Need support and ideas.

Liberty

Liberty

Cathlete
Its been about five years since I have been in here. I was doing great with my workouts, and pretty decent with my nutrition. Then I went through a bad divorce, went back to college, started smoking again. I stopped working out completely. I focused on raising my two boys, working full time, and going to school full time. I had put on about twenty pounds. Then one day I took a step, and it felt like my foot shattered. It turned out to be arthritis due to wearing heels for so long.

I also quit smoking....between the two, I put on about another thirty pounds. SIGH! About a month ago, I ended up in the emergency room, I had been sick for about six months. They ran a lot of tests and told me I am severely anemic. I am much better now. But, it's what the doctor said that really scared me. I finish my BS in May, and have been accepted into graduate school starting in August....and I am 45 years old. While talking with the Doctor, she told me to accept that I will gain another 50-80 pounds...."everyone does."

This really shook me up. I began looking around me, and realized, not everyone does. But if I don't do something now, I will be one of those that does.

I have six weeks off school, I can make the time, but need to be in the habit of working out (I know me, I will excuse the heck out of it). I am already 50 pounds overweight. On top of it all, the specialist I see for my feet says if I drop the 50 pounds, the pain will go away.

Sorry for rambling. I was just wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some insight on workout combinations? I have been working out again for about three weeks now (Inconsistently, but more on than off).

I turned back to my Cathe workouts because they are so much fun. I did basic step today. I will be honest, I don't like cardio much, but love weight lifting.

Also, would anyone be willing to be an accountability partner for me?

I am very serous about this.

Well, thank you for reading :)

-Lib
 
Lib:

first of all, congratulations on being so strong and accomplished. Not only have you survived divorce, but single handedly raised your children while pursuing your degree, which you are inches from completing. These are major feats and they are empowering. Please acknowledge those accomplishments for yourself.

As often happens when women are so rushed of their feet daily and spread so thinly between professional/academic commitments and family life, you have been forced to forsake your own health. No more!

Your doctor is not correct: it is NOT inevitable that you will gain another significant amount of weight. She was needlessly pessimistic in saying so. She does not know you and how determined you can be when you want or need something, which you have already proven.

However, the news that a 50 pound weight loss will reduce or eliminate your foot pain is marvellous and this will be one of your motivating factors as you adopt healthier lifestyle habits.

Further good news here is that you have decided not to wait any longer and you are seizing this moment to fully commit to your own health. Excellent news! You can do this and we Cathletes will all help be your support network.

In addition, you don't have to worry about not liking cardio: specific cardio exercises, like running, cycling, etc, are NOT a requirement. There's a fitness expert called Jen Sinkler who loves weights and prefers lifting weights to all other forms of exercise, as you do. When she was asked what she does for cardio, she said "I lift weights faster!" There you have it!

You can read loads of studies online and in fitness magazines and they will tell you that weight lifting consistently and progressively will bring you so many health benefits: improved strength of course, but also weight loss, a shaplier body, healthier and pain free joints, more stable joints, stronger bones, lower blood pressure, and improved cardiovascular endurance. Get started today!

What Cathe workouts do you have? A good idea to begin with would be to focus first on doing total body weight training workouts, say 3 times per week. This will begin bringing you all the health benefits outlined above. Do you have Muscle Endurance, High Reps, Muscle max, Power Hour, Supersets, Push/Pull, STS Total Body or the CTX weight training workouts? All of these would be great for you to start doing and play around with.

As you get stronger over the next few months, you can then decide how to continue: splitting days between upper body workouts and lower body workouts, or doing splits where you focus intently on only 2-3 muscle groups per day. Cathe also has her STS training program which will take you through progressively heavier lifting for 3 months and truly change your body. All of these await you and will be there when you are ready for them. No rush. Take a slow but steady approach to making lifestyle changes and along your fitness journey.

Thrice weekly total body workouts will get you started as you develop each muscle group, build up your strength and endurance and start figuring out correct form, etc.

Welcome back Lib! Tell us what else you need or what questions you have. What workouts do you already have? And what do you want to start with?

Clare
 
Hi Lib :)
Wow, congrats on you achievements and on getting accepted into a graduate program.

I do not have much to add to what Clare has said so sensibly already only that if your college has a Dietetics-Nutrition dept. to use it. You will need excellent nutrition for your body to treat/avoid anemia again, for your extra output in your weight workouts & for your brain! lol.
I wish you success in becoming the weight that you are hoping to get down to! I think any program that you will stick to, have time for and not procrastinate with too often is an excellent start! Cathe's Low Impact Series and her Strength programs like Clare has explained would probably work with feet problems. Slide n Glide might be tricky, but the others I would say would work out nicely for you. I also agree with Clare that your Doctor is wrong. Yes, sometimes doctors are not always right. Of course, you shouldn't feel bad at all about some weight gain and it isn't the end of the world, but it is also not inevitable. Did she send you for blood work to rule out thyroid, hormonal etc. issues?
 
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Congrats on all your successes. Quitting smoking? finishing school? wow. I agree with Clare and Elsie. Pull out those weights and focus on good nutrition! Those weights will shock your body into weight loss. Also, as we age, many of us simply cannot manage carbs that come from grains anymore. We have to focus more on lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, seeds and good fats. If we don't, we put on weight at a rate never seen before in our lives. I am 49 and am very watchful of bread, rice, pasta etc which I barely touch at all. I have managed to keep my weight under 130 pounds for the last 10+ years (I am 5'5) whereas before that - I was always pudgy. When I started weight training consistently and only ate whole foods, the weight fell off me - like 25 pounds. I have managed to keep it off with that mix of good food and consistent workouts. Good Luck. We are here for you. Join a check-in for accountability. I know it increased my committment. Your fellow cathletes are sooooooo inspiring.
 
Lib,
You've received some great advice in the posts above. I'll also add that I think your doctor's comments about expecting to gain a lot of weight was wrong, disappointing, and a great disservice to you. A favorite quote of mine is Henry Ford's "whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right." So, expect to be healthy & put in the work to get you there.

I also started working on my Master's in my mid-forties (46) and finished last year at 49. Between work & school, I usually logged about 80 hours a week. I stuck with my exercise routine because it's a great stress remedy and I needed to keep up my energy to meet my commitments. You have the added incentive of pain relief, so if exercise starts to feel like just another item on your never-ending to-do list, remember all of the great benefits you can get from a short investment of time.

I'm also not a big cardio fan, but I do find Cathe's step routines fun & I've been using CatheLive for most of my cardio. The metabolic/circuit workouts alternate cardio moves with strength moves (same as a number of her DVDs) which keeps the heart rate up during the weighted exercises.

Congratulations on what you've accomplished to date, and best wishes on your fitness journey!
 
Clare, I am extremely proud of my accomplishments. I have worked my booty off to get where I am, and I am NOT done.

As for workouts I have, I am pretty sure I have travel and all the gym styles on instant, can't remember what else I have there, actual dvd's are basic step/body fusion beginner, kick max (I do LOVE kickboxing), high step circuit, cross train X press, butts and guts, muscle max, and drill max. I am positive I have others on the instant, but had to back them up to my terabyte......and since I wast working out.....well you know.
 
Elsie, she sent in a full panel, not sure what all. She is not my regular doctor.

Cici, thanks!

Lily, congrats on finishing your masters. I am nervous about starting. One of the reasons I turned back to Cathe is because she makes the cardio fun, and it goes by quick.

A friend gave me a couple pairs of excellent training shoes she didn't like. They help a lot. I ride a motorcycle and have found my boots take away most of the pain whEn walking (a huge help for walking across campus).

As for nutrition, I bought kale to wrap sandwich meat, instead of bread, I buy the meat at the local deli, and only get turkey and chicken. I steam most of my veggies. I just need to cut out Mexican, Italian, okay all eating out! Lol. This semester Tuesday's and Wednesday's were difficult, either I would not eat anything, or I would eat at the campus selection (which meant sushi, or chick-a-file). Thursday's were impossible. I live an hour from campus, and Between work and school I was running from 5 am to 11 pm. With no time to hit a place to eat. So, I know I need to figure that out before next semester.

Thank you all so very much! I reall appreciate the support and ideas! I will look up the digital workouts and see what else I have.
 
Hi Liberty,

Congratulation on your achievement so far. Divorce is, I can only imagine, emotionally hard to face --- To say the least as far as
children are involved. Getting back into a consistent training regimen can help NOT dwell in painful divorce consequences.

I have one question: Do you really dislike cardio? What type of cardio have you tried?
50 pound to loose can be a long journey if you want to proceed safely and effectively. Faster you loose, more likely you will gain it back!
cutting out cardio from the process is certainly not a good news as far as your weight loss campaign is concerned. At least, for
kicking off your weight loss campaign. --- I was on that journey loosing more than 50 pound:):)

Let's not forget, the fitness expert quoted above has a solid sport background. She was a female rugby player. she has been
consistently training ---- Therefore IMO, a training protocol solely consisting of weight training would not necessarily
work for you. This will make the weight loss process less effective and too long IMO. It would work for keeping a steady number displayed by the scale
once the number goal is achieved though.

Loosing weight consistently mainly depend on NUTRITION. Considering nutrition is spot on, training need to change every 4-6 weeks
to shock the body. Our body is a fantastic adaptation machine. It stops changing - responding, once it feel accustomed to same eating pattern and/or training protocol.Cutting out cardio, IMO, you are restricting your "shocking strategy" That said 30 minutes twice or 3 times per week is enough. Your heart --- The precious muscle in the body, need it. To be able to lift fast after a long time break, you will need to rebuild cardio vascular endurance:):)

Losing weight --- being a smaller version of yourself is different compared to Losing weight and gain a better body composition (i.e ratio between fat and muscle). You need to ask yourself what goal you are clearly pursuing. Also I would suggest you have a realistic visual goal of what you want to look like regardless of the number displayed on the scale! Why, IMO loosing weight is not harmful.
What is harmful, IMO, is pursuing a vague goal solely based on a un-realistic LOOK!

That is my 2 cents HTH
 
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Hi Liberty!
Congrats on your achievements! We're all here to support you on your journey.
I haven't had time to read the entire thread but I wanted to respond with a couple thoughts -- apologies if I'm restating what others have said:
1) Great news that you love lifting! It's so essential for body change. Keep it up!
2) Jen Sinkler has a GREAT library of metabolic conditioning (using weighted exercises as cardio) workouts, Lift Weights Faster (1 and 2).
3) I see Phyllis G has said it above but... walking is great! I wouldn't stress about not liking 'traditional' cardio. I think it's non-essential.
4) We have a check-in that you're welcome to join for accountability if you like (we share you affinity for lifting weights!):
http://cathe.com/forum/threads/lifting-like-girls.301749/page-15

Hope you're well! You can do it! Only a few things in life are inevitable, and gaining 50 lbs is not one! Sorry for the stinky dr advice.
High fives,
Roz
 
maddiesmum said:
What Cathe workouts do you have? A good idea to begin with would be to focus first on doing total body weight training workouts, say 3 times per week. This will begin bringing you all the health benefits outlined above. Do you have Muscle Endurance, High Reps, Muscle max, Power Hour, Supersets, Push/Pull, STS Total Body or the CTX weight training workouts? All of these would be great for you to start doing and play around with.
Click to expand...

Clare, I have the following digital workouts (plus the dvd I mentioned previously) :
Boot Camp, low impact circuit, high step, intensity, kick punch and crunch, low max, pyramid lower and upper, supersets, total body sculpting, gym style (all) and travel fit.
 
Beth-B-Fit said:
Liberty,

Wishing you much success! I would suggest you get a cooler and pack your food for the day when you are out. I try not to let myself eat anything I didn't pack for the day and it helps me avoid the cookie trays at work.

Beth
Click to expand...

I have tried this, I am looking for one that fits on the motorcycle and is easily carried, with all the books, and winter gear I have to transport as well, it's been a struggle. Plus, trying to find one that keeps it cool. I know, excuses..excuses. I have been doing better on transporting my own. I also recently found a corner market that will make salads to order, and I can use spinach instead of iceberg.
 
nckfitheart2009 said:
I have one question: Do you really dislike cardio? What type of cardio have you tried?
Click to expand...

I love dancing, but then the alcohol (pina colada's or margarita's) make it not work out right :) I have several dance workouts, Yoga booty ballet, hip hop abs (shaun T), etc, but I get bored easily. I enjoy running (can't right now because of my feet) as I get to be in nature and alone. My biggest problem is getting started. I can talk myself out of working out on a cardio day in a heart beat! I really enjoy kickboxing.

Right now my biggest problem is keeping up, my cardio endurance is virtually zip. I was floored I was able to keep up and get all the way through the basic step by Cathe.

As for loosing the 50 lbs. I have been down to where I am looking at. I am 5'11'' and the doc says about 150-155 is good for me. I felt my best about 145-150. I am not looking for a number, or a size. I want to loose the weight to get rid of the pain, and be healthy. I am not healthy now. I cannot take the stairs to my office because I can't breath when I get to the 4th floor, and the elevator takes forever, and usually is out of order. I want to be able to play basketball this summer with my kids. go swimming instead of just laying on a floatie. ride bikes with them. I can't do any of that now. I want to breathe, and walking across the parking lot hurts. (I also have asthma). When I lost the weight before, and did yoga, I didn't use my inhaler for almost two years. Now I use it daily. So, no, I don't care about looking good. I care about being healthy.

My goals? Be healthy, loose about 8-10 lbs a month. This means long term I can loose the 50 lbs in 5-6 months, so by the time I graduate in May, I should be at, or close to my ideal weight. I am taking the summer off school myself. First one in four years. The boys will be with their dad for two and half weeks. I want to ride my motorcycle to Florida and swim in the ocean. When they come home, I want to go hiking, and camping, and swimming. I want to be an example for my children in health as well. I do have defined goals. The benefit is I know I can do this. I did it before. The added benefit is that I don't have my head in the clouds this time. I know what I can do to sabotage myself. I know the excuses I have used over the last several years, I know my weaknesses (cheese!), and how to eat right. I know I have to workout in the am, or I won't workout, I let life get in the way. I also know, I will do weights anytime, but cardio I have to force myself to do. :)

Thanks! I needed to see this last paragraph again :)
Lib
 
I wanted to thank everyone again! We have been in the process of moving, and my allergies were in high gear yesterday after getting home. I almost didn't workout, but I decided to at least do upper body (the 20 min add on to the body fusion dvd). I was so exhausted after the finalizing the move, that I didn't even take time to change into official workout clothes, I just put the dvd in, took off my sweat shirt and started. I am so glad I did! I am sore today, but I am going to workout. I have been still eating right.

Thank you all for the support and advice! I am so grateful!

Lib
 
Liberty, you sound like you have your head screwed on. You seem to know yourself, and most importantly. Your weaknesses. I'm sure you'll achieve everything you want.

I check in with Roz on the lifting like girls check in, and I agree, it'd be great to hear from you over there. I haven't done any 'cardio type cardio ' for 6 months now. I love lifting weights faster, and getting my cardio in that way. I haven't lost condition, put on weight or suffered in any way by not doing traditional cardio. I do get my heart thumping, though, by lifting those weights.

Best of luck!
 
Justinef said:
Liberty, you sound like you have your head screwed on. You seem to know yourself, and most importantly. Your weaknesses. I'm sure you'll achieve everything you want.

I check in with Roz on the lifting like girls check in, and I agree, it'd be great to hear from you over there. I haven't done any 'cardio type cardio ' for 6 months now. I love lifting weights faster, and getting my cardio in that way. I haven't lost condition, put on weight or suffered in any way by not doing traditional cardio. I do get my heart thumping, though, by lifting those weights.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

What Justine has written. I also check in with "Lifting Like Girls." Would love to see you there. I'm not big on traditional cardio myself, (I do love to walk) Occasionally I will bust out the cardio, but I love to "lift weights faster."

Wishing you the best!
 
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