Health and Fitness, January, 2009

[lucylee]

Weigh-in
Jan. 5 -- 160
Jan. 12 -- 157
I would be really excited about that, except -- (1) Aunt Flo arrived on the 7th, and I always lose a little bit after she gets here... and (2) there were a few days at 156 this week, so I'm sorta disappointed with the fluctuations.

[Twins' Mom]

I was at 153.6 yesterday morning (this with corduroy pants and turtleneck sweater and socks) after my previous low (in November and again on Dec. 24) had been 154.2. Since there was a lot of eating involved with Christmas, New years, birthdays, and our trip last week, I'm pleased with that, especially since those clothes are also heavier than my usual workout pants and T-shirt. Also, had only worked out twice between Christmas eve and Monday of this week because trainer was away, and then we were away.

Goal for tax season has only been to continue workouts three days a week and maintain weight, but I have an desire to see 150 at some point before I get too far into tax season.

A friend from an accounting firm where I worked more than 20 years ago started working out at the same place this week. She actually wants to lose during tax season and I fear she may be biting off too much, but she knows her own style.

helia, I think I've posted before about my 30 minute workouts. Although I'm with a trainer you could adapt to your purposes. I work out MWF and two of those days do upper body workouts, with one day core + legs. The following week is reversed, with two days of core + legs and one upper body workout. We do only six exercises but they're done in sets of two alternating so each 10 minute segment is 2 - 3 alternating rounds of the two exercises. On Wednesday of this week, I did pushups alternating with a bent over row: 10 pushups, followed by 10-12 rows on each side, followed by 10 or 15 pushups, followed by 12 -15 rows again, followed by the pushups again and rows again. Then an upright row alternating with a pullover for 10 minutes, and then tricep presses alternating with bicep curls for the last 10 minutes. All of these are free weights - very efficient and exhausting. (I felt like I could barely reach across my desk by the time I got to work afterward.) When I have time, I do another 30 minutes on the treadmill.

The exercises are varied every workout. I'm trying to remember what I did yesterday...leg curls, bicycles, front planks, a side plank raise, crunches, and I can't remember what else. (lack of oxygen to the brain)

All proof that a short workout can be very effective.

[helia]

Thanks Twins. I like the idea of short work outs; I am less motivated to get in my longer work out (jogging and weights) b/c it takes more time out of my schedule. So, you do weights every time you work out? Do you do any cardio? Did I miss that in there? How often do you get on the treadmill?

Congrats on the weight!! I am at an all time high and really struggling to get it down. Nothing is working. I'm feeling discouraged today; I thought I ate fine yesterday and I gained .5 lbs. Dh says not to worry about the day-to-day changes, but I'm not seeing a significant change over the weeks, maybe 1 lb. lost over 2 weeks. That's not much.

I will confess. I am 5'7.5" and first thing this morning I weighed 151.5 lbs, naked. I weighed 147 during our time in Australia, and that was a bit high at the time. My WW goal I reached and maintained for a few years was 142 fully clothed w/ shoes. I was usually under 140 naked. Right now, I would be happy to get back down to 147, which seemed to be a set point for me. I don't think I'm officially overweight b/c I am pretty tall, but my build is not "big" naturally, though I look a bit chunky now. Of course.

[Twins' Mom]

Helia, I'm doing the weights workout with the trainer three days a week and walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes most of those days. He calls it cardio although with my bad hips I don't really get my heart rate up that much - I do about 4 mph at a 3 - 5 incline.

I'm shorter than you - was 5 feet 5 inches at my tallest. Have you tried the WW online tools to just count points and track your weight? Once you get back the awareness of how much you need to be eating I bet the weight will come off.

BTW, my trainer believes that simple training with body weight and free weights is the most efficient way to lose weight. He had lost 70 pounds himself when he became a personal trainer.

[lucylee]

Weigh-in (*&)(*&@!$#@!$_)+(_)(*&^(*&^#&^%$@!$#@!$
Jan. 5 -- 160
Jan. 12 -- 157
Jan. 19 -- 159.5
-- Too many days skipping exercise... too much junk junk junk food... too much laziness & stupidity...

[Harriet]

helia, sometimes when that happens to me in winter I realize I've stopped as much water intake as I know is good for me, and adding an extra glass of water a day helps the weight to start making more sense.

lucylee, I have had a much harder time insisting to myself I get my exercise in lately. It's like the stress of having no running water, plus other stresses (extended family upsets, especially) , have made me feel I had to keep worrying and couldn't take time in which I would be "unavailable". I realized I wasn't wanting to put on my exercise shorts (which is all I have to do to exercise, good grief) because I was thinking "what if" I was needed for this or that, "what if" I wasn't on guard against the stress, or something.

I couldn't relax enough to exercise - is that possible?

I've found I can say to dd10 that when she moves on to homework after a tv program she's chosen, I will then switch to DVD and exercise. Then, because I've made that plan with her out loud, I will actually do it. I see her following through gathering homework, so I follow through with my commitment, too, and push "play".

[lucylee]

Weigh-in
Jan. 5 -- 160
Jan. 12 -- 157
Jan. 19 -- 159.5
Jan. 26 -- 159
* But I am afraid Mr. Maple Blondie (see Sunday Food Diary) will make his presence known later. I will be good today.

[Harriet]

Recommendation of "Lubriderm Skin Nourishing lotion with Premium Oat extract". My chapped hands are all the same color now and relieved, and greasiness is not a problem - well absorbed. (My knuckles will go pink with chapping during winter months.)

Have had a puzzle keeping up daily exercise with an unhappy knee, but have averaged 10 minutes a day since it started hurting. I switched a while to less intensive video workouts - did R. Simmon's first Oldies (45 min) with dd10 last evening. She has so much fun with his. I just modified, stopping when needed, sitting in a chair when they went to the floor and only doing the arm movements then, for instance. I did do all upper body movements with T-Tapp form. I'm not going to fall prey to "All or Nothing Thinking" and will just go on from here. This morning it feels a little better than yesterday morning, so the TREND is positive.

helia and lucylee on the weight change front I have spent January at the same weight throughout. It is at the top of the range I accept, and pushing. I didn't really emphasize weight while getting my level of exercise back up because I recognize I need one goal at a time.

But I will join you in some weight monitoring and hopefully the loss of a few pounds through February. If we can start a positive TREND, that is all we need, positivity will snowball, and the summer will take care of itself. It's all good! Some of these pounds are a wholesome winter gift of warming cushioning from our body. So, Thank You Bodies, that'll do now.

[helia]

Some of these pounds are a wholesome winter gift of warming cushioning from our body. So, Thank You Bodies, that'll do now.

Yes, that is so true! I've been thinking how maybe I need to cut myself some slack. I remember the first year we moved to Michigan, I gained 7 lbs. that winter. I lost them again by the middle? of summer. And so the pattern went, more or less, for several years. I commiserated with other women who said that sort of pattern was pretty normal. But I do wish my body would not take this task quite so seriously, yes. No need to overdo it.

Good/weird news: The scale said 150 this morning. I don't quite get that since it was all the way up to 153 Saturday morning. A downward trend is a positive thing. I'm going to try to keep the trend going that direction.

I bought some slimfast and am experimenting with it. yesterday, it was my afternoon snack; if I can control my appetite during that time, I've done a lot. Afternoon snacking is my Achilles heel.

[helia]

Harriet, I'm down another .5 lbs. after having a slimfast yesterday, 2nd day in a row. Is that related? I am eating about the same amount of WW points as I ate earlier when my weight wasn't budging. Does slimfast do something other than curb the appetite??