female needs help

[vixana]

ok so I'll make it as short as possible.......I am a workout freak.....1 hour of cardio 5 days a weeks and weight training 3 times a week......i love working out it feels great.....I am not raw as of now .....but I want to be ....I have been on a fitness rage for 7 years ...I've learned so much along the way with cooked food and the way My body Reacts....everybody is different....
I have been trying to be raw so i can be as close to perfect, mentally and physicaly, as I can be......
I need help as when to eat what to eat before a workout after a workout....etc......I want to lose about 30lbs and decrease my body fat ...my problem areas are butt hips and thighs which i have never been able to get rid of eating a strict cooked diet and busting my ass in the gym
i am 23 years old and i am just miserable....
i have read a few books and done countless research on the raw way of life
if anyone has any advice i would gladly love to hear from you ...or any experiences

Thank you ...sorry for being so long

[jaurequi]

Hi :),

What type of cardio? If you want to burn the buns, hips, and thighs, running would be fastest. Swimming (rigorously) would be a less-impact choice.

I eat *very* lightly (maybe a single piece of fruit) or not at all (preferred) before running; I just make sure I'm hydrated. I run first thing in the morning, make myself finish a bottle of water (1.5 litres) before eating a good meal to get me through the morning.

If you exercise later, I would suggest a sugary fruit meal before; but not too soon before or the fiber will give you cramps.

:)

[vixana]

yes i do run for 30 min then i do the precor/ eliptical for 20 min then the stair climber for 20 min......yes i work out in the am usually i have a grapefruit before working out then after workout .....a protein shake then 3 hours later i will have a piece of ezekial bread with raw almond butter then 3 hours later a whey protein shake....then some type of fish with raw green veggies for dinner.......should i stop weight training if i'm 100% raw because i certainly want to lose not gain size......aaaaaa the questions

[jaurequi]

No, I wouldn't stop weight training! I would stop the buns-building stairmaster exercises though :).

How is your pace? Do you have a good rhythm? How is your breathing? Breathe deeply and concentrate: as you breathe out, tighten your abs. I know it's a small thing, but it makes a difference, believe me. It is like doing situps while you run. It takes practice, but these little things you build up to make the difference.

To lose more, you may need a boost; in other words, all people reach mini plateaus in working out: You may want to run longer, faster, or farther, increasing by increments every week or two. Do you use a treadmill or run outside?
For example if you do 3 miles now, go 3.5 for a week or two; if you feel good, increase to 4.0, etc. The key is to never go back! so make sure you're ready to go forward.

Another option -- and this is what I do as a longtime runner, since I don't want to go any farther! -- is to do fartleks. Yes, funny name :). But this works at any level; but one should be a pretty well-established in the basics of running. Fartleks is running your hardest, fastest for a specified time or distance (say, for 1 minute), then back to normal pace (NOT slowed to a jog :), but back to regular running pace). Do this 6 to 8 times during your run. If you don't have a watch, just count to 60 or do distance: run a block or two (please watch for traffic if you're on the street!). This really helps with concentration! It also makes you disciplined, in touch with your body, greatly increases speed (without realizing it!), and gets you done/home faster! You'll be breathing harder. This is awesome for increasing your metabolism which will buuuurn up fat and calories :).
So if you run 4 miles, do it 3 times going the first 2 miles, and 3 times coming back the last 2 miles. Don't do one right after the other; get back to regular breathing and pace, then go.

Did that make sense? Good luck!

So far as diet, I can't really help since I'm vegan and don't consume animal products. But I would say to fill up on lots of vegetables before you consume your heavier items. Don't cut out fat (it will come back to bite you), but if you're consuming a lot, cut back a bit and spread it out over the day, if that helps.

[jgunn]

should i stop weight training if i'm 100% raw because i certainly want to lose not gain size......aaaaaa the questions

abso-tively NOT heh... muscle helps burn fat

maybe try analyzing your food intake for a week and see what your protein/carb/fat ratio is ...

when i was losing weight i was plateu'd at 150 lbs for about 50 months .. when i sat down and figured out my ratio's i was consuming wayyyyyyy to much carbs and fat to my protein ratio and was just storing it as fat even though i was working out for 2 hours a day cardio and weights. :)

[Forever Young]

Hi Vixana, The best book on working out and what to eat before you work out is Raw Power by Steven Arlin. I have lost 50 lbs by eating right and working out less than one hour a day. If you stick with raw food, fruits and vegetables you can take the weight off without busting your butt.You will also have more energy to do other things in your life instead of working out all the time.

[vixana]

thanks guys...i do interval train.....running and I run for a long time...
I was really musculer and now I think it has just turned into fat....i want that definition back ....but raw foods doesn't seem to be helping? I dont know what the heck I'm doing

[jaurequi]

What's your fat intake? Do you eat high carbs, like cooked potatoes, popcorn, bread? These may store as fat (eventually) and lead to a steady weight gain (happened to me in the past while participating in very rigorous exercise, even).
One's diet is so critical to obtain the physical objectives of exercise. There has to be a balance of carbs, fat, and protein. When I was eating a *very* high carb diet (pretty much no fat), I was very slim; but no matter how much I worked out, I had little definition or the sculpting I wanted (except for my legs because I was running). I looked "soft" in other words.

Are you overtraining? This is a very common cause of no results! Rest is just as important as the exercise. I know it's hard to go there! It took me years to do it, even while I accepted it as truth. Crazy!

Have you reached the plateau I mentioned above? You may need a boost, as I wrote. A simple change up in routine may help. For example, change your cardio for a while to "shock" your body -- try the stationary bike, aerobics, kickboxing, etc.

Another way to shock your body, is to take a week (or two is better if you have been overtraining) off. This can be hard if you're an exercise junkie! But when you start back, your body responds. Just be sure to really stretch well before you start again to avoid injury.

[vixana]

Thanks for your help jaurequi...i know the proper rest i need for working out...i found out the hard way because i did overtrain in the past...this has to do with i took several months off because i just got discouraged...i thought no matter what i did i would never get the look i was going for...i thought that was bad ...now i gained 30 ilbs!!! Geez....slowly but steady i'm getting back into it...The problem is I would really like to eat raw but when you add working out its hard for me to know what to eat when its raw...I know what to do when i eat cooked but this is just sooo appealing to me....I could use anyones help