Looking for some advice and support from my pals. I started consistently exercising about five weeks ago. My appetite started to increase, but it was time for my period anyway. However, now its getting to be worrisome. I don't know if I am gaining weight or not, but I am hungry shortly after I eat. For example, I brought my lunch to work and by 9-10am, most of my lunch was gone. My husband has said that "my furnace is getting stoked up" and my metabolism is going to burn the calories faster. If I exercise and feed those "growing muscles", won't I get larger? This is what guys do to gain weight in a particular sport, right?? What do you think?

Hey There Fullhouse!!!

Yes, you will build muscles but NO you will never look like one of those guys unless you want to!!

You are probably more hungry because your metabolism has been running faster. Especially if you are lifting weights!!!!!

I typically eat every 2 hours so I know exactly what you mean!!!!!

You will see beautiful muscles... your body will become more defined... and you will lose inches!!!

So never fear!!!

I have been working out and weight training for 2 years and I didn't not bulk up like a guy at all!!!!!

Kymber

I know what you mean.

First of all, once you start an exercise routine, your appetite will naturally
get bigger. That's the metabolism working, burning off the energy (calories)
and your body naturally needs more. This is where you really have to
watch what you eat...eat things that would be healthy for your body to burn...
foods that are low in fat.

Also, when "those guys" gain bulk to build muscle, they are using things like
protein to gain weight, or mass. My brother lifts weight and drinks protein
shakes (low in fat, high in protein for building muscle).

If you are maybe over 50 or so lbs overweight, I suggest that you not do much
weightlifting at all. That's what will build the most muscle. If you're like me and
more focused on losing overall weight, stick to 30-60 minutes of straight cardio
like fast paced walking, running, elliptical, etc each time that you work out.

So, basically, you can eat more, just make it foods that are low in fat/calories
and stick to cardio for losing weight. Then, as you get closer to your goal weight
and you want to tone, start adding weightlifting to your routine.

I hope that helps!

Hi Girlie!!!

Just want to let you know that you will lose weight you are better off lifting weights because it DOES boost your metabolism!!!

I was 100 lbs overweight and lifted weights within 2 weeks of starting my cardio program - it totally helps!!

And it only benefitted me... did absolutely nothing adverse!!!!

Thanks for the info.
And to validate your comments, I was weighed at the Center last eve and I was happy with the results. Actually Girlie, you said the same thing that the staff person said to me. She recommends more veggies and a bit of protein with each meal to hold me longer. I gravitate toward carbs but was informed that I have "enough of those".

She recommends the unattractive carrots with dip, cucumbers, celery, etc. I sort of have a phobia about these foods. Not that they taste bad to me, but I equate these foods with the dreaded "diet" concept. I will have to watch to see if it becomes a trigger for me. (not for eating necessarily, but those neg thoughts)

I found this program on the net that gradually builds a person up from 15 min a day to 60 min 3x week alternating with some lighter days for exercise. It takes 12 weeks to reach the final level. I am in week 5 and starting to lose my "zing" to work-out daily. I think that I will modify by slowing down the increases. The point is to continue, but I'm sure that the author would say that 30 min is better than not at all, right?

My hub also says its about 6 weeks before clothes start to fit differently. Comments?

Hey Fullhouse!!!

Are you working out every day????? If you are, that is definitely a reason that you might get bored with it. PLUS, you need one full day of rest anyway.

Oh.. the dreaded carrots...LOL... actually I like the little buggers but I do get sick of them every once and a while!!!

How about fruit for a snack????

I don't eat protein with every snack but I am sure to have a good amount with lunch and dinner! When you lift weights you really need the protein for your muscles!!! (and even when you do cardio because you are building muscles with cardio too...).

It sounds like you are doing really great!! Just be sure to have fun while you are working out.... listen to upbeat music, maybe read if you want.... do the type of exercise you want!!!

Keep up the good work (don't you feel awesome from exercising)...

I don't know about the 6 week thing........ I never measured myself or anything when I was 'dieting'. I only looked at the dreaded scale monster.

Kymber

Kymber:

Thanks for the tip. You know, I had a friend who started to lift
also while she was just starting and it helped her...I dunno..
I think I'm scared of it. I have a lot of muscle already. I was
always very athletic in high school and my brother and I are
both very large and muscular. Fortunately, since my brother's
a guy, he used his "largeness" to play HS and college football.
Since I can't do that, I am trying to lose my weight. That's why
I am 5'4, but my goal is 150-155 because I have such a large
body frame and have a lot of muscle. When I was in my
"prime" in HS, sprinting on the track team, I was 160-165 and
was healthy and fit.

So, I guess I am afraid of building too much more muscle, just
use what I have to burn off some fat and then tone later
if I want. Maybe I'll try though. I always had good luck
with dumbells! When I did though, I found my arms getting
BIGGER, which I don't want...it gets so confusing!!!

FULLHOUSE:

Hello! I hope things are going well. I used to work out every day.
I was able to do it for about a month and I just got so burned out
and have just started back, after I gained 20 pounds!!!
I decided I wouldn't go more that 4 times a week, and start
out at 45-60 minutes of cardio. Have you ever tried an
elliptical machine? I'm sure you have one there at the Center...
it's a great alternative to treadmills and bikes! I like to use
one and choose a certain amount of minutes, and then strive
to get to higher rotations each time. When I was last working out,
I was using the elliptical at LEAST 60 minutes a day, and I would
get over 10,000 rotations...which is crazy because I can barely do
half that now!!! But, my goal is to get back there. It's also easier
on the knees than running or walking and if you can hold your
balance, you can pump your arms and get a good shoulder work out
too.

If you like ellipticals, we have a thread under the "Exercise" Forum!

Best Regards!

Girlie

The only veggie I can just snack on is carrots...they do get
really boring, but they come in sticks, baby carrots, whole carrots,
sliced in chips and shreds, etc..I try to change it around a little
so it's like I'm eating something different!

My fav though are frozen and canned carrots! I love them right from
the can!
Girlie

Hi, fullhouse. I don't know how qualified I am to give advice, other than the fact that I'm a lifelong dieter and exerciser (as we all are). However, maybe it's because of my many failures that I've learned a little about what doesn't work. I've come to realize that exercising for weight loss doesn't work. I really feel that our weight is a product of our eating, i.e., if we eat a lot, we'll weigh a lot. While it's true that doing cardiovascular exercise burns calories, it's also true that you become more hungry and want to eat more the more calories you burn (that is, of course, if you're listening to your body and doing demand eating); thus, it equals out. The reason most people lose a lot of weight when they're dieting and exercising is that they burn a lot of calories doing cardiovascular exercise then ignore their body's signal to feed it (of course, we all know the long term effects of that).

I remember about 5 years ago, I was on a stupid eating plan where I forbade myself to eat any sweets or in-between meal snacks, and only allowed myself very little at mealtimes. The only exercise I did was a Jane Fonda workout tape that included about 10-15 minutes of light cardio in the beginning and the rest of the tape (about 20-30 minutes) was all isometric exercise (e.g., leg lifts, crunches, etc.). I got down to the lowest weight of my adult life (115 lbs.) and it wasn't because I was doing hours of cardio; it was because I was eating very little. I've never gotten down to that weight again, and, believe me, there have been periods of time since then when I've become an exercise fanatic.

That being said, I've come to realize that if one wants to do cardiovascular one needs to do it for the right reasons, i.e., for cardiovascular fitness, not necessarily to burn extra calories to lose weight. Since toning and shrinking in size is usually the main objective (I don't really care how much I weigh if I can look really good in my clothes) weight lifting and/or isometric exercises are the best way to go. When I was doing the Jane Fonda isometric exercises I mentioned above, my body was toned and looked good (except for the fact that I was really too skinny).

My advice (for all it's worth): incorporate some reasonable cardio into your daily routine to keep your heart healthy. I walk to work and it takes me about 20 minutes of fast walking. I don't even feel like I'm "exercising" because I'm walking to a destination (rather than going nowhere on a treadmill) and, as stupid as it seems, I feel like I've accomplished something (i.e., I needed to get to work and I've reached my goal). For toning, buy some dumbbells and a couple of toning tapes for home to make it convenient. I find that, for me, if I have to go out of myway to exercise (e.g., going to the gym), and if it's just straight exercise (e.g., treadmill, stairmaster, etc.), the routine eventually loses it's charm and you stop altogether.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Yes, I am exercizing daily. I am a bit cautious about this though because when I do something, it tends to be on a compulsive basis. The last time I had a gym membership I went daily and did 30 min cardio and the full circuit of weights. It was not fun after a while and I felt like it was a chore. I have a little better grip on moderation this time though (I think). I am using an exercise video (Richard Simmons) - they don't have a lot of stuff out there for the overweight sedentary population getting into exercise (that's a business for someone out there!!) - and twice a week the routine is lighter (20 min). I usually work out in the pm because I can't face getting up any earlier, but when I've been tired and tempted to blow it off, I start and then feel energized soon after. I will tell you though, I've mentioned before in posts long ago, I still struggle with feeling like I want to feel smaller. For many reasons:
mobilize more easily, smaller/cheaper/more stylish clothing, and I just like the feel of stronger muscles in my body after I have been working out and can fit into clothes better. The problem with that is that it can be consuming if I don't watch it though and it plays right into the dieting mentality really easily.
As far as the carrots go....I don't know about that one. I've worked really hard to make food equitable and remove any "loadedness" about certain kinds of food being better/worse in value. I asked about fruit and was told that I need the complex carbs rather than fruits. I prefer fruits, but appparently the raw vegs is supposed to be what I "need".
I know there's a lot of folks out there with different experiences and opinions so I'm gonna ask...
Does anyone that has struggled with being overweight as a child or teen recommend a way to deal with a 9 y.o.child that has signs of compulsive overeating disorder? I know for myself that the more my parents commented or restricted, the heavier I got. Got any ideas??

Hi Fullhouse -

I just now came across this thread and wanted to add my 2 cents (it may only be worth 1 cent ):

Weightlifting - from my experience, I've found that lifting lower weights at more reps helps to keep the bulk down - most of my guy friends lifted close to their maximum weight for 3-5 reps & they were aiming for bulky muscles. Also, by stretching really well on a daily basis that will help lengthen the muscles=less bulky. My brother is a swimmer/diver and he stretches daily and lifts weights like crazy but he isn't very bulky, just long & lean (and very flexible).

9 year old with compulsive eating - is he/she bored? My weight problems didn't really start until I was much older, but my compuslive eating came out of boredom. Maybe getting some hobbies/activities that will keep his/her hands busy - like piano, jigsaw puzzles, sports, drawing/painting - anything to keep the hands & mind busy. In our household there was no eating anywhere except at the kitchen table. So if you want to grab a snack you had to set the table, eat, clear the table and wash the dishes. We did not have a TV in the kitchen, nor could we read at the table - so it was pretty lonely sitting there by yourself snacking. If I was truly hungry it was worth it, if I wasn't I found something else to do.

I don't know if these suggestions will help at all, but I'm trying to develop the same system with my daughter - I really don't want her to pick up my bad habits (developed after I moved out of my mom's house).

Roo

Thanks KangaRoo.
That is a great idea. I've read that kids today are more overweight and sedentary, so I've thought that the only way that I can help my daughter is my having her become more physically active. (I don't want to limit food, because that will set her up) However, she hates sports ( I remember this feeling, and I think it was a viscious circle - I was overweight and hated sports because I was overweight...) I never thought of just staying busy...she does love craft stuff and Barbies, etc. I'll keep you posted.