Advice?

[cees]

So, I am a 19 y/o F and looking for some basic advice. Long story short, I recently graduated college, and due to the heavy workload I put on about 30 pounds in 2 years (really unhealthy I know). I moved back in with my parents and joined a gym to start working out again. Since then (about 2 months) I have lost 20 pounds (went from 185 to 165) but I am 5’5” and would like to be around 120-140 ideally. My current gym schedule is 6-7 days a week consisting of 15-20 minutes of cardio and 45 of strength training (basic machine circuits focused upper body, core, and lower body). I have heard that doing this can result in burnout, but I honestly feel so excited to go to the gym everyday. I’m worried its effecting my ability to lose weight since I’m going so frequently. is it possible that going too much makes you lose weight less efficiently or harm your body in any way?

Also my diet is at a 300-400 caloric deficit, but I’m looking for the best way to cut unneeded sugar/carbs. Any advice would be appreciated.

TLDR: Working out 7 days a week, is this a bad thing?

 

[dawn16]

@cees If there are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat and you've lost about 20 pounds in about 60 days, you're in closer to a 1,000 calorie deficit, in theory. Maybe it's different when you're carrying excess, I just don't know. Is it possible that your calorie deficit is greater than you thought it was? That could be damaging in the long term if it leads to you falling off the diet and ballooning to an even greater weight than you were originally at, or even just your metabolism slowing down.

Regardless, 20 pounds is fantastic progress. Go you! From personal experience, I can't think of any reason that 7 days a week would be a bad thing as long as you're interested, and getting enough time to recover physically and mentally (more of a physical issue if you lift heavy, otherwise it's more a matter of reglycogenating). Sometimes it's nice to just have a couple of days where you do nothing. Given you're only exercising 7-8 hours a week, I can't see the issue. Don't be afraid to switch it up if you're getting bored. Play around, see what you like. You might find something like boxing training is a good bit of variation for you, and incidentally something which burns crazy amounts of calories.

Also, I've gotta ask; are you some kind of child genius?

 

[cees]

@dawn16 I’ve actually recently discovered that the scale I was using was grossly inaccurate. I still have lost about 10 pounds but I am using a more accurate scale now lol. Um as for the child genius thing, I got my associates degree at 17 about a week before I graduated high school because of a program called dual enrollment. I took community college courses that counted for high school credit (ENG 101 + 102 counted for my high school senior english etc.) So I skipped the 8th grade as well putting me about 3 years ahead total. It was not as hard as it seems, just a bit stressful. My high school paid for everyones college classes, but this meant we had no sports teams, no extra circulars, no lunch program, no gym or PE. Sorry for going in depth but, when I tell people this with no context they think its the best thing ever, but I severely regret it because my high school years sucked absolute ass and I never got to be a kid, so 0/10 don’t do dual enrollment unless you can also have a life. probably way over answered your question lmao.

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[dawn16]

@cees High school would probably have sucked ass anyway. Don't sweat it. And yeah, I agree that most smart people could probably do 100 level uni by a much younger age than 17-18 but having the work ethic and associated background knowledge for that is extremely hard to do, let alone at such a young age.

Good to know you're not going too crazy, I was worried you were on 600 calories a day or something!

I was tired so some stuff I said came out a little harsh yesterday. 1 hour of exercise a day is a lot for most people, not just 'only 7-8 hours', and definitely a good amount, especially if done with intensity.

 

[dawn16]

@cees You need to give your muscles a break as you build strength in them through tiny tears that heal stronger.
I also don't know how good your motivation is but i definitely couldnt sustain gym seven days a week. I think aiming for a consistent three or four and watching what you eat is likely to be more beneficial long term.

Losing weight is a slow process but keep sticking at it, your motivation is impressive!!

 

[cees]

@dawn16 Thanks so much! I sometimes try to do classes on days I don’t lift (cycling/yoga/swimming) to ease the tension on my muscles and stretch out.

 

[dawn16]

@cees Working out 7 days a week is what bodybuilders do. Try cutting down to 4 or 5 days a week. That way you'll have time to recover. Also, I've never done it but maybe look into doing cross fit?

 

[cees]

@dawn16 Crossfit looked fun, but I live in AZ and for whatever reason the prices of just a few sessions here are a couple hundred dollars. I have a job set up for august but even then I wouldn’t be able to afford it as fun as it looks.

 

[jeanniecheek]

@cees Another 7 days a week person here, always happy to see others as enthusiastic about fitness . Essentially what it boils down to is that you're concerned you'll lose the enthusiasm to go daily is what I think is the problem apart form weight loss.

In reference to burning out I rarely experience it myself but I'm aware of people getting those days where gravity is just that extra bit stronger and it's pretty demotivating. Realistically what a lot of top their bodybuilders refer to is balance. Finding what works for you is the key to avoiding burnout whether it's training for that hike you planned with family or competing in the marathon at the end of the month. It also doesn't hurt to take some days off ever though you may feel guilty for it which is perfectly normal

In reference to further weight loss I'd say that if you wished to really reach the low body fat area (10%~) you need to start really creating a diet plan which incorporates your needs and allows you to plan in advance.

Honestly it sounds as if you don't need the advice as you've already came leaps and bounds but still always nice to discuss this stuff, best of luck .

EDIT: lil' tl;dr - no, as long as your listening to your body and having a good pace you'll do wonderfully, dieting is the best tool you can have once you start to really analyse everything form my experience

 

[cees]

@jeanniecheek Thanks so much for the reply! Do you have any advice or resources for making a meal plan to get to that low body fat %. I have been thinking about keto, but I know that most fad diets are hard to maintain and only work for some. In college, I took nutrition, but it only really taught me about what the USDA recommendations are (myplate and stuff). I also was thinking about seeing a nutritionist, but thats really expensive and I don’t have the money for that lol.

 

[jeanniecheek]

@cees Slightly pains me to say that but my dietary advice is more for actually gaining weight so a little bit of a weak area. However, I can attest that keto works for awhile but I'd only say it really works short term?

https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/extra-bytes/budget-friendly-meal-prep/

Lot of resources out there but I generally am not the strongest in this area, best advice is really just count calories and yeah I wouldn't advise a nutritionist it's to expensive for the limited help some give, there's the odd gem but still

 

[cees]

@jeanniecheek thanks so much! awesome advice.

 

[satanworshiper666]

@cees For diet, thinking long term is key. Fad diets or restrictive diet plans are guaranteed to fail, because you'll get sick of it and fall back to eating lots of things that sabotage your goals. If it feels like punishment, you'll do it for a few months or a year and then you'll get tired of it.

Instead, you could try finding things that are good for you and that you enjoy eating. For example, I've picked the following things: black beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, green beans, avocados, mangos, blueberries, apples, bananas, carrots, yogurt, eggs, salmon. I keep a supply of these around the house so that when I get hungry I can eat something good and I'm not tempted to eat junk like donuts, ice cream, and potato chips. Baby-cut carrots are great because you can buy them in 2-pound bags and they keep very well in the fridge. When I'm watching TV at night and I feel like eating something crunchy, I eat a bunch of tiny carrots and I know they have almost no calories. I don't really need a diet plan because I can just look at what fruits/vegetables I have on the kitchen counter and what I should eat soon so it doesn't go bad.

I also eliminated soda completely. I won't buy it and I don't drink it in restaurants etc. Just say no ! I can live with that long term.

 

[cees]

@satanworshiper666 That’s really good advice. Honestly, I have been tracking calories in/calories out, and that has resulted in weight loss. So even on a day I eat poorly, its still under my daily expenditure because I just eat less of it. I am trying to eat less of the bad stuff though, so I am trying to find healthier things that I like.

 

[dawn16]

@cees I used to workout about 6-7 times a week when I first started about 5 years ago. Now I almost need that rest day. I usually take a rest day before a larger muscle group like legs. I'd much rather be in the gym, but I know for me, that rest day helps. So I have to force myself and rest or just do some light activity outdoors. I'd say if you're only 2 months in and still excited to go to the gym, but more importantly, your body is wanting to, that should be ok.

 

[cees]

@dawn16 Thanks so much! I’m sure I will burnout eventually

 

[dawn16]

@cees Well try not to! Take random days off and then come back with even more energy for your workouts. Good luck on your progress!

 

[southernscotty]

@cees Everybody already got you on the seven days a week thing, but seriously, 3-4 is probably enough for you. As for the sugars and unnecessary carbs, do you feel more tired than usual? Carbs are very important for maintaining energy throughout the day. I would say don't worry about it. You can lose weight on a diet of McShits if you're working at that deficit of 300-400 calories a day. Although if you are dead set on never eating carbs again, meat is the way to go. You can probably lose weight eating a couple pounds of meat a day (I don't know your TDEE, but 3 pounds of chicken breasts come out to 1320 calories). And last but not least, don't forget to update in a month with tits or gtfo.

 

[cees]

@southernscotty Not really deadset on eating no carbs, just trying to find a way to curb the cravings for the pointless shit (chips/cereal/soda). And not more tired but my back/ certain muscle groups have started to ache constantly after a month or two of this routine.

 

[southernscotty]

@cees Leaving chips and soda behind is like sobriety, it gets easier the longer you go down that road. I want to say it took me maybe a month to not want "junk" food anymore, but it literally only took one frosted honeybun to tear all that hard work down. Good luck I guess, and stick with your shit.

Also tits or gtfo.