June 21, 2006 9:43 AM
Diet Update
Well, I think I finally got past the Evil Plateau that I've been trying to outlast for three weeks. Yay!
I was holding steady at 55 pounds lost for almost three weeks, but yesterday dropped two more pounds - and I feel like my body is revving up for the next stage of this diet journey.
Last week I researched and found a personal trainer to come out to my house to consult with me. The men in the house (hubby and sons - all over 6'3") have a bunch of weights and machines downstairs that they use from time to time. They've been with us for a long time - through two moves, in fact. But though I did weight training 20 years ago, I have never gone near them.
My research on Diet Plateaus indicated that one way to get off one would be to start weight training to build up muscle (not as in ugly, but as in nicely toned) because muscle burns more calories during the day than fat. I will tell you that using these machines has just not appealed to me, but I decided to rethink my position (always a good idea!). I realized that a lot of the reason I didn't like to walk in the beginning was because I was so fat and it didn't feel good to walk. But now that I've dropped 55 - I mean, 57 :) pounds - I LOVE walking. As I thought about this, I remembered how much I loved working out when I was younger - not to mention seeing the wonderful results.
So I went down and checked out the machines. But I felt that I really needed a personal trainer to go through them with me and tailor exercises just for me - the way they would do in a gym. Since I don't have the time to go to a gym, I figured I would invest in a consultation at home.
So I hired Christine Haas from NuWeights to come out yesterday. In the meantime, over the weekend, Tripp lovingly went over all the machines and fixed the ones that were in disrepair. What a guy!!
Christine was wonderful. She is also a nutritionist, so we went over my diet, which she'd never heard of. She said I should somehow make sure I'm getting enough calcium, and explained that also involves adequate Vitamin D. So I will be getting a supplement. She also advised me to stop taking so much flax seed oil. Somewhere I had read that flaxseed oil helps burn fat and so around the first of the month I'd started taking two tablespoons a day. She thought the claim was dubious, but said if I was going to take it to limit it to one teaspoon, as the two tablespoons came out to 220 calories extra per day. Hmmmm. The first of the month was when I stopped losing weight. So I have good reason to think I will be saying goodbye to the Evil Plateau.
She reminded me that losing weight was completely a Calories In/Calories Out deal, and encouraged me to double my mile. So this morning I walked 1.5 miles. I will do 2 a day next week. The main problem for me is time.
She also gave me a pedometer I will put on each morning to keep track of how many steps I walk per day. I should be aiming for 10,000. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But between my walk and cleaning the kitchen and playing with the kids outside this morning (gotta get playtime in before we get blasted with what is being heralded as our hottest day of the year so far - as well as the longest), I've done 4224.
She showed me how to warm up and stretch everything before I walk or do my workout. That is something I've been neglecting before walking and I think the stretches helped this morning and made me feel better afterwards.
And then there was my training. She was just fantastic at her job, trying several different exercises - some with the gym equipment, some with an exercise ball and some just on my own - with each muscle group to see which was best for me. So my final program is a mixture of everything. And she has enough exercise knowledge to give anyone a program even without equipment.
We discovered that my back and upper arms are pretty strong. But my quads definitely need strength training. And big discovery for me: my balance is lousy. I can stand on one foot while tossing a ball for only the briefest amount of time. Christine told me that as people age, they start to lose their sense of balance, which is why they tend to fall. It's important for me to have a core workout to regain my balance. This will improve my posture and abs as well.
My abs are in the worst shape, of course - after carrying nine kids and not working to get back in shape. I'm definitely reaping what I've sown. And the bad news is that Christine told me that the first place you put on weight tends to be the last place you lose it.
Another reminder to those of you who only have 10 or 20 pounds to lose - who I would used to say "Oh, don't worry, you look great!" - don't end up like I did with so much work to do to get back in shape :)
Anyway, I am thrilled with the results. Having Christine here was money well spent. It was just a one-time 2-hour consultation, and she left me with a written and very thorough plan (love the smiley faces on those stick figure exercises, Christine!). For me this was a very, very wise investment. Now I can do this workout 2 or 3 times a week and get some specific toning for my body. I will continue to walk 5-7 times a week, but increase the distance.
So, 57 pounds down, 43 to go. And I am feeling just terrific and ready to start closing in on the finish line!
I am so thrilled to hear of all your successes too - and the ripple effect in families. Tripp's lost 20 pounds without trying much at all - and he's started working out a little too. He wasn't really fat, but he does look much better. And of course everyone else in the Curtis family is in good shape and I still bring in their food and cook for them. It's really not so hard.
I just don't know what took me so long to realize it.
Comments
This is exciting! :) A nutritionist is important too, but it sounds like she isn't up to date when it comes to flaxseed oil. I have an excellent nutritionist who knows about EFAs as well as all the diets out there. He assured me, and Udo Erasmus' research confirms this, that when it comes to cold pressed flaxseed oil, you do not have to count the calories. If you eat the flaxseeds you do. I would contact a nutritionist who is interested in this to get more facts before giving up the oils or cutting back.
Posted by: Angela | June 21, 2006 10:10 AM
Totally unrelated - I love "A Chair for My Mother." (Just saw it on the sidebar.) The Reading Rainbow epsiode for it is a hoot w/a cheesy dance production, Teamwork. It's cheesy, but we sing it often to inspire us. :)
Posted by: Lexie | June 21, 2006 12:39 PM
Congrats on perservering through the plateau.
Good for you for consulting the personal trainer. Look at it like preventative physical therapy. If we needed P.T. to recover from an injury, we get it.
Regarding my attempts at consistent excercise,it changes from season to season. (life & weather.) Currently, doing Denise Austin's shows on Lifetime in the am while listening to audio books is my goal. Excercising mind & body (sometimes spirit, depending on the audio choice) keeps me motivated.
Blessings!
Posted by: Lexie | June 21, 2006 12:43 PM
Barbara, I'm very inspired by your progress. I've lost 21 (almost 22) pounds in 8&1/2 weeks by just eating less and exercising more. I had wanted to tell you about something I recently learned about called "muscle confusion". It is where you vary your exercise routine to keep your muscles guessing which way you'll go next. I was working out to the same exercise tape for weeks without losing pounds. Then, after adding a few very different workout tapes to my routine (mainly because of boredom), and shifting them around, I started seeing pounds drop. I've not had a plateau since then. I also keep trying to challenge myself to do more and to try harder things. It sounds like your personal trainer will keep you shifting around and that will be so good for you to meet your goals. It's so exciting to see the scale heading down instead of up, isn't it? Sorry I sounded like a commercial! lol
Blessings, Kim
Posted by: Kim (Coffee and a Muffin) | June 21, 2006 1:14 PM
Oh, I would LOVE to have a personal trainer advise me, but we just don't have the money right now. I have been praying so hard to find some extra money somewhere. (We have an almost 18-year old son who has both MR and autism) and the attorney wants $1300 for the guardianship. And we simply don't have it. But I keep thinking, "If God brings me to it, He'll bring me through it."
but after I get ALL of that stuff paid for, I'm going to look into a trainer to advise.
Thanks for staying the course. I admire you so much and I vicariously am string through you. When I feel weak, I tell myself to go back and read your posts. You inspire me and it does me good!
God bless you, Barbara! (if I'd had your address, I would have mailed you a card personally, but I understand the whole scurity thing)
Suzanne
:)
Posted by: Suzanne | June 21, 2006 1:44 PM
I totally agree with Angela! EFAs are critical for weight loss. Maybe you should keep taking that amount and see what happens with the increase in exercise.
Kim's right, my trainer changes my workout every time I exercise (3x/week). He says it's important to shock the muscles.
I have my BS in nutrition and ex. phys. but that doesn't say much about what I learned at the university 17 years ago.
I love your blogs. You are a wonderful encourager. Congrats to you on your success.
Posted by: Janet | June 21, 2006 3:14 PM
