When do you say enough is enough when trying to lose weight?

[KimberlyH]

Date: 12/29/2006 11:44:08 PM
Author: Christa
Kimberly, it really sounds to me like your body ''wants'' to be a size 8--which about 1/2 the women in this country would LOVE to be, by the way. I lost 30 pounds almost 6 years ago, and since then I have fluctuated a bit but basically I''ve gained back about 5 and have settled there (I''m also usually an 8

). Everyone is different, and your ''ideal'' weight may not match what the charts say. I don''t think you should make yourself miserable trying to reach a number. And as Mara pointed out, most men actually prefer women with a little more ''meat''. It''s just us women who think super-thin looks good.

Isn''t it nuts, Christa? I point out women I would like to look like to John and he say "she has the body of a 12 year old, that''s disgusting!" There is nothing wrong with a size 8, in fact, when I see other women who wear that size (friends, etc.) I think they look healthy and fit, but when I look at me I see overweight. Grrrr! Put the poor body image in the closet!

 

[goldenstar]

I know how you feel. I work out regularly and eat well. My brain knows I''m not fat but I keep fighting the feeling that I''m not thin enough. I''m 5''4" and size 2 to 4. I have a magic weight in my head and somehow I think if I get to that I''ll be happy. But I probably won''t be because I''ll find another problem with my body. Right now I''m just focusing on my workouts and sculpting my body with weight training. I really think a lot of women don''t do enough resistance training. If nothing is changing with your body it might be what you are lacking. It boosts your metabolism and helps prevent osteoporosis. As women age, they lose muscle mass year by year so weight training is good for keeping your body young.

I suggest reading "The Good Body" by Eve Ensler. Its about body image and the search for the "good body".

 

[Christa]

Date: 12/30/2006 1:48:03 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 12/29/2006 11:44:08 PM
Author: Christa
Kimberly, it really sounds to me like your body ''wants'' to be a size 8--which about 1/2 the women in this country would LOVE to be, by the way. I lost 30 pounds almost 6 years ago, and since then I have fluctuated a bit but basically I''ve gained back about 5 and have settled there (I''m also usually an 8

). Everyone is different, and your ''ideal'' weight may not match what the charts say. I don''t think you should make yourself miserable trying to reach a number. And as Mara pointed out, most men actually prefer women with a little more ''meat''. It''s just us women who think super-thin looks good.

Isn''t it nuts, Christa? I point out women I would like to look like to John and he say ''she has the body of a 12 year old, that''s disgusting!'' There is nothing wrong with a size 8, in fact, when I see other women who wear that size (friends, etc.) I think they look healthy and fit, but when I look at me I see overweight. Grrrr! Put the poor body image in the closet!

Exactly! For me, I know I could lose that 5 lbs again if i *really* wanted to put out the effort, but I''m eating well and exercising every day, and I just don''t think that extra 5 is worth knocking myself out for. "Overlosing" and then regaining a small amount seems to be pretty common when you''re losing a significant amount of weight--I''d focus on the 63 (!) you lost instead of the 5 that came back.

I don''t know how old you are, Kimberly, but I do feel differently about this than I did in my twenties. I''m more comfortable with myself, I guess. Maybe it helps that compared to other mid-thirties moms I look pretty darn good, though.

 

[KimberlyH]

Goldenstar: thanks for sharing with me. It''s good to know that other people understand.

Christa: I''ll be 30 this summer. The women I know in my age group are pretty split between being very healthy and overweight. I tend to associate myself with the overweight group, which is just silly because, well, I''m not. I hope this feeling gets better as I get older, as long as I keep it up, which I can''t imagine not doing because nothing felt worse than being truly overweight (I hated leaving the house, going out to dinner, meeting up with friends, etc.).

 

[Mara]

kimberly, you may want to see if you can have your body fat tested. if i recall correctly you don''t have a gym, you work out at home? but if you go into a local gym they might be able to body fat test you for $10 or something. i find that really mentally kind of sets me up for positivity...because last time i got tested, i had only lost about ~5 lbs from my original weight in MAY. and i got tested oh back in like october maybe? and i was 21.5-22% body fat. and that''s pretty darn good. so i thought okay well even if i have only lost ~5 lbs, my body fat is low. so i am doing okay. well since then i have lost more weight on the scale and i have been wanting to get tested, so i did yesterday and my body fat is 20%. which is basically on the high end of lean, the cusp cutoff for ''low/lean''. so i probably don''t want to go any lower unless i am training for a marathon or something and need to be super light.

so basically even if i hadn''t lost the weight i wanted to on the scale (which i did, but just hypothetically!)...and let''s say i was still a size 8...and i felt like my body was not working with me...but yet my body fat tested like 23% or something, that''s pretty good! so you might be surprised and it might give you a mental boost and kind of take away from needing to lose the 5 lbs or another clothing size. for me body fat is a good indicator of how fit you are and where your body is. esp since yesterday i was standing there with a 5''1" 115 lb small asian woman who was about 50. she looked fine...slim and all YET her body fat was 35%! i was like omg that''s so high! the trainer was like ''oh thats okay, women have more fat''...but i think he didn''t want her to feel bad, she wasn''t there to work out, her son had just joined and wanted her to try the BF tester because she was curious. and her husband was like ''oh thats so bad, it should be lower''...haha. his was 25% i think.

anyway, try to get it tested!! it might give you that oomph you need to tell the scale to screw off ... hehee.

 

[bee*]

Hey Mara, do you do weights in the gym too. At the moment, Im currently doing the treadmill and some weights but I never know which ones to do or for how long. One question for all of you too-what do you bring in for your lunches. Lunch seems to be the difficult one for me at the moment to eat healthily.

 

[KimberlyH]

Bee,

I am a full time online student, so lunch is at home for me, but I tend to eat something small but filling. I'll have a protein bar with a handful of almonds (these are my new favorite snack, just 10 or so fills me up for hours and they're really good for you!) or I'll make a quesadilla using a bit of mozerella cheese, lots of salsa and 1/2 a tortilla. SOmetimes I make turkey sandwhiches on whole grain bread. For me it's all about mixing it up so I don't get bored and want to go nuts.

ETA: I don't work out at the gym anymore but I used to, faithfully. The machines usually have instructions on them, they are a great guide. Pat\y attention to the muscles you should be working and make sure you feel like that muscle/muscles are being used in isolation. If it doesn't seem to be working for you I'd make 3 appts. with a personal trainer to instruct you on how to work the machines, arms legs and abdominals.

 

[Christa]

Honestly Kimberly, only you can make this decision, of course, but it sounds to me like you are doing great and the "problem" is only in your head.

I vote that now is the time to say enough is enough. Focus on maintaining and quit spending so much mental energy on a non-problem. Now there''s a New Year''s resolution for you.

 

[Mara]

bee, i do use machines at the gym too for arms...i use ones that work out my back as well as my arms since the trainer told me that my back was weak..hehe. that is like issuing me a challenge. a few weeks ago a friend said 'i can see the bones in your back when you move your arms!' and i thought 'oh no that's bad'. but then i was checking myself out at the gym the other day and i saw the 'bones'..they were MUSCLES!! so i guess my back is not 'weak' anymore and i'm glad my bones aren't sticking out, lol! anyway i do like working my arms out, they are so toned and they have not been in YEARS. arms are always the hardest for me hands down. i have been doing the arm exercises at least 3x a week for about 2.5 months now i think. so i totally recommend the machines at the gym. maybe talk to a trainer to find out what they might suggest for your body and what you'd like tone/shape.

in terms of lunch, there was another thread recently where someone was asking for healthy lunches, but here is my repotoire of yummy lunch delights, it has to be yummy for me to want to eat it basically. for the most part i try to keep my lunches under 250 calories because then i can have a 150ish calorie snack in the afternoon (aka a luna bar or something). but if i have a substantial lunch, aka sushi or a whole sandwich from eriks which runs more like 500 cals even though it's healthy....i tend to not have the snack. in the end it seems to balance out okay.

--campbells chicken and rice canned old fashioned soup: they all have pop tops now so just open it, dump it into a bowl, put a can of water, microwave for 2 minutes, done! i love the old fashioned soup, maybe because it has a bit more sodium? hehee. i also take things like the more modern style healthy request campbells vegetable and beef (fiber!) and bean and ham, another favorite. these soups typically don' thave that many calories and fat..and are portable and you don't need the can opener anymore now that they all have pop top.

--lean cuisines...various ones, chicken and marsala is one of my faves and it's only 140 cals, the spaghetti and meatballs is 280 i think. the pizzas are more like 350 so i try to have a smaller/lighter one to stay under 250.

--TJ's hummus and pita bread or wheat crackers. whenever i can i use sourdough for the low-cal count of the bread OR wheat or multigrain items because they have fiber in them (but more cals, it just depends on what my day is shaping up like and how splurgy i feel).

--my latest invention which i posted about in the wwt which is tuna salad on a rice cake..3oz of tuna salad, chopped apple, celery, a bit of light mayo, cajun spices and pepper all mixed together then packed onto a rice cake. i made this the other day and it was under 200 cals and kept me full for 4 hours!

--chicken sandwich on sourdough bread, use leftover baked chicken from a healthyish dish and just slice up, toast some sourdough, a slice of tomato and some lettuce (you can pack it in the morning to bring to work), and dijon mustard. yum. i would put the sanwich together at work so it doesn't get soggy from morning to lunch. just take the elements with you to work.

--if i am home sometimes i make egg white omelets with 4 egg whites, a bit of monterey jack cheese and some tomatoes or torn up pieces of turkey or whatever i have in the fridge. eat it like that or put it into a pita or a small fajita tortilla. yum!

--salads are always a great stable. trader joes has a ton of pre-packed ones for 2.50 each or so...they have a reduced fat greek that is YUM and only 140 calories with the dressing!! but really you can get almost any of their salads and just subsitute your dressing for the one they pack in there (keep a bottle of it at work in the fridge, i use emerils balsamic which is really yummy and only 30 cals per serving) and it saves up to 200 calories. those pre-packed dressings can be seriously scary..and they are supposed to just be balsamic so not sure why it'd be so many cals!

--starbucks petite turkey and ham and cheese sandwich is really yummy and they are fresh daily and it's 280 calories on a sourdough roll. not all of them carry it so when you are there next time check out what yours offers, they list all the nutritional info on their stuff so you can SEE what to eat and what not to eat. most of their sandwiches are pretty scary but there are 2...the petite turkey and the regular turkey and cheese on whole wheat grain that are 'healthy'...the turkey and cheese on whole wheat grain is like 320 cals. fat on both is like 11g but that is not that much for me, but you can always scrape off 1/2 the aoili spread on there if you don't want it, i would imagine that is where a significant amount of the 'fat' is.

--dannon light n'fit yogurts and flax seed or granola make a great lunch or snack too. they are 60 cals and then whatever you add into them. flax has fiber so it keeps me full longer.

--fresh soups, your local store probably has their own 'brand' of soups they put out that are fresh and refridgerated. the chicken noodle soup is typically pretty healthy and sometimes there is one or two others that are 'good for you'. i just got a cioppino that is good for me ... something like 110 cals per serving and 2g of fat at my local store. i take them in their 3 serving containers to work and eat them in 2 servings...just heating some up in a bowl in the microwave. it's a nice change from canned soup sometimes esp on a cold day!

--oh and i know you asked about lunch but i also keep snacks at work. 10 cal jello sugar free cups SAVE ME more times than i can count, they are cold and yummy and you can even eat 2 and it's no big deal, lol! i also keep luna bars and other various under 200 calorie protein/fiber bars in my desk. and the odd snack or two, my company gets mini rice crispy bars that are 70 cals each and pack a nice sweet punch for when i feel the need to be 'bad'. hehe.

i think that is mostly it!! whew, i really do have a long list of things that i take with me to work for lunch...i try to eat out lunch only 1ce a week and then typically it's sushi. and i like 'variety' so i don't get bored so i always try to have 3-4 things i 'could' have for lunch so that i don't feel pidgeonholed into eating one thing and then maybe ending up going to taco bell, hehee.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/1/2007 3:21:57 PM
Author: Christa
Honestly Kimberly, only you can make this decision, of course, but it sounds to me like you are doing great and the ''problem'' is only in your head.

I vote that now is the time to say enough is enough. Focus on maintaining and quit spending so much mental energy on a non-problem. Now there''s a New Year''s resolution for you.

I''m chewing on this, Christa and I may just have to agree with you.

Mara: I''m going to call around and see if a gym will measure my body fat, I''d be interested in knowing what it is.

Thanks all for your encouragement.

 

[bee*]

Thanks a million for that! Its certainly given me some tips for what to look for when I go shopping later. Can I ask-what is sourdough bread? Ive never heard of that in Ireland?Is it just like wheat bread? Sorry for hijacking your thread Kimberley!, but one last thing, is it 1500 calories I should have daily if Im trying to lose weight? Do you guys count calories or do you use ww points? Thanks again

 

[Mara]

bee i count calories just because it''s easier for me and i am so not into the whole conversion thing to ww points. not everything has that and especially if you are eating fresh stuff it doesn''t. cooking light has everything in calories too.

in terms of how many calories to eat, i used spark people to help me figure this out. create your profile...it asks weight, height, age, what you are now, goals, how you want to work out, how often, what days etc...and then basically tells you how many calories to eat, how much fat, fiber, protein etc. you can use it as a ''tracker'' too but i find that too tedious and just keep an ongoing excel spreadsheet that i fill in day to day. it takes me like 5 minutes each morning and i plan my day at that time too. then i can see what averages i am eating, how i am working out, averages etc. when you are trying to lose weight depending on how much and how quickly it will have you eat less. but once you go into maintenance mode you can probably eat more and still be okay. that''s kind of where i am now. it''s hard to get used to having a bit more, you always feel like it is going to make you gain weight or something...haha!

i know that a lot of times people say they don''t count or they just eyeball and eat small portions after a while but that doesn''t work for me. i have to see the numbers for them to compute in my mind. otherwise it''s way too easy for me to ''forget'' that i ate XYZ earlier if i don''t write it down and count it. and i think that is how things can sneak up on you again. by just taking the 5 minutes each morning to put it down and then sticking to it or changing something...it''s just like following a recipe!

oh and sourdough...hmmm well i don''t know if you guys have it in ireland, lol! its a big san francisco thing but i didn''t think it was america specific. in any case...sub with another type of bread if you want, i like wheat and whole grain but sourdough has a diff taste to it, it''s kind of sour ! hehe.

 

[KimberlyH]

bee,

There''s no need to apologize for hijacking!

I did WW points to lose weight for a while, then I figured out what I needed to do to lose, using their program as a guidline, and went from there. I know myself well enough to know I would never record what I eat on a daily baisis, I just don''t operate that way, so I needed to find what works for me, just as you will find what works for you. My only negative experience w/ WW was that I didn''t feel they encouraged exercising enough, and I believe it is key to weight loss.

 

[diamondfan]

Bee, my plan that I use has no calorie counting, it is about what you eat and the portion size...so I can eyeball it in a restaurant...and it works for me really well. I know what cuts of meat and what types of fish, and generally I bring half of an entree home because portions are huge in restaurants, especially in the states.

 

[Mara]

i agree that everyone has a plan that works for them. for me eyeballing doesn't cut it. i tend to mentally make the eyeball larger than it should be, hahaa. i think many times our minds can play tricks on us too in terms of justifications or lowballing what you tend to consume. that's why i can't dispute cold hard numbers...in terms of what i consumed that day or will be consuming. it's eye opening at times what certain foods have in them. aka sushi, you'd think oh i just had 6 rolls...no big deal. well typically 6 rolls depending on what they have in them could be anywhere from 300-600 calories. pretty substantial splurge considering it is not a large amount of food.

in terms of counting, i count what i can ... aka what i have control over. obviously i am not out counting calories at a restaurant, i just eat what i want. if i want the whole portion, i eat it all. and the next day i just work out harder. but when i am at home or at work and i have control over my eating environment, that is when i keep track of things. though i know enough know to know what i am eating out at a restaurant...typically i budget about 1000 calories for a restaurant meal because they pack in a ton of things we don't even know about into making things like sauces, and they use butter on almost everything etc. so if we are going out that night, i tend to eat light the rest of the day so that i have that extra 1k calories to splurge...and eat dessert too!

 

[diamondfan]

my brother in law is a Cordon Blue trained chef and he told me that restaurants use tons of butter, cream and oil, it just makes the food taste better. I never clean my plate and I often try to ask for minimal oil and butter to be used, but when I am out I try to enjoy it and know I have little control over what gets used in a sauce or stock...but I still immediately put half away, because if I do eat it all, 20 minutes later I feel sick and wish I had not. I also think a bit of real butter or good olive olive is healthy, just like nuts and avocados, when I was really thin I ate almost no fat and my hair and skin was dry and my nails were very brittle. Now they are like rocks and my skin is not as dry...I think it is all about making choices, and I would rather eat one scoop of fabulous ice cream or enjoy a great dessert than eat a box of snack wells fat free crud...savor and enjoy it when you indulge and make it worth it, once in a while helps keep you on track and does not hurt you, if you feel deprived all the time you are less likely to succeed longterm...

 

[Christa]

Date: 1/2/2007 12:17:45 PM
Author: diamondfan
my brother in law is a Cordon Blue trained chef and he told me that restaurants use tons of butter, cream and oil, it just makes the food taste better. I never clean my plate and I often try to ask for minimal oil and butter to be used, but when I am out I try to enjoy it and know I have little control over what gets used in a sauce or stock...but I still immediately put half away, because if I do eat it all, 20 minutes later I feel sick and wish I had not. I also think a bit of real butter or good olive olive is healthy, just like nuts and avocados, when I was really thin I ate almost no fat and my hair and skin was dry and my nails were very brittle. Now they are like rocks and my skin is not as dry...I think it is all about making choices, and I would rather eat one scoop of fabulous ice cream or enjoy a great dessert than eat a box of snack wells fat free crud...savor and enjoy it when you indulge and make it worth it, once in a while helps keep you on track and does not hurt you, if you feel deprived all the time you are less likely to succeed longterm...

Oh, I *so* agree!

 

[bee*]

thanks so much again, I will have to fill out one of those sheets. I am going to sit down tonight and try and work out a plan as I just cant do it by myself! My eyes are way too big for my belly and I always want the rubbish! Oh well. I only have six months until new york so I''d better get cracking

 

[Allisonfaye]

Kimberly, I have been thinking about your question for a while. I started to post but didn''t get a chance. I was always really thin until I hit 26. I mean I couldn''t gain a pound if I tried (and I did). I started working desk jobs and got very little exercise and I guess that did it. I slowly creeped up from 102 (at 23) to 120. I dropped back down to 113 but when I got married at 37, I was at 122. Then I had two kids in a fairly short period of time. I didn''t have a lot of trouble losing the weight back but I seem to not be moving below the 122. I guess ideally, I would like to be at 115. But I am a solid size 6. Would I like to be a 4? You bet. But I have a sweet tooth and I don''t want to live on salads all the time. I eat fairly healthy and I work out (about 3-4 times a week) as much as I am able with two little kids.

I agree with Christa that in your case, enough is enough. You are healthy and you take care of yourself. You could starve yourself. I just think that when you are making a huge effort to be healthy, it isn''t important if you are a size 8 or 6. I think we women need to accept ourselves and not constantly focus on our imperfections. Let''s face it. ALL of us could be doing more to be healthy. There is not one person on earth who could not do another thing to be healthier. But life is about balance. If you told me I could never have another bowl of ice cream, I would be really depressed. I KNOW I could lose that weight if I gave up my sweets. But I want to enjoy my life too.

I am struck by how many people on here mention eating disorders. I think about it a lot because I have two daughters and I don''t want them to think that they have to be rail thin. I heard a stat on the news the other night that 40 percent of women have issues with eating disorders at some point in life. That is truly scary. Sometimes I wonder what it is going to take to turn the speeding train of women in this country being obsessed with thinness and appearance the other way. I guess I think as individuals, we have to try not to get so obsessed with ourselves and our appearance. I want to set a good example for my children.

But I truly think you should let it go as long as you are healthy. And congratulations for quitting smoking. That is the single best thing you could do for your health.

 

[KimberlyH]

Allisonfaye,

I so appreciate your heartfelt, thoughtful response. It''s amazing how hard we are on our bodies and what it does to us mentally. I look back now at my late teens (I''m 29) and would love to have that body again, but I have grown into my adult skin and it''s just not feasible, and how silly to know that then I thought I was fat, I''ve always thought I was fat, no matter what I weight or how I look. I only weigh 10 lbs more than I did at 16, that''s not such a bad thing. I am working this all out in my head and going both directions, I''ve returned to calorie counting for a while just to see if I''ve been accurate, and I feel better now, mentally, knowing that I''ve been doing exactly what I say/believed myself to be.

We have reservations to a fabulous restaurant in La Jolla this coming Sunday for San Diego restaurant week, and the thought of not being able to go and enjoy because I''m worried about my calorie intake is just so stupid to me.

I am one of those people who really needs to work to find balance, I have an extremist personality and I spend a fair amount of time making sure that I am not being too drastic one way or anthoer, I was concerned I was losing it by wanting to drop down to 1000 calories today. Everyone''s input has helped me to see that I wasn''t making the most healthy choice for me.

Now if I could just look in the mirror and be proud of what I see!

 

[Mara]

i am like that too kimberly, i get extremist easily if i don''t watch it...obsessive even. (no way? i''m on a forum about diamonds!) but lucky for me, i love eating. i think that is honestly my saving grace. i don''t ever want to cut out dessert, or not have snacks....or eat healthily all the time. we love going out to dinner on the wkds. i would cry if that was taken away. so for me, i just hit up the gym more and watch my food the rest of the time. so i think that my love for food keeps me from being too extremist and not eating enough or not eating fat or whatever. i just flat out can''t.

allison also to your point about eating disorders and women wanting to be or look thinner....i almost wonder if a lot of that doesn''t stem from the fact that so much of america is overweight and unhealthy...so people want to go the other route and ''never end up like that'' or whatever. i wonder if we had a more healthy society in general, aka like europe in terms of weight and health and exercise and eating and how they do it...if americans would be so obsessed with weight...being smaller. do europeans typically have this many issues with eating disorders etc? kinda interesting anyway.

 

[Allisonfaye]

Date: 1/4/2007 7:28:01 PM
Author: Mara
i am like that too kimberly, i get extremist easily if i don''t watch it...obsessive even. (no way? i''m on a forum about diamonds!) but lucky for me, i love eating. i think that is honestly my saving grace. i don''t ever want to cut out dessert, or not have snacks....or eat healthily all the time. we love going out to dinner on the wkds. i would cry if that was taken away. so for me, i just hit up the gym more and watch my food the rest of the time. so i think that my love for food keeps me from being too extremist and not eating enough or not eating fat or whatever. i just flat out can''t.

allison also to your point about eating disorders and women wanting to be or look thinner....i almost wonder if a lot of that doesn''t stem from the fact that so much of america is overweight and unhealthy...so people want to go the other route and ''never end up like that'' or whatever. i wonder if we had a more healthy society in general, aka like europe in terms of weight and health and exercise and eating and how they do it...if americans would be so obsessed with weight...being smaller. do europeans typically have this many issues with eating disorders etc? kinda interesting anyway.

Yes, it is interesting. I think about the other extreme (obesity) alot too. I think the main reason that we Americans are so heavy is because we watch way more TV than they do in other countries. In Europe, they GO OUT. They walk. They socialize. We veg in front of the TV. But I tend to think the eating disorders are more likely to be a result of the media and peer pressure. We are obsessed with Hollywood. Anyone on the Purse Forum can see that too.

I remember my best friend growing up and I were started talking about dieting as young as 10 or 11. I never had an eating disorder but I found out years later that she did. I hope I didn''t have any negative influence on her. I certainly never meant to. Interestingly, I was the one with the screwed up family life and she grew up in a Norman Rockwell painting.

Kimberly: I am so glad to hear that you are going out to dinner and you are going to enjoy yourself. It sounds like you have a pretty good balance.

 

[tdiddy]

I don''t normally post on the workout threads - mainly read them so I hope I am not intruding. I can relate to your situation as well. My workout poison is marathon running these days. I never ran more than a mile up until about 4 years ago - mainly because I also smoked. But then I gave up smoking and started working out daily and after about one year of that joined a running club to train for a 10k. After running that I set my sights on the marathon and have been doing about 2 a year plus numerous halfs, mini''s, 10ks, etc. ever since. And with all of that training and being a very fit person, I too struggle with the number on the scale and how much is too much/too little which most of my friends find hard to believe.

The only insight I can offer is that there is a place where I truly feel fantastic both on the road and off. A weight that apparently is good enough to give me the energy to run 30-40 miles a week and cross train on the other days and I feel like I look good at. To me, that is the sweet spot. At 5ft 9, it''s about 126 lbs. And it''s often hard work to maintain that during the off season of Nov-Dec and honestly most of the time I put on 5 lbs I have to take off after the holidays when I start training again. I''ve gone below that and overtrained for one marathon and although I ran my best time, I ended up sidelined with a stress fracture for a 3 months and never had energy po fun while training for it. I have weighed more and run but felt like I was carrying a 10 lb turkey on my back. But I will say that I don''t do well judging it by a scale. I actually don''t have one at my house - I only know from occasionally standing on a scale at my sister''s house while training that it''s about 126 lbs. So I am a firm believer in judging by how you feel. If you want to look good in a size 2 but don''t have the energy to wear those size 2 jeans out b/c you never eat, then what''s the point? But if you work out enough to challenge your body and eat right most of the time (I love junk food so I splurge a lot!), you can still look good in those jeans and have fun when you wear them out. The key is finding the balance in your workout, eating right most of the time, and changing things up when working out to jumpstart your body when it needs it (interval training, add hills, change speeds, change machines, try new classes).

At the end of the day for most people, when anything extreme is embarked upon we can only maintain it for so long before we give up or something happens. Any size or situation that stresses you out or that you have to do something negative (i.e. smoke, risk overtraining injury, etc) to maintain isn''t worth it.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 1/5/2007 7:21:27 PM
Author: tdiddy

I don''t normally post on the workout threads - mainly read them so I hope I am not intruding. I can relate to your situation as well. My workout poison is marathon running these days. I never ran more than a mile up until about 4 years ago - mainly because I also smoked. But then I gave up smoking and started working out daily and after about one year of that joined a running club to train for a 10k. After running that I set my sights on the marathon and have been doing about 2 a year plus numerous halfs, mini''s, 10ks, etc. ever since. And with all of that training and being a very fit person, I too struggle with the number on the scale and how much is too much/too little which most of my friends find hard to believe.

The only insight I can offer is that there is a place where I truly feel fantastic both on the road and off. A weight that apparently is good enough to give me the energy to run 30-40 miles a week and cross train on the other days and I feel like I look good at. To me, that is the sweet spot. At 5ft 9, it''s about 126 lbs. And it''s often hard work to maintain that during the off season of Nov-Dec and honestly most of the time I put on 5 lbs I have to take off after the holidays when I start training again. I''ve gone below that and overtrained for one marathon and although I ran my best time, I ended up sidelined with a stress fracture for a 3 months and never had energy po fun while training for it. I have weighed more and run but felt like I was carrying a 10 lb turkey on my back. But I will say that I don''t do well judging it by a scale. I actually don''t have one at my house - I only know from occasionally standing on a scale at my sister''s house while training that it''s about 126 lbs. So I am a firm believer in judging by how you feel. If you want to look good in a size 2 but don''t have the energy to wear those size 2 jeans out b/c you never eat, then what''s the point? But if you work out enough to challenge your body and eat right most of the time (I love junk food so I splurge a lot!), you can still look good in those jeans and have fun when you wear them out. The key is finding the balance in your workout, eating right most of the time, and changing things up when working out to jumpstart your body when it needs it (interval training, add hills, change speeds, change machines, try new classes).

At the end of the day for most people, when anything extreme is embarked upon we can only maintain it for so long before we give up or something happens. Any size or situation that stresses you out or that you have to do something negative (i.e. smoke, risk overtraining injury, etc) to maintain isn''t worth it.

tdiddy,

You are in no way intruding, I want to know what people think, because I was afraid my reasoning was, well, unreasonable. It''s funny because I''ve shed 1 or 2 of those unwanted pounds since posting this, and I haven''t been doing much differently. I increased my cardio about a month ago and perhaps it''s catching up with me.

Thnak you for sharing! I know that extremities are bad, I just needed to be reminded.

 

[gailrmv]

Kimberly,
It sounds like you have a very sensible plan and doing everything right! I think it depends on your height and body type as to whether you can get smaller. I would not want to do 1000 cals a day frankly. I would suggest getting your body fat tested and see if you can realistically try to lose fat or if you are already really lean. I know that even at my absolute leanest ever I will never be smaller than an 8 or a 6 because I am 5''9 with large bones and lots of muscles - it just wouldn''t happen without doing something very unhealthy.

Anyway some other suggestions that I have not seen listed yet, if you decide to pursue it, are to try and distribute your calories over the day more evenly by eating 6 small meals. Also, I would definitely continue to add a few minutes here and there to your cardio, and definitely add in some weight training. Don''t be concerned if you gain a few pounds b/c muscle weighs more than fat but it will help you raise your metabolism which is what you want!

Remember you are already starting in a really good place and have already made lots of healthy choices!

 

[diamondfan]

Gail, that is a great comment. I usually do 4-6 smaller meals, and do not eat a large meal in the evening. I have hypoglycemia and I find that constantly having something in my stomach is better for me, fewer headaches etc, than trying to eat three larger meals. I feel more satisfied longer...

 

[eks6426]

I haven''t figured out a way to fit the regular gym type exercise into my life, but I started doing mini workouts at my desk and it has really made a difference. For example, every time I come back from the restroom I do 10 squats, 10 lunges & 10 pilets. The at the top of every hour I do some arm & shoulder exercises (those reference books can be handy weights!). When I get a drink, I do some stretching exercises. I try not to get caught by my coworkers In doing this for just a couple of weeks now I''ve noticed a lot of change. I always take the stairs and try to take the "long" way around to people''s offices. I use restrooms on the opposite end of the building..sometimes on a different floor to try to get in some cardio. Sure, I still would prefer to get to the gym, but since I can''t right now this is better than nothing.

I do admit to doing core ab type work at home before I get dressed every morning and then I try to do the pilates "plank" position for 2 minutes before bed.

Little things add up.

 

[Mara]

good for you ID....you should post this over in the WWT. i agree that little things can add up!! everything counts.

how come you can't fit time to work out in? even a 30 minute brisk walk around the neighborhood is great to get started! or do cardio or bootcamp to watching TV....

 

[eks6426]

Mara--Thanks. I pretty much read only on the workout thread because I am ashamed I just don''t have it together enough to get that 30 minutes in. I actually don''t even have enough time to watch TV so I can''t do the exercising then. The only time I could get time is to get up at 5am instead of 5:30 and I just can''t get that done so far. The 5:30 getting up is bad enough. I''d love to take a walk after dinner but by the time we are done with dinner, kids homework & our own job homework it is usually bedtime. At least doing a little bit at work helps for now.

 

[Maria D]

Wow IslandDreams, I sincerely hope you''re not really "ashamed!" I can workout 5 times a week because I have only one child (who is 13 and more independent than younger ones would be) and work only part-time. I can''t imagine how it would be possible working full time with younger children. You certainly shouldn''t compare yourself with people here who are childfree (or "jobfree") and can carve out time for themselves whenever they want. You should be proud for everything that you do!