Deleted..!
Deleted..!
Last edited by Kisca; 06-06-2012 at 11:17 PM.
Maybe you can up the number of times per week you work out, and incorporate weight training?
For me personally, I really have to monitor my bread/pasta intake because it is the anti-christ to me being able to drop weight & gives me serious bloat (LOL). Also the kind of grains I eat are a big deal, too...do you stick to whole grain breads, pastas, etc?
Also, is there a chance you may be pregnant? Only reason I ask is because it sounds like you've been doing what you always have done, but you just happen to be getting bigger out of nowhere. That happened to my mom when she was pregnant with my brother!





I thought thats just what happens in winter in Canada?hehe Just kidding, but seriously if I stayed there Id be the size of a house by now. Really though 1-2x a week is not really enough to show a real result from the gym. It may just be you are getting older and your metabolism is slowing. It gets harder and harder every year for me to stay trim. Are you on a new form of birth control? That could be causing water retention. What sort of soup are you eating? Campbells is high in sodium = water retention.
If you wanted to tone up I would up the gym to 3-4x a week - cardio and weights - mix it up, don't always do the same routine. Id cut out bread other than the occasional wholemeal slice and pasta and go for higher protein meals. Theres lots of good meal ideas in the "what did you eat today thread".





^ I seriously bloat like a mofo on my third line of pills and I take Yasmin which is supposed to be a diuretic. When not on the pill I don't bloat ever. Its probably the pill.





oh and lots of "sugar free" or "low fat" stuff has increased sodium. I often choose the higher fat stuff instead ie. 2% milk, regular cottage cheese otherwise I retain so much water.





are you having any issues with your reproductive organs? swelling in that section can happen if there's a gyno issue. it doesn't sound like you're doing anything "wrong". what you described sounds like bloating.
five pounds for a small frame is enough to look swollen. try not to beat yourself up. if it is hormone related, stress will only make it worse





Irritable bowel syndrome? Candidiasis? Food allergy? Honestly though, people getting "bigger" as they age. That's why someone whose say, 40, has a much bigger frame than they had when they were say, 20. Even if you don't gain weight, its like your body still expands. Weird phenomena. Maybe your metabolism is starting to slow down.
Eat clean, pasta and processed carbs are evil and hate you. Love pasta? Whole whole wheat, tastes just as good and is better for you. Try working out 5-6 days a week for at least 30 minutes, using both cardio and weight training.
lol wut?
Maybe when you were 105 before, you had more muscle mass? Muscle takes up less space than fat. I'm not saying you're fat BY ANY MEANS, though! I'm just coming up with an alternative explanation. Maybe you could get a body fat monitor. I have one by Omron, which I really like. To tone up, maybe do different types of ab exercises, along with weight training. I agree w/the post about changing up your routine. Maybe try doing crunches while holding a barbell, or include plank exercises, too.




Everyone here has a lot of good info, but one more thing: are you drinking enough water?
I read somewhere that when you don't drink enough water your body holds onto the amount that you Are drinking and then you gain water weight. But the more water you drink the faster you flush it out. I haven't been doing any huge changes besides drinking more water, hiking 3 to 4 times a week for 45 mins to an hour, and eating small meals throughout the day and I'm losing weight! I couldn't get below 130 for so long (I'm 5'8") and now I'm 127 and I feel like I'm not even really trying! It's amazing![]()


Do not start eating less. What you're eating sounds great. Your body needs carbs. I don't think you're eating too many at all. If you're going to start going to the gym more often, start eating more protein and good fats, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. You can find them in some healthy foods and also snacks like goldfish and crackers.
Toning up at the gym is going to be relatively simple. If you're going 3x a week make one day your cardio day, and the other two days train with weights. Training your large muscle groups will get your whole body in shape. Free weights suck and mostly work small areas of specific muscles. Universals or gyms are great because you can find your max. Once you find your max, work out with half of it (or slightly more) until you can't do any more reps. Bench press, leg press, reverse crunches, and running (even an elliptical) are all amazing exercises that will get your large muscle groups in shape. You don't have to worry about becoming too muscular or looking like a body builder, which a lot of women worry about, because you won't be working with 1) enough weight; 2)you're not on steroids. Trust me. Your diet sounds fine. Drink lots of water, maybe eat some more protein and fats, and just start working out with machines. Your body will start to burn the fat right off. Good luck!!
Sit-ups and crunches honestly don't do a whole lot for you, as there's no such thing as targeted weight loss. You can target muscle toning, but it won't get rid of the fat in that area. The only way to do it is with some type of cardio. Yoga is good all-over toning, but don't expect overnight results--it takes awhile.
Also, there was an article recently (I'm trying to find the link; I think it was in my Women's Health magazine) about how people who do both cardio AND weight training in a single gym session will experience more fat loss than those who just do cardio. So if you're going to the gym, make sure you're doing both cardio and some kind of weights. Weights don't take very long, but a little goes a long way. You always pick a certain muscle group each day, and you don't repeat that group on consecutive days. The only muscle that's safe to repeat like that are abs--which, interestingly enough, sounds like what you're wanting. I recommend triangle sets. Example: find a machine for whatever muscle group you want. Say the weight you're comfortable with is 50 lbs.--it's not difficult, but you're still feeling a bit of a burn. So you'll do five reps of 45, then immediately five reps of 50, then 5 reps of 55, then 5 reps of 50 again, then five reps of 45. You can up it to 10 reps of each if you want. Seriously, this will kick your ASS. My husband showed it to me and it's unbelievable. Do three sets of these--if you can. I saw a significant difference after I started doing these.





Your body needs carbs but refined ones like pasta and white bread are not necessary. A small amount of good simple carbs ie. fresh fruit and good complex carbs - whole grains, broccoli, chick peas are ideal. Refined stuff like crackers and bread are full of other junk you really don't need.
Bookmarks