Calorie deprivation - how bad is it really?

Golly, you guys are just too brilliant for words.

Thank you for the encouragement and, Veronica, for the tough love. You're absolutely right. I did ask for their nutrition sheet before we ordered and I tried to get the sanest thing on the menu (a teriyaki grilled chicken sandwich with a side salad), but yeah, the frozen yogurt was not the smartest choice. It was just the most convenient.

Okay, so I'll start varying the level of workouts from day to day, which shouldn't be hard. I only have the chance to do really long rides on the weekends, but I try to get to the Y for other cardio at least four days during the week. I have an appointment tomorrow with one of their personal trainers to get set up on the weight machines, so I'll start doing that part, too, tomorrow. They have a nutritionist, too. I'll see about setting up an appointment with her.

I swear, this hundred pounds extra WILL come off.

I've gotten hooked on Universal Sports network, watching the cycling world championships and last night, the Kona Ironman from 2008. It's all just so inspiring. I want to get out and do that stuff, too, and I've never felt like that before in my life. I got a D in gym in 8th grade, for crying out loud.

What do your daily diets look like as far as nutrients go - percentages of carbs and protein, for instance. I remember somewhere reading 30-30-40 was good, but I'm not sure what that means.

Roxy

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Originally Posted by Pedal Wench

Yikes -- their salads are at least 1,000 calories - sandwiches too. Wow.

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Yeah, I found that pretty shocking. I ended up ordering the 200-calorie side salad (instead of fries) which turned out to be a small cup of iceberg lettuce with some shaved purple cabbage and carrots on top, with a quarter cup of ranch dressing on the side. Nixed the dressing, and I'm back to a 50-calorie cup of veggies. Sort of. Does iceberg lettuce count for anything?

Roxy

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Originally Posted by Syndirelah

If you want to lose weight, you don't get a reward just because you knocked out a long ride. Eat a good breakfast, and bring a gel or two, and an apple or banana for afterwards.

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Right, you don't "earn" a hot fudge sundae... but a decent, well-balanced 300-500 calorie meal (preferably with some protein, methinks) is certainly not out of the question.

Hmmm.... sometimes, the high-fat reward works; at least, it has for me. The day AFTER I have ice cream is the day I'll see a drop on the scale. Or did, anyway, when I had a scale. That doesn't mean I'll eat the whole container of Ben and Jerry's, mind you, but I'd have a half-cup and bam! Two or three pounds down the next day. (That's after a week of fairly clean and calorie-counted eating, mind you, not just after the ice cream.)

Roxy, aim for fats (good fats) about 20% of your calories, proteins 20-30% of your calories, and carbs the rest (50-60%), unless your doctor has specifically put you on a low-fat diet.

I'd second Veronica's suggestion about a nutritionist if you have 100 lbs to lose. You'll be at it for awhile so you need a sensible plan that you will stick with. She/he can give you a good macro nutrient breakdown depending on your activity level. Make sure your YMCA nutritionist has some type of certification.

Your personal trainer should set you up with a full body, compound exercise routine. That means squats, push ups, pull ups (assisted as needed) and not bicep & triceps curls. You want to engage as many muscle groups as possible during a movement. For example, push ups engage pectorals, deltoids, triceps and abs. Leave the single body part movements for the bodybuilders.

That is a great tip. Thank you.

They're all great tips. I know there is no magic bullet here, and I want to be smart about it because I don't want to be yo-yoing back and forth. And I want the weight loss to stick. I am really enjoying being active. I never felt like this before, where I'm looking forward to getting a good workout in. It's always been a chore before. Something's different.

I really think it was cycling that made the change possible. I've never been able to keep up with my more-fit friends in anything and always ended up feeling worse about myself at the end of the day, but with cycling, I can feel like a real athlete and ride fifty miles and be ready for more the next day.

It's really very liberating for me. Those of you who are and always have been active and fit may not be able to relate-- I've actually been told i can't participate because I'm too heavy. I can't do the tris because I can't find a wetsuit in my size and it takes me too long to swim the distance. I can do it, but in the cold water, hypothermia is a real concern.

I may be able to do the cycling leg of a relay team. I'm waiting for two friends to get back to me about whether they can do the running and swimming legs.

Anyway, thank you all for the advice and tips on what to ask the nutritionst and trainer, and on what to expect of myself. I'm navigating new waters here.

Roxy

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Originally Posted by channlluv

I got a D in gym in 8th grade, for crying out loud.

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Hee hee, you're not alone, love. :D

Best of luck on your journey. We'll be rooting for you.

If you can make it up to the Bay Area for a weekend, we have a tri for fun series that runs June, July and August. The swim is in an old quarry and you don't need a wetsuit.

A goal for next summer! :D

Veronica

channlluv--I'm so happy for you! I'm glad you've found cycling. I've been told I'm too "big" to do stuff before too and it completely sucked. I hope you get to do the triathlon with your friends!

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Originally Posted by channlluv

I can't do the tris because I can't find a wetsuit in my size and it takes me too long to swim the distance. I can do it, but in the cold water, hypothermia is a real concern.

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No need to stop short of fulfilling your dream at your current size. For a reasonable price, you can get a custom wetsuit made at Liquidfit. I had Carolyn make one for me for scuba diving when I was a size 20+, and it was great.

Go for it!:D:D

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Originally Posted by Syndirelah

If you want to lose weight, you don't get a reward just because you knocked out a long ride. Eat a good breakfast, and bring a gel or two, and an apple or banana for afterwards.

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If I'm doing a 50-mile ride,a gel or two won't even get me through the ride itself. I would need at least 500 calories during that ride, probably more to avoid bonking. And a piece of fruit afterwards is not enough for recovery.

Roxy, you're probably overwhelmed with information here, but if you can stand one more recommendation, I highly recommend Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guide Book. http://www.nancyclarkrd.com/books/sportsnutrition.asp

Depends. Overweight people who just begin exercising bonk easier because they are unable to access fat stores. Fat needs carbs to burn in the Krebs cycle. It's a balance, though, and that's where a nutritionist & a personal trainer can really help. You don't want to scarf down a dozen donuts & ride for ten minutes. ;)

LSD rides (long slow duration) use more fat because the Krebs cycle (where fat is burned) takes awhile. Faster rides at a higher heart rate use more carbs, generally. So, should overweight people do only LSD rides? No. It's the calories in vs calories out equation, for the most part.

Until recently, we thought that intervals burned more fat due to the afterburn effect (the time it takes for your body to return to stasis.) Turns out, the afterburn effect is minimal and intervals often lead to injuries. Intervals do provide variety, though, so they aren't all bad.

There you are. More information than you wanted, probably. I love to talk about personal training. :)

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Originally Posted by Veronica

...If you keep doing the same thing in the same way, you are going to keep getting the same results. If you are not happy with those results, you need to change something up...

But that is something only you can decide. ...

Be the change you want to see.

Veronica

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Amen, Sister!

My brain is going to explode.

I'm going to order the sports nutrition book as soon as I get home. I hope it will explain this Krebs cycle. :)

Okay, so the "trainer" at the Y took in my appearance and read the info sheet I'd filled out and started talking about watching my diet, avoid potatoes and pasta...same old stuff I hear from well-meaning friends who don't know me well. She recommended Weight Watchers. She also recommended I change doctors, or at least try hers because my doctor is missing something if I'm not losing weight, probably a low-performing thyroid, even though I told her I always test normal. Basically, she made a lot of assumptions based on her personal experiences.

I already know how to work the cardio machines, so she skipped that and took me to the Strive machines and explained how they worked, but I didn't get to work out at all. What a wasted afternoon.

Later, I stopped by a special swim store and bought a swim cap and new goggles. I'll work out tomorrow.

Roxy

I challenged a good friend of mine who weighs the same as you to do a tri with me two years ago, she got to choose the tri, where and when...bought a bike, joined the y, swam, etc. DID the tri and then a few more, which was hard carrying the weight. Decided to get pregnant this year (39, last chance-ish) and did all the testing with her doctor, still weighs 220. She is in PERFECT health, in every way, good cholesterol, thyroid, sugars, everything they test, plus all the hormonal, endicronal etc. tests for getting pregnant. She has finally decided that ok, yes she would like to "look" thinner so that she could be "more attractive" in the eyes of society and therefore "feel" better about herself, but she is strong, healthy and athletic so, she is gonna "live" with that, as in be happy with that, and if, along the way, she loses more weight since she generally changed her eating and training habits, well great, but no more anxiety and no more calorie counting. And the dissipation of the anxiety and stress over her weight might have helped her! she got pregnant on the first try (artificial insemination)!