What to do while at the lake?

bring some light hand weights with you and do some casual weight lifting! SELF magazine has a great workout for your arms here:

http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2006/11/arm-sculpting-routine-slideshow#slide=1

bring some light hand weights with you and do some casual weight lifting! SELF magazine has a great workout for your arms here:

http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2006/11/arm-sculpting-routine-slideshow#slide=1

Hey there! You work so hard all week. Make your time at the lake a place to relax. You're conscious about what your' e eating and are making great choices. No need to worry about exercising. Just enjoy!

Great advice above. For breakfast maybe some oatmeal with a sprinkle of vanilla or flavorless protein powder would be great.

Lunch maybe pack a sandwich with light mayo on whole wheat with lean meat and some veggies or fruit......

Whatever you decide just watch your portions and log it all.

ALso, corn and potatos are really starches and don't qualify as veggies, same for peas. But they are still yummy but I know if I have them I still need a real veggie.

If you are afraid of getting in the water and are also self conscious about looking silly doing exercises on the boat....you really arent giving us much room to recommend exercising =/. I guess you could buy one of those small, portable cycle wheels (like the ones that you put under your desk at work) and use that while sitting on the boat, but even that is creeping into 'looking silly exercising on the boat' category.

So given the confines of your limitations, my recommendation is...well... um...intimate exercising with your boyfriend, if you know what I mean. My wife and I go to the lake as often as we can (I'm in Alabama, and it gets HOT HOT HOT down here...so water is our friend!). We actually get some exercise because the only boats I have are wave-runners and kayaks, both of which give you some exercise to differing degrees. However, the aforementioned recommendation is obviously my preferred method of exercising!


Now, as for it 'ruining all your work during the week'...keep in mind, weight loss/gain is, for most people, basically a mathematical equation. So long as you are not eating more than your maintenance calories, you are not going to actually build more fat. You may retain more water depending on your diet, but that's about it...and even then that's only if you are eating a ton of sodium and/or caffeine, and not hydrating yourself properly.

Oh, you asked about food.

Bring a cooler and lots of ice. Take whatever food you would normally eat, or previously prepared food. I generally take some protein bars (Clif bars mostly) with me on the boat, and ALOT of water & fruit. Sometimes I'll make some tuna salad the night before (with mustard instead of mayonnaise, easy for me because I always preferred mustard based meat salads anyway), and put that in the cooler in a tightly sealed container along with some whole wheat tortillas. My wife and daughter take fried chicken & potato logs, which sucks for me because it's a temptation (I loooooove Fried Chicken!), but I deal. It's what we've always taken out with us, and I'm not going to tell them to stop eating it just because I dont want to anymore.

Hey lovelies! I just wanted to start off by thanking all of you, this place has the kindest words and the best support I could ever imagine, so thank you!!

I agree! Everyone here is awesome!

Now onto my questions; My boyfriend owns a pontoon boat so most weekends (Friday night through Sunday afternoon) we spend on the lake. This is wonderful in itself but leads me to some issues. The only option for eating is on his grill, and how do I work out on a boat??

If you don't want to swim you probably won't get a lot of cardio. You can, however, do some simple strength things. When you are just sitting down reading try just tightening and releasing your ab muscles. Engaging your core over and over is like doing mini sit-ups that no one can see (this is what I do at my desk at work, lol). You can do the same thing with your legs and arms if you think about it enough. And yes, I know people will tell you it is not the same thing as getting a workout it in, and it isn't, but it's better than doing nothing. Any and all movement is good.

I have already transitioned from eating steak to eating chicken (so much more tasty!) and grilling corn on the cob (mmmmm can't wait) and potatoes (probably not a great choice but it is a vegetable right!). This is all fine and dandy but what about breakfast and lunch? There is a marina that we stop by for breakfast usually and the only things I eat on their breakfast menu are pancakes and toast (i do not like sausages and they don't do eggs).

Have you ever tried sweet potatoes? They are easy on the grill and much better for you if you like them. Bell peppers and onions also work well wrapped in foil on the grill. And you can wrap just about any fish in foil and cook it on the top rack and it will come out too. As far as breakfast and lunch, try taking snacks and protein bars (I don't like the taste of many of these but there is a brand called "Think Thin" that has both a lemon and a peanut butter one that are very good). String cheese, apples, pears, whole wheat crackers, sandwiches, and cucumbers and just about any other veggie will hold up well in a cooler for the day.

My second problem is exercise. I usually take weekends off anyways, but I am also out and about on weekends walking around when I'm not on the lake. When I'm at the lake I just sit there and read a book or play my Nintendo. I would feel rather silly doing sit ups on a boat, and as for swimming I have a large fear of water with fish/deep water/oh god i don't know what is down there get me out. I have gotten better, I can go in the water with my dogs but I freak out easily so I am afraid that if I start swimming laps and something touches me or I think something touched me I may panic and may not be near the boat.

You don't have to swim laps. If you are willing to get in with your dogs then do. Stay close to the boat if it makes you feel better. Just getting up, getting in, and moving your arms and legs around is better than sitting any day.

I guess mostly I just need reassurance that enjoying a weekend on the lake sitting around is not going to destroy all the hard work I put in all week! Thanks for any advice

It can, but it doesn't have to! I think the biggest thing here is to remember that anytime you aren't getting a true workout in you really have to adjust your calories accordingly. You won't have any workout calories to eat back like you would on other days so just make smart and nutritious food choices and you should be ok.

My dad lives on the lake so I have to think about this too. Hope this helps. Feel free to add me and message me anytime if you have more questions. :-) Good Luck!

-Kara