paxbfl Member

Thanks for the advice about "adjusted max hr" - I always used the 220-age number which I'm now reading is probably wrong (and I always suspected it was wrong because I can reach 90% of that number way too easily). I think we both have the same philosophy, which is that you should push yourself - and most people probably…

That's from my HRM, not the treadmill/elliptical. The machines read quite a bit higher. I am a big guy, not over 300 though. I push myself hard and get my heart rate pretty high (upper 140s, which for my age is around 85% of my max heart rate). Regardless, even if those numbers are a little high, I'm eating right around my…

The HRM will help a lot. It's hard for me to give you advice because I don't really know your intensity. All those exercises are good and it sounds like a decent workout but it's hard to know for sure. On my HIIT treadmill workouts, I do a 2-minute walking/jogging warm-up then 6 4-minute intervals of 1-minute walking,…

Remember, ultimately it comes down to the math - calories in and calories burned. HIIT is great for weight-loss, but only if you're burning enough calories. Your intensity matters a lot! 20-30 minutes is ok if you're really pushing yourself and getting your heart-rate up. I'm a little unsure what you mean by…

What really helps me is eating smaller, more frequent meals. So if I eat a small meal post-workout, I'm eating another small meal maybe 3 hours later - so I never get super hungry. Also make sure you're getting enough protein. If you're working out your muscles need protein! Good luck!

I have an interesting perspective on this because I reached my goal weight and then, eventually, gained about 20 pounds back. I am now losing it again. I felt great when I hit my goal weight, but I don't think I fully appreciated it. Gaining back 20 pounds, carrying that around all day, feeling that weight on my knees when…

After 3 days of eating healthy and exercising, I feel so awesome that I don't want to eat like crap again. Forget the past - it's done. Focus on making the next 3 days really good days - and see how you feel. Right now you're in a negative spiral. Turn that around over the next 3 days and look toward the future.

You've achieved the goals you stated on your profile. You are no longer a fat person. Great job! So... what next? If you want to run a marathon or get a six-pack, you could lose a couple more pounds but you really don't have much to lose. At 42, do you really need single digit body fat %? I'm 48, and I've decided I don't.…

I have a hard time too, but these 3 things help. First, eat smaller, more frequent meals. While calories in is calories in, I have a much easier time staying under control if I eat more often. If I wait until I'm STARVING, I have a hard time controlling how much I eat. To your experience, I find the evening can be…

Interesting discussion. I used the Scooby calculator and used "Desk Job with Little Exercise" to get my TDEE (2250). I try to keep my calories at or below that number and then put ALL of my exercise calories (usually 600+) toward weight-loss. This has worked well for me. It's probably a little more aggressive than it needs…

Good luck to you and your husband too! That's awesome!

So what are you saying? That there's no such thing as Glycemic Index, and all foods affect blood sugar the same way? That's definitely not true. Here's more info that explains it better than I did. http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/glycemic-index-good-versus-bad-carbs The logic of this syncs up with eating "whole foods" too,…

^^^^ THIS. You're doing fine, and I respect that you're losing weight your way. (I have a friend who doesn't exercise, limits his food intake and drinks beer every night. He's losing weight, so who am I to judge?) But bpetrosky is right. It's hard to lose 2 pounds a week without exercise. I'm a 48-year-old guy, and I have…

Sugar and other so-called "simple carbs" like pasta and white bread can cause a glycemic response in your body. Your blood sugar goes up, your body releases insulin, and your blood sugar crashes. When it crashes you feel tired and crave sugar to bring your blood sugar back up again. Obviously everyone is different but this…

Google HIIT - high intensity interval training. It helps you really maximize the calories you burn in your cardio workout, improves your cardio fitness and health, and gives you a metabolic boost after your workout. Alternate HIIT with lifting and you'll see your body fat % drop. You'll feel good too - but be ready to…

Where is your pain? Runner's Knee is typically below the kneecap in the middle of your knee. I deal with it often but can manage it with ice and rest. I generally don't run two days in a row - the other days I bike, do the elliptical and lift. Strengthening your quads is the best thing you can do for Runner's Knee. I find…

Two things that have helped me... First, watch your "simple carbs". For me, when I eat sugar or simple carbs like white bread or pasta, I crave simple carbs all day long. After a few days of not eating it, I feel better and no longer crave that stuff. Second, eat smaller more frequent meals - eat 6 small meals instead of 3…

I really like my Polar FT7. The only thing I'd suggest is wetting the chest strap when you put it on, otherwise it sometimes has trouble picking up your heart rate until you really start to sweat. Good luck!

The trick is to breathe out more than you breathe in. lol

Interesting... I've never thought of doing it that way. It would be nice to not have to stress over the calorie burn numbers (I get annoyed at my heart-rate monitor when it doesn't work right). However, I will say I find my calorie-burn goals to be motivation for days when I'm not feeling super energetic at the gym. I…

That sounds like a fun race! I've always wanted to do a race at a beach. I'm doing the St. Luke's Half Marathon in Allentown, Pa in April, and my FIRST full marathon in October - Marine Corps in DC.

Biggest breakthrough for me... instead of eating 3 large meals a day, eat 5-6 smaller meals. I divide up my calorie goal with breakfast around 9am (post workout), lunch at noon, afternoon snack at 3pm, dinner around 6pm (larger meal since I eat with my family) and evening snack around 8pm. Cravings are not a problem, since…

Check out this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/. When I put your stats in, it gives me a BMR of 1338, TDEE of 1606. So I think you could safely eat a bit more. I'd suggest that you use that extra "fuel" to power a more intense workout. Google "HIIT" for ideas. Food = metabolic boost,…

Not sure if this will directly answer your question, but some stuff to think about... to find my TDEE on a calculator like this (http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/) I use "Desk Job With Little Exercise". For me that comes out to 2350. Then I set my goal to lose a pound a week (500 calories a day x 7 =…

I work out first-thing in the morning too. I prefer to work out on an empty stomach. But if I'm planning a particularly long or hard workout, I'll eat a simple carb like half a frozen bagel with some jelly or some Cream of Wheat with a little brown sugar. That way I don't "bonk" midway through the workout. :)

I believe in free days but as a rule I'm trying to limit to cheat meals or a cheat dessert. I did the math... For me one cheat day takes 4 really good days to undo. That's a lot... :(

I disagree with the "baby steps" comment, because of how simple carbs like sweets, white bread and pasta affect blood sugar. A couple chocolate chip cookies causes a blood sugar spike, an insulin response, and a blood sugar crash. The crash causes fatigue, hunger and cravings for - you guessed it - more sugar! For me, cold…

Do you wear a heart-rate monitor? Machines tend to over-estimate calories burned. I'm a 215-pound guy. When I do the elliptical (hard) for 50 minutes, the machine says I've burned 1,000 calories. My HRM says 600 calories! Cycling is even worse - I have a hard time getting my heart rate up unless I really push it. So I…

One thing that helped me a lot is eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals. For me, it helped manage my hunger and control my cravings. If I did get hungry, I could take comfort in knowing I was scheduled to eat another meal in under an hour. I double up my dinner (works better since I'm usually…

I think you're fine but if you find yourself really tired, cranky or legitimately hungry (stomach growling) allow yourself to eat a little more. I know you want to lose fast but if you make yourself miserable you'll quit and go back to old habits.