Staying in Shape/Losing Weight

[Lori]

Tonight is my first night of classes. This means that after it's over, I'm going home and walking/jogging/running for a while. I'm also working on eating smaller portions. Not going back for seconds unless I'm actually hungry and it's something good and filling rather than crap.

[Erin]

I just purchased a Sparkpeople starter kit. I needed a ball for my back exercises and I figured since the starter kit was about five bucks more then most balls I might as well get the whole kit. I can't wait to get it. I think I'll start using my ball to just sit on too. All I need now is to figure out my cardio...

After the second day of PT I am thinking that I will be fit by the time I get back to school. I start with some electric and heat therapy and then go to do a ten minute bike (which is helping my knees!!!) and then I'm off to grueling back exercises.

I just saw that Sparks has a teen website too! I think that's an awesome idea. I really love how family oriented or individual you can make the spark thing. I think giving teens their own website is perfect to fight both anorexia and obesity.

[Lori]

I'm so annoyed! I haven't been getting home from my class until almost 8:45 and by then it's too dark to run. I start work on Monday at 9 am, so I don't know when I'll have the time to run, without getting up ridiculously early (and even then, I'm a night showerer, so I don't want to run and then take a shower before work, or worse, go to work and class without a shower). Any ideas?

[Tahleen]

I like the treadmill. Then you can run at night! Do you have a gym nearby you can join?

[Lori]

I'm just not a fan of gyms and I'm big on (the idea of) running outside. I really like the idea of doing it at night or in the morning because it's actually quite pretty outside at those times. It won't be such a huge problem after my class is over, which is June 5, because my June class will get out at 7:15 each night and I'll have time to run. But it's just for the next 2 weeks really that I have a problem.

[Erin]

I like running at night, so I am not seeing a problem with running after your class except for the tiredness factor.

[Lynnie]

omg yall.. I know we've talked about this before, but I felt a need to bring it up again...

So I'm going to start scrapbooking (tried my senior year of hs and just couldn't keep up with it.. now I'm trying for my senior year of college! weird to think about haha)

anyway... old pictures = ATROCIOUS! and I didn't even realize I looked that bad back then. Like, how could I not? I'm so EMBARRASSED! What did people think when they looked at me? What do people think now when they look at me? I want to burn those old pics (thankfully I don't have a ton lying around.. lost some along the way).. I'm afraid they'll keep coming back to haunt me.

I know I can't change the past... so how do I stop freaking out about how bad I looked?

[Lori]

You could try thinking about how much better you look now and how you'll look even better in the future after all of this healthy eating and exercise.

[[deleted user]]

This doesn't really fit into the staying in shape/losing weight its related to food anyways! I've just gone vegan, does anyone know some good vegan receipes? Its too easy to just eat bread!

[Tahleen]

Oh man, good for you Roisu! I could never do that, too much work. I'd check out the book Skinny Bitch in the Kitch Kick-Ass Solutions for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap, it's a companion to Skinny Bitch but it has all vegan recipes.

And Lynn, I know what you mean. You can really tell the difference between me now and half a year ago before I lost weight, everyone says it to me; just think that people who see pictures now will see how great you look. And as for what they thought before, I wouldn't worry about that. If they are your friends I'm sure they cared more about you than how you looked.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks a million Tahleen! I'll check it out.

[Lori]

I got up early this morning to go jogging/walking. I decided that I should probably start small, just a mile since I'm not used to jogging (and even at my peak, I was always more of a sprinter than a jogger). It started out pretty well, but my recovery time between jogging stints got longer and longer. I even had to sit down for a minute or two because I wasn't feeling well. But I finished my mile; didn't have a choice because I didn't bring my phone. I feel very humbled by the experience, but I have to start somewhere. Here's to day 1.

[Anna]

Good Job Lori! It is great that you started even though it was difficult it should get better.

[Erin]

Lori that's really good!

[Lynnie]

I think speed is a big thing with joggin too.. b/c I think I was going too fast the first week I did it. I jogged/walked on Saturday and started going a lot slower when I jogged and I could go much longer than I thought I could. They say you have to work up to speed. So i'm fine jogging slow even though I probably look crazy! haha.

[Lori]

And you also don't want to go too far. If you start out trying to do too much, you're going to get hurt and/or burnt out.

[Tahleen]

Good job Lori! Keep it up, soon you will go a mile w/o stopping and w/o a problem.

[Lori]

I went back out there today. I did it differently. I tried speed walking at first. Then I'd jog from one street sign to the next, walk from one to the next, then jog for the mile. I felt a lot better doing that than what I did yesterday.

[Justine]

I think I'm going to walk if it clears up this afternoon. I really dislike boring outdoor activities. I even dislike doing things I love outdoors - I hated the marching band portion of colorguard because we were outside all night, I loved being in the gymnasium.
I'm trying to spice things up by taking my camera and audiobooks. I'm also telling myself that I'm only doing it to break in new boots that are arriving today (cherry red 14-i Dr Martens, if you're wondering). I've been trying to get a crunches/yoga routine going, but so far it's been pretty lax - I've been slacking.
How do you get motivated for things you kind of really don't want to do? I'm stuck.

[Ashley]

Ok, so my dad bought my Mom the Wii Fit game for christmas... (Don't worry, she literally asked him for it, otherwise he wouldn't have done it lol) but anyways I've tried it and i love that thing!!

If you don't like being outdoors, I would recommend it. The only problem is you have to have a wii...

but anyways it weighs you and keeps track of your progress for you, it has yoga, strength training, aerobics, and then games for fun.

As for motivation- it is a game still, you have to unlock new yoga poses and things like that. I'm a competitive person so that works for me!!

[Justine]

I really want to get the wii fit and/or the other one that tracks all your movements, but my boyfriend says I can't get either until we have a living room, but I think I can make it work...haha.

[Lori]

I'd like to get a Wii fit. But I'd have to get a Wii first. And I just don't want to spend that kind of money.

To motivate myself to do stuff I don't want to do, I remind myself that running is probably the fastest way to get the weight off and I want that weight gone! When school starts up in August, I plan on enrolling in a Zumba or Spin class to burn more calories.

[Justine]

I wish I could just get past my hatred for running. And the outdoors. Haha.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

I want Wii Fit! Sounds like my cup of tea! I hate running and going to the gym ..but that sounds like perfect motivation!

[Lori]

I looked and at Walmart, it's $429 for the Wii console, remote, Wii fit stuff, and a nunchuck. While I was planning on making a major purchase this summer, I think that buying a Wii will be about as useful a decision as buying a DS last year.

[R]

I want the Wii Fit too! My brother and I are thinking of splitting the cost for a Wii, so I can use it to exercise and he can play old N64 games on it. But it'll probably end up being really underutilized during term time, so maybe not.

Now I'm trying to get fitter by going cycling and playing tennis again... I usually get pretty sedentary during breaks and now I'm trying to get out of that habit.

[Angie]

I need to cut back my soda/pop/soda pop intact. I would drink one bottle of Pepsi a week, maybe, if that, and now I'm drinking several cans a day. For what it's worth, I don't think my swapping chai for soda is equalling out.

I'm at the weight I want to be, which is ten pounds more than I was when I returned to the US in April. The saddest thing is that I don't know if my weight loss overseas was due to eating nutritious food and exercise, or the poor quality food that I got (plus it being almost strictly vegetarian). :\

[Emily]

I hate running. Hate hate hate. And I hate traditional exercises. So clearly it's hard for me to stay active. Walking to classes helps, and I used to get more of a workout during marching band season (marching tuba. hell yeah) but now I don't really know what to do. Maybe I should find a pool and go swimming every other day or something. I like swimming. And I should go on walks too. I'm sure my boyfriend would be willing to go with me. He's very supportive. It's just I'm gong to be so busy next year with a ridiculous class overload I'm just worried I'm going to let stuff slide, and that added to the slightly more greasy dining hall food at this new college is going to mean even more weight gain.
Ugg. I'm just going to have to get myself together and make this work.

[Anna]

I've had the wii-fit since Feb and still use it almost regularly. Most nights I do yoga after work, and on some of my days off I usually do around 30 minutes of aerobics/strength training. I think it would use it more if it didn't take so much time to get to the exercise part, and if it could be one fluid workout instead of having to pick what you want to do every time. It does help me stay focused on the task at hand though cause usually I do like 2 lunges and consider that a workout.
Justine- I have mine in my bedroom and it works just fine, except I have to stand right in front of the tv and I often kick my bed

[Sarah (Mood Reader)]

I am trying my best to lose weight. I miss what I used to weigh and look like. Right now I'm at an unhealthy 200 lbs and I would like to weigh 140 lbs. I have started by letting go of how many soda's I used to drink in a day. I used to go through 3 or 4 now I have 1 if that. Then I have removed slushies from my life which was the hardest for me and if I do get one it's a small, but it's very rare that I get one. I have also been meaning to get into my Wii fit again but have been putting it off. Other than that my boyfriend and I are walking on the weekends.

[Sarah (Mood Reader)]

Alright I have a question for all you ladies? Who hates trying to lose weight and since you feel like you've been trying you put clothes on and their still too tight or clothes you had on not that long ago feel tight?

[Angie]

I was pleasantly surprised coming home and fitting into jeans I haven't worn in years.

However, since I've gained ten pounds, all those cute new clothes I brought back with me are starting not to fit. They still fit, but they're too tight for comfort. I wouldn't mind if they were t-shirts but these are traditional clothes that were hand-tailored. :\ :(

[Lynnie]

I know what you mean Sarah.. I just keep telling myself that this is a journey and not an overnight thing. Even though it might not feel like it's paying off, keep up with the healthy habits! It's bound to make a difference at some point even if it might take a little longer than we might like

[Tahleen]

Something I notice is that when I'm eating right and exercising, I feel thinner, even though I know I haven't changed in appearance! It makes me feel better to be healthy.

[Erin]

I was really excited because I just found a list of exercise books for horseback riders. I have been kinda worried about working out in the wrong ways. I learned recently that running is actually bad for your riding because it works the wrong muscles.

[Lynnie]

really? That's odd... my mom was a hardcore runner and rider - although she wasn't really riding much anymore once she started running. And now she's back to riding and hasn't run in years. So what kind of exercises? You make me nervous b/c I've been doing both at the same time!

[Tahleen]

So... who else goes on a "break" for a few days at a time? ...because that is me right now haha.

[Mandee]

Ha :) ... absolutely! We had a True Blood marathon last night and I ate (and drank) a ton. The day before that I had a wedding to go to. The day before that we had a going away party for a friend who got a summer singing position. Enough said. :P

[Kailey]

I am on vacation and I have been eating my heart out! I will go back to exercise and moderation when I get back home, but right now it is time of cut loose and enjoy!!

[Mandee]

I think it's healthy to let go sometimes... for a while there I think I was getting too obsessed, so even though I drank too much (which we all know is just empty calories...ugh) and I didn't eat healthy this past weekend, I feel like I'm going about things in a healthier way.

Kailey, I'm glad you're having a blast on your vacation!!

[Erin]

Lynn I don't know much about it. I wanted to ask my PT today but ran out of time(I was late to work). Right now I'm doing core strengthening exercises which will help you with your seat, but if you aren't stretching your core while strengthening it then you will get into trouble like I am now.

[Amber]

I really need to start running/jogging, I've always wanted to. So I definately plan on starting in the next few days... I hope lol

[Tahleen]

I just need to join a gym. I decided I hate running outside. And haven't done it in almost a week.

[Lori]

I hate running outside too. And I haven't done it in almost a week. But I think I hate the gym even more. I just need to suck it up for the summer and when school starts, I'll take a class.

[Lynnie]

well my big wedding weekend has come and gone and I've been looking through photos... both professional and amatuer.. Some are good (a few really good), some are bad (some maybe even atrocious if I allowed myself to dwell, but I'm trying to stop myself from doing that!)... I really didn't lose weight before the wedding (like 5 lbs tops.. probably more like 3) so now that the stress is off maybe I'll do an even better job.. I'd like to be at a healthy weight by the beginning of next summer, preferably before then.

One thing I've noticed... no one cares about your weight/body as much as you. Anyone else agree??

[Emily]

I agree completely. I'm always thinking of how overweight I am and how I need to be more healthy, but my boyfriend actually thinks I'm skinny. And it's funny, because I think all of my friends are the perfect weight and absolutely beautiful, and they're all about the same as me.
We're our own worst critics you know.

[Lynnie]

Exactly! So that's a positive thought to me! b/c I'm like "Hey, self, shut up! You're the only one saying it!" haha

[Melissa]

About three years ago I started running, well walking then made my way up to running I also started eating better and smaller portions. I lost alot of weight. Then I hit a road block. I got pneumonia and couldnt run for months, I get the okay to run again and I get in a bad car accident and am not able to run until my doctor says I can.

So I was in great shape and into running for fun, and now I have to force my self back into it I was able to do my five mile normal run for the first time in a while, which is a big step, but I havent done it since. I need to be able to fit in my wedding dress, I have gained a little bit of the weight i lost back so I have 16 days to get there. Running and taebo everyday for me!

[Anna]

Good Luck Melissa, it seems like an entirely possible goal. I always think it is easier to get started doing something if you have done it before (does that make sense?).

I also agree that we are our own worst critics. But last year I was over 20 lbs heavier than I am now and everyone said I looked fine but once I lost the weight they are all saying how much better I look. I was nearly 200lbs so I was actually overweight but I think a major thing is that now I carry myself more confidently cause I feel better about myself and that probably matters more than weight.

[Tahleen]

Appetites Why Women Want

I know I've mentioned this book before somewhere, not sure if it was here or not, but every woman should read this book. Every one. I suggested it to a customer today at the bookstore and I think she took it; it is an amazing book and it changed my life.