Fitness rather than weight loss
 

I tend to ask questions that no one answers, but I'm very curious about this one:

Does anyone work out to get fit rather than to lose weight, or is weight loss always a component.

I'm trying really hard to get out of the 'diet' frame of mind since I don't believe it works. It's not healthy for me.

So, I'm thinking of working out to see what my body can do,what I can lift, how fast /far I can go..stuff like that.

Also, do you think that certain body types lend themselves to certain activities? I read somewhere that ppl w/ narrow hips may be better at running than those w/ wide hips, or that a woman who is 'buildt' for shotput may not be as good at gynmastics..

My big goal is to change my perception and attitude.

thanks

Yes. I finally put a shift in my thinking to being HEALTHY rather than SKINNY. I take notice of the fact that I no longer get headaches, that I sleep through the night, that I have more energy. I look at, also, how far I can run, how many lunges I can do compared to what I was like before. It definitely is a lifestyle change. I pay more attention to what I'm putting in my body. My eating habits prior to what I'm doing now was such a dis honor to my body mind and soul. It's not to say I don't pay attention and sometimes get stuck on the scale, it's totally a key in my progress and motivation. But it's not the main purpose of my change.

I think you're on the right track :)

Weight loss was the major component that got me started.

As time and pounds went on, the focus has definitely shifted. These days the workouts are purely for fitness, endorphins and my enjoyment, not weight loss.

Do I think certain body types lend themselves to certain activities? Not really in the real noncompetitive world - it has more to do with mental desires. For instance, my close friend has very stocky short legs and a very big chest and trains to be a marathon runner. While another friend, a tiny little thing, lifts hard and heavy weights, aspires to do a bodybuilding competition. They don't care what body types they have, they just do it.

I want to lose weight because I want to be ehalthy and happy with my body and I think fitness is a huge part of that. I don't really look at it as a diet I'm just doing what I have to in order to be healthy.

And it's also strange that you should say certain bodies are better st certain sports and activities. I'm wider on top with thinner legs and so I find doing upper body strength much easier than anything else but obviously I dont want to look like the hulk so I try to do as much leg work as possible. I guess though just because some people are better made for certain sports, that doesnt mean they enjoy it.

I admit I run mainly to lose weight. I don't enjoy any type of cardio exercise and the only thing that keep me doing it is the focus on a weight goal. I am doing yoga, on the other hand, purely for health reasons. I don't think it plays a factor in weight loss, but it helps my mind and it makes my body feel good.

After many years of yo-yoing I 'gave up' on weightloss. I concentrated strictly on getting fit. Over the past 5 years I hve not only achieved being superbly fit but also lost over 80 pounds. the fitter I got, the more healthfully I ate and the more weight I lost. It was incredibly freeing to not think about weight loss so much. However, just bear in mind that you cannot eat tons of food and think that being fit will use up all those calories. It is still an 'expend more than you task in' concept. but you will enjoy your body more, relish in being strong, feel great, be less stressed and you will lose interest in unhealthy food over time. You soon figure out that you have to eat for fuel not for comfort. I lift weights (with the men, not puny little dumbells) do yoga and run 40 miles a week. The weight really started coming off when I moved from 15 miles a week to 30 and greater.
So go for fit. The rest will come.

I let go of the "diet" frame of mind over a year ago. I don't diet. I have a life and I want my life to be healthy. That means I eat healthy foods in reasonable quantities and I exercise.

Back in ... hm ... I'd say February, I bought the book New Rules of Lifting for Women and it really opened my eyes to the concept of forgetting about losing weight and working on building strength.

Prior to that I'd been working out with a trainer and doing a lot of weight lifting and resistance training and mostly following his suggestions for diet and exercise (e.g. lots of protein, incorporate HIIT, etc.) but it wasn't until I read this book that the whys and wherefores all came together and really triggered a major mindset change for me.

Of course I still want to lose weight, but I'm not "dieting" to lose weight. I am eating right and working out to be healthier and build strength. A nice benefit to that is continued weight loss.

AS far as certain body types being better for certain things, I think to *some* degree that's true. A lot of doctors have said that Lance Armstrong is so good at what he does because his body is uniquely structured to be almost the perfect cyclist. I think they did a study one time that measured all kinds of things like the ratio of thigh to calf, hip angle, etc. and came to the conclusion that he had the "perfect cyclists body".

But I think for most of us it's a moot point. And I certainly don't think that any one who is exercising at a normal healthy rate should change what they're doing for that reason unless it's a change to a sport or activity that they want to make.

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Oh, totally. I remember when I was just out of college thinking that if I joined a gym and worked out, I could eat whatever I wanted. So I'd go take a class - and I was in pretty good shape, really, back then - or I'd go hiking for an afternoon, or I'd spend an hour on the treadmill. And then I'd go out to eat with a friend and probably consume 2000 calories in one meal. But I thought I'd be ok, becuase I was working out every day.

You still have to eat healthily and in reasonable amounts.

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I watch what I eat for weight loss.

I lift weights (to get strong and maintain muscle) and do some cardio (for cardiovascular health).

The only adjustments I make is to make sure that I eat well enough to support the activities I do.

In the end though, weight loss is primarily a function of what we eat. :)

When I joined my gym and signed up with a trainer, my initial motivation was simply to be in better physical condition, especially to improve my cardiovascular health. I also was having some digestive issues that I hoped would be improved by exercise (and it took a lot longer than I thought, but I do think they've improved). But I didn't have a goal of losing weight because I didn't think I could. I thought that I had managed to screw up my metabolism and I'd read all those articles that say that maintaining weight loss isn't possible, and I thought I was just destined to be overweight. I thought that "pudgy and dumpy" was just my natural body shape. (And, who knows, maybe it is--maybe I'm fighting nature. There are definitely days when it feels that way.)

But, somewhere along the line, that changed. I can't pinpoint the exact moment, but at some point I decided that maybe I was wrong, maybe I could lose weight. So I decided to try to make some changes to my diet and see what happened. I was completely skeptical, but I gave my new diet four months to work. Well, as soon as I started paying attention to what I was eating, it pretty quickly became clear that I had been completely wrong. There was nothing wrong with my metabolism and I was absolutely capable of losing weight. So then exercise did become about weight loss in addition to being healthy.

At this point, my exercise routine is more about weight maintenance than being healthy, but being healthy is a great added benefit.

Excellent question.:)

While ultimately I am hoping to lose weight, my goal is to become fit and healthy. I am not thinking of it as a diet this time, so much as a meal plan and fitness routine.

My mindset is totally different this time. I have dieted throughout the years and never lost more than 5 lbs or so before giving up. Now that I am in the mindset that I am doing this to be fit and healthy so I can live to see my girls grow up I have already lost 12 lbs and I am not thinking "ugh, I have to exercise now." or "why can't I eat that?" Instead I am thinking and saying things like "come on girls lets get you in the stroller." and "I love raw vegetables." Always having them covered in cheese, sauce or butter I never really appreciated how crisp and clean they taste just as they are.

I do need to lose weight because my weight is unhealthy, but that is only part of my getting fit-not the other way around. :yoga:

I would say I no longer exercise to lose weight because I don't truly believe exercise does much in regards to weight loss. I believe that what you eat has a much greater impact.

So my goal is to improve and get better at things and that is my goals with exercise.

Weight loss is definitely one of the reasons I work out but it's not the only one. Working out makes daily life easier. I lift weights so carrying a heavy trash bag to the dumpster isn't so difficult or dragging groceries from my car to my house doesn't kill my arms. I run and take aerobics classes to condition my heart so carrying a laundry basket up a flight of stairs doesn't wind me. Plus, I feel so good after a workout.

One thing I forgot to say is that even though I believe nutrition is the largest portion of weight loss, I do find that I eat a lot better when I exercise. Also, I love my little HRM which is motivating sometimes but realistic. I did a good hour of cardio the other day and it said I burned 600 calories. Did a good weight workout for half an hour the other day and told me I burned 50.

Hrmm... interesting... :chin:

Right now, weight loss is 'always' a component for me. It began as the only reason, though. Now, I recognize that running, walking up an incline, doing wall-pushups have their place in keeping me more fit rather than "only" improving weight loss. I now play around with times on the treadmill "How long can I do this?" or my number of push-ups "How many can I do?".

Exercise will continue to be a way to lose, and eventually, maintain my weight, but it seems to have blossomed into more than that as time has gone by.

I wonder if there have been studies on this.

I think it's entirely possible that one body shape is more adept at certain activities. All shapes having an advantage in one thing or another. Not that any shape can't do any activity.

It's like a person's brain. Some people are born with an inate ability to, say for example, draw. Yes, gives them an edge, but that edge will only take a person so far.