FitFabFlirty92 Member

Heavy lifting is not necessary. Try basic old school strength training exercises like push ups, and anything in plank position. Continue doing cardio to burn the fat off, then do resistance training to build a little muscle definition. There are loads of workout videos and fitness apps that can help you build a routine. :)

Thanks for the suggestions, guys, keep them coming! Trust me, I don't eat organic at all, nor will I ever, lol. This one meal just happened to be organic because it was from a health food bagel shop (I know, sounds like an oxymoron). I didn't want to add too many calories or negate the health value of the meal by adding…

I'm so glad you said this, I actually love yoga!!! :) At the moment, I'm using yoga DVDs (Rodney Yee, Rainbeau Mars) as a part of my practice, but ideally I would like to join a yoga studio in my neighborhood once I start working and have some money. I've heard very good things about the strength gains from doing yoga…

Lol, that's not what I meant at all!!! She didn't say that, I meant that many people on MFP have told me that her stuff doesn't count as strength training because of the light dumbbells and such, but maybe they don't know that bodyweight stuff is incorporated? At any rate, she has always called it strength training in the…

I meant the body weight stuff like pushups, lunges, squats, etc. All of that is in her videos, with dumbbells to add a little extra resistance. I'd love to do some research on my own as you suggest, but the information is conflicting and it's hard to know what is legitimate and what is not. Do you have any recommendations…

I just checked out the Nerd Fitness site and found their Beginner Bodyweight workout. It looks great, but a lot of it is stuff Jillian Michaels does in her videos already, and people say she "doesn't count" as strength training...I'm confused.

Thanks so much!!! Being on these boards, it's easy to feel like lifting heavy in a gym is the only way to build endurance and strength. But I've heard enough success stories on here that Jillian is sounding like a GREAT option for my personal goals. When I start working (which should be within the next week or so) I'm…

I've been meaning to get that, it seems a lot more structured and I like that it's longer than her 30 day videos. The bodyweight work would be really helpful for me, I'm sort of weak in that area.

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I used to HATE running when I was a kid. I had asthma and ran slow because of it, and the kids made fun of me. I had really low self confidence and felt like I would never be a runner or an athlete. Then I joined this site and kept on hearing about the C25k program. I downloaded an app similar to that program and use it to…

I would say try going to a specialty running store and getting fitted. I wear Saucony running shoes I got matched with at a running store, but just because they work amazingly for me doesn't mean they'll work for you. They'll have you try on different shoes and run in them, and they'll do the whole process for free. The…

This basically sums up my whole philosophy on eating....I don't know why so many people on here insist on going to extremes.

The people talking about leg and chest days are heavy lifters. Contrary to popular belief on this site, you do not need heavy lifting to get in good shape. Yoga is a GREAT strength training exercise, and you can definitely build some nice definition in your arms and legs by doing that consistently. You're on the right…

I take Zoloft and Abilify, and have found that it is MUCH harder to lose weight now than it was before I started taking them. It's a very slow process, but I weighed myself this morning and the scale is finally starting to move after two weeks of either no loss or a gain while eating at a deficit. You'll get there, but it…

You could be eating too little. I don't know your stats (age, height, weight), but for most people 1200 calories is too low, especially if you're exercising. I saw results with those videos by eating 1600 calories a day, and more on days I exercised.

I agree! I do lift, I just use lighter dumbbells at home. I really push myself and try to use weights that force me to work until I can't do another rep.

I agree. I guess what I do would count as resistance training, since I do light weights in workout videos. I counted the reps once and it's usually 2 sets of 15 reps or so. That falls under hypertrophy, right?

GREAT answer. :) Adding you right now!

I'm so glad we're friends, you look fabulous!!! How did you get those abs??

First of all, you definitely don't have to lift heavy to get in good shape and be healthy, despite what MANY people on this site say. :) Ignore them and do what works for you. That said, if you want to up the weight because you feel like you can and you want more a challenge, I say go for it! I wouldn't double it right…

I will have a talk with my doctor. :) You and I sound so similar, I also like to dress up and wear makeup to cheer myself up. It's a struggle to get out of bed some mornings, but I do it because I know I can find something worthwhile to do, and I keep reminding myself that my life IS worth living, even if sometimes it's…

Starting Week 3 today. I'm a little nervous because I've tried this program before and never made it past Week 2. Wish me luck!

Thank you for saying this, it was so inspirational and helpful for me. I very much want to be healthy and happy above all else. If I have to let go of the dream of being skinny to achieve that, then I guess it's a small price to pay. It's just a little scary because this is the heaviest I've ever been (184 lbs), and for my…

Yeah, I heard about that, having to gradually taper off the pills because they can make things worse if you go cold turkey...scary, right? My psychiatrist says that once I've stabilized he'll take me off the pills, so hopefully I won't be taking them for the rest of my life. I want to get a point where I trust myself to…

I would try Mirena, but isn't it only recommended for people who have already had at least one child? I'm 21 and a virgin, so definitely not a member of the club yet, lol. I agree about the grogginess with the Abilify, I was so tired ALL THE TIME for awhile, and I'm still a little out of it in the mornings. Did you get…

I have an appointment with my gynecologist to go on BCP, so then I'll REALLY be at high risk for weight gain, lol. Before I went to the hospital and had my dosage doubled, I was super depressed and lying in bed all day. Being so sedentary probably had an impact on my weight as well. I just didn't think it would be so hard…

I've never weighed my food. I used to use a measuring cup for certain things until I learned to be able eyeball the amount I needed. I'm very careful with those estimations, though, and doing that has worked for me in the past.

It depends entirely on your individual symptoms and how you feel. For me, it varies from month to month. If I'm having a really bad cycle where my cramps are keeping me in bed and it's hard to function, then anything extra like working out is out of the question. If it's a milder cycle where I'm uncomfortable, but still…

I know that the Runkeeper app tracks your distance, that's what I've been using while I train to run a 5k. It's free and has GPS. :)

If I'm 21 years old and I know what a peer reviewed clinical study is, I imagine most people on this site, who are much older than me, would know or be able to figure it out. I do agree with you that a lot of people use things like reality TV and wack jobs like Dr. Oz to get their information, and that has to stop. I'm…