am i being led astray???

[emmab]

i think my head is letting down my body. coming from a long standing ED background i am struggling to accept the need for rest and nutrition being as important as the workouts. i think i have been falling down this past week on the post-workout intake, having been felled by the thoughts of "dont replace cals when you have tried to burn them!!!" stupid i know!
anyway, my dietitian has suggested the following as a possible post workout meal but it seems a bit far from what others seem to have, so can anyone critique it...

1 weetbix
10g protein nuggets (red8 ones)
15g bran flakes
about 130 cals
9g protein
est 3g fat
22g carb

i am a 35yo 37kg female and she thinks this is a balanced sufficient post workout meal for after a weights session..i am not going HARD HARD out as i have osteoporosis, and she says no intake needed after cardio.

i am trying to tell myself that rest days and intake are needed and not just more and more workouts!!!
at the moment my (given to me) workouts are:
monday 20mins cardio (not HIIT)
tue 5minswarmup then lower body then 15mins elliptical
wed 5min warmup then upper body then 15mins elliptical
thu 20 mins cardio
fri 5mins warmup then lower body then 15 elliptical
sat 4-5km walk with kids
sun 5mins warmup then upper body then 15 elliptical

am i on ok track or is my personal trainer and dietitian nuts?! to top it off i had a bioimpedence analysis done today and it showed DECREASED active tissue mass, but the nutritionist said it was because i had less intracellular water, so my muscles were depleted/flat as opposed to true muscle loss, as even my hubby can see i have gained muscle (mass and endurance and strength). yet my waist has dropped 2.5cm?!?!

confused!!!!!

[imperfectly_lou]

I think you are doing far too much cardio for someone so underweight

As for your post workout meal, its too small. While I am reluctant to suggest changes to someone who is working with a dietitician, I would suggest adding a glass of skim milk and/or a scoop of whey protein powder.

[emmab]

thanks. i wondered that
they even said that with the unintense weights i do ANY post workout intake isnt essential

an eg of how weak/light i workout is...

bicep curls 12x3kg dumbells/10x4kg/8x5kg/6x6kg/12x5kg then 12x5kg hammer curls

leg extension 12x14kg 10x21kg 8x28kg 12x21kg

i am a wuss still but have made some progress ;-) when i started 3 weeks ago i nearly died after 3 mins on elliptical but can do 15 now!

[AmyJ]

Rest days are very very important. Your body needs time to heal and recover from exersize. Its not healthy to not have some scheduled rest days in you week (at least one).

If you have a solid exersize plan, and are consistant, then all that is left is a good diet and rest. Exersize, good diet, and sleep are the key to any fitness plan. Just keep your carbs clean/low GI; sweet potatos and brown rice are great, and even oats and bananas are good. Just never have any sugar, high fructos anything, ect... If you are eating "clean" foods you can eat ALOT and will not put on fat. Fat gain stems from insulin spikes which are causes by the sugars and simple carbs. You can always tweak things if you feel you need to adjust the intake based on your progress.

You really can feel comfortable to eat more as long as its the right kind of foods. With that said, I agree its not enough food.


I would recomend a post workout shake made up of a scoop on Optimum nutrition's 100% whey protein gold standard (I like the natural chocolate, but regular chocolate is good too) and some oats. Blend up some oatmeal in a blender to make a powder. Then take one scoop on the oat powder and one scoop whey to the gym in a shaker cup. ASAP afer you finish lifting weights add water to the mix, shake it up, and drink it. Then when you get home have a good well rounded meal with a protein source, some low GI carbs, and a veggy. On cardio days skip the post workout shake because your body may continue to burn fat for some time after the workout. Again, have a good meal an hour after the workout.

You need rest and good post workout nutrition; in the long run they will help you surpass your goals.

[imperfectly_lou]

Even though you arent lifting heavy, at your body weight, ALL your meals are essential so eat up!

[northernbelle]

Intensity is unique to the individual. You may not be lifting heavy in comparison to someone else, but you are lifting and trying to build muscle.

I have a hard time building strength and mass- factors against me are age, years of fitness neglect, and genetics. So my heavy days are not nearly as heavy as some of my workout buddies. But they are enough to leave me shaking and knowing that I lifted as heavy as I could.

Just because I lift 12 lbs versus someone else's 25 lbs, doesn't mean that I don't need the nutrition.

[LiftingIsLife]

what everyone has said already here is spot on.... however, i believe, what Amy said is of the most importance! REST! many people think that muscle-building and getting fit is ALL ABOUT the diet and exercise. WRONG.
REST is equally as important as the other two. at a minimum, 7.5 hrs of sleep per night, and it is VERY RECOMMENDED that you take a FULL week off of exercising every 10-12 week period.

DONT under-estimate how much your body needs the rest.......

best,
~lifer