exmsde Member

Perfect timing for you to ask this because I'm about to start week 3 (and I may delay it one more session since I had to take a few days off). I'd read one set of instructions for C25K that said to start at your slowest possible running speed. Once you have the endurance the speed will come naturally. So I started at…

You have exactly the right mindset already, don't let others try to change it! Losing slowly and steadily, working on locking in lifestyle changes that will last for many years, is clearly the long-term winner for most people. Besides, the 2lb/week average is a target that is great for obese people during the first part of…

Just to be clear, that is NOT the correct translation of the Sixth Commandment. The correct translation is "Thou shall not murder". How the incorrect translation made it into current usage is beyond my level of knowledge. This also explains how the Old Testament can call for capital punishment for various offenses while at…

Just caught part of a documentary called "What!? Why do men cheat?" on (of all things) LogoTV. Found the link here http://www.logotv.com/video/what-why-men-cheat/1704347/playlist.jhtml

Philosophically speaking, you own your body and you can do what you wish with it. Including taking your own life. The problem with the mental competency requirement is that wanting to commit suicide is treated as defacto proof that you are not mentally competent! It's clearly the wrong test. So there is definitely some…

Last night my wife and I went out to a very nice restaurant with friends. We shared olives and almonds. Then I had salad. Then one of my favorites, Cioppino. I also had a glass of wine. And I stayed in my daily calorie budget. Earlier in the day I ate on the light side. And I had a pretty heavy workout day. But if I did…

Food. I tried to pick a few things and then realized its just about everything.

I recall the one I had in my early 20s rather fondly. I recall the ones I avoided just as fondly.

Not having cheated myself I struggled with posting, but.... Monogamy is a relatively recent addition to human social behavior. It wasn't that long ago that one man with multiple wives and/or consorts was the norm. And it still is in some places. And even in parts of the western world where monogamy is the social norm there…

Our local Y runs a series of 5Ks. Not sure if others do, but you could check their website.

Depends on what I'm doing afterwards. If I'm going home anyway then I'll wait. Otherwise I always have a towel in my bad in case I do decide to shower at the gym. Of course: I have belonged to a gym that didn't have showers. I've belonged to one that had showers in a trailer out back. I've belonged to one where the showers…

You can lose weight without doing exercise, but it is one key reason so many diets fail. By exercising and eating back SOME or all of the extra calories you burn you can make dieting a LOT easier. I actually struggle to eat all the calories I'm allowed because of the amount I am burning. If I weren't exercising I'd be…

I love mine. It really has helped me push my level of daily activity up dramatically. Even before I started to formally exercise it lead me to make behavioral changes like walking to many things I'd previously where I'd take the car (e.g., even from one side of a shopping center to the other, or walking to lunch from work…

Awesome, I'm glad the effort is working out so well!

I've now done both. And through several generations of Weight Watchers. In the mid 80s I did the classic WW and got down to my weight range for the only time in my life. It was a pretty brutal system back then, particularly since they didn't do anything with exercise, but it worked. I kept the weight off for a few years,…

Thanks! I have a Fitbit Aria scale. The numbers can jump around day to day, but the trend has been pretty good over the longer term. So as long as I'm comparing apples to apples the numbers are useful.

Yes. And there are some I know. But I'll only mention one of the coolest accidental meetings. A few of us from work were doing something over the weekend. When we stopped to pick up one of our colleagues she introduced us to her husband and father-in-law. My jaw dropped. Her father-in-law was Hans Bethe. For those who…

First of all, hobbies are hobbies. You rarely see a gun in public unless the person is a law enforcement officer, or military. Or its hunting season. Or you are at a range. Or if you want to swing by my place on Sunday my wife wants to do some shooting. We haven't decided if we're shooting steel targets with a handgun or…

The market for fitness devices has become a bit like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change. No doubt a year from now it will look vastly different from today. I'm a fan of the Fitbit and think it is a fantastic device for those getting started on a fitness program, particularly one that is walking-centric. The…

I am finding it surprisingly easy (and I do mean easy, not just simple) this time around. For me the difference from past attempts is four-fold: 1) I'm much more focused on broad health then on just losing weight. I have victories on an almost daily basis, and that takes me away from fretting about things like plateaus. A…

Fundamentally "Cardio" is just strength training for the heart. Your cardiovascular system needs to be pushed to operate at a fairly high rate for sustained periods of time in order to improve its strength. If you are active enough in life (e.g., you walk a lot at a fast (>3MPH) pace, hike, ride a bike, swim, etc.) then…

These days I usually just 'accept' whatever my Fitbit One registers for normal activities. But then I'd rather under-count than over-count calories burned. To the specific question, I'll point out that Weight Watchers definitely counts housework as exercise. But then their clientele have traditionally been the definition…

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! One reason behind my weight loss/fitness push is that I know I'll eventually need foot/ankle surgery that will leave me non weight-bearing for 6 weeks. Been there, done that, totally regretted how much more difficult my poor fitness made my recovery. Amongst my regrets was that I didn't…

Weight training this morning. Then took each dog for a separate 2 mile brisk walk.

When I do something similar I often pick an exercise that was in the middle of the pack in terms of intensity and attribute the entire workout to that one exercise. Then put in the notes what I actually did.

My favorite and ALMOST today's choice as well.

1 slice Rye toast with 1 tsp Brummel and Brown's spread and 1 slice Alpine Lace reduced fat swiss Medium size Orange Coffee (of course!)

The truth is that eating any of these once in a while is not going to be a big issue. But many of us have found our entire life of consumption dominated by one or more of these items (or their peers) every day. And that, even if it turned out to be within one's calorie budget, is just not healthy. As I said in another…

Right now I'm using the Fitbit One, though I continue to research other options (especially new ones). For me the advantage of the Fitbit has been that it is a great choice for just wearing at all times. While there are other options that add interesting data, or accuracy, during workouts the Fitbit lets me track activity…

That's great! I focused on cardio initially, but every one 's stories about weights is making me think about making them more of a priority.