35 and diving in

[The Time is Now]

Hi All.

For the last 5 years, my weight has fluctuated continuously. I gain and lose the same 25 pounds over and over again.

But now, I need to change. I am currently at 40% body fat and feel sluggish and unmotivated.

I decided to join this forum to get some support.

A few years back I exercised very hard for about 6 months, but I didn't lose much weight (I was working out 5 times a week. I even did cardio in the morning and weights at night-- alternating between upper and lower body) After all of that, I lost just 15 pounds and a couple inches off my waist) Perhaps I relied to heavily on the scale. I didn't know my body full body fat at that time, but it was discouraging, to say the least.

Now I am back, with an air of persistence. Thanks to all who find the time to read this. I hope to hear some advice about how to get better results than I did last time. It's the only way I can stay motivated.....

MV

 

[Clinton]

Hi time is now,

Good on you for getting back into it. Doing a lot of work without results is very frustrating. I understand that for some people they have to maintain consistency for a while before they start seeing any weight loss.

Tell me, what exactly are you doing and how are you finding it? Are you enjoying it? The reason I ask is that its the biggest thing keeping people from being consistent.

 

[GPPNeil]

TTIN - welcome. Love your story. Swimming is going to be a great way for you to get started, but you'll need to switch to land based exercise ASAP for quickest results.

Suggestions for weight loss and general health have changed dramatically over the years. Altering between upper and lower body with cardio in the middle is classic body building stuff and never was very specific to what you do. You are not a body builder. Body building is NOT weight loss training. Using its specific techniques will take you forever and leave you short of your needs when you get there.

 

[The Time is Now]

GPPNeil and Clinton,

Thanks for your reply, guys. It's encouraging to see.

First,

I have just started this workout routine:
Full body dumbbell training 3 days a week (7 exercises-- dumbbell curls, shoulder press, tricep kickback, chest press, pile squat, straight leg lift, bent over row.) Then there's cardio 4 days a week-- HIIT jump rope and walking.

I just began couple days ago, so it is hard to say what my results are. I like working with dumbbells because I can see how much weaker my left arm is than my right arm. I also like the reaching those stabilizing muscles. I do all of my workouts in my home gym and outside for cardio. I know this limits what I can do some because I do not have access to a wide variety of equipment, but it's what I am working with.

I did see results when I changed my diet. I cut out most sugar, salt, and flour. That alone allowed me to drop about 8 pounds before I even started exercising. I am hoping this workout plan will give me the extra push to lose it all. My goal is to drop to 12-15% body fat. I don't need to be body builder cut, but I do want to lose this hanging gut and get some of my energy back. I am attempting to have a body I have only dreamed of for my whole entire life.

GPP, I checked out your page-- it looks good. The success stories are also impressive. I like the fact that the people in the page are all regular folks like myself. I just have a couple questions:

1. There are a few exercises that I do not understand-- are they weighted or non weighted? Also, what does some of the terminology mean? ex:
1000 m row (rowing machine? Can this be done at home without a machine?)
800 m run (meters?)
50 alt DB biceps curls 15/20 (conditioning style) (What is 15/20?)
50 knees to elbows (are these unweighted raises?)
I see that there are some videos explaining some of the exercises. I will be sure to look at them in detail.

2. Do the successes have the personal stories to go with them? I am also curious about the diet exercise plans that they followed to get their results and how long it took,

Again, thanks for your input , guys. Looking forward to hearing more.

The Time is Now.

 

[Clinton]

I like your approach of applying HIIT to jump rope, that should be highly effective for you. When it comes to strength exercises, I have to suggest that you focus on compound movements more thatn free weights as they work on the stabilizers better.

Keep it up.