lost a lot of muscle in the process.

My diet is not perfect but I am working on it. It consists of Special K, wheat toast, cottage cheese, yogurt, apples, peanut butter, vegetables, rice, chicken, turkey, and granola. I consume about 1700-1900 calories a day.

I am interested in taking supplements/fat burners to help me in my goals. There are just so many out there I have no clue where to start or what works and how to take it smartly. Being new to this, I am ignorant about alot.

Any advice is appreciated.

First, welcome to AM. Now down to business.

1. You need to know what your body composition is NOW - not what it was a year ago, and go from there.

2. There is no definition of a "healthy/trim" bodyfat composition - this will vary between individuals according to them, and 24% bodyfat is just below average for a female.

3. What you want is called a RECOMP - unless you are a very experienced trainee (which your post suggests you are not), then I recommend that you choose one or the other: Fat loss or muscle gain, since the success of a recomp is going to primarily depend on your NUTRITION.

4. If you gain muscle, but lose bodyfat, then you're not necessarily going to lose any scale weight, and could in fact GAIN some weight, since muscle weighs MORE than bodyfat.

5. You should NEVER focus on SCALE WEIGHT, but on your BODY COMPOSITION.

6. The best way to lose fat is through resistance training and the right nutritional method for you - cardio is not necessary for fat loss.

7. There is no reason for you to lose muscle/lean mass when losing bodyfat - the PRIMARY objective during fat loss should be to maintain the current muscle/lean mass that you have, with fat loss secondary. If you lose muscle mass when losing bodyfat, then you are not eating enough or exercising too excessively.

8. Work on your NUTRITION before anything else, since that is going to be the PRIMARY factor determining your success in ANY body goal.

9. You do NOT need supplements/fat burners to help you achieve your goals. If you are going to use supplements, stick to the BASIC staples. NUTRITION AND TRAINING are what are going to get you results!

10. I recommend that you get yourself a trainer who knows what they;re doing, who will individualize a training programme and nutrtion plan specific for your goals and needs, and will teach you how to get results for yourself along the way, so that you learn and understand what you are doing and why.

Pretty much every female's first post on this forum is about the same thing, so I recommend that you read through some of the threads posted by others - for example, Invalid Link Removed

~Rosie~