Anyone else trying to lose some weight for interviews?

[tigress]

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Is running really hard on the knees? It is less impact if you're running say on a treadmill vs. sidewalk?

Running CAN be very hard on the joints and also soft tissue, but SHOULDN'T be if you do it right. First off you need to have proper running shoes that fit you well. Go to a specialized running store for that, so somebody can look at the way you walk/run and help you find the right shoes. Second, run on the right surface. If you can avoid it, don't run on the sidewalk. Run on roads (asphalt), grass, etc. Grass and dirt is really best, but asphalt is much better than concrete sidewalks. Some treadmills are made for running and others aren't. Some people do have trouble running on treadmills but personally I'm fine if I'm on a treadmill that's actually for running (the surface has the right hardness and it's strong enough to withstand running rather than walking). And third (very important!) never run if something hurts. If something starts to hurt, take a few days off to let it heal, and if it doesn't start looking into what's wrong. If you never run on an injury, you don't give it time to develop into a problem. And by doing all of these things you should be able to run for decades and never have damage from it. And running is fun 🙂

Also, make sure to wear a reflective vest if you're running at dawn, dusk, or in the dark. And don't run the same route at the same time of day all the time, predictably, especially if you're a woman, because you might get attacked/mugged/whatever. And have fun 🙂

 

[BooMed]

Does anyone else think that it's important for doctors to be healthy because they are doctors? I mean, I want to be a doctor because I love learning about the human body and how to stay healthy, and I want to help other people do the same. I don't want to be telling my patients to eat better and exercise if I don't do those things myself! 😳

 

[N1DERL&]

Tigress! Hey thanks so much for the info! I appreciate it!! My labor's day resolution is to get off my duff and exercise! whoo hoo! 😀

Sally, I headed to Target today and couldn't help myself and bought some Purpose. 🙂 It was $4.79. Beauty products, how could I resist? 😛

 

[Overeducated]

Does anyone else think that it's important for doctors to be healthy because they are doctors? I mean, I want to be a doctor because I love learning about the human body and how to stay healthy, and I want to help other people do the same. I don't want to be telling my patients to eat better and exercise if I don't do those things myself! 😳

I actually wrote about this topic in some of my secondaries. I talked about how I lost 60 pounds a year ago, learned a lot about nutrition and healthy exercise, and how I feel that doctors have an obligation to set a good example for their patients because their advice will have more influence when it comes from personal experience, blah blah. It seemed like a good topic for those questions such as "what's a personal challenge/problem that you overcame? how will it make you a better doctor?"

 

[BooMed]

That's really cool Overeducated! 🙂 That's certainly a topic that pretty much everyone can relate to.

 

[LJDHC05]

Running CAN be very hard on the joints and also soft tissue, but SHOULDN'T be if you do it right.-First off you need to have proper running shoes that fit you well.-And third (very important!) never run if something hurts.-And running is fun

And have fun 🙂

Good advice tig...I'm an example of a bad runner:

-I started out as a 2 miler in high school, used to run alot with ROTC and then just kept going after quitting that and never had too bad of a problem
-Started getting up above 30mi/wk and racing and all that jazz, and wasnt stretching much at all anymore
-Survived a sprint triathlon in shoes that were at the end of their life
-I bought a bad pair of shoes, was neglecting stretching and my knees started hurting.
-I proceeded to run a half marathon on sore knees and bad shoes, and it laid me up for almost 2 years

I've eaten healthily since high school so I stayed around the same weight since then (havent blown up, just varied by about 10 pounds because of stress/beer/running out of meal plan meals and money/too many hours in lab). A summer of physical therapy and orthotic inserts didnt make the problem go away and it turns out that it was my shoes after all of that trouble and 80 bucks and a trip to a decent running store fixed the knee. I've had an awesome case of sinusitus for all of august and now I'm on amoxacillin and sudafed so I can breathe. Hopefully I can start getting on the road again next week when I'm through the drugs so I can get my sanity back!!!

Starting up again isnt as easy, I've eaten up all my free time at work with responsibilities and now I have coauthor and my PI on my back to get my manuscript out the door already and I have to train the new tech and the new grad student and I'm up late at night with stupid seconaries (gonna finish this weekend).

I miss the days when I could say feck it all, I'll just run and everything will have to wait.

/rant

 

[Turkeyman]

Question! How long does it typically take you guys to start noticing improvements? I've been trying to eat right with this program, and after 2 weeks I don't really feel any different. Maybe I'm just jumping the gun, but I'm anxious to get trim again. I wish I could get back in the clothes that I wore 1 year ago!!!!!!!!!

I'm actually on a special training program of my own(not to lose weight, but for definition)...I've been keeping a log every night of my daily activities, food eaten, etc etc. I'm on Day 81 (well 82 now since it just passed midnight here on the east coast) and looking back, I remember thinking at Day 14 that I hadn't really done much. Most people will say six weeks is the normal amount of time it takes to see results from any type of training program, but I saw a drastic a change around day 30...it just hit me all at once. The same thing happened when I lost a huge amount of weight back in high school...it took about a month for the changes to hit me(as well as the people around me). Hold out about two more weeks and if you're doing everything correctly, you shall too 😀. The walking you're doing is great...seriously -- I can't believe how much people underestimate the power of walking. It's something you can do EVERYDAY without becoming sore or even if you ARE sore, it's darn relaxing if you have something to listen to, and it doesnt take much time especially if you break it up into sessions when you have free time. I do a lot of high flying, explosive movements when I train martial arts but when it comes down to it, walking is definitely my favorite exercise 😀.

Also for the record, I always eat/drink right before I sleep. Mainly milk with whey protein in it or sometimes oatmeal(only real oatmeal, not that packaged/processed $H!+ with added sugars). I have a belief that even during sleep -- my body will need fuel. And well...I guess you can say it has only helped me in the long run. The results are still highly satisfying. Not saying it's the right thing to do, but hey it keeps me happy and full.

 

[BooMed]

Hey MegBoo, I like your name! 😉

For me, the key to staying healthy is planning, especially when I have a busy schedule. I plan exactly when I'm going to workout each day because if I don't, I won't get around to it until it's 8 p.m. and the gym is closing in an hour. 😛 I like to do a little bit of exercise pretty much every day, even it that is just taking a walk with my mp3 player. Turkeyman is right-walking is really relaxing. To build exercise into my day, I walk to school and back (about 30 min each way) and home from work. It doesn't take that much more time than driving and parking would, but of course I'm lucky enough to live nearby to my work and school. I like to go to the gym in the evening (and I literally have the time planned out each day!). If I've walked a lot, I only do a little cardio to warm up, then I lift weights. I lift four times a week--two days of upper body, two days of lower body. Of all the exercises I've ever done, lifting weights is the absolute best. I always feel really strong afterwards, physically and mentally. I learned how to do a lot of different exercises by asking the people that work in the gym, reading fitness mags and copying the personal trainers as they work out with clients. I also stretch a lot after I work out. A couple days a week I do pilates.

I realize this is a lot of working out, I used to want to be a personal trainer. 😛 But anyway, you get the idea.

As far as food goes, I always eat when I'm hungry and I try to fill up on good stuff first. Nobody ever got fat eating tons of veggies and fruits. I base my meals around vegetables and add other things as "sides." There's a great book called "Eat to Live" that I learned a lot from...

I always eat breakfast, even on days when I have to be at the hospital really early. I set out all of the stuff I'm going to eat the night before so that when I get up it's totally convenient. And I pack a healthy lunch and yummy snacks in a little lunch bag so that when I get hungry at work I'm not stuck with vending machine food. The people at my work probably think I'm nuts when I go out to lunch with them and I'm eating edamame and brown rice at McDonalds, but that's all right. I stick out in the South no matter what. 😛

 

[funshine]

Anyone try the Lemonade Diet?
You can find it on amazon.com "the master cleanser," by stanley burroughs
There are also millions of sites devoted to it on the internet.

Its to detox and cleanse the body. and yeah... you do lose some pounds while you're at it. I wouldnt mind losing a little weight around my waist.
So this book's been passed around a group of people that I know... and the results...
gf #1 : (10 days) lost 15 pounds, skin cleared with a youthful glow and feels better...
gf #2 : (6 days) lost 9 pounds, skin cleared with a youthful glow, and feels better.
gf #3 : (10 days) lost 7 pounds, skin cleared with a youthful glow plus feels better
gf #3s bf: (10 days): lost 15 pounds, skin with a youthful glow and feels better... GET THE PICTURE, right?!!

(when I say feels better, it means they have more energy, body feels lighter, physically feels better, they are more health conscious, feel revived.)

I'm about to start it, except I don't like the idea of drinking a laxative tea and salt-water mix to speed along the "cleansing" process. I have two aunts who abused laxatives in their youth, and basically they CAN'T have bowel movements without the laxatives now 😱 . But, using it for 10 days isn't really ABUSING it, right? Am I right???

If anyone has experienced anything negative about this diet, I'd like to hear it now please. I actually did try this a while back, but without the laxatives, and I felt so nauseated, I quit after 2 days. My body must be really toxic 😱

For more info, check out this site:
http://therawfoodsite.com/mastercleanse.htm
The guy is a little psycho though. 9 times in the past 2 years??

 

[Em1]

I lost about 8 pounds on the "mono diet" when I was so sick I pretty much didn't eat anything for a week (at first I had zero appitite, then my throat hurt way too much to even think about eating). Not recommended 🙂

 

[Chinorean]

If your weight-loss attempts are unsuccessful, make sure you wear an interview outfit that flatters your figure. I've noticed that a well-cut suit can hide a multitude of sins. In general, if you're feeling chubby, V-necks are better than turtleneck/crew necks. The fabric shouldn't be clingy and the top should be slightly tailored.

If you want to burn calories--go clubbing every Friday and dance your ass off 😉

 

[jj08]

I wouldnt mind losing a little weight around my waist.
So this book's been passed around a group of people that I know... and the results...
gf #1 : (10 days) lost 15 pounds, skin cleared with a youthful glow and feels better...
gf #2 : (6 days) lost 9 pounds, skin cleared with a youthful glow, and feels better.
gf #3 : (10 days) lost 7 pounds, skin cleared with a youthful glow plus feels better
gf #3s bf: (10 days): lost 15 pounds, skin with a youthful glow and feels better... GET THE PICTURE, right?!!

funshine-

um, do you think is normal/healthy to lose 7-15 lbs in about 10 days? That right there is alarming to me. That's alot of weight to lose quickly. It makes me wonder if the weight will come back with a vengeance. And also, about losing some weight in the waist-- I was in your shoes a few years ago and found out that there is no such thing as spot reduction. I did cardio and lifted weights religiously and my whole body started to shrink. If you do end up trying this lemonade thing JUST BE CAREFUL!

 

[studentstudent]

Do you think adcoms look negatively on someone who has a "few extra pounds"? I know they probably shouldn't discriminate that way, but considering the city of San Francisco is one of the few places banning discrimination based on size, what would stop adcoms from choosing someone "healthier" looking? (Whether or not that thinner person is healthier is an entirely different story)

 

[funshine]

Hey jj08,

None of my friends really needed to lose weight, and none of them went on this diet specifically to lose weight. It's just a side-effect of not eating for 10 days...it's the same with fasting. I've fasted before, and while the first few days are agonizing, it gets better and you really do start to experience a clarity of mind. I'm very interested in cleaning out my system though. I'm sure there's so much junk that's accumulated in college. I had a horrible lifestyle, I'm only marginally better now, and think a detoxification is necessary, if only to kickstart the start of a new, healthy me. Plus, it takes my mind off med school 🙂. Anyway, I've done the research. Apparently, some people still eat oatmeal while on this diet, so I think I'll do that too.

funshine-

um, do you think is normal/healthy to lose 7-15 lbs in about 10 days? That right there is alarming to me. That's alot of weight to lose quickly. It makes me wonder if the weight will come back with a vengeance. And also, about losing some weight in the waist-- I was in your shoes a few years ago and found out that there is no such thing as spot reduction. I did cardio and lifted weights religiously and my whole body started to shrink. If you do end up trying this lemonade thing JUST BE CAREFUL!

 

[gdbaby]

i am not purposely trying to lose weight (I am a triathlete and want to stay at my current weight), but all of the nervousness and anxiety has given me the worst case of cb ever. Curse you admissions process. When I eat, I want to keep it in me! 😡

 

[samenewme]

If your weight-loss attempts are unsuccessful, make sure you wear an interview outfit that flatters your figure. I've noticed that a well-cut suit can hide a multitude of sins. In general, if you're feeling chubby, V-necks are better than turtleneck/crew necks. The fabric shouldn't be clingy and the top should be slightly tailored.

If you want to burn calories--go clubbing every Friday and dance your ass off 😉

Amen! And if your suit jacket has gotten just a bit too tight, UNBUTTON IT! No one has to know it's too tight.