January/February weight management challenge

[Crankin]

Well, I say I am 5' 1", but I suspect I might be 1/4 or 1/2 inch shorter now. Thankfully, I'm on medication to stop the osteoporosis, which runs in my family.
I think you are right, Catrin, about mixing up the exercise. Since I started the weight/core/circuit classes (in November) it's easier to manage my weight and I have muscles that I haven't seen, even from heavy duty cycling. My body fat has always been consistent; it only goes up when I get near my danger zone weight. I have a range for that, too. I know my body gets adapted to whatever I am doing very easily. Also, with me, sometimes, less is more, as someone stated in Solo Biker's thread. I can do intervals on the trainer for 30 minutes, or go for a 10 mile ride, which includes challenging hills and maintain my weight. Since I am not training for anything, this keeps me from burning out and lets me enjoy my longer rides/skis/hikes a couple of days a week. I seriously couldn't spend the amount of time you spend working out so many days a week. When I see my weight or body fat climbing, or I know I'll be eating more than usual, I will add in more time, but generally, it's a point of diminishing returns for me. I get sick or injured...

[Catrin]

I actually don't work out as much as I once did. For me it is fun and I derive a lot of benefit from exercising so much. My old bouts of depression have completely disappeared, and when I exercise most days my assorted places with arthritis do not bother me near as much as when I don't exercise so often.

I do have to work harder than the average bear just to get my body's attention, that is a given. Thankfully I seem to have figured out that balance and I've not had an over-use injury for some time now I am ramping things up a bit right now as I come out of the whiplash recovery period and looking forward to the riding season. As my riding increases however, my time in the gym will go down and my spinning classes will disappear until next fall.

I know I've lost endurance since my injury because my neck wouldn't allow me to stay on anything that looked like a bike more than 30 minutes for a time, a little more than double that now. The neck still isn't 100% however, so I still have to be careful. I am paying close attention to my body as I increase my activities.

I think things will be fine for the mountain bike trail by mid-April

Considering how large I was for so long, I am not going to complain about 134 pounds. What I need to focus on now is body composition and let my weight do what it needs to do...I am 5'3.

[Catrin]

Yesterday:

B: 3 egg whites, bran cereal, skim milk, coffee
S: strawberries with a bit of fat-free cottage cheese
L: roasted skinless chicken breast and some home-made fruited wild rice salad
S: Luna bar before workout:

25 minute walk, followed by 1 hour intensive training class (wild party, and much sweating to be had!). THAT was followed by a 30 minute Bosu class

Starving after all of that - so roasted some kale, had a small chicken breast, a small slice of Irish Cheddar and a small tomato.

[ny biker]

So, last Friday-Sunday I weighed > 142, which pissed me off. Yesterday I was 140.8, and this morning my final February weight was 140.0.

So that's good. Given all the fluctuation, I think my true average weight is about 141 right now.

[emily_in_nc]

I finally weighed myself this morning (gulp), a solid week after our trip on the boat. Still up three lbs., a bit worse than I'd feared. I was really hoping for 2 or less. Maybe by Friday I'll be at that point. I've run three times since then and ridden every day except for one, but I haven't been as good about food as I should be.