Posts by sfcgijill

Any chance you might be pregnant?  If you are of normal weight, that's probably the first thing a doctor might ask you!  If you are other than normal weight, these are symptoms of a potentially serious issue.

Please, go see another doctor.  If this isn't pregnancy, it could well signal serious cardiac issues- eating more salt is not an answer. 

Original Post by gi-jane:

'Feeling fat' is sometimes shorthand for feeling dissatisfied or unhappy about some aspect of life.  If you're disappointed in yourself for regaining a few lbs that could be causing you to see the glass half-empty rather than half-full.   If the reason you've regained a little is that your diet is not quite as healthy as it could be (or used to be) then that can also make you feel a little down in the mouth.  A poor diet and inactivity can act as a depressant.

Feeling great has very little to do with what number appears on the scales.  So if you want to lose some more weight - go for it.  But try to find other ways to give life a lift at the same time.  Then you'll have the best of all worlds.

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Grin- Does not fitting into the jeans I'd been wearing count as seeing the glass half-empty? 

I do agree that poor diet and lack of exercise are depressants- and it has been a while since I really broke a sweat.  Time to get off this exercise plateau!

I hate to run too- but I do it because it requires no equipment, no trip to a gym, no nothing. 

I understand a hectic life- I spend half of every month on an airplane.  But I will tell you this- in addition to the commitment you've made to a healthy diet, you must also commit to exercise- and that means doing things you don't want to do when you'd rather be doing someone else. 

I'm gonna say it again, just because I was there myself for many years:

Just do it.  Quit talking about it, quit thinking about it, quit planning on it, quit all that other crap and just do it.

It doesn't matter what your bf says, what diet you think you want to use, what exercise you would rather do- the only thing that matters is that you do it!

Well, I'm not very scientific, but...

I've lost about 55 lbs thanks to my bicycle.  But, while I started at 1-hr rides, I ride for 2 hrs on normal days and 3-5 hours each day on weekends, and have gotten much faster too.

Get a computer for your bike- it's great feedback and then you won't have to do math.  If you are currently at, say, 10 miles in 1 hour (or 10 mph!)  try to push yourself to maybe 12 mph for the next week.  And go farther from time to time, too.  You'll want to gradually increase your distance and intensity over the season.

Save the elliptical for when the weather won't permit you to go outside and ride.  It's great because it'll keep you in the rhythm and uses the same muscles when you ride.

Congrats on your continued weight loss! 

I'm not sure there is anything you can tell your friend.   She may feel that it's hopeless on her own.  You may want to reinforce what her doctor will tell her- even with the surgery, she must take control of her eating- otherwise, she may lose in the short run only to gain it back.  The surgery is not a magical cure- it will only work if she does the hard work that goes along with it. 

Best of luck to her- and to you, too. 

hmmm, maybe you're missing out on the exercise you used to get going back and forth to the smoking area and going out to eat?

Congrats on quitting smoking and starting to eat better.  I'd say add some exercise to your day, and you should start seeing results.  I travel often too- if you're stuck in a hotel with no gym and the neighborhood is too bad to walk or run in, try going up and down the stairs.  Kind of like a stairclimber, but no-tech.  works for me.

The one suggestion I have for you is to make the calories that you do eat really count for you.  Since you are eating so little, EVERY calorie has to do something good for you.  That means eating lean proteins, whole grains and fresh veggies and fat-free dairy over hi-fat dairy and meats and refined carbs.  You just don't get the same nutritional benefit from a cheeseburger and fries that you would from say, fish with a fresh salad and whole grain bread, although you might eat enough to get the same number of calories.

Forty minutes of cardio should not be wearing you out like that.  Please find someone locally (an aerobics instructor, personal trainer, whoever) who can better advise you on the types of exercise and training periods that would benefit you.  Or, better yet, talk to your doctor.

wow- congrats on having the most sadistic jerk possible for a stepdad (what a sick dude he is).

Hun, if you wait for him to behave himself, you'll never get to where you need to be.  The only person you have any control over is you- I'm afraid you're just going to have to work with whatcha got.  Don't expect him to ever make it easy, in fact, he will probably step up the action just out of pure meanness.  Look forward to it, plan on it, and when he pulls his crap, you'll be better able to handle it.

In the meantime, it's up to you to not eat the ice cream.  You're the only one who can (or will even want to) do it.

In my very limited experience, diet pills didn't do much for me.  Oh, they may have suppressed my hunger- but I ate anyway, out of boredom, loneliness, sadness, anger, whatever.

Diet pills don't fix those things. 

I am currently in love with Adidas' line of gymwear for women.  Great colors and styles, plus you can get shorts that aren't "OHMYGODTHOSEARESHORT" and also capris and long pants that aren't so heavy you'd actually call them sweats.  They use "cool max" fabric- love this stuff!  Even when it's nasty hot outside, the capris and long pants are comfy cool.

I hate wearing shorts in the gym except when I'll only be on the elliptical.  If I'll be on the upright cycle, I wear tights (to avoid chafing on the fat seat- I wish they'd use skinny seats on those).  If I'll be strength training on the Nautilus equip, I really prefer wearing pants or capris so noone gets a free show up the leg of my shorts. 

Seems like the gym is a meat market as it is- I refuse to put on a show.

I love the mixes at Podrunner.com.  Just choose your tempo, sync up your iPod, and off you go!

cycling- 3-4 times per week for 2-4 hours each (25 to 50 miles) as weather permits.  This is my all-time favorite thing to do, love it even more than eating.

elliptical- 3-4 times per week for 1 hr if I don't get to ride my bike

strength tng- my plan is 3 times per week, but it hasn't actually been happening so much.  It's not as fun as cycling, so I get pretty lazy.

Hey, thought I'd put in my two cents here- I'm a cyclist born FEMALE and happy to remain that way! 

I've only been riding a couple years, this year I ride 4 times a week, 2-4 hours per ride (25 to 40 miles usually, 75 miles on Sat or Sun), and no, there is no muscle loss.  Lots of fat lost, tho. 

During rainy and cold season, I hammer on the elliptical- 60 min a day, 160 bpm with 2 min 190 bpm intervals.  Again, no muscle loss.

No hair on my back, either.  So there.

Yep, there's at least one in every family.

And yep, it would kill her to pay you a compliment rather than trying to tear you down- that would be tantamount to admitting that she should drop a few, too.

congrats to you- don't worry about her sour grapes.