I’m glad you are enjoying spin and experimenting with different instructors. I really enjoy it and have been doing it off and on for twenty years. Way back, I enjoyed the intensity of it the most, going out as hard as I could and then hanging on. That was sweaty! Now I am a fan of the individualism of spin. The instructor is a guide, but I can do my own thing.
I find I like the older instructors better, too. Their music choices are more like mine. And not as loud! (I sound like such a curmudgeon.) I realized recently that my spin place offers earplugs—good idea!
Congrats @mom60! I am supposed to go dress shopping with the MOB when she visits in a week and a half. We are needing to be budget sensitive. Not sure where to go but I hope I lose another pound or two before then.
I’m down 13 pounds and have 33 more go to. My first goal is 15 more pounds, which will put me at a BMI of 25. We go overseas in the middle of June, so I hope to reach that first goal by then.
I’ve run 76 days in a row - a minimum of one mile each time. I’m going to the gym two or three times a week. I’ve cut out most sweets. I feel like I’m doing everything right, but the weight is coming off VERY slowly.
This week marks my one year My Fitness Pal-iversary. I weighed 235 pounds when I began tracking March 21, 2017; I now weigh 154 and finally moved to the high end of the normal range on a BMI chart. Would love to reach 145, but it is very slow going now that I am closer to goal (and on synthroid - hyperthyroidism definitely sped up my weight loss efforts for a while). I never took measurements and wish I had - may do it anyway now as increasing strength training is likely to take off inches even if I don’t lose many more pounds.
We have a couple of family weddings this June, and it will be the first time in many years I haven’t hidden from anyone with a camera. I may even go to my 40th high school reunion this summer!
^^^ That’s remarkable!! What a year! I think you’ll get to 145 - just keep doing what you’re doing and one day -you’ll be there! Also, good job on the strength training - I’m prefer cardio activities myself but I KNOW I must include some strength each week - and should do more.
@MaineLonghorn , I don’t remember - are you tracking your calories??? Just about too much of anything (even besides sweets) can add up to too many calories.
I always tell myself for my exercise to matter, most sessions need to be at least 30 minutes and most should be sweat producing to give myself the most benefit. I’ll often take a brisk mile or so walk at lunch - that’s great for my mind but I don’t know if it does much else besides clear my head and get me a couple thousand good steps on my Fitbit!!
@MaineLonghorn , it’s great that you have made a committment to regular exercise. You will no doubt see many health and fitness dividends which will carry over into your daily life and activities with friends and family.
As to your desired weight loss, keep in mind that a sound nutrition plan, which includes dialing in the correct level of calories to fuel your activity level while still providing a reasonable calorie deficit, is critical to achieving weight loss. There are many ways to regulate caloric intake, but at the end of the day, calories do matter. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you eat less, you lose. The laws of thermogenics apply even if you have cleaned up what you eat and limit yourself to nutrient dense healthy food. Working out itself, even if you are a world class Olympic athlete, won’t do it. Do you have an approach in place to assure that in addition to healthy nutrition, your quantities are appropriate for the weight loss you desire?
Yes- what abasket and MichaelNKat said. 30 minutes is much more benefit than 1 really slow mile. I would try to up the intensity (little bit at a time) and the distance. I think you will see results.
MyFitnessPal can be hugely inaccurate about the calories burned by exercise. Relying on its exercise calories and adding them to your daily allotment is a recipe for overeating and undermining your weight loss or even gaining weight. None of the calorie tracking programs are particularly accurate. There are too many individualized variables that impact on calories burned by exercise for a generalized calorie tracker to really be accurate. You are far better off just treating exercise as a way to give your weight loss a boost and not add the calories to your meal plan. Of course, if you are doing a high volume of high intensity training, you may need to adjust your food intake, but don’t rely on fitness tracking programs to determine how much.
I never trust the “calories burned” data by any equipment/apps, but it is a good reminder how hard it is to burn “100-calorie” while how easy it is to eat “100”. Lol. Kind of put a pause when I try to eat one extra tbl of pine nuts.
Another aspect that I need to work on is the amount of sleeping hours I am having. Apparently I am not sleeping enough and there is a new study which shows people with fewer hours of sleeping (5.5/day) burns more muscles and less fat than people who sleep 8.5 hours (, but who has that luxury!)
@MaineLonghorn I concur with others that maybe you could vary your daily running a bit. I sometimes only have about 10-15’ to run on a Treadmill, I would run 0.1 mile at high speed then 0.1 mile at lower speed, and run about 1 mile. It also makes the running more interesting.
Or @MaineLonghorn consider this…
What is more beneficial to your body? A mile or two run each day (again, don’t know how much you’re actually running per day but your description seems to indicate that some days it is “just a mile”) - or 3 longer runs per week with your other fitness you mention on the off days?
Thanks for the advice! I’m going to try 2 1/2 miles today. I’m trying to run more than 30 minutes every second or third day. I will also try to run one mile faster on some days.
For now, I will stick with the every day streak. It helps me stay on track. When I start skipping days, I skip more and more and more until I’m running once a week, ha.
I’d consider varying your caloric intake. Our bodies are designed to plateau at times and a steady low calorie diet can kick one into that mode. It might be worth a try having lighter eating days and heavier eating days.
@yauponredux - congrats on all the hard work. I started taking measurements about 6 months into my exercise start up. I measure about once a month. I don’t necessarily need it as the greatest measure is how my clothes fit. I’m down 20 lbs since last April or May. I am at a good weight but I wouldn’t mind getting down a few another 10. Another measurement for me is when I feel I can up my weights in my strengthening class.
I’ve added intervals to my stationary bike routine. I will intermittently ride hard to increase my heart rate. It also helps to get a sweat going. I’ve cut my riding time down to 30-40 minutes but I feel I’m getting more out of the workout. My trainer who is in awesome shape and 60 years old tells us to congratulate yourself for being there. Getting up and getting to class is one of the best things we can do for our physical and mental wellness.
My exercise Capri are getting looser and I think I will purchase a few new pairs in a size small. Progress.
The best really is I feel so much better. I am happier and I have more energy.
I track my food and rarely track my exercise but when I do I don’t add in the extra calories. I try to stick to 1200 calories 5 days a week. The other two I don’t count.
@MaineLonghorn , you might try to add some calisthenics to your routine, which don’t take all that much time. Planks, push-ups, calf raises on the stairs, squats, etc. Building more muscle mass will help you lose weight too by consuming more calories at rest, and help arrest muscle loss as you lose fat. Do you have any weights? Try lifting a bit. I bought a set of variable weight dumbbells, they barely take any space, and add some variety to the cardio routine. As @mom60 said, my weight hasn’t dropped much recently (plateaued around 170) but I have to keep punching new holes in my belt, so I must be doing something right.