<p>deb922–I couldn’t exist on 1200 calories a day, especially with a 1 hour hike. Make sure you’re eating protein and not empty calories.</p>
<p>So I’d take the calorie counter with a (ahem) grain of salt. And remember you’re strengthening your heart and lungs with every walk as well. And building muscle that burns more calories than fat, which just sits there. :D</p>
<p>Yup, fat has a lot of energy and our bodies can be very efficient at using that energy in a miserly way. This is one of the reasons why many find it so difficult to lose weight. But there are lots of people that lose weight. I find that it helps to have a fair amount of patience.</p>
<p>Stretch/strength/core and various chores here (daughter will be arriving for a visit – yay!).</p>
<p>Added a couple of reps to the strength exercises and tried out db chest presses for the first time. I hope I’m doing them right and that there’s nothing important I should be paying attention to that I’m not.</p>
<p>deb922:</p>
<p>Alas, you are finding the same holes in the conventional wisdom weight loss paradigm that frustrate so many people. In a nutshell, it is ultimately about burning more calories than you are eating to lose weight. But, attempting to do that by forcefully limiting your calories (starving yourself) and burning more calories (by exercising) doesn’t work very well as a weight loss strategy, because these are not independent variables. For example, if you starve yourself over a period of time, your body adjusts by burning less energy 24/7. So now you are starving yourself AND burning less energy. You still aren’t losing weight and you feel miserable from the starvation. Less inclined to be active. Less likely to exercise. When you are starving, it’s all you can do to muster up the energy to sit on the couch and watch TV. Compounding that is that you are now eroding lean muscle mass (from starvation), which means your body burns even less energy.</p>
<p>Dr. Robert Lustig addresses the exercise part of this conundrum in his book:</p>
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</p>
<p>So, absolutely make a commitment to exercise. Lustig’s last sentence above is a pretty strong statement…</p>
<p>Then, as far as fat loss, the easier approach is to focus on things that make the body more likely to burn fat rather than store it – a balance that is, to a large extent, hormonally controlled. It is especially wrapped up in the whole concept of insulin resistance.</p>
<p>I would say that the easy places to start are to axe sugars from your diet, cut back significantly on refined grains (including most foods pitched as being “whole grain”, because they aren’t), and try to do at least some exercise several times a week that builds lean muscle.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The main thing is to pay attention to the weights and make sure you don’t drop one on your head! Always remember that, if you start to lose control of one, you can always just push it to side and let it fall to the floor. A dented floor is better than a dented noggin’…</p>
<p>Once I start to shake with my arm trying to push the weight up, I’m done. No point pressing my luck to the point where I’m actually in danger of dropping a weight.</p>
<p>Beyond that, try to keep the small of back in contact with the bench or floor or whatever you are lying on. A common “cheat” is to arch the back up in the air.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I’ve not found that DB chest presses to be a picky “technique” exercise. I’m sure there are some fine points, but it seems pretty hard to hurt yourself… which is my main consideration!</p>
<p>Graduation Day at Kettle Bell Class</p>
<p>A. (10 min.)
<p>B. (15 min.)
<p>C. (15 min.)
<p>D. (20 min.)
<ol>
<li> Grad Workout</li>
<li> KB Swing x 10</li>
<li> KB Goblet Squat x 5</li>
<li> KB Goblet Carry x 5y</li>
</ol>
<p>E. R & R (3 min.)
<p>Next class starts in 2 weeks, will be a continuation of this one with only veterans from the class allowed or those who do one on one kb skills training prior. I am looking forward to it.</p>
<p>Deb- I just walked 3.04 miles in 45mins and burned 346 calories according to mapmy walk.</p>
<p>Yay, Jane! Congrats on graduation and a great workout.</p>
<p>Thanks, iDad. I watched a video or two and thought this shouldn’t be too bad, especially starting with light weights and not using a bench. Of course, the lateral arm raises seem so easy, too… Very glad to have retired that exercise!</p>
<p>Congratulations on KB graduation, CJane. :)</p>
<p>This morning, the fingerprint reader wasn’t working on an old laptop so I had to enter the password manually. I had this problem when I fished the old laptop out about a month ago to put into service. It dawned on my today that losing weight was affecting the fingerprint reader. So I’ll need to scan in my fingers again. I don’t know if the geometry changes or if it’s the wrinkles in my fingers these days.</p>
<p>
Once you get past light weights, the technique does matter. The grip is important so you don’t bend your wrists back, you need to lock your shoulders, feet placement, back placement, how etc.</p>
<p>[Dumbbell</a> Bench Press Technique - YouTube](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSAH1TQRXB4]Dumbbell”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSAH1TQRXB4)</p>
Congratulations, CJane!
I graduated today, too, I guess. Final workout of the first four week phase of this random workout program I found on the internet. This was the workout that has been kicking my butt – 90 DB weighted step ups. But, I got 'er done…
<hr>
I decided to add Vitamin D to my short list of nutrition add-ons – psyllium husk fiber and fish oil. My criteria is:
a) widespread recommendations and suggestion of potential benefit to taking it
b) no significant detrimental side-effects, so even if it doesn’t do anything, there’s no harm
Given that it is nearly impossible, living in NH, to get enough sunlight for recommended amounts of vitamin D, it seemed sensible to start supplementing. I just take a gel cap with my fish oil and fiber twice a day. We’ll see if it’s immediately recognizable as being the fountain of youth!
“I decided to add Vitamin D to my short list of nutrition add-ons – psyllium husk fiber and fish oil.”
Good addition. This is pretty much what I take, plus iron since I’m mildly anemic.
<p>
It is impossible for the sun to make vitamin D in your screen for something like 6 months of the year at our latitude, there’s not enough UVB in the sunlight.</p>
<p>My doctor got me started on vitamin D over 5 years ago, he was way ahead of the curve on it.</p>
<p>How much are you taking? Did you get your blood level tested?</p>
<p>I didn’t notice any immediate effects, however once I got my levels up to where my dr wanted them, I noticed a big difference in how often I would get sick. I went from several nasty head colds/sinus infections/bronchitis per year to essentially none - I’ve only been sick once in the last 5 years.</p>
<p>Fish oil and vitamin D are #1 and #2 on my supplement plan. #3 is Mg, virtually everyone is deficient.</p>
<p>I live in the mid-south and I don’t know many people who have NOT been told by their doctors to take Vit D and/or have tested as deficient, including me.</p>
<p>^^Since we work indoors, we do not get exposed to the wavelengths that produce vit D. And by the time we get off, the sun is almost down. When we go outside, we use sunblock. According to some data, in Seattle, 80% of office workers are deficient. The rest are either taking a supplement or play hooky often. :)</p>
<p>Most doctors will say that a level of 20 ng/ml is adequate, but that’s the level to prevent rickets. The optimal level seems to be in the 40-60 ng/ml range, that’s where my doc wants me.</p>
<p>It’s important to be tested after you start supplementing, because absorption can vary wildly between individuals. Some might only need 2000 IU, some might need 5000 IU or more.</p>
<p>An adequate vitamin D level, along with Mg and K2, are critical for bone health as well as heart health.</p>
<p>9 miles + 1 hour of tennis. 3 miles before tennis, 4 miles after and 2 in the evening. Trying to make up for yesterday’s deficiency. We played indoors today. The Weather Channel indicated winds at 19 MPH. We can play in that kind of wind but what’s the point?</p>
<p>Almost a rest day for me. 3 mile run and some weights.</p>
<p>I’m starting at 4000 IU per day and laying off the sunscreen when I’m outdoors in the summer. I’ll try to get a test as part of my physical in June. Basically, the doc just said to let him know what blood tests I want and he’ll write the order accordingly.</p>
<p>Listening to William Davis today, I should be ok on K2. He said 1 to 2 ounces of aged real cheese every day will provide plenty of K2. I eat that amount, between blue cheese, parmegiano regianno, an aged Vermont cheddar.</p>
<p>I eat so much green vegetables (romaine, broccoli, spinach, etc.) that I’m guessing I’m OK on magnesium, but I’ll have to look into that as there does seem to be broad consensus.</p>