Daily workout thread-Friday, March 24

[coda72]

Since no one else has started this thread yet today, I thought I would. I''ve been on and off on the exercise, and also I just feel like I''m marking time until I go to the doctor to see what''s wrong with me.

Last night I did run 2 miles of interval running followed by a mile of running at 7 mph, and I wasn''t too tired. It''s strange; sometimes I feel fine after running and other times I just feel complete exhaustion. I wish I had weight loss or some kind of progess to report, but I''m just maintaining for now. So, I haven''t been as motivated to post to this thread although I like reading about everyone else''s progress.

Today after work I''m going to try and run, not sure how far yet.

I hope everyone else''s workouts go well today!

 

[stermag]

Coda,

Thanks for starting us out today.
I ran 5 miles this morning, although I did make a couple of stops for a drink of water - I know it isn''t a big deal but somehow it just doesn''t feel the same when I don''t run the whole thing without interruption.

I believe my race is only 6 weeks away. It''s starting to actually feel real to me now.

How''s everyone else?

 

[monarch64]

Hi ladies! I was totally lacking motivation to work out this week--the weather here sucks, it''s gloomy, my DH has been in and out of town all week arrrgghh! I went twice this week for a piddly 30 minute session on the treadmill, but I''m so cabin-feverish from being stuck inside all the time it''s really getting to me! Other than working out, I''m doing well with my eating so all is not lost (well, except for any additional weight, lol). I''m forcing myself to go back to the gym tonight and do some strength along with cardio and then I''ll be walking with my group tomorrow morning.

Sorry to be a bummer!

I''m just tired of cold weather. I knew I should''ve moved away from the frozen tundra that is the Midwest when I graduated college! Just kidding, then I would never have met DH!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[lulutheleo]

I was good last night -- I did 35 minutes on the cross-trainer, and my strength training, and I feel awesome today! I am going back tonight, I have my bag packed for after work!

I am in my brother''s wedding in exactly 4 months, so I need to do this at LEAST 4 times a week.

Whooohoo! This thread totally motivated me, because I knew if I went I could share today.

 

[sumbride]

I''m still pretty banged up from the fall, so no gym for another few days, but I DID order my ipod shuffle yesterday and just got my shipping confirmation! Yea! I also downloaded some songs that were recommended yesterday! YEA!

 

[Mara]

you are so on your way to shuffle happiness, sumbride!

i don''t know how active i will be today, i still have cramps..and it''s supposed to rain again later, big surprise, but if i feel perky in about an hour i may take a break from work and go out and do some laps with portia before the rain comes. we''ll see. the sun is out for now...weak but there.

this sunday we are doing the mercury news run/walk, we do it every year, greg runs the 5k, my dad runs the 10k and i walk the 5k with my sister or something. anyway i figure today if i can do 1.5 or 2 miles that will be good til the sunday thing.

i also again have to swear by that exercise i told you guys about before, where you hold onto the wall or something and kick out your leg like you are hitting a bag...i have seen a large difference in my upper thighs and outer upper thighs since walking more AND doing these leg exercises religiously, the muscles that it works is the outer upper thigh which we all know is that elusive area for workout and seeing improvements. so i am really happy with it. last nite i did about 70 on each leg, ow. i typically just do it before we go to bed and then spend 5 minutes stretching in general.

have a great weekend gals!

 

[Lorelei]

I haven''t been posting here much as my eating has been a mess recently, I need to get back on track and eat more and with the exercises,but I am worried about overdoing it as I am a bit run down and don''t want to get sick with Hubby still away. I am glad you are feeling a bit better Coda and Sumbride - take it easy! You are all doing great though!

 

[stermag]

Lulutheleo,

Glad you shared!

 

[lulutheleo]

Thanks! I hope you ladies don''t mind that I join you.

I have another good suggestion for music -- I don''t you if you guys like Kylie Minogue, but she has some awesome, upbeat songs, like "Love at First Sight".

 

[lovelylulu]

good afternoon!

last night i went to gym for an abbreviated workout because i had to go meet some people to catch my basketball game. i did high intensity elliptical for just under 3.5 miles. it felt good, but it was my fourth workout in a row and my legs were definately feeling a bit fatigued.

today i''m going to rest on the cardio and just do pilates.

i had been good with food. but had some beer last night and made some suspect selections today. oh well. dinner will be healthy.

oh - basketball didn''t turn out so well

 

[stermag]

Lulu,

I actually laughed at "suspect selections". Cute.

So why didn''t basketball turn out so well? Who were you rooting for?

 

[akw94]

Well, i''m a bit late on here today. I worked out this morning so that''s my 5th workout this week. I am happy about it but I don''t feel like my last 2 workouts were that great. I tried 2 new tapes and neither of them were as good as others. But i''m happy b/c at least i''m making my exercise goal. It is getting easier every day to workout.
My eating hasn''t been as good though. This week has been alright but for some reason, i''ve been craving peanut butter. Today for lunch, I had baked mostaccoli. It was goooood! But I know it''s so bad for you. So if i''m feeling up to it, I may work out in the morning. If not, i''m ok w/it, I just doubt i''ll see any weight loss this week. Even a couple ounces would be nice.

Blenheim, thanks, I found the workout tips thread. It has reminded me that I need to be drinking more water. I signed up for fitday.com today to track myself. I''m not sure just writing down what I eat will prevent me from eating badly, but I feel like it can''t hurt.

Have a good weekend ladies!

 

[lovelylulu]

stermag --

suspect = cheesedoodles

i went to duke for my undergrad and they were beaten by LSU
but, i went to grad school in louisiana so i guess i''ll start rooting for them, so all''s not lost -- just my bracket...

 

[stermag]

Amy,

I''ve been using fitday.com for the past three months and you''re right, just writing it down won''t make you avoid bad foods. When I first signed up, I wanted it to be an exercise of sorts, to track my intake. It did open my eyes to just how much I was consuming (1 serving of cereal is only half or 3/4 of a cup and that is NOT a lot!).

Then, about two weeks later, after reading a lot more and learning about how many calories my body needs daily, and about the balance of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) I should be aiming for, I set a certain goal... based on my current and target weight, I determined I should consume 1458 calories five days a week, and 1770 calories on re-feed days (twice weekly). This is when fitday.com became very useful. It allowed me to easily track my intake and thus, to achieve my daily goals. I started tracking my weight loss there as well, and being able to generate the various reports (calories consumed vs. calories burned, etc) was very motivating, even on days when the weight loss wasn''t that apparent.

After two months or so, I find that I don''t have to be as anal about writing down every little bit of food I put in my mouth. I am much better at knowing instinctively how much I''ve eaten. I also have discovered some patterns between the food I eat and how much energy I have or how well I feel. Previously, this was impossibly because I could never remember what I''ve eaten or how I felt afterwards. It has been a really interesting experiment. I encourage you to stick with it for a little bit and see what you might extract from it....

M

 

[Blenheim]

I swam for 30 minutes again this morning.

In my, um, two days of trying to eat more healthfully, I''ve gotten ravenously hungry around 4:30 PM. I''m still eating protein and some fat and I''m not starving myself. I''m just stopping after one plate of food, and trying to make it a plate with lots of veggies and good things on it. Is the hungriness something that will just happen for a few days until my body realizes that yes, it''s getting less food, but that it''s also getting enough and that''s okay? Or should I pay attention to it, and have a small snack or a larger lunch?

I just had a handful of almonds and some milk and my tummy feels better.

 

[monarch64]

Blenheim, although your body will get used to eating at different times, it''s not good to go too many hours in between lunch and dinner--your body will think you''re starving it and your metabolism rate won''t stay as high. If you''re eating lunch at 12-1 p.m. and then waiting until after 5 to eat dinner, that''s a long time to go without any food. I started bringing a little snack to work with me for around 3 p.m., i.e., veggies or fruit, and that seems to keep the hunger pangs away until well after 4:30. I used to starve between lunch and dinner, and I would go home after work and eat everything I could grab! The body works best when it''s doing a slow burn thing, where you eat smaller meals but more often. It''s like fueling a fire: you don''t just throw a bunch of wood on it when it''s about to go out, nor do you let it burn all the way down and expect it to keep burning forever. You have to steadily keep adding some wood to maximize the fire. OK, I''m done with analagies for the day, lol!

 

[stermag]

Blenheim,

Hunger is a funny thing. I recall having a couple of days of really bad carb withdrawal (or really low blood sugar) a couple or so weeks after starting to cut down. I seriously ran home and scarfed down two pieces of bread because I had to eat something right there and then or else...

I know that the more you eat the more you'll want to eat. So in a way, your system does get used to the amount of food it's getting and wants to keep receiving just as much. In this way, you're right in thinking that your body is probably adjusting to the new amount of food it's getting.

I also know that hunger eventually goes away, even if you don't supply your body with food. In Sept, I had surgery and didn't eat anything for like 4-5 days. The first day I was hungry as hell. By the second, I didn't really care. By the 4th, it was almost like a state of euphoria... I don't know why. My doctor actually told me that starving to death is not at all painful... that you actually go into this weird state where you don't care and you're almost high. Anyway, when I finally got to eat (and it was just a cup of jell-o and some chicken broth) I honestly couldn't finish, it seemed like so much...

The only word of caution is that it might be good to figure out (there are various calculators on the web) how many calories your body really needs, so that you don't get to a point where you are giving it too little. If you force yourself to run on less fuel than you need, over time your body will go into starvation mode. It's not something that happens over night, but one needs to be careful. Hence the argument that, if you're on a low(er) calorie diet, it's good to have days (every 2-3) when you re-feed (i.e. give your body some extra calories - perhaps 85% of its total daily energy expenditure - to trick it into thinking that everything's a-ok.)

So, this is what little I know... or at least think I know. Hope it helps.

ETA: I'll give you an example: at 148lbs and moderately active lifestyle (exercising 3-5 days a week), the calories I need just to be alive equal 1344, whereas my total daily energy expenditure (this factors in my activity level) is 2083 calories - this is how many calories I would have to consume daily to continue my current activity level AND to maintain my weight of 148 lbs. Obviously, I don't want to maintain my weight, therefore on most days, I consume only 70% of my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), and on every third day, I consume approximately 85% of my TDEE. A bit more conservative plan might be to eat 80% of one's TDEE on low cal days and as much as 95% on re-feed days. Whatever suits you best.

If anybody's interested, and feels like posting some weight details and activity levels, I'll gladly calculate some figures for you. No pressure, of course, just an offer. (although it just dawned on me, perhaps this offer would be better suited for the weight loss thread - could someone point me in the right direction?)

 

[Mara]

i tend to think of it like...if you are hungry, then eat. i''m not a fan of just sitting there starving til dinner hoping my body gets used to not eating because then i tend to eat more at dinner or something unhealthy as a ''reward'' for waiting, etc.

but the real question is what do you eat when you are hungry between meals?

some days i am not hungry at all between lunch and dinner. some days i need something or else i just feel horrible (and im a cranky hungry person), so i have a banana or a glass of 1% choco milk or a few pieces of turkey breast. nothing that is going to make me feel guilty or ruin the day, but something that is ''tasty'' enough to satisfy the mouth and the feel of eating something and makes my stomach feel less empty.

this works well for me and i find i don''t eat as much at dinner when i have a snack if i need it during the day.

 

[stermag]

Mara,

You are absolutely right, and your approach is well balanced and healthy. It must be said, however, that you are also a hop, skip and a jump from being in top bikini form! This certainly can't be said for me...

With this in mind, when weight loss is the main focus (and not just toning, strengthening, etc), it becomes about a simple mathematical equation - cals in vs. cals out. I can figure out what my body needs in a day and if I give it the amount of calories it needs and I'm still hungry then I'm doing something else wrong...

That something else is either WHAT I'm eating, or how OFTEN I'm eating. In other words, I can eat the healthiest stuff in the world and never exceed my daily allowance... but if I eat only twice a day, my blood sugar is going to drop pretty low between breakfast and dinner and I will be hungry.

Likewise, if I eat 5 meals a day, but I eat only high carb, high sugar foods which cause a sudden insulin spike and then lower blood sugar again... I'll be hungry.

In both cases, I'm hungry but not because I'm not getting in enough food.

The following are general comments not directed at anyone in particular.

Most of the time, our bodies give us accurate signals that should be listened to and followed. Sometimes, however, just because our body feels like it wants something (alcohol, tobacco, chocolate) doesn't mean we should listen. Hunger should be evaluated on a case by case basis. It's something to pay attention to, but it's also important to differentiate hunger from cravings. If you're making healthy choices and eating well but you're still going hungry, it could be a) not enough calories for your lifestyle, or b) too few meals that are too high in calories.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks for your advice everyone!

I usually really try to listen to my body, but there are somethings that I''ll try to ignore. For example, hard 400 meter repeats on the track can be, well, hard, but I''m going to power on through them unless I''m getting "bad" pain. The thing with this situation is that it''s not like I''m going from eating a normal lunch to eating a stick of celery. The main change that I made is not having seconds on onion rings, fried chicken, or whatever the greasy special of the day is (the food we''re served on campus can be so unhealthy and there''s so little choice), and no more than one cookie for dessert. I wasn''t sure if the hunger pangs were one of those signals that I should ignore for a couple of days and it would get better as my tummy got used to it.

I''m not used to snacking mid-afternoon, because when I''m not injured I workout at 3:30 and I have a very sensitive stomach. But it completely makes sense that my body needs nourishment throughout the day and that I should work on stabilizing blood sugar. I''m going to try to have a healthy snack in the afternoons now.

Thanks again!

 

[Mara]

haha i''m more like the long jump from the bikini but thanks...

something that works for me also is when i feel like i have a ''craving'' for something sweet and i have sweets in the house etc...i try to distract myself..aka i go for a long walk. by the time i get back in my mood and thoughts are typically very different than when i went out and most of the time it''s very close to dinner at that point so i think well i don''t need that treat now. and i can have one cookie after being full from dinner rather than eating 4 cookies because they were there.

all this week i was DYING for sweets, i was like what is wrong with me!! i made the brownies and used egg white and enova oil to try to be semi healthy, they actually weren''t too bad based on the bag ingredients and nutritional info, but i was kind of worried like WHAT is happening to me! then i started my period and i was like OH okay. now i am not craving a thing but lots of water. go figure!

 

[Mannequin]

Updating with my week thus far:

I trip over myself all the freaking time. I rolled my ankle on Tuesday evening, so it was sore but I still managed to go to Aerobics on Wednesday night. That did not make the ankle any better or worse, but I could not use my mini-stepper this week so far. I did go down to the school gym available to teachers only and use a recumbent bike for a little bit on Friday afternoon, partially for the brief workout and partially to vent after a surprise afterschool guest (some kid''s sister ambushed me and bitched me out for something completely dumb).

Eating this week has been generally good. I tend to have my biggest meal of the day as dinner right now, but I am trying to shift that towards lunch if possible. I gave up candy for Lent, and have been able to stick to that fairly closely (I also try to do a good deed a day during the Lenten season, and two if I slip and have a small piece of candy). I need to grocery shop this weekend as the cupboards here are on SUCK, so I can get some additional healthy eating choices around here.

My problem area is sleeping right now. I am having the hardest time getting to bed early enough to be rested for the day. Too many things to excite me and make me restless in the evening. I need to get more sleep to make my body more efficient in everything I need it to do. I think it is partially the medication I am on, but mostly emotional. I had a rollercoaster ride of emotions this week, serious ups and downs from outside sources, and I tend to think and think about stuff because I really don''t have many outlets to let it all out. I need to start journalling more of it again in the evenings, maybe with a small glass of wine.