MENA diet/exercise thread

[Nasturtium 500]

I'd like any tips that you have Julianna on target areas too! I've always heard that you can't really control *where* you lose the weight from, but there must be *something* you can do.

I'm frustrated that my legs are great but my arms are still flabbalicious.

LOL well, yeah, you can't control where you gain weight-- but you can jsut work harder on an area. if she would have said her belly only, I'd have suggested some targeted ab workouts with cardio, becuase that's the best bet (and water and diet of course). If it's all those places, it's just a matter of working the whole thing. So it's not anything new lol. You also figure the more muscle you make in an area, the more weight you burn in that area as well.

[Nasturtium 500]

Do you have a specific target area you'd like to thin down the most?

Yes please.. my arms,, thighs and belly..

Awww, well... that means you gotta do a total-body workout and cardio-- alternate strength and cardio. The cardio is really important and so don't skip it! The strength really tightens yuor muscles which you need in order to appear thinner faster. Also, you may gain weight when you work out at first-- it's because muscle weighs more than fat. That's why skinny, buff girls weigh more than slightly chunky girls of the same height.

[Nasturtium 500]

It isn't fun and not to make excuses but it's one reason why I'm not into dieting a lot because I get sooo discouraged when I retain fluids. I can diet and be real strict for a month and gain weight due to water. There's not explanation for it either since my liver and kidneys are fine. I just look like a water baloon half the time if I don't take my pills and my breathing becomes labored (like now) because it effects every organ. Actually I did go to CVS last night but forgot to take the pill this morning.

And they can't figure out if it's diet related either? That's no fun at all.

[Nasturtium 500]

OK, at work I have rounded up 2 work-out friends. We actually all have opposite schedules, but we are going to report in to eachother a few times/week with a diet journal, exercise list, and measurements/weight.

[mrsartis 10]

Awww, well... that means you gotta do a total-body workout and cardio-- alternate strength and cardio. The cardio is really important and so don't skip it! The strength really tightens yuor muscles which you need in order to appear thinner faster. Also, you may gain weight when you work out at first-- it's because muscle weighs more than fat. That's why skinny, buff girls weigh more than slightly chunky girls of the same height.

Oh well...

Thanks Juliana, ill give you guys an upadate next week... my belly used to be 28 only now its 30-32 wahahahah.. im not loosing hope though.. ill be doing sit ups and crunches before i go to sleep 100-200 perhaps.. o lors help me..

[Nasturtium 500]

Awww, well... that means you gotta do a total-body workout and cardio-- alternate strength and cardio. The cardio is really important and so don't skip it! The strength really tightens yuor muscles which you need in order to appear thinner faster. Also, you may gain weight when you work out at first-- it's because muscle weighs more than fat. That's why skinny, buff girls weigh more than slightly chunky girls of the same height.

Oh well...

Thanks Juliana, ill give you guys an upadate next week... my belly used to be 28 only now its 30-32 wahahahah.. im not loosing hope though.. ill be doing sit ups and crunches before i go to sleep 100-200 perhaps.. o lors help me..

You can for sure lose 2 inches in 3 weeks!! So keep up the good work and watch the diet!

[doodlebugg 10]

It isn't fun and not to make excuses but it's one reason why I'm not into dieting a lot because I get sooo discouraged when I retain fluids. I can diet and be real strict for a month and gain weight due to water. There's not explanation for it either since my liver and kidneys are fine. I just look like a water baloon half the time if I don't take my pills and my breathing becomes labored (like now) because it effects every organ. Actually I did go to CVS last night but forgot to take the pill this morning.

And they can't figure out if it's diet related either? That's no fun at all.

nope. I have gone on low sodium diets but no matter what, if I take an analgesic (i think that's the term) like motrin or naprosen (which I'm supposed to be on every single day) for one day even I get the bad edema in my legs and my face, belly and hands swell up. Even if I don't take anything at all for the pain, if I stop the hydrochlorothiazide for even one day I gain about 3 pounds.

I took one last night because omg my feet looked like when I had toxemia in my 9th month of pregnancy and I ended up going to the bathroom all night but it was worth it because now at least I can fit my feet into my shoes. And forget about the prednisone that I'm supposed to be taking!! hahaha they'd have to wheel me from one place to another if I took that stuff everyday like they said to.

[Jenn! 918]

5 miles/50 minutes today. I'm exhausted!

[amal 4]

5 miles/50 minutes today. I'm exhausted!

if i so much as crawled 5 miles..my thighs would start a forest fire....it would not be pretty...

[Nasturtium 500]

nope. I have gone on low sodium diets but no matter what, if I take an analgesic (i think that's the term) like motrin or naprosen (which I'm supposed to be on every single day) for one day even I get the bad edema in my legs and my face, belly and hands swell up. Even if I don't take anything at all for the pain, if I stop the hydrochlorothiazide for even one day I gain about 3 pounds.

I took one last night because omg my feet looked like when I had toxemia in my 9th month of pregnancy and I ended up going to the bathroom all night but it was worth it because now at least I can fit my feet into my shoes. And forget about the prednisone that I'm supposed to be taking!! hahaha they'd have to wheel me from one place to another if I took that stuff everyday like they said to.

How strange! I mean it's obviously somehting, but for them to have ruled out the major obvious things.. .obviously it's difficult. Did they suggest a hormonal processing issue?

[Nasturtium 500]

5 miles/50 minutes today. I'm exhausted!

Well, I could walk 5 miles no problem but run-- no way! Longest I ever walked was 12 miles in 8 hours on a mountain hike when i worked for a state park. It was actually not too bad. We were re-marking the trail. That included all the fun we had of not-quite-skinny-dipping in the creek (we had on our underwear, no one was around) and other things the State was paying us to do lol.

Well, so far I have done pretty well in my new challenge-- this is the third day. I've mapped out my diet each day and the exercise. I'll do weekly weigh-in and measurements. Ammar said after 2 months, whichever of the three of us girls in my work challenge gets the closest to their goal or loses the most weight, he will give them a prize. I want to know what this prize is!! And I want it! I hope it's a cheesy burrito or a massage (for me, I know it wouldn't be if it was them. For them, I think he's thinking an actual gift.)

[Nasturtium 500]

OK, I added up what I have eaten so far today and it's 870 calories. That's not as bad as it sounds, as I still have 6 more hours left in my day. Now to decide what I want to eat! I usually have all my calories in by the time I go to work.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I'm back from traveling and house sitting & I have to tell you I gained all the weight back on vacation that I had lost.

Back to the healthy routine on Monday!

[Nasturtium 500]

I'm back from traveling and house sitting & I have to tell you I gained all the weight back on vacation that I had lost.

Back to the healthy routine on Monday!

That's too bad... but you look thinner in these pics! What routine are you going back to-- the vegetarian one? I really am trying to stick to a 1500-1700 calorie diet, and closer to 1500 more often. The 1700 is what I techincally need to maintain my weight at my target goal once I am back to where I want to be with moderate activity. So I didn't cut off too much from that in order to help along the weight loss. If I remember rightly,one shouldn't go below 1200 calories as a rule of thumb. Once I get back into a routine I can stop counting.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I'm going back to the McDougall diet. It's no meat or dairy or oil. Also walking M-F with my cousin for an hour and working out 3-5 days a week with my gf Erin. I had about 20 days of vacation and it was a beautiful and relaxing break I needed.

edited to say: About these pix they're from 2003. I'd been skinny all my life until the unraveling of my engagment a few months before these pix. After the break up I was so broken I ran off the Europe for three months to travel around and cry my heart out around ppl that don't know us. Getting out of the city wasn't good enough I had to leave the country. lol

When the break up occured I gained 30lbs. in one month! The weight kept coming on. When I went to Europe and these pix were taken I weighed 160 and was a size 14 and I thought I was so fat. Even though the broken heart is obvious on my face in one of these pix I look back now and I can see I still looked good. Hindsight is 20/20. lol

Edited July 20, 2008 by Olivia*