I am on a diet again. I have lost 4 pounds since Xmas and am in it for the long haul. I am at 195 and want to get to 175 over the course of a year. I have gained and lost weight many times, and currently am near my top weight. So I have some humility when it comes to diets and realize that what works for some may not work for others. I have been going to the gym regularly for many years and we do both cardio and weight training.
Still I question a couple of the points above. It is very hard to put on muscle while losing weight. So I would question losing weight and adding muscle at the same rate. I think that the first 10 minutes of cardio do count, in what way wouldn’t they? I agree it is easier to lose weight by concentrating more on protien, but high fibre carbs are important to a healthy sustainable diet.
I appear to have lost about five pounds, somehow.
I go to my workplace wellness center 3 or 4 times a week and spend up to an hour in there, doing the cardio circuit/weight machines as well as the recumbent bike, treadmill and crosstrainer.
I am trying not to snack too much in the evenings and to get more protein during the day to prevent said snacking.
Good luck to all of us.
That’s definitely something to celebrate - you’re getting somewhere even if it doesn’t feel like it. Congratulations!
For what it’s worth, I was also surprised to find out about the carbs. I always thought low-carb diets were bullshit. I still do - the way many people go about them. But my doctor’s nurse basically told me that since I’m doing everything else right (eating lean meats, two to three servings of dairy a day and less saturated fat and exercising), the best thing for my cholesterol would now be for me to substitute some of the grain servings I’ve been eating with veggies, fruit or protein.
I mean, I knew that eating too much of the wrong grains (highly-processed ones) was bad. But her comment was that people tend to eat so many servings of grains per day anyway (especially when they’re dieting) that cutting just two out per day and replacing those with a fruit or veggie or even another low-fat dairy item if you’re just getting one or two a day could have a pretty profound impact on weight loss and cholesterol.
The basic idea is that the bread/crackers/whole wheat pasta still have a lot of calories and are nutritionally more void in comparison with fruits, veggies and low-fat dairy. The latter has a greater nutritional punch because of the vitamins, minerals and protein. So you really get a better bang for your buck if you cut out some of the grains (not all - you still need some) and get in the other stuff instead.
Funny, looking at it all typed out it seems like I’m having a “Duh” moment, like I should have known it all along, but it’s still kind of surprising to me.
Thanks - I try not to feel bad, but you know how sometimes you’re at the gym, doing your thing, and you start looking around at all the spandex-clad gymrat types there? The girls who wear the skin tight shorts and a sports bra with no shirt over top? Sometimes I start looking at their thin thighs and I think “I hate you, I hate you all!”
Usually this passes. I am capable of feeling proud of myself, and you know, my thighs are nicer than they used to be too, so that’s nice!
Sorry Meyer6 - that wasn’t very supportive of me. Hey, it took me a while to do my 20 minutes on the machine at anything much beyond quick walking so I’m not exactly in much of a position to pass judgement. I now do 40 mins of cardio in the gym when I go to visit, 25 on the treadmill (snore) and 15 on the bike. Every time I go I try and add a little speed to the tread so I’m slowly increasing my exercise regime over time (something that I like about running in gyms as opposed to outside).
Don’t worry, you’ll catch up with them. I’m just starting lifting weights again and feel like a wimp when my arms feel like Jell-O after doing reps with 20 lbs. Remember that those spandex-clad gym rats had to work their way up, too. Personally, I think being able to run for 8 minutes is great. I can’t run now, never could (very well), and never will. Thanks to an old basketball injury, I can sprain my ankle jogging across the street. So if it makes you feel better, you can think about the fact that no matter how bad of a runner you are, you’ll always be better than me!
I did my second round of weight-lifting last night. As I’ve noted, I’m not pushing myself too hard yet. The first time I tried it was on Sunday and boy was I sore on Monday! However, I did all the same stuff again yesterday and I’m not sore at all today. I want to be buff by summer!
No, no, it’s cool. I didn’t take it too personally, believe me! I should have clarified that I run/walk on the treadmill for about 20 minutes (which is indeed a big yawn) after 25 minutes on the elliptical, so it’s not as bad as it seems. Due to an old knee injury in addition to the fatness of my ass, I just suck at running!
Hmm, maybe I’ll have to try this thought out. Sadly, yellowval, I don’t think the gymrats at my gym worked up to it. We are close to a university and they are almost universally 18-20 year old girls of the sporty, naturally thin variety.
My yoga class got cancelled…completely. Granted, there were only two of us there for the first one on Monday, but still. I was paying $5 a class because the county matched and gave a discount for being in Weight Watchers too. Other yoga classes around town are more than twice that. I’m pretty much stuck with joining a gym or doing it all with DVDs. Suck. I really liked it, too–felt good afterwards.
Oh well. I’m still doing well with the actual eating less part of things. The working out will come.
As far as adding muscle and losing fat at the same rate, it seems unlikely, but it’s the only explanation that makes sense. Let’s look at the facts:
During my stuck phase,
I got the most positive comments from people
My muscles have noticeably bulked up
My belt got longer
My pants got looser
My weight stayed the same
And three dieticians agree on that explanation. I’m going to have to go with it.
As far as high fibre carbs go, you are absolutely right. You need them. But you don’t need many. Even high fibre carbs cause glucose spikes, albeit not as bad as refined carbs. Carbs are still huge calories. And the best source of fibre is still fruits and veggies.
As far as the first 10 minutes of exercise not counting, they actually do. Any exercise is beneficial. But in the first 10 minutes, you’re burning glucogen(?). It’s after that that you start burning fat.
Does anybody have any workout tips for someone with no time? Between the hours I work and my commute to and from the office I am gone 12 hours a day and I need to start getting more excersize. I am thinking that from now on I will take the first half of my lunch break to walk up and down the stairs in my building but I can’t spend my day sweaty and smelly at work so I am not sure how well this would work.
I am currently looking for a job with a shorter commute and with the SDMB Weight Loss Club as my witness if I can find something closer to home I will use every one of those found minutes for working out, I swear, but until then can anyone suggest something?
Does anyone have a favorite website for good basic nutrition/weight loss info? I’m not interested in fad diets, and it’s hard to know what to believe. I’m tired of being 10lbs overweight in spite of 4 good days of exercise a week(3 of over an hour) and small portions. I need a good calorie counter.
I’m encouraged by the losses reported in this thread! It sounds like I need to add weight lifting to the xc skiing and stairmaster.
Also, what’s your choice of proteins during the day? I’ve just read that nuts aren’t really a good source for the dieter, and I’ve been snacking on them.
“Official” good sources of protein include, and I quote, “fish, chicken, turkey (no skin), or lean meat, tofu, soy, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, nuts, hummus, seeds,”
What’s wrong with nuts? True, they are fatty, but they have a kind of fat that you need.
