July: Weight Loss & Fitness Support Thread

[Qamar60]

Woohoo July already!

Hum! Nothing new for me I'm still stuck in a plateau for about over a month... Loosing 8 to 10 pds more would be my goal. But it's all my fault.

I keep dancing and walking but I've been tired and maybe a little lazy. As for good healty food, well I fell off the wagon but I'm ready to go back on. Luckly, this is the season of good and fresh fruits and veggies. Thank God for public market!

Instead of walking on the treadmill I'll try to go outside. I went walking for over an hour this morning (I'm off, it's Canada Day). There's Jarry Park neer our house and decide to give it a try ,r:; It's very cold today (only 60F..c::) so I had to walk fast to keep warm.

I pass a whole groupe of new mummies with their babies. They call those groupe "Cardio Stroller". I need some motivations and maybe training in the open air among other humans will help!

Qamar

[anala]

Down 5 pounds in 2 weeks. There might be hope. Eating foods that dont come from a factory and using my weight belt. I am now back to 175 and hoping for 10 more to come off before summer is over. I will be good, I will be good, I will be good....

[ZanaRaqs]

i've been bad. i've had to abandon cycling for the past week or so because i've had too much dance going on. im exhausted. and i suffered from mild heat exhaustion from an outside event in 96 degree temperature on saturday, so i had to take some time off to recover from that.

but i try and cycle when i can, it just hasnt been daily. but im getting better in aerial arts though :) the scale says i havent lost weight but i feel different..as if maybe ive dropped 5 lbs.

just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

[Nazarah]

I got on the scales this morning to find my weight is starting to creep up. Can't let that happen, it shows right up on my small frame. Will buy extra produce next time I go to the store. There have been summer thunderstorms during the times I can usually run lately, I will have to think up a running plan b.

[Marianna]

I started running and the key is to keep going. Anytime, in the past 15 years, when I started running I gained weight, so I always associated running with a negative factor. I'm sure, that somehow I increased my calorie intake to the point that I gained weight, so I can't blame to running itself.

So I haven't been looking at the scale at all, because I may not loose any weight for a while, may even gain a couple of pounds, which could be muscle mass, so I don't want to discourage myself.
I wanted to go every day, but I know that's too much, so I made peace with going 3 times / week, or more, if I can.
I love it - I couldn't even run 1 mile altogether, I kept breaking it up to walking / running intervals, but kept it a little over 1 mile. Now only after 2 weeks I can run half a mile, walk a lap, run another half a mile, and not feel like I'm going to spit out my stomach.
So I'm pretty happy with the activity itself, and I'll be looking for the results just later.
Also started taking classes from an awesome instructor, and I love it. I really needed discipline and technique correction, as well as new ideas and way of dancing.
By August first I should be a better dancer, and should look much leaner.

[zaynahcantara]

I'm still doing Couch 2 5K, on week three now. Eating is going well, but last time I weighed myself ( 2 weeks ago, different scale than usual) I had GAINED 6lbs. Not sure how that happened. Now I'm just not weighing myself until the end of the month. I'm now officially off of my anti-depressants, so maybe while my body is adjusting my weight will be doing weird things. I feel strong, and my stomach flab is going away...so hopefully the 6 lbs was water weight.

[Marianna]

while the scale is a good indicator if we lost a lot of weight (such as 10 lbs or more) it's usually our enemy if we're looking at it often. I used to be a scale-slave, but broke off the habit a long time ago. Now, i don't really care how much I weigh if I like the way I look. Anyways, I have a pair of pants, that are not stretchy at all - they fit me, but barely. Just 6 months ago once they were a bit bigger on me, and 6 years ago they fit me perfect. My goal is to be able to wear it, the way it was intended to (not tight). That will be a better indicator of what's going on with my body.

[Marianna]

Fifi, I'm sorry, but you are so wrong!
1.a.
you need carbs. Yes, you can loose weight with no carbs, but as soon as you eat some, the weight comes back. It happened to me so many times.
1.b. carbs: you need carbs for quick energy. If you don't have any you become cranky, fatigued, will have no energy. Carbs are fuel for short term energy, proteins are fuel for long term energy.
1.c. carbs: i have drastically changed what i eat, and I follow a clean diet based on body builder's mentality (of course in small portions). I eat lots of oatmeal, yams and brown rice, occassionally whole wheat bread. I lost 10 lbs in the first month or so and kept it off ever since (this was 5 months ago)

2. losing weight quickly = gaining it back quickly. Losing weight slowly = losing it the right way = gaining it back slowly (if you gain it back).




3. a.lose weight first through dieting then start exercising. WTF?? If someone is obese, they're still better off doing low impact exercises, that they can handle, such as walking. You should exercise and keep a healthy diet. Some people can't find the time, or can't commit to a regular exercise plan, in which case they rely on dieting, and yes, they can still lose weight. But their goal is to exercise, when they can.
3.b. exercising while you're overweight can backfire on you,. WRONG! There are so many health benefits of exercising (I guess that's why we all do it, hahah). improve cardiovascular health, for one: heart, lungs, etc. reduce cholesterol, reduce stress. More energy, lower fat, higher muscle mass. Improve bone density. etc, etc, we all know at least 10 more.


update: ok, so fifidancersomething - forgot her name - deleted her post, the one I replied to. Not an accepted method of posting to message boards. oh well.

[Marianna]

I think one problem with maintaining any kind of exercise routine is to keep the motivation up.
It is very hard for me. If I start walking, running or working out regularly, I can do it as long as I do it a lot! like almost every day. If I skip a day or so, I only have 50 % chance of keeping it up regularly, and about 50 % that I actually quit altogether.

Also, apparently I get bored very easy. I've been running at my daughter's school. I was told that 4 or 5 laps equal 1 mile, so to be safe I consider 5 lap = 1 mile. I started with 3 laps of running alternating with laps of walking, and then increased to 5 laps of running with intervals of walking, so a lot of times it's 7-8 laps total with 5 laps of running.
The problem was that I was bored while I was running!! how can that be? I could hardly wait to stop. I told myself I have to run a complete lap, I can't just stop anywhere. The thing is that I often I could have ran 2-3 laps in a row, but I gave up, because it was a little hard (of course) and I wasn't motivated.

and then this happened: I go some new music off of itunes, made a playlist, and ran 5 laps (1 mile) in a row. and it felt like I could have done more, but didn't want to overdo it. I already wore a brace on my knee. It was so great, the music motivated me, and although I wanted to quit, I knew another favorite song will come on and I kept going. Now I'm really looking forward to my runs, and I know I can get more out f them, and I can increase my distance so much quicker.

anyone else gets bored as easily as I do? What do you do?

[ZanaRaqs]

i dont necessarily get bored its just that i dont have the time :-/

when i used to run tho, the music kept me going too. so that seems like it works :)

[Azaleah]

Oh my goodness. I have a love/hate relationship with this spectacular weather. I love being outside and soaking up the sun after the long winter. I haven't been to the gym because I would rather be outside. I love salads, but I also love eating everything that goes with them. I haven't been to the gym because it is too far a drive. I am on holidays this week and haven't been to the gym because it is me time. I have drank wine and beer this week...because I am holiday. Oh yeah, I haven't been to the gym. We have had Canada Day this week and copious amounts of festivals over the past few weeks and family get togethers with lots of food and drink celebrating sunshine and hence..I haven't been to the gym. I haven't been to dance class in over a month, because the hours don't coincide with my new unhealthy lifestyle, I don't want everyone to see the weight I have gained and Gawd forbid I go to the gym. I have a roll the size of a speed bump that wasn't there in April. Time to get back to gym and dance. This is my solemn vow, starting tomorrow..;-)

I bought a new outfit for dance class today. I tried it on. Judging from my wonderful S.O.'s veiled look it is time to get back in the game and forget that Canada only has 3 bloody months of summer! Blah!!!!!!

[ssipes]

update: ok, so fifidancersomething - forgot her name - deleted her post, the one I replied to. Not an accepted method of posting to message boards. oh well.

No, Rosey is removing this person's posts and accounts because s/he is a troll.

[Marianna]

oh that makes sense. i had no idea, I saw some of the threads talking about trolls, but for some reason I'm always missing the ones they're in. I guess I'm not missing anything.

[raqFariha]

may i join?
im getting back on the running, but with the borderline hypoglycemia, everytime i exercise i get hungry, so it's hard to end up in the black (red? how do you do a balance sheet for calories? ^_~) plus my mom made cake for this weekend, and there is a bowl of her icing just sitting in the kitchen, taunting me with it's buttery sugary goodness.
the goal is roughly 10 lbs, but the actual number won't be that high since i've also lost a lot of muscle in the past months with my lazy grad school self. (im not gonna let studying be an excuse anymore!).... so i guess the goal is loosing 3-4cm of my gut. (i wish i could take the fat from the front of my tummy and put it on the sides of my hips... like paniers! gotta balance these shoulders somehow! alas ^_~)

[zaynahcantara]

(i wish i could take the fat from the front of my tummy and put it on the sides of my hips... like paniers! gotta balance these shoulders somehow! alas ^_~)

..l;, I would like to move mine up to my boobs and back to my bootay...which has gotten a little flattened over the years. I used to have a 'bookshelf' back there and now it's more like a playground slide.

[Marianna]

Raqfariha, I'm hypoglycemic also. Make sure you eat enough carbs, especially if you're running. Everyone always thinks carbs are the enemy, but it's only true if they are pastries, cookies, cakes, white bread, etc. Brown rice or oatmeal will never be your enemy.

One day I came home, and at 5:30 I ate a cup on brown rice (already cooked it before, just heated it up). At 7:30 I went for a run, and couldn't believe how much more energy I got. Up until then I always though I need to run on an empty stomach, because the food would just weigh me down (haha), or I would want to throw up, etc. Then I read up about it and it is recommended to eat a small amount of carbs a couple of hours before running. try it!
for some reason it doesn't work the same with protein, and it's almost useless to eat fruit or veggies before running, they don't that much energy. Carbs!

[ssipes]

Well, I have reactive hypoglycemia, and I have to really keep the carbs relatively low and the protein high. By low I mean only 40% of my calories need to come from carbs, and I shoot for 30% protein and 30% fat. This 40/30/30 is the magic ratio for me.

RaqFariha, my advice would be to make sure that each snack or meal that you have includes protein, fat, and a little low GI carb. Obviously, sugar and refined carbs are your enemy.

I've been eating too much carbs and too many calories lately. I feel like crap and have put on a few pounds. I need to get back on the wagon.

[raqFariha]

thanks Marianna and ssipes. i've been working on retooling my dietary habits for a long time. i'm gonna get some of those 90second uncle ben's rice when i go out today ^_^

[ssipes]

thanks Marianna and ssipes. i've been working on retooling my dietary habits for a long time. i'm gonna get some of those 90second uncle ben's rice when i go out today ^_^

Just be aware that quick-cooking rice is highly processed, even if it is brown rice. The result of this is that it is going to have a higher glycemic index that plain unprocessed brown rice. Also, the longer you cook rice, pasta, or other grain products, the higher the GI is.

Same with oatmeal; it is not all equivalent in terms of carb metabolism. Instant oatmeal has a higher GI than regular rolled oats, which has a higher GI than steel cut oats, which has a higher GI than whole oat grains.

Also, any kind of starchy food is calorie dense, and is thus going to have a high glycemic load, even if it is low or moderate GI. So, even if you are eating "good carbs", you need to watch the serving size and keep it fairly small.

If you you use brown rice as a snack, make sure you have added some oil and protein to it, otherwise it will spike your blood sugar and cause a crash 2-3 hours later.

An example would be: add flavored (sugar free) protein powder and some olive or flax oil to the brown rice or oatmeal.

[raqFariha]

yheah, i try to have protein in every meal. i also lived in Japan, and have been doing nutrisystem for a while (but my body is sick of the processed food, so that's gonna stop) so i've got the portion size thing pretty much figured out.
when i go out to eat i ask for a box right away, and if they actually comply i pack up about half or more of the meal before i even start to eat it, so im not tempted to over eat ^_^
i didn't know processing increased the GI, i figured it was bad because of added chemical preservatives. thank you again ^_^

[Marianna]

Fariha, you should google "glycemic index', yyou'll find a lot of website offering the GI number of foods in general (the lower the better).
Yes, food is their original form are always better than packaged, canned or otherwise processed, because often sugar, salt, other additives and chemicals even added for preservation, or for better appearance. Sometimes they're just cooked, which means the vitamin C is cooked out of them.

I eat brown rice, and I never really eat white rice. Brown is so much better for you. I didn't like it at first, but found a recipe that calls for some lemon juice, and that makes it taste so good. Also, stay away from the prepackaged oatmeal, those have sugar in them. I use to use quick oats, (regular) it was ok, but then found rolled oats. These cook longer, but when they're done, they more chewy, thicker, tastier, it feels like I'm eating a whole meal.

it's a very good idea to ask for a box right away when you go out to eat. Next time I will do that. The portions are way to big now. I went to Ihop with my daughter, and asked for an omelet. I figured that's the healthiest thing for me (especially since I asked for egg substitute), and kind of what I would eat at home anyways. They listed the calories: even after asking for egg substitute, it was about 800 calories. Of course part of it was the portion, it was huge, at home I would never eat that much. I should have asked for a box to take half home and have it for breakfast the next day. But no, I ate the whole thing, and felt guilty!

[zaynahcantara]

Re; asking for a box. I will sometimes bring my own reusable container with me and just pack half of it up right there myself. If anyone looks at me funny I quip "I'm cutting down my waist and waste all at once".

[anala]

Down 7 pounds in 3 weeks. I have increased my vitamin D intake to 1500 IU per day. Fish oil increased to 3 grams per day. Also increased the C to 500 mg. as well. My energy level is up, the mid day mini death has decreased dramatically. I think using my new weight belt has helped tip my metabolism back up to fast burn. Still being good about portion control and no factory made food (bakery is ok).

[zaynahcantara]

Congratulations Anala!!!!! That's great!

[anala]

Yep, pretty happy with the results. At my age, 55, it is more about increasing my metabolism and maintaining a good energy level that it is about anything else. It is really hard to loose weight at the same time your body is trying to shut down some other functions (menopause) which seems to be about a year or two away.

I have a theory.. We will let Grandma live to watch the children... as long as she can survive on half rations.

[Qamar60]

Congratulations Anala!

Right now in Montreal, we are living a severe heat wave, lots of humidity ..cr.:..c::

We don't have a air conditioning at home, but since we keep the windows and doors shut during the day, our home is relatively cool. We sleep under a huge celling fan. ,r:;

We had to cancel dance rehearsals for this week. But since the basement is fresh I'll be walking on the thread tonight (with an electric fan in front)

Because of the heat I'm not very hungry anyway, I eat raw vegetables and fruits, salads, and drink a lot of water. We had a quinoa salad for dinner last night and homemade strawberries sorbet for snack later, yummy! ;o)

I also cut down the coffee to only one cup in the morning and for breakfast I eat cereals with fresh strawberries. I'm hanging in there.

Qamar

[ElizabethA]

Ooo! Can I join?
I like to do more of a paleo diet when I'm serious which I am again! (I stopped working out and dieting like in April) I'm doing p90x right now and once I get the hang of it I plan to start using my gym again for strength training.
I hate cardio so I usually do circuit training to replace it.
Either way I'm doing good right now :) (Well I just had an Amy's meal which I suck for but whatever)
Today is cardio day, blah!

[zaynahcantara]

This heat wave is messing with my workout sched! I walked last night for 45 minutes and was DRENCHED!!! It was in the 90's here at 7 am. and is way too hot to run. ugh. I'm hoping to find an affordable fitness class in an air conditioned location for tonight to sub for running.

[Jessani]

I've had a really hard time sticking to my goals. Its classic, I want to drop 10-15lbs but I don't really want to do anything differently. Its especially hard because I have always gotten regular cardio & strength exercise. I enjoy exercise and usually do 30-60 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week and strength training with weights 2-3 days a week. This is in addition to dancing. So my metabolism is used to the exercise and it makes getting the weight loss started even more of a challenge. I already get a mix of cardio workouts and mix up my strength training routines so I'm not sure what else to do.
Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!

[Qamar60]

Here the heat wave is getting worst.

I've lost 2 pounds, just by sweating! ..l;,

Qamar