what to eat before a gym session !!please help!!how many calories needed per day

[lifigirl]

Hi i have started back at the gym after having my daughter who is now 8 months old.My question is this, i am trying to eat low carb i.e no potatoes or bread and lots of protein i am in the gym for two hours on cardio and working off according to the calorie counters just over 700 calories a session i do this 5 times a week .
i have just started to have all bran for breakfast as i was getting really bad constipation how many calories should i be eating to lose weight i am 11 stone and 5ft 3in tall i carry it well but would like to be about 9and a half stone what should i eat before and after the gym as i am getting really fatigued afterwards i do have a beer at the weekends which i really look forward to. do i even need to eat low carb considering what i am working off or will this benefit me more i am so confused and just don't know what i should be eating any help and advice would be gratefully received

[Velvetee]

You need carbs and even fat to lose weight, it is not healthy to cut out carbs completely, just substitute for carbs which release energy more slowly, like brown rice, wholemeal bread and pasta. Portions of rice and pasta should be able to fit in the palm of your hand.

Bear in mind, if you are not eating enough, your body will go into "starvation mode" and your metabolism will slow down, so you will find weight loss will be slow. The average woman needs 2000 calories per day, if you are looking to lose weight, you can reduce this by up to 500 calories daily.

Do not rely on what the gym machines tell you regarding calories being burned, this is not necessarily accurate. You only need spend 30-40 minutes doing CV work, 3-4 times per week, just ensure your heartrate remains in the specified zone for that time.

Lots of women don't want to do weights, as they are under the false assumption, they will get muscular. Doing weights is very important, as I keep telling people here, the more lean muscle your body has, the more bodyfat will be used as fuel and your metabolism will speed up.

Speak to an Instructor at your gym and get them to do a Resistance (weights) programme for you, which should also be done three times per week. Ideally you shouldn't be doing exactly the same weights or working the same body parts on consecutive days.

[lifigirl]

Hi thank you responding and for the detailed answer could i ask should i do cardio and weights in the same session? and for how long i know two hours has been too much i got to thursday and my body was just exhausted plus my knees killed lol i used to do weights years ago and loved them but i think this time i was under the illusion that cardio would strip fat off faster i'm not afraid of the weights but they confuse me should i do one weight session on upper body and the next on lower or should i do an all round weight session i have revised my gym schedule and i think i will go monday, tuesday wednesday off then thursday friday back on does that sound ok or do i not need the break as you can tell i have gotten this abit round my neck and confused myself terribly i just want a good workout that is manageable but challenging and also one that works!