AF Biggest Loser/Fitness Challenge-May 3 to Whenever We're Not Fat Anymore

[Aroura]

I have put on about 10 lbs total in the last 5 years.  I cannot seem to get rid of it, and since hitting my 40's I feel hungrier than I ever have before.  Not really effin fair.

At any rate, I've hit on something that helps me avoid high calorie sweets.  Dark chocolate.  Like, actually dark.  When I'm just fidgeting and desperate for something, like near tears desperate, one small square can really make me feel better, and I don't have the urge to eat the whole bar either.  It doesn't trigger the sweet cascade that sugar free candies do.

I've almost entirely cut out bread.  This is my only big nutrition change. for instance, no pizza.  When my family orders pizza, I get a salad with vinaigrette dressing. Completely natural yogurt with fresh fruit in the morning, cheese and veggies for lunch, veggies and maybe a small helping of whole grain pasta or potatoes for dinner. I drink one HALF cup of OJ in the morning, and water the rest of the day. If I'm desperate for a snack I go to pickles or fresh tomatoes. Few snacks. But you know what, this isn't a diet for me, this is the way I normally eat (except I used to eat a bit more bread/pasta).  But really, I always ate small portions, and I've never been a big sweet eater. I also exercise more now than ever, because we have no car so I have to walk 1 to 5 miles per day, and I carry all groceries home on my back.

And I'm still gaining weight instead of losing it.  I literally don't know what to do, because I refuse to "diet", as I know that simply does not work.  What other lifestyle changes can I make?  Suggestions?

p.s. Eff you middle age.

One thing I've discovered is I need to work out beyond just walking.  I need something aerobic.  I need to work with weights.  And I need to do something for flexibility.  So I go to the Y at least three times a week and usually more often.  I find I can break a sweat on the reclined stationary bike without bothering my knee, I use their weight machines and I attend a Pilates class twice a week.  For the longest time I thought taking long walks with the dogs and staying active in the garden was going to do it.    But this is better.

But if you actually want to lose weight the sacrifice in calorie intake you have to make as a woman is just plain unfair.  It sounds like you're already eating very healthily both in terms of choices and quantity.  Maybe others will have be able to advise better.

I think this may be a part of my problem. Back in the states I did yoga (A nie active version btw) for an hour twice a week.  I felt great.  We had a YMCA membership, and I also did the stationary bike or treadmill a couple of times a week while my kid did their kids group activities.  I have a yoga mat and try and do it at home, but it's not the same without my awesome teacher.

Where I am now, I am not comfortable joining any sort of external exercise club.  I could jog in the park, I suppose, but my access to exercise outside my home is very limited.

Good for you for going to the Y though, that place is fantastic!  When I get back to the states, I'm joining again 100% for sure.  I miss the pool, the tabletennis, the racquetball court, all of it.  Such a fun place to get healthy!

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Maybe some basic pilates at home would help. I should find a good online group to follow along with. Thanks Whatevs, for the ideas!

[Astreja]

Went out to the local rec centre to lift weights. I was primarily interested in doing leg extensions (with a fairly low weight, only 20 pounds) to get my right knee into better shape. Ended up alternating legs with upper body and deliberately picking a few machines that I'm not all that good on, including five minutes on the dreaded elliptical trainer. Kept all the weights low today and concentrated on slow reps with good form.

[Shell B]

Our busy lives have made me really lazy about my weight. I've solidly plateaud for a while now. For the time being, I'm okay with it. I'll refocus once we've done this move that has all of my attention. I hope everyone is doing well with their goals.

[emjay]

Stage 2 of my masterplan in action now The other day went out and bought some sports clothes... a Nike t-shirt and couple of pairs of shorts made out of the same material as the football shirts... good for dealing with sweat. And today I went out in them just to the Post Office and shops... I felt very self-conscious initially because I don't have the figure to be a walking Nike advert... kind of like Mr Blobby in shorts ... well not that bad, but I do have a large spare tyre... but then I just reminded myself I had once dressed up as Odo from Star Trek so a little bit of sports gear shouldn't be a major problem Anyway the aim was just to add a little bit of jogging into my walk... so I did two short bursts of jogging on the way there and two on the way back while carrying groceries, and again trying to put self-consciousness out of my mind, quite successfully. So I guess that could maybe be classed as something like the 'interval training' Shell suggested. It's still a scorcher (27 degrees C outside) so this probably wasn't the best time of day to do it but I just feel I want to try a put little bits of extra exercise into anything I do. My recovery rate after each burst seemed pretty okay; a lot better than I was expecting... just a few minutes of out of breathness and then back to normal... rather than feeling like I was going to have a heart attack, as I felt in the past while I smoked and tried to run. So my aim with this is to gradually work on my running/jogging with the hope of one day being able to run a mile and a half in twelve minutes. I figure I can work out a route around my town that covers that distance and walk it but gradually and 'intervally' add little runs to it until eventually the whole thing is a run. The reason that's my target is because when I was younger I wanted to be in the army and that was the minimum fitness requirement for entry, and I could only dream of it, especially since I smoked. Now I'm way too old to join the army but it would still be great to reach that fitness target... and now, post-smoking, when it's oxygen rather than carbon monoxide that's circulating in my blood, I feel I have a chance

[Shell B]

Nice! Intervals are great for those of us who hate the heart attack feeling.

[Joods]

Ok... So, because of my weight, lower back pain and knee issues, I have difficulty getting up off the floor. This has presented a challenge when doing exercises. Also my resting heart rate hovers around 100. Yes, I'm fully aware of where it should be. So anyway, I set those fears and issues aside and tomorrow night I will be starting my first class of yoga. Vinyasa basics, to be exact.

I'll let you all know how it goes.

[emjay]

Unfortunately, I injured myself in one of today's bursts of jogging Feels like a bone, rather than a muscle, thing in my right shin, as a result of the impact of the jogging. It's still sore and I'm still limping around with it but it doesn't feel like it's going to be too serious. But I think I should stop the jogging and just go back to the exercise bike until a) I've learned if there's any special technique I need to take into account for jogging... for instance whether I should move Wing Chun-like and just slide my feet across the ground without barely lifting them off the ground... or some other unintuitive motion of the feet that's better for you than the natural one, and b) invest in some decent and bouncy running shoes. So far I've been testing my current trainers, which have been described as 'trail running' shoes, and they seemed to be alright for the job but clearly from this injury they're not... probably not cushioned enough for this; which is just running on pavements and roads.

[Angrboda]

Sounds like shin splints. Not sure what the recommendation is.

[Jackalope]

My old taekwondo uniform fits almost as well as it did in 2010.

[Joods]

As promised, I said I would let you all know how my first yoga class went.

I really enjoyed it. The first part was a lot of hard work but I pushed through and needed only a few modifications and help. They have straps and blocks available which I used. I think my favorite part was the ice cold, wet washcloth I got at the end. I can honestly say, I've never sweated so much before. I feel relaxed and my back doesn't hurt as much as it did before class.

I can't wait for the next class on Saturday.