Another newbie looking for a kick up the arse!

emmabrighton

Hi all, thanks for reading my post.
I am a newbie who last month joined the gym. Was doing cardio and weights and then sprained my ankle so was out of action for two weeks.
Now I am back at the gym again but really need to succeed this time. Eight years ago I weight 8 stone. Yesterday, I weighed myself for the first time – having a month-ish working out and dieting behind me and discovered that I am now 11 Stone 12lbs. I am 5 ft 5in and would be happy if I could reach 9 stone 10 lbs. I would feel good at that.
Since last month, I have cut out much of my carbs – except wine! But, since Monday that is gone also. I would definitely be classed as a heavy drinker – drinking anywhere between 3 bottles and 5 bottles of wine in a week. So, I am hoping that by giving this up – and hopefully for good – I will be well on my way to my goal weight.
Ok so next – my daily food intake:
Breakfast – 1 egg, 2 cups of coffee
Lunch – Salad in my canteen including lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, olives, cheddar cheese and chicken. Not really sure of the weight. Some days I go for dressing other days just oil and vinegar
Dinner - : Some form of meat – 1 chicken breast/thigh, angus beef burger, lamb mince, tinned tuna, cheese and salad. – tomatoes/cucumber/lettuce
Weekends - Start well enough with an egg but then I tend to loose track but probably dining out/eating take out and eating chocolate or crisps, drinking diet coke.
Ok, so now I have confessed my above sins:
Workout routine: Monday-Thursday:
· 15 mins crunches in the morning
· 5 mins on rowing machine
· 25 mins on treadmill followed by weights – not sure of the exact weights but can definitely not go heavier
o 10*4 press machine
o 10*4 seated row
o 10*4 bicep/tricep machine
o 10*4 leg extension
o 10*4 leg curl
o 10*4 leg press
Anyway, I know that I am in the gym and everyone can see me but for some reason, I would be too embarrassed to get a personal trainer and, in the past, whenever I have gotten a gym assessment that has been the “kiss of death” for me attending the gym. I do it for 5-6 times, ticking that little box and then something happens and I never go back.
I have a goal 9 stone 10 pounds and when I reach it, I will be happy – then I hope I will be fit enough to do things that I used to do like run 5k a night/10k on the weekends. Things like yoga don’t seem to work as I can’t work to the intensity I did a few years ago, the same applies for spinning. I have been doing that all year but when I look around me in the class it is the slimmer fitter people that are wrecked at the end of the class, not me! Was swimming last year 40-60 lenghts 4 times a week but again, no significant change in my weight.
Once I reach 11 stone, I will know I can do it and will look into further options like nutritionist etc but till then I just want to lose the first 12 lbs myself. So, your advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

xgtdec

Its your diet that needs sorting for fat loss i would imagine, a quick read of the stickies should set you on the path to fat burning

on the workout front the thought of doing 15 minutes of crunches makes me shiver:p, if its fat loss your after and you have 15 minutes in the morning you could try some fast bodyweight squats or if your feeling up to it some jump squats so squat down and jump with all your power and back into a squat, 60 seconds should have you awake;)

Machines are all well and good but for fat burn i find big full body movements are what works for me, i do them early and before i eat, i wont say fat comes falling off...but it does come off!!!!! make sure your diet is good....make sure you get lots of sleep....and best of luck!!!

Satanta

Knocking the wine on the head will be a help. Seems like allot TBH. It will mess greatly with your body's control of it's blood sugar.

emmabrighton

Thanks for the quick replies - love the idea of being lean and mean with nice toned muscles etc.

Do a lot of socialising with work - just became a habit to drink the stuff because it was free and then the weekends are the weekends. But no, definately no more booze! Im worried to death about the damage to my liver!!!!!

As for changing my diet - yup, i know the junk on the weekends has to go but didn't want to go down the route of weighing everything i eat until i loose enough that i "catch the bug". Because, knowing my personality it would all become too much like work and I would slip.

Heading to the gym after work - so, do you think my gym routine will suffice for the next month? There are more weights in the gym but to be honest, i don't know how to use them and have no idea how to use kettleballs. Tho, by the looks of people who use them, they definately do the trick. What about the x-trainers? How long, what intensity would be a decent amount of time to spend on them? Also, I hate the bikes in the gym as I am used to the spinning bikes now.

Thanks xgtdec - I will change my morning routine to squats. Had read somewhere else that they are better to do as your abdominals are quite a small muscle group and hard to target.

Hanley

Re: Breakfast/lunch/dinner - hard to say if it’s good or bad without knowing portion sizes, but it doesn’t look the worst at all. What about snacks, sugar and milk in your coffee etc etc? And do we take it that weekends are absolutely horrific when it comes to eating?

Re: Exercise - what you’re doing isn’t really great to be honest. Is there any reason you’re too embarrassed to go to a PT? Previous bad exp maybe? Would you consider doing some fitness classes?

xgtdec

emmabrighton wrote: »

Thanks for the quick replies - love the idea of being lean and mean with nice toned muscles etc.

:)everyones loves that idea, you wont find may who love what it takes to get there

emmabrighton wrote: »

Do a lot of socialising with work - just became a habit to drink the stuff because it was free and then the weekends are the weekends. But no, definately no more booze! Im worried to death about the damage to my liver!!!!!

I had this issue up until December last year, work and drink went hand in hand..my solution..i gave it up, ive had no alcohol since december 12th 2010, i want to look badass more than i want to drink!!

emmabrighton wrote: »

As for changing my diet - yup, i know the junk on the weekends has to go but didn't want to go down the route of weighing everything i eat until i loose enough that i "catch the bug". Because, knowing my personality it would all become too much like work and I would slip.

Weekends are the hardest...after a solid clean week of routine the weekend is tough, my solution is half a protein bar frozen everyday, since i know i have a treat every day i find it a lot easier to keep everything else in check!!

emmabrighton wrote: »

Heading to the gym after work - so, do you think my gym routine will suffice for the next month? There are more weights in the gym but to be honest, i don't know how to use them and have no idea how to use kettleballs. Tho, by the looks of people who use them, they definately do the trick. What about the x-trainers? How long, what intensity would be a decent amount of time to spend on them? Also, I hate the bikes in the gym as I am used to the spinning bikes now.

check out some classes like spinning or cardio combat.....classes are good because they have a sort of team mentality to get you through them, im no gym instructor but im not sure if machines cut it for long.....may be find a bodyweight circuit program to get a good sweat up, like i say i aint no expert, there loads on here that are...im sure they will give you a bit more info than i have!!

emmabrighton wrote: »

Thanks xgtdec - I will change my morning routine to squats. Had read somewhere else that they are better to do as your abdominals are quite a small muscle group and hard to target.

squat till you puke:D.....eh not really...well actually....till ya nearly puke:p

emmabrighton

Hanley wrote: »

Re: Breakfast/lunch/dinner - hard to say if it’s good or bad without knowing portion sizes, but it doesn’t look the worst at all. What about snacks, sugar and milk in your coffee etc etc? And do we take it that weekends are absolutely horrific when it comes to eating?

Re: Exercise - what you’re doing isn’t really great to be honest. Is there any reason you’re too embarrassed to go to a PT? Previous bad exp maybe? Would you consider doing some fitness classes?

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner – yesterday for example:
Breakfast - 1 egg, black coffee * 2
Lunch – Plastic salad container (like the ones you get in tesco) containing lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, olives + olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Dinner – 1 angus beef burger from aldi + 1 slice of cheese + 1 spoon of low fat mayo.
Snacks – 3 cups of black coffee
Water – 3-4 sports bottles of water
Weekends – at home with the hubbie = party time!!!!! So yeah, pretty awful. So, I can assume my weekends will need a total revamp. Sandwiches for lunch, pizza for dinner and for snacks : chocolate, jellies, ½ tub ice-cream. No wonder why I gained so much so.
Exercise – Nooooo! I’m in agony every morning so I decided that must be a good thing!
I used to just go jogging every night for 40 mins – no weights and I was fine. But then, my diet was a lot better!
I had been going to classes 4 nights a week but now term has finished at the university they won’t start again until September.
Again, don't want to fork out 40-80 euro until I can guarantee that I will stick to it. Also, I want to be fit enough that I won't collapse as they are standing beside me chatting - as I have seen the PT in my gym do! She could forget stimulating conversation with me on the tread mill! :rolleyes:

Hanley

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner – yesterday for example:
Breakfast - 1 egg, black coffee * 2
Lunch – Plastic salad container (like the ones you get in tesco) containing lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, olives + olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Dinner – 1 angus beef burger from aldi + 1 slice of cheese + 1 spoon of low fat mayo.
Snacks – 3 cups of black coffee
Water – 3-4 sports bottles of water

If that’s an accurate reflection of a typical week, it’s really not all to bad tbh. Possibly even a little bit low in kcals.

Weekends – at home with the hubbie = party time!!!!! So yeah, pretty awful. So, I can assume my weekends will need a total revamp. Sandwiches for lunch, pizza for dinner and for snacks : chocolate, jellies, ½ tub ice-cream. No wonder why I gained so much so.

Ha… yeah, that’ll getcha. Any chance you can get him to jump on board withcha and watch what you both eat at the weekend?

Exercise – Nooooo! I’m in agony every morning so I decided that must be a good thing!
I used to just go jogging every night for 40 mins – no weights and I was fine. But then, my diet was a lot better!

Soreness is a poor indicator of a good workout. I could have someone in agnoy the next day if I wanted, but I would literally have achieved nothing with them other than kill their motivation.

I had been going to classes 4 nights a week but now term has finished at the university they won’t start again until September.
Again, don't want to fork out 40-80 euro until I can guarantee that I will stick to it. Also, I want to be fit enough that I won't collapse as they are standing beside me chatting - as I have seen the PT in my gym do! She could forget stimulating conversation with me on the tread mill!

Yeah see there’s the motivation thing again… if your PT’s making you feel like sh!t, she’s probably not the person to be dealing with.

For 80 quid you could get 6 weeks of KB training 2x per week with a good trainer in a group setting, and have someone you can bounce ideas about diet etc off.

emmabrighton

Hanley wrote: »

For 80 quid you could get 6 weeks of KB training 2x per week with a good trainer in a group setting, and have someone you can bounce ideas about diet etc off.

Cool, thanks for all the advice.

I will check whats on offer locally in other gyms and see what i can start next week. KB/Bodypump would be great because I want the shapley muscles to go with my (soon to be) slimmer physique :P

You're right that what I am doing is killing my motivation. Waking up sore really put me on a downer this morning. Hence, why I posted here, to make sure that what I was doing wasn't completely out of left field.

lukekhealth

Just to let you know....carbs are good, they are what fuel your workouts.(mainly)

The reason your picking later on in the day is beacause your body needs sugar.

Try starting the day with a bowel of porridge and having some brown bread with your eggs.You will have more energy to do harder workouts and will not want to eat junk.

You seem like your doing really well but just need to pushed in the right direction.

Ditch the machine weights once you feel like you are getting used to them and start kettlebells and freeweights. Youll get results quicker.

emmabrighton

lukekhealth wrote: »

Try starting the day with a bowel of porridge and having some brown bread with your eggs.You will have more energy to do harder workouts and will not want to eat junk.

The thought of eating that much food so early in the morning turns my stomach. Some mornings I gag trying to finish the egg. But maybe that is because I am sick of egg at this point :rolleyes:

Your advice on the machine weights has been noted!!!!

lukekhealth

You could eat the porridge at night if you are planning on working out the next day. People say you shouldnt eat late at night because it makes you fat, dont believe it its a myth. Your metobilism works 24hrs a day everyday.

Instead of eggs or porridge you could take the much lighter and fresher option of drinking a delicious homemade smoothie for breakfeast, you can even bring them with you on the go.

Simply blend 8 ice cubes, 10 strawberries,1 apple(with skin) , 1 banana(frozen works better), 1 spoon of organic flaxseed (the bag for 5euro in tescos is great) , 3 spoons of organic oats (2.50 a kg in tescos) add small amount of water to blend it all then add as much as you need to get the thickness you want while blending.

If you would like to use honey, get Acacia honey it is the best sweetner if you are trying to lose weight or lookin for better health. It is worth the extra few euro.

Hope all this helps, if you would like to know more about working out or diet I would be happy to give you more imformation.

Hazel2011

Hi There,
Would anyone be able to help me get on the right track for weight loss please. I have read up so much on it that my head feels like mush!
I am 40 year old female
over weight most of my adult life. I took step 1 and joined a gym, I am very very new to this and for my health sake I want to lose 5-6 stone. I have Asthma a few years now but only need inhaler in damp weather or if there is dust in the air. I was thinking of starting "The LunchBox Diet" and Exercise . I have no idea where to start............All help welcome !!

lukekhealth

Hazel2011 wrote: »

Hi There,
Would anyone be able to help me get on the right track for weight loss please. I have read up so much on it that my head feels like mush!
I am 40 year old female
over weight most of my adult life. I took step 1 and joined a gym, I am very very new to this and for my health sake I want to lose 5-6 stone. I have Asthma a few years now but only need inhaler in damp weather or if there is dust in the air. I was thinking of starting "The LunchBox Diet" and Exercise . I have no idea where to start............All help welcome !!

Well done on taking the first step to a healthier life.

My biggest piece of advice for you about your food is to cut down on these ingrediants for a start... Glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, hydrogenated oils,

And eat brown bread,pasta and rice for your carbohydrates.

Before exercising take 2 puffs of your inhaler to get your lungs ready.

Be in it for the long run..quick fixes and crash diets do not work long term.
Contact me if you need any help (free of charge of course)

lk-90@hotmail.com


Luke Kelly NQEHS, FFI

Hazel2011

Thank you so much for your advice. You have been most helpful. I am the kind of person that needs to be told what to do for exercise ...as in a list i could follow, where would be a good start for me in the gym? I need to do this and I need to stick with it. I also get mixed up in if I should eat something before the gym and is there a better time morning/evening to train? This extra fat/weight must go, I cant carry it around any longer and I don't want it anymore. Do you think big weight loss could help with my Asthma too....whats best steam or sauna room for Asthma?
Sorry bout all the questions but I want to learn the right thing to do from the start.Oh I have no prob getting rid of white bread as I gave it up for lent but no matter what I try or mix with porridge......I still HATE it .

lukekhealth

You are very welcome..I know how hard it is to find the right information.

I would recommend a mix of cardio training and weight training throughout the week. Not both on the same day tough.I would really have to know more about you to reccomend more.Just dont burn yourself out your getting started so just try learn as much as you can. Train smart!

Eat 2-3 hours before working out. Consisting of mainly complex carbohydrates ie. brown bread,brown rice,pasta, muesli etc

Morning time is better for training once you have eaten a meal 2-3 hours beforehand.Morning is better because you will break down your food faster for the rest of the day then.

Eat a mix of protein and carbs along with fruit or veg after workouts for best recovery.

Weight loss will help with your asthma to an extent. There are muscles that assist you in breathing I would reccomend strengthening them to help with your asthma.Aim to work your upper back and Stretch out your chest after a workout .

Sorry I cant help you with the sauna/steam room question I really dont know enough to give advice there.

Instead of porridge try Alpen the no added sugar one (blue packet) and add acacia honey to it. This would be a really good option for breakfeast and/or before workouts.

I would reccomend not going near diets they just dont work in the long run mainly because your metabolism adapts after 4 weeks. Instead focus on eating the right ingrediants and do it in small changes that way you can make it a good habit forever.

Important tip : Enjoy your food too

Keep up the good work its great to see someone passionate about making a change!

Again, contact me for any more information