This is actually semi-T* related for two reasons.
1) I need to get in shape because I live a very unhealthy lifestyle, and that flat out needs to change if I'm ever going to move forward.
2) My calves are huge! :-(
If I do decide one day that I want to transition, I want to be healthy enough that I'm not putting myself in danger due to poor health in the process. I want to be "ready", mentally and physically.
Like I said above, my thighs and calves are very bulky, and I really want to trim down in addition to shedding the extra pounds around my midsection (The breasts I could keep, but hormones can always take care of that later :-))
I've been doing a little bit of research online, and I've found that walking and cycling are supposed to be really good for slimming down your leg muscles (In addition to things like stretches and Pilates).
Walking would be my first, obvious choice given that I live in a rural area, so have lots of scenery, except that there are a LOT of hills on our little stretch of country heaven, and the inclines just compound the problem.
Cycling, as in, riding a bike outdoors, is right out because I have really, really bad balance. I have trouble walking sometimes, let alone keeping a bike stable.
That leads me to my actual question here. Does anyone have any experience with biking in terms of a stationary? I went to college with a girl who lost something like fifty pounds just eating right and exercising an hour or two a night on her stationary, but shedding pounds is only half the equation for me :-)
I've even thought about looking into those new EasyTone/Shape-up sneakers that entered the market within the last year (and I will need to get some better sneakers than what I have in any case), but I don't think they'd help much in my situation even if they do work.
But yeah, any thoughts?
Comments
Swimming
You probably don't want to hear that... If your legs are relatively muscular, you're not likely to shrink them dramatically. If there's a lot of fat, then maybe.
But, in order to reduce bulk, you need exercises that Lengthen rather than compress the muscles. Swimming (you and the kick board...) is far superior to any of the weight bearing exercises like walking/running/cycling, as they tend to compress the muscles.
Good Luck!
Anne
P.S. Take a look around - you will see many girls with large legs. MANY are not blessed with those long slender things that are so admired in models.
Getting There
The very first thing to do would be to have a serious discussion with your Doctor about what you are planning to do. Next, I would get some good quality walking shoes. http://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com/ (70% off right now also New Balance is the LAST US manufacturer. happened to see that on history or discovery channel) Just bought some for the wife. she says they're very comfortable for being on her feet all day.
Then just start walking. Go a hundred feet, a hundred yards, whatever you can do, then go back. Stay off the hills to start with. Go a little farther each day. Work up to it easy.
Don't be in a big hurry to do the marathon. Don't pay any attention to the people that tell you "No pain, No Gain". The pain you feel may be real close to your heart.
Soon enough. you will be marking your distance off in miles.
I've got to do the same thing. I'm going to the Doctor's today.
Both muscle and fat in my
Both muscle and fat in my thigh region, but I think my calves are mostly muscle (They're a little flabby, but also very firm). I could probably tolerate them if they didn't stick out so, to say nothing of finding socks that actually fit :-)
Swimming would definitely be ideal, but our public pool consists of a smaller-than-Olympic sized concrete box that the town's kids pack to overflowing during the summer, and remains closed the other nine months.
I can actually walk about a mile before I start to get winded; I just haven't been doing that since that last encounter with my weird neighbor (He seems like a decent enough guy, just kind of creeps me out a little). Still, I may have to just bite the bullet and carry some pepper spray. I very much need a good pair of walking shoes though. The insoles on my old ones are nearly worn out and provide no impact protection at all.
I also just talked to the folks this morning. We're going to start renovating our house at some point, and when we do, I'm going to switch to a new smaller bed, so that'll give me a little more room to work with for working out, too.
I guess ultimately I'll just have to accept that some things can't easily be changed. How did The Bandit put it? "Cowboys do love fat calves." I wonder if cowgirls do too? ^_^
*giggle* Thanks guys. It's great to get some dialog going on this as it's something I've been meaning to approach for awhile, but change is hard, especially when you've existed on a diet of frozen pizzas, burritos, and other heart-destroying nastiness for years :-)
I have balance problems, also
Zoe, they make several kinds of trikes for folks like us-even quads! Go to Utah Trikes (I think it is utahtrikes.com). They have quite a few models in varying price ranges. Personally, also like the Litespeed Magnum (Hey, I'm huge!). Good Luck, hon!
Wren
I had to lose a lot of weight
I had to lose about sixty pounds prior to my SRS. Doc actually told me he wouldn't do it if I didn't take the pounds off. I did a lot of walking and bike riding, both stationary and road type.
Starting out in pretty bad shape, I worked on extending the distances gradually over time. I would suggest about a quarter mile per week. The first few weeks are really tough. It does eventually get easier.
I found that it helped to have a specific goal and to have someone to go with me. I had one friend who had two stationary bikes, so we watched anime whist we exercised together.
I got the sixty pounds off in three months. My surgeon was happy, and I had my greatest wish fulfilled.
Just keep going... you'll make it. =)
Janet
Mistress of the Guild of Evil [Strawberry] Blonde Proofreaders
To be or not to be... ask Schrodinger's cat.
Janet
Mistress of the Guild of Evil [Strawberry] Blonde Proofreaders
To be or not to be... ask Schrodinger's cat.
The bad news
you won't lose weight through exercise unless you do enormous amounts, but any increase will help a little. The bitter truth is, if you want to lose weight you have to eat less, which is why it's such hard work.
Good luck.
Angharad
Angharad
In the other hand ...
... if you diet without exercise you lose muscle rather than fat. Most (90%+) of my cycling friends are quite thin and they eat like horses, so exercise must do something. There was an excellent programme on BBC last week which I watched on iPlayer which studied weight loss scientifically and was quite thoughtful.
When you exercise you burn glycogen in the muscles rather than fat directly and it is replaced after exercise so you actually lose some weight after you've stopped.
One experiment had 2 groups eating exactly the same meal. One group ate it as normal with a separate drink and the other puréed the meal with the drink (water or juice, can't remember which). The interesting thing was that the first group felt hungry again sooner than the second. This is because the fluid, taken separately passed quickly through the gut, whereas with the puréed meal the fluid remained in the stomach longer and so retained the full feeling for longer too.
The programme also exploded the myth of a fat person thinking she had a slow metabolism. Her measured metabolism was just as active as anyone else's. She just didn't appreciate how much she was eating because most of it was so-called 'healthy' food, which is also fattening if you eat too much. I don't think the programme was available in the US and it's probably dropped off the BBC iPlayer as well by now.
I tend to put weight on now more than when I was working because I no longer ride my bike for a minimum of 28 miles every working day (140 miles/week all year) for about 1.5 hours. So I'm sure the exercise helped.
If you find a bike a problem, are trikes available in the USA? I have a racing trike I used to commute in icy conditions and they're great fun. Much better than an exercise bike which are mind numbingly boring. Just a thought.
Good luck with your efforts. Whatever you do, find some exercise that you actually enjoy or you won't keep it up for long. I gave up both swimming and the gymn because of terminal boredom.
Robi
Improving balance and weight loss
OK, Mom is not gonna sugar coat it here.
Balance may not be a good excuse, because guess what ? Balance can be improved with excercise ! LOL
When I am a very good girl, I do a few semi curl ups. (A dozen to start) Not like the Marine stuff, but just enough to get our abdominals tight and do them until it hurts pretty good in your tummy, not anywhere else. I broke my back and can safely do them, but I have to excerise all due caution.
Then, I do some leg lifts and not to extremes; 45 degrees is sufficent. A dozen to start.
Then, there are what some people call Monkey Kicks. Basically, you are on your hands and knees, and raise one opposing arm and leg at a time. If you raise them all, guess what, you will fall onto the floor. LOL Do about a dozen of these. These are the ones that help improve your balance.
The hardest ones are the pushaways. Yes, the ones that push you away from the table before you consume too much. A good rule of thumb is to not eat any more at one time than you can hold in the palm of one hand, three times a day. NO BEEF, NO PORK, (Pork was my favorite meat before I converted, and much to my surprise, dietary scientists are now saying that there is too much of a certain chemical in it that makes it really unhealthy for one.) fish and chicken about 4 times per week.
I am on a modified Vegetarian diet, and my Fibro Mialgia, Arthritis and most pain is gone. Eat lots of dietary fibre.
This works for me much better than what I was doing and if there are nay sayers, do as you wish, it is your life.
Much peace
Khadijah
I belong to a gym that has
I belong to a gym that has equipment with heart rate and calorie burned counters. Of the two, walking or stationary biking, you burn more calories while walking at about 3.2 or so miles per hour rather than biking the same distance. Part of the needs is to get the heart rate up (cardio fitness is important if you are going to plan on surgery) and either walking or stationary bike can take care of that part. But walking burns more calories. On the treadmill, you can vary the angle of the tread so that you can increase the resistance and vary the heart rate. Before my surgery, I was walking 4-5 miles, then riding the bike an equal amount. Typically I would burn about 250-300 cals walking, and 120 or less biking, but riding in spurts with more resistance to simulate climbing hilly terrain did get the heart rate up.
Either excercise is really good, since it beats no excercise all hollow. I will be resuming my excercise on Jan 24, two months after my surgery as per doctors orders. I am looking forward to the mental benefits as well.
Oh, if you have a lot of bad weather, either too hot or too cold, then anything you can have in the house is good as then you have no excuse not to do the excercise.
As far as losing wieght, you run a fine line between losing by burning fat calories, and gaining or maintaining by building muscle. I played that game too, but my cardio was much improved and at 68 had no problems with surgery.
CaroL
CaroL
I'm not a guru, nor do I play one on TV. :-)
I'm not a guru, nor do I play one on TV. :-)
But on the Internet however...
everyone's an expert!
So I'll put in my random, rambling thoughts.
There are no exercises that will selectively reduce certain parts of the body (be they calves, thighs, hips, or whatever). There is no way, short of surgery, to remove fat from just certain spots.
Exercise alone does not cause weight loss. We need to control what we eat as well. But by doing both we can lose weight, and fat, and eventually see that all over our bodies.
We accumulate fat basically in three places. First, in a layer under the skin, which is more pronounced in women than in men. Second, in the abdomen, which tends to be more pronounced in men, and is the unhealthiest place to store fat. Third, in the muscles; think of a marbled steak. Because of that, it's possible for a muscle to be large, but from included fat rather than large, strong muscle fibers.
When we lose fat, we do so from all those places, and where we lose it first and most is more a mater of genetics than anything else.
Walking is generally the best exercise. It can be as easy or as hard as we want to make it. The same is true of using a stationary bicycle.
You'll often hear the advice to walk or run at a comfortable pace, one that lets you carry on a conversation. That may be OK to just start out, but after a bit you'll want to up the pace. I suggest one that makes it hard to carry on a conversation, but allows you to answer in short sentances.
"Hi, Zoe, How are you doing?"
"OK, Kris." (breath) "I'm enjoying my walk." (breath)
Hills are OK. just slow your pace to one that has the same percieved feeling of effort.
For walking, get a comfortable pair of walking or running shoes. You can skip the gimmicky things advertised as toning or whatever. If you have the money, when you find a pair that you like after trying them a bit, get a second pair of the same. Then switch between them to let them dry and air out, and to let the midsole recover between wearings.
Good luck and have fun!
Kris
Kris
{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}
it is not that bad
The calves might not be too bad. Early during my transition I got the remark from one of the young ladies at the pub that I frequently visit and where I have always been well treated, once said to me that she wanted to have my calves. Since then I had no problems to use short skirts when Mother Nature allowed it. This winter has not allowed anything like that. Instead we have had had to use ancle-long woolen skirts here in Sweden and a lot of thick pantyhoses to protect us. But It seemes as if well formed calves is not that bad.
Beside: Thanks for your stories
Ginnie
GinnieG
Thanks everyone :-D
I really appreciate all the great advice. I'm trying to keep my standards realistic, but basically I have three goals in mind. I need to shed some fat, wherever it wants to disappear from, and I want to get my heart healthier. I don't mind a little muscle mass/tone, so long as I can still pass without looking like one of those female bodybuilders who hit the steroids a little too hard ^_~
I also want to get my depression in check while I'm still in the right frame of mind to do so. I feel 'stable' right now, and I want to stay that way. I don't want to spend another holiday depressed. I've had a couple of therapists recommend exercise as an alternative to traditional therapy for that, so it's just another reason to finally do something. :-)
We're actually talking about renovating the house to add on an extra bedroom, replace the old siding, etc. so if we do, there'll be extra room for a piece of gear for when the weather here gets nasty. I was actually going to walk today, until the snow started coming down hard. :-D
Also, I've got a pair of New Balance walking shoes ordered and on the way. $40 was just too good to pass up :-D
Thanks again!
~Zoe
I'm one to talk
Ok hun I have no room to talk here hun I need to get in to shape myself here is my advice an eliptial skier & maybe one wher you can use your arms too. That will hely you glutes calves, cardio, quads & maybe hamstrings. Next question hun do you have steeps inside if so try running those THAT hin I'm here to tell you will give you one HELL of a work out. Also besides runnin up & down maybe 3 or four steeps, try like a stair stepper exercise right there on the steps (unless it's a spital stair case.) JUst one for up step up then down & repeat with the other leg. As far as weight training goes low weight high reps that will build your muscles up with out bulking up. Oh & when you can when it gets warmer out hit the pool GREAT exercise Cardio & every thing else in between it will strenghten & tone at the same time.
Love Samantha Renee Heart
Love Samantha Renee Heart