back to the gym....need motivation!!

G86

Hey..

Well I decided to start this after putting a thread up for diet advice on the fitness forum,and have decided to go with all the advice I get here instead of a PT.

Basically I've made no progress in the gym in the last yr besides spending a fortune. So i'm hoping thats gonna change! Been sick a while and got out of the routine of going too But I'm all motivated now, went tonight and realised how much I missed it!

Anyways from the advice I was given here this is the workout I did this evening, I tried to work with the exercises I know so that my technique would be ok.

Dumbbell Squats 5kg
Dumbbell press 6kg
Walking Lunges with dumbbells 7kg
Incline flies 6kg
Chest Press 25kg(find this v.hard)
Lat Pulldown
Leg Press(i think thats what its called)60kg
Dumbbell Curls 7kg
Ab work


I didn't do any chin ups as I haven't done them before, and Im a bit chicken to be honest!!

Also did half hour cardio on bike and ten mins on the rower.

Felt great to get back at it,just hope I make progress this time! Now I know that routine isn't perfect but I'm used to being shown what to do really, and now I'm working out myself.

Any input appreciated, my old thread is under 'diet advice needed',not sure how to link.

Well I'll no doubt be back on this tomorrow:)

BossArky

Hey G86 Take a read of other logs and you'll get a few ideas to incorporate into your own routine. Set yourself some short, medium and long range goals so you have something to aim for and are not just cranking out the same weights / durations. Good luck!

catherine22

hey G86, im the exact same- total loss of motivation over easter and now i just cant seem to get back into it at all. i know i just need to talk myself into it but thats the hard part. i have currently hurt my arm (just a strained muscle) so i cant do any weights in my routine but i am trying to keep up with the cardio this week. i just hope that if i make myself go to the gym eventually i will want to go instead of being on the x-trainer and wishing 30 mins away.

good thing i find for motivation is my i-pod i dont know where i would be without it so maybe try and get some good songs on an mp3 player and work out to that- i know thats what keeps me on the treadmill!!!!

good luck with it and another thing i find really useful is this forum and keeping a journal, if i know i have to report back to these guys, i get my ass off the couch pretty quick

good luck

G86

Hey Catherine,

Yep I always bring my mp3 with me, though I like going so its grand. My only prob is making progress from it!

Thanks for the tips Hope your shouldes not too bad, can you not do some leg work so you won't feel like your not doing anything?

G86

Well did some cardio last night. Half hour on bike , half hour on treadmill and ten min on rower.

Aching bigtime today, must be from Tuesdays session.

My goal is to get from 72kg to 64kg by July. Looks easy I know, but trust me ts not!

tried eat eat more little and often yesterday as I'm prone to eating more at night when i get home from work.

G86

I've been thiking I should buy bombay mix for a snack at work, good r bad idea?

Dr4gul4

Protein, e.g tuna, with sum flax oil and maybe sum walnuts also.

Now thats a snack.

G86

thanks but see my diets pretty tricky as im a vegie.

not too keen on the oul nuts..which is why I suggested the bombay, not a good idea then?

ok il have to get my thinking cap on again!!

rainglow

I'm pretty sure bombay mix is bad for you snackwise...at the minimum those sesame sticks are deepfried, at the worst the lot is! Try to keep processed food to a minimum, maybe snack on things like fruit, yoghurt, ryvita, peanut butter?

Dr4gul4

i assume cos ure a veggie you wont eat fish, hense the tuna then. forgive my ignorance here

G86

yep dont eat fish. The only reason i mentioned bombay mix is cz i not keen on nuts but saw them mentioned alot here. Ryvitas grand for me!

God im so sore this week, worried i might have actually done some kind of damage!!! Walking up stairs is a killer and walking in general is too!! oh and sitting down....god damn lunges!!!!

Seriously though, I hardly did anything serious did i?! I figure I just pushed myself a bit too much for my first week gettn back in to it. But thought it would just last a day or so like it used to, Im freakin crippled here:eek:

lol

Dr4gul4

Pain is love, i think thats how it goes.

I know there is another vegitarian here or sum where, i was told, and she lifts huge weights. im sure somebody will come along and give you a few idea's

G86

Well the trainings going well so far, I've been doing the weights 3 days a weeks and cardio the other 3 days.

Starting eating a cup of soup during the day so im not leaving as long between meals, yknow the knorr cupa soups? hope they r are ok!!!

Heres the thing..I've a big works thing on sat, an I don't drink much..maybe once a month but would like to have a few drinks for this, is it going to ruin my efforts?

Dr4gul4

Much like every thing else, it's all about balance.

Sure have a "few" drinks, yes it might slow you down a little, but dont over do it, dont go crazy and have 12 pints, that way the damage should be minimal.

Remember the Cals from drink are nearly as high as saturated fat cals.
I remember being told once that a pint is the same as a mars bar.

Would you eat 12 mars bars in one night

G86

hmm well cant say im too keen on the oul beer!! was thinkin more a few glasses of vino......

Patto

G86 wrote:

Hey..

Well I decided to start this after putting a thread up for diet advice on the fitness forum,and have decided to go with all the advice I get here instead of a PT.

There is some excellent stuff on this forum but there is also a lot of BS, sometimes its hard to separate the signal from the noise. Get a good PT who will guarantee results if you can afford it. Its not easy getting into shape and staying in shape, its much more difficult figuring it all out for yourself, get the advise of someone who has put it into practice time and time again.

G86 wrote:

Dumbbell Squats 5kg
Dumbbell press 6kg
Walking Lunges with dumbbells 7kg
Incline flies 6kg
Chest Press 25kg(find this v.hard)
Lat Pulldown
Leg Press(i think thats what its called)60kg
Dumbbell Curls 7kg
Ab work

That's not a bad programme, at least it is a full body programme with plenty of compound lifts. A couple of pointers:

1. Squats, you can DB squat with up to 15KG in each hand if you can leg press 60Kg. Same for the lunges but build up to the 15Kgs slowly.
2. Get rid of the leg press, you are already doing squats and lunges.
3. Not enough back and shoulder exercises in there, introduce shoulder presses, cable rows, deadlifts etc. You should also consider something for your hamstrings.
4. You are trying to do too much in one day. Split it into two or three days but keep it as a full body programme for example:

Day 1
Dumbbell Squats 20kg
Dumbbell press 10kg (you can do 10s if you can chest press 25Kgs)
Walking Lunges with dumbbells 20kg
Incline flies 6kg
Dumbbell Curls 7kg
Shoulder press 7Kg
AB work

Day 2
Deadlifts 30Kg
Chest Press 25kg(find this v.hard)
Cable rows 40Kg
Something for your Hamstrings
Lat Pulldown
Dumbbell Curls 7kg
Ab work

G86 wrote:

I didn't do any chin ups as I haven't done them before, and Im a bit chicken to be honest!!

What are you lifting on the LAT pull down? Unless its nearly 90% of you body weight you won't be able to do more than 1 chin up. Its taken me 6 months to get to 4 reps:o

G86 wrote:

Also did half hour cardio on bike and ten mins on the rower.

Don't:eek:

Do your running, rowing and cycling on another day. Doing your lifting and cardio in the same session is counter productive.

G86

Walking Lunges with dumbbells 20kg !!!!!!!!!????!11:eek:

Sorry but just not possible!!!!

Thanks for the advice patto , I've tried a trainer, trained with paul byrne the NABBA organiser, and tried another dude but he wasnt half as good as paul and i knew he wouldn't be any good for me. Even though paul is excellent at what he does i just didnt make much progress so it wasnt worth carrying on with it. As well as that the money side of things was v.tight.

Deadlifts are something I avoid as I always do them wrong, I always bend my back I cant help it!! as well as that my neck is slightly curved(or so ive been told) and I don't want to worsen it my doing incorrect exercises. I was thinkin the chin ups were a big no no tho! :rolleyes:

I was always told that its great to do cardio after weights as your metabolic rate is increased?

G86

I was also thinking of trying a kickboxing class for 2hours twice a week for cardio, freind of mine goes and says its like bootcamp, but great craic.

G86

Sorry I havent been on this in ages, comps been on the blink.

been keepin up the workout 5days a week, but not really making any progress yet. I can run alot longer now so I know my fitness has improved but theres no improvements on the losing weight front..

My boyf commented that my arms are looking v.thin, thats just typical cz its my tummy I'm worried about,my arms are grand as they are! Feelin really demotivated to be honest, have been considering those lipodissolve injections,as I feel I've tried everything barr not eating at this stage. They seem to target problem areas which is something I just can't do through exercise. I know your all going to go mad at the word of surgery but I starting to feel like its my only option. I really am working my ass off in the gym, for nothing.

I know this is a brutal post cz its so negative and I'll probably regret it tomorrow,I'm just feeling lousy about the whole thing:(

K!LL!@N

There's no mention of what you're eating.
When it comes to losing weight it really is primarily about what you're eating.
I've lost 40 pounds over the last year and it was mostly down to changes in diet.
It's a slow process.

Have a read of the stickies regarding diet.
Post up an example of what you eat on a typical day.
I'm sure people will be able to offer you more advice.

Killian

G86

sorry I listed my diet in the old post I had in the fitness forum.

Here it is:

7am -2 Weetabix and rice milk
10.30am - 2slice wholemeal bread with honey
1.00 Baked Potato and veg/beans or veg soup
3.30 - apple
6pm - Wholemeal pasta with tomato sauce or plate of veg (depends how hungry I am)
9pm - 2slices wholemeal bread with honey

I've been making an effort to eat more during the day to keep my metabolism up. Im vegetarian and I don't drink milk or eat cheese or eggs or fish, so diets pretty limited. I originally stopped eating bread and pasta completely, but it didnt make much difference.

ali.c

Hi,

right so hows about getting some more protein into your diet? Seeds and nuts are a great way to do so. If you swapped the weetabix for porridge (wit soya milk or water) you can chuck in a handful of mixed seeds (linseeds, seasme etc) and get some protein. Equally you could swap the honey for 100% peanut peanut butter think you can get other varities too. Also Quinoa and Buckwheat have pretty good protein profiles for grains. Fitday www.fitday.com is useful for trackig protein intake

On the progress front i find taking some photos on say a monthly basis works well for me. Sometimes its hard to see the changes as they are happening and its only in comparison we see how much things have improved.

Personally i would exhaust all my options before considiering any other alternatives but that is just my opinion. By that i mean improving the nutrional profile of your diet, its certainly harder to get protein on a vegan diet but with a bit of playing around with it and experimentation you could get it up.

Just my 2c anyways

Ali

K!LL!@N

I was going to say the same thing as Ali.
You don't seem to have any good sources of protein.
You could probably cut back on the bread and try to limit the pasta/potatoes.

Also as Ali said, while you might not be losing any weight your body could be changing shape.
I've been at a bit of a plateau with my weight loss for the last month, but I've noticed clothes fitting differently.
The numbers on the scales aren't the only indicator of progress.

I don't think you should be considering diet pills or lipo-whatsits or any of these quick fixes.
Even if it removed the fat short term, in the long term it will come back because you won't have changed the cause.
Your diet isn't horrible compared to most people's and you're putting in the effort in the gym.
Experiment with a few changes in your diet and keep up the gym work.
You'll see progress eventually.

Killian

G86

I was taking protein shakes last year when I was training with a PT but I stopped then. I guess I could start them again? To be honest I have had a very strict diet last year when working with him but still made little progress,thats why its a bit more normal now,I got fed up of no results.

I used to take porridge in the morns so I can go back to that no bother,thanks for the advice. I guess I do feel like I've exhausted all options over the last year or two.

G86

lipodissolve isnt a diet pill its a series of injections that dissolve fat in certain areas. The fat cells are then gone and you can't put weight on that area again. I don't think I would anyway as my diet is always clean,I'm just having trouble shifting tummy weight

ali.c

G86 wrote:

I was taking protein shakes last year when I was training with a PT but I stopped then. I guess I could start them again? To be honest I have had a very strict diet last year when working with him but still made little progress,thats why its a bit more normal now,I got fed up of no results.

I used to take porridge in the morns so I can go back to that no bother,thanks for the advice. I guess I do feel like I've exhausted all options over the last year or two.

The reason i was suggesting seeds and nuts is that along with protein they actually contain a large amount of good fats too. You dont like nuts right but a few seeds added to your porridge you cant even taste TBH. Actually it might be helpful if you outlined the diet you were on with him too? Just for comparison. i understand your frustration though* and your diet restrictions do make it more difficult but there are other reasons for difficulty losing weight. So if you are on any birth control hormones these may be the cause. Daveirl posted some good info on hormone imbalance here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055091217

a year is a long time to not make much progress. IMO though if you only tried one or two ways in that time then there are other avenues open to you. Honestly though if you want to go for the lipodissolve option then i would recommend having a good think about it and about your previous efforts to lose weight. Being completely honest with yourself in the process and then really decide if you have indeed exhausted all other options and that it really is the path you want to go down.

G86

Hi Ali,

Well tbh I have worked my ass off and I don't eat junk food etc and thats why its I'm considering the lipodissolve. Just so darn frustrated!!!!

I was on the depo provera injection for 2years..and yes thats when I started putting the weight back on,had glandular fever around that time too.
You see I was this weight when I was 16 but I hit the gym,cut out junk food completely and lost nearly 2stone in 4months, I kept it off for 2yrs with no problems. I thought itd be that easy this time,but its far from it.

I'll post that diet up now

G86

Diet

Meal 1
Shake: 20 grams protein

shredded wheet 1 biscuts or bowl of oat meal


multi mineril and vit c 2000 and some udos Meal 2

meal 2

protein shake

1 apple


Meal 3 (lunch )

kidney bean with salad in wrap
before training


Meal 4 (after training )

protein shake and 1 banana

Meal 5
vegie burger 1 baked potato broccolli carrots



Meal 6
snack cottage cheese half cup low fat

bed time zma

ali.c

depo provera injection i went on that and ended up with having my period almostly continously for over 4 months needless to say i didnt get a second injection despite the nurses assurance lol!!

When did you come of it btw? it does take a while to clear your system completely. according to wiki answers pumkin seeds may help speed it up!


That other diet looks okay a bit heavy on the supplementation side of things but i guess thats just to get your protein up (though i am still learning about these things). Did you see any results with this diet?

Other things that you could try would be doing a double cardio session daily and maybe cycling your diet. there seems to be a lot of research suggesting that our bodies respond better to cycling rather than a set way.

All the best with it whatever you decide to do, but one way or the other i still recommend getting some seeds (hence healthy fats) into your diet.

Ali

G86

Hi Ali,

It didn't work for me at all

I came off he injection almost a year ago so it shouldn't still be effecting me should it?
Worked well for me but came off it cz got weighed in the docs at a check up and he noticed the weight gain aswell..so I stopped it to see if it made any difference.

I'll get the seeds into my diet..cheers for that..I'll try anything at this stage!