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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think me exercising now won't make any difference to how I look in two weeks time?

60 replies

MonaLisaHair · 17/10/2017 07:53

I go on holiday in 2.5 weeks. Dubai, Bangkok and Vietnam for two weeks.

I have a gym membership which for various reasons, I've not used as much as I intended to recently.

I have booked shit loads of classes (body attack, body combat, Pilates etc) for the next two weeks but to be honest, the motivation isn't there because I feel that exercising now won't make any difference to my appearance in two weeks!

I'm already at target weight so the issue now is just toning up but in two weeks, I'll be away from the gym for two weeks anyway so any progress will just be consumed in rice and pad Thai!!

AIBU to just sack it off and start a new regime when I get back?

OP posts:
NikiBabe · 17/10/2017 09:00

You can definitely tone up flabby arms in a few sessions.

After a year of circuit and weight training I call bull shit on that. I still have flabby bits on my arms.

Op if you already look starved why are you opting for so much cardio? Body attack and body combat etc will only make you lose more weight. It is heavy cardio and will burm calories but wont do shit for toning muscles.

Why dont you just go onto the gym floor and use the weight machines? Speak to a PT who will be able to suggest which machines and how many reps. But you must start low and build up.

Id also recommend pilates and yoga for muscle building.

But other than the pilates your plan listed above is just cardio cardio cardio and and no strength training.

KoalaD · 17/10/2017 09:02

Body Pump classes are with weights, and they do build muscle.

It's fairly low weights/ high rep, though, so it takes a while.

Kr1st1na · 17/10/2017 09:06

I'm suprised that you say you look " frail " at 9st 12lbs, the healthy range for your height is 9 st 3 lbs to 12st 7lbs.

Your BMI is 19.8, which is in the normal range.

Have you lost a lot of weight very quickly , or been unwell, or is there another reason you look ill? Do you need to focus more on your health and fitness , which I notice you don't mention at all?

It's not advisable to go from being completely sedentary to 7 classes a week. Is there something else going on that you have not mentioned ?

Original poster
MonaLisaHair · 17/10/2017 09:15

I've lost the weight pretty quickly yes and am recovering from borderline eating disorder. (Hence the heavy cardio I suppose) but I have no strength in me at all. The body pump classes terrify me as I can barely lift my little dog. All the weight machines at the gym are on their lowest settings and I still struggle.

OP posts:
Original poster
MonaLisaHair · 17/10/2017 09:16

Just to add I'm not conepletely sedatary, I've been doing karate for years and also run maybe twice a week.

OP posts:
amusedbush · 17/10/2017 09:20

I'm suprised that you say you look " frail " at 9st 12lbs, the healthy range for your height is 9 st 3 lbs to 12st 7lbs.

Yeah, so the OP is towards the bottom of the healthy range. Someone with a petite bone structure will look more suited to a lower weight than someone with a larger frame.

ChristmasFluff · 17/10/2017 09:22

You cannot judge someone's true BMI from a height/weight chart, which is what you are doing when the person isn't in front of you. True BMI requires special body fat measuring equipment or calipers to measure body fat in several areas and then do a calculation. BMIs less than 18.5 are underweight, so the OP could actually be underweight if measured correctly.

You can change your body in two weeks, but this would require supervised weight training and not the possible overtraining that you, OP are at risk of if you follow your suggested programme. I'd book in with a personal trainer who specialises in weight training/body building. Don't worry - you won't bulk up. I'd start now, because it will improve your mindset. But for me, I'd forget 'toning' or whatever. Why not just pick an exercise you love and do that? You are far more likely to keep at something you enjoy doing, and that is what will improve your body long term.

Ducknose · 17/10/2017 09:23

It would make a difference but tbh having seen you're in ED recovery, I really wouldn't advise it. It's a slippery slope.
Your holiday sounds fab, enjoy! I'm bloody jealous

minipie · 17/10/2017 09:25

I'd do the Pilates. It will improve your posture no end and that will make you look more toned and generally better. You have to do it properly though (it's easy to cheat in pilates and use the wrong muscles, if you do that it does nothing)

If you are recovering from an ED I would be careful about throwing yourself into a big programme of cardio classes.

Kr1st1na · 17/10/2017 09:32

Ah right, that's makes sense. In that case you neee to be careful and build up slowly . You know you have an tendency to overdo things and get addicted to things in an unhealthy way, so you need to act wisely.

7 brand new new classes a week on top of karate and running is overdoing things. That's not good,
.
Your mental and physical health are far more important that toning up a little in the next two weeks. So why don't you just try a few new classes, maybe two a week, and see which ones you enjoy? And ask for an induction session on the equipment .

If pump terrifies you, be assured that you can do it with just the bar or the very smallest weights. Lots of new people do that, it's quite normal, and no one will laugh at you.

What about yoga or Pilates ? They will help your core.

It would also help to find a friendly class or group to exercise with, so you get the soclial benefits too. Have you thought of joining a running group?

If you can afford it, a personal trainer would be excellent.

Remember what matters above everything is your mental and physical health , you neee to make that your top priority.

kateandme · 17/10/2017 09:34

i wouldnt because to feel good even in a fit "ter" body you have to feel it inside and it sounds like this is just going to both tire you and become something you must do not want to do and that isn't going to make you enjoy the goodness just make you tense tired and stressed.
instead well done for getting to a healthier weight,do it sensibly in toning do it slower when you get back.maybe do one or two classes you want to even.but this is only going to shock your body into something you simply wont be able to keep up.and shouldn't!
to tone and look and get the wobbly bits into more defined shapes needs time and moulding and health.not a quick shock.itl just hurt.

your at target weight so feel good for that and think wahoo a holiday to celebrate me.and then when you get back think about now toning or beomcing or fitter person to keep it going.
plus if you already lost too much its make you look shockingly hagged and tired to shove so much on yourself now.
relax.get excited for the hols and youll instead be beaming and bright and happy.

kateandme · 17/10/2017 09:37

oh gosh alo just read your ed.no no no don't crash this all in.your ed self will hold onto this control and hold onto getting you into a routine you cannot sustain in the long run.
please don't listen to it!
be kind to yourself.
recognise what is perhaps the ed voice(evil pressure bastar thing) and reality
I think you need to just stop.breathe and not let it in.
ed's are sneaky buggers and will want to push you more.make you lose more and actually just punish you more and make u feel like shit.
you can do this.just be you.happy.calm and do it healthily.
don't lt it beat you down it will ruin your holiday.

NikiBabe · 17/10/2017 09:41

Right well if you are recovering feom an eating disorder and can barely lift your dog. Do nothing.

Im not enabling what is an unhealthy body image already by encouraging crazy exercise. Id say your flabbiness is another symptom of your disorder.

BillBrysonsBeard · 17/10/2017 09:42

I looked frail at that weight, my face was just a skull. I have a large bone structure though.

I would do the exercise OP just to for the mental benefit and also just to feel more spritely for all the exploring you'll be doing. It won't tone you though!

ShirleyPhallus · 17/10/2017 09:43

I'd go with some light weight training then OP, plus some Pilates which is essentially body weight exercise

When people say "tone up" they actually mean increase muscle and lose fat. So the number on the scales doesn't really matter, you wouldn't be losing weight.

If you start with light weights you can increase (and it takes a while) but you'll at least be able to lift every day things (ie your dog)

I loved bodypump for getting me used to weights and unafraid of barbells etc

nannybeach · 17/10/2017 09:43

How can you look frail and still have wobbly bits, I am concerned you have an eating disorder, you need to look after yourself and be careful. Yes, much debate about the BMI because you could be a bodybuilder with a huge amount of dense muscle, but no-one lookin at someone of 5.10 and weighing just 9.12 would think they were anything other than thin, very lower end of "healthy" weight for this height, I am 5ft, 9 stone size 10, so not big.

BillBrysonsBeard · 17/10/2017 09:45

You can have loose skin and soft small bits of fat still despite being really thin.

RidingWindhorses · 17/10/2017 09:46

Exercise isn't just about the way you look it's also about supporting your body to stay fit and strong. It sounds like you see exercise only as a means to lose weight which isn't a very healthy relationship with it.

So I would continue exercising over the next two weeks, making sure you're eating enough to maintain your weight. If you find the exercises you've signed up for too hardcore, choose gentler methods.

KatharinaRosalie · 17/10/2017 10:03

I have no strength in me at all. The body pump classes terrify me as I can barely lift my little dog.

That's exactly why you should do Bodypump (or weights at the gym floor) and not a ton of cardio. You will get stronger, I promise.

KoalaD · 17/10/2017 10:07

^ exactly. BP is by far the least scary way to get into weights. You can start off using 1kg on each side of the bar for the whole class. And it's extending inclusive and non-intimidating; one of the regulars in my class is 83!

KoalaD · 17/10/2017 10:07

*extremely not extending

sparechange · 17/10/2017 10:11

Looks and body shape aside, I travel to the Far East quite a bit, and it is noticeably easier for me to cope with the heat and humidity when I'm fitter than when I'm not.

So a couple of weeks of exercise should make it feel easier when you are out and about in the humidity

Lethaldrizzle · 17/10/2017 12:09

Do the exercise! Why on earth wouldn't you?

Acadia · 17/10/2017 12:20

It will if you sort your diet out. In two weeks you can cut your water retention and reveal freshly-swollen muscles from your last workout. It will be fairly temporary and you'd need to keep up both the diet and exercise, but you can see good results with a lot of effort.

'Newbie gains' is the best time if you start strength/weight training. You get noticeably stronger week after week and your muscles plump up a bit as they repair. It isn't permanent, they will go down - you need lengthier, increasingly difficult training to actually grow them - but yeah. It will be worthwhile if you're dedicated.

mygorgeousmilo · 17/10/2017 12:28

It did for me. Two weeks before our summer holiday, I also wanted to tone up flabby bits, not lose weight/dress size. I believe it was long enough to get toned up - I felt like hit stuff after about four days, and by the time we were off on holiday I felt stronger, firmer and happier with my body. An intensive two weeks can absolutely make a difference!