40+ Club: Beating The Winter Bulge

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  • sunnysmile
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    machine went nuts and posted my answer twice ... sorry for the xtra post ... and hi to everyone (I didn't say that before) ... must be low blood sugar, off to eat breakfast now.

    sunny
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Good Morning Everyone

    Sunny Good work on the improved pool time!

    So, I went to the office gym last night, and they have one of the ellipticals that also has the arm moving things, so I decided to do that for a while. A few people said they hated that machine, and I thought it was kind of cool. My arms had a pleasant burn after the workout. I find I really am not much into working out with a lot of other people in the room, I know they are all probably more thinking about their own stuff, but I feel uncomfortable when I do things off the cardio machines, the trainer showed me a few things to do last week between sessions of cardio. Next week I'll have to give it more of the old college try. I am limiting myself to the office gym once a week, because if I'm not home, I have no hope of encouraging my husband to go up to the condo gym with me.
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Hi everyone!! Soooo many posts, so little time to answer... :laugh:

    Thank you to all of you who gave me suggestions/encouragement. It can be frustrating at times but I will continue with my program and see what happens. I do feel great, strong and I am happy with the way I look. Sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves and I guess I am going through that right now. I've lowered the calories by about 150 cals but I am still finding it hard to eat so much during the day. The healthier you eat the bigger the quantity of foods you eat. I still eat nuts and peanut butter everyday and other denser foods. I am still struggling with what to eat after my Zumba class. Last night I had half of a detour bar. The last one I have and I am not planning on buying more. I'd rather get my nutrients from natural foods. I also ran out of protein powder and I am not so sure I want to buy more. I just cant get myself to eat meat late at night. Any ideas on what other protein sources I can eat around 8:30pm? It is so much easier to eat cereal or fruit late at night.

    I apologize for not being able to answer to each individual post. Keep up the good work!!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • JuliaSoCal
    JuliaSoCal Posts: 87
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    Yeah! I got a "Your looking good" today...not quite a "Have you lost weight???" but I will take it. It feels good to know that people are noticing even if they do not say anything...

    I am doing it for me...'cause I want to look good in my clothes...So having people comment in a nice confirmation.

    Julia
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
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    JuliaSoCal.... Thats awesome!!! I loved it when people noticed too. The first 15lbs no one said anything. Then when I had a conversation with someone about my diet and how much I lost they were like.... I knew you lost some weight. Then why didn't you tell me?!!!!! Maybe they think its rude, like they are telling you that you were fat. But to me it would just inspire me to keep going.

    String.... I dont do the chips thing but I do have major downfalls when my husband is home lately. The local casino is having a 99 cent steak dinner special to draw people in. The great thing about it is that it has an all you can eat salad/soup bar that goes with it. So every tuesday we go to this. Its delicious but I'm worried about the calories. Especially because I would love to fit into a smaller size before the wedding. I guess I will just have to break down and go on my very restrictive diet in order to lose the weight. I just dont want to do it but.......

    Yesterday I walked on my treadmill.... Heres the thing, it states on the front that it's a 1/4 mile/400 meter track. So you would think that 4 x around the track would be 1 mile. But the read out states that you do a mile in less than that. Kinda confusing if you ask me. Anyway..... Burned off 420 calories on my treadmill yesterday. Today I plan on doing the same but I'm hoping to find time to fit some other type of exercise in too this time. I haven't eaten anything yet and its noon so off I go. Have a terrific day everyone!
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    Happy Thursday All! I'm smiling because it is another running day and there is plenty of pavement in my subdivision.:drinker: Plus, we actually had sun yesterday - sure it was a sunny 37 degrees but I'll take that any day. Now if we could just get out of the 20s at night.

    I am loving loving loving the Lean Phase of CX - this is definitely more like the type of strength training I've done in the past. 3 or more sets focusing on the same muscle group. I'm also loving how much this phase requires core engagement.
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    just noticed we are in the 460s for posts - any ideas on what the new thread will be called - Sing
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Good morning!! Just finished my yummy breakfast! :laugh: I just teach Zumba tonight and looking forward to it. Last Tuesday I had 37 students!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: That is the most I've had, it is so exciting!!!

    Duffy, I also like the Lean phase. My shoulders are sore from Lean 2 yesterday. It's a good feeling, isnt it? I can sense your enthusiasm for running from reading your post. I miss running. Have a great run!! :drinker:

    Tron, did you use the calorie counter on the treadmill or a heart rate monitor? The other day they were talking about the innacuracy of the calorie counter on the exercise machines and even the HRMs. They said they tend to overestimate the amount of calories you are burning. I am just going to keep trusting my HRM since it is set up with my information. I sometimes don't eat all the calories but I eat most.

    How about, 40+ Club: Hopping into Spring with the Fittest Bod Ever

    Have a wonderful day!!! :flowerforyou:
  • aholly70
    aholly70 Posts: 577 Member
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    GOOD MORNING,

    WELL I'M ON DAY 4 OF WW AND DOING AWESOME I CAN'T BELIEVE THE WEIGHT I LOST IN 4 DAYS I'M EATING AND WORKING OUT EVERYDAY,I KNOW I'LL SLOW DONE BUT I'M EXCITED THAT SOMETHING IS WORKING FOR ME.
    IT'S STARTING TO GET WARMER HERE IN WISCONSIN THEY ARE SAYING THIS WEEKEND IN THE 40'S WOO HOO!!!
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Good Work Hunibun!

    Good morning everyone! Last night I wasn't feeling that great I think from stress at work, and didn't feel like going up to the gym, but I managed to do Walk it Out for a little while. I'm starting to sound like an advertisement for it. But I'm so excited that I have something that motivates me to keep moving even when I don't feel great. I am dangling new clothes as my carrot also to keep me going. I'm not allowing myself to try anything new on until I reach the weight I was before I gained some of it back.
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    Alf: Yep these shoulders are sore - I just finished Burn Intervals and man oh man that itty bitty anterior delt was screaming. Sorry your not able to enjoy the fun of running right now. I've picked a 25K to do in May so I really need to get back out running at least 4 days a week. Although I've already made peace with the fact that given the poor weather we are most likely to have between now and then it won't be a fast race for me but at least it is a new race and I understand it is a beautiful course.

    I was thinking about your protein evening question - I have a couple of suggestions
    1) Cottage cheese with some fruit (not my favorite and not sure I could do it in the evening)
    2) I had a running coach that was very antiprotein powders (her feeling was they are a scam and waste of money) She was a big fan of plain old skim milk and if she wanted more protein she just added a little powdered milk to it to increase the protein.
    3) My favorite desserts from south beach - the Ricotta Cremes Just take 1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract and 1 package of sugar substitute (you can use a drop of honey if you want to stay natural) If you want Lemon just add 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest. Mix it up before Zumba and but it in the fridge when you get home you'll have a yummy high protein snack. (about 180 calories - 14 g protein)

    I like the idea of hopping - How about 40+ Hopping for a Healthy Lifestyle
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Hunibun, congrats on your weightloss. Keep up the good work!! :drinker:

    Zebras, glad you are setting goals for yourself. Setting goals for me is what keeps me going...:drinker:

    Duffy, I love your topic suggestion. Any others? Thank you for the protein snack suggestions. I am struggling with this now. Last night I had some Kashi Go Lean and skim milk. The Kashi cereal is high protein but it also has tons of carbs. I only had 1/2 cup so not bad and 1/2 of milk.

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Good evening!

    This is Friday for me...well, it will be at 6 am!!!! That's the payoff on night shift. Only 7 hours to go!

    All of the new topic ideas sounds great. They all are winners. Early next week, maybe on Monday we will start it, ok??

    Friday reporting day: My eating was better, but not always great. I've been exercising with my kettlebells, and they are working well. I took my bike out for a chilly 10 mile ride today. I bought bike shoes and clipless pedals for my bike. Everything went well until I got back to the garage. When I stopped, I fell over because my shoes were still attached to the pedals. I forgot to release the shoe cleats from the pedals. Very embarassing!

    Anything special planned for the weekend? We are going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday. That's the musuem that "Rocky" runs up the steps...cue the rocky theme....


    Have a great weekend!
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,806 Member
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    Happy Friday everybody!!:drinker:

    Time for check-in.....not much to report this week. My weight is the same. I had some great workouts. My eating has....changed. But more on that in a minute. But all is good, and I'm happy with where I'm at right now.

    hunibun, congrats on the weight loss!!

    duffy, a 25K race? Good for you!!! Are you planning any half marathons for the summer?

    zebras, good job at doing something even when not feeling well. I'm so happy you've found something you enjoy that works as a motivation. That is SO key in working out consistently.

    singfree, sorry to hear about your tumble! I had a similar tumble this morning....got my foot caught around a USB cord plugged into the computer, walked into the office in the dark, got my foot caught (somehow), turned for the door....and ended up on my face instead. Oh, well. No harm, no foul. But at least nobody was around to see it. Since you've taken up Kettlebells, I've been reading about them quite a bit. The other day, there was a thread on Videofitness.com about the toughest workouts people owned. Hands down....some kettlebell workouts won!! I'm going to have to get me some of those, aren't I? :bigsmile:

    alf, how many hours are you eating before you go to bed? If it is a couple of hours, I think you are fine with the cereal. I think given that this is a post-workout snack, you actually need to have some carbs in it. I also think it is important to eat something that time of night that sits well with you and, obviously, the cereal and milk are doing that. Other ideas, though, would be something like lean turkey and some almonds (or other nuts). But, again, while having a banana and cereal may have been too many carbs, I think the amount of carbs in the cereal may be just about right given that you've worked out just prior to eating it.

    So you mentioned HRMs. As some of you know, I've been struggling with my HRM and what it tells me I burn per workout. I've tried to ignore it, but those numbers are always in the back of my mind. But I can workout for a few hours a day, and my HRM tells me I burn something like 300 calories. :noway: As I get more fit, the fewer calories I burn....and thus, with more fitness for me comes fewer calories I can eat. It hasn't made any sense to me, and I have been increasingly frustrated (to the point of wanting to throw in the towel at times). I have been increasingly hungry, my mood has been going downhill, and, lately, my workouts are suffering because I feel tired alot. Intellectually, I know I need to be eating more. But it has been hard for me to do that given that I have a 'hard' reading on calories from my HRM. And since I'm prone to eating too much (which is why I'm here), and given the impact of moving across the world, etc., I really have been thinking I'm just looking for excuses to eat more.

    Yesterday, I wandered around on this board for the first time in a little while (I usually come in, read this thread, and then move on). There was a post in the Fitness section about HRMs under-estimating calories. And one of our fellow MFPers who now works in the fitness world FINALLY explained how this could be (especially given the type of HRM I've been using). Everything he described makes perfect sense to me. I can't begin to express how much of a relief it is to have some idea based on science (from what I can tell) for why my HRM is not accurately assessing my calorie burn. And the best thing about it....I feel FREE to eat again!! As many of you know, I've been restricting my calories since the holidays (to anywhere between 1300 and 1800). During the same period, I have increased my fitness regime. Logically, I knew I probably should be taking in at a MINIMUM 2300 calories a day based on what I perceive as the intensity of my workouts (usually an STS workout followed by an Insanity or Hiit workout followed by a long walk). But my HRM tells me that 1800 is about all I should do (at most), and I've been listening to IT instead of my instincts and body. I think this explains why I've been so tired and cranky. :wink:

    So yesterday, I ate a little bit more. And in just upping my calories a few hundred yesterday (even though I know I'm not supposed to increase them that much at once....I just had to because I was hurting from being so hungry the past few days) I woke up this morning feeling like a new woman. Today's workout was the best workout I've had in a LONG time. I had full energy through both my STS workout and the most intense Insanity workout for me (Max Interval Circuits) and feel like I could go on for another one. It is amazing what a little more food can do for a person. So I am intentionally eating higher again today (just finished a terrific late brunch/early lunch of whole wheat pancakes with flax, natural crunchy peanut butter and banana....YUM) just to let my body know that the starvation period is over. Tomorrow, I'll rein it back in again and actually work at increasing my calories up from 1800 in 100 calorie increments to about 2300 and see how that feels. Based on how I'm feeling today, I think it will make the world of difference.

    Sorry this is so long, but I share this in case anybody else starts experiencing the same thing I have been experiencing. Here is a link to the thread where the HRM information was posted: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/84619-calorie-burn-lower-than-expected My last word on the subject (for now :bigsmile: ) is: listen to your body!! I preach it all the time. Now it's time for me to start doing it.

    My ideas for a new thread title: 40+ Club: Springing Towards a Healthier Life (or something like that!)

    I hope everybody has a great Friday and a good weekend!!
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Good morning!! Just a quick check in, I'd better get going... I weighed myself and I am down to where I was about 2 wks ago which it is still over my goal. But that is ok...I am still trying to figure out where I should be in terms of amount of calories I should be eating, etc. I ate very well this week. I survived two temptations at work. One day someone brought a huge homemade chocolate cake. I go in the breakroom a lot to get my meals and I kept looking at it but had none. Everyone seemed to indirectly sabotage me by telling me there was cake in the break room. Duh!! Who can miss it!!! It was huge. Then yesterday, as soon as I got to work, one of my coworkers was bringing in some huge cupcakes leftover for her birthday. I am proud to say that both times I had none!!!!!!!!!!!! And today I know there will be some breakfast tacos because they have them every other Friday. No, thank you!!!! :laugh:

    Stiring, I will check out the info you shared. Thanks!!! For now, I will continue to trust my HRM but at the same time listen to my body. I had a good workout this morning but I also felt tired... I am eating my post workout snack only about an hour or less before I go to bed. I get home around 8:30pm and I am usually in bed by 9:30...Last night I didnt even have the cereal I had planned because one of my students brought me an energy drink from Mona Vie? and since I stayed longer at the gym I drank it. I didnt even check the ingredients and calorie content so I decided not to eat anything when I got home, almost at 9pm. That is probably the reason I was so tired for my workout this morning. And that is another dilemma, I usually workout very early, 5 am, so I work out on an empty stomach. :noway: It "works" for me most of the time but other times I feel weak and tired. Ugh, it is an everyday struggle!!! :noway:

    I'd better go get ready for work...getting late. Hopefully I can check in again later...

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Good Morning Everyone.

    I have had a 2nd good week in a row in terms of exercising and eating my calorie goals. Looks like i"m down another 2 lbs give or take. Just proves the system works when you can manage to follow it. I've managed to stay out of the sweets for nearly two weeks, and now the cravings are pretty much gone.

    Hope everyone has some fun this weekend!
  • sunnysmile
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    Hi Friends,

    I went to the pool today for 35 minutes (did aqua jogging with extra resistance booties on my feet). I have to limit time in water to 35 minutes so I don't get a skin reaction (and then I oil up after the shower).

    I am up 0.4 pounds ... boo hoo. But I am hoping that next week will be better. I would have thought I would have lost this week. I do feel more fit, stronger, standing better, nicer posture, etc.

    I also did the new Wii Walk It Away (I think that's the name) yesterday and walked about 3000 steps. Adding in land based work is a goal but one I am slowly adding in because of knee issues. It is a fun program, even my husband did it with me last night for a little bit of time. I am building my environment as I gain points for stepping to the beat of the music. Fun,

    Have a great day and send encouragement, I need it today.

    Sunny
  • pcaseyco
    pcaseyco Posts: 8
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    Friday check in. I'm being bad about my workouts using the PACE system but will get back to it this weekend, so glad I bought a treadmill. Still managed to loose a little this week without starving. I'm trying to do the three small meals a day with two snacks, but I seem to be winding up with three normal meals (just eating smaller portions) and one morning snack.

    As spring comes along and I get moved back home to Colorado, hopefully in April, I plan to add swimming, bike, hiking and kayaking into my workouts.

    Have a nice weekend everyone! Looks like Pennsylvania is in for a nice weekend for a change, still have the really ugly piles of old snow everywhere and ice every morning as it's melting but it FINALLY stoped snowing!!
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
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    Friday Check In: Well my weight is holding steady - I'm noticing even more muscle definition and really enjoying the Lean phase of CX although I'm totally zapped most days. Like Stiring - I may need to up my calories a little (for me probably carbs because I'm back to running 4xs a week) Yes, Stiring I am planning an October half right now my schedule is a 25K and a 7K in May, a 10 miler in August and a half in October. So I really am right now just trying to make healthy food choices without obsessing on calories.

    Have a great weekend all - I'm splurging with a little bubbly on Sunday to celebrate the Oscars!
  • 2BLean
    2BLean Posts: 2,373 Member
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    Hello Everyone ~

    Sorry that I have been MIA on this thread for a while now. :tongue: I try to read through and catch up when I can but it is usually when I am at work so don’t get a lot of time. :noway: At any rate, I am still here and working hard on my workouts in the a.m. – Doing an Endurance Style Rotation w/ various STS workouts and also Cathe's cardio workouts. I am enjoying it and also working out in the evenings too (since Jan) doing either Kick Boxing, Spinning or a Strength class. As I mentioned last time I was here checking in, it seems to be helping and I feel great having the 2 workouts a day :wink: by adding a few nights a week. Would love to 5 nights a week but my hubby would like to see me once and a while. :blushing:

    Stiring: Still wanting to do that STS Undulating Rotation with you in May! :drinker: I’ve been throwing the idea around on doing Insanity maybe before that!?! Thoughts?
    Thanks for talking about the HRM. I too have experience similar frustrations with mine. Not quite that low on the calories burned but to sometimes feel like I pushed myself harder than the time before and I didn't burn as many; sometimes leaves me stumped. Although, as you mentioned the more I have increased my endurance, etc. the more it will take to burn more calories. I’m glad you have decided to UP the calories and found relief and a happier mood for your body! :smile:

    Alf: I understand your struggle as well. I workout real early too in the a.m. (4:45 – 5:00) I try to at least eat a banana prior to my workout. Then when I do an evening workout I am not home until 8 PM. Sometimes I don’t have dinner prior to that 6:30 workout so I try to eat a very clean and healthy dinner (salad & chicken breast or turkey burger w/ a veggie) but at the same time not feeling like eating a bunch of carbs. I’ve been trying to have a good afternoon snack around 3 or 4:00 w/ some good carbs in it so that it helps to get me through as well.

    Hope everyone has a great Friday and weekend ~ Sing, enjoy the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the steps!

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