Getting Married and barely fitting.....

[heatherd1201]

Hey everyone. I'm new in here, and this is my first post. Here is my problem, the short versoin:

 

I am 5'8 and until 5 months ago never weighed over 120 lbs in my life. I was diagnosed with a severly damaged nerve in my face and the only way to alleviate the pain was to take a high dosage of a medication that contained a steroid.......oh my god.....I gained 32 lbs in 6 weeks. I've thankfully been off of the medication for 2 months now, but have only been able to lose 3 pounds. I cant seem to get off the extra weight that the medication put on me. I am misearable. I am depressed about having gained so much, and unfortunately I am an emotional eater and that does not help me lose the weight!

 

I will be getting married at the end of April and although i know that it is an unrealistic expectation to think that i can get back to my normal 120 lbs by then, I would like to get as close to that as possible. Even if I only lose 15, I will still be happy.

 

Because of the hectic lifestyle I have I do not have time to go to a gym. I can take walks, but Ive been walking (at a decent pace) almost every night for 2 months and see no results. Ive lost only 3 pounds and my clothes do not feel any better on me. I need some help and advice about what i can do to be able to reach at least a 15 pound goal by April. I understand eating right, as my mother enforced that with me for years (which is why I was at 120 for so long!) I would love to do some work out videos at home, as that is where I am most comfortable, but I do not want to spend money on a video that isnt going to help me. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Darkzen]

You can always make time. You need to do a lot of cardio and watch your diet if you want to lose weight. I lost 50lbs in two months of basic training in the Army and I've lost 20lbs in less than this previous month (doing Ju-jitsu and hitting the gym regularly).

 

It's never easy to lose weight if you sit around worrying about it. Get off your butt and do something about it if it is really important. You need at least 30 mins of cardio a couple times a week (I do 1 1/2 hours twice a week in Ju-jitsu). The more intensive the cardio you do, the longer your metabolism burns calories after you stop exercising. This is why running > walking > sitting around. Calisthenics won't really burn much weight (i.e. aerobics, sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc..) because you're not maintaining a good heart rate. That is unless you take no breaks and do them for a period of 30 mins or more. They will help, but aren't the best for burning weight.

 

Depending on your age and fitness level, you may not get fast results. I'd say to hit the bike or elliptical machine for at least 30 mins a day twice a week and watch what you eat. Drink lots of water too. The more often and longer you do cardio, the faster you'll see results.

[heatherd1201]

I'll be 24 in December. So Im still young enough to be able to do this! I just cant afford a gym membership so anything I do I'll have to do at/around my home. Ive heard that running will only tone you, not shed pounds because you are gaining muscle. Is that true? I want to LOOK like Ive lost a lot of weight, not look like Ive converted it all to muscle.

[sunshinegirl]

Ive heard that running will only tone you, not shed pounds because you are gaining muscle. Is that true?

 

No. Burning more calories than you take in leads to weight loss. Running burns lots of calories. Ergo, if you run a lot, you will burn a lot of calories. If you eat fewer calories than your body needs to fuel itself, you will start to lose weight.

[Darkzen]

I'll be 24 in December. So Im still young enough to be able to do this! I just cant afford a gym membership so anything I do I'll have to do at/around my home. Ive heard that running will only tone you, not shed pounds because you are gaining muscle. Is that true? I want to LOOK like Ive lost a lot of weight, not look like Ive converted it all to muscle.

 

Running is probably the best cardio you can possibly do. It burns calories for A LOT longer after you stop exercising, then most other activities do. I'm talking about running (not this power walking or slow jog crap, you have to be striding). Running also doesn't really build muscle, only if it's a challenge to your muscles, which would be a very bad thing if that's the case.

 

Running takes time to work up though. I could barely run 1 mile in 12 mins when I joined the Army, at my best I got down to 2 miles in a little over 10 minutes (6 miles was the farthest I've ever run continuously). It's also extremely bad on your knees if you're carrying too much extra weight. I'm naturally a heavy person, probably 20lbs heavier than other people my height and build... a doctor told me a few years back that he thought I was 50 by looking at the X-rays of my knees (I was 25 at the time).

 

As for a gym... there's a chain that I go to called planet fitness ($10 a month, open 24 hours, plenty of equipment, etc...). You might want to see if there's one near you. I can understand not being able to afford the $60+ a month that many gyms charge, but they're alternatives depending on where you live. If there's not one near you... I can only suggest to run.

 

Start out with a reasonable time (speed isn't really important while working up your lungs and endurance, but at least jog as much of it as possible, walk when you need a breather but don't over do it, push yourself), maybe 10 mins to start. Add one min per run, once you reach 15 mins (6th run), go back to 10 mins and pick up the pace. Keep doing that until you can run for 15 mins at a good pace (9-10 minute mile), without being totally winded. By this point you should have lost all the excess weight easily.

[redfathom]

For the gym, this is kindof sneeky, most gym's will give you a 7 day pass to try the gym for free, maybe hit up a few gyms and get passes in the mean time. Then of course running, and doing things at home, I do situp's, pushups, etc at home. YOu can buy a cheap weight set for $20 and use those also. Resistance bands are cheap and the balance ball's.

[heatherd1201]

OK, I joined a gym yesterday and will start working out today! Wish me luck, i need lots of encouragement! Also, does anyone know of a good work out regiment that I can do? like how long to be at the gym, doing what things and how often. I really really really want to get back into shape and be toned for the wedding (in April).

Thanks so much!!!

[heatherd1201]

oh, Darkzen- I joined Planet Fitness! Just wanted to let you know!

[quankanne]

hit the gym's swimming pool – the workouts would have much more of an impact than what you'd get doing land-bound exercises because you exercise more freely against water. Doing laps would be the best cardio workout, IMO, because you're really making your body work.

 

and just two weeks of straight swim laps will start carving the excess fat from your body, I know it did when I started swim lessons at age 16, then again when i took a swim class one semester in college ...

[Enema]

I've never been a fan of swimming for weight loss.

 

Here's a nice article about it. (nice because it supports my position! )

http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/swimming.htm

 

Just change your daily walking to daily running and you'll be fine as long as your diet is in check. Do you drink much alcohol?

[Darkzen]

oh, Darkzen- I joined Planet Fitness! Just wanted to let you know!

 

Cool, very nice gym the only downside is no pool.

 

As for a routine...

 

I'd suggest that you start by building a little extra muscle mass (not bulk up or anything), every extra pound of muscle increases the number of calories that you need to maintain your body weight. It's also nice because it'll give a nice toned look, when you shed the excess body fat.

 

Do light weight, high rep exercises. This increases muscle density, endurance and strength. Start fairly simple and get past the soreness phase initially.

 

Optimally, you want about 15 mins on a cardio machine to warm up and get the blood flowing. Any of the machines will do for this, I suggest the eliptical machine at a decent pace (which is dependent on your fitness level and conditioning). You should break a sweat, but not be winded at the end of the 15 mins. So figure out a decent pace for you, it will change as your conditioning gets better.

 

Once you're warmed up, do some light stretching of the areas you intend to work out (maybe 3-5 mins). After this, hit the weights to start building some muscle. Do light weight for high reps (16-20 should be your goal). The weight should be challenging, you should be able to do your target number with no help on the first set. By the third set you should be struggling to finish the target number. Once you can do all three sets without struggling it's time to add a little weight.

 

Warning: you will look bulky after a good work-out, do not worry though. This bulky appearance is called a "pump" and it's not your actual size, it's just what you look like when the blood swells the muscle. Your actual appearance, will be what you look like when your pump goes away (typically an hour or two after the work-out).

 

You should do about 6 different exercises of 3 sets each. I'd say to do triceps, shoulders and chest one day. Biceps, back and legs the next day. Do abs each day (do 3-4 ab exercises of 3 sets each). This should take you probably a half hour in total, up to an hour on a busy day or if you procrastinate. For a list of exercises, do a little research around the web, you should be able to see pictures of how the exercise is supposed to be performed. They should tell you want exercises work what area... I could explain it, but I think you're better off with pictures and/or videos showing you the proper way. Do like 2 exercises per muscle group. It's all pretty much the same TBPH, you only need a wide array of exercises if you're advanced. You're just looking to add a little extra muscle and tone mostly. Doing bench press or chest flies, pretty much does the same thing for a beginner IMHO.

 

I suggest circut training to keep the heart rate up, but it's kind of a pain. Basically circut training is doing each exercise in succession, once you finish all of them, that's one set. This allows you to have minimal rest between exercises. If you do the same exercise three times in a row, you have to rest longer between sets. Which allows your heart rate to drop off.

 

After the weight-training, hit the cardio machines again. This time really push the pace, you should be winded at the end of it. Do 30 mins if possible (pushing your work-out to 90 mins in total, but it's only 3 days a week, so should be doable). After this, take 5-10 mins to stretch out and cool down. Stretching is vital, it'll give you flexibility and longer muscles (which is what women want, that long and lean look).

 

On the final day of working out for the week, just do cardio the entire time. Still do the warm-up and stretching though, but add abs in at the end.

 

Be sure to drink plenty of water the entire day. You don't want to dehydrate. Also drink water during the work-out to keep your body cooled.

 

Aside from all that, try eating all your carbs earlier in the day and mostly proteins at night. Eat less per sitting and more often during the day. Also cut out all empty calories (soda, juice, sugar in tea/coffee, etc...). Don't fill up on fruit either, your body can only process so much fructose in a day, any excess is converted directly into fat stores. Fruit is ok, just don't go crazy.

 

If you stick to these general concepts, you'll be all set for your wedding day. One last little trick for the big day... if you really want to look the part on the big day... hit a sauna for a few hours in the morning, it'll sweat out a good portion of water weight, thinning you out a little more. Just be sure to rehydrate afterwards. It's what fighters do before a weigh in to reach their target weight (it can be a considerable amount of weight for some fighters).

 

Feel free to PM me or post in this thread if you have any questions.

[Mr. Lucky]

Be sure to drink plenty of water the entire day. You don't want to dehydrate. Also drink water during the work-out to keep your body cooled.

 

Aside from all that, try eating all your carbs earlier in the day and mostly proteins at night. Eat less per sitting and more often during the day. Also cut out all empty calories (soda, juice, sugar in tea/coffee, etc...). Don't fill up on fruit either, your body can only process so much fructose in a day, any excess is converted directly into fat stores. Fruit is ok, just don't go crazy.

The "carbs only in the morning" guideline has worked really well for me. Breakfast is my favorite meal and so I splurge a little (can't go crazy ) on panckes, waffles or a bagel and that helps my willpower the rest of the day. The key is finding a system that you can live with - few people stick to the "starvation marathoner's" diet for long...

 

Mr. Lucky

[allina]

Because your weight gain was a direct result of the medication you were on why not speak to the doctor that first gave you that Rx. A doctor familiar with the side effects of the medication may be able to offer you more than just a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

[amaysngrace]

Yeah like Allina said, see your doctor. Seeing how you have nerve damage maybe he/she can prescribe 'topamax'. It was originally used for epilepsy, then for nerve damage and is now prescribed for migraines.

 

It makes you completely lose your appetite.

 

But it makes you feel all buggy.

[heatherd1201]

Yeah like Allina said, see your doctor. Seeing how you have nerve damage maybe he/she can prescribe 'topamax'. It was originally used for epilepsy, then for nerve damage and is now prescribed for migraines.

 

It makes you completely lose your appetite.

 

But it makes you feel all buggy.

 

I was on that for a short period and it made me feel "mushy brained" very hard for me to function.

I am on a good medication now for the nerve damage. I DID speak with my doctor about the weight gain and he said thatbecause it is common to gain weight when you take a medication with a steroid in it that I should do whatever works for me to get the weight off if i want it off. He wasnt very helpful about it, but he's a neurologist so i didnt expect him to be!

 

Darkzen- can you just move in with me for the next 5 months!!! Oh my gosh, what a regiment. i think i need a personla trainer sitting right there with me making me do all these things and eating right and everything. I just dont know that i am disciplined enough. Seriously- if you were in my area I would PAY you to come be my coach!!!

 

So I worked out yesterday. Since it was the first time since all the weight gain and my crazy face pain (the damaged nerve) I took it pretty easy. I did 1 mile on the treadmill as a warm up. I spent 1/2 the mile walking fast and the other half in a light jog. I was surprised I made it! Then I went to the bike. I was told that because the area that i want toned the most is my stomach and thighs that I should do the bike. So I did 5 miles on the bike. I did the "random hill" mode so it was easy at some points and very difficult at other points but i averaged 84 rpms and it took me 15 minutes and 18 seconds to complete the 5 miles. Then I did "the line" where its basically weight training and such- doing the arms and abs for certain reps and all that jazz. I dont really like doing the line. I think i mostly dont like it because I am working out by myself. I like doing the treadmill and the bike because i bring my headphones and they have televisions set to different stations so I can keep my mind off of what i am doing and just "push it" so to speak....

[spookie]

Darkzen gave you some really good tips. You should listen to him, he obviously knows his $4it.

 

Until last spring I had managed to maintain a skinny-fat 125 lbs at 5'8 simply with a relatively energetic lifestyle and relatively healthy diet.

 

Then I went through a breakup that left me entirely apathetic about life. All I could do all day for three months was stay in bed smoking pot and binging on mac and cheese.

 

When I gained 20 pounds I finally decided to start dieting and exercising. In three months I lost 15 lbs and went down a size from my "normal" weight at 125.

 

What helped me:

 

- Knowing that there are two types of tissue: muscle and fat. You cannot control where the fat goes (so there is no such thing as "toning"). You CAN control where the muscles go though. You get stronger muscles by lifting and eating protein. It's hard to get bulky as a girl, especially in a short period of time, so you don't have to worry about that - but more muscle will SIGNIFICANTLY help you lose fat faster because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate. Thus, weight training is VERY important for fat loss. Likewise, cardio is important for fat loss. More importantly, the intesity of cardio. If you can sprint for 5 minutes a day, that is probably better than walking for an hour (and a lot harder). Whatever gets your heart going the fastest will burn the most fat.

 

- A fixed routine will help you not fall off the wagon. Don't kill yourself on your first day at the gym because then you won't go the next day. Start with something easy, but effective. 20 minutes of solid cardio, for example. Or leg day at the weight machines. But make yourself go EVERY DAY.

 

- If you work out, you'll be more motivated to watch what you eat (because you'll have worked too hard to want to sabotage yourself). It's important to aim for nonprocessed foods as they make you feel better and are more nutritious and, per calorie, more filling. It's important to get at least 40% of your cals from protein, which is no easy task. There are some good websites to record what you eat. I use fitday. It breaks down everything you eat into macros - protein, carbs, fat. When I see all my foods written down, I'm less tempted to cheat on my diet, and, because I am always watching what I eat, the portions are right.

 

- It helps keeping a workout journal. It makes you accountable to yourself. There are some good websites for this too. If you google bodybuilding forums, there is a female section with people's journals and progress pictures which are very motivating. If you keep a journal there you'll get a lot of support.

 

-It helps to take pictures of yourself as you move along with your regimen. You can't really see your progress day to day, but if you take pics every 2 or 3 weeks, the progress will be very obvious and will inspire you to keep working.

 

- Do your research on facts and myths. Myths: that you will get bulky if you do this or that (getting bulky is haaard and will take a lot longer than the time you have), "toning", etc.

 

-If you do everythign right, you'll get results. It's a matter of simple algebra.

 

You DEFINITELY have the time to get back to your previous size. (If you want more "proof" of this for motivation, google body for life and look at the people's before and after pics)

 

Do not watch your weight so much as your progress in size. Weight can be deceptive because fat weighs more than muscle, and if you train properly, you will gain some muscle and lose a lot of fat. Therefore, your size will decrease much faster than your weight.

 

Hope that helped.

[heatherd1201]

Thank you so much Spookie! You guys are helping me a lot!

Im really bad at what i eat and thats going to need to change. Youre right though- i wont want to sabatoge myself after working so hard!

 

Also- is it good to work out everyday or should I start out every other day. I kinda want to do it everyday just to get myself into the routine of doing it everyday after work, but I didnt know if that was good for me.

[Darkzen]

Unfortunately, I live in New Hampshire and am in the middle of going to school for 3D animation. Instead, I suggest you find a friend that is interested in getting in shape and drag them along to the gym. A partner in crime will keep you motivated and help push you to work out harder.

 

I used to be an athletic freak back in my heyday, to the point that people who worked out with me, would never want to again. I played college football, did three years in the Army as an infantryman and at one point trained to be a competitive mixed martial artist. At the height of my fitness, it took me ~45 mins (non-stop) to complete just my ab routine.

 

Kind of like Spookie, I got into a bad relationship and I got depressed. I didn't do anything except go to work for a good 6 years and put on ~100lbs. Eventually I started to come out of it two years ago. I was still in the bad relationship until 2 months ago, so I wasn't as motivated as I probably should've been. Over the past two years I did add about 40lbs of muscle mass and cut about 40lbs of the extra weight. In the past two months I've shed a good 20lbs, by doing Ju-Jitsu and hitting the gym occasionally. I have about 40lbs to go and will get there in a couple months, now that I'm fully motivated. So trust me, I know first-hand what you're going through. I hate going to the gym alone, that's why I chose to do Ju-Jitsu for my cardio. I've also trained a 40 yr old man, everyone that knew him thought he was taking steroids because of how fast he got results. Sadly, women aren't my specialty when it comes to training techniques. I don't understand their physiology as well.

 

The simple rule that I always tell people, when it comes to fitness/health, is based on psychology... changes have to be maintainable. Do not make sweeping life-style changes, unless you're prepared to stick with them for life. This includes diet and exercise changes. Start small and work your way up, when it starts to conflict with your life, it's time to level it off and work on other aspects. If you can do this, you'll see results (albeit slower), but you'll be able to maintain them (barring your life changes). This is why most diets fail eventually. Don't get me wrong, the diets aren't what fail, the people on the diets fail... the diet sets them up for failure though.

 

The "line" does suck if you're alone, but it's very important. Like Spookie explained (in much better detail than I did), muscle is a huge factor in losing fat. You increase your metabolism and your required caloric intake. So this basically augments whatever cardio you do. It's the most efficient way to lose body fat. Also your body weight isn't very important, I'm 6'3" 285lbs... most people think I weigh 250-260lbs, for my build I should weigh about 245lbs. I weighed 225-230lbs in my avatar pic (I grew an inch and have more muscle now). In-fact, I was 280lbs at my worst, but that's because my body chemistry was horrible. I had 40lbs less muscle mass and looked obese... I'm actually heavier now and look 100 times better, it's all about proportions and build. It's not what you weigh, it's how you look and feel. I've always been 20-25lbs over what I should weigh, they used to tape test (measure body fat) me in the Army... each time, I'd take my shirt off and they tell me to get out of the office.

 

If you can't find a partner to go with you to the gym, you're going to have to motivate yourself. Everyone is different in what motivates them, but I've noticed that many people respond well to symbolism. You just have to find the symbol. Maybe that's taking a small piece of wedding dress fabric with you and when you start to lose motivation, look at it to fire you up. I usually just look around the gym and when I see someone with a better body (not very hard usually), it pushes me to work harder.

 

Other than that, stick with it and follow the general guide-lines that some of us suggested and you'll be all good.

[Darkzen]

Thank you so much Spookie! You guys are helping me a lot!

Im really bad at what i eat and thats going to need to change. Youre right though- i wont want to sabatoge myself after working so hard!

 

Also- is it good to work out everyday or should I start out every other day. I kinda want to do it everyday just to get myself into the routine of doing it everyday after work, but I didnt know if that was good for me.

 

Three days a week is a good starting place. You can work up to more days if you want, but don't burn yourself out IMHO.

[heatherd1201]

Ok, I went to the gym again last night. I did 2 miles on the treadmill this time. I walked quickly and jogged at a good pace. I dont have a lot of stamina so I would walk fast for 1/4 mile than do a good paced jog for 1/4 mile. I switched back and forth. On Monday I only did 1 mile and yesterday I did 2. Im trying to push myself a little further so that I can get better. THe next time at the gym I will do 2 miles again But I will try to run in 1/2 mile incraments. I did the bike again. Right after the 2 miles on the treadmill. That was a lot harder! I did 5 miles again and it took me the same amount of time as Monday. I figure thats good because I maintained the same time on the bike after adding a mile to my run. Thats good right? I did the random hill again. My calves are killing me today!! But it feels good. It makes me feel like I did something! I was also really excited yesterday when I left work and knew I was going to the gym. Oh- and my motivation: When I first tried on my wedding gown I had them write down the measurements I'd need to be to go 2 sizes smaller. So yesterday I took that paper with me and taped it to the treadmill. I am determined!

[amaysngrace]

Heather it is not the best thing to do the same exercises every time you go to the gym if you are going daily. You should alternate. Muscles need time to repair after they've been worked and 24 hours in between isn't enough from what I've read.

 

It'd be better if you did somthing like this:

 

Mon: treadmill legs and butt

Tues: arms back and abs

Wed: treadmill legs and butt

Thurs: arms back and abs

 

etc...you get the idea.

[spookie]

It's great that you're motivated and you're working out regularly but I really think you should incorporate some weight training into your routine in pace of some of the cardio. You're just going to get better, faster results that way. The harder you work your muscles, the faster you'll burn fat when you're not doing anything. So it's far more effective. (Plus that's how people actually get "toned" and you will look better).

 

The fastest results I've ever gotten was when I was lifting heavily (think 3 sets of 8 at a weight that I even lift for the 8th rep) three times a week, eating totally clean, and, aside from biking to and from work (2 mi. each way and I go slooww,) not doing any cardio at all. My body fat % was the lowest it's ever been then.

[heatherd1201]

No, I went to the gym on Monday and did the treadmill and bike and then yesterday I did it again. My fiace has a "Total Gym" at home so I did that on Tuesday for the upper body training. I give my legs/butt 48 hours to rest up for the next time I torture it!

[Darkzen]

Cardio can be done every day, you're exercising the muscles not ripping/tearing them. Muscles need 48 hrs rest when they have to heal from ripping/tearing (aka lifting weights). Abs are a small group and can be worked every 24 hrs. Cardio on the other hand, shouldn't be ripping/tearing the muscles (although it's possible in the beginning). I used to jog/run and do calisthenics (push-ups, jumping jacks, sit-ups, etc...) daily in the Army. On top of a demanding work day.

 

The key to the body is pushing it to new levels each session, this gets results, the harder you push it the faster they come. Once you get to the desired fitness level, maintaining it is fairly easy... you just have to exercise the muscles, not push your limits.

 

As for weight-training, I agree with Spookie. I lost 40lbs of fat and gained 40lbs of muscle (completely changing my body shape and chemistry), only by weight-training. The best results in my life came from an off-season in college football. I lifted 4 days a week (every major muscle group), worked full time, rode a bicycle to and from work (3-4 miles) and did speed training (sprints and such). I went from 230lbs to 218lbs and lost at least 10% body fat.

[heatherd1201]

Oh my gosh my body is so sore!!!!! I worked out real hard Wednesday and took yesterday off because my fiance and I were having our engagement pictures taken. I woke up this morning and oculd barely move! My calves are so sore!!!!