Just in case, I wanted to anwer some questions that I think are very good ones...and I wanted to anwer them in an open forum!
My weight 7 weeks ago was 238. After hitting a low carb diet with
my wife for about 4 weeks I got down to 221. She went from 162 to 150
It is important for you to be aware that doing 45 minutes of carido on a low carb diet with NO resistance training has the potential to cause you to burn muscle and drop water weight. Both, crippling your fat burning mechanism.
When you started weight training, your body decided that maybe you did want the muscle and maybe you needed to store some more glycogen in the muscle, which means holding more water (muscle is 75% water) and so you would gain some weight back immediatly!
My biggest mistake was not taking body caliper measures from day
one.
Dont worry. Start where you are..just use those for tracking progress!
I have upped my calories to about 2000 a day
and my wife at about 1500 but it is hard to eat that amount so we
probably take in less than we should but are still gaining weight This is
where we are confused. We want to lose more weight
Let me hellp you.
Your goal is
gain muscle and later it will be to LOSE FAT.
Read that, re-read that, get comfotable with it.
Muscle is th place in the body where fat is burned.
Muscle is what gives us a nice figure.
How much cardio should we do before a workout?
5-7 minutes, as needed to warm up the core temp and raise the heartrate.
thats all.
should we suppliment with whey, bcaa's
(which we take before and after each workout)
those are good.
We stretch ALOT before and
after each workout, is this beneficial?
After
yes, before...NO!!!
I realize this will take a couple of years
but there is no time like the present to start again
This is a good mental outlook, but it could easily be faster!
If you think in terms of cycling it...it should be good!
12 weeks muscle gain
1 week off
8 weeks fat loss
1 week off
repeat
Other things that help boost test are 1. Performing short, high intensity workouts lasting only 20-40 minutes. 2. Double splitting your weight training. Do two short sessions (i.e. chest in the morning and triceps in the evening) lasting about 30 to 40 minutes each instead of one long workout. 3. Progressively increasing workout intensity, but not duration. 4. Allowing sufficient recovery time between workouts (do not lift more than two days in a row). 5. Getting eight hours of sound, uninterrupted sleep (or whatever amount you've found keeps you rested and recovered). 6. Taking a 30-60 minute nap whenever possible. 7. Using basic, multi-joint exercises like Squats, deadlifts and rows. A 20-rep squat cycle will release growth hormone naturally and get you growing like no supplements ever will. 8. Keeping alcohol intake to a minimum or not drinking at all. 9 Avoiding refined sugars. Focusing on natural starchy and fibrous carbohydrates. 10. Consuming lean proteins at frequent intervals throughout the day. 11. Getting adequate amounts of the "good fats." 12. Getting lean and stay lean. 13. Avoiding stress and relaxing. 14. Avoiding overtraining Other anit-anabolic events to avoid: Over cooking food Eating too fast Missing Meals Over Eating Not drinking enough water Not getting ENOUGH protein Not getting ENOUGH calories Drinking Alcohol Too much caffeine Taking Saw Palmetto when you are not at risk of BPH Training TOO LITTLE! (1x per bodypart per week does not take advantage of more frequent hormonal "work - recovery" cycles) Doing low intensity cardio Never lifting Heavy