<p>My visits were covered in the past but orthotics weren’t.</p>
<p>The one big advantage to making your own is that you can make your own adjustments. I carried a knife with me and could remove material if something didn’t feel quite right. I would have to wait until getting home to add material.</p>
<p>Fireandrain:</p>
<p>Welcome. You must be doing something right if you only put on 5 pounds! You should be teaching all of us!</p>
<p>I’m no expert on fitness, but I know enough to say that any diet or exercise plan that claims to target “belly fat” is a fraud. I would run, not walk, as fast as I could from any plan making the claim to target belly fat. That’s not the way it works. You can’t spot reduce fat. Doing a million ab crunches won’t do it. It’s all bogus. The only way to lose belly fat is to lose fat period. That will reduce fat all over your body and, eventually, belly fat, too.</p>
<p>You are certainly on the right track doing “cardio” and “weights”. Those are the two keys to losing fat. However, you might want to look at your routines and see if you are in a bit of a rut. I have a sneaking suspicion that people get into a “cardio” and “weights” routine at the gym that gets stale, especially with treadmills and weight machines that “do arms” or “do legs” or that involve just cranking out hours on the treadmill at one pace. Our bodies acclimate to the same exercise and we no longer get maximum benefit. Changing it up and especially keeping the intensity high, seems to be essential over time. I would look at your routines with an eye towards two things:</p>
<p>A) **Interval cardio. **Instead of slogging away at one pace for an hour, look into interval training, where you alternate say a minute at high speed with two minutes at jog or walk. Or 30 seconds and 1 minute or 2 minutes and 2 minutes. The combinations are infintie depending on where you are fitness wise. The point, however, is to use the fast intervals to raise the intensity of the cardio workout, to pack a much bigger punch in a shorter amount of time. By getting your heartrate and breathing way up compared to jogging for an hour, you raise your metabolism for the entire day. I know that my wife has hit this wall with her fifty laps of swimming, year after year, and I know its frustrating to religiously go to the gym and not see results. If she would skip the pool for a few weeks and subsitute intervals on the Airdyne bike, she’d see instant results, just from changing it up and adding new intensity. I’m at a pretty low level of fitness, so I can get a good interval workout walking. However, walking on flat ground no longer gets my heartrate up enough. It takes walking up hills. My favorite walk now has 3 quarter mile hills and 1 half mile hill, all averaging about 5% grades. Those are like throwing in intervals and they raise my heart rate and breathing. That’s what you are looking to mix into your “cardio”. Just doing the same routine on the treadmill for years will lose its punch.</p>
<p>B) **Full bodyweight exercise. **This “doing arms” or “doing legs” stuff runs against the grain of the weight exercises that really burn fat. You want to get your heart rate and breathing up and burn calories. The more muscles you can incorporate in an exercise, especially big muscles, the better. It not only burns calories while exercising, but cranks up the metabolism for hours afterwards. So, for example, I could sit on a bench and “do arm curls”. Or, I can do squats (with or without an exercise ball) while simultaneously doing curl and press lifts with dumbells. The squats (which involve large leg muscles and lifting my entire bodyweight) get me panting like a dog while doing those simple little curl and press lifts with my arms. Yeah, I’m “doing arms” alright, but making it a full bodyweight exercise changes the whole thing. Same thing with dumbell lifts from the shoulder while stepping up onto a step or while lunge walking. That stuff is like a fat burning machine and you feel it.</p>
<p>The only downside to these arch support insoles is that, after you get used to wearing them for a few days, it is intolerable to put on a pair of shoes without them, even for just wearing around the house. I had to get a pair for my TopSiders!</p>
<p>I have them in my tennis shoes and my running shoes. The running shoes I only use for running. For most other stuff, including work, I just use an old pair of running shoes with the crappy insoles that they come with. They are good enough - nothing like the aftermarket insole. I was thinking of getting those cheap gel insoles at CVS to see if they are an improvement.</p>
<p>I don’t have injury issues with just walking around in the cheap insoles - my main problem is with working out and I need better insoles to avoid injuries. I can live with my regular footwear not feeling as nice.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>They might be a little softer, but that’s it. I even had a pair of the Dr. Scholl’s Sports Gel inserts – their model that has the plastic arch support. Pretty much worthless. The arch support is in the wrong place and not firm enough.</p>
<p>interesteddad: I do exercise a lot, and watch my weight. That’s how I’ve kept the weight loss to a minimum.</p>
<p>I see a trainer four times a year, and he changes my weight-lifting program. So I feel like I’m OK there. When we make our last tuition payment (Dec. 31!) I might splurge and see him more often. </p>
<p>You are right about the cardio - my trainer tells me to try different things. Sometimes I do, sometimes I just go with what I like. In the winter, when I need to use the “dreadmill,” I do interval training. </p>
<p>As for the belly fat thing – I am slender (or was), do a ton of abdominal exercises – but have always had this layer of fat around my midsection. Even when I was in grad school and lost 10 pounds and was too thin (what a concept), it was there. In fact, my doctor commented on the muscles in my stomach when she last examined me. But they are covered with this layer of fat. No visible six pack here.</p>
<p>So I figure, what’s the harm in testing this guy’s theory and cutting back on the amount of processed sugar that I eat? If a miracle happens and I lose fat in the middle, that’s good. And if it doesn’t work, oh well, I’ll just add the ice cream back into my diet.</p>
<p>As for arch supports, after I had an incident with plantar fasciitis I started using an arch support called Pedifix Arch Bandage (sold by Amazon) or the Arch Huggers from FootSmart.com. They do the job, can be worn under socks easily and are flesh-toned so can be worn with sandals.</p>
<p>I tried the hard plastic supports and didn’t like them at all. I think that I’m okay just for general walking. I just need the good stuff for sports.</p>
<p>The type that I use cost more than the shoes that I buy. They typically last about three sets of shoes. I guess I’ll skip the gel stuff.</p>
<p>The Superfeet insoles I’m using are pretty much the same as the New Balance you mentioned. They make several varieties with differing amounts of cushioning and arch support. The rigid support is shaped to the back half of the foot, then cushioning everyhwere else. They are designed to replace the insole in athletic shoes.</p>
<p>iPod nazi kicked me like a rented mule this afternoon. Really hot and muggy. I made it through two sets, but had to take one 60 second pause after the lunge walks with shoulder presses. And, I had nothing left to finish off the intervals on the Airdyne at “Cardinal Fang” pace. I feel like I let the Cardinal down with my rpms, but I just didn’t have 72+ in me today.</p>
<p>Now, it’s off to the shower and a nice “diet” dinner salad with spring mix, granny smiths apples, walnuts, shaved Parmegianno Reggiano cheese, proscuitto ham, and balsamic vinaigrette. Ah, the sacrifices I make to lose weight…</p>
<p>I saw the end of the Oprah show today and her trainer, Bob Greene, said adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to a recipe would lower the glycemic index. He showed a bottle of organic vinegar and used it instead of white vinegar. It sounds preposterous to me…any scientific basis?</p>
<p>fireandrain:</p>
<p>Sounds like you’ve got it covered. We should be taking lessons from you. I sure weigh a lot more than I did after college! I have no expectations of ever getting back to that weight.</p>
<p>Visible six-pack abs require very low body fat. I tell my wife that I now have “abs of steel”, but you just can’t see 'em yet! I would be surprised if I ever get to a body fat percentage that would show my abs. I mean, I guess anything is possible, but I’m 56 years old, I enjoy eating, and I have no plans to do any swimsuit modeling so I’ll be content if I miss that goal. We do spread a bit as we get older.</p>
<hr>
<p>I sure can’t argue against cutting down processed sugars in the diet. All the fitness and nutrition experts agree on that one. You mentioned that you aren’t fond of fruits and veggies. I’ve tiltled my diet that direction with an array of super tasty dinner salads. None of them are terribly low calorie, but they are a way to make a big pile of lettuce taste really good.</p>
<p>Tried the split of biking and walking again today. 45 minutes on the bike and 45 minutes on the dreadmill. Just don’t seem to be able to get the HR up with the slow walking due to knee pain. But…it is variety! The scale is SLOWLY inching down. I hope to reach my new goal by Friday…keep your fingers crossed for me! Heading to the lake for a vacation all next week. Makes me nervous not having access to the gym. I can walk but not fast or far. Will see if we have room to pack my bike.</p>
<p>Made a great chicken and veggie stir fry last night. Threw in asparagas, broccoli, portabella mushrooms, red pepper, bean sprouts and water chestnuts. Did a very light touch of Thai peanut sauce. So very good!</p>
<p>My sugar has been mainly from fresh fruit. The cherries are excellent right now!</p>
<p>I’m stuck at an airport right now. Talk about how hard it is to make good food choices. I managed to find some fruit, a hummus/pretzel package and that Greek yogurt. Absurdly expensive, too.</p>
<p>I hear ya. A couple of weeks ago my D wanted breakfast at the airport - we were able to find a fruit cup and a decent bottled smoothie, but it was close to $10.</p>
<p>Did my usual run but went a little further than usual. Also popped on the scale and down three pounds from last week. A plate of fish, zucchini and jasmine rice for dinner.</p>
<p>The weather is finally getting a little nicer in New England (by nicer I mean not as hot and humid).</p>
<p>I had limited time before dinner, so I did the short 2 mile version of my hilly walk, but pushed the pace, especially going up the hills. This is my timed route and I took 30 seconds off my fastest ever time. Felt great.</p>
<hr>
<p>I’ve got a fantastic exercise lesson for everybody. This is from a free series of 20 exercise lessons from the iPod nazi. I’ll put the link to sign up for the whole series at the bottom. The only cost is getting on his e-mail list and he sends a lot of emails with tips and blogs and stuff.</p>
<p>But, here’s the direct link to today’s lesson so you don’t have to sign up:</p>
<p>[How</a> to Lose Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs (free lesson)](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/ykztn49]How”>http://■■■■■■■.com/ykztn49)</p>
<p>Watch the first lesson, LESSON 3. It basically covers the whole enchilada of training to burn fat. Cardio, intervals, and strength training. This is everything we need to know about putting together a workout program. If anyone is wondering what to do or how to get started or how to kick it up a notch and see more results, this lesson is worth watching. I’m just an old fat guy who started from ground zero, but these concepts have sure worked for me, especially the part about dripping sweat at the end of a workout!</p>
<p>If you want to sign up for the entire 10 day course, you can go here. You get an e-mail each day with the links for that day’s 2 lessons:</p>
<p>[How</a> to Lose Belly Fat | Get Six Pack Abs (Sign up for free series)](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/2d44klz]How”>http://■■■■■■■.com/2d44klz)</p>
<p>Here’s another great link:</p>
<p>This is a free online calorie calculator. You enter your age, gender, height, weight, and exercise level and it calculates how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight without losing or gaining. You can then calculate how much less you would need to eat, figuring 3500 calories a week will be one pound of weight loss (500 calories a day).</p>
<p>If you click “advanced options” you can select the lean body mass formula and enter your % body fat. This will be pretty much the same approach we talked about the other day, except it does all the calculations for you. </p>
<p>[Calorie</a> Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs](<a href=“Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs”>Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs)</p>
<p>BC:</p>
<p>Better for sure, but it was still pretty muggy this afternoon. I know I worked up a pretty good lather. I’m looking for one of those cold fronts with a northwest breeze and night time lows down around 60. We’re overdue for one of those!</p>
<p>I’ve forgotten what a cold front is it’s been so long. I think of low-80s as cool now.</p>
<p>That calorie calculator is interesting. I was a bit surprised at the numbers. I’d guess my calorie intake was about 1,200 today. It said that 1,800 is extreme weight loss. I did pick up some excess calories over the weekend. Went to visit our son and there’s this little diner that we all like …</p>
<p>I didn’t order anything - just picked off the other plates. That place can be dangerous if you eat a whole meal there. We had plenty of leftovers too.</p>
<p>I can’t find the formulas for their fat loss and extreme fat loss numbers right now. If I recall, they are aimed to produce 1 pound per week and 2 pound per week weight loss, but subject to some other minimums that may raise the calorie floor. In the articles on the site, they are dead set against rapid weight loss for most people, because too big a calorie deficit just triggers a metabolism slowdown which makes keeping the weight off nearly impossible. Their daily caloric recommendations even include a zig zag pattern throwing in two higher calorie days a week with lower calorie days to prevent the body from going into metabolism slowdown.</p>
<p>It’s also no good to diet to the point of burning lean muscle mass. That’s why exercise is essential. That way, you build lean muscle mass and burn fat. The time I lost 30 pounds or so on the lo carb diet, I didn’t exercise a lick, and I know I just burn up muscle tone. The scale looked good, but it’s not the way to go as far as actual health and fitness.</p>
<p>I don’t track calories that precisely, but I do think the general numbers from these calculators are pretty close in my case.</p>
<p>There is some lean muscle mass that I have that I could go without and that is in the areas of the calves and legs. They are very strong because of the demands of start/stop when playing tennis. If I had a lighter upper-body, I would not need that level of strength in the legs. I suspect that the leg muscles will generally get smaller as I lose upper-body weight.</p>
<p>I’m fairly sensitive to burning muscle - it results in the smell of ammonia on my shirts.</p>