Anyone else trying to lose weight?

[CovenantJr]

Just remember that while exercise will shrink you, it won't necessarily make you lighter, so if you're going by the scales you might be misled. It's an obvious thing, but I tend to forget.

[MsMary]

I am actually more interested in "shrinking" than in number of pounds lost (though I'd like to see both happen).

I want to fit back into some of my smaller clothes again.

[CovenantJr]

I assumed that was the case. Just thought I'd mention it because I've had friends wail "Noooooooo, even though I've had to buy a whole new wardrobe I've only lost 2 lbs" etc. Then comes the 'muscle = heavy' explanation.

[MsMary]

Thanks, Cov.

[Brother Charn]

CovJr has it right, and it looks like you do too, based on the updates you have made since I started my long-windedness... putting on muscle will actually seem to stall weight loss, if all you are measuring by is weight. Of course, your clothes will still fit better, and you'll feel better, and your base metabolism will go up, which means you will be more resistant to spikes in calorie consumption.
I am trying to "bulk up" a little, at the same time I want to lose ~1/2 of my existing body fat - this is not an easy task, but so far I'm having mild success.

But, it is possible to weight train for muscle tone, instead of gaining bulk muscle mass. You just have to find the weight settings that take enough effort that you can ~20 reps before you tire. If you then add one rep per visit, by the time you get to 40reps (which is a lot, I know), you should be able to add 5lbs, and start back at 20 reps. Since toning involves broadening fibers, and making existing ones stronger - you aren't adding as much raw weight as the Ah-nuld mega-gainers, who are all about constantly upping their maximum weight - which is what adds the muscle bulk.

And the difference it will make in your overall stamina and your base metabolic rate is so dramatic, it's hard to describe.
I strongly advise adding weight training to any fitness plan - the biggest threat of any aggressive reduction diet is that you will lose muscle instead of fat - this means your calorie deficit is so large that your body goes into starvation mode, so muscle gets cannibalized, and the first extra morsel of food you eat will be instantly converted to 'protective fat'. My wife has experienced this, and she hates it. She is on a diet too, and is very impatient that she is only losing ~1lb/week.
So, even though this rate is what doctors prefer, saying it is the optimum rate to sustain long term success, she hates the slow pace, looking to unrealistic examples like 'The Biggest Loser' on TV. It is odd that one show could be a

[CovenantJr]

Hmm. I didn't know that muscle stuff. Interesting.

[Brother Charn]

[continuing, since I am dumb enough to post in mid-thought ]... It is odd that one show can be simultaneously inspiring (real people making real progress losing dangerous extra weight, while we watch) and depressing (unrealistic rate of loss - keeping in mind they are under a microscope, have doctors, dieticians, and trainers on hand just for them, and their new full time job is weight loss).

dw

[MsMary]

But, it is possible to weight train for muscle tone, instead of gaining bulk muscle mass. You just have to find the weight settings that take enough effort that you can ~20 reps before you tire. If you then add one rep per visit, by the time you get to 40reps (which is a lot, I know), you should be able to add 5lbs, and start back at 20 reps. Since toning involves broadening fibers, and making existing ones stronger - you aren't adding as much raw weight as the Ah-nuld mega-gainers, who are all about constantly upping their maximum weight - which is what adds the muscle bulk.

This is great info! I did sort of know this, but it helps to have a reminder.

[Brother Charn]

[it's a slow day for me at work , can you tell?]

I'm having some success with an exercise regimen that combines a cardio warmup (~30mins on a treadmill) and a weights-circuit of my own devising (again, ~30 mins) on my gym's Nautilus equipment.
What seems to be working well for me is that I go straight to the weights after the warmup, no pause, and then move very quickly from machine to machine, skipping machines that have occupants and going back to them later. In addition to the regular benefit of the weight-lifting, it has the added effect of keeping my heart-rate up - so I get the benefit of a second 30-minute cardio routine without actually having to slog through one. That's a good thing.
This also limits my time in the gym, since I don't have all day to play hamster games.

[CovenantJr]

I can't afford to join a gym.

[MsMary]

Yeah, I don't belong to a gym, either. The ones close to me are expensive, probably cause I live in a sort of high-priced tourist area. There are cheaper ones farther from the beach, but not convenient to me.

[Brother Charn]

Building on my last posts - I want to mention 'form' when doing weight sets on machines. I am not a trainer, but I get better results faster if I take the time to slow down my release movement on a machine. The pattern is:
1) Explosive exhale while performing the 'power stroke'
2) Slowly return the machine to its start position (count to 5 if you have to)
3) Repeat through the total reps you need

This seems to take a long time, but I compensate by hustling to the next machine when I'm done, to keep my heart rate up, and keep my total gym-time to ~60 minutes.

The benefit if doing it this way is that I tend to retain better form overall, I don't rush-cheat through the machine, and the slow return is providing a workout to whichever muscle(s) complement(s) the one(s) I am working with that particular machine. For example, a slow release on a biceps-curl machine works the triceps, and vice-versa. This makes me much more tired at the end of a workout, hitting all the machines, but I see and feel the results much faster, and I can still manage to time-box all the weights in 30 minutes (NOTE - I always go to the gym at a time when I know there aren't heavy lines for the machines)

[edited to add] Gyms have great equipment that I would not otherwise be able to afford. No YMCA/YWCA? Not sure if UK has an equivalent, CovJr, or whether you live in an urban-enough area to support one. Sometimes schools might offer gym time to the public?
Regardless, if you can't squeeze a gym into your budget, or if there aren't any close-enough to you to encourage steady attendance, you'll have to do it the hard way. Definitely do not waste your money on the BowFlex. It is overpriced, and overrated. Acquire some free weights, and look online for a weights regimen, and print it out. A good regimen should take you through all the major muscle groups.
If you are like me, the first several times you go through one of these home regimens, you will feel foolish and wonder "Why should I bother?" I urge you to stick to it for at least 3 wks of at least 3x/wk. You will see and feel some results, which should encourage you to more of same, especially as you improve your form, you feel more confident in the moves, and you get over the self-consciousness of attempting to tune into your body - for me, it is still weird... I apparently spent the first 30 years of my life in some strange spirit-walking astral projection state, for as much as I paid attention to my own person.

dw

[MsMary]

I just use free weights at home.

[Brother Charn]

Sounds like a winning strategy to me.

dw

[aliantha]

That's what I do, too. I bought a set of hand weights at Modell's for less than 20 bucks. (I think it was about $20 total for two 5-lb. and two 8-lb. weights.) Then I do sit-ups and stuff, plus some yoga poses I learned when I was taking classes.

That is, when I'm doing the weight thing, that's what I do. I've kinda slacked off over the past month or so. I keep promising myself I'll pick it up again. I need to actually *do* that.

Anyhow, the whole routine takes me about a half-hour at home. I don't need fancy workout clothes and I don't have to take extra time getting to and from the gym. And at home, nobody's gawking at me but the cats. I tell ya, you haven't lived 'til you've tried to do triangle pose with a cat brushing up against you....

[Hami]

Hello again.., have nit been here for so long..

Well i am still trying to loose a little weight ,but iam about 4 lbs less than in spring.

since 26 or 27 years i do my gymnastics and "weight lifting" at home. I dont need anything to keep my hole body fit but 2 metres of room!!
you can do exercises using your own Bodyweight!
I dont know how to name them in English but i am sure you know what i mean

today i ate chocolate because i was the "biggest loser " of the day.. they didn´t let me go home in time, so i missed my vaulting training! And there is a competition next week.

I was jogging instead. I hate jogging but that was just what i needed.

[MsMary]

I have been using the WW guidelines for picking snacks and not doing so much of the crackers/pretzels snacking. I think that is helping.

ali, are whole grain crackers/pretzels and other such snacks allowed, or do they fall into the same category as bread?

As far as exercise goes, I re-started weight toning/weight training this weekend. I think I need to go shopping for heavier weights, though.

[aliantha]

ali, are whole grain crackers/pretzels and other such snacks allowed, or do they fall into the same category as bread?

Nice try, MsMary.

Popcorn works as a snack. And if your crackers have all core foods in them (i.e., no shortening, no white flour), then I guess that would be okay. But they'd really rather you snacked on something like fruit or veggies.

[MsMary]

I should probably just sign up myself to get the info.

But they'd really rather you snacked on something like fruit or veggies.

The problem with that is that it's not really filling. I guess the other part of the problem is that I may not be getting enough protein on my mostly veggie diet.

[aliantha]

Done, and thanks.

I beg to differ -- a cup of raw sugar snap peas is more filling, to me, than a cup of potato chips. Plus it's more fiber and *way* fewer calories. And white flour metabolizes about as fast as sugar does.

You're probably right, tho, that you're not getting enough protein. That will stay with you longer than just about anything else. I've also been guilty of not eating enough protein, or relying on regular (not lowfat) cheese as a protein source. I'm trying to learn to think of cheese as a condiment, kinda.