BeforeWisdom, Zoebird, other fitness buffs...

[vggiegirl]

newbie fitness question :p

For someone who is pitifully out of shape (Working on dropping 50lbs)
Is it best to start with toning or aerobics or a combo of both? I am climb a flight of stairs and have to rest out of shape, so I don't want to overdo it.

I have some Richard Simmons tapes lol and Walk Away the Pounds dvd (1 mile) which is fairly low impact.

Should I work on aerobic to help drop the weight and then tone? Or should they go hand in hand. I have two stomachs to get rid of :P


Thanks guys! You both always have such helpful, down to earth advice :) :hamster:

[kat]

I would start building up your activity slowly rather than jumping in at the deep end. If you are strugglying in a class you may get put off. Walk as much as possible, going to the shops, to a friends house. Maybe invest in a bike, but build up the amount of exercise slowly. Also try out different exercises to see what you enjoy, you're often allowed to sit in or even try out classes.

When I started my tae kwon do class I wasn't expected to do as many sit ups/ press ups etc as the others. It was a little embarassing as she always called out my name, but it helped me build up my amount slowly, rather than jumping in, not being able to do so many and feeling like I'd failed.

I think the work outs and toning should be hand in hand.

Good luck with it all,

Kat

[beforewisdom]

I'm not a fitness expert.

A few years ago I was in your spot, starting over again.

I know that when people are very, very heavy they are advised to diet down before they do intense aerobic exercise to avoid making a joint problem. Find a good sports medicine doctor like an orthopedic surgeon with a good physical therapy clinic to get this question answered.

Assuming you can exercise, you can do a lot with simple walking. Start off small, keep a log, and build up when what you are doing feels ridiculously easy.

You are probably also stiff and weak in some basic places. A good Iyengar or other yoga class with a lot of standing asanas could help here. Make sure you do plenty of abwork, hamstring loosening, and calf stretching as well.

You might want to start a calorie log and weigh yourself once a week. Doing this will tell you how much food you really need & it will keep you from snacking which is probably the culprit for the weight gain.

Don't try to lose more then 2 pounds a week as you will be more likely to gain it back.

After you have been at it for a while you will want to look into weight training as that helps fat loss a lot.

[zoebird]

50 lbs is doable in a few short months--like 6--if you do a combination of exercise and diet.

i agree with BW about taking time and easing into the exercise. The first aspect is getting a pattern set. Same with diet--you really want to get a pattern going. Calorie restriction is a good idea, but don't go below 1500 calories.

i recommend dividing your meals into 6 small meals a day (each on a complete meal with protien, complex and simple carbohydrates, and fat). if you have a diet of 1800 calories a day, each one will average 300 cals. This keeps blood sugar and hormone levels pretty even. That helps you fuel your body properly and tells your body that you're going to feed it, which helps you loose weight.

As for the exercise, i highly recommend a bit of both. First, i want to tell you that there is no such thing as "toning." you're either buidling muscle or your not. If you are, then that's agood thing as it helps your joints and bones, helps you loose weight. "toning" doesn't really refer to anything, except perhaps leanness as opposed to muscle mass. But, everyone needs some muscle mass, so you're probably going to build it. Second, onto the program.

you need to do whatever interests you and keeps you inspired. If that's Richard Simmons or walk away the lbs, then do them. If it's something else, then do that. I also recommend a weight routine--twice a week in a gym for 30 minutes. YOu'll do basic exercises like this:

day one: squat or leg press; bench press; overhead press; weighted crunches
day two: dead lift or leg curl; row; pull downs or chin ups; weighted crunches or side bends

on these two days, you also do about 30 minutes of cardio--or as much as you can do up to 30 minutes. On the other four days, you do 30 minutes of cardio--or as much as you can up to 30 minutes. One day a week is for rest.

So, if you have access to a gym, which is a good idea, then these are the basic exercises that you need to do. I recommend asking the personal traininer to take you through the appropriate form. FOcus completely on form and don't move up in any weight until you feel comfortable with the form. it's ok to use low weight until you get good at the form. Form is most important. VERY IMPORTANT. weight training is a skill--treat it as such. Do it right, and you'll progress for many years to come. Do it wrong, it's the fast way to injury that may last a lifetime. FOCUS ON FORM.

same is true with cardio. No matter what cardio you're doing, focus on form and alignment. Safety for knees, hips, shoulders. If you don't know what that means, then ask someone specifically trainined--again, your trainer. If you feel injury coming on or pains, then stop what you're doing and ask for help (you can ask here too).

You can do this, but be patient and be persistant. Throw out your scale and don't worry about weight. Do the work, focus on form, eat well to treat your body right. Feel good about exercise and about yourself. And that'll make you healthy. It's likely that in a few months your clothes will fall off of you and you'll go--oh, i must have lost some weight! (true story, happened to me).

:) good luck!

[vggiegirl]

Thanks so much guys :) As for weights, I am looking into maybe being able to join the Y. I am calling tonight on my way home from work to see how much it is... i wish i wasn't just so friggin tired all the time, but hopefully after i get into a rythem it won't be so bad. I think to begin maybe for the next few weeks I will try and start the video. That way I can ease my way into setting aside this block of time, which will be hard at first. AFter I see that it isn't the end of the world to do so, I'd like to (maybe) head to the gym. I'll look into whether they have personal training. Bally's or similar gyms is out of the question. I want to work out, not watch dumb people pick each other up. In chicago, you pretty much don't bother joining these places unless you are already thin and attractive.

I was thinking of possibly joining weight watchers since it's across the street from my apt. since I have no willpower...maybe the group environment will help me. I'm just afraid I'll run into a bunch of atkins advocates. I can get that at home :rolleyes:

so anyway...6 months would be great but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Thanks you guys so much! :)
Erin :hamster:

[Jinga]

Zoebird already covered the food/exercise stuff, but I just wanted to say that I dropped 30lbs a few years ago ... and have kept it all off! Its hard work to change habits, but its worth it in the end. You can do it :vebo:

[IamJen]

:up: to the Y...I just took my first workout at the one by my new house, last night. I've never found another place where you'll find people of all sizes and shapes working to better their health. It's a great place to go if you're struggling with body image issues.

Most fitness gurus will say do the weight training along with any cardio/aerobic stuff you start. I found that it was kind of a double edged sword. You're likely to lose more weight if you're not doing a lot of resistance exercise, but what's left of you will probably *look* better/firmer if you do it along the way.

[pseudo_vegan]

http://www.bodyforlife.com

It's this...contest or something people apparently get into...I would *highly* suggest visiting the site b/c, although most meal plans, etc. involve meat (and/or EAS's SUPER TASTY SUPPLEMENTS!! :spew: ...), you can adapt. It gives good advice and if you look at the before's and after's of people who've done it, it gives you a good feeling (it's down to earth people who get super buff!).

I'm currently following the exercise program...not so much the meals (just b/c I don't eat meat and EAS doesn't have vegan supplements)...and it's good to have a plan. So whether you set it up for yourself or adapt it from that website (or any other plan that's out there), I think it makes it easier. That way you have something in mind; something to aim for instead of just staring out the window deciding what to do.

Best of luck, be safe, and have fun! :)

:nigel: Cheers!

[Jes]

You shouldn't find too many Atkins advocates at Weight Watchers. It's sort of the least restrictive environment for reducers. It's also the most successful.

Good luck! Start out slowly and you'll be in shape before you know it!

[zoebird]

the main thing is to get into the habit.

Ys are great places in that they have personal trainers available to you. YOu usualy get your intro session for free--they introduce you to the machines, etc. After that, you'll pay for sessions, but the cost less than ones in gyms. it may be a good idea to pay for 6 or 8 sessions just to make sure that you're learning the form.

when you do get a personal trainer, i want you to take them the list of exercises that you want to do and the split. Do not go in for the garbage that they want to take you through. They are taught to 'change things up' to keep you interested in buying more sessions. That's really it. Trainers will tell you that functional training is best, but once you have the form, you have no need for a personal trainer. So, what do they do? they never let you master any one exercise so that you always need them! this is how they earn a living.

so, take the program that i gave you and tell them *i want to do this* and then do it.

Also, weight watchers has a vegetarian (and in some places a vegan) meal plan that you can get. also, it's pretty easy to learn how to use the point system with any food. so, it's a good place to join. my mother did really well on WW< and still keeps hte points even though she no longer goes for weigh-ins.

[ForestGlade34]

since no-one looks to have mentioned it yet, I'll drop this by you vggiegirl >>

www.veganfitness.net
www.veganbodybulding.com

I wish you good info pickings and exercise fruition and weight loss and overall getting in shape and feeling better about yourself!....

[Quizeen]

I want to second the recommendation for veganfitness.net. Everyone there rocks and is very knowledgeable.

Also, I lost 15 pounds a few years ago with Weight Watchers (and exercise) as a vegan (I've kept it off, too). It's probably the most vegan-friendly mainstream weightloss plan available. Highly recommended.