New here, tons of questions

Without going into my life story, here's what I *think* I know about myself.
1. Carbs for me = gaining weight
2. I tend to bulk easily
3. I tend to hold on to my fat, apparently my body likes it a lot

That being said, when I was my fattest (maybe 3 years ago), I weighed 278lbs. No one knows that except me, my best friend, and my mom (and all of us are overweight but losing). I now weigh about 232. I periodically do a diet that is considered "yeast free". It works well for me. I started up again in January. My starting weight was 255. I lost 18 pounds pretty fast. Now, everything is crawling along. I always get to this point, and the weight loss stops. I started using a calorie counter and found that I wasn't eating enough! Even when I was straying off my diet, my deficit was too low. So, now I'm trying to correct that. So that's kind of where I was when a friend told me about this site.

Anyway, so I have 2 goals. One that is very short-term, and one for an ultimate goal of how I want my body to look. For now, I'm concerned with the short-term goal. I'm trying to get smaller. I am going on vacation in about 4.5 weeks and I just want my shorts to be loose instead of tight. Right now they are uncomfortable enough that I won't take them unless I can get my body to be smaller. I think it's a realistic goal, but I've been working out for a couple of weeks and I think I just need some reassurance that I'm not doing something terribly wrong, so here's what I'm doing:

I'm using Jay Robbs Whey Protein Powder. I usually drink it for breakfast with a small handful of blueberries and a combo of unsweetened coconut milk and almond milk. I will have it twice on workout days.
I'm still eating "yeast free". This means different things to different people, but for me it means, no sugar, bread, pasta, or dairy. So basically I eat meat, fish, veggies, and nuts. I try not to do too much fruit but since I've started working out, I've added them to my diet (about 2 servings a day)

Right now, I'm doing 3 days of weight training. I'm doing this at home with dumbbells. I'm aiming for 8-12 reps to start. Next week I'm going to decrease that and start increasing weight. I'm trying to work in cardio at least 2 days a week. I'm using some of the workouts on bodyrock.tv which is Interval Training as my primary cardio. It's attractive to me cuz it's 12 minute workouts, and I really feel every muscle in my body afterwards.

I'm also taking supplements. I can't list them all. They are all through my doctor and when I called and told them what I was doing, they had me add L-Carnitine, Omegas, etc, so I think I'm okay there.

Is that enough or should I be doing something different? Is anything super important missing? I'm kinda doing this all on my own with the aid of this site, so I'm a little nervous I might miss something important and realize it too late.

I've been reading a lot and it's a lot to absorb. Once I get back from vacation, I plan to develop a more long term plan and will probably have a ton more questions about that too!

have you read [url=http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921]this sticky[/url] on how to calculate calories and macros?

in most cases rapid initial weight loss is mostly water weight, so don't get discouraged if your loss slows down. actual FAT loss is a slow, non-linear process. as you have quite a bit to lose, you can get away with a bigger deficit and lose 'faster' than a lean person, up to 3-4lbs a week or more, but everyone is different in that regard.

just make sure you're not miscalculating or underestimating how much you eat. ie weigh everything, and don't think little slips 'don't count' - it is often the seemingly insignificant bits and pieces that can monstrously add up to daily totals.

there's no need to avoid certain foods or food groups unless you have intolerances/allergies etc. however, if you have issues with overeating or sticking to your diet with certain foods, then of course it is *better* to avoid them. supplements aren't necessary either, except for maybe omega-3 fish oils and a general multivitamin for reassurance if you think your diet is insufficient.

other than that - keep moving. you don't *need* to do 'formal' cardio as such, but if you can, walk everywhere, take the stairs etc. but don't overdo it and think you can make up for dietary slips with more exercise. that can go awfully wrong.

[QUOTE=KarenontheBeach;853455323]Without going into my life story, here's what I *think* I know about myself.
1. Carbs for me = gaining weight
2. I tend to bulk easily
3. I tend to hold on to my fat, apparently my body likes it a lot

[/QUOTE]

1. Carbs don't equal weight gain when part of a plan that's been worked out to contain the right percents of macros.
2. No female bulks easily. There are no special snowflakes. This is a universal truth.
3. Your body will stop holding onto fat when you start eating the right amounts.

Also, it doesn't matter so much what you're eating as much as hitting your macros. (Read those stickies!) From what I calculated, your BMR is 1800 and your TDEE (using light exercise of 1-3 times a week) is 2475. This means you could eat 2000 calories a day and lose weight. I'm guessing (since you didn't provide a detailed diet plan) that you're not eating that much because you equate eating less with losing more. Read the stickies, plan your diet and be serious about your workouts. It will happen.

Okay, I'm going to spend some time today on that sticky and get my diet figured out.
One thing I should clarify. Carbs make me crave which makes me overeat. I know carbs themselves don't make you fat. Also, I mean, crappy not food carbs. I'm eating a clean diet. It is hard sometimes to eat more calories, and yes, I have to sometimes fight the brain washing and realize I can eat and lose weight. I track every thing that goes into my mouth, even if I don't eat clean. I don't have a "this doesn't count" mentality. It's just when I was "cheating", for example I thought was consuming 300 extra calories, and when I looked it up, it was only 100. That's what I meant in my first post by not eating enough even when I cheated. I was only getting about 1200 calories on a good day. Most days were falling in the less than 1000 calories category. So even when I was doing "bad" I still wasn't eating enough. I am working to correct that now.

Currently my average is probably 1400 - 1500 calories per day and I'm going heavier on the protein. I will check out those links and cross check that amount with that.

About bulking, I do know what you mean, I should not have used that term. When I say bulk, it's probably not the same as the strict definition. What I mean by it, is if I work out my Quads for example, my legs get bigger... like a lot bigger. But again, I think that goes back to diet most likely. I do have a high testosterone level for a woman, but I understand that I still don't have anything near what a man has. I have at least read that much. :) So, I'm going to assume that if I get the diet right, that my quads will just get stronger, and some of the fat will go away, so I won't have the results I've had before with my legs just getting bigger.

So if I spend some time on these stickies you've linked to get on track with my diet, and keep up with my planned workouts... do you think it's reasonable to see some results in about a month? Or will it take longer? I just want looser shorts for now. I'm hopin that's reasonable!

Anyway, I'm taking this all very seriously. I have already been spending like 3 hours a day on this site because I basically knew nothing when I got here. I've had quite a few "ah-ha" moments and I've learned a ton already. I'm watching the exercise videos before every workout so that I know what I'm doing. If I feel like an exercise isn't working for me, I do a different one next time. I do have some prone to injury shoulders so I have to be careful there (we're talking 3 - 5 lb weights for some isolated shoulder exercises).

And I thought of one more question: Can I still follow the same basic routine? 8-12 reps the first 2 weeks, then increase the weights and lower the reps, per a lot of the workouts I've seen? My long term goal is to have a really slammin upper body so i'm excited to increase the weight! I'm still pretty strong for a fat girl...lol. And I'm being really careful. Also I've noticed an extreme difference in my recovery time since I started drinking protein shakes and taking supplements. It's pretty freaking awesome. Sometimes I wear myself out and by the next day, I'm not sore and my muscles aren't fatigued. I'm still resting though, cuz I don't want to do something stupid.

I talk too much. I'm just really excited to be able to ask questions cuz no one I know would be able to answer any of this!

Also, I'm getting a lot of headaches after working out. What could this be? I'm thinking I should make a doc's appt?

It's happening even when I'm not straining so that concerns me. I get headaches a lot anyway, but I'm getting them now almost after every workout.

[QUOTE=KarenontheBeach;853820163] do you think it's reasonable to see some results in about a month? Or will it take longer? I just want looser shorts for now. I'm hopin that's reasonable!

. . . .

Can I still follow the same basic routine? 8-12 reps the first 2 weeks, then increase the weights and lower the reps, per a lot of the workouts I've seen? [/QUOTE]
Depends on how tight the shorts are and how fat is distributed. It’s feasible for a woman with your stats to lose one, maybe even two, clothing sizes within a month even if the scale numbers don’t drop. A couple of my apple-shaped friends, who are approx. your size, did it.

Right now, you’re carrying around the equivalent of ~80 lbs of dumbbells in the form of extra weight 24/7. Each time you stand and/or move, you’re unknowingly doing resistance training. During the day, try replacing some of the sitting/laying down periods with standing or low-impact moving. Try walking for 30-60 mins 6 days/week. The initial distance and speed don’t matter. Each successive time out increase one or the other by some small amount. Be careful not to injure your knees or feet.

For weight training, recommend picking one of the proven beginner programs developed by a lifting veteran rather than wandering around. As long as muscles are progressively challenged, staying in the 8-12 rep range is fine. I think most eat at maintenance or a surplus when doing lower rep ranges because it's tough to keep progressing while in a caloric deficit. Considering your shoulders, suggest trying [url=http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=133395553&p=659304433&viewfull=1#post659304433]allpro’s beginner routine[/url] which has a slower weight progression than other plans.

Four weeks of a well-structured lifting program plus some extra standing/low impact moving may tighten your belly to thighs just enough to make those shorts fit better whether or not the scale moves.

[QUOTE=KarenontheBeach;853919953]Also, I'm getting a lot of headaches after working out. What could this be? I'm thinking I should make a doc's appt?

It's happening even when I'm not straining so that concerns me. I get headaches a lot anyway, but I'm getting them now almost after every workout.[/QUOTE]
Different things can cause headaches such as: too large of a caloric deficit, changing to a low carb diet from a moderate/high carb one, dehydration, high blood pressure, drug/supplement interaction, etc.

To rule out drug/supplement interaction, stop by a local pharmacist. Tell him/her any medical conditions and all the drugs/supplements you're taking. Ask whether there are any known negative interactions. If that's not the culprit, recommend stopping your current workout, increase calories and carbs, and drink plenty of water. If the headaches persist, see a doctor.

As someone who also had tons of questions when joining this site, I would say this place is definately awesome for getting advice and support from people who really know what they are talking about and how to achieve the goals your hoping for, so definately make the most of it and absorb all the info you can from stickies, threads etc - it can be mind boggling at first but so worth it :)

On top of this, a few of the ladies here recommended the NROLFW book, which I got the other day, and it really is a great read and clarifies a lot. Would definately say it would be worth a look and may help you digest all the information a little easier (worked a treat for me!)

Good luck!

Well I lost an inch in my arms already. I'm super psyched about that cuz they are big and flabby. :D

The headache I got went away in 5 mins. I've read that's not uncommon when exercising. Plus it was my hard cardio workout and I probably didn't drink enough water that day. I will keep an eye on it though. I got all my supplements from my doctor and they definitely know my medical history. Still if it persists, I'll give them a call to make sure. In the meantime, I'm going to concentrate more on making sure I'm hydrated!

So I took a look at the stickies, and I'm a little lost still. I figured that my calories should be 1863. Then trying to figure out how much should be protein, carbs, fat, I got a bit confused. I think I'll just do what I'm doing now, and if it turns out to not work for me, I'll change something. :)

[QUOTE=FoxBlossom;854315623]
On top of this, a few of the ladies here recommended the NROLFW book, which I got the other day, and it really is a great read and clarifies a lot. Would definately say it would be worth a look and may help you digest all the information a little easier (worked a treat for me!)
[/QUOTE]

I'm also new and this book was recommended to me, it is fantastic!!

I'm progressing but the funny thing is, I don't think the shorts aren't gonna fit anyway. They are made funny. So I'm still going to concentrate on losing weight, working out and getting stronger. I guess I'll have to find some time to go shopping before vacation. At least I know I will be in the best shape possible. Since my highest weight, I've lost 50 pounds, and I'm proud of that. Ready to work on my next 50!