grdell's Weight Loss Blog - Week 11

[Oniya]

I agree with Izu. Your blog is an inspiration. Hmmm, perhaps I should consider those weights of mine again... and all the rest of the training gear I have at home but never touch.

I imagine whatever it is you do with that chainsaw constitutes at least some workout...

[Captain Maltese]

*pokes Izu back, smiling*

*nods to Oniya* it does result in sore muscles and a river of sweat, certainly. Carrying 50 pound logs to where the tractor can pick them up also burns some calories I am sure. If I had been doing that kind of stuff every day I am sure it would have resulted in some hard beef.

[Remiel]

Hey, grdell.  I just wanted to chime in and say that I've been following this blog, as well--and give total props to you for doing it.  Like you, I'm trying to lose weight as well.  When I quit my job, three weeks ago, I was blimping out at 265; my goal is to get down to about 225.  I lost the first ten pounds pretty quickly (in about a week), but already seem to have plateau'd.     Granted, I haven't been sticking to my diet, but I have been making a conscious effort to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my regular meals, and I have all but eliminated sodas and sweetened drinks in favor of water, so in that regard I am proud of myself.

One thing I'd like to get your opinion on--I was always taught that eating anything late at night was a big no-no (because that's when your body is in "low gear", metabolically-speaking) but when I spoke with a trainer, he said that was nonsense.  He said that when you feel hungry, that is when you should eat (small, sensible meals, obviously).

Anyway,  keep up the good work!

[Izu]

Your trainer is both right and wrong in my opinion. It really depends on your organism, because if you are a night owl it's normal to eat during the night, not during the day when you are asleep or not so active. If your body is used to this pattern then it would have turned around its processes. Think of it as moving to the other side of the world - 12 hour difference, you'll need time to get used to it, but eventually what has once been day time for you it's night time now and vice versa. Still, I personally believe that if you get some sleep mid-night to mid-morning you shouldn't eat past a given hour. Just train your body to keep a stable metabolism cycles.

There is this theory that the metabolism has its cycles, which normally are:
• 4.00 am to 12.00 pm - cycle of cleaning organism
• 12.00 pm to  8.00pm - feeding cycle 
• 8.00pm to 4.00am - cycle of digesting
I even remember back at school when we studied about the enzymes in our body that they are active till 8pm and that's why it's not good to eat past this hour, because then your metabolism is slowing down and starting to work on digesting what has already been put in it during the day, and eating more will just jam the traffic.

But of course if you go to sleep at 5am, wake up at 4pm (for example) you can't expect your body to have a metabolism cycles 'by the book'.

My two cents - set yourself a given hour for end of eating - it should be 4 to 6 hours before going to bed. If you get hungry after this hour, try drinking two glasses of water. 90% of the time the feeling of hunger is actually thirst, 5% is just mental hunger (there's a saying here that the hunger is in the eyes - if you see something you start thinking you are hungry and wanting it), 5% it means you didn't have a proper dinner, and if it's the last either eat something low caloric - an apple?, or lie your hunger with water and teas, and on the next day eat a little extra on dinner. I personally found that if I eat 200grams of chicken and a salad on dinner at 6pm I get hungry by midnight, but just mere 50g. extra on the meat and I am set until at least 3-4am by when if I'm still awake, I can feel how my organism has already digested the food and is preparing itself to be fed on breakfast.

Btw - there's also this theory that it's not good to eat fruits after a solid meal (like meat and salad), because then the fruit gets to decay in your stomach while waiting for the rest of the food to pass and thus loses it's pluses - vitamins and so on. I've heard, and I personally follow this rule, that you should wait 2-3 hours after a meal to have a fruit. So in a way according to some resources the best meal plan is:
8am - solid breakfast
10am - if hungry, a single fruit (never mix fruits - there was some good reason, but I've forgotten it, I think it was once again something to do with how the body digests them)
12pm-1pm  lunch
3-4pm - single fruit if hungry
6-8pm dinner, should be a bit lighter than the lunch

Of course once again - it all really depends on the person's organism. If it works for some, it doesn't mean it will work for you, or if it doesn't work for you it doesn't mean it won't work for others.

Mh... I think that's all... I hope I make some sort of sense ^^; I've read so many books and articles and I've done so many diets that I've kinda combined information from all those sources to make my own theory... But it works for me. Heh. Hope I've been of some help...

[grdell]

Okay... okay... Wow. That Gravity machine totally kicked my ass today, and we didn't even do a full set because he didn't want to overdo it with me. I got in lower body, chest, upper back, shoulders and arms, though. And core is constantly worked on this thing, so that's pretty much everything except for lower back, which he said we'd target next time. We'll work on the transitions next and that means moving smoothly from one exercise into the next one. I'm really looking forward to compressing everything we did (and adding in more!) in thirty minutes. Should be fun!

Again, diet went off without a hitch yesterday in spite of the fact that doughnuts were supplied at rehearsal. I didn't eat one! It was easy, though, since they're not really the kind that I like anyway.

@Remiel: You wanted my opinion, you get it. My opinion, in a nutshell, is this:

It's really hard to separate any fact from popular myth when everyone that we trust to have the facts contradicts each other at every turn. So what I usually do is research, listen to what everyone has to say, and then do the thing that seems to make the most sense to me. Currently, for my weight loss regimen, I have a set schedule for eating that ends at 6:00 (that's 18:00 for Europeans and military folk). No matter how hungry I get, I DO NOT eat ANYTHING after 6:00. But, when I'm on maintenance, if I get hungry after 6:00, I eat something low-calorie, low-carb. Certain vegetables fit that niche perfectly. Like a salad (without a high-cal dressing) or some green beans. Carrots are higher in calories than you might think. My reasoning for this? I hear tell, and it makes sense to me, that carbs that are not immediately burned as fuel are stored as fat. So unless you plan on working out immediately after eating just before bed, you should stay away from carbs.

That's just my two cents.

[grdell]

I didn't do as much cardio today as usual, since the machines that I regularly use were already in use, so I tried something else. It was a lot harder than it looked and I couldn't do it for very long as it made my heart rate shoot way up into dangerous levels, so I got off it pretty quick. But a short burst of intense activity is better than nothing at all, which almost happened. When my alarm clock went off this morning, I got up but almost didn't go to the gym at all.

You see, last night, out of nowhere a wave of intense depression hit me. Once more, I felt emotionally drained and unwilling to do anything. And, once more, the fact that I'm keeping this blog is what got me up and moving. I couldn't post that I hadn't gone. All of this means too much to me - to my health and overall well-being. And I would feel like I was letting everyone down. Thank you again, everybody, for reading. YOU keep me going.

So, overall, how are things going? In spite of last night (Fuck you, depression! Fuck you and everybody that looks like you!), I still feel very good that things are going well. I was a bit high on calories yesterday, but still under my limit - and considering that I had that Gravity machine kick my ass, I don't think that's altogether a bad thing.

It's supposed to be really hot today - and set records tomorrow! - and while I would normally be very upset about that, I have found that high temperatures are an appetite suppressant for me. So maybe there's a silver lining to this cloud, after all! 

[Izu]

*hugs gdrell*

[grdell]

Daily status update: Good cardio work at the gym today. Diet was fine yesterday. 

Because if I don't say something, I don't feel like I'm keeping it up right.

A word about my goals:

A few people have asked me the question "So what is your goal weight?" I don't have a goal weight, but I do have a goal. For me, it's not about the pounds, since that's not really an accurate measure of fitness. Muscle weighs a good deal more than fat, after all. No, my goal is simple: a flat stomach. That's it, really. I figure that with all the cardio work and the full-body resistance training for toning, that once I achieve that goal I'll look pretty damn good.

Medically, of course, my ultimate goal is better health, mostly focusing on lower blood pressure. And that will happen. But there's no harm in getting all sexified while doing it... 

[Sylk]

Wish I had your dedication.  You are to be commended.  *hugs*

Sylk

[grdell]

I must confess that I went a little crazy yesterday. Thursdays are when I go out to knitting circle and to do tutoring. Also, it was supposed to reach a record high temperature in my area and I don't have air conditioning in my apartment. So I decided to head down to the yarn shop early and sit in the AC rather than sweat in my own place, which means I didn't eat lunch at home. Which means I went to the really awesome Italian restaurant next to the yarn store for lunch. And, yes, I had too much. What I did, though, was have nothing but a light salad for dinner. While that doesn't exactly make up completely for the indulgence at lunch, I like to think that it lessens the blow a little by shifting my high-density meal to the middle of the day rather than later in it. I've been doing pretty good otherwise, so I'm not going to think of this as a setback of any kind. We all go a little crazy from time to time.

I had my second session on the Gravity machine today, the trainer introduced a few new exercises, and I got my ass royally kicked again. Worked the upper body a little harder today, but he says that I have perfect form, so I'm not worried at all about getting hurt from it. It was the stretching afterward, though, that showed where my real problem lay. As we age, our body stiffens and loses some flexibility, and because of my build I've always had tight hamstrings. Turns out I'm also losing flexibility all through my hip area as well. So next week we're going to do some exercises to help with that, and he showed me some great stretches to do at home to help out loosening that area up. The trainer is ten years older than me (and of course in fantastic shape) and he said he went through the same thing with the hips tightening up so he's been there himself. Seeing how flexible he is now definitely gives me a goal to be able to match him.

I do admit that only having one more day of the gym this week (I take Sundays off) is an uplifting thought. I look forward to a break of even one day. But I also look forward to going back on Monday and seeing my progress. It's really very exciting seeing that everything that I'm putting myself through is having a real and immediate effect.

Thank you for the kind words Sylk and Izu and everyone else who contributes. All of you are my support structure, whether you say anything or not, and I can't thank you enough.

[Autumn52]

*Leaves a warm encouraging hug for you*

Your right on lunch isn't going to kill your diet and by having a light supper instead of skipping the meal you really helped your metabolism out. You are doing great and I am so inspired by you. Thank you again for sharing your progress and journey with us.

Hugs

[grdell]

It's a little late today, but only because I was out with a friend until just now, and having fun with friends is never a bad thing.

Everything's on track. Diet was very good yesterday. Cardio at the gym this morning.

Yesterday's session with the trainer ended with him telling me to be very body conscious this morning so that I would know what was sore from being worked and what was painful and what felt good. Turns out this morning it was my lats that hurt the most (and even cramped a little in the shower!), so we'll pay those special attention next time. My abs are objecting to the core work I'm doing, but they'll just have to suck it up because core work isn't going to stop just because they whine. They'll have to get used to it because I intend to have good abs by the time I'm done. Yes, I do. I promise pictures, in fact. 

Concerning pictures, I hadn't mentioned it yet, but I did take some "before" pictures so that there will be a basis of comparison for the "after" pictures. No, I won't show them yet - you'll have to wait until I have the "after" pictures. Then you'll be able to see the difference and marvel along with me. It will be good times!

[grdell]

Another weekend gone by, another Monday come around and results to be posted!

Current weight: 222 pounds (2 pounds lost last week, 8 pounds total so far)
Current stomach measurement: 46 1/2 inches (1/2 inch lost last week, 1 1/2 inches so far)

Progress has slowed somewhat, but that doesn't really surprise me. I was trying some different things with the diet that weren't as drastic reductions as I had in the first week. Healthy weight loss progress is only really supposed to be 1 - 2 pounds per week anyway.

I behaved myself during my cheat time Saturday night. I went over to a friend's house who was doing some grilling. Usually I'll have two pieces of chicken and 2 or 3 servings of his delicious grilled potatoes. This time I only had one piece of chicken and one serving of potatoes. So even during my cheat time, I'm doing better. I'll not lie, though, and tell you I did splurge on chocolate during that time, but I've got to have chocolate as it is my only vice!

This morning for my cardio workout, I increased the resistance on the machine in order to burn more calories in the same time and work myself a little harder. Success! 385 calories burned in 30 minutes, and I sweat like a fiend. Yes, I am drinking plenty of water, and I'm going to play a little loose with my sodium allowance today as well to replenish that.

And wouldn't you know it? Whole Foods had the Greek yogurt that I like on sale today after I stocked up at a different store just yesterday. I bought three more anyway. Now I don't need to buy yogurt for a week.

And speaking of yesterday, it was an interesting day all around. I went to the store because there were a few things that I needed to get, and I stood there and made a conscious decision to relax the diet a little. I told myself it would be okay. I could extend the cheat time one more day, seeing as how I was so good on Saturday night. But as I looked at the nutrition labels on things, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I ended up buying the least evil, which turned out to be a good thing after all - my calorie intake yesterday was the lowest all week! Go figure. I make a conscious decision to indulge, and still end up doing great in spite of myself.

So that's the report for last week, the weekend, and today. Tomorrow I have another session on the Gravity machine, and look forward to getting sore all over again...

[Izu]

*applauds* Bravo. :)  I (and I'm sure tons of other people here) are very proud of you. *nods*

[Liquid Nitrogen]

I'll admit, I've only just found your weight loss blog (or more appropriately titled, Fitness blog :) ) and I have to admit, this is a really fantastic idea to stay on course. I'll admit, I, too, am on the path to fitness (or regaining it, as being a full time student is taking a lot out of me) but here's something I've found really helps me:

European/Mediterranean style eating. They eat their heaviest meal in the middle of the day with a filling breakfast (oatmeal, some fruit...?), a mid-morning snack if need be, their biggest meal of the day at lunch (plenty of time to digest!), and if necessary, a mid-afternoon snack (a few veggies, a piece of fruit, some of that dark chocolate you like so much?) then one more meal at the end of the day, about 4 hours before bed.

I've experimented a lot with times to eat and how much to eat and when. I read your rant on BMI, and believe me, however long ago that was, I am fully behind you. BMI of 27 isn't terrible, but it's within the overweight limit, certainly. But my waist, thankfully, is nowhere near a danger zone. No, instead, it's all around my hips and thighs. Yay, being a woman? 5'4, 160 pounds, well, that's... certainly not thin. Solid, perhaps a little fuller, but with even weight distribution it's noticeable only when naked.

But back to the point - diet is truly up to the individual. I've experimented with the 'right diet and exercise' and I can't do 3 meals a day. Shoot, I can't even handle 4. I need about 5-6 otherwise I'm starving when it comes to meals and so much for portion control. (*raises hand* I am a foodaholic... for healthy foods). However, I did some research and tried eating 5-6 times a day - smaller meals, except for lunch. My caloric intake for the day stayed right where it needed to be to lose weight (I'm down to 147 from 154 (which took about 6 weeks) after only 3 weeks of doing this), I allow myself a small indulgence (a York peppermint patty - not only is it dark chocolate, but peppermint is an appetite suppressant!) if I get a hankering for something sweet, and I exercise every day.

Whether I go to the gym or not is another story, but I make sure I get exercise every day - for those days that the gym is closed, or it's raining too hard to walk there, or whatever the case may be, I do power yoga - movement, not static. Plus, as a fun class, I'm taking martial arts. Now THAT is a workout for your body!

But despite doing all of those things, until I switched my diet to the one I wrote above, I wasn't really losing any shape or weight. I switched to eating my heavy meal midday, and suddenly I'm losing 2-3 pounds every week. I've lost 1 1/2 inches in my waist, 2 inches in my thighs and my arms have toned up.

So maybe if you find your weight stagnating, try switching up your major meal time and see where it goes! I'll keep up with your blog here though, and hopefully this will help keep me motivated. You're doing a great thing for yourself, and doing it well!

[Tschel23]

I was away from this blog for a while, but I wanted to chime in. I'm still here and still behind you 100% on your journey, grdell. You are doing awesome!

[grdell]

I. Am. Wiped.

Every time my trainer gets me on that Gravity machine he shows me new things, and they just keep getting progressively harder. Today, he had me doing a hip abductor exercise that I could only do three reps of before I almost fell off the machine. It was easily the single hardest exercise I have ever done. Ever.

But it feels good, you know? I'm fatigued, but it's a good fatigue. I'm getting stronger and doing something for myself and my body that has ultimately good long-term results. As much as that machine wipes me out every time I get on it, I still find myself looking forward to it. It's almost masochistic... 

I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself daily - you're supposed to pay more attention to longer term trends which is why I usually only weigh myself on Mondays. But today I had the urge to get on the scale. 220 pounds. That doesn't mean that I believe that I lost an additional two pounds just since yesterday or that I'm going to adjust my figures to say that I lost four pounds last week instead of only two. It just reinforces to me that daily fluctuations are too unpredictable to reliably track, and so I will resist the temptation to check daily. But in spite of all that, it still makes me feel good! 

[HockeyGod]

Keep on going grdell! 

[Lilias]

Looks like the endorphins are kicking in. You'll be a gym junkie before you know it!

[grdell]

And it's working!

Today I actually felt - physically - some real results! I did the same cardio workout on the elliptical machine that I did on Monday - the same settings for the same amount of time. But I was able to do it just a little bit harder, burning more calories, and it wasn't as hard and I didn't feel quite so much like I was going to have a stroke at any second (kidding). But I do mean that it seemed a little easier to do what was essentially harder work. So what that ultimately means is that I'm getting my cardio strength back! 

This actually pleases me more than the trackable figures of pounds and inches lost. It's also more important for my overall long-term health.

They say that positive feedback is the best motivator. I'm inclined to agree!

I also stretched the living hell out of my legs when I was done for the day and am discovering a certain level of flexibility returning as well. I'll keep you up to date on that, too. I'm actually surprisingly flexible for my frame (I'm very compact), but still have a long way to go before I can do such things as touch my toes.

[Autumn52]

Congratulations on your success so far grdell. You continue to be
an inspiration. Flexibility is key to feeling great again. Your cardio
sounds like you are doing great as well. Super great congratulations
on keeping at it. Yay you.

[Tschel23]

Sounds like great progress! Keep it up!

[grdell]

No gym today.

Last night, I started developing a sore throat. I told myself that I would wait and see how I felt this morning before making any decisions. Well, this morning is no better, plus I'm having some head congestion and coughing. Looks like a cold or something. I figured it would be best to just stay home, rest, and drink lots of water.

I'll still follow the diet today, so it's not a total wash. But I also realize that exacerbating an illness by exertion is not going to help anything.

I really hope I feel better by tomorrow, though.

[Autumn52]

Hugs and I hope you feel better soon.

*Brings you some warm tea with lemon and honey.*

[Captain Maltese]

The one good thing about being a bit ill is that your apetite sinks. Drinks lots of water and hang in there. *hugs*