Let's Talk Exercise! - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Meg · 03-31-2004, 06:15 AM

Exercise seems to be a common thread running through everyone's weight loss stories, so I thought it might be fun for us all to talk about what we do. Tell us your exercise story!

Were you active when you were heavy?
Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later?
What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight?
If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all?
Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance?
Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week?

vmelo · 03-31-2004, 10:54 AM

Good thread, Meg, as usual.

I’m 35 and from the time I remember first starting dieting (approx. age 14) to around age 34, I was an “all or nothing” type person. That meant, that if I started dieting, I started exercising . . . and when I went off my diet, I stopped exercising. After gaining all my weight back after losing 35-40 lbs. on Weight Watchers in 2000, I decided that I was sick of dieting & would never go on a diet again. I think I was just burned out from the constant yo-yoing. So from 2000-2002, I ate what I wanted & did no exercise. I certainly didn’t lose any weight and may have gained some.

In Sept. ’02, I decided that I couldn’t live w/ myself being that fat, but this time that realization was accompanied w/ health concerns. My father had had a major heart attack & I take after him, so I was worried about developing heart disease. Yet, at the same time, I didn’t want to do the yo-yo thing again because I felt like I’d abused my body & mind enough w/ that. So, for the first time in my life, I started an exercise program WITHOUT dieting. I joined a gym & went 4-5 days a week, combining cardio (treadmill, elliptical, step classes) & weights. From Sept. ’02 – Dec. ’02 I did this exercise routine w/out dieting. I was too afraid to step on the scale, but the fit of my clothes showed me that I was losing a little weight (probably 5-10 lbs. w/in 4 months). At that point, I was ready to incorporate good eating into my diet & that, along w/ the exercise, helped me take off 35 lbs. altogether (I have 10 more to go, ideally).

Only recently (Feb.), I dropped my gym membership & decided to do home workouts. I’m happy to report that I’ve been just as consistent, if not more so, doing these. I have a variety of workout tapes (step & other cardio, & strength) & supplement these with walking/jogging. I also found a couple of web sites w/ forums that cater to home workouts. This has been a big help.

Do I think that exercise it necessary to maintaining weight loss? Calorie-wise, probably no; someone could probably just cut 300 calories fr/ their food intake & skip the day’s workout. However, mentally, I think exercise is necessary because it puts you in a “healthy mindset.” When I’ve busted my butt for an hour doing a step tape, I’ll think twice before I negate those calories by opening a pint of Ben & Jerrys & having at it. Also, the toning benefits of exercise (not to mention the strengthening benefits of weight lifting) make your body look better, which leads to increased self-confidence, which could help eliminate those “pigging out because I hate myself” thoughts. Because of all this, even if my eating gets a little out of hand once in a while, I’ll still continue my exercise program (whereas in the past I wouldn’t have). I’m fully prepared to do some form of exercise for the rest of my life because I know that in-the-end, it will help me maintain my weight loss (for the above-mentioned reasons).

VermontMom · 03-31-2004, 11:50 AM

Hello, Meg, again another great topic to stimulate conversation!

Were you active when you were heavy? - Not active at all! Was always tired after work; would barely do what was needed on the home front, ate too much dinner, sat on couch for evening.

Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later? - Yes, I started doing exercise videos, and walked outside when the weather got better. I knew that exercise was key to losing weight/looking better/keeping the weight off. I was very discouraged at first with the exercise tapes, as they were hard to do, and I had no strength, but eventually I could see progress, and that helped me to keep going.

What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight? - The tapes were either low-impact aerobics, or step with light weight use. And floor work for legs, hips, abs.

If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all? - Not QUITE at goal, lol, but working on it! and have changed my program a bit because of that. I have switched to more aerobics/step for more cardio work, in the hopes of burning more calories to lose fat. And I'm trying to fine-tune my legs, for more muscle development. I'm happy with my shoulders, back, hips and abs. Also working on fine-tuning that ol' glueus maximus, to get it tighter.

Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance? - NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. As vmelo said, one certainly can lose weight without exercise, but as someone posted before, you just don't look as good! The muscular toning is what gives you shape. And I know I can eat more, without gaining, due to the exercise and increased muscle.

Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week? - I just looked in my journal (actually just a day planner, but I write in my exercise for the day, and use a colored highlighter to mark it.)
*for the year 2003, I exercised at least 222 days out of 365.
*this year, I have exercised for 69 days out of 90.
*last week - Monday - "Aerobics for Dummies" - 30 minutes?
Tuesday - "Crunch" aerobics (new tapes, was difficult for me to keep up, but I marched in place when I couldn't keep up) - 30 minutes?
Wed. - Gilad's 45/Split, which is strength, no aerobics- 50 minutes
Thurs. - Karen Voight Cardio/Strength - 50 minutes
Friday - Keli Roberts Step - aerobic - at least 30 minutes
Sat. - Gilad's Step and Tone - aerobic and strength - 50 min.
Sund. - no exercise. Sometimes I'll have two days off in a week, due to work constraints or family deal. Never more than two days off a week, though, I have to keep it an almost daily habit.

*and I have meant to say this earlier, but Meg, your avatar is fantastic!!!! that you can fit into one leg of your previous pants, and you have a lovely sculpted shape!

MrsJim · 03-31-2004, 12:22 PM

Oookkaay! My turn! Oh goodie!

Were you active when you were heavy?

I had "active times" while growing up, but most of the time I was generally a bookworm slug. My parents tried to push me into organized games like soccer and tennis - didn't work for me. I was kind of a nerd anyway, and had no confidence or coordination. When I was 16 I did go to an eight-week 'fat camp' for the summer which I LOVED - mostly because I wasn't the only fat klutzo there (far from it...of course that's why it was a fat camp!). That was really my first taste of enjoyable intentional exercise. Unfortunately that 'glow' didn't last very long afterwards.

Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later?

I'm assuming you're talking about my REAL FINAL weight loss. Actually I started exercising FIRST! I was reading some magazines and books and stuff geared towards fat people - specifically, BBW, Radiance and a book entitled Great Shape by Pat Lyons. I found out about a 'large women's movement' seminar which was being hosted by the author of the aforementioned book, went to it, and started walking a few times a week with my little Walkman. Unfortunately I was still eating like a small hippo, since they didn't mention diet or weight loss at all. In late 1989/early 1990, I sent away for this large woman's fitness video which featured a model/instructor named Idrea (don't know if she's still around - have to check) called "Idrea says 'Yes You Can!'" I really enjoyed that video and around the same time, got into the Stanford weight-loss maintenance study, upped the walking, threw in a low-impact aerobics class a couple times a week at the local Rec Center, then after losing the first 50 or so pounds, became a Jazzercise addict and so on...

What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight?

Oops - covered that above mostly. Anyway, I was a Jazzerciseaholic from late 1990-1994. Because of my budget and busy schedule, in October 1994 I switched to a membership with 24 Hour Fitness, which only costs me $24 a month (at the time, an unlimited month of Jazzercise was $43). I was mostly doing cardio with the occasional class thrown in until 2001 when I got hooked on weights. Still hooked actually - but of course I still do cardio too. I've also been big on biking (both road and off-road) but I currently do not own a bike right now (should change some time this year...) and of course HORSEBACK RIDING. Oh and when we go to Yosemite, we do a buttload of hiking!

If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all?

Ya know, it hasn't changed per se, but yet it's in a constant state of change. This week on Dr. Phil's show, they had the Teen Weight Loss Challengers (a great show BTW) who were given a personal hip-hop dance exercise class to show that exercise can be FUN. That's the important thing - make it FUN and interesting and a great part of your daily routine! Accentuate the positive!! Woo hoo! Yeahhh baybeeeee!

Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance?

Oh fer sure. Definitely. I STILL like to eat, actually let me rephrase that and say okay I still LOVE to eat - if I didn't exercise I would have to live on next to nothing in comparision (now I'm not saying I can eat whatever I want all the time but you know what I mean here...moderation darn it!). Besides, if you've seen people who lost weight by diet alone - well, they look like ca-ca IMO.

Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week?

Here's my schedule right now...

Monday - Chest, triceps, cardio
Tues - Back, Biceps, cardio
Weds - Legs, calves, abs
Thursday - long moderate cardio session, abs
Fri - shoulders, abs, cardio (if I can manage it schedule-wise, I take Curt's 6 am Spinning class)
Sat - Cardio, abs
Sun - rest day (or optional cardio)

Whipped Cream and the Cherry On Top: Horseback riding 2-3 times a week; hillwalking with my sister on the weekends; walking everywhere as much as possible

So there ya go, there it is, and there ya have it!

SeekInnerThinChick · 03-31-2004, 03:36 PM

* Were you active when you were heavy?
I was not heavy as a child. I walked or biked to school, had a paper route, and a job as a maid, also baby sitting. Also played baseball, football, and badminton with the boys. In high school I was overweight for about 3 years, I believe due to the onset of PCOS, and working full-time, so less exercise. Lost that weight (50 lbs.) in first semester of college. Ran track long distance in college. Left and went to work as a carpenter, did lots of weights to keep up with the men, some of whom were hard-core muscleheads. Rode a motorcycle to and from work.

Eventually came out West, switched careers to computers, jogged regularly. Started computer business, eventually cashed out, got married, and started "flipping" real estate. Lots of stress, living in the car, and the "marriage pounds" began to come on, even though I golfed, walked, danced, did weights once in a while. But I wasn't jogging anymore because it hurt my back and hips.

In the past jogging had always burned off a lot of calories, so I didn't get fat. In fact it took me a long time to get fat, on a concentrated program of pizza, ice cream, beer, nachos, restaurant food, etc. In the past 2 years, I've finished designing and building my own home, and selling my last "flipper." Less stress now, so a great time for a structured diet.

* Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later?
From the beginning. In fact I started aqua-aerobics more to handle stress than anything, and only started a "serious" structured diet plan this year.

* What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight?
I'm still losing. (See below.) Anything to keep active. I just try to do something active every day, and housework on my rest days. I now see myself as getting in shape to play more sports, rather than just losing weight.

* If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all?
I definitely feel I can do more, I'm almost back to "normal" for me. But I'm older, I have to be VERY careful to switch exercises from day to day, or I can easily get injured. My role model is Cal Ripken, he had an amazing record of performance, but he was very careful not to overtrain or get "macho" just to show off. I try never to do the same thing two days in a row. And I MUST have a rest and recovery day at least every 4 days, now that I'm doing more. I also get dehydrated and hypoglycemic very easily, so I have to drink a lot of water and carry some hard candy with me at all times, just in case I feel faint.

* Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance?
Exercise is more important to me than diet. I lost my first 30 pounds without dieting at all. I am not a binger or compulsive overeater, I was simply taking in more calories than I burned. So burn the fat, and the weight drops.

* Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week?
I don't play sports particularly brilliantly, I just get out and have fun. I do what I'm in the mood for on any particular day, shooting for a mix of activities like these:

Outdoor, any of these, switching off from day to day:
Golf
Kayak
Walking/jogging
Tennis

Indoor, any of these, switching off:
Rowing machine
Elliptical trainer
Treadmill
Weights, free and/or machine
Aqua-aerobics
Dance (rock and roll, blues, jazz)

Ilene · 03-31-2004, 06:34 PM

• Were you active when you were heavy?
In a nutshell yes, I’ve never been extremely heavy, but definitely not petite. The most I’ve been overweight is 35#. ( Except when I was pregnant of course, but that’s a whole other story...) I’ve been dieting and exercising since I can remember around 14 yrs old I guess... I started to journal my food intake around that time too... Just the foods and how many calories I would take in, usually around 800-1000 cals

not good I know. I used to exercise on a stationary bike in the basement, I did 10 miles, and read a novel at the same time, count 20 pages, 2 pages=1 mile.... Then I would do some stretches and this is when I started doing Yoga. Looking back at pics I wasn’t even big, it was all in my head. I’ve always loved fitness and fashion magazines and that’s where I would get all my ideas, the good and the bad ones, because they used to advocate skinniness too much back then IMO, now I’m finding mags are getting a little more realistic and pushing for healthy rather than skinny.

• Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later?
In high school I was not active in sports. All my peers thought I would be really good at sports because I had that look, but I was always afraid of the ball getting thrown into my face and breaking my glasses, then later on because of contacts lenses. But I always biked everywhere. I was a bit of a loner and if no one came with me I would go alone biking out in the country for the whole day. I started weight training, aerobics, cardio, at a gym, when I quit smoking so I wouldn’t gain weight, and didn’t gain any BTW...(Dip I hope you’re reading this).

• What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight?
I’ve done aerobic classes, water aerobic, Yoga, walking, running, rollerblading, biking, weight training. I do something on a daily basis. Lately my favorites are running and weight training. I do both with intensity.

• If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all?
I haven’t really reached goal, I’d say a good 20# would bring me down to a nice size 6 or 4, hard to tell with muscle mass... Like Karen said, the exercises basically stays the same, but changes all the time... I get bored easily.

• Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance?
Absolutely!

• Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week?
Monday – Legs and a stretch/Yoga class, some cardio depending on time
Tuesday – Shoulders and running
Wednesday – Back and some other cardio machine (elliptical)
Thursday – Chest and running
Friday – Bis & tris and some other cardio machine (elliptical)
Saturday - Off
Sunday – Run
With the nicer weather I will attempt to run outside, I've never done that. Next year I'd like to do a 5K... I can't wait for the warm weather I will go biking in the early morning hours, I usually do 10 to 15k/day, at least, in the summer...

Great Thread idea Meg. Took me down memory lane reminiscing about my early exercise days...

Noodles913 · 04-01-2004, 03:22 AM

Were you active when you were heavy?
Eh...Not really. I just sat around being miserable. Most of the activeness came from chips or candy to mouth. My mouth got the most exercise.
Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later?
From the beginning!!! I did it all cold turkey one day...I had a wake up call from the DR. and that was it. I told myself tomorrow, you WILL change your diet and you WILL start exercising. And I did!! Course the night before I went to the Buffett...
What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight?
I started out with DVDs on the TV with a little tennis, swimming, bowling & skating...and anything else that kept me busy. Then I started attacking the house and re-organizing things and moving things around.
If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all?
Not yet but it will once I join the gym. Time to tone up the flaps!! hahaha
Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance?
OH yes I do 100%. Since I didn't do a "diet" thing. I just changed my bad eating habits to good ones...I knew I would have to exercise to keep this going. Which is what I wanted to do anyhow in hope that it would also help my arthritis. And it has!! Plus I have found that any kind of exercise has been a wonderful stress relief. It's my new venting outlet!!
Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week?
I try to get tennis in at least 3x a week along with a swim afterwards.
I bowl twice a week.
I try to roller skate twice a week. I cut my foot open on the bottom so been on skating hiatus for a bit though...I skate with just a nylon. No socks.
I do heavy gardening. I have a 7000 sq. foot backyard that I am working on landscaping all by myself. Well..cept for the slab of concrete I want to pour. Other than that I do all of the digging and planting.
I clean & organize the house. And I mean CLEAN & Organize. I want it to sparkle when I'm done so I go just a little bit overboard sometimes. OBC hubby says! heheheehe
Extras I might squeeze in are: Walking, bike rides, hiking, jump roping.

jiffypop · 04-01-2004, 01:39 PM

but this is an interesting thread and it deserves a complete answer. MEG: if you think it's too long, feel free to edit...

Were you active when you were heavy?

I was until I hit about 400 pounds. After that, a series of respiratory infections pretty much immobilized me and the vicious cycle started. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Very very ugly. And then the weight just came PILING on, no matter what I ate. And the more I couldn’t breathe and couldn’t move, the more weight came on.

Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later?

From the time I got out of the hospital in October 2001, I moved, and haven’t stopped. My docs are IMPRESSED. Almost brought tears to my pulmonologist’s eyes!!!

What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight?

Ok. This is a BIG question. How about if I take it from the point where I decided to have the surgery, and skip over the other decades? Otherwise, this’ll be an ENORMOUS post.

After I got out of the hospital and nursing home in October 2001, my idea of exercise was to take the oxygen tank outdoors, and walk down the driveway, dragging the oxygen tank. It was 40 steps long. And then I’d come back and collapse on the front porch steps [not the top because it was hard to climb those 4 steps!] for at least the next 15 minutes.

And then I’d do it again. For a total of three trips. And then I was exhausted and napped for at least an hour.

But then the day came when I wasn’t exhausted at the end of the driveway!!! So I took a couple more steps [I think a total of 10 more]. And then next day, a few more. And then before I knew it I was up to about 75 steps! And then 100! And then 125, which brought me to my neighbor’s driveway!!!!

And then around the end of the street. And then around the end of the street and to the first corner. And then to the main road at the end of the street. And then AROUND THE CORNER!!!!! Of course, this whole process took more than a month, but it HAPPENED!!!!!

Around thanksgiving of 2001, I no longer needed the oxygen tank. I lost 97 pounds before the surgery.

And when I got home from the surgery at the end of January 2002, I marched in place several times a day. Yeah, it’s goofy, but I was told to move but not actually exercise for a few days. And then I went back to walking. Down to the corner. But I also discovered Gilad’s body in motion on cable. He’s so cute!!!! And I’d follow along, stopping when I got tired. Sometimes I’d do a whole hour of him!!!! But I couldn’t always keep up with the aerobics, and I had to modify the floor exercises. So I did the push ups against the wall and lay down on the bed to do the situps.

And I kept walking. And after awhile, I was up to a mile, then two. And then I started walking with the dog. But about 11 months after the surgery, in December 2002, when I’d lost about 250 pounds and the weight loss had dramatically slowed, I knew it was time for the gym. Soooooo. Off I went to the gym that was open 24 hours a day. There’s no way curves would fit in with my schedule, and I KNEW it had to be someplace that had a pool and that I couldn’t avoid.

I met my first trainer, debbie. She came up to my shoulder, and weighs less than 100 pounds. I told her what was going on, and she said that she wouldn’t let me go to anyone else. She wanted to help me succeed at this!!!!!! And off we went!!! The trainers have been incredibly supportive and helpful. There’s no way I could have stuck with the exercise without them.

I added swimming. And weights to the walking. And then in the spring of 2003, I looked at the hills around the house, and looked at the dog. And then tried to hike on the ice. Didn’t work really well. But the ice melted. And I tried it again. It took me SOOO LONG to climb the first little hill, but I’d learned, through hard experience, that I could just stand there for a few minutes to catch my breath and then start again. So I did. That first hike lasted nearly an hour, and it’s a distance I now cover in about 15 minutes!!!!! But I did it, and that was the important thing.

Soooooo. Since then, another 30 or so pounds have come off. I KNOW I’ve added more muscle and lost fat. But I don’t know how much. And I’ve torn the meniscus in both knees at least twice each. but PT and NSAIDs have kept me moving.

Whew!!!!!

If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all?

I’m not quite at goal. But I think as time goes on it has intensified. More weight. More variety in the cardio. More TIME doing cardio. More intervals.

Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance?

Exercise had never been much help in weight loss as far as I was concerned, but I decided that I’d do EXACTLY what the docs and nurses told me to do after the surgery. After all, what did I have to lose besides the weight????

And it worked BETTER THAN I HAD EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. and when I hear what other people have done with the surgery, what they’ve lost as a percentage of their excess body weight, I am way WAY ahead of them. And I credit the exercise for that. I’m not eating that much differently than they are, but I have more muscle. And they tend to do cardio 3 times a week, and that’s not enough. It’s ok for maintenance, I guess, but not for loss or cardio health.

And that’s another point. I HAD to exercise when I got out of the hospital because my lungs and heart were in such terrible shape. I’m lucky to be alive. Lucky to have a second chance.

AND I’M NOT GOING BACK THERE!!!!

Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week?

Every morning, except maybe Sunday, an hour walk or hike with the dog. When schedule permits, I also add at least another 30 minutes of walking. OR, on nice weekends, I can actually manage 2-3 hours of hiking!!!! That’s a nice day. and now, I'm eyeing kayaks. hmmmm. maybe????

Three days a week: 20 minute warmup on elliptical or bike, stretching, then 2 hours of weights. Yes. I know most folks divide up their bodies into a briefer workout for each day, but my schedule just doesn’t work that way, so I do a couple of LONG gym sessions every week… and I meet with the trainer every two weeks or so.

Abs: 50 crunches at 40 pounds, 30 at 50 pounds and then 45 sitting on that wonderful blue ball [I might actually buy one of them. They’re fun!!!!!]
Triceps: two-three different exercises, either all free weights (up to 12 pounds) or including one cable set (somewhere between 60 and 70 pounds)
Biceps: 3 sets of 15 always free weights, up to 20 pounds on the leaning back bench, sometimes adding cable (up to about 60 pounds) or barbell
Back: two-three exercises for upper and lower back (lat pulldown at 70-80 pounds, cable rower at 80 pounds, machine rower at about 40-50 pounds, that pullover thing at 60-70 pounds)
Shoulders: aaahhhh. The weak spot… 3 sets of 12-15 reps, depending on how weak I am!!! two exercises (6 sets total). I’m lucky to manage 25 pounds on these!!!!! [this is where John the trainer calls me a wimp!!!!!]
Chest:3 sets of 15 reps each. two machines, plus maybe cable. Up to about 40 pounds on machines, 50-60 on cable
Adducts and abducts: 3 sets of 15 each. up to about 90 pounds. Maybe 100.
Hamstring curls: gotta take care of the torn meniscus ya know!!! My muscles can handle more weight on this, but my knees can’t… 3 sets of 15 at about 50 pounds
Calf press: 3 sets of 15 at about 130 pounds
Leg press: another torn meniscus exercise!!!! My legs can handle up to 200 pounds, I think, but the knees won’t go over about 130-140 pounds. 3 sets of 15

And then stretching.

And then the BEST PART: steam room, whirlpool. Aaaaahhh. The reward!!!!

but now, with my ENTIRE exercise saga right here, all laid out. it's really hitting me how far i've come, from BEDRIDDEN to LIVING!!!! yipppeeeee yahOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Ilene · 04-01-2004, 07:20 PM

Wow Jiff your story read like a very interesting book... You and Meg should get together and write something... I'm always bugging her to write THAT book!! I'd be the first in line at your first book signing...

Mel · 04-01-2004, 07:25 PM

Jif, no way are you a wimp at anything! You are one strong chickie, heart and soul!

Mel (my saga later)

jiffypop · 04-01-2004, 10:35 PM

you are all very kind... and inspiring!!! i see what you folks are doing, and i want to catch up!!! i have a whole lot of stuff i need to do in my life...

aren't you all glad i skipped the 'deep breaths in bed is all the exercise you're able to do right now' stuff?? and the physical therapists i pushed to their limit???? with them following me with the wheelchair.. not a pretty sight.

Noodles913 · 04-02-2004, 03:13 AM

I agree!! I love reading your posts Jiff!! They always make me smile...

You tell the stories well. You're an inspiration for everyone and belong on the Oprah show!!

Oh boy...I played with my body ball today...and did a bazillion stomach crunches and stretches while watching Survivor. I am in love with my ball now. Makes crunches a bit easier.

geoducky · 04-02-2004, 03:51 PM

Wow Jiff, that's incredible! And you are STRONG! my gosh, I can't get near any of your lift weights. Good Job! You go girl. You are an inspiration.

Mel · 04-02-2004, 08:07 PM

Were you active when you were heavy?
I've been active since I was about 12 years old and was dragged kicking and screaming away from my books, piano, and drawing pads. As a teen and through my twenties, I was a competitive skiier and white water kyaker, recreational runner, and even lifted weights deep in the basement of the university gym in the "women's weight room". LOL- about a 10X10 foot closet. I ran daily and played raquetball up until about the 8th month of my first pregnancy, which is when I really got heavy. Before that I just thought I was fat, but was battling alternating episodes of anorexia then bulemia. I continued to run, do nordic track, play racquetball and tennis and swam as I got heavier. To be honest, I was never huge. I think my top weight was about 182 (at 5'3").

Did you exercise from the beginning of your weight loss or did you incorporate it into your plan later?
Yes- see above.

What kind of exercise did you do while you were losing the weight?
I upped my exercise considerably to cardio 5 days a week and circuit training 3-4 days a week. I didn't lift heavy and certainly not to failure at that point. I still played tennis and swam, and ran. I got up 45 minutes to an hour earlier every day to exercise at home. We had minimal weight equipment and a good recumbent bike.

If you've reached your goal weight, has your exercise program changed at all?
My goal weight was a number I pulled out of thin air to post something on the Sugarbusters Forum. I never really thought about it much, other than it was a weight that I remember maintaining for a while between kids. When I reached that weight, I felt wonderful, had dropped from a very tight size 16 to a loose size 10, but still felt fat. I met MrsJim through this site and decided to try BFL. Challenge 1 was not a huge success in my mind because I thought I would look like all the "after" pictures in the book- basically a fitness model. I gained 2 pounds on the scale, but dropped my body fat % from 29% to 22% and went down to a tight size 6. After 1 BFL challenge, I abandonned the program but not the lifestyle, and have since been doing a 4 day lifting split, with 3-5 days of cardio depending on how I feel about cardio at any given point. I'm still slowly lowering my body fat%, with occaisional bumps in the road. I'm now back into my size 4 jeans. I think that's where it will end, because my bones wouldn't fit into anything smaller.

Do you think exercise was/is important to your weight loss and maintenance?
Absolutely! I may have been able to maintain the scale weight through starvation, but there's no way I would have the body that I want without exercise. Heavy lifting in particular.

Tell us what you typically do in a day or a week?
A typical week food-wise is cycling between 1300-1500 calories, with a 50%protein, 25% carb and 25% healthy fat ratio (I'm a compulsive fitday user). Occasionally I have a cheat day or meal. I do cardio 3-4 times a week, sometimes high intensity intervals for 30 minutes, sometimes a more leisurely 45 minutes. I lift 4 days a week, hitting each body part once per week. I generally do 4 exercises per body part, and 4 pyramid sets, usually to failure. I don't think I'm actually building more muscle mass and am happy with that I have, but it takes just as much effort to maintain it as to build it in the first place. I'm still getting stronger, but without actually building more muscle.

I've recently cut down the amount of cardio I do because I've changed jobs and am physically active (lifting weights!

) most of the day instead of sitting in front of a computer screen. I also go for bike rides, hikes, and dog walks, but don't count them as formal exercise.

And that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Mel

jiffypop · 04-05-2004, 10:05 PM

jack... organized??? oh dear.. i read that and i had to go back and reread the posts to see what you meant... and i for one am not organized, but DRIVEN. and trying maintain [develop???] balance in everything..