Starting afresh in Austria

[green eggs]

Hi folks!

 

So here I am, an english woman in Austria, starting out anew on the fitness front.

 

My story:

If I were to post all my tails of weight loss and gain on here, the story would get long, so I'll spare you the gory detail of most of that and get on to the last couple of years. After about a decade of anti-diet thinking (which was a very necessary part of my experience - can heartily recommend the "overcoming overeating" books there for anyone struggling on that front, though be warned, it's possibly the antithesis of most of what's going on this place) I finally felt ready to nudge myself towards another attempt at a "diet". Actually, it was nosing around at Mark's Daily Apple which got me even interested in the idea. I realised that the whole "primal" (or paleo) idea was somewhat close to one of the few diets I'd ever actually enjoyed eating in the past (Montignac) and decided I could try it.

 

The important part? I told myself I could quit again after a month if I wanted. Just one month and see...

 

I did it the hardcore way and dropped down to minimum carbs right away, which meant a couple of weeks of headaches. Following some advice on the boards at Mark's Daily Appple, I realised I might be overdoing stuff and reintroduced some fruit, which at least got me past the headaches.

 

To cut a long story short, I managed to stick the month out and then some, in fact, two years later, I largely eat the same way.  I lost a bunch of weight in the first six months or so, and drove colleagues and friends mad because I didn't tell them how much I'd lost. The truth of the matter was, I had no clue. I hadn't weighed myself in several years, so I didn't know my starting weight. I just know I dropped three dress sizes. And only after I held steady for a couple of months did I finally cave and weigh myself. I weighed in at about 78-79kg (about 172lbs). I guess I started at about 100kg (220lbs).  For the record, I'm 168cm (5ft 6in).

 

The not weighing was important to me, because I knew if I'd have weighed myself during the process I'd have driven myself crazy with the numbers. So my only goal was to modify my eating and stick to it. I didn't have a goal weight or dress size or measurements. But I was damn happy with the way things turned out.

 

And two years on, I'm pretty much the same weight (I hover between 79-80kg). Now I realise there are people here (or other places) who'd see that weight and wonder how the hell I could be happy about it. But you know what - these last two years have been the first two years in over a decade where I've stayed the same dress size and haven't had to spend a fortune on clothes, haven't been hungry following an eating plan and haven't been beating myself up over the way I look. So...success!

 

And now you're asking yourself why the hell I'm here, right? (if you're still reading: thank you! This is long, I appreciate it!!)

 

So this is where we get to... my battle plans

 

Did you see any mention of fitness up there? Nope? No wonder, that part just didn't happen. That's totally where my motivation fails. Horrible horrible memories of gym class at school, teasing, being picked last, being the last trailing runner on every cross country run. Then as an adult always feeling that the rest of the pack was waiting for me while walking or cycling, then just as I'd catch up they'd be off again on the next leg with no rest for me.

 

Exercise? No thanks.

 

Oh, I tried a few half-hearted attempts at the gym, but it wasn't doing anything for me.

 

So that's why I'm here, to see if it's possible for me to get into any kind of routine. Ever since way back when I started reading MDA, I've been harbouring this one thought in my mind...

 

Just. One. Pull up.

 

So I guess that's my long-term goal

 

For the short-term, I'm just trying to get into the groove and do something (one exercise) every single day. I need to start reeeeeeeeeeeal slow, "safe" and unthreatening. Plus of course I have no condition at the moment. I have a kind of crazy schedule splitting my life between two cities, so I'm planning on roughly the following:

 

Monday: take a walk in the evening (gotta work the specifics out yet)

Tuesday: barbell rows

Wednesday: squats

Thursday: yoga and dance class in the evening (yeah, both the same day!)

Friday: incline push-ups.

Saturday: stretching

Sunday: lunges or reverse crunches - haven't decided yet.

 

Plus I'll probably do some kind of walk on the weekend.

I started on Tuesday, and did most of what was on the list, though I swapped more squats for the stretching on Saturday, and yesterday (Sunday) I didn't do anything. Back on the wagon with a walk today.

 

What I bring to the table? Hmm, I have plenty experience with primal/paleo and do pretty well sticking to it (nobody's perfect - I've long since learned to stop beating myself up when I fall of the wagon for a couple of days and (to mix my metaphors) just get straight back up on my horse.

 

I'll be weighing in less than I have been of late (have been daily, it's been driving my nuts) and I've taken some measurements and photos to track progress.

 

So far I'm on the "OK, try it for a month or so and see how it pans out". When the schedule above starts to get easier, I plan to switch to some kind of circuit training such a Steve's hotel room plan.

 

Whew, That's enough for now, I think. Thanks for reading! Any and all encouragement greatly appreciated. I kinda feel lonesome out here in Austria.

[bigwildonion]

One pull up! We share that goal. Do you have a target date?

If you would like an accountability buddy, let me know.

[green eggs]

Hey bigwildonion. Thanks for the encouragement. I haven't set a time goal (yet?), because I have no clue what's realistic - I'm starting from virtually nothing. If anyone has input on that front, I'd be happy to hear it. How do you intend to get there?

[bigwildonion]

We are on the same wavelength with timelines. I have no idea what is reasonable, so I am setting mini goals to pave the way.

There is an assisted pull up machine at my gym, so I am trying that out. I can do 2 sets of 10 with approximately 70% of my body weight in assistance. My plan is to either increase my reps or decrease the assistance every time I am there.

I am working on incline push ups on a weight bench. My form falls apart after 8 or 9, but I plan to get to 10 regular push ups by August. Also, I am doing bent over rows, increasing reps or weight with every workout.

[Wolfhorde]

Welcome!

 

Your first 'final' goals don't have to be realistic, they just have to be achievable. If you have your overarching goals you can break them down into increments (smaller ones) and steps you can take to achieve them. Just like a successful managers time plans, loose framework and schedules with the ability to adjust on the fly.

 

If you wanna do something every day I'd keep the w/o size smaller though as rest also has a huge influence on your body composition - while working out again with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) can help relieve it I'd try not overworking yourself, especially in the beginning as your body will go haywire on you.

 

Austria? Where from? Have you been to Vienna? [insert random Schwarzenegger reference/]

[green eggs]

I am working on incline push ups on a weight bench. My form falls apart after 8 or 9, but I plan to get to 10 regular push ups by August. Also, I am doing bent over rows, increasing reps or weight with every workout.

Really does sound like we're in about the same place. Incline push-ups I do against the kitchen counter. Can just about do 10+10+9 (gah!) with reasonable form, and I'm also doing dumbbell rows and squats (just not all on the same day!)

I thought my arms were week, but I'm struggling most with keeping good form on squats

[green eggs]

Thanks for the welcome and the tips, Wolfhorde.

Yes, I'm keeping the workouts very short - currently squats OR incline push-ups OR dumbell rows and so on, and trying to alternate body parts each day, if that makes sense.

Right now I need the impetus of doing something daily. We'll see how that goes

I share my life between two cities, one of which is Vienna Schwarzenegger comes from near Graz, down in the south.

[Wolfhorde]

Well, that way it can definitely work. It's just that some people have a tendency to try going full throttle from the first day on, which - as you can guess - doesn't bode well. Anyway, good luck with your current plan!

 

Oh, I'm aware - I just wanted to say something about Schwarzenegger because of fitness and Austria. (and regardless what anyone thinks of the man he had an incredible dedication and will)

Vienna is awesome! The amount of culture there is astonishing. Plus the Kaffeehauskultur is le shit.

[green eggs]

I'd fail at full throttle on day three at the latest

Vienna is awesome! The amount of culture there is astonishing. Plus the Kaffeehauskultur is le shit.

That's exactly why I live there. There's no actuall logical reason for me to be there - job, family, whatever - but.... opera... concerts... galleries... and coffee to die for (cake also, but, yanno, paleo and all the rest <sigh>)

[Wolfhorde]

Oh, failing is not a problem as long as it's not constant - which is what I was hinting at. (plus not giving your body enough rest can make it pretty mad)

 

The universities are supposedly also pretty good, a buddy of mine is currently studying psychology in Vienna - switched from Philosophy in Stuttgart and I gotta admit I'm a bit jealous. I'd definitely choose Vienna over Berlin, Munich, Leipzig and anything else we have over here. Quite frankly, logic can be pretty overrated. I mean, are logical reasons going to make you happy where you live? I don't think so. I've been wanting to travel on a more consistent rate or move out of Germany for years and while I have logical reasons tailored to my skills and preferences I'd never have the determination and drive with a focus on logic. (this has also been driving professional/educational pursuits of mine)

Same thing for me with languages, I prefer English over German for completely abstract reasons I don't even understand entirely myself. Even more weird: I could strike up a conversation with most strangers in English on the fly - where I feel more cautious to do so in German.

[green eggs]

Where do your travel plans lie, then, Wolfhorde? Where do you want to go?

I've been backing-and-froing about doing the next six week challenge, but finally put plans together today. For anyone who's interested, you can find more on those goals in my progress reports: http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/28766-green-eggs-periodic-progress-reports/

[Wolfhorde]

My travel plans are not concrete as in on July 5th I will go to destination X. There are a lot of places I want to visit, ranging from Canada, the U.S., some mediterrenean/Romanic countries to Singapore. As to how I will do that I plan on going for a profession that will allow me to travel - to be more concrete I'm looking at a dual study program (study program & training in one unit) at the Department of Foreign Affairs which would allow me to change my workplace every 3-4 years, I would meet people on an international level, potentitally attend/prepare events with "big shots" like politicians and such. Add to that that the "higher service" is rather versatile and the pay is pretty good so travel would be even easier. At that point I'd probably also get into travel hacking.

[green eggs]

Now, *that* really does sound like a plan, Mr Wolfhorte, I'm impressed.