New Here

Audrey28 · 07-28-2008, 02:24 PM

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!! [sorry this is so long].
Okay I joined this site today- been playing online! LOL ;-) But I have been going to the gym since the middle of may and actually joined the gym June 1st. I have lost 22 pounds- yay which is great- so that puts me at 147 pounds right now... Right now I go to the gym Mon-Fri during my lunch break -we get an hour and half if we go to the gym- great perks there- and I have found out that I love going to the gym and working out- I love that "high" best feeling in the world! I'm also an Atkins girl- so have been watching what I eat -low carbing- and I know its prob bad if I want to build muscle- I'm focusing more on losing fat right now- LOL- but I'm hoping I can still build some muscle even though I am doing low carb.... I decided today I wanted to try HIIT- but I am addicted to the elliptical and don't know if it can work on there? I posted another thread about it under exercises- so check it out and if you can help me please do! I'm still in the learning stages about everything so I am sure I will need all the help I can get!

A little more about me- I am a single mom to my daughter Alayna whom is 8! I can't believe that! I will be turning the big 2-9 in 16 days- August 13th! I want to go out and celebrate my last year in my 20's [tear ;.( LOL] Um I was dating a guy in the Army- but things are really too complicated to get into right now- so things are pretty much "on hold" or well nonexistant. But I just want to enjoy my life- be the leading lady in someones life eventually- but def have fun in the meantime and not take life so seriously. God has plans for me- and in time he will let me in on it. I am currently going back to school to be a NURSE- want more than anything to be a NICU nurse/ RN. I have a long ways to go- but like my weight loss/weight training journey I know i will get there...

So that is me. ;-)

vanillabn · 07-28-2008, 02:28 PM

Hi, and welcome!! Have you considered starting a journal in the female journal section? It's a pretty awesome way to get advice, feedback and encouragement as you go along.

Good luck with your goals! Congrats on the 22# as well!!

Chef K-Lo · 07-28-2008, 03:52 PM

Hi and welcome! Good job on the weightloss so far; it can be really tough sometimes!

You should start a journal like vanillabn suggested... I am finding it is helping me to stay on track more and get to "know" the people around here, lol

Good luck!

Kymn · 07-28-2008, 04:38 PM

Hey there! : ) Of course you can do HIIT on the elliptical! That's all I ever did it on. What you do is decide your maximum resistance that you want to do. Say it's 8. So you start out with 2 minutes of warming up on 4 then you up to 5 for 1 minute, then 6 to 1 minute then 7 to 1 minute and then 8 for 1 minute. You start over at 5 and do that 4 times. On your last set you do 5,6,7,8 and then push to 9. You should be about dead by the time you finish that one. Then your last minute will be down to 5 again. That's your 20 minute HIIT. You really want to work it. Get moving and sweat like a pig! If you aren't then you need more resistance or push it harder!

One thing about HIIT is that you can do less time and have better results ( imo) then just mild 1 hour cardio.

Anyway, that's what I did! Good luck!

Kymn~

Varla · 07-28-2008, 04:39 PM

Welcome to the site! I'm sure you'll love it here, there's plenty of lovely people willing to offer advice and support.

Amanda76 · 07-28-2008, 11:06 PM

Welcome, Audrey.

I'm also a single parent of a girl, but my daughter is about to turn 14. I also was a non-traditional student...I got my associates in networking about 2 years ago. Now I'm really thinking of going back to school to become a nutritionist of some sort. LOL I might have to take that up as another hobby when my daughter has friends who drive and has no use for me anymore.

Also depends on how much any dual credit courses she wants to take through her high school career are going to set me back...

I gotta say that I really don't know about the keto thing. I've been experimenting with the Anabolic Diet (which is a cyclical ketogenic diet) and most of my lifts have gone down so much that I really can't imagine anyone using it to gain lean mass with as much success as with a higher carb diet. My experiment isn't done yet, but I'm not thinking it's gonna end up with a thumbs up from me. We'll see, though. LOL

In the past I've done VERY well eating between 40/40/20 and 50/30/20 (protein/carbs/fat)...leaning more toward 50% protein. I wouldn't say I make any grand leaps in performance, but my lifts actually continue to improve in little ways while leaning up and eating that way.

kimm4 · 07-28-2008, 11:20 PM

Welcome!! Congrats on your weight loss that's awesome!! I know many people who have gotten great results on atkins, keto type diets...but I don't think it's a good choice for long term dieting. People just can't seem to grasp that they're are so many good carbs out there...they really are your friends LOL!!

Def think about starting a journal. It's easy to track your progress and get tons of support along the way!!

Amanda76 · 07-28-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimm4

Welcome!! Congrats on your weight loss that's awesome!! I know many people who have gotten great results on atkins, keto type diets...but I don't think it's a good choice for long term dieting. People just can't seem to grasp that they're are so many good carbs out there...they really are your friends LOL!!

Yup...you hear about people losing so much weight initially doing keto because of carbs causing them to hold water. I REALLY have to wonder what they were eating prior to starting because I lost 2 lbs over the 2 week induction phase (less than 30g of carbs/day for 12 days). That small an amount had to have just been the glycogen and water from my muscles (which would be preferable to retain). Apparently oats, rice and sweet potatos (where I typically get the bulk of my carbs from) don't make me retain too much water. LOL I've actually been more bloated throughout this diet (even when not eating carbs) than when I keep a steady flow of carbs from whole food sources coming in. I was unexplainably bloated all last week. Between that and my muscles looking flat the further I was from my carb up, I was not a happy camper.

To be fair, I am only 5 weeks into this diet. My body is probably still having problems figuring out what exactly it's supposed to do with all this fat.

freebirdmac · 07-29-2008, 06:03 AM

Hey girl! We share the same birthday!!! But Ill be the big 4-9. Yikes! My daughter is 16 and I've been doing the single parent thing her whole life.

You've already gotten good advice and certainly found the right site for support. Good luck and welcome!

Audrey28 · 07-29-2008, 07:58 AM

Thanks for all the great advice- I'm just finding my way around this site- not sure about th journal thing yet- but I will give it a try. LOL Again thanks for the welcome! See ya around. ;-)

And happy early bday freebirdmac!!!! Thats awesome.