New to the game!

[Clauds_19]

Hi, im 19 years old and just starting out training. I'm aiming to get to figure model competition level. The reason i am doing this is because i am unhappy with the way i look and after watching my boyfriend train as a bodybuilder for 3 years i have seen the figure models competing on stage and realised how much i would love to look like them. So i just wondered if any other females out there could help me out and give me any advice?? My current diet currently looks similar to this (obviously depending on college and work).


meal 1- 7:30 green tea, large handful of blueberries, protein shake

meal 2- 10-10:30 scrambled egg whites with one yolk handful of nuts, piece of fruit

meal 3- 12- 1 chicken breast and veg (broccoli, carrots etc)



meal 4- 2:30- protein shake, handful of nuts

meal 5- 4:30- chicken and veg an lentils

meal 6- 7:30- white fish fillet and veg

meal 7- 10:00 nuts and seeds

meal 8- casein shake before bed

training i am trying to do 30 mins cardio twice a day, fasted cardio in the morning and then 30 mins post training. weights am doing 3x a week, legs, pull and push

thank you

[dangerouscurves]

Hi, im 19 years old and just starting out training. I'm aiming to get to figure model competition level. The reason i am doing this is because i am unhappy with the way i look and after watching my boyfriend train as a bodybuilder for 3 years i have seen the figure models competing on stage and realised how much i would love to look like them. So i just wondered if any other females out there could help me out and give me any advice?? My current diet currently looks similar to this (obviously depending on college and work).


meal 1- 7:30 green tea, large handful of blueberries, protein shake

meal 2- 10-10:30 scrambled egg whites with one yolk handful of nuts, piece of fruit

meal 3- 12- 1 chicken breast and veg (broccoli, carrots etc)

meal 4- 2:30- protein shake, handful of nuts

meal 5- 4:30- chicken and veg an lentils

meal 6- 7:30- white fish fillet and veg

meal 7- 10:00 nuts and seeds

meal 8- casein shake before bed

training i am trying to do 30 mins cardio twice a day, fasted cardio in the morning and then 30 mins post training. weights am doing 3x a week, legs, pull and push

thank you

Welcome!

Have you tracked how much you're taking in?

Diet looks like the right stuff and good training , where do you feel you need to do in order to get to figure?ie. Bulk or lose?

[SHINE]

Welcome to TID! lota smart gals here like DC and others to help you with your goals!

peace.

[Clauds_19]

Thanks for the reply, i think i will have a high body fat, roughly around 25-30% so my main aim is to burn the fat, but try and build some muscle at the same time, so i keeping carbs low, only having carbs with my post workout meal, maybe i should put some oats into my morning shake.. i decided i am not going to calorie count as it will take too much time and i am busy with college and work, so i am just going to see how i get on and then change if i feel necessary.

thanks

[Hmminbrd]

Hi Clauds, looks good. Always happy to see another Den Dame, welcome!

[Clauds_19]

also my weight training at the moment is mainly power lifts, squats, deads, bench press etc, as i am new i am still working on using the correct techniques, doing 3 sets with 10-15 reps also abs once or twice a week

[Clauds_19]

thanks hmmingbrd

[dangerouscurves]

If your trying to keep your carbs low then watch the veg etc you use, asparagus, broccoli, spinach good, carrots not so great

Also blueberries seem like enough carbs, I prefer some oatmeal in the morning it keeps my desire for carbs low throughout the day...

Also as far as counting cals, id highly suggest it, really hard to know what you're doing wrong when you only have estimates as we often estimate wrong. A way to make it work with a busy schedule is to plan meals, pack and weigh etc on Sunday, or I like to do it 2 times a week. i

[AllTheWay]

hello Claud! ahhhh to be young and driven! outstanding. welcome to the iron den. we are pleased to have you join us.

you need to get someone to measure your bodyfat and not guess because in generally we usually are way off on our guesses! women are way different than men in how we store fat.

also, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? this is very important in figuring out what your caloric intake should be on a dialy basis.

[Clauds_19]

ok, i will give counting cals a go. Am sure it will help. I understand with meals its all about the preparation, so am i going to try and cook every night for the next day, obviously this will be a challenge in itself as i have never done it before, but i am sure i will get used to it

[Clauds_19]

Hi Alltheway, thanks for your input. i am 5 foot 6 and weigh 13 st 4 lbs (84kg) i have quite a slim upper body but all most of my fat seems to store on my legs and bum, yes, i definitely need to get my body fat checked, what do you think is the most accurate way??
thanks

[AllTheWay]

Hi Alltheway, thanks for your input. i am 5 foot 6 and weigh 13 st 4 lbs (84kg) i have quite a slim upper body but all most of my fat seems to store on my legs and bum, yes, i definitely need to get my body fat checked, what do you think is the most accurate way??
thanks

that would make you about 185# for us US people i know EXACTLY what you are going through! i am a bottom heavy person myself and have struggled for 2 1/2 years and my ass and thighs are finally starting to turn around!! when i started i was 175# and 32% bodyfat. now i am 175# and 15% bodyfat, maybe a bit lower now.

if you want to make this a lifestyle and not just a brief fad in your life, go about it slowly and properly. dont go on any crash diets! you will be unhappy and rebound to worse than what you were before, believe me, i have done every one of them out there! look at it as you have the rest of your life to get the body you want.

MOST IMPORTANT IS DONT STARVE YOURSELF!!! this is very counterproductive! i would say that your calories need to be around 1500 ish or so depending on your activity level. i usually have mine around 1800-2000 and have been able to gain strength and lose fat.

when it comes to accurate the bodpod is the most accurate but even if you just get you a good pair of calipers and do it the same way every time than you atleast know the trend that you are going. so what if it is a few percent off, as long as you are consistent with it you will get the general feel of how your diet and training are working for you.

it took me about 6 months to go from 32% to 21% than about a year to go to 18% and another year to get to 15%.

ok, ive rambled enough for one post. forgive me,. im very bad about that! im in no means an expert at anything but im happy to help you in anyway that i can if you have any questions!

[sassy69]

Welcome & I'm so excited you're finding lifting at your age and have a goal for it all. You're also hitting all the solid PL stuff up front. These will always be your foundation lifts - they are full body, functionally correct and the basis for everything.

I always worry when people say they are going "low carb" - low carb is great, but you can't keep it "low" forever w/o stalling out. If you plan to explicitly do a ketogenic diet (fats/proteins), then do that - the whole point of a keto diet is to remove carbs from your diet and allow your body to switch over to ketones as its primary energy source. (Different discussion so I"m not going to deviate from the topic here.) Because you're lifting the big lifts, I dont' want to get sidetracked w/ trying to change your diet to keto. (if you are interested, on your own time you can researc "Cyclic ketogenic diet - CKD ).

I know you are busy and I dont' want to suggest that you calorie count everything, But rather get a good sense of how many cals you're currently consuming and what they are made of - the macro nutrients - proteins / fats / carbs. Can you enter the portions in the diet you listed above into a food counts program like FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. Its free, online, easy to use, You enter a single day's meal plan and reasonably accurate portions to get the full calorie count and macronutrient breakdown. This way you KNOW what you're eating instead of eyeballing it.

The problem w/ "low carb" and never doing refeeds, is that your body wants to use carbs (glycogen) as its primary energy source. You're lifting PL style and doing cardio twice / day. If you're not giving your body enough fuel to do this, it will turn on itself and start consuming muscle as well. It will also slow down metabolism to conserve the energy sources it knows it has (i.e bodyfat). Instead you'd rather give your body exactly how much it needs to run, and it will use it, with protein to increase muscle mass. As you increase muscle mass, you decrease bodyfat and you also burn fat more efficiently, so you can actually eat more and still burn fat. But finding that optimal amount is the secrete. The important thing, though, is that you're giving it at least enough to do what you want.

Once I see what you're eating and the numbers on it, I'm probably going to suggest you try a carb rotation / carb cycle.

Also in using fitday.com, you can use it to build diets "on paper" to find ways to get to the right amount to get in your calories. This saves you from the perpetual tracking calories because instead you have a pretty good idea of what you're eating if you know the numbers on it, and you can plan ahead instead of after the fact. Its very useful to have a real idea of what certain foods are in terms of cals , carbs , proteins , fats if you're ballparking.

[Clauds_19]

AllTheWay-yes, being bottom heavy has been a worry for me, i don't want a lean body with huge hips. And i agree with you about how i need to make it a complete lifestyle change, that was the decision i made when i started. Am not going to do any silly diets, just going to eat clean and lean. i won't ever starve myself, i always have some nuts or seeds on me to have as a snack. I am definitely going to get my fat checked, then as long as i use the same method each time i do it i can see which direction i am heading.

Thanks again

[Clauds_19]

hey, thanks for the message. Some really great stuff there. Going low carb or not has been a difficult decision to make, obviously i am completely new to training and want to build some strength and muscle, but also losing fat is the main issue for me at this stage, so i think i am going to slightly increase carbs and just cycle them before and after training and also with my 1st meal.

Right, just been on the fit day site, what a great site it is so roughly this is what i will be taking in each day

cals 1,181

fat 51.1

carbs 145.1

protein 196.1