Shaping up - Diet and exercise

[Couch Tomato]

Well that was fun. Really..it was. 3.4 miles...in the rain.

wandacleo..where are you again? I live in San Leandro.

[luckiest1]

One of the main things I've done to lose weight is to increase the amount of fibre I eat. Because so much of our food is processed in this day and age, we don't get near the amount of fibre in our diets that our ancestors did. We are lucky to get 8 - 10 grams a day, whereas in the late 1800s the average was 50 - 60 grams a day. I aim for between 20 and 35 grams a day, which isn't all that hard when you eat lots of fruits and veggies. Berries are especially high, but an apple has 3 grams, a banana has 4 grams, etc. Other sources of fibre are grains - oatmeal, some cereals, whole wheat breads and pastas. The Daily Plate site is great because it tracks fibre intake as well as calories, fats, proteins, carbs, etc. Eating lots of fibre reduces your risk of colon cancer significantly.

couchie, I walk regardless of the weather. At least while the temperature is about freezing.

[wandacleo]

Well that was fun. Really..it was. 3.4 miles...in the rain.

wandacleo..where are you again? I live in San Leandro.

I live in Carmel. Too far away to join you in your walk. LOL.

[Guest Toots]

Well that was fun. Really..it was. 3.4 miles...in the rain.

wandacleo..where are you again? I live in San Leandro.

I live in Carmel. Too far away to join you in your walk. LOL.

wandacleo you are truly a lucky woman. I love that area.

[Ansamcw]

Well that was fun. Really..it was. 3.4 miles...in the rain.

wandacleo..where are you again? I live in San Leandro.

I live in Carmel. Too far away to join you in your walk. LOL.

You live in Carmel??? I love Carmel...I still remember my visit driving through monterey...when i was a teen...beautiful place.

[Gibby]

I just met with my trainer, and got weighed, measured and got the caliper test for measuring body fat. And I had great results! I only lost 2.5 pounds on the scale, but I lost 4.5 pounds of body fat and gained two pounds of muscle. Yesss!!!!

:nana:

I'm thrilled. My BMI is now 21.9, so I don't really need to loose much more weight. But I wouldn't mind loosing a bit more fat and gaining a little more muscle. The more muscle, the easier it will be to maintain these results!

Oh, and Toots - thanks so much for your encouraging words about weights. You're right about needing to build muscle mass to keep losing weight! I figured out that I gained a couple of pounds of water because (how do I say this without making Clay put something in his ear?) of the time of the month. If only I was more predicable, I would have known what was happening. Anyway, I'm happy now!

Edited September 24, 2007 by Gibby

[Guest Toots]

Gibby, those results are wonderful. How long does it take you to finish your weights routine? Do you do the upper and lower body on different days? Don't know your weight, etc. but 21.9 BMI sounds like you don't have much fat left over.

Another thing my trainer said was that people who have short limbs will build muscle at a much faster rate than those with longer limbs. Of course I have long limbs and I'm tall. Damn, I have to work a little harder.

I still have some lbs to go but the results of working on weights are becoming more obvious every day. I've decided to split the days that I do lower and upper body because I still have to do at least 30 to 40 minutes of cardio every day. Last night I did the lower body, tonight I'll do the upper and yadda yadda.

Good work. You are an inspiration! :laola0:

[Gibby]

Toots, I don't have time to go to the gym every day, so I end up spending a little over an hour each time I go. I can fit in cardio, as well as upper and lower body weights, in an hour. Some of the exercises I learned from my trainer actually work both the upper and lower body at the same time - like lunges with arm curls - so that helps to save on time. I usually am able to get to the gym 3 or 4 times a week. If I go to the gym two days in a row, I do a long cardio session the second day so that I'm not doing weights two days in a row.

I have long limbs, too - I'm 5 feet, 7.5 inches. Ah, well, I like my height, even if it takes longer to build muscle.

I'm glad to hear that the results of your weight lifting are becoming more obvious!

[luckiest1]

Interesting info about training and BMI. I haven't got into that yet. I am still thinking about joining the gym once the bad weather comes. Congrats, Gibby!

I'm fighting a sugar and carb craving this week. I had some tests earlier in the week that required me to go on a liquid diet for a few days, and I had to drink a lot of sugar. Yesterday was awful, I was starving all day, and found myself doing things I haven't done in ages - stopping at Starbuck's yesterday morning for a latte and a square, going to Tim Horton's at lunch for soup and a bagel, and I even ate rice (with some veggies) for dinner. Bought a bag of red licorice to snack on last night. Eeep. I need to get back on track. I am meeting a friend for lunch at a restaurant today. ::insert Hold Me FCA emoticon::

Edited September 28, 2007 by luckiest1

[Guest Toots]

Luckiest

:F_05BL17blowkiss:

[wandacleo]

I seem to be forever stuck at 4 pound loss. I have been making a concerted effort to eat 35 grams of fiber a day. (Which leaves me too full for much else.)

Bonus:

I will never have constipation again

Edited September 28, 2007 by wandacleo

[Guest Toots]

I seem to be forever stuck at 4 pound loss. I have been making a concerted effort to eat 35 grams of fiber a day. (Which leaves me too full for much else.)

Bonus:

I will never have constipation again

Did you turn green on your lima bean day?

[Gibby]

Wanda, are you exercising, too, besides changing your diet? If so, you could be building muscle and losing fat. The scale might stay the same, but you could be losing an inch here or there without knowing it if you only look at the scale. A good way to keep track of your progress is to take your measurements every few weeks. They may be getting smaller.

And if you're not exercising, get at it, girl! It really does help. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[wandacleo]

Wanda, are you exercising, too, besides changing your diet? If so, you could be building muscle and losing fat. The scale might stay the same, but you could be losing an inch here or there without knowing it if you only look at the scale. A good way to keep track of your progress is to take your measurements every few weeks. They may be getting smaller.

And if you're not exercising, get at it, girl! It really does help. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I've been faithfully walking 2 miles a day. It was so hot a couple of days ago (unusual for here) that I actually went to the giant Safeway grocery store and walked round and round for 40 minutes. Is that dedication or what?

I found some cereal with 9 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup (cooked), so I've been eating 1.5 cups of that in the morning. Fills me right up: Arrowhead Mills Organic 4 Grain Plus Flax. If you like chewy hot breakfast cereal, it's right good (low fat, high in protein).

Edited September 29, 2007 by wandacleo

[luckiest1]

Mmmmm, I do like hot breakfast cereals. I will keep my eyes open for it. Last night I bought myself some Kozy Shack no sugar added chocolate puddings. Expensive at $3.99 for 4, but they have 5 grams of fibre in each! I also love their no sugar added tapioca puddings for the same reason.

Oh, I meant to mention that you really have to be sure to increase your water intake if you are increasing your fibre intake.....

[wandacleo]

Mmmmm, I do like hot breakfast cereals. I will keep my eyes open for it. Last night I bought myself some Kozy Shack no sugar added chocolate puddings. Expensive at $3.99 for 4, but they have 5 grams of fibre in each! I also love their no sugar added tapioca puddings for the same reason.

Oh, I meant to mention that you really have to be sure to increase your water intake if you are increasing your fibre intake.....

I found the cereal at the health food store.

What is Kozy Shack? Is that a brand? a store? I've never heard of it, but I'd sure like to find that high fibre chocolate pudding!!!

I probably do need to drink more. I sort of sip tea all day.

[Gibby]

So, how's everybody doing? Hopefully well!

I was sick with a sinus infection and asthma problems for awhile, and wasn't able to exercise. I didn't gain any weight according to the scale, but I think I probably lost some muscle and gained a little fat. Darn it! Oh, well, I've started going to the gym again, and will get back into shape soon.

[Couch Tomato]

well I won't be ashamed to step in here. I'm doing awful. I need to pay somebody to come drag me out of my bed and force me to exercise. How much do they go for I wonder.

[Gibby]

Couchie, paying a personal trainer works pretty well for me. When I'm paying, I want to get my money's worth and I always make sure to keep my appts. with the trainer! It also helps to motivate me to keep working between training sessions, so I can show that I actually made some progress. I'm done with my training sessions now until January, and I don't want to go back then and be in horrible shape, so I'm going to keep working out. It's a good motivator!

[sheiladownunder]

this is all so confusing to me. I need something really simple that I can remember to do each day. I've cut out sugar and have done well with that, now I've started wearing a pedometer and try to remember to walk around the building. I'm going to set a reminder on my calendar at work to get up and walk a couple of times a day because I keep forgetting.

I need a 3rd thing to add - deep breathing - that's something I can do, good suggestion. I'll be back once I've got those down pat.

[Couch Tomato]

this is all so confusing to me. I need something really simple that I can remember to do each day. I've cut out sugar and have done well with that, now I've started wearing a pedometer and try to remember to walk around the building. I'm going to set a reminder on my calendar at work to get up and walk a couple of times a day because I keep forgetting.

I need a 3rd thing to add - deep breathing - that's something I can do, good suggestion. I'll be back once I've got those down pat.

oh yay ...somebody on my wave length!!

You'll find lots of good advice in here!

[luckiest1]

What is Kozy Shack? Is that a brand? a store? I've never heard of it, but I'd sure like to find that high fibre chocolate pudding!!!

I probably do need to drink more. I sort of sip tea all day.

Kozy Shack is a brand. You can find a list of stores that carry it in the USA at www.kozyshack.com, or www.kozyshack.ca in Canada. Not all of their products are high fibre and sugar free, though. So read the labels! I am addicted to it. I even brought some in a cooler to my DCAT shows in the summer.

I think drinking water is one of the most important parts of weight loss. I used to drink one bottle a day (500 ml). Now I drink 4. Makes a huge difference. I find that once my body got used to it, I am thirsty if I don't drink enough. They tell me I used to be dehydrated when I only drank one bottle. Who knew?

Stepped on the scale yesterday and was pleased to see I went down another pound. Woo hoo me! That's 35 pounds since the end of February. Now I just need to buy that gym membership that I have been putting off forever.....

[Guest Toots]

luckiest, you are remarkable in your ability to lose weight. Good work. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I've had a bout with my back for almost a month. Haven't been able to work out in that time except I did play golf twice which made my back worse, of course. What can I say, I love golf and I'm stupid.

All is fairly well now and I'm going to the gym today but carefully so I don't hurt myself again.

Couchie, personal trainers can be a little expensive but I think you really only need one session at a time to get started.

Shieladownunder, starting is the most important thing no matter how you start because the results will make you want to continue.

I'm able to fit into pants and shirts that wouldn't even button three months ago and I haven't lost anymore weight. I give credit to both the cardio and weights but the weights really got my dead metabolism in gear.

[laughn]

Someone gave me this card for my birthday...

"Physical beauty is transient. Appreciate your inner beauty for it is eternal" ~ some ugly wise man

So are people still dieting in here to get ready for the Christmas tour/Spamalot...because I'm warning you all right now, if my story is picked I'm asking one of you to read it....fair warning and all that.

[luckiest1]

I'm still watching what I eat, but I hesitate to call it dieting. I think I have finally found a way to eat that I can live with for the rest of my life. Hee, I still have bad days, but even those aren't what they used to be. I just never thought about what I was eating before.

I'm down another 2 pounds since the last time I posted. I am trying to be extra careful this week, because I know that by this weekend, I'll be in buffet heaven in Las Vegas.