Panigale1199's Journal, 01 May 2015

Yes - I noticed i lost more in March than in April - when my carbs were a little higher.  

Weigh everything...do not estimate. 6 small meals a day. You have to be OCD on with the food scale. Just my musings 

Yes I think I need to up the carbs on my hard training days. then keep it low if I have a rest day. Carb cycling seems to help people with fatloss. I would weigh everything but its tough I only have so much time in a day. I think I might bring my food scale along to work with me 

yeah I am stalling out since i started running harder again. I am thinking tyo add more fat calories instead of carbs, what do you guys think? 

You can try adding more calories but you might even gain like that or just continue to stall. Since you are not obese your body doesn't need that much calories. You would lose weight nicely with around 1300 cals per day. If your way doesn't work, try that out. 

I actually was around 1300 calroies yesterday before my MMA traning class. I trained for 3 1.2 hours straight. I had to stop because I start to get light headed and dizzy. I was about 1300-1400 cal and 30-40g carb at that point. I ate dinner after that workout and was about 2000 cals and felt much better. I stayed around 50g total after my dinner. I don't think I can handle 1300 that low. @nicholaix- HOw do you feel running? I read that you can easily stay keto and be very active but you might not hit your PR or your top performance without adding more carbs on your hard training days (found this through researching keto and training)But I agree, try adding more fat cal for energy before you add more carbs. I am curious how this works for you 

actually...I had a clif bar before class. I was around 1400 cal and 60g carb which I think helped give me some energy before class. however I don't think I ate enough calories before class. its something I need to figure out 

I have been tracking pace, distance, and just generally how I feel after and I am starting to see a very clear relation between how many calories and how well I do. My normal calorie range is 1200 to 1400 calories when not training. At that calorie range my speeds are, pardon the expression, sucking @ss and recovery is harder than it used to be. I can get through a hour and a half run but I am blown after and feel awful. I had started adding a fat bomb before and after a hard workout but that's not cutting it anymore. I did notice before that if I up the carbs, weight loss disappears completely for me but that didn't happen with the extra fat calories. If I remember correctly you weigh a fair amount less than me though. I am 180 ish and 5'7". 

Congrats for getting active and staying constistant with it and setting your sights on being a better you!! Im going to start of by saying a few things 1) this is the first time I have ever done ANYTHING on this site besides track my macros and weight, this includes reading the posts. Today your thread caught my eye and I thought maybe I could help point you in the right direction because you sound egear to learn and stick with it. 2) I am NOT a trainer, I am NOT a dietitian, I am NOT a coach and I am NOT in anyway shape or form affiliated with the fitness, food, supplement community AT ALL and have NEVER BEEN. All of this is just my recommendations for what is working for me, the research that I have done on my own and the questions that I have got answered from PROFESSIONALS 3) NEVER EVER EVER take advice from anyone until you have done your OWN RESEARCH. Specifically listening to anyone telling you that you would "lose weight nicely" on 1300 cals. THAT IS NOT MAINTAINABLE and what we all are striving for is a MAINTAINABLE LIFESTYLE! Amiright? (Im not meaning to cause any waves with that but seriously 1300 cals is too low to for anyone who isnt doing a show or getting ready for a photo shoot. Even then the pros dont maintain that year around.) Okay now that thats done here is what I came to say: If you are serious about weight loss and keeping it off you need to start at the bottom. NUTRITION. This is your foundation for everything. There are many ways to do this but since you are already counting your calories I will suggest that you look beyond calories eaten and expended but where are your calories coming from AKA your MACROS. Just by glancing at what your Macros are (FAT, FIBER, CARBS, PROTEIN) you arent fueling your body with the right balance of these important building blocks in order to lose weight and gain muscle. Yes, you are eatting 1900 cals but of what? Fat? Are you eating enough carbs to fuel your workout? Are you eating enough protein to build muscle? These are the questions you need to be asking yourself. So my suggestion is go to bodybuilding.com and read as many articles you can about EVERYTHING! Here is a good article that explains the basics of MACRO counting http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/from-here-to-macros-4-steps-to-better-nutrition.html There are additional articles that can help calculate what MACROS work for you specifically for your goals. I suggest looking into joining their Bodyspace too, were you can connect with people that have the same fitness goals. Here is my personal favorite workout guide too. I LOVE IT and have followed just the 12 week training program all the way through with AMAZING RESULTS!! Sorry if this is long winded but I really hope that you atleast do your own research and starting at bodybuilding.com is what I suggest to all of my friends bc that is where I start my own research from. I hope you find this helpful and keep your chin up, it does get easier! 

@Lawwstin Wow thanks for the advise!!! I did actually sign up on bodybuilding.com and I do have a profile that I have been tracking my weight and such. I haven't yet found a good workout program for me because 2 times a week I train in MMA for about 3 hours then I only can get to a gym aka weight room 3 days out of the week max. The other days I would have to find workouts to do at home. So far I am getting most of my caloires from fat? I get about 100-120g protein a day if I am diligent. I read a lot about carb cycling. Eating more carbs on the heavy training days then keep carbs low on the days you are either resting or not doing a crazy workout. I think I might give this a try. I have been researching a year- I follow paleo but I want to develop a paleo lifestyle that fits my needs. I find going very low carb doesn't work well with my performance. I guess I am just afraid to add some carbs for the fear of more fat gain.. I suppose the only way to find out is to try it? Maybe add some sweet potatoes on the tough training days. AI also felt eating low carb would help with fatloss, but I guess this works better for people who are not as active? I would say I am pretty active now. I need to get over the fear of eating more as well as eating more carbs because I always feel it will make me gain weight. Although I notice recently if I don't get enough carbs and I feel tired, I am more likely to binge on bad carbs aka bread/cereal or anything I can get my hands on...lol I would rather eat more fruit, veggies, sweet potatoes as my carbs. Maybe you are on to something! I will rework my macros and see how this does. *crosses fingers* 

Its frightening to change because we get so comfortable in our routine loop but if your diet (in the sense of what you eat, not an actual "diet") isnt working then why not change it? Look into the Jamie Eason 12 week program, watch her videos and read her material. She has at home workouts, gym workouts, discusses Macros and she discusses carb cycling as well. What works for one person doesnt necessarily work for another so play around till you find something that works, but give it time to work. 1 week, 2 weeks, heck even 3 weeks you might not see results but since you will be tracking it (and you should be tracking especially if you want to see results and build healthy habits for the sustainable future) you can go back and tweak what isnt working bc you can visually see what you are fueling your body with. CARBS ARE GOOD FOR YOU! EAT YOUR CARBS!! Dont be scared of them they give your body the energy it needs! Research carbs and what they do for your body on a cellular level so you can get comfortable with eating them and not feeling guilty. Your body needs them. Also protein is super important too and if you arent getting enough dont feel bad about supplementing it with a good protein shake (THIS IS NOT A MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKE OR TO REPLACE ANY MEALS! IT IS TO SUPPLEMENT ONLY!) Remember the food that you are putting into your body is what is FUELING your body throughout the day. If your feeling tired or you see your workouts lacking look back to what you are eating. Also since you seem kinda busy and the researchy type (which PRAISE! by the way, not everyone is so proactive) look into IIFIYM (If It Fits In Your Macros) you might like the freedom it gives you.  

Lawwstin - I understand your viewpoint; but for years I was in the low fat, moderate carb, high protein program. I worked out and lifted but did not lose any more weight/fat until a I did high fat and low carb regimen. Carbs are not for everyone. When you do a ketogenic approach you burn dietary fats and your own body fat for energy. My performance has improved in workouts since I made the change to low carb - carbs are all glucose and keep your body burning sugar instead of fat. It depends on a person's goals. 

@HCB Your body needs carbs to function, protein to build muscle, and doesnt need all your calories coming from fat- ALL WITHIN A HEALTHY BALANCE that is sustainable.(Obviously there are situations that this doesnt apply to ie: Diabetes, etc..) I recognize and understand that everyone is different and what works for 1 person might not work for another. In no way am I condoning any sort of way of eating or that you should be eating a lot of carbs but what I do stress is that everyone needs to take a look at their nutrition and what you are fueling your body with especially if you arent reaching the goals you need. HCB-If your current nutrition is sustainable, healthy and makes you happy and you are reaching your goals with it then more power to you, keep rocking on with what your doing! I just see alot of people who arent eating for the goals they want and the activity level they have ie: eating SUPER low carb, little protein and high fat and cant figure out for the life of them why they're tired or their workouts are lacking and it all goes back to what youre fueling your body with and your goals. Put good in, get good out.  

@Panigale1199 I hope everything is working out in your favor this week!