<p>You also burn a lot more calories than I do, what with your running and your tennis. I’m not feeling much need to ramp up my workouts right now, but I’m not close to your calorie burn rate.</p>
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<p>I think that, if I so much as looked at a bottle of GatorAid right now, I would hurl. I lined up two 32 ounce bottles last night, like shots on the bar in an old western, and basically chugged eight 8-ounce glasses in a row. I wouldn’t even drink 8 glasses of water like that.</p>
<p>Gosh…I only get about 1,200 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week…more if I burn more. Guess I won’t have a Chipotle Burrito any time soon! I usually try to burn 400 calories on the bike and then another 100 on the dreadmill so I can loosen up the knee. Some days I get extra from lifting weights. I really have to make smart choices that fill me up…lots of veggies with fiber and lean meats.</p>
<p>Women have to evaluate whether losing 2 pounds a week is even in the cards. 1200 calories a day is not much and you don’t want to go below your basal metabolic rate (the calories you burn just laying in bed) for very long or your diet becomes self-defeating as it starts to degrade your physical health.</p>
<p>Also, I personally don’t pay any attention to how many calories I burn during exercise. I factor an overall level of activity into my calorie burn rate, but then don’t think of burning “x” amount with this workout or that workout. To be honest, the estimates are all over the board and I just don’t trust any of them.</p>
<p>As for calories, I probably could get down to 1500 calories a day if I gave up half n half in my coffee and all snack indulgences, but that is below my basal metabolic rate and I suspect I would be one hungry son of a gun. I bet that I would start falling apart and losing the energy to exercise. I really think that the best long-term results come from a sustainable diet. The lowest possible calorie consumption level may not produce the best results.</p>
<p>The way I look at a burrito splurge is that I just need to balance a high calorie dinner or two a week with some lower calorie dinners. Right now, I can either fit in a crazy calorie dinner or a little snack splurge like a glass of wine tonight with my fish.</p>
<p>I don’t know about calorie burn. Running doesn’t burn many calories if you go by the mile. The tennis burns more I think. These interval workouts sound pretty intense and they sound like they burn more than running does.</p>
<p>The Airdyne intervals are pretty intense, but I don’t do them for very long. Who knows, really? I don’t have a clue about how many calories exercise burns. I suspect that it is highly individual. For example, my first gasping walks up a steep hill probably burned more calories than walking the same hill at a much faster pace now. I really don’t know. In theory, heart rate gives the best estimate of calories, but I’m not even sure about that. I think that running burns a lot of calories. Interval running probably burns more calories than anything, although Airdyne intervals are probably right there. I agree with you, though, that tennis may be the best overall exercise. Singles is really interval training in and of itself. It’s also whole body exercise, involving all of the large muscles and the core. It’s hard to get much better than that.</p>
<p>I just have never looked at the exercise as burning calories (although obviously it does). I look at it as a key part of the overall fitness package. I’m not trying to lose weight to be a male model. I’m trying to get more fit, change the shape of my body, fit in clothes better, etc. Exercise is a huge part of that.</p>
<p>I think that running burns about 100 calories per mile with variances on your weight, efficiency, etc. So running three miles burns a slice of pizza. It sounds like an awful lot of work for a little dough, cheese and sauce. You basically have to rack up a lot of miles to burn a lot of calories. So I’m doing about 25+ miles per week. 2,500 calories. It really doesn’t sound like much. Restricting the number of calories is more effective than exercise at this level.</p>
<p>Cut your intake of calories by some percentage (eat less) and increase your overall weekly metabolic rate (move more). Those incremental adjustments change the intake/burn equation in some small way that, ideally, adds up to a slow weight loss over time while fitness increases. At the end of the day, it’s a heck of lot easier to get a favorable intake/burn ratio if you are at least moderately active versus sitting on the couch eating bon bons. Plus, I find that exercise brings focus and motivation into the equation. Sure, exercise makes losing weight easier, but losing weight also makes exercise a lot more fun.</p>
<p>For me ramping up the exercise works better because it doesn’t make me that much hungrier but eating only 1200 calories makes me very cranky and BORED.</p>
<p>I enjoy running and tennis, especially the competitive aspects and it does help along with improving fitness and strength.</p>
<p>I had an apple last night for the first time in years. I was at Shaws in the produce section and saw all of the varieties of apples. In general, apples, peaches, plums, nectarines and many other fruits cause an allergic reaction but I bought one of the yellow apples (the red and green ones cause me a lot of problems) and ate that last night with no problems. It’s the skin of the fruits that causes the reaction so fruits that are peeled or cooked aren’t a problem. For some reason, the yellow apples cause a much smaller reaction. At any rate, I think that I will be adding these back in my diet.</p>
<p>I would also like to add pears back in but I’d need to peel those.</p>
<p>Honeycrisps are indeed wonderful. They grow them at our neighborhood apple orchard, along with something like 50 other varieties, and you have to reserve some to make sure you get them. Apparently the grower actually has to pay “royalties” or something to the “inventor” of the Honeycrisp!</p>
<p>When I started this I aimed at about 1200 counted calories per day, with the assumption that there would be a couple hundred “extras” such as the half and half in my coffee or something I eyeballed instead of measuring and weighing. I am no longer writing everything down and no longer counting calories and weighing pieces of meat, but just continuing to eat in the same style.</p>
<p>This has resulted in a fairly steady loss of about a pound per week. At first I was hungry all the time. Now I’m not–probably because carb craving lessens with low-carbing, and because high blood sugar actually makes you hungry. (I’m also on an oral medication, Metformin, that has the nice effect on some people of lowering appetite.)</p>
<p>I figure I’m in this for the long haul, not for quick weight loss. I’ve done that before, and always gained it back. Now it’s life or death, so no more yo-yo dieting for me.</p>
<p>Love apples! Can’t wait to make my first apple crisp of the season. </p>
<p>Took my hilly walk at Valley Forge today. Early morning is a nice time. I must have seen over 25 deer…some only 3-4 feet away. No fear at all …they just happily munch away at the grass and occasionally pick their heads up and gaze at the folks walking by. </p>
<p>Consolation…great job…keep up the good work.</p>
<p>toneranger- we should meet for a walk on the Perk. Trail the next time I come up.</p>
<p>I went out to walk this morning and did a little bit of jogging. Just a little. I’m really being careful. I am finding that it is hard for me to get my HR high enough on the elliptical right now. I guess I’m in too good of shape, but that will change quickly.</p>
<p>Heh, heh, heh. I’ve got an exercise machine that will take care of that! It should come with defibulator paddles!</p>
<p>My hilly walks no longer get my heart rate really high. I’m OK with that. I’m not in your league fitness-wise, but I’m happy to not have every workout be at high heart rates.</p>
<p>I feel so bad that you are sidelined. Maybe you could turn lemons into lemonaid and use your forced hiatus to do an intensive few weeks of upper body work?</p>
<p>I have started some upper body work (I always do pushups even when running at full mileage) and also the stupid PT exercises to strengthen my hamstring/hip. Of course, if I stop sulking about last week’s bike ride, I can cycle this weekend! (oh boy) I only have a little over 2 weeks until the 2 day 75 miles each day MS bike ride. What was I thinking? I didn’t even sign up for THAT one after a Happy Hour! AND-it involves some co-workers (including the No. 4 senior person in our entire company), so I don’t want to back out OR quit. I snarl at the bike every time I walk by it in the garage.</p>
<p>Just back from the gym. Was sweating like crazy today and it isn’t even warm around here! Nice workout though. I am excited that I have now officially lost 30 pounds!!! I find that hard to believe! I hate to tell my friends because then it shows how overweight I really was! I have to admit I am embarassed at how I let myself go! Now on to the next goal! Thanks for teaching me that little trick idad!</p>
<p>I too am on metformin. The drug evens out my blood sugar levels and mood. HOWEVER, I gotta eat some carbs with the pill, preferably half-quarter hour before the pill else I get the ‘gotta go’ syndrome . I don’t know about curbing the appetite, it seems that I can eat more carbs,</p>
<p>Fantastic North Minn! 30 pounds must give you a lot of motivation to keep it going! Each time you hit a five pound goal, the next one is easier because you already know what works and how to do it.</p>
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<p>BTW, I’m living proof of water weight. The three pounds I had “lost” yesterday morning as I headed out the door for the colonoscopy were all “regained” this morning. It really shows the possible fluctuation just from fluids (or lack thereof).</p>
I usually try to burn 400 calories on the bike and then another 100 on the dreadmill so I can loosen up the knee. Some days I get extra from lifting weights. I really have to make smart choices that fill me up…lots of veggies with fiber and lean meats.</p>