Fitness and Good Health for '04 and Beyond

[NightOwl]

Just posting a little note here to thank our fine Webmaster  publicly for  changing the title of this thread so that it now is more appropriate to the interests and goals of the members who post here.

Thanks again, WebMaster--we really appreciate the good help you always give us!  :W  

[B-flat]

NiteyOwl, sign me up as the Bluegrass Hiking Trail representative. :Z   I'm sure that milling around the campgrounds during the music festivals will count as some kind of hike, anyway.  It takes a lot of walking and moving around during those festivals and sitting under the shaded tent isn't for me.  I have to get in lines for autographs and head down the rows of big rigs to hear some good pickin' and then on back around the other rows to see what is going on.

As for me, today I avoided the Deli and the Baked goods.  I also skipped the baking aisle in the grocery store.  Then, I skipped the big Easter candy display right at the end of one aisle just before the cash registers.  I don't need the stuff and I'll make a note of those things as the cause of my clothes getting tight and causing this diet! :Z  :eek:  :mad:

[NightOwl]

Oooooo Nancy, you are SUCH a GOOOOD GIRRRL!  You can be my inspiration.  I will walak right by those baaad candy displays next time and chant my little mantra: "Nancy says you are evil and will make me FAAAAT, Nancy says you are evil and will make me FAAAT, Nancy says you are evil and will make me FAAAT!."  and by the time I say that 3 or 4 times, I'll be out the door and safely in my car with temptation behind me.

No more caramel eggs for ME--they make me say mean things  and start mean threads. :J

[B-flat]

The  :Z  made you do it elisa.  (Apologies to Flip Wilson )

[NightOwl]

          OSTEOPOROSIS


Have any of you ever known anyone with this condition?  In visitng my MIL at her retirement home, I saw many pitiful little old people with osteoporosis all shrunken and bent over, some of them in great pain, humpbacked,  some even wheelchair  or bed-bound with broken hips that never really mended.  It made me stop and think how important your skeleton is.

Let's face it--without a skeleton, we are nothing but a  landform jellyfish!

And then, also, I had a really serious personal reason for thinking about this subject.

See, when you get into your sixties you start  REALLY thinking about your bones and they become more important as each day passes.  So last week after stupidly putting it off,  I finally had my first  bone density scan.    The report from the bone doc to my own MD came with a note attached which said: "excellent results--tell your patient to keep on doing whatever she is doing."
(Of course, by the time you get to be my age, your bones are either dense or they arent and you dont want to spend time trying to  "fix" them  by taking Fosamax  and embarking on  a long, tedious, SLOW  pathway to TRYING to re-build them.)

Partly in my case of course, my strong bones are just good luck.  And partly, it's from  good habits--never smoked, take a daily calcium-magnesium-zinc supplement, liquid Cod Liver oil (mine is kind of expensive but it tastes excellent--not a hint of fishy taste!)  And I'm physically active--usually I have some kind of home grown exercise program going like Pilates exercises, using my Door Gym with resistance bands, or treadmill, or else evening walks of 2 miles with DH about 3-4 times per week.

And, remember men, THIS IS NOT A WOMAN'S DISEASE--you are vulnerable, too!!  

LISTEN UP GANG-- :W

Most of you are A LOT younger than I am! Take care of your bones NOW WHILE YOU CAN and THEY will take care of YOU later.  When I am an old lady (in twenty five  or thirty years)  I wont have time to be pushing some of you around in a wheelchair as I will be too busy camping and  Dirty Dancing to my Bob Seger tapes. :J  :J

[B-flat]

NightOwl has posted a very good message about Osteoporosis which tends to run in my family.  Although I am very careful with diet and supplement and don't have any problems, I want to share this little story with you.  Once when I went to the Dr. for a yearly checkup, my height was measured by the nurse on check-in, weight recorded, BP and so on. All kinds of tests were ordered for me and the Drs. couldn't find anything wrong.  The Docs were all bamboozled and scratching their heads.  I kept getting all kinds of questions.  Finally I asked why I was being put through so many tests.  They replied that I had lost over 1" of height over a 6 month period and that I was being checked for Osteoporosis but they could not find anything wrong from the bone scans and tests.  They were going to re-order the test because a mistake must have been made.  Then, I remembered.....when I was measured the first time, I had on thick soled tennis shoes and the next time with no shoes on.   I told them this fact and stated that I would not be taking any more tests until my next yearly physical.  Next tests showed nothing wrong also.  Therefore, always get your height measured with your shoes off so you don't get put through the mill. :eek:    :rolleyes:

[Acts 2:38 girl]

Man, did I fall off the wagon HARD!  DH says it's because I've been cutting back on suger so much that my inner-sweetness levels have dropped drasticly.  At least we think that's why I almost bit his head off repeatedly this weekend.  So I made a choclate cake and ate about (or maybe over) half :eek: .  I must say, it helped!!  I was back to my old self in no time! Oh well, back on the wagon again!  Maybe it was because I had 5 birthday parties to go to last week, and made three cakes for them.  I tried to be good all week, but it hit me hard Sunday!  It was a super-stressful week.  Hopefully this week will be better!

[birol]

We all fall off now and then ... Important thing is, I believe, not to stay off the wagon now that we fell. We should jump right back in. I lost a few Lbs this last week (Thanks God), but yesterday night I had a sandwich at 8 pm even though I had supper, bad bad bad ! Now today I will not eat much and depend on veggies to keep me going and Thursday night walk will be 2.5 hours instead of 1.5 or 2 hours. I can feel the weight going away and I want to loose 30 Lbs by summer so I can enjoy the rally !

Man, did I fall off the wagon HARD!  DH says it's because I've been cutting back on suger so much that my inner-sweetness levels have dropped drasticly.  At least we think that's why I almost bit his head off repeatedly this weekend.  So I made a choclate cake and ate about (or maybe over) half :eek: .  I must say, it helped!!  I was back to my old self in no time! Oh well, back on the wagon again!  Maybe it was because I had 5 birthday parties to go to last week, and made three cakes for them.  I tried to be good all week, but it hit me hard Sunday!  It was a super-stressful week.  Hopefully this week will be better!

[wiininkwe]

I'm in the middle of my 3rd week on this plan, and am doing well.   Am stalled at the 10 pound mark, but not too worried about that.   Even tho the scale isn't moving right now, I've noticed changes in how my clothing fits.  (I'm losing some cuppage, not sure if that's a good thing or not, but oh well...)  One thing that I have noticed is that if I forget to keep myself going with lots of protein, that's when I might have a problem thinking that I need sugar.   Our bodies need some fuel to work on, if we aren't giving them carbs and sugars, then we have to fuel them with protein.  It's hard to remember sometimes that just salads and jello and veggies aren't enough.  While there are nutrients in them, there is no fuel.  Your body will eat that lovely salad and say, "well, that was good, but since there was nothing in it I can burn for fuel, I'll just shut down til I get some.   Maybe I'll ask for some cake or a donut, that's quick fuel."  And there is your craving for sugar.   Add a little fish or meat to the salad, or nosh on some cheese, or some almonds and what a difference it will make.   You won't feel the need for the sweet stuff.   And, the longer you go without sugars and carbs, the less you will need them.  Just as with any other addiction.   Good for you Andi, for getting right back into the thick of it, don't let it have more power than you do, remember that the Creator gave you your will power and quick mind so that you can be in charge of these kinds of situations.   (you know the saying, "God helps those who help themselves")
T

[NightOwl]

Andi, remember--a week ago I REALLY fell off the wagon!!  But, like you and others here, I got back  up, dusted myself off and got back on.   And havent cheated since.  (Neither have I let guilt over it make me feel defeated and like I am a failure so "what's the use of going on with this plan?" )

I take comfort and courage from what Birol wrote about getting back on a good path and moving past the unwise sandwich choice.
 

Truthfully, I always feel so horrible when I eat Carbage--depressed, no energy, MEAN!   For me, at least, it isnt worth it.   And at this point, feeling good is MUCH more important to me than getting back into my size 8 Tommy jeans.  (Although, that would be nice, too :W )

 Seems like I am just very sensitive to carbs (I'm not diabetic but have a really screwy blood sugar)  and it just takes a few of the simple carbs to really stop me in my tracks.

The next few weeks are going to be very busy, demanding, & hectic for me so I KNOW I cant afford to cheat because I am going to need all the energy I can stuff into my aging body.  My only problem now is getting enough protein into my diet without feeling over-filled.

[B-flat]

I've been doing well and not cheating on my diet, have dropped 10 pounds in 3 weeks but the scale is not moving down any more this week.  It seems that since I got on antibiotics for a terrible sinus and throat infection the scale is stuck.  That has not dampened my determination to get theses stubborn pounds off and to keep them off.  It seems like losing weight isn't so hard.  The really hard part is keeping it off.  This time when I reach my goal weight, if I go up 5 pounds I will immediately get it right back off and keep my weight down.  With the warmer weather approaching it will be easier to do things outside and to do a lot more walking.

[birol]

the scale is still going down, slowly, but surely, I love seeing it little bit less every few days .....

[wiininkwe]

I have to report a few minor setbacks.  No, No, I haven't gained any weight back, but due to a really rough several days with the fibromyalgia, I've stuck at a steady spot for a while.   I haven't been able to move without moaning and groaning, much less get any exercise.  My theory is that changes in the barometric pressure effect it.  Doesn't matter which way the change is going, just that it's changing.  Hopefully in a day or two things will settle down, and I'll quit hurting so bad.   But for now, all that protein is just going to waste (Not waist, tho) while I rest in comfy spots on the couch and read.   I'm still following the "livin' the vida Lo-carb" plan faithfully, (ok, I did cheat one night when a friend kept talking about p-nut butter, and got me craving a PB&J) and still feeling great, am almost completely past any needs for sugar.   Sweet stuff isn't my problem anymore.   Would love to bury my face into a bag of Lays Classic Potato chips, but salted almonds and chicarrones are taking care of the salt and crispy thing for me.  
The other problem isn't much, just a state of mind.  I had to buy a new scale, as mine was getting really undependable.   I got on the new one, and almost fainted.  It said that I had gained 6 pounds.  Then, DH got on, and was totally upset that he had gained 6 pounds.  Had my sister try it out, and same result.  Turns out, our old scale was 6 pounds light.  So, even tho I know i've actually lost about 12 pounds, the scale I'm using says I haven't.  I just have to keep reminding myself that I was actually heavier to start with.   Don't like that either, but, what can I do about it.  
I'm hoping that the rest of you are doing well, and feeling as good as I most generally am.   I'm sure glad that I have this forum to come to and talk with good friends about this stuff.
T

[B-flat]

Aw shucks, I know that feeling of being weighed on a different scale than at home and it turns up even 4#s more, like at the Drs. office recently.  I've always know the scale was a bit off.  Well, I just balance it by moving 4 pounds to right of 0 and that takes care of it until I get a more accurate scale.  I think that clothes fitting better is much nicer than worrying about some scale anyway.  It is nice, though when the needle moves down as has happened this weekend.  I need to watch carefully these next two weeks with a special occasion coming up.

[wiininkwe]

I wanted to mention something that I've been dealing with. It's the fact that I am so very much over weight that many types of exercise are not easy at all, and painful. I really need to walk, and love walking, but like I told you way back in this thread, I'm carrying an extra person around still, and that makes walking a real chore. Especially with arthritis. So, i do walk, but not as much as I'd like. I also use the stationary bike, and I'm still working on the Tai Chi. But, another solution that I've found is great. At Walmart, and some other stores, you can get something called a "Door Gym". It comes in a box about the size of a boot box, costs around $30.00. It has metal parts that slide onto any standard sized door, one on the top, and one on the bottom. There are 4 heavy elastic cords, and a series of hooks, and some shorter cords with handles on them. The hooks are at the top and the bottom, and you can attach the handles to either end, and use them to create resistance style exercises for your arms, legs, you can do sit ups with them, etc. The set comes with a booklet with suggested exercises, and I've found it to be just great as another way to help get my muscles and strength built back up, and burn calories. I alternate all those various things from day to day, depending on how I feel, and what the weather is like. This is a very low cost alternative to fancy exercise machines, and can be used by almost anyone, almost anywhere. Being on an eating plan that helps us cut the amount of fat that builds up on our bodies is great, but we also need to have a plan to get rid of the fat that's already there. Exercising to build and heal muscle to replace the fat is the best way to get more fit, and stay that way. If you're having problems finding an exercise plan that you can do realistically, maybe this is something you could look into.
T

 
I've added a pic of the door gym to my webshots page.