Thursday, June 21, 2007

The other thing about strength training …

is that it's worked for me before. When I lost weight a long, long time ago, my strategy was to eat fewer than 20 grams of fat daily and work out like a maniac. I lost about 20 pounds in the first two or three months and then stayed the same. I was going to a lovely, fancy gym with all kinds of equipment and trainers and saunas, oh my!, so I talked with one of the staff and ended up working with a trainer to learn how to use the free weights properly.

Oh, my, indeed. I was so intimidated the first time I walked into that area of the gym. But learning to lift [instead of using the Nautilus machines] was all it took to start shedding pounds again. I lost 47 pounds in five months, lost five dress sizes and could wear anything I wanted. [One caveat: Eating a very low-fat diet makes you feel pretty crappy. But you'll look great!]

The difference between then and now, as I alluded to in the previous post, is consistency. When you're sauntering into a gym where all the staff knows you and your goals, you're not going to pussyfoot around on the treadmill at 2.5mph. You're going to grunt and groan and sweat and, um, show off every time you're in there. I alternated upper and lower body work, so I was in the weight room every day. Like I said, a maniac.

But it worked.

Maybe I should get a life-sized cardboard cutout of my old trainer and prop him up in the garage.

5 comments:

ws said...

I hope he was attractive if you are planning to make a cardboard cut out of him.

I totally agree with your "one caveat" re: the low fat diet - low cal diets are the same way for me.

I feel the stares of people driving by cars and the few other people that are in the building's fitness center/gym - that is enough motivation for me at the moment.

Mary Gee said...

Dare I say it? You were younger then too?

OK. Sorry.

Laura N said...

Oh man are you making me feel like I need to get my behind in the free weights area. I really really want to lift--but know that the only way I can do it is to get a trainer, like you did, to set me up. Cause I's askeered of the big bad weights and all the menfolk.

I talked with my DH about wanting to start weights, and he said "Just do the machines." WELL, I've read enough of Stumptuous.com to know better than that! And no trainer that I pay my hard earned money to is going to put me on a machine. I see them doing that in the gym all the time, and it ticks me off. What the he!!, a monkey could move a pin in the weight stack. Machines + Personal Training Fee = Ripoff (IMO)

So, hmmm..... I can't wait to see what you end up doing with this weight lifting, lady. If you can't get a cut out of your trainer, what about one of Daniel Craig (the new James Bond)? He might not be weight lifting inspirational, but boy is he pretty.

Unknown said...

i've lifted weights for years and it wasn't until i started doing more high-impact cardio (step, spinning, running) that i noticed a difference... losing weight = looking more toned, that's how i see it... i do feel that one should do both - whether one more than the other is up to the person... some days i really enjoy lifting (esp. when i have a good sweat going) and some days i don't... just remember to switch-up your routine every 2-3 months... ;o)

Jess said...

Okay, feeling crappy versus thin?! I prefer to feel awesome and have the illusion that I'm thin!