Please help new girl

[mlaw84]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum. It looks like all of you have some great advice, experience and success and I'd love your feedback/suggestions, please.

 

My story: I've been vegan or vegetarian for about half my life, vegan for the last few years. I've been committed to fitness for many years now, but I can't seem to get the results I want. I'm getting married in 6 months and I'd like to look great then, and afterwards, with a sustainable fitness/bodybuilding plan. I'm coming to all of you for help, please.

 

Me: Female, 25 years old, 5'6", 140 lbs., ~20% body fat. I have some good muscle tone in many places. I had a "less invasive" heart surgery a few months ago but I've been cleared to do all exercises except pushing motions (e.g. bench press) or lifting heavy weights (nothing that would implicate my chest muscles/area much). I can start doing all exercises without restriction in about 6 more weeks if all goes well. I try to drink a minimum of 64 oz. of water per day. I sleep 7.5 hours per night (a lot for a law student). After surgery, I couldn't work out for a while, and gained some weight that I haven't been able to lose.

 

Exercise now: I usually do cardio 2-3x a week and weight lift 15 lbs. for about an hour or so twice a week.

 

Meals now: I usually eat 5-6 small meals a day (~300 cals. each, ~1800 cals. total). I usually eat oatmeal with soymilk in the morning, then a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter for a snack, then something like a vegan burrito and vegetable juice for lunch, a protein bar for a snack, then stir fry rice/veggies/tofu for lunch or lentil soup/carb/veggies for dinner and soymilk as my last snack.

 

I'm committed to doing whatever it takes to reach my fitness goals, I'm just not sure what I'm doing wrong and how that compares to what I should be doing. Any advice, suggestions or experience stories would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

[MartinVegartin]

Hello mlaw84.

 

I know you've been told you can do most exercises but, if I had had heart surgery, I would be very careful for quite a long time not to overly tax my heart. You have 6 months until your wedding - good luck and much happiness in that - but, again if it were me, I would do only gentle exercise for the next few months. I'm sure your husband-to-be would prefer you to be in good health rather than in good shape, if getting in good shape could put you at any risk.

 

Perhaps you could try some isometric exercises in different positions for each move, to keep your muscles strong until you can resume heavier work.

 

Are you doing squats or other exercises that use the larger muscles? Have you been cleared to do them?

 

When your heart is fully recovered and you've regained some cardio fitness, you could give interval training a go, if you haven't already done it. But take to it carefully at first.

 

Your diet seems all right to me but then I don't really bother with diet details - I just eat what I want. Some of the other people here might have some advice about your diet.

 

Once again, good luck.

[mlaw84]

Hi, Thanks for your reply. I've really been cleared to do everything except pushing motions and lifting very heavy weights, although I appreciate your concern. I'm glad to hear that my diet is probably okay. Generally, what would you (all of you) suggest in regards to exercise - what I'm doing now doesn't seem to be working. Should I go with heavier weights when I can? Do more strength training? Thanks for any help!

[ralst]

I'm not much of an expert on weight loss, especially after heart surgery (!), but I can say with about 100% certainty that lifting 15lb weights for about an hour is doing exactly nothing for you. Once you're cleared for lifting, sometime in the future, Starting Strength or some variant of a progressive 5 X 5 program (ask or check Google if you don't know what those are) are extremely effective. But for now, 15lbs for an hour, is next to worthless.

 

Sorry to only have negative input... possibly, until lifting heavier becomes an option, you could replace the current lifting with more cardio? Strength training is absolutely great, no question, but with the current restriction on your exercise and your goals, sticking to cardio might be your best option.

[Marcina]

Lunges and squats with bodyweight should be fine right?

 

I like lunges with bodyweight! You can do walking lunges too, which are very challenging.

 

As far as your diet goes, it looks clean with lots of protein so I have no input on that.