My online access wasn’t very good for a couple weeks so I haven’t been posting. I discovered that I was a couple pounds lighter than I thought at a doctor’s appointment. Apparently the scale at work is eeeevil when it comes to people and always seems to add extra pounds, either that or the clinic cat was putting his paw on the scale when I wasn’t looking*. I haven’t been doing to good at the eating better thing. On the exercise front, I did manage to buy myself an elliptical machine … now I just have to get it out of the box and find room for it.
*Seriously, the clinic cat is an evil genius and he often gets on the scale behind your back in order to induce panic and heart attacks.
Man, that sucks. You may as well give up now, as you’re clearly going nowhere.
…NOT!!!
Every time you feel yourself ready to give up on the treadmill before your routine is over, imagine some sneering jerk saying something like that just a little ways ahead of you, and if you just went a little bit farther, you could reach him/her and dispense some sweet, sweet justice.
I’d just like to say thanks robardin for your informative and thoughtful posts. I’m finding them quite helpful.
I’ve known about the small, more frequent meals thing for a while but always have trouble implementing it as it does take a bit more planning. I’m going to work on that.
Meanwhile I tried some interval training on one of my walks last week and the result was really bad hip pain for the next couple of days. I’m currently on my second day off from walking to see if it’ll clear up on its own. I’ve been to the accupuncturist but I’m not sure it helped much.
I believe that I’m still carrying a bit too much weight to run or jog without injuring my 46 year old joints so I’m going to stick to walking and try and add some other exercise (push ups and sit ups).
Saturday I weighed in at 174. I’m happy about that though today I’m back up to 175.5. Whatever :rolleyes: I’m trying not to get too caught up in the numbers.
And I think I’m developing carpal tunnel in my right hand. Another item that the accupuncture didn’t really help on Saturday. It’s not excruciating but it is annoying. The accupuncturist also gave me weight loss patches. I’ll keep you posted on how those are working.
picunurse way to go! Yes, 5 minutes is a great start! Good for you for taking a first step.
Have you tried bicycling or a using stationary bike (particularly the recumbent or reclining type)? Those options are easier on the joints and would allow you a more intense workout than walking (if that is what you are looking for).
You could also increase the intensity of your cardio by wearing a weighted vest. Not sure if this is really an option given your joint situation, but if you have already lost weight by walking, have hit a plateau, are maxed out at the pace and length of time you can reasonably do for a walking routine, and don’t want to switch to another form of cardio (jogging, running, biking, etc.), you could regain some of the calorie burning effect you had earlier in the regimen by simulating the fat you’ve shed by “taking a load on”.
After being pushed by my trainer to incorporate different types of exercise into my regime, I finally attended a spin class, and it kicked my ass. Talk about feeling like a wimp.
I’ve also started to do intervals on the cross country program on the elliptical…which cut my 60 minute exercise time right in half the first time I did it. I’ve managed to get up to 45 minutes, am aiming for 60 minutes again for the end of the week.
Am working out with the personal trainer 3x a week for the next 2 months.
I have 10 lbs to lose by my birthday (mid April) and I’m probably going to lose 5 to 10 more to give myself a buffer zone.
What a pain in the ass. I’ve given up alcohol for LIFE as it sticks the weight on me like crazy. I went out last week with some clients and managed to resist the allure of the nooner cocktail, though.
I joined a gym. It’s a Curves-style place, where you do a circuit, which alternates between machines and aerobic; you do each station for 30 seconds, which is cool, because you don’t have enough time to get bored. You do the entire circuit 3 times, and get a good workout.
The same gym also has an elliptical trainer, a treadmill, and a back room with maybe a dozen different exercise videos you can use. Oh, and a couple of workout balls, resistance bands, etc. They also have wrist and ankle weights you can wear during your workout to kick up the intensity. I did my first work out today, and liked it. Because the machines are hydraulic, and have no “return” stress, you can supposedly do it every day.
It’ll be interesting to see what this does for me in terms of strengthening, and aerobic conditioning. My legs are already in pretty good shape, just from hauling my lard-ass self around for all these years (I’ve been morbidly obese all my adult life), but my upper body strength is like a bad joke.
Okay everybody. I’m in. I joined the online version of Weight Watchers last night.
I’ve never dieted before!
Well. Except for the SlimFast adventure, which crashed and burned in under 24 hours. The shakes give me sinus headaches.
I’m doing the Core Plan… which seems to be essentially a low fat, complex carbohydrate diet. Last night, I lay awake for a while worrying about how I’d feel while consuming hardly any fat–then I found out that both eggs and avocados are core foods, which eased my mind.
Doing okay so far. Breakfast was oatmeal made with skim milk, a hard-boiled egg, and grapefruit. Lunch was at Red Lobster–plain salad, a plain baked potato, and plain broiled shrimp. And half of a cheddar biscuit, which tasted better than any cheddar biscuit has ever tasted.
I don’t have much confidence that I will actually lose weight, having never dieted before. So I’m curious to see how it goes.
Welcome Sattua, I hope this is the beginning of a successful journey for you.
I can’t claim to be an expert just yet, but I have managed to lose 50 lbs. over the past 7-8 months (most of that in the first 4-5 months), kept it off and am pretty confident that it will stay off, and so would like to chime in with my favorite Rule #1 for someone going about losing weight: Do Not “Go On A Diet”.
To shamelessly crib from my own LiveJournal entry on losing weight: This establishes a mindset that you are on a short-term program to achieve a specific weight loss goal, after which you will “go back to normal”. Guess what? It’s your “normal” habits that have caused you to accumulate fat over the years. Instead, put yourself in the mindset that you are going to learn about how your body works, and program it just as you would a computer.
If you think you’re just going to follow some prescribed program like WW for a few months, lose a few pounds, and then can go back to not thinking about it… I hate to tell you this, but in all likelihood you will be exactly where you are now or worse next year at this time.
As I understand it, WW itself encourages people to make “lifestyle changes” (i.e., exercise on a regular basis), and their point assignments are calculated based on underlying principles consistent with standard nutritional science. Force yourself to go beyond the surface of the program: learn the principles behind the points, internalize them so you can make your own judgements, and make mental changes in how you think about eating and exercising rather than simply temporary changes in outward behavior.
Thanks for the suggestions robardin I’m not a member of a gym and live in a tiny condo so no space for exercise equipment of any kind. I may just have to suck it up and rejoin Lifestyle Family Fitness so I can use their cardio stuff. I’ve been thinking about alternatives. I wonder if I could do step aerobics without pain. Maybe I need to stretch more.
I walked this morning and today my hip hurts. Here’s how it goes (in case anyone has any suggestions) I get up in the morning and my hip feels fine, no pain. I got for my walk (3.8 miles about 1 hour) and my hip feels fine while I’m walking. I arrive back home and put on the coffee. Then I sit down to sip my coffee for a couple of minutes and read my email before I go to work. During all of this my hip feels fine.
Problem happens after I’ve been sitting for 15-20 minutes. As soon as I get up it hurts. It hurts less as I move around and hurts most when I rise from a sitting position. So, right now, sitting at my desk at work I feel no pain. If I get up and walk anywhere it hurts.
If I stand up really, really straight, suck in my lower abs as hard as I can and take small steps being careful not to swing my hips too much it doesn’t hurt. If I walk with my natural gait which is fairly long steps and a certain amount of hip swing it hurts. It’s like I’m relearning how to walk.
I find myself wondering if my back is out of alignment and maybe I need to visit a chiropractor for an adjustment.
Tomorrow at 1 pm I go back to the accupuncturist and tell her that, while my hand fees a bit better my hip is about the same. Felt better the three days I rested but hurts just as much now that I’m walking again.
That’s my story.
BTW - It may be my imagination but I think I’m slightly less hungry since I’ve been wearing the weight loss patch.
I’m doing Core, too. When I started at WW online, I did Flex. Here is a good Core recipe site, since a few of you are doing Core. Heather (the site’s owner/author) is a great cook. All of the recipes I’ve tried have been great.
velvetjones, could it be time for new shoes? When I started on the treadmill a few months ago I had similar problems with my knee. I got new trainers and the problem disappeared almost immediately. Just a thought. For your sake, I hope that’s what it is and not a more serious injury.
robardin is spot-on with the advice about not dieting. I’ve watched my dad yo-yo diet my entire life and get fatter after each one. He’s been on all the fad diets, from Atkins to cabbage soup. He always manages to take off a few pounds and then start eating “normally” again, thus packing on what he gained and more. As a result I absolutely refuse to diet. I journal everything I eat (I use an online service) and try to keep under a certain number of calories per day. I’ve found that really helps to put perspective on what I’m eating and helps me to make better choices. I personally like to plan my whole day of eating out in advance. Takes all the stress out of it for me.
Well, I’ve lost a pound. My trainer is pretty happy. 9 to go…yaaay trails off
God damn I hate losing weight.
What do you guys feel about the egg substitute crap? I picked some up at Trader Joe’s yesterday (Reddiegg) and then was reading online that they might not be good for you? I checked the ingredients list and there’s no HFCS listed, always good, but I’m not sure about the additives.
I’m thinking of chucking it in the garbage tonight and just going with 1/2 a yolk and 2 egg whites in the morning. Also started up Irish steel cut oatmeal again, under trainer’s command. I’m not a huge cereal person, anytime, and especially not in the morning, but I was getting bored of plain egg whites, which I was barely touching.
I just want to speak up once more for spin. Loved it!!!
By the way, robardin’s advice is very similar/almost identical to what I’m getting from my steaming hot Usher-lookalike trainer, whom I am paying A LOT of money to see. But, I wouldn’t do the weights and pushups without him hulking over me and screeching so I don’t feel like it’s a waste.
VelvetJones, aside from the new shoes thing, could you possibly be not stretching or cooling down enough after walking? Something to think about, anyway.
For me, I did my second workout today. I feel so good when I finish! I think I’ll do it again tomorrow!
Hi there and welcome Sattua. Jayjay and myself are both doing the Core plan also. Red Lobster? You certainly are braver than us!
I love your advice robardin. It really is all about taking the things we learn in WW and going beyond that, making permanent changes, and still enjoying life.
