body hell and so frustrated with it!! some1 please help!!

[AngelicDevil]

i'm 5ft 5 and currently weigh in at 132lb. 4mths ago i was 10lb lighter and a lot more toned. based on that i managed to secure a photo shoot but since then ive gained 10lb of blubber and a dress size. im eating right (lots of fresh fruit, veg, lean meat and no carbs after 5pm) however that doesnt seem to of made a blind bit of difference i am also doing cardio 5 times a week with weights and toning twice a week with weekends off. i am that frustrated with fat gain i have started a course of clenbuterol to see if that makes a difference. can any1 please give me any advice on training and eating if what im doing is wrong, also if there are any supplements i should be taking with clen. my main goal is to get super lean with a fair bit of muscle definition without looking manly

please someone help me!! i only have 6mths to do it!

[Echo814]

Are you tracking your calories? You can gain weight just as easily by eating "clean" and "healthy" foods as you can "bad" foods, if you eat over what you burn. Also eating carbs after 5pm is a TOTAL MYTH. ANY macro nutrient protein, fat and carbs will be store as fat by the body if they are not used as energy, makes no difference when they are eaten.

Check out some of the stickeys in the nutrition section, Emma-Leigh has provided some wonderful and scientifically correct info about cals and macros.

[Emily92]

Post up a list of everything you've ate today. Most people who think they're eating "right" or "clean" usually aren't, or they're adding in extra bits here and there and they're all adding up.
The majority of that 10lbs is most likely water. I know you probably hear it all the time, but scales mean absolutely nothing. You can have a flabby unfit woman weighing 8 stone and a fit, healthy woman with muscle weighing two stone more. It meaningless.
Also, what does your weight training/exercise plan look like? You said you do "toning" exercises.....if that means you do what the "toning" ladies I see doing in the gym I go to, e.g. stepping up and down off a step with a 2lb weight in eac hand, then you're probably wasting a lot of time.

[sonti]

If you are going to gain 10lbs and a dress size in 16 weeks, you aren't going to undo the damage overnight by taking substances like clen. You need to eat properly and work out properly, sticking to it! You aren't going to look like a man in 6 months, maybe 10 or 20 years if you abuse some hardcore steroids. You have 6 months to do it, that's plenty of time, so look at the nutrition/workout stickies and do it right

[AngelicDevil]

Post up a list of everything you've ate today. Most people who think they're eating "right" or "clean" usually aren't, or they're adding in extra bits here and there and they're all adding up.
The majority of that 10lbs is most likely water. I know you probably hear it all the time, but scales mean absolutely nothing. You can have a flabby unfit woman weighing 8 stone and a fit, healthy woman with muscle weighing two stone more. It meaningless.
Also, what does your weight training/exercise plan look like? You said you do "toning" exercises.....if that means you do what the "toning" ladies I see doing in the gym I go to, e.g. stepping up and down off a step with a 2lb weight in eac hand, then you're probably wasting a lot of time.

ok so today i had a banana and cup of green tea for breakfast, for lunch i had a bowl of fruit with natural yoghurt, for dinner, im having tuna salad (which comprises of half tin tuna, spoonful of sweetcorn and big handful of mixed spinach salad leaves) green tea, peppermint tea or water throughout the day
toning is squats and lunges (lots of) some with weights and some without
cardio is either on the exercise bike, running multi terrain or skipping

[sonti]

ok so today i had a banana and cup of green tea for breakfast, for lunch i had a bowl of fruit with natural yoghurt, for dinner, im having tuna salad (which comprises of half tin tuna, spoonful of sweetcorn and big handful of mixed spinach salad leaves) green tea, peppermint tea or water throughout the day
toning is squats and lunges (lots of) some with weights and some without
cardio is either on the exercise bike, running multi terrain or skipping

Okay, that makes it a little clearer

While you are making good food choices, I wouldn't classify this as "eating right" at all. No protein or fats for breakfast (very little carb even), a wee bit of fruit and protein for lunch, and no carbs at all for dinner. I can't imagine this being anymore than 500-700 calories? If that?

Like I said before, you didn't gain this weight overnight and you can't starve it off overnight. Take your time, take it slow, and lose fat rather than waste away your muscle. The workout could be improved as well, you are neglecting your whole upper body and I'm sure you could do some decent weight on your squats.

[AngelicDevil]

Okay, that makes it a little clearer

While you are making good food choices, I wouldn't classify this as "eating right" at all. No protein or fats for breakfast (very little carb even), a wee bit of fruit and protein for lunch, and no carbs at all for dinner. I can't imagine this being anymore than 500-700 calories? If that?

Like I said before, you didn't gain this weight overnight and you can't starve it off overnight. Take your time, take it slow, and lose fat rather than waste away your muscle. The workout could be improved as well, you are neglecting your whole upper body and I'm sure you could do some decent weight on your squats.

i should of said that my eating habits havent changed drastically since christmas, ive eaten this way for quite some time which is why i dont understand the weight gain. i do alot of upper body but that is so easy to get ripped i just didnt mention it, my mistake. all the extra has been put on my ass n thighs.
always had trouble getting definition in my thighs even tho they do get quite big and solid.

[PattyU]

i should of said that my eating habits havent changed drastically since christmas, ive eaten this way for quite some time which is why i dont understand the weight gain. i do alot of upper body but that is so easy to get ripped i just didnt mention it, my mistake. all the extra has been put on my ass n thighs.
always had trouble getting definition in my thighs even tho they do get quite big and solid.

Are you saying that you have gained 10 pounds in 4 months and have been eating less than 1000 calories the entire time? If this is the case, then you should definitely see your Doctor. Eating too low can cause your body to go into starvation mode and hold onto fat. However, rapidly gaining while eating so little (regardless of exercise level), may indicate a medical cause such as an under active thyroid.

[Emily92]

ok so today i had a banana and cup of green tea for breakfast, for lunch i had a bowl of fruit with natural yoghurt, for dinner, im having tuna salad (which comprises of half tin tuna, spoonful of sweetcorn and big handful of mixed spinach salad leaves) green tea, peppermint tea or water throughout the day
toning is squats and lunges (lots of) some with weights and some without
cardio is either on the exercise bike, running multi terrain or skipping

I second what sonti said. You're eating nowhere NEAR enough. There's hardly any protein or fat in there at all. You're starting off the day with sugar (the banana) and nothing else. After not eating anything all night, your body is screaming out for food to give you energy/repair muscles - and a banana just by itself is definately not going to do that. Start the morning off with something like porridge (really cheap, you can get a big bag from tescos for something like 80p). Mix a bit of whey protein with it (you CAN get it from holland and barratt but I wouldn't rate it personally. They sell it cheap for a reason! lol I get mine from myprotein.co.uk) and/or some natural/organic peanut butter. Again, for lunch all you're having is sugar. Just because it's natural doesn't mean you can eat unlimited amounts of it. Fruit is going to give you a boost and then leave you feeling tired again.Check the label on the yoghurt - you'll be surprised! Especially if it's something like Activia. There's about 30g sugar in each of their pots and most of it is processed/added sugar too. Brown rice/pasta is better because it releases energy slowly. Have it with your tuna and some vegetables. If I can't be bothered to steam veg I'll just chop up lots of salad veg like cucumber, green pepper, spring onions etc.
Start doing heavy lunges and squats. Doing hundreds of them with no weight isn't going to do anything. I see women all the time doing them with mini 10kg barbells and they've all got flabby legs and flat bums. Absolutely no shape whatsoever. You're not going to turn into a man, and if anyone says you will just ignore them. My mum used to say that to me all the time. I just let her get on with it now because I'm not the one walking around with cottage cheese legs

[AngelicDevil]

I second what sonti said. You're eating nowhere NEAR enough. There's hardly any protein or fat in there at all. You're starting off the day with sugar (the banana) and nothing else. After not eating anything all night, your body is screaming out for food to give you energy/repair muscles - and a banana just by itself is definately not going to do that. Start the morning off with something like porridge (really cheap, you can get a big bag from tescos for something like 80p). Mix a bit of whey protein with it (you CAN get it from holland and barratt but I wouldn't rate it personally. They sell it cheap for a reason! lol I get mine from myprotein.co.uk) and/or some natural/organic peanut butter. Again, for lunch all you're having is sugar. Just because it's natural doesn't mean you can eat unlimited amounts of it. Fruit is going to give you a boost and then leave you feeling tired again.Check the label on the yoghurt - you'll be surprised! Especially if it's something like Activia. There's about 30g sugar in each of their pots and most of it is processed/added sugar too. Brown rice/pasta is better because it releases energy slowly. Have it with your tuna and some vegetables. If I can't be bothered to steam veg I'll just chop up lots of salad veg like cucumber, green pepper, spring onions etc.
Start doing heavy lunges and squats. Doing hundreds of them with no weight isn't going to do anything. I see women all the time doing them with mini 10kg barbells and they've all got flabby legs and flat bums. Absolutely no shape whatsoever. You're not going to turn into a man, and if anyone says you will just ignore them. My mum used to say that to me all the time. I just let her get on with it now because I'm not the one walking around with cottage cheese legs

thank you!! this is a big help!! im just a bit worried ill end up bigger than i am already and ive gone from a size 8 to a 10 which i havent been for a long time which is really frustrating

[gamebred26]

i'm 5ft 5 and currently weigh in at 132lb. 4mths ago i was 10lb lighter and a lot more toned. based on that i managed to secure a photo shoot but since then ive gained 10lb of blubber and a dress size. im eating right (lots of fresh fruit, veg, lean meat and no carbs after 5pm) however that doesnt seem to of made a blind bit of difference i am also doing cardio 5 times a week with weights and toning twice a week with weekends off. i am that frustrated with fat gain i have started a course of clenbuterol to see if that makes a difference. can any1 please give me any advice on training and eating if what im doing is wrong, also if there are any supplements i should be taking with clen. my main goal is to get super lean with a fair bit of muscle definition without looking manly

please someone help me!! i only have 6mths to do it!

to take enough clen for it to do something you are going to get severe shakes and headaches...I would drop it ...****s horrible for you.

[thepowerwithin]

It's your diet.

Those were my stats exactly last year; 5'5" - 132 lbs, except I am older and my job is oh so sedentary. I was able to drop 10 lbs by eating approximately 1500 cals a day, lifting heavy 5x per week, and doing SOME cardio, but I had to be consistent and it took me at least 8 to 10 weeks. I made sure my macros were right for my goals. The leaner I get, the more difficult it becomes. I am not saying this is right for you, but it worked for me.

The sticky in the nutrition section titled Calculating Calorie Needs and Macronutrients is a good place to start. (I sound like a broken record).

Good luck!

[Emily92]

thank you!! this is a big help!! im just a bit worried ill end up bigger than i am already and ive gone from a size 8 to a 10 which i havent been for a long time which is really frustrating

No problem
Just because you've gone up a size doesn't make it a bad thing. What would you rather be: a super thin woman with toothpick legs and no muscle mass, or a woman with a firm, tight fit body? If the latter means going up a size it doesn't bother me one little bit. From your picture you already look quite slim. All you need to do is start eating more (Especially carbs. You need the calories to build the muscle -> which will in turn burn the fat), lift heavy, and you're going to look great! You don't need fat burners and pills to get lean. Take a look at ChickenTuna's bodyspace. She's an example of why you don't need to be taking this stuff.

[AngelicDevil]

It's your diet.

Those were my stats exactly last year; 5'5" - 132 lbs, except I am older and my job is oh so sedentary. I was able to drop 10 lbs by eating approximately 1500 cals a day, lifting heavy 5x per week, and doing SOME cardio, but I had to be consistent and it took me at least 8 to 10 weeks. I made sure my macros were right for my goals. The leaner I get, the more difficult it becomes. I am not saying this is right for you, but it worked for me.

The sticky in the nutrition section titled Calculating Calorie Needs and Macronutrients is a good place to start. (I sound like a broken record).

Good luck!

thank you!!

[AngelicDevil]

No problem
Just because you've gone up a size doesn't make it a bad thing. What would you rather be: a super thin woman with toothpick legs and no muscle mass, or a woman with a firm, tight fit body? If the latter means going up a size it doesn't bother me one little bit. From your picture you already look quite slim. All you need to do is start eating more (Especially carbs. You need the calories to build the muscle -> which will in turn burn the fat), lift heavy, and you're going to look great! You don't need fat burners and pills to get lean. Take a look at ChickenTuna's bodyspace. She's an example of why you don't need to be taking this stuff.

i dont want to stick thin, i would much rather be leaner with curves if that makes sense and tight ofcourse.
so what weight would you recommend me lifting and should i stick with the squats and lunges?

[thepowerwithin]

I also want to throw in that my body seemed to respond best when I prioritized weightlifting (heavy for me) over cardio and kept my diet in check.

Lunges and squats are great for the legs and glutes, but you have to train your upper body as well, chest, back, shoulders, etc. A great read is the New Rules of Lifting for Women or Men.

[Emily92]

i dont want to stick thin, i would much rather be leaner with curves if that makes sense and tight ofcourse.
so what weight would you recommend me lifting and should i stick with the squats and lunges?

Don't just go straight into lifting heavy or you'll injure yourself. If you want an example, I started off doing lunges on the smith machine with no weight at all. I actually thought that felt heavy at the time!.....which is pretty embarassing if I look back. Now I do it with over 100kg/220lbs added onto it. Or the leg press. I started off with 2 25kg plates on each side. At the time, that felt heavy as well. Now I do over 220kg/480lbs. You've just got to gradually increase the weight. Try to aim for about 12reps. If you're doing squats do a warmup with just the bar and then add weight a little bit at a time.

[AngelicDevil]

I also want to throw in that my body seemed to respond best when I prioritized weightlifting (heavy for me) over cardio and kept my diet in check.

Lunges and squats are great for the legs and glutes, but you have to train your upper body as well, chest, back, shoulders, etc. A great read is the New Rules of Lifting for Women or Men.

ok thank you
i do train my upper body but that responds really quickly thats why i havent added it

[AngelicDevil]

Don't just go straight into lifting heavy or you'll injure yourself. If you want an example, I started off doing lunges on the smith machine with no weight at all. I actually thought that felt heavy at the time!.....which is pretty embarassing if I look back. Now I do it with over 100kg/220lbs added onto it. Or the leg press. I started off with 2 25kg plates on each side. At the time, that felt heavy as well. Now I do over 220kg/480lbs. You've just got to gradually increase the weight. Try to aim for about 12reps. If you're doing squats do a warmup with just the bar and then add weight a little bit at a time.

ok thank you you've been a great help

[Whatanejit]

Hi!

The girls have already given you excellent advice re your diet and re checking out the 'stickies' to read over.

I started lifting as a noob last year and didn't no where to start.

I used this as a start... scroll way down to see the split recommended and the exercise videos etc

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fitn...l_training.htm

and I adapted it to my facilities and went from there.

Best of luck

[pinkhun]

Hey, your stats are just about the same as mine (must be a uk thing)

I started my new way of life here and i wouldn't change a thing.

I have to say that progress is slow, and my body is changeing somewhat, I thought I was broad shouldered and big boned until I started lifting heavy and realised like most of us women on here that this was just a cover for me holding excess fat around my back and top half (which you never think you have)

Progress has been from the top down, my top half is more toned, but from the waist down, it takes much more time, (after all i didn't put the fat on in 3 months - im sure as hell not gonna loose it in that time - plus i don't want to loose muscle mass)

I eat as much protein as im supposed, I did try to eat the 6 meals a day but it just wasn't doing it for me - you gotta do what suits you.

Keep at it honey, it will definately be worth it and don't expect results overnight, the amazing bodies of women on here are due to years of dedication and bl**dy hard work.

The advice on here is amazing from anything to how your feeling to what your eating.

Good luck,

Charlotte

* oh and just a "heads up" i've gained 5lb and lost 8 inches ?? - don't worry about the scales, just trust your feeling and clothes. xx x

[lauren921]

I agree with the others about your diet but out of curiosity, have you started taking any meds that might cause weight gain? I went through something similar about 6 years ago. I gained 20 pounds in 4 pounds with NO change in my diet and exercise habits. Turned out it was the friggin depo provera....just sayin.

[pinkhun]

I agree with the others about your diet but out of curiosity, have you started taking any meds that might cause weight gain? I went through something similar about 6 years ago. I gained 20 pounds in 4 pounds with NO change in my diet and exercise habits. Turned out it was the friggin depo provera....just sayin.

aaaarrrggghhh the dreaded depo!! - that made me crazy as well as gaining over 14lb in about 4 weeks!!!

X

[Adelaide.]

Thats funny, I've been on Depo for several months (due to get my 4th shot in a couple weeks). I continued to loose weight without a problem and didn't notice any change in my rate of weight loss

[AngelicDevil]

Hey, your stats are just about the same as mine (must be a uk thing)

I started my new way of life here and i wouldn't change a thing.

I have to say that progress is slow, and my body is changeing somewhat, I thought I was broad shouldered and big boned until I started lifting heavy and realised like most of us women on here that this was just a cover for me holding excess fat around my back and top half (which you never think you have)

Progress has been from the top down, my top half is more toned, but from the waist down, it takes much more time, (after all i didn't put the fat on in 3 months - im sure as hell not gonna loose it in that time - plus i don't want to loose muscle mass)

I eat as much protein as im supposed, I did try to eat the 6 meals a day but it just wasn't doing it for me - you gotta do what suits you.

Keep at it honey, it will definately be worth it and don't expect results overnight, the amazing bodies of women on here are due to years of dedication and bl**dy hard work.

The advice on here is amazing from anything to how your feeling to what your eating.

Good luck,

Charlotte

* oh and just a "heads up" i've gained 5lb and lost 8 inches ?? - don't worry about the scales, just trust your feeling and clothes. xx x

thanx for your reply, glad to see others are in the same boat.
i used to train a hell of a lot so not really green to the whole trainin thing but with whats goin on at the min, totally stumped.
your weight gain n inch loss is due to gaining muscle, muscle is heavier than fat, and you've got leaner by the sounds of it.
Its so frustrating that i have got quite wobbly bits from not having any, think my previous state tho was a tad unhealthy so sort of glad im not like that anymore, however, to get half of that back would be a start.
ive now reassessed my diet and started kettlebell training, see how that works out and if nothing else, its a change from what i have been doin which is very welcome
good luck with everything

[AngelicDevil]

I agree with the others about your diet but out of curiosity, have you started taking any meds that might cause weight gain? I went through something similar about 6 years ago. I gained 20 pounds in 4 pounds with NO change in my diet and exercise habits. Turned out it was the friggin depo provera....just sayin.

no i havent started any meds at all, everything has stayed the same

[pinkhun]

thanx for your reply, glad to see others are in the same boat.
i used to train a hell of a lot so not really green to the whole trainin thing but with whats goin on at the min, totally stumped.
your weight gain n inch loss is due to gaining muscle, muscle is heavier than fat, and you've got leaner by the sounds of it.
Its so frustrating that i have got quite wobbly bits from not having any, think my previous state tho was a tad unhealthy so sort of glad im not like that anymore, however, to get half of that back would be a start.
ive now reassessed my diet and started kettlebell training, see how that works out and if nothing else, its a change from what i have been doin which is very welcome
good luck with everything

Just checked out your photos, and to be honest you look pretty great to me! - I'd be happy if I had your waist and thighs!

All relative I suppose

Charlotte

x

[Adelaide.]

your weight gain n inch loss is due to gaining muscle, muscle is heavier than fat, and you've got leaner by the sounds of it.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 1 pound of muscle = 1 pound of fat. Muscle is more dense than fat, so 1 pound of muscle takes up less room than 1 pound of fat.

[AngelicDevil]

Muscle does not weigh more than fat. 1 pound of muscle = 1 pound of fat. Muscle is more dense than fat, so 1 pound of muscle takes up less room than 1 pound of fat.

so why is it im told time n time again i shouldnt be worried about how much i weigh if im trainin as muscle weighs more than fat??????

[AngelicDevil]

Just checked out your photos, and to be honest you look pretty great to me! - I'd be happy if I had your waist and thighs!

All relative I suppose

Charlotte

x

thank you Charlotte! however, because i have been a lot leaner so know i can do it, really not happy with how i look now.
its really frustratin.
just started kettlebell training so hopefully that will work n hopefully see some good results