So I had like the biggest NSV EVAR today. I have acute asthma. My chest gets tight but nothing that requires an inhaler even when I do get tight. To alive any concerns I do go to a doctor for this every few years and they are aware of what activity I am or am not engaging in... Anyway. So I ran, nearly non-stop, for 25 minutes today on the treadmill. It was amazing. I felt so wonderful.

I live literally 5 mins away from my gym so I just did the cardio thing this morning in favor of leaving to get homework done. I'm gonna lurk around some body-building web-pages and see if I can put a good beginners routine together to show my personal trainer (I get one free sesh) and have him OK it... Whelp, thats it guys

Congrats Bluejay! I am on focusing on resistance training at the moment. I had a friend show me a routine (I do repetitions on each machine: first 12 times (then a 30-60 second break), then 10 times (then a 30-60 second break) then 8 times (then a 30-60 second break). I also start off with some stretching and then some free weights before going on the machines and end with some more stretching. I must admit that 2 days in I was sore but the weekend has allowed me a break. Back to the gym tomorrow morning.

Nice work guys! Bluejay - that is impressive. I've been using a kettlebell for strength, and "running" on my elliptical for 30 minute sessions for cardio for the last 3 months. I just did the first day of "couch to 5k" today, thinking that day 1 would be a snap with all the excercise using I've been doing, but I nearly barfed up a lung.

Keep it up everyone!

Well the gym went well for me today. I really hit it hard for an hour and I am much less sore than the first two times I went last week. I am super grateful for that. I was worried that if I got too sore I would not be able to go to the gym again this week.

I'd like to do a couch to 5k too Fit dad.

IM takin it slow (lesson learned from here...) just gonna go do a small 15 min run then chill in the hot tub till the place closes. Damn, the hot tub is worth the price of admission alone.

I meet with a personal trainer tomorrow, hopefully it goes well. You get one free session I hope I get something out of it. Although I know these are designed to want you to buy more sessions but I am gonna try to make the best of it.

I'm doing it fast! Can't help it.

Had another good day today at the gym. More weight training. Less soreness. It's wonderful.

My main issue at the moment is that I get really buzzed" - not sure how to describe it - immediately after the gym. This would not normally be a problem but since I am going in the morning and then go straight to work, it is really hard to focus for 15-30 minutes or so.

I hope the feeling gets less intense. I mean it feels nice, not just when I have to type or think.

Back to the gym tomorrow. It's becoming real ME time. And I like ME time which used to be just my walks to work and back. But now I get an extra hour at the gym. All for the cost of an early alarm clock call (5.45am!) and a membership fee!

Super jealous on the hot tub btw Bluejay. The best I get is a shower!

Update: OK, OK, OK I was going way too fast. I have changed my gym regime to three times a week to get some rest days in.

And the water retention (I hope that is all it is) is driving me nuts. Up 1.6lbs today! This is gonna be crazy.

Don't freak about the weight gain - I was struggling with the mental side of that as well. You will really start to notice a difference in how your body looks and how clothes fit - even more so than just dropping the recent weight. It's all about fat loss, and exercising only accelerates that (assuming your calorie intake stays in check).

Thanks Fitdad2b. My calories are mostly the same, just a protein shake instead of the coffee I used to have. Should I stop using the scale then? Or just accept that my weight will be more volatile?

I really like the scale because it helps me keep in check. I'd hate to say goodbye to it.

I met with the personal trainer, cute bearish lookin guy real nice. He chastised me for not eating enough to fuel my body. SO I've upped my caloric intake to closer to the 1600 myfitnesspal recommends. I also found out that I am currently at 33% body fat which is pretty bad. But Imagine what it was a few months ago when I was 64 lbs heavier! We worked out a routine I should be following from this point out. He guessed it should take about 8 months but if I keep with what I am doin I should end up at 191 lbs with 14% body fat. Really healthy and in really good shape. I was correct all along that 162 was way way way too small for me. I now know that I need to lose 38 lbs versus the 55 I though I had to lose until yesterday. So here is to the second half of my journey.

Will BlueJay turn out to be a muscle stud? Only time will tell.

Bluejay - I think you're body is going to respond well to the increased activity - you're going to love the results.

Ian - I contemplated ditching the scale, but I just couldn't do it. I would be constantly be obsessing if I was losing (over the long term) or not. I decided I would just have to come to terms with the daily fluctuations. I'm losing at a good overall rate, and I'm really being able to tell that my body is turning into a stronger, more athletic one, so the daily ups and downs aren't bugging me as much as they used to.

Since what I'm really going for here is fat loss, I'm measuring my waist each week, and putting more stock in that number going down - which it is.

Thanks fit-dad. In a way its kind of nice to have a semi-time-line (8 months) but in a way its also a bit overwhelming.

Thanks fit dad. I dropped a pound today after putting 2lbs on in 2 days after the last visit to the gym. It is actually quite liberating to be able to ignore the scale a little so I will take your advice and not sweat it over short-term gains.

And nice one BlueJay. Good luck with the new regime. I do not think it will take you 8 months. Timelines are highly individual-specific and hard to predict I hear for gymwork. With your build, I bet you reach that goal in less time. I'm noticing small, positive differences in just one week!

I was back at the gym today. I sweated a lot less and was able to lift more weights. The rest day made a big difference.

I also went on the treadmill....a first for me and I only did it because the gym was empty and I could learn how the thing worked. I ran five minutes! Fantastic.

So my latest plan is to go to the gym 4-5 times a week and to just do the treadmill on my rest days from weights which I will try to do three times a week. Complicated. But a lot of fun.

My weight stalled nearly immediately. I've been at 217 for a while now. it's a little frustrating. This is one of the main reasons I did not want to go to a gym while still in the 200 range.

I am dealing, trying to focus on other things. I was instructed to eat closer to my 1600 limit versus the 1200 i was eating before. I actually am having a bit of trouble meeting that number still so that might actually be why I am stalling because I still need to eat more.

Maybe add in some calorie-dense food like nut butters, nuts, full-fat cheese, sorta thing? That way you don't have to feel like you're stuffing yourself to get to 1600, you know?

You're still doing great and 191 with 14% BF? You totally can do it and you're gonna rock the eff outta that body. Keep up the great work!