So we've got a plan
I went for my consultation Friday at the fitness center. They weighed
me, took measurements, and even produced the percentages of fat, muscle,
water, etc. in my body using a fancy scale, and let me tell you, those
numbers weren't pretty. He couldn't give me a copy, as their printer
was down, but I remember figures like 48% fat and 56% muscle and 37%
water and all that, and I thought -- that does not add up to 100%! He
said something about it being estimates based on some sensor in the
scale and not to worry about the actual numbers so much as how they
would change in the next few weeks. He anticipated the fat to go down
and the muscle to get higher. He said that it could possibly cause my
weight to go up at first, because muscle is denser, or 'weighs more' as
some people say. A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of
fat, basically. So you'll be losing fat and getting smaller, but the
scale might say you weigh more at first. I'm not to worry about that,
and in fact he'd prefer I didn't even weigh in at all. Sure, no
problem. I'm just kind of addicted to that, but OK if you say so. I'll
try not to.
He then said I can participate in unlimited group
classes for the next four weeks. He recommended I start at 3 days per
week. He didn't want me to over do it and in fact if I felt tired or
like it was too much during class I was to stop. I thought that was
weird. Aren't you supposed to push me to do more? But he explained
that it does neither of us any good to overdo the first week and be
injured or giving up. I suspect he also wants to judge just how much I
can do, as he said it was only for that first week or so. After that I
suppose he'll know how much he can push me. But he's right. If it's
too hard, it's easy to quit. He doesn't want that, and neither do I.
They
have different kinds of classes but I can pick whatever ones appeal to
me and just show up. They are often outdoors, but sometimes in the
center. I just pick 3 sessions to attend next week and that's it. He
didn't talk too much about diet other than to say obviously what I put
in my mouth affects weight loss, but that from our discussions he
thought I had a handle on what to eat. He said my BMR is like 1868 or
something like that -- meaning over that number of calories I would
start to gain weight. I said I was aiming for 1600 or so at this point,
and he was fine with that. He didn't say what I should or shouldn't
eat other than eat sensibly and don't eat things that obviously aren't
good for weight loss - you know, most junk food, cookies, cakes, etc.
And don't go out and have whatever you want for the coming weekend
because you know you're starting Monday. Be sensible. Start slow. Do
what you can. Sounds doable - certainly for a week, right? So let's
see -- what classes are available at times I can attend next week.
I
was thinking Mon, Wed and Fri - he wanted me to get in 3 times the
first week. Monday I can choose from Fit Camp, Boot Camp or Zumba.
Boot Camp says it's high intensity, and Zumba is held at a local club -
not sure where that is. I think I'd rather try Fit Camp. Fit Camp
says: Our most popular unchoreographed workout held at local parks
(where possible) aimed at bringing all clients up to a good level of
fitness and keeping them there. Fit Camp sessions involve boxing,
running, core strength exercises, as well as upper body and lower body
strength exercises. It also says it requires cotton boxing liners, and I
have no idea what those are but I guess I'd better find out fast. I
think starting with the most intense workout is foolish, and I've tried
Zumba at home before -- so I think Fit Camp is where I want to start.
Oh,
and my weigh-in this morning was 115kg (253.53 lb) meaning I'm down
only 1 kg (2.2 lbs) for the week, but I'm fine with that. Will be
interesting to see what next week brings.