Diet/Exercise/Health/Wellness Support Thread

Parent Cafe
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<p>I was at the Burlington Mall with my daughter on Sunday and there was a huge line at Bobby’s Burger Palace. The line was still there when we left an hour later. It was pretty cold outside so these folks really wanted to be there.</p>

<p>My daughter told me this morning that Bobby Flay was at the restaurant on Sunday and I guess that was the big attraction. iDad is a fan of Bobby Flay so I thought that I’d mention that. Might be a good place for a Boston-area get-together one of these days.</p>

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<p>I LOVE Bobby Flay. I’m not very good at posting from my phone, but he had a great little web series on the Food Network website, “Bobby Flay Fit” or something along those lines. Good, sensible eating and exercise tips.</p>

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<p>sabaray- are you OK today? PackMom- good mileage! iDad- get well. I hate being sick. It is supposed to be 70 today here in TN.</p>

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<p>Very icy roads here this morning. Heading out to the gym this afternoon. </p>

<p>Deborah…I mainly walked up and down the stairs multiple times, did step ups on the fireplace hearth, a short dumbbell circuit and some old fashioned leg exercises! :)</p>

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<p>Post 23249, I read Interesteddad’s links.</p>

<p>I have problems with training too hard because I don’t think older bodies hold up well.</p>

<p>I lost 30 pounds by working out 2 to 4 hours a day, but not with a high intensity. Now, I am down to 1 to 2 hours a day with days off. I try to walk to replace the gym work. When I am at the gym, I will sprint on an elliptical for about 20 seconds…maybe 5 times in an hour. </p>

<p>I feel like my workouts are moving closer to Mark’s and that is before I read the links. Mark’s low intensity ideas work well for me. A major
difference is I just don’t eat as well. What I do now is workout so I can eat a little more of what I like. </p>

<p>I would love to run a marathon, but I am not going to run one unless I
lose 10 more pounds, and I am not going to lose 10 more pounds doing what I am doing. </p>

<p>I guess I don’t really want to run a marathon. :)</p>

<p>Interesteddad, thanks for the links.</p>

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<p>So Sarbaray and NorthMinnesota sent me here.</p>

<p>I really have a lot of weight to lose (think 100 lbs or so). I hired a personal trainer, worked out with him one day a week for about 6 months. I go to the gym (typically) 5 days a week and then one day add a yoga class in at night and a pilates class. </p>

<p>I eat too much (I know that). I’m signed up for WeightWatchers online but I’m not consistent about it. When I do log in and track my points I do loose weight.</p>

<p>I have lost 35 lbs. since April. Not great but not bad. </p>

<p>But that takes me to now: I still have about 100lbs to go. I have been beating myself up however. In the summer I developed tendonitis in my foot. Now my knee (same side) is showing pain so I’m going through a series of injections for my arthritis. I KNOW that losing more weight will help that but I see myself in a spiral right now. I don’t go to the gym that much because I’m having trouble sleeping due to knee pain, since I don’t go I end up eating more because I feel like I SHOULD go, then I eat even more because I’m eating more and I’m gaining weight back. Ugh. I KNOW what to do but doing it is another story.</p>

<p>So for exercise - no squats, no lunges, no running any more (I LIKE to run – okay jog – I’m too fat to RUN). I can do recumbant bike, eliptical, weight lifting and swimming as well as yoga (although I have to modify some stuff) and pilates is okay (great instructor who modifies EVERYTHING for me). Trainer currently I’m not working with him as his workouts wouldn’t currently work for me.</p>

<p>So I’ve been told that this is a GREAT group and very supportive. Looking forward to any help or points I can pick up. Maybe eventually I’ll be able to run again :(</p>

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<p>Welcome Rochester. You will get stellar advice here. :)</p>

<p>Do you have a doctor managing your arthritis/knee pain, etc. ??? </p>

<p>Sounds like you have a fair amount of exercise options you are WILLING and LIKE to do - that’s a GREAT start. Now you need to work on the eating part. You mentioned Weight Watchers. Have you in the past or are you willing/able to go to a weekly meeting??? I have not attended myself, but my H recently started going (a true MIRACLE in itself) and he has learned SO much, and it has truly motivated him - he too has a lot of weight to lose, but you can only lose it ONE pound at a time - so start with that ONE pound and take it from there. :)</p>

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<p>Welcome RM!!! So glad you are here! :slight_smile: I know how knee pain can side track working out. When I started here it was because of my torn meniscus/surgery and wanting to be able to wear heels for D1’s wedding. I couldn’t even use the elliptical without pain. I also stay away from squats and lunges. I love the recumbent bike and just walking. idad taught me to do interval workouts on the bike. I started with regular speed for 2 minutes and then pushed as hard as I could for 20 seconds and then kept repeating until I couldn’t breathe! What a difference it made for me! Wearing a pedometer has also made me aware of how sedentary I was when I wasn’t in the gym. </p>

<p>Another great motivation for me was just checking in here and being accountable. And I loved idad’s 5 lb party idea! :slight_smile: He can lay that out for you.</p>

<p>Anyway…hope you can get comfortable here and find some solutions that work for you!</p>

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<p>I just recently became aware of the recumbent bike. I mean, I was aware of that type of bike, but not that that was what it was called. How is it better than the old traditional air dyne type bikes??? Mostly a leg workout??? </p>

<p>I tend to like to be “upright” when I exercise - sounds goofy I know, but I feel like I sit on my behind plenty of hours a day at work so I prefer elliptical or treadmill or now, just running.</p>

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<p>I would prefer the upright - however doc says recumbant for now soo…</p>

<p>Yup I have a doc. doing the injections and “pain management”. Just not kicked in yet he keeps saying. Need a “few more weeks”. Yeah. :(</p>

<p>I used to go the weight watchers meetings but never clicked. My meetings always were things like “if I lose weight he’ll love me more etc.” – not my type :slight_smile: I’m more the “take me as I am”!</p>

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<p>I’m not a swimmer, but I think the swimming sounds like a great choice. Kind to joints.</p>

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<p>Didn’t feel like going to the gym today at all. It snowed yesterday, so I had to get the ice off my car; we ran out of coffee and I had to drank tea (which I don’t like). My H ate the low-carb Paleo egg muffins that I made for myself–so I didn’t have any food. Well, you get the picture–I was miserable. Got to the gym not expecting much at all. I was there for a small group TRX class. Turned out I was the only one who showed for class, so it was like personal training. Instructor kept me moving the entire time–mixed up TRX exercises with kettle bell swings and halos, running up and down stairs, lunges, and mountain climbers. Once I started I felt a whole lot better. </p>

<p>After the class, I decided to walk on the threadmill (mentioned that I’m signed up to do 2 days of a local 60-mile breast cancer walk). People organizing the walk gave us a training plan so that we’re prepared for the distance. I’ve done this walk before and usually don’t pay attention and do my own thing (probably under train), but I decided to follow the plan this time. Plan called for people who had already been walking to do 3 miles–which I did in 45 minutes. Left the gym tired, but feeling so much better than when I started. Pleasantly surprised to see on my HRM that I had burned 495 calories in 1 hour and 45 minutes and that my average HR was 74% of my max. and highest HR was 92%. Got my coffee on the way home and realized how much exercise helped me get out of a funky morning.</p>

<p>Rochester: good luck on your journey–this is a great place to get good advice and information–lots of knowledgeable people. Only one piece of advice from me: do exercise that you like and can do so that you’ll continue and not stop. I hate, hate, hate swimming and it would never work for me. </p>

<p>Also–get a trainer who does workouts that work for YOU and someone with whom you click. It’s crazy to pay big money for a trainer who has clients doing workouts that don’t work for them. At my club, you can get a free half-hour session with a trainer before you decide on buying a training package–sort of like an interview.</p>

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<p>It looks like you’re able to put a lot of effort into the exercise part but diet is a bigger factor than exercise when it comes to losing weight (outside of people that do heavy training for many hours a day). Many here track food using MyPlate at the livestrong site. It’s sometimes done permanently or on an as-needed basis.</p>

<p>Part of the reason for using a tracker is so that we can see our intake composition - fats, carbs, proteins, fiber, sugars, sodium, etc. Many are on a low-carb diet as that reduces hunger throughout the day making it easier to eat fewer calories.</p>

<p>Not having snacks around can help. I got home late last night so my wife made me a tofu stir-fry with rice. I had that and told her later on that I felt like potato chips knowing that we don’t have any snacks in the house. She said that she would have to make them if I wanted them and offered me something else. I had to get up early so I just went to bed. Not having easy food results in fewer calories for me.</p>

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<p>Oh, I forgot about pool stuff! I am not much of a swimmer but I have done some water exercise classes in the warm water pool. The classes are designed for those with arthritis. Do they have any in your area? In the summer our local pool has early morning or late evening water walks, before and after normal pool hours just for adults. We walk against the current of the lazy river and it is a lot of fun! I go in the evening and it gives me a chance to visit while I am working hard.</p>

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<p>Welcome, RM! You’ve come to the right place. Over the course of my lifetime, I have probably lost the same 70 or so pounds over and over…but they kept finding me again. Until now. Why? As NMinn stated: </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>For a while, I stopped checking in regularly; I read the thread, but didn’t really participate. And the weight started creeping back. So I am back, never to leave again (sorry, guys). Don’t think about how much you have to lose…think of it one pound at a time.</p>

<p>I eat from emotion. If work sets me off, then I want to do things like go to McDonalds or Chik-fil-A and eat fried food. Or eat a dozen donuts. Or an entire Sara Lee coffee cake. I am a carb-a-holic and as someone with a family hx of diabetes, that is dangerous. So I am trying to cut back on carbs before I absolutely have to (don’t let my eating patterns of yesterday fool you, it was a bad day at work). The other issue? I have to restrict fats as well. So on days I eat a higher fat percentage, I really don’t feel well the next day. So I am focusing on eating more complex carbs and higher quality proteins with less fat. I use Livestrong to track all of that (and it is a really easy program to use) I hope that made sense. In addition to the many adventures I have with sabadog (walking around 6 miles a day), I joined a gym. It’s sad when one of your few social outlets is visiting with the gym workers!</p>

<p>If you have time, I would really encourage you to search for interesteddad’s posts from the beginning of the thread…his story is a lot of powerful motivation.</p>

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<p>Welcome RM, and good job on the 35 lb loss! You say you can do certain exercises now, but do you have access to a facility now? Or equipment at home?</p>

<p>When weight loss occurred in this household, it happened after H’s heart attack. When he came home from the hospital, I had the fear of God in me about what I would feed this man. First, since only my last teen is still at home, we had a silent understanding that we would all be on board for the new menus. I think it’s key to have support from those around you, so I hope your household will be in sync with the food around. As BCEagle said, if you don’t have tempting snacks or treats around, you can’t eat them unless you make them. Second, someone from H’s work gave him the newest AHA cookbook. For quite a time, I cooked out of that book (or the cardiac rehab suggestions). I would give the book to H, and he would pick out what he wanted me to cook. We did this for all meals. I also divided the food I prepared into the suggested portions. By doing this, we instantly cut not only portion sizes, but sodium, sugar, saturated fat, refined carbs…oh, all those yummy but not so heart healthy ingredients down. If you can, find a cookbook that you can live with (I think the AHA book is pretty good), and let it do the work of figuring out what you should eat and how you should make it. It was certainly more work for me, the cook, but like I said, I was afraid that my cooking would otherwise injure my H! Third, in the spirit of low carb, can you cut sugar–especially in the form of sugared beverages (soft drinks, fruit juices, etc.)? We weren’t soda drinkers, but we did like juice, sweetened soy milk, and the like; most we swapped out for water, or herbal/decaf teas, or unsweetened lemon water. Cutting down the sugar and increasing the fiber and quality proteins helped keep the hunger pangs at bay. </p>

<p>H lost about 45 pounds. I dropped at least 20. Teen son is healthy and fit. We eat well, but I’m hyper-vigilant about the cooking, still, after 18 months. We do moderate exercise (although I’m trying to pick that up now a bit) in the morning and night, usually in the form of walking and for H, light weights for the arms.</p>

<p>HTH and good luck!</p>

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<p>Sabaray:</p>

<p>So you ate a couple of dinner rolls. That’s history now. No reason it has to de-rail you today… I like Rachel Cosgrove’s goal of eating “right” 90% of the time. I think one of the keys to this whole diet and fitness thing is to not beat yourself up when you can’t be perfect.</p>

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<p>Welcome, RM. There is a lot of great information, knowledge and motivation on this thread. We all do different things and have different areas of focus. Do NOT get intimidated if some on the thread are doing more (or eating less) than you could ever imagine. We do what we can and aim to be the best possible person each one of us can be- in our own way. </p>

<p>I agree that the eating/diet is a big part of weight loss. I managed to run a lot of miles over the years and, as I aged, I STILL gained weight because I was under the impression that I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I exercised. WRONG!!! Now I try to balance the two- I am much better with the exercise than with the food management, but I’m trying to get back on track.</p>

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<p>Rochester Mom:</p>

<p>35 pounds is fantastic! I just kept trying to lose five pounds and then have celebration each time I lost five. I mean, it doesn’t matter how much you have to lose, it’s gotta start with five pounds and it can only continue by losing the next five pounds. That way, when I was standing in the grocery store trying to convince myself that I could live without the can of Pringles, I could make a deal that I’d hold off “just until I lose this five pounds”.</p>

<p>If you are worried about letting the weight creep back on, then diet is the place to start. I don’t know if Weight Watchers would have worked for me because I enjoy eating big portions and fantastic meals. My wife tried to serve me 6-ounce portions of meat or fish and I couldn’t stand it. If I was going to give up the junk food (and who’s kidding who, that’s how I got fat), then had to at least enjoy a filling dinner! Plus, it’s got to be sustainable over the long haul and I knew I couldn’t eat like a bird. But, if Weight Watchers works for you, great. It does for a lot of people. </p>

<p>Personally, I just logged my food at
[MyPlate</a> - Food Diary & Food Calorie Counter | LIVESTRONG.COM](<a href=“http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/]MyPlate”>MyPlate Calorie Counter)</p>

<p>Once you get the hang of it, it takes just minutes a day and you can quickly see places to cut back. For me, the best way to go is to eat fat and protein without worrying about it and focusing on the carbs. So, step one for me was to stop drinking sugar. No soda. No juice. No sweet tea. Step two was to cut the junk carbs. No candy, no chips, no cookies, no cake, no midnight run for a Snapple, a bag of sour gummy worms, and a bag of Doritos. Sheesh… Step three was to dial back the regular carbs. Bread or pasta just once a week. Stop eating cereal, etc. Almost all of us with a serious amount of weight to lose have become “insulin resistant” over time. We produce too much insulin when we eat carbs and insulin’s job is to lock energy into fat cells. Reducing the carbs automatically cuts the calories, but as an added bonus, it starts to shift our metabolism to burn more fat…</p>

<p>I lost 93 pounds drinking half in half in my coffee all day, cooking with butter, eating bacon and eggs, and enjoying 12 ounce steaks. We are all different and some people can handle eating a lot of carbohydrates, but I believe that the dietary advice to “eat healthy grains and cereals” is probably not very good advice for those of us who have a bunch of weight to lose. Cutting out the sugar and junk carbs and breads and pastas is an obvious place to start if you just want to decide on one little step you can take to lose the next five pounds!</p>

<p>More on exercise later…</p>

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<p>Speaking of 5-pound parties…</p>

<p>It’s a fluke, but I’m going to count it anyway. From my fluke high day that made me start logging my food again the following day to a fluke low number this morning, I’ve “lost” 6.4 pounds and, by god, I’m going to celebrate it!</p>

<p>It won’t stay at today’s number, but I am solidly back in my target range and headed down. This is the lowest weight I’ve seen since the week the Halloween candy arrived in the house. That got me in trouble. At my weight these days, I can’t eat three or four bags of halloween candy without seeing it on the scale. And, then a little bit more at Thanksgiving. And, that tin of Christmas cookies that mysteriously vanished.</p>

<p>This has been my first real challenge to maintenance. Logging my food seems to working to nip it in the bud early enough that one 5-pound party does the trick. So, it’s definitely party time!</p>