Posts by mathster2005

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Getting back to exercise after a break!

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Please could I join in with your challenge?  I have just finished another challenge that ended 31st July and was looking for a new one to inspire me when I came across yours.  I hope I am not too late - I did weigh myself on the 1st August.  Here are my details -

Name: Mathster 2005
Age: 40
Height: 5'6"
Start Weight: 210  (271 Jan 13th 2008)

Goal Weight (by August 29): 199 (live in hope!)

1/8/08: 210
8/8/08:
15/8/08:
22/8/08:
29/8/08:

Total weight loss:

I would really like to be under 200lb but know it will be hard to lose 11lb in 4 weeks.

My results:

8th week weigh in

SW:271 (Jan 08)

SW:228 (for the challenge!)

LW:210.6

CW:210.6

Total lost: 17.6 Pounds

Stayed the same this week but can't really expect too much after the last couple of weeks.  Will have to try extra hard to hit that target by 31st July but going away for the weekend so might be just too much to do!  Good luck everyone for the final weigh in.

Firstly, let me say that you are not on your own!  I would be surprised if anyone who is already over weight doesn't have times when they 'binge' eat - I certainly do!  It makes you feel totally out of control and, as you say, 'worthless'.  But this is a 'battle' and one you can win, you just have to take your time and not punish yourself at each slip up but put it behind you and just keep on trying. I have found the best way for me to stop the viscious cycle is to:

1.   Record EVERYTHING I eat even when I am having a bad day - there is something about seeing it in black and white that makes you sit and think about what you are doing and whether it is worth it.  Even if you kid yourself throughout the day that there is no point in recording your excesses still try to record them at the end of the day and that way it will set you up for a better day tomorrow.

2.   Write how I am feeling down in my journal and what I intend to do about any slip ups - i.e. prepare a tub of carrots so that I have something to eat when I am tempted, go for a walk etc.  Again, writing it down makes me feel like I am cheating myself if I don't actually do what I have written. It helps to have a few friends on the site that will comment on your entries and give you some encouragement when you aren't feeling quite so good about yourself.

3.   Exercise.  Seeing the gym equipment with 'calories burned' makes me think twice about 'wasting' my calories and effort.  Alternatively, you can look at it as extra calories that you can eat and prepare yourself a feast of calories 'earned' and you will feel much better about eating those extra goodies and not feel like you have cheated.

4.  Accept your failures and just move on.  I have been overweight most of my life and done many different diets.  I have had huge successes - losing 5 stone sometimes, only to put it all back on.  This time it is different - in the past if I didn't do well one week it would lead to another bad week and then ultimately failure.  I  have learnt that I have to accept that it took me a long time to put on this weight and it will take a long time to take it off.  It is also about learning to eat more healthily and stop the bad habbits that I have accumulated over the years.  I do not expect to learn these new habbits overnight and I still have slip ups - the most important thing is not to give up and think that there is no point in carrying on.  If you learn to accept the occasional 'binge' but then accept if for what it is and just get right back on track you will still succeed.

5.  Reward yourself with non food 'treats'.  This is really about changing habbits and learning to give yourself treats that aren't food related - like a nice soak in the bath with you favourite bubble bath, scented candles etc.  You don't just have to do this when you have lost weight but try rewarding yourself when you have resisted the urge to 'binge' and maybe, eventually, it will become a replacement for eating.

Well, I think that is enough ideas for one day!  I really hope that some of them help you as they have me.  If you would like to read my journals send me an email and I will add you to my list of friends. Good luck and I hope you start feeling better about yourself soon! You can do it!!

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling too good - hope it gets better soon!

It is a shame that we have lost so many people over the last few weeks but I agree with naturallyd that the thead is inspiring and makes me think twice about what I eat!

My results:

5th week weigh in

SW:271 (Jan 08)

SW:228 (for the challenge!)

LW:220

CW:219

Total lost: 9 Pounds

No repairs to gym scales yet so these are my best estimates again. Definately still going down but I have had a bad week (or good depending on your point of view!) for eating out so slowly does it.  I don't think I have much chance of reaching 20lb either but going to try and up the exercise this week to see what happens.

Keep up the hard work - we will win the battle of the bulge!

I also started looking into this a few weeks ago and bought myself a heart rate monitor.  At first I thought that I should be working in 'the fat burning zone' as the information implied that I burnt more fat off in this zone. But... when I looked into it more I found that this is misleading because when you go into the higher zone you burn more calories and although the % of fat burned is lower because you are burning more calories you are likely to be burning just as much fat off as in the lower zone, if not more, and also more calories.  It is confusing because it is based on % of fat burned and I found that the differences in % were not very big from zone to zone.  So...stick to working as intensively as you can without getting too out of breath for the best weightloss.

As an example (not using correct % because I can't remember them! - but just to get your head around the number thing!)

if you burn 100 cals in one zone and 40% are from fat burning then 40 cals are 'fat cals' burnt,

if you burn 120 cals in a higher zone but 35% are from fat burning then 42 cals are 'fat cals'.

so although the fat burning % is lower because more cals are burnt by working in a highter zone more cals are 'fat cals'.

So...stick to working as intensively as you can without getting too out of breath for the best weightloss.

Good Luck!!

My results:

2nd week weigh in

SW:228

W1:223

W2:223

Total lost: 5 Pounds

Stayed the same this week, despite sticking to my cals and exercise routine, but can't be disappointed after last week! I have changed my gym routine and reduced my cals slightly so hope to see a good loss next week to make up for it. 

I have been to the gym today for an assessment and I told the instructor that I had joined in a challenge to lose 20lb by 31st July.  She wrote it down on my notes so now I have someone else keeping an eye on me!!I figure it can only help my renewed motivation.

To make the gym more interesting we have changed the routine and added more interval training, incorporating it with weight machines.  The trainer also suggested purchasing a heart rate monitor. Has anyone got an opinion on these?  I don't want to spend a lot but £20-£30 would be OK.

Hi!  I'm looking for some more buddies too! 

My stats are:

Age: young 40!

Height: 5'6"

frame: large

Starting weight: 271

Current weight: 266

Goal weight: 152

Further goal - to be a UK size 14 by Christmas 2008

I am currently challenging myself to do 10000 steps a day (+ the gym 3/4 times a week).