I am surrounded at work by stick-thin, gorgeous women, most of them younger than what I’m wearing. And here’s me, getting fatter and older and saggier by the minute. I am on another starvation diet, trying to get back down to a size 10 (I’ll never be an 8 again!). So far I have a pretty much constant stomach-ache, and a low-level background hum of hunger and nausea. That’s good, right?
I can’t afford lipo; throwing up makes me sick; and I get too hungry to be anorexic. So it’s back to the goddam gym, which I haaaate. I’m going to price some in the neighborhood, and go during lunch hour.
I already walk about 2 miles/day—any suggestions on which would be the best things at the gym to generally get my metabolism up and generally lose weight? I am not aiming to look like Mrs. Terminator.
Well, I would recommend Pilates for toning and strengthening. I don’t have any idea what it does for the metabolism.
BTW - Arnold weighed 240 lbs when he won the Mr. Universe title(s) in 1968 (isn’t the web wonderful?). At 6’2" his optimal weight was 172 - 197 lbs.
I have maybe lost 5 pounds in the last two years doing Pilates, but I look like I’ve lost about 20, and I feel much better about my body, which IMO is more important anyway. If you look and feel taut and fit who cares what you weigh?
I may try one of their lunchtime classes. The only way I am going to use those goddam torture devices is if Ilsa, She-Wolf of the S.S., is standing over me with a gun.
I suggest taking a few classes. To me they are more fun the working out by myself. And, once you start a class you have to finish it or feel like a wuss for walking out early.
I am really bad about getting on a bike or treadmill planning to do an hour and then getting bored and quiting after 15 minutes. It is much harder to give up after 15 minutes in a class with everyone watching you walk out.
I have really enjoyed Pilates (no machines used), Yoga, Spinning (uses the bikes), Kickboxing, and weight training classes where we used fairly light weights with TONS of reps.
Don’t starve yourself! This is the single biggest mistake that most people make trying to lose weight. If you eat too little, your body will shed muscle and convert any extra calories you get to fat, which is not what you want.
If you’ve been doing this for a while, you really are going to have to take up weights. Muscle is metabolism, so if you want more of the one, you’ve got to get more of the other. If you’re worried about bulking up, you shouldn’t be–if I were training a woman, I’d give her $100 if she bulked up in six months. I’d probably make that offer to most guys, actually.
Spend some time reading this site, a great lifting site. You may also want to check out Body For Life–I wouldn’t do it, but a lot of people have gone from not doing anything to being in halfway decent shape on that program.
Don’t believe all the hype about Pilates. It’s a good program for flexibility and balance, but it doesn’t burn enough calories to make you lean, and it doesn’t involve enough resistance to build much muscle.
And don’t write off that size 8 just yet. You take up a good weight training program, eat well, and sleep enough, and you can realistically make it.
If you need help setting up a routine, I’ll be glad to give you some pointers.
Fairly light weights with lots of reps will build endurance, but it’s not as good at fat-burning as aerobics or moderate weights with moderate reps. That’s a pretty popular misconception.
I am having a scorching affair (which began a couple of months ago) with the elliptical trainer. 30-40 minutes every day before work burns about 400-450 calories for me.
I can’t decide if it’s working or not. I feel like I’m a hot tamale (I can see that I’ve slimmed down, but can also see that my legs, arms, shoulders, and ass are becoming more toned and shapely), but my mom worries that I’ll turn into The Terminator, while my SO thinks I’m looking a little too Calista Flockhart.
So I can’t win.
At any rate, I recommend the elliptical trainer to everyone–I think it’s great! If you are a more social gymgoer, however, you might go for a class of some sort instead. Have you considered consulting a personal trainer for a session or two once you join?
Here’s the deal Eve-I’m starting to suffer from middle-age-femalitis as well and I’m not willing to starve myself either.
So if the majority of the population is now composed of aging baby-boomers, why don’t we start the lush is beautiful movement?
Think Lily Langtry, think La Belle Epoque!
(without the corsets of course-no need to become extremists)
For me, the only thing that helped losing weight was running. Treadmill, elliptical trainer, outside, you name it. Helps you lose fat at those hard to reach places (i.e. thighs, butt and stomach).
For toning, I’ll second / third / whatever Pilates. Hey, if it’s good enough for Madonna, I’ll try it. At first you might feel a little bit stupid trying to roll around on the floor graciously but it really does help.
I generally avoid the machines on account of being bored to death after some reps. And that’s not good if you’re trying to work up the motivation to go there.
For reasons of motivation, classes might be your best bet. That and getting a friend to join with you so you can point at each other and yell: “Get yer lazy bee-hind off the couch NOW” or some such.
You might consider working out in the morning before work, if possible. That way you’ll be more likely to get to the gym rather having to skip a lunchtime workout because you have to be ready for a 1PM meeting.
Well, I already walk briskly about two miles a day, so I don’t need *that *kind of exercise–and I hate bicycling. I think the gym offers all kinds of midday 45-minute classes, in ab thingies, and general leaping-about-like-an-idiot. That might be my best bet–as In Conceivable said, peer pressure might keep me there.
There is no way I am going to the gym before work (not awake yet) or after work (too damn tired and I want to get the hell home). Lunchtime.
Oh, people are always telling me that “starving yourself won’t make you lose weight,” but you never see chubby sailors getting off lifeboats after a momnth lost at sea, now do you? Besides, my idea of “starvation” largely consist of no ice cream or biscuits.
I’ll second auntie em’s praise of the eliptical trainer. When I get to the gym (unfortuantely not as much as I’d like), I generally try to do 30-35 minutes on one of those babys. Depending on which machine I use, they say I burn anywhere between 750 - 900 calories (FYI: I’m 6’4", 255-260). The really nice thing about them is that they aren’t hard on my knees like running and I don’t get more of a full-body effect then with a exercise bike.
Of course, now that it’s finally nice out, I’ve started riding my bicycle again. Just got back from an hour and a half ride. No better way to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, IMHO.
How I managed to lose 30 lbs in 5 months (this is after I got done playing college football and didn’t need the extra weight anymore): Continue to do your current workout, and add a little bit at a time when you can. When I ate, I made it a point to eat about 1/2 of what I had eaten before. Yeah, it sucked for the first two weeks (I was hungry all the time, and not very plesant to be around), but soon your stomach adjusts and you can be filled up on less food.
It’s a struggle to keep my weight down, but all it takes is a bit of dedication.
What is an elliptical trainer? I’m picturing a big wheel that you get into and toll aroumd, like a hamster. I’m rather hoping that’s what it is, that would be rather fun!
I’ll third the elliptical trainer. I just finally got my rapidly sagging behind to the gym to start exercising again, after three foot surgeries in two years and basically not being able to do anything, and it’s ideal for me – no impact while giving me a better workout in a shorter time than a bike or treadmill. Plus my knees like it better.
Eve, think of it as standing and kind of bicycling on footpads – not as big a motion as bicycling, not as much knees as a stairstepper. The footpads go around in an elliptical shape, hence the name. (Personally, I prefer satisfy my Inner Geek and call it the Transporter, since the model my gym has is called a Transport.)
But for me the most important thing is setting up an exercise program that fits my needs/wants, likes/dislikes, abilities/disabilities – and I’ve been lucky that there’s a young woman at my gym who is working with me on just that. Not personal training, just getting me going in a way that makes me WANT to keep doing it. She’s very motivating, I’m not quite sure why, but I’m happy to accept that it is since exercise is something I hate, hate, HATE.
For me, seeing a size 12 again would be a miracle of Og – haven’t seen that since my son was born (and incidentally ruined my metabolism) 19 years ago! And a “diet” consists of cutting back on extras and only indulging in occasional beignets (hey, I live in New Orleans, can’t give them up COMPLETELY!).
I recommend talking to folks at the gyms you go to check out and pick the one where there’s someone who’s most willing to work with you to come up with what you need. No point in signing up for something you’ll never use because you hate it!
Eve, While it is true you will lose weight in the short term, starvation tends to catch up with you and make you pack on more pounds than you lost as soon as you relax your guard a tiny bit, including just trying to maintain your weight instead of losing. I speak from experience. Although if your starvation does just mean “no ice cream or biscuits” you should be ok. Maybe a dietitian would help. The one I have to help me with my gestational diabetes has been very helpful in developing a good diet that I could follow, as well as being wonderful in motivating me to stick to the diet.
I know a lot of people react that way to this idea, and admittedly it can be very difficult to get out of bed early. But I actually find I have more energy throughout the day if I can get myself up and to the gym in the morning.
Just give it a try once or twice, if you can. If you really hate it you don’t have to do it again.
Eve, have you considered joining a program like Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem to lose weight? Starvation is really not the way to go. I’ve lost 24 lbs since January 1 and I’m never, ever hungry (Atkins for me). I also have the energy to exercise, which you’re not going to have if you eat only granola bars for breakfast and apples for lunch like you did yesterday. Believe it or not, you do not have to suffer to lose weight.
As for exercises, use low weights, many reps. (Example, get an 8 or 10 lb barbell and do various arm exercises with it). The more muscle you have, the more weight you’ll burn even when you’re not doing anything. It also strengthens your bones to help prevent osteo[sub]::mumble mumble:: The word just slipped out of my brain.[/sub]
20 minutes doing some kind of cardio 3 days a week and 20 minutes/half an hour doing some kind of weights the other 3 days with a day’s rest (or 2 days with 2 days rest) should set you up a treat. Even better if you do intervals in the cardio exercise (intervals = doing bursts of high intensity exercise with moderate intensity in between).
Cutting out milk chocolate, cakes, ice cream, most cookies (I’d have one a day, maybe), beer (except for special occasions), cheese, rich sauces and fatty meat, going for whole grains and upping fruit and vegetable intake seems to work on the diet front.
I feel your pain, lady. I just joined a gym too. Curves for women.
Its great, like gym for idiots, (of which I am one.) They have this circuit of ten alteranting machines and platforms, and a tape tells you to change stations every thrity seconds. Jog, machine, jog, machine. In a half hour you’re done. Not too expensive either. I think there’s one on 14th street and one in the 60s.
