I noticed a lot of overly simplified, "Here's How Much Your Thanksgiving Gorging Will Cost You" talk in the media over the last few days and I thought I would jump on the band wagon!
To gain that 5 pounds in 5 days I had to consume an extra 17,500 calories. That is above and beyond the normal 13,000 calories I would have consumed in that same time period. For a five day grand total of 30,500 calories! Whoaaaa!
By my rough calculations that is the equivalent of eating five 9-pound turkeys in 5 days!
On the flip side, I burn around 650 calories for every 45 minutes I spend on the Treadmill. It would take me 20 hours on the treadmill to work off those excess 17,500 calories.
Makes my legs sore just thinking about it!
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Monday, November 26, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
The Wife Weighs In...Week 9
Good morning, GHMIW fans!
All right…let’s get it over with. Get a cup of coffee…it’s going to be a long one.
I am bitter. Here’s the story:
As reported last week, I visited our local gym/club/den of Satan for a tour of the facilities. After some general waffling (mmm…waffles) I went back Saturday morning to enroll/enlist/sign away a little piece of my soul. I avoided signing up for any extra programs, which was a big success for me. At that point, we set up an appointment for the first of two complimentary consultations with a personal trainer.
Sunday morning at 8:45, I left for the gym. I was bright and shiny, excited about the first day of the rest of my life, excited about the prospect of my new lifestyle, excited about the new body I was going to earn. I was like a little girl on her first day of school (maybe it was the pigtails). At 9:00, I sat down in front of a rather large 27-year old with a shaved head. I’ll call him "Jason" (‘cause that’s his name).
I told "Jason" that I had lost 35 pounds and that I had about 50 to go. I also told him that my ultimate goal is being able to wear more body-conscious clothing (okay, let's be honest...I told him I would like to have a body that could pull off slutty clothes if I so chose) and, while I am excited to reap the health benefits of exercise, my main motivation is pure vanity. He liked my honesty. I thought we were off to a good start.
This was an assessment session, so I got on the treadmill, did some (very few) push-ups, and some stretching. I also had my body fat measured. Let me say that I was not shocked when I found out that the results were not glowing. I haven’t exercised on a regular basis in over 10 years. It wasn’t an earth-shattering realization that I am not the picture of fitness. I know that I am a "before" (or possibly an "a little while later")…I was there because I want to be an "after."
Over the next 20 to 30 minutes, Jason told me (among other things) that my eating was "for sh*t," rolled his eyes when I mentioned Weight Watchers, and scoffed at my mention of a yoga class by telling me it was "really only glorified stretching." What was most annoying was that he really didn’t listen to anything I had to say. He would ask me a question, then start rolling his eyes and shaking his head before I’d even completed my answer, all the while watching what was going on in the rest of the gym instead of focusing on me and our conversation.
In that short amount of time, I went from being an intelligent, sassy, strong, confident woman who had made positive and successful changes in her life to being a stupid, lazy "fat chick" who had achieved nothing and had no idea what she was talking about. And, for a brief moment, he succeeded at making me see myself through his eyes.
We made an appointment for 8:00 Monday night. I met my neighbor Ali for yoga at 7:00…definitely not just glorified stretching. I loved it. By the time I sat down in front of Jason once again I had some sore muscles, but I had shaken off the negative stuff from the day before and was ready to get to work. It didn’t go well. The workout was tough (which I was fine with), but I didn’t have his full attention and he wasn’t supportive. I had hoped for an experience where I felt like I had a partner in the fight, but he was all about negative motivation. I felt as though he was trying to motivate me by making me feel bad about myself, like he was punishing me for being out of shape, instead of wanting to help me achieve something. It was really yucky.
When I told him that I couldn’t afford the more than $500 a month to work with him, he completely wrote me off. Obviously, my priorities weren’t in the right place and my goals weren't really all that important to me. When I asked him about planning a session every three months or so, in order to assess my progress and change up my program, his response was, "Well, I guess it would be better than nothing."
I left the gym feeling kind of embarrassed, kind of ashamed, and kind of like I should ask for my money back. All this from a gym whose sell line is… wait for it… FEEL GOOD INSIDE.
I went back Tuesday morning at 6:30 (very sore) for 45 minutes on the treadmill, and felt better. I went back Wednesday morning at 6:30 (still quite sore) for an hour on the treadmill, and felt even better. I decided to take sort of a "to hell with him" attitude about the whole thing and use it as additional motivation for my success. I went back to the gym on Thursday morning at 6:00 for cardio warm-up, strength training, and an additional 30 minutes on the treadmill, and felt pretty darn fantastic. My attitude about the club has turned around (okay, it's not really a "den of Satan"). I even ran into an acquaintance who works out early every morning...she was positive, supportive, and glad to see me.
This week marks some major successes. Joining a gym, overcoming the scourge that is "Jason" (who totally didn’t even have the decency to say "hello" when I greeted him with a cheery and smiling "good morning" on Wednesday...jerk), getting to the gym at an ungodly hour three days in a row, and finding out that I think am really going to enjoy this exercise thing. Hurray for me!
So, why am I so bitter? I gained 1.4 pounds.
This leaves me with 5 weeks to lose 8.8 pounds, including Thanksgiving. Therefore, I am readjusting my goal. My new goal is to reach 182 pounds by February 1. 182 pounds will move me from being obese to simply overweight…and won’t that be a happy thing?
Have a great weekend, all…and a happy Thanksgiving! No weigh-in for me next Friday, unless I decide to find a WW meeting in Davenport, Iowa. I know it’s a possibility, but is my actually making it there really all that likely?
Laura
11/09/2007: 192.4 pounds
11/09/2007: 193.8 pounds (a gain of 1.4 pounds)
Total loss: 34.6 pounds
All right…let’s get it over with. Get a cup of coffee…it’s going to be a long one.I am bitter. Here’s the story:
As reported last week, I visited our local gym/club/den of Satan for a tour of the facilities. After some general waffling (mmm…waffles) I went back Saturday morning to enroll/enlist/sign away a little piece of my soul. I avoided signing up for any extra programs, which was a big success for me. At that point, we set up an appointment for the first of two complimentary consultations with a personal trainer.
Sunday morning at 8:45, I left for the gym. I was bright and shiny, excited about the first day of the rest of my life, excited about the prospect of my new lifestyle, excited about the new body I was going to earn. I was like a little girl on her first day of school (maybe it was the pigtails). At 9:00, I sat down in front of a rather large 27-year old with a shaved head. I’ll call him "Jason" (‘cause that’s his name).
I told "Jason" that I had lost 35 pounds and that I had about 50 to go. I also told him that my ultimate goal is being able to wear more body-conscious clothing (okay, let's be honest...I told him I would like to have a body that could pull off slutty clothes if I so chose) and, while I am excited to reap the health benefits of exercise, my main motivation is pure vanity. He liked my honesty. I thought we were off to a good start.
This was an assessment session, so I got on the treadmill, did some (very few) push-ups, and some stretching. I also had my body fat measured. Let me say that I was not shocked when I found out that the results were not glowing. I haven’t exercised on a regular basis in over 10 years. It wasn’t an earth-shattering realization that I am not the picture of fitness. I know that I am a "before" (or possibly an "a little while later")…I was there because I want to be an "after."
Over the next 20 to 30 minutes, Jason told me (among other things) that my eating was "for sh*t," rolled his eyes when I mentioned Weight Watchers, and scoffed at my mention of a yoga class by telling me it was "really only glorified stretching." What was most annoying was that he really didn’t listen to anything I had to say. He would ask me a question, then start rolling his eyes and shaking his head before I’d even completed my answer, all the while watching what was going on in the rest of the gym instead of focusing on me and our conversation.
In that short amount of time, I went from being an intelligent, sassy, strong, confident woman who had made positive and successful changes in her life to being a stupid, lazy "fat chick" who had achieved nothing and had no idea what she was talking about. And, for a brief moment, he succeeded at making me see myself through his eyes.
We made an appointment for 8:00 Monday night. I met my neighbor Ali for yoga at 7:00…definitely not just glorified stretching. I loved it. By the time I sat down in front of Jason once again I had some sore muscles, but I had shaken off the negative stuff from the day before and was ready to get to work. It didn’t go well. The workout was tough (which I was fine with), but I didn’t have his full attention and he wasn’t supportive. I had hoped for an experience where I felt like I had a partner in the fight, but he was all about negative motivation. I felt as though he was trying to motivate me by making me feel bad about myself, like he was punishing me for being out of shape, instead of wanting to help me achieve something. It was really yucky.
When I told him that I couldn’t afford the more than $500 a month to work with him, he completely wrote me off. Obviously, my priorities weren’t in the right place and my goals weren't really all that important to me. When I asked him about planning a session every three months or so, in order to assess my progress and change up my program, his response was, "Well, I guess it would be better than nothing."
I left the gym feeling kind of embarrassed, kind of ashamed, and kind of like I should ask for my money back. All this from a gym whose sell line is… wait for it… FEEL GOOD INSIDE.
I went back Tuesday morning at 6:30 (very sore) for 45 minutes on the treadmill, and felt better. I went back Wednesday morning at 6:30 (still quite sore) for an hour on the treadmill, and felt even better. I decided to take sort of a "to hell with him" attitude about the whole thing and use it as additional motivation for my success. I went back to the gym on Thursday morning at 6:00 for cardio warm-up, strength training, and an additional 30 minutes on the treadmill, and felt pretty darn fantastic. My attitude about the club has turned around (okay, it's not really a "den of Satan"). I even ran into an acquaintance who works out early every morning...she was positive, supportive, and glad to see me.
This week marks some major successes. Joining a gym, overcoming the scourge that is "Jason" (who totally didn’t even have the decency to say "hello" when I greeted him with a cheery and smiling "good morning" on Wednesday...jerk), getting to the gym at an ungodly hour three days in a row, and finding out that I think am really going to enjoy this exercise thing. Hurray for me!
So, why am I so bitter? I gained 1.4 pounds.
This leaves me with 5 weeks to lose 8.8 pounds, including Thanksgiving. Therefore, I am readjusting my goal. My new goal is to reach 182 pounds by February 1. 182 pounds will move me from being obese to simply overweight…and won’t that be a happy thing?
Have a great weekend, all…and a happy Thanksgiving! No weigh-in for me next Friday, unless I decide to find a WW meeting in Davenport, Iowa. I know it’s a possibility, but is my actually making it there really all that likely?
Laura
11/09/2007: 192.4 pounds
11/09/2007: 193.8 pounds (a gain of 1.4 pounds)
Total loss: 34.6 pounds
New mini-goal: 182 pounds by February 1
11 weeks and 11.8 pounds to go!
P.S. Thanks to Angela for being so supportive about my wanting to give in to evil foods last week. I also had a lot of support from other friends and family (thanks, too!), who congratulated me for not giving in to my cravings. After reading that, I thought to myself, "The word 'cravings' seems a little off the mark. It’s not really about just wanting to enjoy some French fries…in fact, it’s not even really about the food at all." DING! What an epiphany.
P.P.S. I wonder how it’s going to be before Tony tells me to get my own darn blog and stop trying to take his over.
11 weeks and 11.8 pounds to go!
P.S. Thanks to Angela for being so supportive about my wanting to give in to evil foods last week. I also had a lot of support from other friends and family (thanks, too!), who congratulated me for not giving in to my cravings. After reading that, I thought to myself, "The word 'cravings' seems a little off the mark. It’s not really about just wanting to enjoy some French fries…in fact, it’s not even really about the food at all." DING! What an epiphany.
P.P.S. I wonder how it’s going to be before Tony tells me to get my own darn blog and stop trying to take his over.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Ironman Anthony
A few months ago I mentioned that my friend Anthony had qualified for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. The race was this weekend and it looks like Anthony did an amazing job. He finished the race in 877th place out 1700 competitors with a time of 11:15. That's 3 hours behind the race winner. I can't even imagine what it feels like to be moving for 11 hours straight. In total Anthony traveled more than 140 miles!
Congratulations Anthony I hope you are recovering on a tropical beach with a very cold Mai Tai. If anyone every deserved a relaxing vacation it's you!
I had my own race going this week. I joined a runners challenge over at the website Runner Plus. I am getting a lot more serious about this whole running thing.
The challenge was for runners who run between 10 and 20 miles a week. I logged 18.7 miles last week and missed winning the challenge by 3/10 of a mile. Just from that little bit of running my legs are really sore today. And it wasn't even all running, about half of it was fast walking.
I say again, I can't imagine what Anthony's legs must be feeling like this morning.
Sadly all that running was not enough to stave off the effects of all the food I ate this weekend. Which means a lot more running this week to try and get rid of the 2 pounds I gained while playing up north.
If any of you runners are looking for a place to log your miles, I am really digging this Runner Plus website. It's easy to use and very colorful. If you join be sure to stop by and become my friend. Right now I only have two... and 1 of them is the guy how started the site, so he doesn't really count.
Tony
10/15: 227.2 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
7.2 lbs. to go
Monday, September 17, 2007
A Wild Weekend ... at least as wild as I get!
I've got some making up to do this week. We had a rare night out with Friends on Saturday night; tons of fun and tons of food. I snuck a weigh-in on Sunday morning because I was curious and I was up 3 lbs. Here is the great thing. It's no big deal . I didn't freak out or get depressed. I had a great night out and an excellent meal and a few drinks and I am sure that with a few good workouts I'll be able to whittle away the excess. Like I said I'm not on a diet, I am changing my diet..... and part of that will be going a little crazy once and awhile. It's all part of settling in to this new life.
For some reason the initials BMR kept popping up last week in some research I was doing. For those of you, like me, who have no idea what BMR is I dug a little deeper. BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, basically the amount of energy your body needs to burn each day. You can use BMR to determine how many calories you should be eating each day.
Here's the formula:
Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
So for me it would be 66 + (6.3 x 234) + (12.9 x 71) - (6.8 x 33) = 2231.7
Then you calculate for your level of activity.
Calculate Activity
Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:
* If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
* If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
* If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
* If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
* If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent
Add this number to your BMR.
I consider myself to be moderately active. So 2231.7 x 40 Percent = 892.68
2231.7 + 892.68 = 3124.38
If I understand this correctly I can eat 3124 calories a day without gaining weight. To lose 2 pounds per week I need to eat less than 2415 calories a day. Right now I am averaging around 2000 calories a day.
According to the government's dietary guidelines a moderately active male between the ages of 31 and 50 should consume 2,400-2,600 calories. This was determined using the Institute of Medicine equation. Whatever the heck that is.
I just checked and my "crazy Saturday" calorie count was 3635. Way over my norm but not to far over the 3124 calories I could eat if I was maintaining.... And I did burn nearly 4500 calories between my 45 minute strength training, 3.5 mile walk and just breathing.
I have to reapologizes to my lovely wife. I had a hankering for some ice cream on the way home from our wild night out. Since DQ isn't open at 1am I decided I needed a Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich. She tried to convince me a Slim-a-Bear ice cream bar was the way to go, but I was stubborn. Sorry sweetie for leading you astray.
Tony
9/17: 234 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14 lbs. to go
For some reason the initials BMR kept popping up last week in some research I was doing. For those of you, like me, who have no idea what BMR is I dug a little deeper. BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, basically the amount of energy your body needs to burn each day. You can use BMR to determine how many calories you should be eating each day.
Here's the formula:
Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
So for me it would be 66 + (6.3 x 234) + (12.9 x 71) - (6.8 x 33) = 2231.7
Then you calculate for your level of activity.
Calculate Activity
Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:
* If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
* If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
* If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
* If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
* If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent
Add this number to your BMR.
I consider myself to be moderately active. So 2231.7 x 40 Percent = 892.68
2231.7 + 892.68 = 3124.38
If I understand this correctly I can eat 3124 calories a day without gaining weight. To lose 2 pounds per week I need to eat less than 2415 calories a day. Right now I am averaging around 2000 calories a day.
According to the government's dietary guidelines a moderately active male between the ages of 31 and 50 should consume 2,400-2,600 calories. This was determined using the Institute of Medicine equation. Whatever the heck that is.
I just checked and my "crazy Saturday" calorie count was 3635. Way over my norm but not to far over the 3124 calories I could eat if I was maintaining.... And I did burn nearly 4500 calories between my 45 minute strength training, 3.5 mile walk and just breathing.
I have to reapologizes to my lovely wife. I had a hankering for some ice cream on the way home from our wild night out. Since DQ isn't open at 1am I decided I needed a Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich. She tried to convince me a Slim-a-Bear ice cream bar was the way to go, but I was stubborn. Sorry sweetie for leading you astray.
Tony
9/17: 234 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
14 lbs. to go
Monday, August 20, 2007
The First Big Bump In The Road
Up until now this whole thing has been pretty smooth sailing. This week turned out to be the first major gale. I am not sure how it happened but I went a little off the rails this weekend. (Sorry for mixing my metaphors.)
I take that back, I do know how it happened. Sometime on Friday afternoon, I made the decision to stop worrying about my calories and enjoy myself for the weekend. A rational decision after 11 weeks of counting every little calorie. I was on vacation after all. Unfortunately, giving myself permission to stop counting calories some how translated into giving myself permission to stop working out and to stop watching what I eat.
The point is I ended up gaining back the three pounds that I lost last week. And it is looking very likely that I am going to have my first gain in 11 weeks.
I am not so worried about how much I ate this weekend. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't horrible. I didn't sneak snacks or eat any more than everyone else. I even made a few smart decisions (Turkey brats instead of regular, etc.)
I'm not even that worried about the possibility of a gain.. beyond being disappointed at breaking my 11 week streak.
I had a great weekend with my family and I didn't let the weight gain ruin it!
Here are the two things that really worry me.
1. After feeding my body at something approaching my old rate of calorie consumption, my body is seriously joensing for more, more, more. I am having cravings like I haven't had for nearly two months now. I hope that getting back on routine this week will help settle things down, but it was a challenge not to break down and snack for snacking sake. In fact, I made a solo trip to the grocery on Sunday and I was moments away from buying myself a candy bar. I have no clue where I summoned the willpower to resist but I did. Although, I did dig into a bag of chips that I had bought for the barbecue on the way home. A bad sign that I couldn't wait the 10 minutes for lunch to be ready.
2. It was way to easy to not go out for my run on Saturday and Sunday. Sure the weather was lousy, but I had plenty of opportunities to get out and walk and I didn't take them. Instead I sat around watching TV all day.
I thought I was beyond this point. I thought it would be harder to back slide than it turned out to be. And that is what really scares me.
If I am someone who is truly addicted to food, then my vigilance will need to be a life time thing. It is not something I will be cured of after I get to my goal weight. I had started to think that I was invincible to food. I got cocky and now food has put me back in my place.
So we start over, get back on routine and hopefully take heart in the lesson learned: I have a long way to go!
Tony
8/20: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go
p.s. While I did gain back 3 lbs. over the weekend, I am not changing my sign-off weight. Friday is the official weigh-in and I promise not to weigh myself again until then.
I take that back, I do know how it happened. Sometime on Friday afternoon, I made the decision to stop worrying about my calories and enjoy myself for the weekend. A rational decision after 11 weeks of counting every little calorie. I was on vacation after all. Unfortunately, giving myself permission to stop counting calories some how translated into giving myself permission to stop working out and to stop watching what I eat.
The point is I ended up gaining back the three pounds that I lost last week. And it is looking very likely that I am going to have my first gain in 11 weeks.
I am not so worried about how much I ate this weekend. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't horrible. I didn't sneak snacks or eat any more than everyone else. I even made a few smart decisions (Turkey brats instead of regular, etc.)
I'm not even that worried about the possibility of a gain.. beyond being disappointed at breaking my 11 week streak.
I had a great weekend with my family and I didn't let the weight gain ruin it!
Here are the two things that really worry me.
1. After feeding my body at something approaching my old rate of calorie consumption, my body is seriously joensing for more, more, more. I am having cravings like I haven't had for nearly two months now. I hope that getting back on routine this week will help settle things down, but it was a challenge not to break down and snack for snacking sake. In fact, I made a solo trip to the grocery on Sunday and I was moments away from buying myself a candy bar. I have no clue where I summoned the willpower to resist but I did. Although, I did dig into a bag of chips that I had bought for the barbecue on the way home. A bad sign that I couldn't wait the 10 minutes for lunch to be ready.
2. It was way to easy to not go out for my run on Saturday and Sunday. Sure the weather was lousy, but I had plenty of opportunities to get out and walk and I didn't take them. Instead I sat around watching TV all day.
I thought I was beyond this point. I thought it would be harder to back slide than it turned out to be. And that is what really scares me.
If I am someone who is truly addicted to food, then my vigilance will need to be a life time thing. It is not something I will be cured of after I get to my goal weight. I had started to think that I was invincible to food. I got cocky and now food has put me back in my place.
So we start over, get back on routine and hopefully take heart in the lesson learned: I have a long way to go!
Tony
8/20: 242.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
22.4 lbs. to go
p.s. While I did gain back 3 lbs. over the weekend, I am not changing my sign-off weight. Friday is the official weigh-in and I promise not to weigh myself again until then.
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