Hey Girls! (and the few guys that hang around)

I haven't been around lately but I have been lurking for a bit. About a month back, I got a cold that lasted for about 3 weeks and annoyed me because it made it hard to breathe and thus hard to exercise. I then started telling myself I was too busy to exercise which is a big no no. Anyway, I finally got myself back on plan and I'm starting to put exercise as a priority in my life once again. I even woke up this morning at 4:45am to go to the gym because I have class tonight and won't be home until 11pm. I've been doing a lot of the elliptical lately and I'm doing 33-35 minutes each session. I've also been doing my weights as well. I've lost a few lbs but I've more lost quite a few inches lately. I recently went clothes shopping and am wearing 18/20 bottoms which is amazing for me and 14/16 tops. I've also kind of gone through a positive change in my self image and am wearing heels and skirts for the first time ever in my life. It is kind of interesting but I do feel better about myself than I ever have.

That is all for now and I hope everyone is doing well.

Hi Nelie! I wondered where you'd been. Sorry to hear you were so sick It's hit lots of peeps really hard this year. My dh has had either the flu or a cold since mid-December

That's fantastic that you dusted yourself off, are back on track, and seem to be doing better than ever. Why do you think you feel so much more positive now? Whatever did it, congratulations! Maybe moving into "regular" sizes?

Nice to have you back and congratulations again

Mel

Hi Nelie,

Awesome results !!! Glad to hear you are doing so well. Are you still lifting those very heavy weights ?

Congratulations on the great results, and I hope you can post a picture of the new you.

rabbit

Hi Nellie,

We've missed you and am sooo very glad you said hello.

Hey all!

Mel,

I think I was lacking some serious discipline for the last couple months but I had actually been maintaining which is always good. My eating had been ok but not great and my exercise had been the same. I then realized I wouldn't hit my goal of losing 100 lbs by my birthday (in late may) if I didn't get moving. I actually don't think I'll make that goal but the goal I would like to make is losing 100 lbs total from my highest weight which is 16 lbs from my current weight, so I think it is very doable. I also booked a cruise for the beginning of next month and I want to look and feel my best by the time that comes up. I ended up going clothes shopping and buying the clothes all a bit too small which is a dangerous game to play but already those clothes are fitting a lot better. If I don't keep it up though, those clothes might start feeling tight again.

Rabbit,
I'm still lifting fairly heavy weight but I have read before that you can concentrate on cardio, you can concentrate on weights, but you can't concentrate on both. My current game plan, now that I have built up some strength/muscle is to concentrate on cardio. So I'm doing cardio 3-4 times a week and weights 2-3 times a week. I love weights but I think I need to try something different for a bit and I was majorly slacking in cardio before.

As far as new pics, I expect to have some in the next couple weeks hopefully.

Hi evangeline! Hi everyone else!

Hey Nelie - great progress - sometimes taking a step off the treadmill (so to speak), catch your breath and maintain is an excellent way to rebuild your committment and confidence and undersand how your body has changed and adapted - congrats. Sure wish I was going on that cruise with you ...
I don't get this at all. I could possibly see that you couldn't concentrate on both at the exact same moment, but why not concentrate on both in adopting a healthy lifestyle? Hopefully someone with more experience can help me "get" this concept.

Yes, I do both significant cardio and weights. BODYBUILDERS don't do both at the same time because they have more specific goals at specific times. They go through strictly muscle-building periods (where they are trying to GAIN as much lean weight as possible, eating lots of extra calories), then cutting periods (where they are trying to MAINTAIN muscle while reduce fat) to get ready for competitons. For general health and weight loss, though, I believe you can do both. I think it's a mistake to follow bodybuilding principles too religiously when trying to lose a significant amount of weight.

Well as far as concentrating on one or another, I have found that it is an issue of a couple things. Time is a huge issue, if I wanted to get in as much cardio as I wanted as as much weights as I wanted, I don't think I'd ever leave the gym. Another issue is a mixture of recovery time and just stamina. I'd like to go to the gym, do 90 minutes of weights 4 times a week and then do 45 minutes of cardio every day, but I think it'd wipe me out. When I was doing a lot of weights, I was way too tired to do a lot of cardio and my cardio workouts suffered. Now that I'm concentrating on cardio, my cardio workouts are better than they have ever been but I don't have time or energy to do the heavy weights as rigorously as I'd like.

If I wasn't going to school, I'd probably do something similar to others in go to the gym in the morning, do cardio, then go to work, then after work do weights but time is an issue. We'll see how my current plan goes.

Funny thing is, today I am wearing a pair of pants I bought a couple weeks ago, and I thought they were too tight then and they are slacks so not much give in the waist if any. Today, they are falling off of me. It makes me happy but frustrates me at the same time. Why can't clothes shrink as I do?

Hey, Nelie. Great to see you around again! I was wondering about you!

I know what you mean about cardio and weights... I have a hard time balancing them, too. Like you, if I do a big weights day (especially leg day!), I don't have enough energy for cardio. Right now I seem to have reached a decent compromise, and I do 4-5 days a week of 45-60 minutes of cardio and 2-3 weights days. That means that I usually do light cardio on just one of my weights days (preferably upper body!)

I also totally feel your pain regarding clothes! I have to buy new clothes every month, and it gets soooo expensive! I've finally gotten to the point that I don't buy anything until I actually have somewhere to wear it. I guess it's a good problem, ultimately, but I wish my clothes would shrink with me, too! I also buy stuff slightly too small now.

Anyway, glad to see you back. You're doing great!

Hi Nelie - great to see you posting. Just a quick drive-by reply to say congratulations and way to go with the losses etc.

I have to admit that I have a hard time focusing on both cardio and weights in the same phase of training. With all the other stuff that's going on in my life, it's nice to have a specific focus of what I'm trying to do, as well as the time factor thing.

I don't know if I am balancing my cardio and lifting the right way, but it seems to be working out for me so far. When I get home from work, I get on the elliptical for 20-30 minutes (usually 30). Then I spend about 45 minutes lifting. I do 3 sets of 15 on eight stations of my home gym. Thats on Mondays, Wensdays, and either Friday or Saturday. On days when I don't lift, I go on the elliptical for 40 minutes (unless I am feeling weak that day or have just upped the resistance). Sundays I just flat out take off.

I hear that other people seem to have much more complicated routines than I do, with mixing days they do upper and lower exercises and whatnot. I don't do any of that. I dunno if it means that I'm not being as effective as I could be, or if I'm simply not focused on being a body builder per se.

It can be confusing!

My "routine" is as simple as yours Tealeaf. On M/W/F or Sat I go to the gym and do weights first. One week is 2 UB, 1 LB, next week reverse. Then I do cardio, usually on the elliptical, occasionally treadmill, for 30-40 minutes. Every 6 or 8 weeks I sit down with a book of weight exercises and mix up my lifting routine for variety. Now that it's getting to be spring, I'll add or substitute bike riding for some or all of the cardio. I was doing 10 miles a session by the end of last summer, and would like to get up to higher mileage this year - once my body gets reacclimated to the seat!

nelie !! Now how did I mist that first post of yours on April 4th!! I'm happy to see that you're back in the swing of things, sorry to hear about the sickness though, that can set you back and that is very annoying!!

Tealeaf -- You're right it is all so very confusing but it gets easier with time and the more you read about health, fitness, cardio and weight training it all does come together and gets easier to understand...