Weight loss & fitness log

NancyNGA said:
I guess I'll always be the odd person out on the issue of *speed* of weight loss. If I don't try to keep calories down as low as possible (within reason), it takes too long to lose weight and I get impatient and give up. That's what's trying to happen this time around, but this challenge has kept me going. Thank you for this challenge, btw.:)

The last time I lost weight (30lbs) I did it at 2 lbs a week, 1100-1200 calories per day, and it only took 15 weeks. I kept it off 5 years until last fall. The idea that I'd probably see a pound drop every 3-4 days kept me motivated. Then the key was transitioning *slowly* back to maintenance---adding 200 calories to the daily allowance every week. It was like getting a 200 calorie treat every week and I had to decide how to spend it. Plus I lost a couple more pounds during this period as a bonus, so ended up 5 lbs below goal, which turned out to be a better goal, anyway.

For some reason 1500 cals/day is a level that's harder for me to do for a long time. It's like you have to be dead serious at 1200, no exceptions, nose to the grindstone. At 1500 I have 300 extra calories to play with, start making poor choices and end up going too much over. Then I give up because it takes too long to see any results. (Sorry I didn't mean this to be so long-winded and detailed :))
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I am doing 1500 on my heavy workout days, and lower on rest days. I've done this before and it worked. It doesn't lead me to make bad choices, at least not often. I find that if my calories are consistently low, like 1200, my metabolism just slows down and I go into a long plateau plus I'm tired.
 

Calories:

Sat (3/21): 1130
Sun (3/22): 1590
Mon (3/23): 1440

Not very healthy eating, but ok calorie-wise, on average.
Had a craving for Mac&Cheese Saturday, so those calories were mostly junk.
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Tuesday. Scale moved again! :) Can feel it as well. Did all my workouts yesterday so none today. Low calorie day.

Menu:
B: porridge/dried fruit/cinnamon/almond milk
L: chicken breast sandwich/lite mayo, strawberries, yogurt
D: veg/cauliflower/mangetout/Quorn curry & basmati rice, salad
Drinks: tea w/soy milk, herbal teas, flavoured water, water, coffee w/almond milk
Calories: 1199
 

Wednesday - higher cal day. Doing it all in one day and tomorrow is low cal no workout. I'm down at least a wee bit every morning.

Menu:
B: porridge/dried fruit/cinnamon/almond milk
S: post workout: 2 oatcakes w/pb
L: chicken breast sandwich, cottage cheese, yogurt, strawberries
D: veg/cauliflower/mangetout/mushroom/Quorn curry & basmati rice, salad
S: grapes
Drinks: tea w/soy milk, herbal teas, flavoured water, water, coffee w/almond milk
Cals: 1490

Workout at gym:
30 mins spin bike
10 mins rowing machine
5 mins elliptical
4 x 12 on 4 resistance machines
4 x 12 rope/pulley for triceps

Workout at home (upper):
dumbbells - 4 sets of 12 - 11 routines
push ups - 4 x 12
triceps dips - 4 x 12
Lower:
dumbbells, ankle weights, step - abs, core, thighs, calves, glutes
 
Good for you QS, I weighed myself the other morning and the scale was going in the opposite direction, so I'm not weighing everyday, I get too bummed out if I'm gaining. Having said that, I can weight a couple of pounds different on the same day, depending on when I hit the scale. I'll just hope for the best on Saturdays. :eek:

Ameriscot, what is the purpose of doing sets of 12? I never did that, but my husband does. I just do one set of 20 on various machines usually. In my gym they have around 10 various machines set up in a circle and there's a red and green light. You do what you can until the light turns red, then you move to the next machine. Going around 3Xs is around a half hour workout. In that case I usually just get to 12 reps.
 
SeaBreeze said:
Good for you QS, I weighed myself the other morning and the scale was going in the opposite direction, so I'm not weighing everyday, I get too bummed out if I'm gaining. Having said that, I can weight a couple of pounds different on the same day, depending on when I hit the scale. I'll just hope for the best on Saturdays. :eek:

Ameriscot, what is the purpose of doing sets of 12? I never did that, but my husband does. I just do one set of 20 on various machines usually. In my gym they have around 10 various machines set up in a circle and there's a red and green light. You do what you can until the light turns red, then you move to the next machine. Going around 3Xs is around a half hour workout. In that case I usually just get to 12 reps.
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I always do sets of 12 on weights - both the machines and the dumbbells. I've read/been told to do 8 - 12 reps and do them at least 3 times. On the resistance machines I do 2 sets on each of 4 machines then go around again for 2 more sets. If I'm going for a heavier weight I'll do 8 reps, then 10. If 12 gets easy it's time for a higher weight. Our gym is small and has 6 resistance machines in a circle. Two are for thighs and I figure my legs get enough of a workout with lunges, etc and ankle weights.
 
Still sticking to plan, so far it's been quite easy, not desire as yet to not keep doing what's working. As always will I weigh in on Saturdays.

Good to see everyone doing so well, keep up the good work ladies. :)
 
I'm sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. I have been fighting weight gain way back when I quit smoking and then learned to cook. It's been more or less an ongoing problem. Since last September I have lost 21 pounds. I still need to lose another twelve pounds. It's gotten harder to do. I usually eat a large breakfast, a normal lunch, and I skip an evening meal and try not to eat anything, sometime I do eat a quarter cup of peanuts, and I sip hot tea or coffee throughout the day. The last few days I have been trying to fast from two p.m. until nine-thirty or ten the next morning, when we have breakfast, hoping to lose a pound or so a week. There's probably a better way. I had started walking, not far, but a few houses down and back, but I dropped my portable oxygen tank on my big toe. Walking is out for some little time. I haven't weighed in two weeks so I'm a bit in the dark.
 
Drifter, congratulations on your 21 pound loss! I think a lot of us gained when we quit smoking, I gained around ten pounds for sure and maybe more, that was over 30 years ago. I'm glad you joined us here and hope you lose that last 12 pounds. We're weighing in on Saturdays, so if you have a scale at home you're welcome to post along with us on your losses or gains. Our metabolism does slow down with age, so we have to work a little harder to shed the lbs.
 
AprilT said:
Still sticking to plan, so far it's been quite easy, not desire as yet to not keep doing what's working. As always will I weigh in on Saturdays.

Good to see everyone doing so well, keep up the good work ladies. :)
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Good job, April!
 
A non-workout day, thus lower calories. Have a craving for some of my homemade carrot soup, so going to make some shortly and have it with my lunch. Mmm

Menu:
B: porridge/fresh strawberries/cinnamon/almond milk
L: hummous on whole grain seeded toast, homemade carrot soup, grapes, yogurt
D: veg curry & basmati rice, salad
Drinks: tea w/soy milk, herbal teas, flavoured water, water, coffee w/almond milk
Cals: 1211
 
Drifter, welcome and congrats on your loss, Ameriscot mentions, many have gained after a quit smoke, for me it was a whopping 15 lbs the first year and since, the time I quite, ( Nov, 2010,) I've gained another 5 on top of that 15, for a total of 20 lbs. But, we're all trying. You've done really great with your past loss 20 lbs is pretty great. I wish you much success with the rest if you so choose to continue trying to take it off.


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I love cabbage, so picked up some today, not sure if I'll make it tomorrow, I have a made a big pot of just vegetable gumbo and am still working on that, plus, some leftover kale and lettuce. My eyes just got too big, think I'll wait to cook the cabbage in a few days, maybe Sat or even Sunday. I looked at the corned beef, but, $17 for a small piece that's going to shrivel to the size of a salad plate, I just couldn't do it today, I'll wait for a sale. Good thing wings were on sale again. :D

I had to make a mad rush this morning to get out the door, so, I just had time for a protein drink, had egg salad and a regular salad for lunch, I will have some of my meatless gumbo in a little while.
 
Thanks, April. Some years ago due to a number of events I gained fifty pounds. Since then I have lost and gained half that amount. I need to lose twelve more pounds to get me below 200. I don't know if I have gained or lost since I last weighed about three weeks ago. Saturday morning I'm going to weigh. Cheers.
 
Friday. Full workout day

Menu:
B: porridge/fresh strawberries/cinnamon/almond milk
S: post workout: 2 oatcakes w/pb
L: hummous on toast, carrot/coriander soup, pear, yogurt
D: veg curry & basmati rice, salad
S: 2 oatcakes w/low fat cheddar
Drinks: tea w/soy milk, herbal teas, flavoured water, water, coffee w/almond milk
Cals: 1482

Workout at gym:
30 mins spin bike
5 mins rowing machine
5 mins elliptical
4 x 12 on 4 resistance machines
4 x 12 rope/pulley for triceps

Workout at home (upper):
dumbbells - 4 sets of 12 - 11 routines
push ups - 4 x 12
triceps dips - 4 x 12
Lower:
ankle weights, step, dumbbells, mat for abs, core, thighs, calves, glutes
 
It seems all of you are pretty well organized into some weight loss program. I have never much counted calories. At present I have no idea what my daily calorie intake is although somewhere among my stuff i have a calorie book. To loose weight I have always relied on eating less of whatever we have and skipping the evening meal, which results in being hungry most of the time. I have only a week or so ago started skipping the evening meal again. As I said previously, I haven't weighed but Saturday I will dust the cobwebs off my scale and start weighing but I hate it when the numbers go the wrong way. I don't usually confess to a skipping meals because of a diabetic situation but over the years, I have found that's what works best for me, or I think it does. Should I be writing a comment in this space. or is this thread for statistics only?
 
Drifter, you can post whatever you like that's related to diet/fitness and discussions are fine. I like to post my daily plan as I also do this on a diet forum I've belonged to for a few years.

Every Saturday we report how much we lost for that week.

As for calories, some count, some don't. But there are good websites that list calories, and also if you just want to know about a certain food all you have to do is google 'how many calories in an orange' or whatever.
 
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Drifter, whatever you do if you are diabetic please be wise some research or at least, check with your doc about how to proceed, you don't want to put yourself into a diabetic coma messing around skipping meals and such, you know depending on your situation just how dangerous and easily that can happen. Skipping meals isn't ever recommended in your situation. I imagine you know that's are playing with fire. Just being a concerned person, you are of course a grown person and I am not judging and won't comment again if you decide, that's what you want to stick with..
 
AprilT said:
Drifter, whatever you do if you are diabetic please be wise some research or at least, check with your doc about how to proceed, you don't want to put yourself into a diabetic coma messing around skipping meals and such, you know depending on your situation just how dangerous and easily that can happen. Skipping meals isn't ever recommended in your situation. I imagine you know that's are playing with fire. Just being a concerned person, you are of course a grown person and I am not judging and won't comment again if you decide, that's what you want to stick with..
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Yes, diabetics should not skip meals. Isn't it recommended they eat many small meals throughout the day?
 
Saturday weigh in report: down 1.8 lbs since last Saturday. :)

Not a workout day today as I did it all yesterday. So a lower calorie day.

Menu:
B: porridge/dried fruit/cinnamon/almond milk
L: hummous on 2 toasts, plum, yogurt
D: veg curry & basmati rice, salad
S: 1 oatcake
Drinks: tea w/soy milk, herbal teas, flavoured water, water, coffee w/almond milk
Cals: 1214
 
Great job Ameriscot! You are very disciplined.

Weight has been all over the place this week. Due to one of those 24 hour "illnesses" which I won't go into detail about, I lost 3 pounds since yesterday (Friday) which means nothing. Due to salty soup I gained two pounds from Monday to Tuesday. The average calorie deficit this week was not worth mentioning, but I didn't go over maintenance.

So I'm going to declare this week a wash and start over from where I was last Saturday.
 
Thanks, Nancy. If I'm not strict, I fail. Hoping I can get to the maintenance phase at least a month before my next trip.

Just start over, Nancy. As long as you don't give up that's all that counts.
 

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