Eating to support exercise/weight training

[doorornottodoor]

Hi I’m struggling with this and could do with some tips.

I’m an 8/10 not trying to lose weight as such just build some muscle, tone up and improve my cardio.

I do a variety- some HIIT, some weights, running and Pilates. Train most days.

I have put on a few pounds since upping my weights and I struggle to see that number go up on the scales

I had cut out breakfast and was just having a protein shake then decent healthy protein heavy choices (chicken/tuna sandwich , lentil soup, yoghurt, chicken curry/steak etc...) throughout the day. I have some chocolate too but have switched to a smaller amount of dark chocolate.

Anyway yesterday I’d done weights the night before, an early morning HIIT class plus a short 3k run, I had slept badly and I just ate so badly. I was craving carbs and ate 2 big bowls of cereal at 5pm after work instead of dinner then another bowl later on. I’m sure it’s because I’m not fuelling my body properly.

Any tips? I find if I eat breakfast it makes me feel tired but I’m obviously not getting the right fuel for my body now I’m doing more weights/HIIT.

Thank you!

You are having breakfast if you are having a protein shake.
I think you are eating way to much protein and not letting your body rest.
Unless you are training 8 hours per day you don't need that much protein and eating so much of it, mean you are not eating nutrient rich food.
People tend to forget that protein raises insulin so by eating more protein than necessary it will be converted in fat . There is this myth that one can eat as many protein as you want because it can't be stored. Not true
Think about fruits and vegetable and unprocessed grain. A spoonful or two of oats with flaxseed, a nice big salad with plenty of colours and some chicken, fish , eggs, ....you can have a slice of wholegrain bread if you want, at night, think a soup with some cheese, some fruit .
Also avoid eating non-stop during the day.
You will see more benefit by training less. If in a 24 hour period you do weight, HIIT and run, your body will crash.

If you are not hungry in the morning, don't eat . But be aware of the snacking and drinks you eat instead.

My advice, don't focus on 1 macro, but think real food, fresh food, nothing packages or processed and carbs are not your enemy.

Thanks, really helpful. Yes I’m not going crazy on protein just trying to make sure I eat it as previously I think I’ve not had enough.

Today I’ve had - protein shake for breakfast, lunch was a cup of lentil soup snd a beef and pastrami sandwich with salad on rye bread, plus a pot of melon.

I’m going to have a yoghurt as a snack then later prawn in a tomato and pepper/onion sauce with some rice/quinoa and lots of vegetables. So pretty balanced and healthy.

I agree about the training. I think I do overdo it. It’s a pandemic coping mechanism...however in my defence, the HIIT is only 30 mins and it was only a 20 min run so not too crazy. With work, sometimes you just need to do it when you can which occasionally is back to back - less than optimal I know.

I'm much more overweight, so in someways I wonder if I see affects more, but I trained every day for a month - at leat 5k 'run' every day, and I was fine.

Then for the past 3 weeks, I did a more official CT5k, only running 3 times a week, and I've seen much more improvement from that, than from exercising every day.

I hadn't previously realised how important rest days were I think.

When it comes to food, it does sound like you're eating well, perhaps you need a food rest-day too? I know that for those who are seriously into it, they do have carb heavy days as well as their clean eating days.

We don't really need that much protein . Roughy it is recommended 0.75 gr / kg of weight, and when you exercise you should have 30gr in one meal for optimisation. That's it, you don';t need more, but you need a big chunk together. I would say you are having at least double than what you need.

If you create an account on cronometer.com, it is free and a ton better than MFP , you will see how quickly protein goes up, and you can at the same time look at all the other vital nutrients. Everyone is so focused on macro and forget magnesium, zinc, ....

I would stop eating lunch meats, all those hams, pastrami and other processed meats. They bring nothing "good " to the body so if you are thinking about increasing the good stuff, they have no place, especially if eaten on a daily basis. You like eggs and bacon on a Sunday, absolutely fine , but processed meat every single day, nope. Instead put some avocado and a slice of salmon.

Protein shakes are highly processed so once your jar is finished maybe don't buy it again. Try the taste of a green smoothie, this will increase your dark leafy green consumption and do wonder for skin and gut and you pack up with vitamins and minerals.

Also, do you really "need" the afternoon snack? I am Monegasque (Monaco) and I don't know a single adult woman who snacks in Monaco, or France or Italy . There isn't even a verb nor noun for snack.

Try not having the snack and having a earlier dinner.
I don't know how you can exercise with something in your stomach. Even if I go for a gym class at 11am, I will have a beurck session if I ate something at 7am.

Go for quality. Unprocessed grain, unrefined oils, no added sugars, no processed food.

When having rice, have the brown, red or black one, even the bread be really careful about ingredients, because most "wholemeal " bread are actually white flout (listed as flour or wheat flour) with the addition of bran because it covers the legislation around labelling but your body will process it as white.

Exercise will cause inflammation, and you need anti-inflammatory foods. If you are abusing exercising and eating processed or meat-heavy, you are adding inflammation on top of inflammation without providing the nutrients the body needs.

Everyone hates carbs, but your muscles love them when you are exercising, so if you have a balanced diet, a bit of everything, you will feel better. You don't need enormous amount, and there are plenty of complex carbs in vegetables and fruits, oats, ...

Thanks @Cormoran that’s interesting. Yes I don’t normally eat ham/beef so much normally I have chicken at lunch. I do feel better having upped my protein though as it’s stopped my sugar highs and lows. I do like a snack, it keeps me level. Why are Monaco ladies relevant -haha?! I can do weights later on after eating but not cardio 🤢

I will keep reading up and tweaking and assessing how I feel. Thanks.

Ps I just reread that you are from Monaco, sorry!

I will keep reading up and tweaking and assessing how I feel

this 100000 times.
Every body is different. Listen and learn from how you feel.
Once the ZOE predict study will be available in UK, you should do it and discover how your body responds to nutrients,

Have fun experimenting

Have you looked at you TDEE and then at how many calories you are consuming? I think what you are eating is fine, but it’s hard to tell if you are eating enough of it.

Also, with the weights are you lifting heavy? Progressive overload and all that? If your goal is to build muscle you will have an increased protein requirement which can be meet with a shake. This can also be impacted by how old you are as well. Older people will generally need more protein to build muscle.

I would say that you are doing a lot of exercise, which is awesome and totally fine. But to do all that you are going to need enough food to make it happen and it sounds like you aren’t getting it. When you say the scales are going up a bit does that show on your body? If you are lucky enough to be building muscle it’s quite possible it isn’t. I have to say that I am not in love with the scales as the only means of measuring progress when trying to change our bodies. Have you taken measurements as well?

I am (possibly) in a similar situation as you and I find that some days I am just more hungry and I respond to that by eating. Overall my weight/size is still coming down slowly (I have recently gained some weight due to illness) but for me it’s more about being able to exercise effectively.

Can you get a body composition analysis at your gym?
If seeing your weight go up worries you, would it reassure you if you knew that actually you'd lost 1lb fat and gained 2lb muscle, for example?

Hi, thanks so much everyone. ❤️ I have a set of Salter scales that I’ve managed to get working this morning. I’m not sure how accurate they are. They said body fat 22.4% BNI 21.4

I’m lifting pretty heavy but more 3 sets of 12 to exhaustion. Using resistance bands for glute activation as my glutes are pathetic (one of my goals is to build them up). So shoulder press with 5kg dumbells, ditto triceps dips, body weight press ups/dips. Squats, deadlifts 24kg bar as that’s all I have at home. I’m working with a PT on weights once a week. I then do the workout she gives me 2/3 times a week plus my HIIT/running and once a week Pilates.

It’s all in Zoom at the moment. I don’t belong to a gym, my HIIT classes and running/trailing are through an outdoor bootcamp. I love the community aspect and being outdoors ❤️ Luckily we have a gym at home so I can do PT weights on Zoom.

I don't know about the ladies in Monaco, but there definitely are words for snack in French!

From The Cambridge dictionary:

snack

noun [ countable ]

/snæk/

sth small to eat between your main meals
en-cas [ masculine ] [inv]
The children have a snack during the morning.
Les enfants prennent un en-cas durant la matinée.
(Translation of snack from the GLOBAL English-French Dictionary © 2016 K Dictionaries Ltd)

TRANSLATION of snack | PASSWORD ENGLISH-FRENCH DICTIONARY

snack

noun

/snӕk/

a light, hasty meal
casse-croûte
I usually have only a snack at lunchtime
(also adjective) We had a snack lunch in the pub.

@doorornottodoor I wouldn't worry too much about the number on the scales - you're obviously not overweight with those stats! You will be building muscle, which means that your weight/BMI may go up - but your shape is likely to remain the same or even reduce, as muscle is denser than fat (not that it looks like you have much of that!)

I agree that you need to make peace with the number on the scales going up but you looking better and feeling stronger. Could you take measurements instead of weighing?

Sounds like the weight is newbie gains. I’m crazy jealous. Remember that in all likelihood you will not be able to put on a large amount of muscle easily so keep going the weights.

I know how easy it is to become overly attached to the scale but maybe it’s time to have some bad ass bitch goals instead of scale goals. How many inches can you add to that bum? How far away from a BW squat are you? Are your times coming down for your running? Are you distances going up?

I wholeheartedly encourage you to keep going, take up all the space, and the eat all the snacks

@H0Tcarrots ❤️ Love it!!! Thank you.

Can I ask - is BW squat a body weight squat? Not sure what that bit meant. But yes love the badass bitch goals.😁

And @BIWI and @PurpleDaisies-thank you. Yes, I need to shift my focus I think. Old habits.... love the “badass bitch” goals 😁

@doorornottodoor

And *@BIWI and @PurpleDaisies*-thank you. Yes, I need to shift my focus I think. Old habits.... love the “badass bitch” goals 😁

I’m exactly the same-I really have to tell myself to focus on being stronger and fitter, and not necessarily lighter. I lost a dress size and pretty much no weight at all when I had a pt. It was the best I ever looked!

A good principle is carbs before exercise (fuel) and protein straight afterwards (repair and rebuild) - but either way don't go overboard.

A BW squat, in this instance, would mean squatting your own body weight. So if you weight 70kg squatting that. Although I would say generally a 1x BW deadlift would probably come sooner.

So as part of my bad ass bitch goals I would like to squat my BW by the end of July. I don’t do heavy singles because of a previous injury so that would be for reps. I would also like an OHP of 40 kg by September, although that seems like a some what impossible dream. You can also think able having a skill goal- a head stand, push up or pull up.

And in one more bit of semi unsolicited advice- consider creatine supplementation. It made a huge difference to my performance and recovery. I am annoyed I didn’t go it sooner.

Thank you!

@H0Tcarrots how many reps do you do? I wouldn’t be able to get that on my back. My husband has a weights rack thing so I could use that. My PT has gone for lighter and more reps probably because I do struggle with my squat form and it’s tricky on zoom. I never know what to do with my back! I can do 3 *12 with my Aldi 24kg bar no problem. But yes I like your idea. I’ve got some more holistic goals with my PT (she does coaching too) but I should maybe add some tangible badass goals in. Mine are currently more around mindfulness to try and get a bit more balance in life.

@doorornottodoor a balance life is the ultimate bad ass goal. I can only dare to dream.

But yes, you need to work on your form, that’s way more important than the weight right now. You might want to try taking a video of yourself. Either straight from the back or the side. Then you can see what’s happening which is always much different than what you think is happening. You can also try something like tempo squats (in consultation with your pt) as these can really help with your form and you can clearly handle the weight. Also maybe look at something like SquatUniversity in IG or YouTube for cues about your back. I’m sure you’ll be in the rack before long.

I have a program were I do volume squats one day 3x8, then 3x5, then a rising set of 3 with the last set being the amrap. The weight varies each day and the amrap (as many reps as possible) is the heaviest.

I’m lifting pretty heavy but more 3 sets of 12 to exhaustion. Using resistance bands for glute activation as my glutes are pathetic (one of my goals is to build them up). So shoulder press with 5kg dumbells, ditto triceps dips, body weight press ups/dips. Squats, deadlifts 24kg bar as that’s all I have at home.

Sorry, but those aren't particularly heavy weights - I'm in my early 60s and can squat 60kg, and deadlift 85kg. You sound rather overly anxious about food & body weight - your habits sound a bit on the edge of an eating disorder. If you really are doing intense training, you may weigh more: muscle is denser than fat. So you can stay the same size, but weigh more.

And you need proper rest days. Your fitness will actually improve!

@doorornottodoor For correct form, common errors and how to correct them this website has a ton of videos athleanx.com/video-gallery?cat=388 I never watch the women videos, I prefer those for men.
Remember that the gluteus is composed of three different muscles, to challenge the gluteus Maximus think high box jumps, pushing a sledge and so on in addition to weights, in other words, using the muscle for what it is intended to do. You can't really challenge the maximus lying down with a band.
Spend some time on Athlean-X, there are really a ton of resources.

This is one of my favourite when I am in rush, and not going to the gym athleanx.com/articles/best-fat-burning-workout-no-equipment

For measuring the body fat, this US Navy tool is far more accurate than "smart" scale at the gyms fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy

--
and for @BIWI Teaching French to a native speaker.. ...Too bad language is more complex than the internet, you will NEVER hear any child say " Mum can I have/ I want/ do you have / pointing at a shelf / ...saying an "encas" (light meal taken instead of a meal if you need to go somewhere, or you are feeling a bit rubbish so don't want to eat a lot, cannot be used for an apple, yoghurt, chocolate, crisps, or random wrapped crap) or worse a "casse-croute" (this one is hilarious , haven't heard it in decades, a very low class word, usually a factory workers' word for meal in the early 1900, or used in old hiking guides , again cannot be used for apple , chocolate, ....) .

Very useful thank you! @Cormoran I will check that out. Thank you.

The cultural differences and attitudes towards food are interesting. We do love a snack here in the UK. Certainly, a few healthy snacks a day suit me (both physically and mentally).

@AllThatisSolid thanks. Yes I’m aware of the anxiety hence the mindfulness and the original question. Anxiety around the pandemic has made it all a bit more intense. It’s in my nature to be hyper focused so I just need to be aware.

@AllThatisSolid the “sorry but” you’re a weakling comment made me laugh Well done on your lifting, it’s not a competition though.