July Fitness Challenge
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Culo, that's so great that you made two trips to the gym! Swimming is really exhausting! I used to be such a fish, but I think that I went too many years without using those muscles. I'm glad you're getting to move and sleep is also very healing.
I am so sore from Jack's Happy Hour. I was sore yesterday, but I really thought I'd be fine today. It was so hard running around to look at apartments. Worse, was any time I needed to bend over, laugh, or cough. I suppose I could take some pain reliever, but I was really too busy to consider it until now.
I have a ton of calories to eat, if I want to get up to my BMR. Whenever I exercise more than usual, I'm usually also too tired to eat a lot. I'm not sure how to deal with that. I don't want to restrict how much I move, but I'm not sure how people who routinely get 1000+ calorie burns/day are able to keep up the fueling process. Any tips, Warrior Sisters?0 -
Can't help you with that one Sue. Right now I am debating my "whole pizza to make up calories" idea. I've eaten half...it's about the size of a personal pizza..and honestly, I don't really want any more. I'm almost force feeding at this point which can't be good. But, not eating the whole thing leaves me short. grrr
Later- ended up eating the whole thing (minus a couple of bites I shared with my dog). Don't know if I'll do that again. Was rather unpleasant after the first half and now I feel gross. grrr. Being under might have been a better alternative. So confused.0 -
Diana, it is super confusing! I don't want to under fuel my body anymore, but I also don't want to force feed myself. I've decided to just do my best and hope it all balances out.
I had a super carb & sugar filled day, celebrating my middle son's birthday. While at brunch, I was feeling good about it, because it's the first time in 6 months that I let my guard down and just ate whatever I wanted. Tonight, I'm wishing I'd had the sense to include more protein in my day. Still, I guess it's progress that I relaxed on the food today.
6/30-7/6 fitness check-in: exercised 722 minutes, burned 3,674 calories. Lifted once this week. July didn't start until Tuesday, so I'll count that as good enough. I have an appointment with the trainer tomorrow at 5:30pm. Then, I'll let Jack kick my *kitten* on Tuesday & Thursday. I think my abs have almost recovered from last Thursday.
How was everyone else's week?0 -
3500 calories a week burn
Start weight training at least once a week
Run/Walk at least twice a week
Get at least 70,000 steps in a week (fitbit one tracker)
So, those were my goals last week.
Actual done....3849 actual calories burned logged from the HRM and then 2917 calories from fit bit =
6766 calories burned including fitbit
Worked on maxing out my weight lifting on Thursday (just to see what I could do...lol)
Walked Monday, walk/run Tuesday, Walk/run Wednesday, Bike Wednesday, Walk Thursday, Walk Friday, lots of yard work and marching in place Saturday....Sunday off.
Steps for week=85,059 which averaged to 12,151 per day....
All of this equals frustration and confusion as I gained 1.8 pounds. I know some people are saying that my muscles could be doing some wierd things because I am working out harder....but argh!!!!!!!!! So anyway, Monday is the beginning of a new week right? We will see what I can do this week. . .
Diane...i get the having to stuff food in....there was a few days last week when I just could not eat any more....
Culo...good trips to the gym!!!!!!!!!
Steph...keep working on what you can while you are in PT...things will work out. You are still my hero on the bike.
Sue...Keep up the great work!!!!!!!!
Veronica...hope your house is coming along well and I am sure you got a work out carrying all of those boxes!0 -
My July goal is to go to the gym at least once a week for a total of 5 times by July 31.
Week Starting
July 1: 2 visits. 1 swimming, 1 arms & stretching. I also took an "illegal" walk on Devil's Slide. Here's a few pictures: http://imgur.com/a/PPmT9
July 6: 1 visit, so far. 1 swimming
July 13:
July 20:
July 27:
I'm satisfied with my gym progress so far. I'm doing more than once a week which I hope I can keep up. Should be doable since I bought some personal training sessions to use for lap pool lessons. Surprisingly, my gym is cheaper at swim lessons than local swim academies. I thought the places that exist to teach swimming would be cheaper since they do such a high volume. We'll see how it goes. I'm looking forward to be able to do something else other than kickboard with flippers.
3500 calories a week burn
Start weight training at least once a week
Run/Walk at least twice a week
Get at least 70,000 steps in a week (fitbit one tracker)
So, those were my goals last week.
Actual done....3849 actual calories burned logged from the HRM and then 2917 calories from fit bit =
6766 calories burned including fitbit
Worked on maxing out my weight lifting on Thursday (just to see what I could do...lol)
Walked Monday, walk/run Tuesday, Walk/run Wednesday, Bike Wednesday, Walk Thursday, Walk Friday, lots of yard work and marching in place Saturday....Sunday off.
Steps for week=85,059 which averaged to 12,151 per day....
Killing it! Keep going.I had a super carb & sugar filled day, celebrating my middle son's birthday. While at brunch, I was feeling good about it, because it's the first time in 6 months that I let my guard down and just ate whatever I wanted. Tonight, I'm wishing I'd had the sense to include more protein in my day. Still, I guess it's progress that I relaxed on the food today.
6/30-7/6 fitness check-in: exercised 722 minutes, burned 3,674 calories. Lifted once this week. July didn't start until Tuesday, so I'll count that as good enough. I have an appointment with the trainer tomorrow at 5:30pm. Then, I'll let Jack kick my *kitten* on Tuesday & Thursday. I think my abs have almost recovered from last Thursday.
Live and learn. One benefit of MFP is to help analyze ourselves and figure out how we can do better. Maybe take some nuts or cheese next time to nibble on and keep your protein up?
Let us know how your training sessions goes. I'm curious to know the weights, equipment and routines they start beginning lifters with. The worst thing about achy abs is that it hurts to breathe or bend over. Things you can't avoid doing.Later- ended up eating the whole thing (minus a couple of bites I shared with my dog). Don't know if I'll do that again. Was rather unpleasant after the first half and now I feel gross. grrr. Being under might have been a better alternative. So confused.
If you can't naturally eat all the calories, I say forget it. You're not doing yourself any favors by forcing yourself to eat if you're not hungry. I know plenty of folks on MFP don't agree, this is my $0.02.
I grew up in a house that was part of the clean plate brigade. Basically you couldn't get up from the dinner table unless you ate all the food on your plate. I'm in my mid-40s and I'm still trying to overcome the damage that did. I have to think about whether I'm full or not, satisfied or not, because I didn't naturally learn to listen to my body. There're still times when I honestly can't tell if I'm hungry or not.0 -
If you can't naturally eat all the calories, I say forget it. You're not doing yourself any favors by forcing yourself to eat if you're not hungry. I know plenty of folks on MFP don't agree, this is my $0.02.
I'm in agreement. What I do if I'm coming in low regularly is go back and figure out why and change things going forward. For example, I might learn that I've been undereating earlier in the day to save calories that I am not hungry for after a workout or in the evening (this is what I was doing when first starting). I don't worry about making up the calories unless I'm hungry, but I start working in more or higher calorie food earlier in the day.
I have a bit of the clean plate thing, although I can tell if I'm hungry. We go to a lot of theater where it's not really feasible to take leftovers with you if you go out to eat before. It took me a while to get over the fact that I felt guilty not making a serious dent on my plate, even at some restaurants that have ridiculous servings. Now I'm more comfortable just eating what I want, but I hate it. Luckily not all restaurants have such insane portion sizes.
Culo, I was thinking about what I'm getting out of the push-ups (day 3 completed--it's set up for 3 sessions a week), and I think in addition to the strength and the general benefits of push-ups, it's the satisfaction of accomplishing something that will take a while and which is an activity that is good for me but not something that I naturally enjoy. It's just a few minutes a day--rather like brushing one's teeth--but it's the kind of thing I traditionally don't stick with, because I don't care for it. Also, just being able to do push-ups when I formerly could not makes me feel like I've made progress.
This week (officially ending today) I made some progress on my biking distance and explored another new path that will allow me to continue to increase my miles and also have a place to work on speed, since that's difficult for me road biking and on the crowded lake front path. I tried something new in that I forced myself to do the elliptical, something that will also help me get back into running shape. I'm also doing something new tonight, although not exercise--going to a bike maintenance training put on by a group of women cyclists who I'd like to join for some weekend rides, but who tend to ride faster than I usually do so far. Overall, if I count my long walk yesterday I worked out 6 of 7 days and was pretty active on the 7th, which is one thing I wanted.
For next week: Tomorrow I think I'm going to finally try a class at my gym, so I'll have my new thing for week 2 finished early in the week. I'm also going to try to work more on getting enough sleep--I've been sleeping far too little and my hopes to get some real rest over the weekend did not happen. And I'm going to ask at PT tomorrow if I can try running.0 -
Hi.
Culo- Saw your pictures. Devil's Slide is way more scenic than my regular walks on our bike path. So jealous. I think I'm going to have to hunt around for some new sights.
Thanks everyone for the advice regarding eating when not hungry. I actually have a pretty good gauge for when I am full or not and I have never practiced the "you have to clean your plate" idea. Unfortunately, I am now paranoid about going under 1200 net due to my body's recent rebellion. Usually I plan pretty well for my day. However, the other night I forgot I had a walking challenge from my Hogwart's group. I needed to walk 5 miles between that night and the next. I didn't want to do all five on Sunday, so I decided to cram in 3 miles (in my house using a walking video) It was already almost 11 o'clock at night. By the time I finished it was almost midnight. I was really only interested in going to bed, but I had now dug a deeper hole in my calories than I originally planned for. So, I made myself eat. ugh. Mentally, I was not equipped for unplanned, last minute changes in my carefully orchestrated routine (at such a late time of night with no real time for adjustments). I don't think I would make myself eat next time. I would probably just go to bed. Luckily, I don't run into that dilemma too often.
Lemurcat- I think it's great you are planning on going to a class at the gym. There is something about being with other people that just makes the exercise more fun. Enjoy.
Schnicklefrit- I know you are frustrated by the whole "gained weight despite exercising all week" scenario you just encountered. Don't let yourself get discouraged. It could be water due to muscle recovery/healing. It seems like sometimes this journey is all about constant changes of plan and guessing the best path. As long as you don't quit, you are making a step in the right direction.
Sue- It sounds like you are having a blast in Jack's class. It sounds like a lot of fun. As far as protein, I agree, I definitely feel better and don't have the temptation to binge when I eat more protein. It seems to "stick" longer.0 -
Happy 7/7, Warrior Women! I had my first weight training session with Joe. He's such a cutie--only 24 and so patient and encouraging. He introduced me to most of the weight machines, today. We went around to each one (I believe there were 15) and he just talked me through 1 set of 15 reps on each, explaining the correct form and telling me how to avoid hurting myself. It was exactly what I needed to get started. As I predicted, the arm and upper body ones were a lot harder than the leg ones, for me. And, I was only lifting 10-20lbs on each one! So, I now have a routine to practice 3x/week. I liked it. It's a lot less jarring than cardio and the 40 minutes just flew by. He's gonna keep an eye on me for the next couple of weeks and then introduce me to free weights.
I got my Polar FT60 and wore it for the first time today. I don't know if I'm using it properly yet, but it is a cool gadget. I like my fitness toys;)
Jodi, you are seriously kickin' *kitten*!!! That was a killer week! Scales are fickle little things. It's probably some water retention...
Muscle Tears and Fluid Retention
Microscopic tears occur in your muscle fibers when you lift weights. These tears are part of the muscle-building process, and they are often the cause of delayed-onset muscle soreness after intense training sessions. When these tears occur, muscles may swell slightly and retain fluid for a few days after the exercise. This is a normal part of the recovery process.
Exercise and Dehydration
Your fluid intake needs increase when you begin an exercise program. Because you perspire during workouts, it's necessary to replace lost fluids with extra water. If you don't do this, your body enters a state of dehydration. When you're dehydrated, your body will begin to retain water as a survival mechanism. Therefore, increasing your fluid intake will usually help combat water retention caused by dehydration.
Culo, 3 gym visits already?! That's great! I love my gym and plan to go 5x/week now. We'll see if that's what happens, though. I am already sore from the lifting I did with Joe today and it took me 4 days to recover from my last circuit training class I did. I'm ok with adjusting my overly ambitious plans when necessary, though. I loved those pics! Thanks so much for giving me a preview. When I move and have somewhere safe to park a bike, I'm going down there! I already invited my cousin to come with me.
Stephanie, I really admire your ability to do push-ups (or any calisthenics) independently! Jack's the only one who can get me to do them! He's so funny and probably 15 years my senior, so I just do whatever he says (or try!).
Diana, I totally feel your anxiety about eating too little. That weight loss stall was horrible. I do enjoy exercising now, but it's still work. It really sucks to work your butt off and get no results! I do my best to plan my meals and exercise ahead of time, but sometimes my plans get thwarted for fun, family, work or forgetfulness. This evening, for instance, I got home just starving after the gym and discovered I'd never defrosted my fish for dinner. So, I switched the protein to shrimp and that made my calories too low (because there's too much sodium in shrimp to eat too many). So, I had to add on more food to compensate. And, my sodium way higher than I like anyway.0 -
Usually I plan pretty well for my day. However, the other night I forgot I had a walking challenge from my Hogwart's group. I needed to walk 5 miles between that night and the next. I didn't want to do all five on Sunday, so I decided to cram in 3 miles (in my house using a walking video) It was already almost 11 o'clock at night. By the time I finished it was almost midnight. I was really only interested in going to bed, but I had now dug a deeper hole in my calories than I originally planned for. So, I made myself eat. ugh. Mentally, I was not equipped for unplanned, last minute changes in my carefully orchestrated routine (at such a late time of night with no real time for adjustments). I don't think I would make myself eat next time. I would probably just go to bed. Luckily, I don't run into that dilemma too often.
Oh, yeah, this has happened to me. I had one week where I was working late and was unprepared for a few days and I really couldn't eat much more than a protein bar when getting home at 11:30 exhausted and I've had a couple of days where I got carried away with evening exercise before dinner and ended up with lots of extra calories and no appetite. Doesn't sound like you really need advice, but my philosophy in these cases is that I have the extra calories the next day or, really, the next two or three or more--I think of exercise calories as somewhat available for the week as a whole. It's why I've thought about moving to more of a TDEE plan, except that I don't want to change too dramatically. (I have actually changed my activity setting to active--which gives me 1300 calories if I try for 1.8 lbs, oh joy--and then I'm letting Fitbit adjust down if I'm not so active that day. It doesn't adjust down below 1200, but it gives me a goal of active to aim for which I usually meet so far and I at least know where I stand. And if I exceed the goal I have exercise calories to eat back, but not as many as if I were doing straight logging exercise.)0 -
Lemurcat- You're definitely right about the calories balancing out over time. I should have just let myself eat more the next day. I probably would have enjoyed those calories more too.0
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I finally am in Onederland. Hopefully as a resident, not a visitor!!!! I now weigh exactly 198 pounds. Yee ha!!0
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Jodi, I checked out your diary for the week (hope you don't mind) and I really do think it's just stupid water retention stuff.
How has your loss been by week? You are down 11 total, according to the ticker, so is there a pattern there? I definitely vary week by week even if I don't change anything and sometimes you get bad weeks (weight loss wise) followed by really good weeks and vice versa. But beyond that, your calories were fine all week, even disregarding exercise to a large extent, but I noticed they were up right before weigh in and that you had a somewhat high amount of sodium around then plus the added workouts and new activities. All that together suggests a weigh-in that's going to be high, but not really reflective of what's actually going on.
That said, keep hitting your calorie targets for the week and tracking and at the very worst you will figure out if you do need to lower the target to lose while also getting healthier from the activity. But my guess is that your calorie target should be just fine, especially with all the exercise and it's just going to come off a bit later because of the water.
Are you measuring yourself? I didn't start 'til kind of late and only do every month or so, but it's another way to keep tabs on what's going on.
On other topics, I saw that you have some mixed feelings about the biking. Congrats on persevering anyway! Is it comfort? (Sometimes it takes a bit of time to adjust physically to being on the bike.) Or is it more feeling comfortable while riding/traffic/feeling in control of the bike? I used to ride lots when I was a teenager, but then didn't ride for ages since I didn't have a bike at school or when I first moved here, and was frankly scared of riding on the streets here, even though we have pretty good bike lanes (less good back then). I started riding for the first time about 10-12 years ago, with a friend who pushed me, like yours is pushing you, and it took a little for me to feel comfortable. Now whenever I lay off for a while I experience that a bit, but it goes away with practice and familiarity. I've been trying to get my sister into riding, and she's nervous about the streets, which is one reason I've been interested in discovering some good bike paths for her to get started on.0 -
I finally am in Onederland. Hopefully as a resident, not a visitor!!!! I now weigh exactly 198 pounds. Yee ha!!
Woohoo! Congratulations.0 -
Steph- Thank you for the words of encouragement, that is why I love this group so much. I did have a bad "naughty" Sunday. I told the hubby last night, if I ask him to get a blizzard, to please get a small one...DQ was closed that night because the electricity was out, so he went to Culvers and they are higher in calories. . . regardless. . . perhaps not the best choice of food the day before a weigh in. LOL
As far as the bike goes...all of the above...lol. I am just not physically comfortable riding it yet...my butt needs to get tougher. I am also just terrified of the traffic and such. We don't live in a real busy town, especially at the time of day, but it still freaks me out. I am not good at turning around to see behind me etc. The start/stop thing is hard for me too. BUT, weather allowing, I will meet my w/o friend W, Th F at her work in the AM and then we will ride back to my house together. It should be a bit further I think than what I have been doing, but a lot more level. The ride I have been doing has a lot of hills on it and I have to work hard to get up them. But, the awesome part was...I did it today. Terri was not on the other end waiting for me, I just did it because i knew I needed too. So, I will work through this...In September we have a 36 mile bike ride scheduled. It is on a nice trail through the country so places to stop if we want...we will ride to a small town that is 18 miles on the other end and then eat lunch and ride back. I am already nervous and excited for the goal. LOL The goal was supposed to be to ride one way and have a pick up vehicle and then the next time do the round trip. . . but... the summer is just flying by and we don't have much time to get it done. She works almost every weekend, so her only weekend off in September will be sitting on a bike. I better get a tougher butt before that. LOL
Diana...again....WOW. You are an inspiration to be sure. I love to see such awesome things happen to great people. I have a long ways to go...
We all pretty much rock don't we....
Oh Steph...I don't mind you looking through my diary for sure. I was really nervous when I first opened it up to "visitors" but I think it is helping to keep me more accountable now. I am going to try to stick to 1800 calories this week, ignore the eat back calories and see what happens. Wish me luck. LOL0 -
Today I had my first session with my new personal trainer, too. He wants to connect on MFP, so I'll just leave it at that. Good job on the weight machines training. Be careful working your way through the weight stack. I know I'm always impatient, wanting to move to the next level before I'm ready. The free weights will make the weight machines feel like vacation. Good to mix it up.suejoker
Happy 7/7, Warrior Women! I had my first weight training session with Joe. He's such a cutie--only 24 and so patient and encouraging. He introduced me to most of the weight machines, today. We went around to each one (I believe there were 15) and he just talked me through 1 set of 15 reps on each, explaining the correct form and telling me how to avoid hurting myself. It was exactly what I needed to get started. As I predicted, the arm and upper body ones were a lot harder than the leg ones, for me. And, I was only lifting 10-20lbs on each one! So, I now have a routine to practice 3x/week. I liked it. It's a lot less jarring than cardio and the 40 minutes just flew by. He's gonna keep an eye on me for the next couple of weeks and then introduce me to free weights.
Culo, 3 gym visits already?! That's great! I love my gym and plan to go 5x/week now. We'll see if that's what happens, though. I am already sore from the lifting I did with Joe today and it took me 4 days to recover from my last circuit training class I did. I'm ok with adjusting my overly ambitious plans when necessary, though. I loved those pics! Thanks so much for giving me a preview. When I move and have somewhere safe to park a bike, I'm going down there! I already invited my cousin to come with me.
At least while the personal training sessions are going on, I'll also be at the gym at least 3 days a week. I'll see if I can keep up the pace after the 5 paid for sessions are over. If I see my weight drifting downwards, that will be enough motivation.
Speaking of mixing it up, turns out my swim lessons are a combination of pool and weights. Makes sense to work on my strength outside of the pool to be better in the pool. I'm looking forward to learning a lot over the next few weeks.
If you are going to check out the Devil's Slide Trail, I recommend walking it first. It's hard to tell in the photos I uploaded but there are long, steep hills, 9% grade. I can see a beginning rider being put off cycling faced with those challenges. It's only about a 3 mile round trip, from one end to the other and back but I didn't see one person not breathing hard when going up the hills. In fact, I didn't see anyone riding up the hills, only walking their bikes.dianastepheny
Lemurcat- You're definitely right about the calories balancing out over time. I should have just let myself eat more the next day. I probably would have enjoyed those calories more too.
I finally am in Onederland. Hopefully as a resident, not a visitor!!!! I now weigh exactly 198 pounds. Yee ha!!
Wooo! Virtual high 5. When were you last under 200? I think it was around the beginning of high school for me.
By the way, there's a new thread on the topic of eating back exercise calories. For those who want other points of view. Some good points were made.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1350127-advice-neededschnicklefrit
As far as the bike goes...all of the above...lol. I am just not physically comfortable riding it yet...my butt needs to get tougher. I am also just terrified of the traffic and such. We don't live in a real busy town, especially at the time of day, but it still freaks me out. I am not good at turning around to see behind me etc. The start/stop thing is hard for me too. BUT, weather allowing, I will meet my w/o friend W, Th F at her work in the AM and then we will ride back to my house together. It should be a bit further I think than what I have been doing, but a lot more level. The ride I have been doing has a lot of hills on it and I have to work hard to get up them. But, the awesome part was...I did it today. Terri was not on the other end waiting for me, I just did it because i knew I needed too. So, I will work through this...In September we have a 36 mile bike ride scheduled. It is on a nice trail through the country so places to stop if we want...we will ride to a small town that is 18 miles on the other end and then eat lunch and ride back. I am already nervous and excited for the goal. LOL The goal was supposed to be to ride one way and have a pick up vehicle and then the next time do the round trip. . . but... the summer is just flying by and we don't have much time to get it done. She works almost every weekend, so her only weekend off in September will be sitting on a bike. I better get a tougher butt before that. LOL
We all pretty much rock don't we....
Have you looked to see if your area has any "bike organizations"? Sometimes they have free training to help you become more comfortable riding in traffic. For instance, I took a Urban Bicycling Workshop earlier this month put on by Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition http://bikesiliconvalley.org/.
Even if they don't have any scheduled events that fit your needs, they may have recommendations for you to try. Not a good idea to force yourself to ride in traffic where you feel overwhelmed. Bicyclists have more things than cars to pay attention to with one big disadvantage. If we mess up, we could end up maimed or killed while a car may get a little ding for the same error.
I'm kind of worried about your big 36 mile bike ride coming up. Especially if your butt is still adjusting to being in the bike saddle. When I have periods of not riding, I usually work my self up in distance, a few miles at a time: 2, 5, 10, 15, etc. I don't go from hardly anything to 30+ miles in one day. Do you have a training schedule to work on the next few months? Do you have a backup plan in case you're legs are too wobbly to ride back?
To anyone I didn't specifically mention, don't worry. I see you working hard. :happy:
Well done and carry on.:flowerforyou:0 -
Culo- I have two months to get ready for the trip and it does not have to be straight through. It is a trail in the back country and lots of little places to stop and "smell the roses" if you will. The person I am going with is awesome as well, so she knows how I am and stuff. The back up plan will be the husband. If we make it up there and I just don't think I can make it back...he can meet us a few different places with the truck. There are a lot of places where the trail crosses the road or runs a long side the road. My training plan is just to ride a few times a week and go out to do shorter versions on the trail. I want to go and do at least 6 or so miles this weekend. The trail is also pretty flat with the exception of one hill. Thank you for being concerned....I love this group to the moon and back.
I will be biking the next 3 days at least 4 to 5 miles. I have a bright vest that I put on so every one can see me. There is not a lot of traffic in the AM around here. I would imagine the more I ride the more comfortable it will be. I hope. LOL The route I am taking the next few days is also less hills than the route I took today...those hills are just killing me. LOL
I went for a walk/run tonight with the poodles...two trips since there are two dogs...I actually did a tiny bit of running again trying to see if I like my new shoes. It went okay...the poodle just had a problem keeping up...considering her legs are only like 5 inches tall. Whooooops. So, I think they will work.
Tomorrow I meet with the trainer. I am excited...it seems every one is starting to lift weights all of a sudden. LOL I will be going for heavy lifting. I want to do one competition some time next year. I am excited. I can't wait to see what he has in mind for me.
5AM comes early...gotta get up and get on that bike. Have a great night warrior sisters0 -
Diana, Welcome to Onederland! It's lovely here. I'm sure you'll become a permanent resident, because you are so focused. I haven't seen you take your eye off the ball:)
Culo, that's great you started with a personal trainer too! I will absolutely heed your advice and add more weight slowly, as I embark on this weight training journey. I have a tendency to injure myself, without even thinking that I'm working out that hard, so I need to be careful. I'm so glad I have a trainer to help me with form, so I don't hurt myself by doing it incorrectly. Strength training in the pool sounds cool!
Jodi, that long, country bike ride sounds awesome! I've been getting a hankering to get out of the city. I wish I could come, too! And, you have a new personal trainer, too! I got inspired by the Eat More 2 Weigh Less Community. Those girls are buff and they can eat whatever they want! One of my EM2WL friends eats over 3000 calories/day and is losing weight! How amazing that you want to get into competitive heavy lifting. I hope you'll videotape your first competition for us!
You probably already heard on the newsfeed, but I got my first choice apartment!!! I am so excited to get out of this old, mouse infested building. Also, it's a real 2 bedroom apartment (my youngest son and I have been living in 1br apartments, since 2006, when we moved to Manhattan) and it's way cheaper than the 1br where we currently live. What a deal! I'm also so excited to be able to have a bike again. It's not safe to leave bikes locked outside at night here and we live on the 3rd floor of a walk-up building with double flights of stairs. I've just recently gotten used to walking up the stairs with groceries. I knew that I couldn't carry my bike up and down, so I sold it when we moved in here.
So, big treats to come! I get a nice, big new place to live and a new bike, too:) Keep up the wonderful work, Warrior Sisters!0 -
Sue, where did you find your EM2WL community? I found that I was hungry a good portion of the day today. I just had a mushroom omelet with feta cheese and I am still hungry. I am freaking about calories to be honest. I am not sure, with working out as much as I am that 1800 calories is going to cut it. If I am hungry, I am going to start obsessing about food. I will talk to the trainer about it too, but he has actually said, he is not a nutritionist and while he can look at the food I eat and make comments, he does not want to get in to the "eat this, not that" thing. I mean, he talks about not eating drive thru and stuff like that....I don't know. I just know that when I went to one of the TDEE sites and figured out my calories, it showed about the same as MFP. But, I can not continue to feel hungry either??? :sad: I am getting frustrated.0
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Schnicklefrit- Are you eating back any of your exercise calories? It seems like you burn large amounts (over a thousand or more) but still stay at your original calorie goal. If you eat 1800 and work off 1300, it is like only eating 500 calories that day. They say you really shouldn't go below "net 1200", even higher if you are trying to stay true to your 1800 calories. That could be why you are so hungry or why you might have stalls in weight loss. If I didn't eat back enough calories to hit 1200 net (preferably closer to my 1650- I try to not go below 1500-1600), I would probably be ready to eat the wallboard in my house while snapping at everyone around me. (I have a tendency to get "hangry"). With the exception of the night where it was almost midnight and I forced myself to eat pizza (poor planning on my part), I eat more during the day when I know I am going to be exercising later, so I don't get stuck with a slew of calories and this way I know I won't be under eating by the end of the day.0
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So, Sue, when do you get to move into your new apartment? You'll be burning quite a few calories cleaning, packing, lugging boxes etc. Very exciting. Congrats on getting your first choice. New apartment, new eating plans/exercise, new body...lots of great news. 0
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Schnicklefrit- Are you eating back any of your exercise calories? It seems like you burn large amounts (over a thousand or more) but still stay at your original calorie goal. If you eat 1800 and work off 1300, it is like only eating 500 calories that day. They say you really shouldn't go below "net 1200", even higher if you are trying to stay true to your 1800 calories. That could be why you are so hungry or why you might have stalls in weight loss. If I didn't eat back enough calories to hit 1200 net (preferably closer to my 1650- I try to not go below 1500-1600), I would probably be ready to eat the wallboard in my house while snapping at everyone around me. (I have a tendency to get "hangry"). With the exception of the night where it was almost midnight and I forced myself to eat pizza (poor planning on my part), I eat more during the day when I know I am going to be exercising later, so I don't get stuck with a slew of calories and this way I know I won't be under eating by the end of the day.
I am just so confused!!!!! I am too afraid to eat the calories back now because I had such a crap two weeks. I was trying to look back at my nets and the only place I can find them in the reports section, the one day nothing is showing up...so I am assuming I was in the negatives that day? I guess I have never looked at the NET side of things. I will talk to the trainer about it too tonight and see what he says. I know he disagrees with eating back all of the calories, but perhaps he does not realize how "under" I am going? This will be my first real visit with him, so we will go from there.
Thanks for trying to help. I am just so gosh darn desperate to lose some weight, and I feel like I am doing good things, and yet...no scale lowering, no nothing!!!!!! I know you have all been there, and I am sorry to whine and complain...I am just ubber frustrated and just want to scream.
I did not even go and walk or ride the bike this AM because I am just flustered and I was hungry when I woke up, I could not imagine what it would have been like if I had worked off 500+ calories.0 -
Diana
So net calories according to the report page for this past week for me:
7/3=0, 7/4=1343, 7/5=1275, 7/6=2009 (bad day), 7/7=517 and 7/8=650. My daily goal is 1800... ?
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/reports (this should be my NET calorie page for the last 30 days)
Not sure if this link will work or not...my work computer is kind of locked down, so I can not see links from here.....????0 -
Schnicklefrit (what's your real name, by the way? Sorry)
If I click on the link, it only brings me to my own report, not yours. However, by looking at my report, I noticed something interesting. I have changed my calorie goals a few times, If I look back in time and try to see how much I netted on a particular day, it is showing my calories, but keeps the red line to determine my net at my current level (no matter what it was that day). If you go to your actual diary and go page by page (time consuming and annoying, I know)...it will show you your calorie goal for that day (even if it is no longer your current calorie goal). So, you can tell your net by subtracting your "extra calories from exercise" earned amount from your total eaten so far.
Example: (using 1800 calorie goal)
Food eaten: 1800...no exercise...1800 net
Food eaten: 2400... exercise 300... 2100 net (person over 1800 goal by 300)
Food eaten 1800...exercise 500...1300 net (person is 500 below goal)
Food eaten 2000...exercise 900...1100 net (person ate more than 1800 goal BUT because of exercise is actually 700 under)
Food eaten 1400...exercise 1500.. -100 net (person burned 100 more calories than she even ate) and is 1900 below calorie goal
Food eaten 2500...exercise 800..1700 net (person looks like they ate a lot...BUT is within a nice range below actual calorie goal)
Obviously, you don't need to eat back all exercise calories. What if they are overestimated...then you would be overeating. I try to eat back enough that i end up within 100-200 of goal (in case of overestimation errors). Sometimes, i eat them all back. I try and make sure i never go below 1200 net. I hope this helps. )
The "Your Daily Goal" calories is how many you can eat after exercise to "even out"...in other words (in your case) net 1800. But you can figure out exactly where you are at the moment by subtracting exercise from food eaten.0 -
Diana-thank you...that makes more sense...so ummmm...yes....I think so?0
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Jodi--
Ideal deficit is no more than 1000 calories/day (which should be a 2 lb per week loss).
What I think makes sense is to take the whole deficit and then try to exercise for 500 calories of it. I accomplish this--in theory--by putting myself down as active and then eating back calories in excess of that active mark. Not sure if that will work well or not, as I just started it.
What is probably a simpler way is just to cut 1000 from your NEAT (what MFP gives you if you ask for 2 lbs) and then be good about eating back exercise calories to the extent you trust them. Some are hard to figure out. The best way to deal with walking and so on IME is to just let Fitbit adjust you. I have eating back lots of my Fitbit calories from the beginning and lost doing so.
I'm skeptical of burns over 1000 unless they involved multiple hours of work and when they do I cut them because you burn calories doing nothing too.
What might be worth trying for you is figuring out your TDEE and taking a 20% cut off of it, and then you don't have to deal with exercise calories at all. At my current TDEE I'm not doing this because 20% is less than one pound a week, but I'd bet yours would give you between 1-2 lbs. If you want some help figuring that out, let me know. The calculator at IIFYM.com is my favorite (I think Scooby can estimate high), especially since it's easy to see the differences between the different calculators. If you know your body fat Katch-McArdle is the best, but otherwise Mifflin-St Jeor seems to split the difference.
If you are still getting hungry there are ways of arranging your meals that can help, but my bet is that getting the calories and exercise calories squared away will help a lot.
Also, everything Diana said. ;-)0 -
Date Calorie Goal Calories Eaten Exercise calories burned Net Calories
6/30/2014 1800 1912 926 986
7/1/2014 1800 1867 710 1157
7/2/2014 1800 2269 1240 1029
7/3/2014 1800 1598 2006 -408
7/4/2014 1800 2180 837 343
7/5/2014 1800 2329 1054 275
7/6/2014 1800 2261 252 2009
7/7/2014 1800 1748 1231 517
7/8/2014 1800 1790 1140 650
Okay, here is a snap shot of my week.... Is this right Diana....BTW...my name is Jodi LOL I am not sure why I never said that before. LOL As far as the calories burned, it is normally associated with my heart rate monitor or if it is a walk...map my fitness. So I think the calorie burn is pretty accurate. I don't hardly EVER use MFP calories counter. I work really hard when I work out and my HRM shows it. I wish I knew how to slow down...I just don't know if I can. I am going to print this off and bring it to my trainer tonight as well.
I can't get this to post right...but can you see what I am talking about? LOL0 -
Hey Jodi
So, since June 30th, you have netted...986...1157...1029... negative 408...1343( not 343) ...1275 ( not 275)...2009...517...and 650. You have been way under everyday if you are shooting for 1800. Even with the extra 209 calories on your one high day, it doesn't bring you close to an overall amount (especially with the negative day cancelling it out) . (1800 * 9= 16,200 ...your total eaten is 8,558) 8558 divided by 9 days= 951 calories per day on average.
Even if you didn't want to eat back ALL of your exercise calories, you really should try to stay closer to 1800, definitely over 1200. Trust me...I was barely under 1200 on only a few occasions and spent most of my time netting closer to 1400 and my body had a temper tantrum...stalled weight loss, missed period, tired, cranky...etc. That's why I upped myself to 1650 and try not to net below 1500 on the days I do Zumba (not sure I trust the calorie count, so I don't eat them all back on those days usually).
Hope this helps. 0 -
Okay, while this is making more sense to me....I just can't wrap my brain around eating those extra calories. LOL BUT....I will give it a try...that means I need to get up in the AM and get my main hard core work out in then...or plan my work outs better, because I do not want to be eating 1000 calories after 6pm if I can help it. LOL I will see what happens and than you all so much for your help.
I was re-reading the statement on this group pages first page....wow....what an awesome group we have here. I HAVE to tell you all that if it were not for this little close knit group....there were several times that I would have said forget it. But, thanks to Steph for inviting me to this group.... I almost feel like I have to "not" let you all down. I am doing this for me, don't get me wrong...but I think we all live life wanting to make people happy or proud and you are all my "it group". I have not had good support over the years of my on and off yo yo dieting and this time around...I was either just ready....or my new virtual friends are saving me. I have one person that I deal with every day here in town (soon to be two with the trainer) that is REALLY supportive and other than that...not really. I was emailing with Veronica and I really do give you all so much credit for helping me and each other. I don't even know where you are all from?
Anyway....thank you all for taking an entire stinking day to beat it in to my head about NET calories. LOL Now, we will see what the trainer says tonight so he can mess with my head even more. LOL0 -
Hey, Warrior Sisters! I'm so glad you all pitched in to help Jodi figure out that she was underfeeding her poor body! I am super tired today, from Jack's class and not going to sleep until 2am... I think I was just wired from the news about the apartment. The Noah's Bagels breakfast my sleep deprivation inspired was delicious, though.
Jodi, I'm so glad your body is telling you that it is hungry. Mine was so confused that it wasn't even hungry anymore, after months of being pushed to workout more and more and only being fed 1200 calories/day. That's why I joined EM2WL, because those girls seemed to understand what I was going through and offered a solution. Here's their website: http://eatmore2weighless.com/ They also have an MFP group, but more of the basic reading is on the website, so check it out. Another easy way to see your net calories is on your MFP Home Page. On the top, it lists your calorie goal (GOAL), what you've eaten so far today (FOOD), how many calories you've burned so far today (EXERCISE), and what remains (NET). You may ultimately want to try a metabolism reset, if you continue to not lose weight, but netting up to your BMR may do the trick. I did a 3 week reset, where I ate at maintenance or TDEE calories and then starting cutting to TDEE-15%. For the past 3 weeks, I've been losing 1lb/week, while eating about 1800 calories/day. It's awesome. By the way, because you asked on the newsfeed, Jack's class is a crazy, fun circuit training class that I take at the YMCA.
Diana, I'm moving in next week! I will certainly get a workout, packing and moving (although my son and his friends will do most of the heavy lifting). Big bonus: It's way closer to Trader Joe's and the farmers market:)
Stephanie, thanks for the IIFYM site. I'd never seen that before. I subtract 15% from my Fitbit TDEE, but find those calculators helpful for the BMR values. It's interesting that the Katch-McCardle one says my BMR is 1510 and the Mifflin-St Jeon says my BMR is 1352. I've been aiming for the latter, when I exercise a lot.0 -
I'm so tired!!! This moving is wearing me OUT. I feel like i tried to take a break yesterday after work but I could barely get up this morning. I'm running on fumes. I love reading everyone's goals and how yo uare doing on them! My currecnt goal is to clear out the dining room which is full of boxes!! My other goal, as I was discussing earlier with jodi, is that I can not stop eating after dinner time. I do well through the day, then have dinner. Then have dessert, then popcorn, then another dessert. I used to have a whole lot more will-power. But for the past months, it's one food after another at night. I know this is not good for me!!
Sue--good luck with all of that moving. If I could pass along some of the boxes, bubble wrap, etc that we just used, I would!0
