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dr.com "Fit For Summer" Challenge


bilrus

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It actually took me awhile to buy a bottle of olive oil because of the high fat content, though it is the monounsaturated fat which is good for you. Of course, very light hand on everything... but what do you suggest using instead? Actually last night i roasted some eggplant with salt, black pepper, garlic and some crushed red pepper... deeelish

you need a little olive oil or butter or pork fat or duck fat or something nice and natural to help lubricate things and bring out the flavors. a little of anything is good for you.

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It actually took me awhile to buy a bottle of olive oil because of the high fat content, though it is the monounsaturated fat which is good for you. Of course, very light hand on everything... but what do you suggest using instead?
I respectfully suggest that you ditch the diet coke and low fat cheese product for stuff that you can pronouce...like butter, olive oil, and as jonathan suggests, a little bit of natural fat. It's good for you. At least better for you than processed crapola that many people trying to eat "low fat" gravitate towards.

If you really want the most bang for your buck, eliminate empty calories (I'm talking about snacks and ALCOHOL!) from your diet and keep the real food. Since I've given up liquor, I feel good about ordering dessert and I lost 5 pounds in about 2 weeks**.

**I also lost my sense of humor, some awesome dance moves, and my will to live.

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you need a little olive oil or butter or pork fat or duck fat or something nice and natural to help lubricate things and bring out the flavors. a little of anything is good for you.

In fact, sensible diet/lifestyle plans (including Weight Watchers) stress that you should continue to consume a small amount of good fats such as olive oil (along the lines of 2 tsp. per day). They're necessary for any number of bodily processes, including processing fat-soluble vitamins and boosting one's HDL levels.

Butter, pork fat and duck fat do not qualify as good oils - although at least they're better than trans fats.

As for Scott's recommendation to split your meal, that's something the +1 and I do all the time. If we don't want the same thing, we'll set aside half (and sometimes more) of our entrées to be taken home. In addition to keeping your portions reasonable, we've found it encourages ordering healthier preparations of dishes - a lot of the heavier preparations (e.g., frying) don't produce good leftovers.

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I respectfully suggest that you ditch the diet coke and low fat cheese product for stuff that you can pronouce...like butter, olive oil, and as jonathan suggests, a little bit of natural fat. It's good for you. At least better for you than processed crapola that many people trying to eat "low fat" gravitate towards.

It's true that less processed food is better for you, but on some level I think it's counterproductive to put down hard and fast rules on things like this. Is it better to drink water than Diet Coke? Absolutely. Am I going to do it? No. I love Diet Coke. A weight-loss plan that entirely deprives me of things I enjoy is a weight-loss plan that I will eventually fail to follow. And whether those things I enjoy include low-fat part-skim string cheese or artisanal organic bufala mozzarella (or in my case, both) doesn't matter as much as keeping an eye on the portion size of either. My two cents, anyway.

When I roast vegetables, what I usually do is lightly spray Pam over them and then drizzle on a tsp or so of olive oil, then mix the batch with my hands. Maximum coverage from minimal oil. You could do the same thing with a mister if Pam gives you the shivers. If you skimp too much on the oil you don't get that lovely roasty carmelization, but there's no reason to overdo it.

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Exactamundo Jm Chen. I do agree that small amounts of full fats probably keep you fuller longer, but 1) i've been drinking lowfat milk all my life, so whole milk tastes WAY too heavy for me; 2) I use OO and vegetable oils because I want to keep my saturated fat intake relatively low.

And Diet Coke IS nasty. Coke Zero is much better. :P

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Hey, I never even saw this thread.

The Mrs. and I decided to detox and refit in January, too. We're eating lean protein and rabbit food, mostly, and have gone strictly teetotal for the duration.

So far, the dieting hasn't really bothered me, but I don't much like the bugs crawling around under my skin.

PS: Dare I ask wtf is going on in the forum section associated with this particular topic?

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When I roast vegetables, what I usually do is lightly spray Pam over them and then drizzle on a tsp or so of olive oil, then mix the batch with my hands. Maximum coverage from minimal oil.
We usually put all of the vegetables in a ziplock bag with a teaspoon (or teaspoon and half) of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then shake. Similarly, when making salad, we always toss with 3 tablespoons of a lighter dressing. Mixing it thoroughly makes it easier to use less.

On a side note, if running late, we eat a quick salad before making dinner so we don't kill each other.

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Dare I ask wtf is going on in the forum section associated with this particular topic?

Each person participating in the challenge has been given a codename by DR and their own thread in the "Fit for Summer Challenge" section to monitor progress and encourage encouragement.

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And Diet Coke IS nasty. Coke Zero is much better. :P
Maybe I had a bad batch the first time I tried it - it tasted like carbonated soy sauce, and everyone with me at the party in question agreed. As for DC itself, the version with Splenda is much better than the original, although they've yet to produce a caffeine-free version (drat it all).

For me, the Queen Mother of all diet drinks would have to be Boylans Diet Cream Soda. Their Diet Birch Beer comes in a close second, but I can almost never find it around here. My daily diet soda of choice is Caffeine Free Diet Dr. Pepper.

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I've discussed this with Bill Russell, and he has agreed to host this forum.

As of right now, I'm the only person who knows the code names, and I will not share them with anyone - not even with Bill. But I encourage all participants in this Fitness Challenge to entrust him with this information by sending him a PM.

In the event that you still want only me to know this (which is fine), PM me updates every other week or so. I'll strip off your identifying information and pass it along to Bill to post. But again, I promise everyone here that if there's one person on these boards you can trust to keep things in confidence, it's Bill Russell.

Cheers, thank you Bill, and keep the motivation going everyone!

Rocks.

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Olive, butter, duck and pork fats do not make humans “fat”; sequestered lifestyle, processed corn syrup, metabolic stinginess, denial soft-drinks and pyrite chip-snack methodology does.

I partially agree, and would note that skim milk is what is used to fatten pigs so too much of anything can be a bad thing. :P I have been using exercise, smaller portions, increasing fruit and veg intake, drinking plenty of water, and eating whole grains, and have lost 23 pounds since the beginning of fall.

And I would urge everyone who's been putting it off to have a physical, including a blood pressure check, glucose tolerance test, and bloodwork to check your metabolic processes. My inability to lose weight for several years was due to thyroid disease that morphed into thyroid cancer. Plus, if you're glucose impaired there are good medicines that, combined with diet & weight loss, can help stave of the development of diabetes. See your doctors!

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I've discussed this with Bill Russell, and he has agreed to host this forum.

I’ve loved food my entire life. I’ve learned to love it even more in the last four years since I discovered eGullet and then donrockwell.com. We’re all on this site because we love food – good food.

I’ve also been overweight and struggled with losing weight off and on for most of my adult life. I’ve had some successes – I’ve lost 45 pounds on Nutri-System (awful, just awful) and 50 and 115 in two separate stints on Weight Watchers. I’ve also had equal failures – gaining that weight back each time.

So, I’m not an expert. For those of you who have met me, I’m sure that weight loss and fitness aren’t the first thing that come to mind. For those of you who haven’t, here’s my picture. My “Before” shot from this New Year’s Eve.

drweightpic2jr5.jpg

I need to do this now. I’ve never had any health problem from my weight and I’ve never looked at my size as more than a slight inconvenience. But I have a family history of diabetes and the complications – blindness, amputations and early death. I’ve got a long way to go. I need to lose that first 10% just to get on the right track. If you haven’t figured it out yet – my codename was Defense (I've changed it to bilrus - I can change any of yours if you want me to) and my 10% goal is 53 pounds. You can do the math from there.

Not everyone has to lose as much as I do or for the same reasons as I do. But 10% is a significant commitment no matter what. It will improve your health, the way your clothes fit and maybe even allow you to feel less guilt at that next blow-out dinner.

If you’ve ever been to a Weight Watchers meeting you know that they can be helpful, but a lot of time is spent discussing strategies to eat what I consider crappy fake food and it often seems like the people in the meetings have an antagonistic relationship with food. I know that shouldn’t be a problem here. I think that together, by sharing the particular issues we all encounter as “food people” (or foodies, gastronauts, whatever we come up with on that other thread), sharing recipes that you like, sharing encouragement we can help each other out and succeed.

I agreed to host this forum for selfish reasons. I need the extra encouragement and pressure to succeed. But I also want to help everyone else out and give back some to this community that has meant so much to me over the last few years.

Good luck and keep me up to date on your progress.

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Is it okay that I had an eclair, some sort of cookie with chocolate icing, and a couple of rugelachs for dessert last night? :D

The eclair was a "mini" eclair. :P

I thought last night we agreed that the eclair was OK. Now you're just going crazy. :lol:

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You know one thing that really helped me get back into shape (after 4 years locked in mortal combat with my body during college) was a foreman grill. I know most of you probably shudder at the thought (if it makes you feel better just get a nice grill pan which is what I use now) but this really really helped me eat healthier with a really busy schedule. The thing I like about it is that I could cook a piece of chicken or a pork chop without adding all of the sugary sauces, fats, etc. etc. that I would add when cooking on the grill or roasting or something. I would just spray the pan with pam and throw some s&P and whatever herbs I had laying around on the meat and toss it on there. I know it is not a culinary masterpiece but it fit in with my healthy week/ sensible weekend plan. I would eat that and a steamer basket full of whatever veggie I had with some lemon juice salt and pepper or dill (again whatever was laying around) Monday through Friday. You can mix it up a lot, throw the meat (while hot) on some baby spinach and have a warm spinach salad, or on a small bit of pasta with some hand crushed roma tomatoes. But saving the serious culinary work for the weekend really helped. I ate a lot less unhealthy cuts and preparations during the week and it also made the elaborate well marbled steak or bbq pork shoulder all the more special when I could only have it on the weekend.

I do believe in portion control also but I have always been an overeater, as I am sure many of you are, and that is so so hard to change. As long as there is good food in front of me I can't resist, I will eat until it hurts. I just started making sure if I was going to overeat I would shove my stomach full of stuff that my body could actually use. For example when my team wouuld go out for lunch or order pizza for a lunch meeting I would eat a banana and apple right before. I knew I would never be able to resist the smell of the pizza and watching all of my friends eat it so I figured I would rather have a stomach full of fruit than scarf down 5 pieces of pizza. I would always have like half a slice and everyone would always ask me if I was feeling alright. I have gotten a lot better at turning things down on a daily basis, dessert here and there, that last 5 bites of steak that I can barely get down, grabbing a spinach salad instead of a sandwich from a takeout place, subbing green beans for the fries etc etc but I still don't fully trust my willpower and if I feel like I am about to be ttempted I try to take the option away from myself by filling up on something good for me.

By the way I think this is a great idea. I am not really participating with the weight loss portion (I have been going strong, eating extremely healthy and excercising everyday for about 3 years now) but I would be more than happy to run a workout or jog with anyone around Bethesda or Silver Spring. I work a lot of nights but I am free sometimes and usually all weekend. If you have a WSC membership all the better. I have a lot of cross-ex type workouts I have made or some boxing style circuits that would have to be done in a gym. Fair warning though, according to Beth I can push a little hard.... I think there might have been a couple of times she wanted to take a swing at me when we trained for our last half marathon.

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There are definitely folks here whose weight loss approach is fairly different from mine. However, I encourage everybody here to try and be supportive when possible. If you find somebody's weight loss approach so morally-deficient that you can't be supportive, I recommend just taking a deep breath and going to find a different thread.

I'm not trying to be Polyanna and let's all just hold hands together and be friends and love one another. But, this thread isn't going to help much if all the different 'camps' (e.g. 'carbs are bad!' 'fat is bad' 'processed is bad' 'calories are calories, no matter what') decide that what they really need to do is 'educate' the other camps on how wrong they are.

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I have a lot of cross-ex type workouts I have made or some boxing style circuits that would have to be done in a gym. Fair warning though, according to Beth I can push a little hard.... I think there might have been a couple of times she wanted to take a swing at me ...

You better watch out during the boxing workouts then.

A new gym called LA Boxing is opening up in my 'hood in Ashburn soon and as I understand it they have a one week trial membership. I'm thinking about giving it a shot. Everyone says it is a great workout and it sounds better than riding a stationary bike. Besides I'm a pretty big boxing fan. It isn't exactly Kronk gym, but it might be fun.

Sincerely, the Great (Big) White Hope

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I'm not trying to be Polyanna and let's all just hold hands together and be friends and love one another. But, this thread isn't going to help much if all the different 'camps' (e.g. 'carbs are bad!' 'fat is bad' 'processed is bad' 'calories are calories, no matter what') decide that what they really need to do is 'educate' the other camps on how wrong they are.

Agreed. Chacun a son goût. (Hey, I do remember some French from high school.)

Each person here is going to be doing this in their own way, as they should. Everyone's approach should, in the end, have something to recommend it. Hopefully the Challenge can spur discussion, but not argument. Maybe we can all learn something new along the way.

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I lost forty pounds in between pregnancies using Weight Watchers and eating a lot of low-fat processed food, so I know it works (whether you want to go on living is another story :P ) The problem is once you lose the weight and go back to eating "real" food, it starts coming back. That approach doesn't work for me. YMMV.

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I lost forty pounds in between pregnancies using Weight Watchers and eating a lot of low-fat processed food, so I know it works (whether you want to go on living is another story :P ) The problem is once you lose the weight and go back to eating "real" food, it starts coming back. That approach doesn't work for me. YMMV.
How long ago was the space between yuor pregnancies? I'm just wondering because I lost roughly 40 lbs. on WW roughly 4 years ago and I've kept it off. But I never bothered with any low-fat processed foods. At least when I did WW, you weren't relegated to the world of low-fat and processed (which I whole-heartedly eschew). Has the plan changed that much?
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How long ago was the space between yuor pregnancies? I'm just wondering because I lost roughly 40 lbs. on WW roughly 4 years ago and I've kept it off. But I never bothered with any low-fat processed foods. At least when I did WW, you weren't relegated to the world of low-fat and processed (which I whole-heartedly eschew). Has the plan changed that much?

The WW plan is pretty much the same as it was four years ago - counting points based on fat, fiber and calories. But they have added a new plan called the Core plan. It allows unlimited (or at least nearly unlimited) amounts of certain foods that are completely unprocessed and less counting of points.

I had heard that they may be making some adaptations to the plan in the last few months though.

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Each person here is going to be doing this in their own way, as they should. Everyone's approach should, in the end, have something to recommend it. Hopefully the Challenge can spur discussion, but not argument. Maybe we can all learn something new along the way.

Hear hear.

Tonight I'm taking my first swing at seeing how Restaurant Week and Weight Watchers come together. It might not be pretty. But I'm following some of Scott's tips upthread, and I plan to do a little research beforehand on what Rasika is offering and how I can make smart food choices within that framework.

The wine and cheese party I'm going to later in the week, now, that will be harder. Because, well, cheeeeese.

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How long ago was the space between yuor pregnancies? I'm just wondering because I lost roughly 40 lbs. on WW roughly 4 years ago and I've kept it off. But I never bothered with any low-fat processed foods. At least when I did WW, you weren't relegated to the world of low-fat and processed (which I whole-heartedly eschew). Has the plan changed that much?
My kids are 7 1/2 and 4 1/2. The WW plan didn't dictate processed food. It was just easier to count points by eating a Lean Cuisine (shudder) and a salad than try to calculate what an actual meal worked out to be.

Portion control has always been key for me. I try not to overserve myself at home, and my friends who've dined out with me have probably noticed by now that I never finish anything on my plate. :P

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I have never been overweight, but at my heaviest was a good 15lbs more than I am now (they don't call it the freshman 15 for nothing right), and this is the best advice I can offer. Eating well and light, whatever "plan" or method you follow, shouldn't be looked at as a diet. Diets are temporary. It should be a lifestyle, a way of eating.

I could never go back to eating the fried foods I used to eat, or the creamy salad dressings. The thought of them turns me off... I don't miss fatty cuts of meat because I never ate that to begin with. There are so many wonderful foods out there that are absolutely delicious and healthy. And once you wean yourself off of anything, the cravings for it will go away.

On a side note, and this may just because I'm an allergic freak and have a weird GI tract, but I ate some fries and red meat after not having done so for years, and got pretty ill from that...

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I'm wondering what the critical mass is for a group of us to take over a WW meeting so that instead of talking about processed food we could be talking about real food. Of course, much of it depends on the quality of the leader...

Since I'm cheering from the sidelines until the Pomegranate arrives in March, I will echo JPWs pledge of ten cents per pound the group loses to SOS.

Jennifer

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I will echo JPWs pledge of ten cents per pound the group loses to SOS.

I'm up for this too (if everyone who is in right now reached their goal, this would come to exactly $100). I would even throw out another challenge that I'll donate a dollar for every pound I end up either beyond my goal or short of my goal.

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I have never been overweight, but at my heaviest was a good 15lbs more than I am now (they don't call it the freshman 15 for nothing right), and this is the best advice I can offer. Eating well and light, whatever "plan" or method you follow, shouldn't be looked at as a diet. Diets are temporary. It should be a lifestyle, a way of eating.

I could never go back to eating the fried foods I used to eat, or the creamy salad dressings. The thought of them turns me off... I don't miss fatty cuts of meat because I never ate that to begin with. There are so many wonderful foods out there that are absolutely delicious and healthy. And once you wean yourself off of anything, the cravings for it will go away.

On a side note, and this may just because I'm an allergic freak and have a weird GI tract, but I ate some fries and red meat after not having done so for years, and got pretty ill from that...

Welcome to dr.com, brettashley. I'm sure you mean well, but please know this: We know that you are not overweight. We know that even when you gained fifteen pounds you were not overweight. We know that you don't need to lose any weight. You've mentioned this is several posts. Why so many reminders (in the "fit for summer" thread) that you do not need to lose weight?

My weight loss strategy is to commit to a regular workout routine, eat out less frequently, and eat smaller portions of the things I like when I eat out. We'll see how this works. I'm not much for counting calories or depriving myself of the things I like, because I don't think I can sustain that over the long run. I'm sure many of you can, and I wish I were more like you!

Also, thanks for the reminders about olive oil. I tend to use quite a bit of it when I cook, because I know it's a good fat. Nevertheless, it's still fat, and I have been using it way too liberally. Keep those tips coming!

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I'm not trying to be Polyanna and let's all just hold hands together and be friends and love one another. But, this thread isn't going to help much if all the different 'camps' (e.g. 'carbs are bad!' 'fat is bad' 'processed is bad' 'calories are calories, no matter what') decide that what they really need to do is 'educate' the other camps on how wrong they are.
Opinions are like........diet plans. Everyone has them! And everyone probably thinks that theirs is theee VERY BEST!

The beauty of a public forum like this one, is that we have the opportunity to share our successes and our struggles - and to offer advice to one another in a showing of solidarity against all things that are evil like Velveeta and skinny bitches.

Kum Ba Yah.

If anyone is looking for an effective - and more importantly - enjoyable bodysculpting program, may I suggest Rep Reebok. If your gym of choice offers it, you should definitely check it out. You can also order it online.

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I'm wondering what the critical mass is for a group of us to take over a WW meeting so that instead of talking about processed food we could be talking about real food. Of course, much of it depends on the quality of the leader...

The online WW option means no meetings, for those who prefer not to take that route. It's cheaper, too.

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My weight loss strategy is to commit to a regular workout routine

For me personally this is the critical lynchpin to the whole weight loss enterprise. I know myself well enough that I will never completely cut out alcohol or stop eating every food that I love. I'll cut back (especially the alcohol, however much it pains me to pass by the wine/beer fridge every day) and commit to portion control. I've sat by for years watching the same 5 pounds come on and off, and try as I might to get myself to the gym on a regular basis I hated it. Treadmills hate me, and I them. It's not until I commited to a fitness goal (triathlon) that I actually started looking forward to the workouts. This isn't because actual gym time is minimized in favor of other workouts, but because I have a much stronger motivational impulse: not embarassing myself in an endurance event. The weight loss is secondary now, but it will come naturally if I stick to the plan (there are 2 other dr.com'ers in the same program, but I won't out them publicly :P ). Now I want the weight to come off because it will help me get faster.

(and it will also prevent me from looking ridiculous in one of those skin tight tri racing suits ...)

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I have never been overweight, but at my heaviest was a good 15lbs more than I am now (they don't call it the freshman 15 for nothing right), and this is the best advice I can offer. Eating well and light, whatever "plan" or method you follow, shouldn't be looked at as a diet. Diets are temporary. It should be a lifestyle, a way of eating.

I could never go back to eating the fried foods I used to eat, or the creamy salad dressings. The thought of them turns me off... I don't miss fatty cuts of meat because I never ate that to begin with. There are so many wonderful foods out there that are absolutely delicious and healthy. And once you wean yourself off of anything, the cravings for it will go away.

On a side note, and this may just because I'm an allergic freak and have a weird GI tract, but I ate some fries and red meat after not having done so for years, and got pretty ill from that...

BrettAshley,

I also welcome you to DR.com. I was once you. I have never been severely overweight in my life. But life does happen, babies, sadness, happiness,age, they all affect your weight. When you have been around the block once or twice you will know what I am talking about.

I am struggling with 15lbs at the moment, in the old days, I could lose it in a month and keep it off for years. It ain't true anymore.

Just thought I would share a little of my insight with you.

Hope to meet you soon,

Raisa

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Not to burst anyone's diet bubble, but there is one way (outside of surgery) to lose weight. Simply burn more calories than you consume. Like getting rich slowly, if you are able to consistently burn more than you consume, you have to lose weight. If you look at nutrition as a three legged stool there are fats, proteins, and carbs. Many diets concentrate on limiting one of the legs which will off set the other legs to work. I (and others) have found that these can not be sustained in the long run. Other diets look at moderation and balance of the three legs. We can generally agree that by rebalancing our diet and curbing portions, we can eat healthier and lose and maintain weight loss. Find out which diet works for you and work with it till you lose. Likewise, learning to live at a lower weight, and not reverting to previous portions and "unbalancing" the diet is a work in progress as well

Many people are trying to lose weight and get more fit at the same time. Not having a medical degree, but if we look at the equation above, by burning additional calories through exercise, we can eat more or lose weight faster. If we build muscle and endurance, we will also burn more calories by raising our metabolic rate and being able to sustain longer periods of exercise. Overall heath is also a three legged stool whose legs are Diet, Exercise, and Mental. Once again, you need a balance of the three to succeed. Since I already discussed exercise and diet, mental is the stress release, the ability to get off the couch and exercise and the ability to stop doing fork lifts and 12 oz curls. Personally, the exercise and mental are generally the hardest for me. Mental impacting the diet the most, as I often eat beyond the full point and consume a unbalanced diet.

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I'm up for this too (if everyone who is in right now reached their goal, this would come to exactly $100). I would even throw out another challenge that I'll donate a dollar for every pound I end up either beyond my goal or short of my goal.
Me too.

Oh, and I do the online ww program. There is no way I would actually go to meetings.

Years ago, I actually went to one and received some of the most ridiculous advice that I have ever heard. My friend and I practically fell out of our chairs when the leader told us to be strict with the bartenders because sometimes they tried to trick you by filling up your wine glass up higher than 6 ounces in order to get you to order more food. (okay, I acknowledge that one may have a tendency to eat more when they drink, but fighting back against someone who is trying to be a bit nice to you seems a little ridiculous; and, this plot to get you to order more food seems a bit farfetched).

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Thanks for taking this on, Bill. You're a brave man, since anybody in the world with a computer can read this. I'll happily lead your cheering section. :D

As I have mentioned previously, my mother was a fad dieter of the worst kind. She tried them all. Kept getting fatter and fatter. For me, it was when I stopped working and didn't do all that walking to and from the bus stop, or pounding my way up and down halls all day, that I gained weight. My diet didn't change any, but the lack of physical movement sure started to show.

Something else I've mentioned before (and won't again!) is that I lost a lot of weight starting about 3 1/2 years ago. How much? Dunno--I never weighed myself. That will end today when the mailperson brings the package from Amazon containing my new scale. (It turned out that our old scale is wildly inaccurate, like from minute to minute inaccurate, which is why Rocks won't add me to the list until I can get an accurate idea of how much I weigh and what a 10% loss would be.) Consequently, I don't know how much I have put back on. I just know my clothes don't fit.

For myself, I just don't see the point of "going on a diet" for exactly the reason Heather stated earlier in this thread. Rather, I am looking for a way to eat normally, starting with things like putting salsa on a baked potato instead of butter, and lose at the same time. Good thing I like salsa, the spicier the better. I suspect that what Dame Edna and I will do is eat simple stuff at home, watch our portions, eschew the cream sauces, keep an eye on the scale and then feel free to indulge in Tom Power's pork belly once or twice a year. I wonder if we can get him to substitute a salad or some veggies for the french fries with the Flat Iron Steak in the bar? :P

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I have been hesitating to post on this thread because I feel that weight is such a personal subject and one that is influenced by so many factors. But I just wanted to thank Bill for sharing his story and to send everyone who is taking part in this challenge all positive thoughts.

I do want to agree that for me, exercise is so key. I pretty much exercise every day and have for years and years. Some might say that I am an exercise addict, but I don't care. I would rather be addicted to exercise than anything else. I realize how hard it is to motivate, but I find that if I do something every day, it makes it so much easier.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I just wanted to lend my support to everyone who is taking on this challenge.

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Welcome to dr.com, brettashley. I'm sure you mean well, but please know this: We know that you are not overweight. We know that even when you gained fifteen pounds you were not overweight. We know that you don't need to lose any weight. You've mentioned this is several posts. Why so many reminders (in the "fit for summer" thread) that you do not need to lose weight?

I apologize. I'm embarassed and putting my foot in my mouth. I was using that fact as a disclaimer, because I am very interested in food and cooking, as well as fitness and nutrition, and wanted to participate in the discussion. I am sorry if I alienated anyone; my intention was the opposite.

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I'm going to start a new thread but I volunteered to track the donations that folks have offered to make to Share Our Strength in support of their own and other Rockweilers weight loss efforts. If you already posted here, no need to do so again, but if you would prefer to pledge anonomously, send me a PM.

Thanks!

Jennifer

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I have been hesitating to post on this thread because I feel that weight is such a personal subject and one that is influenced by so many factors. But I just wanted to thank Bill for sharing his story and to send everyone who is taking part in this challenge all positive thoughts.

I do want to agree that for me, exercise is so key. I pretty much exercise every day and have for years and years. Some might say that I am an exercise addict, but I don't care. I would rather be addicted to exercise than anything else. I realize how hard it is to motivate, but I find that if I do something every day, it makes it so much easier.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I just wanted to lend my support to everyone who is taking on this challenge.

See, this is where I struggle. I work, most weeks, about 70-80 hours a week. It's almost impossible for me to find significant and recurring exercise time. I really love the running program synaesthesia linked to because it's only 30 minutes and gives me days where walking is my only responsibility -- I desperately need that b/c gym time just isn't always possible. If I had more time, I'm pretty sure I'd be in the gym at least 5 days a week. Any suggestions for things I can do during my interminable 3 hours conference calls each day would be great! (I can lock my door, so no one sees me doing lunges while pontificating on Power Point slides.)

ETA: Ventworm! Ventworm! I'm a ventworm!!!

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See, this is where I struggle. I work, most weeks, about 70-80 hours a week. It's almost impossible for me to find significant and recurring exercise time. I really love the running program synesthesia linked to because it's only 30 minutes and gives me days where walking is my only responsibility -- I desperately need that b/c gym time just isn't always possible. If I had more time, I'm pretty sure I'd be in the gym at least 5 days a week. Any suggestions for things I can do during my interminable 3 hours conference calls each day would be great! (I can lock my door, so no one sees me doing lunges while pontificating on Power Point slides.)
Go buy some light dumbbells and you can exercise just about every major muscle group in the privacy of your office.

Wrist curls - forearm

Curls - bicep

Overhead extension - tricep

Shrugs - trapezius

dumbbell presses - pectoral

Military press - anterior/lateral deltoid

Front raises - anterior deltoid

Side raises - lateral deltoid

Bent-over flies - posterior deltoid

Bent-over rows - lats

And for your legs, they'll add some resistance to your lunges.

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Well this is another suggestion, which I've posted before in the other discussion started a while ago. It's the Rick Bradley program. That's linked to the WaPo article, but he also has a book. He used to work at DOT, which is how I know about it, and the article does discuss its effectiveness. The gist is it advocates regular, though not necessarily lengthy exercise. It's great since it doesn't demand a lot of time or exertion. You won't see the dramatic results you might with other lengthier more strenuous exercise, but it's a lifestyle change. It makes a lot of sense, otherwise if you overextend yourself it's easy to burn out and become demotivated.

Bonaire - maybe you could just keep some 5 lb. weights and do various curls. Lots of those exercise mags like Self and Shape have suggestions. The whole muscle mass building will help to burn more calories as well.

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See, this is where I struggle. I work, most weeks, about 70-80 hours a week. It's almost impossible for me to find significant and recurring exercise time.
I was finding it challenging to find the time as well, but recently I decided that I was just going to find it. The only time that I knew that I would likely not be bothered at work is the time in the morning in which I was asleep. So, I decided to get up an hour early and exercise a few times a week. I had thought of trying such a thing before, but I had always opted for the snooze when the time came. For me, I needed a little bit more commitment, so I scheduled training sessions in the morning (having a workout buddy would probably work too). After only a few weeks, I am staying up just as late, but I have much more energy throughout the day. Getting out of bed has become much easier as well. And, I am somehow getting to work even earlier than I had been previously (and, I have only once had to cancel at the last minute because of work obligations).
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Go buy some light dumbbells and you can exercise just about every major muscle group in the privacy of your office.

Wrist curls - forearm

Curls - bicep

Overhead extension - tricep

Shrugs - trapezius

Alternatively, you could surf porn.

NB - we're almost a week into this thing now. If you're having trouble getting jumpstarted, please PM bilrus (or me). Cheers, Rocks.

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I was finding it challenging to find the time as well, but recently I decided that I was just going to find it. The only time that I knew that I would likely not be bothered at work is the time in the morning in which I was asleep. So, I decided to get up an hour early and exercise a few times a week. I had thought of trying such a thing before, but I had always opted for the snooze when the time came. For me, I needed a little bit more commitment, so I scheduled training sessions in the morning (having a workout buddy would probably work too). After only a few weeks, I am staying up just as late, but I have much more energy throughout the day. Getting out of bed has become much easier as well. And, I am somehow getting to work even earlier than I had been previously (and, I have only once had to cancel at the last minute because of work obligations).

The only way I manage to get myself to the gym is to play racquetball. Because it's a game, I don't get the "God, I hate this. Working out sucks" thoughts, and instead only get the "I'm gonna kill this shot" thoughts. It's almost a suprise at the end of an hour when I realize I'm drenched in sweat. I tried the early-morning approach for a few weeks, and maybe having the workout buddy would've helped, but I somehow always knew I could just go back to bed and get another hour of (glorious) sleep. I stopped trying that and now I stick to the lunchtime or post-work gym visit. I'd recommend the "play a game" approach to anybody who has as much workout motivation trouble as I do.

Of course, even if I get to the gym 4 times a week (my target), it doesn't really put an effective dent in my drinking/eating. Such a shame that most good beers are really high in calories/carbs.

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