Body Composition Challenge (Page 26)

No weigh in today, couldn't get out of bed.....plus after a weekend of drinking (dealing with my mother requires a good bit of wine to go with her whine lately) I know it will be bad.

New motivation to stay fit and healthy:  I do not want to be in her place in 20 years.  Seriously, she is 286.5 lbs and 5 foot 5 inches tall.

Morning Everyone!

I'm still bouncing around the 139 mark.  Last week was challenging as I pretty much ate every meal out.  Tried to make healthy choices but restaurant food is always a mystery.  Back to my own cooking this week, bringing a lunch and feeling good.  This week my focus is on portion control.  I think my quantity has increased and my exercise has decreased so want to bring it back down and just snack more vs. big honking meals.  Also really trying to eat lots of fruits/veggies when I'm hungry too.  Kind of got in to this habit of grabbing crackers when feeling snacky.

Congrats on the race Paul!!

I wish I could give up Diet Coke.  I love it - It's my one big vice.  I don't drink coffee/tea so it's my morning caffeine fix.  I've reduced the amount but still can't give it up.  I wonder what the impact would be if I could!!  It's diet though so I can't imagine it would have that much impact on my weight but it would definitely be a healthier option for sure.

I have never been a diet soda drinker, in fact I gave up soda when I was 16....now I will have a DR. Pepper or a root beer about 3-4x times a year.  I usually only drink about 1/4 of the can as it no longer tastes good to me, I can actually taste the chemicals.  Anyway, interesting study about diet soda and weight GAIN!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/diet-soda-weight-gain_n_886409.html

Glad that you have cut back on soda, though!!!

Ummmm that's why I referred to it as a 'vice' which by definition is a defect or shortcoming or... a weakness.  Fortunately I don't have many!

I'm not going to try and argue that soda in any form is good for you, but my quick bit of research really didn't come up with anything substantial that concluded that there were chemicals in diet soda (diet in particular) that caused calcium levels to be lowered.

The studies noted in these articles suggest that it isn't diet soda in particular, nor all sodas... but rather sodas that are flavored with cola extract which might be the cause of lowered calcium.  Or possibly the phosphoric acid (again, mostly in colas) might be the issue, though some argue that the levels are too low to trigger anything.

It also could just be the fact that if you're drinking sofa, you're drinking less milk and/or other healthy drinks.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/532325-can-diet-soda-affect-calcium-levels/

http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/802/2003/09/25/Tucker

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/soda-osteoporosis

Anyway... I agree that kicking the habit would be the healthiest, but I don't think that soda is the necessarily the worst thing you could do to yourself.  It probably has as much place in a healthy lifestyle as cake and ice cream and hot dogs and the occasional slab of home-cooked BBQ ribs do.

But that's just my $0.02.  YMMV.  It's possible that I'll change my mind someday and totally cut out everything that's not 100% healthy for me, but I can't see it now.  I'll just make sure to have a glass of milk with my cake next time.  

I don't disagree with this; a few times now I've experimented with going sugar-free and found that after the first few days, I craved sugar less.  

I always seem to come back to the fact that I *really enjoy* Diet Pepsi.  And so, I'm not ready to give up long term (even though I know it might be healthier!).

My point, I guess, was just to note that the science doesn't necessarily support the blanket statement that all diet soda leaches calcium from the body.  There are certain links, to be sure, between drinking a certain amount of certain types soda and some calcium loss, but even that doesn't necessarily say that the soda is the cause, but could be just the decreased amount other, healthier drinks in the diet.  Not trying to be contentious (lord knows, I actually really go out of my way to avoid any kind of confrontation), but I just thought I'd offer a different viewpoint.

I've come to the conclusion that what works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another.  And a level of "healthy" that I'm completely satisfied with, is a level that might be unacceptable to someone else.  And that's okay.  Everyone's got different goals and different ways of achieving them. 

Ditto.  I actually drink Diet Coke because - in my opinion - it seems to be the least sweet tasting of the diet pop options.  I need that jolt of caffeine first thing in the morning so for me - there is NOTHING better (okay maybe a couple of things better hee hee) first thing in the morning than an ice cold DC - so cold that the bubbles make my eyes water.  LOVE IT!  (even though I know it's not all that good for me)

Interesting article Abbie posted though.  I'd be curious to see if my waist would shrink if I quit.  THAT might make it worth giving up!!

Interesting tidbit - a nursing baby also strips your body of good things.  It takes what it needs from your body.  That's why you have to eat so much and take vitamins. 

Well, I weighed in on Monday... heavier than I've been in about a year, I believe.  Some of it water retention (salty food Sunday night), but mostly it's been me doing some heavy duty emotional eating.  Though I don't really delve into anything on my blog, let's just say that my life has been far from drama-free these past few weeks.

Now, with my "A" race for 2011 coming up in 10 days (Chicago Marathon), I'm desperately trying to get back down to a reasonable weight so I don't have to haul all that around for 26.2 miles.

I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need the donuts, candy, pizza, etc NOW because it'll all still be there when I'm done racing.  Heh.  And I'm getting used to feeling hungry again (a little hunger isn't a bad thing).

Not going all crazy -- I'm still trying to hit about 1900 cal/day -- but just trying to cut out the crap for awhile.  Been logging nutrition here (though - just through the end of my workday ... I'm good when I know how many calories I have for dinner) and that's been helping a little bit.

Today I will Earn My Body! 

Saw this quote and loved it, thought I would share.  Just a gentle reminder that making por choices is easy, but health and fitness is work and commitment!

The posts about diet soda are very interesting. I drink one Diet Pepsi every day but have wondered if giving that up would be a healthy thing to do. There seems to be a trend toward eliminating artificial sweeteners since they supposedly reinforce the desire for something sweet (sorry, I don't have any links to studies about this, just read it somewhere on the interwebz).

Hey folks. It seems to have been a month of challenges for people. I seem to have become numb. Flopping around like a beached fish with no motivation what so ever. Some I can squarely blame on the change in thyroid meds. There is no hope of changing that until November 16th. The other downer is the lack of being able to do decent workouts due to  the shoulder pain from the tendenosis. Of course, I must pile guilt on myself for wasting days that others would pray to have.

Enough!!!!

So. The last week I have been taking myself to task. Eating better. Getting some minimal workouts in and looking up rather than down.

As of today, I am down to where I started this challenge at. I have not taken measurements. I will this Tuesday when I get home. I will be traveling to stay with family through  Monday. Look at me... I am even packing some food to make sure I have good food there (Like others, my family are on the plus side of weight and I will be captive in their house). Feels good to start to take control after wallowing around this month.

You've got a couple of things working against you. I know when I have a nagging injury, it's very tough to stay motivated. Let's hope that pesky shoulder calms down and the thyroid issue is resolved soon.

That just made me giggle!

LOVE all the renewed motivation I'm reading on here! I say all of us who are struggling do a reset and "take down our waists" in October!

I've been SLOWLY losing, but really need to kick it up a notch, so I don't have to carry this much weight up 10,723ft in December.

Wow, I killed the thread. How's everyone doing?

I'm not weighing in until tomorrow... still feel puffy from the weekend

Roni - You did not kill the thread, LOL!

Darren - weekends are tough for everyone, I think. And who can turn down yummy stuff that a family member made?

My weight fluctuates 2 or 3 pounds from day to day, probably water weight. I am a long way from my goal of losing 10-15 pounds by January 1st. However, the extra core and weight workouts must be doing some good because my clothing is fitting better, so that's a win in my book.

I don't know if you see your issue as quantity or quality of food.  If it's quantity - well I am wondering if you are really overeating as much as you think.  I've seen your logs and you put in a good 3 hours+ of exercise per day!!!  That means you are going to eat!!  And so if you are comparing yourself to those around you - are they working out as much?  Then they *should* be eating less.  Maybe the issue is more what you are eating vs. the quantity.  I don't think there's anything wrong with a lean steak or roast.  Have you tried tracking your caloric intake?  Not every day but start with 2 weekdays and a weekend day and just track to get an idea..?  You are probably able to consume 3000+ calories a day and still maintain.  Start slowly... try to make wiser choices - eating foods that fill you up (whole grains, nuts, beans, lean meat etc) and don't beat yourself up when you crash and burn.  We all do it!  I think if you are good 90% of the time then you can ignore the 10%

I'm STILL the same but I'm not surprised after my weekend.  Eating was fine but hosted a big party and drank about a case of red wine oof!  Fresh start this week!  Good luck everyone!

Had my first half marathon this Sunday.  I felt great through the end and picked a rabbit to follow for the last 3 miles that was probably going faster than I would normally run.  She and I were switching leads through the last couple of miles and then she took off sprinting for the last 100m.  I cursed her under my breath, dug down, and sprinted past her to win my own silly personal battle.  I didn't have anything left in the tank after crossing the finish line, so I think that I did well.

I skipped weighing in yesterday because I was 200.5lbs. and thought that it may be a case of the post-race bloat.  Weighed in this morning.... 199.5.  Ok, slightly better, but way up from where I wanted to be.

Abdomen - 14 (down from 24 on 7/29/11)

Chest - 14 (down from 22 on 7/29/11)

Thigh - 14 (down from 24 on 7/29/11)

%Body Fat - 12.61% (down from 20.58 on 7/29/11)

Lbs Fat - 25.16 (down from 41.81)

Lean mass - 174.34 (up from 161.38)

Gain in Lean from start = 12.96 lbs

Loss in Fat from start = 16.66 lbs

I'm not sure if I agree with the calipers.  For some strange reason, I think that I am subconsciously getting lower measurements than what is real... maybe it is time to do a bod pod (our local body comp measurements at the rec on campus) appointment.

Regardless of the scale/calipers, I think that I am in the best shape of my life and that is what is important.  Good luck with the rest of the week all.  I may not be active this week on the boards as I am getting married this Saturday in South Carolina (on the beach in Kiawah Island).

Cheers. -t