40+ Club

InTheMoney

Thanks Sing for the kind words - Sorry the kick was so hard -Runners have really strong legs

tron: Welcome to the group and I'm a fan of the Wii but like Alf get bored easily. As far as the chiropractor goes I'm afraid I'm a nonbeliever I visited one once and was totally turned off because he wouldn't even touch me until I signed a contract for weekly treatments:mad: I know there are good ones out there but it just seems to me that the practice isn't regulated as well as it should be.

Alf: Have you received your ChaLean? Mine shipped yesterday so I'm sure I'll be tracking it daily until it gets here.

Duffy- did you look at the P90X before you chose CHA lean? Did you know what the differences are? I just ordered P90X

duffyzmom

In the Money - So funny! My husband and I discussed that yesterday. I am finishing up Power 90 and quite frankly I think I was just ready for a break from Tony :laugh:

singfree

Better watch out, Duffy...Tony doesn't like when he is dumped for another woman. I like Tony, but I really wouldn't mind looking at Chalene, either!

InTheMoney

after checking out the P site, I saw tha CHA was a disciple of Tony's that's why I asked.
My son is 3 weeks away from finishing 90 and loves it.
I have been in a bit of a Biggest Loser competition so I have been waiting for it to be over to start the P90X. It should be here this Friday and the comp is over next Tuesday. Perfect timing.
REALLY lokking forward to it since I am down 45 lbs already.

alf1163

Hello Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh boy, what a weekend!!!! I ate WAY TOO MUCH JUNK FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :grumble: :grumble: Oh well, I kinda expected that...:noway: We spent the weekend with my daughter and grandbaby at Ft Hood. Went out to eat twice plus BBQ at the house on Sunday. She keeps a lot of junk food at the house so temptation was too strong for me. I am a sucker when I am spending time with family. But today is a new day!!!! I did not do much this morning, got up late, my husband was late for work as well. I took the fit test for the ChaLean program. I think I am starting on Friday, mayber earlier. Still reading the guidebook and I am going to look at the nutrition book and make sure I have what I need before I start. I chose ChaLean because the workouts are shorter than P90X. A couple of coworkers are doing P90X and have not been doing the workouts religiously for that same reason. And Chalene was more appealing to me. I have heard pretty good things about it so I am excited to start.

The boxing workout is in the Wii DVD that comes with the game. It is a great workout!!!!

Stiring, you are in control girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go!!! And Happy Anniversary!!!

Duffy, sorry to hear about your surgery, I hope everything works out for you. Too bad you won't be able to start ChaLean soon. I was counting on your motivation and support!!! But when you start I will be there to cheer you on!!!!!

Happy Tuesday!!!! I am off to work soon. :flowerforyou:

InTheMoney

I really didn't look at the Chalean so I was curious what you all saw that made the choice. Now that I hear what you have to say, i would prefer the longer workouts myself. I've done a couple of them and they aren't that long for me. Lately I have been known to spend 2 or more hours at the gym doing cardio so a 60 minute workout would be good.
That being said, whatever you do in that respect is all good!

singfree

Tony and Chalene are on the same page as far as getting fit goes. It all boils down to a matter of preference. Tony seems to appeal to the hard core group who want to get fit, lose fat, and get ripped muscles. Chalene takes a similar approach, but the focus (IMHO) is becoming lean and toned.

Please don't bash me here...it's just my take. I truly believe that these two products are great fitness tools and either one will work wonders for your body. For me, I enjoy getting beaten down with Tony's "Bring IT" approach. I need the military-type workouts, which suits my personality. Now that I can keep up with the P90X CDs, I feel that I can finally reach my fitness goals.

alf1163

Not offended at all!!! I consider myself pretty hard core, trust me, if I could spend hrs at the gym I would but I cannot. I work part time outside the home, I have a child with autism who has a few therapies during the week, plus a husband, two dogs, a house...and of course my daughter and grandbaby but they dont live in town. So I am way too busy to be able to spend hrs at the gym or do long workouts...I get up around 5am to be able to have at least an hr to workout so I can shower and then get my son ready for school and then off to work...I have always preferred to workout in the morning so that works better for me instead of working out in the evening. Evenings are family time and catching up with MFP and getting ready for the next day and start all over again...I am sure all of you can relate...who knows I might get P90X when I am done with ChaLean. I could probably borrow it or rent it from one of my coworkers or buy it used on Craigslist...:laugh:

:flowerforyou:

singfree

Thanks, Alf...you are a true friend who understands. Yes, even though we have a quest for fitness, the family should be our number 1 priority. Alf, when you describe what you do everyday when you are being tugged in all directions, I truly feel that you are our Wonder Woman! You and all the others on MFP 40+ Club are an inspiration to me...not just for fitness and well-being, but more importantly making time for those loved ones who need us the most! I need to remember where my priorities are: my wife & family, my spiritual (church) life, and then little old me!

tron3002

tron: Welcome to the group and I'm a fan of the Wii but like Alf get bored easily. As far as the chiropractor goes I'm afraid I'm a nonbeliever I visited one once and was totally turned off because he wouldn't even touch me until I signed a contract for weekly treatments:mad: I know there are good ones out there but it just seems to me that the practice isn't regulated as well as it should be.

Well you really should try to find a better one and give it another try. I have many examples but I will share just this one to keep it short. My mother in law suddenly got very sick, she went to the hospital and it turned out her kidneys were failing her. If I remember correctly they were only working about 12%. The doctors were talking dialysis and a kidney transplant. After being in the hospital for two weeks she checked herself out and tried seeing a chiropractor. Within two weeks of seeing him three times a week her kidney function was up to 50% and continued to go up there after. No, she never did reach 100% but thats because of the damage that occurred from the original problem but she no longer needs any meds, dialysis, or transplant. Like I said I have other examples like my husbands 2 herniated disks and my sudden hearing loss, that I could use as examples where working with both a doctor and chiropractor you just may have some pretty amazing results. Just letting you know so you can have all the options out there.... Take care

tron3002

Alf1163... I just got the second, longer part of the boxing. It's pretty fun. Just have to get used to the foot work. :laugh:

Well my husband told me last night he'd like to take a trip to Hawaii in two weeks.:happy: I really need to lose some weight before than....:grumble: Hopefully somewhere between 5 to 8 lbs. Any suggestions? Or hopefully I can talk him into waiting a bit longer

duffyzmom

tron: If my husband said Hawaii in two weeks - my weight would be the last thing I'd be thinking about! I'd be packing before he changes his mind. Don't stress the number thing just keep doing what is working for you right now. If the number is really important do the South Beach Phase 1 - You'll probably drop 5-8 lbs but I'm warning you the very first carb you eat will put it all back on (been there done that).

duffyzmom

Better watch out, Duffy...Tony doesn't like when he is dumped for another woman. I like Tony, but I really wouldn't mind looking at Chalene, either!

YEP! I was thinking having her on the TV screen would be a version of a goal poster. Plus, unfortunately I'm already sort of built like Tony and would love to be toned in a more womanly manner.:laugh:

singfree

I woke up this morning at 4:15 (as usual) to go to the gym. I've decided to not let anything stand in my way to finally getting into tip-top shape. Usually I am my own worst enemy. I have good intentions, but get derailed from time to time. Nothing too bad, but I need to get into the mindset of NO JUNK FOOD. If I can do something that one simple thing, I think I can finally reach that elusive goal!

duffyzmom

Good Luck Singfree! Isn't it amazing what a hold junk food can have on you? If I don't have it in the house I don't really think about it as much but there are still times I see a commercial or someone on TV eating junk and I think YUMMMMMMMMMM! Is it possible these food companies have included some addictive property to the food? I'm always up for a good conspiracy theory :laugh:

alf1163

I hear you!! We are all our worst enemy. I used to "blame" others or specific situations to me overeating or eating "junk". But I know deep inside I am the one in control and I choose not to be...a good example was this weekend. We went out of town to visit my daughter and grandbaby. It started out perfectly. I worked out before leaving, had a healthy breakfast. We stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch and I had a grilled chicken salad with very little light dressing. We arrived at my daughter's house. She stocks up on junk food, lots of processed stuff, cookies, candy, etc., things I do not keep in my house. And what do I do? I take advantage of the situation and find myself opening the pantry door one too many times to get candy, cookies, etc...it was like that most of the weekend. I also did not make good choices when we went out to eat. When I got back home it was back to eating healthy and monitoring portions. You are not alone Singfree. My story might make you feel a little better. But you know, I still consider myself a pretty healthy person and I am doing a good job at taking care of myself. In the end we are all humans and we have our weaknesses. :flowerforyou:

StiringWendel

Like alf, I think the thing that gets to me the most with junk food temptation is the aspect of social eating. When I'm at home, all is well. When I spent the weekend with my sister a couple of weeks ago, it took every ounce of self-control (and, quite frankly, some of her telling me to control myself) to not dig into the brownies with the rest of the family. I'm just glad she (and my husband) didn't encourage me to eat but did the exact opposite. But if I had stayed there more than a couple of days, I have no doubt that I would have been digging into the ice cream with her one night. I don't understand that at all, and I was actually pretty surprised to have that reaction.

I'm going to face some of my bigger 'food fears' this week as I'm eating out in restaurants for the first time since January both tomorrow and Saturday. But I've done my research and really just have to remember I don't have to eat everything on my plate, no matter what my mother told me as a child.

But, honestly, I'm doing well and holding my own in this maintenance mode I'm in right now. I feel really in control of my diet right now, and while my cravings are really bad sometimes, I am less and less tempted to give in to them. I think, for me, the biggest thing is that about a week ago, I really turned a corner with my fitness. I had been feeling for a while that my cardio was getting easier, but I was doing a really hard bootcamp type of workout recently, and I realized that I was jumping higher than I had in years. In so many ways, I feel like I'm 25 again (of course, I'm the weight I was when I was that old, so that might have something to do with it). And I'm absolutely loving the feeling right now and don't want to lose it. That's been a great motivator for me. I'm so prone to injury, I don't know how long this will last. (I hate being so negative, but negative sometimes is just realistic!), but it sure feels good right now.

Hope this finds everybody doing well!

cardigirl

Hello, I'm pretty new to this website, saw this thread and thought I'd join. I'm 54, so I'm certainly over the 40 part.

I have a question for those of you who have been here awhile...I love the food tracker and it is helping to really focus on my intake, but I find that I reach my protein goal (and sugar too ) by the middle of the afternoon. I usually have 500 to 550 calories left for my day, and am hard pressed to figure out what the heck I can eat that's not going to make me go over on protein or sugar.

One thing that really pushes the sugar is the banana I have on my cereal...so am going to go to a half a banana, and add in some berries for additional fruit.

Any suggestions for meals low on protein, high on carbs, etc, would be appreciated.

Thanks.

singfree

Cardigirl, welcome! I am 54 years old too! Don't be concerned about the sugar and protein limits. The sugar you are ingesting is from natural sources such as fruits. As long as you are not eating processed food with a lot of added sugar, you should be fine. For me, the daily allotment of protein is a bit low. Also more protein (less carb) might give you the boost you need for faster weight loss. Add a smoothie with whey protein and maybe an ounce of almonds in the evening if you need a snack.

Post often and best of health to you!

cardigirl

Thanks for the welcome, Singfree...I think that all the encouragement there is on this board is such a help to everyone.

And thanks for the info re the sugar and protein intake. I'm probably focusing too much on those numbers. My carb intake is way low...which is good I think.

Just have to avoid the mindset that I should be "perfect."

psilva78227

Protein is also necessary for building/rebuilding muscle. So when working out, it is a good idea to eat some lean protein or a protein shake afterwards.

singfree

Believe me, we are far from perfect here, Cardigirl! But we try awfully hard to do the right thing. It doesn't always work, but we admit our weakness and move on. Yes, there are a lot of nice people here, and they all treat me like family.

Good observation, Psilva!

cardigirl

I agree about the need for protein, I just want to be sure I'm keeping the calories in balance. I've been working with a trainer for about 7 months now, and the weight loss has slowed. Not sure if it's not eating cleanly enough, or not eating enough calories, etc, but I'm trying to change things up a bit in the hopes of getting the weight to start moving again. All I'm hoping for is 2-3lbs lost per month.

Good news is that I'm really building muscle though! Love that! ::bigsmile:

tron3002

You all seem to have done very well at the weight lose game so my question is this.... How long did it take you to see results? The very first week or does it take a few and then your body starts to lose on a steady basis?

singfree

I can only speak for myself, but weightloss seems to slow dramatically the closer you are to your perceived "goal" weight. I cannont say that I am a dieter, but I watch what I eat. I am much more aware of the total cals per day, ratios of carb, protein, & fat, etc...

If you list all of your food on MFP, at the bottom you can see how many grams of each you are eating. This can easily be calculated as a percentage. Total cals are most important as well as logging your exercise, so that you can keep a slight caloric deficit daily which you need for weightloss.

What types of exerciese are you doing with the trainer? Perhaps you could add a bit more cardio if you are doing primarily strength training. I lift a LOT. I need the cardio to shed the fat. Thankfully the weather is warming up in PA so I can do some biking. Today I will do treadmill cardio intervals and strength training at the gym, and this evening I will bike 15-20 miles. This equates to 1000+cals burned. Most days I take in around 1800-2000 cals.

Tron, the results I see are not really on the scale. Since I do a lot of strength training, my weight is fairly stable, but my body fat is reducing while my strength is increasing. This is EXACTLY what I am looking for. Don't be a slave to the scale. Measure yourself periodically. Try on some (formerly) tight clothing. Look in the mirror. Those things will tell you how successful you really are.

Alf, you are not going to believe this...I got on the scale last night. Pretty much as I suspected, 152 lbs.(I'm 5'8"). I guess my body fat % to be around 11-13%. Ultimately I would like to get it under 10% (vanity).

cardigirl

Singfree, I'm not sure what you would call the stuff I do with the trainer, circuit training maybe? We do a variety of muscle building exercises. Boxing warmups, burnout drills, usually one day is upper body and one day is lower body work. He has me do burpees, mountain climbers, jumping box squats, roundhouse kicks, front kicks, and yesterday he had me do bench hops! We always finish with core exercises on the mat, crunches, leg lifts, russian twists, etc. And the ever dreaded lower back extensions.

The other days I use the stairclimber for 10 minutes and the AMT machine for 30 and do a series of arm exercises on the Smith machine and the assisted dips and pullups machine. I try to increase the intensity of the time on the AMT and the stair climber every couple of weeks.

And as the weather gets warmer, I want to add some running into the mix.

I am building muscle, which is great! And the last body fat measurement the trainer did I had 27.88% which is in the healthy range for my age, but I would like to get it down under 25% if I can.

Just tough to never see that weight budge.

singfree

Looking at the hard core training you are doing, I can see why the scale is not moving much! This is a very good thing. You are becoming really fit and putting on beneficial muscle. You are going to find that your weight will drop slowly, but so will the body fat. Not to worry, you are becoming more compact with the increased muscle mass. As I stated earlier, my weight has not gone down very much in the past few months, but I am leaner and much stronger. Look in the mirror. If you like what you see, by all means, keep going!

cardigirl

Thanks Singfree, you sound like my trainer! :bigsmile: He assures me that I'm doing really well. It's a vanity thing, really, I wanna get into some smaller jeans by summer and thought I'd be further along. But yeah, I do like what I see happening to my body...my legs and arms are so much slimmer now. It's cool!


The best part is how much better I feel physically compared to last year. I have way more energy and generally just feel happier much of the time.

Exercise and a good diet are truly the best medicine ever!

singfree

Some of singfree's simple observations:

You know that you are on the right track when you can climb those flights of stairs without sucking wind. Now you can take them 2 at a time.

You now look forward to working out. Miss a day and you're bummed!

You carefully plan what you are going to eat at your favorite restaurant.

I will finally be happy to take my shirt off this summer!!!

I used to love pizza and Chinese places. Now I think about how I DO NOT miss the sodium, fat and MSG.

Is that the beginning of a six-pack I see? Wishful thinking...

StiringWendel

singfree, I so agree with your observations....except I'll be keeping my shirt on this summer. :bigsmile: And those are some impressive numbers, especially your body fat %!

Speaking of Chinese (since you mentioned it), I'm eating at PF Changs for the first time tonight. It isn't really my choice, but that is where my husband wants to go for his birthday. Since he has been very patient with me and has agreed to no restaurant eating for the past three months, I think this is the least I can do. I've studied their menu, and I think I'm going to end up ordering vegetarian fried rice. While it is a little low on protein, it is also low in calories (okay, low is relative....if I were to each the entire dish, it would be 1000 calories) and sodium. I think it is ridiculous that any restaurant lists their food items as having multiple servings btw. In this case, they say this plate of food should be four servings. I don't go to a restaurant for four servings of food! I go for one. But, that aside, if I eat half of it, it will be about 500 calories, and I figure that's not too bad for restaurant food right now.

Saturday night, I think I'm going to a Mexican restaurant. I've done some research, and I think the best I'm going to be able to do there is with chicken tacos (soft shell) or chicken fajitas. Does anybody have any other healthy suggestions that I might find at a Mexican restaurant?

It has been a tough few weeks for me staying on track with the trip to Colorado, luncheons, Easter, my husband's birthday and, this weekend, family coming in for a couple of days (which is why we're eating out on Saturday). Thankfully it looks like I'll be able to spend the bulk of the next few weeks eating much cleaner and even though I'm not looking to lose any more weight, I'm looking forward to putting healthier foods into my body for a little while.

tron, it took my body three weeks to start responding to the diet. I think I might have lost a pound during those three weeks, but to be honest, I hadn't cut out all the crap during two of those weeks. Once I really started focusing on a clean diet, it took my body about a week to respond and then the weight loss was very steady over the next 2.5 months (which is how long it took me to reach my goal weight). But everybody is different, so give your body some time to adjust.

cardigirl, it sounds like you've got a terrific workout regime going on! That's some good stuff there.

Off to do 60 minutes of strength training and, if I can, I'm going to fit in some cardio to burn some calories in anticipation of tonight's dinner! Enjoy your day everybody. :flowerforyou: