Hey everybody!

[ewagner]

I'm generally the last person to talk about exercise and fitness but since the heart attack, I've taken a whole new interest in it.....hope to get lots of new ideas from people here..

[msgadget]

1. Hey,

I'm glad to be here and can't wait to get started. I just picked up a comparison of all the diet plans - Volumetrics, Low Carb, Weight Watchers - but know deep down that only sustainable lifestyle changes have a lasting impact on health. I'm easily distracted so it's good to have a group here on DU to check in with.

Let's get this party started! :party: :bounce:

[ewagner]

5. I'm having a fit

with this new no fat, low (as possible) sodium diet.......

shopping is a nightmare....everything is LOADED WITH SODIUM!

My wife went online on Sunday to McDonalds, Burger King, Hardee's and Kentucky Fried Chicken and downloaded their "nutritional information". She then took my menu for a typical day when I was on-the-road (selling) and added up the fats and sodium that I did in one day.....UN-BE-LIEVE-ABLE!!!!!! And I did this three days a week for 10 YEARS!!! I'm surpirised I didnt die years ago......

[msgadget]

12. Ah man,

I hear ya and it's not a way of eating one even WANTS to sustain but it is the diet cardiologists advocate. I picked up a low-sodium/low-fat cookbok for family member and, honestly, the meals were not filling and the salt WAS missed.

We saw the nutritionist and I asked if this was a diet that could be eased into by cutting down on one thing at a time. For instance, could we start off by learning to use salt substitutes and restrict sodium first and then replace bad fats with good ones and move on from there. Insurance companies sometimes limit the number of visits one has with the nutritionist so they weren't too encouraging.

Homemade soups made from low-sodium broths preceeding lunch and/or dinner help and so does cooking with fresh vegetable. A lady in the grocery store said she squeezes lemon or sprinkles parmesan on her vegetables.

Keep posting and asking!

[ewagner]

18. Not filling

is absolutely correct........

It appears that low-fat or no-fat meals make you feel less "full". I haven't tried salt substitutes yet because some of the blood pressure medication I'm on prohibits the use of salt subs.....don't know how long I'll be on that med....

Giving up smoking is easier.....I'd sell my sister now for a QUARTERPOUNDER WITH CHEESE!!

[msgadget]

20. That's why I started experimenting with good fats

and avoiding processed foods. We need fat in food for the mouth feel and satiety but we sure as heck don't need as much fat as we're used to eating (bye bye ice cream sundae!). When I'm done with this book on comparisons I'm going to start a thread with you in mind, ewagner.

Be well and I'm glad you're doing well enough to complain about the food! :hug:

[ewagner]

25. Given the alternatives....

I'm glad I'm still around to complain about the food too! :evilgrin:

on edit: Looking forward to your comments/findings re:good fats vs bad fats.....

[dolo amber]

2. Hey you!

How are you doing, btw? :hug:

I was really shocked when I went to ask a question in this type of group earlier today and found there wasn't one! Glad we got it sorted and Skinner approved it so quickly!

I'm all 'cited. :D

[ewagner]

6. This should be a good forum!

There's lots of information to share.

[Cobalt Violet]

3. Hi! Checkin' in!

:hi: I'm glad to see this group.

[wtmusic]

4. Hey ewagner

are you involved with running/biking/other aerobic activity?

[ewagner]

7. Biking when

the weather gets better........

right now walking building to running when the docs release me....'bout 1/2 to 3/4 miles per day right now....

[wtmusic]

16. Cool

Biking is great aerobic activity, especially if you have lower back probs (like me) that limit the running...

[ewagner]

17. I am going

to have a hard time getting back into shape.....

however...quitting smoking should help a lot!!!!

[terrya]

8. Hey, everyone!

This is going to be a great group. I've been thinking of doing something that will motivate me to make exercise and fitness a part of my life...something like the Body for Life program. Hopefully, there will be lots of advice and encouragement here. :-)

T

[Rainbowreflect]

9. I'm so glad to be here.

I am getting back on track with my working out, but need to getting my eating under control.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

10. Howdy!

I'm really into running. I do go to the little gym at our apartment complex at least once a week and do some stuff with weights too, but I mostly do running. I run 2 to 4 miles just about every day. Sometimes I do girlie style push-ups too.

I'm interested to hear about what works for other people in terms of diet and exercise. My program seems to be working quite well for me, but I'm just curious as to what other people are doing.

[flvegan]

11. This should be a great group.

Lots of folks with interest, and I'm excited to be a part of it.

[Lisa0825]

13. Hi y'all!!!

I went on a health kick back in June when I changed jobs. Suddenly I had more free time and less stress, so I decided it was time to use that energy and get back in shape. I have lost 40 lbs since July 26th (started out with South Beach Diet, but it is basically just eating whole grains, lean proteins, and very limited processed foods). I have about 25 lbs more to go to be in what I feel is good shape.

I was doing great at the gym from July through November, but I let the holidays derail me, and it's been hard to get back in a rythm.

There is a 5K run in honor of Galveston Mardi Gras on Jan 29, and I intend to run that, but first I have to get off my ass and prepare a bit!

I like jogging on the seawall and weight training (3 day split: push, pull, and legs).

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

14. Cool.

I started working out back in May of last year, a couple of months after quitting a very stressful job. I'm a stay at home mom right now. I'm glad to stopped working that job. I feel so much better because I did, even though it cut our household income in half. I'm glad that I have that this time to finally make taking care of myself a priority too. I'm really getting into shape and getting much better at running. I think I would like to try doing a race sometime too.

[dolo amber]

15. With a name like yours...

I'm not surprised you're a stay at home mom. :D

(Me too, although my 4 yr old is in school now. ;))

[Beer Snob-50]

19. hey all

dropped off the fitness wagon around vacation time this summer and discovered a week ago that i had gained 10 pounds on an already heavy body. i gotta get back on track and hope a group like this would help us all hold each others feet to the fire and develop some healthy fitness practices.

[Left Is Write]

21. Hi! I "discovered" the joys of exercise and fitness last March.

I dropped 12% bodyfat, gained incredible strides in strength and endurance, and am happily back to the weight I was in my teens and 20s.

[Cobalt Violet]

27. Did you lose 12% body fat or get down to 12% body fat?

[Left Is Write]

29. My bodyfat dropped by 12% (I didn't drop TO 12% bodyfat - that would be

dangerous).

I went from 32.6% bodyfat to 20.4%.

[Left Is Write]

30. This was supposed to be in response to Cobalt Violet.

[kaitykaity]

22. Hi.

Just thinking about it right now.

A few years ago I was a regular gym "rat", did cardio three days
a week and weight training two days a week.

Then my life went to hell -- money, relationship, etc. -- and I
just stopped.

Am thinking about doing it again as the final piece of putting
things back together again.

[BamaGirl]

23. Hey y'all!

Glad to see this group! I'm a gym rat, but I've been slacking since the holidays. I'm just getting back in the swing of things this week.

[Poiuyt]

24. Old running coach here

Hi everyone -

I started running track when I was in junior high school (about 35 years ago) and have been a fitness enthusiast ever since. I was a high school track and cross country coach for 18 years, so if anyone has any questions, I may be able to help or at least point you in the right direction.

Good to have this group.

[ewagner]

32. Good to see you

I may need some advice on getting back into running............

lots of issues and I may not be able to start running again until March or April....whenever the Docs tell me that it's safe....(had by-pass surgey on 12/12/04)

Currently I'm doing treadmill three days a week.....building up to 15 mins at 3.5-4 MPH ...currently stepping 10 mins from 2.5 mph to 3 mph and back down......docs say heartrate is good.....no issues with legs (except slight muscle burn), aerobics ok at this rate...

any suggestions?

[Poiuyt]

33. Hi fellow cheesehead!

Congratulations on wanting to get back in shape. I'll help as much as I can once you get the green light. I usually recommend people start off by alternating jogging and walking. What the ratio is would depend on where you are fitnesswise at any given moment.

Consistency, Moderation, Progression, Rest

[ewagner]

34. Thanks, I'll be looking for you

I have to say that I'm absolutely thrilled with the post-surgical results so far.....I mentioned that I'm on treadmills now....well, before the heart attack, I couldn't do 5 minutes on the treadmill without gasping for air....now...it's no sweat...LITERALLY!!!

I'm very encouraged and looking forward to getting back up to jogging/running.......

[H3Dakota]

36. Cool! If you don't mind giving suggestions...

My 12 year old (just turned 12 on Monday) would LOVE any suggestions or tips you might be willing to pass along to him. He has a real passion for running, was the second fastest in his whole elementary school & can't wait to join the track team when they hold tryouts at his middle school.

He's also achieving his goal of getting his black belt in Tae Kwon Do next week, but the passion he used to have for martial arts has dropped significantly in lieu of his love for running. So much that he wanted to quit now, just before reaching black belt (I'll be darned if I'll let him do THAT)!! I keep trying to tell him that cross-training will actually make him a much better runner - that TKD is an excellent sport/activity to give him the condition he needs for running... but he doesn't like to listen to his mother. LOL

I bought a treadmill for home a few months ago so that I can still get in my jogging/running workouts (single mom that works fulltime... treadmill was the perfect answer!). I let him work out on it now that he is tall enough/old enough to use it as long as he works out with me right there, but I'm not yet sure what the best workouts will be for him. He just wants to run as fast as he can for as long as he can... LOL Any suggestions?

[Poiuyt]

43. Hi H3Dakota

First of all, congratulations on having a son who likes to be active and likes to participate in things like sports. Only good can come of it. I'm a little surprised that they have to try out for track. At the school where I coached, everyone who went out for cross country and track made the team and competed in most meets.

You're right to have him continue with his Tae Kwon Do. Martial arts do help with general conditioning as well as mental discipline. I've heard of people who have centered their cardio workouts around martial arts. I think he would eventually come to regret quitting before achieving a black belt. At some point, he will have to choose to "specialize," but that point is a long way off. I can tell you that high school distance running takes consistent year round training and there are a lot of meets during the racing season. But, like I said, he's not at that point yet.

As far as what he should do now I'd say to do mostly long, slow distance. Continuous runs of up to about 30 minutes would be about right for someone his age. These runs should not be hard, race-like runs. There is a place for that type of workout, but during the off season is not the right time. He should finish feeling like he could keep going. Perhaps once a week, or once every two weeks, he could do a fartlek workout. That's a continuous run where you vary the pace, throw in a surge here and there, pick up the pace slightly for 60 sec. then back off to his regular easy run pace, etc. They're fun to do, not too strenuous, but he'll feel like he's accomplished something when he's done.

Personally, I think it's better to run outside in the fresh air. Treadmills are good in that the surface is a little more forgiving than concrete, but outside is not as monotonous and he won't be as likely to get burned out (yes, that does happen).

Make sure he does some gentle stretching when he's done running. You also might want to consider getting him started with some gentle weight training. With that, he would need some supervision to make sure his form is right.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[H3Dakota]

45. Excellent! Thank you!!

I hope that your insight might encourage him to continue with TKD. I won't let him quit now (4 days away from Black Belt, but who's counting? LOL), but I hate "forcing" him to do it. I really do believe that one day he WILL thank me for not letting him quit! :)

I'm going to have him read through your post, I know that he will be happy for the advice. He has a tendency to want to run full speed on the treadmill & hates it when I make him keep it to an easy run. LOL I agree with running outdoors - we live one block from a county long trail built strictly for biking/skating/walking/running & we try to hit it on a regular basis.

I rely on the treadmill mainly for me, as a single mom, I can't go for a run outside in the morning - so the treadmill is a perfect solution for me! He sees me on it & wants his turn too.. he-he-he

We've also started up with some weight training now, too. As far as his strength goes, he's in pretty good shape from all the conditioning in TKD. But there is always room for improvement!

Thank you SO much for your suggestions, this is great!!! :)

[Poiuyt]

46. Patience is a tremendous virtue when it comes to distance running

You need patience during your regular training so that you don't burn out and so that you can finish the workout. You need patience when you race because if you start out too fast you won't be able to finish strong. And you need patience in your goals, because improvement only comes slowly. Marty Liquori , the great American miler, said that distance runners are like old fashioned steam locomotives...you can see them coming from a long ways off. They don't just hit the track and start winning. But there will be small improvements every year so that if you stay with it, you will surely become a good runner.

The most important principles of training for running: Consistency, Moderation, Progression, and Rest.

Train consistently, because it's easier to stay in shape than get in shape. As long as you keep training 3-5 times a week you will continue to improve.

Keep the workouts moderate, so that you don't get injured or sick or too tired to complete the next workout. If you keep the workouts moderate, you will have the energy to keep going the next day, and the next day after that. What's important isn't one hard workout, but many workouts over the course of weeks and months and years.

Keep making the workouts slightly harder as you get into better shape. That doesn't mean that each day should be harder than the day before, but you should see a progression in the difficulty of the workouts over time.

You need to take a day off totally every once in a while to allow your body to rest and to heal. Strength and improvement actually come while your body is repairing itself from the day's workouts. If you do not allow yourself the rest time to heal, you will drive yourself into the ground.

Hope this helps.

[alpizzy]

26. I'm so happy this group has started....

I found this web site that calculates metabolic rates
plus some other helpful stuff. I wanted to have
my resting metabolism tested but couldn't find a
cheap test. Plus I thought the breathing test would
be more accurate. This site has this to say:

The latest research indicates there is a low variance in RESTING metabolic rate between individuals who have the same values for the key variables. That is, given someone's age, their fat free mass, their height and their sex, the formulas are accurate.

"Recent evidence thus supports the conclusion that within-subject variations in BMR are small and insignificant, even when energy intake and physical activity are uncontrolled, (Shetty & Soares, 1988). This effectively refutes the Sukhatme-Margen hypothesis."

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm

Anyway, I'm nearing the end of my weightloss journey as I'm almost at
my goal of 115 lbs. (I'm a 5'5" female). But I really need to build muscle.
I'm looking forward to hearing everybody's stories and hopefully will
be motivated by your success!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

28. Sounds like you are about where I am.

I'm also 5'5" female and I currently weight about 120lbs. I've lost about 35lbs so far. My butt needs some more toning still. I'd say 115lbs is around my target weight too, only judging by how I look now. That might sound small to some people, but I've got a pretty small frame and I'm small busted, so it's actually a healthy weight for me.

[H3Dakota]

37. I'm jealous!!

I'm just under 5'4", but I look *horrible* when my weight drops below 128. The last time I got down that low, I actually had people asking me if I was anorexic!!! :shrug:

But then again, when my weight is around 138 or so, I'm wearing size 6 & even some size 4s, so I try to keep reminding myself that the scale doesn't matter a hill of beans! I run very muscular & have *always* weighed much more than I look.

It can be a good thing, but it has it's downsides too. My BMI is always way off and when I compete in Tae Kwon Do, my weight throws me into a group of much bigger women. :grr:

[alpizzy]

39. I'm jealous of you!!

I'd love to be more muscular. I really have to work at it.
My testosterone levels are low so I have trouble building muscle.
But that's a whole other issue!

Keep up the great work with Tae Kwon Do!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

40. It sounds like you are probably very muscular.

I used to be a lot stronger. We, my husband and I, don't have memberships to a real gym with free weights any more. I haven't been to one of those in three years. My husband used to help me get better at bench press by spotting me and such. I was doing about 125lbs before. Now I can probably only do 70 or 80 lbs on the bench press machine.

There's a small gym at our apartment complex. We can never go to the gym together because we have a 2 year old son. Kids aren't allowed to go the gym.

I find it harder to challenge myself and get stronger with the machine versus using free weights with some spotting me. My arms have a lot of muscle tone, but I haven't been able to get any stronger. My husband suggested trying to work each arm separately for a while. Maybe that will help.

BTW, that's so rude that people asked if you were anorexic.

[BamaGirl]

42. Hey girl!

:hi: Glad to see you here! We're the same height and built alike so don't complain lol. You'll give me a complex lol. :P

[alpizzy]

38. Hi Zing....

Nice to "meet" you.

I recently found this glute excersize....

See the picture to see how this exercise will look.
http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Questions/Questions/Exercisetech/bigger-butt.htm

There are a number of exercises you can do to make your butt bigger.
Squats and lunges are great for building up the rear end.

Here is a powerful and effective exercise you can do at home to build
your butt up in a hurry.

“You will need a solid chair or bench for this exercise. (..) You will
also need to have something solid that you can grab onto. This can be
a railing or a door frame or a pole, etc. Place the chair immediately
in front of this solid object.”

“Stand on the chair on one leg facing the solid object and hold onto
it at about waist level directly in front of you. Your heel should be
close to the back edge of the chair.”

“Lower your body as far down as you can go into a one-legged squat.
Your other leg will drop down below the level of the chair seat behind
you. You should feel a great stretch in your glute. Make sure you
continue to keep a firm grip on whatever you are holding on to.”

“Push yourself back up using your glute as much as possible”
_________________________________________________
I've only tried this for the first time yesterday so I don't know if
they work but I have high hopes!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

41. Cool.

Our chairs are not too solid (folding chairs). I might be able to use one of our plastic totes.

[Longhorn]

31. Thanks for the RMR link!

It's very helpful! :D

[smbolisnch]

35. Hey everyone!!

Great to see this group! I hope it keeps growing!! :hi:

[supernova]

44. Hi everybody!

:hi:

I'm glad this group is here. I need the daily motivation since I live alone.

I don't belong to a gym, since it's so hard to get there. My exercise comes in two forms:

Treadmill
The Firm DVDs, which I only recently stared doing. They are fun!

I would also like to get into hiking when it warms up. I wind up doing exercise about 3-4 times a week, but I need to do it 5 to lose weight. I need to lose about 15 lbs. Currently I'm at the upper end of my weight range and want to get back to the lower end to be safe. :D