T Nation

Help Training My Girlfriend

Beginners
#1

First I want to say Hey to everyone. I have been reading the forums and articles here on T-Nation for awhile.

So here is my problem. About six months ago my GF came to me with a problem. She wanted/wants to loose the fat around her stomach. Just to be clear here I’m not a professional anything. I’m just someone who does a lot of reading and has been working out for awhile. So the first thing I do is get her on a basic cardio and weight program along side me. As of now here are a few workouts in circuit fashion we do.

Stationary Bike for 18 min, workout circuit for 30-40min.
Squats, lunges, KB swings, Bridges, Wood chops, squats, standing shoulder press, crunches

My GF has not lost very much stomach weight at all and she is pritty much done trying to loose the weight. Her legs, neck and arms are getting slimmer but not her stomach. I tried explaining that she is not seeing the results she wants becuase she is refusing to get on a smaller portion diet. I just don’t know how to get through to her, to make her understand that this is necessary for the results she wants.

thanks for any insight.

Mat

#2

[quote]MerinoMat wrote:
First I want to say Hey to everyone. I have been reading the forums and articles here on T-Nation for awhile.

So here is my problem. About six months ago my GF came to me with a problem. She wanted/wants to loose the fat around her stomach. Just to be clear here I’m not a professional anything. I’m just someone who does a lot of reading and has been working out for awhile. So the first thing I do is get her on a basic cardio and weight program along side me. As of now here are a few workouts in circuit fashion we do.

Stationary Bike for 18 min, workout circuit for 30-40min.
Squats, lunges, KB swings, Bridges, Wood chops, squats, standing shoulder press, crunches

My GF has not lost very much stomach weight at all and she is pritty much done trying to loose the weight. Her legs, neck and arms are getting slimmer but not her stomach. I tried explaining that she is not seeing the results she wants becuase she is refusing to get on a smaller portion diet. I just don’t know how to get through to her, to make her understand that this is necessary for the results she wants.

thanks for any insight.

Mat

[/quote]

Post up what she eats on an average day. Personally I’d have her eating 1 to 1.5 grams of protein. Lots of good fats. Almonds/walnuts, olive drizzled on foods, fish, whole eggs.

Anything starchy only after a workout. Complex carbs in the morning only (e.g. oatmeal/ezekiel bread) lots of veggies/fiber maybe a couple pieces of fruit.

Cut off any carbs towards the evening, especially around real sedentary times.

Here’s Dr. Jonny Bowden who I think is an awesome source when it comes to learning a lot when it comes to nutrition/fat loss.

Calories explained

Dr. Jonny Bowden answering the “I just can’t lose weight” question

Also it could be a cortisol/stress issue. I’m not to knowledgeable about that stuff. Is her sleeping good? Has she been stressed a lot lately? She yawning a lot in the mornings? Something to consider…

#3

Thanks for the great reply.

On average (and here is where I think the issue is) she doesn’t usually eat breakfast, for lunch she might eat a dry chicken sandwich from a fast food restaurant or a subway. For dinner It would have to meet more around my criteria becuase of my diet needs, so it would look like- 6oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup of spinach w/ dressing, and a veggie. Later on in the night if she is hungry she will snake or eat something else; Cereal, dry mango’s…

the other night for example she ate a eating right meal, a tortilla w/ hummus, and a salad.

#4

[quote]MerinoMat wrote:
Thanks for the great reply.

On average (and here is where I think the issue is) she doesn’t usually eat breakfast, for lunch she might eat a dry chicken sandwich from a fast food restaurant or a subway. For dinner It would have to meet more around my criteria becuase of my diet needs, so it would look like- 6oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup of spinach w/ dressing, and a veggie. Later on in the night if she is hungry she will snake or eat something else; Cereal, dry mango’s…

the other night for example she ate a eating right meal, a tortilla w/ hummus, and a salad.

[/quote]

Get her eating breakfast ASAP. People make up BS all the time about “no time” “I’m not hungry”. I mean how hard is it to cook up a couple eggs? Especially for a girl who doesn’t need to eat a lot (christ I have to have 6-8 whole eggs plus a nice bowl of oatmeal to stay “full” for 2 hours)

I mean like 2-3 eggs plus a piece of fruit and some oatmeal. Perfect combo. Not hard on the budget either.

Try to get her on some casein shakes and drop some “light” tasting olive oil in it (maybe tablespoon at first then work up gradually to 2-3 throughout the day, very filling)

Avocados are awesome to, freakin’ nutrient packed!!
Raw nuts (none of that roasted and salted bullshit)like I mentioned before walnuts/almonds/pecans/raw peanuts

Most dressings suck. If she doesn’t like straight extra virgin olive oil, you can buy a salad dressing kit (you make it yourself) from Good Seasons/Kraft http://brands.kraftfoods.com/goodseasons/

You buy these little packets for like 2$ and get a nice bottle of home made dressing:D.

Usually find it at chain grocery stores. Has 2 grams of sugar a serving, but it’s 100X better then all the other bullshit dressings. (Great for marinading to, make sure you use the light/ pure olive oil though not extra virgin)

Allow her to indulge in her favorite meal/desert at least once or twice a week at the most (only 1-2 meals a week, what others call “cheat” meals) This will stop her from binging on bad food at other times.

If budget isn’t a big issue, check out Ezekiel bread (can be a bit pricey at some places 5-6 bucks a loaf, but definitely worth it, usually it’s frozen)

Meh cereal and fruit for snacks before bed? Some cooked ground beef (rinsed off in strainer after being cooked to make leaner) or sirloin/top round steak with steamed/roasted veggies +good fats would be good. Or any other lean protein for that matter.

You’re going to have to educate her, so she can do it on herself lol. Most chics are stubborn as hell. I have a hard enough time getting them to train with any real intensity. Getting them to eat right can be FRUSTRATING and a whole different story!

#5

Dude, you can’t train your girlfriend. They know you too much, so they don’t respect your opinion. Let her ask a professional for advice or seek it here.

If you decide to continue trying to help her in this path, Carlito has excellent advice. I would emphasize the need for more quality protein. ‘a tortilla w/ hummus, and a salad.’ is not a ‘right meal’ unless you’re a PETA model crying your vagina raw for the suffering of the rainforest or something. Then again, maybe the shoe fits, I don’t know. The point is, throw some chicken in there.

Girls love chicken. Unless she’s Chinese. Then make it pork.

Also, remind her that swallowing her boyfriends semen lowers her overall cortisol levels, and could be an important progression in a fat-loss program. Also, that sex counts as cardio, if and only if she’s the one doing all the heavy lifting.

#6

Have her do those roman chair things. Chances are that she’ll really enjoy them.

#7

[quote]Otep wrote:
Dude, you can’t train your girlfriend. They know you too much, so they don’t respect your opinion. Let her ask a professional for advice or seek it here.

[/quote]

Dude, it’s a trap.