Am I doing something wrong?

M

miramichigirl

0
Hi everyone.

I am a female who until 6 weeks ago did not exercise at all. When I turned 38 I decided to dedicate myself to getting in shape. I joined a gym and my schedule is as follows:
Day 1 Cardio 1 hour
Day 2 Cardio 1 hour plus weight training back and shoulders
Day 3 Cardio 1 hour plus abs
Day 4 Cardio 1 hour plus arms and chest
Day 5 Cardio 1 hour plus abs
Day 6 Cardio 1 hour plus legs/glutes
Day 7 Cardio 1 hour plus abs

I am spending approx. 2-2 1/2 hours per day in the gym and working very hard. Also I am eating sensibly mostly protein but also carbs in moderate amounts. I do all the weights slow and controlled and for cardio use recumbant bike plus treadmill. I change up inclines and speeds to try to burn more fat.

The problem is I have seen no changes- no weight loss (Iknow muscle weighs more than fat), no inches lost, no increased energy, etc. Am I doing something wrong? It seems that a person going from doing absolutely nothing to doing what I am now should see some small changes after 6 weeks. I am not looking for instant results and am willing to work hard at this. Any comments and suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
I think you are overkilling yourself with 1 hour cardio's...too much cardio is not good either. Plus 2.5 hours is a lot of time in the gym. I'm not too knowledgeble so i'll let someone smarter take over, sorry.
 
If you're that active, the problem is mostly likely your diet. You may be surprised to learn just how many calories you're taking in over the course of the day... many people underestimate their caloric intake by thousands of kcals.

Try to eat six small meals a day. When I mean small, I mean, like, a can of tuna and a cup of vegetables/brown rice.
 
-Don't be afraid to lift heavy. Women lack the amount of test to get "bulky" as so many women claim will happen from doing resistance training. Lifting heavy, rep ranges of 8-12, can be just as beneficial for women as it is for men.
-Elminate waste foods. Waste foods are chips, crackers, cookies, cake, ect.
-The stricter you are, the quicker you will reach your goals.
-LOG YOUR PROGRESS. By logging your progress you will be able to actually see a change, and what changes you need to make.
-Throw in a rest day. 7 days straight of cardio may eventually cause you to become burned out on exersize and give up all together. You could try something like,

Mon/Wed/Friday=Cardio
Tuesday/Thursday=Resistance training

-Don't cheat. You need to stick with both your diet and workout routine. Sticking with an exersize program, while keeping up with your diet will most certainly help you reach your goals.
-Carbs from veggies, fruits, whole grain breads, and oatmeal.
-Protein with every meal
-NO caloric intake from your beverages. Water, all the diet sodas you can drink, coffee is fine with splenda, and last but not least green tea. You will be amazed at the amount of calories you actually drink in one day.
-When you feel the urge to snack grab some carrots, celery, low fat cheese, lean meats, or a cup of non-salted nuts.
-Avoid eating too many carbs before bed. Dinner is usually considered to be the largest meal of the day, when in reality, it should one of the smallest meals of the day. Reason being, you are burning calories throughout the day in your day-to-day activities. When you eat a large amount before bed you will not be burning as much of this off. Usually, it is best to have your meals taper off throughout the day.
Meal 1 larger than meal 2
Meal 3 larger than meal 4
Meal 4 larger than meal 5, ect.
-5-8 meals per day. This revs up your metabolic rate, and teaches your to burn fat more efficiently.

Ugh I'm tired, goodnight.
 
Well said Genius. Ironically, like Miramichgirl, I am a 36 year old female who has finally made the time for "me" to get fit. I have done a lot of research on my own and the members of this board have been awesome at answering questions.

I belong to a gym, although personal training would cost me $35+ an hour so I have researched and asked questions. I learned, believe it or not we burn more calories from weight training...we continue to burn up to 24 hours after lifting. I was also told to limit cardio to 3x a week and that the ecliptic machine was best.

On my program I choose not to use artificial sweetners or put anything in my mouth that is prepackaged except my protien bars. It has been a tough week I have craved sweets and soda...but when I find myself reaching for these I stop and think about what I want to achieve...may sound silly but I do have a visual picture I look at to remind me of what I want my body to look like.

I have been dieting for 1 week and have lost 3 lbs. Have only been working out for 5 days so it will be awhile before I notice results.

Okay, these are just my thoughts and what works for me, hope it helps.

Thanks
"If it is going to BE it is up to ME"
 
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