Quote:
Originally Posted by b1adesofcha0s
Completely agree. I just joined Planet Fitness like 2.5 months ago and I joined with 2 of my cousins. Our motivation was to get in shape and look good for one of our other cousin's wedding so we made a little competition out of it between us. One pretty much dropped out after the first day because he was busy with work/school and the other went with me for like 2 weeks or so. I started getting used to going and then got into the habit of going by myself.
I didn't really change up my diet too much. Just tried to avoid as much unnecessary/unhealthy foods (cut out sodas, juices, fast food) as I could and try to eat a little more healthy (whole grain bread instead of white, more fruits). Eating like this and going to the gym like 3 days a week I lost a good 4-5 lbs after a month. I usually give myself the weekends as cheat days since I tend to go out to eat with friends.
At this point I talked to some friends/family who have been working out for a while about what my goals were and ended up completely changing everything. Went from weight loss as my main goal to building muscle as my main goal. I wasn't too far overweight to begin with, maybe like 30 lbs, but I was way out of shape. I started taking protein supplements and focusing my workouts more on lifting than cardio. 1.5 months into this new diet and exercise plan I've put on a good 3-4 lbs of muscle and went down 2 belt notches around my waist.
I ended up completely changing my whole lifestyle because of this and I'm so glad I did. I feel way better now than I did before, have a lot more energy, and am tired less often. I've gotten to the point where I feel like crap if I haven't been to the gym in a while, which helps motivate me to keep going back. Dieting is definitely a good first step, but you definitely need exercise to go along with it. You don't necessarily need a super strict diet or a really intense workout schedule to get into shape, just a nice balance of the two. The most important thing is to find ways to keep yourself motivated and keep at it.
|
You are right, motivation is key. I have done a similar workout / diet if you want to call it that in the past. I cut out sugary drinks, drank protein shakes with breakfast lunch, and post workout, along with other supplements. I just tried to be overall healthier, with a half body builders approach to eating. At this time I was eating high amounts of protein, but also carbo loading...the opposite of what I am doing now. This was on the tail-end of a breakup, so motivation was extremely high to get back into good shape. I also had a friend who went with me without fail, every day, and this helped tremendously with staying motivated. After a solid 3 months of working out, I went from 240 (my heaviest weight at the time, down to 200, and then back up to around 225 once muscle mass started building). I should have never stopped, but I fell of then, until now...with Primal...
and finally, I know I'm going to catch some crap for saying this, but from what my sister has told me (personal trainer) and from reading the Primal Blueprint, losing weight / getting into shape is 80% what you eat, and 20% exercise. Don't get me wrong, I know both are very imporant, and after having this experience I can say that I have lost over 30lbs of what I will go ahead and consider non-muscle both ways : being more concerned with exercise than diet, and vice versa.
Because of this, I can't wait to see the results after the next month, when I will be working out much more than I have been lately.