Weight Loss for Dummies

<p>With 25lb bags of almond flour I thought maybe she made more than one! (wink)</p>

<p>Yeah, but this was in the office. I can bake this stuff too or ask my wife or daughter to do it. We don’t have almond flour but we do have flaxseed meal.</p>

<p>I don’t enjoy walking for exercise, but do enjoy a nice walk with a friend when we travel or on the beach. I am in the south, so a leisurely walk this time of year would be torture for me! That said, I do walk the dogs a couple of times a day, but I don’t count that as exercise; the dogs spend more time smelling their surroundings than actually walking! If I could get them to actually walk and not stop so much, I would walk longer. Yesterday we went to the park and we walk a big two laps; that was .66 miles, not exactly exercise. We can be out 30 minutes and I swear we have gone a big two blocks. I haven’t been on my bike for years; the only time I ride is while at the beach with the kids and my husband.</p>

<p>I wish I had friends in the area on the same schedule or gym to go with, but the ones that exercise have been in their routine for a good while, work out with a personal trainer or work out at gyms not close to me. We are pretty spread out in where we live.</p>

<p>Zumba sounds like something I would enjoy which is why I thought of it. I also did Pilates for a good while, again as a one on one lesson. The gym I am thinking about joining has Zumba, Pilates, Yoga, as well as many other exercise classes. I thought if I started slow, maybe making myself go once a week, then increasing to twice then three times a week, that I won’t overwhelm myself. My husband has been trying to get me to hike with him when he takes the dogs on the weekend, and I have been too lazy to do that more than a few times here or there. Don’t tell him, but I would like to go more often, but I feel I slow them down. If I can get my butt in shape, as well as other parts, maybe I will go with them regularly!</p>

<p>snowball - I think you are my long-lost twin. I too have never found an exercise that I liked enough to stick with. I did aerobics for about a year + when my now 19 year old was a toddler/preschooler; like you, I did it more to get out of the house and for the social aspect. I tried a personal trainer, but didn’t really click with her. I walk with friends, but only sporadically. I do play tennis once a week (for about 90 minutes) but that’s really not enough. I have signed up - and paid for - numerous classes, including Zumba, and then rarely or never go. :frowning: I know I need to do something, though…</p>

<p>I’m less inclined to dislike exercising if I have something to distract me. I walk (2 miles) with an audiobook on my ipod or when I’m on my elliptical I watch HGTV or read a book. Like Abasket, I like to look at houses and gardens particularly when I need ideas for my house (like right now I’m trying to decide about a new front door). Never thought to try other neighborhoods - good idea! It definitely makes exercising go by faster.</p>

<p>Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the pioneer of the concept of aerobic exercise for cardiovascular fitness, used to say “Walk your dog - even if you don’t have one!”</p>

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<p>I was taught in school that a dog was the best piece of exercise equipment one could buy. Afterall, the dog has to exercise so you have to take it for a walk…</p>

<p>I would love to do Zumba, if I could afford a gym membership.</p>

<p>Horrible eating day, but I had kind of planned it. The good news is it didn’t “feel” good. Back on the wagon tomorrow. :)</p>

<p>I danced when I was a kid and I was pretty good at it. I also did gymnastics and loved it, too. So when Zumba came along I thought “awesome! Finally a form of exercise for me!” I went to a class with a friend and was really enjoying it (though sweating profusely) and I was thinking “Gee, I’m not half bad at this!”. Then I looked in the mirror and saw my mom gyrating and swinging her hips and I thought “Who the H*** invited my mom?!”</p>

<p>Raising my hand for yoga over here. If you take a Vinyasa class, it can be active enough to raise your heart rate, and the hip and back flexibility poses address a multitude of ills.</p>

<p>I don’t think there’s any law that you have to enjoy exercise. I don’t enjoy most of my workouts. It’s an ol’ (formerly) fat guy sweating buckets and panting like a dog. What’s to enjoy about that? </p>

<p>I do, however, enjoy the results: being fit for the first time in years, fitting in smaller (and smaller) clothes. Enjoying shopping for clothes, instead of dreading it. Being able to be physically active. Being stronger in day to day life.</p>

<p>I say forget long boring workouts. Give it 30 minutes, three times a week, and go like hell for those 30 minutes.</p>

<p>The Amtrak magazine, Arrive, is focused on health and fitness this month. There are several interesting articles, including one on Michelle Obama’s efforts and one on sculling on the Charles River in Boston. I was particularly motivated by an article written by Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the NIH, in which he describes changing his eating and exercise habits after learning that he carried two copies of a gene conferring a tendency toward Type 2 diabetes. He made the kind of changes most of us are talking about here. The magazine is online at:</p>

<p>[Arrive</a> Magazine - May/June, 2011](<a href=“http://www.arrive-digital.com/arrive/20110506#pg68]Arrive”>http://www.arrive-digital.com/arrive/20110506#pg68)</p>

<p>Entered my meals for today, and managed to stay within my calorie goal, although it certainly was not a perfect day. But I’m pleased; 3 meals at take-out places did not put me really off my plan.</p>

<p>I think I’d like Zumba, for years I did a dance aerobics class, I enjoyed the women and the teacher, but eventually people got day jobs, the class moved to dinner time and I stopped going. I like the Y, there’s a lot of camaraderie and the guys in the weight room are people I wouldn’t meet otherwise. I used to swim because I hate sweating and getting hot, but there were other issues with swimming and I never lost a pound doing it.</p>

<p>People were asking about smoothies on the other page. My basic recipe is similar to others’ - plain nonfat yogurt, semi-thawed frozen fruit (usually peaches.or.mango.or.papaya and strawberries.or.raspberries), and a banana. But I’ve made a modification for health reasons that actually makes the smoothies better. I start with a tablespoon of chia seeds and add some water, then wait for a few minutes until the water thickens to gel. Then I add the rest of the ingredients and blend with an immersion blender. The chia seeds thicken the smoothie and the seeds are quite pleasant, something like poppy seeds.</p>

<p>I make a version of the Jamba Juice Citrus squeeze:
orange juice
pineapple juice
frozen strawberries
frozen raspberries
ice
Jamba Juice adds orange sherbet, I don’t </p>

<p>It’s yummy!
To get more fibre one could use orange sections instead of juice</p>

<p>you could also do a banana instead of raspberries, but I am looking for ways to use up frozen raspberries!</p>

<p>Went into the kitchen to get hot water for my tea.</p>

<p>Someone left a dozen donuts (very nice variety) and a box of muffins (2 cornbread, 2 bran with raisins, and four cranberry topped with coarse sugar. It all smelled very nice. I got my hot water and walked out of the kitchen.</p>

<p>I’m back at my desk munching on Almonds.</p>

<p>Talk about temptation!</p>

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<p>No, but it sure helps you stick with it for the long term if you enjoy it. Pretty much every long-term runner I know, people who have been doing it for years and years, run because they enjoy the running for its own sake - beyond any health benefits they derive. They may have started running for health reasons, but that becomes secondary as the love for running itself kicks in.</p>

<p>I think that you have to enjoy running to do it long-term. How else could you deal with the pain and injuries?</p>

<p>I love tennis for the competitive and social aspects of the game. Also, you can keep improving forever.</p>

<p>Weighed and measured self this morning and did the weekly average calculations. I’ve gained a pound and haven’t lost a millimeter. Am very discouraged. According to Livestrong, I can’t lose the weight safely.</p>

<p>Weighed in on the Wii Fit and I’m down 2.4 pounds in the first 10 days of Weight Loss for Dummies - nice start as far as I’m concerned. As someone said earlier, didn’t gain the weight in 5 months (or even 5 years) so can’t expect to lose it in 5 months! </p>

<p>Snowball - I’m with you - really don’t like to exercise. I am willing to tolerate my Wii Fit and walking, but also don’t have anyone to walk with. And my cat refuses to go out for walks :). Actually, there’s one exercise I love - shelling on Sanibel! Slow but steady and lots of bending.</p>