Weekly Workout Thread 5th March till 11th March.

[Mara]

lol ela...yeah we were talking about HEALTHY 90 cal scones..hehee. i won't even click on that link and will just save myself right here and now, hehe.

merri, well our stairs are in our office building so it's inside and air conditioned. i also just do it in my regular work shoes (heels)...it's literally like 5 min so it's not a huge deal...i wouldn't want to do it if i had to change or whatever. the point is to get my heart rate up for a few minutes. and when we go for walks, again just regular shoes etc. sorry don't know what to suggest for you, but good luck figuring it out!

so i had my petite vanilla scone with green tea for a snack earlier, now i'm having a TJ bean and rice burrito. ICU--peeled off like 1/3 of the tortilla which was wrapped all into itself a few times...tortillas can be a ton of cals so i figure i save like 30-40 cals right there with extra tortilla. my coworker made these lemon scented blueberry cupcakes with lemon cream cheese glaze (light ones) from cooking light which are 230 cals each....so that's my snack for the afternoon, and a plum as well.

 

[ellaila]

Date: 3/7/2007 4:01:57 PM
Author: Mara
lol ela...yeah we were talking about HEALTHY 90 cal scones..hehee. i won''t even click on that link and will just save myself right here and now, hehe.

Muaa ahh ahh!

We have breakfast here at work on Wednesdays - we take turns bringing food in - and today was Bruegger''s bagels. I looked up the calorie info, and just a plain bagel with nothing on it is 300 calories! Yikes. Add cream cheese, and you''re up to 400 cals for something that''s just not even that tasty. I''d much rather blow 400 calories on a scone for breakfast (I made them pretty small - the recipe says it yields 8, and I got 11 out of the dough) and then have a light lunch. Not everyday, mind you, but now and then. Most days I eat a 130-calorie Fage for breakfast, so I don''t feel too guilty busting out a higher-calorie treat now and then!

This calorie counting is scary stuff

Ignorance was bliss. But I suppose knowledge is better in the long run, right?

Just finished up the lasagna for lunch. Man, that stuff is good!

 

[merrijoy]

Date: 3/7/2007 4:11:13 PM
Author: ellaila

Date: 3/7/2007 4:01:57 PM
Author: Mara
lol ela...yeah we were talking about HEALTHY 90 cal scones..hehee. i won''t even click on that link and will just save myself right here and now, hehe.

Muaa ahh ahh!

We have breakfast here at work on Wednesdays - we take turns bringing food in - and today was Bruegger''s bagels. I looked up the calorie info, and just a plain bagel with nothing on it is 300 calories! Yikes. Add cream cheese, and you''re up to 400 cals for something that''s just not even that tasty. I''d much rather blow 400 calories on a scone for breakfast (I made them pretty small - the recipe says it yields 8, and I got 11 out of the dough) and then have a light lunch. Not everyday, mind you, but now and then. Most days I eat a 130-calorie Fage for breakfast, so I don''t feel too guilty busting out a higher-calorie treat now and then!

This calorie counting is scary stuff

Ignorance was bliss. But I suppose knowledge is better in the long run, right?

Just finished up the lasagna for lunch. Man, that stuff is good!

Enter any food court in any mall at any time. It is scary to see what some are eating and how much they are eating....oh, and feeding their children who are already too big, too....

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/7/2007 4:15:42 PM
Author: merrijoy

Date: 3/7/2007 4:11:13 PM
Author: ellaila

Date: 3/7/2007 4:01:57 PM
Author: Mara
lol ela...yeah we were talking about HEALTHY 90 cal scones..hehee. i won''t even click on that link and will just save myself right here and now, hehe.

Muaa ahh ahh!

We have breakfast here at work on Wednesdays - we take turns bringing food in - and today was Bruegger''s bagels. I looked up the calorie info, and just a plain bagel with nothing on it is 300 calories! Yikes. Add cream cheese, and you''re up to 400 cals for something that''s just not even that tasty. I''d much rather blow 400 calories on a scone for breakfast (I made them pretty small - the recipe says it yields 8, and I got 11 out of the dough) and then have a light lunch. Not everyday, mind you, but now and then. Most days I eat a 130-calorie Fage for breakfast, so I don''t feel too guilty busting out a higher-calorie treat now and then!

This calorie counting is scary stuff

Ignorance was bliss. But I suppose knowledge is better in the long run, right?

Just finished up the lasagna for lunch. Man, that stuff is good!

Enter any food court in any mall at any time. It is scary to see what some are eating and how much they are eating....oh, and feeding their children who are already too big, too....

Yeah, and amount of unlimited refills of soda they give their kids.

Just came back from lunch at El Torito Grill with some old coworkers. I am proud to say I did not eat single flourntortilla with butter (I love those things). I also ordered a grilled chicken salad which was just chicken and romaine lettuce. I used salsa for dressing. I figure at most, that salad was about 450 calories. Yay!

Dinner tonight at PF Changs for a friends birthday. I have already looked at their nutritional info and plotted out my course of action! Muahahaha...

 

[mrssalvo]

merrijoy, that''s good to know about Mr. atkins, I guess what I heard was an urban legand so thanks for the accuate info. I agree with whoever said it''s going to be tough to change your parents, it''s like trying to tell them how to handle money. they have their way of doing things and until something doesn''t work or they want to change, they won''t...human nature..


update on the whole wheat donut from Krispy Kreme. Hubby got one today and he said it was not very good. He did say it was cold so maybe hot out of the oil it would have been better but he said he''d rather just have had a real one for the 20 calories it saved. I haven''t tried one yet though..

 

[Rosebud8506]

Mrs S.: that is disappointing to hear about the Krispy Kreme donut. My friend and I were just talking about that email we got from hungry girl about that, boo hoo

Merri and basil, I''m in the same boat. It is a long drawn out process for me to shed any pounds, and I can''t remember that last time it was THIS difficult to see any results. I think I''m doing the right thing, trying to eat less (my hubby LOVES his food, and he is hungry every 2-3 hours, I kid you not) but it has been such a long road for me, and it''s a struggle. I began working out the very first week of November, after I realized that my cute jeans were "muffin topping". I didn''t *think* I was overweight?? It is funny how those close to you, family, husband, etc, don''t even notice either when they see you so often, but I knew I had gained a few pounds. I just asked J last night if he thought I looked different, and he said I looked the same, but my arms were more toned. LOL! My weight shows in my face. I too, get the chubby chipmunk cheeks.

Before I get off on a tangent... my pounds began to fall at the end of January.... yeah it does take about 3 months or so for anything to change. Then I was at a standstill for a period of about 3 or 4 weeks. Now, I have lost another pound since last week... so its sllllooooww progression, but its working!

I find this thread to be a motivating factor because its nice to know that I''m not alone in my fight, and that I have to just stick with it. (I still haven''t lost the weight in my chest, boo! Too bad spot weight loss doesn''t exist!!

)

 

[Rod]

Date: 3/7/2007 2:56:15 PM
Author: Mara
i know rod, this petite vanilla scone is right up your alley. and yes they are small but it packs a flavor punch and the frosting thing on top is just 'icing on the cake'...lol. anyway you should ask them about it!! i know some stuff is regional but i found it online easily so that means probably multiple locations carry it.

basil,i would up your cals...see what happens. it can't really hurt.

and re starvation, i do agree that over time people who actually are starving do lose weight. but it's probably muscle. and your metabolism can be really low but your body still has to burn something. that's not what you (or anyone) wants.

i have read multiple things that said to get out of a plateau, add another workout in and/or increase calories. i know it seems weird to increase but it's worth a try maybe?!

That's the ticket. It sounds really odd, but increasing calorie burn and increasing calories at the same time, did the trick for me. We all hit plateau's. Either weight plateau's, or weight loss plateau's. And from my own personal experience, when I hit the weight plateau, I had to change how I was approaching that muscle or machine, or the combination of muscle/machine. On the weight plateau, my scale refused to budge for weeks on end, even though it seemed I was starving myself and killing myself in the gym. Then I read that eating more meals and keeping the metabolism "stoked" may be the answer and for me it was. Once I actually increased my caloric intake (with healthy foods, not empty fat laden calories), I lost more weight. For example, I always had a jar full of fresh raw almonds and raisons in my desk and I'd eat a couple handfulls as an extra meal. Or I'd make sure I had a Fuji apple for example. Many of us have experienced the Starvation syndrome and I believe our bodies are genetically predisposed to take calories during what it perceives as lean times and makes every effort to convert those calories into fat to get us through the 'lean' times. Our bodies perceive dieting as a lean time. The other side is that if you are working out real hard and using weights to build muscle, you are actually losing fat, but increasing muscle (you can't actually turn fat into muscle - you just burn fat and in it's place build muscle). For example, you might not see the scale move, but your waist could get a little smaller. Or you don't see the scale move, but your arm grew a bit. Or your calves grew, or whatever muscle your working on might become bigger, while the scale does not move. Doesn't mean you're not making wonderful strides, just means your weight hasn't changed. It is very possible to become much leaner and less 'fat encrusted' and actually gain weight. That's what's happened to me and Charlie lately. We've seriously kicked it up several notches on the weights and machines we use at the gym. And we've been eating just like we were (meaning really healthy) and the scale has inched up a couple pounds on us both. BUT, my clothes actually fit better, so I know I've lost fat and added muscle.

Hope this helps..........

 

[merrijoy]

Good Job RoseBud,

That is great news....

So what is the key? What did you change to help you?

Mer

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 3/7/2007 1:53:06 PM
Author: TravelingGal

And how funny...TGuy and I do the same breakfast thing on weekends too. Big brekky and then no food til dinner. I am trying to change that by having something much more reasonable for breakfast, but going out is still a splurge. I love lazy Sundays with TGuy when we lounge around in bed until late morning, then go to our favorite hole in the wall breakfast place and just talk. It''s something I am not ready to give up yet, but I CAN give up all that extra toast, etc that comes with the meal!

I don''t think one has to give up the splurge-y feeling of lounging and then going to the brekky place. All the modification it would really take is to order a bit differently (maybe an egg white omelet and no toast?), and then build in some little snack in the mid-day.

I don''t agree with giving up integral parts that make life grand, because I don''t believe changes that like are sustainable. Nutrition and weight management is about a lifestyle, not about a falsely restrictive or temporary mindset. Being realistic about the things we all love, for me anyway, means finding a way to do those things BETTER instead of not doing them at all.

 

[Rosebud8506]

Thanks Rod, and yes, that def. helps to hear that. I know that I''ve built muscle and seen the scale NOT MOVE. But, yes everything you said makes so much sense now that I''m experiencing that.

Merri: Like I said, I had been trying to get myself in gear for months now, but the only thing I have found to help is the calorie spreadsheet. I try to be as accurate as possible, but there are some things that I prob. guestimate and go over what I''ve actually consumed until I try to portion it out. Like this morning, I measured out a tbsn of my coffee creamer vs. when I eyeball it, and I''ve been going over *eek!* in the amounts. But I''m still losing weight... Also, I wasn''t counting the 25 calories in my fishoil pill I take daily, and still am losing weight. So i guess I try to be within a ballpark of my alloted calories, at least so so that I''m conscious of what I''m eating, etc. Around 1200-1300 is a good day for me, even though I have my max at 1550, according to SparkPeople.com

I''m going to try to kick it up a notch one more exercise regimen in my week, maybe just an extra 300 cal walk on the tredmill and see if that will help assist with the weight loss. Oh and about the iPod, I do have one I bought a few months ago, but I have not actually used it, yet. Haha, yeah I know how weird huh...

but I didn''t think it was "ready" yet or filled with enough upbeat songs, so today I actually used it and WOW, does it not only make the time go by faster on the elliptical, but it actually got me pumped up just striding to the music!!! BIG BONUS

I also did 630 cals vs. my normal 600!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/7/2007 5:34:05 PM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 3/7/2007 1:53:06 PM
Author: TravelingGal

And how funny...TGuy and I do the same breakfast thing on weekends too. Big brekky and then no food til dinner. I am trying to change that by having something much more reasonable for breakfast, but going out is still a splurge. I love lazy Sundays with TGuy when we lounge around in bed until late morning, then go to our favorite hole in the wall breakfast place and just talk. It''s something I am not ready to give up yet, but I CAN give up all that extra toast, etc that comes with the meal!

I don''t think one has to give up the splurge-y feeling of lounging and then going to the brekky place. All the modification it would really take is to order a bit differently (maybe an egg white omelet and no toast?), and then build in some little snack in the mid-day.

I don''t agree with giving up integral parts that make life grand, because I don''t believe changes that like are sustainable. Nutrition and weight management is about a lifestyle, not about a falsely restrictive or temporary mindset. Being realistic about the things we all love, for me anyway, means finding a way to do those things BETTER instead of not doing them at all.

True Alj! My breakfast place is SUCH a hole in the wall, they do not do egg whites though! But I never get the toast and I don''t put anything in my coffee.

The way I have been going lately, I am comfortable with it as a lifestyle. I don''t feel I am suffering or depriving myself. Working out a lot is hard, but after 3 months of being consistent, it feels even stranger not to workout....

 

[Mara]

Date: 3/7/2007 5:34:05 PM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 3/7/2007 1:53:06 PM
Author: TravelingGal

And how funny...TGuy and I do the same breakfast thing on weekends too. Big brekky and then no food til dinner. I am trying to change that by having something much more reasonable for breakfast, but going out is still a splurge. I love lazy Sundays with TGuy when we lounge around in bed until late morning, then go to our favorite hole in the wall breakfast place and just talk. It's something I am not ready to give up yet, but I CAN give up all that extra toast, etc that comes with the meal!

I don't think one has to give up the splurge-y feeling of lounging and then going to the brekky place. All the modification it would really take is to order a bit differently (maybe an egg white omelet and no toast?), and then build in some little snack in the mid-day.

I don't agree with giving up integral parts that make life grand, because I don't believe changes that like are sustainable. Nutrition and weight management is about a lifestyle, not about a falsely restrictive or temporary mindset. Being realistic about the things we all love, for me anyway, means finding a way to do those things BETTER instead of not doing them at all.

I totally agree!! I managed to not give up my favorite weekends out kinda thing and I still lost the weight. It might have taken me a little longer but I was in it for the long-haul, not a 1 month plan or anything like that. My experience in the past has been the more realistic I am about what I want to eat and what I will eat regardless...the more successful I can be when setting my goals. So it might have taken me from July to December or whatever to reach my goals but at least I didn't give up my absolute favorite thing in the world, good food and treats from time to time!!!

 

[AmberGretchen]

OK, so again, I haven''t posted much but I''ve been really enjoying keeping up with everyone''s progress and everything.

Merrijoy - it sounds like you are having a really really tough time of it. I''m wondering if maybe you are just at the weight that you can get to doing everything healthy and reasonable for your body. I really do think that everyone has a different place that their body will "settle" when you are eating healthy and exercising a reasonable amount, and that pushing yourself to be different than that is bound to fail over the long term. Not all of us are genetically capable of maintaining a "thin" body type without unhealthy habits. Look at your parents and other relatives. If they are all thin, then its entirely possible that some of the changes people have suggested (such as upping your calories) might help you lose more weight. But if your whole family struggles with their weight, then maybe this is just it. You are not overweight, and I''m sure you have no other major health risks related to your weight with all your healthy habits.

In good personal news, I''m happy to report that I lost another pound this week, bringing the total to 14 lbs lost since the beginning of the year

I still have a ways to go (at least 12 more lbs), but its good to be making progress. My clothes all fit differently and I''m fitting into all kinds of things I haven''t fit into in a long time, so that definitely provides a good feeling. My DH is even noticing - he commented the other day that I''m looking "much more lean," which totally put me over the moon for the rest of the day!

I decided to try the vitamuffin brownies and chocolate muffins that were mentioned earlier in this thread and that I''d seen on hungry girl. I had a brownie last night and it was good but not great. I had one of the muffins with lunch today though, and it was YUMMY

I will definitely be getting more of those - a 200-cal cup of minestrone soup (very filling) plus a 100-cal chocolate muffin still keeps me at my 300-cal-ish goal for lunches, and some days is more satisfying than a single LC or whatever.

 

[KimberlyH]

Happy Wednesday Afternoon All:

To weigh in on the BC conversation, I have had multiple MDs tell me, at different times in my life, that it has nothing to do with weight gain. You may retain water at some point and gain a lb or two but there is no significant correlation between weight gain (or loss issues) and taking BC for the average person w/ no medical issues.

I''m so sorry you''re frustrated basil and merrijoy.

Mara, that''s great news about the position. It sounds like you''re pretty close to having a new job! Fairy dust, fairy dust.

Lorelei, I hope your toe is survining the workout.

Today was hectic, I had 5th graders and they''re a lot of work in a different way than the younger kids. I have a lot of adjusting to do in regards to work.

We''re having veal, artichoke and salad for dinner, sounds yummy to me, and I don''t have to cook it!

Keep up the good work, weight loss or not, you are still taking care of your body!

 

[Sevenwires]

Oh Mara, I should just forget putting that fitness model’s picture from Muscle&Fitness for Her on my fridge door. I need to have YOUR before and after pic up there! You look awesome! Okay, this is really motivating me. And it’s really helping me with going to the gym everyday. I love how your jeans are fitting you. There’s no way a nice pair of jeans would look at that good on me. Actually wearing a size 5, it’s riding up my cr*tch because of my tummy and love handles. Boo! Oh, and how did you look up the Starbuck’s scone and know it’s 90 cal? I’d like to check out some other stuff of theirs too.

And what’s going on with this thread today?! I click in here and there’s like an additional 3 pages worth! Crazy. This week everyone is on here posting. Yay! It’s great! I love reading what everyone is doing and how the workout sessions are coming along. Kinda makes me feel like I’m not alone in this and there’s a lot of people going through the same process with me. Misery loves company. Though I wouldn’t exactly call working out “misery”. But sometimes for a split second that’s what it is. But for the most part, as long as I can get my lazy butt to the gym, everything else kinda just happens.

TG – You’re right.. most of us aren’t in an aweful place, but there’s just room for improvement huh? And once we get started a lot of us can’t seem to stop (Mara)! lol…. I don’t feel me being 5’3” at 122 pounds is terrible, just that I know I can be better, and more fit, more toned… all that other stuff. Hahah… Plus I really want to challenge myself to have a ton of definition. I love the Sarah Jessica Parker look in the last season of Sex and the City, after she had her kid. I think she looked awesome in there. I think her trainer worked her out even harder post-baby. To me, she looked better than ever. And then there’s Jessica Beil, can I say OMG. She’s so fit now. Her arms, her glutes!

Lor – Hope that shoe went on and you were able to workout. I know how we all just LOVE working out now.

Kimberly – Stats look great! I think for me even if my weight doesn’t drop at first, but measurements are getting smaller, I’d be just as excited! Just as long as some numbers are moving.

Ellaila – Usually when I’m sore from weight training, (and that can be anywhere from my thights to calves to back, to shoulders, to glutes) I do stretches, and my trainer will make me do stretches. And even though as your stretching it feels really really sore… but I think it does help the healing process to speed up. Plus I’m addicted to soreness. I love doing stretches for sore muscles.

Rosebud – speaking of jiggling thighs, I was walking toward a large mirror at the gym today, and my thighs jiggle! A lot! Hopefully all this working out will shrink that area soon.

So for me eating is pretty much the same all 7 days a week. I don’t get really food crazy even IF I go to a nice restaurant. My biggest problem was snacking on junk before. But since I started counting calories I’ve been much better. So throughout the week I maintain a pretty steady calorie intake. Over the weekends my calorie doesn’t really spike up or anything.

Aaargh! I can’t keep up with today’s post. Hahaha… Okay, I’ll be back later.

Oh and another thing, since I started running for the past week and a half and also adding in weight training…. I haven’t lost any pounds yet.. in fact, I went up 2 pounds… but my stomach does not seem as bloated anymore. There’s still lovehandles and all that good stuff. But I can feel things are firming up just a tad bit. Now I just have to really start shedding the fat!

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks, sw! At this point I''m okay if I don''t lose another lb. I was actually there at about 135, but the scale has continued to move, which is ab fab! I''m continuing to eat 1500-1600 calories ov average a day and am commited to burning 2000 calories a week on the elliptical + doing some other physical activity for 30 minutes every non-elliptical day. And where my body goes from here, well that''s where it goes.

So J and I just went on a really nice walk. It was a beautiful afternoon and I got my 30 minutes in (and ICUS/ICSs, I forget which stands for what!).

 

[merrijoy]

I will read all when I get out of the shower...but I just ran 50 minutes - about 4+ miles with a friend and talked 90% of the way. It was a GREAT run!....

ETA: I logged about 950 cals before I left work at 6 pm and when I went to the market at 5 pm to get the Fage, all they had left was the honey one for 250 cals or the strawberry one for 210 cals. I passed but did pick up the WW peach yogurt for 100 cals and the plain FF Dannon for 80 cals.

My eats today are as follows

Weight Control oatmeal 130
Luna bar 190
Hummus and 2 low carb pitas 280
1/2 LC Pizza 140
Nectarine 80
Green Tea 50 (because I put some honey and unsweetened dark cocoa in)

totaling 870 (my count of 950 above is off by 80)...
If anyone sees these numbers as being off, please let me know....thanks...

On another funny note, I went to Pilates at my gym on Monday and the instructor never showed, so the class taught itself (the few people who remembered the moves taught) - It was quite comical really and fun...


Mer

 

[Rod]

Think I don''t indulge huh???? I told you since Charlie is under the weather and I haven''t slept well the last few nights, we needed a night off from the gym. So, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Raleigh, called Nofo at the Pig! They have a Wednesday night special that I''ve wanted to try for so long. And let me caution you, if you''re dieting hard and not indulging in anything decadent, stop reading right now.

LOL

Dinner started with their home baked rosemary bread and REAL butter!! Then for an appetizer I had a cup of seafood chowder, which was good, but had more vegetable than seafood, and the broth was not overly creamy, so I''m thinking I didn''t have too many calories there. But then the Wednesday special........PAN FRIED CHICKEN (yes, Rod had pan fried chicken for the first time in like 2 years) and MASHED POTATOES and green beans. But, the chicken is typically drenched in Chipped Beef Gravy, but we asked for the gravy on the side. IT WAS TO DIE FOR. Real home made chipped beef gravy, Fried Chicken, real mashed potatoes and the beans were just perfectly cooked as well. I wound lightly dipping the fried chicken ever so lightly in the chipped beef gracy, but then I just wound taking huge chunks of fresh bread and "dip-sopping" it in the gravy, which was just SO GOOD. Then we stopped by Starbucks and got a cup of decaf (Rod needs to sleep tonight) and came home to curl up on the couch with Sakai in our laps and have our 3 pieces of Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate. YUMMMMM to the max.

Rod definitely enjoyed having a Wednesday away from the gym. I don''t think I''ve missed a Wednesday workout in several months, so it was a nice nice treat. Tomorrow night we''ll be back in the gym and of course I''ll push even harder to overcome some of my caloric sins from tonight. But Rod really indulged and enjoyed every last bit of his dinner!!

Now, If Rod could just get a good night''s sleep, it will be a very good Wendesday. I hope you''ve had a good Wednesday too!

 

[Rod]

Date: 3/7/2007 8:00:55 PM
Author: merrijoy
I will read all when I get out of the shower...but I just ran 50 minutes - about 4+ miles with a friend and talked 90% of the way. It was a GREAT run!....

ETA: I logged about 950 cals before I left work at 6 pm and when I went to the market at 5 pm to get the Fage, all they had left was the honey one for 250 cals or the strawberry one for 210 cals. I passed but did pick up the WW peach yogurt for 100 cals and the plain FF Dannon for 80 cals.

My eats today are as follows

Weight Control oatmeal 130
Luna bar 190
Hummus and 2 low carb pitas 280
1/2 LC Pizza 140
Nectarine 80
Green Tea 50 (because I put some honey and unsweetened dark cocoa in)

totaling 870 (my count of 950 above is off by 80)...
If anyone sees these numbers as being off, please let me know....thanks...

On another funny note, I went to Pilates at my gym on Monday and the instructor never showed, so the class taught itself (the few people who remembered the moves taught) - It was quite comical really and fun...


Mer

I hope that''s not all you''re planning on eating today. I think your calorie count is just too low to sustain you and certainly would put your body in starvation mode, particularly since you ran 4+ miles. EAT SOME FOOD GIRL.

 

[:)]

Hi guys! - Hopefully things will settle down a little soon for me at work so I can visit more often - I went for a run yesterday, and may take tonight off - I checked in today b/c of the Atkins thing which was all over the news today - I haven''t read the article yet but the press is having plenty of fun with it. I can tell you from personal hard data experience anyone who truly follows the real Atkins has a dramatic rise in the LDL or ''bad'' cholesterol. At least South Beach teaches HEALTHY fats. Atkins has people eating regular sausage and then thinking I am lying about their cholesterol results "but the book says it won''t go up" - they have to look at their own cholesterol results to believe it! I will look at the article when it comes out (should be in JAMA which is not the most well respected journal)

As far as the question over his health.. Dr. Atkins did have coronary artery disease, heart failure (CHF), a heart attack (MI), and hypertension (high blood pressure, HTN) - I had heard from word of mouth that his arteries looked pretty bad in the autopsy.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/atkinsmed1.html


Prior studies have indicated that increased weight loss on the low carb diets compared to low fat diets is not sustained at 12 months (they appear to be better for short term weight loss, but when you look farther down the road there is no difference), so I am curious to read this study and see how it was done. The diet in general is difficult to maintain long term because food choices are limited. I gave a lecture on this type of diets (low carb/high protein in general) a few years ago when they were again popular (they originally date back farther than any of us have been alive!), and the one positive thing about them is the initial rapid weight loss that people get (massive water weight initially, which was studied and proven objectively) - the nice thing is that it is positive reinforcement for people - if you lose weight when you start your diet then you are encouraged to keep it up.

Ultimately, it all comes down to calories. An additional ''benefit'' of low carb diets is that people tend not to each as much (when they have done actual caloric intake analysis for intake on diets) - whether that is because people feel full from the protein, or eat less because they are bored with eating the same things over and over!

 

[merrijoy]

Date: 3/7/2007 8:27:18 PM
Author: Rod

Date: 3/7/2007 8:00:55 PM
Author: merrijoy
I will read all when I get out of the shower...but I just ran 50 minutes - about 4+ miles with a friend and talked 90% of the way. It was a GREAT run!....

ETA: I logged about 950 cals before I left work at 6 pm and when I went to the market at 5 pm to get the Fage, all they had left was the honey one for 250 cals or the strawberry one for 210 cals. I passed but did pick up the WW peach yogurt for 100 cals and the plain FF Dannon for 80 cals.

My eats today are as follows

Weight Control oatmeal 130
Luna bar 190
Hummus and 2 low carb pitas 280
1/2 LC Pizza 140
Nectarine 80
Green Tea 50 (because I put some honey and unsweetened dark cocoa in)

totaling 870 (my count of 950 above is off by 80)...
If anyone sees these numbers as being off, please let me know....thanks...

On another funny note, I went to Pilates at my gym on Monday and the instructor never showed, so the class taught itself (the few people who remembered the moves taught) - It was quite comical really and fun...


Mer

I hope that's not all you're planning on eating today. I think your calorie count is just too low to sustain you and certainly would put your body in starvation mode, particularly since you ran 4+ miles. EAT SOME FOOD GIRL.

Yes, will do,

I just had Low fat string cheese and will make a smoothie with whey protein and a banana...
Your meal sounds mighty delicious....
As someone said yesterday, I find it hard to eat after working out, too and eating this late too always seems so wrong (I know about the studies that the time you eat does not matter, etc, but I think your metabolism is slower when sleeping ??) but once I start eating sometimes I get even hungrier and hungrier....ETA: Also, I had the hummus later in the day and that keeps me pretty full as well.....

Sevens - I don't know if you agree with me, but I think Jessica Biel has THE BEST Hollywood Bod....

And Amber, my family is not heavy as you see some Americans these days, they are normal - my dad just has a big belly and has always had that, but he has chicken legs, and mine are not chicken legs - they are thick, they have been since I can remember at 7 years old...In Yiddish they are pulkies

Mom was 105 pounds at 19 years old when they got married (she is 5' 0" too) - The only time I was that weight was when I was 21 and starving myself......My paternal grandmother was heavier when she was younger, so maybe I am predisposed to that...I don't know really...
Amber, congrats on your weight loss, good job!

Off to go watch AI and make that smoothie ---- hope the girls are better than the boys tonight!

Mer

 

[:)]

Wow! I just skimmed some more - Mara, Lulu, Rod, Elequin - you guys all look FANTASTIC! Keep up the great work!!!!

 

[Sevenwires]

merrijoy - I dont'' know how you do it... run 4+ miles and talk 90% of the way?! I can run about 5 miles.. .but I have to really focus on my breathing..... I''m usually not out of breath... but if I start talking, my breathing pattern gets messed up.. and then pretty soon my sides are hurting.. and then I won''t be able to run anyway. Do you know about how fast you''re running? Maybe i''m going too fast.

Anyway, so today I did the treadmill and did 60 minutes of jogging 5.25 miles... I started out hating every second of it.... then I loved it... and after a while I hated it.. then I love it. By the time I was at 40 minutes I was feeling great! It''s funny how when i really start feeling good about running when my legs are pumping, my breathing is right it just feels great...and I start thinking hey I can do this everyday! Then after 10 minutes all of a sudden I''ll feel like I''m outta energy.. and feel like I won''t be able to go on.... anyway.. so today as I neared the 60 minutes... I was still ready to go! But the stupid machine only lets me set the time for 60 minutes max. I was really disappointed when the belt stopped going. I almost wanted to hop off the treadmill and start running around the gym! But that would''ve been weird. So anyway,.. I went back to doing the treadmill today and burned 583 colories. Before the treadmill I had my training session with my trainer with 1 hour of weights... I''ll take a wild guess and say I burnt about 100 cals? I was working out pretty hard i think. I was sweating the whole time. BUt I have no idea how many calories 1 hour will burn ... anyone know? So.... just to be safe.. today I did a total of 683 calories if not more. My next session with my trainer will be Friday morning. But i''m still going to go to the gym tomorrow... So right now I''m doing some sort of cardio Mon-Sat. for 1 hour each time. And weight training with a trainer Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I also want to start doing a little weight training myself on Tuesday and Thursdays. I pretty much know all the different muscle groups I can work out on. So even if I did weight training everyday... I probably won''t hit the same group of muscles for a week.

Okay, .. going to head out to dinner..

I guess tonight will sort of be my splurge.. having Japanese. YAY!! I love Japanese food.....

 

[merrijoy]

Date: 3/7/2007 8:40:13 PM
Author:
Hi guys! - Hopefully things will settle down a little soon for me at work so I can visit more often - I went for a run yesterday, and may take tonight off - I checked in today b/c of the Atkins thing which was all over the news today - I haven''t read the article yet but the press is having plenty of fun with it. I can tell you from personal hard data experience anyone who truly follows the real Atkins has a dramatic rise in the LDL or ''bad'' cholesterol. At least South Beach teaches HEALTHY fats. Atkins has people eating regular sausage and then thinking I am lying about their cholesterol results ''but the book says it won''t go up'' - they have to look at their own cholesterol results to believe it! I will look at the article when it comes out (should be in JAMA which is not the most well respected journal)

As far as the question over his health.. Dr. Atkins did have coronary artery disease, heart failure (CHF), a heart attack (MI), and hypertension (high blood pressure, HTN) - I had heard from word of mouth that his arteries looked pretty bad in the autopsy.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/atkinsmed1.html


Prior studies have indicated that increased weight loss on the low carb diets compared to low fat diets is not sustained at 12 months (they appear to be better for short term weight loss, but when you look farther down the road there is no difference), so I am curious to read this study and see how it was done. The diet in general is difficult to maintain long term because food choices are limited. I gave a lecture on this type of diets (low carb/high protein in general) a few years ago when they were again popular (they originally date back farther than any of us have been alive!), and the one positive thing about them is the initial rapid weight loss that people get (massive water weight initially, which was studied and proven objectively) - the nice thing is that it is positive reinforcement for people - if you lose weight when you start your diet then you are encouraged to keep it up.

Ultimately, it all comes down to calories. An additional ''benefit'' of low carb diets is that people tend not to each as much (when they have done actual caloric intake analysis for intake on diets) - whether that is because people feel full from the protein, or eat less because they are bored with eating the same things over and over!

Thank you for all of this, I hope you read where I wrote about my concern with my Dad and the Atkins diet....I really do not think these type of surveys do people justice....
Also, can you please tell me what you mean when you say it all comes down to calories....Where does the starvation mode begin and how do people that are really starving lose weight?...Please tell me if this all sounds foolish as I am getting tired....

 

[Sevenwires]

Merrijoy -- yup.. Jessica Beil DOES have one of the hottest body. It''s healthy, it''s fit, and it''s hotness! Every time I see her in magazines.. I just have to stop and examine everything about her. She''s come such a long way from when she started in 7th heaven. I didn''t even pay that much attention to her back then. I didn''t think she was pretty either. But since she''s aquired this new bod, for some reason everything about her is glowing!

 

[merrijoy]

Date: 3/7/2007 8:48:13 PM
Author: Sevenwires
merrijoy - I dont' know how you do it... run 4+ miles and talk 90% of the way?! I can run about 5 miles.. .but I have to really focus on my breathing..... I'm usually not out of breath... but if I start talking, my breathing pattern gets messed up.. and then pretty soon my sides are hurting.. and then I won't be able to run anyway. Do you know about how fast you're running? Maybe i'm going too fast.

Anyway, so today I did the treadmill and did 60 minutes of jogging 5.25 miles... I started out hating every second of it.... then I loved it... and after a while I hated it.. then I love it. By the time I was at 40 minutes I was feeling great! It's funny how when i really start feeling good about running when my legs are pumping, my breathing is right it just feels great...and I start thinking hey I can do this everyday! Then after 10 minutes all of a sudden I'll feel like I'm outta energy.. and feel like I won't be able to go on.... anyway.. so today as I neared the 60 minutes... I was still ready to go! But the stupid machine only lets me set the time for 60 minutes max. I was really disappointed when the belt stopped going. I almost wanted to hop off the treadmill and start running around the gym! But that would've been weird. So anyway,.. I went back to doing the treadmill today and burned 583 colories. Before the treadmill I had my training session with my trainer with 1 hour of weights... I'll take a wild guess and say I burnt about 100 cals? I was working out pretty hard i think. I was sweating the whole time. BUt I have no idea how many calories 1 hour will burn ... anyone know? So.... just to be safe.. today I did a total of 683 calories if not more. My next session with my trainer will be Friday morning. But i'm still going to go to the gym tomorrow... So right now I'm doing some sort of cardio Mon-Sat. for 1 hour each time. And weight training with a trainer Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I also want to start doing a little weight training myself on Tuesday and Thursdays. I pretty much know all the different muscle groups I can work out on. So even if I did weight training everyday... I probably won't hit the same group of muscles for a week.

Okay, .. going to head out to dinner..

I guess tonight will sort of be my splurge.. having Japanese. YAY!! I love Japanese food.....

I only read your first paragraph, but I run about an 11.5 minute mile....My breathing was labored in the beginning and we stopped to walk a little, but at the end the running and talking was easier....I used to do this all the time in college (that is running and talking)

On the music front and working out - I have alway had music to run/cardio....I can not understand not having music....If anyone needs to get an MP3 still, I highly recommend the Sansa Sandisk 2 megs..I have it half way loaded with over 200 songs and it has radio capabilities, too (video too, but I do not use it)....It was about $100....I lurve it....looks like an IPOD and has the scroll wheel, too....

ETA: I met someone who told me they lost 11.5 pounds in 5 days...She did this with a nutritionist assisted program that is $1000 but there are no products to buy....Sounds really fishy, huh?

M

 

[basil]

Hey - - I would love to hear your opinion on the "starvation mode" thing. As I was saying before, I don''t really believe it necessarily. I don''t think there''s any really scientific evidence, it seems like a theory that a trainer made up. But then again, we''re not taught a lot of nutrition in medical school. So I don''t really feel any more knowledgable about it than the average person, which it seems I should be.

After all my whining about being hungry all the time, I ended up under calories today.

Breakfast: waffles (3) with sugar-free syrup 256 cal
Snack: cottage cheese 90 cal
Lunch: 1/2 turkey on rye with mustard, tomato, pickles 158 cal
Snack: laughing cow cheese and smoked salmon on TJ''s light bread (2 slices) 180 cal
Dinner: TJ''s stuffed poblano pepper, which was spicy so I ate a container of 2% fage 520 cal
Snack: 100 cal popcorn, blackberries 200 cal

Total 1415

 

[Mara]

hi lisa, it's so good to see you in here again!!! you are definitely our resident health *expert* so it's always so helpful to have you chime in with things!

merri..re: not feeling hungry after working out, i have read that working out suppresses appetite so that is why you don't feel hungry after a workout. neither do i right away, but after about an hour, i do get hungry, esp if i had a lighter day to begin with. like tonight after working out, i got home about 1 hour after i worked out, and had to shower and all that and when i was done, i was really hungry. we just ate like 30 minutes ago (8pm here for us) which is not late for us necessarily...but i know i have to fuel my body...whether i want to or not. i try to feed it whenever it needs to be fed. i know i am working out pretty hard so i need to ensure that i give it good things most of the time...or else it just might poop out on me!

so worked out at the gym..i was tired tonite...i don't know why...but i did 55 minutes on the machine for 470 cals...nothing impressive but at least i met my goal, and then i did 10 minutes of weights for an estimated 500ish cals tonite. my goal was 450 so i did a bit more which is yay.

today i had the 0% fage with honey and splenda and MY GOD i swear i just love that stuff. it's so good, it really did taste like a dessert. then my coworker and i shared one of these amazing cooking light lemon blueberry cupcakes she made and each had one of her homemade chocolate chip cookies (65 cals each and yum)...so those were my treats this afternoon.

dinner tonite...i made us these yummy new salads that i dreamed up this week...blue cheese, romaine lettuce, sliced thin red delicious apple, and a dijon vinaigrette (mix regular ff balsamic with some dijon mustard). some fresh cracked black pepper and mmmmm. love this salad. and it's about 100 cals. i also took the leftover egg noodles that i had from dinner on sunday (i made way too many so i reserved some with no sauce to heat up this week) and broccoli along with a pesto sauce powder packet, added some fat free milk, a tablespoon of heavy cream, water, garlic and a bit of evoo and cooked it all up with the noodles. it was REALLY yum!!! big hit with greg also. i gave him the lions share, 2/3 of what we had leftover and took a smaller portion.

dessert is going to be a special treat...i came across a sugar free fresh angel food cake at the supermarket bakery so i picked it up, and we have fresh strawberries and fat free whipped cream so that's our yumminess for dessert...mmmm.

rod your dinner sounds yummy...hehe i am so happy you took a night off and splurged! good for you. welcome back AG and congrats on your continued weight loss!

i agree gals that jessica biel does have a nice bod but the one i would love to have is jessica alba's! sevenwires, keep up the great work!

if anyone is curious, here is what my day looked like for those counting:
breakfast: steel cut oatmeal, sugar free maple syrup, 2 thin slices multigrain bread, smart balance, coffee, milk: 250
snack: petite vanilla scone from sbucks and unsweetened hot green tea: 100
lunch: TJ's bean and rice burrito with 1/3 tortilla torn and tossed: 230
snack: 0% fage with 2 tsp honey and splenda, 1/2 blueberry lemon cupcake, choco chip mini cookie: 310
dinner: egg noodles with broccoli, asparagus in pesto sauce; salad with apple, blue cheese, vinaigrette: 440
dessert: sugar free angel food cake, sliced strawberries, fat free whipped cream: 120
total: 1450

i am trying to stay around 1500 so i might add something else in but right now i am pretty full from dinner, we haven't even had dessert yet!!

anyhow everyone sounds like they are doing fabulously...keep up the good work!! and to anyone lurking, hope that this thread is helping!

 

[Mara]

oh my gosh i just have to say...this sugar free angel food cake with strawberries and ff whipped was DIVINE!!!!! seriously yummy. the whole cake was listed as 4 servings (huge!) but i cut it into 8 instead because that's what fit into our parfait cups, lol. the strawberries were ripe and yummy..mmmm. i totally want another portion lol...but i'm full now...so i will just look fwd to it for tomorrow night. anyway in case anyone is thinking about a new yummy dessert, all of that for under 100 cals (95). yum..highly recommended. oh and my cals are more like 1430 now. hehe.

oh and sevens anytime you want to know if a place lists their cals, just google it. i typed in petite vanilla scone starbucks calories and it brought up like a bunch of sites...but starbucks also lists their calories and nutrition online at their website. another great place to see cals for a lot of common chain restaurants is www.chowbaby.com.

 

[Lorelei]

Hey Lisa, we missed you!

Thanks all for my toe wishes, I did manage 50 mins! I got the shoe on and I did a bit on the treadmill then switched to the elliptical as it was easier. I also did 10 mins hands free and I could feel my upper thigh muscles bulging!

So I am grateful I was able to workout, horrible beggar that toe is...

I bought a smart suit for Hubby''s ''do next week and the ''pencil skirt'' looked like a barrage balloon on me and I had already ordered a smaller size than usual! So I have ordered another skirt in yet a smaller size still and hope it fits, the first skirt was fine around the waist but huge on the hips, I hope I don''t run into tight on the waist and fine on the hips with the next size....Bah! Oh well, I might have to alter one of the skirts myself, no time to have it done, so a good thing I can sew.