I have a fitness/working out question
#157999 - 03/07/05 06:41 PM
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Ok.. I dunno if any of you are experts.. but I'm hoping someone has advice.
I'm 23 years old and need to lose about ten pounds.
Up until when I quit smoking last year I would generally weigh between 124-134.. generally for me between a size 2 or 4 at that weight. During this time I can honestly say that I have not been in a gym once in five years, and I was not overly active or anything like that. I also have never dieted. Anyways.. whenever I gained and went up in the 130's was usually in the winter and then i'd miraculously loose about 10 pounds every spring doing virtually nothing differently.
However.. since I quit smoking more than a year ago.. that stopped happening. I've gained ten pounds.. none of my clothes fit.. and I haven't miraculously lost any weight. boo.. I dunno if its even because of the quitting notion.. I'm just assuming cause thats all that changed.
Anyways.. so about two weeks ago I joined a gym and I have down about 4-5 40 plus minute cardio workouts and 2 one hour long strength training workouts both weeks and my clothes still fit the same... and I still weigh exactly the same. how long until I can see results. I haven't changed my diet drastically.. but at the same time I figured going from never working out in five years to working out would actually allow me to loose wieght without having to do a hardcore diet.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me.. I know you'll prob want to kill me but I never used to have to work at it.. and now that I have been I'm not seeing any results? Any suggestions?
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After about 2 weeks, I'm not surprised that you're not seeing results yet. Speaking from experience, losing weight takes a heck of a lot longer than gaining it. 
It works a little like this: A pound of weight gained/lost equals about 3500 calories. In order to lose 1 lb a week, you'd have to decrease your weekly calories by 3500 - or 500 a day.
You can do that by decreasing what you eat, or you can do it with exercise, or (ideally) a combination of the two. But you'd have to make sure to CONSISTENTLY burn 500 calories a day by exercising, every single day, to see a difference that way... and even then, that's one pound a week, which is the rate of weight loss recommended by doctors and such, but it's still "slow" weight loss if you're hopping on a scale and waiting to see a real difference.
I would suggest starting to count calories, honestly. I mean, I've seen your menus, and you don't make bad food choices or anything, so I'm guessing some of it might also be portion sizes. Or, as has been discussed here quite a bit recently, maybe you aren't getting ENOUGH calories, which would send your body into "famine" mode and make you not lose weight. There's a lot of variables. But mostly, it really just takes time, so hang in there and try to be as consistent with the exercise as you can. 
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Hi Ashley
Smoking can sure be an effective weight loss too eh? lol... not a HEALTHY one though, so glad to hear you've quit! good for you!
Anyway, if you've only started exercising two weeks ago I'd say give it time. There are milllions of reasons why you might not be seeing loss right away - genetics, stress, water retention etc. So yeah, just hang in there, you should see results soon.
However, your exercise program is extreme! 40 mins cardio 4-5x per week plus 2 1hr strength training sessions?!  that's lots girl. In fact, that might be too much. You need to ease into exercise - going from couch to this, well your body probably doesn't like that too much, and that might be why you're not seeing any losses. You're body might very well be freaking out over all this new stress (thinking its under attack), and without increased calories to help it out, it might be gathering up fat to help restore damaged tissue from exercise - this is what exercise does, it damages muscle fibers ever so gently then causes your body to work to build them back up, creating muscle. (Thus you actually gain muscle not at the gym but while you're resting.) However if you don't give your body adequate time to rest, it doesn't have this time to create muscle and (importantly) to repair the damaged fibers. This is called overtraining.
Now if you want to just lose weight you do that by cutting calories in your diet and/or by 'killing' them with exercise. However, if you do this too much too quickly (either cutting calories in diet or exercising insensely), like I said your body will want to start storing up sugars, which will turn to fat, to help it handle the attack and repair those muscle fibers.
My advice would be SLOW DOWN and gradually work up to this much exercise if you want to over 4-6 weeks. 3x/week at 30 mins of cardio is probably more than enough, especially if you're doing any strength training. You could stick to 2x/week (30-60 mins would be sufficient, depending on how intense you go with your weight training. Be very careful if you're lifting heavy and just starting out - this is the easiest time to injure yourself!)
Make sure you're drinking lots of water too, both at the gym and all other time as well! Good luck!
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Thanks for the Info..
I didn't think that my workouts were too intense..because I am taking a lot of classes, like hip hop aerobics, step aerobics, zumba, I only do straight up eliptical for 40 mins about twice a week. but if you think that this is too much maybe I should try to cut down a little.
As for weight training.. I take weight training classes at the gym which are one hour long and constant reps, but the most I lift is five pounds at once. so its not heavy hardcore lifting. I dont' want to bulk up, i'd rather slim down.
Anyways.. I hated working out.. and since going to the gym recently I'm loving it and I look forward to the classes, and my body doesn't hurt or feel too tired.. but maybe I will try to cut it down if you think it will help.
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casey
#158046 - 03/07/05 09:19 PM
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I know.. I'm just thinking about when the weight would just slide off randomly.. and it sucks when that stops happening. 
I'm going to try to start counting calories. I honestly highly doubt i'm in famine mode, cause I do eat alot. I'm thinking portion size must be my problem and I'll try to keep an eye on that as well. 3500 calories is so easy to consume.. but so hard to burn off. I don't have time to burn 500 calories at the gym every night.. so i'm guessing i'm gonna have to be extra careful with calories.
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Hey Ashley
If you're doing pretty low intensity workouts I take back a little bit of what I said... like your weight training sounds like a really good level to start at, and if you're not doing insane sweat-till-you-drop aerobics every time, and you're not feeling overly tired, then I'm sure you're ok. Plus if you're enjoying it I wouldn't want to tell you to stop!!
Just watch for signs of overtraining - like increased tiredness, slower recovery time after exercise (you feel sorer longer than before), decreased appetite. Stuff like that.
I'd also chime in with Casey and recommend counting calories. It can sometimes be surprising how much or how little calories we get each day. Plus if you know how much you're eating and burning you can have a better idea of why you are/aren't losing weight.
FitDay.com is a free site that makes this really easy. LOL people are going to start thinking I'm the fitday nazi or something or that I work for them! Honestly I just love this site because you don't have to do any math! haha... I use it myself to count calories of food and exercise and it's really easy. You can also keep a journal. Ok enough with the plug... seriously, they're not paying me I swear! 
Good luck!
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Give it time!
#158124 - 03/08/05 05:53 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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I know with me there's a load of other issues, but losing weight gets harder as you get older!!! How middle-aged do I sound?  But it's true...I have a WAY harder time losing weight now than I did when I was 16, 17.
It could just be that that's changed...or a combination of that and no smoking (yay for you, btw! ).
I think that if you don't worry about watching calories too much and just avoid sweet treats, and carry on exercising like you are (and don't watch the scales too much), you'll start losing after a few weeks. It takes time. Boring! 
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awesome.. I'll check out fitday. I am currently doing recording workouts on self, but it doesn't do calories so I'll check the other one out.
Anyways, i'm not doing hardcore exercises, and the first time I did weightraining and step especially I really hurt, (muscle wise) but each time I take them now it hardly makes me sore (I dunno if this is a good thing though?!?!)
I do take 2 kinda insane sweat and constant jumping around for one hour classes, but the rest are more fun and low impact.
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thats what I'm hoping will happen. I don't want to become obsessed, beacuse i'm not overweight. Its just vanity weight that I'd like to lose because all of my old clothes don't fit. Myself, being a poor college student, can better afford 30 dollars a month for a gym more as opposed to an entire new warddrobe.
I just wanted to see how long it took people before they started seeing results.. but i'll wait it out. thanks for the motivation.
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Edited by spicey813 (03/08/05 06:58 AM)
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WELL, said Casey..... you have really shown your experience with this reply!! Thanks!!
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More great advise Laurel.... thanks for your imput here!!
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I lost nearly 20 lbs last year, and it was definitely due to less eating in part; I went from a size 8/10 to a 4/6. However, if I were to also sit and think about it, my lifestyle has significantly changed due to my current boyfriend. He doesn't drink. We ended the phase where we went out to eat all the time, and have spent since last summer most of our Monday and Friday nights at the gym. While I've always exercised 4+ times weekly, when I am in a romantic relatioship, usually restaurants play a bigger role in my life. I spent from 2000 to 2003 wondering why I couldn't lose weight when I was always at the gym! It's hard to control calories and alcohol when out on the town by the way. I didn't realize, but I spent a good deal of my 20's (honestly, most) drinking and having fun with friends. In fact, when I tried to curb my drinking it was hard because all of our social interactions involved booze. So while I've in no way become a hermit at 30, I have really cut down on alcohol, mostly because it's just not around anymore, and again, someone significant in my life doesn't really care for it. I have no idea about your social life, but it seems like I wasn't even aware how much drinking I was doing, I used to drink all the time at home, even by myself, but those calories really add up. Basically, from my own 2 cents, you may want to cut alcohol out for awhile and see how that works out for you. Good luck!
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Jane Doe
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Re: Retrograde
#158359 - 03/08/05 12:41 PM
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Kimm
Reged: 03/10/04
Posts: 1171
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Lifting lighter weight for more reps will burn fat not make you bulk up so don't worry about that.
You see those guys in the gym that lift HUGE weights for just 4-5 reps? Well they're trying to bulk up....stick to the lighter weights with more reps and you'll burn fat fast.
Your diet is also important though and just working out but eating really bad stuff isn't going to give you results.
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Ughh!! I'm sorry but this is one of my HUGEST pet peeves.
Clarification: lifting heavy will NOT make women 'bulk up' or get any 'gross' looking huge muscles. There's this stupid myth out there that says that lifting heavy weights will somehow overdevelop women's muscles. Total garbage! Women's bodies are not built to have those kind of muscles that men have - bulky masculine muscles etc. We just don't have those hormones. The simple fact is that the heavier you lift, the stronger your muscles will get, and the more able and efficient your body will be to burn fat. Simple as that. This is from a really good website, which says it better than I'm trying to here:
Quote:
LIE: Weight training will make you huge and masculine.
Probably the worst lie ever. People look at women bodybuilders and say, "Ohmigawd, they're huge and if I lift anything heavy I'll look like that too." Nope. In general, women are not able to build monstrous muscle mass in the same manner as men, due to a number of physiological factors. It's a rare woman that can become a competitive bodybuilder, and to get that big she has to combine genetics, extensive long-term training, strict diet, and supplementation (legal or otherwise).
If you enjoy watching bodybuilding, have a look at the tested (natural, i.e. steroid free) shows versus the untested (anything goes) shows. You will notice a great difference in the builds of the women onstage. A natural female bodybuilder is lean, almost wiry, and certainly not the mythical monsters whom exercising women fear resembling (have a look at my reader letters page to see some examples). Also, women bodybuilders do not normally have the low levels of bodyfat that they do while in competition. Low bodyfat makes muscles stand out, and it changes the contours of the face, making jawlines and cheekbones prominent, which contributes to a rather unnatural look. Bodybuilders about to go on stage for a competition look quite odd, actually, due to dehydration, extremely low bodyfat, and deep tans. During the offseason, competitors' bodyfat is higher, and in clothing, most wouldn't stand out as unusual in any way.
The average woman (that's you) cannot achieve a masculine monster look simply through strength training. You're not going to wake up after a workout and be huge. You don't believe me? OK, then, try to get huge. Just try. And see how far you get.
And also, on lifting to lose weight...
Quote:
Weight training is a must for long term fat loss
One of the stupidest pieces of advice I've heard is that overweight people shouldn't weight train because it will build muscle that will push the fat out more. It's very hard to build that kind of muscle mass in a short time, or ever. In fact overweight folks are perfect candidates for weight training.
Any loss of bodyweight involves a loss of both fat and muscle. The key is to maximize the fat loss and minimize the muscle loss. You do this through both your diet and your training. In terms of training, cardio alone doesn't cut it. Extended bouts of cardio are catabolic to muscle, which means they contribute to muscle mass loss. So you might lose some fat, but in the long term, your metabolism is compromised because you've lost muscle too. For long term body recomposition, nothing seems to get results that measure up to weight training combined with other activity (if desired) and sensible nutrition.
Weight training has other benefits besides retention of muscle. It helps keep you motivated as you see strength gains quickly, as most newbies do. Many folks report that strengthening the muscles results in less joint pain and less difficulty in moving around.
This doesn't mean you should run into the gym and start killing yourself. The beauty of weight training is that it can be easily modified to every trainee's needs, and adjusted as the trainee becomes stronger and more familiar with technique. Many overweight beginners are surprised to discover how strong they actually are.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to explode on you or aything Kimm! This is just a total MYTH that gets fed to women when they start lifting weights that's totally not true. It just toally irks me to see women spending so much time in the gym and only trying these teeny tiny little weights for a million reps! It's a total waste of time.
Ok stepping off my soap box now... thanks for listening!
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Quote:
Ughh!! I'm sorry but this is one of my HUGEST pet peeves.
Clarification: lifting heavy will NOT make women 'bulk up' or get any 'gross' looking huge muscles. There's this stupid myth out there that says that lifting heavy weights will somehow overdevelop women's muscles. Total garbage! Women's bodies are not built to have those kind of muscles that men have - bulky masculine muscles etc. We just don't have those hormones. The simple fact is that the heavier you lift, the stronger your muscles will get, and the more able and efficient your body will be to burn fat. Simple as that. This is from a really good website, which says it better than I'm trying to here:
Quote:
LIE: Weight training will make you huge and masculine.
Probably the worst lie ever. People look at women bodybuilders and say, "Ohmigawd, they're huge and if I lift anything heavy I'll look like that too." Nope. In general, women are not able to build monstrous muscle mass in the same manner as men, due to a number of physiological factors. It's a rare woman that can become a competitive bodybuilder, and to get that big she has to combine genetics, extensive long-term training, strict diet, and supplementation (legal or otherwise).
If you enjoy watching bodybuilding, have a look at the tested (natural, i.e. steroid free) shows versus the untested (anything goes) shows. You will notice a great difference in the builds of the women onstage. A natural female bodybuilder is lean, almost wiry, and certainly not the mythical monsters whom exercising women fear resembling (have a look at my reader letters page to see some examples). Also, women bodybuilders do not normally have the low levels of bodyfat that they do while in competition. Low bodyfat makes muscles stand out, and it changes the contours of the face, making jawlines and cheekbones prominent, which contributes to a rather unnatural look. Bodybuilders about to go on stage for a competition look quite odd, actually, due to dehydration, extremely low bodyfat, and deep tans. During the offseason, competitors' bodyfat is higher, and in clothing, most wouldn't stand out as unusual in any way.
The average woman (that's you) cannot achieve a masculine monster look simply through strength training. You're not going to wake up after a workout and be huge. You don't believe me? OK, then, try to get huge. Just try. And see how far you get.
And also, on lifting to lose weight...
Quote:
Weight training is a must for long term fat loss
One of the stupidest pieces of advice I've heard is that overweight people shouldn't weight train because it will build muscle that will push the fat out more. It's very hard to build that kind of muscle mass in a short time, or ever. In fact overweight folks are perfect candidates for weight training.
Any loss of bodyweight involves a loss of both fat and muscle. The key is to maximize the fat loss and minimize the muscle loss. You do this through both your diet and your training. In terms of training, cardio alone doesn't cut it. Extended bouts of cardio are catabolic to muscle, which means they contribute to muscle mass loss. So you might lose some fat, but in the long term, your metabolism is compromised because you've lost muscle too. For long term body recomposition, nothing seems to get results that measure up to weight training combined with other activity (if desired) and sensible nutrition.
Weight training has other benefits besides retention of muscle. It helps keep you motivated as you see strength gains quickly, as most newbies do. Many folks report that strengthening the muscles results in less joint pain and less difficulty in moving around.
This doesn't mean you should run into the gym and start killing yourself. The beauty of weight training is that it can be easily modified to every trainee's needs, and adjusted as the trainee becomes stronger and more familiar with technique. Many overweight beginners are surprised to discover how strong they actually are.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to explode on you or aything Kimm! This is just a total MYTH that gets fed to women when they start lifting weights that's totally not true. It just toally irks me to see women spending so much time in the gym and only trying these teeny tiny little weights for a million reps! It's a total waste of time.
Ok stepping off my soap box now... thanks for listening!
OUTSTANDING INFO!! I agree with you I use 8-10# dumbells in my class when the others are using 3-6...I don't know what they are getting out of it... and tiny tinny little weights on the bars... I load my up... PUSH yourself....if it's too much then take the weight off... In my body scuplting class I'm going to tonight... I go a little lighter 6# because she does not have us count reps but rather we do TIME and fatige the muscles...THEN do cardio after... but my goal is to burn fat, and tone!!
My question is.... about abs.... if you have a big tire around the waist (like I still kinda do) is a lot of ab work really helping or should I wait until most of the tire is gone??
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Quote:
My question is.... about abs.... if you have a big tire around the waist (like I still kinda do) is a lot of ab work really helping or should I wait until most of the tire is gone??
No reason to wait on strength training (for any body part, including abs) - the stronger your muscles, the more your body will be at burning calories because it boosts your metabolism.
Unfortunately, spot reduction is another myth - you can't lose fat JUST around your waist or 'target' it for weight loss. Where fat drops off first is determined genetically, so just doing crunches all day is not going to have any different effect for fat loss than doing a total body workout. However, you still want to tone your abs for when that fat does drop off, so make sure you're doing some ab work at each workout, and don't forget about your obliques too!
I know you already work out lots (your story in the newsletter was amazing!) including cardio. Short, hard bouts of cardio are the best bet for fat loss, such as 15-20 mins each time, high intesnsity interval training (alternating between high intesnity and low intensity, 1 min fast, 1 min slow, 1 min fast, 1 min slow etc...). Those really long 60 mins sessions of jogging - great if you want to increase your health and vitality, but high intensity for short periods of time is what you need to lose fat.
Hope that helps!
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Quote:
Quote:
My question is.... about abs.... if you have a big tire around the waist (like I still kinda do) is a lot of ab work really helping or should I wait until most of the tire is gone??
No reason to wait on strength training (for any body part, including abs) - the stronger your muscles, the more your body will be at burning calories because it boosts your metabolism.
Unfortunately, spot reduction is another myth - you can't lose fat JUST around your waist or 'target' it for weight loss. Where fat drops off first is determined genetically, so just doing crunches all day is not going to have any different effect for fat loss than doing a total body workout. However, you still want to tone your abs for when that fat does drop off, so make sure you're doing some ab work at each workout, and don't forget about your obliques too!
I know you already work out lots (your story in the newsletter was amazing!) including cardio. Short, hard bouts of cardio are the best bet for fat loss, such as 15-20 mins each time, high intesnsity interval training (alternating between high intesnity and low intensity, 1 min fast, 1 min slow, 1 min fast, 1 min slow etc...). Those really long 60 mins sessions of jogging - great if you want to increase your health and vitality, but high intensity for short periods of time is what you need to lose fat.
Hope that helps!
Thank you so much... I NEEDED to read this!! Where DID you get all this knowlegde from anyway??
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I am just going to throw this in here. One of my pet peeves that I see so often in the summer (not little kids with bike helmets on wrong  ) is people walking/jogging with weights. Weights should be done on their own and aerobics should be done without weights. Carrying weights when jogging is really hard on the joints and does no good to the upper body muscles. It only causes injuries. The best thing to do is 15-20 minutes of weight training 3x a week or so before aerobics. If you are training for backpacking- as I have done- then go ahead and load up a backpack, otherwise just jog/walk as is.
Also I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but as my husband always says "muscle burns more calories". So the idea of building muscle is that it will help you burn calories faster- more muscle mass uses more calories.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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I don't think cardio 4-5x a week with weights 2x a week is too much. *At all*
From my own personal experience, weight-lifting makes all the difference in weight loss. Lift HEAVY. Lifting light isn't going to do anything for you in terms of weight-loss, nor is it going to give you healthy, sexxxxy muscles. Women are not genetically engineered to bulk up - it takes hours upon hours upon hours at the gym doing so, usually with the help of steroids.
I would recommend breaking up your lifting routine into a 2 or 3 day split. I used to lift upper body (arms, shoulders, back & chest) once a week and lower body (legs, butt & abs) once a week. Now I do a 3 day split - Chest, Shoulders & Back on Sunday, Lower body on Wednesday and Biceps & Triceps on Friday. I do cardio at the gym 4x a week and I swim 45min to an hour twice a week. But if I am sick one day or it doesn't fit into my schedule (although I often rearrange things to to make a workout fit), I don't worry about it because when I work out, I work HARD.
So, my advice to you is to keep up your 4-5x a week cardio and to break up your weight-lifting a bit. You don't need to lift for an entire hour each time - do supersets or take less break time in between sets. It takes me 35 min MAX to do a minimum of 7 exercises (3 sets each) each time.
As for not seeing results yet, you shouldn't be. It will take a month or two for you to see anything and even more than that for it to be really noticeable. Focus instead on how much better you feel for becoming active and how great of a stress relief it is.
And if you'd like a copy of my lifting schedule, let me know and I'll send you one. My trainer developed it and I tweak it a bit every now and then to stay fresh. Now that I think about it, it's about time for me to get a new routine...
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Hi, i think the secret is energy out put needs to exceed energy input. Getting active is the key, most sedentary people will battle with weight at some stage. Without having to diet as such, have a spring clean and throw any unecessary junk food out of it, decrease portion size a bit and you will surely get results. But hey you've only been at it for a couple of weeks, don't be too impatient, it's all about making a change in lifestyle. Fitness is great fun, enjoy it!
Now I'm off to the gym
Ralph
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Thanks for bringing this post up Ashly!
I am inspired by you...
I have e never lifted weights. I was a runner/dancer
Now I want to try weights. Will they make me look slim or do they simply build muscle? I want to look trim again like when I ran, etc.
When I don't have a cold I bike and dance and walk.
Thanks for your help!
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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I'd still like to know how to start lifting the healthiest way possible!
I'm nervous about lifting...but I WANT to be healthy and good to my bod. I probably won't start right away as I am fighting a cold AND detoxing...but I want to get the thoughts rolling around in my head to get geared up for weight training! I think it's def. something that would be good for me. I need to start slow tho with the fibro...but thank G-d I can do 40 mins on the bike trainer and I know my bod is on its way!
Thanks again...and one more hing...let me know some books to read if you don't mind. Your wealth of info. is fantastic!
Thanks Laurel...you're the best *hugs*
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Hi, Thanks for your reply.
I use 3 and 5 pound weights now, but I will try to add more weight. I am just starting out so I thought that going up in weight slowly was a better idea?!?!
I do weighttraining for an hour because I actually do it during a class my gym offers. The class description is - A full body free weight conditioning workout using dumbells to tone and strengthen the entire body. Defined lines and lean muscle come out of this workout. It also builds muscle endurance, taking no breaks between reps.
Anyways, its generally about 1/2 hour arms, 20 mins legs and butt and 10 minute abs. Does this not sound good enough? should I add more weighttraining by myself in?
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thanks Ruchie.. everyone is really helpful.. so I'm sure you'll get some ideas from them!
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Warning here!
#158674 - 03/09/05 07:33 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Some women AREN'T as naturally slim as e_mcmaster - I can bulk up! One year I was going to be racing lots so I did a major strenthening program with lots of heavier weights and my shoulders went ballistic! Never again! I looked like a shot-putter.
Biceps and triceps are harder to bulk up as a woman...but having said that my cousin hates her muscley arms!
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Oh no offence taken....it's just that I don't believe it is a myth because I've seen it happen with my very own eyes.
I have a couple of friends who lift heavy weights with less reps and they are very big and muscular. You should see their shoulders!! Then I have friends who do lighter weights (not teeny tiny little ones) just to burn fat and and do more reps and they're not getting bigger, just burning fat.
I never said that weight training in general will make you big and masculine.
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I take 3 classes with weights, and do weights on my own 2x a week. Mostly my own free weights, sometimes the machines. The heaviest free weight I ever use is 10 lbs. I'm 5'4", 118 lbs. That being said---I've got big arms. For some reason the muscles in my arms just get big! I don't feel manly or anything, but I've definitely got bigger arm muscles than all the girls I know (some lift weights too). But I don't look like a body builder and I'm not worried about getting big all over. I'm not ripped, and have no veins popping out. And I don't beat myself up about it because I don't mind having arm muscles! I'd rather be strong. I think weight lifting is an excellent thing women can do. Keeps them strong, keeps their bones strong, and is a good way to get out some frustration (which I am full of lately).
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Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that this was too much as a general rule, just that going from doing nothing to doing this much without adjusting calorie intake might be a bit of a strain. However I think I mis-estimated the intensity of your workouts Ashley, I don't think it's a problem. Plus like I said if you're enjoying it why should we tell you to stop!! however you mentioned that you're not getting sore after your weights any more - getting sore (reasonably) is a good sign that you're muscles are working, rebuilding themselves and thus growing. Basically that it was a good workout. If you're not getting that any more you should probably up your weights in your class.
But yeah, it's not too much as a general rule. Personally I do cardio and weights 3x per week, 15 mins high intensity interval cardio, 30-45 mins of weights and then if I have the time a 60 min yoga class. Sometimes on weekends I add in more cardio and/or an extra yoga class.
I do a full body 3 day split right now with my weights. For a long time I did an upper lower split with lots of supersets, but I'm really enjoying this split right now. I do squats each of the three days to different degrees of intensity - in general Mondays I go light, Wednesdays I go heavy (with bench presses and deadlifts), and Fridays I go medium. If anyone would like to see my complete schedule let me know.
Ok that's it for me
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Yay! Good for you Ruchie! I think weight training is one of the BEST things people can do for their bodies. No need to be nervous about starting lifting!
I'll do a little bit of looking around for some of my favourite books and websites tonight but ones that come off the top of my head are these:
Women's Weight Training - this is a great site about weight training for women for everyone from complete beginners to powerlifters! Seriously, there's lots of great info here and it's all written in a light and humorous tone. One of my favourites.
Brother Iron Sister Steel by Dave Draper
Ok this is written by former Mr. World/Universe (basically every bodybuilding title there is to win, he won it) - but it's not just for bodybuilders! There's lots of great info in here about getting started, proper nutrition, proper form (SO important), plus lots of great sample workouts from beginners to advanced. He can get a little lofty with his tone and start waxing philosophic on bodybuliding at times, but in all it's a great book.
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I totally agree. I don't know what it is about our society but it seems to tell us that a woman with a little bit of muscle on her isn't attractive! Personally, I think women look great with toned, muscular bodies. Not to mention how healthy it is for ya.
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Laurel - thanks for posting that link! I have already spent WAY too much of my work day checking it out Lots of helpful info. Unfortunately, I have not been training for MONTHS - unless you count pilates and asorted excercises not involving weights - due to shoulder pain that affects pretty much all upper body lifting. I'd love to start again but I have a feeling a trip to the orthopedic surgeon may be in order first . . .
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STEF
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I should have mentioned that a small percentage of women CAN bulk up easily. You're just going to have to pay attention to your own body and see how it reacts.
That said, it is more common than not for women to have a hard time bulking up, but there are exceptions like Linz, who I'm sure looked good even as a shot-putter
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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OK, I see.
No, if you're doing it during a class like you described, then that's probably your best bet for now. In fact, I think it's great that you have an instructor to help you on your form and give you tips during class. Once you get more advanced, you might consider changing it up, but for now that sounds great. I think you could probably handle more weight - more in the 5 to 8lb range for now - but as you are just starting out, I think you're doing fine.
Good luck!
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Yes, weights will tone you up, which makes you look more compact and slimmer. Do you go to a gym? Could you take a weighttraining class like Ashley? If not, let me know and I can try to offer some tips.
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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See she is muscular and sexy. I have big arms and legs that look really strong but just runs in the family. I am not as strong as I look. I used to be when I had to shove horses around all day. But I don't mind the impressive biceps (wish they were stronger) but just want to get rid of the chicken skin on the triceps!!!
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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Hi there!
Nope, no gym for me (too expensive). Don't even own weights yet.
I weigh 150lbs and I am 5"5 and a half.
i used to be a runner/dancer but the fibo frog bit me and said no more. Well...I'm biting back! 
i was doing yog daily and biking/walking every other day. But I got a cold and it slowed me down. So for now...I need to start again slowly as I come off this cold.
Thanks for all your help everyone! Sorry Ashley for hijaking your post
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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wel what i would recomend for you....and i actually know what i'm talking about because i'm a certified trainer....start with low weights, and do 15-20 reps...3 to 4 sets. About 5-10 lbs to start. (i don't know how to convert to kilo's so i hope you aren't from europe....or anywhere else because we americans are weird) anyway....do antagonous (i'm sure that's spelled wrong) each day....so chest and triceps one day, back and biceps the next....then legs and...really sholders the next. you can do abs everyday. From your pic you look like you would want to tone, because you don't look as though you need to lose weight. if you want to take it even further you can do jumping jacks for a minute between each set...if you need anymore info email me at Lhamile@hotmail.com...make sure you say you are from the boards otherwise i'll delete it. email me any questions....just don't send me viruses...lol...ok....let me know if you need anymore thoughts...
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honestly if you start to bulk mostlikly you are lifting too much. it's very hard for women to bulk without hormones or extra sups. stay with light weights, if you can afford it get a swiss ball..24 hour fitness sucks...but they have the best swiss balls i have found...if not nortitrac is good too...they usually run no more than $30. you can practically do a whole work out with it, and there are books that are great to give you ideas on what to do with the ball...then create your own stuff. to any extra carricular exploreres out there....
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haha no prob ruchie.. I hope it helps everyone!
Also.. target and walmart sell free weights for about 5 dollars or less.. so you might want to go check it out. I know that they have 3, 5 and 10 pounds at least.
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it is great, and the two classes I go to are with two different instructors, who do things differently so it mixs it up.
by the way.. do crunches even count as strength training?
As for the class, I do enjoy it.. the music is blasting and the instructors walk around and make sure our form is good, and that we are doing it right. they are great motivation. ALot of the ladies do the exercises with 8 and 10 pound weights, and I'm going to try to move up to using fives the entire time next class. What should I aspire to down the line, what do you guys lift generally?
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...it's working the abs using the weight of your body (or weights if you use a machine).
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...that way you won't buy a set of weights that are wrong for you!
Cans of food are good or fill a small bottle with water/sand/whatever - this is very useful as you can vary the weight.
You should be able to do 10-15 reps in 3 sets and end up with the muscles aching, but NOT killing - if in doubt do less with the Fibro. So if you find that easy (and remeber with the Fibro that your limits can change day-to-day) add more weight and if that's too hard use less weight.
Then if you want to, when you've worked out what feels good, you can weigh your homemade "weights" and go buy a set that size.
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I take three classes involving hand weights, and (one Thursday, two in a row saturday), and I started using 3s and 5s and moved up to 5s and 8s pretty quickly. If you feel like it's getting "easy" just move up, at least for maybe one rep.
And I definitely count crunches, and any kind of ab work as strengthening work. Wish the results were quicker in that area!
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Ahh...yes, the triceps. I'm 28 but I've already started to notice the difference (sagging). That's actually going to be one of my new areas of concentration, cause I don't want my arms to look unbalanced. I swear if I didn't work, or have to clean up after my husband, or need to watch every rerun of Law & Order, I would be in really good shape!
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It is a trouble spot for sure! And I really think it is the underarm rather than the tricep. (squinty, thinking eyes) I mean it seems like the sag is between the bicep and tricep, but exercises are always for the tricep. I have been asking my weightlifting hub what can be done for the underarm and he is speechless. Does anyone know what I mean? 
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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I just logged in my lunch and breakfast and it seems like an awesome tool. Thanks for recommending it.. and I hope that it helps. I love that it does all the calorie work and logs it.. I also love the graphs to see what the problems are. cross your fingers for me that this works!
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Do exercises like crunches, help build the muscles that could help us have a BM?
I have not had to use these muscles a lot in the past because I was not eating enough and also having diarrhea for a few years. I think that caused my ab muscles to atropy. Now I am constipated and I am thinking it may be caused partly because my body is not used to having food in the system and actually needing to do something with it to push it out!!
What do you guys think?
Thanks again experts!!
PS. Will I ever learn to like this??? I hate exercising!! And all I'm doing so far is 30 minutes of walking a day! Do you guys honestly enjoy it?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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And I LOVE lifting! I just started last night. Hubby showed me how to do curls, military press, and two other things.
But i want to do more! What can I do at HOME? No money for a gym right now. Any ideas anyone?
How do I know what to do and how can I make sure my form is correct?
Hubby would prob be willing to invest more money for me if I show him I'm committed. But I feel like I'm getting so little from JUST lifting dumbells. Any ideas for me would be super! *hugs*
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Glad to hear you're liking the weights!
This would be a *perfect*, all-dumbbells workout for you --> web page
And this is a really interesting workout involving no needed equipment at all, just household items! Very clever! --> web page
Those pages show you how to do the exercise and how to do them with perfect form. The are from stumptuous.com - Women's Weight Training, which is one of my favourite websites. There's no navigation on those pages above so in case you want to explore more of the site that's the link to head to! Lots of good info.
Have fun!
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but I must have missed the parts where you didn't need a gym to train
Thanks for all your help Laurel! Btw...I hope you got my e-mail yesterday...sorry it was tardy
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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You might want to check your local library, a lot of times they have exercise videos to rent, that can give you some basic moves. Or maybe invest $20 in a good one? Besides lifting you could incorporate stuff like squats, lunges, push-ups (against a wall or on knees to start), sit-ups, leg lifts....on and on. Exercise balls and resistance bands are pretty fun and effective too, and usually come with a video or booklet that gives you exercises to try.
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I would love to see your weight lifting schedule.
Thanks
Debbie
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I do a 3 day split.
Day 1: Chest, Shoulders & Back
Chest
flat bench press
decline bench press
incline dumbbell press
Shoulders
overhead press
dumbbell flys
barbell shrugs
Back
bent-over rows
front pulldown
seated row
Day 2: Lower body
Quads
squats
lunges
45 degree leg press
single leg split squat
lever kneeling hip extention
Calves
seated calf press
standing calf press
Hamstrings
lying leg curl
seated leg curl
Hips
seated hip adduction
seated hip abduction
Glutes
lever kneeling hip extention
squats
lunges
single leg split squat
Abs
Crunches
twists on balance ball holding medicine ball
Day 3: Biceps & Triceps
Biceps
hammer curls
incline dumbbell curls
seated barbell curls
Triceps
lying triceps extension
rope pushdowns
seated triceps extension
I also do 30-60min of cardio 4 days a week and swim laps for 45min 2 days a week.
A good website for exercises is 3 Day Split.
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Thank you very much. I have saved the site to my favorites. I am not using free weights at this time just
the machines. I hope to find a trainer to help me get
started and doing the exercies the correct way. I am doing
weights twice a week and Pilates one night. She said the Pilates should be used as one of the weight days. I do cardo at least 5 days a week but I do try for 6. Sunday is my day off. I am just disappointed because I do not seem to be losing the inches. I want to get my waist smaller and get my legs in better shape. I do work all the
different parts of my body though. Any thoughts?
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What does your diet look like (other than, of course, the fact that it is IBS-friendly)? It is very hard to build muscle without adequate amounts of protein. I aim for 150 grams a day. I eat a lot of chicken, turkey, egg whites, soymilk & soy protein powder. Also, when I keep my diet clean of processed foods and extra sugar, I notice a difference. This, of course, is very hard to do all the time.
How long have you been working out regularly? I believe it takes anywhere from 6 weeks to 2 months to really see results.
As for your lifting, do you do full body twice a week?
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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I started working out in December and had some one help me
learn to use the weight machines. I have been trying to watch how many calories I eat. I have oats and fruit for breakfast, piece of fruit for snack, weight watchers frozen lunch, another piece of fruit and then supper is usually meat or fish with vegetable, starch and sometimes a small salad, evening snack something that is usually sugar free.
I do my whole body 3x a week with 1x pilates. I was doing the weights for 30 minutes and then treadmill. I am going to start doing at least 45mins of the weights because I can always do the treadmill at home. I do the treadmill at home 6 days and weights at the gym. I have been trying to stay at about 1200 calories to lose some weight. At 5' it is very hard to keep the weight down but I really work hard at it but can not lose.
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Ah-ha!
#164834 - 03/28/05 07:20 PM
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e_mcmaster
Reged: 01/16/05
Posts: 520
Loc: Norman, Oklahoma
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Darlin', I can see why you're not losing!
1200 calories is way too low for your level of activity. Your body is in what they call "starvation mode" where it is holding onto every pound for fear it may need to use it as fuel later on. The only way you're going to start to lose weight is to eat more calories everyday.
I know that sounds funny, because it goes against what we've been taught our whole lives: you have to practically starve yourself to lose weight. But it doesn't work that way. You have to feed your body enough *healthy* food to get it to finally let go of its "safety hold" on the fat.
I truly starved myself for a year at less than 800 calories a day. Did I lose weight? Yep, a bunch at first. And then I stopped losing, no matter how low I cut my calories and how much I worked out. And then... would you believe it... I actually started gaining, slowly, on 400 calories a day. My metabolism was so incredibly slow that it was hoarding every calorie I put in my mouth to store as fat.
I SLOWLY upped my calories to 1800 (which is the minimum most educated doctors recommend to not slow your metabolism) and stayed there for about a year until I started training for a half-marathon. Then I starting eating about 2100 and the weight was practically dropping off me (and not because of an increase in activity - I was doing roughly the same amount as before). My body thought 1800 was too little. So now I eat between 2000-2300 a day and average out at about 2100.
Still skeptical? You can't eat 1800 calories of McDonald's and lose weight. Nor can you eat 2 meals of 900 calories each and lose. It has to be small, healthy meals of lean proteins, steamed veggies, non-processed grains & fruits.
Good luck!
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Re: Ah-ha!
#164908 - 03/29/05 07:42 AM
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suarez
Reged: 11/19/04
Posts: 30
Loc: ILLINOIS
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Okay, I will try and add more. My BMR was at 1236 and I
was not sure how much to add to this for activities and then
how much to cut to lose the weight.
What is non processed grains?
Just when you have time if you could give me an example of
what more to add to my diet that would help to lose the weight.
I appreciate all the time you have taken to answer me.
Thanks
Debbie
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...you can select a lifestyle type and then add extra activities. Genereally, taking 500 cals of this TOTAL (ie. BMR + lifestyle + extra activities) is a good plan for losing weight healthily.
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Okay, I will try and figure these out.
Thanks
Deb
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Hi Debbie,
Since you've been eating about 1200 a day, I'd try eating 1300 a day this week. Then next week, or the week after, add another 100 calories. A word of advice: don't step on the scale while you're "upping." It usually causes some water retention as your body gets used to the food. Any weight you gain while upping, you'll lose (and more) once your body adjusts.
As for adding more calories, 100 calories is pretty easy. Do you make your oats with water for breakfast? Try using lite soymilk (50 calories a cup). Are the WW meals good for your tummy? I am skeptical of anything packaged. As for non-processed grains, I like to make my own breads and buy whole grain (not whole wheat, of course) pastas and bagels. You could try eating a little more protein with each meal or even have some fat-free Haagen-Dazs sorbet (a half cup is 120 calories) for dessert. I don't know how well you react to Peanut Butter, but you could eat 2tsp for about 65cal. If you'd like an idea of what I eat, I usually post in the daily "checking-in" threads.
HTH!
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Re: Ah-ha!
#165024 - 03/29/05 12:00 PM
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suarez
Reged: 11/19/04
Posts: 30
Loc: ILLINOIS
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Thanks a lot for your time. I love peanut butter so I
will add this to an apple or banana. I usually only eat
sour dough English muffins, French bread or my husband bought some of the 9 grain bread from The Bread Co. I can't have too much of the 9 grain because it will bother me. If I eat the Smart Ones from weight watchers I seem ok. If I eat the low carb ones they kill me. I also make sure I have a piece of bread to go with the lunch.
You have given me some great ideas. Do you think at some
point I should work upto 1500 calories or will that be too
much?
I will watch your post to get some more ideas.
Once again I really appreciate the time you have taken.
Debbie
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I would definitely recommend upping to 1500 and beyond. Most women (especially on the Shape.com forums) feel 1800 is good for healthy weight loss. Upping *slowly* is key, though, because it gives your body time to adjust. Like I said before, you still may gain a little weight as you're upping, but it should disappear once your metabolism speeds up.
I am glad to do anything I can to help. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
- Elizabeth
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Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Re: Ah-ha!
#165244 - 03/30/05 09:25 AM
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suarez
Reged: 11/19/04
Posts: 30
Loc: ILLINOIS
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Thank you for your help.
I will increase slowly and see how things go.
I am also hoping to add more excercise.
The weather it getting better and the dogs need to
start taking their walks again and after supper would be
a good time.
Debbie
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