Iâm hoping someone can give me some ideas or send me in the correct direction to get the information Iâm looking for.

After gaining back some of the weight I have previously lost I decided that it was time to start doing something about it, again. Four and a half weeks ago I started walking on the treadmill, two miles a day. Monday I upped that to three miles a day. Iâve decided that I want to do something more to help get into better shape, enter strength training. The problemâ¦

I donât know too much about it, and after looking on the internet Iâve found some information, but not everything I need feel I need to know.

What I have learned â¦

1. Strength training will not remove fat from targeted areas. Doing ab work out alone is not going to give me six-pack abs when I have many layers of fat over them. You need cardio and a healthy diet to remove the fat so the toned muscles show through.

2. It is okay, even suggested that women work out with weights. Weights plus women does not equal the body builder look.

3. Instead of doing a lot of reps with light weights you should use heavier weights and less sets of reps.

4. Instead of focuses on doing as many reps/sets as you can, you should focus on doing the exercises slowly and correctly. Remembering to breathe at the right times.

5. You need a balance of exercises. You need to work all major muscle groups equally.

6. You should mix up your âroutineâ by starting and ending with different exercises.

7. Give your muscles time to rest between work outs by not doing the same work outs every day.

I got the above information from various places on the internet, and while it would be great if everything on the net were correct I know that it isnât. If I have any of that incorrect please let me know.

What I still need to know and am having trouble finding outâ¦

1. How do you know what exercises you need to do?

I can find a lot how to's for exercises, but I canât find much in the way of you should do⦠followed by a list of which exercises you should include and how many sets/reps you should do to work all the parts of your body.

2. Is there somewhere that tells you what exercises basically do the same thing?

I want to make sure I am doing exercises that are working different areas rather than 5 exercises that are working the same muscle just using a different exercise.

I do know the ideal solution to my problem of not knowing what I need to know would be to go to the gym and talk with a professional personal trainer. Unfortunately I do not have the money to get a gym membership and Iâm not sure when Iâd be able to actually use it.

Iâve also spent quite a bit of money in the past on exercise things that I would like to use for now then maybe consider the gym as an option for later. When you have 3 and 5lb hands weights, a set of resistant bands, an exercise step, and an exercise ball lying around collecting dust, you get to a point where you figure you should learn to use them. I also have some work out videos, but I just cannot get into them.

I lost 25lbs over two years ago. I did it simply by cutting out cokes, drinking a lot of water, watching what I ate and walking everyday. I know I can lose weight doing that, but I am also looking for the future when I do get the weight off. I figure if I put a plan in action now, when I do get the fat off, the muscles will already be developing and hopefully will help my body look better than just by losing weight alone.

Right now I have 14lbs to lose to get back to where I was 2 years. I have a total of 45 lbs to lose until I will be considered having a BMI in a normal range. And from that point, decide how much more I should/can lose.

I know there are no quick fixes and that is not what I am looking for. Iâm looking for a plan of action that will help me now get to the point I need to be in, and a plan of action that will help me keep the weight off. Slow and steady is the name of my game.

Yes I would love to see those numbers dropping fast on the scale, but I know realistically that isnât possible. By losing slowly and in a healthy fashion I have better chance of keeping the weight off in the long run, and thatâs what I am looking for. I really donât want to spend every 2 years trying to lose the same weight over and over.

Any suggestions, advice or help anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. If you know of a (free) website or a book that has wonderful, easy to understand information that can help you form a work out plan, I would love to know. I just want to make sure I get on the right track from the beginning. Thanks!!

I don't know what your budget is, but if you want to teach yourself, there's a few correspondence courses out there which will give you all the information you need.

A great book on women's fitness is Body For Life For Women, by Bill Phillips.

I took one of the above-mentioned courses 10 years ago, and used the Body for Life book (the women's book wasn't out yet), to write my own fitness program. I had lost a great deal of weight by following both. I was lookin' real good, too. Then the arthritis hit. Can't exercise like that anymore, gained all the weight back.

Here's a link to the program I used, which has since been updated -

http://www.pennfoster.edu/fitnessnutrition-cert/index.html

But if the arthritis would ever go away (ha-ha! ) I would definitely do it all over again.

Theresa

Good for you.

How to Design a Personal Exercise Program:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa012402a.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=WorkoutPrograms

HTH

Good for you.

How to Design a Personal Exercise Program:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa012402a.htm

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=WorkoutPrograms

HTH

Playingwithsugar, thanks for the link to the courses, unfortunetly I wouldn't be able to afford something like that right now and probably not for a while. I will look for that book.

Jan, thank you for looking for me. I have been to all kinds of sites looking for information. Off to look at these now....

Sugar -

Is that a new "baby" I see in your avatar, or just a new picture of the "kids"?

Theresa

Yeah, those are my 'kids'. I always joke with my friend who has two kids and no pets. I tell her she doesn't need pets she already has kids. I think they are alot alike kids and pets. HeHe.

This picture was taken 3 or so months ago I think. The kitten is now about 6 months old and driving me crazy. We have different ideas about him and the blinds. I personally think he should be happy to look out the two I have pulled up for him. He thinks he should be able to look out any of them at any time he wants. Sigh.

He is my first cat, so it has been an learning experince. Thankfully the dog has handled the new addition pretty well since I have had him alone for almost 4 years.

Here ya go read away. This is about the best resource on the net. http://exrx.net/.

I was reading a post, I forget by whom, she is a competing powerlifter. maybe she will see this. If any Qs ask away.

Mike

I'm no expert but here are a few things I have learned along the way.

On eating:
Portion control! This is the biggest thing for me.
Cutting out sugar. I drink very little now besides water and unsweeted tea. On the weekend I might have some orange juice with breakfast.

Excerise: You definately need cardio, at least 30 minutes 3-5 times a week. Walking is great if you get your heart rate up high enough. Since you have already lost a lot of weight, you arent working as hard (carrying around the weight). pump your arms if you need to while walking and increase your pace.

Push ups require NO equipment and are one of the best excerises you can do.

I have recently started doing Ttapp. Its a great excerise video that combines cardio and strength training - no equipment needed. It works great for me because it is very low impact. My MIL ordered it too and LOVES it. www.ttapp.com

I've been doing Weight Watchers and mostly running outdoors. I've lost like 15# , I wish it was more, but I am all muscular and sculpted for the first time in my life. My stomach isn't perfect by any means, but I did have an #11 baby, and it's pretty much shot and only a tummy tuck is going to help me.

If you want to informally follow WW, you can go to DWLZ (Dottie's Weight Loss Zone) and find out the points value of the foods you eat. I get 20 points a day, and they give you an extra 35 to use throughout the week.

IMO, though, lots of cardio is the best way to jump-start your fitness.

Last year I did Weight Watchers (online) and Biggest Loser workout DVDs. Lost 35 pounds over 10 months.

Workout 5 days a week (this is what fits my schedule)
Mon- cardio
Tues- sculpting
Wed - cardio
Thurs - day off
Fri - cardio
Sat - sculpt
Sun - day off

I write down everything I eat (or try to).
Stopped eating leftovers off the kids plates.
3 bottles of water a day (usually 4 -5) on work out days.
Chew gum while decorating.
No eating after 8pm.
One "cheat day" a week.
Brush teeth after meals (to stop having that desire to eat a piece of chocolate or something sweet after I eat)
Drink a glass of water before each meal.
I drink a glass of milk with dinner (fills me up more and then I don't usually want to eat anything more for the night)

You can do it!!!
Good luck!

One of my first thoughts was to go to the gym and use a personal trainer for a session or two but since that's not possible I would suggest maybe looking at the body for life website. The have a lot of information on there including nutrition and exercise info.

http://bodyforlife.com/

Mike, thanks for that website. I got a quick chance to look at it yesterday and am eager to look at it some more. I've got a new file in my favorites of fitness stuff that I could spend hours looking at now.

Dinas27, I totally agree with portion control. Also just being aware of the food/calories that are going in your mouth. My drinks of choice are flavored waters, Diet Green/White Tea and Ice Tea.

I've got the walking down. I up the speed and incline to make the treadmill work a little more for me. I'll have to try push ups. Last time I did them I think I was able to do a handful, then hurt alot the next day.

I'll have to look at that website for the work out video. Chances are though I'd buy it and it'd collect dust. There is just something about them that I just can't get into them. Maybe it's the healthy skinny people that barely break a sweat while I'm huffing and puffing. HeHe.

Michellenj, I've thought of Weight Watchers as I do agree that it is a healthy diet plan.

I doing okay with my eating, getting better every day. I'm trying to eat less, eat better and cut out the un needed things. One of my biggest things is that I know my eating plan for now is something that I have to be able to continue from now on, or it won't matter how much weight I actually lose now. That's why I'm slowly working my way through cutting out bad for ya stuff as well as adding in better for me stuff. I'm hoping to change all my bad eating habits with new ones so I won't always have to be thinking about food, how much I can eat and what I can eat.

Cakesbycathy, I had bought one of Jullian Michaels' work out vidoes, and let me tell you... Just watching it made me sweat. I'm not sure I'd be able to get through 15 mins of it with out passing out. HeHe. Maybe one day when I am a little more fitter than I am now.

I walk every day so I'm hoping I can find something I can easily through in between the miles to help out a little more. I do know that I have to do a daily thing or I just won't do it. It's so easy for me when I skip a day to talk myself in to skipping another one.

I don't acutally write down what I eat but I do keep track of it in my head. Just be reading calories vs serving sizes has helped big time for me. I've been drinking about 6 bottles of water a day alone. Amazing when you have less water one day and you can really feel it through out your body.

Xstitcher, I know the gym and the personal trainer would be the best thing to do. And I do wish I had the money for it. At the moment I just don't. I also don't think I'd feel comfortable in the gym and would probably end up wasting the money by not going. Maybe as I get closer to my goal weight I will be able to get myself to do it.

The website you suggested is being added to my list.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. It is great to hear that normal people can actually lose weight with out hugely drastic methods. I'm so not a fan of lets only eat this or avoid eating any of a certain thing ever. It is just not realistic or something you can do long term. I believe the hard work method works best.

Funny I have wanted to start a topic about weight loss for quite awhile now. Myself, I have gained about 40 lbs in the last year. Since I have started doing pastries and cakes full time as a business. I see a lot of members have the weight loss tickers and have wondered what works for them.

I really need to start loosing weight, I'm running out of clothes! LOL I do exercise everyday about 4 miles on bike...don't know why I keep gaining...it's not like I eat 5 pastries everyday. Or one for that matter! My problem is the tasting of everything.

TexasSugar, tell me what works for you!

There's a site called swap a dvd where you can get/exchange dvds for free. I know a lot of folks on Weight Watchers use it to get new exersize videos.

If you already have a playstation 2 or an xbox, there's a great "game" out there called yourself fitness. You can find used ones for $15 on amazon. I LOVE this.

I've had three kids in four years, and lost 70 lbs after the first one, 55 after the second and so far 40 after the last one. I do weight watchers (you can buy the starter kit on eBay instead of paying for the "program"--you get a lot of info, but you have to be more motivated to do it without the support) and I use yourself fitness. Exercising bores me, but this program is great. You take a test in the beginning and then as you progress the "trainer" adjusts your workout making it progressively more difficult. If it can get ME to work out, I think it could work for anyone.

If you have a Wii you could always get the Wii Fit and start with that. It might not be as good as a gym workout but it might get you going.

Be warned that if you get one you might have to fight to have time on it, alot of the games on it are FUN so my husband and children always want it.

There are aerobics, balance, strength training and yoga on it. It weighs you and keeps track of both your daily and total time.

Seagoat, there are two thread currently going on about weight loss. I started this one cause I thought someone that may not be looking at those threads would have some exercise information.

I'm a part of the Chunky Monkeys thread where I have listed some things that have worked for me in the past (page 5). We are there to help motivate and pass on helpful advice to each other.

There is also Putting Down The Cake Club which also is a group that helps motivate each other.

Check them both out and maybe one or both will help you.

With that much exercise on the bike, my guess would be that it is your eating that is holding you back. You are either not eating enough calories a day or you are eating too many.

When I first started to lose weight two years ago I cut out cokes and drinks full of calories and replaced them with water. I started walking daily, and then then just tried to watch what I eat.

Feel free to PM me personally if you would like to know more of what I have done, or like I said check out the Chunky Monkeys thread. I check in there daily.

Mbelgard, we do have a Wii. I will have to look into the Wii Fitness. Maybe I'll ask for one for my birthday.

I do want to find things that don't involve alot of outside things too. At the end of Dec we go on a trip to NM. I won't have access to the treadmill (oh no!) and with the weather it may not be possible to walk outside. I need something I can close myself up in the bedroom and do with having the whole family sitting down with popcorn watching the show. HeHe.

Dinas27, I'll look at it. I have a great idea for a exercise vidoe. I think they should start with overweight/obese people and refilm the work out every 4 weeks. That way when you start it you are watching people that look like you, are sweating like you and are having trouble breathing. Then as you lose weight they can lose weight with you and you can still feel like you are in the same boat. And if you are having a really bad day you can just go back to the previous video and remind yourself of how far you have come. Think it would work? LOL

Mbelgard, I can't even do a work out video alone in my own living room. So I know I couldn't do anything like infront of anyone else.

Thanks TexasSugar! I'll go check out those threads

Hope they help you.