Lacking Motivation, unable to cut. ISSUES!

[bellithorp]

Hello all! I am new the community! This is my first post. I am here to gain some insight and put to rest the incredible frustration I have been dealing with regarding my exercise and nutrition issues. I have always been a pretty skinny person, I am 5'6 and my weight has always fluctuated between 108-115 for years. I am currently 25 yrs old, and weighing over 125. I used to go through your typical spurts of working out, usually for an event, vacation then would stop when I saw results.

This last few months I have begun to want to take better care of myself, and have been working out between 1-2 hours a day, 7 days a week. I am eating much healthier, only one cheat day on Saturday but will usually stick to a min of 25 grams of protein, 9-10 servings of veggies fruits, and minimal carbs. I would say my normal caloric intake would be under 1200 for sure. I have just started a food journal to aid with this process as of yesterday.

In this time period of working out, I have also quit smoking cigarettes. I ate the same amount when I did smoke but have found that I have gained weight from stopping, perhaps my metabolism has massively slowed down? I was afraid it could have been my birth control so I also stopped that over a month ago to date.

Now I may seem like I am coming off a tad obsessive, obviously I do not feel like I am obese nor do I have an image issue. I started working out again to be healthy but now I am wanting to cut and tone for specific results, and I absolutely hope that I am not offending anyone!

My workout routine is pretty normal,
I lift 7 days a week, 3 days of week I mix cardio in with lifting. each workout day of 1 to 2 hours of working out. I am at the point where I am able to lift more weight, do more reps so I know I am getting stronger and I am able to run further and faster so my endurance is growing, but so is my waist!

I started working out with a weight of 107, <--- that is low to begin with and was due to smoking/being depressed.
since then I have gained at least 5 lbs a month unable to explain how this has happened. I am now over 125 and can no longer fit into my pants! I am not able to see muscle definition and I have a lot of belly flab that I have not ever had in my life!

I am concerned by the amount of weight I am putting on in such little time with such an active lifestyle and am desperately looking for tips, I apologize is this is lengthy but I am at my wits end.

I have been concerned that it might be a hormonal imbalance and I have an appt with my doctor to check my thyroid and hormone levels.

any one have any tips?!?

[DieselsMom]

125 at 5'6" would put you at a 'healthy' weight, if you don't like how you look then you need to build muscle to support the look your going for. If your gaining weight you are not at 1200cals it is cals in vs cals out - reviewing your measuring as everything should be weighed or measured (preferable weighed) however I still think you are lacking muscle to support the body image you are looking for.

[mtnliones5]

If you aren't completely ripped with those stats it's because you lack muscle. You should not be cutting you should be focusing on building muscle, eating more and consuming adequate protein.
There's no way quitting cigarettes would cause your metabolism to "massively slow down." It's because you are consuming more calories or moving less. Period. Cigarette smoking is an oral fixation so perhaps you are replacing it with eating. Although you say your eating is the same, you also say you just started a food journal so how would you know it's been the same without weighing and tracking everything? There's also no way you are consuming less than 1200 cals and gaining weight. Again, if you don't weigh and track your food how do you know you are in fact consuming less than 1200kcals?
As far as birth control goes if it's something you have been taking all along its probably not causing the weight gain.

[oregonchick76]

Lifting 7 days a week is insane, unnecessary and not productive.
You should't need 4 days a week for lifting.
Shouldn't need 2 hrs per day of working out.
Rest is critical to growing/repairing muscle.

At 5'6", you should be ripped at your stats if you carried any muscle at all.
You don't have a hormonal imbalance - you are not training right or eating right to make the kind of changes you want to with your body.

[latebloomingmom]

ya know I hear this quite a bit on here

women who go to gym every day

I assume it's for cardio
but then no many say they are working out

it confuses me..

is it isolated body parts then?
like
biceps
triceps ..
legs
shoulders
back?

I know many claim that this can work because the body part you 'used' the day before is now resting
while you work an alternate body part..

however, you are still using your arms when you do say..shoulder day

typically the people who only work out say three or four times a week
are doing a full upper/lower body routine
or one of the big three: bench, squat or deads

OP I am not picking on you darling don't think I am

I work out in college gym and I have been doing this now for past couple years
there is one thing I see consistently over and over with 'most' of the college girls at gym

they are on the elipticals, the treadmills
for a loooooong time
then they go over and lift what I call the 'girly' weights

I wonder everytime
when was the last time they bumped their weights
do they ever do this?

[bellithorp]

Hey all I have been counting my calories since my last post, it appears I am eating averaging around 1300-1375 calories a day, and logging all of my calories/meals. I have been eating 'cleaner' since the last week or so, too early to see any difference of course. I am still working out about 2 hours a day and it appears I am gaining muscle but it is extremely confusing me as to what is happening to my body. I know this isn't super descriptive but I can tell I am making gains in muscle now but I am noticing more loose skin and my stomach now protrudes over my pants. I can tell I am gaining muscle finally because I can flex my stomach and it feels hard but it is protruding and big(bloated?).

Sorry if this annoys anyone, I am literally just trying to figure out what is wrong. I only do cardio 3 days a week so I am trying to see if it helps that I bump it up to 4 time a week?

I don't want to sound completely negative but at least my clothes fit when I was treating my body like crap. My goal this summer was to be the healthiest person I can be inside and out! The extra flab isn't making much sense to me as I have now confirmed I am not eating that many calories.

I will update after I come back from the doctors as well. I want to thank everyone for the tips, and keep them coming if you can

any advice is better than none, and a rookie like me can sure use some awesome advice/tips from the best!

[writersbloc3]

Hey all I have been counting my calories since my last post, it appears I am eating averaging around 1300-1375 calories a day, and logging all of my calories/meals. I have been eating 'cleaner' since the last week or so, too early to see any difference of course. I am still working out about 2 hours a day and it appears I am gaining muscle but it is extremely confusing me as to what is happening to my body. I know this isn't super descriptive but I can tell I am making gains in muscle now but I am noticing more loose skin and my stomach now protrudes over my pants. I can tell I am gaining muscle finally because I can flex my stomach and it feels hard but it is protruding and big(bloated?).

Sorry if this annoys anyone, I am literally just trying to figure out what is wrong. I only do cardio 3 days a week so I am trying to see if it helps that I bump it up to 4 time a week?

I don't want to sound completely negative but at least my clothes fit when I was treating my body like crap. My goal this summer was to be the healthiest person I can be inside and out! The extra flab isn't making much sense to me as I have now confirmed I am not eating that many calories.

I will update after I come back from the doctors as well. I want to thank everyone for the tips, and keep them coming if you can

any advice is better than none, and a rookie like me can sure use some awesome advice/tips from the best!

All I know is that eating 1300 calories a day and working out 2 hours every day is not a muscle building routine. And it sounds like you really need some muscle to firm up. And no, I don't think you should bump your cardio up to 4 times a week.

I think you should up your calories, lift 3 or 4 times a week for about an hour and keep your cardio in place if you want. I think you would have much better results sculpting your body.

[birdiefu]

Hey all I have been counting my calories since my last post, it appears I am eating averaging around 1300-1375 calories a day, and logging all of my calories/meals. I have been eating 'cleaner' since the last week or so, too early to see any difference of course. I am still working out about 2 hours a day and it appears I am gaining muscle but it is extremely confusing me as to what is happening to my body. I know this isn't super descriptive but I can tell I am making gains in muscle now but I am noticing more loose skin and my stomach now protrudes over my pants. I can tell I am gaining muscle finally because I can flex my stomach and it feels hard but it is protruding and big(bloated?).

Sorry if this annoys anyone, I am literally just trying to figure out what is wrong. I only do cardio 3 days a week so I am trying to see if it helps that I bump it up to 4 time a week?

I don't want to sound completely negative but at least my clothes fit when I was treating my body like crap. My goal this summer was to be the healthiest person I can be inside and out! The extra flab isn't making much sense to me as I have now confirmed I am not eating that many calories.

I will update after I come back from the doctors as well. I want to thank everyone for the tips, and keep them coming if you can

any advice is better than none, and a rookie like me can sure use some awesome advice/tips from the best!

You are going in the wrong direction. You are not gaining muscle, you are losing more of the fat over what little muscle you have, giving it more definition. Honestly, if you aren't happy at your stats, trying to lose more weight will not make things any better. The time you spend in the gym is also excessive and unnecessary.

Eat more (what are your macros at?) and get on a proven progressive lifting program. I say this as someone who was at your stats exactly (5'6" 126), skinny fat, with flabby "problem areas", who took the jump into bulking and it was the best thing I could have done.

[writersbloc3]

I think the argument could be made that not only is she burning off the fat over her small amount of muscle mass, but that at this juncture that she is likely burning off the muscle right along with it. That's the opposite of what a true cut is trying to accomplish. She's just burning everything off. That's my guess. Not good.

[Cara0915]

I'm willing to bet you've got a case of "skinny fAt". It's not impossible to fix but takes some time (I'm talking years)

Get your protein at about 125grams, fat at 65f and the rest in carbs until you've reached your daily goal (let's say 2000 to start).
Get yourself on a lifting program that has you in the gym 3-5x per week. A good program would be one that is based around compounds like squats, bench, DL, OHP, pull/chin ups, dips.
Aim to gain 1-2lbs per month.

[oregonchick76]

Hey all I have been counting my calories since my last post, it appears I am eating averaging around 1300-1375 calories a day, and logging all of my calories/meals. I have been eating 'cleaner' since the last week or so, too early to see any difference of course. I am still working out about 2 hours a day and it appears I am gaining muscle but it is extremely confusing me as to what is happening to my body. I know this isn't super descriptive but I can tell I am making gains in muscle now but I am noticing more loose skin and my stomach now protrudes over my pants. I can tell I am gaining muscle finally because I can flex my stomach and it feels hard but it is protruding and big(bloated?).

Sorry if this annoys anyone, I am literally just trying to figure out what is wrong. I only do cardio 3 days a week so I am trying to see if it helps that I bump it up to 4 time a week?

I don't want to sound completely negative but at least my clothes fit when I was treating my body like crap. My goal this summer was to be the healthiest person I can be inside and out! The extra flab isn't making much sense to me as I have now confirmed I am not eating that many calories.

I will update after I come back from the doctors as well. I want to thank everyone for the tips, and keep them coming if you can

any advice is better than none, and a rookie like me can sure use some awesome advice/tips from the best!

WHOA. Just... STOP. 2 hour workouts? Why? And no, you are not gaining muscle. You need to GAIN weight at this point, not LOSE. You have NO MUSCLE. You need to work on building up muscle first, then cut down the fat, then bulk again.

[hunzy]

1300 cal and 2 hour work outs 7 days a week here is your problem.

When you dont eat enought and work out that much. Your body responds by eating muscle and not burning the fat it needs to sustain you.

Eat more!!! Only then will your body be able to do what you are trying to achieve.

[bellithorp]

thanks everyone! this has completely changed my point of view. I will be eating more, and hopefully making gains here within a great deal of time! Thank you all for being patient and giving great advice.


also thanks for the motivation everyone!

[kimm4]

thanks everyone! this has completely changed my point of view. I will be eating more, and hopefully making gains here within a great deal of time! Thank you all for being patient and giving great advice.


also thanks for the motivation everyone!

The weight you're at now is a healthy weight for your height. If you're not comfortable at the thought of building (eating in a calorie surplus,) set your calories at maintenance a continue lifting hard.

A professional training program doesn't have you lifting weights 7 days a week for 2 hrs a day. If you're following a solid program you shouldn't be able to do that much.

Here's some programs to check into:

Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout

Simply Shredded Upper/Lower

http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-ul...ing-guide.html

Baby Got Back Routine

http://www.wannabebig.com/training/t...-back-routine/

Lyle McDonald’s Bulking Routine

http://www.jcdfitness.com/2009/01/ly...lking-routine/

Good luck.

[MilaGroski]

I am confused... you are eating 25 gm protein PER DAY? Please tell me this is wrong.

You are too skinny to cut, think about eating well and building quality muscle first.

[Daylilly83]

Congratulations on quitting smoking!! I think your being a little hard on yourself, take it one day at a time. I quit smoking 3 years ago and found it took a few months to figure out my digestion and motabilism had changed.