How soon can I hope for results?

[ritchieramone]

My husband and I joined a gym about 4 months ago and, since then, we've been going 3 times a week, every week. I *do* need to lose some weight, but mostly, I'd like to tone up and improve my general level of fitness.

So far, I can't say that I can see or feel much of a difference and I'm beginning to lose motivation. To be honest, I'm surprised that I'm not even more discouraged, as I've never really been one for exercise and I'm disappointed by my lack of results so far.

How soon is it realistic to expect some kind of change, either in appearance or just in the sense of a feeling of better health?

I'm currently following a program set out by one of the gym's personal trainers and I had it reviewed and altered slightly a couple of months ago. I usually work out for about an hour per session, alternating between purely cardiovascular exercise (I'm doing treadmill, cycling, rowing and cross training) and resistance work using both machines and free weights.

 

[fingie]

What are you eating? I mean, if you're eating Wendy's everyday, then obviously that will counteract the exercise.

If your diet is good, then I would say talk to a trainer about revamping your workouts to something thats a bit tougher, whether its heavier weights or a different setting on the ellipitical/treadmill/etc.

Also, what is your activity like on your "off" days from the gym?

 

[liv]

A big double YES to watching what you eat. I didn't start seeing a difference in my shape/tone until I cut out all fast food, started eating bigger healthier breakfasts with smaller, calorie-conscious dinners, and really, really limiting the junk (I rarely eat candy, and if I do, I eat single portioned kinds, not the 400+ calorie bags of it). It's all about moderation. I've learned now that I actually really dislike how I feel after eating a whole bag of M&M's, or more chips than are in a mini bag, and I'd rather have a tiny bite than the whole thing. Of course, I slip up sometimes, but I'm pretty good about 80% of the time.

If you've already been on a steady regimen for 4 months, I would talk to your trainer about stepping up what you're doing. I see that you are already rowing, and honestly, that's one thing that really helped me tone up and lose weight. It burns more calories than running and cycling, and I would try to get 30 minute pieces on the rower when you go to the gym. What kind of pieces are you doing now? What are your splits? Were you taught the proper rowing form by someone at your gym? If you haven't, ASK. It makes a huge difference (I had terrible form at first, but it will make your splits go down, and you'll be getting more out of your workout) This is a great way to track your progress.
Rowing - An Effective Calorie-Burning Exercise

I would poke around there if you're interested, you can set up an online logbook to track your times.

 

[ritchieramone]

Thanks for all of these suggestions.

I think I'll speak to our trainer and ask her to have another look at my program, maybe step it up a bit.

Food-wise, I try to have a reasonably varied diet. I don't eat much junk food at all (the occasional fish supper, occupational hazard of living in this part of the world!) and don't eat many sweets/candy, crisps/potato chips, that kind of thing. I've also mostly been avoiding dairy products as they've been making me feel increasingly gruesome these days, so not much cheese etc.

I guess I'm not all that active outside the gym - I drive most places and my job is fairly desk-based, so apart from the couple of days a week that I take a brisk 15 minute walk at lunchtime, I don't do much else.

At the gym, I'm doing 10-15 minutes for each of the cardiovascular things, at about 80-90% of my maximum heart rate. I'm also doing about 3 sets of 10-12 reps for most of the resistance work (apart from the chest press - too hard!). I *do* feel that the rowing is most beneficial to me, so I think I probably should increase the time I spend on that, as suggested. It also helps that we have a rowing machine at home, much the same as the ones we use at the gym. I need to get back onto that!

Thank you.

 

[Shimmer]

Up the actual weight of the weights you're lifting (e.g. go to 12 instead of 10, or whatever the next level up is) and see if that helps, because you'll increase your muscle mass, which should keep your metabolism going even when you're not exercising.

 

[ritchieramone]

That sounds like more bang for my buck so I'll certainly go for that and give it a try - thanks!

 

[MissLorsie]

Diet is the biggest issue when losing weight

Id put it in this order

1) Diet
2) Weights
3) Cardio

IMHO i think weights/cardio gives you more weight loss then cardio on its own. A clean diet should make up about 80% of effective weight loss. That means having a caloric deficit that is not THAT low that your body goes into starvation mode.

For myself i weight about 62kg, 174cm tall and hit the gym about 3 times a week and play soccer twice a week. Im consuming anywhere between 1700-1800 calories a day. How you break down your macros is individual to each person, i do 40%Protein, 40% Carbs, 20% Fats.. which equals 160g of protein per day, 160g of low GI carbs and 35g of unsaturated fats..
(1g Protein = 4 cal, 1g Carb = 4g, 1g fat = 9 cal)

Its important not to eat way under your caloric intake because your body basically freaks out. Once it starts to see a pattern of undereating it goes OMG when am i going to eat again, i better store this as fat just incase its a while till i eat..

Id get your trainer to calculate your specific macros for your weight, height, age and training regime. They will know what calculations need to be done especially cos you are training and need extra nutrients and food to source your energy for your workouts.

You say in one of your latter posts your not doing chest presses. There are a variety of chest exercises you can do to work your pectorals. It is realllllllllllllly important to work your reciprocal muscles otherwise it can upset the balance of your body. For example if you work your biceps, you have to work your triceps, same goes for your quads and hamstrings..

If your going gym 3 times a week i love this program - this is what i used when i first started weight training body fat reduction and muscle strength gain. I also recommend to hit the cardio after weights, purely because fatigue increases the likelihood of form form (which = injuries) and weight training depletes your glycogen stores and then the next source of energy is fat

yay

DAY ONE: (monday
15 mins of High intensity interval training. Can be done on any machine. for eg if i go on the treadmill my rest pace is done at 8km/h and my sprint is at 14km/h. I run at rest pace for 1min, sprint for 40sec and keep doing this for 15 mins. I wouldnt do this on a leg day LOL
CHEST
TRICEPS
Try do 3 sets of 10-12 reps and aim for atleast 2-3 different exercies

DAY TWO (wednesday)
LEGS - quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves
SHOULDERS
ABS
no need for cardio as your legs should well and truly be screwed!!

DAY THREE (friday)
HIIT again on a different machine
BACK
BICEPS
ABDOMINALS

and perhaps go for a brisk walk or jog on the weekend with your dog or husband...

Once you get a good routine and start plateuing i hit the 5x5 program - drop the reps and up the weight!!!

hope this helped you some how - its always important to trick your body by doing new exercises and changing up your routine. Plateauing can be annoying and disheartening but it can be overcome

 

[pumpkincat210]

FOOD! I lost more weight choosing healthier items and cutting out sweets and junk food and sodas than I did when doing my cardio. Granted i only did my cardio twice a week, but the foods I ate made such a big difference. Go easy on the beef and stick to chicken and fish(not too much fish because of the mercury levels). Fish(not fried) has alpha 3 omega fatty acids in it which are very good for you too. Eat in moderation, eat slowly so your body has time to catch up and register your actual hunger levels.
Eating right sped up my metabolism really fast. At first it was hard to stop the junk foods, but it got to the point where i was actually disgusted by them. It sounds like you don't eat junk anyway so i'd just watch portion control without starving yourself. And don't forget, only drink water when possible.

You might also consider going to the gym 4-5 days a week too. Increasing your excercise just a little bit will kick in your metabolism more. Excercising before breakfast can also help you burn calories faster, just make sure you have enough energy so you don't pass out.

 

[TUPRNUT]

If you feel you've been working out hard and eating right and still have not seen an improvement, maybe consider seeing your physician. A simple blood test can rule out problems that may be linked to your thyroid levels. Out of balance thyroid levels can make it very difficult to lose weight. If anything - it's always a good idea to see your doctor before making big changes to your diet and exercise.

Wishing you the best!

 

[ritchieramone]

Thanks so much for these suggestions and to MissShiva, a giant thank you for taking the time to go into so much helpful detail. I really appreciate all the different ideas which have come up.

Although I try to eat quite healthily, I know I could try harder, so I'm determined to make a difference there. I've never been one to count calories so I really don't know how many calories' worth I eat in a normal day. I'll pay more attention to that from now on.

Going to the gym more often is something both my husband and I would like to do, but after discussing it, I really don't think we can fit it in. We're limited by various factors including work, travel (I drive, he can't etc) other commitments etc so I think any additional exercise either of us take on will have to be at home (rowing, free weights) or perhaps walking somewhere we normally would drive to.

I'm feeling a lot more encouraged now, so hopefully I'll see - or feel! - some results before too long.