<p>Congrats on the 12 lbs, HeartArt! Great start.</p>
<p>mom60–would love to get some more info on your D’s dietary changes. My kids always say I eat like a bird, and while I know we’re supposed to shift our calorie intake to earlier in the day (my brother recently reminded me of that “eat like a king at breakfast and like a pauper at dinner” saying or whatever it is), I do tend to graze through the day and eat a <relatively> large dinner. I’m getting the “eat more protein” line from several in my life, including DS, who is fairly into weightlifting/nutrition these days.</relatively></p>
<p>My big question for the day–do I go over to my friend’s house (the one who recently joined WW) and actually get on her scale? Honestly, I’ve not been on one in > 5 years, I think. (Thank heavens my gyn stopped recording my weight at the annual check-up.) Last winter was the first time I actually felt like I put on a noticeable (to me) amount of weight. Don’t know if it was the getting older (recently started menopause–ick), the nightly glass of egg nog/whatever on top of lots of holiday-ish calories, or what, but it did get me to start the exercise routine in January. If I could find a scale that would hide my weight from me and only show me changes I’d be ecstatic.</p>
<p>Don’t get on your friends scale if its not one you will be using consistently. Get your own and use it in the privacy of your own home. I know when I am reticent to get on the scale thats a bad thing. I also get on it a few times in the morning as it may fluctuate a tad. I’ve been avoiding it lately but got on it this morning. I do have to get back in sync, as am up a few lbs again and still about 5# from goal.</p>
<p>I would have access to her scale whenever (if ever?) I wanted to weigh in. I don’t know why this is so difficult for me, except I think I might get quite a shock if I step on it (i.e., see a number I haven’t seen since pregnancy days). I think I’m in “ignorance is bliss” mode–I wouldn’t ever be able to un-see that number. The pro I see is that it’s got to be pretty awesome positive reinforcement to see an actual decrease in your weight. Hmmmm. . .</p>
<p>I’ve found that the best time to weigh in is first thing in the morning, so that you are not reading numbers affected by clothing and that day’s food consumption.</p>
<p>Like jym, I weigh in every morning before anything. But I weigh in on my Wii Fit - it defaults to calculated BMI readings and you have to specifically click on “Weight” to see the pounds. It also charts in BMI where again you can click to see pounds. So for someone who does not want to see pounds but does want to see changes, that would be a way to go. Unfortunately for me I’ve been staying in a 3 pound range all summer and still not back into normal although I’ve come close. I know why I’m not losing - I’ve gone lax on some of my habits. But what with my birthday and Rosh Hashona coming up, don’t think I’ll see much change. I was hoping to hit total of 50 pounds by bday but isn’t going to happen. Sigh. </p>
<p>OTOH, I bought * another* new dress, this time for synagogue, again in size 12 - wrote about it in the “Good Buys” thread.</p>
<p>LG - there is no BAD reason to lose weight! Unless of course you are already skinny.</p>
<p>I am also one who weighs myself in the AM. Keeps me honest.</p>
<p>I do racewalking every morning. The main benefit over regular walking and running is that you are toning your arms at the same time. I also believe it is great for your posture. Not to mention how it provides entertainment for all of your neighbors.</p>
<p>MyLB I will respond to your question when I am back in a larger keyboard. IPhone typing is not a strong skill of mine</p>
<p>I eat the same breakfast everyday- steel cut oatmeal with blueberries. I get on the scale immediately after breakfast.</p>
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<p>If laughing is good exercise, this probably used up a bunch of energy.</p>
<p>Abasket–the best thing about Couch to 5K is that it is designed to make you take things slow–which will work to keep you from becoming injured. </p>
<p>MyLB–don’t be afraid to step on the scale. The number is what it is…but only for this moment in time. It will go lower! The important thing about weighing yourself is to make the conditions surrounding the weigh ins as consistently same as possible. I weigh myself on the same day of the week, at the same time of the day (right after I wake up), with no clothes on and after having emptied my bladder (hey, every ounce counts!).</p>
<p>I always put the scale in exactly the same spot. Clearly my bathroom floor is not level, as the scale can vary by 3-4 lbs. depending on how it sits on the tile.</p>
<p>ellemenope, I follow the same ritual.</p>
<p>Abasket–the best thing about Couch to 5K is that it is designed to make you take things slow–which will work to keep you from becoming injured. </p>
<p>Yep. But if you are over 50, or out of shape ,or overweight, take it as the Couch to 5k sooner or later.
It took me 6 weeks to do the third week program. Still on the 4th week program due to vacations etc. I started back at week three this morning.
It doesn’t matter how fast you progress, just keep on trying to move faster.</p>
<p>Funny how the 5K to Couch program takes a lot less than 9 weeks…</p>
<p>Hmmmmm–still thinking about that whole scale thing but y’all have given me an idea for once I finish up the P90X. Maybe I’ll try the Couch to 5k? I actually started a little jogging back when I was walking (which I think I calculated I hadn’t done in ~40 years) but took it way too quickly and ended up with this awful bursitis thing. dragonmom–good to know your experience with it–that you take as along as you need to master that week’s workout.</p>
<p>Anybody else out there tried it/had success/not had success with the Couch to 5k?</p>
<p>MyLB, I don’t normally post on this thread because losing weight would be a bad idea for me, but it’s a congenial group so I do like to occasionally read the latest happenings. I’ve written a lot about doing Couch to 5k on the health/wellness thread. My daughter was on a cross country team years ago, and I remember the coaches having the kids practice running at different speeds (something like 25% of max, 50% of max, 75%). Because of this I was aware that “running” doesn’t necessarily mean going out there and trying to kill yourself each time, lol. The word the website uses is jog. I jogged. When I was coming up to the first long jog I asked for advice on cc because 20 minutes straight jogging looked pretty intimidating to me. I was told by an expert runner to take it S-L-O-W, and that is just what I did. It worked! So that’s what I’ve got to pass on. Best to you and any others here doing Couch to 5K this fall. :)</p>
<p>I have a scale question: although I don’t really want to see the “real” number, my scale weighs lighter than the Dr’s. I really would like an accurate scale - any suggestions? I might as well be honest with myself at this point!!</p>
<p>I fantasize: What if I’m in a horrible accident and the ER attendant weighs me***…I’ll be yelling “Nooooo, my HOME scale has me 5 lbs lighter!!!”</p>
<p>***ok, I know this isn’t going to happen…but it does in the Dr’s office…</p>
<p>Thanks, Deborah T. I’m under no delusions that I’ll ever get beyond a jog, but being able to do that for more than a minute or so would be wonderful for me. I have very modest goals!</p>
<p>And SJTH–I am <obviously> the last one to comment on scales, but does yours allow you to adjust the “0”? Rather than spending money, I’d be tempted to weigh myself at home immediately after a visit to the doctor and reset the home one so the numbers are the same. (O/w, I’d just know in my head what the difference is and adjust accordingly–e.g., always add five pounds to what the home scale is showing or whatever.)</obviously></p>
<p>MyLB- Some changes my D made- She added more protein and fat to her diet and cut back on the grab and go carb type of foods. She also looked at how many calories she was drinking. At Starbucks she switched to tea over a sugar filled drink.
Breakfast- she switched to oatmeal or a piece of multi grain bread with cashew or sunflower butter. She kept small baggies of raw unsalted cashews in her car. She forced herself to eat lunch and dinner at a decent hour. Added quinoa, eggs. lots of spinach, chicken. In her case it was making an effort to eat more real food. She used to do a lot of eating a Nutri grain bar as she drove to school. Having a coffee in the afternoon, working out until 9 or 10 pm and grabbing dinner on the way home.
My H is also one who doesn’t gain a lot of weight but who is abnormally active doesn’t eat a lot. If a normal person did his level of activity they would lose weight based on the number of calories he eats. Last year he had an injury that kept him off the volleyball courts for 8 months. While he eats little he did gain 7 lbs. When he went back to exercising we convinced him to eat more. He normally would play 2 hours of 2 man beach volleyball and eat only a handful of almonds and a piece of fruit or two for lunch. I could never do that. I got him to switch it up and he is now eating an almond butter sandwich and 2 pieces of fruit and he has lost the weight he had gained. He lost the weight when he began eating more calories.
Scales- until I joined this thread I was in the don’t weigh myself camp. Now if I am on the healthy path I weigh myself almost daily. I find it holds me accountable. It also has shown me how much weight can vary day to day. If I only weighed in once a week I don’t think I would have stuck with my lifestyle changes. Now if I find myself adding carbs back into my diet I can see what effect they have on the scale. I also can catch myself before my weight gets out of control again.
I would have never thought that an online group would be able to help me lose weight. I know this thread has made a huge difference in my quality of life. I feel so much better at a healthier weight. Plus when you eat better your body just feels better even if you aren’t at your ideal weight.</p>
<p>I made a delicious salad tonight that I thought would fit with this thread
Cannellini bean and tomato basil salad
1 1/2 cups heirloom tomatoes diced
2/3 cup cucumber diced ( I used Persian)
2/3 cup chopped red or green bell pepper or a mix
1/4 cup basil
1/4 cup cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can Cannellini beans rinsed and drained</p>
<p>Dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Pinch salt
Fresh ground pepper</p>
<p>Toss vegetables and herbs
Make dressing, add and toss again
Serve room temp or refrigerate and serve cold</p>
<p>From The Passionate Vegetable by Suzanne Landry</p>