Woodog

That has to be the coolest thing I've seen in quite a while.

Thanks for that link!

Woo

SandySwimmer

I just finished my fifth week of strength training and my fourth week of pilates/yoga.

This week I have been walking 3 min., running 3 minutes for 4 repetitions on Sat, Tues, Wed, Fri. The first two days were challenging, the last two days were great. Now, the walk/run takes me 30 minutes including the 10 min. of warm-up at a slowish walk.

On the indoor track for part of it I run towards a mirror that is on the far wall. Pilates and yoga are definitely helping my posture. I can see my shoulders and my neck looks longer . . . great posture. Those classes have really increased my awareness of how I hold my body.

This week I discovered Balance Bars. I put one in my gym bag for after workouts when I don't have time to eat an entire meal. They taste like a Snicker's Bar. Also, I've been having my giant plate of steamed vegetables (with chili powder) everyday. The chili spice has been a nice addition. It makes me feel warm, comforted, and full in the cold weather.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

6 Weeks until New Year's Eve!

This is a great time to make new year's resolutions. It gives six weeks to work out the kinks and figure out what is realistic and possible . . . to try it out.

I'm pretty happy with the running and strength training schedule, so I will continue that. Today, I ran 3 minutes walked 2 minutes - 5 times. It feels surprisingly good. Tomorrow is my day off and then will run Monday Wednesday Friday. Strength training will be on my own due to the holiday coming up.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

I'm curious what everyone is planning to do to handle Thanksgiving schedules and temptations. With traveling, holiday stress, and visiting with families . . . lots of possible situations to deal with.

Sandy

sillygirl

I took control this year and invited the family to my place this year (add to the stress of law school much?!?)

Anyways, my main problem with Thanksgiving is the overload of butter, and the lack of both vegetables and the incorporation of seasonal produce. I am trying to remedy that as much as I can this year. I actually am basing part of my meal off of this month's Cooking Light cover recipes. Here is what is on my menu:

Sweet Potato Soup
Sage and Parmesean Roasted Turkey with Gravy
Green salad with pomegranite seeds and cinnamon toasted pecans.
Cranberry, walnut, cherry chutney
Camembert Mashed Potatoes (you barely have to use any butter when you use just a little of a strong and creamy cheese)
Apple and Potato Gratin
Oven Roasted Green Beans
Berry Pie made with splenda (shhh dont tell anyone, no one can tell the difference!)
My mom is bringing her famous pumpkin cake
Light vanilla bean icecream (the new dreyers slow churned tastes just like the real thing)

The menu sounds indulgent - and with bold flavors, no one will ever know that I used "healthy" methods, like basting the turkey with broth and not butter/juices, skipping butter in the mashed potatoes and gratin, and using splenda in the pie (i just mix splenda and berries and throw it in a pie crust and voila).

As for overeating... the only solution I have to not undereat eat all day in anticipation. Instead I try to eat frequently with low calorie bulk. LOTS of veggies/salads to get my through the day so I am not starving when the smorgasborg begins. Also I hope that finishing up in the kitchen will keep me away from my main weakness: the cheese and crakers on the coffee table before dinner.

SandySwimmer

5 weeks until New Year's Eve!

I hope everyone has had a relatively healthy Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the day and the dessert, but didn't overdo it. I did my runs through the snow which was a nice experience. I maintained and held on, but am now re-committing myself. Beginning Monday, I am cutting out sugar, white flour, and white potatoes . . . amazing how many of those things are included in a Thanksgiving dinner.

Let me know your successes! We need to hear them to get us through the next several weeks.

Sandy

DannoXYZ 

That soon? Darn... I've got 30-lbs to go to hit my target.. I'd be lucky to lose 10 by then. Guess I won't be wearing my size-2 dress to the New Year's Party...

Good thing is I didn't gain any weight over Thanksgiving! My brothers and I have this unspoken eating contest; last one up from the table wins! So we pace ourselves and stretch it out. Usually, the table had been cleared, dishes were humming away in the washing machine. Everyone had retired to the parlor and we were still eating! Another year, we actually ate EVERYTHING! No leftovers! I've actually gained 10lbs over Thanksgiving weekend once..

Woodog

My diet is usually so strict that on days like Thanksgiving, Christmas and other gorge-a-thon occasions I enjoy what I want and as much as I want. Yeah, I gained weight, but I'll increase the exercise level and lower the intake level (slightly) for the following week or so and the extra weight goes away.

Normally I'm a strict low-fat vegetarian for health reasons, but on Thanksgiving day this year I had... candied yams, fried turkey, ham, many different types of casseroles, bread slathered with real butter, pecan pie (in heaven there will be a never ending supply of pecan pie and fried chicken), coffee with real cream, green beans prepared with bacon fat.

I left the guilt at the door.

The day after Thanksgiving I got together with some of the nuttier bikers from our local bike club and went for an early morning 40 mile fast-as-we-could-go hill route. Temp at start was 18 F.

Out of our friggin minds! But we had fun!

Today was the gym and interval training. tonight I made a weeks worth of lunches... beans, whole grains, garlic, lentils, split peas, mushrooms, etc. with just a touch of olive oil.

whatever you do, whatever you eat, however you love, do it with gusto.

life is rich!


Woo

SandySwimmer

Woo - you must have felt so accomplished after your 18 degree bike ride. I agree with leaving guilt at the door. One positive thing I find with occasionally over-indulging is it makes me more aware of how much certain foods actually zap my energy.

Danno - that's quite a family tradition you have. I did have a moment where I excused myself and left my four-year-old nephew to be in charge of picking out my pie piece. When I came back, there were four different slices of four different kinds of pie and one fork. The subject of eating contests came up.


I went to spinning early and ran on the track afterwards. I am now up to 10 min. warm-up then (4 min. run/ 3 min. walk) 4. I am enjoying the running. I hadn't been to spinning in about a month. If tennis is rained out tonight I will go to the 5:30 strength class.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

Tennis was rained out so I was able to go to strength training class. Interesting to see that much of the class (who I consider to be strong people in great shape) give up before the third repetition of shoulder press and plank.

These I stuck with a month ago when the teacher gave us the option not to do them. Now, she gives the class the option of doing one set and I can do all three. A little early determination really pays off.

Plank is one of the best strength training moves I have found. It works every muscle. In addition to holding plank, in class we lower the knees to the floor and bring them back up to plank which gives an added challenge. For shoulder press the 12 pound bar is now too light.

I'm setting a few Dec . 1st challenges for myself for the final push of the year.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

I made it to strength training yesterday and yoga last night. This marks my seventh week. I can see my tricep muscle which is new. I can see definition in my shoulders. I can feel muscles in my upper back. Interesting how relatively quickly the body morphs.

We are getting down to the final crunch with holidays, stress, deadlines, cold weather . . . lots of things to get us off course. We need to be extra mindful.

Today I have a run planned (4/3)4 and then pilates class. Tonight, it's tennis for an hour. I just have to make sure I don't inhale a house after my evening exercise.

Sandy

Marcello

Late last August, I was at 208.5, a half pound short of becoming obese, according to the BMI chart for my 5'10" height. I set a goal of losing 34 pounds in 34 weeks, getting back to my weight of 174 pounds I was at before getting married a decade ago, back in the "normal" weight range. The idea was to reduce the overeating and spend more time on the bike. And as a reward for making my goal I was planning to get me a new bike to replace my 12 year old hybrid (which weighs 34 pounds without fenders or lights, interesting coincidence.) Which means that spending countless hours here on BF over the past 3 months to learn more about bikes and riding, was all part of my weight loss plan.

Early last week I reached my target weight, with 20 weeks to spare. And now I am starting to adjust to eating more, but still in moderation. I am still enjoying wearing clothes that are now three sizes too big for me, until I take advantage of the after-Christmas sales to get a few new things for my wardrobe.

In the past three months I went from riding my bike for a few short miles to run an occasional errand, to commuting 15 miles with 800 feet of climb (each way) up to three times a week, to completing two 200k brevets. (The last one last Saturday, which means I wasn't eating too much dessert at the Thanksgiving dinner. I was just carbo-loading. Yeah, that's it, carboloading... )

Now I always look forward to getting out in the morning, no matter how cold and rainy the weather, for my hour of bike commuting, pedaling hard over the hills. What an amazing change.

SandySwimmer

4 weeks until New Year's Eve!

My how time flies.

Marcello - congratulations on reaching your goal weight an on making lifestyle changes that you are enjoying.

I went to strength training class yesterday. Push-ups and plank are so much easier than they were six weeks ago. Monday begins my eighth week. The next two weeks will be challenging because I will be traveling and will have to do the strength training on my own.

Next week I will be beginning the seventh week of the run/walk program I am following - running 4 minutes walking 2.
Last night, I played tennis for 4 hours . . . a record for me and it felt good. This morning I am a little stiff, so I will plan a swim today. Tomorrow is my day off.

Eating is still a struggle . . . eating enough and not eating too much . . . it takes concentration for me to strike a balance.

Sandy

joejack951

Good thread. I'm at a good weight for my height (160 lbs. down from 195 a year and half ago) and don't plan on losing any more until sometime before May when I want to do the Whiteface race. I'm targetting losing 10 lbs. for that. The lowest I've been in recent years is 154 so it's definitely possible. I'm not sure when to get started on losing that weight though. I personally think I look too skinny at anything less than 157 but for a mountain climb race, I'd like to give myself any extra advantage that I can. I'll deal with seeing too many ribs for a few weeks for that.

Back to my original reason for posting though, my way around Thanksgiving overeating guilt was to use my bike to get around for the day (like I do most days anyway). I started out the day with a 17 mile, 1400 ft. total ascent ride to a friend's house for brunch, then 25 miles (13 of it through pouring rain at 42F) to my parents for dinner. Friday morning, I went out with my dad for 40 miles then I rode 12 mile back home. Tough to feel guilty after all that I was 158 lbs. Friday night.

sillygirl

Well 4 weeks in and I got on the scale and have lost 4 pounds! Although i think after this weekend i can probably add 1 or 2 back on. I stopped trusting the scale at home (and scales can make me crazy) so I am just weighing "every week or two" at the gym.

I am also having some balancing issues. Eating WAY too much some days, and just not enough on others. Same issue with excercise, I will go 3 days without being able to fit it in, and then 4 days in a row of double/hard excercise. But the imbalance is due to the stress and time constraints of final exams so I assume I should be back to normality in 3 weeks (just in time for the holidays. eek.) Lets hope I can get another 4 pounds off.

Woodog

Sandy,

I did feel good about the cold bike ride. I've done some more, but none as frigid as that one. I would give most anything for another long, lung-busting hot summer afternoon ride about right NOW! Sigh... patience....

Here's an article that the local online publication did about my weight loss.

https://www.wku.edu/echo/better.htm

boardline22

anyone else make their goal besides me?

SandySwimmer

A little over two weeks until New Year's Eve! Time is flying. Time to stay healthy!

joejack- you've kept off 35 pounds. That's great. Do you do upper body and core strength training? That might give you an extra edge by your May race.

sillygirl - congratulations on the weight loss and committing to finding balance despite stress.

woodog - 100 pounds is a great accomplishment. And you've really changed your lifestyle so that it supports your health

boardline - that's great that you've met your goal. Maintaining it and gaining muscle are definitely worthy goals. What's nice is you will see your muscle right away - within a month or two. I trust that mine are there, but these extra pounds still cover some of them.

I've been traveling and working 18 hr. days to meet a crunch deadline for the past 10 days. I am proud to say that I kept up with my strength training. I did a run and strength training on my own every other day for the first week. And, then took 3 days off in a row, but if I do my strength training today and Saturday, I will still meet my three times a week quota for this week. Lots of inner dialogue to get me to the gym when I had very little sleep and no actual time, but I always felt better after. And such a feeling of accomplishment now.

I had a piece of cheesecake in a social situation. I knew it was coming, so I had been careful with calories. The first bite was good, but within an hour my head became stuffy and my throat felt really dry. I could actually feel the sugar crash happen in my body. The next day, I ate half of a fresh, ripe pineapple . The first bite tasted as decadent as the cheesecake, but it made me feel great for hours afterwards . . . a sugar high without the crash.

My mantra over the holidays that my cells are saying. . . walk away from the sugar and no one has to get hurt.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

Two weeks until New Year's Eve! I hope everyone is getting some good workouts in.

I have been falling into a nice workout schedule. Every other day I run and strength train, every other day I run and swim. I play tennis a few times a week and bike to and from the courts. My workouts feel great. Strength training is now a welcome habit. I just finished my ninth week. I'm looking forward to when I can say I have been doing it for 6 months straight.

Foodwise, I am having oatmeal and 2 tbsp. of flaxseed every morning. And, I eat spinach and whole wheat pasta and some lean protein after my workouts.

I can see my obliques, my shoulders, my triceps. I am looking forward to when I can see some definition in my upper leg.

I missed my yoga/pilates last week and this week. I went to a class on Thursday, but it had been two weeks. That's the part of my workout schedule that is not a regular part yet when I travel.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

Running before the strength training and stretching after has been really working.

Since I have discovered that I do not do yoga unless I am in a class and the classes are hard to get to when I have deadlines, I have started incorporating the yoga into my post-run stretching. Yesterday and today I did sun salutations a & b and then the closing postures. It only took my 8 minutes and left me feeling cooled down and stretched out.

I run on an indoor track, so there are stretching mats next to it. I'm going to try it again in the morning. Tomorrow is my strength training day, so the plan is walk 10 minutes, run/walk for 30, strength train, then yoga stretches.

Indoor workouts followed by a long hot shower seem like a good response to the freezing weather.

Be well,
Sandy

Woodog

I did a post here last night but don't see it now. Strange.

Hope all have made progress, and also hope that all are making their goals.

However, if you haven't made them, then I hope you are close.

However, if you're not even close, then I hope that you aren't beating yoursleves up over it. Just move the marker, keep plugging along. :-)

For us Northern Hemisphere types, the days are getting longer.

Yay.

Woo

SandySwimmer

Five days until New Year's. I hope everyone is working out . . . and not panicking. Most important to work out in order to keep stress down especially during this time of year.

I went sledding the other day. Up and down a mountain (well, a really big hill). Good exercise, but my muscles are sore.

I will start another thread as soon as the New Year reaches us . . . one to get us to the spring / summer months.
Sandy

SandySwimmer

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. It seems like only yesterday it was August and we were looking forward to and planning for the New Year ahead. Now, the New Year is upon us. How did everyone do?

Sandy

Guest

10 pounds lost. I'm cool.

Koffee

sillygirl

5 out of 8. Couldn't lose anymore during the holidays - but I guess maintaining is a sucess on its own if you saw how many christmas cookies my mother decided to make (and considering she didnt have much food stocked in the house when I was visiting...).