Stats: 5'3" 126lbs 21yo
I lost 6lbs with no effort over the last 2 months simply by making small changes in my diet and starting to exercise more regularly. Now I want to focus more on losing the "vanity pounds", which I'm guessing will be around 10lbs for me. So I calculated my TDEE and started logging calories on MFP, aiming for around 1420 cals a day and eating back some of my exercise calories. But this left me feeling very weak - like, standing up was an effort levels of weak - and I was thinking about food CONSTANTLY. I know this means I should eat more but I can't help but feel that, with a maintenance of around 1797, that I need a decently sized deficit. Anyway, fast forward to the end of the week of calorie counting, and you can find me sitting on the floor of my apartment eating my way through a whole box of chocolate cereal, followed by a whole bar of chocolate, followed by whatever else I could find... I have a history of disordered eating (restricting then bingeing) that I thought I'd grown out of, but apparently ED's don't work that way. I think it's safe to say that counting calories isn't a good way to go for me.
I also recently started lifting, following a very straight forward 3 day a week full body plan I found on a body building site that uses mostly dumbbells and body weight (I'm as weak as a kitten and need to work up to using barbells). It's been nearly a month and I'm feeling good about it - while messing around at work yesterday I discovered I can do at least 5 full push ups! That's 5 more than I could do last time I tried. I usually hop on the elliptical after lifting for 20 mins of high intensity intervals, and on non-gym days I practice yoga for about an hour and try to spend at least an hour a day walking too. I feel like I should try to get another proper workout into my week, but I lift on Mon Weds Fri and can't get in another day without sacrificing a rest day between workouts. I can't run outside either (I live in China, that would be a death sentence) and I don't want to go all the way to the gym just for a bit of cardio.
So my questions essentially are:
Can I really lose the vanity lbs without calorie counting (especially in combination with lifting)? Do you have any tips for doing this?
Would you recommend doing some kind of workout video at home or is walking a lot enough to help my weight loss cause? I was thinking about adding a Jillian Micheals video on Tues and Thurs, but would that hinder recovery from lifting the day before?
I guess I'm largely looking for reassurance here, bingeing has really knocked my self-esteem and I'm questioning if I can even achieve my goals now. I want to lose the last 8lbs or so and build some visible muscle.
Oh, and here's a typical day's menu for me:
Breakfast: oatmeal with semi-skimmed milk, half a banana and a teaspoon of honey.
Snack: handful of almonds and a mini box of raisins.
Lunch: a tin of tuna served on a big mixed salad.
Snack: a wholegrain granola bar
Dinner: a chicken breast fried with seasoning and a little oil with 2-3 servings of veggies (I bought an oven at last, so soon will be able to roast instead of fry everything)
Sometimes I'll have 2-4 squares of rich dark chocolate after dinner.
I get through a few cups of English tea with a splash of milk but no sugar, and usually drink just short of 3L of water. I track my sleep and I'm definitely getting enough.
I lost 6lbs with no effort over the last 2 months simply by making small changes in my diet and starting to exercise more regularly. Now I want to focus more on losing the "vanity pounds", which I'm guessing will be around 10lbs for me. So I calculated my TDEE and started logging calories on MFP, aiming for around 1420 cals a day and eating back some of my exercise calories. But this left me feeling very weak - like, standing up was an effort levels of weak - and I was thinking about food CONSTANTLY. I know this means I should eat more but I can't help but feel that, with a maintenance of around 1797, that I need a decently sized deficit. Anyway, fast forward to the end of the week of calorie counting, and you can find me sitting on the floor of my apartment eating my way through a whole box of chocolate cereal, followed by a whole bar of chocolate, followed by whatever else I could find... I have a history of disordered eating (restricting then bingeing) that I thought I'd grown out of, but apparently ED's don't work that way. I think it's safe to say that counting calories isn't a good way to go for me.
I also recently started lifting, following a very straight forward 3 day a week full body plan I found on a body building site that uses mostly dumbbells and body weight (I'm as weak as a kitten and need to work up to using barbells). It's been nearly a month and I'm feeling good about it - while messing around at work yesterday I discovered I can do at least 5 full push ups! That's 5 more than I could do last time I tried. I usually hop on the elliptical after lifting for 20 mins of high intensity intervals, and on non-gym days I practice yoga for about an hour and try to spend at least an hour a day walking too. I feel like I should try to get another proper workout into my week, but I lift on Mon Weds Fri and can't get in another day without sacrificing a rest day between workouts. I can't run outside either (I live in China, that would be a death sentence) and I don't want to go all the way to the gym just for a bit of cardio.
So my questions essentially are:
Can I really lose the vanity lbs without calorie counting (especially in combination with lifting)? Do you have any tips for doing this?
Would you recommend doing some kind of workout video at home or is walking a lot enough to help my weight loss cause? I was thinking about adding a Jillian Micheals video on Tues and Thurs, but would that hinder recovery from lifting the day before?
I guess I'm largely looking for reassurance here, bingeing has really knocked my self-esteem and I'm questioning if I can even achieve my goals now. I want to lose the last 8lbs or so and build some visible muscle.
Oh, and here's a typical day's menu for me:
Breakfast: oatmeal with semi-skimmed milk, half a banana and a teaspoon of honey.
Snack: handful of almonds and a mini box of raisins.
Lunch: a tin of tuna served on a big mixed salad.
Snack: a wholegrain granola bar
Dinner: a chicken breast fried with seasoning and a little oil with 2-3 servings of veggies (I bought an oven at last, so soon will be able to roast instead of fry everything)
Sometimes I'll have 2-4 squares of rich dark chocolate after dinner.
I get through a few cups of English tea with a splash of milk but no sugar, and usually drink just short of 3L of water. I track my sleep and I'm definitely getting enough.