Hi there.
I'm a mom of two who has done little or no exercise (a bit of walking) for the last seven years. I finally have time to myself in the mornings so joined the local gym and am remembering how good it feels to work out again (used to be a great gym goer, squash and tennis player, x country skiing, gymnastics etc.). I also did Irish Dancing for years and boy was that a good work out! But back to the present.
I have been reading and reading and reading the last week to try to put together the best training and diet regime for me. I did initial assessment in the gym with one of the trainers and to start he suggested 40 minutes cardio at least 3 times per week. stats are:
age: 35 yrs
Starting Weight: 89kgs
current Weight: 85 kgs (yippee!!)
Body Fat % : 42% - OMG
we did all the measurements etc. so I'm tracking them as well for extra motivation
GOAL initially was to 'lose weight' but having read so much now I want to get fit and be healthy, losing weight is a by product of this so I'm not being a diet junkie, just making much healthier lifestyle choices overall.
To date I've far exceeded the recommended workouts and also did some machine weight workouts (we didn't get round to that during the assessment) and swimming. I've been reading the importance of doing weight training as well as cardio (especially HIIT - which trainer said nothing about) to burn fat and i've come up with an initial workout as follows:
Weights x 3 times per week - total body workout x 60 mins
HIIT x 3/4 times per week x 30 mins OR 45 mins moderate cardio
AEROBIC IT x 1 hour per week
SS AEROBIC HIT x 1 hour per week
YES I do have time for this and have been enjoying gymming it immensely. I'm having a rest day today so am doing all research and putting plan together today.
As for eating habits (won't call it a diet), I've changed them drastically from carb addicted diet to
eating 6 meals a day
6 meals per day, protein within 30 mins of exercise
1800 calories (according to all the calculators maintenance is 2300) breaking this down I wanted to follow Tom Venuto's plan of
40/40/20 %
140g carbohydrates
140g protein
40g fats
I'm only eating complex carbs in the morning and afternoon and sticking to solid proteins, veg and salads after lunch. I also want to introduce some type of protein after workouts as seems to be the recommended thing to help muscles recover.
OK. Questions:
Am I eating enough? I read on one site to eat maintenance amount of calories and work out with weights as a priority say 3 times per week and when fat loss slows to lower calories then. Therefore, am I feeding body enough because I'm eating below maintenance caloric level with all the exercise I'm doing?
I'm finding it hard to eat the required amount of protein - suggestions please?
Somedays I'm finding it hard to even get to 1800 calories because of all the veg etc. I'm full!
Um, I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go along.
Looking forward to chatting with you all!
Noosk
Just saying hi and starting out.
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
-
cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Re: Just saying hi and starting out.
Hi there,
That seems like an awful lot of exercise... especially for somebody just starting out. By doing too much too soon you could possible injure yourself or get burned out on the exercise. If i were you I would do weights 3 days a week and cardio 3 days a week with one day off. Something like this might work for you:
Monday: weights (full body)
Tuesday: cardio of your choice
Wednesday: weights
Thursday: cardio of choice
Friday: weights
Saturday: cardio
Sunday: off
This is a pretty basic routine and would allow you to pick and choose what kinds of cardio you want to do on cardio days.
For diet..... to meet those requirements you would do something like this:
Meal 1: 2/3 cup oats, 4 eggwhites 1 whole egg (300 calories, 25 protein, 34 carbs, 8 fat)
Meal 2: 1 large apple, 4 oz fish, 1 tbsn natural peanut butter (about 300 calories, 30 p, 23 c, 8 f)
Meal 3: large chicken salad with about 4 oz chicken and veggies, 1tbsn olive oil dressing (about 300 cal, 25 p, 20 c, 15 f)
Meal 4: 1 piece whole wheat bread, 1 can tuna, veggies, 15 almonds (about 300 cal, 25 p, 20 c, 8 f)
Meal 5: post workout meal: 1 protein shake right after workout (about 100 cal 25 gm protein) followed by 2 cups cheerios
Meal 6: 4 oz lean red meat, 1/2 cup (measured uncooked) brown rice, veggies (about 300, 30 p 30 c)
Those calorie figures are totally off the top of head so might not be 100% accurate. Gives you a good idea of what you're meals could look like for an 1800 calorie day. In opinion, 1800 calories doesn't quite seem like enough for you. I would shoot for closer to 2000 to give you more room to play with your diet should your body become adjusted to your diet program.
Hope this helps.
Cassie
That seems like an awful lot of exercise... especially for somebody just starting out. By doing too much too soon you could possible injure yourself or get burned out on the exercise. If i were you I would do weights 3 days a week and cardio 3 days a week with one day off. Something like this might work for you:
Monday: weights (full body)
Tuesday: cardio of your choice
Wednesday: weights
Thursday: cardio of choice
Friday: weights
Saturday: cardio
Sunday: off
This is a pretty basic routine and would allow you to pick and choose what kinds of cardio you want to do on cardio days.
For diet..... to meet those requirements you would do something like this:
Meal 1: 2/3 cup oats, 4 eggwhites 1 whole egg (300 calories, 25 protein, 34 carbs, 8 fat)
Meal 2: 1 large apple, 4 oz fish, 1 tbsn natural peanut butter (about 300 calories, 30 p, 23 c, 8 f)
Meal 3: large chicken salad with about 4 oz chicken and veggies, 1tbsn olive oil dressing (about 300 cal, 25 p, 20 c, 15 f)
Meal 4: 1 piece whole wheat bread, 1 can tuna, veggies, 15 almonds (about 300 cal, 25 p, 20 c, 8 f)
Meal 5: post workout meal: 1 protein shake right after workout (about 100 cal 25 gm protein) followed by 2 cups cheerios
Meal 6: 4 oz lean red meat, 1/2 cup (measured uncooked) brown rice, veggies (about 300, 30 p 30 c)
Those calorie figures are totally off the top of head so might not be 100% accurate. Gives you a good idea of what you're meals could look like for an 1800 calorie day. In opinion, 1800 calories doesn't quite seem like enough for you. I would shoot for closer to 2000 to give you more room to play with your diet should your body become adjusted to your diet program.
Hope this helps.
Cassie
Re: Just saying hi and starting out.
wow thanks Cassiegoose, between you and all the others on here I'll be superfit by the end of the year. I've given myself a year to lose the 35kgs - have lost 5kgs to date I think.
Have reviewed workouts with your and Bossman's advice and now I'm going to look at eating as well. have hit 1900 cals today and did 1 hour weights and 10 mins HIIT cause a had a few minutes to spare at the gym. Feel like I've had a good workout but not sore thank goodness.
Going to plan some meals for the next few days now to make sure I'm eating right. is the 40 40 20 split a good idea? today I hit 50% carbs (I had 100g of cooked basmati rice with dinner cause the curry I made needed a little bit of rice on the plate), 20% fat and 30% protein. I'm getting closer but know I can do better.
It was first real weights work out today and boy did I enjoy it. I didn't think I'd sweat so much so it definitly is a work out! did lunges, squats, hammer curls, 1 arm row, lat raise, tricep extension, and then did some work on the machine for outer and inner thighs, obliques, shoulder press, row machine. then did some stretching and yoga stretching cool down. felt like jelly walking out of the gym but felt great later on.
onwards and downwards!
Thanks again
Have reviewed workouts with your and Bossman's advice and now I'm going to look at eating as well. have hit 1900 cals today and did 1 hour weights and 10 mins HIIT cause a had a few minutes to spare at the gym. Feel like I've had a good workout but not sore thank goodness.
Going to plan some meals for the next few days now to make sure I'm eating right. is the 40 40 20 split a good idea? today I hit 50% carbs (I had 100g of cooked basmati rice with dinner cause the curry I made needed a little bit of rice on the plate), 20% fat and 30% protein. I'm getting closer but know I can do better.
It was first real weights work out today and boy did I enjoy it. I didn't think I'd sweat so much so it definitly is a work out! did lunges, squats, hammer curls, 1 arm row, lat raise, tricep extension, and then did some work on the machine for outer and inner thighs, obliques, shoulder press, row machine. then did some stretching and yoga stretching cool down. felt like jelly walking out of the gym but felt great later on.
onwards and downwards!
Thanks again
Re: Just saying hi and starting out.
If the 40/40/20 split you're talking about is Protein (40)/Carbs (40)/Fat (20), then yes you're fine to go with that.
Re: Just saying hi and starting out.
Congratulations on your new journey towards great health! This is an awesome forum and you will get loads of support and kudos from us 
I agree with Cassie and your weight/cardio routine. That seems a bit overkill and as Cassie said, you run the risk of injury therefore postponing your progress. 3 days a week cardio and 3 days a week weight training is perfect and if you're feeling really motivated, add a day with very low impact cardio like hiking or walking uphill on the treadmill at a nice steady pace. Great job on the eating 6 times a day! Most cannot relish that idea but it's really the best way to fuel your body for all the hard work you are doing;)
Keep up the great job and please keep in touch
I agree with Cassie and your weight/cardio routine. That seems a bit overkill and as Cassie said, you run the risk of injury therefore postponing your progress. 3 days a week cardio and 3 days a week weight training is perfect and if you're feeling really motivated, add a day with very low impact cardio like hiking or walking uphill on the treadmill at a nice steady pace. Great job on the eating 6 times a day! Most cannot relish that idea but it's really the best way to fuel your body for all the hard work you are doing;)
Keep up the great job and please keep in touch