Weight Loss Advice from a Fitness Instructor...

I have to admit, I have been lurking around these boards for sometime.  There is some good information out there in regards to weight loss/exercise and then there is some "mis-information" that makes me cringe!

We all want to look good on our wedding day.  That is a given!  But all of our goals are different.  Some want to lose 50 lbs.  Some want to drop their body fat percentage to 16%, some just want to get into a healthy exercise routine.  Whatever is it....the first step is making a goal AND making it realistic.   If you want to drop 2 dress sizes but aren't willing to change your diet, then you probably need to adjust your goal.  There's nothing wrong with that.  It just comes down to how motivated you are to achieving your goals.  Make the right goal for yourself, for the amount of time you have to give and for the sacrifices you are willing to make to achieve it.

I am currently a group fitness instructor and have trained in the past.  My fitness coach and mentor has been in the business for 30+ years and now trains bikini and figure competitors as well as created her own fitness program called Dancer Body Fitness.  I am lucky enough to be given amazing diet/fitness advice and I'm happy to share it for those who are interested in diet, exercise or just need a place to start from.

The most important thing (and this has been mentioned a few times on the boards before...but probably not enough!) is your diet.  Your diet plays about a 70-80% role in in your weight loss/fitness goals.  I personally think diet is harder than any pushup, pullup, class, bootcamp, etc.  It involves making healthy choices every minute of the day. Below is a link to an article that gives a great 5 day diet plan. 

http://www.fitnessrxmag.com/nutrition/fat-loss/1279-eat-more-lose-more.html

You'll see the key is in eating 5-6 small meals a day.  You don't need to eat the same thing day in and day out.  But you will notice certain staple foods in your diet.  For me its egg whites, oatmeal, chicken, grapefruit and asparagus.  I eat a lot of these.  For you it might be something else.  Every meal should be very high in protein (try for 20g) and very low in sugar.  You want to keep your blood sugar regulated throughout the day so you don't have spikes and then lows...causing cravings for sugar.   It is not easy.  You have to make the choice on a daily basis to eat healthy.  There are days when I crave pizza so badly.  If you have a craving for something, think about how hungry you are.  Could you eat a piece of chicken instead?  If the answer is no, your body isnt starving..you are just craving something unhealthy.  Drink some water or eat a healthy snack and the feeling will usually pass.

Now for exercise...the "fun" part.  For your cardio exercise I suggest finding something you enjoy doing.  If you love to run (and I am NOT one of these people) then run, go roller blading, play a sport, dance....whatever fun activity you can find that will make you smile and sweat at the same time...do it!  I love to dance.  So I started taking dance classes as well as dance cardio classes.  I loved it so much I started teaching Zumba.  Its an excellent way to burn a lot of calories in 60 minutes while having fun.  Find something fun...and do it.  3-6 times a week.  

If you want to lose weight but also don't want to see flabby arms and thighs you need to incorporate weights. This is so important for most women and they don't even realize it.  Just something as simple as toning your shoulders will really change the way your body looks.  Shoulders, biceps, triceps, hamstrings and glutes are the major muscles I work weekly.  Core exercises should be built into all your weight training.  It helps you in all other workouts and it works your abs.... and who doesn't want awesome abs!  Low weights and longer reps build long, lean muscles  (not bulky!).   3lb and 5 lb weights are really all you need to get toned.  You might be using a 5lb weight for a bicep exercise...but you are doing it for 3 minutes.  I had my fiance (who lifts regularly at the gym) do some shoulder exercises with me.  He laughed at the 5 lb weight at first... but he was dying after 2 minutes and I kept on going.  (Moral of the story: strength should not be defined by how heavy your weights are!)  Also, make sure you have proper form so you don't strain or cause injury to yourself.  This is also much easier when using lighter weights.  Pay attention to all those big guys at the gym throwing weights around.  A lot of them have horrible form and have no idea what they are doing!  

I hope all of you ladies achieve the goals you set for yourself for your wedding day!  This is a great forum which allows us to chat and support one another.  Take advantage of all the information out there!!!!!  Please feel free to share the exercises that motivate you.  Maybe someone else will be reading and think "hey thats an awesome idea!" and now you've just helped someone get a little closer to their goals

So true, I am one of the brides who has brought this up in a few threads.  I'm a big fan of eating clean and weight training. I also considered writing a thread similar to this but I was afraid to come off as being preachy.  I think you hit the nail right on the head and I hope the information will be well received.

Another thing that you touched on was someone who says that they want to lose X lbs, when it’s more beneficial to concentrate on body fat %.  There's a difference between body fat and lean muscle. It’s easy to get obsessed with the weight that shows-up on the scale, which doesn’t take either of these into consideration.  I personally have weighed 162 lbs with 34% body fat (55lbs of fat) and dropped down to 148 lbs with 18% (26 lbs of fat). Based on my scale I only lost 16 lbs, but looking at body fat %, I lost half of my original body fat which is close to 28 lbs (difference in weight is due to gained muscle mass).  And it’s really important to know if the weight that you are losing is actually fat (good) or muscle(bad).

 

The most important thing (and this has been mentioned a few times on the boards before...but probably not enough!) is your diet.  Your diet plays about a 70-80% role in in your weight loss/fitness goals.  I personally think diet is harder than any pushup, pullup, class, bootcamp, etc.  It involves making healthy choices every minute of the day. Below is a link to an article that gives a great 5 day diet plan. 
 

That is awesome! Congrats on getting down to 18%.  Its not easy!!!!!

You are right, most girls look to the scale to see how much they weigh...and a lot of the loss equates to water weight and muscle loss.  Girls on diets who count calories and starve their bodies lose muscle mass which is terrible especially when you consider that the more muscle on your body, the higher metabolism rate you will have.

And I just noticed you are a fellow Now Jade bride!!!   Only a year and two days after me! LOL  I'll let you know how it goes!!!!

Originally Posted by ChocoTaco7568 

So true, I am one of the brides who has brought this up in a few threads.  I'm a big fan of eating clean and weight training. I also considered writing a thread similar to this but I was afraid to come off as being preachy.  I think you hit the nail right on the head and I hope the information will be well received.

 

Another thing that you touched on was someone who says that they want to lose X lbs, when it’s more beneficial to concentrate on body fat %.  There's a difference between body fat and lean muscle. It’s easy to get obsessed with the weight that shows-up on the scale, which doesn’t take either of these into consideration.  I personally have weighed 162 lbs with 34% body fat (55lbs of fat) and dropped down to 148 lbs with 18% (26 lbs of fat). Based on my scale I only lost 16 lbs, but looking at body fat %, I lost half of my original body fat which is close to 28 lbs (difference in weight is due to gained muscle mass).  And it’s really important to know if the weight that you are losing is actually fat (good) or muscle(bad).

 

 

Hey thanks for the advice!!! im just starting a new diet and excercise plan today i have 1 year to try and achieve my goals. I do want to lose 15-20 lbs, i just say that cause i have no idea what my body fat% is but really i know im just "skinny fat". im 5'3 and about 130lbs but i have a really small frame (think hands and wrists smaller than my 12yr old cousin) im really just looking to shed some fat and build some muscle, get the long toned look because right now i look kinda short and lumpy. in your posy above you mention counting calories like its a negative thing, obviously to when someone is counting and trying to stay under 1000 or 800 cals a day thats not good but do you reccomend a healthy number to count?

Originally Posted by Dazeydawl 

 

Hey thanks for the advice!!! im just starting a new diet and excercise plan today i have 1 year to try and achieve my goals. I do want to lose 15-20 lbs, i just say that cause i have no idea what my body fat% is but really i know im just "skinny fat". im 5'3 and about 130lbs but i have a really small frame (think hands and wrists smaller than my 12yr old cousin) im really just looking to shed some fat and build some muscle, get the long toned look because right now i look kinda short and lumpy. in your posy above you mention counting calories like its a negative thing, obviously to when someone is counting and trying to stay under 1000 or 800 cals a day thats not good but do you reccomend a healthy number to count?

 I am 5'3 too (yay for the short girls!) and when I started working out and losing weight with a purpose I was about 122 lbs and about 22-23% body fat.  I have gotten down to about 13.5% in the last few months so anything is possible!  Honestly, diet is the key.  You can do cardio and weights till you are blue in the face but if your diet is poor, you will never get the resuts you want.  I am not sure what your excersie plan is, but I know that everyone's body is different and responds differently to different programs.  You may have to try out a few different things at the beginning.  I do a combo of cardio dance classes (3-4 a week), mixed with 3 days a week of a a stength and cardio interval based fitness program (light weights, low reps, and plyometics stuff).  So I've got my cardio, Ive got my strength training and then I throw in a TRX class for some resistance training and serious core strengthening.  If you can find someone to show you some workouts on the TRX...do!  Its probably the only thing that leaves my abs sore and Ive seen results right away.  Another fun workout for the "rear view" is the Brazil Butt Lift workout.  I think women look best in a bikini when then have developed shoulders and a sculpted booty and hamstrings.  I tend to focus ont hose the most.  And the Brazil Butt Lift videos are actually a great workout.  Check em out if you have a friend who has them or maybe you can even youtube them.

Good website to find your BMI: http://www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm  (keep in mind this is different than your body fat%).  I think your body fat percentage is the best indicator of actual weight loss since you could drop a lot of water weight at first without actually losing fat.

I wish you lots and lots of success for your fitness goals.  Just find ways to stay motivated daily.  Even keep a photo journal of your progress so you can look back even a month from now and see the changes!!!!

Thanks! Unfortunately because of my work schedual i can only hit the gym 3-4 times a week and im going maintly for the classes or until  i at least have the motivation to stay on machines without getting extreamly bored after 10mins lol. zumba, body pump and kickboxing classes is where i hope i can keep my attention focused. I have a small apartment so no room to work out at home im also going to be taking up archery has my fiance bow hunts and hits the ranges all the time. Its awesome for arms and shoulders! Diet will definately be the hardest part for me because everyone always goes out to eat at my work and its really difficult to not  tag along.

Thank you for all the tips! These are wonderful!

Thanks! Unfortunately because of my work schedual i can only hit the gym 3-4 times a week and im going maintly for the classes or until  i at least have the motivation to stay on machines without getting extreamly bored after 10mins lol. zumba, body pump and kickboxing classes is where i hope i can keep my attention focused. I have a small apartment so no room to work out at home im also going to be taking up archery has my fiance bow hunts and hits the ranges all the time. Its awesome for arms and shoulders! Diet will definately be the hardest part for me because everyone always goes out to eat at my work and its really difficult to not  tag along.

nice! thanks! ill totally check it out