hi everyone, I am at a dead end!

[makememean]

Hello I have just joined this site. Since November 2008 I have lost almost 20 kilos. I work out regularly and I WAS mindful about my diet until about a couple of months ago. I dont know what happened but I have lost it! In the beginning I cut almost all carbs and after having an allergy test i also cut out all dairy and wheat as I discovered I was intolerant. Since a few months ago I started to relax more on what i put in my mouth! and the weight is creeping back on, I can tell!!! Im worried that Im just going to slowly put everything back on again like I have done in the past. Have just started taking ripped freak, a good fat burner, and for the past 2 days I have eaten better. I have about 8 kilos I would like to loose and I would love some help to do this! My belly is my worst area. I have had two children, and all my weight is stored there! Does anyone have any tips for me? I know what you guys are all gonna say even before I ask! Diet! high protein and low carbs right?

[startinfromscratch]

welcome!

well, hi protein and low carb is a good generalisation, but by no means the only answer. first of all, give us some more details about your diet, weight/height, and the training/cardio you are doing. Im damn sure there will be plenty of us that can help you to your goals!

also consider starting up a journal, theyre great to track your progress, and get 'on the fly' tips from others!

[makememean]

Thank you for your message. Well my diet usually consists of 2 thin slices of rye and rice bread, toasted, with avocado on the top for breakfast and then the rest of the day consists of me eating when im hungry. I have no real structure to my diet and I know that after my first child my trainer had me eating religiously every 3 hours....do you think that would be the best thing to do. I eat a lot of steak and chicken and try to watch my carb intake at night. I have one vice - chocolate! I usually prefer to eat dark chocolate.

Today for example I havent eaten well, have had a piece of salmon, a small palm sized steak and a bowl of musli. Oh my god now I am writing this im realising how bad my food intake is! I will start my journal tomorrow. Im sure it will be very interesting having it all down on paper.

As for my weight I am around 80 kilos and am 5 ft 8ish. I dont like to weigh myself much as I become super obsessed with it. I am a size 12.

Since November 08 I have done cardio basically every day, plus doing whole body weight training.

I was weight training with my partner who is a body building from Jan this year and I was doing different body parts each day, which was a different way to train for me but I felt I was getting too stocky and needed to concentrate more on cardio. Now I am doing les mills classes every day. Today I did two, dance class and combat. I am bored of the treadmill....

Im thinking of doing some kind of boot camp to really kick myself up the arse and get back on track! My ideal weight would be 70 kilos. I would like to be strong and lean. Dont want to be skinny, and would like to build muscle. Thought I should give up the weights for a bit and get the weight down then go back to weights. What do you think about this?

My life has completely changed since I started taking care of my body.

[startinfromscratch]

Thank you for your message. Well my diet usually consists of 2 thin slices of rye and rice bread, toasted, with avocado on the top for breakfast and then the rest of the day consists of me eating when im hungry. I have no real structure to my diet and I know that after my first child my trainer had me eating religiously every 3 hours....do you think that would be the best thing to do.

definintely want to get a decent amount of protein first thing in the morning, as youve just fasted your body overnight! the only exeption is if you are doing morning cardio, you dont eat till after that usually. eating every 2-3 hours will make a HUGE difference to trying to lose weight. it will keep your metabolism running high, keep you protein levels up (if diet is inline)

routine is the absolute king of nutritional success!

. I eat a lot of steak and chicken and try to watch my carb intake at night. I have one vice - chocolate! I usually prefer

Today for example I havent eaten well, have had a piece of salmon, a small palm sized steak and a bowl of musli. Oh my god now I am writing this im realising how bad my food intake is! I will start my journal tomorrow. Im sure it will be very interesting having it all down on paper.

chicken/fish are great, whole food protein sources. if a little chocolate keeps you sanne, by all means plan to treat yourself at certain times!

start a journal, and start tracking your eats, good or bad. i garuntee you youll get lots of reccomendations from people far more knowledgable than myself :grin:

I am a size 12.

Since November 08 I have done cardio basically every day, plus doing whole body weight training.

I was weight training with my partner who is a body building from Jan this year and I was doing different body parts each day, which was a different way to train for me but I felt I was getting too stocky and needed to concentrate more on cardio. Now I am doing les mills classes every day. Today I did two, dance class and combat. I am bored of the treadmill....

Im thinking of doing some kind of boot camp to really kick myself up the arse and get back on track! My ideal weight would be 70 kilos. I would like to be strong and lean. Dont want to be skinny, and would like to build muscle. Thought I should give up the weights for a bit and get the weight down then go back to weights. What do you think about this?

nuthn wrong with 12's :nod:

cardio i wont comment on, im biased cos i hate it, even though i need it. but i would not, under any circumstances exept injury, stop weight training. it will help you keep muscle while in calorific deficiet, and will be a good way to burn cals other than cardio.

good luck!

My life has completely changed since I started taking care of my body.

[teamfatboy]

Well my diet usually consists of 2 thin slices of rye and rice bread, toasted, with avocado on the top for breakfast and then the rest of the day consists of me eating when im hungry.

Mistake one - not having a food PLAN. If you know what you should eat, things get easier, so a plan is a big help. Like SFS says, routine is the king of nutritional success.

As for my weight I am around 80 kilos and am 5 ft 8ish. I dont like to weigh myself much as I become super obsessed with it. I am a size 12.

At that height, size and weight you shouldn't need to focus on numbers. What you're after is tone - replacing jiggly fat tissue with toned muscle tissue - which coincidentally is more dense than fat, so if you use weight, rather than size, as your gauge you'll do your head in. Instead, use girths (chest, hips, waist, thigh and upper-arm circumference with a tape measure) as your gauge - or simply a pair of "test pants"...

My ideal weight would be 70 kilos. I would like to be strong and lean. Dont want to be skinny, and would like to build muscle.

Wrong - sorry, but if you fix on some arbitrary number you won't get the results you're after. Muscle is more dense than fat, so you could lose size with a routine that eliminates fat and builds muscle, and the '70' would be completely irrelevant.

Since November 08 I have done cardio basically every day, plus doing whole body weight training.

I was weight training with my partner who is a body building from Jan this year and I was doing different body parts each day, which was a different way to train for me but I felt I was getting too stocky and needed to concentrate more on cardio. Now I am doing les mills classes every day. Today I did two, dance class and combat. I am bored of the treadmill....

Im thinking of doing some kind of boot camp to really kick myself up the arse and get back on track! I would like to be strong and lean. Dont want to be skinny, and would like to build muscle. Thought I should give up the weights for a bit and get the weight down then go back to weights. What do you think about this?.

Sorry - wrong. Look at long-distance runners - lean as anything, but skinny as a stick. That's what a programme based on aerobic fitness will do for you. If you don't want to be skiny, and want to build muscle, then you need a programme that will do that - and from what you've said, cardio isn't... so don't do it.

If you've got energy, use it to stick to a plan; and do weights with the same enthusiasm as you do the cardio.

Here's a thing - muscle tissue requires more energy to sustain, than fat tissue. So, the more muscle you build, the more energy you burn.. so if you want to look toned, and shapely - get three things:

a. a food plan calibrated for you that you can stick to:

b. meals timed to fit your life; and

c. a programme which balances some general fitness (call that 'cardio') and some weights, which you can enjoy and stick to.

[makememean]

wow guys seriously, thanks for all your advice. Ok so I should not stop with the weight training, and I need to start a food journal. hmm. so much to do. But I feel more inspired now, knowing these things will only help me.

What is anyones opinion on Pump class? Its at Les Mills. Cos I dont have a weight program anymore....and I figured Pump is more focused on whole body training.

[Beef]

wow guys seriously, thanks for all your advice. Ok so I should not stop with the weight training, and I need to start a food journal. hmm. so much to do. But I feel more inspired now, knowing these things will only help me.

What is anyones opinion on Pump class? Its at Les Mills. Cos I dont have a weight program anymore....and I figured Pump is more focused on whole body training.

pump classes are superb.

[makememean]

So re food are we talking every 3 hours or 2? And would I start off with carbs for breakfast? Because I heard from another trainer once that I should only be having carbs post workout. Im about to have breakfast and I dont even know what to eat! Any websites where I can formulate an eating plan?

[gazza]

try the diet and nutrition section on this site or some of the journals, heaps of info on here. most people aim for at least 30g of protein per meal 6x a day

[rose]

Calories in vs calories out

I suggest taking time to work out how many calories you're eating. This thread has a spreadsheet you can use and some other info re online calorie counters. Taking the time to calculate this stuff will benefit you in the long run, as it eliminates the guess work.

You don't need fat burners. By all means take them if you can afford them. But if you eat more energy than you burn, you get fat.

[teamfatboy]

So re food are we talking every 3 hours or 2? And would I start off with carbs for breakfast? Because I heard from another trainer once that I should only be having carbs post workout. Im about to have breakfast and I dont even know what to eat! Any websites where I can formulate an eating plan?

With respect, that trainer's a clown. Cutting carbs to 'only post workout' is nonsense. Even serious runners have a diet comprising 50% of cals from carbs, 25% from protein and 25% from fats. On here folks will likely suggest a higher proportion of protein than that, but the bottom line is that carbs are part of any sensible diet, it's about quantity and timing.

Like Rose and Gazza have said, take some time to read the suggested threads and the Diet and Nutrition section.

It really is about calories in versus calories out - burn more energy than you eat, and not only will you not get fat, but you can save the money from fat-burners.