I am doing pretty well so far ... sticking to plan. Today will be the day I need to pay attention to. I need to get my exercize in and it's not a day that I have the structure built in.

Seek, definitely look into the belly dancing. It is so much fun and so good for you and you meet so many nice people.

I am not allowed to run, as I have had to have major surgery for severe pelvic organ prolapse. Not allowed to do anything that jars or increases intra abdominal pressure. But before the surgery I had to stop dancing for a while. I was so happy when the surgeon said I could go back to dance class! Now I have an umbilical hernia that needs fixing I have connective tissue issues, I guess. Gonna try and put that surgery off till I am at goal weight and try and combine it with a tummy tuck.

My dance instructor has a degree in physical training and was an aerobics instructor and worked at a gym. Then she decided to take up yoga. She said as fit as she was, yoga kicked her butt!!! People don't think of it as all that strenuous but it really can be. She now teaches it and has given up on the gym thing. She is very very strong and slim, often complains that she cannot gain weight as she thinks the best body for belly dancing is one with more tummy than she has.

Speaking of floor work, Mauvais have you ever seen anyone do a Turkish drop? We went to see the Belly dance superstars when they were here, and I saw one there. Rachel Brice and one of the other ATS dancers did one.

Backs so flat and parallel to the floor that you could have sat a plate on their tummys and eaten dinner, then suddenly whoosh!!!! They were down. Took my breath away. That is supposed to be AWFUL for your knees. And it's nothing this 51 year old will do. But man is it impressive.

Nona

No I have never seen the Turkish drop - sounds amazing!

I have dipped my toe into floor work but I find it too hard on my knees. My favorites are veil and cane. And I have started working on dancing with candles (unlit for now).

Mauvais is a babe.

Quickie... you're all doing GREAT, girls!!
I'm off to the Y...
When does the August challenge start? Am I too late?

Oh my gosh! I'm REALLY late! Perhaps I'll wait for the September challenge.

Ellis- we started on Monday June 14th so you are only 2 days behind
You are more than welcome to join in

Last night I actually walked to the Y where you work out and picked up a brochure. It is kind of pricey for a membership but the prices for the yoga and pilates classes don't look too bad.

Hi! Nonamortica-- sorry to hear about the surgery. Never a pleasant thing at all. Thanks for posting your age, though-- I'm glad to see someone else here who's around my age.

I got on the scale today and it read 162.5, but I'm a little dubious. It's been oscillating with a bigger delta than usual for several days, that generally means it's going to drop a "real" pound soon. But the weather has gotten hot and dry, too, with a wind, and that always makes me drop a little, no matter how much water I drink.

But by the measurements I'm losing a little muscle along with the fat. I've gone from 120 lbs. LBM to 118, at least that's what the math says. I wish I could stop that, but I've found it's almost impossible. The body always gets rid of tissues it doesn't think it needs, and 120 pounds of LBM is more than I need or use. I'll probably end up with about 115 lbs. LBM when I'm done. That's still a lot for my height. On the other hand it could just be noise in the calculation. Maybe it's time to get dunked in the pool for a real immersion bodyfat measurement-- I've never done that before. I think it's about $35 at the local U.

What's frustrating is there is still some abdominal fat there. I have found over and over again that my body will burn muscle to spare fat, even if I eat quite a lot of food. It's the "thrifty gene" thing to the max. So I have to trick it into letting go of any more fat. I even had to cut back on the exercise a little, although I've increased the intensity, because my heartrate has gone way down. We'll see if that helps.

I suppose I could get on the weights and build even more muscle, but I think my arms and legs are already a little big, especially compared to my torso. I've put 1/2" on my bicep lately without even working at it. And then again, 1/2" came off my thighs, from treadmill work. I sure don't need any more muscle there, the thighs are plenty meaty enough already.

It's very tricky: if I lose mass on the arms, I risk the loose skin problem. Right now that's at a bare minimum, and I don't want to trigger any more. Also I'd rather try to look taller, rather than more massive, if that's possible. I have such short legs, I have to wear heels all the time.

It seems pretty clear I'm close to reaching my natural limit and equilibrium. Another 5 pounds or so, maximum, and I'm done. Either that or hold at 163 and just keep tightening things down so the measurements come in at a more comfortable size 10. So: diet is fine, exercise, check, motivation, check. All systems go.

Oh, I'm not worrying at all, you mistake me. I'm just very scientific and analytical. It's the habit of working all the angles that has got me to this point, with a 55 pound weight loss. Trust me, you have to think about this stuff, to some extent, to be successful at it. It's not just calories in, calories out. Lean body mass, body fat ratios, etc. are part of the technical end of the process. The more you educate yourself on these matters, the more successful you will be. I guarantee that.

Another thing is, most doctors know almost nothing about how to go about weight loss. Many medical schools require no courses in nutrition or exercise at all. So most of them have absolutely no clue about exercise physiology or the science of the thing, unless they have an interest in sports. Most of the real expertise is in sports medicine clinics, physical therapy facilities, qualified trainers, and dieticians.

I'm especially oriented to the scientific aspects because I was once a professional carpenter/builder, and I had to keep my muscle up to make a living. I also ran track in college. That's where I first learned something from my coaches about body composition. It's only when I strayed from my roots that I got fat. So I've learned my lesson-- it's back to training, keeping records, close observation, and analysis. I recommend it-- honestly, it works.

The body fat formula I use comes from Covert Bailey's "Ultimate Fit or Fat." It's not as accurate as immersion, but it works on a month to month level. Covert Bailey's books have really helped me a lot, as he puts the emphasis on exercise rather than diet. And as I get closer to goal, exercise and muscle mass become that much more important, because it's muscle mass, even more than diet, that keeps your metabolism up. And that helps to keep you from gaining the weight back.

I suppose another reason I'm so "technical" is because I have PCOS, an endocrine disorder. Understanding and dealing with this disorder pretty much demands research and analysis. It's sad, but I had to explain what PCOS is to my own doctor.

Other than that, I keep a "training diary" where I write down all the food I eat, my exercise, when my period starts, my measurements about once a month, how I feel generally (such as a headache), and even the weather. I sounds like a lot of work, but it's only a page a day.

Keeping a diary gives me a great deal of information about what works and what doesn't. It's made the process much, much easier for me, because I can experiment with different ideas and strategies, and quickly abandon anything that's not helping. It's also a great motivational tool-- you can see just how far you have come. I put it in my bag and take it everywhere-- it helps keep me from overeating when I go out, because I know I have to take it out and write down my food intake. Nobody bats an eye about it, they think you're just making a business appointment.

hi guys!

i just got off doing a low carb diet. i'm back to watching calories and fat, being vegetarian again (yay!), and trying to not eat much dairy. i read a vegan diet book by a dr mcdougall which really inspired me but i don't know that i can follow it exactly, at least right now. it calls for no animal products, no processed foods, and around 15 grams of fat a day. looots of fruits and veggies, which i am trying to fill up on anyway.

i weight 148 right now, down from 165 with a combination of first counting calories and then giving atkins a try. low carb frustrated me because if i went off the tiiiniest bit, even on something good like a piece of fruit, i would gain back. even if it was just water weight. i lost about 10 pounds beforehand just counting calories, so i'm back to that because i think its something i can sustain the rest of my life. plus, i don't have eto worry about gaining back 4 pounds over night if i go over a few hundred calories one day.

i'm only 5'3" so i'm hoping to get down to around 115 pounds. right now i'd love to just see the scale go below 140.

Holy, this thread is hot!!

Mauvais, I don't know WHERE my head is! I thought it was the end of July right now.
BTW, the Green Party wasn't allowed in the debate. But CBC radio interviewed Jim Harris this morning, and he did a lovely job.

Why weren't they allowed in the debate - are they not to be taken seriously as a party and not have equal air time? Sheesh! I am still not impressed with the Liberals

Thanks for the ideas Seek!

Seek, you sure are right about it not being just calories in, calories out. Being hypothyroid, I know that so well. I gained most of my weight before I got a diagnosis and my husband used to be really puzzled, because I ate so little yet still gained.

Makes it a little harder to take it off too.

I am just too disorganized by nature to keep those kind of detailed records, although I certainly have the tools. I have a program called balance log for my palm pilot which will log food and exercize and calculate how many calories you burn based on activity level etc etc etc. It's a good program but I am not consistant with it. Maybe now I am going to have to be since I am down to the last 20 lbs.

Mauvais, I like cane too, and my class did a veil routine for the recital. We ordered silk from Dharma trading company and tie dyed our own. We each made 2 circle veils. It was a tough routine but I got through it.

Silk is so wonderful.

nona