Help me help my wife.

[jblef]

My wife gets constant compliments from me on a daily basis on her figure and looks, yet she is not happy. God only knows why cause I think she is hot, two kids and she is looking fine. She is short so hates that. From the waste up there is there is not much of her, she is very lean.
Down below, she has a bit of a bum, which I love but she is self conscious about and wants it gone.

She wants to put on weight up top (or not lose weight at least) but at the same time lose weight on the bum.

I was in the army for 8 years and am now a fire fighter so I am fit and know enough about strength training and cardio training to get me by. BUT! she asks me for advice like I'm a bloody personal trainer. For me its easy. I do cardio, I get fitter, I lift weights I get stronger, I do circuits I get endurance. Appearance is not my goal but performance for my profession.

On a couple of occasions she has gone gym crazy and her ass has toned up and her abs have come through but her chest and shoulders and most obvious, her neck have come up looking very anorexic. This is cause she does all cardio with a few exercises. She eats very healthy mainly fruit and veg. She eats no protein really. (apparently she is not a vegetarian yet she will not eat meat??)

So when she asks about how to lose weight from her ass but not turn into more of a "skeleton" up stairs, I say, I have no ****ing idea.

Can anyone offer some tips?

Training
Diet
Supplements??


Thanks in advance

Jason

[darins]

Whatever you tell her, it's not likely to make a difference. That's no knock on her - but the fact that you're here asking questions and not her reveals a lot. Your desire to help is admirable, but you know what to tell her:

-Balance out the diet - "mainly fruit and vegetables" is a great start but it is NOT by itself a healthy diet by any stretch. It is a recipe to look exactly the way she probably does.
-Hard strength training (TOTAL body, not just legs and butt)

Supplements would be a waste of money at this point, she needs to get her proverbial house in order with diet and exercise first.

Encourage her to create an account on here, read, ask questions, and learn from the experience of countless others that have been in similar situations.

[ttota]

If she wants to build a more athletic upper body, she needs to lift weights (strength training) and eat loads of protein.
You'll never get muscular on a fruit and vegetables diet, she needs her protein!

[megdaig]

Have HER read this -->http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921

She's not putting on mass up top if she isn't getting the required minimum amount of protein to support protein synthesis. Muscle gain does not [or at least rarely] occur while eating on a deficit so she needs to start eating at least at maintenance and ideally +200 or so calories above.

Get her on a good and proper weight lifting program. I'll recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROL4W) since a lot of ladies seem to suggest and use that one. *Disclaimer, I have no experience with NROL4W.

[DaniGrrl]

Whatever you tell her, it's not likely to make a difference. That's no knock on her - but the fact that you're here asking questions and not her reveals a lot. Your desire to help is admirable, but you know what to tell her:

-Balance out the diet - "mainly fruit and vegetables" is a great start but it is NOT by itself a healthy diet by any stretch. It is a recipe to look exactly the way she probably does.
-Hard strength training (TOTAL body, not just legs and butt)

Supplements would be a waste of money at this point, she needs to get her proverbial house in order with diet and exercise first.

Encourage her to create an account on here, read, ask questions, and learn from the experience of countless others that have been in similar situations.

^^this^^


Have HER read this -->http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921

She's not putting on mass up top if she isn't getting the required minimum amount of protein to support protein synthesis. Muscle gain does not [or at least rarely] occur while eating on a deficit so she needs to start eating at least at maintenance and ideally +200 or so calories above.

Get her on a good and proper weight lifting program. I'll recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROL4W) since a lot of ladies seem to suggest and use that one. *Disclaimer, I have no experience with NROL4W.

And ^^this^^

[MNTiburon]

If she wants to build a more athletic upper body, she needs to lift weights (strength training) and eat loads of protein.
You'll never get muscular on a fruit and vegetables diet, she needs her protein!


I thought the same thing. No protein???? That's not just detrimental for building muscle, it's bad health period. Apart from the muscle building we all know about protein, it also helps curb appetite and regulate metabolism. If you're getting by on fruits and veggies alone your body will go into starvation mode and metabolize food VERY slowly. There are so many healthy proteins out there. Non-fat greek yogurt is how I start every day. Works like a charm!