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lhamo
5-28-11, 7:26pm
How is everybody doing on working toward their health goals for this year?

I had a major milestone yesterday -- I actually ran 5K on the treadmill non-stop! Granted, it took me about 40 minutes to do it, so not spectacular, but considering I only started running on May 1st I think that is pretty cool. I decided to push myself a bit after my sessions with my trainer ended because I hadn't really been happy with the results of that. He was not a good fit for my personality, exercise style, or dietary needs (kept telling me I had to eat no fat -- aaaagh!). So I started running just a bit, then did a modified version of the Couch to 5k program -- stepped it up much more quickly because I wasn't finding myself suffering and I like the longer runs rather than the interval training. I did 30 minutes straight on Friday, but yesterday I was feeling really good so decided to push myself a bit and in the end it wasn't that bad. Don't feel sore or exhausted at all today. Now I'm having crazy ideas of buildling up to 10K and maybe even eventually a marathon. This from somebody who has not enjoyed running since I hit puberty. Go figure.

On the weight front, I am making slow, steady progress but feeling frustrated. I have upped my physical activity DRAMATICALLY (now doing 1 hour workouts of running + weights 5-6 times a week), cut out almost all added sugar and sweets from my diet, eliminated starchy snacks, and I am still only down about 4 kilos since January. I had lunch with someone I know who happens to be a dietician this week, and she used to work in a clinic for severely obese kids. She said the standard diet they would put people on was high protein, very low carb. So I got the book Protein Power last night on my Kindle, and I think I am going to try it. I am pretty sure it will work for my body type. Will be an interesting experiment.

On the positive side, I am feeling much better, and looking better, too. DH has commented on how much more toned I am. I have now adjusted to having green tea in the morning at work instead of instant coffee. I no longer put sugar in my coffee at home. As long as I stay away from starchy snacks I seem to not have cravings for them -- definitely a dangerous cycle there, similar to a drug addiction.

Oh, and two of my major fitness goals this year were to have 11 sesssions with a trainer (ended up having over 30) and work out at least 11 times a month (has been more like 20, including months when I was really busy with work events and travel). I have also tried more than my original goal of 11 new recipes. So doing well on the meeting goals front! And the 4 kilos I have lost is on track to meet my goal of 11 lbs lost (though I really still need to lose another 11 at least, after that).

That's my update -- interested to hear how other people are doing in terms of meeting their health goals for the year.

lhamo

Mrs-M
5-28-11, 8:07pm
Boy, have you ever got it together! Good on you Ihamo!!! :) My update pales in comparison to yours but here it is/they are. On the sugar front, good news! Down to about a half teaspoon of honey with my coffee and tea now! Also, water with all my meals other than breakfast! So proud I am! http://serve.mysmiley.net/party/party0040.gif

My low reduced-carb intake diet, going oh so very well! Have just about eliminated white pasta from my diet completely! Eating more raw vegetables and fruits too!

Heavy sigh, shame on me on the exercise front. Been meaning to (wanting to) get into aerobics or Zumba but haven't found the time. Now that spring is here that dream is over. (Going to have to wait until fall). Just too busy, but I have been going for regular evening walks lately so I shouldn't be too overly hard on myself.

fidgiegirl
5-28-11, 8:14pm
Thanks for asking, lhamo. Sounds like you have learned a lot about yourself in this process. Isn't the running thing amazing that way? I never thought I was a person who would enjoy running until I got the right bra :laff: and now I enjoy it, though I don't go as often as I could.

I am back in a fitness slump. I had lost four pounds a few weeks ago by tracking my food (or at least making a good faith effort), substituting fruits and veggies or proteins for wheaty carbs, and a few workouts a week. Now I have been not doing any working out and have been eating a crapload of sweets (it's like I have no willpower . . . ).

I have repeated this cycle so many times and thought this time would be different but it hasn't been. However I need to remember ALWAYS positive self-talk in this area. This is a new moment, etc. Otherwise I'm only hurting myself. Can't turn back time but there is always an opportunity to change moving forward.

One good side effect of this recent effort is that I gave a good go at learning how to prepare fish and seafood. While far from an expert in this area, I have now learned that to bake up a chunk of salmon is just as fast, if not faster, than some of our other go-to evening foods and so much more nutritionally powerful. We also have shrimp in the freezer to put in kabobs or a stirfry or whatever else we start to learn to use shrimp in. That has helped create filling, nutritious evening meals that are lower in carbs.

I went on thyroid replacement hormone. After several years of conflicting opinions of whether or not I should be on it, but current doc recommended I do go on it and I am happy. MUCH more energy and had good weightloss results while I was sticking with my above efforts. Before, nothing - no matter what I did.

Over the last few years of efforts to lose weight, I have made gains and learned a lot. First I started only doing food. Then I was only doing exercise. Now I know both are a part. I always made a ton of excuses before about exercise - that I couldn't do it, that I had already had my shower for the day, etc. Now I don't do that as much, though obviously I do it some because I am not getting in workouts consistently.

Goals for the near future:
- Resume breakfast smoothies, but realize I will need a midmorning snack, too. Even a chai will hold me and is few calories when I make it at home.
- Check out the Y. I won 20 passes for $30 at a silent auction and have yet to make it over there. I call this phase of any change "practicing." It was like when I was taking the bus over to my classes at the U. I had to spend a lot of time figuring out where to take the bus, and how to pay for it, and how to put my bike on it, and then going to the stop early and waiting for it so I wouldn't miss it, and stressing over getting off at the right place, etc. Once I had done that a few times, though, it was cake. Same with the Y thing. I have to make time to do the initial practicing.

I have also been letting other projects encroach on my running time that I have had scheduled with my running buddy. No more of that. One night, for example, I had a 6:00 meeting. At that time, I could have squeezed in a run and shower. But one girl wanted to move it to 5:30 to accommodate her schedule. Instead of saying sorry, can't make it then, I changed and went with it and passed on the workout. Should have said no in that instance.

A powerful motivator to move forward is that I have had past success. I know what it can feel like to lose even 5 or 10 pounds and it's nice. It's nice to have a stronger core which leads to greatly diminished back pain. It's great to feel like my gut isn't bouncing all over the place. I LIKE sweating and a pounding heart. I LIKE IT. That's what's so crazy about making excuses not to do it.

Wow! Clearly I have had this on the brain! Thanks again . . . let's all stick together and get this done!!!

lhamo
5-29-11, 5:49am
fidgie,

If it isn't too personal, can you share what brand of sports bra you are using? I've got a couple but they aren't the best. I am planning to treat myself to some good ones, and some good running shoes.

Did some of the calculations in Protein Power and was pretty depressed. Even after 5 months of consistent exercise and more careful eating, I am hauling around nearly 40% of my body weight in fat! YUCK! I knew it was bad, but not that bad. I decided to really buckle down, and after my workout this morning had DS help me take some really graphic "you don't want to keep looking like this do you?" pictures that will be the "before" to what I hope is going to be a much better "after" in the next 6-12 months. Spandex bike shorts don't leave much room to hide what is really going on. It wasnt until I did the measurements of my waist and hips that I really saw how much goopy flab I have to get rid of. Now, in a way that is good because the droopy goopiness of it is actually a sign that I have been burning it off. The skin wasn't nearly so saggy several months ago. And I know I have built a lot of muscle, so I can only imagine what my body fat percentage was in January. And now I have confirmation of a healthy target weight, roughly 25 lbs less than I am now. If I can lose 25 lbs of fat in the next year or two, I will be one happy camper.

So, Protein Power diet will start tomorrow. Bye bye carbs, hello new me, I hope.

lhamo

Glo
5-29-11, 10:55am
I've been doing very well since January. I'm down about 31 pounds. DH and I are on weigh****chers on line and it works well for us. I hit a few snags recently with plateaus; WW said to review food intake and that was OK so the only thing to do was increase activity. So we've been going to the gym and pool six times a week. I feel that's excessive but unfortunnately that's what it takes. So I've had a couple of successful weeks. I guess this is what I'll have to do forever and its a depressing thought. On occassion we go to dinner or parties with friends where we eat what we want, so that slows our progress some but I'm unwilling to give up social interaction.

On the down side, all this exercise is not giving me more energy. When I exercised when I was younger, I had so much energy I could go on all day and half the night. Now it seems like I have no energy at all. It must be my age. I am making a doctor's appointment about this problem this coming week to see what he says.

fidgiegirl
5-29-11, 11:11am
fidgie,

If it isn't too personal, can you share what brand of sports bra you are using? I've got a couple but they aren't the best. I am planning to treat myself to some good ones, and some good running shoes.

lhamo

I have been using an Enell and it's worked well for me. Now it's getting a little stretched out and I have to get a new one. One of the girls at Nordstrom said they quit carrying them, though, and use another kind, but I'm sorry I can't tell you the name of that one.


I've been doing very well since January. I'm down about 31 pounds. DH and I are on weigh****chers on line and it works well for us. I hit a few snags recently with plateaus; WW said to review food intake and that was OK so the only thing to do was increase activity. So we've been going to the gym and pool six times a week. I feel that's excessive but unfortunnately that's what it takes. So I've had a couple of successful weeks. I guess this is what I'll have to do forever and its a depressing thought. On occassion we go to dinner or parties with friends where we eat what we want, so that slows our progress some but I'm unwilling to give up social interaction.

Congrats, Glo! I don't think you will have to do it forever. Theoretically, once you get to goal weight you don't have to continue to LOSE weight. Here's hoping. That's a big time commitment! At least you are still seeing results. Your stick-to-it-ness is inspiring!