stubbysticks Member

This is so great! Don't you just love it when you see something that not only reminds you how far you've come, but let's you know that someone else is on their way to reaping the same rewards you have by changing her lifestyle? Seeing a heavyset woman jogging on the treadmill at my gym over a year ago was what made me…

Congrats on the C-note! Fabulous!!!

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I'm sure this is true in some cases, but not always. Very often the people bringing up the rear are people like me who are still pretty overweight but have challenged themselves to complete something many average-weight people never do in their entire lives. When I ran my first 5k I remember seeing a guy who probably…

You got that right allyfry! During my 10k last weekend I got passed by a whole bunch of white-haired ladies. I was like, "wow, go girl!!!"

Yes it's normal for the scale to go up after an intense workout. Your muscles retain fluid at they work to recover. Stay hydrated & don't worry about day to day weight changes. There are just too many variables; water retention (1 gal of water weighs more than 8 lbs) & digestion being the main ones. Focus on week to week…

Yay! Love to hear about peoples' first races. Those things are addictive...be sure to come back here with a full report!

I started trying to learn to run last summer using a variation of C25K. Ran first 5k in April (12 mm) & my first 10k last weekend (13 mm). No more races at the moment but would like to get up to a 10 mm, so here's my schedule: Sundays: distance run, however far I feel like going at an easy pace (4-6 mi) Tuesdays: interval…

I find treadmill to be good for training initially because you can control the speed & it's a nice, even surface. However, if you're training for an actual race, you do need to get some outdoor runs in because your speed will tend to be a little slower. Starting out 100% treadmill is fine, but the closer you get to the end…

Oh, this post hits home for me since I grew up a chubby kid. I have a 13 yr old daughter who has become overweight as well. Now that I've successfully been able to lose some weight, I've thought about what might have made a difference back then. I think the biggest thing is teaching her the connection between what she…

False. Dietary fat does not equal stored fat. You can stay within your calorie limits eating bacon or chicken breast, it's the quantity that makes the difference.

This is 100% true. I was diagnosed with mild HT a couple years ago & started exercising regularly in June of last year. In July I had a physical & after just a few weeks of exercise my BP was in the normal range. My dr told me I could stop the meds as long as I checked my BP weekly @ home & came back if it started getting…

Personally, I think by saying "I have no willpower" you've given up already. It's a copout. If you started telling yourself "I DO have willpower & I CAN do this" at least there's a chance it might actually be true. Have you considered a free day or free meal periodically? I do it pretty much every week & it does wonders…

Good point Chris, thanks for mentioning that. YES, try to get as much of your protein from food as you can. I always do 1 shake post-workout, then usually before bed I'll have a scoop of vanilla protein powder mixed with 2 tbsp of peanut butter & 2-3 tbsp of unsweetened almond milk. It's a low carb, high protein snack with…

Unless you have some preexisting kidney condition, lots of protein isn't going to hurt you. And if you want to build muscle, you NEED it. I'm eating right around 200g of protein a day, lifting weights & running & if I didn't eat this much protein I'd be sluggish - I know, because that has happened when I've slacked off on…

I know this thread is dead but I wouldn't mind connecting with others who are currently carb cycling. I've been doing it since December with great success so far & wouldn't mind discussing some of the nuances with others who have some experience. Where y'all at, carb cyclers??

Um, YAH. :laugh:

I'm in the camp that doesn't really trust readings from anything not attached to your body while you're working out. I wear a Bodymedia Fit & I find that over the past year+ I've been wearing it, the readings are pretty consistent with my calorie deficits. I have definitely raised an eyebrow at some of the calorie burn…

I can relate, though his level of motivation doesn't dictate mine. My reasons for getting healthy are very personal & have nothing to do with him; I'm doing this for ME. I don't push or try to con him in to eating healthy or going to the gym, but I don't ignore it either. I'll ask him "what's your gym schedule this week" &…

I agree with those who mentioned diet. If you're serious about making some progress with your exercise (& this goes for strength training too) then you have to make sure you're eating sufficient protein. Carbs will definitely give you energy short term, but if this is something you want to continue working on, making sure…

Personally I go for fat & protein right before bed. (***DISCLAIMER*** I follow a low carb plan.) The fat slows the absorption of the protein so I NEVER wake up hungry, either in the middle of the night or in the morning. My favorite bedtime snack: Peanut Butter Cream…

I met my homegirl Babs on FatSecret. :D I still use it for food journaling because I like how their food diary works & it's got my history in it. Not interested in transferring all of that over. I much prefer the forums here though because they are organized & moderated, & you can easily comment on your friends' activities…

Unfortunately I think a lot of the people who end up having the band are not the type to be diligent about medical care & follow-up & that's a contributing factor to their morbid obesity. We've all avoided things at one time or another for illogical reasons that seemed like simple tasks to others, but we still avoided…

Check out this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/336866-gastric-band-v-gastric-bypass-your-thoughts

Bump...as a newbie runner there is tons of great advice here. *stealing*

Ok, follow-up question...I don't monitor my heart rate at all when I run, though my Garmin does have a chest strap so I could if I wanted to. Do any of you do this to help you train? If so, how do you do it/what do you do?

Thanks so much everyone! You guys are awesome, I knew I'd get some useful info here. @AZTrailRunner, I did check out your post on building speed & it makes a lot of sense. Bookmarked! @scschenk, I've heard of fartleks once before. Good tip on improving my form, I'm going to read up on that too. @keenslk, great suggestions,…

bump

A few comments: 1. Have you ever considered trying a low-carb diet? Not necessarily Atkins, but even reducing net carbs to 100-150g can make a huge difference for some. Just a thought since you mentioned the insulin. 2. You mentioned feeling hopeless at the gym. That's because you don't have a plan. With any Y membership…

I'm with Nancy on this...your mindset is the most powerful tool you have to aid your weight loss effort. When I stopped believing I was a lost cause and started telling myself, "I am the kind of person who pays attention to what they eat and exercises regularly," you'll never guess what happened: I became that person! I…