6 months to lose 35lbs.

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crimsonandclovers
crimsonandclovers Posts: 35
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm going on holiday with my boyfriend to America this August, we're going for a month, road tripping from one side to the other. I'm insanely excited & can't wait to go, but i'm terrified of looking like a beached whale as i'll be living in bikinis, shorts, skirts, pretty minimal clothing basically.
I'm not that big, I'm 175lbs right now, my goal weight is 140-150lbs with muscle definition. I'm going to the gym 5 times a week, focusing on cardio at the moment (1 hour on elliptical & cycle) to get my weight down then I'll add some strength training at around 160lbs to start gaining muscle definition. I'm aiming for 1500 cals a day.

I'll be honest, i have NO idea if this is a good way to do things or not! I'm looking for some advice basically, on what you guys think. Is this a good way to go about it, any suggestions etc?

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  • mmcdonald700
    mmcdonald700 Posts: 116 Member
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    Most people on here will suggest you start strength training right away. If you're eating at a deficit you won't gain muscle, but strength training will minimize muscle loss so that you aren't inefficiently losing muscle with fat and then trying to gain your muscle back later. Personally... I enjoy cardio way more so I also do a lot of cardio and it does help a TON with creating a good deficit (and is great flong term for heart health!). But lately I've been going to more classes at my school gym that focus on strength training (most of them are called "sculpt" classes) and then do cardio at home since I enjoy cardio and will do it on my own but won't really push myself during strength training unless an instructor is telling me what to do.
  • mmcdonald700
    mmcdonald700 Posts: 116 Member
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    Also, an extra benefit of even a little strength/resistance training is that it increases insulin sensitivity (decreasing risk for type 2 diabetes). So in sum, both consistent cardio and strength training are great for long term health :)
  • crimsonandclovers
    crimsonandclovers Posts: 35
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    ah right ok, that makes a lot of sense actually :P what kind of stuff would you recommend for a total beginner? I've never done anything to do with strength/resistance before, and i'm pathetically weak..
  • mmcdonald700
    mmcdonald700 Posts: 116 Member
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    Haha, me too, I'm a self-professed strength-training n00b. So far, classes have helped me as a beginner - they keep things intense and concise, every work out is a little different using different equipment (free weights, resistance bands, body weight, body bars). Like sure, I could go to the gym and do a few things on my own with free weights, I remember how to use most machines, but my workouts would probably be a waste of time and a lot of aimless wandering would be done.

    I've heard youtube has great vids for strength/resistance training with freeweights, exercise balls, medicine balls, kettlebells, resistance bands, body bars - that kind of stuff. You can do it from home if you want to invest in the equipment, or look up the exercises/make a work out plan for the week and then go to the gym and get er done.

    There seems to be a significant community on here into heavy lifting who advocate the benefits for men and women so you can also look into support/info from that community they have tons of threads posted if you search for them. Can also find heavy lifting routines on the internet, but I would probably suggest getting help from a trusted friend who does heavy lifting safely OR (preferably) a personal trainer who knows what it's all about, what exercises are good to do and how they're done safely if you're just getting started.
  • crimsonandclovers
    crimsonandclovers Posts: 35
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    I've just joined a gym, so I'd be looking at doing it all there. I get to do all classes under my membership thankfully, so I'll have a look and see if any take my fancy. Didn't even think of doing that, whoops! But I'll take a gander around here too, see what advice is floating around :) Really don't want to be skinny fat again!
  • mmcdonald700
    mmcdonald700 Posts: 116 Member
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    Yeah I'm sure people would be willing to help you out on your form/give you tips if you ask! Or, like I said you could also do a consultation with a trainer at the gym (although that usually is a bit expensive, even for one session). Good luck! :)

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