Diet/Exercise/Health/Wellness Support Thread

Parent Cafe
5921

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<p>Yes. I bought two pair of corduroy pants three weeks ago that were too tight to wear out in public, hard to button, and tight through the hips. Since then, I’ve lost exactly one pound, but those pants now fit comfortably. Clearly, my body is changing, even though the scale is not.</p>

<p>I have really ramped up my weight lifting. I’ve been doing the Spartacus workout for about eight weeks now and that is a fairly weight intenstive workout. I’ve also been using heavier weights for all of my workouts. 20 pounders are now my “heavy” weights for most of my workouts, compared to 8 pounders back then. I used the 20s for everything in Spartacus today except 10s for the T-pushups and the pushup position rows.</p>

<p>I’ve been using some 30 pounders occasionally. So, I’m definitely getting stronger (for an ol’ fat guy). That’s obvious from the reps I can do, from the pace I can do on the Airdyne, etc. I assume that can only occur if muscles are getting bigger (not body builder bigger, but…) There also may be some water retention issues associated with pushing muscles like that.</p>

<p>Also, I’m within 6 pounds of my “wildest dreams” target weight – the one that I never allowed myself to think about when my story was that I was just trying to lose five pounds. So, it’s quit possible that I’m simply in a range where it will be a long slow process of getting more and letting the weight do what it will. I’m not complaining one bit where I am right now. I’m wearing clothes sizes now that I wore when I was 40. I’ve reversed many years of “middle aged spread”. Sport coats that are tight in the shoulders are loose around the waist. As they say back home, I reckon that don’t suck too bad – for a big ol’ fat guy!</p>

5922

<p>NMN: I am sorry about your friend. I am pretty scrupulous about testing but what can you do when you weren’t even supposed to have the test?</p>

<p>I think the universe knew I needed a boost today. I am not looking for weight loss in big increments, and I am committed to eating healthier even if I don’t lose weight, but today the scales were at the lowest they have been since I started keeping track at the beginning of October. Now I just need to manage the stress of the next month. I generally have an extremely low stress job, but the stress spikes a few times a year, and this is one of those times.</p>

5923

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<p>Good for you! Sometimes you just have to be patient. Eating less and moving more does work, but sometimes it works in maddening fits and starts! Somebody here, maybe chintzy, had a good observation. Each of those new low marks is a milestone. Even if you bounce back off it a few times, it’s still a new low weight mark and one that you will make permanent.</p>

5924

<p>iDad- I think that is probably normal that your body is reshaping (I suspect men use different terms) with the new muscle. We do get tied to the numbers on the scale, but your pants test is probably the better one for sure. Good job! </p>

<p>I am about 3 pounds up from where I want to be, but that is a VERY low weight for me. I can do it- but not without being able to run. I’m really discouraged- I definitely set myself back with the fall on Tuesday and am hurting. I can do elliptical without pain but not much else. I’ll see how spin class feels in the morning. </p>

<p>This is Monkey Marathon weekend for me. That means pizza and beer tonight for packet stuffing, pre-race dinner of pizza and pasta on Sat night, and huge post-race picnic buffet at the park at the finish line. All good, except I’m not running a step. Oink Oink. </p>

<p>I’m walking the horrific Las Vegas Half Marathon with a friend. (planned 7 months ago). It is going to be a complete zoo- probably 30,000 runners. I have a low seed due to the predicted time I put down 7 months ago. Now I could easily double that time. I’ll obviously drop back about 20 corrals. The fun part is this is a meet-up for my women’s online running group (Ladies Locker Room) and it will be fun to meet a lot of my “friends” for the first time. I am not a fan of big races, but except for my whining on this thread, I’m trying to have a good attitude about it. It goes out the Strip and back.</p>

5925

<p>MOWC:</p>

<p>You’ll probably bounce back from your fall in a few days. I felt my big one for about a week – a little longer for the scrapes on my elbow to heal so I could get back to side plank. With as much running as you did over the last year and being at a very light weight, it’s probably a blessing in disquse to eat a little more and build some lean muscle back up.</p>

<p>The scale dropped for me today, but I’m going to remain cautiously optimistic about what that means. It’s been sucker-punching me a lot here lately. I’ll get to test the theory that you need a “cheat week” to refire the metabolism next week with Thanksgiving dinner: creamed onions, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, probably a glass of wine or two. I figure that I’ve probably earned a cheat day, although I’ll probably try to skip desert. Actually, without the stuffing, Thanksgiving dinner is not a big fatty binge meal. The creamed onions aren’t great, but they are still mostly onion, even with the butter and cream in the bechamel sauce. The roast turkey is pretty lean. We don’t do potatoes with the stuffing.</p>

<p>I know that my workouts are having an effect because I’m feeling it all kinds of new places. I’ve been doing a lot of weird squats and lunges, working on both stregth and flexibility, and I’ve definitely been feeling that in the hips, thighs, and butt.</p>

5926

<p>I just decided to stop reading the Exercise and Diet thread and instead go exercise.</p>

5927

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<p>Sounds like a winning plan! I took it easy and did my little 5K walk. I’m consistently at a 3.5 mph pace now (17 minutes per mile), which is not too bad with the hills and a mile on rocky dirt paths, so I get a little workout along with a relaxing walk in the woods. </p>

<p>I walked at dusk today, so I looked like a total dork in my neon yellow beanie hat, neon yellow reflective half-zip top, and neon yellow FireFly reflective ankle bands. Who cares? It’s a bad time of day for visibility. I had to laugh. Three different runners I crossed paths with in the park were also wearing neon yellow.</p>

5928

<p>Went to the hip Dr yesterday. I listed my weight at the weight I have been registering the last week on my home scale plus a pound. When they weighed me the nurse told me to not be surprised but most people tell her that the office scale is high by a couple of pounds. I was shocked when I weighed 3 lbs less. Also this was fully clothed. Made me happy. I have now broke 140. She said I was the rare person who had listed a higher weight.
X Rays taken and after some tests the Dr feels problem is in my lower back and not the hip. Good news is the hips look great bad news is there is definitely no strength in the right leg and he ordered an MRI and a revisit with another Dr in his practice. With insurance approval and Thanksgiving I don’t know when I will get in for the MRI and followup. He wants me to lay off the exercise but I don’t necessarily agree. I have tried resting before and it doesn’t seem to help. I have been exercising in pain for sometime now and I doubt continuing for a few more weeks is going to make things any worse.</p>

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<p>mom60, I’m not surprised that your doctor thinks it is your back. I hope they will be able to pinpoint the source of your problem soon so you can live pain-free.</p>

<p>I need to lose 2 pounds that I “gained” last weekend. I always gain water weight when I travel. My legs are still a little bit swollen, so it was a perfect day to go shoe shopping. I got myself a pair of shiny heels that I plan on wearing to our holiday party (if DD doesn’t steal them from me). However, my secret plan is to train for the infamous Moscow high heel race. :D</p>

5930

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<p>Better you than me. I can only occassionally manage to walk in a pair of running shoes without falling!</p>

5931

<p>I came across this board on CC and read through some of the more recent postings; will go back to read some of the older ones (a very active board!)</p>

<p>My issue is that I am as overweight and out of shape as I’ve ever been. I am almost 50 and I actually weigh more than I did when I was entered the hospital to give birth to my children (by about 10 pounds!!!) I need to lose about 35-40 pounds, but am so discouraged by even the thought of it. I don’t eat junk food (generally) or drink soda, etc. My main issues are portion control and lack of exercise. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any words of encouragement or advice on how to start the process of getting in shape? I do try varying exercise and/or diet plans, but I seem to lack the “stick-to-it-ness” to keep them up. </p>

<p>Thanks for any help!</p>

5932

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<p>Take it from the ol’ fat guy. The way to get started is to not think about the totality of the challenge, but to simply make a decision to get started in some small way: eat a little less, move a little more.</p>

<p>The three goals I wrote down last February were:</p>

<p>**1) Lose 12 pounds to get started</p>

<p>2) Walk a mile without getting winded.</p>

<p>3) Enjoy exercising at least three days a week.**</p>

<p>Actually, the 12 pound goal was the only long-term weight goal I ever set. In practice, I ended up losing the first five pounds and then setting a goal to lose 5 more. I never even put the baseline on my Excel chart lower than the next five pounds because I never wanted to get discouraged by the totality of the challenge. I just wanted to see a goal that I could achieve in short order. To lose all the weight, I always had to lose five more pounds first.</p>

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<p>I believe in keeping it simple There’s no need for complicated diet plans or exercise plans. Just start cutting out as much sugar and grains as you can stand from your diet. Otherwise, eat stuff that you like and don’t skimp on the protein and the fat. That may be all you have to do. Banish the sugar and grain for a month and see where you are. You can always start tracking your calories if more drastic measures are necessary.</p>

<p>For exercise, I would recommend scheduling 45 minutes on each of three days that you WILL workout, rain or shine. My baseline is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before dinner. What to do depends a little bit on what kind of shape your are in. The best fat loss will come from short, but intense, sessions of bodyweight exerises, dumbbells, core exericises, etc. – stuff that works all the large muscles, builds lean muscle mass, and raises your metabolism for up to 36 hours so you are burning more calories, even in your sleep. However, there is a lot to be said for a routine of brisk walking (especially on hills) to establish a base level of fitness for more intense workouts. Walking, by itself, probably isn’t enough over the long haul, but it can contribute.</p>

<p>The whole move more/exercise part has been vitally important for me – not because it burns calories, but because it focuses my effort and keeps my motivation high. I like the results, so exercise helps me eat less. It becomes one big package. You can’t exercise enough to overcome a bad diet, but the exercise can help change the diet.</p>

<p>If you want a book, I just bought this one for somebody. This woman is very highly respected. She and her husband run one of the top ten fitness gyms in the country. She knows what she’s talking about:</p>

<p>[Rachel</a> Cosgrove: The Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing Fat and Getting the Body You Want (9781605296937)](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Female-Body-Breakthrough-Revolutionary-Strength-Training/dp/1605296937/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1]Rachel”>http://www.amazon.com/Female-Body-Breakthrough-Revolutionary-Strength-Training/dp/1605296937/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1)</p>

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<p>BTW, the “stick to it-ness” comes from seeing results. It’s hard to motivate yourself to “give up” stuff you like. However, if you are routinely taking pants to goodwill because they are too big and you have to get some “skinny” clothes, you will quickly start to really enjoy those wins. Once the results start coming, you will want to keep them going – more than you will want to overeat or be a couch potato.</p>

5934

<p>I am trying (and mostly succeeding) to think of it as becoming healthier rather than losing weight. I think of my task now as finding a healthy way that I can eat for the long-term. I have stopped eating most grains, except I have oatmeal for breakfast. Keeps me full all morning. I have protein for lunch and dinner. I’m still working on vegetables; for now I eat a lot of fruit (too much sugar but much better than the potato chips I was eating at my desk). I also need to find a gym and get going on the strength training. Never having been athletic, I find the whole thing intimidating but I have been walking 30 - 60 minutes a day 4 - 5 days a week, which will not help me lose a lot of weight but that was where I could start.</p>

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<p>When I got serious about losing weight and getting in shape these were my goals and/or actions:</p>

<ol>
<li>Go to the gym 3 days a week and a walk for at least 2 of the other days. Preferably every day even if it’s a short walk. (The walks are usually about 2.5 miles/40 minutes - gym is 45 minutes of weights/machines and 30 minutes on elliptical - thanks to idads cheering I now do a lot of interval work on the elliptical.)</li>
<li>Keep track of my eating and exercise for at least a month using the Livestrong.com site.</li>
<li>Eat at least five days a week at the calorie goal of one pound per week. (I lose less than that because I go over every weekend.)</li>
<li>Give up wine on weeknights.</li>
<li>No cookies in the house.</li>
<li>Eat more vegetables, more fruit and more fish - though honestly my diet was already pretty good. </li>
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<p>The goal is to have a diet and exercise routine that I will be happy with for the rest of my life. My goal is not to lose weight fast. I’ve lost 18 pounds since January and would like to lose another 20 to 25 eventually.</p>

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<p>I think idad has it right: eat less, move more, and make each goal “the next 5 lbs.” </p>

<p>When I started, I was just trying to get back into exercising, and maybe lose 5 pounds. For me, the biggest factor for weight loss was using livestrong.com to track my calories. It was very helpful to me to log in everything I ate. I used to think I didn’t eat very much, but I was surprised at how calorie dense some of my food choices were (bye bye peanut butter sandwiches :() I don’t worry about the fat or protein or carbs or anything, just the total calories. I lost weight right away, even though I couldn’t exercise because I injured myself right off the bat, which brings me to my next suggestion: Don’t overdo the exercise at the beginning!! Ease into it, and take rest days.</p>

5937

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<p>We sure have THAT in common. You should see me in heels! Not pretty, although I do have to wear them on occasion.</p>

<p>So-this morning I got up at 0 dark 30 and drug myself to the gym for spin class. The guy at the front desk advised me that the teacher was sick and there would be no 6am class. I was ****ed. There I was in sandals carrying my bike shoes- no iPod, no gym shoes… I was prepared to slink home and sulk. I went to the spin room, turned on the lights and decided to do about 15 minutes on the spin bike. I wound up doing a 35 minute spin class at a high heart rate by myself- no music, no teacher, no friends. I was pretty proud of myself. I did some of my PT exercises after that with some of the toys in the room that are there for the body sculpt classes.</p>

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<p>My2sunz,
You will see many of us refer to keeping track of our food intake on Livestrong - this is a GREAT place to start! Even if you do that without “dieting” it will paint a clear picture of exactly what you are eating - and you will likely see why you are having weight issues. The breakdown of calories, carbs, sugars, etc. are really, really interesting and insightful. When you see that you are constantly WAY over 100% of the daily recommended intake of things like carbs, sugar, salt, etc. , you can see where you need to start “eating a little less”</p>

<p>Don’t look at the process in such a big way - for instance, don’t look at the 30-40 pounds and the months you’ll need to lose it - instead, very small goals. A couple of pounds or a couple of days of eating better. SERIOUSLY, you WILL feel motivated when you see even a small difference after a week or two.</p>

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<p>[LIVESTRONG.COM</a> - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM](<a href=“http://www.livestrong.com/]LIVESTRONG.COM”>http://www.livestrong.com/)</p>

<p>Set up an account and then click on “MyPlate” to start keeping track of your food intake!</p>

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<p>You make me feel guilty MOWC. I got up at 0 dark 30 too, and I should be heading out the door to run right now, but I’m still sitting here. Jury duty is sucking the life out of me. I’m so mentally stressed right now.</p>