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mynxcat
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mynxcat wants to be svelte
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Sep 24 21:39 UTC 2003 |
This is my blog on my quest to lose weight. You are welcome to comment,
criticize, ridicule, suggest, advise, flame and call people names if you so
wish. However, I am determined to lose all those extra pounds I've put on in
the last year or so.
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| 332 responses total. |
mynxcat
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response 1 of 332:
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Sep 24 21:46 UTC 2003 |
So why the sudden urge to lose weight? I have had this feeling that I've been
packing on the pounds for some time now. The biggest indication is when no
pants look good on you anymore, and when you live your life in pants and
jeans, this is Not a Good Thing. However, I've been ignoring the notion for
a while till a couple of days ago. Someone made the following comment on the
"blog" on my website : "Holy cow Sapna. You've put on weight. Start working
out instead of spending so much time blogging" No, I don't spend that much
time blogging (averages less than half an hour a day over the period of a
week), but I also do not exercise. And I love to eat. I'm not big on snacking,
food has to be in plain view for me to think of eating it. But when I do eat,
I tend to really eat. And I hate exercise. I will walk a lot when presented
the oppurtunity, but in Columbus you're best bet on getting from point A to
point B is the car. There's nowhere that I'd like to go that's walkable
distance from where I live.
Anyhow, that comment made me run to the bathroom scale and weigh myself - a
whopping 157 lbs. That's 22 lbs over what I was when I moved to Clevleand in
March of last year. And even then I was trying to get rid of the last 5 lbs
so to speak. That did not make me very happy. I'm determined to lose these
22 lbs and the extra 5 if it's the last thing I do.
Started the "Lose weight projec" yesterday. I will be recording progress or
non-progress, interesting facts about nutrition and exercise, and anything
that catches my fancy while I go ahead with my plan
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mynxcat
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response 2 of 332:
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Sep 24 22:03 UTC 2003 |
I started off by looking for "Fitness Planners". I wanted one that I could
download to my desktop, but didn't come across any that are free. There is
the Vivonic Fitness Planner available, but since it's not free, I didn't
really look into it. GNC has a fitness planner on their site, but it's based
on .NET and tends to have too many server errors to make it convenient enough
to use. Chatelaine's Free Fitness Planner
(http://healthplanner.chatelaine.com/) seems interesting enough, though it
didn't really fit my needs. The easing in period into the exercises was 3
months. A little too slow for my liking. It based it's nutrition on the food
groups instead of calories, which is a good, sound plan, but without the
caloric indication, I wasn't really interested. I finally settled on
www.fitday.com. It lets me record what I've eaten, and will calculate the
caloric content, along with fat, carb, proteins and minerals. It will let me
add activities, and calculate the calories burnt. I realise that these numbers
may not be accurate, but it gives me a good visual indoication of what I've
been eating and doing.
Learnt some interesting stuff about the way my bodie burns calories. My basal
calories burnt are about 1590. Based on my lifestyle I burn 443 calories
additionally a day. And yesterday, I burnt an extra 200 calories in exercise.
Playing the piano apparently burns about 2 calories a minute (that doesn't
really seem right, it seems a little on the high side). And just by being at
work I burn about 254 calories. Driving my car to and from work expends about
42 calories.
As for caloric intake, yesterday I ingested about 1700+ calories. About 700
of those were two tuna fish sandwiches that I had as snacks. Each slice of
bread was 80 calories. The butter was about 90 calories for each sandwich (I
used butter on the bread slices. I didn't add mayo), and the tuna itself
(packed in veg oil) was about 300+ calories. That's 700 calories I had in
addition that could have been avoided. However, since 1000 calories is a
little on the low side, I guess that's ok, but I wish I'd used the 700
calories for something more satisfying. 192 calories on a chocolate chip
cookie was way too many calories for so little satisfaction. Counting calories
this way has made me understand food better, and make better substitution
choices. It's helped me evaluate foods that are worth eating, and which can
be skipped (If I hadn't eaten that cookie, I wldn't have had to have
yesterday's workout, theoretically) I found that if I substitue a tablespoon
of coriander chutney for the same amount of oil-based pickle, IK've just
reduced my fat intake by about 5 grams and caloric intake by 90%. Definitely
worth it, especially since I don't have a preferance for one or the other.
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jp2
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response 3 of 332:
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Sep 24 23:08 UTC 2003 |
This response has been erased.
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keesan
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response 4 of 332:
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Sep 24 23:31 UTC 2003 |
We went through something similar trying to figure out how I could gain
weight, counting the calories. Fruit and vegetables are mostly water - eat
all you want of those. Bread is a good way to gain weight.
One way to lose weight is not to eat anything you have not cooked for
yourself. No restaurants, no take-out, no frozen pizzas, etc. No prepared
foods - start with single ingredients. Don't keep things around that don't
need preparing except for low-calorie things like fruit.
Avoid refined foods, which includes butter and sugar. These two don't give
you much that you need besides calories.
Eat vegan - even the less fatty types of meat and cheese are high calorie.
Get a pressure cooker for beans.
Eat whole-grain - it takes longer to chew and digest and you feel full longer.
I am currently trying to eat a lot of bread and cheese, adding olive oil to
everything, drinking milk, eating every couple of hours even if not hungry.
You should be doing the opposite. Drink water if thirsty. Stay busy with
things outside instead of eating.
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jaklumen
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response 5 of 332:
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Sep 25 00:46 UTC 2003 |
resp:3 well, to comment on that, if you do need to lose weight, you'll
reach it sooner than I. I've posted recent pictures, so...
Everyone's got a different idea on how to lose weight, frankly. I
think you'll have to find what works for you, Sapna. I think the most
important things to remember is that it involves a lifestyle change
and therefore, you need to find some kind of plan you can stick to for
the rest of your life.
Julie has lost 30 pounds with the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet... my
progress is more gradual. But this is not for everyone... we eat
quite a bit of meat. I think Sindi's advice probably fits a broader
range of people. BUT more importantly, if you're serious, and want
some help, I'd ask your doctor, and consider seeing a nutritionist. A
nutritionist is the one best qualified to evaluate what you are eating
and determine what you should eat... and your physician can help you
overall, as well as recommend a good exercise program.
I bought a scale that measures weight and body fat percentages with my
past birthday money and weigh in every morning. Every so often, Julie
takes some body measurements with a tape, too-- hips, waist, arm,
thigh. Julie charts the percentages, weights, and numbers on a
graph. Keep in mind that we look at the graph over time. You should
bear this in mind, too. Most of the time, you should be paying
attention to how your clothes are fitting you than what the scale
says. My numbers weren't going down fast, but Julie said my clothes
were fitting more loosely when she helped me rush off to work.
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jaklumen
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response 6 of 332:
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Sep 25 00:50 UTC 2003 |
btw, if you want to be 'svelte', consider a exercise program that
combines aerobics with weight training. Aerobics will help trim your
body, while a solid weight training program can shape and tone your
body. Take a look at any of Joyce Vedral's books, such as "Bottoms
Up" or "The Fat-Burning Workout."
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dah
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response 7 of 332:
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Sep 25 00:52 UTC 2003 |
I only like writers whose last names are Joyce.
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i
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response 8 of 332:
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Sep 25 01:01 UTC 2003 |
Before eating a meal or snack, drink a large quantity (.5l or more) of a
calorie-free-and-tastes-like-it liquid (water, unsweetened tea, etc.).
Put another one or two further into any large meal, and don't keep eating
for an extended period.
(The idea's to avoid consuming wet calories because you're thirsty, and
to convince your stomach that it's full.)
Arrange your life so you have to walk more.
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rcurl
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response 9 of 332:
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Sep 25 01:04 UTC 2003 |
Also so that you are usually near a lavatory.
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dah
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response 10 of 332:
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Sep 25 01:13 UTC 2003 |
That can cause bladder problems, i.
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glenda
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response 11 of 332:
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Sep 25 01:59 UTC 2003 |
I am currently doing a free online class at Barnes and Noble University. The
text that is being used is "Diet Simple" by Katherine Tallmadge (she is also
the instructor for the class.) She is a nuitritionist and weight loss expert.
Unlike most, she has been through it herself. I really like the book. It
is full of tips, suggestions, and substitutions. i.e. replace one sugared
soft drink with water a day and loose 17-22 pounds a year, replace the
afternoon candy bar or ice cream sundae with a fresh fruit with 1 tablespoon
of regular chocolate syrup sundae and loose 9-35 pounds a year, etc. It is
one of the best diet books I have seen in a long, long time.
She suggests keeping a food diary for a week without really trying to diet.
(She has found that having to write it down makes you more aware of exacting
what, when, and why you are eating and you make changes without thinking about
it.) After a week, look at it and evaluate what and when. You have started
this process by using fitday.com. I use it, too. It makes it easy to track
everything. You periodically evaluate the food diary. Also think about what
you are eating. Sometimes you really do need that brownie, but think about
the caloric consequences before eating it, do an inner test to see if you
really feel that the bit of enjoyment you will get from it is worth the
calorie hit you will take. If it is, enjoy it to its fullest. Savor every
crumb. I am a choco-holic. I rarely pass chocolate up. Using this approach,
there are days that I say, "no, it really isn't worth it." Other days it is.
As long it is under conscious control, rather than auto-pilot, it is ok to
have a high/empty calorie treat on occasion. I have found that this has
reduced my chocolate from 1-2 candy bars per day during the week, to less than
one a week. A major win for me. Little tiny things can add up in the long
run.
Good luck. I will cheer you on, and be support if you slip.
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mynxcat
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response 12 of 332:
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Sep 25 02:56 UTC 2003 |
Thanks for all your tips and kind words.
Jamie, thank you for your vote of confidence :) But it _has_ been close to
a year since you last saw me.. and though I'm still nowhere close to being
a candidate for rotunda.com, I have reached a point where I am definitely not
happy with my weight and body shape. I don't think my goal is unrealistic.
Sindi, your suggestions made a lot of sense. I have made it a goal to prepare
all my meals and cut down on restaurant or pre-cooked foods. I know bread is
a great way to put on weight, which is a pity since I LOVE bread. But a lot
of your suggestions were simple enough to follow, and made good sense.
Jon, thanks for your comments and advice. What is the Carbohydrate-Addict's
diet. I just might need that :P And I am working out an exercise program that
embodies both aerobics and weight trainng. I may join the YMCA, seeing that
the universal gym in th apartment complex is broken.
Walter, it is my goal to drink more water. I realise my daily water intake
is nowhere close to the suggested requirements. For some reason, I do not like
the taste of water in this country :P Don't know what it is. I can drink it
if it's iced, but with the weather changing that's becoming more difficult.
Can I count the water in tea as part of my water intake?
Glenda, another fitday person, Yay! I like it well enough, mainly becuase it
lets me keep track of what I'm eating and gives me an idea of how many
calories I'm ingesting. Not too bad for a fre online tool.
Today's weigh-in this morning put me at 158 lbs. I'm blaming pre-menstrual
bloating for that.
Did some tummy trimming exercises and stretches this morning. Though it didn't
feel like it was doing anything while I was doing them, the stretch in my
muscles after the exercises left me feeling quite satisfied. And I was more
awake after I did them, which is an addd benefit. the evening's exercise was
about 12 minutes on the treadmill which recorded a calorie loss of 126, 10
minutes on the stepper at level 1, which recorded 45 calories, 10 calories
on the rowing machine. Di some weight training for my arms with the free
weights bar and the dumb-bells, mainly for the triceps and the biceps. Then
I discovered the universal gym was broken. I may have to look into how to use
the free-weights to work out my lower body.
Dinner was a little heavier than I would have liked it to be because we had
company over. Which leads me to ask, how do I calculate the caloric content
of the food I eat. Most of the food I eat is India cooking and I haven't found
caloric content of Indian dishes anywhere. Do I just add up all the calories
of the raw ingredients for a rough estimate. Do the foods' caloric content
change with preparation? (apart from calories added from cooking fat etc)
I have been making decisions before I eat foods based on satisfaction vs
calories. The 192 calorie cookie was definitely not worth it. I would have
been just as happy with 2 saltine crackers at 24 calories. I prefer salted
snacks to sweet ones - bagels over donuts, crackers over cookies - and wish
that nutri-grain bars did not come with sweetened flavorings.
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