Work Out Plan

Biking

2008-10-10T21:57:16Z

Today I did my leg lifts (20 pounds each), Torso twists (50 pounds), Arm pull downs (40 pounds), but mostly I spent 30 minutes on the stationary bike on level 4 and (travelled) four miles. I watched Oprah while I was on the bike. Chris Rock was one of her guests and he always makes me laugh. That's probably why I stayed on the bike for half an hour. Usually I would only do about 15 minutes. My legs felt spongy when I got off the bike. I also worked up quite a sweat.

So Far So Good

2008-10-09T23:41:39Z

As promised, I went to the spa today. As I didn't sleep too well last night, I didn't workout very long. My lack of exercise yesterday is what kept me awake last night. I need physical activity every day just to tire myself out and to keep myself feeling relaxed and calm inside. I'm pretty tired right so I should sleep well tonight and have a much better workout tomorrow.

There's a lot of anxiety these days and I'm not immune. Right now I'm too tired to think about anything. That's a good thing!

Goal: Go to Spa Daily

2008-10-09T03:18:22Z

Okay, that's the plan. To go to the spa every day. Well it was rainy and dreary today and I just didn't feel like it. Very poor excuse. But I did go on Monday and Tuesday. Each time I use 15 different exercise machines, ride the stationary bike for 15 minutes and occasionally swim at least one lap and then bake in the hot tub for about 15 minutes. I feel so much better when I exercise as it's a great mood equalizer. So far, my mental landscape has improved more than my physical body. But I do think I'm a little bit stronger. I started in July 2008, but I have missed a considerable amount of days. I have every intention of remedying that. I think this community will help me to keep my focus.

Workout

2008-09-24T15:20:29Z

So I've been keeping up with my workouts since i got back from camp. at camp i gained at least 5 pounds due to high bread and pasta intake. last week i weighed in and was back down to pre-camp weight but today at the gym i noticed that my legs look horrible. I do pageants so i have to look toned. i found out that legs are the key to swimsuit. for the judges it apparently determines how fit the person is. my problem is how do i tone them especially the back?

My workout:
         30-45 of cardio
         2 sets of 10 triceps
         3 sets of 15 each side dumbbell bends
         60 lunges with weights 10 pounds
         40 squats with weights 20 pounds

the front of my legs are looking better but the overall effect is disgusting. any suggestions

realization is motivation

2008-09-14T07:34:46Z

I decided exercise is to weight loss like paying off principal is to debt (i.e. more then the minimum payment but wo/it the debt hardly goes down) - so if I calculate how much I have to reduce in calories to drop weight: It's really hard to do. But if I take an hour of exercise off that then suddenly it makes the calorie goal reasonable, so I can eat something reasonable, exercise and lose. Wo/the exercise it's really hard, maybe impossible, to drop weight in a healthy way.

k, that's it for me. (Mon - nothing, Tues - 1 hour Yoga, Weds 1 hour step-class, Thurs- night off, Fri - 45 mins elliptical & 30 mins walking, Sat- 45 mins pilate/yoga mix, 20 mins weights). good week.

Update on My Weight Loss

2008-09-08T11:22:25Z

Just to let everyone know I am still alive and kicking here. We did a Biggest Loser contest at work and I started at 165.00 and am now down to 149.00 (according to the scales at work). At home I am sitting about 145-147 pounds (the lowest I have been in a few years), which I am very proud of. IT has not been easy to get where I am alot of healthy eating and hard work. What I am working on now is toning more and just loosing maybe 5 more pounds at the most. I do a step class and a bootcamp circuit class twice a week, and am thinking of adding a third class to the mix. My overall body looks and feels stronger, just gotta work on getting rid of the pouch.

Just wanted to let you guys know about my progress :D

BOOP.

2008-08-30T05:48:47Z

"The soundtrack to my life seems to be on repeat."
I am sure I have heard that somewhere, maybe not.
Either way... That is how I feel.

My life usually goes in this cycle:

1. I get on an amazing health kick and get into shape. I feel amazing about myself and look great.
2. I realize I haven't been going out much so I haven't really met any guys.
3. I start to go out more and drink more, meanwhile my health kick ends.
4. I meet a ton of guys and hook up all the time.
5. I start to feel shitty about myself.
6. I cry because I am fat.
7. I start working out again and meet a guy.
8. I think I am in love.
9. The guy acts obsessed
10. He runs away
11. I cry and think life is over.
12. I feel fat again.
13. I write an entry like this
14. and then continue to think about how stupid it is that I do this.

No seriously, the cycle ends here (again, i have said this many times). I am done caring anymore. I am going to try and go with the flow. It's not worth the heart ache.

I am longboard skateboarding 18 miles tomorrow to raise money for Boarding for Breast Cancer.
It is about time I stop thinking about MYSELF and do something for a cause.
I am excite. yeeeeehawwww....

love life.
bdc

4 months left to lose 2008 weight ?

2008-08-29T12:09:40Z

It is a bit frustrating to go all of 2008 exercising and mostly eating 1200 to 1450 calories and still not drop weight. I've shed some fat density but not lost weight in sum total I'm actually up a couple pounds since Jan 08, where I came in at 160, and now I'm at 165. :S My bmi chart says I should be at 135 and even adding 10 lbs for muscular build doesn't explain why I can't drop weight.

It seems it must be the types of calories I'm getting and not the quantitiy, and maybe the size of meals and not the daily total ? Any ideas? One of my work out emails reminded me today to not go below 1200 calories or it kicks in fat-storing/muscle burning mode, and ruins the metabolism. I guess the way to lose weight is to exercise 5 hours/week and eat more veggies and less fatty sodium filled easy foods - but I don't know. I am frustrated.

I thought I could've lost 20 or 30 lbs in a year but I can't seem to shed more then 5. I hit 160 and then come back to 165 and even 170 and then back down to 165 - mostly there. :S

It's tempting to try one of those overpriced premade-all your meals concepts to just control what kinds of foods I eat, then I'd at least know if it's that or the exercise element, or something else!

lost some fat, about 3 lbs this month : you? news anyone?

2008-08-26T04:32:18Z

Since I got the fat density scale on the 9th I've dropped 2% of my body fat - but my weight is about the same - so woot - at least i'm burning some fat! (It gives water too -so I can see water is the same or higher & fat % has dropped!) I'm really excited about this.
I was weighing in at 37% fat, dropped to 35% now that I can measure it - goal is 26% or lower; if I lose 1% per week I'll get there this year - don't know if that's possbile, but it sure would be nice.

k- and, like, where is everyone? What's up? Any news?

2 fat measuring gadgets I tried this week! :)

2008-08-09T17:20:33Z

I got some fat-percentage measuring gadgets: I'm really pleased w/one and not happy w/the other (yet!) it may have a learning scale, or help more later.

The first gadget is a digital scale that measures body density: (There are a bunch of options, I got the Tanita BF680W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor about $60)
It is really cool. I finally know what percent of my body is fat and water : and it shows that my lean body mass is really high (from exercise) so my weight-loss goal of 20 to 25 lbs of fat loss will put me at my ideal 22 to 25% body fat (for a woman/men are lower) but I will still be 10 to 15 lbs over the BMI range: due to my density of muscle: I'm happy to see confirmation on this.

The second is a digital fat caliper: most can't be used on oneself but this brand (Accu-Measure) is supposed to be able to be measured on oneself: so far it's way off - but I understand it has a learning curve so as I try it I'm getting closer measurements to the other device - but it's saying I'm effectively "at" my goal but I know I am not! So I def. have to practice how it works more. I do think it would be more helpful if I didn't have _so far_ to go - so it might be a good device for people who are much closer to their ideal weight. (shrug)

I am glad a tried a couple devices, and at this point I'm pretty sold on the idea that everyone should trade in their normal scale for a body density one (unless you have a pacemaker: can't use them then due to the slight electrical current used to get body density) - I am not sure why these are not heavily promoted by the weight loss industry: anyone know??

Oh: PS I did do underwater fat % measurements in college which showed I was at 26% body fat when I weighed 148/150 - which matches to what the scale says about me now - so this reinforces my belief it is accurate.

Boxing Forum

2008-07-30T04:04:17Z

Hey wassup guys! If some of you are interested in training and diet tips check out this place :
http://www.boxingforum.com/
We have a training and nutrition section that is open for anybody who wanna be (and stay) in shape. See you there!

My journey so far

2008-07-15T15:09:15Z

Hello! I just joined today. I was doing some searches looking for information to help out my community members over at up4thechallenge design their own workout routines for our "botocamp" challenges and found this community! It looked like fun and I know I could use the support!

I started working out this year, first I signed up for 3 months with a personal trainer to get started and then went on my own from there. I have lost 40 lbs and gone from a size 22 to a size 12. I still have more to go though! Right now I am trying to get in 30-60 min of cardio 4 to 5 times a week plus strength training. For diet I used to do weight watchers but now I just watch calorie intake, plus I don't eat most meats, very little diary and try to eat a good amount of raw fruits and veggies as snacks or with my meals.

oh no :( (sorry if this post is a bit gross and too personal...)

2008-07-14T15:43:05Z

this healthy july isn't going as planned. i have lost ca. 2kg in 2 weeks (i think that's about 4.4lbs) but i have eaten bad things and i've not been so consistent in eating 5 times per day. i often skip a meal so i eat only 4 times per day. one day i was even down to two meals :(

i've been having a HUUUUUUGE PMS that lasted about 1½ week (i got way through my menstruation before my mood seemed to be just slightly stable) and i bought a bag of chips and a soda (i haven't even opened the soda yet... ). i went to my dad's and as i feared he made really really bad food even if he tried to make it healthier for me (i had the runs big time because my stomach is not used to all that fat. sigh).

but all in all i am doing better. my mood is almost stable now (today i went to buy some food and i didn't get all angry nor got the feeling that i just needed to hurt someone... ) and i am eating better. i am still struggling with the 5 meals per day, though.

i know i should be fine with my weightloss this far and when i think about i really am. but i am just so disappointed at myself for not being able to keep my july 100% healthy... :S

i just needed to get this off of my chest... i will now go and make some dinner (tuna meat balls with whole grain pasta and spinach *yay!*)

A Minor Flaw In The Plan.

2008-07-07T06:20:10Z

So, as this week passed by, a surprisingly have gotten really sick. :/

What really sucks, is having to eat something every 3 hours so I could force down my medication. Along with that, I've had barely any exercise.

I'm getting excited about tomorrow, I'm going to see about joining a gym membership. Maybe I can get started and have a good time.

Does anyone have any advice of getting back on track after getting sick? :/

Greetings

2008-07-02T17:48:32Z

Hello everyone!
I recently joined this community and per the rules I thought I would introduce myself. I am 22 years old and I have struggled with my weight since I was about 14 years old, it was the trauma of moving and a bout of depression when my weight first got into an unhealthy range.

Since then I have tried many different things (always changing eating habits and exercise, I don't try any type of weight loss supplement those seem too risky for me) to get my weight back to a healthy range, well this time I intend to do it!

Right now I just want to start off with getting my exercise plan up to par. My goal is just to do 5 hours a week of moderate cardio. I am currently involved in a dance class that I am taking through the local community center and we have a month of classes left, so I figure in a month my body should be used to this amount of exercise and I should be feeling the positive energy effects of it. After that my goal will be to keep up the amount and then I will start to hone in more on my eating habits.

I have been looking around and this seems like a very knowledgeable group and look forward to getting involved in some of the discussions. Thank you all for your time!

Motivation

2008-07-01T01:49:51Z

I've lost my motivation to workout and eat healthy.

What do you when this happens to you? How do you just make yourself get back into it?

Happy Update.

2008-06-30T18:21:55Z

Okay, so I just weighed myself now, and through eating very carefully and healthily, and doing some basic work out routines inside...I have managed to lose 15 lbs in the past month! :)!

I now weigh 195 lbs. My goal is 190, and then I want to see myself and decide if I would like to lose more. :)!

It has been really tough working out because of the Miami weather here in the past couple of weeks. It's been raining almost every single day. I think today has been the only day where it appears as though it is sunny. Hm.

Regardless though, when it was raining, I just would do some sit-up sets in front of the TV, and do some push-ups with my sister on my back, haha.

I've also realized that it's okay to hang out with friends and family and order unhealthy food, but to just eat very little or less than an overportioned amount.

I haven't let it keep me off track! And I'm so glad.

Just to update, because I'm quite pleased right now.

How has everyone been here?

3 neat articles I read this week.

2008-06-26T23:00:38Z

Here's some interesting reading I came across this week:

about that Leptin concept & appetite/metabolism:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/index.aspx?puid=6d6f2f8c-9a99-4522-a0fa-b3c7276411bb&p=5

here's an article of how much having a rounded breakfast can help, in this study those on the lowcarb low cal diet lost an average of 9 lbs over 8 months & those on this "big breakfast" plan lost 40 lbs over 8 months!! To quote "That translated to an average body mass loss of 4.5 percent for those on the low-carb diet and a 21.3 percent average loss for those on the big breakfast plan." -- wow. It also talks about cortisol, adrenaline, and various other interesting things in the article like how to break the "comfort eating cycle" and how come we are handling food dif. in the morning. Here's that article link:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/ShowArticle.aspx?IsP=news/616/news616671.xml&cen=HC:%20Weight%20Management

and lastly an article about sleep (I liked this quote: "For starters, women have to be convinced that lack of sleep is harmful, not a badge of honor. Acknowledging those harmful effects to your health can help you "respect your sleep")

http://www.everydayhealth.com/publicsite/ShowArticle.aspx?IsP=news/612/news612906.xml&dp=2008/06/23&q1=&cen=&xid=nl_EverydayHealthEmotionalHealth_20080624

_workoutplan @ 2008-06-26T20:52:00

2008-06-26T19:02:36Z

my birthday is on sunday and today i decided that in July i will only eat healthy stuff. it's my first month as a 24 year old and if i can keep my mind to it i'm sure i can stick with the healthy food only. if i'm going to any parties (which i doubt i will) i'll drink alcohol as i usually do. but besides that i'll be healthy and take good care of my body. during the day, before a party, i'll eat healthy, still.

this week has been hell for me: i've eaten "bad" food (potato chips and a pizza) and every time i had eaten it i'd feel soooo sick afterwards. i guess it's just something mental but still. i hope that it'll motivate me to eat better next month. i gotta remind myself that if i eat this or that i'll feel sick for the rest of the day.... and hopefully that'll make me not eat bad stuff.

today i bought lots of tuna, spices, whole grain pasta and green tea.

i hope i will get lots of support from my friends here on LJ and in real life too. i really really need it. the last time i had a healthy month i lost 2.5kg/ a bit more than a pound. and one of the weeks in that month was filled with concerts and parties ( i think i drank alcohol 4 days that week). if i could do it then i can do it again. don't you think? :)

perhaps some of you will join me on this quest for a really healthy july?

Processing Some Thoughts.

2008-06-26T01:40:09Z

Hey All.

Loving this group. :)
Since I've finally graduated from High School, I feel like it's now a lot easier for me to deal with living a steady healthy lifestyle.

I weighed 210lbs 3 weeks ago, and now I weigh 200. :)

Sometimes I feel like I have an obsession with food. I've noticed now that I used to eat when I was bored. How ridiculous is that? I won't lie, it gets hard sometimes.

But my goal is to weigh 180 lbs, and I know I can do it.

I also have to do it the healthy way. I can't just eat tiny foods and live hungry. I have to be full.
Lately I've been eating salads with all kinds of fruits and veggies, and I've even cooked like one or two strips of skinless chicken tenderloins to throw in the mix. When I don't feel like salad, I've made Ramen with some chicken or shrimp as well and I cook up some veggies to eat with.

It can sometimes be challenging to eat healthy, especially with my family, and how they unknowingly cook so much unhealthy crap that is delicious. :/ Lmao.

I just had a smoothie, and so I'm going to chill down with some TruTV. Lol.

Alrighty, here we go with the goals:

To find more time (between my parents having the car, and with the weather here raining constantly) to work out outdoors by the beach.
To fight the threats disguised as deliciousness, haha.
To continue finding new creative ways to eat healthy. (I'm having certain days where salads get tiresome.)
To not get so carried away when I go out with friends and they decide to eat junkie.
To be at least 190 lbs by August. (I think that's pretty reasonable.)

Any tips, suggestions or ideas? I'm all ears.

:)

My list

2008-06-24T15:51:58Z

I believe every list also needs an action plan:

1. I want clothes to be a fashion statement - not camouflage.
2. I want to be able to climb stairs without puffing like a choo choo train.
3. I want to be able to spend the day at the Mall of America and still want to go dancing after dinner.
4. I want to be healthy enough to help my son continue to battle his cancer.
5. I want to read a book on the beach and not worry what comments skinny blonde girls may be making (okay, so I could do this anyway but I had to get a skinny blonde comment in...)
6. I want to be a good role model for my teenage daughter.
7. I want to enjoy food, not be ruled by it.
8. I want to be a MILF
9. I want to have well defined muscles and feel good about wearing a tanktop in public.
10. I want to get rid of my bood pressure meds.

Action Plan:
To attain the things I want, I will eat right (Portion control, healthy low-processed foods, more veggies) and exercise (at least walk every day and get to the gym as often as schedules will allow)

introduction

2008-06-23T21:50:57Z

Hi all,
Just stumbled across this community and it looks like exactly the kind of thing I could use right now.

I'm 23, have been heavy my whole life, but I'm just now starting to be uncomfortable with it, and that's mainly because I keep having to buy bigger and bigger clothes. I know it's going to be a struggle, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I have a hormonal condition, PCOS, that makes it really difficult to lose weight. For example, one summer I joined a gym, had a personal trainer, met with her 4 times a week, went on a 1700 calorie a day diet and lost three pounds the whole summer. It was awful and has played a huge part in my lack of motivation.

I recently visited with my family and spent a couple hours with my uncle (by marriage, not blood). He is officially huge - at least 500lbs, he lives in his bed or his wheelchair, when he's in his wheelchair you can only see about two inches of knee because his belly extends so far out, and has officially reached the point where he and my aunt cannot get pants on him. I'm not kidding - they had a towel clipped to his wheelchair when we were over at their house b/c he can't get into pants.

I'm telling that story because I'm hoping to use that as a bit of motivation. I don't want to become like that. I realize it's a ways away, but I don't even want to become close. He hasn't left the house in at least a month, and he's become a burden on my aunt and the family, and it's honestly embarrassing.

I'm starting to focus on my diet first, going low carb, high fruits and veggies and proteins, and am hoping that improving my diet will give me more energy. Then I'm hoping that I see some sort of result by changing my diet and that then will motivate me to get my ass to the gym.

Any suggestions anyone has on low carb diets is greatly appreciated - I'm more trying to do it on my own rather than do an Atkins or South Beach thing, so examples of what worked for you are helpful. I'm also seriously considering going completely organic with my foods, so comments on that are also welcome.

Thanks for listening to my ramble, having this community, and your comments in advance. :)

My "why i should loose weight"-top 10 list :)

2008-06-23T15:28:17Z

1. i'd like to be able to buy clothes in normal stores again (i don't want to buy clothes in big girl-clothe stores)
2. i'd like to fit into the clothes i've grown out of (i have a huge box in my closet with clothes i used to fit well or clothes i accidently bought a size too small)
3. i'd like a body where the parts fit together more (it seems that my ass is the part of my body where i gain like 80% of all the weight i gain. i'm really really pear shaped. hehe. so i'd mainly just like my ass and thighs to get smaller.)
4. i'd like to get at least near to my ideal weight (my goal is to weigh 75kg (165lbs)but my ideal weight is 70kg (154lbs))
5. i'd like to be more satisfied with my body (i don't hate my body but i also don't like it as much as i could. hehe)
6. i'd like to be short breathed without having to think that it's just because i'm fat.
7. i'd like my mom not to be so worried about my health (she has diabetes type 1 and she's so scared that i can get diabetes too. or heart failure or anyhting else that's related to being a big girl)
8. i'd like to enjoy sex without having pain (because of my overweight and my hyper mobility my joints are pretty much suffering under the weight and during sex my knees usually hurt. i've even had to say stop in the middle of sex because i couldn't take the pain anymore :( )
9. i'd like to be able to eat cake or other un-healthy things every now and then without feeling so damn guilty
10. i'd like to have less pain in my body in general (see #8. sometimes i get this burning pain in my ankles just because i'm walking. or my back can start to hurt after walking for 10 min. it then feels like my spine is bent in the wrong way and i need to sit down to "bend" it the other way so it will stop hurting).

this is my top 10 list. but i think i could make a top 20 too. LOL. does any of you guys have a top ten list?

i've put mine on the wall in my livingroom so i see it everytime i go in there. some of my friends have read it too and it makes them more aware of how important it is for me to loose weight.

hi i'm new here :)

2008-06-22T22:26:46Z

Hello everybody :) my name is Lene and i'm from Denmark. on saturday i'll be 24 years old and i live in a row house with my budgie Birger. i moved to the city i live in now, Odense, in 2004 and within a year i'd gained 10kg (22lbs i think). since then my weight has slowly increased and i now weigh 95kg (209lbs) and my main goal is to loose 20 kg so i weight 75 kg. my ideal weight is 70 kg though.

i've always been chubby and therefor i don't want to be skinny, as i don't think i'll feel that comfortable with that. but i want to be a normal size. i want to fit in clothes i like. i do dress in clothes i like right now, but it's so rare i can find something in the stores so almost all my clothes have become grey-ish instead of black (i usually only wear black.... ).
another problem for me being this size is that my joints hurt almost every day. I am hyper mobile and i just started up almost 1½ year ago to train my body so it could get stronger. when i started at the gym my back was so weak that i could not lie on one side and sleep. but now it's not that bad and sometimes i even sleep on my stomach. LOL. so i actually go to the gym for two purposes: to loose weight and to gain strength.

i've been to a dietitian which was really good and i know how to eat right and all that but it's hard. i'm brought up to eat when i'm hungry and i had to change that. now i try to eat 5-6 times per day but it usually only gets up to 3 times. i also sometimes eat too much at the meals. but i've learned to eat healthier and i almost always look at the description of contents when i buy food. the only times i don't look at the description is when i have eaten the food before and i know from earlier if the food is ok or not. sometimes i do "fall into the water". like this evening. i ate a bag of (low fat) potato chips. i feel so sick to the stomach because of it but i also think that it was MY choice and I am the one to blame for this feeling. so right now i actually hate myself for that.
i used to eat a bag of popcorn every evening from i was about 6 years old and till last year. i am struggling with the dinner snacks but sometimes it's ok just to eat a handful of nuts or just drink some water. i don't think that the popcorn i ate throughout my life made me gain weight really. i think they made me keep the weight i gained from all the other foods i ate. this is just my naive thinking.

this past week or two i've been struggling a lot with going to the gym. not because i don't like working out, cos i do. i love to be there. but i found the cheapest gym in town and it's a bit away from me so i have to take a bus and walk for 10 minutes or take two busses to get there. but i think that it is slowly getting better now. i've been to the gym twice this week: on tuesday and today. *yay for me* but my goal is to go there every 2nd day and work out two hours each time (2x30 min on the excersize bike and 60 min working with the muscles).

i made a list with 10 things i'd like to achieve with my weight loss and body strengthening. if any of you are interested in seeing that list i can write it in an other entry :) just ask me about it.

tomorrow i'll start to write down my sleeping-, eating- and work out habits down in a notebook. i hope this will help me sticking to my diet and the working out at the gym. i told my mom about this plan and i'm sure she'll ask to see it the next time she visits me (which will be in a while as she lives far away). so i'll try to keep this "diary" for at least a month. is this a good or bad idea? what do you think?

_workoutplan @ 2008-06-01T14:51:00

2008-06-01T18:54:43Z

even though my weight and measurements have pretty much stayed the same this week, I am able to do more reps and run longer. SOOO that is an improvement.

Question for the females: does PMS or your period effect your work out?

I am the type of person that doesn't crave chocolate or want to eat eat eat when I am getting my period, I am the totally opposite, I don't want to eat at all. And on top of it, this week my pms was just out of control. I felt sick and depressed, making it a huge struggle to work out. Yesterday I just couldn't do it, I kept feeling like I was going to vomit everywhere.