What am I doing wrong?

asm · #1 (**permalink**) 06-13-2007, 03:52 PM

Hi Cheryl,

Thought I'd try one more time, since I did not get any replies to my last post.

Story so far: I was underweight all along (mostly 90-98 lbs)--until I came across your forums. You advised me to start working out and I did...and started gaining weight! Thanks! Everytime I stopped working out, I would lose weight.....

Now: I started again with renewed enthusiasm. Eating well, exercising regularly. I'm gaining weight again, but also seem to be accumulating fat around my stomach! I'm 25, 5'4" and weigh 110 lbs right now. My fat % according to the scales is 22-24%. I look better overall, and the rest of my body looks good...but my stomach isn't as flat as it used to be.

Each week I do about 4 days of strength training, 2hrs of cardio and abs on alternate days. My abs are strong, but don't quite show (unless I flex them of course)

Why do you think my waist is not like before? Am I doing something wrong? I am able to sculpt the rest, but not my waistline!

Cheryl · #2 (**permalink**) 06-14-2007, 01:12 PM

You're 5'4" and 110lbs? You're perfect ! seriously!

Tell me your measurements!

Okay...........If you want to you could gain 8lbs of muscle...and you'd actually look and be leaner....You could easily weigh 118...and look amazing!

You could increase your cardio a bit...Are you doing 2 hours a weeK????? not sure if I got that right...you should be doing a minimum of 3 hours...The more cardio you do the more calories you'll burn....and I would recommend you do abs 3-4 days a week...for 10 minutes each time....

You are 25 now, and your body will change again in the next 5 years...so you have to challenge yourself every year....whatever worked for you 1 or 2 years ago...is NOT going to have the same effect today..........

I would suggest you actually gain at least 8lbs of muscle....increase your cardio, and do more ab workouts.....your ab workout should be different every time you do it....

Stay away from junk food.............and alcohol.........as we age our ab region is very vulnerable to storing fat!

let me know how you're doing!
CheryL : )

asm · #3 (**permalink**) 06-14-2007, 06:34 PM

Thanks Cheryl! I'll increase my cardio and ab workout. My measurements are 32-24-34.

How much protein should I be consuming every day? I am a vegetarian--no eggs but I drink milk. I drink a whey protein mix on days when I do strength training. But I would like to know how much of protein ( in grams) I should be consuming each day. Is it ok to drink the whey protein even on days when I'm only doing cardio? And I would also like to know how much fat (in grams) I should have in my diet every day.

Thanks again for your help!

Cheryl · #4 (**permalink**) 06-19-2007, 10:06 AM

You are in excellent shape! Your measurements are perfect for your height and weight....so please consider yourself a success!

Now, The RDA for protein is about .4 grams per lb of body weight for a sedentary adult....Now , if you're an active athlete...it's a little higher....more like .6 to .9 grams per lb of body weight.... Calculating your current workout schedule I would suggest you have about 70 grams of protein a day.

You can find protein in Yogurt, tofu, peanut butter seeing that you are a vegetarian.

Whey protein is absorbed very quickly, unless you are consuming other food which will slow down the process .........Here's a link that will explain Whey protein and protein in general more specifically.

http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Inform...s/protein4.htm

Oh and fat grams is about 25-30 % of your caloric intake....I recommend your intake to be around 60 grams.

Again, I have to say that you are really doing very well. I would only recommend you gain a few pounds of muscle...other than that...you are doing very very well !!

CheryL : )

asm · #5 (**permalink**) 06-19-2007, 02:56 PM

Thanks Cheryl! I feel great overall and I love working out and I owe a lot of it to your advice!

70 grams of protein and 60 grams of fat seems like a lot, though!!! I probably consume more like 40-50 grams of protein right now. I doubt I consume 60 grams of fat--that seems like a lot too, though I've never measured my fat intake. I calculated my calorie intake the other day and on days when I eat really well and don't miss anything, I consume between 1900-2000 calories. Is that good?

You've said this before and I meant to ask...how do I make sure I put on only muscle???

I've increased my cardio and ab workout as you suggested. I'm aiming for 3-4 hrs a week of cardio now. Guess that should help with my abs in general....

Thanks again!

miller · #6 (**permalink**) 07-01-2007, 03:59 PM

ASM with 32-24-34 measurements you shouldn\\\'t feel out of shape. May be you should add on 10 mins to your workout schedule. That would help you gain some extra muscle mass. But overall you are doing good.

Miller