Your Exercise History

[kc123]

SDN weight loss challenge! ha ha....I love it! Now one of us just has to organize it!

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[run_4ever]

My screen name says it all. I've been running for a long time. Studying for the MCAT has really made it tough to keep it all in the right places. There's just too much time spent sitting and it's not possible to run on the treadmill and do physics problems. Most mornings I meet my training partner at 6:00am and we do about 6 miles. I like to get the exercise out of the way first thing, then it's on with my day. I basically run to eat (all I want!). Aside from the running, I just like to stay active. Hiking, biking, walking, you name it. It's a great way to de-stress.

 

[Crake]

I find it much harder to stay active in the winter (hailing from Rhode Island, where the winter is particularly brutal) because it's too cold/wet to get outside and do anything physical. During undergrad I would go through periods where I worked out a lot, and periods where I didn't work out at all. I remember that during my junior year, I biked all through the spring, summer and fall (beginning at 10 miles/day and ending at 60 miles/day) This was great exercise and I highly recommend biking if it's an option. In RI, there's a great bike path along the ocean that's 30 miles each way, so you avoid cars except at crossings. (note that one drawback to biking is the startup cost: a decent roadbike starts at $600).

Now as a postbacc, I find I have less time than I did in undergrad but I've also been able to integrate working out every day into my schedule. New York is perfect for indoor exercise, as no matter where you live in Manhattan, there's a gym on your way home (so you walk right by it and have no excuse not to go--getting to the gym is often the hardest part). Also, living in the city, you end up walking several miles a day, which is good too.

I run about a mile/day (treadmill) and lift weights as well. Not a huge workout (no ironman/triathalons/marathons for me. . . yet) but I still get most of the benefits of a full workout. For you runners out there: Is there an advantage to running on an incline? I typically run on a 3 degree incline, but is this more likely to result in injury?

Also, for you New Yorkers out there: are there any good bike routes in Manhattan that you won't get run down by a taxi while biking? I'd like to begin riding again and do a century by the end of the summer if possible, but there's nowhere to train around here without serious risk of injury. Any ideas?

Diet: this probably sounds strange but I'd say I get sushi about 4 times/week. I wonder if this is even healthy? Add lots of fruits and vegetables and the occasional steak and that's my diet. Good, but not great.

 

[frantic983]

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[scrappysurfer]

btw I lost 30 pounds and ~ 10% body fat from January to the beginning of march (225-195, 6'2"). Super-strict diet and 1-2x in the gym/day made it happen. Unfortunately spring break got in the way and I am still recovering. I am really going to start hitting the pool to get myself under 10% body fat before the summer. Who knows maybe i'll step outside my sprinter comfort zone and try a triathalon.

i don't know where you live, but in many places a triathlon is a good way to get an active lifestyle without getting running injuries. triathlon definitely killed my freshman fat pounds (unfortunately, i have more leg muscle than a girl really wants). there are usually huge tri clubs around so its fun and social.

 

[frantic983]

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[scrappysurfer]

I talked to one of my high school friends who was training at the olympic trainging center in Co. about triathalons and he said if I start, then I'll be hooked. Honestly, I really don't need another vice in my life so I am approaching this triathalon thing with caution.

yep, its definitely addictive. always outside. very social. tons of gorgeous individuals running around...and expensive. possibly only less expensive than sports involving horses

I'm curious, is your friend on the Under 23 team? If so was he/she in San Diego about 10 days ago? A bunch of the OTC crew was out here with my coach for some reason. There were lots of people running around who looked much much faster than me.

 

[frantic983]

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[PineappleGirl]

Hi all,

I love this thread!
Lots of great information.

I was wondering if you guys could recommend any ways to overcome a weight loss plateau. I had been losing weight very steadily for several months, but have now reached a plateau. I tried both exercising more and eating less, but the scales stayed the same. I even tried eating more just to see if the scale was broken! I only gained a pound, which I lost again when I went back to my regular eating habits.
I've heard that I may need to change my exercise routine. I walk every weekday for about an hour or an hour and a half and walk two or three hours a day on the weekends. I eat fairly sensibly and follow a modified low carb diet (under 60 carbs/day). I'm thinking of getting back into swimming laps.
Is there anything else I can do to overcome this plateau?
I know I should probably be doing some strength training but I get kinda freaked out by weights.

 

[rme04]

i only eat beer.

im running the vancouver marathon on May 1, if anyone else is from around that area. Ill be the guy wearing the T-shirt that says (Future Doctor....Current Waste of Space). not really, but maybe.

Does anyone here play Ultimate? Im trying out for some teams in seattle this spring.

 

[frantic983]

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[neuropower]

Hey Pineapple girl,
Congrats on your successful dieting so far! It sounds like maybe you need to up your cardio. Walking is great, but you probably aren't getting your heart rate up enough...swimming is an excellent idea! can you mix a bit of running into your walk? you could just do short sprints...also, as a woman, i always notice that I retain water during a certain time every month and there's just no way to get that scale to go down for about a week...and if i've been healthy during that time, i usually see a one-two pound drop after that time...how long has the plateau been?

have you ever tried keeping a log of what you eat, so you really get an idea of how many calories you eat per day rather than just looking at carbs? there's this great site called www.calorie-count.com that will tell you how many calories you burn per day based on your height, weight, age, and activity level...as well as tons of calorie information about different foods...and if you burn more calories than you take in, you will eventually lose weight over time, even if it takes a few days to kick in...

Hi all,

I love this thread!
Lots of great information.

I was wondering if you guys could recommend any ways to overcome a weight loss plateau. I had been losing weight very steadily for several months, but have now reached a plateau. I tried both exercising more and eating less, but the scales stayed the same. I even tried eating more just to see if the scale was broken! I only gained a pound, which I lost again when I went back to my regular eating habits.
I've heard that I may need to change my exercise routine. I walk every weekday for about an hour or an hour and a half and walk two or three hours a day on the weekends. I eat fairly sensibly and follow a modified low carb diet (under 60 carbs/day). I'm thinking of getting back into swimming laps.
Is there anything else I can do to overcome this plateau?
I know I should probably be doing some strength training but I get kinda freaked out by weights.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Hi all,

I love this thread!
Lots of great information.

I was wondering if you guys could recommend any ways to overcome a weight loss plateau. I had been losing weight very steadily for several months, but have now reached a plateau. I tried both exercising more and eating less, but the scales stayed the same. I even tried eating more just to see if the scale was broken! I only gained a pound, which I lost again when I went back to my regular eating habits.
I've heard that I may need to change my exercise routine. I walk every weekday for about an hour or an hour and a half and walk two or three hours a day on the weekends. I eat fairly sensibly and follow a modified low carb diet (under 60 carbs/day). I'm thinking of getting back into swimming laps.
Is there anything else I can do to overcome this plateau?
I know I should probably be doing some strength training but I get kinda freaked out by weights.

PineappleGirl,

Are you counting calories? If so, a good way to overcome a plateau is to alternate the number of calories you eat each day. For example, instead of eating 1500 calories every single day, eat 1300 one day, 1700 the next, etc. This has worked in the past for me. Good luck!

 

[kc123]

Hey Pineapple girl,
Congrats on your successful dieting so far! It sounds like maybe you need to up your cardio. Walking is great, but you probably aren't getting your heart rate up enough...swimming is an excellent idea! can you mix a bit of running into your walk? you could just do short sprints...also, as a woman, i always notice that I retain water during a certain time every month and there's just no way to get that scale to go down for about a week...and if i've been healthy during that time, i usually see a one-two pound drop after that time...how long has the plateau been?

have you ever tried keeping a log of what you eat, so you really get an idea of how many calories you eat per day rather than just looking at carbs? there's this great site called www.calorie-count.com that will tell you how many calories you burn per day based on your height, weight, age, and activity level...as well as tons of calorie information about different foods...and if you burn more calories than you take in, you will eventually lose weight over time, even if it takes a few days to kick in...

Hey PineappleGirl (love your screen name) & neuro power --

Those are some good suggestions (from neuro power). I'm in a similar spot to you (except I haven't lost much initial weight, like you, some I am at a plateau at the beginning of my weight loss/exercise regimen). One of the trainers at the gym said it's good to vary your workouts....that you want to "shock your body".....because when you do one thing over and over again, your body gets very efficient at doing that one thing (whether it be running/walking, whatever), and thus burns less calories while doing that activity. I think strength training is always a good idea, but I tend to shy away from it, too. Do you belong to a gym? Sometimes gyms will offer like step n sculpt classes that throw some strength training in, or offer entire classes that are built around strength training. For me, I'm also trying to focus on how I look and feel, because I seem to shape up/tone before the weight actually drops off. The trainer at the gym also told me that I may NEVER get back to my high school weight because your body settles is and gets happy at a certain weight! Maybe you are at a good weight for you? Well, congratulations on getting this far, and definitely keep us posted!!

 

[GATORade]

Hi all,

I love this thread!
Lots of great information.

I was wondering if you guys could recommend any ways to overcome a weight loss plateau. I had been losing weight very steadily for several months, but have now reached a plateau. I tried both exercising more and eating less, but the scales stayed the same. I even tried eating more just to see if the scale was broken! I only gained a pound, which I lost again when I went back to my regular eating habits.
I've heard that I may need to change my exercise routine. I walk every weekday for about an hour or an hour and a half and walk two or three hours a day on the weekends. I eat fairly sensibly and follow a modified low carb diet (under 60 carbs/day). I'm thinking of getting back into swimming laps.
Is there anything else I can do to overcome this plateau?
I know I should probably be doing some strength training but I get kinda freaked out by weights.

The first thing you should do is begin a resistance training program. I understand your fear, but I assure you it will not be that bad. When trying to lose weight, especially after hitting a plateau, it’s important to add resistance training (weight lifting) to your routine. Muscle tissue is more metabolically active that fat. Therefore, if you increase your lean muscle, you will increase the amount of calories your body will burn at rest. Also, I would recommend that you stop using those crazy low carb diets! Why deprive your body of an essential nutrient! Actually, your diet should consist of at lease 50% of your caloric intake in the form of carbohydrate. And when I say carbohydrate I mean the complex stuff – like whole grains and such. The only way carbohydrates will make you fat is by eating them all day long and not exercising. At moderate to high intensity exercise your body can only utilize carbohydrate in the form of stored glycogen as a fuel source. Stop depriving your body of the nutrients it needs. Ok, now that I'm done ranting about those crazy low card diets. Getting back on track – lower your caloric intake to ~ 1200 – 1300 kcals /day (don’t forget those carbs) and start resistance training 2 – 3 x/wk. And don't forget – lean muscle tissue is denser that fat so you may actually gain weight on the scale. However, your body composition will change for the better – you will increase lean muscle mass while decreasing fat tissue. Good luck. Hope this helped. And I promise you will not get all “bulky” by lifting weights. Unless of course your screen name is only a decoy and you have the testosterone of a raging bull. Keep the repetitions high and the weight light. Good luck.

 

[Dave IPFW]

Talk about something I need more of in my life right now. Last night I played basketball with some of my friends, and man was I low on stamina. Granted, we played at a fast pace, but my lack of endurance was pretty ridiculous and sad considering how good of a runner I used to be in middle school when I ran cross country.

I think I'll take up hitting the gym and especially the treadmill sooner or later, though .... probably the latter of the two, but hopefully not.

 

[PineappleGirl]

Neuropower, UCLAStudent, kc123, GATORade, thank you so much for all your awesome suggestions.

Neuropower, I think I will definitely try to incorporate some running into my walking. Sometimes I get so psyched after walking for an hour or so that I feel I could break into a run. I don't think the plateau's related to any month to month fluctations because I've been plateauing for quite a while now. I went to visit my family in NY around President's Day, went off my diet/exercise routines for four or five days, and much to my surprise, found that when I came back to Boston and jumped on the scale, I had lost 5 pounds! How did THAT happen?? However, since then, I've not been able to lose any more weight, despite, as I said, increasing the time walking and eating less. I don't keep a log of everything I eat and count calories, but this might be worth a try. I started writing down everything I charge on my credit cards in an effort to save money, and that certainly curbed my spending, so perhaps this would have a similar effect. That calories counting site is cool too, thanks.

UCLA student, I will definitely try increasing then decreasing calories. I have kind of noticed this works in the past. Sometimes I would eat more for a few days and then I would lose weight a few days later. Would you advise skipping meals as a way to do this, though, or just eat smaller meals and portions on some days?

kc123, yes, I go to the gym a lot at my school, so I've got a lot of options in terms of different machines to try and groups/classes to join. I'm thinking of asking one of my girlfriends who does a lot of strength training if I could go with her to the gym a couple times to get a sense for what are the best machines to do. I have strong leg muscles from walking, but have very little upper body strength. As for my body being happy at my current weight, it's possible. I do feel good overall and have a lot of energy, but my BMI is still in the overweight zone which bothers me to no end. One of my good friends is diabetic and it scares me that being overweight is putting me at risk for diabetes, especially after seeing first hand all the problems he has to deal with. And, on the superficial side, I'd really like to feel confident in a bikini this summer.

GATORade, thanks for the tips on strength training. I think I just need to overcome my fears of morphing into AHHNOLD. Yes, I am a girl, btw. I was wondering if you could elaborate a little more on why you're so against the low carb diet. I have never had as much success with a diet as I had on low carb. I couldn't manage to stick with low fat diets because I absolutely LOVE cheese. I've also think low carb has worked for me because I love fish as well and this particular diet I'm doing is very high on some of my favorite fishes like salmon and flounder. I can definitely see why people are against diets like Atkins, which restrict carbs so much that you're left craving them all the time and have you eating stuff that's pretty unhealthy, but I don't see what's so bad about not eating many carbs as long as the other things you're eating (in my case, fish, lean meats, veggies, cheese) aren't very unhealthy.

 

[littlephiLLy]

i used to hate my body. i've been little all my life, and at age 16, 5'4" 112 lbs was time to go. i was skinny with a large head, so i looked like a little alien. i am now 5'4 155 lbs but i am a hard gainer, lift 4x weekly. i take in 1.75 g protein for every lb of body weight, and usually eat 6x daily.

 

[UCLAstudent]

UCLA student, I will definitely try increasing then decreasing calories. I have kind of noticed this works in the past. Sometimes I would eat more for a few days and then I would lose weight a few days later. Would you advise skipping meals as a way to do this, though, or just eat smaller meals and portions on some days?

I would try eating smaller portions on some days. Skipping meals is not a good idea. It's better to be feeding your body throughout the day to keep your metabolism up.

 

[frantic983]

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[evendry707]

i've lifted on and off since high school. i'm in decent health - i try to eat small meals and im training for a short 5K run in 2 weeks. deep down inside however, i'm a little fat kid so it can be difficult sometimes to fight that temptation to indulge in chocolate or to ask for ranch w/ the fries.

most of the time i succumb - but those times i find some source of inner strength to instead just go home and eat a grapefruit, i feel really good about myself. discipline sucks, but it's what keeps people healthy.

as future physicians, do you feel you have an obligation to keep yourself healthy, to set an example for your patients? how do you balance the hectic lifestyle that seems to characterize most physician's lives, and torment residents, interns, and med students in training, with the proper nutrition and exercise that as physicians, we should be advocating?

 

[PineappleGirl]

as future physicians, do you feel you have an obligation to keep yourself healthy, to set an example for your patients? how do you balance the hectic lifestyle that seems to characterize most physician's lives, and torment residents, interns, and med students in training, with the proper nutrition and exercise that as physicians, we should be advocating?

I definitely feel we have an obligation to keep ourselves fit and healthy. A couple days ago I posted on this thread some excerpts from the AMA's website which basically said it is the duty of a physician to maintain his or her well being and to help other physicians do so as well. This thread is so right on with these points!
I can't really speak as a med student or a physician, I'm a lowly post-baccer, but I think exercising is the perfect compliment to study and hard work. As they say, mens sana in corpore sano (healthy mind in a healthy body). I feel I get more accomplished when I'm maintaining an exercise routine. You just feel better and have more energy to put into your work and studies when you're exercising regularly. I also use my long walks to clear my head after studying or as a break. Most of the docs I know too are all very healthy, even with their busy schedules.

 

[littlephiLLy]

yeah i used to take creatine and whey, now just whey. the bodybuilding forum is quite useful as well, i used to go to the teen one.

 

[neuropower]

i went running outside for the first time this season on sunday (i usually run on the nice cushy treadmill)...i definitely noticed the higher impact from running on pavement, but i didn't think much of it. i only ran about 4.5 miles, but about an hour or two after my run, my knee swelled up right around the patellar tendon (below and lateral to the knee cap)...
yesterday, i couldn't even walk! it was so swollen, i couldn't even completely extend my leg...
today, its getting better, but i'm just shocked that i could be so incapacitated without an acute injury!
has this ever happened to anyone else? i wonder if the structure of my knee predisposes me to this or something, because all i did was run!

and i HATE having to sit out for a few days to recover...so frustrating!

i think for the future, if i want to exercise outside, i'll have to stick to biking...