O.K i have been reading the boards here and the weight loss board...lots of information to take in. I started to make my fitness a priority about a month ago...eating healthy..reading labels (there's an eye opener!!) ...drinking water...i couldn't say exactly how many calories i eat in a day..it's way less then before. I do try to write down what i'm eating just to keep myself on track. I'm not at all hungry tired or worn out. My appatite has increased a lot. I started running 3 times a week and doing anything i can at home in between. things were going well. Lost a few pounds. And i'm starting to see some muscle definition. However over the past week everything just kinda tappered out. No improvements. I'm doing crunches, push ups, squats and jumping rope i also do Tae bo a few times a week. Problem is i do not have the time to join a gym, or the money. So i'm looking for alternatives i can do at home. Any help would be appreciated. I'm 5'7 and weigh somewhere between 135 and 140 (changes daily). I'd like to lose a few pounds but more importantly i just want to keep seeing results. Anything i can do at home that i'm not doing now? I'm also getting a little bored. Thanks.
Get some different DVDs. A variety of different types, anything that piques your interest. Exactly what "results" are you looking for? Sounds like you're at a pretty healthy weight. Are you trying to get leaner? Do you have a fitness/performance goal or is it just aesthetic?
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Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins
Don't forget your diet! If your keeping your caloric intake too low and exercising more than you used to, your body might have gone into "starvation mode" which could explain why you're seeing less results.
Thanks. Yes my goal is to be more lean. I'm too soft and just not in good shape so i like to build some endurance as well. There's a charity race i'd like to enter at the end of the summer but i don't know if i'll be up to it. In all honesty i would like to drop a few pounds along the way. I'll pay more attention to exactly what my calorie intake is and keep movin!
If you post what you eat each day, and how many calories, we could give you some specific advice. I get the feeling your not eating enough: you say you're eating a lot less AND you started exercising a lot more... But of course without knowing what you eat I can't be sure.
As for endurance... High intensity cardio is the way to go, but don't do it on an empty stomach, or you will burn muscle, which would slow your metabolism down. I don't know how fit ou are, but a good way to start running is to do intervals: 1 minute running, 1 minute walking, 1 minute running, etc. Just try to do more minutes every time you run. And when you're more fit you can start lengthening the running times. You sould be able to have a decent endurance by the end of the summer, that's still reasonably far away.
Thanks lietchi. A sample of what i may eat in a day is as follows: breakfast 1 & 1/2 cup kelloges just right with say 1/2 cup 1% milk and apple juice. am snack is usually fruit..apple, orange, bannana whatever. Lunch, tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of milk. pm snack could be veggies or granola bar. Dinner Chicken or fish with rice or salads. If i'm hungry at any point in the day i'll snack on fruit or veggies, sometimes a lean meat sandwich. I guess i'm eating more now but taking in less calories because of the change in my eating habbits. Mind you there are some days that i slip up and eat whatever...but they are far and few between. I drink lots of water especially when i'm exercising. Your running advice is exactly where i started and i'm doing well there. I run now for about 15 minutes walk for 4 or 5 then run again..usually i'm out for 40 - 60 minutes. I'd like to do a little better. I'm keeping with the running because i find i really do enjoy it and i can work it into my work and family responsibilities. i'm glad to here i can build my endurance by the time the end of summer comes i was wondering about that.
Nice job with the progress... Have you measured the distance you are running? If you can run for 20 minutes, that's probably about two miles?
My advice would be to get to the point where you can run three miles without stopping (that's about the distance of a 5K race... which would probably be 30 minutes or so) and then do that 2-3 times a week, trying to cover the same distance in less time during each workout.
Then, on the weekend when you have more time, try to build up to a longer run of six miles (about the distance of a 10K), running slower. Only do a long run (more than three miles) once a week. This will help your endurance.
How long is the charity race you hope to enter in the fall?
Thanks so much guys! i feel much better. I'll keep adjusting my food until i get it right and hopefully i'll find an easy way to track my calories. Hopefully i will start to see some results again. It's a 10k race i would like to enter. Hopefully i will be able to but if not there's always next year. I haven't even tried a long run yet. I'm not sure what the distance i'm covering is. I wasn't worried about it at first i just wanted to get started. However i will be tracking that too so i can up it a bit at a time. Thanks for all the info.
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Missy
Last edited by moderator2; 04-07-2005 at 05:05 PM.
