Train me!!

Hello, I have read this forum for a few months and would really like some advice. Here is my back story first.

WLS in July of 03, BMI 60.1 354 pounds. 8 months later became pregnant after 12 years of infertility (we assumed it was my husband), delivered daughter and was 184 at 6 week check up. Pregnant again 3 years later and 227 pounds and gained another 13 pounds which brings us to February 9th of this year. I was 240 and afraid so I started to exercise and limit my calories to 1400 a day. I am currently 171.5 with another 41.5 to lose.

When I started I walked for 30 minutes a day, then went up to 2 miles which was about 33 minutes, then did 45 minutes, then an hour a day 7 days a week all summer which has averaged about 4.2 miles. 4 weeks ago I got the opportunity to volunteer at the gym and got a free membership. This gym is in the high school so only open from 6-9 M-F. I started with 15 minutes each eliptical, tread at 4.3 mph, and bike at 22 mph for 15 minutes each. Now I am doing 30 eliptical and the same treadmill I was. The first week at the gym I lost 4.6 pounds, the second .9 pounds, and this week I was exactly the same as I was last Monday. I only weigh once a week. I have cut my outdoor walking to 45 minutes a day. Am I doing enough? Too much? What should I be doing? I have not used the weight machines at all and have read that strenghth training is neccesary but I am not sure how or how much.

I would appreciate any help you all could give me as far as exercise. The children come with me on my walk and I push them in a Burley but it is getting cold and indoor walking is only M-F in my rural town. I can't really leave them too long to go to the gym so 45 minutes is about it most days. My husband works odd hours so this is really all I can do short of joining a gym 30 minutes away and paying a fortune.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

What is your goal?  Just some general exercise for fitness or do you have something else in mind.
Is there a YMCA anywhere near you.  I see you said it is a 30 minute trip to the closest gym.  The YMCA local to me has daycare.  You get the first hour free then it is $2.00 per hour.  Not sure if that is an option for you or not.  Having to do an hour of commuting to get to the gym is hard.

Do you have a garage or space where you can workout.  Try looking on freecycle, not sure if there is an active group in your area or not.  If you are not familiar with it, freecycle is a place where people give away usable stuff instead of throwing it out.  I got a weight bench and some weights from there.  Total cost was my time to go pick it up. 

Since you had to cut down the time you have available to walk outside, can you increase the intensity.  Start walking faster, get in more distance in the same amount of time.  Work towards some short jogs, be gentle to yourself but work up to it.

check out couch to 5k running program. 
these are a gentle 20-30 minute workout that gradually increases in intensity.

Good luck
Scott

Thanks for responding! My goal is to lose the rest of my weight 41.5 pounds. I am not in a race to do it but I need the scale to move down more consistantly.

I live in the country and there isn't even a traffic light in the small town near me. I am lucky enough that the high school has a gym full of great equiptment that I do utilize M-F and that the elementary offers winter walking when it gets too cold to walk outside. I just want to make sure I get the best workout possible for my 45 minutes and want to know if using the weight machines would be more helpful or if doing 45 minutes of cardio is better?

I have heard of the couch to 5K thing before. I have tried to jog but I feel like I have lead weights on my feet. I am hoping when I get closer to my goal weight I won't feel so awkward running.

Thanks for the advice!

Go look at the couch to 5k program.
it starts off with walking.
I started it before I even had my surgery.  It was the best thing I had done for myself until I got really serious about exercising.

First week

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

nothing says you have to be fast.  God knows I'm not fast.  You just have to keep moving.
The program is online and it's free.


Scott

I agree with Scott about the intensity.  That's going to do more for you than anything else at this point.  However, don't count on the exercise to lose the weight since it's a combination of intake vs output.  If you are sure you're only taking in 1400 cal/day, you should lose close to a pound a week.  Please remember that the goal should be life changes/habits that allow you to have long-term health, wellness, fitness and success.  After all, isn't that the name of the game?  

Linn

I don't count on the exercise alone. I track all my calories on dailyplate.com and very rarely go over 1400. My average loss has slowed to about 6 to 7 pounds a month and I have been losing since February since I decided to live differently. I do feel like I have changed my habits, I'm not sure what you read in my post that made you think otherwise. I have lost 68.5 pounds and what I am looking for in advice in how much cardio vs strength and if I even have to do strength at all. Since it is slowing down, what I could do to make sure this isn't the end. I will work on intensity and the couch to 5K.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I didn't read into your post that you weren't changing your habits, it's just that I'm over 5.5 years post-op and I've seen people really work for a year or two and then regress.  That's all.  Nothing personal, it just makes me sad to see it.  I also see people put weight goals ahead of health goals but they are not one in the same.  You don't get healthy by losing weight.  You get and stay healthy by eating well and exercising.  I exercise for my health.  I also exercise because I have fitness goals and it makes me feel good to accomplish something physical.  That's really all I was emphasizing.

As far as cardio vs strength goes, the NIH guidelines are cardio minimum 30 minutes 5 days a week.  All the most recent research is also showing that the higher your intensity, the more overall health benefits you get from it.  One of the reasons I said some of the things I did is that another thing they are seeing in weight loss research is that exercise is most useful in maintenance, not necessarily for weight loss.  By they way, strength training 2X/wk is generally enough for most people.  I'm doing good to get it in once a week.

I wish you well,

Linn

My time is limited between work and single parenting at home. I am not a gym person, never was. In January I bought a pilates reformer/rebounder machine supplement my running/walking cardio. It cost me about the same as a 2 year membership to 24 Hour Fitness ($300) but I use it almost every day and have achieved some great results. With small kids this may be an option for you. I only have one child left at home now but it's still a struggle to find time to get out of the house for work outs, especially with winter and shortened daylight hours approaching.

I have never heard of that and will check it out. I have a spare room in my house and have thought about purchasing some toys. I have the Wii Fit but it isn't really a workout at all but is fun for the kids to do. My youngest is not quite 2 so it is very hard. It has been 48 here at the warmest time of day so I bundle him up and walk but I can't really do that all 7 days. My husband works 2 jobs and he watches them when he is home but usually he is sleeping so I can't leave them.

I'm hoping that I can increase the intensity of my workouts and that my weight loss will continue. Good luck on your loss too.