Need to get my @$$ in shape.

kaitlynj2001

kaitlynj2001

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Ok, so first off, I'm a female, 39, struggled with my weight all my life. Last may I weighed in at a hefty 202 lbs and was miserable. I started taking Hellfire 150, walking every day and drinking tons of water and lost down to 136. Well, divorced, moved 30 minutes away from where I loved to walk and started an office job...got back up to 150.

I used to love the gym, but I fell out of the habit of going. Now its a chore, not to mention my gym is 30 minutes away and I work M-F 8-5 so i'm already worn out by the time I have to go. I can't afford a PT, and I've read a lot about StrongLifts 5x5 and how its a very easy to stick to program for beginners. I've also read, however, that 5x5 is not good for fat / weight loss and that I should do more of a 3x8-12 routine.

So here's my question: My goal is to lose at least 20-25lbs of fat and replace maybe 10 with lean muscle. I want to tone and define as well as slim down. I have an INCREDIBLY HIGH TOLERANCE to stimulants but I'm so tired all the time I need something to give me energy. SO...experts, what do you suggest? I need advice on Diet (i do drink protein every day, try to get at least 100g), an easy to stick to lifting/cardio routine, strongest and most effective supp you've ever used,

Please, guys. I seriously wanna shape up! TIA :)
 
Smont

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Just off the back I'm going to say your setting yourself up to fail taking fat burners "most of which don't actually burn fat" and not working out. You don't need a gym, personal trainer or stimulants. Once your tolerance is high like that is a indicator that you use way too much and are just wasting money. Invest in Some bands and dumbbells. Add some exercises and turn your walking to jogging. Lower your calories. These simple things are a good place to start. Fat burner burns a hole in your pocket
 
jdwaca

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Ok, so first off, I'm a female, 39, struggled with my weight all my life. Last may I weighed in at a hefty 202 lbs and was miserable. I started taking Hellfire 150, walking every day and drinking tons of water and lost down to 136. Well, divorced, moved 30 minutes away from where I loved to walk and started an office job...got back up to 150.

I used to love the gym, but I fell out of the habit of going. Now its a chore, not to mention my gym is 30 minutes away and I work M-F 8-5 so i'm already worn out by the time I have to go. I can't afford a PT, and I've read a lot about StrongLifts 5x5 and how its a very easy to stick to program for beginners. I've also read, however, that 5x5 is not good for fat / weight loss and that I should do more of a 3x8-12 routine.

So here's my question: My goal is to lose at least 20-25lbs of fat and replace maybe 10 with lean muscle. I want to tone and define as well as slim down. I have an INCREDIBLY HIGH TOLERANCE to stimulants but I'm so tired all the time I need something to give me energy. SO...experts, what do you suggest? I need advice on Diet (i do drink protein every day, try to get at least 100g), an easy to stick to lifting/cardio routine, strongest and most effective supp you've ever used,

Please, guys. I seriously wanna shape up! TIA :)
What is your diet like? How many meals per day? Macros?
 
Smont

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Fat burners have there place but it's for when diet and exercise are in order
 
kaitlynj2001

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I need stims to keep me awake and give me some energy to actually get through workouts. Plus, I already have a membership to a gym so why not use it?
 
kaitlynj2001

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I don't know what you mean by macros. 3 meals a day because that's all my schedule allows. On weekends I could eat 5 smaller ones, but working M-F, 8-5, I get one lunch hour. I am sensitive to carbs, I tend to retain way too much water when I eat any kind of starch, so I prefer a lower carb, high protein diet.
 
jdwaca

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I need stims to keep me awake and give me some energy to actually get through workouts. Plus, I already have a membership to a gym so why not use it?
I think what he’s getting at, is that if diet and exercise are in check, stims won’t be needed. Energy levels are affected by food. So in terms of diet, how are your macros?
 
kaitlynj2001

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ok so i'm dumb, I don't understand what you mean, unless by macronutrients you mean % of carbs, fat, etc......and that's what I need to figure out.
 
jdwaca

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ok so i'm dumb, I don't understand what you mean, unless by macronutrients you mean % of carbs, fat, etc......and that's what I need to figure out.
Well you’re close!!! Macros are the GRAMS of protein, fats, carbs.

Aside from keeping track of calories.....Here’s an example of why this is important. Carbs increase blood sugar, which in turn creates an insulin response to decrease blood sugar. Eating too much carbohydrates throughout the day put your blood sugar on a roller coaster of highs and lows. This can 100% affect your energy levels. When blood sugars drop as a result of insulin release, you get the infamous “crash” that you hear about. And insulin is a fat storage hormone, which in terms of losing weight, and burning fat, is bad. Regulate blood sugar levels, you regulate your energy levels.
 
jdwaca

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Well you’re close!!! Macros are the GRAMS of protein, fats, carbs.

Aside from keeping track of calories.....Here’s an example of why this is important. Carbs increase blood sugar, which in turn creates an insulin response to decrease blood sugar. Eating too much carbohydrates throughout the day put your blood sugar on a roller coaster of highs and lows. This can 100% affect your energy levels. When blood sugars drop as a result of insulin release, you get the infamous “crash” that you hear about. And insulin is a fat storage hormone, which in terms of losing weight, and burning fat, is bad. Regulate blood sugar levels, you regulate your energy levels.
Technically you could figure it in percentage as well, but that’s way more difficult.
 
kaitlynj2001

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well, to be completely honest with you, I'd like a diet plan that is as low in carbs as possible. I want to lose fat and build lean muscle. I want to lift (and I have been recently) but I guess my biggest question is: what kind of routine (diet and exercise) should I use to blast 25 lbs of fat and replace with nice lean muscle? I honestly do not care what the scale says, I just wanna tone up and lose a dress size or two. :)
 
jdwaca

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well, to be completely honest with you, I'd like a diet plan that is as low in carbs as possible. I want to lose fat and build lean muscle. I want to lift (and I have been recently) but I guess my biggest question is: what kind of routine (diet and exercise) should I use to blast 25 lbs of fat and replace with nice lean muscle? I honestly do not care what the scale says, I just wanna tone up and lose a dress size or two. :)
For losing weight, I would recommend a keto diet. That’s what I always use for competition prep. Energy levels are stable, and I consistently lose 1-2lbs/week. I eat zero direct carbs, high protein, moderate fat. It’s hard to GAIN muscle, and lose fat at the same time. So I can’t say this would build muscle for you, but the leaner you get, the more toned and defined you will look.

I lift 5 days/week: 5 day split

(competition prep only)
Cardio (low intensity): 30 min AM (fasted)
30 min post w/o
stair master, elyptical, walk. HR about 135
 
kaitlynj2001

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wonderful. That's what I was hoping you'd say.

Yes, I'm still going to lift to avoid LOSING muscle, and do you think 90g of protein is enough? I use a whey protein and typically have 40g in the morning with skim milk. Then once I get all the nasty excess fat trimmed off, I can amp up my lifting routine.
 
jdwaca

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wonderful. That's what I was hoping you'd say.

Yes, I'm still going to lift to avoid LOSING muscle, and do you think 90g of protein is enough? I use a whey protein and typically have 40g in the morning with skim milk. Then once I get all the nasty excess fat trimmed off, I can amp up my lifting routine.
I think you should be more in the 150 range on protein. Spread out between 5-6 meals/day. With about 75g of added fats. I recommend almonds, walnuts, olive oil, macadamia nut oil. Vegetables, anything green. This will put you at about 1300 calories. Adjust cardio as necessary to maintain weight loss.

Stay away from dairy. Dairy contains lactose (sugar), and even the lactose free milks have added sugars. Use water for protein shakes. If you must use something other than water, see if they have a sugar free almond milk. You just want to watch your calories. It’s easy to over eat, and easier to over drink calories.

I don’t know how strict you want to be, but eating any carbs/sugars will throw you out of ketosis. When you’re in ketosis, your body strictly burns ketones (fatty acids) for energy. That’s what you want.

Keep lifting. Muscle burns calories!!
 
SFreed

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I'd be curious to see how you handle that low of carbs. It works great for some people, others (like me) not so much. If you can handle it, great. If not, Smont has you covered in his post above. Lower your calorie intake, and increase your calories burned. Start jogging (or sprints) and keep up on the weight training to increase muscle tone.
 
Smont

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My posts we're a little vague, what I was getting at is fat burners are not a miracle the big weight lost you saw was more to do with you making adjustments in your life it wasn't the fat burner. You're definitely not going to lose weight Forever by walking you need to keep making adjustments. I myself am also super non-sensitive the fat burners, I can drink a pot of coffee and go to sleep. I don't waste money on fat burners because I know they don't work unless you're already super low body fat and looking for the final Edge.

If you already know you're very sensitive the carbs then drop in very low don't go Keto unless it's really a necessity, it's not a Holy Grail everybody glorifies it because the hot topic on f****** social media. Does it work, yes but your overall goals state dropping 25 lb of fat and gain 10lbs of muscle. That is a serious process, like 2-3 years. Maybe 1 if you have never trained seriously. If I was you I'd focus on losing weight and then rethink your plan. Sometimes just losing weight shows what u are looking for
 
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That was all talk to text if any of it was wrong I will restate it, there might be some confusion
 
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You also talked about how demanding your job is earlier, I go through periods of time where I work 10 hours a day 7 days a week for months on end. I also have two kids. I feel your pain but there's always a little room to do something
 
Whisky

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Ok, so first off, I'm a female, 39, struggled with my weight all my life. Last may I weighed in at a hefty 202 lbs and was miserable. I started taking Hellfire 150, walking every day and drinking tons of water and lost down to 136. Well, divorced, moved 30 minutes away from where I loved to walk and started an office job...got back up to 150.

I used to love the gym, but I fell out of the habit of going. Now its a chore, not to mention my gym is 30 minutes away and I work M-F 8-5 so i'm already worn out by the time I have to go. I can't afford a PT, and I've read a lot about StrongLifts 5x5 and how its a very easy to stick to program for beginners. I've also read, however, that 5x5 is not good for fat / weight loss and that I should do more of a 3x8-12 routine.

So here's my question: My goal is to lose at least 20-25lbs of fat and replace maybe 10 with lean muscle. I want to tone and define as well as slim down. I have an INCREDIBLY HIGH TOLERANCE to stimulants but I'm so tired all the time I need something to give me energy. SO...experts, what do you suggest? I need advice on Diet (i do drink protein every day, try to get at least 100g), an easy to stick to lifting/cardio routine, strongest and most effective supp you've ever used,

Please, guys. I seriously wanna shape up! TIA :)
Hey kaitlynj2001,

You’ve asked the question in the right place, you’ll get loads of great info and advice here.

I dropped 140lbs myself a few years so have a couple of thoughts....

IMO the following is key (in order of importance)

1) track calorie intake
2) get enough protein (I agree with the 150ish above)
3) 7-8 hours sleep min per night (more is better)
4) hydrate well, small amounts throughout the day
5) resistance training with intensity 3-5 times a week

The above is the fundamentals of a sustainable nutrition plan. If you don’t track calorie intake and macro split you don’t know what to adjust and it’s hard to consistently create a sustainable calorie deficit (knowledge is power).

The rest (fat burners, supps etc) is just fluff, only relevant if your trying to ship the last few lbs and even then not essential. Of all of them then only two I’d say are worth having consistently are caffeine and green tea.

Why don’t you create a log on here so we can assist you on your journey?

Good luck x
 
kaitlynj2001

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how do I do that?

sleep is an issue from me. I'm lucky if I get 5-6 hours a night. Insomnia sucks.
 
Whisky

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how do I do that?

sleep is an issue from me. I'm lucky if I get 5-6 hours a night. Insomnia sucks.
For the log just create a thread about logging your journey. Then simply update every day/few days/week (whatever you can do) - you’ll get plenty of people following it who can give advice as you go or offer encouragement etc. It’s also good for accountability imo.

I think sleep is the one most people struggle with, we lead such busy life’s and there’s rarely enough hours in the day.......but it’s so important. So many studies linking lack of sleep to fat gain, cognitive impairment, general poor health etc.

Personally I find zma and blue light blocking glasses to be beneficial but there’s loads of tips and tricks on improving sleep.
 
kaitlynj2001

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and where do you suggest I begin this thread? I started Keto today and its day three of my "forcing myself to get back into the gym". lol. Way too early to tell any kind of progress. Other than my DOMS are finally subsiding so I don't look like I was kicked by a mule multiple times when I walk. hahaha
 
Whisky

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and where do you suggest I begin this thread? I started Keto today and its day three of my "forcing myself to get back into the gym". lol. Way too early to tell any kind of progress. Other than my DOMS are finally subsiding so I don't look like I was kicked by a mule multiple times when I walk. hahaha
The weight loss forum would probably be your best shout.
 

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I'd be curious to see how you handle that low of carbs. It works great for some people, others (like me) not so much. If you can handle it, great. If not, Smont has you covered in his post above. Lower your calorie intake, and increase your calories burned. Start jogging (or sprints) and keep up on the weight training to increase muscle tone.
I was thinking the same thing. Never going keto again. It works for me but at the expense of feeling like crap. Then again simply reducing caloric intake and performing HIT exercise works just aswell and energy levels remain positive
 

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You should hire a nutritional coach. You are al over the place. As for workouts, do what I used to do when i was working 10 hours a day.... I was a competitor, too....Go to the gym in the morning BEFORE work. You won't believe how good you'll feel both mentally and physically at work that day.
 
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You should hire a nutritional coach. You are al over the place. As for workouts, do what I used to do when i was working 10 hours a day.... I was a competitor, too....Go to the gym in the morning BEFORE work. You won't believe how good you'll feel both mentally and physically at work that day.
Hey bro, totally agree about training before work. You feel awesome afterwards.

When you say hire a nutrional coach do you mean someone to teach OP about nutrition or someone to provide a diet plan?
 

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Hey bro, totally agree about training before work. You feel awesome afterwards.

When you say hire a nutrional coach do you mean someone to teach OP about nutrition or someone to provide a diet plan?
A nutritional coach should provide a personalized diet plan, and to educate along the way with constant updates and email communication. Training plans are also an option with some. At least with me, they are.
 

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So long as it doesn't interfere with circadian rhythm training in the morning could be a good thing.
 
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A nutritional coach should provide a personalized diet plan, and to educate along the way with constant updates and email communication. Training plans are also an option with some. At least with me, they are.
Ah ok, I’m a fan of nutritional coaching (I.e giving clients the knowledge to manage their own nutrition but not so much a fan of diet plans - I think they often prohbit clients learning the tools they need to sustain things for life).....
 

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Ah ok, I’m a fan of nutritional coaching (I.e giving clients the knowledge to manage their own nutrition but not so much a fan of diet plans - I think they often prohbit clients learning the tools they need to sustain things for life).....
Once you collect vital information from a client regarding their stats, goals, etc., a baseline diet can be constructed. Depending on their progress, changes can be made to the original diet plan. This offers flexibility, as opposed to a rigid plan that must be adhered to throughout, regardless of whether the client is moving forward, or going backwards.
 
Whisky

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Once you collect vital information from a client regarding their stats, goals, etc., a baseline diet can be constructed. Depending on their progress, changes can be made to the original diet plan. This offers flexibility, as opposed to a rigid plan that must be adhered to throughout, regardless of whether the client is moving forward, or going backwards.
Sorry bro, I wasn’t suggesting that people giving diet plans do a bad job or that it’s not done as you describe.

I was just simply saying that sometimes the client will never learn the tools to address their nutrition themselves and therefore always be dependent on that coach. To me I think people are generally better off when they can address their own nutrition as it’s less likely to ever derail.......
 

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Sorry bro, I wasn’t suggesting that people giving diet plans do a bad job or that it’s not done as you describe.

I was just simply saying that sometimes the client will never learn the tools to address their nutrition themselves and therefore always be dependent on that coach. To me I think people are generally better off when they can address their own nutrition as it’s less likely to ever derail.......
My mistake for mis understanding or not making myself more clear.... I think the coach should educate them throughout their time together, and the client should also educate themselves, especially with the unlimited amount of information available on the internet. Information I was not privy to when I first started competing way back in the day..
 
Whisky

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My mistake for mis understanding or not making myself more clear.... I think the coach should educate them throughout their time together, and the client should also educate themselves, especially with the unlimited amount of information available on the internet. Information I was not privy to when I first started competing way back in the day..
100% agree with this. My personal experience was coming from being very overweight and knowing how educating myself on nutrition has actually made getting to and maintaining a great body weight really quite easy.....I definitely had assistance and pointers in the right direction early on.
 
kaitlynj2001

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oh I can't. 1) I'm NOT a morning person at all. Getting up at 6:45 to get to work by 8 already kills me. 2) my gym is 30 minutes away, so there's no way in hell I'm getting up at 4am every day lol
 

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oh I can't. 1) I'm NOT a morning person at all. Getting up at 6:45 to get to work by 8 already kills me. 2) my gym is 30 minutes away, so there's no way in hell I'm getting up at 4am every day lol
Never think to yourself "I can't".

Good luck in your fitness goals! :)
 

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