2019 - I WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON'T GIVE UP!! HERE WE GO!
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Vail, that study is very interesting and I can certainly testify to its accuracy! I’m trying really hard to make that change in my eating habits this year. I didn’t get derailed this past weekend and I’m really looking at that as a huge win for me. In the past I’d be saying “what the heck” and indulging in unhealthy habits.
That image of you elbowing your way to the pizza gave me quite a chuckle though, Snoozie.
Milove, glad the pick up grocery shopping went well. I’ll have to keep that in mind if/when I just can’t face going in. I have heartburn issues with the tomato based pizza sauce, that’s why I switched to just an olive oil and basil “sauce” on mine.
I’m glad you saw some movement on the scale, Snoozie. I know it will continue...you WILL beat this set weight demon! My added weight after eating my pizza came off the scale this morning. Who knows what that was.
My goal is at least two trips to the gym this week for strength training.1 -
That's one of my goals too! Well, not the gym, but strength training a minimum of two days a week. I have been using my habit tracker and I have to tick off some sort of activity every day, and it has to be strength training two of the days. So far so good! The eating trackers - well, I've tried various goals, but seem to fail them all, so at the moment it's not working for me. So I now have a goal just to lose weight four days out of the week. I weigh every morning and my weight goes up and down naturally, but I thought if it goes up three times and down four times, then it's an overall loss (I'll ignore whether it's higher than the start of the week!). That was going well for me until this morning when I'm exactly the same weight as yesterday!
Well done on not getting derailed, Suzy. I really need to keep this in mind. I went off track a bit last night - had done really well, but couldn't sleep and ended up getting up in the night and eating (tea, toast and some goodies which shouldn't really be in the house!). I'm going to mark it and move on, and just be grateful that it did seem to finally get me to sleep!
Congratulations on the loss, Snooozie! And getting into a new set of numbers! It doesn't matter by how much, of course, there's something so inspiring about crossing the line! Did you find anything nice in the leggings department? It's something I struggle with - my legs are really flabby after losing weight, and I just want to cover everything up as much as possible. I've tried wearing baggier gym clothes, but reluctantly have to admit that the best thing for the gym is the lycra legging things.
I don't know if it's the same for pickleball! I see your point about a pattern being more forgiving! Also I've just had my "colours" done (a Christmas present), and it turns out black is very much not the colour for me - lol! I have to admit I suspected that, but was clinging to "black is slimming"!
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Vail - too funny on the "bottoms" as i've always gone for black too.. but i prefer "baggier" as well because the clingy lycra stuff to me just makes me feel like i'm going out in public in panty hose! and my thighs and upper belly jiggle too, but it's not about worrying about others watching me, its about ME feeling comfortable enough to run around and not worry so I was looking for something I felt comfortable in.
Believe it or not, I found some great ones at Walmart; in the athletic wear dept... slightly .. thicker than the lycra but not "thick"; just a little more structure and patterned..but stretchy and bendy still... one in a grey/black pattern and one in a deep maroon/black pattern.. sadly tho they only had them in the plus sizes of 2x and up... WHERE were these nice ones when I wore that size btw? they were so comfortable and the pattern def helped hide the jiggling, but they were all just too big.. I bounced around in the fitting room hoping that maybe they would be ok, but i'd end up standing in my undies on the court when they fell down. AND they were ankle length which for the winter I wanted.. I was very sad I couldnt find even a 1x. I ended up buying a lycra knee length pair which are patterned in a blue/black, but being lycra.. well ya know.. im not sure i'm going to keep them I think I might just keep looking around...
both you and suzy have reminded me I HAVE to start doing some strength training - I keep yapping about it but dont do anything to make it happen.. I love the idea of the activity tracker too btw … and I had the same prob last nite; I was up and down like a yo yo, exhausted but couldnt sleep so yup ate my way thru the nite! But it' done and back on track today; i'm gonna try an easy baked chicken parmesan from skinnytaste for dinner tonite with some veg - my biggest challenge today will be sitting thru a safety training thing for 2 hrs at 3pm without falling asleep LOL..
Suzy - huge win indeed girl on changing the mindset and not getting derailed - that's huge progress cause that's exactly where we want to be able to be - comfortable to have the occasional indulgence and know it's nothing more than that .. cause we know we'll just be back to our "normal" healthy choices afterwards.. rock on ladies !1 -
Snoozie, you should look at Walmart online to see if they have them in your size. It’s usually free to ship it to the store. I do that a lot if I can’t find my size in the store.
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hmmm.. i never thought of that Suzy.... i'll give it a go since i know the ones i want .. !1
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Vail, I am with you and Snoozie on that. I will enjoy at the moment and push back into slowing down afterwards. However, it is Kings cake season and everyone is bringing it to work! (Madri gras)
lol on Walmart!! and Congrats Snoozie on your loss!1 -
Well....didn’t make it to the gym yet this week. I have been succumbing to winter laziness and I have no excuse. We don’t even have snow, just cold rain. I swear I’m turning into a hermit. I wish I could find a workout buddy but that’s hard to do when you never leave the house! Lol!! I’ll try to force myself to go tomorrow.
Eating has been good, under control. I’m glad I’m not looking at King cake though!
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suzy i can totally relate.. it is sooooooooo friggin cold here today if i didnt have to go out i wouldnt!! and that's without the snow that's apparently coming... but I have a gig at the lac tonite so I have to... my teeth are chattering just thinking about it ! maybe you could just do some chores around the house to burn off some extra calories? or a yoga or stretch video on the puter? that way you dont have to worry about not leaving - altho I get the social thing as well but in these frigid temps, I personally am ok with being a hermit! lol1
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I agree about the home exercises! It's so much easier to fit in. I am now regularly doing short strength/resistance workouts at home. Twenty minutes, or sometimes not even that. Most of the time, I don't even use any equipment. I suppose that means that I have accepted that I am not going to the gym, despite paying a sub - lol! But it does mean the exercise is getting done. I was listening to a podcast the other day about sarcopaenia, osteoporosis, etc. - all stuff we know, but yet again confirming for me the need to do some resistance training above all!
I was also reading an article that said that you lose even more muscle mass if you have obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease or arthritis. Tick the box for me on everything except diabetes, although I'm overweight rather than obese. I'm looking at the positive side and thinking that maybe these conditions don't cause the muscle loss directly - for instance, maybe arthritis makes it more difficult to exercise (I don't know why I'm saying "maybe"!) and do resistance training.
Anyway, it was just yet another reminder to me that I need to do the exercises! Even if my arthritis plays up!
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Vail - what home workouts are you using if you don't mind me asking? i was googling some "beginner strength training over 50" type things just to get started doing something rather than nothing... I never thought that you would lose even more muscle mass if you had other diseases; yikes! i've been trying to do some of the "stretch" videos every day but even that doesnt happen .. I know I have to start DOING instead of talking/thinking about ST and your reminder was a good nudge in that direction - thanks!1
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p.s. speaking of articles etc.. i saw some doc on a morning show whose touting the "new" theory that its "routine" that keeps your metabolism burning.. (my word I can't remember what he said but basically.. theory is if you normally eat 3 meals a day with no snacks, your metabolism will keep going.. but if you normally eat 3 meals a day and have an apple for a snack one afternoon, you're screwed. BUT.. if you have 3 meals a day and also every day have an afternoon snack that's ok too.. cause your body is used to it and expects it, so the metabolism stays up .. according to him its breaking your routine of eating that messes up your metabolism..
so I thot well I may as well throw in the towel now then - cause the shift work means that will never happen LOLOL...
shaking head...0 -
The Movie Chair's Blog "Just a morbidly obese woman trying to get to a healthy weight"
HAve ...sorry "Good Morning! ...have any of you read this lady's blog? I think she is awesome!!! She puts it on the REAL. I would ask you all to give her a read if you have some free time. She is not on my friend list, cause I never ask anyone to add me anymore ....yes, it's a fear of rejection, but seriously she is such a great writer and has an awesome story of her journey ...
headed to work...have an awesome weekend! Stay warm!
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Vail, I feel so guilty paying that monthly fee for the YMCA and not using it. I don’t want to stop because I do enjoy going to the classes when I can make myself do it. I just need to work it back into my routine. I’m feeling pretty good about having some control of my eating. Our motto is really helping. So, I’m thinking that trying to make too many changes at once is a bit overwhelming and that’s why I’ve been having a hard time getting back to the gym. Unless that’s just a big juicy rationalization. Lol!!
I was stoked to show a loss today!! I’m trying for a slow and consistent one to one and a half pound a week loss. I think the days of three pounds a week are way behind me and I’m okay with that. Well, I’m not but age and menopause have taken care of that little pipe dream! Lol!!!
I am working on moving all of my stuff back to our storage area in the basement now that the foundation work is done. It’s a lot of lifting and walking and cleaning and dragging stuff. I had to move my son’s weights...so that’s “weight lifting,” right?!?!
I hope everyone has a great weekend. We’re supposed to get really frigid weather so probably no hiking or walking for me.
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Strength Training Reverses Aging? I’ll Take Two Dumbbells, Please!
Strength training is a girl’s best friend for so many reasons. Half-a-dozen research-proven reasons are included in this post. Longevity just may have unofficially been the buzzword in health and wellness circles last year. Yet, who wants to live longer unless they can live well? Strength training is your key to aging better and dozens of research studies are proving it.
The best part? This is a now and later payoff. Have your sleeveless-worthy arms now and your longevity too.
How Not to Die
Let’s start with the basics. Living longer better starts with not dying. Older adults who participated in strength training twice a week have 46 percent lower odds of death for any reason than those who did not. One study showed that overall they reduced their specific risk of cardiac death and cancers. They tended to be normal in body weight and have overall healthier habits. One good thing leads to another.
Strength Training Reverses Aging
You can thank your parents for your eye color but you can’t blame them for the way you age. Genes play their part but they get their script based on your habits. It’s well known that epigenetics, your environment and what you do, plays a bigger role in just about every component of life than your genes do.
Turns out if you’re strength training you’re going to change the way you age for the better. One of the key indices used to gage aging is mitochondria function.
Mitochondria function is responsible for energy production for use throughout your body at every level. This is the currency of your energy and vitality for the second half. It used to be widely accepted that mitochondrial function simply declined with age. Studies have now shown not just a slowing of decline but a reversal of mitochondria impairment within 6 months of twice per week strength training. It’s never too late to start.
Likewise, 179 genes associated with aging – and whether you do it well or not – were completely changed by strength training. Strength training doesn’t just have the ability to slow the progression of aging it reverses it.
Prevent Muscle Loss
Few things lead to frailty and accelerate aging more than a lack of muscle. Muscle loss occurs with age (starting at about 30) unless you’re doing something about it. While any exercise is better than inactivity, strength training wins against every other mode of exercise in the aging game where muscle is concerned.
Yet, there’s more to the story than simply muscle loss. You have different types of muscle fibers. Fast twitch muscle is lost twice as fast as you age and is more responsible for reducing fat to prevent age-related metabolic dysfunction (aka, obesity). It also is what will prevent falls by improving your reaction skills. Understandably then, fast twitch muscle fibers gain importance as you age. Strength training is the best way to focus on your fast twitch muscle fibers. A few minutes of fast interval training drills a few times a week can also support fast twitch fibers.
Boost Mood and Mental Health
Your lifespan as a woman is longer than that of men. So you’re living longer but what you really want is living better than you’ve seen it done in prior generations. Given women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and anxiety, both of which can influence risk of dementia, taking care of your emotional and cognitive health is as important as your physical health.
Turns out it’s a two-for-one. If you’re waiting for the leg press, you’re in the right line.
Strength training positively influences mood and decreases symptoms of depression and anxiety. Beyond that, if you’re looking for an edge in creativity and productivity more and more studies are showing that a break for exercise just may be where your creative breakthrough occurs.
Lose Body Fat Faster
Last but definitely not least, body composition improvements come faster and last with strength training compared to cardio. Yes, do your cardio and maintain your mobility with yoga or Pilates, but put strength training high on your priority list.
The good news is body composition changes occur with about 60% less time required to see change from cardio. You can spend about 15 minutes instead of 45 and get better lasting results with changes in increased muscle and decreased fat.
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sorry guys i meant to finsih that post with some comments but i fell asleep on the couch lol... best sleep i've had all week actually even if only for an hour!!
Suzy I wanted to say huge congrats on seeing a loss...!!! yayyyyyyyyy I think 1-1.5 a week is HUGE btw.... its almost 3 weeks in and i'm still only looking at a pound so you ROCK!! I'm so glad you're also finding our motto the great divider so to speak! it is def working for me as well!!
and yes moving all the stuff back downstairs absolutely counts!! im glad you have your basement back!!
Gail - will check out the blog a bit later.. if I dont get off this couch i'll end up horizontal again!1 -
Yes, a steady pound a week is fantastic - more than I ever achieved, except when I've had a virus or something!
Thanks for the article, Snooozie! And for the blog rec, Gail!2 -
Well.... I’m shooting for a steady pound a week. We’ll see how it goes. Like my pic says, “one pound at a time.”
I channeled Snoozie today. I felt your encouragement and support. I wanted a breakfast sandwich for lunch...really bad. So I chose to have one. I ended up about 30 calories over my daily goal and that’s not bad at all. I’m totally okay with my choices today.
"The good news is body composition changes occur with about 60% less time required to see change from cardio. You can spend about 15 minutes instead of 45 and get better lasting results with changes in increased muscle and decreased fat.”
I find that paragraph pretty darn exciting! It’s a good reason to get motivated into going back to the gym for strength training!
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Suzy - the best line for me in your post was " i chose to have one... and i'm totally okay with my choices today" ! woo hoo!!! THAT is progress my friend - beginning to realize we absolutely never have to punish ourselves or feel in any way "Bad" about ANY choice in food - it's just A choice ...nothing more... nothing less .. and im THRILLED for you !! well done you!!
And yesssssss I have been re reading the importance of strength training article and that part (about body recomp) and all the other benefits is definitely getting thru to me about how very important it is.. and that it IS doable - I need to stop thinking I have to go " all out or nothing" - cause every little bit helps!1 -
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Haha! That’s awesome!
I went a little overboard today on calories. We went out to dinner and I chose not to have the warm bread & butter but did have a 6 oz filet. I chose not to have the loaded baked potato but had grilled asparagus and shrimp. I also walked almost seven miles today. So, all in all...a good day with choices I’m okay with.
How is everyone doing?
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suzy i'm so happy for you - sounds like you absolutely made conscious choices to what you wanted and didnt want, and what you did choose sounds scrumptious.. holy moly 7 miles.. lol um ya id say id be ok with that day too!! so happy for you - well done, WELL DONE!
It better be true that shivering burns more calories.. we had our first major snowstorm over the weekend so driving in and out of the city was not the most fun i've ever had!! but the freezing cold temps.. its -38C tonite.. I think that's around -22F ? that I just can't get warm... all I want to do is sit.. which of course leads to eating!!
BUT.. I have been very good at not eating any crap... sticking with meat and veg and one cookie a day... I made a shepherds pie for work lunches and dinenrs.. and scooped out the roasted acorn squash I had done and spread that on top instead of potatos.. (it was very good btw lol).. and tonite I did a pork tenderloin in the crock pot and had fish for dinner.. but I am eating more thru the day.. which is ok I guess as i'm expending more energy at work than when I get home.. because I literally go from home to work and back again and climb into my flannel jammies!! I can't do any pickleball on days as its all 9am-12 or 12-2pm so i'm not moving once i'm home.. I have been taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator tho and walking around the building as often as possible... so I doubt if i'm gonna show a loss this week but I am happy that I am eating "well" if too much - i'm not giving up on me!!
off to turn on my electric blanket so when I crawl into bed my teeth chattering wont keep me awake!! ha...
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Fantastic choices, Suzy! And the asparagus and shrimp sounds nicer than the baked potato anyway. Your choices sound good too, Snooozie. Mine have been OK - I had some greek yoghurt with linseed and cardamom for brunch, then a kale and quinoa burger (no bun) with stir-fried veg for tea. (The burger was a readymade one - I'd been meaning to have prawns but forgot to defrost them!).
I can't imagine driving in a snowstorm! Be careful! Maybe your car is better prepared for snow than mine is - lol! -38C sounds unbelievable cold! My heating packs in if it goes much below freezing. I hope you're warm at home. 0 -
OMG!!!! Anything below 40 degrees and I’m freezing! I can’t even imagine going out in weather that cold. My husband bought me an electric throw for just sitting in my living room because I get so cold. It was in the low 40’s when we walked yesterday and I was second guessing our intelligence for being out in it. Hahaha!
Vail, I’m so impressed with your food choices. I wish I knew how to make more interesting meals with veggies and healthy grains/proteins. I need to spend time looking up recipes but I get so overwhelmed and give up. Plus I have so many projects on my to do list that by dinner time I just want to make something easy. I need to make it a priority...just look up one or two recipes a day or something. I’ve had a box of quinoa in my pantry for months and have no idea how to use it.
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i wish we had a "hahahaha" button along with the others - cause suzy your quinoa story made me laugh!! I bought some of that .. arboro rice? I dont even remember what its called exactly.. kind of a pearly small rice? ...but the box of THAT is also sitting in my pantry til I figure out why I bought it in the first place!! I think it was for a risotto once upon a time LOL..1
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Doing well,
I enjoyed the above read
I was doing stretching and planks. Resources say not to do crunches anymore, just stick to the planks.
I was also taking stairs at work instead of elevator as much as possible.0 -
Well done, Milove! I do think stairs are really good exercise - and they've got to be a kind of strength exercise too, as you're lifting your body weight. If I'm really stuck for what to do sometimes I just go up and down the stairs a few times, lol!
So funny about the arborio rice and the quinoa. I tend to do that too. I've had chia seeds hanging about for ages, and barely used them. I also have quinoa - I HAVE used it, but I'm not a big fan. I find the seeds/grains are too small for my liking, and a bit bland. But I feel healthier having it in the cupboard, lol!
Don't be too impressed by my food, Suzy! I'm completely with you on meals needing to be easy at the end of the day! I didn't make the burger - I bought a freezer pack of them. So not much cooking or imagination involved! Tonight I'm having a fishcake, which I admit I bought readymade (wanted to eat some fish, and was looking for the cheapest options!) with salad. And earlier I had a pizza craving, and made one with a wholemeal flour tortilla - just spread it with tomato puree, and added some salami, spinach, cheese garlic, oregano and stuck it in the oven. It made a passable thin and crispy pizza for not very many calories (I had half of one) and the minimum of effort.
I do like new recipes sometimes, but I tend to get flustered if there's a lot of ingredients and instructions, so I tend to adapt things I already know.1 -
Hahaha! Feel healthier having it in the cupboard!!! Very funny!
Great idea on the wholemeal tortilla for a crust! Why haven’t I thought of that?! I’m going to try it!
I’m making chicken and veggie enchiladas for dinner. I sauté red bell pepper, onion and zucchini then brown some ground chicken with it. I use fat free cheese and corn tortillas. It cuts down on calories and I can eat three for about 600 calories. If I don’t have enough calories left for the day then I eat half and a small salad. I’m so hungry right now!!!! I got busy and forgot to eat lunch.
Milove, stairs are a great workout and kudos on doing the planks. Such a simple exercise that works the whole body!
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I went through the entire day watching what I am eating. I bought lunch at work only ate half of it saved the other half for dinner and then I wasn't satisfied and what did I do ate potato chips right before going to bed. That is why it is so difficult for me to lose the weight.1
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We’ve all been there Milove. Don’t look at it as a failure. It was a moment, it’s over, move on and stay positive. Look at it this way, at least you did well all day!
I weighed in today and am down 1.4 pounds. Slow and steady wins the race! Unfortunately, my updates aren’t posting to the newsfeed. I’ve uninstalled, updated, used my laptop...nothing. Oh well. So I’m down 8.4 since the new year. I know I won’t be able to maintain this rate of loss but I’m pretty stoked anyway!!!
It’s cold and I’ve been avoiding exercise like it’s the plague. I keep finding big juicy rationalizations for why I can’t make it to the gym. I’ve decided that I’ve been concentrating on getting my calories under control in January so February’s goal will be incorporating exercise. How’s that? Hahaha! But seriously...that will be my goal for next month.
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Suz - 1.4 down this week and 8.4 since the new year???? FREAKEN AWESOME woman!!! i cant believe the stooopid newfeed wont work JUST when you want it to???? craperoo keep trying!! because you have done so fabulous and so well it better show on there!!
Seriously … you have done great.. and as we know, losing weight is 80% in the fork and 20% in the gym... and being consistent and committed... and you must be over the moon because you and your fork have been rocking it!! So happy for you - congratulations!!!
Milove - as suzy said and to reiterate "there is no bad food" - maybe pop back and read the post when we started this years thread...about getting away from the head games we play when we eat something we think is not great...? all you did was have some chips... and just as a reminder from that post?
"I I don’t need to atone for my sins at a gym. I don’t need to work off X number of calories or hit the pavement for 30 minutes longer because I ate a cookie or four.
I don’t need to punish myself in any way. I don’t need to bash myself .
We don’t have to feel ashamed or disappointed. We don’t have to feel guilty. We don’t have to get angry with ourselves because, again, we didn’t do anything wrong.
Normal eating is flexible. Some days we’ll crave an apple. Other days we will crave an apple pie. Still on other days we might want both, and having both (or one) doesn’t make us a bad person or a bad decision-maker. We don’t need to earn the right to eat certain foods. We know what we want for ourselves and we know the choice is ours as to what we eat, but we never need to punish ourselves over any food. "
So as suzy said - it was just normal eating -and yes if we want to lose the weight we do have to "moderate" the amounts of food, and aim for healthier choices, but there will always be days... but we never ever have to punish ourselves for any specific choice 2
This discussion has been closed.