That doesn’t happen in real life. I’ve been tracking my weight daily for the better part of a year now, & there is no such thing as a straight line. Maybe 2 or 3 times in 7 months I’ve weighed the same on two consecutive days.
All three kids home, all of us in and out of the pool, eating snacks and drinking sangria. It doesn’t get much better than that and I can deal with the extra calories later.
Tongue in cheek comment!
I was thinking about this thread as I was walking around the mall today.
Does shopping count as exercise? If you return more than you buy do you get extra points? Really… I feel like I was power shopping today. I hit Nordstrom Anniversary sale, again, but I also got some really good deals at Eddie Bauer and Sports Authority Elite. I shopped for so long I didn’t hit the gym, so I will have to do a lot tomorrow. But I didn’t eat during that time, so I feel like overall it was a positive?
Absolutely shopping counts! You were up & walking and not being a couch potato, right? I consider shopping exercise for me when I do a lot of walking!
Shopping does not help with the middle aged belly or strengthening your bones and muscles. In my book, it doesn’t count.
@VeryHappy – a quick trip to the mall or Costco can add a couple of thousand steps on the FitBit, but I park my cart in one place and bring items back to it, helping with the step count (but primarily b/c I cannot bear the cart logjam). Agree that it isn’t real ‘exercise’ but it is movement.
I think shopping does count. When I was younger I see to do lots of shopping and of course I was naturally thin. Now I don’t do much shopping and I’m no thin.
I lost another pound today. I’m now convinced my job causes my weight gain. I always lose weight on the weekend because I always do something. I move a few heavy decomposed granite bag, that’s equivalent to weight lifting. I spent hours weeding in the morning until it rained.
The mistake many make- even while compiling steps, shopping, walking the dog etc- is not getting the heart rate up. That is important for cardiovascular health as well as weight loss. It might require sweating or a little discomfort until fitness improves, but try to do an activity a few times a week where you can speak in short phrases, but can’t carry on a conversation while you are engaged in the fitness activity.
So many people can’t understand why they aren’t losing weight after spending an hour a day on the treadmill or some such thing. They are walking slowly, maybe reading a book or having a lengthy telephone conversation…not going to cut if!
I haven’t read through this whole thread, but I walk, fast & slower and I bike ride. The bike riding gets my heart rate up. Now I need to do the weight bearing exercises.
@Hunt said:
That’s not true for people who have insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. WHAT one eats is very important. @saintfan touched on this in her comments about high insulin levels and their effects.
After being smacked in the face with the reality of my metabolic syndrome, I have had to change my eating significantly. I am also exercising vigorously 5 days a week (bike) and doing strength training as well. I have exercised/reduced calories in the past and get only modest success. “Dieting” hasn’t worked for me if dieting means just reducing calories in general. Last fall I did the exact workout plan and reduced calories overall but did not address any particular food group. I lost all of 2 lbs in four months.
I’ve lost almost 20 lbs since April and have about 10-15 to go. The only way I will be able to maintain this weight loss is if the changes I have made are permanent. Going back to my old way of eating will obviously get me right back to where I was before. I was a life long thin person, eating whatever I wanted with no negative consequences whatsoever. That is no longer the case, and I can’t eat like normal people who do not have carbohydrate metabolism dysfunction. DH eats massive amounts of sugar and other carbs and is long and lean. He has no problem handling his diet from a weight perspective. His blood pressure is perfect and he has no current health problems. Goody for him, but that isn’t going to work for me.
Each person may have a unique reason for their weight gain, so the solution may not be simply to reduce calories. If the reason for the weight gain is excess calories, then yeah. If the problem is severe hypothyroidism, clearly reducing calories is not what that person needs to focus on. If it’s metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance, that’s a different animal as well, and telling a person to simply reduce calories may well not solve the problem.
I don’t think this has been mentioned yet. For those who are building muscle, be sure to get some protein on board within an hour or so after your workout.
I eat more protein than carb, May that’s why I have more muscle on my arms.
I was surprised when my sister who is 5 years older then me said she might have problem with heavier door mat, as in picking them up for washing. My husband and I, too people over 55, were able to carry a cement stone that is 48 inch by 48 inch by 12 inch thick. It seems to weight a ton. But with proper back support like wearing a belt, we were able to carry them to the location we need to put them.
I can’t run very well, so I swim. But my husband is a runner and he has commented on doing activities to build the heart rate. But I can’t do it. Do what you feel comfortable.
My dad did 2 hours yoga and lifted a simple weight tool every day when I was growing up, he never ran. He was never fat or overweighted. He did live till 86, did have a stroke at around 81 because he forgot to take blood pressure medicine. But he loved vegetables and beer. Meat was not high on his favorite food but neither was carb.
It’s hard for me to get the appropriate intensity from just walking. I know that some people can get great results from a walking program, but I’ve never been one of them.
@Nrdsb4 – I agree that one has to walk at a very fast pace to lose weight. Walking has been my only exercise but I walk at a pace that some would almost consider a slow jog. It keeps me thin, tones my arms, and keeps my stomach flat, but I do not have defined stomach muscles the way women who go to the gym do. If I cared, I could do something about that, but I am lazy!
I think shopping “counts”. If you decided between a long hilly bike ride or shopping, shopping would not count. But if your choice was between catching up on Orange is the New Black or shopping, shopping would count.
Besides my modest “work out” goals, I trying to be more physically active in general, given my sedentary job and commute. If I can get in the habit of DOING something vs sitting, that will be a good step for me.
No, I don’t think that’s entirely true. What one has to do is raise the heart rate. For some people, walking briskly is sufficient to raise their heart rates and make it a work out vs. a stroll. Someone who has been sedentary for a long time, someone who is very heavy, takes certain meds, or has certain conditions, can get their heart rates up with far less speed than another given person. For some people, just walking in place would provide as much of a cardio pulmonary challenge as biking at a furious pace would for me.
I say do what works. If I could get the intensity I seem to need by walking, you can bet your sweet bippee that I would be walking! Many people have had success with a brisk walking program. It’s what we always recommend in the health care environment. It’s only if people tell me that they cannot get any results at all with walking that I start suggesting a walk/jog program or another exercise that might be better for getting their heart rate up. And as many before have noted, a strength program is a must imo.
@Nrdsb4 walk with a weighted vest to increase the intensity. Start with 10 pounds and increase as tolerated. It won’t take much to get your heart rate to increase by 50-80 beats per minute. But don’t be surprise if you feel sore from your neck down to you feet. This isn’t an easy workout by an means especially when you carry a vest that is 25% of your weight. I walk 4-5 miles through a neighborhood with plenty of steep hills. I managed 810 calories burned this morning after walking 4.8 miles. I have another hour of P90X Chest/Back tonight with a 30 pound weighted vest. I have worked out for 31 years straight and walking with the weighted vest has been the best and safest work out I’ve done to date.
Using a weighted vest is not a smart idea. Stress on joints and there are better options.
If I walk inclines, I can get a good work out. But my lower back always ends up in bad shape when I do that. With back and neck problems and history of surgery, I’d be a little afraid to try the weighted vest idea.
Right now, biking is making me very happy. I have a dorky step through bike which keeps me a bit more upright, so it doesn’t hurt my back.