Any "average" ladies trying to get back in shape?

tr3kkie9rl
tr3kkie9rl Posts: 144 Member
in Motivation and Support
Okay, so I'm not what most people would call "fat" by any means. Even when I got up to almost 150#, I know how to dress to minimize my weight gain so that it was not obvious.

But I'm not what I would consider "skinny" either. Not that I want to look like Kate Moss or Duchess Catherine (I'd take her wardrobe in a heartbeat though), but I have a good amount of jiggle on my *kitten* and thighs. I have a bit of a tummy that I habitually suck in constantly. Okay, my husband likes it when the T&A are on the larger side :wink: but I don't. I want to be firm, defined, and I want to feel strong.

I was well on my way to that last fall/winter, until I had some issues with a previous injury and I was kind of sidelined, then I got lazy, yada yada yada - here I am trying to get back on track. Trying not to be frustrated by the backward steps I took, and stay optimistic about the progress I can make now.

I'm currently about 134#, basic measurements are 35-28-40, and I want to get down to about 125# by first lowering my body fat %, and then work more on tone and definition. Any ladies out there who care to talk with me about your goals, plans, advice, how you achieve results, or if this was something you have already been though? None of my "in real life" friends really get why I'm even doing this, so I can't go there for support and advice.

*I don't mean to exclude anyone from this discussion who is more overweight than me, or for any other reason, but I am looking for advice people who have more in common with me *simply* because I think your input will probably be more relevant to me personally. Lord knows someone is bound to take this the wrong way. I am open to friends of all sorts, don't get me wrong :heart:

Replies

  • ashdawg8790
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
    I'm here for fitness not for weight loss if you want to add me. :)
  • LizzieF24
    LizzieF24 Posts: 1
    I'm in pretty much the same place as you - not overweight in the medical sense but have put on a few pounds and am trying to lose some of the wobbly stuff.
    Liz
  • mitchellkd
    mitchellkd Posts: 35 Member
    I'm about in the same boat. I added some pounds last year due to meds that I need to get off first. But overall, I know I am doing ok weight wise. Starting to tone up. Feel free to add me.
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    ,<
    average and working hard to get back in shape
  • linz1976
    linz1976 Posts: 56 Member
    Hi I know where your coming from as im not overweight but need to tone up a bit.
    Im about a size 10 but still feel I could tone my tummy and get it flatter. I got my bum and legs in shape by running and more recently cycling. Ive taken kickboxing up as this seems to tone everything.
  • focusedonfitness2015
    focusedonfitness2015 Posts: 240 Member
    I'm exactly where you are. I am 5'4", 131 lbs. Fairly small person but have areas to tighten and tone..and of course the dreaded c-section belly. My initial goal is to get to 129 then I'm going to start actively lifting heavy to build muscle. I am currently lifting but not heavy, only to maintain muscle tone while I lose.

    Feel free to add me if you would like. It helps when others have the same goal in mind! Good luck to you!
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Count me in. I'm five feet four inches, 125 lbs. Yes, I've been a little heavier and I've weighed less, but that's not #1 with me.
  • tr3kkie9rl
    tr3kkie9rl Posts: 144 Member
    What are your strategies, goals, motivations?
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    I lift heavy, eat at a moderate deficit and just take one day at a time. My goal is to get rid of the jiggly fat covering my muscles and to be in better shape at 40 than I ever have.
  • Chaskavitch
    Chaskavitch Posts: 172 Member
    Yep, this is me. If I tell anyone besides my sister that I want to get in better shape, they're like "but you're tiny! And you go to the gym and do tae kwon do all the time!" I want to get rid of the jiggle, lol, even if my husband says he likes it. My biggest motivation right now (that actually gives me a time limit) is a vacation to Costa Rica over Thanksgiving.

    I'm 5'5", and I'm currently between 135 and 140#, 34/28/39 or so. An average of various tape measuring methods puts me at about 25% body fat, as far as I can tell. I already lift at what I consider a decent level, and I'm starting Stronglifts 5x5 on Tuesday to give myself a structured lifting schedule for progression.

    I'm eating at a bit of a deficit, TDEE - 15/20%, to try to lower my body fat % while gaining strength, but once I start failing on my lifts I'll bump back up to at least maintenance, if not more, depending on how hungry I get :) My main goal is to gain more muscle, but "everyone" says it's a good idea to hold off bulking until you get down to 20% bf or below, thus the deficit AND the lifting. I'd rather progress on my lifts than lose weight, though.

    Good luck to everyone!
  • Yakelmeyer
    Yakelmeyer Posts: 49 Member
    Our stories sound similar. I'm 5'3'' and got up to 150# in 2012. I narrowed that down to 135-140# with moderate exercise and a plant based diet. I wanted to be more fit, more firm - I wanted to transform my life and lifestyle from someone who was inclined to a sedentary existence to a person who was active and could use my body. I wanted my body to be more than a shell, I wanted it to be utilitarian.

    My PT recommended I focus on core strengthening. My flexibility was out of balance with my strength which had led to an injury. I was doing Yoga and Pilates 2-5 times a week.

    I began slowing increasing my exercises to 4-6 times a week incorporating more cardio and HIIT. When I felt ready, I began daily doubles and calorie counting; since I had been injured, I was sure to listen to my body when it needed a break which while challenging at times, paid off since I haven't re-injured myself. Slowly, since March 2014 I went from 135-140# down to 120# which is where I am today. I feel strong, healthy, and I feel like I'm on the right track. I compare the physicality of me today to the me of 2012 and that is the greatest NSV.

    I'm nearing the point where I'm going to temper my largely cardio program with more strength and muscle building which means I'll increase my caloric intake to do so. Since I'm trying to forge a lifestyle, I'll take it slowly and eventually find balance in my soon to be new program with maintenance.

    I hope this has been helpful. I'm happy to help in your endeavors in any way I'm able. Good luck!
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
    <
    5' 5" 128 lbs

    Fighting the flab
    Working on getting it tight
  • tr3kkie9rl
    tr3kkie9rl Posts: 144 Member
    wolfsbayne - I like the "take one day at a time" approach :) and yeah... I just want to get rid of the jiggle over the muscle! Well, for now. Then I want that muscle to look spectacular lol

    Chaskavitch - I would love to start lifting, but I'm afraid of hurting myself or exacerbating my neck injury. Plus I really want to trim down the fat% first.

    Yakelmeyer - yay we are friends already!! thanks for the info, I think I need to digest a bit of that. Also, I finally looked up what "NSV" stands for and WOW that is awesome, I think that is going to be one of my absolute favorite acronyms!!
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    wolfsbayne - I like the "take one day at a time" approach :) and yeah... I just want to get rid of the jiggle over the muscle! Well, for now. Then I want that muscle to look spectacular lol

    Chaskavitch - I would love to start lifting, but I'm afraid of hurting myself or exacerbating my neck injury. Plus I really want to trim down the fat% first.

    Yakelmeyer - yay we are friends already!! thanks for the info, I think I need to digest a bit of that. Also, I finally looked up what "NSV" stands for and WOW that is awesome, I think that is going to be one of my absolute favorite acronyms!!

    You should seriously start lifting now. It has done wonders for shaving that fat off for me. I can't believe I didn't start it years ago!
  • Chaskavitch
    Chaskavitch Posts: 172 Member
    wolfsbayne - I like the "take one day at a time" approach :) and yeah... I just want to get rid of the jiggle over the muscle! Well, for now. Then I want that muscle to look spectacular lol

    Chaskavitch - I would love to start lifting, but I'm afraid of hurting myself or exacerbating my neck injury. Plus I really want to trim down the fat% first.

    Yakelmeyer - yay we are friends already!! thanks for the info, I think I need to digest a bit of that. Also, I finally looked up what "NSV" stands for and WOW that is awesome, I think that is going to be one of my absolute favorite acronyms!!

    You should seriously start lifting now. It has done wonders for shaving that fat off for me. I can't believe I didn't start it years ago!

    Yep, definitely start lifting now if you can. It helps keep the muscles you already have, does help a lot with losing weight, and makes you look better when you're thinner. It is a lot harder to build new muscle than to keep the muscles you already have.

    I love lifting weights, which is why I'm considering focusing on gaining strength and increasing my lifting weights instead of on losing fat. If you're just trying to lose fat and look good, though, lift what you can! Try the Stronglifts program or New Rules of Lifting for Women. They give you a very structured workout so you don't have to guess what to do, which is nice and cuts down on your gym time.

    What sort of neck injury do you have that you're worried about exacerbating it? If you start fairly light on weights and make sure that your form is correct, you shouldn't injure yourself unless you try to increase your weights too quickly.
  • tr3kkie9rl
    tr3kkie9rl Posts: 144 Member
    Maybe I'm just ignorant... I thought strength training was for *after* you lose weight? And cardio/HIIT type stuff was for the fat loss part??
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    Maybe I'm just ignorant... I thought strength training was for *after* you lose weight? And cardio/HIIT type stuff was for the fat loss part??

    You could incorporate all of it into a routine. I do the Stronglifts 5x5, which is a strength routine. Lifting is good for fat loss. I've recently added in 10 minutes of cardio at the end of my lifting.
  • tr3kkie9rl
    tr3kkie9rl Posts: 144 Member
    Neck injury is from a Christopher Reeves-type horseback riding injury when I was 12. Woke up paralyzed on one side of my body the next day, went though years of PT and went back to mostly normal life for a long time. But I now have arthritic spurs on 2 cervical vertebrae and narrowing between those discs. Take a very low-dose pain maintenance med twice daily, ice packs and heat daily too, and massage about 3-4x a week. What happens is if the discs get too close, they pinch nerves, causing tension in my muscles, cramps/spasms/pain, which causes more muscle tension, it's a vicious cycle type of thing. Muscle tension in general, whether from stress or over-use of the wrong muscles or in the wrong way can trigger it too. Worst case scenario I have stabbing pain down one side of my body and can end up blacking out. Right now it's not so bad, I just always worry about setting it off, because once that happens, I can't do anything with my upper body for anywhere from a week to several months until it settles back down.
  • tr3kkie9rl
    tr3kkie9rl Posts: 144 Member
    Maybe I'm just ignorant... I thought strength training was for *after* you lose weight? And cardio/HIIT type stuff was for the fat loss part??

    You could incorporate all of it into a routine. I do the Stronglifts 5x5, which is a strength routine. Lifting is good for fat loss. I've recently added in 10 minutes of cardio at the end of my lifting.

    Well that brings up another issue... my schedule is jam packed. I get up at 5am, am gone from the house from 7am to 6:30pm during the week, and pretty much only have about 20 minutes in the morning M-F to work out. So I need to maximize that time.
  • christineellis
    christineellis Posts: 296 Member
    Very average gal here. 5'8" and currently at 156. Whenever I say I am working to lose weight or get in shape, people tell me I don't need to.

    I loved the first line in your inspiration list - I don't want to be overweight like my mother. That is my #1 motivator as well! I am closing in on 50 and with hormonal changes and all that going on, I am scared to death to turn out like my mother. I'm sure my hubby has some fear of that as well.
  • 52cardpickup
    52cardpickup Posts: 379 Member
    I've stopped focusing on losing weight and started focusing on gaining muscle. Trying to eat at my maintenance calories now (sometimes I don't quite get there), started StrongLifts 5x5, and we'll see how it goes!
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    Maybe I'm just ignorant... I thought strength training was for *after* you lose weight? And cardio/HIIT type stuff was for the fat loss part??

    You could incorporate all of it into a routine. I do the Stronglifts 5x5, which is a strength routine. Lifting is good for fat loss. I've recently added in 10 minutes of cardio at the end of my lifting.

    Well that brings up another issue... my schedule is jam packed. I get up at 5am, am gone from the house from 7am to 6:30pm during the week, and pretty much only have about 20 minutes in the morning M-F to work out. So I need to maximize that time.

    I only lift 3 days a week. So, really, I only exercise 3 days a week. I lift during my lunch hour. my routine normally takes me about 45 minutes and my gym is very close to where I work. Would you be able to do something like that?
  • dimple_gal
    dimple_gal Posts: 139 Member
    In the same boat- I am 5'7" and peaked at 157, which is brushing overweight for my height. I am down to 146 now, but it has been hard work; two steps forward one step back, especially when I am working on lifting and cardio on alternate days. That said, I have never felt better in my life! I am 50 years old, and am stronger than I was when I was a teenager. I am wearing clothes I haven't worn in years, but weigh at least 10 pounds more than last I wore them. Still trying to firm things up, but I know this is a lifestyle change so I am just trying to keep moving forward and keep it interesting!
  • tr3kkie9rl
    tr3kkie9rl Posts: 144 Member
    wolfsbayne - I might be able to do some kind of workout on my lunch, there is a park very close that I could utilize, but I don't go to gyms (personal reasons) and I don't know where I would put the weights at my office LOL... Is it really terrible to lift on back-to-back days or should I just stick to a Mon/Wed/Fri schedule, and maybe to cardio on Tues/Thurs?
  • ChelseaHotel2
    ChelseaHotel2 Posts: 17
    Hi! I used to be a pretty small dancer, but then I stopped doing dance and my weight shot up to 178 by the end of my senior year of high school. I lost about 45 lbs my first month and a half of college by not-so-healthy means that really messed up my metabolism. Now that I'm fluctuating between 129-134 I can see a difference on the scale and my clothing size, but when I look in the mirror I don't see a change at all. I think I might see and feel more of a change if I exercised more, and as trivial as it sounds I started hoola hooping 30 minutes a day, 50 squats and 50 crunches and I feel much stronger and a bit tighter around the core!

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