Hi! New to the Group, Seeking Advice!

E

eviesmommy

New member
Hi Everyone!


Ok....I have been on this High Protein diet for a little over 2 months now. I eat right at 1200 calories a day, Drink 80oz-100oz of water a day... I also go to the gym every morning at the same time, and workout for 1-1.5hrs....mostly cardio, but (I am still fairly new to this weight loss game, lol) when do I do weight training? or do I? I am trying to lose weight and tone up, I started weighing 194lbs, and I am down to 166lbs, my goal is 130-140. I just don't know which exercises to do, or which ones work best, or which ones are long term....AND I also have physical limitations, which puts a damper on how much I can do on some things (But NOT all, I am fully determined and focused...I just know my limits to some things) and I am female, so I don't want to "Bulk" up :)


And also...What about my heart rate? I have heard that for better results, your heart rate is supposed to reach a certain number...is it supposed to stay there the whole duration of the workout?


and I just want to say that I am proud of myself for doing this the healthy way. A part of the reason I got as big as I did were due to yoyo starvation diets/anorexia...and I know now that in order to keep the weight off, you have to actually EAT healthy and EXERCISE...just reminding myself!


Thanks!
 
Hey eviesmommy, congrats on the success so far!


First off, you will not "bulk up" if you do weight training... this is a myth so please don't believe people who tell you that you will... unless of course, you plan to take steroids...


Aim for doing weight training 2-3 days per week on non-consecutive days. Mon, Wed, Fri works well for a lot of people. Try 8-10 exercises that incorporate all of the major muscle groups, 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions should be a good starting point. Start with light weights and really focus on proper form. Then gradually progress to heavier weights until you find that at the end of your reps, you feel like you could maybe do 1 or 2 more reps, but not so heavy that you can't keep proper form during ALL reps.


Try to stick with more compound exercises like squats, lunges, chest press and/or or pushups, rowing-type exercises, pull ups and/or lat pulldowns, deadlifts (I know they sound scary) versus only doing isolation exercises like knee extensions, ham curls, etc. Your best bet to avoid injury and take away some of the fear of trying these exercises would be to hire a personal trainer for at least one or two sessions. You said that you have physical limitations, so the exercises that I listed above may or may not be appropriate for you. Also, a personal trainer should be able to set some target heart rates if you want them, based on your fitness level, medications, and medical history.


As for heart rate, there are many different ways you can do cardio. Steady state is where your heart rate stays roughly the same for the duration of the workout. You may be interested in trying some interval training, where you mix short bursts of higher intensity intervals with easier, active recovery intervals. This is sort of like using a "Hill" program on the elliptical or treadmill, where the resistance or speed change throughout your workout.


I hope that helps a bit, ask more questions if anything is unclear :)
 
i think it's great that you know both diet and exercise is needed to lose weight. My suggestion is to engage in cardio 30-45 minutes a day and do circuit training at the gym 3 times a week. Also, getting involved in yoga class can do great wonders too. Hopefully this helps :)
 
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