New exercise regime

Well after a few months of JUST low carbing and not noticing much difference I decided to start a daily workout regime.
With 4 kids I had to find something I can do at home so I bought a DVD called the Two Mile Walk. Its really good. I didnt realize I was working so hard till I felt the sweat trickle down my back. I thought I can do this 4 times a week and try a beginners Pilates workout for the other 3 days.
I have never really tried any sort of exercise plan. I want to lose 20lbs. Im in no hurry and want to lose the weight and keep it off but it would be nice for me to see some sort of improvement in a month. Is it possible?
 Any suggestions or ideas would greatly be appreciated.

How does that DVD work Pebbles? Do you need a treadmill?

How does that DVD work Pebbles? Do you need a treadmill?

No you can do it in your living room pretty low/medium impact actually. If youre interested I can burn you a copy.

Sounds like a good plan, Pebs!  Good luck and let us know how it goes!   

Good Luck with your new endeavor, my friend! Now I can't give you any advice on how to KEEP your weight once it's down as I'm fickle as a yo-yo ball, lemme just elaborate a bit on how important an exercise regime is during AND after weight loss ... first of all, our bodies are fairly lazy, they get very easily used to doing nothing and steadily convert superfluous energy (too many calories) into body fat. The moment you start dieting, your body starts panicking and goes into survival mode - it basically means, it will hang on even more to the little you feed it with, slows down your metabolism and will try to get the most out of every tiny calorie. That's why a lot of people show great success in the beginning of their diet regime and then can't shed any more weight after a while. First they lose water and then, their body will resist by any means to give up his precious (fat) resources.

Hence, exercise is important to stimulate metabolism and force the body into using fat to compensate for the increased energy consumption. The good thing is that regular exercise will get your body burn more calories even after the training, because once your muscles have been stimulated, your body needs to pump more blood and oxygen into the muscles. The more muscle tissue the more calorie burning! That means, that after a period of regular exercising you automatically increase your daily calorie need, this is what instigates weight loss. Best example are athletes who NEED to eat over 3,000 calories a day (*sigh*!) to keep their weight - it's the muscles that need the energy!

Be aware though that your body needs a change of exercise/muscle stimulation too - if you keep working out with the same routine for a while you'll stagnate in the same way you would do by simply reducing your daily calorie intake w/o exercises. You have to increase muscular resistance training in order to keep losing weight. Oh, and please, I don't want to hear about any fear of women growing extreme muscle mass! At my best, I'd push 60lbs. (heh, I could've done better) and would still look far from Ms. Olympia! So, try at least every 2 weeks to make your programme more challenging or start a completely new routine ... I have loads of fitness DVDs which I can give you so that you don't get bored

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that the key to weight loss and maintenance is building of muscle mass

Did you know that in order to lose one kilogram of fat (approx. 2.2lbs) you have to burn around 9,200 calories (kcal)?

Forgot to mention, there are certain 'helpers' that can aid in increasing fat metabolism, i.e. L-Carnitine and Chromium (not the GTH type). If you're interested, I'll tell more. Don't have a degree but 25 years of experience in weight loss (and re-gaining) From all, it's still the scientific - resistance training related approach I revert to any time when motivation hits me. 

Best of luck to you Pebbles! Exercise is a b*tch, isn't it? There isn't a room in tiny cottage big enough for a workout, so I've joined a gym. I was amazed to be able to find an all-women gym, which for me is a must. It's hard enough getting me to go without having to deal with the meat-market that a lot of gyms turn into.

Teutonica is right about altering your exercise routine from time to time. In addition to keeping you losing weight, it also (for me, anyway) keeps it interesting. If I did the same thing all the time I'd get so bored I'd give up. The gym I go to has trainers who work with you and devise programs for you to do. Every six weeks, they assess you (the dreaded scales and fat-ometers! yikes!) and give you a new program. So far it's working ... and by that I mean that I haven't given up! For a total exercise-ophobe like me that's huuuuge.

Yes, Pebbles, you'll definitely see a difference in a month. For the first six weeks of my exercise program, I worked out 3-4 times a week. However, I really let myself down when it came to eating. Seemed like I had a lot of parties, events, weekends away, etc. , so I ate like an absolute cow. Normally, that would have resulted in a weight gain of 5-10 lbs, but instead I lost 2! This time around, I'm trying to exercise AND diet!

If you ever need to whinge about exercising or just want to commiserate, drop me a PM!

Exercise is a b*tch, isn't it?

Yeah - that's for sure! Just the topic: 'New exercise regime' -- hearing the word 'regime' --
sounds like a dictatorial government under which you will be tortured. 

Carolyn B

Is anyone familiar with CURVES in the US??  well here they had  an 'advert' that went around  for a  free trial  and  i went,, it is exactly like curves and  I thought  it was  too simple  to be effective.. the next day i realized  it did  have an effect.  it's called  Ladies  fitness & Wellness.  all women.. no  mirrors..30 minute routine..  (but no  water fountain!!  and  bottles are 70p)      anyway.. unfortunately we can't afford  the extra  expense right now.. it is  30 pound  a month.. ( LA fitness is  40 pound  a month.. )   

bought some new trousers  today  and BOY do i need  to  work out.. I HATE buying  pants here.. maybe it's the styles..  but geez!!   
need to do  'something'..  wish my VHS tapes  would be on DVDs.  i have loads  of excercise  routines..  hhm i guess i  could walk.. in the bitter cold!!  :\\\'( :\\\'( hee hee

Is anyone familiar with CURVES in the US??  well here they had  an 'advert' that went around  for a  free trial  and  i went,, it is exactly like curves and  I thought  it was  too simple  to be effective.. the next day i realized  it did  have an effect.  it's called  Ladies  fitness & Wellness. 

I have a few friends in the US who go to Curves and swear by it. Good to know there's something like that over here!

I usually change my workout regime with the seasons.

Winter I am almost only in the gym and only take public transport to it because of the cold.
Spring and fall I add long walks on weekends in addition to gym time. I've started walking to the gym. 
This summer I plan to add weekend cycling to my regime (maybe to and from work as well). I've always lived in a summery place but could never cycle because of the amount of cars on the road (LA) and I plan to take advantage of the bike friendly culture here.

I must admit I have moticational issues going to the gym when it is cold. All I want to do is curl up at home and relax. I think for me it is easier to exercise when it's warm.

I must admit I have moticational issues going to the gym when it is cold. All I want to do is curl up at home and relax. I think for me it is easier to exercise when it's warm.

Oy!  Me too!  I broke my toe this winter & it gave me the perfect excuse not to exercise.  Now I'm fighting to get back into shape again for the summer...but the recent sun has helped a lot.  I've gone the last two days, have my stuff for today & plans to meet my bf at the gym tomorrow...hopefully it will get me into the routine!

Usually when I start a new exercise regime -- very soon after, in fact, I start trying to overthrow the regime & generally have much success with its downfall.

I just finished  the NTC ballet workout..
it is one hour long.. the first day I  just watched it.. saw  what they expected.. how I felt.. then yesterday I started it  and today I finshed it!!

overall I have to say I have  the hugest respect for those athletes.. their job is to make it all look easy and they do a fantastic job.. 

then they  start doing it and you go  along with them.. OOH  MY!!..  firstly  the music sets the tempo  for the exercises so you can already tell 'what kind"  it will be..

the voice over is OK but I think they expect you to know a lot going in..  I had only taken  ONE ballet class in college  so  I needed  a  refresher  on the vocab..

anyway.. they do  an initial move  slowly..ONCE.. then  they begin  to do the move  and  the close ups I feel are far and few between.. I wish they'd show their feet more..  they have excellent whole body shots  though..  most of the exercises  for  your  'core' you've seen and done before  but  you do feel them and  at the end of the whole  routine you feel tingly!! 

I'd say this  routine is  'challenging"  and I needed a chair as  my barre..whereas they do all the exercises  free-standing!!  WOW!!..  but the  voice over says at the beginning...  be  more concerned  with the moves  first and  work on form later..  basically just jump in where you are..  teutonica is right about mixing it up..so I think this is  a good  addition to anyone's collection..