A rant about basic concepts I

shrinkingbeth said:
Anyhow I only have one problem - I have shin splints and now find using the treadmill nearly impossible. - any suggestions to overcome this. I am using the elliptical instead at the moment - will that make much difference?
Thanks again to the wise ones
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Massage Therapy can be fantastic for shin splints. Just make sure your therapist is trained properly (min 2200hrs). Don't be afraid to call around and ask to make sure they know exactly what shin splints are and specifically how to treat them. There are great techniques, and when combined with the proper excercises the outsome is really good. Good Luck!!!! :)
 
re Shin Splints

Thanks so much for your response. I have one minor problem and that is I live in Saudi ARabia (well 54 days to go) and it is impossible to find any kind of therapists.... do you know of any exercises or stretches that might help?
I appreciate your input.
 
shrinkingbeth said:
Thanks so much for your response. I have one minor problem and that is I live in Saudi ARabia (well 54 days to go) and it is impossible to find any kind of therapists.... do you know of any exercises or stretches that might help?
I appreciate your input.
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So sorry for the late response. Shin splints are the 'lay' term for "Anterior Compartment Syndrome" It's very hard to know exactly what you have and how you specifically need to be treated. So we'll go what we do know. Ant Compartment Syndrome is basically, inflammation of the front of the lower leg... therefore ice is your new best friend!! If you have access to anti-inflammatories they would be very helpful in the beginning. Always ice after your run, along the whole front the the shin (b/c we don't know exactly which area is affected) and for 10min at a time. You can do a little self massage along the sides of the tibia (the bone you feel in the front of the shin). Don't do it for very long b/c you don't want to flare it up... and always ice right after!! A little exercise you can do is... put a towel on the floor, stand on it and scrunch it up with your toes. This works the accessory muscles to help build strength. It's a very hard area to stretch, but "Up Dog" yoga pose might help. Good luck :)
 
Steve, I'm a newbie here but I wanted to thank you profusely for the information. I read this entire thread and learned so much. I was totally sold on the several smaller meal concept. I'm still sold on it but for a different reason because I'm better informed. It helps keep me from getting too hungry and slipping up!

thanks a bunch!

LILI
 
:smash:Yeah, it's funny how many programs we come up with just to lose weight...

Steve's point of a calorie-deficit is the only thing that really matters.

The rest is just psychologically changing ourselves to want a calorie-deficit. That's the hard part I think
 
Right ON!

I am new here but an experienced "dieter". You are right on! Good job! Loosing weight is very basic and doesn't take a master mind to figure it out. Balanced diet, moderate exercise and drink water. We tend to complicate this process with our excuses.
 
I am no expert on much of anything about loosing weight and keeping it off. However, I have successfully lost weight and kept it off for years and I am amazed at all the people that can not seem to do that. It seems to me just a mater of calories in and calories burned and the psychology that allows one to control that. Is this a forum where people can discus that? If not, any recommendations on what forum would allow that?
 
So what's your take on needing fewer calories as one ages? Having gone through menopause, I am finding it very difficult to drop even a pound. Never had that problem before. I am working and working at it, each and every day, counting calories truthfully, and cardio 4 times a week and with my trainer twice a week. What's your take on that?
 
It happens. If that's what you're asking me.

It happens for numerous reasons such as a loss of LBM and a shift in various hormones. It shouldn't make losing weight impossible though.

It simply means maintenance is a bit lower than predicted or calculated.

How are you tracking calories? Are you weighing your food?
 
I belong to a group at work which includes a food tracker - also I do measure/weigh. As I basically eat the same thing every day, it's a no brainer in most cases.
 
What are your stats? What's your typical diet look like? How many calories are you consuming?
 
I am almost 54 years old; 5'7" tall and currently weigh 207.2. I began working out three weeks ago at a weight of 210 and have been fluctuating between 207 and 208. UGH!!! Here is a copy of my food diary from yesterday.

Cheese Stick, low fat
Rice, white, cooked, regular-1/2 cup
Yogurt, Blueberry Patch - 100 calories
Oatmeal, made with fat free milk-1/3 cup raw
Blueberries, frozen 1/3 cup
Chicken, breast, roasted, broiled, or baked-5 ounces
Frozen novelties, Fat Free FUDGESICLE bars-skinny cow-100 calories
Broccoli, raw - 1/2 cup
Carrots, baby, raw - 1/2 cup
Turkey or chicken breast, prepackaged or deli, luncheon meat-4 ounce
Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled large.

Total 1,143 calories; 30.0 g fat; 115.6 carbs and 99.8 g protein.

How's that?
 
On first glance, I would say you are not getting enough calories. 1100 seems rather low to me.
 
Just to bring everyone up to date on one or two things from the introduction thread:

LadyLuck70 said:
Hi Margaret - first let me say WOW! As for my journey, I track my eating (write it down) and my personal trainer reviews it with me weekly. I eat plenty of protein and mix it up with high fiber foods and veggies, with very little fat. My biggest stumbling block is that in the past, in trying to loose weight, I would literally starve myself - so then when I began to eat again, I immediately gained weight. My trainer has assured me that this can be reversed by adding more healthy foods and building up my muscle, especially in my legs. I look forward to being my smaller self again. Thanks for the welcome.
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Omega said:
Thanks...

Building up your muscles is a very good move.

That all sounds like good advice to me - you need to be getting a good quantity of nutrients and 1200 calories is pretty low to have a chance of managing that. Moving things healthier with a view to increasing the numbers up makes sense.

A lot of people have been surprised to see a weight loss when they actually increase the calories that they have been eating - but there have been cases like that around here.

What nutritional targets has he set you - or is he simply judging from what you write down.
How many grams of protein are you currently hitting?
The RDA is far too low for anyone who does much exercise - as you do.
Are you hitting 1000mg calcium a day?
Not only does calcium help our bones (and lets face it - we dont want osteoporosis to add to our problems) - but calcium can actually help us to lose weight.
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LadyLuck70 said:
He hasn't actually given me a target as to how many grams of protein, calcium, etc. Right now it's all a crap shoot. As things progress, I am sure he will adjust accordingly.
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Omega said:
I am sure that logging things on fitday would make the job of analysis easier for him. Sometimes it pays to apply science to a crap shoot.

In the meantime it may identify whether you would benefit from such as a calcium supplement...
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crap shoots get uncertain results at the best of times...
 
If you log through fitday you will get a handle on what you are eating nutritionally.

Study the nutrition section and set targets.

Initial suggestion to get you going
protein 1g per pound of goal weight
fibre 25g minimum
calcium 1000mg minimum
water 1 oz per 2 pounds of current weight

sodium 2400mg maximum

See what your nutrition looks like compared to that.

If you are short of anything - eat something that makes up the numbers. Experiment with different foods until you understand how to create a healthy diet.
 
I think it is very important to keep records of your eating and exercise activities when attempting to loose weight. At the same time I think most people do not like doing that. I certainly did not enjoy it and promised myself that once I reached goal I would no longer do it. I also promised my self if I did not maintain my fully dressed goal of 196 plus 2 pound I would start to keep records again. This is just one little part of a support system I have created for myself. What does your support system consist of?
 
In my experience it's a very mixed field in terms of calorie counters and non-calorie counters. Here on this forum, most count calories. But in terms of the people I've trained, I'd say the majority don't.

They prefer to stick with reasonable habits that indirectly control intake.

Some do well with that. Others need more rigidity.
 
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