Athena no more..
 

It's official - I'm no longer an Athena by the 150 lb. standard. I started last June at ~174 pounds and according to the scale at the gym, I now weigh 147 and dropping. I started out just riding my bike as a lot and lost the first 20 pounds fairly quickly with that approach. In mid-September of this year I started working with a personal trainer and eating in accordance with his recommendations. This really got the weight loss kick started again (8 lbs and 1.5% body fat in a month).

27 pounds lost over 16 months isn't a fantastic rate, but considering the somewhat half-@ssed approach I took, I'm pleased. Honestly, this is probably the only way I could have done it. Previous attempts to get in better shape involved changing EVERYTHING at once and resulted in me feeling overwhelmed and quitting the entire program.

Compared to Tom and bdinger and The Historian, this is a miniscule amount of weight loss, but I'm still proud of getting it done. This is my favorite forum on this board, so I don't plan on going anywhere. :)

-M

Congratulations!

Congratulations and have fun sticking around!!!

congrats!

Good job! Every time someone posts about no longer being a clyde or athena, it gives me a little kick in the rear end. I need that if I'm ever gonna make that post. How does is feel to be one of the inspirations now?

Oh, so now you are "one of them" :D...Kidding, congrats. Now post a pic so we can put a skinny face to your name!:p

Good job!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm thinking before and after (or at least after) pictures are in order! :D

And the very first one!

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...rts/Gotls1.jpg

I think you will find your weight loss more successful having not done it as a crash diet.

Congrats Gotls 1! Glad you will be sticking around. Your Avatar and saying crack me up every time I see it.

Nice job! Slow and sustainable weight loss is the way to go.

Scott

Congratulations! Don't cut yourself short, it is an acomplishment and you earned it :thumb:

I've noticed that women have a MUCH harder time losing weight than men do, so don't sell yourself short. 27 pounds is a lot. That's something like 18% of your body weight. You deserve a big thumbs up for that. :thumb:

Yes, please don't go anywhere. We need you as part of the party here.

Oh, and congratulations! :thumb:

Thanks everyone. This is exactly why I plan on sticking around - C&A is probably the friendliest, most supportive forum and I really apppreciate your comments. I'll have to see about before/after pics. After is easy to do, but I'm not sure I've got a good before shot. I wasn't exactly dying to get my picture taken when I was at my largest.

Congratulations!! :thumb:
I don't think I will ever get down that far. I started at 302 a couple of years ago. Made it down to 225 earlier this year and started biking. Now I am just under 200 and I've been there for awhile now. It's like I've hit a wall. I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week along with biking at least for 4-5 hours on the weekend. I guess on a positive note I am down to 1 bp med and hope to come off of it soon. Any special things you are doing at the gym? I am kinda limited as I have some knee issues and have a hard time walking. Actually I can bike for longer than I can walk. Would love to hear some of your routines.

LindaN

Hitting the wall just below 200 from 302? That's a pretty darn impressive wall you hit there!:thumb:..Be happy, That's pretty DARN GOOD!;)

Hi Linda. Congrats on your weight loss! Losing over 100 lbs is a fantastic achevement. Also, great news on being able to cut down the meds. I wasn't at the point where I needed any bp/cholesterol/blood sugar medications, but I was definitely on the road to them when I decided to make a change.

I go to the gym three times a week - once with my trainer and twice on my own. Each time I'm there, I do exercises that address the biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back, abs, quads, hamstrings, and calves. I know a lot of people who weight train do upper body one day and lower body another, but I can't keep track of all that at 5:30 am so I just do the whole body each time I go. I'll do two sets of each exercise for about 10-12 reps and alternate them with another exercise. So for example, I'll do one set of whatever I'm doing for my biceps then I'll do a set of my shoulder exercise, then back to biceps, etc. I try and use the heaviest weight I can as well, so that towards the end of my second set I'm at failure. If I can do 13 or 14 reps of an exercise on my second set and could still do more, I'll up the weight next time I do that exercise.

When I see my trainer he also has me do pylometric exercises mixed in with the weight training to get my heart rate up. For example he'll have me do burpees on a medicine ball, or lunges while swinging a medicine ball, or my personal favorite (NOT!) hopping on one foot while holding a 35 lb plate horizontal at chest height. That last one got my heart rate up to 198 - something that I didn't think was possible at 34. :lol: Given your knee issues that might not be a great one to try though.

While I've come to appreciate weight training and I'm even starting to look forward to my weekly butt-kickings from my trainer, I really feel like the majority of my recent progress is due to the eating plan he gave me. I'd probably say it's 75% eating, 15% cardio, and 10% weight training. If you have any more questions though, feel free to ask.

Good luck!

-M

Congrats!

Kudos, I sent you a box of Chocolates to celebrate your victory.

Seriously though-good job, stay Kitty Stay! I was actually dreaming that someday I might be too thin to pull the Budweiser wagon.

Enjoy your victory.

That's a fantastic accomplishment. Sounds like the PT (workout and diet) really did the trick. Makes me want to check out the local gyms.

Congrats Gotls.

I don't really feel comfortable in this forum - My highest weight was just over 200 (I am 5'9") in 2002, when I suffered a heart attack at age 44 - this served as a major wakeup call. I started eating a lot better and riding the bike a lot. Today I don't own a car, and ride the bike daily. For the past several years I have hovered between 170 and 175. For me the key to maintaining a healthy weight has been the daily exercise. By getting rid of the car and forcing myself to ride the bike everyday, I don't have to worry as much about how much I eat (although I have cut out a lot of the really bad things that I used to eat).

Whatever you find works for you - keep it up!

Thanks so much for sharing your routine. I do what you said most do. Work on upper body in one session and lower in another. Also, I was doing 3 sets of 12 with weights I can manage. I think I'm gonna up my weights and do less sets and see how that works. Maybe I just need to change the routine around a little. Thanks again for sharing. I hope to one day get down to under 175. I think I would be happy with that....seeing that I've never seen that weight for my entire adult life. ;)

LindaN