Speaking of bloating...what's the deal with sodium intake when you're on a diet? I think I should watch that because I eat a good amount of soy sauce. I saw some guy get in Big Trouble on the Biggest Loser for eating too much soy sauce!

I've lost two pounds so far, which I guess is good. My goal is 1-2 pounds per week until I reach my goal. Hoping to be there by my high school reunion in April.

Good for you!!! Anything under 2 pounds/week is healthy and the kind of weight you won't gain back with one bite of a nacho. I totally am bad with the sodium intake. I eat a Lean Cuisine at lunch with a microwave popcorn and then at night I'll have another popcorn. TONS of salt.

What is the deal with running? All of the ellipticals were taken at the gym today, so I had to use the treadmill. According to the machine, I burned a significantly fewer number of calories than I do on the elliptical and I feel like I worked twice as hard.

Thats weird, it should have told you that you burned more - if you actually ran. If you walked you would burn more on the elliptical.

A nice way to start running is to do a run walk type approach. so 1 min on, 2 min off then work your way to 2 min on 2 min off, then 2 min on, 1 min off, 3 min on, 1 min off. eventually you can work your way up so that you can run a full 20 min without stopping. my experience is running burns the MOST calories and i lose the most weight when i incorporate it somewhere at least weekly.

I dunno, maybe I entered the wrong weight by accident. I do 4 min at 4 mph and then 6 min at 6 mph for a half hour and I burned only 200 calories. The same amount of time with similar intensity intervals on the elliptical I burn about 350.

I hope the elliptical is free tomorrow, I hate the treadmill.

jenn i have done the same sort of interval you did and burned over 300 cals. Were you really sweating? there is no way that was only 200. Dont go by that. What you did was awesome and burned WAY more than the elliptical. Another good approach is to do treadmill for 10, elliptical for 10 and bike for 10. because you are only doing 10 on each and each is "easier" you will do it with more emphasis because you feel like you are getting a break....

Oh yeah, I was definitely sweating! Thanks for the reassurance...maybe I won't write the treadmill off just yet.

I like that idea of switching it up! Might give that a try today in fact...

I started the Biggest Loser diet a week ago and have been pretty good with it. I don't weigh myself because of a long standing fear of scales but my clothes are fitting different so I think that's a plus!!!

I'm on a detour.

I did elliptial for years and never had significant progress. Progress but not BIG progress. I started running doing the intervals i mentioned on the treadmill and weight started dropping and I started toning up quickly. I have worked with three different trainers in the past and two of them (i never discussed it with the first one) both said it is a very good way to lose weight. I almost feel like on days when I do elliptical that it is a waste of time! Especially since I was able to do it for an hour the week before i gave birth (I was trying to get the baby out lol). My trainer now has me doing intervals of running at 6.0-6.2 for a few mins and then a few mins at 4.2-4.4 but with the incline 100% up (its called "trekking"). you twist side to side as you trek, it also really works your core. So after a few mins of trekking you cant wait to stop and run again, and after a few mins of running you cant wait to slow down and trek again. The end result is you basically trekked for 10-15 mins and ran for 10-15 mins, getting an amazing cardio workout but you didnt have the daunting feeling of UGH i have to do this for 29 more minutes?

i ♥ spinning!

nooo! you have to get back on track. its too easy to just give up when you have a few cheats. you can get right back on. this afternoon is a new afternoon! start this afternoon!



spinning is awesome. i feel like its all dependent on the instructor though

ya i agree. i've walked out of classes many times because i wasn't feeling the music or the instructor. but when its good.... its gooooooooooood!

I ate like every meal was my last this past week and I lost a pound.

It's because your you know what ended!

But way to go! Now you can get back on track!

I want to weigh myself, but I told myself I'd only weigh once a week. I'm feeling great though because I'm improving at my workouts - taking less time to get my heart rate down, I can go a bit faster, and a bit longer too. Seeing something on the scale would be an added bonus though!

Actually it never started and I'm starting to believe in immaculate conception. My bra size has increased a full size but I lost a pound.

With your workouts you may possibly not see any change this week because you're building muscle but that's still good because muscle burns fat faster!!!!

Holy crap! I tried chaishai's advice about switching up running and trekking on the treadmill. I am soooo not ready for that. I think I pulled an a$$ muscle.

that just sounded funny.

Gained a pound this week.

Oh well, not gonna let it get me down, just keep chuggin'.

I so am not dieting. I tell myself I'll start tomorrow and then overindulge that day.

it's muscle!!! you've been exercising like a madwoman so you're gonna gain muscle. Muscle is good.

I think a once/month weigh in is the best idea for women.

I havent logged my food in for a week and a half now. I hate logging in my food!!!!! I feel like a prisoner when I do that.

I think you're right about the weighing only once a month thing. Only thing with that is it would be 4 times as frustrating to see that you hadn't lost anything!




Oh, and I'm gonna go join the OT thread if you ladies don't get with the program!

OMG!

Ok Jenn you guilted me into exercising. Got out my old vcr and just did my Walk Away the Pounds video. It does 2 miles and although I used to not even break a sweat while doing it I'm almost certain I won't be able to walk without being in pain tomorrow!!! Those muscles have not seen any action in a looooooooooooooooooooooooong time!!!! Gonna commit to doing this 3 times a week to start.

Good girl! I've felt so much better all around since I started exercising again. I always forget that it *does* make me feel good and it's worth the effort.

I used to love doing Cindy Crawford's Shape Your Body video when I was in high school. I wish I still had a VCR because I'd probably still do it. Videos definitely help motivate.

Keep up the good work!

I think once you find a tape/dvd that you love you should stick to it. I did my old pilates tape from way back tonight. OMG. lol. It takes so much of my mind to concentrate on expanding my ribs when i breath in and contracting my abs when I breath out. Then I have to remember all the other moves on top of that and now I have a rip roarin' headache! Funny though....working out make me not want to pig out.

This is ridiculous! I had a moment yesterday where I reached to my back to scratch it-- and I felt back wrinkle! BACK WRINKLE has got to GO. This means Ammar has seen back wrinkle and hasn't even said anything to me. I checked last night and at least it only appears when I reach back or bend slightly, but that is not cool.

I am going to start the couch to 5k. I've done well with my stair stepper-- I've gotten a lot of inches down but the weight is still the same. There is not much cardio involved in the stepper because I'm well adjusted to it and I have it in 15 minute bouts-- so I am thinking couch to 5k, then stair stepper afterwards because that will maximize its effect. I'm still like 40 lbs over what i want (30 minimum) and 4 sizes up. I guess that's about 10lbs per size.

Totally unrelated and cool-- they are putting in a fire alarm system into our new part of our building here and the alarm panel is next to me. The guy started soldering the wires and as soon as he did that we got radio! he says there is an antenna on that circuit. How weird!

Also totally unrelated and not cool, today I am using gloves here because yesterday i saw my nasty boss sticking a pen in his ear and picking out earwax while talking to me and then rubbing it on his shirt. He then told me a few hours later he returned "my" pen to the desk-- where ALL pens look alike. Who does that??? That was disgusting to watch and worse now that it's back!

What is couch to 5K?

eewww about the pen!!! There's a sweet elderly man who works two cubes over from me and every frikkin' week I hear *clip...plop* *clip....plop* *clip....plop*....he cuts not only his fingernails at work but his TOENAILS though at least he does it over the waste basket (that's the plop sound).


As for the back wrinkle at least it isn't back fat!!!!! One time I watched myself in the mirror in every conceivable "position" that my husband could see me in from his view and OMGWTFBBQ!!!

Jenn-- the link is here:

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

It's basically what I did the last time I got nice and thin. I am not a runner and I abhor exercise in general. I could do this though because I had motivation to be thinner and also it wasn't killing me.

Ewww about the toenails! All I have to say is that I try to get it as dark as possible whenever DH is going to see me He says I am getting thinner, but I think that is 90% lying, 5% encouragement, and 5% wishful thinking.

ETA: oh and BW does mean there is getting to be a layer of back fat, enough to wrinkle! Sigh. I keep feeling all my ribs to trying to tell myself it will be OK

Thanks, Julianna. This looks good. I've been doing the treadmill lately and this looks like something I could do. I think I'll start today with either week 3 or 4 workouts. I'd love to be able to jog for a half hour straight!

I think it was Jen-- Sereia-- who posted this link the first time. So thanks Jen! That's the thing-- I would love to be that in-shape as well. I can't imagine what would happen if I really HAD to do something-- I mean even on a basic level, if I was being chased by some crazy man in the parkinglot, I don't know how long I could last! So it goes just beyond basic health to stay in shape, it can come in handy in many kinds of situations.

My basic problem has always been respiratory-- as a likely symptom of circulatory weakness (needing to work on my heart's stamina). I could run 5k right now with little to no muscle issues, but I just can't breathe after a certain point! So I will start at week one to try to build up my lungs. I do recover pretty quickly though, so this is a great kind of workout for me. I have to do something, as BW has thoroughly motivated me. I was thinking I could probably do this at work actually, up and down the first floor hall as dorky as that sounds-- I have a hard time doing much after I get home.

Oh my aching anterior tibialises!

Did you do it?

I did! Week 4...was a bit hard for me still - the rest intervals are shorter than I'm used to (90 seconds). And the muscles on the outside of my calves get really sore when I do the walking in between. But I feel good overall. I'll try again on Thursday and see if I can't improve some.

I did it too! I did it here at work in my down time (which is about 80% of my work time ). I just ran up and down the first fllor hall. No one ever notices anything here

Why didn't you start at week 1???

Oh, well because week 1 is too easy I think, given what I've been doing so far. It's couch to 5K, and I'm a bit more advanced than couch at this point, I hope! I was almost able to do the week 4 workout, just cut 2 minutes off the last jog. I think I can complete it on Thursday...no pain no gain!



What a strange workplace!

Actually, Jenn, I totally agree. I barely feel like I did anything yesterday. I think I'll do week 1 again today and see how that goes but if I feel like this tomorrow, I'm going to have to skip up a week.

Made it through the week 4 workout. I'm pooped!

I'm really having problems with this muscle though on the outside of my shins. It gets really sore when I do the walking intervals. I notice that it only starts to hurt *after* I run, when I slow down to a brisk walk. Then if I go even slower, it hurts more. I'm worried my form isn't great when running.

Gonna post in the OT thread as well in case anyone knows...

Ok, they've convinced me over in OT to abandon the running. Screw this, I'm going back to the elliptical!

I *was* gonna suggest looking into what type of shoe you're wearing. The right sneaker makes all the difference in the world. I went about two years ago to this sneaker place in Danvers and they had me walk back and forth in front of them and they decided the sneaker that was good for me along with inserts because I have flat feet and I walk inverted or whatever. They were expensive but I still have them and they're awesome!



I have to do my walk away the pounds tape and I wanna lay on the couch and read a book instead.

Yeah, I've concluded that I'm an underpronator and I'd have to get special shoes which will probably be $500 or something, so I'm going back to the elliptical where I won't have shooting pains in my legs unless I fork over some cash.

Come on, get going! Walk away the pounds and THEN you can read as a reward!

I'm wiggling my pinkie toe so I'm almost there. lol. My shoes were only $125 and the inserts were around $30 so not near the $500 mark. Plus they're still good though admittedly I don't exactly pound the pavement with them. lol

LOL, oh I know I was exaggerating. Maybe when we get our stimulus money, ha!

Ok I did it. Then I read two chapters of Three Cups of Tea.

I wouldn't recommend it. The book I mean. Big ole yawner it is. I think maybe I've been spoiled because my parents have been dropping off Brian Haig books when they finish them and those you just can't put down and they make me laugh.

This one however....I think will end up in the pile of books I never finished because they were just tough to stay focused on.

Well! Yesterday I decided to take a risk and see if my boss is going to be absent today and not do couch to 5k and wait for today. I did stair stepping, abs, arms, and push-ups instead.

The best part of my report is how I said push-ups like I did a lot. I did 15.