Just starting week 4...

M

minimee

New member
Hi everyone!

I had posted this in another section but was advised to move it here so here goes...

Here is an update on my progress so far.

I have just started week 4.

I lost 9lb week 1
7lb week 2
5lb week 3

I can honestly say that I have never felt as motivated as I do now.

I put this down to the support I am continually getting from this forum,
and even though I don't post very often, I read alot of other posts & find they have been very useful in helping me with tips to keep motivated.

The before and after pictures I find so inspiring, and I can not wait until I can show my before and after pictures to inspire others.

Thank you to everyone on here for the help and support that you have given me so far.
Good Luck everybody
:D
 
Hi all I have just started week 5.

Here is my update...

Last week I made the decision not to weigh myself for a few weeks, I figured that I don't mind how much I way, as I am more concerned about my health.

I do not want to get obsessed with how much I have lost each week, but I feel I am in a good routine now so there should be no reason why I wouldn't be losing weight.
I've had a few people ask "have you lost weight"? and as I only told a close friend & family member that I was starting to eat healthly and exercise more.
I gave me a real buzz when others are now noticing a difference in me and this is great motivation for me to keep it up.

I feel I have got the eating part spot on, I very rarely feel hungry and I never feel full./Bloated when ive eaten.

I plan on starting light weights soon as I dont want to lose to much muscle mass as I have been told that it slows down the motabolism.

If anybody can recommend some things around the home that I could use, as money is tight and I do not own any weights.

Thanks in advance
 
Hey there!!

It sounds like you're doing a great job!! And you also sound very motivated!!

I think it's important for you to do what makes you feel good! For me, taking my initial weight and inches, and weighing myself regularly gets me motivated! If I see the scale go up, it gives me a kick in the butt to real in my diet and get to the gym more often! But I think you're right, the numbers on the scale don't mean anything if you're not feeling healthy and happy!

I would recommend taking your initial weight and inches, and maybe weighing yourself once a week, and taking your measurements once a month! That way you can see the changes, and it'll motivate you :)

Also, I would recommend introducing strength training into your exercise! You want a balance of cardio and strength! The more muscle you build, the more you'll burn during the day without doing anything! So while it's important to lose fat, it's just as important to build muscle! And you seem to know that already!

If you want another piece of advice, I would record your food intake and your exercise here! That way if you have any questions about what you should be including into your routine, people can see what you're doing and help you out!

Also, i find it helpful looking through people's diaries at what they're doing, and then i include it into my routine! I try to go to the gym on my own 2-3 times a week. When i go I do 30 - 40 minutes of cardio (walking, running, cross trainer, jump rope), and then 30-40 minutes of strength training (pushups, situps, lunges, etc.) - this way I can build muscle and lose fat!

And a lot of this stuff you can do in your own home- you don't need a gym!

Hopefully that helps! Just remember, exercise and healthy eating is key, if you keep doing that, then you're doing an amazing job at reaching your goal! :)

Good luck! And ask as many questions as you need to!! :) I know I'm always asking questions - and I get such great answers from the members of this community!
 
Hi Tik

Thank you so much for the reply and all of the information you have given.

It's funny because I might seem like I know what I am doing, But I don't think I am sure when it comes to muscle/strength building etc.

I seem to get confused when it comes to muscle building, as I always vision people with huge bulging muscles and I don't want to end up looking like Madonna :eek:
I'd like to be toned but still look feminine at the same time.

Ive tried looking online for routines & videos of strength training but all I seem to find is muscley men/women doing weights and this puts me off :confused:
So I'm sure by now you understand that I dont want huge muscles haha
I would like to get the balance of cardio & strength which you mentioned before.

I can give you an idea of what I have been doing so far...

I do 20mins treadmill in the morning, 30mins in the evening (although I have been doing 1hr since the middle of week 4) and then another 20mins before I goto bed.
I do 100 sit ups before I do my workouts 3x a day, I also dance for approx 40mins on the Wii.

Could you please help me with what else I need to be doing in order to build strength?
If you think I need to cut down on cardio then I will not be offended at all.

I am not an expert so therefor I have just done what I think is right and not neccesarily the right way.

I could do with some sort of routine, I also find it hard to understand how I am building muscle without using weights? Are you saying that I can do this by doing sit ups, squats etc with no added weight?

Sorry for all the questions but with all the hard work I have put in so far, I would like to know that I am doing it properly and in the safest/healthiest way possible.

If you could maybe tell me what you do for the 40mins strength training you have been doing when you go to the gym, just to give me some sort of idea what I need to start including in my routine.

Thanks again Tik!
I really appreciate the support...
congradulations on the weight loss so far :D
 
minimee said:
Could you please help me with what else I need to be doing in order to build strength?
If you think I need to cut down on cardio then I will not be offended at all.

I am not an expert so therefor I have just done what I think is right and not neccesarily the right way.

I could do with some sort of routine, I also find it hard to understand how I am building muscle without using weights? Are you saying that I can do this by doing sit ups, squats etc with no added weight?

Sorry for all the questions but with all the hard work I have put in so far, I would like to know that I am doing it properly and in the safest/healthiest way possible.

If you could maybe tell me what you do for the 40mins strength training you have been doing when you go to the gym, just to give me some sort of idea what I need to start including in my routine.
Click to expand...


Could somebody reply about strength training please, I would like to get into a routine asap.

Thank you :)
 
minimee said:
Hi Tik

Thank you so much for the reply and all of the information you have given.

It's funny because I might seem like I know what I am doing, But I don't think I am sure when it comes to muscle/strength building etc.

I seem to get confused when it comes to muscle building, as I always vision people with huge bulging muscles and I don't want to end up looking like Madonna :eek:
I'd like to be toned but still look feminine at the same time.

Ive tried looking online for routines & videos of strength training but all I seem to find is muscley men/women doing weights and this puts me off :confused:
So I'm sure by now you understand that I dont want huge muscles haha
I would like to get the balance of cardio & strength which you mentioned before.

I can give you an idea of what I have been doing so far...

I do 20mins treadmill in the morning, 30mins in the evening (although I have been doing 1hr since the middle of week 4) and then another 20mins before I goto bed.
I do 100 sit ups before I do my workouts 3x a day, I also dance for approx 40mins on the Wii.

Could you please help me with what else I need to be doing in order to build strength?
If you think I need to cut down on cardio then I will not be offended at all.

I am not an expert so therefor I have just done what I think is right and not neccesarily the right way.

I could do with some sort of routine, I also find it hard to understand how I am building muscle without using weights? Are you saying that I can do this by doing sit ups, squats etc with no added weight?

Sorry for all the questions but with all the hard work I have put in so far, I would like to know that I am doing it properly and in the safest/healthiest way possible.

If you could maybe tell me what you do for the 40mins strength training you have been doing when you go to the gym, just to give me some sort of idea what I need to start including in my routine.

Thanks again Tik!
I really appreciate the support...
congradulations on the weight loss so far :D
Click to expand...

Hey! I apologize on not seeing this sooner! :)

As for the muscle building- I am NO expert! My experience comes from going to a personal trainer! I know what you mean about the women looking way too muscly! but that doesn't have to happen! It's important to do strength training as it increases the muscle weight you have, and you then burn more calories! So you can do less work, and burn more! YAY! that's what I like!

I have always been told that the real difference between bulking up and toning is the weight and reps you do. The people who want to get really super big muscles often time do really heavy weights with less repetitions. Whereas people who want to build muscle and tone, will do more reps with less weight!

And you don't have to go to the gym to do this! There's lots of stuff you can do at home! You can lift cans, or water jugs for weights! Once you have those, there's tons of stuff you can do! if you look around the forum, there's some at home routines that people can do together! they're great!

As for the cardio- i think you should do what feels best for you! I do about 3 1 hr , and 2 30 min sessions of weight training, and then 5 30-40 min sessions of cardio a week! Lots of people like to do strength one day, and cardio the next, but I tend to do both every time I go to the gym! Just on certain days I focus on cardio more, and then strength the other days!

you can check out my journal for the outline of exercises I do with my personal trainer! If you don't know what one is, you can ask, or google it :)

Take care! And I hope that helps!
 
I am much clearer on what I need to be doing and I feel so much better about it now.

I will be adding strength training into my routine this week.

I stupidly weighed myself today (Its been 3weeks since I last weighed) and I have lost another 4lbs, I found it strange as I lost 21lbs in the first 3weeks.

I understand most people lose more weight in the beggining, But to have lost only 4lbs especially as I am quite big I thought it would be more.
I wont be weighing again in a hurry as I said from the beggining Its not about how much I way, I just want to look and feel happy and healthy.

However this has not put me off, It just makes me want to work even harder to reach my goal.

In the next couple of months I hope to have more updates and maybe get some pictures up (If I ever have the guts to put them on here :D).

Less work & burn more carlories... I like the sound of that :)

Could you let me know what it is or where I can view this journal?

Thanks
 
I have been looking up strength training and would like to know which is best...

Hi all

I was advised to add strength training to my exercise routine, and have been doing this for a little over a week.

I am now at the point of where I would like a strength training DVD to follow.
I was browsing Google and I came across a couple of strength building DVDs but of all of them there was a lady called Tamilee, the clips are great but I would like to own the DVD so I can do the full workout instead of clips on the computer.

My questions are
As I am not from the USA where can I puchase her DVD as I have been told that my DVD played may not read the US dics.

Also Can anyone suggest workouts simular to Tamilee as I don't mind which one I get, as long as I enjoy the workout and it does the job :)

Thanks for reading I look forward to some help on this.

Kind Regards
Minimee
 
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