Weight Loss Support Group

L

lwseymour

Cathlete
Hi ladies,

Yahoo!!!!! We made it to another weekend! My eating for this week would rate a 3.0. I have fit in 4 good cardio workouts and hopefully I can manage another cardio workout this weekend. I am finding it near impossible to fit in cardio and strength both. I can manage about 5 workouts per week and I prefer to make them cardio since I need to lose weight. I realize the importance of strength training to boost the metabolism, but every time I work out I simply think I should do cardio. I keep thinking when I lose this 10-15 lbs, then I will start doing weights. Any suggestions out there? Should I start doing 3 cardio workouts and make the other 2 workouts strength? Or should I do 4 cardio/1 strength or leave it 5 cardio workouts? I have always heard to do 5 cardio workouts per week when trying to lose, and then 3 when trying to maintain. I can't wait till I get to maintenance!!! I would love so much to be able to wear a bathing suit this summer and feel confident.
Please help.
Lisa
 
I know how you feel...I used to feel guilty when I did just strength as my workout for the day. And I don't often have time during the week to do both cardio and weights on the same day. But ohmygosh, I sure got results when I replaced a cardio or two a week with a PS or MIS workout. Lost inches all over and got great muscle tone. And we know that active muscles require more calories than fat does, so you will increase your metabolism with weight work and burn more calories even when you are at rest. I know it's tough to change what we're familiar with, but please consider biting the bullet and adding weight work consistently. If after a few weeks of consistent weight training you aren't happy with the results, then you can go back to more cardio. But I'd bet you'll see results!

Have a great weekend!

Veronica
 
Congrats on maintaining a workout schedule and eating more healthily!

However, you would do yourself an enormous favor by NOT overestimating the importance of scale weight! Yes, you should be strength-training with as much focus as cardio work - the stronger your muscles, the higher intensity you can go at your cardio program! And I agree with the other replier - muscle tissue is "hungrier" tissue, metabolically active, and will burn your food fuel more efficiently.

If you lose a pound of excess storage fat but gain a pound of lean muscle tissue you've done yourself a double-good . . . BUT the scale will only tell you you "haven't lost any weight". Focus on your performance and progress both in cardio and strength, and put the scale down at the bottom of your list of progress points. It's far more real that way.

You go, girl!

Annette
 
I have been struggling with the scale for most of my life. I am really trying to go by how I look and how my clothes fit. It's tough to break old habits but I'm getting there. This week my eating was probably a 4 even though we had a birthday party for my son. He is turning 2 next Monday but we celebrated today. We had pizza and all kinds of goodies. I only had one piece of vege pizza. I did take a couple bites of cake and ice cream. It was absolutely delicious! Glad it's over though. I worked myself hard trying to get my house ready for company, which was mostly family anyway. Exercise was good this week except I didn't get to exercise Friday and Saturday because Friday was housecleaning all day and Saturday was the party. That housecleaning can really burn up some calories though so I think I will count that as a workout.

Have a great day everyone!!!!

Kelly
 
HOPE SOMEONE WILL HELP ME!!

Hope everyone had a great week! This is the first time in have posted hear. This website is great!! Anyways back to the guestion. I want to lose about 5 or 6 lb. But they do not want to be lossed. I do about 90 mins. for cardio in the morning and about 45 min. for cardio and weights in the afternoon. I eat about 2100 cal. a day. Am I over training and that is why I am not lossing? Do I eat to much? What am I doing wrong? PLEASE HELP!!!



CHILD OF GOD, ROBIN
 
RE: HOPE SOMEONE WILL HELP ME!!

Robin,

You always have to find what works for you personally. What works for me may not for you. Everyone on the forum will tell you that you need to change your routine every 6 to 8 weeks. I also need to lose those last 5 to 10 pounds and they are not going willingly. I eat around 1500 calories and have been exercising 6 days a week since the first of the year. I do aerobics 3 days and weights 3 days witht he PS series. The aerobics vary in length and intensity. Usually it is just an hour but sometimes it's just 30 minutes and sometimes longer than an hour. I am getting ready to start another Cross Train series rotation and I hope that will shock my body a little. Maybe someone else can answer about the overtraining but it doesn't sound like too much to me. Maybe you need to analyze what's in that 2100 calories that you eat. Is it the right stuff? I don't know if I was any help or not! :)

Kelly
 
Hi, Robin

I agree with Kelly that different things work well for different people, and especially that you need to change your routine around every 4 to 6 (or even every 6 to 8 or 8 to 10, or whatever) weeks. It is also true that the 2100 calories you eat should be made up of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, and hopefully most of that is whole, unprocessed food. However, if you are training for a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes a day, I doubt that 2100 calories is too much. Your body needs fuel for all the work you're doing!
On to the question of whether or not you are overtraining. I suppose that depends on the intensity of your workouts. If you are training intensly for 90 minutes in the morning, and again intensely for 45 in the afternoon, yes, I would consider that too much (disclaimer: I am an exerciser, not an expert!). If, on the other hand, at least one of these is moderate or light, it COULD be ok. Two things jumped out at me:
1. You are doing two cardio sessions per day (Cathe has suggested that this is too much in past responses)
2. You are doing weights every day

Your body needs time to rest! Cathe has always suggested 4 to 6 cardio sessions per week for weight loss, and usually recommends training each body part 1 or 2 times per week with weights, and at most 3 (I think that's what she's said, if not, that seems to be the norm).
Your workouts don't all need to be intense (if they are). It is suggested that your heart rate should be within 60 -85% of your maximum to be in fat burning range. 60% may be a lot less intense than you think! It is also important to have light and hard and moderate days (and REST days) to be most effecient.

Since you are only needing to lose 5 to 6 pounds, I assume you are already at a healthy weight. That may also be a factor in your inability to lose more...I would post over on the Ask Cathe conference, but I'm sure others will jump in here, too.
PS you may want to be more specific and list and example of an exercise day or week...
Wendy
 
I've enjoyed all the posts on this subject, and agree that strength training is VERY important, but I too feel guilty that I should be doing cardio to get my heart rate up more to burn calories. Maybe for the next couple weeks I'll concentrate more on weight training, then maybe I'll lose my unwanted inches too!

Also I've made a pact for my food consumption changes! It's posted on my refrigerator: NO PROCESSED FOODS, WHITE BREAD, CHOCOLATE (i'm a chocaholic!), LESS: FLOUR RELATED PRODUCTS, WINE (yum!), AND MORE: WATER WATER, VEGGIES/FRUITS, WATER WATER!

Good luck everyone, we'll check in with ya next time!
 
Sigh

Well progress is slow. It seems I either exercise well one week or eat better the next, never both at the same time.

Last week I only did 2 workouts but my eating was MUCH better. Not totally clean but much better. I had more fruit, veggies lean meats and actually took my supplements.

This week I'm getting tougher with myself. I'm going for "cleaner" eating, more water, and 5 workouts. I have to get more goal oriented and stop playing it by ear or spring will be here and I will still be exactly the same as when I started this check-in in January.

Have a great week!
 
late check-in

Hi all!

Eating was a 4 last week. I've decided to not do weight watchers afterall because my husbands schedule is so erratic that the meeting I thought I could go to I have missed 2 weeks in a row. My 1 and 4 year old kids would NEVER sit through a meeting! But never the less I did pretty good on food last week. I've decided to give up red meat. I really enjoy the taste, but it is not healthy and I must admit that the "mad cow disease" scares me!

Lisa, I feel the same way about strenth, it was bulking me up and pushing my fat out making me look larger and I've been doing just cardio and abs.

Kelly, happy b-day to your son! My daughter will be 2 in June. Time flies dosn't it! I can't believe my baby boy is 4. Do you have other kids?

Jessica, welcome!

Crystal, please hang in there with us, sucess will come.

Happy working out everyone

Marci
 
RE: late check-in

Marci,

My son is my one and only child--right now! We plan to have another baby but we have to build our house first and before that we have to find land to build it on...LOL!! Our house is just two bedrooms and one bath and we are quickly outgrowing it. We are looking at buying 15 acres right now. We are going to look at it more thoroughly on Wednesday and try to make a decision if it is what we want.

What is your anniversary? I read that you have been married 5 1/2 years. We are almost at 5 1/2 years too. We got married September the 22nd. I can't believe it's been that long and my son is just growing up too fast. I love staying at home with him and playing outside now that it's getting a little warmer. Granny and Papaw got him a swing set for his B'day and right now he just loves the slide but nothing else. Anyway, I've rambled again. :)

Hope everyone has a great healthy week!

Kelly
 
RE: late check-in

Hi Kelly,

I was stretching a few months, my anniversary is Oct 8, 1995 so I got married just a few weeks after you. I got pregnant after 7 months of marriage- whew talk about a surprize -very happy one though :)

Good luck on the land!
 
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