200+ (Week 20) Fling Into Spring!

tamaraj838

Good Morning, ladies! Hope all is well. I stepped on the scale this morning and was down 2 lbs. I guess Aunt Flo lady was playing tricks on me. LOL. As always. Yesterday was NOT a great day. It started off well but ended on the horrible in. I ate fried chicken, donuts, etc. But today is a NEW day so I shall redeem myself! LOL.

pinbotchick - Great chart. It's my first time seeing it since starting. Oh how "seeing" your numbers make you kick it into high gear! LOL.

cds2327

ah...another day! Dh is off to work, which is good for us, as i don't think i could listen to him about his tick bite any longer.
I dont' think this will offend anyone here, but why are men such babies?!?!!! All day long "i don't feel good.....my stomach hurts...the spot where i got bit hurts". Sure honey, I'll help you with all your laundry today and such....then he takes a nap, yells at me when I try to wake him up....and gets pissy I went to Safeway without him. Oh....then, complains I didn't do all the laundry (the pile of crap on his side of the bed). Sure, 4 loads of laundry just wasn't enough.

Enough rant!!! I do love my husband dearly, but sometimes they can be dense!!

Thanks for the support on eating veggies. I have been doing better. Trying to get three servings of veggies, and two of fruit. It's not awfully hard. I did incorporate the low sodium V8, but also having more smoothies, and two veggies at dinner. Going to do my sweet potatoes for dinner tonight. YUM!!

I agree about posters, gone for two weeks they are off the chart but.......I will have to be an exception when I move (which you will all get fair warning about). My in laws do have internet, but it may be a few days before we get our own set up, and I don't want to be sabotaging theirs upstairs all the time. Anyhow.

Learned how to crochet this weekend, now I have to finish my first project. I am making (trying to) make a hat to send to the ground troops in the desert.

I don't know how you ladies do these long workouts!! I want to get off after 40 minutes.

Deb....hope you feel better soon!!! take some time for your body to rest. remember, mfp figures you with a calories deficit, so theoretically even without working out you should be able to lose. and we'll love you no matter what.

Laceylala

I did a 50 minute work out and then pussed out and got off the elliptical. I usually do my 60 min work outs MWF and 45 the other two days. I guess it evens out if I do 50 all the way.
I'd like to shoot for an hour and fifteen tonight...we'll see! I need more coffee today and it will be hard not getting a white chocolate mocha. Plain latte just doesn't sound as good.

I realized this morning that I have lived in a constant state of "sore" for going on 10 weeks now. Wow. I mean there've been a few days here and there, but I've felt my body and all the muscles for 9+ weeks now. It's not getting old yet and I know that I am pushing in the right direction, but it just goes to show how utterly dormant my muscles were that I am still sore after all that time!

And when I come to think of it..when I got serious at the gym in January I essentially got started out on the same circuit training routine as I had always done when I joined a gym since I was 20 years old..same routine! It was easy to do, and every single trainer at a gym gives the newbie the same thing. Why I wonder? Why can't they give you something else to try. My muscles knew that routine. Clearly once I started changing it up with a bit of running and doing my old core exercises (and eating more) did things start moving in the right direction again. I just think it is interesting. You have to pay (the trainers) to play I guess.
Right before I got married (almost 5 yrs ago now) I paid about $350 I couldn't afford and had a (super hot) personal trainer for a month. Looking back and at the success I've had this time, it was worth the money because James gave me all of these great non-circuit exercises that totally work and get your body moving. And its funny because since I've been doing them, I now see other girls trying them at the gym where everyone only stuck to the Curves style circuit (no, its not a Curves gym). They work. It was worth the money because now I have the tools to do it right this time.

Sorry, those are my ramblings for the morning..

Laceylala

Oh and Cds..yeah...husbands...

that is all

akasullengal

a (superhot) trainer might just be worth the money! I would consider getting on in the short-term if I end up in a serious plateau or when I get down lower and want to super tone up.

It's beautiful outside. I think I'm going to go for a walk today when I get home. I could do a smaller loop which is about 2.2 miles, but depending when I get home, I might go all out and do the bigger loop- 5.8miles (thank you "map my run"!). As I'm not going to be running, or at least not running much, I want to get some distance in! Maybe I can start working my way through some of the many podcasts I'm behind on.

Laceylala

TOM is zapping my strength. I've got 550 cals left for the day, so I am skipping the gym, going home to make dinner and then taking a nice hot bath and reading.
I don't want to take the time away from the gym but I can't believe how tired I am feeling! SheesH!

MrsMarvelous

Pinbot~ chart looks great.. i hope i can reach that goal of mine.. if not .. ill just keep on trying
and 2 weeks sounds good for the ones not posting... sometimes i dont even know what to talk about on here.. so i just ramble about whatever lol :laugh:

had a pretty good workout tonight ZUMBA then walked a mile around the track... i might run Wed after class well see how i feel

Goodnight everyone see yous tomorrow :flowerforyou:

pinbotchick

Like your new pic Kristina!!!

Sleep well everyone.

pinbotchick

so are you at first base or rounding your way to second with your scale?

He has seen me nekked:blushing: so I guess 2nd base isn't out of the question...

pinbotchick

Here's a website with MP3 format music to download for running

http://www.djsteveboy.com/podrunner.html

Have a great morning.

makeitallsue

Sorry for the double post Victoria ...It took me forever to copy and paste...thought I'd share to both groups...:laugh:

Hello everyone, slowly I am coming back to life...I've been reading and poking around different websites this morning, thought I'd share...I'm on my way outdoors, need to get chores done and I am taking gthe pooch on a walk first thing. I have errands to run in town and hopefully when I get back I'll be up to do more of a calories burning workout, the past couple of days have been light:ohwell: , we all have those days..huh?



Plateau Busters - Part 1
Eat the Right Nutrients at the Right Times
-- By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor
We hear it all the time—you changed your habits and lost weight steadily, but after awhile, that progress halted. You’ve been stuck at the same weight for days, weeks, or even months. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying your best, feeling like you are doing everything right, yet not making any progress towards your weight loss or fitness goals.

Before you inhale a bag of cookies to console yourself, realize that weight loss takes work, and isn’t always perfect. But, there are plenty of ways you can re-energize your program (and motivation) to bust through your weight loss plateau.

But…what is a plateau anyway?
If you’ve been exercising and cutting calories for several weeks, and you’re no longer seeing the same results that you experienced in the beginning, then you’ve probably hit a plateau. This occurs when your progress comes to a standstill, and can be described as not making any “gains” (such as improving your fitness level or losing weight), but not necessarily moving backwards (losing endurance or gaining weight).

Because every individual is unique, there’s no way to actually predict when a plateau might happen. However, the following principles of nutrition, rest, and variation will jumpstart your body, mind, and metabolism. (This article, part 1 in a series of 3, will focus on nutrition.) Incorporate some or all of the following suggestions to both prevent and overcome a weight loss plateau. With just a little tweaking, you’ll be in your skinny jeans in no time!
Plateau Busters - Part 1
Eat the Right Nutrients at the Right Times
1. Make sure you are following your SparkPeople nutrition plan correctly. During set-up, did you accurately account for your level of activity? Or, if you are more or less active than when you started the program, have you changed this option in your set-up so that your caloric plan will be accurate for you? This is very important so that you don’t eat too little for your body’s needs, which can actually hinder your weight loss.

In addition, are you accurately tracking your foods in the Food Tracker daily, yet not reaching the minimum number of calories that is recommended? It’s common to think that cutting MORE calories will result in faster weight loss, but that’s not actually the case. You should never consume less than 1200 calories per day. Eating less than this (or too little in general) makes your body think it’s starving (known as “starvation mode”), so it holds onto every calorie, slowing your metabolism. Increase your calories to fit into your recommended range, and you’ll notice a difference.

2. Your body can only do so much with the tools that it has, so eat well. Aim for a wide variety of foods (instead of the same old thing day in and day out) from every basic food group. Try new fruits and vegetables, ethnic cuisines, and a wide range of lean proteins, including non-meat sources like tofu and legumes. All (or most) of your grains should come from whole, unrefined foods like whole-wheat breads and pasta, and brown rice.

These healthy foods, especially when eaten every three to four hours, will help raise and stabilize your metabolism (and energy) to optimal levels. With fewer ups and downs, your hunger will stay in check, and you’ll have plenty of energy to finish a tough workout.

3. After a workout, refuel with a balanced snack or meal within 30 minutes to 2 hours. Remember, “balanced” does not mean just protein. In fact, most individuals—and even athletes—need less than 10 grams of protein post-workout. Carbohydrates are actually more important, so try to eat an additional 30 to 60 grams at this time, when your body is primed to uptake glycogen into the cells to replace the energy you just used up during your workout.

4. Don’t overlook your huge need for water. Hydration is very important for stable energy levels. (You store 3 molecules of water for every glycogen molecule). Plus, hydration promotes muscle building (powering your metabolism), while dehydration promotes muscle breakdown. So drink up—before, during, and after your workout sessions. The standard “8 cups a day” might not be enough for you, especially if you are exercising regularly.

Plateau Busters - Part 2
Include Adequate Rest in Your Exercise Program
-- By Nicole Nichols, Personal Trainer

Include Adequate Rest in Your Exercise Program
1. Always allow 1-2 days of rest between working muscle groups. During a strength training session, tiny tears occur in your muscle fibers, which cause that all-too-common muscle soreness that lasts about 1-2 days after lifting weights. In order for those tiny tears to repair themselves—rebuilding as stronger muscles than before—you MUST rest those muscles. For example, if you lifted arms on Monday, you should wait at least one day, preferably two, before overloading those muscles again (Wednesday or Thursday). If you don’t rest long enough for repair to occur, you will actually get weaker, which is the opposite of everyone’s goals, and a common plateau-causing culprit.

Plateau Busters - Part 2
Include Adequate Rest in Your Exercise Program
-- By Nicole Nichols, Personal Trainer

2. Try active recovery. Research shows that engaging in lower intensity exercise after a strenuous workout session may be more beneficial than resting completely. There are two types of active recovery. The first is the typical cool down phase that you perform at the end of your workout. Properly cooling down has been shown to help your muscles recover faster, and reduce the levels of lactic acid in the muscles. The second type of active recovery involves exercising lightly in the days following a hard workout. So, rather than taking a day or two off from the gym, consider exercising at a lighter intensity level (go for an easy walk and follow up with some stretching, or try some gentle exercises such as yoga, for example). In addition to helping your muscles rebound, active recovery has also shown to enhance relaxation and psychological recovery.

3. Get plenty of sleep. While most people are familiar with the concepts of rest, not everyone equates resting with sleeping. However, a significant amount of muscle repair occurs during your slumber. In turn, inadequate amounts of shut-eye hinder your ability to recover from exercise, making plateaus more likely. While every individual’s needs for sleep are different, most experts recommend getting AT LEAST 8 hours per night. Make sure this sleep is consistent during the week and through the weekends. After all, there is no real way to play catch-up when it comes to sleeping. If you are exercising intensely (long workouts most days of the week, or training for events such as marathons), your need for sleep may be even higher—up to 10 hours a night

Plateau Busters - Part 3
Add Variety to Your Workouts
-- By Nicole Nichols, Personal Trainer

Add Variety to Your Workouts

Incorporate variation into each workout. Variety is critical because your muscles become very efficient at the exercises they are accustomed to doing. Switching things up or doing something radically different during each workout session is more challenging to your muscles. This concept should be applied to both aerobic exercise and strength training.

An individual who always does the same exercises will usually plateau sooner than someone who continually makes changes. If you don’t feel comfortable doing a different workout each time you hit the gym, try to change your exercise routine at least every 6-8 weeks. Changing your routine is crucial to keeping your body/muscles surprised. They'll have to work harder, you'll be challenged, and you'll burn more calories and build more lean muscle in the process.

Change your cardio activity:


Change the type of exercise you usually do. The possibilities of aerobic exercise are endless. If you walk, try cycling. If you take kickboxing, try the elliptical. Consider adding some of these possibilities to your routine: running, jogging, walking, elliptical machine, swimming, cycling, indoor exercise, outdoor exercise, hiking, fitness videos/DVDS, group fitness classes like kickboxing, aerobics, spinning, stair steppers, etc.—anything, just change it up!


Change the duration of your workouts. Try to increase your minutes as you become fitter, and occasionally, try a shorter (but more intense) workout.


Change the intensity of your workouts. This is something you can play with on a daily basis. This includes working at an incline or harder level, sprint work, distance work, maintaining intensity, or interval work (shifting between fast/hard and easy/recovery intervals).


Change your Strength Training Routine:


Change the mode of exercise. If you are using machines, move to free weights. If you are using body weight, try resistance bands. If you are doing free weights, add a stability element like a BOSU ball or stability ball. Try doing exercises while balancing on one foot or switch between any and all of these.


Change the exercises you actually do. If you have been doing chest press, change to a chest fly or use the pec deck machine. Think of an alternative exercise for each muscle group and you’ll have an entirely new workout! Check out SparkPeople's Exercise Demonstrations for more ideas.


Change your resistance level and/or number of repetitions. Be sure to increase your weight regularly. Make sure you are lifting to fatigue with each set. If you typically lift 12-15 reps, try doing 8-10 (with a higher weight) or vice versa. Play with your weight and reps in each set. Try lifting (as an example) 25 pounds for 15 reps, then 30 pounds for 12, then 35 pounds for 10 reps on your third set. You can also do it backwards, starting with high weight/low reps and working the weight down.
There are lots of ways to add variety to your workouts—and it's SO important that you do to continue losing weight and improving your fitness level. By always challenging yourself, you will avoid hitting a plateau in the first place, and overcome the one you're stuck in now.


The principles of nutrition, rest and variation all work closely together. When not followed properly, they can instigate a negative snowball effect: Repeating the same exercises can cause overtraining, which leads to plateaus and an inability to sleep. Lack of rest hinders you progress, making recovery take much longer, especially if you are not well-nourished and hydrated.

The human body is amazingly adaptable. By making a few changes in these areas, you can jumpstart your routine and see those positive results in no time.

Nicole Nichols
Nicole, an ACE-certified personal trainer and AFAA-certified fitness instructor, has a bachelor's degree in health promotion and education. She enjoys teaching Spinning and Pilates and living a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle.

akasullengal

Like your new pic Kristina!!!

It's from my trip of course

Good morning all! Today looks to be a decent day for me. Yesterday ended up going all right, but not fabulous. I had a yummy salad from Plum Market, but sort of counteracted that by eating a bag of reduced fat cape cod chips (2 servings), AND bought a cookie. My only saving grace was that I split it in half and gave it to the MA instead of eating it all myself. So not a fab eating day. I wanted to get my serious walk on, as the weather was gorgeous. I usually get off work at 430, but I didn't roll out of the clinic until 545, seriously cramping my need for sunlight, so I did my small loop- I was thinking at first I might be able to do it twice (just under 4 miles), but it was getting really dark, so I only did it once, so only 2-ish miles powerwalking, which sort of sucks, but it was great to get outside. I found it to be not terribly hilly- so I think it'll be a good short running route. Plan is to get to the rec center today, though I have a patient that could run quite late if she signs up for my study, as her appt isn't even until 530- could be a late night, so I might flake out and just head home if I'm exhausted.

Nikki143

hEy Super heroes; This is gonna be a long one...
Yesterday @ lunch, I bought 1 slice of cheese pizza & a mt dew. I was still "starving' after I ate, so I hunted around the hospital gift shops and cafe to TRY and find something half way decent... Yeah, Right! Everything was major fattening or too many calories, soooo I went back to my desk. I told myself; "no, you aren't hungry, your being fat". It seemed to work, I went back to work (dif desk) and was ok til dinner! I made english muffin pizzas with light eng. muffins & light cheese, and BD couldn't tell the difference. I didn't work out yesterday, cause I had to get up at 3am today. But then today I came in at 4:40am, started registering pts around 530, hen got this major ****wad pt. hIS MOTHER WAS HAVING SURGERY. oK, i UNDERSTAND YOU GUYS ARE ANXIOUS, my job is to have some type of empathy with these people, so I tried. hE THEN GOT BELIGERENT WITH ME WHEN i TOLD HIM TO SIT IN MY CUBICLE, (oops) and I would be right back to register him. He then decided to flip out on me, so I told him to go pound sand and I walked away. I then came back to my desk to find him rummaging thru my paper work, so I sent him to radiology cause I didn't wanna deal with him, he was VERY rude. Radiology sent him back here, and the guy came in screaming at me 'my mother is sick, stupid *****, her appt @ 7am, I been here for 30m, I want your mamnger..." screaming at me, and I mean screaming. I started swearing in spanish (to refrain myself from cussing in english,the joys of knowing 2 languages), Then I started crying. I was so upset, he kept belittling me, and I was like "I'm gonna get security on you" and he left.. Then came back & I ran out front & grabbed a security guard. He was threatining me with his eyes. Horrible. I was so upset, and the only, or should I say main, reason was because I have been tramautized by MEN. I am scared of any man. This is strictly because of my past.
Needless to say, it has been 3 hours since, my manager took care of it, I didn't get in trouble (cause I openly told my mgr that I was rude) and his mom (the pt) didn't speak english, I didin't even catch her nationality, but in her own way, she said sorry to me and hugged and kissed me. I said to her (&hope she understood) that it was ok, it wasn't her fault, and we will take care of her. I'm cool now.. after getting it off my chest.. Have a wonderful day!:flowerforyou:

cds2327

Morning all!! not much to report from here today.

Did have a fairly decent dinner. Tried the new Gortons Tilipia fish sticks for dinner, and they were not half bad tasting. Only 250 calories in 4 sticks, and with my son...fish sticks are good.
I have chicken marinating to make a yummy (veggie filled) stir fry for dinner with some brown rice.

Thanks for the post Deb. there is a lot of valuable information in there. I skimmed it, but am going to go back and read it more in depth later.

also, I've made the switch successfully from coffee to tea in the mornings. I got to the point where i wasn't even enjoying the taste of the coffee, and added so much creamer to made it bearable, that it was sucking up useful calories. Now I am having my Vanilla Chai hot tea with a tablespoon of milk (only like 8 calories) in the mornings, as versus the usual 30-40 w/ coffee.
Also, I've moved Chamomile tea into my routine after dinner. It is so yummy!!!

Anyhow. That's it for me!!

Laceylala

My best friend works in Admitting in the ER and I can't imagine how that must be to deal with all those random people all the time...

Well. I didn't work out last night. Stopped off at the store to get a few things for dinner and what did I do? Bought and ate I think half a bag of Doritos. Eating sugar begets sugar begets carb cravings. I was doing so well, hadn't bought any latte's in months and then last week had like three....then had the brownies this weekend...then a latte yesterday AND the doritos.
For me, I am learning that sugar makes me feel like crap, zaps my energy and makes me crave crap food I don't normally eat. I was WAY over my cals yesterday, didn't even bother to log them. I noticed this morning that my hands are swollen and my joints hurt. Sugar is the devil. Period.
Tonight at the gym, which I will have to force myself to go because of my lack of energy, I will need to work out for well over 60 minutes to make up for it. It is what it is. I did the dern thing, no I have to pay the price. Fun times. Now I have to spend the next fivish days in hell because of bad choices getting over the sugar cravings and carb cravings. Bleh. And that is all I will allow myself to whine about it. DOne.


Okay. Onward and upward. I hope everyone has a good day. I am making the choice to feel better and get over myself!

L

KendalBeee

BFF and I went to zumba last night. She got a hrm just like mine and was really excited to see she burned over 1200 cals in the class. I burned a little over 900...but she's about 40 pounds heavier than me. Still....I'm kinda competitive and want to burn just as much as she did!

As I was peeling my chest strap off it broke!!! There are two flexible plastic pieces on either side of the part that goes over your heart. Well, that piece broke off so I really can't fix it. Although I was thinking I can rip the other side off and just tuck the heart piece in my bra. I think my sports bras are tight enough to keep it still. lol If not then I will have to find a new chest strap. Do you guys know if the strap has to be the same brand as the hrm?? I really don't want to have to buy a whole new hrm cause this one was so cheap. I need a second job before I can justify spending money on it which really sucks cause I've been applying to a lot of places but haven't even gotten an interview yet. :frown:

I really shouldn't have worn it to zumba last night. I've been going to zumba long enough to know what I typically burn in that class. I really want to see what I burn if/when I start walking/jogging. :ohwell:

akasullengal

Kendal- Oh no about the strap! I think if you bought any brand of strap it would be fine, just as long as it was right. I wonder what would happen if you just tucked it into the sports bra- you should give it a whirl and tell us how it works. Glad a friend went with you to Zumba- that always makes things better. Sorry about the calorie disparity, but that's what happens when you get smaller- you don't burn as much :grumble: still a pretty amazing amount to burn though!

Today's been okay. Somone brought baklava and I had to sample a small piece- so good! I'm a bit high for my calories today, considering I still have dinner to eat, though I'm still working off my spaghetti squash dish, which is pretty low calorie, so I shouldn't be much over. I'm thinking at least the rec center isn't going to happen- I've been uber busy today and have to stay late. Might try something at home tonight. Will definitely get my last chance workout on tomorrow. I feel like this has not been a great week for me food/exercise wise, even though in reality it hasn't been horrible. meh.

cds2327

Hey all!! Happy hump day I joined up for another challenge on here. It is something like, the "happy hump day challenge or something like that". Basically to get over the hump, they want to bump up your exercise and water. So, I am proud to report that i did a 60 minute workout this morning, logging 4.5 miles total. Ran the first 3.1, with the occasional stop to the sides, and walked the rest. Blasted a ton of calories. As far as water goes, I already drink 128 oz a day, so I am certainly not doubling that!!

Got to visit with my mom today, and that was fun.

Tried out the new Quaker oatmeal for weight control, and it has a bearable, but funky taste.....I think for 160 calories I can find better you know?

Lacey...ahhh doritos.....

pinbotchick

Lacey - I blame you!!! After reading your post, I remembered last week having had Dorito craving and bought a small bag. I was good and had 12 chips and put it at the back of my work truck and forgot about it. All afternoon, I kept thinking - those Doritos are back there. I finally broke down, got the bag out and had 12 more chips --- UUUUUUUMMMMMMMM GGGGOOOODDD!!!!! I put the bag away again and will hopefully forget about it for another week or two

Kendal -good luck with the HRM. I don't know what to tell you. Would Duct tape help?

I can't believe another week is almost gone. (*sighs*) I got done early today (2:30) since my last person rescheduled for tomorrow evening. Thank goodness the cleaning lady came today. My day has been wonderful. Mom was off and went to the "big" city of Alpena and dropped my business taxes off (*whew*) and got to my house when I did so the workout is now over. I love cell phones. How did we ever live without them? Yes I'm rambling. Plans for tonight include watching taped Biggest Loser and taking a soak in the hot tub. I'm off to cook dinner - thinking baked fish, acorn squash and soup.

Laceylala

Sorrry Girl!! At least you didn't eat half the bag like I did. I was a little shocked when I looked at the big bag and how much was gone in the 20 minute drive from the store to my house. I mean WOW. Ouch. I'm under cals today and not very hungry, so hoping to make up what I overate yesterday at the gym tonight.
I've been stupor busy here at work today, which is good. (you know, knee deep in paperwork and so busy your mind gets in a stupor?) Keeps my mind off food and cravings at least. My right leg is a little twingy but I am hoping to do my 20 mins of run/walk tonight at the gym to get things going.

We're having meatloaf made of buffalo burger and hamburger tonight, brussel sprouts, and broccoli rabe for dinner. Need some good protein and veggies tonight to get off this ridiculous sugar craving I have.