We inherited my DD elliptical. It is big, nice, and runs smoothly. Now why did my skinny physically fit daughter give this away?!?!? Because it tries to killer you! lol! It is parked in the family room within viewing distance of the TV and you would think I was hearing impaired because I have to turn the volume up to hear the TV over my gasping-for-breath breathing. I've decided that I would do 500 steps 3X a day for a week and increase it until I'm up to 1/2 hr or so at a time. I will try to keep to this plan if I'm not dead! My DH who is very physically fit for 59 y/o, that old boy can jog a mile before he even breaks a sweat, got on the thing and within ten minutes was jelly-legged! I didn't feel so bad after that. I challenged my 8 y/o GS that if he would stay on it for 20 minutes I would give him a dollar (had lots of energy to burn off) and the little freak did it and wanted to know if he stayed on it another 20 minutes if he could have another dollar! LOL! The little GD, 4 y/o, was on it yesterday for about 15 minutes and didn't even break a sweat. She set the program for some kind of resistance program and away she went. I know how to turn it on. LOL!!
Hope you are all doing well. I added another forbidden food to my list: Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies. I made these for my family for Valentines and I swear a 1/2 inch square gave me the worse shakes, but the danged things kept calling my name. I sent the rest home with my little obese sister and her skinny kids! Have I not heard of the trash can!!!! I have a terrible time throwing food away. I only makes these on Valentines day. 1 lb of butter, 18 oz plus of chocolate, 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1 c. flour......never again! I'm in mourning! LOL!!!
Ok the first time I got on an Elliptical I thought I would die!!! At the gym, my daughter would put on her ipod and dance away on the thing for 45 minutes and get off saying "that was a good work out." So I thought I would give it a try. I put on my ipod...set it on "Roller Coaster" by the Red Hot Chilly Peppers and was panting and heaving and unable to move my legs one more rotation before first verse was over! Never even made it to "Roller Coaster of loooooooove, say what!"
There is hope though, I can do it now...The whole song +! hehe
As for throwing away food, I had a pat-myself-on-the-back moment when, for whatever reason, I bought cookies for the Art Show Opening and when it was over there were about half the package left...couldn't throw them away because I paid REAL MONEY for them. hehehehehe (As opposed to fake money? whatever!) Anyway, they made it to my house, began to call "Angela, we're over here and lonely in this dark, scary pantry..." Ok, I opened and closed the pantry door one too many times! So I throw them out! Pat Pat Pat... didn't know my arm could reach around that far!
I call it pre bulimia, I am a compulsive shopper and i get stressed out and will sometimes buy goodies I know are bad for me, then I eat a few and know that if I eat more I will make myself get sick so I throw them out, I sometimes flush them other times I have been known to toss cookies out the car window a couple at a time... hey I am feeding the birds right.
I will tell you this from experience, you know those orange sticks (the ones with chocolate over a gel center) well dont ever flush most of a whole box. I did and then half an hour later had to pour HOT HOT water down the toilet to unclog it. I am now very careful with that.
The elliptical is my favorite ... but it will be the death of me! I am up to 7-10 minutes a day ... that is about all I can manage lol. It makes you use muscles you never thought you had!
Funny story about the orange sticks!!My kids love those things.Thank goodness I dont cuz they are in my house all of the time.I have also bought a package of cookies, ate one and then threw the rest away.What a waste of money.I am soooooooooo guilty of having a great OP day, going to the store, buying a treat for my kids.I do this thinking that I will not touch them.I have actually gone to bed and woke up in the middle of the night to eat them.I can not have junk in my house.I know this yet I continue to buy it "for the kids".I am my worst enemy.
The first bunch of times I used it, back like in 04 or 05, I thought I would die, but it used more calories than the treadmill and bikes, plus the treadmill didn't like my knees and feet. So, I kept with it and got up to 30-45 minutes in a hill program, I think it was. Nothing to high or two intense, mind you, but I liked it.
I just got a gym membership a few weeks ago but haven't been there in a while because I got sick. 10 minutes the first time, 15 the second, low resistance. I'm looking forward to getting back. I'll go tomorrow if I'm not too tired. My sore knee can handle it better than anything else for cardio.
Nan, I actually like the elliptical...a lot. Have on of your GK check the resistance on the machine. The resistance may be to high for you now. Start at 1 or 2 on the reisistance. I am not certain how your machine measures the intensity. That may be why its so difficult. I tell you what. My hips and thighs are my nightmares but that Elliptical machine has done wonders wonders to slim them down. Good luck and don't give up on it it
Count me as another who likes the elliptical in fact it is the only machine I can do in the YMCA. The stair stepper kills me, and I can't do the treadmill because it pounds kills my knee and the recumbant and stationary bikes hurt my back and my behind.
But for some reason I can run 2 hours on the elliptical (hour first thing in the morning and an hour at night if I am bored) at a pretty high (weight loss) setting.
I also run on it at least 1 hour every single day since Dec 1 unless I am on the road which is infrequently. My right knee is in bad shape but there is virtually no impact on my knees so I can run on those things until the sun goes down!
Elliptical!!!! Yikes!
That may be why its so difficult. I tell you what. My hips and thighs are my nightmares but that Elliptical machine has done wonders wonders to slim them down. 
Good luck and don't give up on it it
