Advice please

Fitness Motivation

Hi Guys,

I recently started a class for strength training and conditioning. It is a very good class but I feel there is little cardio and that this may not help achieve my goal as I wish to drop a dress size by May 30th.

The class involves a lot of emphasis on weights with squats, lunges and sit ups with a little bit of TRX, I don't particularly want to build muscle. I would rather lose weight before i tone and felt that i should be running but I am a little shy so I don't really like to run in public and would prefer to do this in a gym...

What do you guys recommend? do you think the class would be better or should I switch to using a gym instead?

Also any dietary recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Zillah

The most important thing to realise is that having a short term goal like "drop a dress size by May 30th" is not very productive. You should try and work out a diet/exercise regime that you can do for the rest of your life, so you can be healthy for the rest of your life.

That said: the second thing to keep in mind is that losing body fat is mostly about diet rather than exercise. Exercise helps but you'd be shocked at how few calories exercise really burns - eating less bad food and more good food is the most important factor.

Thirdly: exercises like squats and lunges are very good for you and if done at a decent pace will burn plenty of calories compared to other forms of exercise, so I wouldn't worry about cardio.

Fourthly: don't be afraid of muscle. It is next to impossible for women to gain large amounts of muscle without extraordinary dedication - the level to which people worry about getting "too big", even guys, is hilarious. No one wakes up one day and goes "OH MY GOD where did all these big bulky muscles come from?!". Would that it were so easy, trust me.

Fifthly: you should try your little heart out to gain muscle, because it will make you look slim and strong and sexy as hell. Also muscles burn calories just by existing so the more muscle you have the more likely you are to stay in good shape.

We can't give any food advice until you tell us what your diet is like. Throw up a list of a typical day's food, including snacks and booze.

Fitness Motivation

Zillah wrote: »

The most important thing to realise is that having a short term goal like "drop a dress size by May 30th" is not very productive. You should try and work out a diet/exercise regime that you can do for the rest of your life, so you can be healthy for the rest of your life.

That said: the second thing to keep in mind is that losing body fat is mostly about diet rather than exercise. Exercise helps but you'd be shocked at how few calories exercise really burns - eating less bad food and more good food is the most important factor.

Thirdly: exercises like squats and lunges are very good for you and if done at a decent pace will burn plenty of calories compared to other forms of exercise, so I wouldn't worry about cardio.

Fourthly: don't be afraid of muscle. It is next to impossible for women to gain large amounts of muscle without extraordinary dedication - the level to which people worry about getting "too big", even guys, is hilarious. No one wakes up one day and goes "OH MY GOD where did all these big bulky muscles come from?!". Would that it were so easy, trust me.

Fifthly: you should try your little heart out to gain muscle, because it will make you look slim and strong and sexy as hell. Also muscles burn calories just by existing so the more muscle you have the more likely you are to stay in good shape.

We can't give any food advice until you tell us what your diet is like. Throw up a list of a typical day's food, including snacks and booze.

Thanks Zillah for your advice:) well my diet wouldn't be the best, it was fine a few years ago I could eat and drink what i wanted and it didn't seem to affect me at all. My good old metabolism must be slowing down

I am doing my masters at the moment so I have little time to cook (Before you say it, I know i should make time but sometimes its just easier to get a takeaway) I also think I don't drink enough water so that is something I need to start doing.

I do go out probably once a week but not every weekend these days as too much work on, I usually stick to vodka, mixers vary most usually it is 7up so i know that the sugar probably doesn't help, I don't really eat much sweets and stuff so that's a plus.

I am a fussy eater though and that is half the problem, that is why I decided to find a thread of like-minded individuals that might help motivate me to stick to my goal.

My goal is achievable, I just need that kick in the right direction and I know exercise is only one step but the food probably accounts for 70-80% of achieving weightloss.

From the sounds of it, you regularly engage in healthy eating and training... how did you motivate yourself to keep it up?

Thanks for your quick response as I am eager to change for the better

seamus

Fitness Motivation wrote: »

From the sounds of it, you regularly engage in healthy eating and training... how did you motivate yourself to keep it up?

What works for one person doesn't always work for another, but I think it's safe to say that most people find it hard to be motivated without any kind of goals.

If you are training and used to training, then it is much easier to go and do a standard session in the gym without any specific goal. Likewise if you're used to managing your diet, then it's easier to refuse that piece of chocolate cake, even though you're not actually trying to lose weight. But that's habit more than anything.
And even the most dedicated fitness freak falls off the wagon and has a big dirty takeaway every now and again.

In order to get fitter or to lose weight requires focus, and that's the same whether you're 20 kilos or 20 grammes overweight.

The best goals are ones which have actual meaning. "I want to get fitter", "I want to lose weight" are not goals that motivate you. The S.M.A.R.T. idea sounds a bit hokey, but it's really just common sense. It forces you to make actual goals that can be met and not aspirations that you never have to meet.
Hitting targets is frequently a struggle between you and your inner procrastinator, so the less room you have for procrastinating, the easier it is to keep to your goals. "I'll start my diet tomorrow" is dead easy when your plan is to "lose weight" by "next year". But when your plan is to lose 2kg before the end of the month, suddenly tomorrow seems way too late to be starting a diet.

"I want to drop a dress size by May 30th" is pretty good. You've got something with a deadline, and it's achievable. And it's probably got consequences too; I'm guessing you're going to a wedding or going on holidays.
But it's possibly a little vague - how are you going to compare your progress against your goal? And what "dropping a dress size" means for one person can be different for the next.

Maybe make it a little more specific and measurable - say lose 4kg by the end of May? Then at least you can track your progress against your goal. It may not end up being a dropped dress size, but by the end of May you'll be able to say you did it. You could work your ass off for the next two months and not have dropped the dress size and you'll feel crap. At least if you have actual tangible evidence of your weight loss, you still have something to show for your effort.

In terms of running, there's not really any need to be embarrassed. Nobody looks at someone running and things, "haha, look at them run". That can be hard to shake though. It would be worth researching your local running club. Most do Couch-to-5K programmes all the times that you could get into and run with people in exactly the same situation as yourself. Also makes it way easier to keep it up when you're doing it with others.

coffee_cake

It may be easier to get a takeaway but imagine the money you'd also save if you just cooked.
You could put aside some time and cook some meals for the week, freezer or fridge, reheat as necessary.
It doesn't take that long to put together a stir fry either and it'll cook itself once it's on

Triceratops Ballet

bluewolf wrote: »

It may be easier to get a takeaway but imagine the money you'd also save if you just cooked.
You could put aside some time and cook some meals for the week, freezer or fridge, reheat as necessary.
It doesn't take that long to put together a stir fry either and it'll cook itself once it's on

I second that, one of the biggest factors in my weightloss has been committing to spending an hour/hour 1/2 on a Sunday to preparing my food in advance for the week. I'd miss an hour in the gym before I'd miss that.

Alf Veedersane

Stir fries are so simple and easy to make that you could probably rustle one up in less time than it takes for a takeaway to be delivered.

Saves money and is healthier than your average takeaway.

Zillah

Fitness Motivation wrote: »

Thanks Zillah for your advice:) well my diet wouldn't be the best, it was fine a few years ago I could eat and drink what i wanted and it didn't seem to affect me at all. My good old metabolism must be slowing down

I am doing my masters at the moment so I have little time to cook (Before you say it, I know i should make time but sometimes its just easier to get a takeaway) I also think I don't drink enough water so that is something I need to start doing.

I do go out probably once a week but not every weekend these days as too much work on, I usually stick to vodka, mixers vary most usually it is 7up so i know that the sugar probably doesn't help, I don't really eat much sweets and stuff so that's a plus.

I am a fussy eater though and that is half the problem, that is why I decided to find a thread of like-minded individuals that might help motivate me to stick to my goal.

My goal is achievable, I just need that kick in the right direction and I know exercise is only one step but the food probably accounts for 70-80% of achieving weightloss.

From the sounds of it, you regularly engage in healthy eating and training... how did you motivate yourself to keep it up?

Thanks for your quick response as I am eager to change for the better

Give us a full account of what a typical day's food would be; breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's hard to give advice unless we know specifically what your current diet is like.

The first thing, though, that you could do is throw even bit of 7up out of the house and never touch it again. Or coke or fizzy orange. They're just the worst for you, highly concentrated liquid sugar that gets converted straight to fat unless you burn it off straight away. Get sugar-free alternatives when you're out. Does anyone even enjoy 7up nearly enough to justify all of that sugar?

As said, preparing meals ahead of time is a great idea and stir fries are ridiculously easy and quick to prepare.

Motivation-wise I think it really just comes down to each person. I imagine what I would like the future to be like, decide if I care enough to make it happen, and if the answer is yes then I make it happen. Don't make excuses, don't blame circumstances - if you stop following a plan you set out for yourself then you decided to stop following it. Look at the reasons: were you too hungry? Find more filling foods. Were you too tired to be bothered cooking? Look into finding easier ways to prepare meals. Practicality has as much impact as willpower, you won't get anywhere relying on just one.

Fitness Motivation

Thanks Guys,

Ye have gave me a lot to think about. I might keep doing the class once a week and then join a gym to use a wider range of facilities but I do realize you wont just wake up in the morning with lots of muscles and that I should not worry about this aspect!

Zillah, I don't really have a regular routine like i never eat breakfast as I just never feel hungry in the morning and I know this is a great mistake as most nutritional experts say that breakfast is the most important meal.

Again, lunch wise I don't tend to indulge in much ... some days i may have a fry and other days i have nothing at all. My main meal is usually in the evening time and hence the biggest pitfall of my days as i tend to eat quick and easy processed foods and you are right I do drink far too much fizzy drinks which is just drinking a mass amount of sugar. I completely agree that I need to stop with the fizzy drinks and drink far more water.

I don't tend to eat much after my dinner but obviously on nights out you may get the munchies so from what you guys have said and the key taking points from the thread is:

1. Change my diet, make time and prepare stir fry's
2. Motivation can only be achieved depending on how much I want to achieve my goal by May 30th.
3. Exercise is important but diet is more important

Everyone has to start somewhere I guess and only I can keep the routine as good as you guys are to provide advice

I suppose there is not much point in trying one of these fad detox's or weight watchers stuff? or does any of you think some of these things can be a good starting point?

Zillah

Definitely 100% avoid anything that mentions detox, cleanse, secret, special, or any similar words. Health is achieved through consistent good food and exercise, there are no gimmicks or short cuts.

Weight Watchers isn't bad, especially if you have trouble structuring your diet - which you definitely do! All this skipping meals and then eating too much bad stuff at other times is a terrible idea.

The more you can learn about how your body works in relation to food the better.

coffee_cake

I would say if you stopped eating as much in the evening and stopped drinking fizzy drinks, you will find yourself naturally hungry for breakfast in the morning.
Have some eggs when you do