Getting in shape

[dancelnow]

Anyone else turn over a new leaf in getting more in shape after their divorce? I did some running while I was married but felt I could never commit the gym time to make it to classes and I knew I wouldn't work out on my own. Since separating I've joined a gym and made it a priority to make it to classes regularly, even if that means 5am or taking my son with me to 7pm and getting home a bit late for his normal bedtime. I've just tried to find ways to make it fun for him. He brings his home work and has to do that, then he can play on his iPad and FaceTime dad. They also have toys in the women's locker room. So far it's been good (only one bad day). I feel a little guilty that dad is judging I'm "wasting" my limited school night time with him, but I think it's good for me and therefore him overall.

The annoyance for me now is all this commitment and I haven't lost a damn pound. Gained muscle, yes. And I know muscle is denser than fat. But my clothes don't really fit better and I want the scale to move. I'm trying to focus on feeling stronger (yay for being able to do 20 real push-ups in a row now) and eating healthier. But some movement on the scale would really be motivating. BF is very motivating about it, but that only goes so far for me.

Anyone else going through the same thing?

[doglove]

Are you tracking/weighing your food? Often times when I measure my food according to the package label - a serving size is a lot smaller than what they report on the package. For example they will say 28g of nuts (or 30 nuts), but really 28g of nuts is about 15 nuts. Myfitnesspal is a great tool to keep track of everything that goes in your mouth.

Usually weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Are you drinking your calories? Sugary coffee, sodas, etc. can add up quickly and sadly it's the same for alcohol.

[dancelnow]

I do typically weigh, not volume /item measure because it's faster. I do have a hard time staying at my goal of 1200-1500 calories net using MFP. And I do track alcohol the best i can (why are they exempt from nutrition labels!). Portion size when eating out and sugar cravings are my downfall.

[Deleted]

I've been working on weigh loss and found that really the eating is what made all of the difference. I did a weight lifting program and now I'm doing 30-day shred 6 days a week (only 20 minutes). For myself it's all about the food. And it's not about calories. It's what I'm putting in my body. I eliminate as much sugar as possible (including fruit) and eat high fat, moderate protein. Eating 1200 calories of processed foods is handled by my body much differently than 1800 calories of whole foods.

[dancelnow]

Oct 3, 2016 10:58:05 GMT -5 @pdx18 said:

I've been working on weigh loss and found that really the eating is what made all of the difference. I did a weight lifting program and now I'm doing 30-day shred 6 days a week (only 20 minutes). For myself it's all about the food. And it's not about calories. It's what I'm putting in my body. I eliminate as much sugar as possible (including fruit) and eat high fat, moderate protein. Eating 1200 calories of processed foods is handled by my body much differently than 1800 calories of whole foods.

I keep thinking I need to try some version of a low carb diet. But I don't know I can commit to the prep and lack of convenience. Probably means I need to.

[Deleted]

Oct 3, 2016 11:39:54 GMT -5 dancelnow said:

Oct 3, 2016 10:58:05 GMT -5 @pdx18 said:

I've been working on weigh loss and found that really the eating is what made all of the difference. I did a weight lifting program and now I'm doing 30-day shred 6 days a week (only 20 minutes). For myself it's all about the food. And it's not about calories. It's what I'm putting in my body. I eliminate as much sugar as possible (including fruit) and eat high fat, moderate protein. Eating 1200 calories of processed foods is handled by my body much differently than 1800 calories of whole foods.

I keep thinking I need to try some version of a low carb diet. But I don't know I can commit to the prep and lack of convenience. Probably means I need to.

I've really found it SUPER easy. I buy already hard boiled eggs, paleo bacon and other lunch meats, make a ton of roasts and chicken in the crockpot and roast some veggies. Nuts and cut veggies for snacks. I usually go to trader joes and get an assortment of proteins and assortment of fresh veggies (brussle sprouts, cauliflower, delicata squash, broccoli, zucchini) and then I pick a protein and veggie to roast every night. Easy and lots of variety. 

[itsmyparty]

Oct 3, 2016 10:58:05 GMT -5 @pdx18 said:

I've been working on weigh loss and found that really the eating is what made all of the difference. I did a weight lifting program and now I'm doing 30-day shred 6 days a week (only 20 minutes). For myself it's all about the food. And it's not about calories. It's what I'm putting in my body. I eliminate as much sugar as possible (including fruit) and eat high fat, moderate protein. Eating 1200 calories of processed foods is handled by my body much differently than 1800 calories of whole foods.

This is me. I used to work out 6 days/week, now it's typically 4, with just 20 minutes cardio max and switching off leg/upper body strength training days. I reduced the gym time because I found that it was actually starting to work against me kinda - it was getting harder and harder for me to get my heart rate up, which is a good sign but also meant my workouts were just not as effective as they used to be. Also, I discovered that when I'd take a break from the gym I would often lose a couple pounds!

My diet has been much more critical to my weight loss. I eat low carb - under 75 gr per day - and high protein and high fat. I love being able to eat 2% or full fat Greek yogurt! Cutting carbs was hard for me as a total carb and bread addict, but I HAD to do it to lose weight; I don't lose ANYTHING if I eat a slice of bread or have a glass of wine. Yes, I've pretty much cut out alcohol, too. I try to take comfort in being able to eat all the meat (bacon!), cheese and whole milk lattes instead.

[statlerwaldorf]

I lost 70 lbs and I'm attempting to get back on the bandwagon. Tbh I did it mostly through watching what I ate. I really struggled finding time for the gym and it wasn't in my budget at the time. I made more of an effort to do active things with the kids and stuff at work that kept me moving.

I'm a stress eater, so having him gone helped a lot. I also wasn't tempted by his bad habits like eating late at night or junk food runs. I could buy whatever I wanted to eat. Low carb worked for me. I ate a lot of microwavable steamable frozen veggie blends and would cook meat with leftovers for a couple of days.

I have a dash go egg cooker and would make omelets in it. It's so easy. I love that thing. Different nuts make easy snacks.

I didn't eat out a lot at the time, but most restaurants are pretty accommodating. I would make sure to check out the menu ahead of time and plan what I was going to order. I liked to get panda express with veggies and black pepper chicken. Also I would plan ahead to get call ahead orders at restaurants instead of getting a pizza or fast food.