Good luck with the colonoscopy, SOSconcern. I had a polyp that the GI doc said now put me on the 3 year repeat. Ugh.
Glad to hear about the flatbread, Raclut, but I am hoping to try to get back to avoiding most carbs, as I may not be as diligent about portion control with carbs.
Weather here is awful but I am trying to motivate myself to get to the gym. Have company arriving later as they are dealing with a dying family member who lives in my area. Sad.
@jym626 You have been consistent so you have been a good example for me.
Reading this thread is motivating me. As far as the bread I am going to go with the policy of limiting what I buy.
If it is not in my kitchen then I’m not going to eat it.
Good approach, and thanks. I am having some company arrive at my house tonight and needed to bring some food in. So I just went shopping but stayed away from bad stuff with the exception of some 100% cheese crackers that are fabulous. I am now on my way to the gym. Should’ve done the shopping after the gym oh well
When I lose a pound, it takes my body two weeks or more to adjust. Then I will move forward. In the past, I’d get ticked off at that and fail. New attitude. It is what it is, this is what I’ve been dealt and I will persevere. This why it has taken me 7.5 months to lose 21 lbs.
@VaBluebird I wish I could lose 21 lb in 7.5 mo 
Good job!
@SOSConcern, thank you! You’ve made my day!
My post stemmed from my stepping on the scale this morning and weighing exactly what I weighed last Wednesday even though I’ve had an excellent week both food wise and exercise wise. It has taken me decades to understand my pattern of losing and decades to accept that I cannot “rip off” weight like some can. I have also started my thyroid meds and I am curious if it will make a difference at all, at least temporarily. I’ve always heard that being hypothyroid can account for about 10 to 15 pounds of overweight and that proper levels of thyroid hormones affect metabolism. I am currently a science project in the works. LOL.
Great job @VaBluebird - that 21 lbs is a major achievement.
Update - on a 2-day streak logging in to My Fitness Pal (LOL). It does amaze me how much less I eat when I log my food.
If anyone would like to be friends with me on MFP just send me a PM and I’ll tell you my “handle”.
@Vabluebird. You have done an amazing job requiring a lot of dedication and will power.
You must be feeling so much more energetic being 21 lbs lighter. I have also had issues with hypothyroid. Keep moving forward with your positive attitude.
I found the best way to burn fat is to do “tabata” cardio.
Basically do 20 seconds of FULL intensity workout with high resistance followed by 10 second normal intensity and regular resistance and repeat for 2-4 minute cycles depending on fitness. Then take a 1 minute break and repeat.
I do biking with resistance at 16 for intense and spinning at 100+rpm and 11 for normal intensity at 70-80rpm
Do this and you will increase your metabolism and help you burn fat.
Sprinting and running are interchangeable for different types of cardio along this plan.
I personally did this to get to “shredded” body status which took me losing 8 pounds of fat to go from 13-8% body fat.
It took me 3 weeks doing it 3 times a week plus usual exercise.
Well that’s a hard act to follow! I was just going to say I now find myself saying “I can d a little more” and add more time or distance. Now doing 2 miles on the treadmill is no big deal .
Way to go, VaBluebird!
The March 2016 Consumer Report has a large article about supermarket prepared meals and nutrition by the numbers. Some very good information. Some other health stuff in the issue.
VaBluebird- I think that weight loss is amazing. Congratulations.
I’m back from my lunch. The Chinese lunch special includes an egg roll and won ton. Skipped both of those and the sweet salad and small piece of jello. The soup was a clear broth vegetable, I had chicken and broccoli for my entree. Ate about 1/4 of the rice. I feel pretty good about my choices.
Yesterday I had 2 medium boiled eggs for breakfast and by lunch time I was starved. Most days the last few weeks I’ve had my chia pudding in the AM. I’m amazed at how much longer the chia pudding stays with me.
It’s cold today and I really don’t feel like getting out for a walk/run. Time will tell if I give in to that feeling of not wanting to go out.
I’ve been using the health app on my iPhone. Does anyone have any idea if the distance tracked is a better gage of activity than the steps taken?
Chia pudding?
Thanks for the kudos, everyone.
@VaBluebird — I actually think your weight loss is quite quick! It’s taken me three and a half years to lose 57 pounds–I seem to run at about 5 pounds/3 months. And that’s with doing everything I can to lose weight. As I get closer to my goal weight, I seem to have slowed to about 4 pounds/3 months. Years ago, a nutritionist told me that the most successful way to lose weight was to “sneak up on it”–I’ve certainly done exactly that! I find myself thinking that I’m basically a Prius–I get a lot of mileage out of very little fuel. (I also think of most teenage boys as Suburbans–gas guzzlers.)
@dmd77, LOL about the Prius and Suburbans. Glad to know I’m not alone but sorry for both of us that it has to take so long! Like I said, it has taken me way too long to accept it. I would always get ticked off and give up. This time, though, I am fighting against diabetes as my numbers have crept up. It’s totally more about health now rather than looks.
Well yay- finally got the weight off that crept back on, and maybe another 1/2 lb (the digital scale goes back and forth). Still not at the half way point of my goal yet. That’s in another 2.5 lbs or so. We decided to take a break from the trainer for a while. I will see if. Can keep up the workout pace.
Apropos of the post yesterday by @seniorstruggling, there is often a misconception that doing cardio at what is labeled “fat burning intensity” (usually listed at about 60% max heart rate) is the best way to lose and burn fat. “Fat burning” intensity cardio really means that you are working out at a level where the primary energy source drawn upon is fat based. It has nothing to do with the amount of fat burned in a particular unit of time. When you do higher intensity cardio, the metabolic pathway for energy production shifts to glycogen (carbohydrate) dominance but you still burn fat. Numerous studies have shown that in a given unit of time at higher intensities, you will burn more fat than in the same unit of time if working out at the “fat burning” lower intensities. That is why high intensity interval training, of which Tabata is just one system, is an important part of cardio training (once you have a solid aerobic base) for anyone looking to lose weight and body fat. It’s more efficient, burns more calories in a unit of time while also burning more fat.
It’s not just about the exercise, however. You must couple your training with a sound nutritional plan. It doesn’t matter how much or what type of exercise you are doing if you don’t have a good nutrition plan based on the right ratios of protein, carbs and fats to fuel muscle retention and growth, energy to support your exercise levels and total calories for a controlled progression of weight loss without going into a metabolically resistant starvation reflex. You can bet that seniorstruggling achieved the results he did by being very conscious of, focused and methodical in a macro based nutrition plan in which he balanced all these factors to achieve his training goals.