Weigh-in Week of March 10

I *think* I have managed to break the 122 barrier, but only by a half pound. However, I've been doing my abs routine and my upper body strength exercises very consistently since Feb 11 and I think I'm starting to see some results. I am feeling much tighter and stronger, in fact I was able to increase the amount of weight I lift, and went from 2-3 sets. And I can do 20 pushups at a time now, and hold the plank for 30+ seconds and before I could barely do 10 pushups. And today I went for a run and actually ran for 18 minutes with one 3-min session of walking halfway. All of things are big accomplishments for me, even if my weight isn't changing. I am getting closer and closer to that 2-piece swimsuit. :D

I have one more week before I get married and I will stop dieting for at least a week (probably gain back 1-2 lbs in that time too, oh well...) I really just want to be down to 121 by the end of the month. I should be able to be riding regularly next week too. Yippee!!

Awesome job KG!!! :D

Excellent Kelownagirl!
Sounds like you are doing all the right things.
I am still at 140!
Manged to do a few more workouts and am feeling less jigglely but if I break that 140 and stay there I will rejoice!
Exercise;
2.5hr slow run on Sat
spin 1 hr Sunday
Mon-off
Tues- 8kmrun
Wed -Timetrial spinneral workout
Thur- Row 10,000m
Fri- Off
I didn't do so well with my food this week, ate way too many empty calories so that is what I will concentrate on changing this week and then maybe just maybe I can break 140 for good:)
Also I would like to get a workout in on either Fri or Monday- have to just figure out how fit that in with the rest of "life"
Hope everyone is is managing to meet their goals-
Mr Silver- did you stay on your losing streak or did your body want to return to a different threshold?
Seems mine like 140:( :(

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Originally Posted by Pika

Mr Silver- did you stay on your losing streak or did your body want to return to a different threshold?
Seems mine like 140:( :(

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I think I'm OK. Hit a new low of 165.5 this week. I rode 54 miles this weekend with Silver, so we'll see what my weight is tomorrow. I usually gain over the weekend from eating voraciously at home #1. I don't keep snacks at home #2.

So, I'll weigh in tomorrow.

Pika: You're doing the right things, so keep it up. The way you're feeling is a good sign.

Kelownagirl: Keep it up.

Way to go, KG!

I found out this weekend that I am indeed capable of "emotional" eating. In the past, whenever I had big upset, the last thing I did was eat. I would stop eating altogether. I would always lose weight. I went on the "divorce diet", for instance, and got really skinny. That was after my middle child was born. It's just not my usual pattern to eat when I'm upset. In fact, when I cry hard, I usually can't keep anything down.

But on Friday I got in a huge fight with my mother, and the first thing I did was go and get something to eat! (After I hurled from all the crying.) What's up with that?

And then last night I saw Christiane Northrup say that peri-menopause is the time when we are finally able to deal with childhood traumas and so they come up like clockwork. That's what the fight was about. blah. Emotional eating. Double-blah.

I took a nice hard ride today--first one of the season except for a mtn ride 2 weeks ago. I don't think I gained, but if I don't find some emotional clarity, I'm doomed.

Congrats everyone.

Karen

Good job everyone!

I slipped (it's a reoccuring theme with me:p ). Ds started swimming lessons last week, every day M-F for 2 weeks. So I'm gone from 7am to 7pm. Needless to say supper was mostly pb&j and I had zero energy by the time I'd fed him and got him to bed. Have I mentioned how much I dispise the smell of chlorine??

Anyhow, I was dumb enough to bring in doughnuts:eek: for the guys at work because they've been working OT and I thought they deserved a treat. Don't worry, Mimi has set me straight on that error:D . I imbibed and gained 2 pounds for the week. I also took the week off from running because my shins are killing me. They won't get better anytime soon so I'm gonna have to just deal with that.

So, I am now logging my food and activities on fitday. No excuses and I should see some patterns and where I'm struggling. I usually start the week off strong, fizzle during the mid to end of the week and get back at it on the weekends. So Friday will be my day off. Here's my proposed schedule to be ready for my duathlon May 6th:

Mon: run at lunch, bike at night (trainer)
Tues: 1 hour cardio/weights in the evening
Wed: bike in the evening (trainer)
Thur: run at lunch, 1 hr cardio/weights at night
Fri: off
Sat: Run in the am and bike outside
Sun: Cardio/weights 1 hour

As the weather gets better I'll talk ds out biking on the tag-a-long at least once a week and do intervals and/or hills. So I'll see how this works and adjust if need be. I'd appreciate any feedback on this schedule if something jumps at you.

Thanks!

Dar - looks good to me - if you can't lose weight doing all that exercise, something's wrong!

Tuckervill - sorry you had a fight with your mom, and ended up eating for solace. I too have found my emotions have changed over the past 5 years. Let's just hope it's another "stage" that we'll get thru?... :rolleyes:

Well no inches were lost this past week, but none were gained, so that is good. :) Droped 2 pounds and my body Fat % keeps heading in the right direction. :cool:

Interestingly, this was a one month experiment for me. I actually cut back on exercise and the weight and inches and body fat began coming off again. :confused:

BMO - well I think sometimes it takes your body a bit of time to catch up or adapt. Maybe the loss you saw this week was due to things you did the weeks before? I cut back on calories and exercise and nothing seems to happen for a few weeks. Then all of sudden I drop a couple of pounds. Then I plateau again for a few more weeks. It's happened to me a few times.

DH thinks maybe I'm losing weight again now because I've been going strength exercises regularly for the past month. He figures I've gained more muscle and my metabolism may be increasing. I hope he's right. :)

I was down to 120.5 this morning! My end-of-March goal is 121 so now I will have a little bit of leeway when I'm off honeymooning next week. :D

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Originally Posted by kelownagirl

BMO - well I think sometimes it takes your body a bit of time to catch up or adapt. Maybe the loss you saw this week was due to things you did the weeks before? I cut back on calories and exercise and nothing seems to happen for a few weeks. Then all of sudden I drop a couple of pounds. Then I plateau again for a few more weeks. It's happened to me a few times.

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I have been losing every week, usually between 1.5-2 pounds as well as inches and body Fat % (yay!) :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kelownagirl

DH thinks maybe I'm losing weight again now because I've been going strength exercises regularly for the past month. He figures I've gained more muscle and my metabolism may be increasing. I hope he's right. :)

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It sounds about right. I have decreased my intensity to more weight training exercises and it has helped me. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kelownagirl

I was down to 120.5 this morning! My end-of-March goal is 121 so now I will have a little bit of leeway when I'm off honeymooning next week. :D

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Congrats on exceeding your goal. :) How tall are you? 120 is teeny. :eek:

BMO - I am 5'3", and pretty small boned. I was 105 lbs in my youth. Went up to about 110-112 in my late 20's. I want to see how I look and how strong I feel at 115 lbs. I should theoretically be at the low end of my healthy body fat percentage. I want to see what it's like to have an athlete's body fat (15%? can't remember). I am not obsessive about it all. I am curious and willing to try for it by summer. Then all bets are off. I will eat reasonably and enjoy life. I will hope to use exercise to maintain my weight. I do NOT want to yoyo diet all my life.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kelownagirl

BMO - I am 5'3", and pretty small boned. I was 105 lbs in my youth. Went up to about 110-112 in my late 20's. I want to see how I look and how strong I feel at 115 lbs. I should theoretically be at the low end of my healthy body fat percentage. I want to see what it's like to have an athlete's body fat (15%? can't remember). I am not obsessive about it all. I am curious and willing to try for it by summer. Then all bets are off. I will eat reasonably and enjoy life. I will hope to use exercise to maintain my weight. I do NOT want to yoyo diet all my life.

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I have no doubt you will reach your goal. :)

Can I join in? I have some goals, and have lost about 12 pounds in the last 4 or 5 weeks. I would like to lose 10 more before the middle of April. I started out with two weeks of straight induction Atkins to curb my cravings for sweets, and now am on low fat, low calories. Went out to dinner tonight and got extra veggies with my baked salmon instead of a starch - it was awesome to feel fulfilled and not have all the extras. I feel like I am on a roll. I am 5'8" and built muscular, and put on weight in the middle with just normal eating, so I have to be extra vigilant to get it off. I wear size 14 levis that are getting pretty loose - woohoo!!

Here is my horse, Allure, and I last spring:
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o.../allureLBL.jpg

Horsemom - welcome aboard! Congrats on the weight loss so far - keep up the good work.

Love the pic and your avatar:p

Welcome Horsemom. :) Congratulations on the weight loss thus far. :cool:

Hi Everyone,
Last week I hadn't lost any weight after eating 1700 calories a day for more than 2 weeks.

I still haven't lost any weight (I also took a few days off from my cal counting ;) ) I saw my doctor this week and she had some encouraging suggestions:

First of all, she did a BMI test on me. My BMI isn't as high as we thought. So, I only need to lose about 15 lbs to get to my healthy BMI as opposed to 25 like I had originally thought.

Second, she suggested decreasing my carbs from 60% of my diet to about 50% and staying at 1700 calories a day.

I need to intensify my workouts. I can't just ride my bike for an hour anymore. I have to do interval training with a recovery time of only 2 to 3 minutes in between.

Lastly, she said to workout first thing in the morning before I eat and to not eat for an hour afterwards. She said I'll feel tired and not as energized, but it will burn my fat stores as opposed to the energy in my kidneys.

So, I am going to integrate her suggestions into my daily routine. I will let you know if the scale finally budges next week.

Wish me luck!

Good luck, Limewave! It took me a couple weeks to see a weight loss-I was ready to give up, but then it started coming off. I avoid carbs for the most part, and feel great with lean protein and the carbs I get from veggies and fruits (though I limit fruit to an apple and a grapefruit a day as a snack).

Your doctor sounds great. I don't know about the workout first thing without food, though....not being a morning person, it sounds too much like torture!! Let us know how you do!!

Laura

I used to work out without eating right when I was in my 30s. I was wiped out for the rest of the day. I can't do that again. I just got back from a bike ride, during which I stopped for a half an hour to help Animal Control catch two stray dogs at our ballpark. Lots of running. (We got one--they've been on the lamb for 4 months!) I am STARVING, even thought I ate a bowl of Kashi before I left.

On the other hand, I'm not feeling happy with my progress. Nine lbs since the last day of December, and on sparkpeople the chart shows I should be further ahead (if I were losing 2 lbs a week). While I was changing my habits, I was happy to just see a little progress, but I'd like to "catch up" to that rate and see a little more acceleration. So I'm thinking about starting a streak of exercising every day, and tightening up my calorie intake (I estimate a lot). Five weeks before my trip to Oregon. Can I lose 10 lbs by then?

Karen

Karen wrote: >>Five weeks before my trip to Oregon. Can I lose 10 lbs by then?<<

You can do it, Karen!! I try to eat a couple poached eggs for breakfast - the protein seems to hold me longer than carbs, then I don't eat lunch until later in the day. Sometimes I just eat a handful of nuts and an apple on the way to work. Remember to drink lots of water to fill you up and keep things flowing!!

Good for you - helping with the dogs!

Laura

Thanks, Laura! :)

I can do it!!!

Karen

I've read a little about doing the early morning before breakfast intense workout. Apparently it does burn fat stores very well. From what little I actually know, I think this can work, but I think you should eat healthy food including some protein within 30 minutes of finishing to replenish glycogen stores. Your muscles will thank you! Make sure you eat just the right amount of calories and don't over do it....I think you can still lose weight this way! You can do this!!!

Hugs and very light butterflies!
~T~

i need to try that. I/m not much of a morning person and since riding is my preferred form of cardio, I can't see myself getting on my bike before breakie. But... I will try it. :)

Definitely try it on a day you don't have to work! But, yes, I believe you can do it! At least once a week!

H&B
~T~

I don't weigh in until Friday or Saturday, so all week I watch this thread to see how everyone is doing while I wait to post my update. You all are so inspiring!!

Today I'm down another pound to 152.8. At this rate (1 lb a week) I have a shot at getting to 145 by my century. That would be very nice! :D

And not to be the lone dissenter, but I've heard that the morning exercise thing is a lark. You can't force your body to burn fat stores over glycogen any more than you can lose weight from one particular spot. Yes, if you have no glycogen stores, your body burns fat. But if you don't have any strength or energy, than it's possible that you don't work as hard, and you burn less overall. I think the smartest time to workout is when it fits into your schedule and when you will be most consistent about it. If you HATE morning workouts, forcing yourself to do them isn't really doing yourself any good.

But...what do I know...I'm still almost 20 lbs over-fat. :p

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

I don't weigh in until Friday or Saturday, so all week I watch this thread to see how everyone is doing while I wait to post my update. You all are so inspiring!!

Today I'm down another pound to 152.8. At this rate (1 lb a week) I have a shot at getting to 145 by my century. That would be very nice! :D

And not to be the lone dissenter, but I've heard that the morning exercise thing is a lark. You can't force your body to burn fat stores over glycogen any more than you can lose weight from one particular spot. Yes, if you have no glycogen stores, your body burns fat. But if you don't have any strength or energy, than it's possible that you don't work as hard, and you burn less overall. I think the smartest time to workout is when it fits into your schedule and when you will be most consistent about it. If you HATE morning workouts, forcing yourself to do them isn't really doing yourself any good.

But...what do I know...I'm still almost 20 lbs over-fat. :p

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I have tried the morning exercise thing. I sit on my trainer half-dead and end up taking a break every 5 minutes. I agree with you, I don't think I'm getting much out of my workout. Fortunately with the weather getting warmer and daylight savings, I can actually start riding outdoors and my training will be longer and more intense. Hopefully that will get the scale going in the right direction.

By the way, congrats on your loss. I hope you make your goal!

I'm a believer that working out on an empty stomach burns fat. That said, I don't like the morning workout because your stomach has been empty for so long. I've thrown up once that way:(

I find what works for me is to work out 2 hours after supper. I'm not starving then, but I don't have anything in my stomach. Of course, by work out I mean an aerobic tape, run or a combo aerobic/weight training session. I can only bike about 45 minutes at a good clip on my trainer like this. I never bike on the road with an empty stomach. You then get the additional benefit of going to bed then and letting your metabolism continue to crank at a higher rate while you're sleeping. The hard part for me is that I'm wiped out during the work week to do this more than 3 times a week. Good luck everyone!

Hmm, well then I wonder if my after-school bike rides are good then? My stomach is pretty empty by 3 pm (we have lunch at 11:15).

I think the stagette last night, (well, the 3 glasses of wine), did wonders for my weight loss program. I must be dehydrated this morning because I'm down to 119.9. Whoo baby, even if it's a fake loss, it was exciting to see the scale go under 120 for the first time in 15 years...

Way to go, KG! I think it counts.

Regarding morning work outs...I heard Bob Greene say that most of the people who are on the National Weight Loss Registry work out in the morning, and that those who work out in the morning are more likely to stick with it than those who don't.

I'm sure that's a psychological factor, about putting exercise at the top of the list of priorities. That's what I want to do.

Karen