I have been watching what I eat and making little changes now for a couple of months - but I have to exercize or it won’t help enough! I don’t know what I weigh, but I know it’s too much. I am wearing a size 18, and it should be 12 for my build. I have clothes I can’t wear, and I get tired too easily. So - back to the gym, and checking here for support! Thanks!
Jodi:
Tell me about it. Turns out my starting weight that I originally posted of 205 lbs. was off, recalled from my last visit to the orthopedic doctor at the beginning of the year. I’m actually starting from 210. 
But yeah, I’m with you–it’s lean muscle mass! Now you’ll start some serious fat burning.
I met on Saturday with one of the physical trainers at the gym, and we put together a beginning upper-body workout consisting of:
2 sets of inclined press at 70-80 lbs.
1 set of flat press at 80 lbs.
2 sets of flys at 30-40 lbs.
2 sets of pull-downs at 75 lbs.
2 sets of compound row at 70 lbs.
2 sets of bicep curls at 50 lbs.
2 sets of tricep curls at 40 lbs.
(Boy, those weight numbers sure show how out-of-shape I am . . .)
I’m going to do this for a week, along with some cardio on the treadmill or bike, then next Saturday we’ll see how it’s going and put together a lower-body routine that I can alternate. After two more weeks, we’ll check my progress, make adjustments, and keep on moving.
Needless to say, I’m sore as hell. That second day of a new routine is hard, and I really had to push myself to get the last couple of reps out of each set.
Go Phil! I see you can still lift your arms up high enough to type – way to go! 
But are you doing that routine every day? Seems to me I heard somewhere that to maximize a weight routine you should work a muscle one day and then rest one day – so do upper body and lower body on alternate days. Has anyone else heard this, or am I just off in my own little world again? Anyway, you might check with your trainer.
I walked to church and back today (memo to self: wear flats, not heels, if walking to church), which was not hard enough to constitute an actual workout, but it did constitute “getting off my ass,” which is pretty much all I can ask on a Sunday. And I did not eat the big piece of CHEESECAKE with FRESH HUCKLEBERRY SAUCE that was offered to me for desert last night. Heck, if I continue to do this well, I should gain at least two pounds next week! :rolleyes:
Looking forward to reading everyone’s Monday morning reports!
Jodi,
You’re right - the general concensus is that it’s not a good to work the same muscle groups two days in a row. My PT concurs. It has something to do with the muscles fibers needing to recover to grow. If you’re doing high reps with low weights, this probably isn’t going to apply, but then again if you’re doing high reps with low weights, you’re probably not going to be gaining much muscle mass anyway.
I try to lift 3 times a week, but I am on hold now since my herniated disk is acting up. I hate being stuck at home - I can only sit for about 30 minutes at a time, then I have to go get horizontal somewhere. I am dreading my next workout because I suspect it’s not going to be for a week or two and it’ll probably hurt like hell. :eek:
One of the things I really like about resistance training is that if you don’t rest much between sets, you can get a cardio workout at the same time. I hate cardio - the only time I spend on the cardio machines is to warm up.
BTW, “Weight Training for Dummies” has a lot of good info in it for newbies. I am definitely still a newbie at resistance training, and still have a lot to learn and a long way to go. But after about 6 weeks I started to notice the difference.
*Originally posted by iampunha *
**
Wow. Wow, again. The other day you made my day and now you’ve just made my whole year. Thank you.
I think you look better than “good.” And you can believe me.
What is it about us? We both think each other looks good, but we don’t see it in ourselves. What gives?
Peace,
Tracy
I did eat a lot this weekend, but that’s Ok because I biked both Saturday and Sunday. And I also bought lots of healthy food for this week. No more fast food lunches.
Here’s a link that might give inspiration. I like reading things like this when I’m trying to be healthy.
http://www.prevention.com/2000/52ways/page2.html
Peace,
Tracy
Ok, I might as well put up some stats now…
age:17
height:5’9"-5’10"
weight:[no comment]
desired weight: lose enough so that my stomach’s a teeny bit flatter and more muscular all over [approximately 10-20 lbs.]
I just want my clothes to fit more nicely, and to be able to wear a little bikini to the beach. Tankini will do for now.
If you’re going to run with a dog, please make sure you get a breed that can handle it and be careful. Chicago has a “Bark in the Park” race where people run with their dogs. This year, three dogs died during the race!
A good book – I bunch of pages are hanging up in my basement. Another good resource I use with the Dummies book is GetFit, http://www.getfit.com Go to the Interactive Fitness section and you can customize a bunch of weight exercises (free weights, body weight, weight machines). Video clips show the correct way to do the lift, very useful to make sure you’re doing it right.
Today I walked for 1 hour on the treadmill, then did 3 sets of 12 reps on the leg press at 100 lbs, and 3 sets of 12 reps on the calf raise machine at 20 lbs (my ankles and calves are weak).
Of course, I’m eating everthing I can get my hands on, damnit.
My husband and I are planning our Utah trip–it looks like we’ll be hiking at least 10 days of the 14 we will be away. Sort of kick-starting my fitness plan.
urp
Let’s see.
Saturday: since friday obviously did not count.
Woke up, and cooked SOS. Ate it all with 8 slices of buttered toast. (SOS, aka Shit On a Shingle: Ground or chipped beef, flour, milk, salt pepper, served over toasted bread). 1 Lb of ground beef used. Whole milk, Vitamin D enriched. For a beverage, I had more milk.
Lunch: tortilla chips with a hint of lime, dipped in salasa con queso. And beer.
Dinner: 16 oz. New York Strip, 6 grilled shrimp, broccoli with butter, garlic bread, pina colada milkshake.
Late night snack: 5 slices hard salami.
Sunday was a blur, but was McDonalds night. 2 Big Macs for $2. I ate 4, and a super-size fries.
Saturday was spent guzzling beer, wolfing down grilled vegetables, and running around like a madman. No, really, like a madman. I went to war, you see. Block wide water gun battles are the only way to exercise. Think I’m kidding? You try sprinting in a low crouch, rolling across lawns, leaping over the neighbors flowerbeds, and getting completely waterlogged for a few hours and tell me you’re not sore the next day. Heck, my thighs and ass still burn today!
I think I will try to avoid normal, traditional methods of exercise for as long as I can. This week will be spent hauling truckloads of computers all over New Hampshire and Massachusetts while eating loads of rich food purchased with company money. I should be able to add on at least a kilo with all that heavy lifting and eating. If all goes well, I’ll spend next weekend rowing vigorously in a local lake only taking breaks to suck down some scotch and picnic-y foods. As Autumn swoops in and closes it’s dreary, chilly grasp on New England, I go back to my formal martial arts training 2 to 4 days a week. I’m long overdue for a good ass whippin’ anyway. In winter, I’ll take up skiing – a surefire way to harden the legs, trim the ass and empty out the wallet! By New Year, I’ll be the great and sinewy Adonis of my dreams [sub](and everyone else’s)[/sub]! Yay for me!
What do the Doper’s think? Is this a good way for me to put on weight and harden my body, or am I headed for certain disaster? Is it important for me to have a routine to gain weight, or should I continue to do random weird stuff that requires serious physical exertion?
Mr. C – Sounds like you can be my workout buddy anytime. My Sunday went like this:[ul][li]Breakfast: Donuts, scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee.[/li][li]Lunch: Turkey sandwich with bacon leftover from breakfast, chips, crackers with cheese and venison sausage, one beer (new Glarus Uff-Da Bock. Extra thick).[/li][li]Snacks during the Packer game: Venison sausage, cheese, crackers, nachos, 3 more bocks.[/li][li]Dinner: One hamburger and three bratwurst on the grill, baked beans, potato salad, chips. For dessert, a huge bowl of Breyers Cherry Vanilla ice cream. It lacked something, so I added a handful of Hershey’s chocolate chips.[/ul][/li]Thought about going down to the basement and working out, but wound up watching football all night instead.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by 5que *
**
Excellent point. Also, it’s not considered a good idea to do long runs with your puppy, particularly on pavement, until the dog is at least 6 months old, because it’s very easy for them to damage their joints running on pavement, and a silly puppy doesn’t know when he’s had too much.
http://www.k9web.com is a good resouce for anything doggie-related.
Today I started riding my bike around a section of town. It really wasn’t bad at all. I took along my walkman to listen to some tapes, and the tapes really helped keep it from being boring. I had to be careful, i started singing along…don’t want strangers thinking i’m some weirdo or something :). I went around 4 times, which took me 45 minutes to do.
The only realy sore part of me is right where my leg muscles meet my glutes…yeesh. Well, i guess i’ll only be doing that every other day so my muscles can recover. Probably on the off days i’ll do pushups and sit ups, that kind of stuff. Anyway, it’s not as bad as I thought. Changing the seat to the wider one really did help.
If I keep this up, I may actually be thin by the time my brother’s wedding happens (in about 1 year from now). The only problem with losing weight…all the clothes i’ve bought recently might be too loose (the pants mostly).
Been a bad boy this weekend. Booze on Saturday, booze on Sunday. That stuff has LOTS of calories.
I hope this isn’t a double post–forgive me, if it is.
Can’t help chiming in here. I’ve only seen a few here whose physical health has really gotten out of control! Good job everyone on being willing to tackle it early. I nearly waited too long.
Vital stats: 48 years old, 5 feet 6 inches.
Weight: Well, I’m too embarrassed, actually. I’ll only say that no one on here has yet posted a weight as high as mine when I started (and, yes, I saw that 263–not close). I was wearing size 28 or larger at my worst. I won’t say how far I have to go, because I don’t regard this as something with an end point, but rather a change in the way I live. But I’m lookin’ good.
What motivated me: I nearly died from overweight and related complications. I realized I would have died from neglect, from not taking care of myself. How stupid.
How I started exercise: Very very very very very slowly. I couldn’t walk 30 minutes. Not just my heart and lungs couldn’t take it–my knees and feet couldn’t either. It HURT. So I walked 5 minutes, three or four times a day, but every single day. I now walk over an hour a day–sometimes in segments, sometimes all together, and two or more hours a day on weekends. I have not missed one day since I started. I don’t intend to. I’m hoping to “walk a marathon” in the spring.
How I started weights–got some hand weights and just looked at them for months. Too intimidating. They sat on my dresser and mocked me. My kids played with them, the cat sniffed at them, but I didn’t touch them, except to dust on rare occasions. And then, one day, I just started using them. Read the instructions in the box. Was easy.
How I started new eating habits: Wonderful nutritionist told me to eat 8-10 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day, two servings of skim milk, cut down on the meat & fat, increase the whole grains, and do it for the rest of my life. I have. I will.
Thanks for starting this thread. I’d welcome an e-mail “life-style-change” buddy who’s also dealing seriously with mega-weight loss issues.
Peta, lets meet in the middle! 180 lbs. By Xmas.
WHoever gets closer buys the other a veggie meal!
I was bad today. I exercised (I guess). Walked 3 blocks to school, walked probably a mile and a half while at school (much of it stairs), and walked 3 blocks home.
Breakfast: can o’ Coke.
Lunch: Snicker bar, and a can o’ Coke.
Currently (let’s call it un-supper, since it’s suppertime but I haven’t made any supper yet): can o’ Coke.
Calories from the Cokes:
420, 0 fat
Calories from the Snicker bar:
280, 130 fat
Total caloric intake so far for the day: 700, 130 fat (less than recommended limit of 30% of calories from fat…at least there’s that.)
So…what’s a good daily calorie limit? Think I can have like, a turkey sandwich later or something if I switch to water for the rest of the night?
I started the Somersizing way of eating. (ChrisCTP thinks I am nuts 
)
After discussing the basics of the program to my older brother, he said that his swim coach in college (about 15 years ago) preached the same principles to his team. Since a major university swim coach said this is the way to go 15 years ago I am reinforced by Suzanne Somers’ way of eating.
The cool thing is, there is no calorie counting, no set portions and very little to cut out. The only problem I have is cutting out my beer!
Here are the basics of her Level One if anyone is interested in finding out more about it.
Fruits – eat on an empty stomach. Wait 20 minutes before eating a carbo based meal and an hour before eating a protein/fat based meal.
Carbos, do not eat with any protein or fat foods. Yep that means you don’t indulge in fettucini alfredo or toast with butter. Also, you do not eat refined flours, only whole grain foods. This is fine with me because I prefer the nuttier taste of whole grain pasta, breads and such.
Proteins/fats, do not eat with carbos. Pretty simple actually. Instead of that roll with your steak, add a few extra vegies.
A few no-nos, sugared foods (no problem I rarely eat sugar), alcohol (problem here, I love my beer and it’s full of carbs but I am cutting back!) certain nuts, avocados, caffiene (no problem here I have hardly been drinking coffee for two months, mostly water), low fat or whole milk (technically this is a combo food – both fat and carbs) but no-fat milk is considered a carbo.
Anyhow, it seems complicated but really isn’t. The only disappointing news I got was cutting out potatoes and corn. She states that it causes a sugar surge and adds weight, which makes sense since most of my weight has come from processed flours, lots of potatoes and the like in the past three years (high starch foods).
The main thing is, your body digests these foods in different ways. When you combine the foods (carbs with fats/protiens) your digestive system is unable to digest the food properly. Another point my brother reinforced to me.
Anyhow, just thought I would add my steps to loosing some inches and weight. I even joined a message board dedicated to Somersizing.