Frustration-Lack of Results!

A faithful reader Handi Andi is frustrated with the lack of weight loss after seemingly endless "beat the crap out of myself" efforts to eat well and work out.

Some thoughts:

One thing my trainer always said to me over and over when I whined i was giving up cause there was no results is. "How long did it take you to put this weight on? It will take you at least that long to take off, most likely longer. You didn't put on the weight over night, it's not going to fall off over night."

(Easier said then done- It's for this frustrating reason that I fall off the bandwagon so often)

Part of the reason it is a slow process is because it takes time to break bad habits. Sure you might stop eating after 8:00

Or you might cut out sweets

but there are so many lifestyle changes that need to be made, and not just for a week's time.

If you have been neglecting exercise, you're not going to be a muscle toting calorie burning machine after a month of working out. It takes time for you body to get back to a place where it is uber efficient. The first several months (Depending on how hard you are working) are building muscle, building cardiovascular endurance, so your body can burn more calories then you are putting in.

It's like training for a marathon. I think my heart would stop dead in my chest if I tried to go out right now this minute and run a half marathon. like so:

but hopefully with less hair on my legs, more hair on my head and ha!-no medal :)

I would have to prepare over months to strengthen muscles and cardio. My body is up for the task, I just have to take it slow and work at it. (Sidenote: No desire to run a marathon. Love 5k's however maybe someday a half marathon)

The key is being realistic, not beating yourself up.

It's tough!!

Set shorter term goals, week by week or even day by day goals for each workout. You can only control the present. If you fail that day, try to do better the next. I'm to the point Instead of going crazy over numbers and nuts over amount and what's coming off and what's not, I break it down to each workout. My goal is to walk (or crawl) out of the gym feeling like I had a great workout, muscles j-e-l-l-o, lungs and heart feeling conditioned... (know that I just had a killer workout feeling?- That's what I shoot for.)

Other than that I try each day to make healthier food choices.I figure, it does no good to beat myself up (i do anyway :) ) If I beat myself up over my weight and failure to lower it swiftly, it affects my self esteem. I tell myself I"m too busy to hold myself back because I feel chubby, I'm working out and working on eating choices. (A little positive self talk- I've learned in my psych classes it does wonders when you talk nicely to yourself. )

Does anyone else run into the frustration of feeling like you're not getting results? How do you deal? Any tips?

Thanks for being so candid HandiAndi- You speak what so many feel! :)

Thwart- Bruster's Pajama Day

Darn those businesses that appreciate their customers! If there isn't a Bruster's Ice Cream near you then it's great for your fitness goals but sad, cause it's really good.

Saturday they had a promotion that if you wear your pajamas you get a free waffle cone ice cream. Now normally 1 scoop in a dish is 2.95 plus a at least a buck or two for the waffle cone. It was free! I went! When I hear brusters I think of one thing. Graham Central Station. The mother of all ice cream flavors. Now if I explain you'll say.. "and?" cause that's what I did. That's what M3 did. Now he craves it (which also takes the 'fit' out of my fitness plan, because I'm more then willing to comply for the ice cream run! It is graham cracker ice cream- (impossible to explain) with swirls of a sweet soft rich graham swirl throughout and chunks of chocolate. If you do live close to one, try it.

Am I the only one with so many Thwarts!?! Augh! I'm surrounded! :)

Fitness Myths Busted!
SELF.comBy Lucy Danziger,

Renee my workout partner sent me yet another GREAT article- Enjoy! (I'll comment in Blue)

Shoehorning your workout into a few days a week is challenging enough—don't make it tougher by buying into those nagging exercise misconceptions that may divert your attention from pursuing your better body goals. SELF went to the pros to poke holes in these popular fitness myths that pervade gyms, pools and exercise classes. Arm yourself with the facts to keep you slim, strong and even smarter.

MYTH: Muscle turns into fat

REALITY: Muscle and fat are two completely different tissues that have different functions, so it's physiologically impossible to turn one into the other. If you stop exercising, your muscles atrophy, so you lose the tone you worked so hard to create. And if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain fat.

MYTH: You need to exercise 30 minutes straight to get fit.

REALITY: Three 10-minute cardio stints offer the same healthy payback as a single 30-minute one. If you are trying to peel off pounds, of course, the more you do, the faster you'll succeed. But don't feel guilty if all you can squeeze in is a few minutes here and a few minutes there—it all adds up. Short on time? Ratchet up the intensity of your workout: Go hard for 30 seconds on the elliptical or jog for a minute in the middle of your walk to maintain your fitness level and your habit. And remember, anything you do—whether it's a brisk 5-minute walk or carrying heavy groceries to your car—for any period of time, provides some benefit.

Phew. I don't know about you but It's hard for me to carve out 1/2 hour for a single activity no matter how good my intentions are. But while doing school work I can take 3- 10 minute breaks, or walk puppy in the morning for 10 then afterwork walk him to the dumpster for another 10 (see I'm a total multi tasker- exercise for me, puppy, and house cleaning of some sort! Wahoo!) and go on a walk to get the food moving after dinner. Great tip! Baby Steps I tell you Baby steps (Not the What about Bob kind of Baby steps)



MYTH: Overweight people have a sluggish metabolism.


REALITY: Though some folks do have metabolic disorders that slow their metabolism, fewer than 10 percent of overweight people suffer from them. In fact, the more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn during exercise at the same relative workload as a slimmer person. If you notice the scale climbing higher, worry about your activity level, not your metabolism.
Don't worry chubbies, this is NOT your metabolism.

MYTH: Lifting heavy weights make women bulk up.


REALITY: Women don't have enough of the muscle-building hormone testosterone to get bulky, even using heavy weights. The truth is, some people will gain muscle faster than they lose fat, so they may look bigger until they shed some of the flab and reveal the slim, toned muscles underneath.
Refreshing, I think about this everytime I am choosing how much weight and the reps. I'm the type I like to lift heavier weights so I feel the muscle really burning. Makes me feel tough and like i'm more likely to get results- I know its all in the brain, but now I dont have the little voice in my head saying, "less weight you don't want to look like a musclehead" (like you can see the muscles under the chub but i'm getting there!!)

MYTH: You can't lose any weight by swimming.

REALITY: OK, it's true that long-distance swimmers who navigate colder waters tend to retain body fat for insulation. But ask anyone who laps it up while training for a triathlon: You will sizzle off pounds in the pool, since swimming burns 450 to 700 calories an hour! One reason you might not shed flab doing freestyle? If you throw in the towel and cut your workout short.
HOLY MOLY look at the amount of calories!! but it's true. Swimming laps for a half hour is a LONG time-an hour is even longer. The Olymp Mike Phelps swims i dont know 6+ hours a day. That is awesome...Is that human?

Can't loose weight by swimming? BAH! See pic of Phelps below... then repeat that statement. Makes me want to be a swimmer. Could I live with having those abs? Um... YEAH!



MYTH: Stretching before exercise prevents injuries and enhances performance.


REALITY: Researchers are still scratching their head over this one, since studies have yet to show conclusively that limbering up has any effect on staving off strains and other injuries. But they do know that stretching regularly can make bending, reaching, twisting and lifting easier. Best move: Save your stretching for post-exercise, when muscles are warm.

I find if I do a warm up- (Bruiser says a proper warm up is 8 minutes and you shouldn't gyp the time on the warm up) then My muscles seem limber and ready to go. No stretch required, or I stretch in between sets to ease the burning...burn baby burn!

MYTH: You burn more calories exercising in chilly weather.

REALITY: If you shiver through a long run in the frigid winter air simply to experience the extra calorie burn, you might want to come in from the cold: You do torch a few extra calories during the first few minutes, but once you get warmed up, the caloric expenditure is the same whether you're exercising in Siberia or the Sahara. Try a treadmill circuit workout with a great playlist to keep you going!


MYTH: When your body gets used to an exercise, you'll burn fewer calories doing it.

REALITY: Unless you've adjusted the intensity, you'll burn as much jogging or cycling today as you did last week, last month, even last year. Experts say that this principle only applies to exercises that we're naturally inefficient at, such as using the elliptical machine: After five to six sessions, you'll be smoother in your movements and expend fewer calories—but the difference is only about 2 to 5 percent.


MYTH: The calorie readout on machines is accurate.

REALITY: If only! Research has shown that some types of machines can be off by as much as 70 percent. The culprit? Contraptions such as the elliptical machine haven't been around long enough for exercise scientists to develop the appropriate calorie-burn equations. On the upside, stationary bikes and treadmills, the grandfathers of the gym, generally give a fairly precise reading, particularly if you enter your age and weight. Rather than swearing by what the machine says, use the calorie readout to monitor your progress. If the tally climbs during the same workout for the same duration, you're working harder and getting fitter. An online calorie calculator can give you a sense of which activities burn the most.

Thwart: The stud brought these home from work...Need I say More? Oh, and you don't want to know how long they DIDN'T last. It'll make you sick.

KICKBOXING

Aka Kick your trash

So I was going to a personal trainer. It's been almost a year and today was my last day with him. I quit to save money and I wasn't getting results. Sure I put on some muscle, but didn't drop any pounds. The workouts were getting predictable and it became a precious timeslot filled in my day that wasn't worth it anymore. I started to feel like this-

So, I joined a gym. Those free workout with trainer... they suck you in. My work out was great.. so after negotiating for about an hour (It felt like I was buying a car).

I talked him down on a great price for a trainer once a week. I told him I want the best they had. The chub needs to go away.

So he gave me Mark (I think his name is mark). He is the.... You guessed it... Kickboxing instructor for the gym. We will now refer to him as Bruiser, and his training sessions as my beat downs.

He did a great job. Let me rephrase that. He kicked my trash. I am sitting here 3 days later and I'm still sore. Muscles were worked in my body that I didn't know I had.

Husband (my main man) was skeptical about me getting a another trainer. He joined me at the gym and used the treadmill while I worked with Bruiser.

When I staggered over to my main man, with a purple face and drenched in sweat (generally I'm a mediocre sweater) after my beat down, his jaw dropped. I managed to force out the words in between gasping for air. "....Worth.... Every... Penny..."

I SOOOO got the best trainer. I'm now a fan of kick boxing, here's why:

Why I like kickboxing:

If you tell someone you kickbox, you are automatically awesome because they are automatically impressed.

• Great workout



• It works a million muscles all at once
  


• After the workout I "feel" in shape and skinny cause I just kicked butt!



• Beating a bag lets out alot of stress and agresssion :)



• You learn fighting/self defense skills



• Trainer says the lowest burned calorie count he has heard of in his class (he puts heart monitors on people) is 400 calories. 400 Calories!!!
  

When I'm not embarassingly bad at kickboxing and I'm not so overweight so that it is believe able, I'm gonna get this shirt.

from Zazzle

Haters: Boss got a 3 lb box of See's Chocolates. And she keeps saying, "take another" Need I say more...

Thwart: Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory- Chocolate cocunut creme pie cheesecake. Tastes like an almond joy cheesecake. We got it as a valentines treat as take out and haven't eaten it... calling my name from the fridge... In through the lips, straight to the hips.

INTERVALS= FAT DROPPING

Ooooo I like the sound of that! My new workout partner Renee (starting next week) sent me this calorie sizzlin workout.

Workout partners- a post for another day.

Sizzle Calories in 18 Minutes

SELF.com By Lucy Danziger

Whenever I feel like I want to get a little lighter (usually because my jeans are feeling a little tighter), I work intervals into my routine.

Intervals are one of the fastest ways around to shed fat. Women who spent 20 minutes mixing sprints with jogging lost three times the fat off their legs and butt in 15 weeks than those jogging steadily for 40 minutes, a study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney finds.

Burn triple the fat in half the time? Bring it on! To try intervals, do this speedy slimming routine up to six days a week. Pair it with your toning session or do it solo, for results guaranteed to amaze you.

(Here we go! -me)

Hop on any cardio machine you like for the time allotted and the exertion level noted (1 is the easiest and 10 is next to impossible).

pic

Warm up for 4 minutes at a level 3.Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7. Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 8.Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.
Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 9.Recover for 30 seconds at a level 4.

Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7.Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.

Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 8.Recover for 90 seconds at a level 4.

Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 9.Recover for 30 seconds at a level 4.

Sprint for 30 seconds at a level 7.Cool down for 3 minutes, 30 seconds at level 3.
________________________________________
Have fido do it with you-Ha Ha!

I like how this workout "switches it up" rather then jogging for 40 minutes straight. I don't know about you but I can push myself and sprint for 30 seconds knowing I can walk for 90 seconds afterwards. But a run for 40 minutes straight?! I'm bad- I just dont do it-Blah!!

Thanks Renee!!

DWG-Survive. Head cold. Bad enough to be chubby girl on the treadmill, but a hacking coughing chub? Out of respect for the spectators- I will take the day to recouperate :)

Thwart: Being Broke- Unhealthy food is cheap! Cheap I tell you! I didnt have time to pack a lunch and seing as how I'm plumb broke (Saving for a house)- I got a hot dog-yes a hot dog at 7-eleven. My sis who is getting healthy as well, said "how well does that fit into your diet?" yeah. It doesn't. but it was $1.75- including the ketchup mustard and onions!

Haters- Company lunch last week- Pizza. Mellow Mushroom. Amazing Pizza. Have I told you all that Pizza is one of my biggest food weaknesses? The word Pizza makes me drool. They ordered the Mystery Tour pizza. mmmmm.... THEY HATE ME.

The Prince and the Pauper

Meal times.

pic from here

As Americans we have it all wrong apparently. Most people skip breakfast, have a light lunch and chow down for dinner. Just remember this little addage:

Eat like a King For Breakfast

Eat like a Prince for Lunch

Eat like a Pauper for Dinner.

Remember, Your metabolism slows down as the day progresses. Eat more when your body is a raging calorie burning furnace! I heard once that if you eat after 8:00 everything you eat is turned directly into fat cause your body doesn't need it.

I thought you needed a visual of a raging burning furnice :)

Even better! Eat 3 small meals and snacks in between. I always hear this and like sheep follow what the "experts" say, not exactly sure why it is such a benefit and what is the logic behind it?

Alot of reading but EXCELLENT INFO

According to health man Ken Bendor-

After a meal is digested, your body has all of these extra calories floating around. It can store some carbohydrates in the muscles and liver and use some protein to build new tissues. All the rest of the energy that is not immediately used will be converted and stored as fat.A bigger meal which has more calories will leave more energy floating around in your system. Your muscles and liver have a maximum capacity to store carbohydrates but once they're full, everything else is converted to fat. You can either burn up that extra energy before it is converted to fat through exercise, or you can decrease the size of your meals so that your body will not need to convert excess energy into fat. While there is only so much carbohydrates that can be stored, the amount of fat you can store is limitless. (EEK! comment by me!) Stored fat can be used for energy. So what is the problem with body fat, won't the body use fat as an energy source between meals? The answer is that your body will use the stored carbohydrates in your muscles and liver for energy before it uses fat. Once the carbs are gone, your body might start breaking down muscle proteins for energy rather than using fat. It does not like to use fat as energy and will only use it in certain circumstances.(Darn picky bodies!!- comment by me) Instead of being stuck on three large meals per day, try making your three main meals smaller and incorporating snacks between meal times. You will be eating the same amount of calories, but they will be divided into more pieces. Instead of having all your calories come from breakfast, lunch and dinner, some should come from snacks.

Going the entire day without snacks can leave about five hours between each meal. (They are saying it's ok to snack?! Wahoo!!- comment by me)Fasting for five hours will cause you to get hungry and have cravings. Usually we get cravings for chocolate (who me?!?), chips and cookies, not salads. One of the most effective ways to cut down on junk food is to prevent cravings. Snacks between meals will keep you from getting hungry and keep you on track to eat healthier foods. You should try to eat every three hours to prevent yourself from getting hungry. Eating smaller more frequent meals will result in eating healthier foods, a lower body fat percentage and more energy throughout the day.

P.S. The "Haters" (see previous post) brought in leftover superbowl food. Aside from the cheeseball that of course tastes fantastic, there is this DIP. layer of cream cheese, layer of shredded chicken mixed with buffalo wing sauce, the top layer Bluecheese dressing, heat up in microwave and serve with Fritos. See what I'm dealing with here?!? Good food follows me! Dang!

They Hate Me

Yeah, above... not me. From here

I work out with a personal Trainer one on one. I know. Shocker. (you can't tell by looking at me, but I like to tell myself I'm "building muscle" even if the fat hasn't fallen off yet). I'll tell you more about him later. He always tells me, "They hate you, the people at work don't care about you!" Sounds pretty harsh, but he's just dramatic. This is after week upon week of me reporting eating crappy foods at work. He says that if people bring in junk food and goodies, then they don't care one lick about you, because they are ruining your get healthy efforts. If you're measuring it on that scale, then the ladies at work HATE me.

This is currently in the Freezer (someone had a birthday)- Ice Cream Cake from Brusters (SO GOOD) Flavors: 1/2 Chocolate Trash- chocolate covered pretzels and candybars in chocolate ice cream; and 1/2 Graham Central Station A graham cracker ice cream with chocolate chunks and a swirl of a soft sugary graham crunch. Yeah... REALLY hard to resist, especially when you sit at a desk all day, it's easy to rationalize... "Aside from boredom, I've been working hard all day, I deserve a treat." EEEK! Am I the only weak one or are you drooling too?

Next UP: Dale & Thomas Popcorn. This is what we gave clients for Christmas. It's gourmet popcorn. It was on Oprah's favorite things list. We just cracked open, or should I say ransacked the box of the left overs. 4 bags leftover for the takers. Peanut butter and white chocolate drizzle corn and Chocolate chunk and caramel. Drool.

This is just the beginning of the hatred. We are an office of 7 women. There are always brownies, muffins, etc. Consider this a THWART!

Suggestions? Other then Practicing "No thanks" in your head a million times every day, Where do you pull the self control from. Any other Suggestions on how to avoid being sucked in?!

Andi (a faithful fan, also known as sister) says- drink a glass of water or two before you eat or want the snack- helps avoid gorging yourself and eliminate the craving altogether. Any other suggestions?

UPDATE ON THE WATER DEAL:

My sister said the more she drinks the more she craves it. I guess when we are dehydrating ourselves our bodies adapt and we dont necessarily feel like we are dying for a drink, but once we open the water gates it yells, Wahoo! Give me all ya got! Makes sense.

Another Note: Her trainer friend said you divide your weight by two and thats how many ounces you have to drink if you're trying to lose weight. 200 lbs, you should be drinking 100 oz. Holy Moly!

Caution: if you drink too much water you can suffer from water intoxication. It dilutes the sodium in your body, and flushes out your much needed electrolites, Drink alot but not too much!

DWG: Not sure... I'm going to Animal Kingdom tonight right after work, and wont be home till late. Maybe I could weigh myself... That's the workout goal I keep failing on... (see sidebar cartoon with a scale and two girls- My sentiments). I didn't quite get my water in, so I'll try to drink my 8X8.

WWG (weekend workout goal):

The Body's Many Cries for Water

Longterm THWART-Not drinking the daily recommended amount of water. Consequences: ...Hold on to your pants... here we go!

You hear over and over that water is important. WHY?

diagram from mayo clinic- Thanks guys!

I heard of this book below but havent read it: Has anyone read it that can give feedback?

The Body's Many Cries For Water by Fereydoon Batamanghelidj (what a clever title! haha!) the excerpt tells you alot of what you need to know.

"The main idea of the book is that thirst is just one of many of the body's ways of indicating that it needs water; he attributes a wide range of diseases as alternate symptoms of dehydration, including asthma, angina, dyspepsia, obesity, and numerous others. The cure to dehydration is simple: drink more water."

Health benefits of water
Water makes up, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water.

For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

How much do you NEED?

Well- you lose 2.5 liters a day from bodily functions. That's more then a 2 Liter of Pop- Can you Imagine?!? Dang! Each day that you don't replace that you are dehydrating yourself. Look below for the consequences.

REMBEMBER 8x8 -->8 8oz glasses of water or a 2 liter :) If you're working out, and even if you're not- drinking these fluids pushes all the crap out of your system like fat and toxins- I love that idea!

Pregos- 2.3 liters so a little more then a 2 liter of pop size.

Milk Mommas- supposed to drink 3.1 Liters!!!! If you think about it you're loosing alot of liquids every day. That means 21/2 liters of pop size for you ladies!

REMEMBER- If you are sick or live in hot climates you need MORE WATER-

CAFFIENE is a diuretic- it sucks all the water out of your cells, and can make you dehydrated if you don't replace it. So you need even more water if you drink anything with caffiene in it.

Consequences!?! (water drinking slackers)

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired. Don't forget OBESITY.. sigh... I know there are alot of moms out there. Don't you want to fuel yourself with as much energy as possible?! Get Drinking Ladies!
P.s. you can run into kidney and bladder problems as well.

Confession: Although Water is my favorite drink (about 95% of what I drink), I get bored with it, while sitting at work, and i hate having to pee every 30 minutes. How do you make water less boring but still stay in the water family? One thing I've found:

Fruit Punch is my fav flav. Any other ideas of spicing up drinking so much water!?!?

ANY OTHER WATER FACTS TIPS OR IDEAS TO ADD? PLEASE DO!!!

DWG-Drink my 8x8(aka pitch a tent in the bathroom) Do the wii fit-uh... didn't do it last time. Jog/walk for 20 minutes.

THWARTS

What Plagues you? What are those fab foods that just scream your name so loudly that it drowns out the little angel on your shoulder telling you, "Don't do it! straight to your hips! You'll feel the remorse! Don't do it!" Thwarts can be People who sabotage (often times unknowingly) or Things in your life that thwart your progress such as work, a busy schedule etc.
Today (for me)- Riceballs- it's a family treat that takes me down memory lane. My totally awesome Aunty Mary just sent me a package in the mail with some of these odd looking wonders. It's puffed rice with sugary goo on it and so tasty. Why is it that bad? Cause you can't stop at just one for the day!
Daily Workout goal: Walk a mile with the dog. Weigh myself and do 15 minutes of strength exercises on the Wii fit.

Support

Let's face it, the more FUN you can make working out and leading a healthier lifestyle the easier it is to accomplish your goals. This will hopefully motivate you as much as it does me. Feel free to leave tips and Ideas on healthy food, workout ideas, crazy facts, exercises to work target areas, things you feel have worked and things that haven't. If you email me any of these I would love to post it and share with all the readers... um future readers? :)