BSL's BS-Lounge, please come again!

[BikeSwimLaugh]

3,000 tops!!!!




Just screwin' around. It was light & lean for sure. Tomorrow is spin/swim...gonna nail it hard. Got the protein shakes, accerlade and all the gear in the truck ready to go!

 

[Kraken]

He's probably meso-ecto, and you seem to be full-fledged endo.

.

Welcome to my world. I look at food and gain weight.

 

[realworksuks]

just took the day off. At the same time, I just had small meals throughout the day, lots of 200-275 calorie snacks and then a modest dinner. I'd account for about 1,800 calories at most. Okay, maybe 2,000. Perhaps 2,200...but no more then 2,500.

Man, you are in desperate need of a fitday food journal, seriously.

You work your ass off in the gym and then you don't even keep track of what you eat?

You spend 3.5 hours in the gym working your ass off, take another 10 minutes and record your food!!!!!

Don't waste your efforts man, start recording your damn food!

EDIT: Chillen, back me up here and he might listen! haha

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Tomorrow is spin/swim...gonna nail it hard. Got the protein shakes, accerlade and all the gear in the truck ready to go!

What's up boys???

Yeah, today I hit it hard & long!!!! Check me out:

8am-9am Spin Class
9-9:15 on the treadmill running
9:15- 10:30 Spin Class
10:30-11:15 Swam a mile in the pool

HR-monitor sais I exercised for 3.5 hours and churned-out 2,480 calories of exertion. One thing I really did for sure was feed my workout. I ate a good breakfast, drank water w/accelerade, drank the protein shake between classes and ate a ZoneBar just before swim. In all, I induced an extra 650 calories during my routine. The result, a far more powerful workout with great energy throughout...even my laps in the pool were under 1-minute across & back: I used to have to swim pretty darn fast to make that time, now I can maintain that as a pace. Part of it is my swimming technique (got some tips) and part of that is built-up endurance...but much of it had to do with feeding my routine instead of running leaner (figuring it was causing my body to turn to fat).

On another note...in speaking with my spin-instructor...she told me I had to eat more too. I can't believe this; the whole world (except my own pro-nutritionist) is telling me to eat more and that I have to fuel the machine and by eating more I'll burn more fat and thin down faster.

This news just in: eating more causes you to lose weight

I believe that's the same source that tells woman that swallowing also induces weight-loss. Sorry, Kraken made me go there


Okay, RWS....here is why I don't really keep track of calories.

I know what my breakfast was....I had a packet of low-sugar apple-cinnamon-spiced oatmeal, to the tune of 120 calories, and I had a ZoneBar for 210. Then, later, my protein shake, another Zonebar and the water was tainted with Acclerade to the tune of about 130 calories. All these items are pre-packaged and marked with nutrient info; easy!

BUT, for lunch I met my crew and took them to sushi. I ate about....I dunno, maybe 15 edaname pods, had about 10 pieces of various sushi (from various rolls) and a spicy tuna salad. How many ounces of tuna were atop the salad????..I dunno, it's about the size of a small scoop of ice-cream, I'd have to guess about 3.5 ounces....and I'm not going to remove the tuna, pull-out a scale and weigh it. Plus, how much oil was in that salad? How about that sauce the Sunkissed roll had on it? I had maybe 5 pieces of sunkissed roll, 3 pieces of spicy tuna crunch roll. It's just too ambigous to figure-out those calories: I just have to guess! I had unsweetened green ice-tea..that doesn't even count.

Later, while picking-up my kids I had another ZoneBar (210 calories). My hunch is that I've taken-in (at this point) about 1,700 calories. Oh, I also went to the panty and ate 4-5 small dried plums and about a scoop of peanuts and I also reached into the dark-choclate covered raisans and had a very small scoop of those too.

I really really really really don't have the interest or time to micro-count all these weird & inconsistent portions. What I do know & feel is that I've in no way even approached the amount calories I've burned during my workout.....so right this moment I'm going to head into the kitchen and take a piece of tuna I cooked last night (it's lightly marinated in some soy-based teriyaki sauce) and churn-down a nice 4-5 ounces.

The thing is...I'm definitely running a strong deficit today and I'm supposed to be playing around with eating more!

BUT here's the thing....since taking that break about 10 days ago, I'm definitely feeling leaner. Right now I'm still wearing my trisuit from the gym and when I stand up and take an assessment of my waist & body....yeah: I'm dropping girth for sure!!!!!!!! And my arms are filling-out into my shirt sleeves cause my arms are getting pretty big too.

Bottom line: it's working, I'm getting there!!!

I think the big key was my taking a good break from it all...to actually let a week go by without pounding the hours in the gym day after day...AND to have eating those 3 slices of pizza, some ice-cream and take in a week of eating a bit above maintenance: perhaps my body saw the food coming in, brought my metabolism back to normal and now I'm pounding away and chiseling down. I believe this is Calorie cycling and exercise cycling. I dunno, but I assure you; there is less of me in terms of fat!

Miso Soup
Miso Happy!!!!

Btw...I'm on such a 'runner's high' it's not even funny; I've got a bad case of the Chillen's!!!

 

[realworksuks]

Okay, RWS....here is why I don't really keep track of calories.

I know what my breakfast was....I had a packet of low-sugar apple-cinnamon-spiced oatmeal, to the tune of 120 calories, and I had a ZoneBar for 210. Then, later, my protein shake, another Zonebar and the water was tainted with Acclerade to the tune of about 130 calories. All these items are pre-packaged and marked with nutrient info; easy!

BUT, for lunch I met my crew and took them to sushi. I ate about....I dunno, maybe 15 edaname pods, had about 10 pieces of various sushi (from various rolls) and a spicy tuna salad. How many ounces of tuna were atop the salad????..I dunno, it's about the size of a small scoop of ice-cream, I'd have to guess about 3.5 ounces....and I'm not going to remove the tuna, pull-out a scale and weigh it. Plus, how much oil was in that salad? How about that sauce the Sunkissed roll had on it? I had maybe 5 pieces of sunkissed roll, 3 pieces of spicy tuna crunch roll. It's just too ambigous to figure-out those calories: I just have to guess! I had unsweetened green ice-tea..that doesn't even count.

Later, while picking-up my kids I had another ZoneBar (210 calories). My hunch is that I've taken-in (at this point) about 1,700 calories. Oh, I also went to the panty and ate 4-5 small dried plums and about a scoop of peanuts and I also reached into the dark-choclate covered raisans and had a very small scoop of those too.

I really really really really don't have the interest or time to micro-count all these weird & inconsistent portions. What I do know & feel is that I've in no way even approached the amount calories I've burned during my workout.....so right this moment I'm going to head into the kitchen and take a piece of tuna I cooked last night (it's lightly marinated in some soy-based teriyaki sauce) and churn-down a nice 4-5 ounces.

Even if you don't know exactly what that salad has in terms of calories I would highly recommend keeping a food journal, record everything that you know what the exact calories were and then take a guess on the things you eat that don't report nutrition facts (like all your out to eat meals).

I really believe that you are just eating more than you think and are just forgetting things, if I don't record my food I think I am eating less because I don't see it all on paper, then if I actually think through the day it's WAAAY more than I thought it was.

So seriously man, if you care as much as you say you do about losing fat, just count the damn calories...


But I digress, it's your choice.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Oh....I do keep track of things like that per se. Every day I write-down everything I eat.....ya know, a food-journal of sorts.

I'm just saying it's tough applying a calorie-count to everything I eat due to the variety & inconsistency of each day. You wanna tell me how many calories are in each piece of a Sunkissed roll??? Or how to assess how many calories are in the dressing they put over the spicy-tuna salad?

BUT I agree with you....I'm always saying how there's more calories in food then most people think. When I go out to lunch with my nutritionist, I always point to stuff and explain/project my calorie-count...he's impressed with how accurate I tend to be....but yeah: eating more then one realizes is a chief culprit when losses don't occur and people swear they're runnin' light & lean!!!

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Another nice day...

Breakfast/brunch....3 eggs, 2 sausages, 1 large piece of toast & some juice

Worked-out with weights and did 40 minutes elliptical.

Zone bar

Dinner was lots of vege's & chicken & Salmon with a cute salad.

Blah-blah calories in, blah-blah calories out.....in the end, it's a deficit cause right now I'm hungry!

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Another nice day...

Woke up and got in an early mountain bike ride in the hills....about time I broke free of spin-class and actually hit the trail. Rode hard, passed a few people, got passed by a few (it's always those skinny guys with tight leg muscles and virtually no muscle up top). HR-monitor said I burned 1,042 calories in 1 hour & 30 minutes. Oh, had a 210-calorie zone-bar mid-way. Had a 120-calorie fiber bar when I got back to the car.

Lunch was a mix...shared a salad with the wife, ate a piece of salmon, some grapes, some chocolate-covered raisins, a few peanuts & raisins....just various snacks. Oh yeah, some orange juice & Green Vibrance mixed in. I don't know how many calories, but it's all healthy/whole food and I rode my ass off and this is the time to take it in. I'm supposed to be doing about 3k calories per day so gimme a break: it's gotta come from somewhere!

Dinner was chinese food....but I had vegeatable soup, a big salad, some spicy tofu/chicken and 2 mushu-chicken. It's mostly vege & chicken, but I know it see's some time in the wok w/oil.

All in all, I think I'm doing well....I'm hungry right now and if I had to guess I'd figure I ate about 2,600 calories today, at most. It would be easier to eat even less if I didn't ride for 1.5 hours and spend all that time building stuff in the garage and running around the house. And let's not forget, yesterday I worked-out pretty hard and kept it lean too. I can feel my body wanting more food, but I'm keeping it lean hoping it'll burn fat.

Today I put on a bathing suit...the waist strap was kinda snug and it cut into my waist....making a bit of the "muffin-top" above the waist-band. Now, I know I've seen people who are quite fit and just about everyone has a bit of that muffin'ing action...but mine is still a bit too thick and when I slap it around with my hand it jiggles. I just can't understand how I can ride so much, excercise so much, eat so right and so little...and it's been about 1.5 years and I'm just fighting like hell to make progress. I mean, I can see progress, but it's just so slow and I wonder if it's really in the cards for me to ever get where I think I should be. Well, either way...I'm stickin' to it. Tomorrow is Monday and I'll be right back to the fitness grind!

The wife had some minor surgery and the recover is painful & slow...I'm now running the business solo AND dropping-off & picking-up the kids; all this DEXA testing and other stuff is on hold for a while.

 

[Greenhorn Gal]

Hi, BSL!

Have you ever considered a total overhaul of your workout? Perhaps your body is super-efficient at biking and swimming. I know you like those activities, and that's very important, but I can't help but wonder if you made some really big changes to the actual activities you do while you're exercising, if you wouldn't SHOCK the heck out of your body and knock off some of those pounds that are bugging you. Just a thought.

Also, are you drinking plenty of water? I don't mean "some", I mean PLENTY! I have noticed that when my weight loss stalls, if I consciously drink a gallon or more of water per day for a few days, I am back in business!

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Diane/GG,

Good idea....I'll start pounding the water again. I recall reading somewhere that taking in a bit more water really helps facilitate fat-oxidation, or perhaps a better way to put it...not drinking enough can inhibit fat-oxidation.

I do drink a fair amount and lately I've been bringing more water to my spin-classes & even drinking while swimming (sometimes having to go to the bathroom during laps). I'm pretty good on hydration.

As for exercise...I've begun doing some running between spin classes and I also work on the elliptical machine at home. I'm not really sure what other routines I can work into my day. As for weights, I've been mixing that up and that perhaps is what may account for some more muscle building. But still, with all the muscle and light calorie intake...you'd think there'd be more loss on the scale.

I dunno. I'm stalky, wide-shoulders, thick-build....maybe I just have a slender image in my head that just isn't consistent with what I can honestly expect to achieve......but at the same time, I'm just looking to see some numbers drop on the scale. I'm seeing more definition in the abs and some other stuff, I guess it's just a slow progress thing.

Thanks for your interest....

 

[Greenhorn Gal]

I'm starting to fel like a little terrier or something biting at your heels--tell me to step off at any point if you'd like! I simply refuse to believe that YOU are the exception to all the tried and true methods of weight loss, and very sincerely want to see you achieve your goals--that's why I'm so persistent!

Anyhoo, do you ever attempt to "audit" your calorie-burning calculator? Try checking out "caloriesperhour.com" to see if the results match your calculator, just to make sure that the deficits you claculate are accurate. Just a thought!

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

I'm starting to fel like a little terrier or something biting at your heels--tell me to step off at any point if you'd like! !

No...don't stop. I love it. With all the decision-making and running a company....it's nice to take a back-seat and have someone else try to figure things out with me. It's all good, I'm flattered you take the interest!

I simply refuse to believe that YOU are the exception to all the tried and true methods of weight loss, and very sincerely want to see you achieve your goals--that's why I'm so persistent!!

My acclaimed brilliant nutritionist, to me "When you first came to me I heard from your trainer that you were having problems...but I just figured it was the typical thing. I've got to say, after dealing with many problematic & challenged people...of all my clients, I've never encountered someone whose body has been so resistant to weight-loss and metabolically challenged....you truly are, by far, the most difficult case I've ever worked with"

As my 2 doctor friends say to me "I've been around you for a weekend and seen how and what you eat. Given the amount of exercise and training you do....if I did even half of what you did, I'd be lean & ripped"

But ya know what....it doesn't really matter. As Wrangell pointed out, I just have to accept my body for what it is. Sooner or later I'll get off my butt and get some blood-testing done and perhaps there is a hormone or thyroid issue...but still; a body MUST require calories to live and running a deficit, even with a whacked metabolism, MUST eventually render the results of loss.

So where's the issue...somewhere between my body adapting to the exertion/exercise, my body adjusting to the caloric intake, and my lack of ability to perceive the changes I'm looking for.

Anyhoo, do you ever attempt to "audit" your calorie-burning calculator? Try checking out "caloriesperhour.com" to see if the results match your calculator, just to make sure that the deficits you claculate are accurate. Just a thought!

I'm really glad to report that things seem to be moving along right now. My trainer said I DEFINITELY have really stepped-up the leaning-out process and I'm looking better then ever. The center ab-line continues to deepen, my arms seem to be looking larger then ever and I'm feeling more bone around my waist. I can certainly see it in the outfits I wear while swimming: they hide nothing.

What I've changed...

Well, I did take that whole week off and laid-off the exercise and intense deficit...I ate 4.5k+ per day and only did some light elliptical/swimming. Perhaps that reset things. My nutritionist insists that athletes, every 8-12 weeks, take a complete week off. In my case, he was sorta hoping to "reset" my thyroid/metabolism...give my body a chance to recoop, recalibrate and adjust to a non-deficit situation.

Then I came back at it full-bore....I even added some running on the treadmill between spin-classes.

Also, I've changed my caloric intake and the timing. While my nutritionist strongly says timing is not nearly as critical as most think it is...I've been dabbling with pre-loading some solid calories before, a bit during and immediately after my workouts. Btw, workouts are always in the morning to mid-day hours. So I'm eating a bit more, but doing it earlier in the day...and I'm fueling for what I plan to do. Into the evening I'm making the dinner's more Keto-based (as suggested by RealWorkSucks)....protein, vege's and very limited amounts of carbs.

I know this sounds goofy, but I want my body to learn that calories for exercise will be provided before, during and just after exercise...and that we don't need to carry/sustain the storage on the body. I dunno, kinda a weird theory.

As I've said...things seem to be progressing nicely. I'm afraid to get on the scale for fear it'll ruin my head. I'm gonna stick with how I look, how I feel and the fact that my hottie trainer says I'm looking really f-in good. I like the idea of a woman telling me I look really good. My wife; she's so sweet she'll bold-face-lie to me and tell me I look great even when I look like crap..as such, she's won my admiration for her undying support & outstanding achievement in the field of optimism...BUT her ability to be subjective is relegated to that of none to little. Us men; we're so shallow. BUT so far as my progress....I'm pretty sure I'm popping along and back on track.

Btw...thanks for the tip about pounding the water!!!! It really does help flush bloating sodium and other toxins from the body and tends to help the body be less bloated as well. I read somewhere how not drinking enough water can really inhibit fat-oxidation....so yeah, several times a day I deliberately suck-down a quart of water..and I think it's helping!

 

[Greenhorn Gal]

I'm glad to hear you feeling upbeat and making progress. Like you have counseled many-a-frustrated-dieter, it is most important to evaluate the results that you see in the mirror. The scale will follow, too, in its own time.

I am NOT a doctor, but I'd like to talk to you about thyroid issues. Though not a doctor, I had thyroid cancer 15 years ago and have not had a thyroid since age 19. I rely on my metabolism to come from a thyroid supplement--a fairly cheap medication taken once daily. I dealt myself a triple-blow by not exercising, eating poorly, and NOT taking the tyroid supplement regularly for YEARS. I gained weight and here I am today, working my a$$ off to work my a$$ off!

I can tell you this--thyroid hormone is like metabolic "accelerant", and makes a HUGE difference in the rate of calorie consumption. Just like insulin is a chemical that allows the body's cells to use sugar, thyroid hormone is a chemical that controls all the body's metabolic processes and thermogenic calorie-consumption rates. A person without insulin becomes diabetic, a person without thyroid hormone becomes fat and lethargic, and unable to lose weight effectively.

Speaking to your questions about "voodoo" dieting, I can say from personal experience that even though my body stayed alive during the sometimes months when I did not take my medication, calories consumed were not used and weight and water weight packed on. I felt like crap--sluggish and like I could "feel" the slowness of my blood dripping through my veins rather than "coursing" through them.:drooling1:

As I progress on my weight loss journey--now 5 months, I am keenly aware of my body's processes related to my monthly cycle and timing of thyroid replacement medication. I can tell you that I can feel a difference in myself if I forget to take the medication for even a day or two (though I am now much better because I know the success of my weight loss depends on it).

There was one time during the end of tax season where the pharmacy had mistakenly only given me 30 tabs instead of 60 tabs, and I ran out, and couldn't deal with it because of my work schedule. I think I went 5 days without the meds, and I continued my diet and exercise, and the scale was only bumping upward. Once I bgan taking the meds again, by the third or fourth day of taking it, I lost like 3 or 4 lbs in a day or two (mostly water, but that's part of the whole deal)--the difference between those lbs. and regular water weight is that these stayed OFF!

I'm rambling--what I'm really trying to say is that the thyroid can make a HUGE difference in the effectiveness of your diet and fitness regimen. I was going to suggest that you have your thyroid tested when I saw you mention in your journal that you were ging to a special clinic to have some blood workups done. I left it alone. I am now telling you to MAKE TIME to go!:boxing_smiley:

What if you could do this and double the expediency of your results? If you have an imbalance in your body chemistry, it may be the "missing link" that everyone's trying to identify for you about why in the HELL it's so hard for you to lose weight! Trying to lose weight without proper body chemistry is like trying to have sex with a limp d!ck...

Chances are, if it is a thyroid issue, you may just have "low" levels of thyroid hormone. I would doubt your ability to work out like you do if it was a severe "low"--you just wouldn't have the energy to do it. If diagnosed, the problem is easy to correct with daily medication.

::letting loose of BSL's ankles to get some ACTUAL work done today:: :jump1:

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Well...this is going to make your eyes roll and want to smack me for not getting tested sooner. My younger brother, who is also challenged with losing weight, was tested and they found his thyroid was problematic and they put him on some kind of medication to deal with it. So the problem you describe sorta runs in my family.

So why my hesitation? Because my brother said the medication didn't seem to make a difference for him and I think he said there were some side-effects. Bottom line, he doesn't take it and I figured if he wouldn't, then I'd likely not take it either. But either way, I should look into it and I will.

Thanks for all your concern & emails of support!


In the meanwhile....I think I'm still making progress. My trainer says she can really see the difference and I'm really getting close to "being there". The muscle is all good, I just need to weed away the fat and get more cut.

I'm not really certain what to attribute my return to progress to....did the week away from training help? Did the week of eating just above maintenance do it? Or was it just time on it's own? I also started eating more before, during and after my workouts....but running lean into the evening with low-carbs. I'm really not sure which item to credit the progress to...and it could be the combination of several. I dunno.

Yesterday was spin-class, treadmill, spin-class and swim.
Today was weight-training
Tommorow will be more spin, tread, spin, swim

It's really weird forcing myself to eat more...I was previously thinking food was the enemy and just got used to avoiding it. Maybe it was starvation mode, maybe it wasn't...but I had a LOT of people come out of the woodwork to tell me how they ate more and then saw results...whereas they were stalled at very low calories. Weird. But hey, progress is progress and I'll take it.

 

[Greenhorn Gal]

BikeSwimLaugh Well...this is going to make your eyes roll and want to smack me for not getting tested sooner.

Yes, prepare for a virtual throttling....

FYI, it can take about 30 days for thyroid meds to fully kick in. while your body is acclimating to the change and additional stimulus of proper hormone levels, you can have a fast heart rate and even some nervousness during the first few weeks. After a while, though, your body is happy to have the meds and those "side effects" go away. When taken regularly, the hormone is a sort of "key' that unlocks your metabolic potential.

Did you make your appointment yet??

Food is your friend. I know you well enough to know that you're gonna tell me to go to hell, but I think you should track your daily food intake on Fitday. Do it for just 2 weeks, for me! :azzangel: For me, for you, rather! I think you will learn a great deal about nutrition just by doing that. I say this in response to a recent comment you made about not going out to eat as much since your wife is recovering. Just tyr it--I do think that part of your "thing" is really knowing what you're eating and its components. Try eating 40/40/20 for awhile--you will see that it is a bit hard to do but very effective.

Congrats on your progress--I am proud of you!!

...Now call the doc!

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

I know you well enough to know that you're gonna tell me to go to hell.

Diane.....of the many things that I'd tell ya, going to hell is aboslutely not one of them.

My only hesitation about taking meds is that I'm not a big fan of altering or tinkering with the body chemistry. This whole diet & fitness thing all began when the docs wanted to put me on meds for cholesterol & blood-pressure. As for the thyroid medication...I'm sure it could help, but at the same time I do hav a choice and I can't help but wonder what side-effects or long-term consequences the medication could potentially have. My theory is that the body adjust & compensates for what affects it. That said, I'm sure it's safe.

I have no doubt that my metabolism is a difficult monster and it's working against me....how else could I do all this exercise, diet and only see a small percentage of the improvement that anyone else would have.

I promise: I will be getting a list of particular blood-work items to check for and I will have my bloodwork done soon. If nothing else, we'll know what's up with things.


Today (as promised)

8am-8:45 spin class
8:50 - 9:05 treadmill
9:15-10:30 spin class
Swam 40 laps (back AND forth = 1 lap) in the pool.

Total time 3 hours & 30 minutes, calories burned 2,340

Observations.....I ate a good breakfast and continued throughout the workout drinking diluted accelerade, a protein shake and a Triple-Threat protein bar. Also had 4 bottles of water too. I felt very powerful throughout all my exercise and was putting-out the juice....but my heart-rate wasn't really all that up there. FF would often tell me a high HR is often the blood searching for energy: could my better-fed workouts account for this lower HR?

My first thought it....idiot: instead of burning fat you're just burning the food you are. Fill it up, burn it up. Fill it up, burn it up....all the while the fat remains untouched...I'm just burning what I eat. NONSENSE! At most I ate (since breakfast) about 860 calories:

Low-sugar oatmeal w/lite soy-milk and a scoop of flax seed & wheat germ 170 calories
Accelerade 120 calories
Triple-Threat bar 230 calories
Protein shake w/some juice added 340 calories

I burned 2,340 and took-in 860.....hello: I'm still "out" some 1,500 calories and some of that has to come from fat (the HR-monitor suggest about 40% of it)

Lunch was 1/2 a Curry chicken salad at Jerry's famous deli (lettuce, some coconut shavings, some almonds, skinless roasted chicken, some raisins and I kept it to 1 tablespoon dressing), 7 ounces tuna and 1.5 pieces of rye bread. I won't kid ya: I was HUNGRY!!!

The day isn't over yet, but I'll keep it light & lean. I have plans to meet a friend tomorrow to take 1 spin class & swim, maybe some treadmill.

On the good news, more people continue to tell me I'm leaning-out and looking really muscular. Maybe time for more pics????

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

Hittin' it hard....

weight-control oatmeal for breakfat
1 hour elliptical in the morning

Zonebar 210 calories
2/3-cup orange juice w/Green-Vibrance powder

Naked fajita bowl at Sharkies (3.5ounces chicken, vege, brown rice, pinto beans).....err, maybe 550 calories?

Zonebar 210 calories

30 minutes on the treadmill
1-hour spin class
**120-calorie fiber-bar/accerade throughout exercise**
1-mile in the pool swimming (40 min. not all freestyle)

F-in hungry!!!

Dinner with racquetball buddies at Milano's:
2 sm. rolls w/scant amounts of garlic butter
large salad, dressing on the side, 3 oucnes chicken, 2 slices avocado, cheese
2 small slices pizza (about the size of one reg. slice)

I know...you're seeing a lot of evil-dinner...but HEY: 3+ hours of exercise in and of itself is worth about 1,900+ calories (HR-monitor said a bit more).

I'd put my calories-in at 2,400 at MOST, and calories out, combined with my BMR & exercise....big deficit, in fact...well below 20%, about 45% in fact. I needed about 4,300 today and only brought in 55% of that. I should be eating more....

On a good note, the spin-instructor's wife was there today and I didn't recognize her...she had taught a class about 3 months ago. She actually went out of her way to tell me that I've dramatically changed my appearance...in her words "I'm all shred & cut"....can you imagine that? She's wrong. I may have leaned-out a bit and put on some muscle-meat...but I'm far from being shred or cut, at least by my opinion (which she adamantly insisted I have to disregard). She's a trainer herself. Bottom line: it's good to hear someone acknowledge and give good feedback.

 

[bettyhenes]

OK, tell me everything about the running part. I saw your other post in Running section and was wondering about some things....

You mentioned that when you run, your heart rate hovers around 130, which is kind of low. I think it's mainly because you are going too slow..OK, don't get offended now:luxlove:, but I still walk at 4.6 miles per hour. I thought about you when I was on my treadmill today and tried to "run" at 4.3. Let me just tell you that it wasn't really working out for me. I did this for about 5 minutes and guess what! My shins were hurting like crazy. I think that you should try going faster, for a shorter period of time and then walk for a little bit. That would also solve your heart rate issue. I bet that if you did 2 min at 5-5.5 speed and then walked for a minute at 3-4, you would build your running endurance faster and also increased your cals out.

When I started running last year, I did 1 min walk and 1 min run for 40 min (for about two weeks). Then I increased to 2 min run/1 min walk etc.Today, I can hold 8.30 min mile for 6 miles with no problems.

Another thing....I started running on the treadmill and stayed on it exclusively for 9 months. When I began to run outside, I noticed that my form wasn't right. EX:When running on the treadmill, you have to hold your arms really high so that you're not constantly hitting the treadmill bar in front of you. This can result in wrong arm position and tense shoulders when running.
What I'm saying is that you should try to run outside. You will go faster and further than on the treadmill, simply because there is something to look at (unless you're checking out all the sexy ladies at the gym).

Shin pain (shin splints). Go to and study the section for new runners. They have programs for beginners that tell you exactly how many miles to run, at what pace etc.
In their video section, there are exercises for sore shins.

And what kind of shoe did you say you have?

You should sign up for a 5K.What do you think?

 

[g8r80]

This whole diet & fitness thing all began when the docs wanted to put me on meds for cholesterol & blood-pressure.

BSL, as you can probably guess, I take this stuff seriously. What are your LDL and HDL numbers and bp? PM me if you want.

Richard

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

You mentioned that when you run, your heart rate hovers around 130, which is kind of low. I think it's mainly because you are going too slow..

My muscles are feeling a burn and I'm feeling a bit of discomfort if I push it harder...AT THIS POINT. You have to remember that I'm recovering from a knee injury and my PT-guy just started me "running"...but it's at 4mph and it's more like a jog I suppose. He has me run a bit, then fast-walk, then run, etc.

One day I wanted to kill 15 minutes between spin-classes and I just decided....if I can do a treadmill in the PT office, then why not in the gym. I never would have thought I'd be trying to run. The last thing my body-type is, is a runner. I'm doing this to mix-up my cardio (introducing a new activity) and to kill time between classes....and since my goal is to do a tri, it just seems like sooner or later I'd have to learn to run.

I was on my treadmill today and tried to "run" at 4.3. Let me just tell you that it wasn't really working out for me. I did this for about 5 minutes and guess what! My shins were hurting like crazy. I think that you should try going faster, for a shorter period of time and then walk for a little bit.

Hmmmm...I just presumed walking was a default from being able to run...so I try to run non-stop the whole time. I'd never think that running faster would make the pain any less. My whole take was that this new activity was working new muscles and my capacity was limited by those muscles...the low HR was due to my being in shape from my other cardio. It's like when I bike at altitude: my muscles don't burn, my lungs do! In this case, my weakness or hindering issue is my lack of developed running muscles, not my cardio conditioning. But hey, tomorrow I'll be on the T-mill again and I'll try running 5.5 and doing intervals..why not? My only hesitation from going faster was that the greater impact would perhaps cause issues with my recovering knee. Faster = greater impact...no????

What I'm saying is that you should try to run outside. You will go faster and further than on the treadmill, simply because there is something to look at (unless you're checking out all the sexy ladies at the gym).

Again, at this point running is just a mix-up activity and something I do between classes. I think I need to more heal-time on my knee before getting serious about trying to develop myself into a runner. At this point I think I should stick with dabbling with the T-mill at the gym. I really need this knee is heal properly. Since it's meniscus, if the tear intends to heal, I shouldn't be doing anything with 'impact' such as running...stick with the stuff that has zero-discomfort: spinning, biking, etc.

And what kind of shoe did you say you have?

Some kind of Asics (see embedded pic)

BSL, as you can probably guess, I take this stuff seriously. What are your LDL and HDL numbers and bp? PM me if you want.

My bloodwork was done about 8-9 months ago.....since then I've more then doubled my cardio, lost about 30 more pounds and have only further improved my diet (meaning, it's only gotten better most likely). Back some 9 months ago my HDL had climbed to 42, the LDL was 104, the total was 175 and my bp was almost borderline high, but since then it's been 'normal'....I wanna say 130/80.....



Guys...I really appreciate the help & thoughts with my endeavors to incorporate running into my regimen, but in listening to my body, it's telling me to let the knee heal a bit more; beyond the typical newbie-runner related soreness, I'm feeling something in the knee and it's part of my ACL sprain & meniscus tear.

The PT-guy I go to is a running specialist...I think I'll consult with him. He told me we do these things in gradual steps and monitor the bodies response. Frankly, my othro-surgeon buddy told me to dump the PT cause it's costing me money and the healing will happen w/o the PT at this point....BUT, in terms of learning to run with my condition, perhaps I'll reconsider working with him a bit longer.


Yes FF, I wear a size 8...so make your stubby jokes!