Trying to Tone

[Dooga]

I'm 5,11 170-180 pounds. My weight changes constantly because my metabolism is extremely strange. I have no experience trying to lose fat since I have never (and don't now) had a weight problem. I am interested in getting the stereotypical six pack abs, but I need to burn fat to do that. My chest is flat if I run down it with my hand, but I don't understand how much fat I am supposed to burn.

I am vegetarian, but I don't really feel like eating eggs all the time. I need to slim down + build muscle. The typical suggestion is to eat lean meat. Not happening. I am currently eating peanuts, but they are high in fat content as far as I know (maybe it's a good type of fat or something).

Any suggestions would be helpful.

On another note, a psychologist I am seeing said the following. Why are you vegetarian? I said because I love dogs and, although I don't like cows to the same extent, that could be the product of culture difference. AKA I want to be able to speak up against dog abusers without being a hypocrite. She asked if I saw the flaw in my reasoning. There are some flaws in the argument itself. She also tried to claim that some people are natural vegetarians and others aren't. I admitted that I naturally enjoy meat (not anymore), and she tried to say I should stop being vegetarian. I said "no" and we dropped the discussion.

I have had experiences with professionals presenting uneducated opinions before, but am I wrong on this one?

[VeggieMath]

For toning, I just execersize. I make sure I have enough protein before execersize. That's my only bit of advise, I have been working on toning in 2008. I have only been doing some weight lifting and yoga along with some cycling classes. I have been getting more tone, maybe not all I want, but better.

[SonicEarth]

Do sit ups on an incline bench with a weight. Doing general weight training will help you get tone as well. For food, I'd suggest beans, especially soybeans. Granola bars are also a good source of protein.

[Dirty Martini]

Granola bars are a terrible source of protein; they're almost entirely sugar. Opt for something else instead, like cottage cheese & blueberries, or plain greek yogurt with flax & strawberries.

This thread has some tips on snacks: http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=88028

But to "tone", really what you mean is lose fat & build muscle. The best way to do that is through eating a diet high in protein (1g per pound of body weight), moderate in fat, and low in refined carbs. Avoid the chips, pretzels, granola bars, bagels, rice, etc and opt for tofu, tempeh, peanut butter, flax seed, eggs (and egg whites - nearly 100% protein), cottage cheese, greek yogurt, plain cream cheese, beans, nuts, berries, and LOTS of vegetables.

Try reading up on vegan body building nutrition - http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=8992d7377c1b972fcb5b1e6438bd1ba9

And for exercise - if you want to build muscle, do weight training with compound exercises. Deadlifts, squats, bench presses, cleans, lunges, pull-ups, push-ups, dips... and do lower reps with the heaviest weights you can use. For example, 3 sets of 6 deadlifts. Or 5 sets of 5 squats. And so on. There is a TON of information out there on building muscle, so good luck!

[Earthly Delight]

Hey, on this note I was wondering if you could let me in on this--is seitan a good source of lean protein when building muscle? I mean obviously it can't be your ONLY source or you wouldnt have a full a.a. compliment, but is it good to have as a staple in your diet? (Directed to DM or anyone else who knows the answer or has an opinion)

[Dirty Martini]

YES!! It's low in calories, low in fat, low in carbs, and HIGH in protein since it's basically just, well, protein.

Here's the nutritional info on white wave's plain seitan: http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/85067.html

And since it's so easy to make (water + gluten + seasonings basically), you can make it at home into any flavor you want. Add veg beef broth or veg chicken broth to make it the "meat" you want. Or add herbs for savory seitan, etc.

[greensgood]

On another note, a psychologist I am seeing said the following. Why are you vegetarian? I said because I love dogs and, although I don't like cows to the same extent, that could be the product of culture difference. AKA I want to be able to speak up against dog abusers without being a hypocrite. She asked if I saw the flaw in my reasoning. There are some flaws in the argument itself. She also tried to claim that some people are natural vegetarians and others aren't. I admitted that I naturally enjoy meat (not anymore), and she tried to say I should stop being vegetarian. I said "no" and we dropped the discussion.

I have had experiences with professionals presenting uneducated opinions before, but am I wrong on this one?

"natural vegetarians" = load of crap! you are right for questioning this opinion as well as sticking to your own point of view. i would have asked her what makes someone not a natural vegetarian? and what reasons did she give for stopping being veg.? all i can think of are healthy reasons to be vegetarian...
the flaw in the argument statement really gets me, why should you have to argue your diet to anyone especially someone that is supposed to help you.
i had a similar experience years ago i was struggling and really needed help, i met with a 'professional' a few times and she was convinced that all my problems were because i was vegan, and once i stopped thinking about everything that dies all the time i would be much better....wrong! she was a horrible psychologist and just made things worse for me.
i would really consider not seeing this person anymore, especially if you have not developed a history with her.

[Byzantea]

Lose the fat. Plenty of books can help you on this. Hire a personal trainer if it means that much to you.

Then gain the muscle.

Or do it in reverse. Gain muscle and then lose fat.

You cannot do both at the same time.

[rockindancer86]

Lose the fat. Plenty of books can help you on this. Hire a personal trainer if it means that much to you.

Then gain the muscle.

Or do it in reverse. Gain muscle and then lose fat.

You cannot do both at the same time.

Actually, you can, but it takes a little longer. I've both lost fat and gained muscle over the last 3 months.

[Dirty Martini]

Yep. I've been doing both since the beginning of the year.

January - 156 pounds, 34% body fat
Now - 145 pounds, 28% body fat ooooh

It definitely takes longer and sometimes I think about giving up the weight lifting for a few months while I get my bodyfat down to about 20-22% but I don't want to give up the weights for now... so, slower progress it is. I'm ok with that.

[greensgood]

Yep. I've been doing both since the beginning of the year.

January - 156 pounds, 34% body fat
Now - 145 pounds, 28% body fat ooooh

.

How is the best way to calculate percent body fat without going to a personal trainer or doctor? i tried one site online a while ago and it didn't seem to ask enough questions to calculate an accurate number....just curious to know where im at.

[Dirty Martini]

The best way? Autopsy. I'm assuming you don't want to do that, though. ;)

DEXA is the next-best way, a bone-density scan. It's expensive, though. But pretty accurate.

The third-best way is through displacement; a lot of people seem to use the Bod Pod (http://www.bodpod.com/) which you can appear to do at a local university.

The next-best way is through bioimpedence which isn't reliable because it highly depends on your level of hydration. It will, however, allow you to track progress if you do your readings at the same time of day every time and with the same level of hydration (or adjust for varying hydration). Scales that give you body fat % use this method and give you both body fat % and hydration level so you can adjust (the more hydrated you are, the lower your body fat reading). I use this to track trend but I do think it's pretty darn close to my actual BF%. I suspect I'm around 27%-29% or so because I've seen pics of women around 25% body fat and around 32% body fat and I appear to be right in-between.

The other method is through calipers and you really should have a trained professional do this - or someone who knows how to use them consistently and reliably. Otherwise your readings are going to be meaningless. You could see 25% one time and 17% the next.

Hope that helps.