ETA: I've been there, done that too. Knackered knees, lots of time wasted, muscle wastage
I eat roughy 1800 calories a day. Mixed carbs, protein and some fat. I hit the gym every other day and I do at least 30 mins cardio on my non-weights days.
I get no muscle wastage of any significance.
Each to their own mind and I respect other people's choices as to how they train.
Thank you again for the encouragement guys, particular thanks to Lard for the pics which are hugely encouraging and I'm looking forward to seeing my after pics after the initial 12 week plan. LOL at your comments on clothes Lard and PJ, I love clothes and shopping and my first step to starting the plan was that 95% of my clothes no longer fit and I had the choice of starting to buy next size up or shifting the weight and although I'm not particularly vain there was no way I would have considered the first option.
I get what you're saying about the cardio Barcode, I realise I can't ignore it altogether and I shall start introducing some into my routine although it would need to be jogging to start as I can't run the length of myself at the moment. I have decided to try and get to the gym a couple of times a week and I'm still hoping for some tips on introducing abs exercises to my routine, I haven't yet found the @ Anthony thread to put that question to him though.
ETA: I've been there, done that too. Knackered knees, lots of time wasted, muscle wastage
I eat roughy 1800 calories a day. Mixed carbs, protein and some fat. I hit the gym every other day and I do at least 30 mins cardio on my non-weights days.
I get no muscle wastage of any significance.
Each to their own mind and I respect other people's choices as to how they train.
Cardio is the classic option, I just learned it wasn't for me. I doubt I'll ever resort to it again, I would if I fancied running a marathon or something. I do admit though, I did enjoy it, found it quite relexing & could gather my thoughts.
I do think my body (or mind) is a bit rubbish, the only training I've done whilst losing weight is weight training & I still reckon I've lost a fair bit of the good stuff
Sassy - trust me , my knees are aobut the same age as yours, they will not thank you for trying to take up running :-)
You'll get hot and bothered, frustrated and "plod" with no intensity
I could seriously walk a marathon tomorrow, but I could not run 5k without either ripping something or having to slow down on hills!
A general increase in activity will do you more good- go walk round the block at lunchtime, walk to local shops rather than taking car, park at out of town car park and walk in etc.
I have mailed a link to this thread to Anthony add his training advice to our amateur opinions.
What you are currently doing has lost you 2 pounds already why change radically now?
My advice would be to stear clear of the running. It's of no benefit to your fat loss, and if you want better results, that time would be better spent planning and preparing your next days/severaldays/week's diet.
PJ can tell you first hand, you have to look after your joints, particularly as you get over 30, then over 40, etc. Your joints aren't as robust as they used to be, so you can get away with less.
The weight training will give you all the fitness benefits of running, and the diet will give you infinately more fat loss benefits. Combine the two and you'll get phenominal results, without any of the negatives which only get more pronounced as we get older.
As you've pointed out, although you're only a week in, you've already lost two pounds, so you're losing the weight very fast already! Keep it going exactly as you are, and you'll have rid of it in 3 months. That's 4 times as fast as you put it on.
If you want to get in extra activity, I'm all in favour of it, but keep it low intensity, such as walking, and limit it to 30 minutes per day. You can also split this up over, say, three 10 minute sessions to get the same benefits.
Thanks Johnny, PJ and PGE and a big thank you to Anthony for the advice :o)
TBH I really don't like cardio but was feeling like I should introduce some to my fitness plan, having read your advice though I'm inclined to just stick with what I'm doing. I don't drive so I do a moderate amount of walking and I think that will suffice. Yesterdays exercise/diet were as follows:
DB squat 12 x 8kg
DB bench press 12 x 8kg
DB bent over row 12 x 8kg
DB overhead press 10 x 8kg
Brekkie: blueberry Nutrigrain bar, banana and latte 380
Lunch: crisprolls with 1 and half slices of cheddar and prosciuto 360
Dinner: 2 chicken mini fillets with lettuce and 3 tsp tzatziki in a pitta 415
Snacks: 2 small handfulls of pretzels 60
total calories 1215
I considered adding another snack but it was too late in the day and I just wasn't hungry, then I read a post on my original thread which said between 1200 and 1400 and felt okay about my calorie consumption and I may drop it down to just over 1200 a day because I've only been snacking for the sake of it to get my daily calorie intake as close to 1400 as possible. I'm glad I upped the weights as 15 reps of 5kg felt just a bit too comfortable (for want of a better word). I have weighed in at 9st 11lbs these past 3 mornings so it's looking like I've seen the back of another lb and it's not just hormonal weight fluctuation. Got a family barbecue coming up at the weekend as a joint birthday celebration for my daughter and father in law which leaves me feeling slightly unnerved as I will have no idea of the calorific content of the food but on the bright side the barbecuee is a veggie so there should be some fish :o)
You are doing very well. Don't let your calorie intake drop too low or your body will think the next great famine has arrived and will hold onto the fat like Victoria Beckham holding on to fame.
