<p>Well, I must confess to some delinquent behavior. For about three weeks, I have not been exercising regularly and although what I have been eating is healthy, I have been eating way too much of it. It all started the week of my wisdom teeth. I just haven’t been motivated to get back to my usual routine. </p>
<p>So - I am making a statement that I am now officially back on track. Walked my four at a good pace this morning, and I am going to resume weights tomorrow. I resolve that I will be ready for a 5k by the end of April. I am not going to skip a day of exercising. It is amazing how easy it is to just get complacent.</p>
<p>WIP…good to hear! I understand about the wisdom teeth. I had three taken out 5 years ago…including two that were severely impacted. Took me SIX weeks to get back to normal. I’ll spare the details but suffice it to say that I was back to that dentist/oral surgeon 5 times. Things id not go well. </p>
<p>Me? At the moment, I can barely walk up or downstairs due to leg pain from squats and other forms of torture. I’m forcing myself to go out for a walk. And then I’m having LOTS of sushi. And a beer. It’s the weekend! (CAbi clothing party tomorrow…haven’t lost any weight recently so this should be interesting…blah).</p>
<p>Actually - the procedure went very well, the one that was impacted worked out much better than the oral surgeon thought, but I have just felt sluggish. I was at the OS office today and he said - without my prompting - that people often complain of being tired for a couple of weeks after the procedure. He said anesthesia + healing takes it out of you. I am happy for an excuse - but I have to get back to my routine!</p>
<p>Well, I repeated the iPod nazi workout that kicked my butt on Wednesday. I figure there’s no better way to beat the thing, but to keep working on those exercises. I kid bump up to the 8 pound weights for the shoulder presses while stepping and to hold during the lunges. It still kicked my butt and I had to throw in a few pauses to bring the old heart rate down, but I felt much stronger. I even felt progress on the lunges which, for me, look like the first steps of a baby hippopotomus, I’m sure!</p>
<p>This is three circuits of eight exercises that eat me alive – the plank, push ups, crunches on the stability ball, lunges, and ball squats (lean back against ball, down to a sitting position with arm curls and back up) – then eight hard intervals on the bike (10 seconds at full max, 40 seconds recovery). The bike had my heart rate at 93% which is a hard workout.</p>
<p>I’m encouraged to see my heartrate and breathing recover noticeably quicker from those intense bursts.</p>
<p>My wife wants to do a ten mile real bike ride this weekend. I’ll get the old bike down and give that a go. As long as she lets me rest for a spell at the halfway mark, I think that’ll be OK.</p>
<p>idad…bring some protein snacks on your bike ride along with lots of water. You should be fine. I started out bike riding with DH 2 years ago. Back then, I thought ten miles was a lot and struggled to keep up. Now we do 30 together! Have fun! Your workout routine will surely make a difference.</p>
<p>I’ve been absent for quite a while. Too busy! I’m still losing weight. In this threat I’ve read several times that one shouldn’t lose more than 2lbs/week. I’m not so sure about this. I think the maximum depends on how much fat there is to lose in total. If you are very obese (like I am), it is no problem if if you lose more than 2. I’m still on the 3lbs/week level and I’m feeling great. Except that my shoulder hurts. It is an infection that was already making my life miserable before I started dieting. At least it doesn’t stop me from using my exercise bike.</p>
<p>Worknprogress - I knew you lived in PA, but didn’t know where you were. We should have met for lunch! But NOT at Plain and Fancy or one of those type places! I purchased a print at picture place at Kitchen Kettle Village when we were vacationing two weeks ago and had to go and pick it up.</p>
<p>I think you can lose more than 2 pounds a week, especially if you add exercise for the first time and cut back from eating massive calories. I’m just trying to set a realistic long-term goal.</p>
<p>In theory, losing one pound a week means a reduction of 500 calories a day relative to your old “maintain weight” intake (or a bigger reduction if you were gaining weight previously). Two pounds a week is 1000 calories a day less. Three pounds a week is 1500 calories a day. Those reductions are offset by calories burned exericising and calories burned from increased lean body mass and post-exercise metabolism.</p>
<p>I’ve got a good shot at losing 3 pounds this week, for the second week in a row. I’m kind of in the sweet spot where I’m really enjoying the effects of the exercise and losing weight. The exercise is making me stronger and the fact that I’m moving around 14 pounds less weight than I started with is making the exercise easier. Plus, being pumped fromt he exercise is making me less prone to hang on the refridgerator door looking to graze. So, it’s a nice cycle right now and I’m gonna try to keep riding it. I also know, however, that there are bound to be plateaus along the way. Right now it’s easy to increase the intensity of my workouts because I was starting from such a low baseline. There will come a point where that curve levels off.</p>
<p>If you are losing 3 pounds a week, keep doin’ what you are doing!</p>
<p>Idad: Yeah, cold here too in PA, so we will be going for a long walk today. At least it’s sunny.
I don’t want to talk about thighs. Mine are still very VERY sore. I’m telling my trainer to stay away from my legs next week. I think it’s counter productive to be in such pain. Plus my knee tends to get cranky when my thigh muscles are tight. It’ so hard find the right balance! All I know is this isn’t it!</p>
<p>Eddie - I’m actually on the western side of Lancaster County - but you probably drove by my exit shortly after you crossed the river on the way to our more scenic areas.</p>
<p>I remember eating a place in “Bird in Hand.” (years ago). Loads of fried food. I think it was buffet and I remember thinking how strange it was that I couldn’t find anything I wanted to eat. I’m sure there are better places around! And there must be some great farms around to get fresh produce</p>
<p>BTW, we joined a CSA this year and I’m really looking forward to it. Weekly pickups…about 15 minutes from my house. Pasture eggs too. Can’t wait!</p>
<p>I’ve been fortunate, knock on wood, to not have suffered any pain from starting to work out. I feel tiredness and stiffness, but no muscle pain that I would take ibuprofen for. I hope I continue to be fortunate.</p>
<p>I think one of the reasons is that all of the workouts I’ve been doing involve short intervals, 30 seconds max (that starts ramping up next week).</p>
<p>Yeah…I think I need to fire my trainer and get the ipod one But the sessions are free (they were a gift)
I think it makes sense to work up to these activities. I can’t tell you how many leg presses and squats I did. Too many! It’s not like my legs are flabby…I do yoga, walk a lot, and ride 30/40 miles (at a fast pace) on my bike. Maybe she thought that meant she could push me. Not again!</p>
<p>The crazy thing is that, with you doing so much bike riding, your thighs are probably the last thing you need to be training with squats and leg presses. I don’t know, but unless you are thinking about the Tour de France next year, I would think a trainer would want you to spend your gym workouts on stuff that bike riding doesn’t cover – arms, core, etc.</p>
<p>Just browsing around various fitness sites on the internet, I see a lot of cross polination between body building and personal training – I guess it’s the gym rat connection? I doubt that anybody here is looking to bulk up and build big muscles. That’s a different ballgame than general fitness.</p>
<p>Darn it. I was trying to convince my wife that I would need to clip a cannister of sour cream and onion Pringles onto my bike to keep my energy levels up while riding!</p>
<p>An alternative view on eating during cycling: I think it depends on how fit and ready you are. On our first few trips out a couple of years ago (with dh, who is a dedicated biker,) I struggled to do 10 miles. I guess I wasn’t very fit - plus my legs were NOT ready. Having a half of an energy bar and some water at the 5 mile mark gave me energy to continue. I felt like a wimp but who cares? Now, I need something every 15 miles or so. Idad…given your workout routine…you may just be fine with 10 miles with no food. </p>
<p>I saw my friends who go to the personal trainer today. They both said that the pain means it’s working. Yikes. I guess I’m a wimp…again. But I just think I need to go slower. And not do as much!</p>
But the sessions are free (they were a gift)