<p>I didn’t do anything except for some weights in the morning. I wound up sleep for about 10 hours last night and I think that I’m not going to be running today (already met my weekly goal). Maybe I’ll do some stretching, calisthenics and weights. I’m going to go to running four times a week at five miles per day and that should take care of my running fix. I want to get back to the other stuff for balance.</p>
<p>iPod nazi is pretty adamant that taking a day or two each week off from intense exercise is essential. The muscles need the recovery time; that’s apparently when the actual strength gains are made. Six days is my limit. I start getting stiff and sore. In his workout plans, he also scales back to a week of lighter, less intense workouts, once a month.</p>
<p>I think the take home message in all this is variety: variety in diet, variety in daily caloric intake, variety in incorporating several types of exercise, and variety in the intensity of workouts. With tennis, weights, and running, you certainly get the variety.</p>
<p>I’ve found that it’s good to mix up the distances on my hilly walks, too. Walking two miles and pushing the pace is a different workout than walking four miles.</p>
<p>4 miles of what passes for running on a fairly flat, nice bike path here in Denver. Loved the low humidity. Bikes were whizzing by, though, and it was pretty dicey. I would not want to go that fast on my bike on a shared use path. I do think I might have some sort of pinched nerve leading to all this hamstring connector pain. The left leg is so weak.</p>
<p>MOfWC, I had some weakness in my left leg as well prior to my back incident, but I just dismissed it thinking that it was simply a sign of my body becoming older and that I had to get used to it. But after the steroid pack and rest as prescribed by my neurologist (I did not go see the ortho guys because they are usually clueless about anything beyond joint pain), both my lower back and my leg are doing much, much better. So maybe your doc is right about pinched nerve being the culprit.</p>
<p>^^ It’s very strange. I, too, thought it was just because of the hamstring hurting, but it seems like I am slightly off-balance and if I step in any sort of dip or depression it really throws me off. I’ll know more in a week or so I hope. I am now finished with the 'roids and they helped some but not all that much.</p>
<p>Went to the YMCA gym and worked out on the Nautilus equipment there. A look on my PDA shows that I haven’t worked out there since mid-May. When I workout after a break, I drop the weight levels from ten to twenty pounds.</p>
<p>I started out with the leg lift which is basically a quad exercise. Dropped weight by 20 pounds and still found that it took a fair amount of effort to do. I get the feeling that runners often have problems with quad strength and I think that it can lead to knee injuries. I have had bouts of chondromalacia in the past, most likely due to unbalanced knee muscles. I was mostly surprised at how much strength I’ve lost over 2.5 months. So I better get back to work there. I really wanted to lose weight, build cardio capacity and get my resting heart rate down as higher priorities first.</p>
<p>I still have tennis elbow problems and wore my cuff. I deliberately avoided exercises that would stress the medial until the end when I tried the fly machine. I dropped the weight 15 pounds and could still feel the twinges so I just gave up on anything that stretches the medial.</p>
<p>Temps were hot today. Interestingly, I received our power bill for the last month. It was about 2.5 times an average bill. The amount of power that we used for July this year was roughly double what we used in July 2009. The average temperature this year was eleven degrees higher than last year for July. This isn’t the highest electricity bill that we’ve had due to heavy AC use. Back in the 1990s, we had bills that were quite a bit higher. The combination of a new roof with a much more efficient ridge vent and a new HVAC system cut our heating and cooling costs in half. Our old HVAC was just incredibly inefficient and did a pretty bad job at heating and cooling.</p>
<p>Hi!
I was active on this thread at the very beginning but have since fallen off the wagon, back on the wagon, off the wagon, etc. I really need some motivation. It sounds like many of you are finding success in your exercise/diet routines. I really want to lose about ten pounds and I want to get fit but, wow, it is so challenging! Every time I turn around I find a temptation or a reason/excuse to indulge. I need some support and encouragement, strategies, etc. </p>
<p>I did join a new gym recently and have been going pretty regularly but I have not really lost any weight. I try to eat healthy but I know my portions are too big and the occasional (or frequent) self indulgences are sabotaging my efforts.
I am petite and even a few extra pounds show a lot on me and make me feel lethargic and tired and heavy.</p>
<p>Help! :)</p>
<p>Hi , new poster to this thread, need to lose 10 pounds too. Would like to lose more, but 10 would be great for now.</p>
<p>I have an elliptical I was very good with for awhile, we’re going to become friends again 
Also need to do things for strength & flexibility.</p>
<p>Have not read the whole thread, so sorry for asking, but what’s an ipod nazi?</p>
<p>I think that everyone wanting to lose weight should know about the basic calorie laws in that if you take in less than you use over the long run, you will lose weight. So that’s fundamental.</p>
<p>I find that having a decent support structure helps. Make it easy to go to the gym. Set up a routine to do it automatically. Go with someone regularly. Perhaps take up something that you can compete with yourself. For me and many others, that’s running where you can burn a lot of calories while getting lost in the running. On calorie intake, perhaps others will comment as some here disagree with my approach.</p>
<p>One thing that I’ve found is that life events can kill a diet/exercise program. I try to take advantage of periods of time to maximize efforts and realize that there are times of stress where the diet/exercise program takes a hit.</p>
<p>“One thing that I’ve found is that life events can kill a diet/exercise program. I try to take advantage of periods of time to maximize efforts and realize that there are times of stress where the diet/exercise program takes a hit.”</p>
<p>Can you explain this in more detail? I feel like I have no routine. I am a teacher and am off of work for the summer. One would think that this is an ideal time to get fit but between grad school, my daughter’s pending college entrance, having other daughter home from college and other events, i find it difficult to put my diet and exercise routine on the front burner. </p>
<p>I hate running but have been using a machine at my new gym that is a combination of a stairmaster and an elliptical. I like it and am getting to the point that I am able to get in the “zone” for a while. The diet is the real problem ( I say this as I finish a brownie that was left over from my D’s graduation party). There always seems to be an event or circumstance that is “special” and I overindulge.<br>
i want to feel good and look good but neither is happening at the moment.</p>
<p>As a petite female, I find that even a few extra pounds show a lot! I want to get into my ideal weight range so that I can feel and look better.</p>
<p>EPTR- I have found that when I tried to do the gym thing I never got into the routine. This time around I am focusing on getting my exercise near home. I find walking in my neighborhood has worked for me. I started off timing myself. Trying to add on a bit each week. I find that even if you only have 30 minutes it is a start. It helps that my neighborhood is hilly so in 30-45 minutes I can get some good exercise. As far as diet I have tried to eliminate certain foods during the week. I skip the bread, rice, pasta etc during the week. Friday, Sat and Sunday I lighten up and eat what I want. I have had slow weight loss but I am keeping it off. 25 lbs in 6 months. I am sure if I ate differently on the weekend my weight loss would go quicker but this is a eating style that I can live with long term. I also have some small hand held weights that I have been using at home along with the plank and sit ups. Also lots of stretching.
Look up Daily Plate. It is a great place for keeping a food diary.
Also gave up alcohol. Added dark chocolate which I had never enjoyed. I now look forward to my 3 squares each afternoon.</p>
<p>Thanks, Mom60,
I do find that having the gym membership is a good motivator for me. Working out at home hasn’t worked well for me in the past.<br>
The concrete strategy of giving up carbs during the week is interesting. Do you crave them? How do you satisfy your appetite when you are not eating rice or pasta? I am almost 50 years old and I don’t want to start a diet that will be too self denying and difficult to maintain but I know that i could be doing better. Any other strategies or tips that you have are greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I’m far from an expert, being a fat tub of couch potato goo until five months ago, but…</p>
<p>As for giving up carbs: I just limit my menus to no more than one pasta dish per week and then, keep the portions small and round it out with a huge salad. We just don’t do rice or potatoes at all, maybe once every few months. Once in a blue moon, we’ll have some sweet potato oven fries as a treat. I learned to do Chinese stir fry wok dishes with brocolli instead of rice. How to feel full? I eat huge portions of veggies and salad. I try to mix it up, balancing a steak or pork chop dinner with poached or grilled fish the next night. A dinner salad at least once a week – chicken caesar salad or some other favs that have smallish meat portions with a ton of salad. I can’t deal with deprivation, so I eat really good meals and have cut my calories by taking out the junk food.</p>
<p>I think mom60 has it right on the exercise. I think we all try to set very ambitious goals that end up being barriers to getting started. IMO, start with an iron-clad personal commitment to exercise for 30 minutes at least three days per week, preferably adding some walking or something for two more days. Schedule that 30 minutes, like on Mon, Wed, and Friday or whatever works for you. Once you get into it and start feeling the results (and seeing them on the scale), it becomes self-reinforcing and highly motivating. I’ve increased the time and intensity of my workouts, in part because I’ve become more fit and and can do more and in part because I’ve really started to enjoy getting exercise.</p>
<p>An “iPod nazi” is my term of an endearment for a fitness trainer in Toronto who has a bunch of free stuff on the web and who sells various workout programs for the iPod. I bought his basic fitness program back in February and it’s been the foundation of my effort to eat less and move more ever since. I feel bad that I coined that nickname because he’s really not a “nazi” in his approach, even though his stuff is pretty challenging and he pushes me pretty hard in my headphones.</p>
<p>Here’s a sample, this one is the three most basic core exercises that I started with. In fact, I still do the plank and side bridges every week and they are still much harder than they look!</p>
<p>[How</a> to Lose Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/yhgmlut]How”>http://■■■■■■■.com/yhgmlut)</p>
<p>You can also go to YouTube and search for his page “Yuri Elkaim”. He’s got dozens and dozens of free video workouts, ranging from beginner to “you’ve got to kidding me…” He’s also got a whole raw foods schtick, which I’m sure is excellent, but not my thing.</p>
<p>I guess the iPod nazi business must be pretty good. He tweeted a picture of his new car today:</p>
<p>[Yuri</a> Elkaim’s Photos - Wall Photos | Facebook](<a href=“Redirecting...”>Redirecting...)</p>
<p>Here’s the deal on calories. 3500 calories equals 1 pound of fat.</p>
<p>So, if your weight is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing, a 3500 pound per week (500 calories per day) adjustment will change your weight by one pound per week. Start eating 500 calories more each day (half a cannister of Pringles) and you’ll gain a pound a week. Cut out 500 calories each day (or burn some with exercise) and you’ll lose a pound a week. </p>
<p>Maybe a pound a week is not realistic for you, we are all different. A big guy might be ablet to lose a little more. A petite woman maybe should figure half a pound a week or a change of 250 calories per day. You should think of what you can do as a permanent lifestyle change (eat less, move more) rather than a “diet”. Even if that means losing weight a little slower, it’s better than the yo-yo dieting where you lose the weigth through deprivation and then rebound putting the weight back on.</p>
<p>Cutting 250 to 500 calories a day is not that hard for most of us. A beer is over 100 calories. Skip the cheese on your hamburger – that’s 90 calories per slice. Medium McDonald’s french fries are 380 calories. I found that I didn’t need to kick myself for having a snack or a treat, but I had to start paying attention to portions. So when my wife made brownies, I had one – divided into a third, then another third later, then the last third, rather than wolfing down three brownies. That’s 100 calories instead of 300.</p>
<p>This hot weather has totally killed my exercise routine! No AC in my house. During the week i am in AC at work, which makes it feel even hotter when I get home. I still do an hour of gardening early AM but this has no cardio benefit! And to make it worse, because of how hot it is, we eat dinner late (like 9-ish) so i then fall into bed right after, which you are not supposed to do!
I suppose on the brighter side, I am eating lighter. But counteracting that, I am prob drinking more beer (well, 1 a day).
Too hot to ride my horse, also, so no help there.
Sorry for the whine…</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>I drive my daughter to classes during the school year and that is somewhat time-consuming. It’s been hectic for me on and off over the years and things have basically looked a lot better this summer. Our son is at his internship and my daughter just has driving lessons this summer which is a relatively small interruption so I have a lot of time to workout. We’ll see what happens when the school year resumes.</p>
<p>I have some amount of support at the office because everyone in my group, except for one person that works remotely, works out. So we chat about our workouts. Some of the people in my group also workout in groups which is good for those in the group as they provide encouragement for each other when they don’t feel like working out.</p>
<p>I think that you have to make at least diet and exercise a priority as it’s harder to be efficient and fully effective if you’re not healthy. I admit that it’s a struggle for me when I’m under a lot of stress. For me, I look out for five or six months and decide what I can reasonably do and just plan it out. For this summer, I improved cardiovascular health and lost some weight. That means that I can run five miles a few times a week. Probably not every day with the fall schedule but it’s good enough. Trying to get into good enough shape during the Fall would be difficult as there would be other things on my mind.</p>
<p>Let’s try this sentence without the typo:</p>
<p>*So, if your weight is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing, a 3500 calorie per week (500 calories per day) adjustment will change your weight by one pound per week. *</p>
<p>Okay, Im going to shoot for 4 gym workouts per week with some walks, gardening thrown in. I’ll try to cut 300-500 calories per day. And the alcohol. I’m not a big drinker but there always seem to be dinners out and lots of grad parties. I’m going to limit myself to 3 glasses of wine per week. I should see some results, right?</p>
<p>Now if i could only get my husband on board.</p>
<p>EPTR:</p>
<p>A weight loss goal of a half pound to one pound per week is probably a reasonable and sustainable goal, but first go here and calculate your estimated “maintenance” calorie needs: the daily calories required to maintain your weight.</p>
<p>[Calorie</a> Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs](<a href=“http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#]Calorie”>Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs)</p>
<p>If your daily maintenance is 1500 calories, then probably cutting 500 calories a day from that is not realistic.</p>
<p>Also, I’m not sure that setting a firm limit (like 3 glasses of wine per week) would have worked for me. That gets into a the realm of rationing which mentally reinforces the belief that you are “giving up” something. I found it more positive to just look for places where I could eat a little less and then taking positive motivation from finding them, day to day. Like, no, I’m not going to buy this bag of sour gummy worms today and being pleased with that little victory. If that makes any sense. Frankly, it might be easier to just say no wine for now then try to live with a self-imposed ration. Rationing tends to make you want something even more.</p>
<p>All you can do is adjust your own behavior. Let your DH figure out his own path.</p>