Weights vs. Cardio and Nutrition Questions From A Newbie

Hi All,

Just thought I would do a quick intro before getting to my question(s)! I'm female, 33, 6'1", and have been vegan for almost 3.5 years now. I do it for the animals, but I have to say, such an unexpected benefit has been the health changes. I have always struggled with my weight, and when I went vegan, some of it naturally came off. That being said, I still have about 30-40 lbs I want to lose. I also want to build some muscle, specifically my arms and legs. I mean, a super toned stomach would be great, but I have never had legs or arms I'm comfortable showing off - I want that to change.

I've read conflicting things in terms of whether or not I should focus on cardio or weights or both. My husband and I try to get to the gym 4-5 days a week, and three of those days, we are usually up at 4am, to the gym for 5am, and out at around 6am. My question is - do I spend my days focusing more on cardio or weights?

This is my current schedule:

Mon - off

Tues - 15 minutes stairs or treadmill (usually burn about 250 calories) - tricep workout with supersets; instead of resting for one minute between sets, I do 20 squats and a 30 second plank, then into another super set. In total, four sets of arm work and four sets of squats and planks.

Wed - 15 minutes stairs or treadmill - bicep/shoulder/chest workout with supersets; instead of resting for one minute between sets, I do 20 Russian twists and 20 crunches, both with a 17.5 kettle bell, then into another super set. In total, four sets of arm work and four sets of ab work.

Thurs - off

Fri - Tuesday workout

Sat - Wed workout

Sun - off or Tuesday workout

I want to get the most out of my workouts and I'm not sure if this is doing it. In terms of nutrition, I have a Vega performance protein shake when I get back from the gym every time. Breakfast everyday is a Sun Warrior protein shake and some Vega Chlorella. Lunch is leftovers from dinner and I try to have two snacks a day. I've also heard two things in terms of nutrition - that I shouldn't count calories because I eat a fairly raw and healthy diet (as an aside, I have never felt better than I do when I eat a lot of raw food), but then I've heard that because I want to shed some more weight, I should be. The problem for me, is that because I really do bust my butt at the gym (it's not pretty at the end, but it feels good!) that I need to watch my food. This means that I'm restricted to about 1,440 calories/day. Some days, this feels so inadequate, I can't even put it into words.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I want to work smarter not harder (unless harder is smarter!). I feel like I've hit a bit of a plateau, which tells me that I need to look at something, I just don't know what it is. I know my body type and I will never be a size 6 or even 8. I am tall and curvy and I like it, I just want to be a little leaner (but keep the booty!). If anyone has any advice, I would love to hear it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Hi Vancouver. Wow all of that and you didnt even leave your name. Just teasing, but yeah, welcome to the community here.

The most general answer to your question is that it depends on what your goal is what time of workout routine you should be focusing on. I would suggest taking a look at some of the ladies who actively keep a training journal here. Find some that you can get new ideas for workout routines from. Post your questions on their threads.

Good luck, and keep the booty, we are all in favor of that.

-Dylan

Building muscle and losing weight are competing goals. Since your goal is to lose at least 30lbs I would suggest you focus on weight loss as your primary goal.

Losing weight is 80% diet. Realistically, working out does little to help you lose weight.. but it does help you to maintain muscle and keep up your metabolism, so it is still important.

At 6'1" I'm surprised that you are only eating 14-1500 calories. I'm 5'3" and 1400 calories is how much I would aim to eat when I'm losing weight. It is possible to eat too little which will slow down your metabolism, encourage your body to hold onto fat, and generally work against your weight loss goals.

I actually do prefer to count calories so I know how I need to adjust if what I'm doing is not working. I don't like to guess, so the calorie counting works well for me. Beware the 'shakes' they can be fairly calorie dense... and they are a highly processed food.

As to your question about cardio or weights... both will burn calories. But if your goal is to change your shape and add muscle (ie. tone) then weights are definitely a better option.

Good luck.

focus on weights and supplement with cardio intervals for the best body composition.

Building muscle and losing weight are competing goals. Since your goal is to lose at least 30lbs I would suggest you focus on weight loss as your primary goal.

 

Losing weight is 80% diet. Realistically, working out does little to help you lose weight.. but it does help you to maintain muscle and keep up your metabolism, so it is still important.

 

At 6'1" I'm surprised that you are only eating 14-1500 calories. I'm 5'3" and 1400 calories is how much I would aim to eat when I'm losing weight. It is possible to eat too little which will slow down your metabolism, encourage your body to hold onto fat, and generally work against your weight loss goals.

 

I actually do prefer to count calories so I know how I need to adjust if what I'm doing is not working. I don't like to guess, so the calorie counting works well for me. Beware the 'shakes' they can be fairly calorie dense... and they are a highly processed food.

 

As to your question about cardio or weights... both will burn calories. But if your goal is to change your shape and add muscle (ie. tone) then weights are definitely a better option.

 

Good luck.

Thank you so much for the feedback!

In terms of my calorie intake, the trainer I occasionally see said I should limit them for weight loss, which is fine, but I use myfitnesspal and it actually says I should have 1440, so I gave myself a little leeway there. I end up having two to three shakes a day because I'm not sure how to ensure I am having enough protein in a day otherwise. I need to have appx 80-90 grams per day, but beyond beans and legumes, I'm not sure how to get enough in my diet. I love eating raw, but I don't know that a raw diet and my current goals are compatible, does that make sense? I had thought that maybe I'm not eating enough, but I don't think that's the case. I make sure to have a good portion of healthy fats throughout the day, but maybe I should count them anyway to be safe and see. I started yesterday, much to the dismay of my brain.

My husband on the other hand asks if my clothes fit and if I feel good, the answer to both is yes. His reply is that maybe I should eat as I currently am and just let it all happen as it will. This seems logical too since I eat the way I do and workout as hard as I do. Maybe I should just trust my body to do what's going to do. As someone who has been overweight and struggled with self esteem pretty much always, I do feel much better since going vegan and especially since going to the gym. It's been about 8 weeks since I've been back at it hard core, and I can see cellulite disappearing and feels muscles coming in, the scale just isn't moving.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this! I'm sorry if it's full of typos, but I'm sick and in bed!

focus on weights and supplement with cardio intervals for the best body composition.

Hi there!

Does my current schedule sound like something that would work, or would you recommend tweaking it a bit?

Thanks for the help!

Hi Vancouver. Wow all of that and you didnt even leave your name. Just teasing, but yeah, welcome to the community here.

The most general answer to your question is that it depends on what your goal is what time of workout routine you should be focusing on. I would suggest taking a look at some of the ladies who actively keep a training journal here. Find some that you can get new ideas for workout routines from. Post your questions on their threads.

 

Good luck, and keep the booty, we are all in favor of that.

 

-Dylan

Thanks for the feedback! I've been trying to take a look at some relevant stuff, but I feel like everyone on here is leaps and bounds ahead of me! Anyone in particular you would recommend?

Thanks!