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2007/02/10, 11:29 PM
Hi there, my name is Jenn and I am a 24yo from Pennsylvania. I am 5'2" and currently weigh 196lbs. All my life I was relatively thin never weighing more than 130lbs. 16months ago, I had a baby and I gained 70lbs with the pregnancy which leads me to where I am today. It has been so tough being a first time mom that I let myself go this first year and am now totally disgusted by the way I look. I used to workout all the time but recently started going to the gym two weeks ago and it has been tough. My bodyfat % is 39% which is both embarrassing and discouraging to me and I am not sure what to do. I am very impatient and want to lose this extra weight asap. I would like to get back down to my normal 120ish lbs but have set my first goal at 145lbs which would be a weight loss of 51lbs.
I have been going to the gym practically every day since I have restarted 2weeks ago and this is what I have been doing:
60min cardio followed my weight training.
I alternate lower and upper body days. For example, on Monday I will do my cardio followed by ab work squats, lunges etc, and then on Tuesday I will do my cardio and follow up with free weights for my upper body.
My diet has been pretty simple: I have been having a small piece of fruit before going to the gym and after my workout I come home and have some protein and carbs(usually some fish and brown rice or whole wheat pasta), for lunch I will have another piece of fruit with some veggies and for dinner I will have a salad with some chicken breast.
I am having doubts as to whether or not I am doing this right because I have not seen any results yet in two weeks which is very frustrating. I have been thinking about adding some protein shakes to my diet but am not sure how much and when/how often to take them. I also was thinking about adding some CLA because I have used that in that past.
I am so sorry for this long post but I am in desperate need of help and I would really love to be able to wear a bikini this summer :).
One more thing, right now, I am working out in the mornings but will soon only have about an hour at night because it is getting harder to get by with only my husband at work. I am trying to make the most of my free time now, while I have it.
If anyone can help me please, that would be great. This seems like a great site and I cannot wait to check back for responses. My email is available also.
Jenn
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2007/02/12, 09:10 PM
bump
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2007/02/12, 10:00 PM
Hello huntersmama and welcome.
I would suggest making sure you are getting enough calories. If you are not eating enough your body will hold on to what ever calories it gets and you will have a difficult time losing weight.
Have you signed up for the free exercise and nutritional program here? They are great help even if you just use them to get an idea of what your caloric intake should be or to get fresh ideas for a workout routine.
I would also not set my goal so high. I would suggest doing 10% of your current weight. That would be just about 19.5 lbs. This is mainly so you don't get discouraged by having to high of a goal to reach.
Once you reach that 10% then do another 10% until you reach your goal weight.
This has been said hundreds of times here, you are not going to lose weight fast. It took quite a while to put the weight on and its going to take a while to get it off.
But please do not get discouraged by that statement, if you work at it and eat right you will lose weight.
Make sure you read the stickies at the top of each message board topic, they are great help. fitbuddy at the bottom of each page is a great way to get your questions answered and there is also tons of great people on here to help with questions you can't find on fitbuddy.
Well looks like my post is turning out to be long also:big_smile: Just keep working at it and don't give up.
On the protein shakes do a seach on fitbuddy at the bottom of the page and you will find lots of great information. There are even lots of protein shake recipes available here.
Good luck
Leslie
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2007/02/12, 11:04 PM
Thanks. I just checked out the nutrition profile and it told me that I should be eating almost 3000cal a day to meet my current goals. I don't agree with that at all. I mean, I am no expert but, that is so high! I have found a lot of info on this site but maybe I am still confused. I don't know what to do...
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2007/02/12, 11:22 PM
The nutrition recommendations do tend to run pretty high. Do you have any idea of how many calories you are currently consuming?
Also, this really does take time. When I came here last April I was hoping to get into a bikini by August. Well, I soon realized I needed to rethink things and now my goal is this coming August. I have lost 10-12 lbs. (depending on the day), and am finally starting to see significant changes from my hard work. It is very satisfying. If you stick with it, you will get there.
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2007/02/12, 11:34 PM
I am currently consuming between 1200-1300cal per day. I am ultimately hoping to lose bout 10lbs per month..
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2007/02/13, 10:23 AM
The caloric number they give you in the nutritional profile is the calculated maximum that you should not exceed to meet your goals.
You might try dropping about 500 calories per day from that number and see how it does.
I really think you are not eating enough. At your weight your caloric intake is going to be higher, even to lose weight.
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2007/02/13, 03:25 PM
Hello Huntersmama. Generally it is recommended to do your wieght training prior to cardo. If you build a little muscle it will speed up your calorie burn for the day just doing all the normal stuff you do. Cardio after weights will aid in muscle growth and not impeed that process. It is also recommended to alternate weight and cardio days or space them out by 8 hours or so if you can. Too much cardio can consume muscle for energy especially if you are not consuming enough good protien calories which will in the long run make it more difficult to maintain. The general suggestion is get lean by weight training and supplement it with cardio. Obviously proper nutrition and calorie intake are vital. Proper not necessarily meaning low. Leslie was right in suggesting dropping intake by 500 calories a day for a week or so and check the results then adjust from there. Your weight loss goal should not exceed 1 to 2 lbs a week. Having said that, scales are not necessarily a good indicator of progress if you are weight training. Be Paitent and Best of luck to you. There is a ton of help on this site. They offer great fittness and nutrition programs as well as top notch advise.
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Only two defending forces have ever offered to die for You. Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. Both died for your Freedom!
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2007/02/13, 09:27 PM
Thanks all. Your suggestions are very helpful. Over the past few days, I have concentrated more on weight lifting than on cardio. As for my caloric intake, most of it comes from protein as I eat alot of lean chicken and fish. I will try upping it as suggested and see how it goes. Again, my problem is patience, and I just don't know if I can wait forever for my body to change. Guess that is something I have to overcome on my own. Thanks all for your help!
Jenn
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2007/02/14, 11:48 AM
You know, it will feel like its taking forever, then one day you'll catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror at the gym and say, hot damn!
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2007/02/14, 12:59 PM
another suggestion hunter, take your measurements. Alot of people lose ALOT of inches before they see a significant loss on the scales, especially with weight training!!
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2007/02/14, 10:42 PM
thanks again. I have found this site very helpful so far. i have taken my measurements but was wondering, should I take them every week or should I space it out some more?
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2007/02/14, 11:05 PM
I think every week is ok as long as you realize that your measurements fluctuate within a few inches due to natural body fluids. Keep a journal with all the info, diet, exercise and weekly inches and/or weight. review your progress over span of time as a whole. Such as a few weeks or a month of tracking combine. It takes time but it is worth it.
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There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.- unknown
Mariposa_2128@yahoo.com
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2007/02/14, 11:12 PM
Also a waist measurement of 32 1/2 inches or less is deemed healthy for women. you should measure slightly above or below the belly button. But always in the same spot time after time. You suck in your stomach when you measure every time you measure the stomach. Since belly fat is the most dangerous fat there is, due to its proximity to your organs, it is the best place to measure your overall health.
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There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.- unknown
Mariposa_2128@yahoo.com
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2007/02/14, 11:14 PM
I saw it on the discovery health channel, "YOU on a diet" they have the book at Walmart.
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2007/02/14, 11:17 PM
so far I went from a 52 1/2'' waist to a 45'' waist. 7 1/2'' so far. I started the first week of Jan 07. But I wanted to learn some exercise progrmas since I like to mix up my work outa and there are so many people here with so much information that I thought that this would be great.
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There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.- unknown
Mariposa_2128@yahoo.com
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