weight loss, diet, and fitness thread

[megamania]

a whatta card?


Doc had a long talk with me. He is trying to figure out a way to aid me. As he puts it- "You have to do this because you want to. You have before and can again."

Which is true...... I need to win the lottery......

 

[Lewis526]

One mistake people often make when they start trying to lose weight is they try to do too much at once. As "adndgamer" suggested in his (her?) recent post, there's no need to kick your butt with severe dieting or calisthenics right from the start, or you'll just make yourself miserable and give up before you build any momentum. It takes about 6 weeks for your body to adjust to a major change of exercise habits, and if you're already struggling, you're not likely to maintain a difficult discipline for that long.

So I agree that one should start small, and work on the issues gradually. Start by just getting up and walking around more. If you live near some attractive nature, go explore it. Just being outdoors, in the natural sunlight and fresh air can make you feel better.

If you want to change your diet, replace a few unhealthy foods with healthier options. You don't have to become a vegan to eat healthier. Instead, start small at first, like replacing fatty meat with less fatty meat. Or replace your white bread with whole grain bread (which I think tastes better anyway). Quality counts as much as, or maybe even more than, quantity.

And something the vast majority of Americans neglect is a good night's sleep. Not getting enough sleep contributes to a whole host of health problems, not to mention sapping away whatever energy you might have for exercise. If you're one of those people who wakes up rearing to go after only 6 hours, consider yourself beloved of God. Most of us need about 8 hours to be truly healthy, and some poor souls, like me, prefer even more. Most people I talk to figure out what they just barely need to get them through the day, and get used to the suffering. Don't be like them. If waking up and getting out of bed is an unpleasant experience, then you haven't gotten enough sleep. Learn to cherish your rest.

In short, just take it slow. Plan to lose a couple of pounds a month for several years. Remember that the quick fix never works. It's got to be a lifestyle change, which is all but impossible to accomplish overnight.

One more thing I'll mention, that a student of psychology recently told me. She said that at least 99% of all people live in fear that we're not worthy of love. Although this is false, it's a terrible burden that most of us suffer under, whether the world sees it or not. Acknowledge those feelings of worthlessness, and fight against them. Be willing to forgive yourself, and let somebody love you. It's not too late. It never is.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

In 1998, pre-children, I ran the Silicon Valley Marathon and finished in five and a half hours. Fast forward ten years and four (lovely) children later, and I am overweight and can't run a mile in one stretch.

Husband took my measurements this evening, at my request:

• Right thigh 27"

• Hips 47"

• Waist 40"

• Bust 42.5"

• Right arm 14"

December 2008, I wish to run the Honolulu Marathon. I do not care what my finishing time is, I just want to finish. By resuming distance running after a long hiatus, I hope I also see some weight loss. I had our fourth child September 2006--15 months ago. It's time to work my body back into some semblance of a healthy shape.

Toward this goal, I first had to get over the very bad cold I came down with at the start of December. I'm just about done with the cold, so now I'm ready to add in exercise. My husband and I attended our church's christmas supper on the 16th. I skipped the dessert buffet table completely, yay! I make pumpkin pie from scratch every year using fresh pumpkins that I save from Halloween and roast then puree. I made it through from Thanksgiving to today having eaten only three pieces of pie. I didn't overload my holiday supper plates with food this holiday season. I stopped eating fast food entirely back in September this year. I'm currently trying to sub diet soda for iced tea or water. I need to stop snacking after supper and I need to begin a run/walk exercise regimen so that I work my way up to being able to hack 26.2 miles come the 2008 Honolulu Marathon. Got twelve months to do it, guess I'll take it one day at a time and see what comes.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Must. not. drink. eggnog!

 

[EricNoah]

Must. not. drink. eggnog!

Good advice. For everyone!

Update: The new year (actually the period starting just before Christmas) is always a great time for me to re-energize myself in terms of diet and exercise. I am back on the exercise wagon (yesterday was day 14 in a row of exercise). I am back in the habit of recording food. I am not doing a particularly good job of keeping the calories to a reasonable number, however, so that's the next challenge. I'm also in the midst of a mild cold, so that kind of throws everything off.

 

[xrpsuzi]

Husband took my measurements this evening, at my request

I take measurements monthly and it really helps me gauge how I'm doing--if the scale isn't moving down as fast as I'd like but my measurements are going down, I know I'm still on track.

My final goal is to get the waist to hip ratio to .8 or less b/c there are strong correlations between carrying weight in the middle to increase risks of a slew of medical conditions. Plus, in order to achieve that goal with my brick of a body, I really have to exercise regularly and eat properly (i.e. foods that don't freak out my diabetes).

Good luck to you and here's to kicking the Hawaii Marathon's butt.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Good luck to you and here's to kicking the Hawaii Marathon's butt.

Thanks! Might have to be the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati in 2008 instead of the Honolulu Marathon. We're not quite sure (still in the advanced discussion stage), but we may be moving from the islands. Still, I've always wanted to do the Flying Pig Marathon, too, so that would work out! I mean, with a name like "Flying Pig," how can you go wrong?

 

[RangerWickett]

My final goal is to get the waist to hip ratio to .8 or less b/c there are strong correlations between carrying weight in the middle to increase risks of a slew of medical conditions.

Also, you'd be smarter:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2008/01/04/fortin.hfh.curvy.women.cnn

A wedding over the holidays halted any weight loss efforts, but my new year's guilt is strong, so I'm going to do my best to exercise at least 5 times a week.

 

[GlassJaw]

Figure it would be a good time for an update!

My "training" has slowed somewhat this winter but I've been maintaining (I can't wait for winter to be over!). I've lost 35 pounds since Aug 07 and I don't want to lose any more (I'm 6'1", currently 165 lbs). My BMI is exactly in the middle of where I should be but I've been adding things back into my diet. My diet got to the point where it so structured that I know I'd keep losing if I stayed on it.

I ran my first 10-mile race yesterday. I'm sore today but really psyched I did it. My previous longest run was 7.5 last Sunday. The 10 miles took me about 1:36 - just around 9.5-minute miles. That's a little slower than the pace I've been running lately (I was down to about 8.5-min miles) but it was freaking cold out and really windy. I felt like I was running into the wind the whole time. I also went out drinking the night before, got about 5 hours of sleep, and basically did nothing to prep for the race all well. All-in-all, I'm happy with the result.

My next goal is to run a couple more 10-mile races and try a half-marathon in May in Providence. That and keep working on my abs. I can actually see them!

I'm curious how other people are doing. One thing I've realized through all this is how EASY it is. Seriously. If are doing the right things and stick to your program, the weight will FALL off. For me, there were 3 pieces - eating habits, cardio, and weight training.

Once I started doing all three, the changes were crazy. You will get results incredibly fast. The toughest thing for me was eating habits (and you CAN'T think of it as a diet) just because I was a junk food junkie. It was just pure willpower. But now, I don't have to worry about restricting my diet as much. And if I put some of the pounds back on, I know I can switch gears immediately and get results fast.

 

[bytor4232]

Where I am. Obese. I weigh about 260 lbs. I blame my choice of profession, computer systems engineer. I sit all day, and then sit all night because I loves my tv.

Exercise. I've been practicing martial arts for the last 14 years. Kung Fu (Mantis, Snakefist, Nothern Shaolin) and Tai Chi mostly. I'm currently without a master, have been for about 8 years, so I practice what I know. However, I don't have the time to devote to the conditioning training that I would like to do, so I have to cross train.

I did a lot of research, and while at a discount exercise shop, I discovered the most awesome exercise aparatus ever, Medicine Balls. I didn't like the price however, so I only picked up a 4lb and 6lb medicine balls, and made 10lb and 20lb with basketballs, tire patch kit, a funnel, sand from home depot, and goop. Been working them for a couple of weeks now between martial arts exercies, and I've never felt better. I highly recommend medicine balls for your cross training needs, and you don't have to spend hundreds either. I only spent around 35 total for four balls. The exercises are remarkably easy, and they really exercise the entire core.

Nutrition Plan. I'm avoiding red meat, and eating more veggies. When I have to eat fast food, I pass on the fries, and get a salad. Also trying to drink more tea and avoid soda as much as possible. I dropped 10-15 lbs in a month following this regimen.

Goal. To be healthy. Fitness has always been a hard quest for me to follow given my age (35) and profession. Overall, I would like to weigh about 200lbs. Once I get there, I will re-evaluate my health, build, and muscle mass and decide on a path at that time.