To those who are happy with their body

CeeBeeSlim · September 2019

Did you find a strength training program and follow it, or do progressive overloading, or anything structured - or not? I’m finding it’s hard for me to stick to a program (life’s curve balls) and really just want to lose weight (20 lbs) and tighten up. Is going to the gym and doing some stuff here and there (some machines, cardio) for whatever length of time I have ok to achieve goals? Did any of you do it that way and feel good about your body. Life’s a bit upside down now and committing to a 2-3 day strength training program just not working.

Cherimoose · September 2019

First off, losing weight requires zero gym time, only a calorie deficit. The "tightening up" is mostly from weight loss too, so only a small amount of strength training is needed for that. That only takes 20 minutes twice a week if you choose compound exercises and heavy resistance. Anything less than twice a week will likely leave you very sore for days. Try doing a bodyweight or dumbbell program at home, which you can spread out throughout the day if necessary.
Cardio is irrelevant to your goal, but it's good for health & fitness purposes.

jayemes · September 2019

Exactly what @Cherimoose said. Some stuff here and there isn't going to get you anywhere you want to be. If you want the results you have to find the time and put in the work.

MikePTY · September 2019

I am happy with my body even though I am still 15 pounds overweight and working on losing about 25 more pounds. In my opinion, being happy with your body and how you physically look are two mutually exclusive things. People can keep working on their body and never be happy if their mind is not in the right place.

cwolfman13 · September 2019

My best results have always come from running a structured program...either an off the shelf program like Starting Strength or one my trainer laid out. Just kind of doing whatever has never given me any results in regards to the body composition I like.

It doesn't have to be anything crazy...all of the programs I've run have been full body 2-3x per week and focus on compound movements. A basic program focusing on compound movements is typically 3 movements per session and can be done in about 30 minutes.

MPDean · September 2019

I am pretty happy with my body, I could lose a bit more and may tighten up my logging at some point in the future.

I run, half marathon next week and another in December so around 27 miles per week. I do body pump twice a week and body balance once. I also bike to work most days.

Running and accurate logging are what works for weight loss for me.

apullum · September 2019

If your goal is weight loss, then you need to ensure you're in a calorie deficit. There is no form of exercise that ensures a calorie deficit; exercise is for other health and fitness goals. Whatever form of exercise you choose must be combined with a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. You can ensure a calorie deficit by weighing and logging all your food.

anubis609 · September 2019

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

Did you find a strength training program and follow it, or do progressive overloading, or anything structured - or not? I’m finding it’s hard for me to stick to a program (life’s curve balls) and really just want to lose weight (20 lbs) and tighten up. Is going to the gym and doing some stuff here and there (some machines, cardio) for whatever length of time I have ok to achieve goals? Did any of you do it that way and feel good about your body. Life’s a bit upside down now and committing to a 2-3 day strength training program just not working.

You don't have to follow a specific program if you don't want to, however, going to the gym to do stuff here and there for whatever length of time will yield the same type of some-whatever results. Unless you're a genuinely gifted biomechanical natural, with the ability to see how weight applies the necessary force to effective working muscle groups, right off the bat, you want to have some structure as a foundation for basic movement patterns and some form of progression to let you know that you are actually... well, making progress.

Just as an extreme example, say you go to the gym a few times a week to do a few leg raises, calf raises, thigh abduction, thigh adduction, half a dozen sit ups, and finish with a leisurely 20 min recumbent bike ride while checking instagram, and all the while you have no idea how much weight you lifted in total, why you did them, or what you're specifically training, then you'll have the body of someone who does just that.

Being happy with your body is a broad term and maintaining a specific body type is going to be require effort in some way.

If you're going to strength train, do it with purpose and intensity. The number of sets and reps doesn't really mean jack if you could have put in more work at any given point. I guarantee it doesn't have to be long. You don't really need to leave the house if you have some equipment at home and/or if calisthenic training appeals to you over lifting.

And if you wanted ideas for some programs that you could probably use to program yourself, you could try checking this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

middlehaitch · September 2019

I love my body.

I do a variety of things for cardio depending on my goals at the time, as well as yoga and weights.

I have a lifting programme (AllPro) that I wish I could run 3X a week year round, but life gets in the way.

If I’m home, I can switch to the 2x a week heavy version to fit in other obligations.

If I’m travelling, I have a bodyweight and/or dumbbell programme I will do.

If I’m just feeling a bit worn out I have a machine/cable routine based on AllPro that I will do (takes the head space stress out of lifting for me)

I’m probably not the most dedicated when it comes to lifting, as I put a lot of other things before it. But I do like having set routines that I can use when life takes over.

I find having a programme provides a balanced routine. If I just walked in the gym and went at it I’d only do what I liked/was easy and be totally unbalanced.

A small calorie deficit (0.5lbs a week) for your weight loss.

Cheers, h.

sardelsa · September 2019

For my personal goals.. leaning out/cutting (losing fat and preserving muscle) I did have to follow a progressive structured program for best/most optimal results (for me). After my second baby I didn't follow a program as consistently (2-3x per week, 30min sessions, not always progressive) and my protein intake wasn't great.. so while I lost weight and my end physique was good I'm sure it could have been better.

Point is I still achieved decent results either way while in a deficit (which as mentioned is necessary for weight loss).

J72FIT · September 2019

For me, focusing on performance goals helped divert my attention from how I looked. I believe form follows function so the closer I got to my performance goals the better I looked. Hope that made sense...

EliseTK1 · September 2019

J72FIT wrote: »

For me, focusing on performance goals helped divert my attention from how I looked. I believe form follows function so the closer I got to my performance goals the better I looked. Hope that made sense...

I agree. I have been focusing on performance and function (progressive lifting plus physical therapy for a lower back issue) and have found that my satisfaction with my body has skyrocketed. I am stronger, feel better, look better, and fit better in my clothes. My weight has barely budged, but my body composition is clearly changing. It's also a huge help that I can now bend over without severe pain- really puts the important things into perspective.

To those who are happy with their body

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