Gym: how long before I can expect to see a difference?

angelil

I joined a gym mid-January and so far am a little disheartened with the results.

I've probably been attending for about four weeks (was out for the count with illness for 1 week), about four times a week. Each time I go, I tend to burn 200-225 calories on a mixture of bike, stepper and cross-trainer machines, taking about 30-35 minutes to do this. I'm a size 10-12, about 5'6" tall, weighing 65-66kg, so not enormous, but definitely could do with dropping a few pounds (my target weight is 62kg).

However, after the month of going four times a week I'm still unhappy with my flabby thighs in particular. Am I just being impatient? Or am I doing something wrong? It's not that I expected to be alarmingly svelte after only a month of regular gym-going, but I did expect to see a small difference during this time. Any hints, tips or suggestions gratefully received

Tiglath

Squats did incredible things for my butt and thighs, and weight-training in general meant I could feel muscle developing in a matter of about a month. You're only 5 weeks in - give it a bit more time, but do think about adding in some weight-training (with proper instruction because it's easy to hurt yourself through poor technique). What's your diet like?

angelil

Diet is quite good but not perfect. My typical day goes something like this:

Breakfast (about 7.00): small bowl of muesli; 1-3 small slices of brown bread with jam, Marmite, butter or honey; small glass of fruit juice; single espresso; half an orange sometimes.

No morning snack as no time/not usually required anyway.

Lunch (about 1.00): EITHER leftovers (pork stroganoff and root & veg crumble are examples of this week's), OR something else really quick, like noodles, cup-a-soup, or a rice/pasta sachet that can go in the microwave. Usually vegetarian unless it's meat I've prepared myself (like the stroganoff). Normally followed by a yoghurt or fruit pur!e pot, sometimes also have a portion of nuts, seeds or Twiglets. Then half a litre of water.

Mid-afternoon (between 4.00 and 5.00): another half a litre of water. Sometimes a cup of tea or instant hot chocolate as well. Always have a snack mid-afternoon: sometimes a Graze box portion, or something like a cereal bar. Usually the snack is around 100 calories.

Dinner (between 8.00 and 9.00): almost always home-cooked; mostly vegetarian. We practically never get takeaway or eat out. This is usually followed by another single espresso and a square of dark chocolate.

The 'danger zone' is usually between 6 and 8pm, so I try to keep busy otherwise I know I will head for the chocolate. Luckily this isn't usually a problem thanks to a combination of late finishing times at work, my driving lessons, and of course the gym membership itself.

I will try to have a go on the weights machines when it's a bit quieter maybe to build up confidence. I really want to work on my butt and thighs as I am very "pear-shaped": very small boobs and waist, huge everywhere else

Determined_diva

Hi angelil

The great thing about weights (I do body pump classes so I get proper instruction) is that muscle keeps burning calories throughout the day as they never stop working! Woo hoo

I just do my weights on a low weight so that I tone up but will not end up looking like those bodybuilder women ( unless that's the look you want?)

Good luck with everything - you can do this!
DDx

MasterPoo

Yes I echo what Tiglath has said. Weight training is key to toning.

Enfieldian

Try a pump class as suggested above, it works all of the major muscle groups in the body.

Also try spinning classes if your gym has them.

muddyl

When you first start out you burn fat but build muscle. Your weight will often increase in the first few weeks as muscle has a higher mass than fat.
Don't go by your weight, it won't give a true reading.

Go by clothes size or even a body fat monitor.

It's still early days, but once that changes start to occur, it can work quicker than you expect.

Stick in there.

angelil

Thanks for all the responses so far - keep them coming!

I will definitely add in some weight training.

I suppose my problem right now is that I don't even seem to be losing any fat, let alone building muscle So any advice on diet (as per my above posting) would also be welcomed.

cleggy.

4 weeks isn't long enough to see any results but don't be disheartened, you should be 'feeling' better already.

4 times a week as you are doing is ideal. An hour each time is enough if you workout hard and don't chat or stand about people watching. Mixture of free weights and machines.

You seem to be food focused and eating often. Try to eat 3 times a day and not snack on anything but fruit if you have to and avoid cake, chocolate, crisps, biscuits and Greggs.

Remember, you didn't get flabby and unfit in 4 weeks and you won't undo all that damage in 4 weeks either.
If you put the effort in, in the gym, and avoid the bad food then in 6 months you should see a big improvement.

It will come on slow and almost unnoticable so take some pictures of yourself naked now and in 6 months repeat and you should see the difference.
Good luck, keep up the good work.

shannalicious

If your gym offers Kettlebell classes you could try that for toning. Spin class or HIIT is great cardio and will burn the fat fast. Best thing you can do for yourself though to really see results is a clean diet, try to eliminate all the processed food, stick to water for drinks only (at least 2 litres a day) and try to eat every 2-3 hours.
I take progress pics once a month to keep me motivated as I like to see the difference

roougers

I dont know if your gym has it, but give Metafit a try, as someone has already said, you keep buring calories for a fair while after you used the gym.

I'm getting back in shape after a few years of being dormant after playing Rugby for many years so maybe that type of excercise was better for me. Also spinning is pretty good too.

From my Rugby days I find that if you want to achieve weightloss the best type of excersise is short bursts of intense activity in the gym.