Macro counting, anyone here doing it?

Mrs Voegs: each day is one of those workouts. I do about 10-15 min cardio per day and about 45-55 min lifting.

As far as sets go, I'm all over the place. For squats and deadlifts I do 5x5 because I lift heavier but for everything else I'm 3x8 or 3x10. If you want to focus more on a calorie burn, I'd recommend 4x15 but using lighter weights.

One is not more superior than the other.

Calories is the whole pie chart.

Macros are what the pie chart is made up of.

What your macro split is in terms of calories is 100% up to you- they are exactly the same thing- HOW you chose to split it is totally different.

And you can chose to split your calories however makes you happy.

I generally do 40/40/30 p/f/c- which translates to roughly 140-160 grams of protein.

I could count protein grams. Or I can just aim for a lot of protein and in the long run as long as I'm under my calorie goal I'm good.

KE- your post is spot on- although I would argue against your first statement that macros are better than calorie counting. I don't think it makes a huge difference for *most* people The more specific your goal- the more it matters.

But the rest of it- yes- is very accurate- protein is king when losing weight- it helps you to optimize fat lose and minimize muscle lose.

Carbs for gaining are king- only because they are calorie heavy. and you don't get bonus points for eating "healthy" when you're bulking. So carbs help make up the difference in calories when you can't eat any more chicken and broccoli.

MrsVoegs- running alone with no strength training can cause problems- because odds are you'll lose weight. Not fat.

Weight = anything, bone, muscle, fat- your left arm- a bowl movement.

Fat loss- is fat loss- and you don't want to lose muscle. Losing muscle is bad news bears.

so weight training while you're trying to drop weight is super important- more important than running usually. Running helps create a calorie deficit = weight loss. Weight lifting = maximize fat loss and maintain muscle- or at least minimize muscle loss and give you that "toned" look people are always talking about.

@Brittany do you compete too?

@Brittany do you compete too?

Skip isolation lifts- they are completely unnecessary and overrated- you want a whole body strength routine- it's more efficient for what most people need when trying to lose weight.

So something with compound lifts- if you only have 2 days a week to lift- doing this is better than trying to make isolation lifting a thing.

M- squat bench

W- deadlift/over head press

or

M- squat

W- Bench/OHP

F- Deadlift

that's going to take you way further and do more for you than isolation lifting.

Olivia- I'd love to lift with you- if you're ever in NJ- shout out- I'll happily lift with you.

#rawrladylifters!

we have a new girl in my gym actually- she's beautiful and a beast- it's great to see new women lifters- I think 8 of us now? it makes me crazy happy.

Ah so confusing! I like my strength training class because it works the whole body and because there's instructor telling me what to do. If I had to figure out how to lift and make a routine on my own, I think I'd be lost.

SO, ok. More weight training to lose more fat, cardio is still necessary. During the summer, I need to continue with some sort of weight training as well. I want to lose FAT. I want all the flab and my kangaroo pouch from having my daughter 8 years ago gone. I want my flabby arm wings gone, and I want my back fat and armpit crease gone.

FH is so frustrated with me right now. He tells me every day I look incredible and he loves the way I look and doesn't understand why I am not happy with how I look. I've always had self confidence issues, and even after losing 30 pounds, I look in the mirror and still all I see is fat and flab.

So here's the thing- you can look okay- and still want to make changes- those two things are not mutually exclusive.

You can love the body you're in- and still want to make changes. Tell him thank you and you appreciate it- but you'd like to try harder to make changes. And that it isn't because you hate yourself.

Also- Check out starting strength, strong lifts or new rules of of lifting or strong curves.

They are beginner strength training programs- all laid out for you. Don't try to make up your own routine. Find one- take advantage of the strength gains you can get as a new lifter from a linear program- something that doesn't happen much- you'll see success b/c its structured.

Success = motivation.

motivation = more success.

more success- more drive = more motivation.

it's a self serving cycle.

Get on a system- get a program- it doesn't have to be complicated to work. but it will make a big difference if you HAVE a written out program to do so when you get to the gym you won't be wandering around like welp- what am I supposed to do now. It will cut down on the confusion.

If you aren't a gym person- try

Body By You

Convict Conditioning

You are Your own gym.

Best Body weight Beginner work out- nerd fitness.

the trick is you want something PROGRESSIVE. that actively increases in difficult- not just number of reps. That will help you get stronger and resulpt your body. doing more reps isn't usually the answer.

It can be- but usually there is another more efficient answer for you.

Thanks Jo! I'm glad that someone agrees with me and doesn't see it as 100% a confidence issue. I appreciate and love his comments. He makes me feel sexy and beautiful. But like I told him, think about it like this: I'm in school. I'm getting C's across the board. That's not terrible, he tells me I'm doing great, I appreciate his comments, but I still want those A's! No matter what grade I'm at, I always want better. I think that kind of helped it sink in for him. I have a really "always striving for better" personality. You'd think after 3 years he'd understand that that's just how I am. :-)

Thanks for your comments everyone, I am heading to the gym for Tabata. I'll check back in later!

I guess what I meant to say with that comparison is that 1300 calories of just carbs/fats (which a lot of people typically eat since many foods out there don't have as much protein...but taste delicious) will cause some fat loss, but 1300 calories with a healthy breakdown of P/F/C will do more in terms of performance/body composition .

Second everything about lifting. I recommend you prioritize the movements that work multiple muscle groups like @Jo said. I weigh the same as I do in college, but have 10 lbs less body fat. Random people will straight up ask me or assume my weight is 30 lbs lower than it is ( kinda rude but kinda a nice compliment I guess ? ). Muscles more dense than fat so you take on a "leaner" appearance. It takes A LOT of work (think years of lifting + some extra supplementation) to get that 'bulky' look. You wont get bulky by June.

As for what your SO said, lift weights for YOU and because it makes YOU happy! Seriously, its my favorite part of the day and I hope it becomes yours too.

Also I wish I had lady lifting friends! I'm a lone wolf at my gym most of the time haha

Okay since Olivia posted pictures now I want to lol. The picture on the right is when I first bought my dress back in November of last year. The picture on the left is when I tried my dress on in late January. Clearly I have had some weight gain, I really want to work on my back.

Here is my weight loss journey from june-aug last year, from counting calories and running! Ok I'm really out of here now!

I lost 75 lbs in 10 months. I counted macros, using MyFitnessPal

I second myfitness pal! Its free and works to keep you on track. I have it linked to my fit bit which keeps me on track as well. My trainer input my macros in for me. As you progress through your weight loss journey your macros needs will change.

I've tried counting macros - I'm actually still trying. MFP works well for counting the macros, but keeping within the boundaries is difficult. It has made me much more aware of what I am eating.

I track macros using the fat secret app. I do a high fat, low carb, moderate protein diet. 70-5-25. There are plenty of meal plans available to get you started and you can adjust to fit your needs more closely.

I didn't read all the comments. Just the first few.

Meal planning, my results would probably be better if I did this.

But I use my fitness pal and track what I eat on there and check out my macros after each meal. I try to eat a good amount of protein with each time I eat. If I see after breakfast I am up on my carbs (goal is 100g/day) so for example so far today I ate 55g (oatmeal for breakfast) so I know the rest of the day to avoid carbs. I adjust what I want to eat and what I do eat as I go. As opposed to meal prepping and already knowing what I'm eating.

Following

Holley Rojek on YouTube had a video where she explained how to figure out your macros you should watch that! The video was from like a year ago but was super helpful and explained how to do different equations to figure out your macros for weight loss or gaining muscle