Anyone in their late 20s?!

I'm a dieting veteran.... up and down the same 20lbs since highschool! I've always lost it on Weight Watchers...but I wanted to try something new. So, here I am. I'm looking to start a group of late 20- early 30 year olds who are interested in losing weight and getting healthy. I'm 5' 9" 160lbs.  I'm looking for others that have about 20-30lbs to lose.  Hopefully there's some people out there!!

Happy New Year!

If you google "sugar, immune system" you get lots of studies on how it suppresses your immune system (and increases your risk of various diseases). An easy explanation from http://www.thebody.com/content/living/art31115.html:

When white blood cells are exposed to high levels of sugar in the bloodstream, they have a decreased ability to engulf bacteria and have weakened systemic resistance to all infections. What is a high level of sugar? The normal sugar level in the bloodstream is approximately one teaspoon. A single can of soda or a bowl of ice cream has 12 teaspoons of sugar. The digestive system is overtaxed trying to prevent all that sugar from entering the bloodstream all at once, and the pancreas is also working hard to produce enough insulin to process the sugar.

As for the hair, it's too short even for a bobby pin! I have thick wavy hair, and already had a long-sideswept-bangs pixie cut. I went to get it coloured and asked him to just "tidy it up" a bit and it's REALLY short. But my hair grows fast, it'll look different in a week. I'm wearing long earrings to try to elongate my face! Goldie, lucky you getting to work in a salon, that soudns like so much fun.

I'm alternatively grateful/annoyed by my boyfriend's "help." Before we moved in together I used to eat very clean - lived on lentils, veggies, brown rice and salad.  Now I try to cook more things that he likes - more pasta (with cream sauce once in a while), mashed potatoes, veggie pizza... all of which you can make "healthier" but still aren't as good as what I used to eat. And then he tells me we should eat better!

That sounds about right LOL.  When it comes to eating healthy, he is the little red devil that sits on my shoulder!

Sadly, I don't work in the hair salon anymore.  I actually work for the Department of National Defence... Not even close to the same job!!  Still fun, but a different sort of fun :)

VG - glad you're feeling a bit better, but sorry about the cut!  The worst cut I ever got (made me shy away from ever getting it cut again) I got in the 1st grade.  It had that lovely "feathering" on the sides and super short.  I looked like a boy.  Horrible.  (It's relatively long and straight, now.)

I am totally with you on the support from bf/dh.  They try, but sometimes you just want to whine or vent or whatever...they don't quite get it.  DH is 6'5" and works as a large animal veterinarian, so he can manage to eat out at lunch almost daily and still not put on the lbs.  He's active when he's not working, too...  Me...I'm in the lab or at the computer and have to count calories and actually go to the gym to keep those lbs at bay.  His idea of helping is telling me that I don't need any ice cream or chips.  I'm like...uh...no I don't need them, but I want them!  The more he tells me no, the more I want it! 

I was pretty good with the gym last week (which is good b/c I had ice cream sundaes with Mom Friday and Saturday night!)- I went 3 times...Monday (or was it Tuesday?) I did an hour on the elliptical, Wednesday I did body pump and kick boxing, and Friday I finished up with another 30-45 minutes on the elliptical.  Saturday I rode 2 trail rides and then 2 other horses and helped clean stalls.  I wasn't nearly as active on Sunday, but I was productive. 

Tonight I'm not going to the gym.  I'm tired and gonna go home, eat and then go to bed early.  I'll go to the gym on Tuesday and Wednesday instead.

Oh wow you guys!  So today was the first official day that I went back to the gym and did my regular workout with my trainer.  And he KICKED MY ASS!  OMG!  I will surprise if I am able to get out of bed tomorrow morning LOL.  The workout was the following exercises for time:

Run 800 metres
30 Chinups/90 air squats
25 Chinups/75 air squats
20 Chinups/60 air squats
15 Chinups/45 air squats
Run 800 metres

WOW was it ever hard.  My time was around 38 minutes.  I'm sure I could have pushed myself a teensy bit harder but not much.  The crazy part is, some of the really fit people did it in 18 minutes!  That is just straight up ridiculous LOL.  Oh well, it was tough, but a good reminder that taking nearly a month off at the gym is not a wise idea when your trainer makes you pay for it later

VP, are you feeling better now? I can totally sympathize with being that tired!  Hopefully you made it into bed nice and early and nothing came up last minute that stood between you and some, old fashioned, revitalizing sleep!

I also went out tonight to the Asian market and "discovered" these Chinese noodles that only have 21 calories in them per 2 oz of uncooked noodles.  I am going to test them out in the next couple of days and if they are any good I will pass along the info.  Also picked up some shirataki noodles and amazingly enough, the brand that I found didn't have the usual fishy smell before adding in the flavour.  I've got them in my soup for tomorrow so we'll see about those as well.

Keep up the good work guys!!

Holy crap goldieincalgary, can you really do 30 unassisted chinups in a row?  You're my hero!  I'm going to have to step up my game!

Didn't lose that much this week on my weigh-in (only 0.2kg), but I missed 2 days of exercise (bad girl!) and this week I will be counting calories (didn't last week, and probably inflated my portions). 

You know the weight metre that determines when you'll meet your goal?  Well, today, it says I'll reach my goal on my birthday!  November 6th!  What a great birthday present that would be!

OMG!! No way could I possibly do that many chinup unassisted.  But my trainer has this giant rubber band thing that you wrap around the bar and it makes it a bit easier.  I say a BIT because today typing this is still making my arms throb LOL.  I gotta figure out where he got that thing so I can get one for home.  So cool.  And truly the only way that I can practice without being at the gym.  If I ever CAN do 30 unassisted, you guys will be the first to know :)

At least you lost!  Just think, the scale could have gone UP.  That would be a sweet birthday present.  Mine tells me that I will reach my goal in September.  That's just in time to cover everything back up for winter LOL.  Gotta love Canada.  I wish my job would take me somewhere warm in the winter. I have to find a way to telecommute from Italy.  Now that would be the life!

Hey Kassy, 0.2kg is 0.44lbs. Which is almost 0.5lbs. Which is great!

Hope you're feeling refreshed VP - it sounds like you are super active. When you're not getting any physical activity at work, you are still busy and working hard mentally, and that is tiring, even if it's not exercise. Working out hard on top of that can be sometimes be really energizing but sometimes exhausting too.

Goldie, I think you should let us know where you can get one of those rubber band things - I'd love to try that and start getting stronger with the chinups. Your workout sounds hardcore - how often do you do it?

Haircut update: I've realized the reason I think it looks so terrible is that my face looks chubbier than usual - but that's actually due to my sinus infection puffing out my cheeks. Come on antibiotics! Kick in already!!

Um... a puffy face would definitely make a haircut look less appealing LOL.  That's pretty funny.  Sorry about the sinus infection though.  Does it hurt?  I've been pretty lucky in my life with getting sick.  I had strep throat once, but other than that, nothing.  Hopefully karma isn't saving up a big pile of adult maladies for me.  It would figure!

I usually go the gym for that workout four times a week.  I used to try and go five times, but I never ever went on Friday and the promise of going on Saturday was a little hit and miss.  So instead of beating myself up over missing and not going anyways, I decided that four times was enough.  Yeah, the workouts are super intense.  My trainer even has a puking tree (seriously) but I am proud to say that I have never indulged in that particular luxury .  It's called crossfit and it's sort of a combination of everything all in one, high weights, high reps and usually for time so it slips the cardio in there too.  A lot of people are super competitive with their times, but for someone like me that is being introduced to athleticism well into my 20s, I have decided that avoiding the dreaded DNF (did not finish) beside my name on the board where he writes our times is good enough for me.  I push myself, but not to the point of throwing up!  I mean Puh-lease!!  I'm not training to be an olympic athlete!

I will ask about the band when I go in today and pass along the info.  It's super cool and makes you feel like a manimal for the first 5 or 6 reps and then I revert to weakling again almost immediately LOL.  Excellent training too though.

Wow, it's nice to see this group picking up,  hi Cassie and Goldie!

And you're all so motivating!  :)

I haven't been around 'cause I've been travelling around Europe with the Hubby and only exercised once.  Poor me, right?  ;)

Went to Rome, Barcelona, and Turkey. Didn't gain more than a pound or two because of all the wonderful walking. I miss weight training though.

VG, you're so funny. Short hair is cute, and the puffiness will go away. Maybe some well placed blush can help...

Yea, goldie, you better let us in on your pull-up cheat device!  I am just working out at home (we have a boxing bag in the basement of our office, plus going to the swimming pool once a week) but at my old gym they used to have one of those "assisted" pullup bars, where you'd set how much you'd want it to help you with... My friend and I could do 5 reps with it holding 20kg (terrible!), but hopefully if I get your crazy band, I can one day do 5 all by myself.  That would be so hot!

Foxylady, I'm so jealous!  I'm in London, UK right now, and it's got nothing on continental europe, although it tends to be faster to walk than use the public transport (I think the tube system here is 150 years old!).

Planning on a no-drinking weekend.  This should be much easier than usual as I am COMPLETELY broke... hahahahaa!  Wish me luck. 

Have a good one, ladies!

Hey, welcome back Foxy!

Hope everyone else is doing well. I just weighed myself, hoping to see a little loss, but no :(  I know that part of it is TTOM and that I've been sick. I have been to the gym twice this week (and will prob go back today at lunch), and I've been really good about eating well, but I think I'm just not pushing myself hard enough.

I've also switched from walking to work to biking to work (now that the ice has finally melted, ha ha) and while it's faster and it's fun, 5 minutes of biking on flat terrain is not as good exercise as 20 minutes of walking. I need to do something else to replace that!

Ha! I'm not in terrible shape, but I can't even imagine doing 5 pull-ups without assistance. I can do 170-200 lb leg presses though. It's so strange how most of us women have so much more lower body strength.

Kassy, I've never been to London before. It's next on my list to visit. I've only lived in Southern California and Turkey.  As for the no-drinking weekend, good luck! I'm a sucker for the booze. :)

VG, I have a great idea for ya.  Try going all the way to work without sitting. I bet your glutes with love it, and you'll get to work faster. And don't worry about the scale. Sweat Everyday!

I forgot that mantra! Best mantra ever! And that is such a great idea about not sitting - rock hard ass, here I come :)

Hi guys!

Made it through the weekend okay? 

I did very well... until last night, when the housemate brought out a homemade chocolate brownie cake!  Can anyone actually resist chocolate?  i find it impossible....

But, you'll be happy to know that my "no drinking" weekend went as planned (errr... by that, I mean I didn't drink anything!), but I felt like I missed out on all the fun!  There's a booze cruise here in London for Canada day this saturday, and I'm definitely going to be a bad girl there!

Foxylady, that's a pretty impressive leg press.  I think I did 85kg once for 5 reps, which is pretty much the same, but I thought I was going to die!  I would love to be able to do more with my upper body.  I'm slowly converting all my girlie pushups to proper ones, but even then, can't manage more than ten.  Sad, wimpy arms!

Wish me luck with the weigh-in tonight!  Fingers crossed....

Wow, guys!  You've been awesome with the gym!  Hope you're feeling better VG.  I always hate sinus stuff...you feel like crap and it is slow going away.  No worries on the loss - ttom and illnesses always throw you off.

Foxy, I'm jealous!  I'd love to travel with my dh, but alas...we're stuck in the states working! 

Kassy, awesome on your non-drinking weekend!  I'm a sucker for a nice red wine (heck...I'll tolerate cheap not-really-all-that-good wine!).  I'm sure I'll be doing some drinking over the 4th here soon...my sister and her fiance are coming to town to see about finding a location to get married.  Well, actually, we're all going to convine at my mom's house.  But, it plans to be a great weekend of dress shopping, site touring, eating and drinking!

Oh, and my $0.02 on pull-ups...not sure I could do 1 unassisted!

 DH is not on call until this weekend, so probably no gym for me tonight (we're cleaning house tonight and unpacking the trailer full of stuff we brought from the in-laws house clean out!).  Probably go tomorrow and Wednesday.  If I can get 3 days in this week, then that will be 3 weeks in a row of 3x a week!  (a first for a very long time!)

Have great Mondays, everyone!

Man, my weekend was pretty bad. Good bad though.  Or maybe bad good.  I didn't do any proper exercise, but I did surf, ride bikes on the boardwalk, and swim. But I ate anything I wanted and drank beer, margaritas, and wine everyday.  :0

*sigh* My excuse is that I won't be able to play like this after we have babies, so beer with brunch is fine... The only thing I wish I didn't do was tortilla chips. It's a weakness.

VP, great job on the gym time! And house cleaning is also pret-ty intense exercise.

Kass, your willpower is amazing. Good job this weekend. And I say a weekend of healthy eating deserves a treat.

VG, have you tried riding without sitting yet?

Foxy, my quads were burning after a block standing up! I tried it a bit more on Saturday and may be able to work up to it. If I'm just coasting, no problem, but actually pedalling is tough!  How can you say surfing, biking and swimming isn't "proper exercise"??? It sounds like you had an amazing weekend. Having fun is healthy too :)

Sounds like you've got a good weekend coming up too VP.  Hey, how did cheering up your hubby go? Is he feeling better? My BF is in a bit of a funk right now, I need something fun and inexpensive to do for him.

Kassy, nice willpower (apart from the brownie cake)!  I think I did the opposite of you - I rarely drink but I went out for beers with friends on Friday and had some wine at dinner last night.  

Foxylady, where do you live?  SOUNDS AMAZING!  If I could go surfing and hang out at the beach all day, i would be one happy camper.

VG, good luck with the standing while cycling!  I'd be worried about showing up at work as a sweaty mass, but I guess if you can have a shower, then it's okay.  Have you thought about finding a "long way" to go instead?  You know, so you don't just go by the shortcut.  Anyway, just a thought!

Soooo, goood news!  I had my weigh in yesterday (I only weigh myself once a week) and I've lost 0.9kg this week!!  WOOOHOOO!!  That's about 2lbs.  I am very pleased.  The no drinking sure paid off.  My goal for this week is to drink less than 750 cal of alcohol... might be a bit tricky with my canada day cruise!

Nice work - 2lbs! That's amazing! How far are you from your goal now?

I did a bit more standing when cycling - it felt a bit easier today. It's only a five-minute ride, so I'm really not too sweaty, luckily, and I work in a very casual office. I kind of feel like I've blown it though - as soon as I got into work I scarfed half a cherry turnover.  I was totally thinking "I should not eat this, I am not really hungry" but I put it in my mouth anyway.

Hey Foxy.  Welcome back to posting.  Sounds like you have been keeping yourself pretty busy in general!

Don't worry about the cherry turnover.  Sometimes those things just happen.  Just try to eat healthier for the rest of the day and you should be fine.  I know I do that all the time.  The Man will want to go out and get something that I KNOW we shouldn't eat and still I do it.  The worst part is, the craving is never usually the worth the way I feel afterwards.  He was hung over on Saturday morning and despite the fact I pretty much already had a healthy sandwich made, when he asked if I wanted to go to McDonalds with him, I still went.  Luckily, I felt so full after eating it, I truly (and this never happens to me) wasn't hungry for the rest of the day.  Sadly one little splurge at Micky Dees is a whole day's worth of calories LOL.  Yikes.  Must try not to do that again for a while.

Hey VG, I just posted a REALLY yummy vegetarian recipe for Mediterranean Lentil Soup.  Each 1 cup serving only has 111 calories, but 7+ grams of protein and fibre.  I started to make a recipe that I found online last night, but I modified it a little more to suit my tastes.  I also put about 2 cloves of crushed garlic in there, but it's probably not a necessity (in my world it is but not everyone's the same!).  And the chicken stock that I use is vegan, so I'm sure that you probably have something similar.  Anyways, it's definitely worth a shot if you are bored with more of the same foods that you always eat.

Oh, and you were looking for something fun and inepensive to cheer up your man?  Luckily, Canada Day is just around the corner and I'm not 100% sure abotu Edmonton, but Calgary has tonnes of free and fun events going on so I am sure you have the same things there too.   Just check out the city's web page to see what's happening.  Sometimes there is even free eats but the fireworks with a bottle of vino is always a fantastic (and *gasp* maybe even romantic) thing to enjoy together.  Just a thought...