BB Weight Loss/Fitness Thread

[Beka27]

 We’ve had threads like this in the past, so I thought we could get one going again, especially with the weather turning nicer for us here in the US/Canada.  If you don’t want to share, that’s fine, feel free to read along and hopefully we can all encourage each other!

What do you do to stay fit?

What kind of diets have worked (or not) for you in the past?

 

[Bacuzoro]

I used to just do the elliptical 3-4 times a week for 30-40 minutes and did crunches daily, but I go very little results. For I think the past year now (on and off but mostly on), I’ve been doing P90X – and no lie – it really does work. I have not lost much weight from it, but I’ve totally moved it around and toned up. My boyfriend does it with me which keeps me motivated and he’s lost about 20 pounds from doing it. It really is a pain and takes a lot of time because its 1 hour workouts 6 days a week, but once you get in the habit, it isn’t so bad and you feel better after doing it. There is also a meal plan, but there is no way I can stick with that, so I just try to roughly follow it and watch the type of foods and portions I eat.

[Beka27]

I have a lot (A LOT!) of weight to lose. I never lost my “baby weight”… and my child is going to be 8 in July. *YIKES*

I’ve honestly never tried tho, I would just kind of eat whatever, and in doing so, I gained an additional 30 over the years. My husband is overweight also, and this year he has just started working out and watching what he eats. He’s done a good job so far, but I feel like I have been jeopardizing his success. I was in school and felt too stressed out to make a conscious commitment to healthy eating. Now that I’m done with school, I feel like I don’t have an excuse NOT to follow a diet plan.

[Elrohwen]

I’m been doing pretty well, I think! After moving in with my husband 4 years ago I gained 15lbs, but I did start from a weight I was happy with so that weight is now my goal. I had hoped to lose weight while I was unemployed, but it was just so hard to eat less when I was home and bored all day and that’s when I gained the last 5lbs of my 15.

I’ve given up on exercise to lose weight. Not that I never go to the gym, and I walk a lot at work, but I don’t count exercise as part of my weight loss plan because I just don’t stick with it and tend to eat more when I tell myself I’ve burned a lot of calories. Instead, I’ve just been really watching my portion sizes. I tend to eat healthy foods, but far too much for dinner, especially. I’m using the small dinner plates and I can only have one small plate of food (unless there are a lot of veggies, then I can get a second plate for those). For myself I find that reducing my diet gradually, but still eating the same things I would usually eat, is the best way to go and sustainable for the future. Having a system and things that I eat daily (I eat the same breakfast and lunch almost every day) really helps. The more variety I have, the more I tend to go overboard.

I have 6lbs to get to my old weight, but I hope to lose 8 just to get to a nice round number. Haha. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s been four years of saying I would lose weight and I’m proud of myself for actually doing it, no matter how slowly.

[Beka27]

We have a copy of P90X! That’s some crazy stuff!

[Elrohwen]

Btw, I love these threads! It’s always so motivating to hear of those who really stick with something, since I’m so bad at sticking with anything related to weight loss.

[Beka27]

 My husband and I are both using “My Fitness Pal”—> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ <— to track our food intake and daily exercise.  It has an Android app (possibly for other phones as well?) so at the moment you eat something, you can quickly go and add it to your day.  As an added bonus, it has a barcode scanner built-in, so you can scan the packaging and it will automatically give you the nutritional facts/serving size on your phone!

Everything gets synced to the website, or if you prefer, you can add things thru the computer.

Here is my diet from the other day, copy/pasted from their website:

Breakfast	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Coffee – Brewed from grounds, 2 cup (8 fl oz)	5	0	0	1	9	0
Coffee-Mate – French Vanilla Liquid Creamer, 2 Tbsp	70	3	10	0	60	10
Quaker Oats Old Fashioned – Oat Meal, 1/2 Cup dry	150	3	27	5	0	1
Honey, 1 tbsp	64	0	17	0	1	17
Add Food  Quick Tools	289	6	54	6	70	28
Lunch
Pepperidge Farm – Deli Flats – 7 Grain, 1 roll	100	1	19	6	170	3
Birds Eye – Frozen Cut Green Beans, 2 cup (81g)	90	0	15	3	0	6
Sabra – Hummus Roasted Red Pepper, 1 TBSP (1 oz/28g)	35	3	2	1	60	0
Generic – Hot Italian Sausage, 2 sausage	420	38	1	20	900	0
Add Food  Quick Tools	645	42	37	30	1,130	9
Dinner
Aldi – Flat Leaf Spinach , 3 cups raw	15	0	2	2	49	0
Giant Eagle-the Farmers Market – Sno-White Mushrooms, Whole, 3 oz (85g)	20	0	3	3	0	0
Produce – Red Onion (Medium), 0.1 cup	6	0	0	0	1	0
Broccoli – Raw, 0.25 cup, chopped	7	0	1	1	7	0
Vine Ripe – Tomato, 1/4 cup	8	0	2	0	2	0
Chicken Breast – Grilled Skinless, 6 oz	240	3	0	48	0	0
Kraft Salad Dressing – Raspberry Vinaigrette Light, 4 Tbsp	100	5	10	0	480	10
Add Food  Quick Tools	396	8	18	54	539	10
Snacks
Breakstone’s – Cottage Cheese – Small Curd Fat Free, 0.5 cup	80	0	8	12	450	6
Optimum Nutrition Protein Shake – Gold Standard 100% Whey Extreme Milk Chocolate, 32 g (1 rounded scoop)	130	2	4	24	100	1
Add Food  Quick Tools	210	2	12	36	550	7
Totals	1,540	58	121	126	2,289	54
Your Daily Goal	1,653	54	227	61	2,500	33
Remaining	113	-4	106	-65	211	-21
	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

 

 

This kind of website/app might not be necessary for casual dieters, but for someone like me who has serious weight loss in mind, it helps being accountable for everything that goes in my mouth.  You can also enter in your daily exercise.

[Elrohwen]

Beka, that’s great! Sparkpeople.com is another good one that has a similar format. I definitely think the first step is being honest with yourself about how much you’re really eating. I don’t really snack, so I don’t loose track there, but I definitely loose track of how many calories I’ve really had, especially when I add in a glass of beer or wine with dinner. It helps me to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch so I don’t have to think about those meals and just focus on being good for dinner.

What kind of exercise have you been doing? I miss biking and in college I used to do 30mile rides regularly, but now I’m so out of shape. My current area isn’t good for riding and I’m always afraid of being run over, but I hope when we move I can find a good route that I’ll stick with. The house we’re hopefully getting backs onto a rail trail, which will be awesome for taking walks and maybe taking a leisurely bike ride.

[AbbyGirl]

I find that I have had the best results just counting calories and making healthier choices. I use to do Tae Bo and always loved it. Now since my knee surgery I have an elliptical and a recumbent bike that I use 20 minutes each 7 days a week. I also have a lot of leg exercises that I’m up to 2 lb weights with now too. I get about an hour and a half of exercise 7 days a week now. I’m trying to work my way back into Tae Bo again.
I also have more results if I don’t think about it as a diet or for losing weight. I’m doing it to stay healthy and tone up now. I need to keep my knees and body strong now so I can get back on my snowboard.

[Beka27]

So far I’m just doing the treadmill. I did 45 minutes on Monday, 60 minutes yesterday (I just started this whole adventure OFFICIALLY on Monday!) Today, I think I’m going to go walking in the park since it’s supposed to be nice in the early afternoon.

Mike has a gym membership, so I’m hoping to get one soon, BUT… I feel like I need to get myself fully committed at home before I spend the money on the membership. We don’t have any storage for bikes, so that is kind of sucky, because I’d love to go bike riding.

[Elrohwen]

Does the gym have classes? That can be so motivating! I loved spinning class and would gladly do it again if there was a good place to do it. I tried setting up my bike on a stationary thing in the basement and doing it myself, but I just couldn’t get motivated with either being outside or having someone push me while riding inside.

I haven’t tried other classes, but I know a lot of people who love zumba, kickboxing, and other group classes.

[Helenor]

I had gained some weight when I was 14 after my brain surgeries. The doctors gave me some sort of steroid to keep my brain from swelling and it also gave me munchies. I gained 30 pounds in 2 weeks. After I stopped taking them, I dropped 15 pounds. I’ve never really had the motivation to lose the excess weight but I’ve recently started doing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. It’s nice that it’s only 20 minutes or so a day, but really gets me sweaty. It also has three levels so once one level gets too easy, you can move on to the next one. I’ve only started 2 days ago, but I’m trying to keep doing it daily so I can see what the results are.

[Malp_15]

I have a lot of weight to lose I have tried LA Weight Loss and Weight Watchers, but nothing has really worked for me. It has to do with the fact that I’m so stupidly busy that I don’t have time to cook most of the time. After a 10 hour day at work or school then work it’s just too easy to drive-thru somewhere

I’m a pretty active person, so I just need to get my eating at home on haha I walk dogs for at least 3 hours a day at work and am constantly moving around. I just got a part-time dog walking job on the side, plus I have my own dogs to walk. I volunteer with horses, and they like to put me through a work out I’m going to start horsemanship lessons next week to On my days off I like to go hiking or swimming with my pups.

[Lintini]

Over the past 2 1/2 months I’ve lost 25 lbs doing kettle bell exercises and controlling my portion sizes and eating the most bland healthy foods. My boyfriend really motivated me since he’s in the health industry and I was ready to be skinny again. I just turn up the music really loud and throw the 20lbs weight around and I have also been running a lot with the dogs but for me I think it’s about eating less – eating healthier and the kettle bells. My arms are really toned now like they were when I marched around with my mellophone. I’m gettin buff!!!! *flex*

[Elrohwen]

Linds, I’m so impressed and proud of you that you lost all that weight in 2.5 months, and did it in such a healthy way. I wish I had your motivation!

[Tate]

I had been running 30-40 miles a week until I hurt my hip and knee. Now I do a 10 mile run once a week… I need the other 6 days to recover

[LoveChaCha]

I have found and read that strength training AND cardio are what makes people burn calories the most Results take a long time to achieve, it has been a slow process for me, but I’m seeing it.

After losing my mom in 09, I began to eat and eat and eat crap. I gained 15 lbs. My dad went to the gym everyday and I have been gong since September of last year.

Since I work at a grocery store, I’ve been more concious to what I’m eating. I look at labels and I try to stay away from things that are high in sodium, processed poop, and calories. I consume about 1500-1700 calories a day. I eat a big breakfast: scrambled egg, protein drink, a fruit, and yogurt with granola. I don’t eat much, thanks to my fiber gummy intake ;P I love fiber gummies It makes me feel full. I can tell the difference on days when I DON’T take it O_O

I’m not super thin, and I don’t want to be. I enjoy food too much and could never go on a strict diet. I just eat smaller portions (it helps that my grandparents left my dad and I their dinnerware.. small Asian plates and bowls). I’ve actually gone UP a shirt size, due to strength training. It makes me feel empowered and that I am doing something good for myself.. even though my favorite tanktops don’t fit anymore LOL

If I get thinner, I get thinner.. I am happy with a stronger body

[Ali925]

My exercise of choice is and has been running..for quite a while now (something like 15 years or so, used to be soccer, basketball, softball, etc but that ended sophomore year of high school).  I’ve run competitively since highschool, through college, and after college I’ve continued, but with a lot more injuries than when I was younger!  So for me this has kept me somewhat fit…but eating is a whole different ball game!  

I second what everyone else said about being honest with how much you’re eating.  Having a salad is great, but having a salad with tons of croutons and dressing is not…lol.  And portion control is a huge part of maintaining a healthy weight too.  I have used sparkpeople.com on and off for several years now.  When I feel I need to drop a few pounds I get back on the site religiously and track everything I’m eating + my workouts.  It’s the best way to track calories in/out and that’s what weight loss or gain comes down to.  I always tell people that are looking to lose weight to track their meals (every bite counts…) at least for a week to see what they are actually consuming…a lot of times it’s a huge eye-opener as to why weight can’t be lost.  You’re eating more than you think…  Additionally, working out is great, but it’s also no excuse to overeat…another thing that is very common.  Be honest with how much you’ve actually burned during your exercise to see if you’re eating too much for that amount of exercise.  It has to be a healthy balance between eating and working out.  

I’d say these are key:

1)  Drink WATER…keeping hydrated is so important, although it’s boring, once you get used to it you’ll just make it a habit to drink it often.  Oftentimes we mistake hunger for thirst.

2)  Eat less processed foods.  Focus on whole grains, veggies, fruits, lean meats and fish.  I know when I focus on these things, cravings for unhealthy processed foods diminish quite a bit!  

3)  Eliminate sodas, sugary drinks…I’d rather use my cals on food than drinks!  I even eliminated diet sodas completely..haven’t had one in years.  

4)  Exercise.  It doesn’t matter what.  Just pick something you can stick to.  If you hate to run, don’t run…because you’ll be miserable and never want to do it.  (But I would suggest trying it…it’s a love that takes time…)  If you’re not sure where to start try to find a partner to keep you accountable and make working out fun!  Try a video or join a gym and take some classes if you can.  Just do what you will be consistent with.

5)  Give yourself breaks here and there…don’t eliminate everything fun, but try to eat healthy most of the time and you can still enjoy a treat here and there.  Otherwise it becomes something hard to stick to.  

Sorry this is one of those things I’m passionate about…didn’t mean to write a novel!  I’m trying to lose a few pounds at the moment…gained a few when I was unable to exercise (or really walk well) back in February due to a running injury…

[ScooterandAnnette]

Beka, I’ve been using myfitnesspal too and just love it! I tried Sparkpeople before that but really didn’t like the site and couldn’t get into it, but myfitness pal has been incredible.

I also did a fitness bootcamp in January that really was the kick in the butt that I needed. I got it through a groupon promotion, so instead of costing something like $205 it was only $30 for the 4 week bootcamp. I found it really helpful and motivational and for the most part I’ve been able to keep up doing the same general exercises at home.

I’ve lost an average of a pound a week since the beginning of the year While that might not sound like much to some, it’s made a big difference. I’ve lost 3″ off my waist and 3″ off my hips so far.
– Annette

[LBJ10]

Wow, reading this thread really makes me feel fat. I really haven’t gained a lot of weight scale-wise (like I haven’t noticed a huge difference on the scale). But it seems like my tummy keeps getting bigger and bigger and BIGGER! I sit down on the couch and this jiggly blob spills out over my pants! Agh! Being super stressed out from school has not been helping at all. In fact, all I want to do is eat and it’s carbs I want. Just the mention of pasta puts this uncontrollable craving in my head. I wake up every morning thinking I’m going to exercise and not eat anything bad, but I usually give in by lunch time. *sigh* What can I do? I have an elliptical, but it’s just sitting in the basement collecting dust.

[angie-la]

thing to avoid or moderate very strongly: SUGAR as opposed to fats!

always go for whole grains over white. I don’t think diets work at all, you really need to change your lifestyle. if you go on a diet, you will lose weight, but once that diet’s done you’ll just go back to your old ways and your body will go back to the way it is. the most important part of fitness for me is not cosmetic, but health reasons instead, so I’ve kept a lifestyle of eating natural foods as opposed to processed crap [like Brittany said]. making your own food is the best way to go!

my work out regiment isn’t too crazy. I gym 3-4 times a week and do an hour of cardio because I’m paranoid and always wonder, what if I need to run away from something/someone one day? lol. and I do light weight training to keep my strength up. you want to alternate every day, so for example mondays I do arms, tuesdays legs, wednesdays abs.

[Monkeybun]

Both me and the hubby need to get in shape. It’s hard with my knee though :/

One thing people need to remember is that muscle weighs more than fat, so don’t aim for a lower weight, aim to get rid of the fat part!

[Monkeybun]

Malp, we used to eat alot of fast food too. But when its dinner time, the lines are so busy it ends up being faster to pop some rice and veggies in the steamer, and bake some chicken breasts for dinner than to wait in line for food that is nasty

[Elrohwen]

LBJ, I know low-carb diets are all the rage right now, but I want to tell you that you *can* lose weight on a carb heavy diet! In college I love 15lbs eating a bagel for breakfast and another for lunch (plus a sandwich for dinner). Currently I eat cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and, more often than not, pasta for dinner, and I’m losing weight. It’s slow, it’s probably slower than other diets, but it’s honestly possible.

The most important thing is portion size. If you eat small portions, you can eat carbs for every meal. It’s also important to bulk it up with veggies. Every time I make pasta it’s probably half broccoli or some other veggie. You feel like you’re having a big portion, but most of it is low cal.

I just wanted to let you know that it’s possible! I’ve tried low-carb and within a week or two I feel the need to eat an entire loaf of bread (I wish I was joking, but I’ve done it). It’s so important to cook the food yourself so you know that it’s reasonably healthy – any pasta or carb dish you get at a restaurant is probably a million calories.

Also, as a former food engineer, I wanted to throw out there that whole grains are not all they’re cracked up to be. Sure, if you eat pure whole grains it’s better than white, but the majority of whole grain breads and pastas don’t have anywhere near the amount of whole grains you think they do. Trust me, I worked for a bread company 😉 I think whole grains are great, but you need to limit your calories and you can do that whether you’re eating white or whole wheat. Whole grains do help you feel more full, but since the amount in processed foods is often minimal (it’s almost never more than 20-50% of the flour content) I think it’s more helpful to get a lot of fiber from fruits and veggies.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’ve been using the ‘lose it’ ipod ap and love it because it’s easy to use and my ipod is always with me. It has a good database but very american-so I just input often from labels. It tracks your exercise and everything.

For me it’s not sweets or fats or junk food. I don’t eat those often (unless Dave has some chips!) and never have eaten much (didn’t know what candy was until I was seven! I know I was deprived…I’ve had Koolaid twice in my life lol)-for me it’s portion size and too little exercise. I have a sweet office job and that amounts to too much sitting. With a sleep disorder that keeps you up WAaaaaay past when everyone else is in bed-you just throw in another meal. And living with a guy doesn’t help. He eats frequently and it makes me hungry. Oh and Pasta -that’s out the window. It’s soooo high calorie I had no idea!

 

One thing I took issue with is all this whole grain stuff. Yeah totally get it. However I can have two peices of white bread for the cost (calorie cost) of brown. So?? And noooo-I know what your thinking-everyone says it “oh it’s probably the portion size-are you reading two slices of brown for one slice of white?” Nope. One piece of brown is often more calories then two of white.  But I did find a weight watchers brown bread which is lower in calories so I’m  using that. Sooo I warn thee-check your calories on that ‘healthy’ 300 calorie serving of whole wheat bread

 

Sad part-with renovations underway, a dog, two rabbits, two piggies, and a fish-oh and my HUGE book collection-there is not an inch of space for a workout machine. I’ve been looking for small foot print elipticals…and then Dave bought a new big screen so there are TWO in the bedroom now… *sigh* when we move I get a whole room for equipment or else

So using the app to track what I eat and do for exercise, and just doing more exercise-I lost 17 lbs before holidays in about two months. I totally allowed myself off the bandwagon there (I mean you wouldn’t be able to eat with all the alcohol calories consumed on the beach and in the evenings!) but I kept up afterwards and haven’t put on weight! I was scared to jump on the scale this morning, especially after long weekend camping lol but I’m good. So now it’s back to it.

[angie-la]

whole grains are different from white bread because they are slow burning carbs, whereas white bread is a quick burning and complex carbohydrate, so it’s not as easy to break down into your body as whole grains. it’s not just about weight loss and calories, healthwise they are much better for you in the long run than white bread as white bread burns off quickly and stores away in your cells since it can’t be processed by your body like whole grains do.

I never understood why people monitor their calories so strictly, as they are easy to burn off through exercise. I think I consume about 2500-2800 a day haha.

[LBJ10]

Elrohwen – I tried the low carb thing once. I lasted 2 days before I was so ravenous that I pigged out on a crap load of pasta. I’m not kidding either, my husband’s eyes were bulging out of his head as he watched me eat. It’s not that I don’t know that portion is the key, it’s just that once I start eating I can’t stop myself. I totally know what you’re talking about when you said you could eat a whole loaf of bread. Whenever we have a meal somewhere and there are dinner rolls, I will want two or three or four… okay, so I’ll empty the whole basket if nobody else eats them. Ugh!

As far as whole wheat stuff goes, I don’t think it’s supposed to be lower in calories. The reason people have been all bonkers for whole grains lately is because Dr Oz or whoever says that they lower your cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes, and lower your risk for certain types of cancer.

[LoveChaCha]

I don’t believe in depriving ones self of food that they want to eat. If you want pasta, use whole wheat noodles. I found a receipe in women’s health for pasta that I’m gonig to try soon:

 

I think that fat diets are … well, fads. They don’t work for everyone. My boyfriend, who will be graduating from athletic training next year, doesn’t recommend fads and I agree.

I had a customer in line who was on a DETOX diet, and she said she was starving.. well, she wasn’t supposed to eat protein. Luckily, she had a bunch of protein on the belt and I told her nicely that she should not do this to herself. she needs to eat.

I had a lot of fast food in the past and it made me unhappy with myself. It never made me full. I haven’t had fast food in 2-3 months. I don’t drink a lot of soda. I had a soda to mix with my vodka for my birthday and that was it LOL

Whole wheat does keep you more full. it does for me. I never eat white bread anymore *shrug*

[LoveChaCha]

A good piece of advice that I’ve read online is: eat breakfast. eat a big one… not until you are sick, but it is the first meal of the day and our bodies need fuel

[Monkeybun]

I can’t stand whole wheat noodles or bread. It just tastes wrong to me. And if I can’t eat what tastes good, theres no point to eating imo. May as well eat what I like, just don’t over do it.

[LoveChaCha]

Hahah we are the opposite monkey. white bread is too soft for me ><

[Beka27]

We’ve been grilling a couple times a week, and we make enough chicken to last us for those few days. And we have a food scale, so we can weigh it out to make sure we don’t overeat. It’s so much easier to eat well when you KNOW that the healthy stuff is sitting in the fridge and all you have to do is warm it up. Before, we’d be more likely to just go thru a drive-thru because it’s quick and easy. Like I said, Mike’s been doing this since the New Year so he has the whole system down, I am just now getting my butt in gear! Fortunately, with the diet, I’m eating frequently so I’m not hungry during the day. I’m a little bit hungry when I wake up, but that’s good because it forces me to eat breakfast, which I’ve never liked doing. I think there’s enough variation that this is something I could keep up.

We have the treadmill in the living room, and I’ve been keeping it open (it’s one of the ones that can fold up for storage). Having to walk around it is a constant reminder that I should be ON IT!!!

I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s experiences! For the people who have said that they just “watch portions and try to eat healthy”, I’m happy for you, but that’s not quite my situation here. Maybe (hopefully!) someday… but at this point I have about 80 pounds to lose. So it’s going to take a bit more than that… lol!

[Huckleberry]

I am ADDICTED to take-out but most of it is just awful for you and is so expensive. Ive been trying to take the items I love from menus and make them at home with healthier stuff (like canola or olive oil instead of vegetable oil). I save a lot of money too!

Boyfriend is really into eating salads made with only spinach leaves instead of iceberg lettuce. I have finally come around on it and enjoy them now, toss on a piece of grilled chicken and its a pretty good meal.

[Beka27]

Haha… I think we’ve gone thru 4 bags of spinach this week alone! It is really yummy!

[Elrohwen]

Lately we’ve been getting the spring mix + spinach that comes in the plastic boxes. That stuff is great for making quick salads! I can’t wait until the farmer’s markets start up because the lettuce from there is amazing.

[angie-la]

just remember that the good, healthy weight loss that will stick is going to take some time. I think people are impatient and once they don’t see results, they just resort to old habits. that’s why these fad diets are so popular, you see results quickly but they will also disappear quickly! my weight loss has taken at least half a year and it’s still going now that I started going to the gym. but, I have eaten what I want when I want, and my weight has maintained the same.

sidenote [going to put the boyfriend on blast] he’s my personal trainer and nutritionist because homeboy was at his heaviest, 250. through diet and exercise he got his weight down to 155. took him a couple years, but his weight never goes back up because he did it the right way!

[ScooterandAnnette]

Angie, I agree that it has to be done the proper way! Doing it the wrong way, either through fad diets or through starving yourself, just results in putting the weight back on later and possibly getting very sick.

About 20 years ago I lost a fair bit of weight. I started out doing it the right way, but I hit a plateau and couldn’t budge from it. So I decided I would exercise more, and that worked for a little bit then it would stall again. So I’d cut back on the calories, and that would work for a little while and then it would stall again. I did that over and over again until it got to a pont where I was exercising 3 hours a day and keeping my calorie intake down to 500-800 calories a day. I was really upset if it got up to 800, I tried for as close to 500 as possible. The end result of that was me being very sick for about 10 months and almost ending up in the hospital. At one point I was so sick I could barely eat, for 2 weeks I probably took in about 300 calories a day max, and after those 2 weeks I had *gained* over 5 pounds because my system was so screwed up.

I didn’t realize that calories are a GOOD thing. Your body needs calories, that’s the fuel it burns to keep going. The more activity and exercise you do, the more calories you need. And while eating fewer calories than you’re burning will result in losing weight, you have to do it so that you’re losing small enough amounts that your body doesn’t say WHOA what’s going on here and panic. Your system will adapt to larger calorie deficits, so that you end up losing less weight than you were. And it does that by trying to work more “efficiently”, and finding places it can cut back on usage. Like oh some cognitive functions and your immune system. Definitely not a good thing.

So while some people I know think that I should be losing weight faster than just a pound a week, I’m quite fine with that. And I can go into a store and pick up almost 20 pounds of potatoes or butter or whatever and say to myself THIS is how much isn’t on my body anymore, and that’s a great feeling.
– Annette

[LoveChaCha]

I’ve lost 6 pounds in 8 months. I’ve gained a lot of muscle in the process lol. After a month of working out, I did not see results yet.. the first sign was me being able to walk up the hill of my old house without dying. A lot of people will tell me ‘You don’t need to work out because you are so thin.” It makes me want to rage.

Losing one pound is A LOT of work and it is great effort  I hate the commericals on tv that are so deceiving with their products.. *prepares eggs to throw at tv*

[Monkeybun]

I still say, don’t count the pounds. Muscle weighs more than fat, so “losing weight” isn’t what you should aim for, its more like “losing fat” and “getting in shape”

[LoveChaCha]

I know MB

Weight loss is a slow process lol

[Elrohwen]

Brit, I also hate when people tell me I shouldn’t “diet” because I’m so skinny. I used to be 8lbs lighter and I’d like to get back there, thank you! I was happy with that weight. And it’s not like I’m starving myself – more like not eating random birthday cake at work to avoid the extra calories, but someone always feel the need to comment. Grrr.

And I wish I could jump on the “not skinnier but stronger” bandwagon, but I just can’t. I’ve gone through periods in my life where I worked out more and was in better shape, but it has never lasted and never made me feel any better about myself. I’m not in horrible shape and I move around a lot in daily life, but I guess I don’t feel the need to weight train and work out a lot – it’s just not for me. I’ll settle for just losing a couple of pounds for vanity reasons.

Doesn’t mean I don’t envy those who are getting in shape and loving it! I just know it’s not something that adds any joy to my life, as much as I wish it did. I think there are different ways to go about it.

[LBJ10]

If my butt was smoother and my tummy wasn’t pooching out over my pants, I would be happy.

[Elrohwen]

LBJ, I’m with you! I’ll settle for my pants fitting again and no muffin top. I really was happy at my previous weight, so I don’t feel like it’s a case of never being happy with any weight I am. 

[Lara]

I’m planning on joining Weight Watchers tomorrow. They really have a great plan, emphasizing things like drinking water, exercise, whole grains, fruits, veggies and lean proteins; plus they have options for flexibility. I had quite a bit of success with WW in my early twenties, but gave up on it. It’s time now to make a change and lose the weight I’ve been wanting to lose and become more active. I’m also shopping around for fun activities. There’s a swimming pool just around the corner from my house that I’m going to check out, and I’m looking into taking some yoga classes. I have a gym membership and occasionally do some interval walking/running. Any other suggestions for fun activities?

[Elrohwen]

Lara, I think WW is a great plan! I’ve never tried it, but from what I’ve seen I like that you can eat whatever you want, as long as you track the points and make up for “bad” foods with lower cal foods.

Does your gym have group classes? I responded (to Beka, I think) earlier about how much I love spin classes – if only I could find one that didn’t involve a $50/month gym membership! I know people who love zumba too, so those might be things to try. I like spinning because it’s in the dark and you can go as hard or soft as you want. As you get better you can really crank it up, but nobody’s watching you so you don’t feel bad if you’re a wuss at first.

[LoveChaCha]

Wow, $50 a month? My brother is the general manager of Gold’s Gym and they charge $60-$80 a month. Their equipment is really up to date. I pay $30 at LA Fitness.

My gym is offering a zero initation fee but 2 months of membership down. Not too bad.

Cycling is quite fun. I used to go with my friend back in October. It burns about 1,000 calories during a 1 hour session. I would be dead, red in the face after the session, but it has helped give me the muscular thighs that I have now LOL

[Monkeybun]

I have a free gym Yay for free access tot he apartment fitness center!

[LBJ10]

Well, I suppose I could go to the fitness center at school. But it’s all the way over there on the other campus! No wait, they do have one on my campus, but that one is crappy. Hehe!

[LoveChaCha]

Older machines?

[Beka27]

So yesterday was sucky… we had our ritual Memorial Day cookout/drink-fest… so I was definitely off the diet, altho it wasn’t too bad… I only had a little bit of pasta salad and one cookie, maybe a few chips…

Today is round two of Memorial Day festivities, but tomorrow, it’s back on full-swing!

[LBJ10]

Posted By LoveChaCha on 05/27/2011 09:46 PM
Older machines?

 

Older machines and their selection is limited. The one on the main campus is probably 4 times as big. It has basketball courts everywhere you turn. LOL But I don’t play basketball, I totally suck at it. They have a huge room with treadmills, ellipticals, cybex crosstrainers, etc. Then they have another room with a zillion weight machines.

[LoveChaCha]

Beka, I hope you enjoyed it! I fell off my eating well on my birthday It is nice to indulge sometimes. I can’t stay away from pasta, so I use whole wheat pasta noodles nom nom nom. I also keep track of the sodium intake in the pasta sauce.. oh goodness, sauces can get really high in that. I got a low sodium pasta sauce, and I added seasonings to it while I was cooking it.

[LizzyBunny]

Most people my age seem to only eat Mcdonalds or gross fast food stuff but I eat as organic and healthy as possible
I have chronic pain in my feet from ripping the tissue so I can’t run or do much endurance activities
So I do hot yoga which is AMAZING. It’s yoga but 40 degrees (Celsius) and 90 mins long. I try to go as much as possible but it’s expensive and I’m busy with school!
I’m not unhealthy at all and I’m comfortable with my weight but I want to tighten up for summer

I also drink TONS of water to keep hydrated. It’s literally the best thing for you (y)

[LoveChaCha]

What is McDonalds? XD

I haven’t eaten fast food in 2, going on 3 months! Hurray!

My dad makes mean, fresh burgers, that are 100% meat, not the stuff that has fillers.. Mmm, I love a good burger every now and then

That is good, Lizzy I love water too.

[Joyfull_music]

We *try* to hit the gym 3 days a week. But we really are so crazy busy lately. I love going to the gym though, I always feel so energized. I also try to cut down as much as possible on food additives, processed foods, artificial sweeteners, and stuff like that. I have been a label reader for years now. I also like all natural and organic foods. But I do enjoy pop and snack foods too. The key is moderation. Our biggest problem though is eating out. It is just my husband and I, and like I said our life is very busy and last minute a lot of times. Not to mention we have completely opposite palates. So we do more restaurant food than I would like to admit to.

I am overweight, but I never considered myself your typical fat person. I do exercise, I really cut down on unhealthy snacks. The only reason there are things like potato chips and cheese balls in the house are because my husband and our room mate keep buying them. I hate it because I never buy that stuff. That is because I know that if it is there I will eat it. But if I skip that aisle in the store completely, then I don’t even think about them.

[Elrohwen]

Brit, have you tried making your own pasta sauce? I use a large jar of tomatoes (I like the San Marzano ones) and cook for a little bit with flavoring. It’s versatile and you can cook it for 15 min, or hours, depending on what you want. If you’re already simmering jarred sauce, you might like that. Then you can add your own salt!

Went to Vegas this weekend and totally set aside my diet (no way I am going to diet with food like that!) My stomach exploded and I looked pregnant, which was rough when I had to wear a swimsuit, but it’s more normal now. Looks like I only gained a pound or so, rather than the couple I thought.

Oh, and we also have access to a mostly free gym for work (it was free, now it’s owned by the town and $10 per year, which is basically free). The machines are older though and no classes, so it’s only good for weight lifting or using the treadmill. I barely make it over there though, so I know I wouldn’t go to a gym that was further away and cost a lot of money.

Brit, do you have a source for the 1k calories for cycling? I’ve always counted it as more like 500 for an hour ride – that’s riding outside on a real bike, but I imagine it would be the same for spinning since I go pretty hard on my roadbike and have tons of hills. But if it’s actually more, maybe that will get my butt moving!

[LoveChaCha]

Elhrowen, you went to Vegas but didn’t come up to Washington? How could you?

http://www.livestrong.com/article/106921-exercises-burn-calories-day/

I believe it depends on the MPH one is cycling at. I really enjoyed the cycling class as some of the instructors do intervals. I’ve found that doing intervals on elliptical is a good way to get a heart pumping

I’ve been doing stair climber. i only do about 5-10 minutes each time, as it gets me sweating pretty fast o_O It is pretty intenses.

[Joyfull_music]

Ugh I hate stair climbers! I feel like my shoes get caught up on them. I also can’t walk very fast on a treadmill either, I feel like I am going to fall and bash my face in. My preference is elliptical and the bikes as far as the cardio machines go.

[LoveChaCha]

I like ellipticals I do stair climber because it works all lower body. I can’t do treadmill because it really hurts my feet -_-;; I have flat feet and it sucks.

[LBJ10]

Okay, I was lying in the bed watching tv and I looked down and saw my “gut”. Oh my, I look like I’m pregnant! Agh! I just want that part to go away, that’s all I want. I’m afraid I won’t be able to lose it though since it’s not a significant amount of weight. What itfit counts as that “last 10 pounds” that people can’t ever lose?

[LoveChaCha]

I’ve heard of people changing up their work outs for the last 10 pounds… I avoid the scale like a plague. You should try LJB

[Elrohwen]

Brit, do you know what MPH = 1,000 calories? On the road I typically do 12-15mph. I wish I knew how fast I was going in spinning, but they never have computers on those things.

[LBJ10]

Posted By LoveChaCha on 05/31/2011 11:17 PM
I’ve heard of people changing up their work outs for the last 10 pounds… I avoid the scale like a plague. You should try LJB

 

I don’t usually look at the scale, I just look at my stomach. LOL

[LoveChaCha]

I don’t 😮 I was talking about indoor exercise biking xD Do you ride outside?

[Tate]

Elrohwen, it’s best to gauge your perceived effort, rather than shoot for a specific MPH. As you get stronger, you’ll find that 12-15 mph isn’t as hard as it once was. Have you looked into getting a heart rate monitor? This is by far the best training tool I’ve ever used and I use one religiously and have for years! You would ideally measure your max heart rate and then find you can train accordingly. Here’s a pretty good starter article about heart rate zones and their value: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/hrm1.htm
If you don’t want to get a heart rate monitor but you do need some number to follow, you can count your RPMs. It’s much easier to do on a stationary bike! Time yourself for one minute and count the repetitions one leg makes. I’d say anywhere from 75 RPMs for a very hard gear and 90 RPMs for a lighter gear is what your aiming for. You can also do this on your road bike when you’re going a specific speed- say 15 mph- and find your RPMs. Then when you go on a stationary bike, you know the approximate RPMs to shoot for.
Hope that helps!

[LBJ10]

I’ve heard that riding outside at ~12mph equals ~600 calories, but it really depends on the riding conditions. Uphill vs downhill, windy vs not windy, pedaling constantly vs not, etc.

[Ali925]

Elrohwen,
I’ve read the same, about 500 cals burned per hour.. I bike outdoors as well… However, the calorie burn for any exercise is dependent on your size/weight and the intensity. So, although you can burn a lot of calories spinning (since it’s very high intensity, fast intervals, etc) you can still burn a lot on a bike outside, or stationary. It’s basically the harder you work, the more you’ll burn. Since spinning is in a controlled environment with an instructor, it’s easier to plan out how you can achieve that difficult workout … outside you’re subject to the elements, traffic, etc, that may cause you to slow down/stop, etc. Also, the less you weigh, the less you can burn, and vice versa. And the more acclimated your body becomes to the same workout, the less you burn as well…Unfortunately I think my same running schedule lately has me suffering this effect! It’s important to keep changing things and forcing your body to change too!  I’m not sure if I’m just repeating what you already know, but I just wanted to give my 2 cents.

[Elrohwen]

Tate, I road biked for years (taking a break currently), but still never got a consistent pace over 15mph – it’s just so hilly here. I’m sure I’d fly if I could live somewhere flat! Though I’ve really just never been a fast rider – it’s funny, because I’m a better sprinter than runner, yet I’m much better at long distance rides than doing them quickly. I used to ride 50-100 miles a week. I miss those days! I had so much more time on my hands. Haha

As far as RPMs, I don’t know what the wheels are doing necessarily, but I shoot for a cadence of 80-90 (is this what you meant?). I know you’re supposed to do 90-100 on a road bike, but that just seems to ramp up my heart rate and I was never able to consistently stay in that range. The hills probably don’t help either.

I used to have a heart monitor (not sure where I left it), but my heart rates tends to shoot extremely high (like higher than should be possible by calculations, but I only feel I’m working at 80%). It’s always done this, so I’m not sure if it’s helpful for me to look at the number since I don’t really know what my max is.

I dunno, I guess I still find it hard to believe that indoor spinning is 1,000 calories per hour – I’ve done indoor and outdoor cycling for years and I find them about the same level of intensity if you ride a road bike hard in a hilly area (which is where I’ve always lived). 1,000 is a LOT! You’d have to run for 10 miles to hit that. I’m sure a Tour de France rider going 25mph up a mountain burns that much, but I’ve never been in a spinning class that was that difficult.

[LoveChaCha]

I believe that even after you are done working out, you are still burning calories

If I go 3 days without the gym, I feel like a slug..

[Tate]

I believe the reason why indoor spinning burns so many calories is because you can do a very intense set of intervals in a short amount of time. When you do a set of 5 intervals that are 3 minutes long and your heart rate is at about 80% max, you’ll burn more calories than you would when riding at 15 mph. When I was training seriously, every week I would do 3 rides containing intervals and another 4-5 rides that were either long distance (3-4 hours) or recovery rides. I can definitely say that it was the intervals that made me faster. Also, in the off season when I wouldn’t do any/as many intervals and really just focused on building endurance over long, slow rides, I’d EASILY put on 5-10 lbs. Ultimately, getting the heart rate up to where it’s downright uncomfortable is what’s important. If you did 2 days of spin and another 2 days of a longer ride with no intervals, you would see an amazing difference… Those hills wouldn’t know what hit them!
50-100 miles a week is A LOT! But yes, so hard to find time for. I miss the days when I’d was able to schedule my life around my rides! Hehe!

[Elrohwen]

Yeah, it would probably be the lack of interval training that kept me slow. Haha. With all of the hills (that already gave me asthma attacks) I just never had the motivation for intervals. I think the asthma is related to my high heart rate, so it does get really high and uncomfortable, but I’ve never been able to figure out if that’s 70% or 80% or whatever. Is there an objective way to measure max other than calculating it? I usually just push myself until an asthma attack then go slow (hopefully downhill) for a couple minutes to recover. As I get more in shape, the asthma becomes less bad and recovery is faster. That’s kind of my weird gauge of activity level.

I wish I could find spinning around here that was convenient. The gyms that offer it are expensive and hard to get to – I can’t even make myself go to the free gym across the street from work. Haha. I’ve tried riding my bike on a trainer in the house, but I really need that person to push me which is why spinning is so great.

I used to do a couple 35 mile rides on weekends and occasionally some shorter ones in college. When I was home for the summer I’d do maybe 3-4 rides during the week (only 15-20 miles) then a longer one or two on the weekends with my dad. Now I’m just tired when I get home and afraid people will run me over on the busy roads (with blind turns and no shoulders). We’re buying a house that’s on a rail trail (I’d just have to get out early to avoid the kiddies, plus carry my bike through a couple acres of woods) and in a much better neighborhood for riding (plus less than 5 miles to work!) so I hope to pick it up again. I do miss it! It was honestly the only exercise I ever enjoyed (sadly for my waistline).

[Tate]

The only way that I’ve found my max heart rate was to ride on a trainer and increase cadence every minute or so. It was awful! You could also just calculate it- 220 minus your age = max heart rate. It’s not a perfect equation and my max heart rate is way higher than what this equation gives, but it’s something.
Hopefully moving will make a difference! Location is everything. It sounds dumb, but the town where I used to live had some really great riding spots but to get to them, I had to ride on really busy and crazy roads. So, I just never rode. It would have only taken about 2 or 3 miles to get out of the bad area, but even that required too much effort. Haha

[LoveChaCha]

There are a lot of trails where I live, but I’m not much of a runner.

Intervals are a wonder for me

[Elrohwen]

I’m glad someone else is as bad as me about riding in busy areas! I feel bad that I don’t suck it up and get past the bad areas, but I just never do.

According to that formula my max is 193, though I can easily hit 220 (or I could just a couple years ago), which is why I stopped using a HRM. Haha. I figure that gauging my own effort is more accurate than a HRM if I don’t have any idea what my max is.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

My exercise is cleaning and working. I would often (especially having a lazy perfect body boyfriend) come home and lounge with him. That’s not me and it caused me to gain weight. So now I am coming home from work (I’m tired but not physically tired) and working until 10 or later at night at cleaning or working outside or on renovations. And if not here, then at someone elses house. I’m finding it’s really working for me and it also makes me feel good about what I’m accomplishing. I’m only an extrovert by choice and to have to act like one socially is hard-I’m really an introvert and even working in an empty gym kills me and is emotionally tiring, so finding a way to exercise in my daily life as work is awesome. I’ve tried all sorts of memberships but I would come home shaking with stress and not feel good at all. Finding a way to stay active, in my adult life,without stressing myself out is a joy. If I’m in pain the next day I know I did good. I’ve lost roughly 17lbs so far and by golly there had better be more in store

[Author]

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