weight loss question

W

winter2b

Cathlete
Hi all...

I think that most of you are not trying to lose weight (because you all look and sound terrifically thin!), but I wonder if you could offer a few thoughts to someone who is trying...

First, I've heard from some people that when you are strength training and working out a lot, that you often won't see weight loss very fast because you are gaining muscle and sometimes the muscles are holding water for repair. For someone who needs to lose 30 pounds, if I work out 6 days a week and eat following Weight Watchers, should I be able to lose up to 2 pounds a week?

Next - Cathe's workouts are just fantastic - so fun to do. What type of workout mix should I be aiming for to produce maximum results? Is 2 full body strength workouts plus 4-6 cardio workouts enough...too much?

Any suggestions you can give me would be very much appreciated. My honeymoon and summer are approaching at the speed of light and I am so MAD at myself for not getting serious sooner!

Amy
 
Take your anger at yourself for not getting serious sooner and channel it towards your goal.

WW is a good eating plan to get you going. I like how it teaches portion control and you do not exclude any foods. I think it encourages moderation of the right foods (i.e., I am sure pasta is much higher in WW points than chicken on a bed of spinach). Stick with WW if you are comfortable with that and be true to it. You cheat your points then you cheat yourself, leaving you with wedding pictures you do not even want to look at!

If you are new to exercise, 2 full body strength and 5 days of cardio should get you started. Once your body realizes you are going to actually use your muscles and they realize they are goingto be trained and need to learn how to repair...then you can add more strength training.

Avoid too much too soon. Your body will be hurting all over and you will be forced to take time off and before you know it...your exercise plans are a memory. Don't burn out. Small, attainable goals that change and modify as you reach them.

Toss your scale. Step on it 1-2 times a month. You will see changes in the mirror first. Muscle weighs more than fat and no matter how many times we hear that, we step on the scale and get discouraged. Take measurements with a tape measure instead. Bust, arms, waist, hips, thighs and calves.
 
amy, i'm also in the quest to lose weight. and what i've noticed is that at first, i put on a little weight, but at the same time my clothes were fitting better. remember muscle weighs more than fat. i figure, at first i lost a bit of weight, possibly water weight or whatever, then i went up a few pounds because i had added muscle and now the pounds are starting to gradually fall.
good luck! and i'm sure you will look beautiful for your honeymoon!!
maddie :) :)
 
Amy,

Being a member of WW is an excellent way to help you acheive your goals! I speak from experience that 30 lbs in 6 months is very doable! I could probably have done it quicker but I love my sugar and pasta! That's what is great about WW, I can still eat it! :7

One thing I found using the Flex Points system (not Core-for the above mentioned sugar/pasta reasons) is that if you exercise too much without eating some of your extra flex points, your body might not let go of the lbs. I'm in no way saying go crazy on the extra points, but dipping into them isn't a bad thing. I had my leader explain that to me when I was upset about not losing one week. She told me that the body going into starvation mode doesn't take as long as you think it would, one week is enough. That was news to me.

Your exercise plan sounds great. WW suggests "earning" 4 activity points per day and I find 45-60 minutes of Cathe (or Mindy or Christi) fits the bill perfectly. When I judge my activity points earned I usually go by my heart-rate not by how much I sweat. My workouts usually put me about 2/3 of the way between moderate and High on the WW slide-rule.

Good luck in your goals, you seem to have a great plan and the will to stick with it. Keep us informed!

BTW where's the Honeymoon going to be?


Nadine

~~Happiness is an Attitude~~
http://www.picturetrail.com/nadineew
 
Hi Amy,
I really think you will see some good results when combining Cathe and WW.
Are you only just starting Cathes workouts?If you are, I think you will see results even faster! I know the fastest results I had was when I started working out in general.You just drop weight faster when you combine the two....no doubt about it.
If I were you, I would do One Upper Body workout,One Lower Body workout and one full body workout.Try to get cardio in 4-5 times a week and make atleast one of them an interval workout.Circuit workouts are also a great fat burner.
Good Luck...I am sure you will get lots of great advice here!
Lori:)
 
I agree with everyone championing WW and Cathe & DO encourage you to weigh yourself once a week to keep yourself on track. People who lose weight and keep it off weigh themselves at least once a month.
 
>BTW where's the Honeymoon going to be?
>
>
>Nadine
>
>~~Happiness is an Attitude~~
>http://www.picturetrail.com/nadineew

Nadine and others-

Thanks for the encouragement! And congrats to those of you who have lost with WW and Cathe - it gives me hope! I'd love to be at goal by summer when boating season rolls around again!!! I will definately keep you all posted on my progress. I have done a few Cathe workouts, but for the most part, just getting started with doing her stuff on a regular basis. I was a Firmie previously, but I've been struggling to get my workouts in. I'm recommitting myself to WW this week - along with the hubby...we're trying to lower our "bad carbs", but still count our points. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed!

Nadine - the honeymoon is in Tahiti...3 nights on Moorea, 4 nights on Bora Bora and 3 nights on Manihi...I can't wait!!!

Thanks again everyone!
 
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