Hi all! I stumbled upon this site and I just know I'm going to learn a lot here.
A little background: I am almost 41, female, 4 kids, divorced. I live in VERY Northern Wisconsin. Small town. I have a degree in physical education from Purdue U. I taught gym for 5 years before I had my kids. I'm ready to get back to teaching but there are no job openings, so I picked up a job at the local YMCA as a fitness coach a couple years ago.
I have never been over weight. In fact, I had the opposite problem. Too skinny -which is what led me to my profession! I started lifting weights to gain weight and now I love every minute of physical activity.
So why am I here? I have been under pressure at work to get certified in personal training. Right now I lead fitness classes similar to P90X or Insanity and the Y wants me to do 1 on 1 training, too. I don't really think I'd be good at it. Why not? Because I simply don't fully understand all the issues that lead to weight gain.
So I joined here to be able to give and receive help! I can give solid tips (although I don't think I'd be needed because all the info I've read on here so far is thorough and correct) and I want to understand every issue affecting weight loss (a term I hate. I prefer to call it lifestyle change) so I can be more empathetic, understanding, be able to predict set backs and so on.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Hi Fitness and welcome to 3FC!
We are in the process of buying a house in the northwoods, tho maybe not as far north as you are.
Regarding your questions - anyone of us here could tell you the many reasons we have gained weight - less active, emotional issues, injuries and set backs, stress eating - the list goes on and one.
What we really need is someone who will help us like a bowl of broccoli as much as a bowl of ice cream Based on myself, people I know and people I met on this website over the years, I think there are 3 kinds of people in the world - those who make a committment to themselves and do whatever is needed to succeed and the rest of us fall into 2 other groups. We are good at one and not so good at the other. They are the eaters and the exercisers. The eaters (like me) are good at portion control, planning meals, knowing the right things to eat. When we put our minds to it, we eat clean and drink our water and stay on that part of the plan. What we are bad at is exercise. Regular exercise. We have good intentions but the wagon doesn't get too far down the road before we fall off. Why? I can only speak for me saying that I don't make exercise a priority and it's the first thing I will allow myself to excuse.
Then there are our counterparts - the exercisers. They LOVE exercise. Nothing like a good sweat at the gym and they love them some Zumba classes. They bask in the feeling and sense of accomplishment that a good workout gives them. But when it comes to eating clean, they admit that's where they have a problem. They hate journalling food, they hate counting calories, it seems too tedious to deal with or they don't like to eat the same things over and over, can't find a plan they like, etc.
I had a personal trainer once that I really really liked. I told him it was his job to push me and my job to whine and protest I liked that we did different things each week and although he was much younger than me, he did understand that you adapt the routine for each client's needs, fitness levels and goals. Two things people have complained about trainers include - them not paying attention to their clients - ie. they tell you to do something and then they stand there and talk to other people ignoring you when they should be watching for proper form and such. Or they are younger or very fit and try to push their clients levels beyond their capabilities. We already know we are out of shape - that's why we're trying. We don't want to feel like even bigger losers when we can't keep up. Work to fatigue, not exhaustion.
There is always a need for caring people who really want to help others get fit and healthy. I think it's definitely worth looking into. The fact that you are asking questions ahead of time and doing some research says alot.
You asked for some opinions so there's mine. Good luck going forward and please do share any helpful tips you may have on the boards here!
Welcome! I agree with Happy2bme about the three types of people. At some points in my life, I've been able to get and stay committed to do whatever it takes to lose weight and get healthy. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE exercise, and used to be a Zumba addict. But due to a back injury, my ability to exercise has been very limited for the past year. I am working on strengthing my core muscles to support my back (and the treatments/therapies that I've had done to help my back). Unfortunately, it is a slow process and I find it frustrating to not be able to be as active as I want to be.
My trainers and physical therapists have told me on many occasions that unlike most of their clients who they have to push and prod to exercise, I'm a person who they have to reign in because I tend to want to go all in when it comes to exercise, which has led me to setbacks as I've been rehab'ing from the back injury.
I find that when I am unable to exercise, rather than get really focused on calorie counting/portion control which I know I should do since I'm not able to burn off the calories or boost my metabolism, I turn to comfort food of all types. Logically, I also know that when I lose weight, many of my health issues, including my back pain, will improve dramatically. I just have a hard time with feeling physically satisfied with smaller portions of healthy food.
As Happy2bme said, there will always be a need for caring, motivating people who help people work within their abilities (or just a smidge beyond) to move toward healthy lifestyle habits.
I look forward to reading your posts/insights on the boards!
Wow! You are going to the best PT out there! I can see why people are pressuring you to do so! In one little post you have come across as a person who never wants to start learning and who understands that there are things you have not experienced that your clients will be dealing with. I applaud you for that! This is going to be a great place for you.
Add me to the gym crazed list. Spinning is my preferred cup of tea, and running is growing on me. I also love to lift and lift heavy. I'm most proud right now of my recent discovery that I can do 38 "real" push ups in one minute.
We are all here for a variety of reasons. I believe many of us, even the most educated of us, simply lack the education necessary for success. What works for many will not work for all, and that's a hard pill to swallow. It took me ten years of research and obsessing and falling and getting back up to finally make this work for me. It turned out my big pitfall was none other than patience. If I had only given it time.
One thing I would LOVE to see a PT pass on is the notion that a good number to shoot for is a 4-8 pound loss per month rather than a 1-2 pound loss per week. It's the same thing!! But I thought for ten years that because I wasn't losing 1-2 pounds every single week, I must be broken. Over the last 16 months I've tracked my weight every single day and discovered I tend to lose big one week (like 4-8 pounds) and then stall the other three. I meet the monthly goal, but rarely the weekly one.
And that's another thing. It's ok to weigh daily! It's also ok to weigh monthly. Heck, it's ok to weigh weekly. But I always heard the advice not to weigh more than once a week and that advice didn't work for me at all, and many others here have said the same thing. Weekly weighing made me afraid to step on the scale, so one weigh in day I didn't, and then I missed the next one and then I didn't step on the scale for a couple years. Daily weighing holds me accountable every single day no matter what and you get used to the fluctuations. It's like brushing your teeth, just something you do. And I think it will help in maintenance too.
So what kind of strength training are you doing for gaining weight? Like I said, I love lifting and I feel like I have a lot of muscle weight.
Juat came across your post and wanted to say that the fat that your on here pretty much shows that you'll be a pretty good trainer. the guys whio've posted above have pretty much covered most things.
I would say that the thing I love most about my trainer is the fact that he's there for support and accountability 24/7, within reason. My first ever trainer only cared about what I did in training sessions with him. But Matt, my trainer is there throughout the week. He sends me emails and texts to check up on me. Like today, i woke up and had a text from him reminding me to get more protein into my day! And if I am struggling I can text/call him.
As for understanding the causes and issues related to being overweight, I cant really talk about other people but can tell you my own story if you want.
I used to think that everyone's reasons would be completely different but reading posts on here has mnade me realise that there's a lot of common ground.
Thanks, guys! It's nice to have your support! @ ASF - I never really thought about the client/PT relationship as a 24/7 thing and I think that's valuable advice for success because we all know the problems we have don't necessarily stay in the gym, it's around the clock work!
I like what Eliana said about weighing in, too. I know the words "Don't step on the scale" has come out of my mouth and now I can see how motivating the scale can be on a daily basis, so long as it is recognized that 3 lb daily fluctuations are totally normal.
One question I've always had is related to how I maintain my weight. I do the "jeans test" - how do my jeans fit me today? Is there a muffin top? So when that muffin shows up, I adjust my caloric intake (and oddly, not my amount of exercise). So the question I have, if the weight gain is over 20 lbs, and by then I KNOW I would have to buy new jeans, is are people's closets filled with 4 different sizes of jeans? Isn't that expensive? How does it affect you emotionally when the jeans don't fit and you have to go buy a larger size?
@Diyana - injuries SUCK! I'm totally with you on the feeling of depression when activity is limited by an injury. I'm so glad you have the help of professionals to reign you in. You're doing a good job.
And back @ Eliana - the weight training I did (before I started teaching boot camp) was based on a book called "The New Weight Training For Women". I had always trained that way, and I stumbled upon a book that backed up my methods. For me, getting to the gym for myself was limited to 2-3 times/wk. So I did whole body lifting. I can get more detailed but I'm sure that somewhere on this site there has to be a tutorial on proper weight lifting techniques so I won't waste time here. Now, with boot camp, we do everything imaginable using gravity, dumbbells, resist. bands, etc. and I have maintained my muscle strength, but there's no WAY it's going to make me any stronger. Class would have to be 120 minutes long for that to happen. You can do 38 regular push ups in a minute!????!! And you're a woman? My hat's off to you, girl! I can't do that, but I guess I never really tried. I'm more efficiency oriented - I would rather lift heavy for shorter time than many reps for longer time. But there's benefits to more reps. My bf is a former ametuer champion body builder and he mixes heavy lifting with insane amounts of reps through out his monthly routine.
If you've read down to here, you must be really bored! haha. Thanks guys.
One question I've always had is related to how I maintain my weight. I do the "jeans test" - how do my jeans fit me today? Is there a muffin top? So when that muffin shows up, I adjust my caloric intake (and oddly, not my amount of exercise). So the question I have, if the weight gain is over 20 lbs, and by then I KNOW I would have to buy new jeans, is are people's closets filled with 4 different sizes of jeans? Isn't that expensive? How does it affect you emotionally when the jeans don't fit and you have to go buy a larger size?
This works (for some) below plus sized clothes. Once you hit plus sized, there's a good 20+ pounds between sizes, so by the time you realize your jeans are too tight, you could easily have gained 20 pounds.
I did not know that about +sized jeans. Totally makes sense to me now.
And brag away!!!! I'm all ears! Plus, you just gave me a good motivator for my 5:30 am class tomorrow - we're gonn see how many push ups we can do in a minute. Usually we just do reps of different kinds of push ups for 30-45 seconds, not counting the reps. It'll be good to get a number for 1 minute and every week see if we can improve on that number.
Hi, fitness4 life. I'm new here, too. I've always been really active and very muscular. Recently (the last 2-3 yrs) I've been dealing with an autonomic disorder that has caused me to gain about 60 pounds. Ugh...typing that number is so shocking to me. Anyway! If I even just go on a walk my heart rate is about 200-210. My cardiologist says that my condition (POTS) usually shows up in early adulthood and then goes away after a few years. Totally random, but for the next few years I guess I have to deal with it. If I exercise more than 15 or 20 minutes I get an awful headache and get very dizzy. I sometimes throw up. I got so frustrated with getting fatter and fatter that I pushed myself way too hard and got really sick. Then I got depressed I gave up for about 10 months. I'm now starting to SLOWLY get into a routine of healthy eating and exercise.
I cannot afford a personal trainer or nutritionist. Do you know of any free website that set up meal plans or weekly fitness routines? I think I'm going to walk every day, and then try to take body pump at the gym next to my house.
MR, I feel for you as your body has thrown you a curveball. I don't know of your disorder so I can't give you advice other than please watch your caloric intake. I hear many ppl say "depression made me gain" or "pain made me gain"or "i have a slow metabolism". The truth really is, your caloric intake made you gain.
In your case, you were probably unaware of your changed condition to be able to decrease your calories in time to prevent weight gain. Now, the gig is up. You know what you're dealing with. A beginning goal should be simply to STOP gaining for a few weeks before dealing with losing under your condition.
I would also recommend weight training if cardio training has your heart rate sky rocketing and you throwing up.
Sorry for the unsolicited advice on that part of this post, if that's not what you wanted to hear.
As for your solicited advice, I haven't looked into any on line help. I'm sure you're aware of weight watchers and such. BTW, weight watchers is one of my favs bc it deals with life long lifestyle change, not just fad dieting.
What I do know is that there are many fitness aps out there for droid, for example. There are weight logs, exercise logs, fitness schedules, daily suggested routines, etc. Many of them are free.
I'll pray that your condition rights itself quickly. Keep in touch with your docs and do only what they recommend. Anything heart related is something serious and probably is not taken into consideration for general exercise advice.
fitness trainer on board!
Based on myself, people I know and people I met on this website over the years, I think there are 3 kinds of people in the world - those who make a committment to themselves and do whatever is needed to succeed and the rest of us fall into 2 other groups. We are good at one and not so good at the other. They are the eaters and the exercisers. The eaters (like me) are good at portion control, planning meals, knowing the right things to eat. When we put our minds to it, we eat clean and drink our water and stay on that part of the plan. What we are bad at is exercise. Regular exercise. We have good intentions but the wagon doesn't get too far down the road before we fall off. Why? I can only speak for me saying that I don't make exercise a priority and it's the first thing I will allow myself to excuse. 
This is going to be a great place for you.
