Diet/Exercise/Health/Wellness Support Thread

Parent Cafe
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<p>NMinn: I agree with those who say your doc is full of *****. I’m about to turn 62 and I do a much more vigorous routine than you outlined, three days a week. My resting heart rate is low, my blood pressure is in the basement, my cholesterol is magnificent, my abs are rock-solid, and I weigh what I weighed in high school. Yes, even “at my age.” </p>

<p>Oh – and I’ve reversed my osteoporosis.</p>

<p>You should do whatever feels good for you. If it hurts, stop doing it. If it leaves you a little sore, keep doing it until you don’t feel sore – and then bump it up a notch.</p>

<p>And I agree that you should find a new doctor – one who is interested in helping you be even more athletic, not one who tells you to slow down.</p>

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<p>iDad- 2 words. Skinny Jeans. You’re ready. Maybe in leather or something.</p>

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<p>I am getting frustrated with my diet-exercise program and lack of results. I am determined to finally get some of this weight off and get back to being fitter. Have been so good about my diet and finally started walking this week - have done 2 miles every day for 5 days (hope to increase this gradually). The last two weeks I have been sticking to 1200 ish cals a day with maybe 2 days going a little over - maybe 200 over. My weight is not only not shifting, it actually has gone up a little!!! I just don’t get it!! Trying hard not to get discouraged but I will be scarfing down some chocolates if I don’t see some progress soon. How can I put on weight on 1200 cals a day? Sigh.</p>

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<p>Wow. Silly me. I thought I would “take it easy” on the ankle and stick to the Airdyne today instead of walking. So, I saddled up for my mixed martial arts iPod interval track – the one with the really, really mean guy in my iPod who says, “Crank it in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…” and makes me want to puke. Five minutes of warm up, 32 minutes of pyramid intervals (short sprints, then medium sprints, then long sprints, then really long sprints, then short sprints), followed by five minutes of cool down. Average heart rate 75%. Max 95%. The final 8 sprint intervals are really bordering on an altered state of consciousness. I just have to get into a zone (panting like a dog) and pedal when the mean, mean man tells me to.</p>

<p>I hadn’t done intervals in a few days (Spartacus last week) and the bike felt like someone had put the brakes on. My legs and shoulders are burning. Good intense workout though. Best news of all. I recovered over 30 beats per minute in 60 seconds after the last all out sprint interval. Not bad. That is a serious improvement in my cardiovascular condition over where I started.</p>

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<p>swimscatmom: </p>

<p>Not knowing where you are starting from, this may be way off base for you, but I can give you some insight from an old fat guy, who smoked for 38 years, and couldn’t walk to the mailbox without getting winded.</p>

<p>a) On weight, the scale really isn’t what’s important – although it’s a nice motivator. It’s really about changing your body shape and fitness (which does not always perfectly correspond to your weight). If you are going to weigh yourself, do it the same time every day – I get up, empty my bladder, take my PJs off, hop on the scale, and then showerr or get dressed. Same time, same channel, every day. Track it if you like, but be aware that what counts is weeks and months, not days.</p>

<p>b) On calories. If you aren’t losing weight at 1200 calories a day, there’s a 99.9% chance that you are eating more calories than you think. I know that it took me a while to finally start accounting for the cream in my coffee, the croutons in my salad, the handful of walnuts, and so on and so forth. Track for a couple of week at My Daily Plate at [LIVESTRONG.COM</a> - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM](<a href=“http://www.livestrong.com%5DLIVESTRONG.COM”>http://www.livestrong.com). Track everything.</p>

<p>c) On walking. I’m a huge fan of walking. It’s a great way for a big ol’ fat guy like me to get to a baseline level of fitness to even begin real workouts. It’s also a very enjoyable way to get a little fresh air and exercise on the non-workout days. But, unless you are walking some serious hills, it’s really not going to give you the intensity of workout that will really crank your metabolism and burn some serious fat. If you aren’t panting like a dog with your hands on your hips during a workout (three days a week), then you should crank it up. Stretching the two miles into longer distances isn’t going to make much different for fat loss. Instead, think in terms of 30 minutes, three times a week, of intense bodyweight/dumbell circuits and/or high intensity intervals. Then, walk on the in between days while you recover from the intense workouts. If you can find some steep hills, you can turn your walks into interval workouts, at least in the early going.</p>

<p>This article explains it. As far as defintions go, “anaerobic” exercise is so intense that it cannot be continued for more than say 15 seconds – like an all out sprint on an exerrcise bike. Aerobic exercise is a level of exersion that you could continue for some time (such as walking) – you can take in enough oxygen to supply the muscles (or at least a minute).</p>

<p>[Hierarchy</a> Of Fat Loss | Alwyn Cosgrove](<a href=“AlwynCosgrove.com”>AlwynCosgrove.com)</p>

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<p>We do intense intervals in spin class. Lots of them are climbing. HR really gets up there.</p>

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<p>NorthMinnesota, I am the same age as you, and my experience with the doctor I went to for my knees was the polar opposite of yours. I chose a sports medicine guy because I wanted someone who sees their goal as getting you back to your sport (or just your exercise routine.) I would definitely look for a new doctor, one who wants to work with active people, regardless of their age. I think it helped that my doctor is a triathlete, and I would estimate that he is right around my age, so I’m sure he doesn’t consider me to be too old to bother with.</p>

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<p>Enforced day off. Way too much work today. I’ve been going since 7:00 AM. At the office now to grab a file and will get some coffee and work tonight for a few more hours. I hate these days with no workout, not the best diet (indian food for breakfast and malaysian for dinner), and not enough sleep with caffeine to keep me up. It’s easy to put on weight fast with this lifestyle.</p>

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<p>northminn…so sorry about your knee. There’s a new 3D movie out there now that reminds me of your current doctor. I think you need to find a new one. Is this the one that did your surgery? If so, he/she may be a bit defensive. Good luck to you finding someone who can cheer you on instead of making you feel old. We are NOT old. Geez…my MIL is 95…she’s got more than 40 years on us!</p>

<p>Ankle is a bit swollen today…so took a light walk only. A little bummed to have both an elbow and an ankle giving me problems…</p>

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<p>I’m still not sure what was incorrect about what NMINN’s doctor said. None of us here should be working out seven days a week or, really, even six days a week. We should be taking Wednesday and Sunday off (or whatever two days). Why? Because, if we don’t take recovery days, our bodies will start wearing down or even breaking down. Exercise, almost by definition, is causing inflamation of muscles. The recovery time is important to let that heal.</p>

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<p>Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it.</p>

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ID - I don’t think his suggestion to rest two days a week was wrong - although I am working intensely and only taking one day off (although I am “just” walking LOL)

I think what I reacted to was the less than complimentary tone that I detected as he mentioned her age several times AND more importantly, he dismissed pain as arthritis when NM has reason to believe it is not arthritis. I guess my question to NM is how similar is the pain to when it WAS your meniscus? If the pain is similar, then how would he or she know without testing what it was. And if the symptoms are the same - maybe it was arthritis the last time.

Look - most of us know are bodies. I remember once when DH had a root canal, instead of feeling better he got worse. I called the doc and he said that could happen. After two more calls, he finally agreed to see DH. Uh, small problem. Infection had not responded to treatment and DH had to go immediately to oral surgeon to drain gum.

I don’t expect docs to always agree with our diagnosis - we may be smart but they do know more than us. What I do expect, is that when we have specific reasons why we think it may be one thing, they take the time to explain why the symptoms point to their diagnosis and not ours.

Anyway - was out with MIL tonight. Yup, she was at the gym and she did her walk around the indoor track, 23 minutes on bike, pull down machine, leg extension, free weights, but no rowing machine. Says she sometimes gets stuck on ground and is embarrassed to ask for help getting up. She is who I want to be when I grow up.

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<p>I wouldn’t offer any yeah or nay on the knee diagnosis. I mean, it’s hard not to defer to the knee surgeon on that one. I know that knee injuries are often chronic and that knee surgery isn’t a guaranteed cure. </p>

<p>I feel awful for NMINN that her knee is still a problem, even a year after surgery, but it’s just impossible to know what is causing the pain over the internet. I don’t completely agree that a doctor who is determined to get you “back in the game” at any cost is necessarily the ideal scenario. I can envision chronic problems where the best advice would be to stop using the joint as strenuously rather than “play through the pain”. I think it’s totally proper for NMINN to question her doctor and/or seek a second opinion. I’m just queasy about us saying her doctor is wrong when none of us operated on her knee.</p>

<p>On the day off at least once a week, I’m pretty confident that is sound advice for anyone, but especially for us middle-aged folk whose bodies aren’t quite as resiliant as the young whippersnappers. I can feel my body start to get run down when I don’t take a day off.</p>

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<p>swimcatsmom, it is time to get some free weights! Walking and calorie-watching is great, but your muscles will burn a lot more fat if you let them work hard for just 15-20 min a day. That (and cutting out sweets and white bread) worked for me.</p>

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<p>About recovery… The older older you are, the smarter you should train. For example, my favorite athlete of all times, Dara Torres changed her workout strateges when she trained for the last Olympics:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>[Dara</a> Torres Training Routine | Back To Form Fitness](<a href=“http://backtoformfitness.com/dara-torres/]Dara”>http://backtoformfitness.com/dara-torres/)</p>

<p>I’d die to have a body like that! :)</p>

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</p>

<p>Speaking as a guy, I don’t find that attractive at all. She desperately needs a little body fat to be attractive, IMO. The woman needs to eat a cannister of Pringles every so often!</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Yep. If you like to work out at home, all you need is:</p>

<p>A stability ball
[Walmart.com:</a> Gold’s Gym 75 cm Exercise Stay Ball: Exercise & Fitness](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-75-cm-Exercise-Stay-Ball/5246090]Walmart.com:”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-75-cm-Exercise-Stay-Ball/5246090)</p>

<p>Three pair of dumbbells to start:
3 pounds
5 pounds
8 pounds</p>

<p>[Walmart.com:</a> Cap Barbell Strength Neoprene Dumbbell, 3 lbs.: Exercise & Fitness](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cap-Barbell-Strength-Neoprene-Dumbbell/11099745]Walmart.com:”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cap-Barbell-Strength-Neoprene-Dumbbell/11099745)
[Walmart.com:</a> Cap Barbell Strength Neoprene Dumbbell, 5 lbs.: Exercise & Fitness](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cap-Barbell-Strength-Neoprene-Dumbbell/11099746]Walmart.com:”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cap-Barbell-Strength-Neoprene-Dumbbell/11099746)
[Walmart.com:</a> Cap Barbell Strength Neoprene Dumbbell: Exercise & Fitness](<a href=“http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cap-Barbell-Strength-Neoprene-Dumbbell/11099747]Walmart.com:”>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cap-Barbell-Strength-Neoprene-Dumbbell/11099747)</p>

<p>If you are already pretty strong, you could skip the 3 pounders. When you go to WalMart, just take one in each hand and raise your arms out to sides and up to shoulder height (like making a snow angel). Your smallest dumbell needs to be something that you can do that with six to ten times to start.</p>

<p>If you like info in book form, this is probably where I would start. I just ordered it as a present for somebody, so I’ll let you know how it is:</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> The Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want (9781605296937): Rachel Cosgrove: Books: Reviews, Prices & more](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Female-Body-Breakthrough-Revolutionary-Strength-Training/dp/1605296937]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Female-Body-Breakthrough-Revolutionary-Strength-Training/dp/1605296937)</p>

<p>If you like your info in the form of iPod workouts, I sure can recommend my own iPod nazi, Yuri Elkaim. He has a beginner 3 month program, 3 iPod workouts a week, circuit exercises and interval training. (it’s an 8 month program for me as I’ve been repeating weeks and mixing in some other stuff as I’ve slowly built up my fitness and lost 60 pounds. I was starting from a very de-conditioned state and have had to build up to each new phase. The great thing about the program, IMO, is that you have the materials and can move at whatever pace your fitness level allows. For example, if the workout calls for three sets and you aren’t there yet, you can do a week or two stopping after two sets. Then, go on and do the full three sets as you gain endurance. I’m a satisfied customer. I look at it as $99 very well spent, mostly because it got me in the habit of doing circuit exercises and intervals for 30 to 60 minutes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.</p>

<p>[iPod</a> Weight Loss Workout Program | Fitter U](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■/1w2oi]iPod”>http://■■■■■■■/1w2oi)</p>

<p>If you go to a gym, I’m pretty sure that there are now “circuit training” classes at almost every gym in the country. It’s really become a standard approach to fat loss.</p>

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<p>

I don’t agree with that either, idad. I guess what I mean to say is that I’d rather have a doctor who looks at me rather than my age when he decides how to treat my injury. I don’t think my doctor encouraged me to run just because he runs. I’m sure that if I had some physical issue, he would have advised me of that and suggest alternative activities. What I got was a thorough going-over, treatment, and encouragement to continue running, even at my age :)</p>

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<p>OK everyone – I was SO far behind in reading this thread, but I just spent an hour skimming through what I’ve missed since about Oct. 5 … </p>

<p>Congrats and kudos to everyone for losing weight, eating healthier, etc. – but a special, H-U-G-E round of applause to chintzy! 100 pounds in less than year? Do you actually eat anything? :)</p>

<p>idad – don’t get too carried away… hanging around Starbucks? Obama bumper sticker? LOL!</p>

<p>NMinn – yup, find a new doc</p>

<p>I’ve fallen off the (exercise) wagon for the last couple of weeks – it’s been a little crazy here. We’re finally moving back home from the beach, and I’ll get back to the gym. (Well, after the trip H & I are taking. I’m hoping all the walking/touring we’ll do will counterbalance the amazing food we’ll be eating …) But, I am absolutely determined NOT to put on all those “holiday pounds” again this year. It is definitely harder for me to lose weight as I get (ahem!) older, and I feel like I’ve worked way too hard to lose this 20 pounds. For sure I don’t want to have to lose them all over again.</p>

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<p>Good to hear from you CBBBlinker! Glad you are back and looking forward to hearing about your upcoming trip!</p>

<p>Same old for me today. Supposed to be getting ready for the 5K this weekend but I just did some light weights and biking this morning. Knee is the same. H agrees that I should look elsewhere for a new doc as this one isn’t “hearing” me. Not a big deal…I already know who I will talk to. Thanks for all of the suggestions. It was the tone and kind of condescending attitude that is driving my decision. </p>

<p>blankmind…exactly! </p>

<p>Heading out to look for new walking shoes. MOWC…does Brooks make a good walking shoe? WNP…what type do you use for your race walking?</p>

<p>Bunsen…WOW! Thanks for the link!</p>