A new beginning in getting HEALTHY...2017, here we come!!!

[HermanH]

I need to get back to scheduling my workouts. Just because life gets busy doesn’t mean I should put off harder workouts. I need to work life around my workouts with the extra of my job.

I remember watching a TV show about health. The expert was told by patients that they didn't couldn't find time to exercise. His reply was to ask them if they could find time to brush their teeth or eat meals. You make time for those activities you deem essential. You just have to treat exercise as essential as food.

[harbie]

I agree to a certain extent with that but when you’re up at 5:30am and off to work and don’t get home until close to 5pm and you need to make dinner, get ready for the next day which always means laundry plus you need to shower it’s not always that easy. When the days are a bit slower it’s not a problem. I’m always moving every single day but sometimes that extra hard workout is tough to fit in.

[harbie]

Had a great run yesterday. I used to run intervals and also HIIT but after injuries and stuff I just focused on plain old distance running. That’s what my mind and body needed at the time and now that’s changed. I’ve started trying to improve and grow so yesterday was interval training with some speed pushes and it felt sooooo good.

Just goes to show that you should always listen to your body and do you. Things change, circuits change and you need to adapt.

Off for a walk while the sun is shining before running and LOTS of stretching.

[Frugalbigmama]

Sun is shining here too! I am off for a walk as well!

[harbie]

With the overnight snow the morning was spent doing an hour of yoga. This afternoon Dh and I went for a 3km walk since the sun was out and it was magnificent. Plan for tonight after I recover my plants ( they weathered perfectly with the snow and cold so I uncovered them for some fresh air and sun before the cold temps return tonight) is a 30min strength class.

[harbie]

Another extended yoga class. It is really helping my back. I have lower back issues since I was a kid and this yoga really helps keep it on track especially when added to my regular workouts.

[harbie]

Still continuing with my regular yoga classes and today I’ve planned a live run class after.

[Lynn49]

Hello, everyone!

I started this thread in 2017 anticipating my sticking to a diet, becoming more active and letting the pounds slide off effortlessly.
Boy was wrong!

Its been on, off, on, off again, climbing uphill and sliding down again until now.

I’m thrilled to say I’m down 49 lbs (I forgot to post yesterday: it was ​50, lol)!!!

As for exercise, I do nothing but walk around at camp. That’s it. I also saw stats on CNN yesterday about there being a “sweet spot” wrt exercise where more doesn’t translate into faster weight-loss. I can’t remember the numbers, but they were much lower than I’d expect them to be.
However, sigh, I do none of it except for general living, so I can’t personally address that.

Continued success to everyone!

[harbie]

Congratulations @Lynn49 That’s a great loss! Weight loss is an 80/20. 80% diet and 20% exercise. So even if you think you aren’t really working out you obviously are eating better. It’s calories in vs calories out.

For the first time in my life I’m not focused on weight loss. When I started working out my goals were #1) cardiovascular health, #2) strength and flexibility since both would help my bad back and any weight loss was an added bonus.

I can’t tell you how much I’ve lost but I can tell you I’ve lost several pant sizes and most importantly my cardiovascular health is far superior and my strength is outstanding (flexibility is still a big work in progress since I tend to pass over stretching )


Did my 5min warmup run, 30 min live run class and my 5min cooldown run. I’ll do another yoga class to help with stretching and I tended to my garden. I took off the frost protection and the flowers are soaking up some much needed sunshine.

[walkonby]

Lord knows I've been on this weight loss train a few times now, and it's always been a great ride,
( especially enjoyable when good supportive friends are on the train with you! ) and you both experience success along with feeling
so much healthier. Shameful bragging often occurs.
However, this time it's different. I HAD to do it for medical reasons..... No more fudging about!
Since Jan 20th I've earned my bragging rights ( yet again ) by dropping 35 pounds. I have a ways to go, but this is only by switching the diet up, NO " intentional " exercise has been added to my daily routine, although funny enough I feel more energy since dropping some weight and have tackled many mundane household tasks ( chores ) that were ignored since the pandemic hit.
No one had visited us in 2 years, making it very easy NOT to clean as thoroughly as we do. Tsk, tsk, tsk!

Update and Reflection: The above quoted post was my most recent weight loss trip and...hmmm, there is room for improvement still.

Today I've gone through almost ALL of the pages of posts since @Lynn49 created this thread and the journey ( mine and others ) has been quite emotional to relive.
When I was working and a busy Mom of 3, diets were hardly ever a consideration, sure I had dabbled into a few things when I stupidly thought I was FAT!
Looking back on photos from those years makes me question my sanity....I was NOT fat.

I was fortunate enough to have had a physical job for 36 years which probably kept my muscles toned to a point. Little did I know my knees were slowly deteriorating.
Seems since retirement in 2013 I've lost and re-gained the same weight. Rinse, repeat has been my mantra. Losing anywhere from 50-75 pounds each time, then back on it came.
I've had relationships with Beach Body, Weight Watcher's, Dr. Poon, many unnamed internet gurus, dabbled in Intermittent fasting ( I still feel THAT was the best method for me ), have filled so many written journals with what I ate every second of the day and yet it is all been for naught!

Covid? Can I blame covid? nope. I was already in a mini downward spiral ignoring Dr. Poon's plan as early as August of 2019 when no one even heard about that pandemic yet.
The lock down WAS my gateway drug though. I embraced it. Baking, cooking, splurging, portions size became non existent. PJ's were all I needed for attire.
The last re-start into weight loss I had was on Jan 27th of 2022 and that was forced onto me by my GP ( medical warning! ), but seems I STILL cannot grasp staying good for very long.

As soon as all our family b'day's come around, the rules don't apply....so it continues onto Thanksgiving, Christmas and now Easter! Will I ever learn? Probably not.
Anyway I am just posting this to vent a bit and maybe to try and get myself into a good headspace again.

before I end this I want to lift up a member who no longer posts in here, but who I consider to be a true champion!!
cabmonk!! Remember him? I am certain he started close to 300 pounds at his highest weight and had very few financial advantages to start and maintain
a healthier lifestyle....but guess what? He DID IT!! I think his latest weight was around 182 pounds. He had posted this photo back on Jan 25th, 2020.
I hold him in the highest regard because he did this on his own!



Best of luck to all of you who are still putting in the effort!!

[harbie]

I remember cabmonk. Great reminder @walkonby

It’s always going to be a struggle for me personally. Like most, Covid changed things. For me it wasn’t food that was the problem. It was exercise and mental health. I had to pivot from not having gym access and having to change the way I worked out which was difficult for me. I was used to running on the tread and other machines like adaptive which simulated running but also could work other muscles. I had no idea on how to working from home (all exercise equipment was sold out) and I wasn’t an outdoors runner.

Mental health really hit me hard. I had never expected any mental health problems and had no idea on what to do. Poor Dh having to live with me but he was my rock.

I’ve learned to have a variety of ways to workout. Our Peloton is responsible for that and one of the best purchases we’ve made. Learning to give myself some compassion for times I struggle but the most important part is I have a cheerleader in my corner. I think having someone to get healthy with is the single best way to stay on track.

Food isn’t my issue so much anymore. It all began with my journey of passing a kidney stone and going vegetarian first to help then vegan. For me being vegan is making it so much easier to turn down junk food unlike before. It’s all about $$$$. A regular chocolate bar can cost no more than $1 and a similar vegan bar will be $6 or more! So that helps. For us the decrease in inflammation we used to have was unreal and therefore we felt better and in turn exercised more. Age is still a factor but I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I didn’t change.

It has to be a lifestyle and not a diet. I think if it’s your lifestyle then you won’t get sidelined because it’s how you normally eat. All about balance.

Just keep moving. Movement true is medicine.

[walkonby]

^^^ excellent points regarding inflammation! The switch in diet is the key to getting us moving again. Congrats @harbie on conquering your mental struggles and workout hurdles during covid. Aging does not have to define us in a crippling way, you are the proof that we can still be active and relevant as the numbers go up!!

[cath007]

I dont walk as much as from the beggining because of my back issues and I dont take my school 2 breaks..
So I will try my best to do more stationnary bicycle

[Frugalbigmama]

I dont walk as much as from the beggining because of my back issues and I dont take my school 2 breaks..
So I will try my best to do more stationnary bicycle

I find walking makes my back feel better!

Getting my chores done now and then I am going out in the snow and enjoying the fresh air.

[HermanH]

I find walking makes my back feel better!

Me, too! I often think of my back like a tower of Jenga blocks out of alignment and walking helps me 'shake' them back into alignment.

A businessman came up to me yesterday and said that I inspired him to exercise. We had met 18 months or so ago and spoken. I told him of my walking history and he told me about wanting to ride his bicycle more often. He saw me walking past his business every day; rain, snow or shine. So, he started riding his bike more and has since lost over 100 pounds. He looked great.