Yup, another Newbie with a question (a long one at that)

[MXena]

Hi, i'm new here just wanted to say a few things AND ask a question (or two).
First, i've been reading the posts here and i'm thinking I'm really going to like it here; sex, working out, humor, it's all good. This Monster guy: LOVE HIM! Bikini Mom; checked out your site: LOVE HER! i think i'll stay.
My question: i am a former competitive bodybuilder/fitness model, when i say former i mean it looks like; "Yeah in your dreams" former. In a past life i was married and my life revolved around training myself, other people, teaching upteen million aerobics classes in several different gyms. i NEVER had to pay for a membership and everyone knew me, basically i was a Big Fish in a Little Pond.
Now, jump to this life: i'm divorced, my ex moved me to this god-forsaken place (i won't tell) where you have to drive a good 30-45 min to get to a gym. i have a "Real" job in law enforcement and have minimal time to devote to working out, especially what i'm used to to look like i did (i'm talking 5'10", coming in around 145-150, body fat @8-12%)i developed a Panic/Anxiety disorder and i'm on Effexor for that, which means (the Dr. tells me) i can't take any supplements such as Hydroxycuts or Ripped Fuel which i used to use regularly. i don't even DARE step on a scale, my self-esteem is at a all-time low and i can't get that motivation i used to have. i look at the mag covers, newspaper articles, trophies and photo albums of my former self and want to cry (and i usually do). Ok, enough "woes me" my question(s) are this:
1. Has anyone ever used a Thermogenic while on a anti depressant/anti anxiety medicine?
2. Where do i start? Cardio only? Weight training? WHAT???
3. How do i get that motivation and drive back?
4. Should i go back to a LOW carb diet? (Here's another problem; i'm recovering from an eating disorder and have a tendency to be "All or Nothing" so, i usually restrict EVERYTHING then get so hungry i binge- not good)
If anyone has some advice or just a general good swift "Kick in the Ass" i would greatly appreciate it.
i forgot to mention i have access to equipment, my facility where i work has a small gym and i have some equipment at home. i work 6:30am to 3:30pm. i'm usually up at 4:30am to get ready for work, so i try to work out after work. My time is limited so sometimes i have only 45mins. to 1 1/2 hr. to work out a day.
O.K. i'm going to shut up for now, please if anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated. Even a little "come-on" would be nice!!

 

[TEXgrl]

hello and welcome! i'm relatively new here, but you should be able to get lots of encouragement from folks here!

i don't feel like i have the knowledge to answer alot of your questions, but i will touch on a couple:

for motivation--just do it. the biggest step in getting started after letting yourself go for so long is just getting back in there. easy to say, hard to do, especially if you are suffering from low self esteem. i've been there. i got back in about 3 years ago after a 7 year break. After being inactive, doing ANYTHING is better than doing nothing. don't be too hard on yourself and don't expect miracles overnight. be proud that you are making an effort to change!!

good luck! i'm sure the experts here will post soon.

 

[diamonddiceclay]

the simplest answer for you is to hire a pro to train you-everything else will fall into place

 

[sheez_ripped]

Hi and welcome....

I am on Zoloft and use Ripped Fuel regularly with no problems...but the Zoloft for me was to help regulate mood swings due to my estrogen levels bottoming out a lot....only on 50 mg per day.

As for encouragement...you know you can do this because you were where you wanted to be with your body before...to get started back...think "baby steps"...set small daily or weekly goals...that are specific....like "i will do an hour of weights 3 times this week" or "I will do two cardio sessions this week"

Don't look at where you are now so much as where you wanna be and chart a path to get there....when you start to get your old body back I think the motivation will really kick in...

I had thyroid problems and had to have part of it removed....ballooned up from 135 to almost 180! Bigtime MOOOO! and it took a lot of time to get replacement hormone at the right dose to even be able to lose wt....i thought i was doomed to look like that for the rest of my life! But, over the last two years I have lost the fat...put on muscle...currently at a bf of 15.5% and dieting down for my first show this fall! My body now looks better than I have in my whole life!

but i broke up everything into small pieces....and keep a journal of cardio, weights and food intake....

and if u fall off the wagon occasionally...don't sweat it...just pick yourself up and keep going...you'll get there!

and this is a great place to be...lots of support...and tons of really knowledgeble folks....much more knowledgeable than me!

look for MS, spatterson, W6, Warlobo, NY muscle, to name a few.....

 

[Gladiola]

"2. Where do i start? Cardio only? Weight training? WHAT???"

IMO (& probably most here) WEIGHTS! You are quite lean already, & don't need to lose fat. If you want to improve general cardiovascular health - you can always do circuit training to raise you HR & work your cardiovascular system at the same time as getting stronger.

"3. How do i get that motivation and drive back?"
New@GettinBig had a great thread on motivation. What works best for me is to have a goal & a time frame attached to that goal. A w/o partner also makes a world of difference (oh how I ADORE mine!).

"4. Should i go back to a LOW carb diet?"
You can read up on Keto - but IMO & what I know, it's best for burning fat. You have hardly any fat to burn! Besides, you need the carbs for energy so you can work hard pumpin' iron to get LBM back! So I recommend 40P/40C/20F split - with possibly even more carbs. you can use www.fitday.com to track it & find out your split.

"have a tendency to be "All or Nothing" so, i usually restrict EVERYTHING then get so hungry i binge- not good)"
-FitDay could help with this - you can see on the screen in front of you if you've been too restrictive. You know how that's not good for your body - so that may help to track it. You could also establish a diet & just aim to stick to it. Eat EVERYTHING on the spread sheet, nothing less, & maybe more (or bigger/more portions) if you're still hungry.

"If anyone has some advice or just a general good swift "Kick in the Ass" i would greatly appreciate it."
Come here whenever you need that - everyone's legs are ready to kick

Good luck!

 

[Temple]

DDC - I am guessing that she lives in a place where there is no "pro" to train her. If I wanted a good trainer I would have to drive 8 hours to find one.

You have muscle memory and that is eternal so you are in better shape than most new folks just starting out.
Set a start day for this and make it non-negotiable.
Get a plan, figure out what you are going to do and when you are going to do it.
Clean up the diet, get rid of the junk. Read the Nutrition 101 post on this page as it should get you on the right track.
I would weight train on a 4 days split and EOD.
45 min moderate intensity cardio on your off days working up to 60 min.

Fat burners are not necessary, they mess with my blood pressure so I never use them. If your diet is on track you can get lean without them.

Stick around and keep reading - this place is very eductional and motivational.

 

[Gladiola]

OOPS!!! I though 10% bodyfat was your current stats (no wonder I was a little confused what was the problem!) - I figured you'd just lost LBM, but had a killer metabolism.

I still say weights is more important than cardio & don't do keto - you need those carbs for energy.

 

[Sassy69]

The one thing I wanted to say was that you sound like you are in amazing shape already! Good for you for holding that leanness as you have --- I did my first natural competition at 8% bf, 133 lb -- mind you I hadn't seen 133 lbs since before puberty. Following a series of stupid events that resulted in me getting depressed, overtraining, etc etc etc, I ballooned up to 178 and stayed there for almost a year. TALK ABOUT DEPRESSING. So anyway, I'm slowly fighting my way back down to competition weight - at around 155 right now (basically back where I started).

Sounds like you've been through a lot, but you have a lot of insecurity about getting back to a good place in your life. Don't worry about the weight -- you would probably impress ANYONE who saw you in a gym on your first day. So don't let that part deter you. You are looking at yourself relative to the good ol' competition days and being critical. You can keep that in mind as your goal, but don't fall into that self-defeating circle of "I want to get back to where I was ... Oh God I'm such a cow now ... I don't want to be seen in public ... I'm too embarrassed to out on spandex ... I'll just stay home w/ my friends Ben & Jerry - they dont' tell me I"m fat.... " As long as you can stay out of that, you are half way there.

Diet-wise - we've had "a few" discussions about eating disorders -- I'm not an expert nor will I even begin to touch it, but it seems one of the base characterists is sort of "compulsive" eating habits -- very strict & perfectionist oriented -- if you can harness that and use it to maintain a strict diet, in the sense of following a meal plan that is good & productive for your goals, it will also help you to avoid the binging. If it doesn't work that way, then I just simply suggest to challenge yourself to stick to a particular diet for 3 weeks and see how you feel -- they say it takes 21 days to establish a habit, and also at that point I also notice that I tend to prefer the feeling of not being bloated/full to enjoying that extra pint of ice cream or whatever little caloric sin I could commit. That realization by itself helps me deal w/ binging tendencies (and TRUST ME I have them...)

THe first thing to do is get your mind & self-image in a good, positive place and look forward to new diet / training ideas as challenges instead of things you "used to do and be better at". From there, you are going to find LOTS of info here to help w/ a basic diet & training. I suspect its going to be just like riding a bike for ya!


Good luck & welcome to the boards! And remember that when u need some support, you can ALWAYS find a friendly ear here!

 

[MS]

I think the most important thing you can do is hit the gym. I'm betting this will boost your mood and self image, and from there you will hopefully be able to get off of the antiD's and take control of your life and your body. The last thing you need right now is thermogenics. Not only are these a bad combo with effexor, but they increase anxiety and panic all by themselves, and you will make just as good progress with weight training, some cardio, and a nice clean diet. definitely don't go low carb, especially if you want to get off of your drugs. Low carbs also increase anxiety, depression and panic episodes. Just eat lots of "good" carbs and "good proteins" and "good" fats. And eat then often so that you won' t be tempted to binge.

 

[MXena]

Thanx everyone


Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement, i wasn't expecting replies so fast. i guess i'm going to stay away from the Hydroxycuts, i was ready to go out and buy a bottle of them. i'll keep you posted on the beginnings of my journey back from obscurity. Please keep the ideas and suggestions coming, i'm open to anything.