Lisa's Diary

M

maau32

New member

I'm a 37 year old woman getting really desperate about losing so I thought I would try this for advice.
My weight loss story begins in 2000 when I gained a bunch of weight when I got married. I didn't have any kids, but I put on about 25 pounds. In 2001, I started running on the treadmill. I did 5 miles a day, 5 days per week and lost a ton of weight. I went from a size 14 to a 4. This exercise routine did great up until the last year or so. I kept up the 5 mile a day routine but started to gain weight last year. I began to alter my diet. I never ate garbage before. I NEVER ate out or had fast food. Ever. I didn't eat junk at home either. Everything was chicken, salads and whole grains. Well, altering the diet didn't work. I was told to change up my exercise routine because I was doing too much cardio. Okay....Well, I went from the usual 5 miles per day, 5 days per week to 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week, and I added 60 minutes of weight training 5 days per week and I have reduced my caloric intake to between 1600-1800 calories per day. Well, in the past two weeks I have gained 7 pounds and added a half inch to everything. My hips, thighs, waist, etc. I am not taking any medication that would make me gain weight and I count every morsel of food I put into my mouth. I am to the point of desperation because I cannot stand to feel so big. My clothes fit pretty well last summer, but now I am bursting out of everything and look flabby. I do 350 crunches per day and I still look like I have a gut (no, I still have no children). Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on??? I mean, I know it is tough to lose weight after 35 but this is crazy.....Help me!!!
 
Lisa, If you hang around to forum for a while you will get some great advise and suort from the members.

no matter how many crunches you do each day you cannot spot reduce. One of the problems as you get older is your metabolism slows down. To give your metabolism a boost you should start adding weights to your workout (muscle burns calories) but it is not just the time spent lifting weights but the intensity. If you don't increase the weights you are lifting to match with your improving ability any benefit you may gain will slow down.

what does your 60 minutes of weight training consist of ?
 
You are absolutely right about spot reducing but I guess I'm just frustrated because 4 years ago I had a six pack! Arg!
I'm not sure if I'm using the correct terminology....Weight training, strength training.....?? Suffice it to say that I'm doing something to tone up 5 days per week. One day I will do upper body. 36 push-ups, 36 seated dips (to work the triceps) then 3 sets of 12-15 reps on the Bowflex. I work the pecs, triceps, biceps, shoulders and back. Usually 2 to 3 different exercises per muscle group. And I put on as much weight as I can tolerate without struggling.
The next day I'll work the lower body. I have been told that I shouldn't use too much weight on my lower body because it'll just make my already big butt bigger (not sure if there is any validity to this) Anyway, I'll again do 3 sets of 12-15 reps per muscle group. I'll do Horizontal Leg Lifts, Prone Extension, Body Squat and Donkey Kicks. I don't use the Bowflex at all for the lower body. After I do all of this in addition to 350 crunches, I do 30 minutes on the treadmill, hitting my 70-80% of my maximum heart rate for the entire 30 minutes, never stopping or slowing down. I feel like my body has just stopped working. I never skip days I'm supposed to exercise. It is just part of my daily routine and has been for 6 years. I don't want to cut calories too much because I don't want to trash my metabolism but maybe that is what I'm supposed to do? I'm down to 1600-1800 per day and I'm still starving to death half the time. My fiancee teases me about my stomach growling. I don't mind losing weight slowly, but I want to actually lose weight and not gain like I have been. 7 pounds and a half an inch everywhere in the past two weeks has me totally freaked out. 7 pounds on my 5'2 frame is a lot!
 
Lifting heavy for your lower body is not going to make your butt bigger, working heavy on your lower body can help tighten up your butt, lunges and squats are good and heavy squats work an incredible number of different muscles along with burning lots of calories.

I am not sure what a bowflex is but I am 34 and also 5'2 but have a large frame and very heavy bone structure (according to my knee surgeon).anything under 2000 calories in a day and i also feel half starved.

are you drinking enough water ? Have you seen your doctor about your rapid gain ?
 
Recently I got a book called "Escape Your Shape", which recommends certain exercises for certain body types. I wasn't sure if the whole idea was bunk, but the book was free, so I thought I would flip through it. It said not to do things like lunges and squats and certainly don't do weights with a heavy lower body. I think the whole thing is probably crap, so I'll stick to my body sculpting book which does recommend squats, lunges, etc.
A Bowflex is actually pretty cool. Instead of weights, it has bendable rods which use resistance. Google it and you'll see what I mean.
How many calories do you take in per day? How many keep you relatively satisfied? I am still trying to figure out what the real number is for me. I didn't really count calories until this year...I guess I didn't have to. I ate good healthy meals. I abhor fast food, fried stuff, etc. I've just started counting this past year because of the weight gain. I do drink about a half gallon of water per day. I do have to say I take in a few diet sodas per day. I only do this to stave off cravings. Instead of eating, I'll drink a soda to calm my hunger. Probably not a good idea but better than eating.
I would very much like to talk to my doctor about what is going on. Could this possibly be some sort of thyroid condition?
 
I have calculated that I need to consume 2231 calories each day to drop 4 kg (about 8 lb) by the 25th of august for the competition i am entering down from the 2898 that i would need to maintain.

I feel ok on 2100 calories but I do a lot of exercize at the gym.

I think talking to your doctor would be a good idea so you can eliminate any medical problems from the equation.

A good book I have is food for sports performance by Dr Louise Burke which has great information about nutrition, when to eat certain foods, information about weight gain and loss as well as information about nutrition need for specific sports

it is great for working out exactly what your body needs

The author is the head of sports nutrition at the Australian institute of sport.
 
Thanks Trusylver! I'll find that book. I appreciate your advice a lot. I need help badly. I woke up this morning and cried because I put on a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in a few months. They were loose back in April and now they are pretty tight. They were actually my 'fat' jeans. I just can't help feeling like its this switch to less cardio/more weights. I really want to tone up. When I did research EVERYBODY said I was doing way too much cardio and needed to bump up weights. Ever since I have done that, the weight and inches have poured on. I am seriously considering going back to the 5 miles a day because I can't stand feeling like this. It doesn't make any sense because back when those fat jeans were loose, I was still running my 5 miles per day, but I was eating a lot of crap (Not by choice, spending a lot of time out of my normal routine due to school and a death in the family).
I like doing the weights. I wonder if I should do both? That, unfortunately, would put me working out almost 3 hours per day.....
 
3 Hours a day could be a bit much for most people but you could do weights and cardio on separate days. even so you will still need a rest day for your muscles to recover.

I have the wrong build to be realy skinny, just my lean body mass puts my BMI in the obese category, but I have learned to live with my body type and to compete in sports that match. But for others without my build being anywhere near my weight would be very unhealthy. The good thing is I am Very strong.

I am very impressed with the efforts of many of the board members here and if you posted in some of the other members diaries you would find more advice that could help you.

I get regular bodyfat % taken at the gym to keep track of my fat levels because weight and BMI mean very little to me but by keeping in the healthy bodyfat % range I know I am doing ok despite the first impression that i am larger than normal.

I had a look at the bowflex online, I think i would break it, some of my lifts are more than the maximum weight settings for the machine.
 
Yeah, I don't think I can tolerate 3 hours per day. I did go back to my 60 min cardio routine yesterday. I'm just going to see what happens. If I still keep gaining, then there is something wrong. :(

You sound like you do some really SERIOUS weights! I can't believe that your BMI puts you into the obese category. That sounds crazy! How long do you do weights everyday?
 
I lift for 1.5 hours each morning mon-thurs plus 1 hour RPM (spin) tues and thursday evening and friday morning, coach soccer on wednesday afternoon.
I lift up to 200 kg (441 lb) depending on the bodypart. My lean body mass (muscle, bone etc. without the added fat) at 145 lb is more than the recommended weight for my 5'2" height lol. BMI is ok for those with an average build but measuring bodyfat% is better for those that have a lot of muscle.The only drawback of bodyfat% is having it measured regularly.

It is common for bodybuilders and powerlifters to be obese by BMI but have low or average fat levels. (mine is the high end of healthy)

Most people probably would not have the time or inclination to do my workout each week but I work from home (web developer) and all three of my kids go to school. I am also getting ready for a lifting competition which if i manage to lift the same weights in competition as i do in training will put me in or close to the top 15 female powerlifters in Aus.

Also remember most ladies will not gain huge amounts of muscle from lifting weights.


remember to keep reporting your progress here :)
 
That is a heavy schedule! When I'm pushing it, I can manage 2 hours a day. But that is only during the summer when the schedule isn't so heavy.
I work out at home too, so that helps a bit.
I haven't met too many women who do as much with weights as you do. I did go to high school with a girl who was competitve with weights. I'm not sure if it was powerlifting? Anyway, she was in the 2000 Olympics. Robin Byrd Goad was her name. She could really kick ass. I'm kind of envious of that talent!
 
I switched back to my old routine and weight is very slowly coming off again. I do my full 5 miles on the treadmill in just under 60 minutes. I did hang on to the weight training too. So I'm up to working out 2 hours per day, 5 days per week. It has taken me 3 weeks to lose 2 pounds. And I have cut my calories down to between 1400-1500 per day. I guess my body is just becoming more resistant to exercise? Sometimes I wish I could just sew my mouth shut!
 
I'm happy about that but good grief it was hard! I laugh about how tough it is to lose weight when I think back to being 21 years old. I remember one summer my pants were starting to fit a little tight. I thought..."Oh, I better watch my diet a little more. All I had to do to drop a few pounds (and without any exercise, I might add) was to cut down on how much beer I drank!!! Arg! I wish it was still that easy! :)
 
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