Weight loss & fitness log

Good luck, Drifter! I've been counting calories for about 4 years and have an extensive excel spreadsheet where I list my foods every day and it totals them, and also one with the calories for everything I eat - adding to it if I have something new.

We went on a bike ride into town today and picked up a few groceries. My odometer says we went just under 20 miles, husband's says 21.5. On the way home we stopped at a cafe and he had tea and I had a yummy bacon roll (about 400 cals), tea and a Tunnocks Caramel wafer (134 cals).
Calories today should be under 1400 even with a G & T tonight (61 cals for a shot plus low cal elderflower tonic water, lime).
 

Thanks. It sounds like you've got a great system for keeping up with your weight loss regimen. Mine has been a lot of hunt and peck, but I keep up with everything. We went out to a new place in town this morning for breakfast. It's called appropriately enough, "The Diner" and advertises itself to be a 1950's type affair. It is in the Old Town part of the city and the room was long and narrow with a counter on one side and a row of twelve booths on the other side against the wall. We had to wait a few minutes and we did crowd inside but it was a little awkward. In front of me was a cash register and right there to my immediate left was the first booth. When they had a table cleared we made our way down the narrow space between the booths and the people sitting at the counter. I was carrying my portable oxygen and had to turn sideways to press down the isle. We realized we had made a mistake but you don't always know until you try a new place. The food was good (pancakes and sausage) but nothing to write home about as the cliché goes. I sat outside and exercised yesterday. I did fifteen minutes on the Rubber Bands and thirty minutes pedaling. I'm not used to that and I woke at three a.m. with cramps in both legs and feet. I think that was too much pedaling too early. I'll cut the pedaling down tomorrow.
 
Hi Red, welcome to the thread! Congrats on your one pound loss Ameriscot, I know what you mean about the boing thing, but at least your final boing was down. :p I'm a day late again on weighing in, supposed to be Saturdays, but I'm up a pound this week. Not surprised because I haven't been exercising, just a lot of yard work, and that doesn't burn as many calories.

Drifter, sounds like you're doing great in the diet and exercise department, I like using those exercise bands too, very effective. Good luck with your new plan! :coolthumb: Ameriscot is right about building the muscle/ weights, it not only helps keep our aging bones strong, but it raises our metabolisms. Magnesium Citrate is good to relax and support the muscles (including the heart), and good for so much more. I take 150 mg. per day, and I have Magnesium Oil for muscle cramps. The cramp goes away in seconds after it's applied. Of course, if you're on any meds, check with your doctor before starting any new supplements.

I'll be mowing the back lawn/weeds today, but will make a real effort this week to get to the gym and get in some cardio and weights. I'm in the 'pre-diabetic' category now, just had one of those new blood glucose tests done, and I will not be a diabetic like my mother was and my sister is, not gonna happen.

Hope you all have a great week ahead, think thin! :eek:nthego:

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drifter said:
Thanks. It sounds like you've got a great system for keeping up with your weight loss regimen. Mine has been a lot of hunt and peck, but I keep up with everything. We went out to a new place in town this morning for breakfast. It's called appropriately enough, "The Diner" and advertises itself to be a 1950's type affair. It is in the Old Town part of the city and the room was long and narrow with a counter on one side and a row of twelve booths on the other side against the wall. We had to wait a few minutes and we did crowd inside but it was a little awkward. In front of me was a cash register and right there to my immediate left was the first booth. When they had a table cleared we made our way down the narrow space between the booths and the people sitting at the counter. I was carrying my portable oxygen and had to turn sideways to press down the isle. We realized we had made a mistake but you don't always know until you try a new place. The food was good (pancakes and sausage) but nothing to write home about as the cliché goes. I sat outside and exercised yesterday. I did fifteen minutes on the Rubber Bands and thirty minutes pedaling. I'm not used to that and I woke at three a.m. with cramps in both legs and feet. I think that was too much pedaling too early. I'll cut the pedaling down tomorrow.
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Often just writing down everything you eat and drink helps you focus on what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong. People often don't realize how much they are eating or that what they drink has lots of calories as well.

If you do calf stretches after doing pedaling that should cut down on any legs cramps. I faithfully stretch after every workout.
 
I forgot all about stretching. I have been writing everything down I eat. I have a notebook for that purpose.
 
drifter said:
I forgot all about stretching. I have been writing everything down I eat. I have a notebook for that purpose.
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Stretching helps a LOT. You can probably find a good guide online with lots of different stretches. Writing down what you eat is very helpful.
 
Menu today under 1400 cals.

Workout at gym:
30 mins spin bike
5 mins rowing machine
10 mins elliptical/cross trainer
4 x 12 on 4 resistance machines
3 x 12 rope/pulley f or triceps

I was going to do dumbbells this afternoon but hubby wants to go a bike ride to get a cappuccino at the botanic gardens.
 
Made it to the gym today. Breakfast was a banana, dinner will be tuna on french bread, snacks will be almonds and fruit.

3X15 low row (40 lbs.)
3X15 tricep pushdown (20 lbs.)
3X15 lat pulldown (40 lbs.)

Exercise bike, one hour (16+ miles)
 
Hey guys! (sheepishly). I'd like to give this challenge another try. Just wasn't ready last time. This time I'm psyched.;)

But I'd like to report every day instead of just on Saturday. And no tickers, no goals, just whatever it comes out when I quit, if that's ok with you.

Hoping to at least break some bad habits I've developed lately. I'm finding the heat unpleasant down here carrying extra pounds, compared to last summer, and I can't afford to stay inside all summer.

Weight: 128.2
Calories today: 1130
 
Good to have you with us again Nancy! :love_heart: Thanks Ameriscot, I was busy today but plan to get in some more exercise tomorrow. 38 miles is excellent!! :cool2:
 
Hi NancyNGA. I'm glad you have joined us.

Losing weight, for me, is hard to do because it is something you have to stay after both lose weight and to keep it off. It is hard to do because old habits are hard to break. It is hard to do because it requires a certain discipline. Losing a half pound a week or a pound every three weeks is like waiting on the ice age. It takes forever to lose a few pounds. But it is better with a group and the more we have is good.
 
It's a struggle for most of us Drifter!

Didn't track calories yesterday or today as were were riding our bikes. 38 miles yesterday, 37 today - both days on hilly routes.
 
drifter said:

....Losing a half pound a week or a pound every three weeks is like waiting on the ice age. It takes forever to lose a few pounds.
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This is what I hate most about trying to lose weight. I get too impatient. That's why I got to nip this in the bud. How is the tea drinking going? I've now become addicted to room temperature tea with artificial sweetener, lots of it, too. Teeth are staining a nice tan color---worse than coffee.:p

(Thanks for the welcome back. I feel bad about quitting before.)
 
I am a dedicated tea drinker. I have a cabinet filled with leaf teas and an assortment of tea bags. I start with a hot cup of tea sweetened with stevia, sip it until it has grown cold. I have two teapots in the frig, one to heat up for hot tea, the other for iced tea. Glad you're back with us waiting on the ice age.
 
Nancy, your calories are quite low. Do you alternate with higher calorie days so that you don't get stuck on a plateau? I was stuck on a plateau for weeks as I was getting the same calories every day. Someone suggested I alternate and have a higher calorie day at least weekly as your body begins to think it only needs a small amount of calories if you stay low for too long. :)

The scale can alternate wildly with fluid gain or loss. That's why I don't weigh myself after I've been out and have had alcohol as it's dehydrating. The same with high salt.
 
Ameriscot, six years ago I dropped 30 pounds in 15 weeks keeping calories between 900 and 1200/day. I never hit a plateau. My maintenance level then was about 2000/cal per day (from trial and error and record keeping). At 1100 calories/day something will show up on digital scales every day. If I can either see a little change in the scales every day, or explain away no loss, or a gain, by sodium, sugar, volume of food, etc., it takes the mystery out of it. It becomes like a bargaining process which I'm willing to commit to. Pay 4 days and buy a pound loss, sort of thing.

Actually I can thank those goats for giving me the wake-up call 6 years ago. It is just too hot down here in the summer to work outside carrying any extra pounds. And they provide exercise.

I kept it off for 5 years, but last fall I quit paying attention, got into bad habits, and it started to creep up again. Now 128 is a good weight for me (BMI 21), but 20 feels better in the summer. Things are headed in the wrong direction. I want to nip this in the bud, cause I don't want to end up spending another 15 week period dieting. It seemed like it took too much time just thinking about *not* eating, lol.

By the way, I just estimate calories, pencil and paper, always round up to the nearest 10. I've about got the calories memorized by now, but if I'm not sure I just put down something that's surely an upper limit. So counting them takes me about 5 minutes a day.
 
NancyNGA said:
Ameriscot, six years ago I dropped 30 pounds in 15 weeks keeping calories between 900 and 1200/day. I never hit a plateau. My maintenance level then was about 2000/cal per day (from trial and error and record keeping). At 1100 calories/day something will show up on digital scales every day. If I can either see a little change in the scales every day, or explain away no loss, or a gain, by sodium, sugar, volume of food, etc., it takes the mystery out of it. It becomes like a bargaining process which I'm willing to commit to. Pay 4 days and buy a pound loss, sort of thing.

Actually I can thank those goats for giving me the wake-up call 6 years ago. It is just too hot down here in the summer to work outside carrying any extra pounds. And they provide exercise.

I kept it off for 5 years, but last fall I quit paying attention, got into bad habits, and it started to creep up again. Now 128 is a good weight for me (BMI 21), but 20 feels better in the summer. Things are headed in the wrong direction. I want to nip this in the bud, cause I don't want to end up spending another 15 week period dieting. It seemed like it took too much time just thinking about *not* eating, lol.

By the way, I just estimate calories, pencil and paper, always round up to the nearest 10. I've about got the calories memorized by now, but if I'm not sure I just put down something that's surely an upper limit. So counting them takes me about 5 minutes a day.
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Whatever works! You must have a small frame and/or be petite. I've got my calories memorized as well but I use my excel spreadsheet to track. I haven't maintained after my big loss 4 years ago but haven't gone anywhere near the max weight. For me if I go too low for too long I can tell my metabolism has slowed down and I have no energy to work out.

I've been worrying about how to maintain while we spend 3 months in Thailand since I gained 14 lbs over the 2 months we were last time. I've got a plan and also I'm going to buy a scale and weigh myself every morning. That will keep me on track. And it will help that we will have no visitors who are bad influences on me! :rolleyes:
 
By the way, I've had the TV on to the British Open all morning. The scenes they show from Scotland are really beautiful. The architecture of the buildings is amazing. I see why you love it. Is the weather on one side of the country the same as the other side? (Silly question I suppose).
 
NancyNGA said:
By the way, I've had the TV on to the British Open all morning. The scenes they show from Scotland are really beautiful. The architecture of the buildings is amazing. I see why you love it. Is the weather on one side of the country the same as the other side? (Silly question I suppose).
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Scotland is stunning!! Scotland is small but the weather is different in different areas. Some always get snow, we get very little as we have the Gulf Stream in the west. I'm in the wettest area of Scotland. The landscape varies. Some areas are windy ALL the time. If you didn't see them I just posted more photos from the island we biked on yesterday. Personally, I think Scotland is the most beautiful country in the world. But I haven't been to NZ so that could change if we go.
 
drifter said:
I am a dedicated tea drinker. I have a cabinet filled with leaf teas and an assortment of tea bags. I start with a hot cup of tea sweetened with stevia, sip it until it has grown cold. I have two teapots in the frig, one to heat up for hot tea, the other for iced tea. Glad you're back with us waiting on the ice age.
Click to expand...

I am a serious tea drinker as well. Breakfast: English Breakfast tea with milk, later tea with lemon, sometime during the day I'll have a green tea, I might have Nettle and Fennel tea after dinner. Before bed it's chamomile. I also love Earl Grey.
 
Nancy, I don't know much about calorie intake, and I think I might have shared this here before. This is the caloric recommendation from my old Turbo Jam exercise CD booklet to lose a pound a week. You are a hard physical worker though, so I'd take this with a grain of salt and personalize it if it sounds off.

Weight = 128 lbs.

Add zero to body weight = 1280

Add 20% for extra daily activity = 256

Daily caloric weight = 1536

Subtract 500 calories from diet or exercise = 1036
 

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