Here's My Game Plan

A

Appsolute

New member
Hello every one! This is my first post

I will save you all of the history unless you ask! Long story short, after college my weight reached 225 (I am a 5'6" female), I went on my own "diet plan" which consisted of restricting calories to about 1200, biking daily for 45 mins, and later as I progressed added some calisthenics, I managed to lose a little over 50 pounds.

That was 5 years ago, and I moved (changed jobs etc), fell out of my routine, and gained almost 35 back.

I finally feel stable in my life again, and I am ready to "get back on the wagon." Three weeks ago I weighed myself and to my dismay I came in at 207.

That day I put myself on a calorie restriction of 1300 cals. I try to fill my diet with lean meats (ground turkey, chicken, pork loin, fish), fruit and vegetables. I have replaced pasta with zucchini and cabbage, and I hit the farmers market weekly for leafy greens.

Fitting in exercise is the difficult part. I have a long commute, and a demanding desk job (IE I am on my butt all day!). I have started taking lunch breaks (thats new!) and walking .7 miles to the "Filbert Steps" which are 358 stairs to the top of telegraph hill. I get to the top, do a few more stair cases, and then walk back down. At a very brisk pace this takes me about 40 mins.

Already I feel like I am craving more exercise, but I am not sure what to fit in. I leave the house at 6:15 am and get home at 7:15 pm each day as it is (that is if I do not stop by my horse's stable to ride, then I get home at about 9 pm!).

I am thinking weights would be good. I used to be pretty darn strong (I could open the sauce jar when the guys couldn't!), but these days I feel weak!

Oh, and I have lost 8 pounds in the last three weeks which is progress I am happy with.
 
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Good luck

It seems like you have a solid plan. What happens when you get home. Do you have a family to look after? Or do you just come exhausted and you're "done in"?

I always hit the gym before I go home. I know if I hit the house I'm never going to get out again. Maybe tal kto your work about taking an hour for lunch and finding a gym close or start running or keep a bike at work?
 
Could you sign up for something in the evening one or two nights per week, like aqua-size, hot yoga, or aerobics? It might be refreshing after a long day at your desk.
 
Thanks All!

Siam, I don't know why I didn't even think of that, I am sure I could commit to one or two nights a week for a class. I have NEVER taken a class, I always tackled this solo, that is a good idea.

As for my evenings, when I am not riding (I have a horse, and I am just getting back into riding competitively, another motivator here!), I get home around 7 PM, unwind for a short bit, cook dinner, eat it, clean up... and then its time for bed! Riding nights, come home, try to find something *quick* to eat (before it ends up 10:30 pm!).

No kids to take care of, but I am married, and cook for the two of us. I am going to get a some Trader Joes frozen stuff (some of it is very sensible) for my husband to help out more with the cooking (he is from the south, I am NOT eating what he knows how to cook! No white gravy thanks!). Husband can eat mostly what he wants and stay lean, he spent time as a pro mountain biker, and still rides a lot.

Few questions:

Is skipping breakfast a deal breaker? I only have time to eat it when I get to work, and most days it consists of a low sugar (natural) yogurt. If I eat something like oatmeal I find I a REALLY hungry soon after. I think something with protein would be good, but I do not have time to cook something in the AM. Any suggestions?

Eating after exercise? Right now at least, my noon exercise isn't very intense. The stairs get me breathing, and sweating! but I am not overly exerted. Schedule wise its easier for me to eat after I get out. Should I be making a real effort to eat my lunch before my exercise?

Thanks!
 
Oh, and as for biking and gym near work.. I now work in the heart of down town San Francisco. Before I lost weight riding my bike during my lunch break, but I am not riding my bike in SF, it scares the pants off me! I really do like riding the bike, just do not have good places to do it right now. I am not confident enough on the bike to ride closely with cars :(

They say to do exercise you enjoy, and I always liked hiking and biking, but I have never been a runner. That said, maybe I will start incorporating some of the couch to 5K plan into my walk / stair routine. See pics, I LOVE this walk!

There are many gyms near by, but they are PACKED at lunch.
 
Appsolute said:
Thanks All!

Few questions:

Is skipping breakfast a deal breaker? I only have time to eat it when I get to work, and most days it consists of a low sugar (natural) yogurt. If I eat something like oatmeal I find I a REALLY hungry soon after. I think something with protein would be good, but I do not have time to cook something in the AM. Any suggestions?

Eating after exercise? Right now at least, my noon exercise isn't very intense. The stairs get me breathing, and sweating! but I am not overly exerted. Schedule wise its easier for me to eat after I get out. Should I be making a real effort to eat my lunch before my exercise?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hey...welcome to the forum. First off we are all here to help you, so it's good that you are already asking questions. We like that! OK...now down to business with my take on your questions.

Eating breakfast. I don't think it really matters all that much as to eating yogurt vs. oatmeal. Granted, both provide you with different things. The main thing I believe is try to eat something rather then nothing as early as possible. Your body has been fasting all night and needs a kick start to get the metabolism going. That's the main key. I find the same as you when I eat oatmeal. I think it's b/c it really gets the metabolism going, therefore the calorie burning is running faster compared to if I ate something smaller like yogurt or a piece of fruit.

Eating after exercise. I find it that eating after my workout is much better. This is b/c your body needs protein anyhow within 30-60 minutes after a workout to rebuild/repair torn muscle tissue. Plus, if I eat too much before a workout I tend to not workout as hard for fear of getting sick. So I think that eating afterwards is better.


The main points...water, water, WATER and breakfast of some kind. This is the "secret" that has helped me. Hopefully I have given you a few cents of info. Also, do you plan on posting any before/progress pics? It's good motivation for all. :driving:
 
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