Getting in shape

[Catscankim]

I just wanted to take a minute to pat myself on the back lol. Oh my gosh, my clothes were starting to get tight. I found myself squeezing into jeans and wearing bigger shirts to cover up my muffin top. My scrubs were not fitting any more, so I just grab big hospital OR scrubs.

I'm not saying suddenly huge or obese or anything. Also not saying I have the body of a teenager again either lol. But when I was a kid (I'm 50 now), and for most of my life I was always thin. It was just my body habitus My first prenatal visit I was 95 pounds and the doctor asked me if I had an eating problem because I was so thin at 3 months pregnant. I was just always small.

Over the past year or two I just started accepting the fact that age was setting in and I was gaining weight. Up until a few years ago I was around 125, lately I was creeping up on 150. I saw myself on the news for an old friend of mine's 100th birthday party and i looked like a cow and kinda felt that way too. A couple of months ago an old lady asked me how far along I was LOL.

So I woke up way too early for work one day and I don't know what inspired me to do it, but I turned on my FitOn app that I had downloaded on my ipad like a year ago and I got halfway through a workout before I quit. Then the next day I got a little further into the workout, then again the next day after that. Then finally I pushed myself through a whole entire thing a week or so later. SUPER STOKED. To keep up with my enthusiasm, I bought a yoga mat (because who doesn't like to use new things). To my surprise, it made my workouts a lot more comfortable on my ankles and knees....and back when I did floor exercises.

Day one i thought I was going to have a freakin heart attack LOL. Death by exercise.

One day I woke up a little late to do a full workout, so determined to do SOMETHING I decided to do situps. I could not do even one. How depressing lol. I was talking to a friend of mine who used to teach karate and he said that I need to work on my "core". I started alternating between my HIIT workouts and core exercises and drinking protein shakes after my workouts. Eating a little better, but haven't changed my diet too much.

Then the other day I woke up and for sng I put my hands behind my head and did not only one, but three sets of 8 full situps in bed with nothing supporting my feet. i wasn't able to do this a couple of weeks ago!!

I'm gonna shout out to the FitOn app. It is 100% free and unlimited. No ads. I broke down and paid for the subscription the other day, and it really doesn't offer any more than the free version except meal plans and saving workouts for off-line use (as far as I can tell). Kinda disappointed that I paid for the upgrade now, but it was $30 for the year. So I guess I can live with that.

I weighed in at 134 yesterday. I feel great. My indigestion has gone away...which has been terrible over the past two years. I can only guess it was because of weight gain. Since I do my workouts in the morning before work I go to work with a ton of energy and it really forces me to have the mindset of "don't ruin it Kim, get the yogurt instead of the blueberry pancakes". By lunch I'm absolutely famished though and I absolutely do not feel guilty eating whatever I want. I started wearing my regular scrubs again and everybody keeps asking me if I lost weight.

My boss commented the other day that she was impressed that I was dressed in our color and I told her that I am actually starting to fit back into my uniforms again. Then I told her about my sit up dilemma....so she went home and tried to do a sit up and couldn't do one. "SEE??" So now she's starting to work out.

Its not really about the weight, per se. Its feeling better, looking better in your clothes, and just an overall healthy feeling. I started out with sweatpants to work out in, then I bought a pair of black yoga pants, then another pair. Then I bought a cute pair...saw my reflection in the tv the other day and was like "Look at meeeeee!!!" Still got some belly fat to work on etc (yoga pants help with that LOL), but definitely seeing some definition in my abs. Pretty proud of myself.

As a right of passage, after I finish a workout no matter how small, I mark it on my calendar. It feels so good to just put that mark...as my blender is whizzing away with almond milk, a banana, and a scoop of protein.

 

[DianaMoon]

Good for you! You're my fit-spiration.

I put 15 pounds on in the last few years. Covid didn't help but it started pre-Covid and then Covid added 5 more.

I've tried to lose it, but I fall off the wagon every time. My problem simply is overeating. I'm pretty active. But if you eat more than you expend, you'll gain weight.

Long story short, I have an endocrinologist appointment next January and I've resolved to show her results. I know what you mean about feeling better, but I have to admit that in my case, yeah, it's about the weight. It's about health and looks and about finishing a project and eating purposefully.

Thanks for the smoothie suggestion!

 

[Catscankim]

Good for you! You're my fit-spiration.

I put 15 pounds on in the last few years. Covid didn't help but it started pre-Covid and then Covid added 5 more.

I've tried to lose it, but I fall off the wagon every time. My problem simply is overeating. I'm pretty active. But if you eat more than you expend, you'll gain weight.

Long story short, I have an endocrinologist appointment next January and I've resolved to show her results. I know what you mean about feeling better, but I have to admit that in my case, yeah, it's about the weight. It's about health and looks and about finishing a project and eating purposefully.

Thanks for the smoothie suggestion!

I was doing the whey powder, but my system REALLY hates it. Two days in a row i felt like a bloated air balloon…on my hour ride to work. I did some reading and thats a side effect and/or sign of lactose intolerance. I have never been lactose intolerant before so i dont know. But it killed me. I just bought plant based protein powder. Havent tried it yet, but it smells good.

I do 8oz of unsweetened almond milk, a scoop of power, and one banana. At first i cut a bunch of bananas up and froze them like a recipe said, but it wasnt worth the trouble. I like it just fine without freezing them. Plus it whips up quicker.

 

[DianaMoon]

I was doing the whey powder, but my system REALLY hates it. Two days in a row i felt like a bloated air balloon…on my hour ride to work. I did some reading and thats a side effect and/or sign of lactose intolerance. I have never been lactose intolerant before so i dont know. But it killed me. I just bought plant based protein powder. Havent tried it yet, but it smells good.

I do 8oz of unsweetened almond milk, a scoop of power, and one banana. At first i cut a bunch of bananas up and froze them like a recipe said, but it wasnt worth the trouble. I like it just fine without freezing them. Plus it whips up quicker.

I throw in two TBSPs of oatmeal, which I grind into powder w/a spice grinder. I guess you could do it in the blender but I think it's better to pulverize it beforehand.

 

[Catscankim]

Not an expert on the topic, but from what I have read you need to do 15-20 grams of protein within an hour of working out to help build muscle. I just looked at my container of oatmeal and its 5g per serving.

I have seen protein powder costs ranging from $15-30. it seems expensive, and without doing the math… its not so bad in the long run caus it lasts forever.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Good for you!

 

[DianaMoon]

Not an expert on the topic, but from what I have read you need to do 15-20 grams of protein within an hour of working out to help build muscle. I just looked at my container of oatmeal and its 5g per serving.

I don't have studies but I think that's a myth. Anyway, I'm not doing intense exercise nowadays. I don't use protein powder to build muscle; I use it to preserve what I have and lose fat weight.

 

[Richard Perrine]

I was doing the whey powder, but my system REALLY hates it. Two days in a row i felt like a bloated air balloon…on my hour ride to work. I did some reading and thats a side effect and/or sign of lactose intolerance. I have never been lactose intolerant before so i dont know. But it killed me. I just bought plant based protein powder. Havent tried it yet, but it smells good.

I do 8oz of unsweetened almond milk, a scoop of power, and one banana. At first i cut a bunch of bananas up and froze them like a recipe said, but it wasnt worth the trouble. I like it just fine without freezing them. Plus it whips up quicker.

I make smoothies only using whey. I suffer from lactose malabsorption and it has become a problem, especially within the last 5 years. I consume 1100-1500 calorie smoothies every other day as I also work out consistently. Help build and maintain muscle at my age of 50+. I recently started using lactaid-like tablets at about 9000 FCCu per tablet. Only one. It has been wonderful! Far less bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort. I don't use any sweeteners in my smoothies other than that of the fruit I add. I freeze whole, ripe bananas, and just before using, microwave for about 30 seconds and peel. So good.

 

[Megan]

Man....I'm like you but day one you right now. Covid, my covid pregancy, and nursing my now toddler, then being put on antidepressants...my weight has crept up 10, 15 lbs since before Covid-times. Prior to that I started a sedentary job, so my weight was already up 10 lbs from baseline. Altogether I probably gained 25 lbs in three years! I had already bought one new set of clothes and I'm in danger of having to do that all over again!

I need to do something for sure and seeing this post is extremely motivational. I might take some tips from it like starting my day with a protein shake...and I've been meaning to exercise upon waking (sleep is a precious commodity for me right now, so this might take some time).

 

[DianaMoon]

Everyone has their own way but for me, diet comes first. I have managed to put weight on when very active and lose weight when relatively sedentary. I exercise for general health reasons, not to lose weight.

Just speaking personally - YMMV.

 

[earlene]

Great work, KIM!

I remember the shock of not being able to sit up while snow boarding after falling down way back when my son was in an avid snowboarder & gave me snowboarding lessons as a Christmas present. I was only in my late 30's at the time, I think; maybe 40. In any case, it was a real shock and had nothing to do with my weight, just lack of use of those muscles. But a shock all the same.

Kudos on the weight loss and on the workouts!

What I remember from my avid exercise days (I was actually addicted to workouts) that counteracting the lactic acid build-up in muscles was the most important thing for me because those post work-out cramps were horrendous. So if your protein shakes are preventing that for you, keep it up.

 

[AliOop]

Everyone has their own way but for me, diet comes first. I have managed to put weight on when very active and lose weight when relatively sedentary. I exercise for general health reasons, not to lose weight.

Just speaking personally - YMMV.

Yup, and I'm the opposite. As a stress eater, if I work out, I have no issue with overeating, craving sugar, etc. And so the weight comes off. Whereas if I just try to restrict eating, it fails.

 

[DianaMoon]

Yup, and I'm the opposite. As a stress eater, if I work out, I have no issue with overeating, craving sugar, etc. And so the weight comes off. Whereas if I just try to restrict eating, it fails.

Right - trying to restrict eating without a plan is difficult. My point was: fat loss comes from a calorie deficit and unless you're a professional athlete or dancer, that's hard to pull off.

 

[AliOop]

Well, exercising early in the day is proven to raise your metabolism for the rest of the day (unless you are person with health conditions that cause the opposite effect). For whatever reason, I do best when I focus on exercise, which thankfully, I actually love doing.

 

[earlene]

My weight loss plan was based solely on eliminating bread & Nachos from my dietary intake. I was eating probably about 4 to 6 slices of bread per day along with mayonnaise, plus nachos had become a nightly snack for awhile. I diligently followed that plan for probably 3 months, with Romaine lettuce taking the place of bread for sandwiches.

I did not add any new psychical activity until we went to Italy, but I had already added bread back into my diet because how can I possibly go to Italy and not eat bread?? Still I did not gain any weight, most probably because we walked at least 18-23K steps a day while overseas, and I did not go overboard with the bread either. But I ate whatever I wanted, gelato, pasta, even pizza. Who can go to Naples without eating pizza? BTW, the very best pizza dough I've probably ever eaten in my life!

We are spoiled for pizza now. I cooked a package pizza once sine we got back & threw out the rest of it after Hubby had his fill & my one very disappointed slice.

I have not gained any of the weight back, upon our return and with my more sedentary activities, in spite of eating bread, which I am at least limiting. And I have only had nachos once since my return and can't say they were at all satisfying, thankfully.

If the weight does start to go back up, I have this experience as evidence that I have a plan that works well for me to bring it back down fairly easily.

 

[DianaMoon]

My weight loss plan was based solely on eliminating bread & Nachos from my dietary intake. I was eating probably about 4 to 6 slices of bread per day along with mayonnaise, plus nachos had become a nightly snack for awhile. I diligently followed that plan for probably 3 months, with Romaine lettuce taking the place of bread for sandwiches.

I did not add any new psychical activity until we went to Italy, but I had already added bread back into my diet because how can I possibly go to Italy and not eat bread?? Still I did not gain any weight, most probably because we walked at least 18-23K steps a day while overseas, and I did not go overboard with the bread either. But I ate whatever I wanted, gelato, pasta, even pizza. Who can go to Naples without eating pizza? BTW, the very best pizza dough I've probably ever eaten in my life!

We are spoiled for pizza now. I cooked a package pizza once sine we got back & threw out the rest of it after Hubby had his fill & my one very disappointed slice.

I have not gained any of the weight back, upon our return and with my more sedentary activities, in spite of eating bread, which I am at least limiting. And I have only had nachos once since my return and can't say they were at all satisfying, thankfully.

If the weight does start to go back up, I have this experience as evidence that I have a plan that works well for me to bring it back down fairly easily.

I did the same thing when I traveled in Turkey. I told myself that I'm on vacation to a country with a great cuisine. Don't eat junk. (They have it like every other country does.) Just eat three great meals a day, one snack.

When I came home I'd lost 5 pounds!

Of course if I'd gone to Italy my snack would have been a gelato. And a cappucino. And some amaretto cookies....

I know what you mean about pizza. I make my own. It's not wood-fired oven pizza but it's good. However, that's off the cart for now. I'm not walking 25K steps a day.

 

[gardengeek]

I did the same thing when I traveled in Turkey. I told myself that I'm on vacation to a country with a great cuisine. Don't eat junk. (They have it like every other country does.) Just eat three great meals a day, one snack.

When I came home I'd lost 5 pounds!

I hate to admit it, but when we visited Ireland I gained 10 pounds from all that good beer! I don't usually like heavy beers, but the beer there was delish!

 

[Ford]

Shape? Round is a shape? Isn't it??

 

[Richard Perrine]

I honestly feel that your diet is as or more important than exercising IF your exercise routine is not consistent and robust enough. I frequently fast and that has been helpful. I do not sit during the day and have invested in a standing desk. I 'speed' walk from place to place, run, to extreme hikes (20+ mile day hikes), and eat well (low sugar, low carb, vegetarian). Yes, everyone needs to find their happy place, but also need to step it up if your current routine is not working. For women especially, I would recommend weight lifting. Start small and get a coach, but for bone density, weights have shown to be effective and just good for all around health.

 

[melinda48]

Not an expert on the topic, but from what I have read you need to do 15-20 grams of protein within an hour of working out to help build muscle. I just looked at my container of oatmeal and its 5g per serving.

I have seen protein powder costs ranging from $15-30. it seems expensive, and without doing the math… its not so bad in the long run caus it lasts forever.

You get over 7g protein in a serving of tuna. Don’t forget protein powder often has fillers which may not aid in weight loss. A hard-boiled egg has 6 - there are 13g right there.