Fitness, Health & Weight Loss 2013 - Prepare for CVII

That's been my life plan/diet off and on. I don't think they recommend it for a reason.

 

Splenda is basically sugar molecules that have their structure changed with the addition of chlorine.

 

I love the smell of chlorine. I don't like swallowing pool water, though.

 

S__C, the deficit thing is definitely what works for me. It's the only thing that has worked for me in the last several years. However - for me at least, I found it critical to actually measure my calorie expenditure. For a year, I tried the estimate approach you describe above (making assumptions on base calorie burn and then estimates for walking and numbers off the elliptical machine, and tracking food), and it did me absolutely no good. No weight loss. Once I got the arm band to measure it for me, I started losing weight, and fairly on target with what I expected most of the time. I guess the estimates were just wrong for me.

But oh, eating out. It's never good for my calorie balance. I mean, seriously! Go out to a normal restaurant, and meals range from 2/3 to an entire day of calories. It's crazy.

I was terrible today. Absolutely no exercise. I meant to get out and walk at least, but I read a book instead. And as a result, I've burned only 1400 calories today and have a mere 370 deficit so far.

 

But you exercised your brain.

 

My brain, unfortunately, doesn't burn as many calories.

Can I get extra credit for shlepping all these heavy, heavy boxes of books and binders from the shed down to my bedroom? My armband will only pick up the number of steps I've taken. I want extra points for all this heavy lifting and extra weight carried during those steps.

 

Um, yes. Even stairs burn more than regular steps.

 

Stairs and carrying boxes, double points. Unfortunately no reliable way to add them to my calorie burn numbers. Well, they can be stealth points.

I went for a 4 mile walk after that. Recorded calorie burn at 127% of target, yay. Deficit 1150 calories, which makes up for yesterday. Now I just need to do the same tomorrow, in anticipation of the BBQ I'm going to on Thurs. Hopefully all this will get me out of the "no loss" rut I've been in the past two weeks.

 

I think I might be seeing something (maybe 5 lbs, and I'm PMS'ing) but that was 5 days of working out and 2 brutal workouts w/ trainer. I can't keep that up, just saying.

 

Good job S__C! It does sound like you're over-tired, but seeing visible progress always feels so encouraging.

Progress is something I probably won't have this week. I overate yesterday, 165%, and didn't exercise (92%), leaving me with a whopping 560 calorie surplus. I've got to start making up for all these bad days, or else I'll gain weight instead of losing.

 

Last night paid to get my butt kicked again. It's amazing how much I can do with him telling me I have to compared to me doing stuff at home or in the gym. He "had a crazy idea, let's workout m-th" I said h e double hockey sticks. I like the 2 days with him and 2 days of me doing stuff I think is enough. I don't have time to live at a gym and I think slow progress is OK.

 

Slow progress is the way to go. If it happens too fast, it won't stick.

I walked 9 miles yesterday, round trip from my house down the hill to farmers market and back. Coming back I was hauling groceries. My legs ached after that. They're still sore today, but better than last night. Now I just have to make sure I get out today and get some exercise as well, though not as extreme.

 

Got new torture devices at the gym, and my new 30 min workouts go by FAST!

 

How does a torture device make time go by faster??

I walked 6.5-7 miles on Monday, but have been lax since then. Never more than about a mile at a time.

 

I'm just not doing well at this. My problem is that I am only good at staying on course for short time periods. Then I screw up for a while, leaving me with net zero or net negative results. I'll diet ok for a day or two... or more often, 3/4 of a day. Then I mess up. I'll get some good exercise, but then go days without again before I get back on the wagon. I don't know what to do to get myself to do better at this. I think it was easier last year because I had a set schedule. I exercised at the gym, and did it every morning before work. I had to go to work, so the gym just fit in. It was also easier to diet while working, because I was busy working. I didn't have as much time to eat, I didn't have as much time to cook, or bake. It's counter intuitive - you'd think that now I'd be doing great because I have the free time to exercise a whole lot. It's just not happening that way though.

 

I decided that I need weekly mileage goals to keep me on track, since a daily goal was too easy to mess up. My starting goal is to hike/walk/jog/run 25 miles per week, and work my way up from there. Last week I did 21 miles - almost to goal, but I missed those last 4 miles on Sunday. Thank you, daylight savings time, for stealing my hour.

 

I reset my goal schedule middle of last month. So far I am on track for the weight loss numbers, but I am noticing that my measurements aren't matching the measurements from last fall when I was at this weight. This is annoying since what I truly care about is the size loss and not just weight loss. So of course, to understand the cause rather than just making assumptions, I have plotted all my data in various combinations. I'm sure my tendency to data analysis doesn't surprise anyone here.

Assumptions are validated by the data. As a function of total weight I have less lean percentage and therefore more fat percentage this time. Which means larger circumference measurement for the same weight. The lean percentage vs fat percentage is consistent for both time periods, so it is simply that I have less muscle this time around. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Last winter and partway into spring I was doing functional exercises/strength training in addition to cardio. Now I am not. *sigh* So I guess I have to add some kind of strength training in with my cardio. Meh.

 

Pi Day yesterday was not good for my diet. Not only that, but I was so busy baking pies that I didn't get any exercise in. Double whammy. I'd better go do extra working out today.

 

How is it possible that my arm band thinks I burned just as many calories while baking pies as I would have if I'd gone out hiking? Clearly, I have been approaching this exercise gig in totally the wrong way.

 

Last week's walking total was ~29 miles, surpassing my initial 25 mile goal. This week so far I've only gone 4.25 miles thanks to not making it out on Monday. Need to figure out what to do today since it is wet outside. Maybe I'll go down and use my parents' treadmill.

 

OK i am here...i need to get back on the wagon.

 

I get back on the wagon no problem. It's staying on the wagon that is so difficult!

Not a lot of walking so far this week; only 5.75miles so far. And to top it off, I had dinner at my parents' house and am sure I went way over calorie budget.

 

There's a wagon?

 

Sure. It's the thing that looks all bright and shiny but is easy to fall off of.

 

Better get some bungee cords.


Smartphones are neato.