40+ Club - Summertime Fun

mkwood10

Hey everybody!!

The scale at Curves said 127!!!!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
It hasn't said that number since early Novermber - I was so excited that I had the owner weigh and measure me today instead of waiting for Friday, my normal weigh/measure day. The inches didn't look very different, but it's only a 2 pound weight loss since last month. However......2.5 pounds of body fat lost, BMI down to 23.23!!! :happy: I hope this is the plateau break I've been looking for - I've been stuck yo-yo'ing from 128.5 to 132 for the past 6 weeks and been really frustrated with it.

Burned 450 calories.........yeah me!! :happy:

It's been a good day :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :happy:

singfree

Good morning all!

It's going to be a nice day here in PA, sunny and high in the upper 70's. Really nice weather to get out after work and move the old bones. I'm working day shift today and will go back to work at 11 pm tonight. At least I'll be finished for the week tomorrow morning! I have a busy weekend planned. I'll be singing in the chorus for Beethoven's 9th (Choral Symphony) at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster PA. A dress rehearsal Friday evening and 2 concerts on Saturday. Should be fun.

MK, great news on your weight loss. Have faith, it's working!

Stiring, I did the 2nd "fit test" with Insanity yesterday. My scores improved by 10-30 %, depending on the exercise in only 2 weeks. I really think that anyone can benefit from this program. A few other fit women on the Insanity thread have upped their daily cals to 3000!! I'm a bit nervous about that, but it could explain why I am losing some muscle definition. My cals are way low if they are correct, and I think they are right about this.

I have to go shopping for new work jeans. I was wearing a 33 waist because I like a looser fit, but these things are literally falling down if I don't wear a belt! Could a 6-pack be in my future?

Have a great day!

cardigirl

Morning all!!! So good to see everyone posting. Sorry to have been AWOL for a bit, busy time at work.

I am in amazement of all of you who are losing. I just cannot seem to have that type of success. I don't know if it's too little calories or too many, etc. I'm still following the 55-25-20 percentages that the trainer suggested, but even though I'm feeling good, I cannot seem to get past 157. :grumble: Even with a BFP% of 21% I think that weight is a bit high for someone 5'3".


Going to continue with the higher carbs for at least a month and see if my body starts responding to it more appropriately.

In the meantime, still doing plyometrics. They are killer, right Sing? My legs hurt so much the day afterwards. But it's a good burn. That Insanity program sounds interesting, as doesn the P90X. Might have to try to incorporate more of that into my non-trainer days.

Okay, just checking in. I'm always reading (lurking) but don't always have time to post. :sad: Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still around and still being inspired by all of you!:flowerforyou:

singfree

Hi Cardi!

Glad to see you posting. Plyo is a killer, that's for sure! FYI...we are visiting the Boston area in a few weeks. My wife's parents are buried in Merrimac, MA and we are going to visit some friends and spend a day in Boston before heading home.

zebras

Sing:

I was having trouble finding something to wear to sleep last night, and I came across a nightshirt, that even though the letters have long since worn out, used to say:

"I don't suffer from Insanity, I enjoy every minute of it"

Just made me smile thinking of your crazy workout called Insanity. Happy to report that the nightshirt is so huge on me, that it looks like I was wearing someone elses clothes.

singfree

Well, I'm suffering through AND enjoying Insanity. Actually, it's the results that I'm enjoying!

cardigirl

Hi Cardi!

Glad to see you posting. Plyo is a killer, that's for sure! FYI...we are visiting the Boston area in a few weeks. My wife's parents are buried in Merrimac, MA and we are going to visit some friends and spend a day in Boston before heading home.

Hopefully the weather will be decent when you are here. Hope you get to go to the North End for some fantastic Italian food! :drinker:


LOL about suffering through AND enjoying Insanity. Heh. Love the Tshirt Zebras. I need one like that.

duffyzmom

I did hill training this morning and my last circuit of Burn Circuit 2. I can't believe I will be moving on to the Push Circuit next week that was a fast 30 days.

Checking in to wish you all a great weekend! Tonight I am off the band camp for another night of chaperoning (and not sleeping) and then off to Traverse City for our Anniversary getaway. The goal this weekend is relaxation but I've already mapped my long run for Sunday morning. That area has a great trailway so I will be able to do my 10 mile run.

Zebras: Congrats on the loss.

Sing and Stiring: Enjoy the extra calories. 3000 is probably on the right track for Sing - my husband is the classic bodybuilder shape and I swear he consumes closer to 4000-4500/day and always has a six pack. Muscle really does make a huge difference in your metabolism.

I'm avoiding the scale right now but will weigh in and measure on day 30 of CX.

Texssippian

Hi all! Glad to hear everyone's great reports.

We are going to Mississippi tomorrow to see my family. My mom and little sister are driving back from New Orleans today. My brother-in-law's mom and step dad are going to stay with him at Ochsner. He is now out of ICU and completing all the testing for listing for a liver transplant. He is doing better and his MELD score (used to prioritize you on the transplant list) has improved in the last couple of days. We are encouraged but know that there still is a long journey ahead. Thank you for the continued support and prayers.

I am finally getting over this summer cold. It has been a terrible thing. I am looking forward to getting back to exercising. River aerobics is now over. I saw my water shoes in the car yesterday and was sad. I am going to start training for another personal triathlon (I swim, bike, and walk/run by myself). We are going to take our free weights with us to Ms.

I wore a blouse yesterday that was too small 6 weeks ago when I bought it. Fit great yesterday! (Daughter said I looked sassy!) I can fit into size 12 although some things are not that flattering yet. I had gotten to a size 10 last time I lost weight. I am shooting for that again. But this time, I want to stay that size... Take care all. Not sure how much I can post while gone.

singfree

Good Morning TGIF!!!!!

I was on night shift last night, so a am really beat. Yesterday I rode a hiily and challenging 25 miles on my bike. If that weren't enough, I did an Insanity workout as well. Burned a total of over 1500 cals. Needless to say, I was starving and really ate a lot.

Reporting Day!!

I am staying the course with my Insanity workouts. They are doing great things for my shape. If you are looking to reshape your body in the form of fat loss, this is the program for you. One thing, though...I believe that you MUST be fairly fit to attempt it. It is tough, demanding and will kick your butt each and every time you do a workout. Currently I am on day 17 of 60. My caloric demands are now around 3000 cals per day. I'm having a lot of anxiety with eating that much. Yesterday I supplemented my eating with more protein shakes.

Speaking of protein, I switched to EAS 100% Pure Whey Protein, Vanilla flavor. Wow, it is really good. In a blender using part skim milk, it has a very creamy texture and tastes like a milk shake. If you are interested, I found it in a 5 lb. bag at Sam's Club for around half the price of other stores ($28 for 5 lbs).

Thanks to all for your help and encouragement. I have a busy weekend with singing, but I'll check in from time to time. Have a great weekend!

Swissmiss

:flowerforyou: texas, congrats on fitting into your new shirt. Doesn't it feel great. This is a better way of knowing if we are losing than just watching the scales.

sing, thanks for the info on the whey protein. I am not a member of Sam's, though. I am using the Kroger brand. Love it. Wow, 3000 calories...I'll bet that is hard to fit in in one day.

I am down one more pound and I think that I know what is slowing me down. I have upped by allowed calories and that seems to be helping.

alf1163

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! :drinker: :drinker: We had a great time at the coast! We even went parasailing!! :noway: :noway: I was so nervous but now I can say "been there done that". :laugh: We had beautiful weather, blue skies, nice beach. On our way to parasail we saw some small sharks feeding on a lot of fish. Thank God we did not get dunked in the water. :laugh: :laugh: We also saw a lot of dolphins. We have to go to the Hill Country today to pick up our son from camp. I can't wait to see him. Our dogs went crazy when they saw us last night. It is good to be back home. Now back to watching what I eat and back to my exercise routine although I am not too sure about the latter. I am pretty much done with ChaLean Extreme and I am not interested in doing another round right now, maybe next year. So I'd better think of something else to do.

Sing, great job on doing Insanity. I know it is mostly cardio correct? Are you still lifting? I don't want to lose my strength.

Swiss, congrats on your accomplishments. You are doing awesome!!

Have a great day!!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

singfree

Akf, welcome back! Holy cow, what great pix!!!!!!!! WOW!!!! (sorry. I had a "man" moment)

Glad to fear that you had a great time!! Insanity is mostly cardio. No, I'm not lifting for 60 days. I'm a bit concerned about that, too. But I'm going to stick with it and then do P90X.

aprilvet

Hello, all!

Just got caught up! Everyone looks like they're doing great! You are all so right about this journey being a life-style change. But it certainly takes longer than 21 repetitions to make a habit. I feel the pull of my former life every day. Although the fitness routine seems to have stuck, I'm finding the diet much harder. While I'm not as bad on a regular basis as I used to be, I've not made consistently good choices over the past 2 summer months. As a result, I've gained back 5 pounds.:grumble: But, I've deserved it! I think only the exercise and weight training have stopped it there.

sing- I do think that I'm ready for Insanity. I find now that I don't need the breaks in the P90X routines, and even though my thighs still scream at me in plyo, I'm adding reps for the first 2 sets to push the burn and heart rate. When it's over, I'm not totally wiped! However, I wanted to preview some of the routines, but our operating system (PC) won't support the latest Adobe flashplayer, so my dh says. Therefore, I can't view any videos off youtube or myspace.:explode: I may just have to take the plunge!

So, the family and I went to Hershey Park last Sat. It was great!! Good rides, nice park design, and actually have healthy food choices!! Although the new water park area was WAY too crowded, the kids enjoyed swimming in the wave pool.

RANT WARNING!!!!! Sitting pool-side as my kids played in the water, I was appalled at how many obese children I saw, not all with obese parents. How sad!!! I think my most important job as a parent is to put my children on the right path and to set a good example. This is part of my motivation to push myself and be as healthy and fit as possible.

OK, enough said. Have a great weekend, everyone!

StiringWendel

Finally...a chance to post! So good to see everybody doing well.

alf, welcome back! And what a great photo!! You look beautiful. I'm glad you had a fun time at the beach. :drinker:

mkwood, congratulations on your weight loss!! It sounds to me like you broke through your plateau. Great work there!!

cardigirl, good to see you back. I've missed you. So about your mcro-nutrient numbers, I am not an expert in this field at all. And IIRC, your trainer recommended this breakdown for you, so feel free to ignore me. However, I've been listening to a series of nutrition lectures from UC Berkeley, and recently listened to one about Sports Nutrition. Without getting into the technical aspects of this (which I don't understand), one of the points the professor made was the women don't respond to carbs like men do. Her statement was that while carbo-loading works with men, it doesn't work with women. Again, I don't understand the physiology behind that enough to explain it, but that 'nutshell' statement really stuck with me. So looking at your macro-nutrient breakdown of 55/25/20, I kind of have to wonder if you aren't taking in too many carbs, and that may be why you're having a hard time losing weight.

I'm not anti-carb by any stretch of the imagination. I just know, like alf said she experienced, when I eat too many carbs, I get 'puffier'. I know you said you were going to give it another month, but I am just throwing that out for information's purpose (if for no other reason). In other words, if it isn't working, there may be a valid, biological/physiological reason why.

TxMs, happy to hear you are finally feeling better. Hope you enjoy your trip.

Swissmiss, congrats on your weight loss! Isn't it nice when upping calories brings good news?

singfree, thanks again for all the information you are bringing us on Insanity. One of the things I was thinking about this morning is whether or not you stand more of a chance of losing more muscle mass if you don't eat enough during this program than you would if you were lifting weights. I would think that would be the case. So, trust me, I totally (totally!) understand how hard it is to eat alot of calories, but given your activity level (what were you thinking yesterday! :laugh: ), I would highly suggest you make sure you are eating enough to retain as much muscle mass as possible while doing this program. I really think, when I do it, I will do some form of weight lifting while doing these workouts, only to maintain what muscle I have....not to build.

aprilvet, I totally understand about reverting to old habits. It is a real struggle some days. The other day, when I had the party at my house, I had a couple of brownies that didn't get eaten. I can't tell you how hard it was for me not to just sit down and eat those brownies. That's what the 'Old Me' would have done (without a second's thought), and as I saw my hand reaching for them (literally), I mentally yelled at myself saying 'Stop! That's not how you take care of that anymore!' Those old habits die hard.

And I totally agree with your 'rant'. It makes me so sad to see so many overweight children. One day, I was listening to a podcast about that subject, and as I was doing it, this young man (about 8) walked by the house. He was probably about 40 pounds overweight....and he was munching on a candy bar. It just made me so sad.

Okay, so.....reporting day. I weighed 100.1 this morning (up .5 pounds from a couple of days ago :drinker: ). I did a full body weight workout, following by a bootcamp-style cardio session. It was a good workout. I'm going to take it easier next week, and start P90X in about a week. Hey, alf, you're looking for a new program? Care to join me with P90X? :bigsmile: I'm really looking forward to it. I'm eating well still. But tonight my husband is out, so I've got my eyes on a BIG glass of wine and a scary movie (I love scary movies!). Ah, two wonderful vices...:happy: I'm not so sure how happy my husband will be, though, when he finds me sleeping (since wine makes me sleepy) with all the lights on (due to the aforementioned horror movie) when he gets home. :laugh: But he's lived with me for over 19 years so....he's used to it.

I hope everybody has a great weekend. singfree, let us know how the singing goes. You're doing one of my favorites....Beethoven's Ninth!

singfree

Good morning!

Stiring, i think that you were reading my mind. I really think that no matter what I do nutritionally, at least some of the loss is going to be lean muscle mass. So the plan of attack is to up the cals as much as I dare, and monitor my weight during the rest of the 60 days. For me this program is not sustainable in the long term, because it is mostly cardio based. After the 60 days are up, I am moving on to P90X to rebuild my muscles. For you, the combination of strength (mostly) and cardio (less) with P90X is perfect for you. And judging from Alf's latest pix, she would enjoy this program as well.

April, yes I would recommend Insanity to you. It is a great way to quickly shed the fat. As I told Stiring, it is not something you would want to do forever, but it is a great fat loss tool, and then incorporate it with P90X to maintain your weight/ physique. I haven't been to Hershey Park in many years. I drive past the park every week for rehearsals with the Susquehanna Chorale, near the chocolate factory in town.

We had a dress rehearsal for the Beethoven (in Lancaster) last night. It went very well! Today I have performances at 2 pm and 7:30pm. There is a nice restaurant/ micro brewery near the concert hall. I think I'll spend a little time there between performances. They brew a mean Bavarian Hefeweize...something to sing about!

cardigirl

cardigirl, good to see you back. I've missed you. So about your mcro-nutrient numbers, I am not an expert in this field at all. And IIRC, your trainer recommended this breakdown for you, so feel free to ignore me. However, I've been listening to a series of nutrition lectures from UC Berkeley, and recently listened to one about Sports Nutrition. Without getting into the technical aspects of this (which I don't understand), one of the points the professor made was the women don't respond to carbs like men do. Her statement was that while carbo-loading works with men, it doesn't work with women. Again, I don't understand the physiology behind that enough to explain it, but that 'nutshell' statement really stuck with me. So looking at your macro-nutrient breakdown of 55/25/20, I kind of have to wonder if you aren't taking in too many carbs, and that may be why you're having a hard time losing weight.

I'm not anti-carb by any stretch of the imagination. I just know, like alf said she experienced, when I eat too many carbs, I get 'puffier'. I know you said you were going to give it another month, but I am just throwing that out for information's purpose (if for no other reason). In other words, if it isn't working, there may be a valid, biological/physiological reason why.

Stiring, thank you so much for the information. I may adjust my percentages to 50-25-25 over the next month. The reason I'm going to try to give it more time is that I'm scheduled for a physical in September and want to see what my doctor thinks of the food plan. It is interesting to me all the different opinions on food there is out there. Some people say we weren't meant to eat grains and should only eat protein and fat, etc. It's very confusing to say the least. :grumble: I tried to find some studies on women and carbs online yesterday, but didn't have a lot of time, and didn't get far. It would make sense that hormones play some part in how we react to food. I have lost lots of inches, which is great, but that number on the scale is a huge motivator for me.

And I have never seen results as in losing 2 lbs a week, etc. In the year since I've started working out and really trying to eat healthy, I've lost 25 lbs...that's around 2lbs a month, which is kind of slow if you ask me. Of course I've traded some of my fat for muscle, so it looks like I've lost more than that.

I guess I'm going to focus more on feeling fit. I'm driving myself crazy with the scales. :laugh: :noway: :grumble:

I'm in awe of you though, and of Alf and Sing for all of your successes and your wilingness to encourage others! Thanks so much!:flowerforyou:

I draw inspiration from everyone on this thread. We are all so serious about our health and it's wonderful to see!

Swissmiss

I need to change my ticker to show my new goal. I am doing better with the weight lose since I am eating more.

Swissmiss

I haven't figured out how to change my goal here. I went to goals and settings and even to tickers. Can someone help me?

Swissmiss

Got it fixed.