ruststar Member

You're doing great! I aspire to hit 11:30 minute miles, so don't despair about your speed - you did something most people will never do and you should be really proud of what you accomplished today.

Walking is a great start - you can challenge and vary the routine and increase speed as you get more fit. Keep at it and eventually you'll be able to run. The suggestion of adding free weights is a good one (they're the small dumbbells in the weight room, not the long bars with the plates).

Try just exercsing for a couple of weeks without worrying about eating better - but track everything you eat. I've always found exercising more motivating because it's easier to see the results of your efforts (i.e. able to run farther than last time, lasted lnger on the ellipitcal, lifted a heavier weight, etc...). After…

If I remember correctly, you're supposed to do the special workouts using the weight you started out with and do as many reps as possible. It's supposed to show you how far you've come.

As a career counselor I work with people in your shoes all the time. For most people who aren't getting interviews they need to take a look at their marketing materials (resume, cover letter, and online profile) and re-evaluate. Since you're not getting interviews or even call backs, my suggestion is to get some some…

I did workout 3A yesterday for the first time yesterday and today I am seriously hurting. I was surprised at how much weight I could do - I had to keep increasing the weights for everything but the one-armed squat. I managed 75lb rows, 25 lb cuban snatch, and 60 lb reverse wood chop. The body weight matrix, though -…

Get into your college career center ASAP. Most of them offer professionally-interpreted assessments like the Strong Interest Inventory and others that can help provide some insight into alternatives to what you're assuming your degree is preparing you for. Beyond that, though, you need to talk with somebody knowledgeable…

Pick the minestrone over the salad, stick to one breadstick, and look for options with chicken or seafood instead of sausage or tons of cheese.

I believe it's a reaction to the shot - it happened to me last year within 4 hours of getting my shot and I had to go home because I felt miserable with flu-like symptoms. Within 24 hours I was all better and I didn't get sick once all winter long. M husband and my daughter, who didn't get the shot, kept passing back and…

Speaking of grip, I've noticed the guys at the gym doing deadlifts with a mixed grip instead of overhand. Does anybody know the benefit of this? The guy last night was lifting over 300 pounds and just letting it drop on the floor with a big grunt, so I didn't want to ask him.

That is encouraging! However, I'm still hoping for some actual weight loss, not just a change in composition. I'm sitting around 196 and I want to drop 10% of my body fat (around 20 pounds of fat). I will be thrilled at 175 if I'm also at 20% body fat! The last three months I have seen a slight increase in my weight and no…

I'm constantly feeling my arms and shoulders and turning around in mirrors to marvel at the lack of fat rools on my back (finally!). They're still there, but they don't show in clothes anymore.

I used dumbells until I could do the squats with 40 pounds (20 pounds in each hand), and then stepped up to the bar.

To lose 2 pounds a week you need to eat 1000 calories less than you burn per day. If that puts your target calories below 1200 you may be too close to your goal to have 2 pounds as a reasonable goal.

The meals suggested are just ideas to sow you how you could get the protein in that you need. Unless you and your family are sitting down to 3 meals a day together you should be able to get some ideas from this that will jump start your own creative thinking about meals for one. I haven't used a single one of the meals…

I'm on Level 2 and really enjoy the program, but I'm struggling to do other things, too. I try to do 3 days of lifting and 1-2 days of additional cardio (zumba at home or the elliptical at the gym).

I'm on level 2 and I've done the lateral raise on the swiss ball and the hanna side flexion thingy and got more out of the hanna. I felt it in the opposite hip from what I was raising. It's such a small move and doesn't seem like it would do much, but I felt like I worked the muscles more.

In the summer I run outside, but once fall hits it's too dark to run on the roads in my neighborhoods (no lights or sidewalks). Today I ran outside for the first time since September and I pushed myself a little harder than I should have because it was so nice to be on the road and in control of my speed. I find the…

Thanks for the video - I'm going to have to work on these every day before I add weight, but I can totally see what I've been doing wrong.

It stands for Basal Metabolic Rate and is an estimate, based on a formula, of how many calories someone your height, weight, gender, and age burns just to operate all your body functions. If you were in a coma the hospital would be negligent if they didn't feed you at least that amount. The amount you actually need depends…

I could live on cheese! I made my husband's favorite mac and cheese tonight with Emmentaler and diced ham - that, Jarlsberg, and Gruyere are my favorite swiss cheeses. I also love the soft cheeses: Brie, Camembert, and Humboldt Fog. Yesterday I picked up a slice of Le Roule, a soft white cheese rolled in herbs, and sliced…

Planks and pushups use your entire core, and any twisting motions can help with the obliques. I liked Jillian Michaels 6 week 6 pack because it wasn't all crunches on the floor.

A sedentary person will need fewer calories than a more active person, but will still need to eat enough calories to keep the body functioning. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the bare minimum you would need if you were lying in a coma - i.e. not moving at all. Even the most sedentary person burns more calories than…

Well, yesterday's fasting cholesterol test had one negative attached - not eating for more than 12 hours started me on a race to eat as much as I could. I gave up on tracking it all in my diary - too depressing! November goals: NROLFW 3 x wk 2-3 Cardio sessions/wk Stick to 1760 calories + exercise (adds up to 2000-2200 on…

I started running at 220 pounds last year - I do a few 5ks a year and lift heavy.

Today I had a health screening at work to check my cholesterol and sugar levels. I'm proud to say that one year of exercising and eating healthy has helped me drop my cholesterol more than 30 points! One year ago I was just over the line on my overal cholesterol and my triglycerides were pretty bad. Today I'm well within…

I'll just do the standard bent over rows because I'm not getting anything out of the current version other than better stability in the leg. I haven't felt like I was getting much in th way of upper body work on stage 2, and that's probably why. My bench is just like the ones in the books and as I add weight to my…

Oatmeal only has a few grams of fiber and it's high in carbohydrates (especially with the fruit and brown sugar). You might try something with more protein for breakfast if you want it to fill you up. I always have a snack planned for 2-3 hours after breakfast anyway since I do tend to get hungry around that time no matter…

Is anybody having a hard time with the 1-point rows in level 2? I find I'm struggling to just maintain my balance, that doing the rows with my piddly 5-pound weights is almost useless. If the point is to build balance, why bother with the weights at all? I'm not seeing the purpose behind this move and I'm afraid I'm going…

Bumping to get in the new thread... Halloween strategies...we're taking my daughter to a new neighborhood for trick or treating, one of those gated communities where they pass out full sized candy bars. This could be a problem! I think we'll have to freeze everything.