workout and diet suggestions

[legz31]

Hi,

I am a new member of the forum (this is my first post).

I was wondering what type of diet and exercise would you recommend to develop a more feminine body?

I am 5 7 and 150 lbs. I already have pretty low body fat but I would like to lower it even more.

At the same time I would like see if there are things i can do at the gym or in my diet to look more feminine.

I am hoping for the "real hot 30 yr old chick" look :)

[Karren H]

Well welcome... And you can diet to look thinner.. Which can be more fem.. Weight goes on and comes off where it wants to... You can exersize to tone but do not over do the arm muscles... Palitaes and arobics are best.. in my humble opinion. Personally I play ice hockey which builds up the lower body and not the upper... Running and jogging are both good... If you could just exersize and diet to look fem... They wouldn't make shape wear! Lol.

[gretchen_love]

I agree with Karren. You can get into better shape, which will make you feel much more confident in yourself and have more energy. If you have a low bmi (what most women worry about) all you really need to do is work on muscle tone. So pretty much do low intensity exercise for longer periods of time, such as aerobics or jogging instead of heavy weight training. If you go to the gym and see what the other women are doing, its probably a safe bet that those are the exercises you want to be doing. Hope this helps!

[Nicole Erin]

5'7" and 150? Gyod woman Just how much more do you hope to lose?
OK anyways for diet - well, someone else can handle that but for exercise -

If you can stand the boring rigor of an exercise machine, don't buy a new one, find a used one off something like craigslist. Used exercise equipment *isn't* really used. Someone bought it new, assembled it, used it ONCE, and then it became a clothing rack. So basically for a discount you get a new and pre-assembled machine. ;) People sell stuff cause they don't use it. If the seller is some fat person, you know for God-honest truth it never got used for more than 20 minutes.

OR - if you can deal with the weather, maybe buy a cheap MP3 player and go out for walks, maybe like an hour at a time or a few miles. The music should be something that gets you moving. I am sure songs like "I am an old lonely cowboy" are fine to relax to but for the MP3, something that moves your butt. I used to like to walk 4 miles a day, 3 to 5 times a week.

[legz31]

Thanks for the tips. And thanks Nicole, you made me blush and laugh.

I just want to get to a point where my belly looks the way I like. It is pretty close, but i wanna lose the damn love handles :daydreaming:

I never really thought about watching the other women in the gym to learn what they do. That is a great idea. I also did some search and see that swimming is recommended. I would love to do that but I would be too afraid my shaved legs will be noticed by a coworker or employee.

[Loni]

best two low to no impact is road biking, and cross training on a Mt bike.
as long as you do not crash it is a no impact.
both types of riding are deffernt. one is short burst of all then rest, other is long time at set pace.
swiming is the best (laps) but works the upper body.

jogging kills the knees and ankles. running is far better, fast walking is also better than jogging. look at a slow motion side view of the body on all three strides. jogging has a very hard impact to the joints.

what you want and need to to get your hart rate up to 80% of max, and hold.
your max is not the same as others.

as you get better your body works easer = more done less effert.

.

[Karren H]

From experience.. The love handles are the last to go if they go at all.. I've been thinking liposuction because mine refuse to leave but I'm not 150... When I get less than 170 I feel bad.. Ill or not healthy... So there is a too thin limit there.

[Vickii*]

Yoga, leg raises, and running outside, and hula hoop.

Running on a treadmill is OK but not as good as outdoor running.

You don't need to do any arm exercises.

[Tiff Rivera]

Welcome!

I'm 5'7" and 130lbs. I live on the beach so its swimming for me, roller blades and cycling. I do aerobics as well. As for my diet, I don't drink soda, eat a lot of fiber and natural foods. I don't microwave my food at all and I mostly watch my portions.

Instead of a bag of potato chips, I get a small bowl, put a few in. Tricks the mind into thinking your eating more than you are. And I eat a lot of fruits and drink a lot of water. I eat my heaviest meal in the middle of the day. My doctor told me by doing this its easier on the body as you get older to digest food and burn the fat and he also said that eating smaller meals through out the day keeps you full longer and you digest better. Seems to be working. Activity and low impact exercises seem to help.

Hope this helps you some!

[SuzanneBender]

Stay away from anything that works the biceps and shoulders to reduce the V frame. I love running, but the girls are right there are other lower impact aerobic methods out there. Yoga, martial arts, or ballet for flexability and plenty of core exercises for your low back and abs.

Karren said it the love handles are the last to go and sometimes they never go. I personally like the zone diet and have been doing it for over a year. It is the perfect balance of fats, carbs and protien. You won't loose weight just by being on the zone but you will find you will have the energy to work out and burn off the extra calories.

If all else fails slip on your short shorts, head band and leg warmers; grab a Richard Simmons tape; flip through those darn Deal a Meal cards and get after it girlfriend! :heehee:

[legz31]

Thanks a lot for the tips ladies.

I spent an hour on the treadmill today. It felt great. Espcially listening to some upbeat tunes like "These Boots Were Made for Walking" really got me going.

Anyway, I really appreciate all the suggestions.

[Celeste]

I personally like most floor and Pilates exercises that focus on the core,they're all about keeping your core engaged while exercising all the other muscles in your body,that way your core gets a workout no matter what exercise your'e performing.Try it while speed walking or running,it takes a bit of concentration at first to keep them engaged.

There is a really informative website called shapefit.com that covers many pilates moves,a lot of them are helpful for love handles.

[nikkijo]

pole dancing........ i spent an hr in total awe of one girl at one of the vegas clubs on saturday... she was a "bigger girl" as in tall, shapely, but was she ever toned and in shape.... in 4" boots she was atleast 6'3" but there wasnt an ounce of excess fat on her body anywhere defined 6 pack, arm and leg muscles but not bulky or intrusive to a female figure. , she danced for atleast an hr, she was sweaty from the lights above her but even after a constant hr of very dificult and very intence dance workout she wasnt even really out of breath... and after a 5 min break i saw her getting back up for more, so id place exotic dance on the list of things that really work....

[TNRobin]

I can't really offer any suggestions that haven't already been made. Just wanted to 2nd or maybe 3rd the part about not working heavy on the shoulders and biceps/triceps. I'm in a wheelchair and push all the time, so I look like a slightly pudgy linebacker with wheels attached to my butt.:D

Now, if only I can lose the pudgy part.:daydreaming:

[Nicole Erin]

Yeah it is best to get lost in your music and forget about the exercise.
Well of course keep rhythm and be safe but get lost in your music and you cannot help but move.

[Elaine Marlowe]

For me, nothing burns calories (and keeps weight off) like long distance running. As for tightening up the waistline, I've found that stomach crunches work best. I love running but I hate doing crunches ... sigh.

[Hope]

It's easy - eat less, move more.

It is all about calories honestly, it doesn't matter if those calories are from fat, or protein, or carbohydrate, or gum drops - as long as you burn more of them in a day than you consume, you will loose weight. Granted, you will feel better with a healthy diet, but if weight loss is your only goal, you CAN do it eating nothing but bonbons. About 5 a day.

If you are smart you will do something that is aerobic, builds long, lean muscle and is no impact, like swimming, and avoid the things that pound your joints, like running. But you can never convince runners of that. About the worst thing you can do is something like free weights that build bulky muscle.

[Paula_56]

I am in the process of loosing weight, and finally becoming more feminine. Everyone herehas posted good advice. What I would like to add is more philosophical.

It was an attitude change that hit me.

I observed the fit and healthy women around me and I knew I wanted to be like them, then it dawned on me that I had to eat, live, and excercise like them. It was that simple.

So I when I eat a meal I think to myself is this the meal a healthy women would eat?


When I skip my excercise at lunch I think, girl you need to get out here.

So it is in a way anothe facet to crossdressing, I am cross-living orcross eating or excercising. oh I am starting to ramble but you get the idea

[sherri]

IME the last 10 pounds are the toughest to lose. It requires a pretty comprehensive regimen -- careful diet control and 90 minutes of exercise 5 times a week. Lots of aerobic, some high-rep strength conditioning. You didn't say how old you are, but if you are 30-ish you should be able to achieve a low BMI without a lot of difficulty. As you get older, things like love handles become very difficult to conquer. In fact, I consider myself to be well-versed and experienced in this sort of thing, and yet I've come to the conclusion that I'd have to hire a personal trainer to get the waist shape I want, but I'm not at all sure how successful that would be either.

[suchacutie]

I see exercises for the CORE online all the time, and I'm sure they all work if you keep at them. Running is terrific, as is roller blading (and roller blading has lower impact).

The diet key is to keep yourself to a balanced diet while slowly decreasing portion size. I you don't keep up the exercise and decrease the portion size you will just gain the weight back, and that's no fun.

I do know this works! Lost 35 pounds and haven't gained an ounce back in 3 years.!

tina

[sherri52]

At 150 you don't need to lose weight you only have to maintain it. Long walks are great for those that don't really want to exercise. Aerobics are the best choice.

[eluuzion]

I have played tennis and martial arts since I was 8 years old. It works for me. My weight has not varied more than 5 lbs since high-school (long time ago).

I figured out quickly that sitting at a computer is this century's version of being a "couch potatoe" and almost attracts fat like a magnet.

I stopped playing tennis for awhile, but put up a mini backboard on my screened porch under the sundeck. I use it about 30 min a day.

I have never had to diet, and do not have a clue how to do that. But I always figured it would be easy. You just have all of your teeth pulled...lol

[Hope]

I have never had to diet, and do not have a clue how to do that. But I always figured it would be easy. You just have all of your teeth pulled...lol

You have obviously never had a milkshake.

[Chiana]

The reneereyes.com website details a good regimine for achieving the fem body look. Plus tons of other good info.

[skirtsuit]

I don't think anyone else mentioned it, but alchohol, especially beer, can really put on the pounds. My belly went away within months of quiting drinking.

I think, but don't have any evidence except my own experience, that walking and biking are excellent exercise. I live in a big city and don't own a car. People tell me I have nice legs - maybe pushing a 40YO Schwinn around has something do with it?

Good Luck!

Ann / SS

PS - think about going veg - better for you all around!

[legz31]

I like my butt (it is fairly full and round) and I really dont want it to become 'flat'. what i really wanna do is get thinner in the waist, tone in the legs without getting big muscles, but keep my round butt. - not even sure if that is possible -

I see some gg's at the gym working on something that looks like walking up the stairs, 2-3 stairs at a time. (it is kind of like an elliptical, except the feet go up and down much further, not sure how else to explain, it is not a stairmaster) I have never used that, but I wonder if it would be a good idea. but again i dont wanna lose my butt, i wanna lose my belly :idontknow:

so far i am sticking to the treadmill. it is funny since i joined this forum and heard from you girls, I am a lot more motivated to go. (i have gone everyday since joining the forum!)

[Claire Cook]

My morning routine includes a "workout with the girls" (of course dressed for the occasion!). I'm a big Denise Austin fan, so I use her dvd's on yoga (Yoga Body Burn) and aerobics (Cardio Blast), sometime pilates. I've had high blood pressure recently from a hi stess job, and they help bring it down. So I'm holding at 150 or so (5' 9). Starts the day off right!

Skirtsuit is right about the beer -- need to cut back on that!

[Deidra Cowen]

I would guess at the most you just need to tone up a bit. I can't imagine 150 being bad at 5'7". But of course it might fem ya up even more if you can lose more...just not sold on that.

One mistake I see CDs sometimes lose too much weight. They get a triangle body shape going. Shoulders stay a bit big and they have tiny butts and skinny legs. Keep trying till ya hit the perfect weight. Depends on your bone structure.

By the way one more warning...the older ya get the more wrinkles show up if you are skinny. Gain weight and the fat cells under your skin seem to minimize those pesky wrinkles. Two edged sword and all that.