Sharing Tips!

psr1964

We all have some good tips. I know Mark has really helped me with both encouragement and knowledge. Here are a couple of things...

MyTracks -- I know it is an android app. I am not sure about IPhone. It has replaces the traditional pedometer. It is a GPS pedometer. I use it when I walk for exercising. I think it is a great tool.

Color your plate! Eat different color foods. This is an old one, but a goody!

Plan for winter and summer exercising.

Please share yours!

(I am going back to my spreadsheet now!)

Barbwire60

I'm using my fitbit, http://www.fitbit.com/product/features

I'd never heard of them till Sterhill showed the link in a group, just got mine yesterday, I so like my teeny weeny new toy.

I give myself smaller portions & really watch my sugar & fat intake

I try to walk for at least an hour a day or 30 mins on the treadmill.

I've really lowered my alcohol intake from, 20-30 oz of wine, 1-2 brandy Alexanders to a spritzer with 3-4 oz of wine. Geesh talk about calories.

Logging all my food intake, seeing the calories in foods is really helpful for me to decide what goes in my mouth.

So far I'm down 4.1 lbs in 2 weeks, only another 37 to go.

barb

psr1964

Let us know how you like the fitbit!

bytrout

My number one tip is commit to others.

When I committed to running a marathon I told everyone that in on year I would run a marathon. I went public. A year after my pubic commitment I ran the Chisholm Trail Marathon and finished in just over 4 hours. My best marathon time was 3 hours and 20 minutes. I ran 13 marathons. I did countless other 5k, 10k, 15k and half marathons. BTW I didn't begin running until I was 39. I didn't run to quit smoking. t still smoked a four or fewer cigs a day during the 15 years I ran. Stupid? Sure. But that's the way I am. I ran because I wanted to run not because I wanted to do or accomplish something else.

When I decided to quit smoking, five years ago Sept. 18th, I knew I needed to go public. CUC has helped me to stay public with my commitment to quit smoking. I do best when I know others are depending on my commitment.

So for me just being here is a reminder that I want to commit publicly to taking off 10 more pounds. Better blood work will probably be a benefit. But my goal is to work off those 10 pounds.. Whatever benefits I might get would be icing.

I am not planning to give up anything. I do plan to commit to being more regular and intense in my exercise regimine and exercising moderation in intake. Today I did 30 minutes longer on the treadmill and ate a lean cuisine meal for dinner. I would have liked more for dinner. But I did commit. So be it.

And, BTW, I look forward to trying the app on my Samsung Infuse 4G.

psr1964

I think you will like MyTracks. It is a free app. I am not sure where you live, but it shows elevation, in the options -- there is an aggregate. I think I will set my walking goals to 150 miles for the month of August. I like walking -- I walk about 4.2 mph -- on average. The tool keeps me on "track", pun intended! Love your posts Bob.

bytrout

I added MyTracks to my phone. After my walk last night, I checked it to see what it had recorded. It recorded nothing because I didn't turn the GPS on. Today I'll know what to do. It does look like a very good app.

psr1964

First of all, i am impressed you (Bob) ran marathons. Oprah Winfrey -- ran the Boston Marathon when she was 40 -- I was soooo jealous! (still am). Aside from the jealousy, there is an admiration for those with such discipline. Anyway, i use MyTracks for my walks -- I take a break in the am/pm -- I can get in about three miles during the work day. It is managing my time. Guess what, the dogs don't care what I do at work! They want to walk when I get home! They are quite the little motivators! (2 ****zus!)

Let me know how MyTracks is working for you.

Best
Peggy

bytrout

I think My Tracks gives mixed messages. On the chart tab it said I averaged 2.5 miles an hour which I think was a bit slow. On the stats tab it said I walked 5.15 miles which i think was at least a mile more than I walked. The stats tab also had me walking at a much faster pace. The time of 42:02 was about right. I know my routes, the distances and my average jog and walking paces. It may take me awhile to figure out MyTracks.

My 3 hour 17 minute marathon was just minutes shy of what I needed at that age (early 40s) to qualify for Boston. So close. I am not sure but I think Oprah got in on the basis of who she was and not her qualifying time. But hey, as one who has run, I always appreciate the time and determination taken to do the full marathon. Kudos to her!

We had two dogs. Both small pound dogs who LOVED their walks. One died last month. Sad. Our survivor, Greta, still LOVES her evening walks. Like you, she doesn't care if I walked during the day. The night belongs to her. I recall the comment of Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of the Aerobics Institute, who said on his fitness radio show; "walk your dog every day even if you don't have one."

I did get in the upper body work out on the cybex machines today. myfitnesspal doesn't seem to have the calorie counter for those machines. So I use the closest weight exercises they have that seem to fit.

And, BTW, being retied sure has given me the freedom to work out whenever I want!

Today I m hungrier than my small portions. Commitment to others and discipline need to kick in!

psr1964

Hi Bob...

Today is the first day I had trouble with mytracks. I walked at the rate of 85 mph. I think it is an apps issue or gps issue. I never had a problem before. I walked over seven miles today and I was with the dogs for three of those miles. I like they get tired before I do sometims! Walk your dogs even if you don't have any if fantastic!

I need to make a stronger commitment to core training. I am trying. I have started doing 20 minutes of Yoga in the morning. It is amazing. I need to do core core core. Got any motivation for me?

I am eating well. I am trying to lean toward whole foods. My struggle continues to be those low calorie treats. I am really trying not to eat them. I still stay under my caloric count, but using those empty foods that I should be getting nutrition from -- well, I work at doing better each day. :-)

So, what else do you do since you are retired? Why can't you exercise whenever you want? LOL

Best
Peggy

bytrout

The MyTracks app seemed to work today. I did just shy of seven miles before noon at a brisk pace. The app gave accurate pace and distance information as far as I know. I tell you though this TX heat drains the energy. Fortunately my walk/jog route takes me by the YMCA where I am a member . I often stop there to hydrate. This after noon it is cool. Only 100! It will be about 90 when I walk the dog after dark.

Core workouts are supposed to be important. I don't think they are supposed to be really fun. My motivation to do the core work is the positive reinforcement of seeing how much stronger I am getting. Some of the cybex machines focus on core strengthening . I have added significant weight to those exercises over the past year. Seeing what can happen is a motivation. But working the core is a big bore.

Tip number two relates. Commit to yourself. I know that we never really do anything until we commit ourselves to the task. It's just that I do best when I have committed to others too. I have stayed committed to the weight workouts because I enjoy seeing how much stronger a senior citizen can get when he puts his mind to it. So ultimately my goals are things I commit to do. I have done many things because I set my mind to it. But with the smoking and now with these blasted 10 extra pounds it behooves me to commit to others for accountability purposes. Do tips one and two make any sense?

Empty foods? Caloric count? I am hoping that low calorie light beer counts as a healthy food group. However there are things that hope doesn't make so.

Since retirement my wife and I have enjoyed traveling to visit our grandchildren. We have taken several large ship cruises. And we'll be going on our third small ship river cruise at the end of this month. Being in relatively good shape helps when walking all over those tourist destinations. As my screen name indicates, bytrout likes to trout fish. I do get to head to the cold water streams from time to time.

Since becoming more of a presence here and since I know others are "watching over my shoulder" my meals have been better. Portion control is being watched. But as of today I have only lost about 5 ounces. Not enough to weigh down to an honest 179 yet. Weight until next week!

Peace to all. Be Well!
Bob

psr1964

Bob,

Those are great tips/motivation. And, I admire both your knowledge and determination. I have opted not to use excuses. It goes well with committment to others -- I need to work on the committment to self. Core/bore, you are correct! I have an exercise ball I am using. I wish yard work was considered a core exercise, I have plenty to do today.

Your trips sound wonderful, what appeals to you about ship trips? I have never been on a cruise, so I am curious.

I am doing 20 minutes Yoga this morning -- I think I will add 20 core.

Best
Peggy

Jools53

7 miles??? WOW that would kill me, lol. GREAT tips y'all.

My tip:

Since I quit smoking I have been trying to just eat more healthy. I am focusing more on healthy eating than I am on weight loss.

I want this to be lifestyle change not necessarily a destination.

Make sense?

psr1964

IT makes a lot of sense! Read through some of Bobs (bytrout) comments. He made a lot of sense to me. He spoke of the "goal", and then there were other benefits. But he kept his eye on the goal.

About six months ago, there was the usual sale on Lean Cusines and Smart Ones at the Grocery store. I had no problem locating the entree aisle. I saw a row of middle aged overweight women purchasing them. I thought, OMG, I am one of them. In April, I really started looking at what I ate. I decided to pull back from all the "diet" foods and eat healthier, but not all in one day.

Summer helps. There is more access to affordable fruits and veggies. I stopped buying cheese that is no fat. I will buy the whole fat or the low fat. I really don't buy the "health" bars. They have all the stuff of a good candy bar. I do eat granola, salads etc.

I used to be a vegetarian. When I was pregnant (over 18 years ago), I started eating white meat, but often will push the meat aside. Over the past few years, I had forgotten about the great protein in cottage cheese. In 1/2 cup, I believe there are 14 gms. I am not a big tofu person. I find that cooking for one is not what I want to spend all my time doing.

I also have started using my crock pot and freezing my taco soup. It helps throughout the week. I will start freezing other foods too. I have raspberries and blackberries frozen for winter.

Salads are my friend again! I don't dread them. I started putting food I really like in them. I have really cut back on the bread. Now that makes me sad. I try to keep it all simply so cooking and eating does not overwhelm me or time.

I think I have made some good changes. I feel better, though I seriously miss the diet coke. Occasionally, I will get a piece of chocolate, because I want one.

If I can't demonstrate discipline with certain foods, I don't bring them in the house. I have not felt deprived.

Tummy is full now (just ate lunch -- beautiful salad). Back to trimming the trees. I am using a chainsaw -- but it is hard work.

Peggy

bytrout

Jools53,

It makes great sense. You are saying that the journey is a life style change, healthy eating. You are going somewhere but that destination is not your goal right now. But guess what. You will lose weight on that journey. So when you do get to wherever you're going, you'll be lighter when you get there. Kind of neat. As I said, I didn't run a marathon to lose weight. I ran my first marathon because I wanted to run a marathon. That was my goal. After a year of training, when I got to the finish line of my first marathon, I was about 30 pounds lighter than when I had begun the journey. The goal, however, was not weight loss.

Bob

bytrout

OMG! Peggy chainsaw massacres trees. Trees lose weight. Peggy loses waist. You should have been there to see it all come down and unfold.

bytrout

Tip three. PACE. yourself. The second definition for PACE in the dictionary: "consistent and continuous speed in walking, running, or moving: : walking at a comfortably fast pace. • the speed or rate at which something happens, changes, or develops: the children work separately in the classroom at their own pace."

When I coached the marathon class in Enid, OK, we would joke around with each other. Inevitably a new marathoner would say that a family member had told them they were spending too much time running. Our reply to them was. "Anything worth doing is worth doing in excess." After that response, we would discuss with some seriousness the difference between training for your first marathon - a healthy behavior - and being a compulsive over trainer. In pacing our training we maximized our chances for a successful run by knowing when to train and when to rest, when to run slowly and when to pick up the pace.The goal required a plan and the plan required a healthy pace.

When asked how to win a long distance race, our response was, "You need to run faster than the person in front of you." The trouble is that we are not all built to race. Most of us cannot run faster than all the people in front of us. But by learning how to pace ourselves we can finish the run and finish it ahead of where we were afraid we might finish.

For me this pursuit of a best weight goal also requires pace in order to stay focused and fit. When asked, "how do you lose weight? the answer isn't , "anything worth not eating is worth not eating at all." Pace yourself means eat but eat wisely. I will maintain my overall level of fitness and health if I pace my eating and my workouts. Maybe most of us would like to get to where we're going faster. Faster is not better. In fact faster can discourage us. Faster can actually break us down. Remember PACE.

I have NEVER won our local 5K. But I finish it because I have learned to maintain a pace that will get me to the finish line without killing myself. Dying in a 5K is not good!

PACE. "The speed or rate at which something happens, changes, or develops: (for example) the children work separately in the classroom at their own pace." Do this thing at your pace, a reasonable, responsible pace.

Over and out on tip three. Make any sense?

Bob

psr1964

Bob,

I love your insight. It is simple and good. PACE. We should make that an ancronym.

By the way, the trees lost a lot of weight! Tomorrow I will have to cut them up into smaller pieces. I posted pictures on my FaceBook. I am Peggy Rice, Portage, MI ... the picture is of a flower, the background is a tree, mostly green leaves, but a few red. Look me up if you would like.

Peggy

Barbwire60

I agree Bob does have great tips & lots of them, thank you Bob. One thing we share is having difficulty being committed to ourselves but are able to keep commitments with others.

Looking good on you Peggy. I use to cut tree branches with non electric but that was 5 yrs ago, I sure had some fun too.

One of my biggest fears is being diabetic & having brought it on by myself, well July 8, I was put on notice of sticking to a diabetic diet & walking 30 mins a day or I'll be taking meds. Now I've jumped into action with my main focus being health & eating properly.

I had always said I'd deal with my quit first, 2.5 yrs later here I be, it does take a while for me to catch on but I do eventually, well, most of the time........



I've decided Fri & Sat will be my have what I want days, knowing the calorie count I think twice before devouring the food.

Barbwire60

1 tip I learned very well today, I share the treadmill with dh who likes to play with knobs & gadgets as he does his time on there, well, I need to check if it is set Kilometers or Miles........grin

I usually start at 3 KM working up to 5 KM, there is a really big difference from 3 KM to 3 MPH, first time I decide to get the walknig with over with early as it is hot 90+, I thought I would be flying through the rec room. Reminder to Barb, check the screen before hitting start.......LMFAO

bytrout

Good tip. Use caution when using all machines. Rec room flying does not count as a calorie burning exercise. It could be recorded as a medical event.

Also note that even Cybex machines are dangerous if you do not secure the pins. I have had near painful seat collapses and weight crashes because of my carelessness.

Another thought. If I could LMFAO, I wouldn't have to work my FAO. However, I like the idea of laughing for weight loss.

psr1964

Too Funny! I got caught in one of those machines. It just doesn't seem natural! New exercise regime: Chainsawing! Keep your left foot in, keep your right foot in ... then shake it all about! :-)