Hi all I have fell off the alli bandwagon. I knew this would happen. So tomorrow I am going to start all over. I have not gained but haven't lost either. UGH I hate when I do that.

Jazz thanks for the pep talk I needed that.

How is everyone else doing?

Lisa and my other email girls where are you?

I hope to fall back into my eating habits and taking my pills. I probably wont make it to 40lbs by my 40th, maybe I wil I still have lots of time.

I want to hear from all of you.

bigmama

Lynn:

You know what they say ... stuff happens.

I've had some doozy days myself since stopping the pill. Looking back at september, I had several days where I went as high as 3000 calories for the day.

But the fact that you recognize that you need to get back on the program is what is important.

Try to stick this in your head and keep it there .... you did not get this way overnight, and you will not get healthy overnight either.

I know you can do it, and you do too.

Keep going girl!

Jim

Haven't heard from any of you ladies lately. Hope all is going well.

Another Friday check in and scale reports an upswing of 2 lbs. I know well enough from history this is not a fat gain but something else.

Finally got serious about tracking my exercise and bought an Heart Rate Monitor (Timex) at REI on sale (25% off!). Found out that my workouts are actually burning quite a bit more calories than I thought, about 400 calories more, to be exact.

Visited doctor for annual physical Thursday and he is pleased with my progress, diet, etc. and says I should keep on going the way I have. He was very impressed with my spreadsheet that I brought for him (it tracks EVERYTHING ... weekly weight, measurements, BMI, as well as my goals for the next year).

He told me what to watch out for when working out (faintness, dizziness, short of breath [more than usual], etc.) but said I had a green light to continue intensifying my workouts as I feel comfortable.

So I have started raising the bar for my heart rate during my hour cardio workouts. I have been working out at a heart rate of 141 for the longest time (what the charts say I should be at), but I recalculated that based on my resting heart rate which I am thrilled with, at 61, and found I should be working at a more intense level.

Friday I did an hour of cardio at 146, and today mixed cardio between stair stepper and eliptical cross trainer at 149 average for the hour. My sweat towels were soaked through, and I was drenched, but it was a good workout.

As I get used to it I probably will be working on getting into the 150-155 HR range for most of my cardio workouts. Sunday is my first weight training day with the monitor, so I will get a more accurate picture of exactly what I am burning on strength training days, even though I know that isn't really the point for those days.

The big benefit of the HR monitor is that now I can monitor all my workouts, not just the ones on the stationery bike. I've been kind of tied to the bike, but now I can track everything, rowing, climbing, even swimming!

 Hope everything is going well with you all and hope you're still plugging along.

Cheers,

Jim
 

Hi Jim,

Wow, your workouts are impressive!  I'm sure that those 2 lbs are added muscle.  Keep up the good work!

It's been a hectic few weeks for me, and I haven't been eating or exercising like I should.  My job changed slightly on Oct. 1, and now I cover 2 offices, so I've been going back and forth quite a bit.  Luckily it's just an hour between the two.  IT staff finally got my computer at my main office set up so I can link to the server in the other building, so I can do more of the work from one office.

My husband and I also farm some of his dad's land, and we've been trying to get crops harvested when it isn't raining or we're not at soccer.  He is the head referee for our area youth soccer, and I coach.  The soccer season ended yesterday, though - whew!  The season always ends with a two-day tournament hosted by our town.  This year there were 70 teams with over 800 kids playing in 123 total games.  My son's team (which I coach) played 6 games in all - 4 on Saturday and then 2 yesterday.  They were defeated in the semifinals for their age group.  They should have won their last game.  They really outplayed the other team, but the other team had an outstanding goalkeeper who stopped everything that came his way.  The other team only had a couple of shots on goal, and got one lucky breakaway that resulted in the only score in the game.  I'm now done coacing because my son will be on the high school team next fall.  I had an amazing group of kids this year, and I'm going to miss working with them.

I weighed myself this morning to see how much ground I had lost over the last week (I did not eat well at all over the weekend), and was amazed to see that I had lost a pound!  It must be because I've always been on the move.  This week I will do better - I'm getting really close to my 20 lb goal.  Just 2 lbs to go!

I'm running about once a week because my knee still hasn't completely healed (patellar tendinitis), but I'm going to run tonight if it stops raining.  I want to get one more training run in before the marathon relay, which is Sunday!  My leg of the relay is 4.7 miles, and I would love to be able to run the whole distance.  I'll let you know how it goes.

 Carol

Carol:

Thanks for the feedback. Wow .. farming, soccer, full-time work... you do sleep, don't you? Hard to see how you manage to find time to work out.

 Do you have access to a pool near where you live? Walking in the pool and light swimming might help the healing process as well as continue to build strength in your legs with minimal risk of injury.

I hope your marathon is a grand success.

Take care,

Jim 

Hi Jim,

The marathon relay was great!  I set 3 goals for myself.  First was to finish my leg of the relay.  Second was to complete it in less than 55 minutes.  Third was to run the whole distance.  I don't sign up for events that I doubt that I can finish, so the first goal was pretty easy.  I knew I could finish even if I had to walk quite a bit.  If I was to finish in under 55 minutes, I would have to run each mile in just under 12 minutes.  I have been running 12 minute miles the few times that I ran in the last month.  I finished in 51 minutes, 23 seconds, which works out to just under 11 minutes per mile!  I am thrilled with my time!  I didn't make the third goal, though.  My last half mile was on a bridge, and it was really windy and I was tired.  I walked halfway up the bridge, and then ran the rest of the way.  I'm not too sore today - just a little bit in my quads, and my knee feel good.  My next event will be a 5K Thanksgiving weekend. 

How do you like your heart rate monitor?  I've been thinking of getting one.  I plan to get a trainer for my bike so I can use that indoors this winter, and a heart rate monitor would be a great help.

The only public pool around here is a very small one at a hotel, and it costs $9 every time you use it.  I've heard rumors about somebody wanting to donate money to build a rec center here, and I hope they're true.  There's nothing like that around here.  I live in a very rural area - we still have a few one-room schools for K-8!  There are the traditional elementary/intermediate/jr. high schools, also. 

How have you been doing in the last week?

Carol

 First of all, congrats on your marathon. Sounds like you had fun.

Second, I LOVE my heart rate monitor. Now I can get accurate numbers for calorie burn no matter what I am doing for exercise. I have found that I'm burning about 400 calories more per session than I thought previously.

My mom has the same problem with the pool. She was using a local hotel pool but same deal. I have to get off my tail and research for her a new place to go. Even though she is 69 and seriously obese (has been her whole life) she is still willing to go to a public pool and do some exercising. Got to give her some props for that.

As far as the last question, my weight has ricocheted to where it was 4 weeks ago, 199.9 lbs. While this is a little depressing, during the same time period I lost a net of 3.5 inches, so I know that the pounds are getting redistributed from fat to muscle. Just the same, it is disconcerting.

This week was a little rough, with a little problem that came up that makes working on an exercise bike seat for 1 hour VERY uncomfortable. As well as any other strenuous exercise, for that matter.

And then now we have the fires in southern California, and pretty much EVERYWHERE the air quality is dangerously poor. So I am sidelined for the moment from any working out until the air quality improves.

But I am continuing to keep an eye on my diet, and am convinced that that darn scale will get going back in the right direction. I had a hydrostatic body fat test (dunk tank) in September and was planning a follow up in November to see how my progress is going. There I will know truly if my body fat percentage is going in the direction I want it to go ... which I am pretty certain it is.

Keep the faith, and to all who haven't checked in, where are you all? Let us know how you are doing!

Jim
 

 Just some feedback on the heart rate monitor and strength training since I last posted.

I did a full strength training with a scaled back cardio going into it (recommended by the physical therapists here on the board). Even though calorie burn is not my priority with strength training I found that by following my normal workout I was still over 1,000 calories burned!

Pretty much this is because I am following the "express workout" which includes 2 minutes of intense cardio at the end of each circuit ... elevating my heart rate signficantly. Then after that I pretty much jump from station to station without much of a break in between.

I felt pretty good after my last workout, and the numbers were pretty encouraging too.

I DO love my heart rate monitor.

Jim 

Hi Everyone!

I am new to the program and message boards. I just turned 41 in July, and wish to lose 40-50lbs. I am a single mom of 2 children, 10 and 12, who are very active in athletics. I usually try to walk during their practices, but lately the practice times have crossed over one another and I wind up driving to/from practices more than I get to walk! Anyway, I want to be able to be more active with them, so I have made the committment. My whole family needs to eat healthier.

I read the first few pages of this post, and the last few. When I have more time I will catch up with all the in between.

Keep up the good work All.

 Ally in Georgia

A warm welcome to you Ally.

Some of our "old timers" here are posting less than before, but please be assured that you are welcome and we will do whatever we can to support you. I'm actually pushing 45, but it don't stop me :D

I have already lost over 30 lbs. and have another 30 to go, so I can understand how daunting your goal of 40-50 lbs. can be, but please rest assured, with consistency, effort and support you can and will get there. We got your back!

Best of success to you in your weight loss journey.

Jim 

Hi Ally and welcome!

Like you, my goal is to lose 40 lbs, but my doctor wants me to lose 50.  My progress has been slow, but steady.  I've lost 18 pounds so far.  I would suggest doing your measurements when you start so that you have something to compare to later on.  I didn't do my measurements until over 2 months into the program, but I've lost 8 inches since then!  I wish I knew how many I have lost overall! 

I have one son (13) who is involved in some sports (soccer, track) and that is a lot of running around.  I can't imagine what it is like with 2!  He just finished his 8th (and last) year of AYSO, and plans to play on the high school team next fall.

Keep us posted on your progress.  You can do this!

Carol

Hi Jim,

How close are you to where the fires are?  It must be terrifying to be there now.  My boss's son is in the San Diego area and the building where he works was evacuated a few days ago.  I had heard that the winds were supposed to lessen, has it gotten any better?

I have ordered a heart monitor and should have it in a week or so.  It's starting to get cold out (I live in Michigan), so I'll be working out indoors more.  I know that running on my treadmill is just not the same as running outdoors, so I'll use the monitor to make sure I'm getting a good workout.  I would like to have either a trainer for my road bike or an exercise bike so that I have some variety - the treadmill can get boring.  Hopefully I'll get one for Christmas!

This weekend I will probably be putting away the kayaks for the winter.  The water temperatures have dropped into the 40's, and that is too cold for me to be out there alone.  Also, Lake Huron gets some wicked waves starting in November and I don't have the skills to deal with them.  I didn't get much time on the water this summer, but I already have 2 kayak trips planned for next summer - Isle Royale and paddling with whales in Canada.  I should get started on my passport application!

Carol

I live squarely in the city of Santa Ana, which is not at all in danger. The worst we have had is the constant smoke. Have had the house and car sealed up since Sunday. The first few days (monday/tuesday) would not even go outside without a particulate mask because the air was so bad. The winds are much better now, but will be increasing this weekend. No where near what they were last weekend, though.

It is improving day by day. Good luck with the heart monitor.  Best of success for your plans to continue working out indoors. You might try some workout videos too. Sometimes they can be a welcome break to the "routine" of the indoor workout.

Cheers,

Jim 

Hi, Blossom11.  I'm 34, mother of one, and could use the support of a buddy myself.  I started Alli a week ago and have already lost 5.5 lbs.  I'm very excited!  I imagine the following weeks will not show as big a loss but I'm in it for the long haul.  My starting weight was 233.5 and now I'm at 228.  You? 

 Take care, hope to hear from you soon, and I wish you weeks and months of continued success (same goes to all who read this).

 

Hi Noeline,

Congrats on you loss in the first week!  It's good to hear that you are committed to this, and are determined to stick with it.  You will reach your goal!

I'm 36, married, with a 13-year old son.  I started Alli in late June, and have averaged about a pound a week since then.  It's been slow, but I am getting there.  I didn't lose anything in the last week, but I didn't gain either.  So far, I've lost 18 pounds, with 23 to go.  I think that I need to start doing more cardio.  I run a few times a week, but can't run more than that because of my knees.  So I am going to start walking on days where I don't run.

Several of the posters who used this board frequently haven't posted in a little while, but hopefully they'll return soon.  Keep us posted on your progress!

Carol