In need of guidance

M

myjalark

New Member
Where to start...

I guess here is as good a place as any. I am currently 95 pounds overweight, I have high blood pressure and have been having heart palpitations. I started working out about 2 months ago and have lost 20 pounds (I went from 290 to 270). I basically try to walk five miles a day and do a VERY basic step aerobics video in the morning five to six days a week.

I've recently changed my diet to include lot's of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, chicken breasts etc. and cut out all red meat and a huge amount of sodium that I previously consumed. I started drinking close to a gallon of water a day and also stopped drinking soda, coffee, and quit smoking.

I will not make excuses for how much weight I've gained, I have over eaten and not taken very good care of myself at all. Being just 32 and in this bad of shape is horrible. I was never an overweight kid, and up until I moved to Texas was very active outdoors. I am depressed partially because of my weight and current health condition, partially due to being away from all of my family. Whatever the case may be, I need to make HUGE changes before it's too late...

I've never done a Cathe workout but have heard all good things about them and am overwhelmed by the choices available. I like the idea of working out at home because to be honest I am mortified to walk into a fitness class and be the largest person in the room. I have a reasonable level of stamina and I really do like working out but I need something that is going to keep me going (i.e. not end up being extremely boring after the first week). My goal is to get down to 175 lbs - I secretly want to do a natural bodybuilding competition but that's so far off it's not worth thinking about.

I guess what I'm asking for is advise about where to start. I believe that Cathe's workouts are what I need but I really don't have the money to try them all so I wonder if anyone has any advise???
 
Congratulations to you on having taken the first steps on the road back to health and happiness. Give yourself a pat on the back because having the courage to start out, and make changes which never feel at all comfortable is the hardest step of all. After that, your motivation comes from realizing how much better you feel and look with each week that passes. Like a stone gathering moss as it rolls down a hill, you will have momentum.

Keep doing exactly what you are already doing.

The 5 miles walking are the best thing to keep doing right now. Coupled with the much better diet, the pounds are going to melt away. Trying to do high impact cardio when overweight is not necessarily a good idea. Despite the fact that you may over strain yourself as you are not in the shape yet that you need to be to tackle most of Cathe's admittedly very intense cardio workouts, it will not feel good, it might de-motivate you and it can be very hard on the joints if you are very overweight.

Stick with the walking for now and work it when you feel ready. I do a lot of power walking, both for speed and on inclines and I can tell you that it gets me fit enough to run 5 or 6 miles if I choose to so don't think that you should give up walkng for Cathe cardio as a natural progression. Instead, start adding speed intervals into your walking. After a 10 min warm up, every couple of minutes give yourself a challenge and say "from here to that mailbox, I will pick up the speed and walk as fat as I can," and then do it for about the 20, 30 seconds it takes to get you there. These speed bursts will add calorie expenditure and add increased cardiovascular fitness until you are completing an entire powerwalking interval program! You CAN do this.

Take a look at some of Cathe's low impact cardio routines and you can be introducing some of these into your present and near future if you like. Low impact circuit offers circuits of low impact step with weight training and would be a good DVD to consider. You could invest in Low Max and initially use it only for the routines sections, working up to including some or all of the low impact blasts when you feel your cardiovascular conditioning can take it. That's why this one would be a good investment. Cathe also has 2 or 3 DVDs featuring low impact cardio aimed at the beginners audience, can't remember their names, and these would be good to consider also.

Then, I recommend getting one or two of Cathe's weight training DVDs. These will be a challenge and an investment because you may not be able to do all of the exercises at first, and certainly, you will work up to using something like the weights Cathe and crew use. As an investment, the Gym Styles DVDs are an excellent choice. They are stuffed with everything you need for full body, top to toe, resistance training and more than you need when you first start out. Don't be put off by the stunning abilities of Cathe and crew, just do a little of each group of exercises until you have reached your daily limit on, say, chest exercises, and call it quits. Work your way very gradually through learning the form for the different exercises before you start to worry about increasing weights for them. Increasing weight loads will come with time. Once you start lifting weights and building some lean muscle tissue, you will be increasing your calorie expenditure even while you sleep and this will help with the slow, steady fat loss you want to see.

Congrats on having started your journey and good luck as you continue to discover the healthier, happier, fitter person just waiting to burst forth. Just remember: you have all the time in the work to reach those goals of yours, steady and slowly is the best method for weight loss and acquiring good levels of fitness.

Clare
 
Congratulations!

That's the first step, to identify the problem. Quitting smoking is a huge, huge benefit for you!!! High five to that!

Fit Tv has a ton of shows for simply the cost of the cable channel. There's plenty of modifications you can do so you don't have to buy equipment. Water or milk jugs full of water for weights, I use my floor instead of a bench sometimes. Even the purchase of a band is cost effective because it can be substituted in most if not all exercises where weights are used. It offers quite a bit of resistance all in itself. Also, I have a fanny lifter that I use for a chair and a high step.

Keep going. You're on the path to a safe and healthy weight loss that has long term results. These forums will be a great source of support and information for you too.
 
Hi there! Congratulations on your new fitness journey!

I have a few quick questions for you...you mentioned that you have high blood pressure and heart palpitations and wrote about them in the present tense. Are you under medical care for those issues and if so where there any temporary restrictions?? Have you noticed any rapid spikes in your heart rate (or feeling light headed) and if so what activity where you doing when they occured?? Hope you don't feel like I am prying...your answers directy affect how you should proceed with your training...Safety first!!

It sure sounds like you are on the right track so huge kudos!! When I think back to losing my weight I can attribute it to the three W's of weight loss...Walking, Water and Weights...and it seems you have two of those under your belt and are very curious about the third! Once cleared for training, low impact weight lifting will be next on the hit parade for you!

Don't put that dream of a fitness competion too far back on that burner...you will be amazed at how the body can change...just be patient, laser focused, consistent and reward your efforts along the way!!

Congrats again and feel free to send me a private message if that works better for you!
 
Congrats on what you have accomplished so far!! Cathe is the best. Start off with her beginner/intermediate workouts with some basic weight training then go from there. The previous posts are full of great information too. Basic Step, Low Max and Low Impact Circuit. If you can't do them on a step, do them on the floor.
Kickboxing are great conditioning workouts, in addition, to stepping and to weights/toning.
Don't give up and give yourself credit for every small step you take.
 
Welcome to our forum

Hi,

Cathe is great. For a beginner I would suggest her beginner's rotation. That includes basic step, the easy (not 4 Day Split) Low Impact Step and a circuit (I forget the title.) I also suggest getting Stretch Max.

The other things that I suggest buying to support your weight loss/fitness goals are a good heart rate monitor (polar makes good ones.) good shoes (I am a bigger gal too and I use Asics gels.) and a cheap journal or spiral bound notebook, and yoga mat. Are you using a food scale? I definitely recommend a digital food scale. When I'm being good (ahem:eek:) I do best by weighing in at least once a week, weighing/measuring my eats (especially starches) and tracking/planning my workouts. I don't always follow my plan but I do make it a priority.

I use Sparkpeople.com to help with motivation. I also use free podcasts such as Inside Out Weight Loss with Renee Stephens, The Reasonable Diet podcast, and The Two Gomers run a marathon (I'm not up to running that distance;) )

I don't see a reason to stop using your 5 mile walks. That seems to be working for you. I would add one of those Stretch Max workouts once a week plus some weight work such as the Pyramids series from Cathe. How about some kickboxing? The MMA Kickbox dvd from Cathe is great and its not as advanced as her other workouts imo.
 
Thank you for all the kind responses.

I already do step aerobics but it's very basic and getting pretty boring. My endurance is surprising given my size, I'm not really working up a sweat with my step video anymore and it's an hour long.

I stopped having palpitations about a week after quitting smoking and drinking coffee but I still wear a heart monitor when I work out. I generally walk at about 50% of my max heart rate which puts me at around 4.2 mph (another surprise given how long I've smoked)

I'm really not a complete novice to exercise, like I said I really enjoy working out and was previously pretty active (hiking, rock climbing, etc.) I need something that is going to challenge me and help me get back to where I need to be. I am going to try out the beginning step program from Cathe, I watched a clip and it looks challenging but not overwhelming. Maybe after I get my exercise wings back I'll try the STS series (after I save my pennies of course)...

Thanks again for all the suggestions, it means a lot! :)
 
STS strength and STS cardio are both series worth purchasing. Try IMAX 2 if you're getting bored or even Step Blast. Lots to choose from. It does help to view the YouTube previews here.
 
I really like the beginning step, it's much faster paced than the video I was using and works up a nice sweat, I only wish it were longer! Down another 3 pounds this week!!!
 
Way to go on the weight loss! When I was doing basic step I would do the warmup, the routine, do the routine a second time, and then the cool down for a total of 50 minutes.

Alisha
 
It sounds like you have come a long way already. Congrats on that!!

Someone above mentioned sparkpeople.com. I use that site to track my food. I just started doing that again as of today since my eating has been wonky over the holidays and I really need to rein it in again. It's amazing how tracking everything you put in your mouth will make a difference in your goals. Not only does it make it easier to identify problem areas, but it also makes you really think before you put anything into your mouth. Many times, I find that it's just not worth it to eat something b/c I don't want it to mess up my journal.:p

Also, I think Cathe has posted a beginners rotation in her Rotations forum. It might be worth checking out even if you have to modify because it might give you some ideas on what to think about for a workout rotation. You can also read problems that other beginners have had and what they have done to solve those problems.

When I first started working out with Cathe, I loved the 'Getting in Shape for your Wedding' workout. It has a step workout and a weight workout using only 5# weights, although she makes those weights burn. Both workouts are about 50 minutes long. Sometimes I still pull that workout out. I have the original VHS version but I think now it is included in one of her classics DVD's if I'm not mistaken. I would highly recommend that weight workout for a beginner.

Best of luck to you in your goals and welcome to the forums.:)
 
Congratulations so far on the healthy changes you've made! Cathe's workouts are advanced, and it sounds like you have a good fitness base to try them out, given that your one-hour step routine isn't wearing you out, and that you're walking 4.2 mph. Low Max might be a good place to start. It is a really fun, tough step workout, and low impact, which is nice on the joints. You also might consider adding strength training, if you haven't already. Muscle Max and High Reps are two of my favorites, and there are lots of premixes to start out with shorter workouts. Start out with light weights and work your way up. Have fun and good luck!
 
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