Have I lost my mind to consider a HIM? (Page 43)

Is anyone here a USMS member?  I am.  Anyway, here is a fun challenge that they sponsor:  http://www.usms.org/fitness/content/gothedistance

http://www.withings.com
The scale I just got is Withings it's internet connected and has an iphone app. (I would probably buy a toilet that had an iphone app I'm such a geek). It arrived yesterday and I weighed myself in the middle of the day but today and normally I weigh in first thing in the morning after peeing.

I've been logging my food on Livestrong MyPlate (yep, it's got an iphone app too). I put in my height and weight and that I would like to lose 2 lbs. It says:
"Our estimate is that you may consume about 2,262 calories a day to lose two pounds per week."

I'm not eating that many calories nor am I losing that much weight though I'm burning near or over 2000 calories most days.
I log my workouts in myplate once I've logged my exercise and food it usually says I can eat over 2000 calories (but I don't).

I watch Biggest Loser too, since last season. Sort of love/hate it. Good inspiration but bad execution in most cases.

Edited by losta 2010-01-06 7:41 PM

I went to Livestrong and put in weight, height, age, activity level and gender and said I wanted to lose one pound per week and it said I could eat 2,258 calories.  Seems like an awful lot of calories to me. 

I am sooooo jealous about your scale.  I have not been this jealous about a gadget in a long long time. 

Most of those calorie estimates are high for me too... Plus the fact that some research says formerly obese women tend to have a lower BMR then never-obese women. Guess that's one of the reasons it's hard to keep off because there really is never a "I'm done" it's more of a life-long effort.

My Bodybugg Estimates I can eat about 1700 if I lay in bed all day. Not sure how spot on it is, but when I'm faithful about wearing it and recording all my food the weight loss it estimates usually is fairly spot on, so it's probably fairly close.

Biggest Loser: I always watch it and enjoy it but yeah there are lots of things that annoy me about it too. Considering they weighed in "At home" this time I'm wondering how many extra days they got before the first weigh in. I think their weeks are usually like 10days or something.

I think we should consider Debb the winner of our little challenge!  She is the only one who lost on our weight-in day.  Congrats!  I glad someone did it!  Go Debb Go!!

Nutso Group Check this out.  Look at how far we have come since the beginning of September!  It is clear from this that I need to get myself in gear!     

Debb - 207 now 187 (-20)
Leah - 142.4 now 137 (-5)
Kiri - 230 now 219 (-11)
Kate - 195.8 now 194 (-1.8)
Lisa - down like 17!

PS - I didn't work out again today.  I'm on an everyother day kick until I feel better.  I almost popped a pain pill today but didn't.  My bike group did schedule a 40 mile ride this weekend.  I want to be stong for that. 


Edited by ~ AZ Sunshine ~ 2010-01-06 11:46 PM

If we do the weight/challenge thing again I'll provide the incentive next time, but we all probably need a few weeks breather right now.

Congrats Debb!

Well, I'm glad someone was able to lose over the holidays, but really, we all did pretty much OK. 

Because Lisa had one, I got one of those Pool-Mate watches that counts your laps for you and gives you other data.  Here are my results from the first time wearing it on Tuesday:

laps: 40 - You can only use it during laps when you are stroking, so not during kicking or drilling.  By counting, I believe that I did 2400 meters, of which 1,800 meters were swimming, so it should have said 36 laps.  I can miscount, that's the reason I wanted the thing, but 200 meters worth of miscounting???  Not sure about that. 

strokes per lap: 24 - I don't count this, but it seems right and is something to work on getting the number lower

distance: 2,000 meters - Basic math: 40 laps x 50 meters = 2,000 meters

average seconds per 100 meters: 124 - This seems very low to me.  124 seconds is 2:04 and at no time when I have timed myself have I ever swum 100 meters in 2:04, much less that being an average time.  I'm more in the 2:15-2:30 group (and closer to 2:30).  If I apply the 124 seconds to 1,800 meters instead of 2,000, I get 137 seconds, which is 2:17, which is more in the ballpark, but still low for being an average time.  So, I don't know about this one. 

calories: 474 - This seems reasonable to me.

efficiency: 43 - This is based on the "swim golf" idea based on number of strokes it takes to swim a certain distance.  You are supposed to aim for a low number.  I was 43 and 40-50 puts me at "above average," which is very nice, but I don't have any way of telling whether that is accurate or not.  In any event, it gives me something to work toward reducing.

time 1:04 - This is accurate.

Lisa - what is your experience with your Pool-Mate watch?


I didn't get my swim in today because the entire Rose Bowl area is closed (I swim at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center) because of some BCS college football game tonight.  I mean, the game is tonight.  I want to swim at 5:30 am.  Tonight will be a trainer ride - lucky me. 

So far I have just used it to count and haven't really been looking at time on it. I wear reading glasses so it's hard for me to fumble around with the buttons when swimming. Also with the group I am swimming with finishes at 10 PM 2X a week so I'm too beat to look at it then.

I used it on Wednesday and I didn't look at the data until Wednesday night.  I'm with you that there is no way that I could read any of that while in the pool.  I'm just interested in the accuracy.  Have you checked its lap counting against your own count?

That's why I got it because I can't count....not really but I lose count, I even have a sport count that goes on your finger and press every lap but I forget to press it sometimes. It seems accurate. I swim again tonight.

Hey gang!  How is everyone's training going so far this year?  Eating?  My eating is ok.  I might need to bring my calories down even more until I up my workouts again.  I'm happy with my work out today.  I ran 4 mile during lunch at work.  I need to do more of that.  Me and all the 20 somethings on campus.  During my run I got lapped twice by a skinny little girl.  She looked 18 and maybe 100 pounds. 

She won't always be 18 and she (probably) won't always be 100 pounds. 

I have been logging my food since Monday and it has been between 1700-2100 calories.  I think that's too much, maybe.  I want to fuel the workouts, but I would like to lose those last few pesky pounds.  But Monday and Tuesday I was hungry, hungry hungry.  Wednesday and Thursday less so. 

I hope your shoulder is healing nicely and you will be ready for the HIM.  Your run at lunchtime sounded good.  I did my usual trainer ride tonight.  What did everyone else do today? 

Howdy folx,

Great training day for me today, these past two weeks have been very stressful and I haven't felt like I've gotten quality training in - training yes, but quality no. Until today. Swam my head off - 2700 yds, could of kept going felt really great in the water. Although I've only done 3 strength sessions this year so far I already feel like it's paying off. Also got in a 6+ mile bike commute, and a 3.6 mile run on the dread...mini tri right there.

I've kept to the plan of no bread & no sugar pretty strictly - although I did have a whole wheat pita stuffed with veggies one night for emergency dinner, and someone brought me a coffee with 1t of sugar by accident... Not bad for the first week. Keeping to my calorie levels pretty well - it's been a weird eating week as I've felt a bit salt deprived and craving weird foods that I rarely eat.

I finally got into the bike coop to get a new rear rim - waiting for trainer tire/cassette/cassette tool to come in monday-ish. I've been watching youtube videos for changing cassettes, gonna give that a go for the first time when i've got all the necessary parts. Looks way easier than I thought it was going to be. Then I'll have dedicated outdoor wheel and dedicated trainer wheel. It's supposed to be nice-ish on Sunday and I really would like to get out for a long ride outside.

hope y'all are having fun out there!

k

How the heck do people not eat bread or sugar?  I can't even imagine.  

Me neither....


Edited by losta 2010-01-08 10:16 AM

It isn't that difficult.  Stay to the periphery in the grocery store and only eat fruit, vegetables, nuts and lean meat.  It is possible to eat that way and live a rich and fulfilling life.  Bread and sugar doesn't really add anything to the quality of life.  People think they do, but go without it for a while and you will see that you really don't need it. 

Scott sounds like waffles... Or deep fried buttery sugary bread? Hey isn't that funnel cake? Actually luckily I'm not a fried kinda girl but bread and sugar are toughies to give up. I know it gets easier if you phase it mostly out, but one bite and I'm back on the "carb-drug".

Right now I'm just shooting for less processed more whole grain and less of it. I'm trying to clean up the diet but it seems like I'm alternating bad days and good days.

Great job on sticking to the diet change and having a great swim too Kir. My pool opens Monday I'm psyched and swim classes begin again not this weekend but next.

Bread is hard for me... By the end of the month i'll be dreaming about bagels. And pancakes with maple sausages... And almond croissants... And baguette with butter... And...

Sugar not so hard.

But i'm only doing this for a month. When I did this last year at the same time I found it to be a great de-tox after xmas holidays. All that bready crap really gums up the systems, and you don't feel it so much until you go off it, and then it feels very refreshing.

Plus it gets you hunting down all the tasty alternatives - like my current fixation with sprouted corn tortillas.

Fried foods, sugar, bread, pasta...those are my favorite food groups. I still eat too much sugar but I think I'm doing well (for me) having switched to whole grain bread and pasta any laying off most fried foods except an occasional sweet potato fries. I figure I have more to give up once the weight loss becomes difficult I can kick in another strategy.

You can make sweet potato fries in the oven which are healthy... basically just cut them in fry slices and then coat with whatever... Some people do olive oil and herbs. I tend to put a cinnamon/allspice/sugar mixture on mine when I'm feeling the need for something slightly sweet.

I love, love, love sweet potato fries. 

Hey gang.  Heading out on a 40 mile ride tomorrow.  I hoping the shoulder will last the whole ride.  I have a midway back up plan if it gets too painful.  Wish me luck.  I'm also hoping this ride will help me in the 2010 mileage challenge. 

Any other plans this weekend?