Hi Womble, just a quick question or 2 - how far in to doing Exante did you begin going to the gym? And how do you manage a strenuous workout on such a low calorie intake? I'm wanting to get back to the gym in the next month or so but would appreciate some advice if you wouldn't mind?
I started the fitness plan before Exante. It wasn't too strenuous to begin with - I did 1 PT session a week and 2 runs a week. After a couple of months I started upping it a bit, adding in a zumba class and an extra run. Then, I joined a new gym and basically just went nuts. I now do 2-3 PT sessions a week, 2-3 spin classes, 3 cardio sessions (e.g. run, cycle, cross trainer or combo), 1 zumba class and 1 body pump class. And anything else I can fit in (e.g. occasional swimming, yoga, pilates, etc). If I had to give some advice based on my experience, it would be the following:
1) Get a PT if you can afford one, even if only to kick start a fitness plan. I think having a PT really helped me, as they will assess you to see what you are capable of, and then push you to your limit, but not beyond. And that's important - I don't want to risk injury or worse, cardiac arrest! Because I had been training for over a year, I do have a lot of muscle in my body composition so I can take quite a strenuous workout. Having a PT has given me the confidence to know I can do it, and to participate in classes and push myself harder than I would have done otherwise.
2) Drink even more water. When I started upping my routine, I was getting some awful headaches about an hour after a training session. Drinking more water stopped these, but if you find you get headaches and drinking water doesn't help, you should seek medical advice as apparently it can be indicative of high blood pressure.
3) Get a training buddy. It really does motivate you to go to the gym more and do more variety of classes / workouts. I'm lucky that my au pair is a total fitness freak so I have a live-in training buddy (she's also dating my PT which is a bit strange...).
4) Take time to recover. I have 1 day a week where I don't do any exercise at all. It's essential to make sure my muscles recover.
5) Eat more if you need to. Most weekdays, I stick to my 3 packs and a protein snack after a workout (grilled chicken or something like that). It doesn't add too many calories. I don't tend to eat extra before a session, as I want my body to burn my fat, rather than take energy from what's in my stomach.
Personally, I don't think I would be able to do Exante without the exercise, as I would be far too worried about maintaining (VLCD are notorious for slowing metabolisms right down, which may be why maintenance after the diet is such hard work). Especially in my case, as I seem to still have a big issue with bingeing on the weekends. But by adding exercise, our bodies metabolisms will naturally grow faster, and give us much better odds for keeping the weight off in the long run!
Hope that's vaguely useful and good luck on re-starting a regime - it's so much fun once you're back into it!
