Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hello,

I was always a skinny girl (albeit, not fit!) until I hit 30. Then I gained a few pounds. By 35, it was a few pounds more. By 40, even more. Five years ago I took time off with the intent to lose weight. I lost 35 pounds & was successful beyond what I imagined.

Then I went back to work. My jobs have always been 50+ hours a week & I didn't weigh myself on a regular basis & within 2 years, I had gained over 50% of the weight back.

Now? I have gained every pound back!! Arghhh!! IT IS DEMORALIZING!!!!

Now, I finally (& deservedly so!) have a good paying part time job & am trying to lose all these d*mned pounds AGAIN!

I love step aerobics (Gilad, Cathe Freidrich, Charelene Prickette are faves) & they challenge me. I also have a very loving & supportive husband (who found this site!) but my current weight loss has been incredibly SLOW! Arghhhhh! I have been exercising 4-5 times a week for 6 weeks now & have cut back my calories to approx 12-1,500 per day for about 6 weeks, now. I have lost 6, count them SIX POUNDS! I’m 48. Arghh! Is this what I can expect for weight loss at this age, or can I do more? More aerobics, more calorie cutting? MORE WHAT???????

CAN 5 YEARS MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT LOSS?


GETTING OLD IS NOT FOR SISSIES!!!

Marie Wilcox-Little, 73

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Oh man!!!! Do I want to look this good at 73!!!

Just wanted to say hello! I've only joined up last nite meself.
As for your questions, it would be helpful if you could keep a diary of what you eat and drink and post it in the relevant section, just so that people can have a look and base their advice and suggestions on that. For starters, do you drink enough? Sodas and drinks with caffeine in them don't really count! And depending on what those 12-1500 calories consist of, your body might have decided that it needs more energy than it's getting, so might be holding on to the 'reserves' it's got. It seems that eating little and often, and drinking a lot of water, does the trick.
I used to know a girl who came into the gym every day to work out and lose weight, and became totally disheartened when she didn't. Turned out that she almost starved herself - and drank black tea to get her fluids in! - so her body was refusing to give up what it had!
How often and how long for do you do aerobics? Do you really work up a sweat every time? You might want to invest in a heart rate monitor, to check your heart rate. If it's not consistently raised for about 20 minutes at a time, it won't do much for your weight loss.
Have you tried weightlifting? Contrary to what many people believe, weightlifting is great for losing weight! The exercise makes your heartrate go up, and body muscle requires more energy (calories) than bodyfat, so you'll burn off more of that, even when you don't work out!
If you're new to weightlifting tho, I'd really recommend joining a gym for at least a while, and get an instructor to teach you how to lift correctly. Many people injure themselves, because they go out and buy themselves some heavy weights, set it up in the garage and start lifting, with only the manual as a guide. Don't do it!
Anyway, that's my idea of things, it seems that there are loads of very knowledgeable peeps on this board so I'm sure you'll be getting tons of really good advice!b

See ya!

Hi Crispy, welcome!

I agree with MalcKiera.
Not much left to say In addition, i'd vary the calories over the days, maintaining only the average intake. Say, your goal is to eat 1'700 each day, then switch between 1'300 and 2'100. Stay away from sugar, it's the worst thing to eat in my opinion.

Welcome!

Hi! I like the picture/tag line.

Two thoughts.

Weight versus shape-
The scale numbers can change. And that can be good or bad depending on your goals and what way the scale goes... but it sounds like to me what you want is to be in better shape. Literally the shape of your body. If that's true I'd suggest ditching the scale and watching your clothes. If they start fitting a little looser then you've got something, no matter what the weight you're at.

I'll have more later, I need to finish some more homework... Also I don't want to be offtrack if I'm wrong about what you want.

Thanks Daywalker! I'm glad that I seem to remember some things from my fitness days!
I should correct myself tho: weightlifting isn't great for losing weight as such, as muscle actually weighs more than bodyfat. So you could end up looking great, all toned up and all that, and actually weigh more. I'd agree with Aaron here, if your goal is to shape up then ditch the scales and watch your clothes/yourself in the mirror. Keep us updated on how you get on!

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

I guess getting a bit POd about it payed off. I had the best two workouts in a long time this weekend. And I'm going to stay off the scales, at least for awhile.

My husband has helped me put together a weight training program that I will start this week. So it will be aerobics in the morning (4 times weekly) & weights in the evening (3 times weekly).

I'm also going to modify my diet some, after reading many posts here. More beans, lentils, veggies & less pasta, rice & bread. Fortunately, I love beans & lentils.

Thanks again! I hope to get to know all of you better over time.

Welcome from germany! Have fun doing your weight training! Its the best!