new.....20s.....trying to get lean

[ryder44]

i'm pretty new to this website so I'm still figuring all the features out. Basically my long story short is after highschool (I was really athletic, and always watching weight for my sport... had to be below 130 at weigh ins) and I would practice 5x a week with 2 a days a lot. Went away to college a year and suddenly didn't have to worry about watching my diet and depriving myself... turned out to be not that great of a thing. Gained about 10-15 by the end of the year but was constantly starving myself a couple days then completely going off and working out like a mad men but then eating horrible food at dining hall and that kind of thing. Over the past couple years I've put on another 15-20 and have been constantly trying to get it off but obviously unsuccessful. I did weight watchers for a bit (i still kind of stick to that diet plan)
Right now I've lost about 10-15 probably from my biggest weight. I'm not really counting cals just kind of eating healthy, small frequent meals, and lots of water.. fruits..veggies.

My workout plan looks a little like this..

sunday- hour of spin class
monday- 45 min spin class, weights (tricep/bicep machine)
tues- rest
wed- 45 min spin class, weights (back, arms, some type of upper body)
thurs- 30-45 min cardio (usually elliptical), some weights
fri- cardio, either p90x workout or just 30 min on elliptical

i've been doing random sets of about 10 pushups (trying to build that # up lol) and planks, crunches, situps before bed and just during the day if i get a chance

i usually have a protein shake with frozen fruit and yogurt, skim milk, or water after workouts and have been eating mostly grilled chicken, salads, tons of veggies, VERY little carbs from bread/crackers other than oatmeal sometimes for breakfast.. i figured i should keep my carbs to pre workout and as little as possible post workout other than fruits (is this right?)

o and as of today I just incorporated recreate supplement into my plan.. .had a bottle I didnt use a couple months ago..

any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!! i've never really been scientific about working out and fitness so not sure about timing/days/in depth stuff

o and im 21.. female.. about 157 right now.. lookin to get back to 130ish

thanks girls!

[lhoneym]

What's your over all goal? How many calories are you eating per day usually?

If you are trying to build muscle you need to make sure you are getting a decent amount of carbs (Fruits are fine, but don't forget about brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole wheat pasta). Though protein is what builds your muscles (a.a.), carbs are what give you fuel to perform the workouts, whether it is strength training or cardio.

I would suggest reading the stickies on nutrition. Though the information might seem overwhelming, it will really help you to see where you are now and what you need to do to get on track.

[ryder44]

What's your over all goal? How many calories are you eating per day usually?

If you are trying to build muscle you need to make sure you are getting a decent amount of carbs (Fruits are fine, but don't forget about brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole wheat pasta). Though protein is what builds your muscles (a.a.), carbs are what give you fuel to perform the workouts, whether it is strength training or cardio.

I would suggest reading the stickies on nutrition. Though the information might seem overwhelming, it will really help you to see where you are now and what you need to do to get on track.

my overall goal is to get to about 130lbs (i was 156 this morning) i haven't really been counting calories just mostly looking at carbs/fat/protein/fiber but a typical day looks like this on a workout day..

morning workout (cardio/weights)
breakfast: protein shake w frozen fruit and/or skim milk or yogurt
meal 2: tuna fish w/ mayo and salad with piece of fruit
meal 3: fruit or something like few crackers w hummus or low fat cheese
meal 4: either fish or chx w/ big salad and broccoli or asparagus or yams (some vegetable) and sometimes brown rice

my main goal is fat loss so i've been trying to limit carbs to before my workouts and when i do cardio in the morning i try to get it in on an empty stomach (i read that was best for fat loss first thing in the morning somewhere on here)