[Little Linguist]

Originally Posted by Aimahn

yup, once you get more acquainted with healthy foods you learn how to subconsciously mix and match, refrain from eating unnecessary things and you generally just get a good grasp on how to eat and how it affects you.

Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps expend an absurd amount of energy and they need the nutrients to replenish that. If you've ever seen the true life series about power lifters and bodybuilders you'll see why gaining muscle mass and maintaining it is a very challenging task. I think its also good motivation to work harder, because then you will get to eat more and if you work hard enough you can treat yourself more frequently with cheat meals and not have to be so self conscious.

Good point! Thanks so much! I will try my best to improve muscle mass.

Originally Posted by CzeCze

I want Grayscale to be my dietician.

Grayscale, I'm befriending you for those purposes.

ALso remember, LL, that Phelps is 1) a dude and 2) huge. Talking about body composition even outside of Olympic level physical activity, please keep that in mind. He can and should eat a lot more calories than you to maintain his size.

TWO POUNDS OF PASTA A DAY? Holy --

My brother eats like that, he's also tall and an meso-endomorph. And he's NOT an Olympic level athlete. He's pretty sedentary. He once reached for a pack of cigarettes and it threw out his back so badly (mind you, he was 24 at the time) that he couldn't move and intensively visited a chiropractor for a few months.

Caloric wise, Phelps' diet might be fine for him but eventually even in people who exercise regularly, high cholesterol, high fat diets will catch up to you later in life. I agree with Grayscale, eat healthy and find foods that you can live with.

Suggestion -- instead of mayo, use yogurt. Add lots of herbs and seasonings to food -- often it's not "food" you want but *taste*. Add heat -- chilis, hot sauce, if you can stand it. Ever eaten a bland meal and really wanted to eat more, even though you're not technically really hungry anymore?

LL, I would also suggest weight lifting. Some people recommend less reps/lighter weights to "tone" as opposed to building muscle but I personally think for the average woman, it doesnt' matter. In fact, in terms of body composition, it's muscle tone that lends itself to looking good underneath your clothes. It's also strategic muscle training that adds curves, because unless you are obese, losing weight = *losing* curves for women. More muscle also means you can eat more calories.

I weight train much more than the average female and I don't think I'm 'bigger' for it.

I've also done the weight gain/weight loss thing (lost ~25 pounds or ~10 kg) and I NEVER thought I could do it. I love talking about this stuff and theory versus reality to interested parties and comparing notes so let's chat and I'll jump into this diary regularly.

And yes, I would suggest getting your body fat composition. Your fat/muscle percentages make a much bigger difference visually and life impact wise than just your height and weight.

I have seen women who on paper are similar height/weight to me but we (at least IMO) are very different sizes/shapes.

Wow, you definitely added a lot of insight. Today, I started weight training - but only one round. Since I have had a back injury, I don't want to overdo it. On Monday, I will try two rounds.

It gives me courage to know that there are other women who have managed the same thing. Makes my goal seem much more doable and realitistic.

What percentage of body fat is 'good' for women?

I will also try the tips you gave for good 'tasting' food. Sounds awesome and I will give it a shot.

It would be *awesome* if you would be willing to contribute to my diary on a regular basis!!!

Originally Posted by Aimahn

Listen to CzeCze, she sounds like she knows what she's talking about. I think one of the key things is getting over that roadblock of fearing weightlifting, especially for women.

These are a couple links to the bodybuilding site that I frequent. There is a lot of helpful information in there that is nicely gathered for you. I think its helpful because you don't have to go through the daunting task of searching for useful information through all the misinformed BS thats out there. The first link is just a short article about women and lifting and the second is a bodybuilding( don't worry there are a lot of women on there who are in similar positions to you) forum for women.


Bodybuilding.com - Tina Marina - Training Myths And The Female Athlete!

Female Bodybuilding - Bodybuilding.com Forums

Bodybuilding.com - Aimahn's BodySpace

Thank you very much for the links and tips. That's awesome!!! Whenever you have cool links like that please share them!!!