<p>Congrats on the 25 lbs, NM. I think I’m at about 26 or 27 right now. Two more pounds and I will officially be in the “healthy weight” range on the BMI tables. Sort of amazing given the maelstrom that has been my life this summer…</p>
<p>Now I think I may aim at about 10 more lbs. I really want to lose more abdominal fat and conquer my natural “apple” shape. Getting back to the gym to do more weight training should help, assuming that a) I don’t have to go away again, and b) my shoulder pain doesn’t recur and c) I’m able to get rid of this damned nerve-related leg pain.</p>
<p>At this point I don’t even feel like I’m “dieting.” I just keep eating more or less the same way and I just keep losing about 1 lb per week…at some point I assume it will level off.</p>
<p>After a rainstorm on Friday, the forecast is much friendlier for outside stuff. I think that highs will be in the 70s and lows in the 50s - my kind of weather. Note that this is in New England.</p>
<p>Well, I clearly have some work to left to do. For the first time I can remember, I didn’t make it through a iPod workout. This was the same three sets I did for three days last week except that, instead of doing the Airdyne intervals at the end (and collapsing), the plan for today was:</p>
<p>5 minute Airdyne warmup
1st set of eight exercises
4 Airdyne intervals - 30 seconds hard, 60 seconds easy
2 minutes rest
2nd set of eight exercises
4 Airdyne intervals - 30 seconds hard, 60 seconds easy
2 minutes rest
3rd set of eight exercises
5 minute Airdyne cool down</p>
<p>About an hour and ten minutes in total.</p>
<p>I knew it would be a challenge because the Airdyne intervals wipe me out. I did great on the first set. Got through the second set after the first intervals with just one extra minute of rest.</p>
<p>Got through the second batch of intervals OK and then did the step/presses, reverse flys, pushups (did 12 on the third set, last one with nose touching the floor), and squat presses. Took an extra minute to catch my breath and started in on the plank on the ball. Fell off the ball at 30 seconds. Went on to the one legged hamstring roll ins on the ball and couldn’t get my hips off the ground, so that was that. I missed the hamstring roll ins, side planks, and ball crunches on the last set. Took me about ten minutes to get up off the floor.</p>
<p>I’ll try again on Wednesday. This is all in preparation for Phase III which mixes getting gassed by aerobics (burpees, jumping jacks, etc.) in between weight lifting and core exercises in what iPod nazi calls “supersets”.</p>
<p>For the first time since I started this new journey I did not make it to the gym this morning. I am still having dizziness and headache issues. It is just bad enough that I can’t drive. Will rest and give it one more day before I break down and call my neurologist.</p>
<p>NM, any possibility of sinus issues? Can easily cause vertigo and headache, and a new allergy season is just beginning for those of us sensitive to seasonal stuff.</p>
<p>I am very well hydrated and no sinus stuff going on. Never had vertigo issues before. Thanks for asking and I will look up more info on vertigo. Something new!.</p>
<p>On this vertigo, the first step is to determine if changes in head position trigger it. Tilting your head side to side, or up and down. Rolling over in bed. That sort of thing. Going from your head horizontal (or even tilted back) and then up to vertical (or vice versa), like looking up at a tall building or ceiling, is likely to set it off. That kind of positional vertigo usually only lasts for a ten seconds or so, with a feeling similar to those games spinning when you were a kid.</p>
<p>Same exact thing. Paper thin nylon. Water and wind resistant. Built in stowaway hood. Vents on the upper back so you don’t boil to death. And stuffs into a built in pocket pouch about the size of ziplock sandwich bag with a loop for stowing on a bike or a fanny pack. Unlike the Brooks, it has one zippered breast pocket, perfect for an iPod of other essentials. </p>
<p>Absolutely gaudy neon electric blue with big white and yellow lettering, but good for visibility walking, running, or biking.</p>
<p>Retail $100. Marshalls (and I assume TJ MAXX) has an end cap display of matching tech shirts and fleeces along with these jacket shells. $19.99 if any of you runners, walkers, bikers are interested.</p>
<p>All my rain jackets are too hot for those summer days when you get caught by a shower. This is ultra light and small enough to take with you as insurance against a storm, or going to an outdoor event in the summer or when you need just a little windbreaker. That’s my good deal of the day.</p>
<hr>
<p>Marshalls and TJ still have a bunch of the Reebok short sleeve technical t-shirts. White, black, navy, maroon, or gray. Simple design, no stripes down the arms, solid colors, with just a reflective REEBOK logo. Really nice running or workout shirts for $9.99.</p>
<p>Six miles today. I forgot my compression shorts so I didn’t know how far I would run because chafing has kicked in in the past. Not today. I guess my legs are skinnier now. Maybe I don’t need the compression shorts anymore though the compression does help on longer runs.</p>
<p>For some reason, I’ve felt ravenous the past few days. I’m eating more calories - maybe the metabolism is getting higher? I’m not particularly restricting any foods so I don’t think that it’s any particular kind of starvation.</p>
<p>You da man running six miles in the heat this afternoon. It was oppressively hot and humid. I walked an hour and was drenched. Hard to believe that I was wearing long sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt last week.</p>
<p>I watched them playing at the US Open today in 107 degree heat at lunchtime. They had to ice the players down at the changeovers. The players had interesting combinations of stuff: several water bottles, a sports drink bottle and some gooey nutritional stuff. One of the later matches was a five-setter and it was three hours into the match. Both of them looked pretty drained.</p>
<p>That reminds me. I’m playing tennis at lunchtime tomorrow. I just put my bottle of Gatorade in the freezer. Might need a second one. It’s probably going to be as hot tomorrow as it was today.</p>
<p>It has been very hot in the northeast this summer. Temps were in the mid nineties yesterday with high humidity. The forecast for today is ninety-nine and humid. I mentioned 107 degrees at the US Open yesterday as that was the number reported by the announcers as the temperature on the courts. I assumed that this was due to the effect of the sun heating up the court surface.</p>
<p>What was popular on the changeovers was a towel sealed in several places and apparently filled with ice which the players draped around their necks.</p>
<p>Made it to the gym this morning. Still have a headache but the dizziness has subsided. I really think it was some kind of virus.
Did the whole routine this morning: bike, dreadmill and weights to make up for my missed day. Drank 2 bottles of water and had a protein bar before getting there. Weight is still really slow in moving down the scale!</p>
<p>Two sets of tennis but opponent kind of gave up in the second set (6-2, 6-1) so I only got about an hour in. I was going to play tonight with someone else but I didn’t get back to him quickly enough. Looks like I’ll do some weights or stretching or something else this evening.</p>
<p>The weather patterns suggest that working out in the morning may be a better approach compared to working out in the evening. It’s in the high-60s to low 70s in the morning and in the 90s in the afternoon.</p>
<p>I’m coming late to this thread and look forward to reading back through the old posts eventually. I won’t bore you with my lifelong quest for an acceptable weight–a number that has increased steadily over the years. Or with my dislike of exercise–which I know is just plain dumb. I’m a healthy eater who eats too much healthy food and exercises way too little (I can do better, and I have had better habits in the past, so I have no excuse!). Over the past few years I’ve been cutting back on “white stuff”–bread, pasta, “hidden” sugar in things like my favorite Stonyfield yogurt. When I found out at my recent physical that I’ve lost 7 pounds in the last year by doing pretty much nothing but what I just described, I decided to do more. I’m using a modified low-carb diet–no grains for a couple of weeks (adding rice later), soy milk instead of cow’s milk for a while, berries for my fruit and sweet fix, more vegetables, and more protein. My exercise plan is to add one day at a time to my present routine (such as it is) of walking on an indoor track, fast, for an hour every Sunday. My goals: to stop taking statins by controlling cholesterol with diet and exercise (my doctor says that’s possible with my numbers); to lose 25 pounds (I need to lose more, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it); and to improve my overall mood, well-being, and sleep. I saw this thread and thought it might be a productive way to channel my CC addiction, which I can’t seem to kick even though my only child is a junior in college!</p>
<p>Question: It has always helped me to track what I eat (I’m a former Weight Watchers success story). I’ve been using LoseIt! for a while and like it well enough. Has anyone found a simple iPhone app that they like better?</p>
<p>also use the same tracking site as NorthMinnesota. I don’t use it daily but I did when I first got started. I did something similar to your low carb. Cut out the “white” stuff on weekdays. Eat lunch at home or food from home. At Starbucks as much as I would like a mocha I usually get the black iced tea unsweetened. Added walking and increased the distance each week. I am down almost 30 lbs in 8 months. It has been relatively pain free. I also have cut out alcohol. I was never much of a drinker so that hasn’t been hard.</p>
<p>Another great motivation is reading this thread. When I don’t feel like heading out for the walk I will think about this thread and it gets me going.</p>