Getting my body back
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After some gentle persuasion from others to start my own thread (ie quit bloody hijacking my thread Mokey), here it is.<br />
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The background: In 2010 I managed to displace 4 rib heads which put me out of action for a while. Then following that I had to have surgery to fix some defective internal stuff (I now have the southern cross on my stomach, how patriotic is that!) which meant I wasnt allowed to do anything at all for six weeks. To cut a long story short, I put on about 6kg, and I was already about 4kg heavier than I wanted to be. <br />
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Now, as I'm 174cm tall I wasnt quite obese at 76kg, but man I felt like shit. So in September I decided to undertake the mission to lose 11kg - get my body back! I started going to the gym 2-3 times per week, with a good 3km power walk on my non gym days. I got tough with my diet, and started drinking waaaaay more water.<br />
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My gym routine at the moment includes 10 mins on the cross trainer, side raises, swiss ball squats, crunches, leg extensions, lunges with weights, then various arm/shoulder stuff with weights. Finish up with 5 mins on the bike.<br />
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Currently weighing in at 67kg, target weight 65kg, but these last few kgs are proving bloody stubborn which is annoying the shit out of me. <br />
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Any suggestions for exercises etc welcome! -
The body adjusts to an exercise regime, so it's worthwhile changing it up every six weeks or so. A boring answer, but the exercise is only 30% of the weight loss, the rest is diet. For only 2kg you could lose that by going really, really clean for three weeks. Bart will tell you just eat like a rabbit. Zero alcohol too, obviously.<br />
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Then you can exercise after that to maintain your goal weight and eat more normally.<br />
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And it sounds like you have been in the wars! -
Cheers Kirwan, dont care whether its supposedly boring, if it works I'll give it a go. I struggle with the diet stuff, I have a bit of a sweet tooth (all right, a tusk sized sweet tooth), but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.<br />
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Haha, I have 11 scars from the various surgeries I've had over the years. Just lucky I guess! -
That's good news in a way, because if you have been drinking and eating some rubbish, then just cutting that out for a few weeks will get rid of your target amount. If you drink alcohol you won't lose weight for 72 hours, so to speed it up just have a dry few weeks.<br />
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I've found it helps to have a cheat day once a week where you can eat pretty much whatever you like. This stops your body adjusting to the fast, and stopping the weight loss, and helps enormously with the mental side of it.<br />
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And as you've said the eight glasses of water per day (I'd keep track of it). Just doing that alone can lose 1kg if you are dehydrated.<br />
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As for the rest, drop bread/pasta/potatos and other carbs, eat lots of protein and fruit and veges, and it'll melt off. For you it's a short term plan since you are so close to your goal, when you get there you'll need to up the carbs again. -
[quote name='Mokey']Cheers Kirwan, dont care whether its supposedly boring, if it works I'll give it a go. I struggle with the diet stuff, I have a bit of a sweet tooth (all right, a tusk sized sweet tooth), but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.<br />
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Haha, I have 11 scars from the various surgeries I've had over the years. Just lucky I guess![/QUOTE]<br />
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You'd be surprised Mokey how you're taste buds change over time when you cut out refined sugars. I eat dark a square or two of dark chocolate (85% cocoa) as a nice treat. Very low in sugar and the antioxidants are decent enough. I make these chocolate balls with cacao powder, almonds, walnuts, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, coconut oil, raw honey, they are rich as and a couple of those will keep your sweet tooth in check but the ingredients are as natural as possible. <br />
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Low fat Cottage cheese, cinnamon powder and blueberries is a nice like snack also. <br />
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Cut up an apple in slices and spread almond or grounded peanut butter<br />
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Like Kirwan said if u really up the veggie intake then you'll find (at least I did) you won't crave the sugary stuff -
I know what you mean AC, I used to be a soft drink fiend, especially coke and mountain dew for the caffeine because I dont drink tea or coffee. But now drink hardly any, I might buy a 1.5 litre and end up tipping 1/2 of it down the sink because its gone flat. I reckon that has made a huge difference. Drink mainly water, milk and vege juice now.<br />
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BTW those chocolate balls sound YUM. -
Or try Coke zero. Two 1.5 litre bottles for five bucka at the servo across the road from work. Shop around, you can't beat that. My oldest son has never tried normal coke in his whole life and whilst Coke Zero should never be part of a staple diet it is a far better choice of treat than normal coke.
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Ouch. Just know I'm gonna have some sore muscles tomorrow. My sister, (Satan in disguise) who is a personal trainer/gym owner/former NZ bodyshaping champion taught me some new exercises today to slap around my routine a bit. She is brutal even watching demo's. (Lower! Bum back! Foot turned out! Out further! Lower! Good! Now do 20 more!)
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Oooooh. Mental note to self, do not do hardcore workout plus 4km walk then drink and dance and drink from 7pm until 3.30am. Boy oh boy have I felt rank today and my feet are still KILLING me.
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[quote name='Mokey']Oooooh. Mental note to self, do not do hardcore workout plus 4km walk then drink and dance and drink from 7pm until 3.30am. Boy oh boy have I felt rank today and my feet are still KILLING me.[/QUOTE<br />
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Depending on how athletic the dance moves were you may well have sweated out a kg or so though mokey, the danger is picking up the dodgy kebab or J & Ms chicken ( has anyone ever eaten that whilst sober ? ) and smashing that on the way home. Nights on the hammer in welly often weren't complete without that but if you did spend all your money you a) couldn't afford it and <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> had to walk home.....both great options for fat burning. -
Athletic? No. Enthusiastic? Of course. No food on the way home so probably a couple of hundred grams worth of weight loss. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
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[quote name='Mokey'][B]Athletic? No. Enthusiastic? Of course[/B]. No food on the way home so probably a couple of hundred grams worth of weight loss. <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />[/QUOTE]<br />
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Sounds like Todd Blackadders All Black career. -
A comparison to Todd Blackadder? What have I done to deserve something that horrid? Bloody hell.
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[quote name='Mokey']A comparison to Todd Blackadder? What have I done to deserve something that horrid? Bloody hell.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhh sorry. Didn't mean to offend. Was just comparing your dancing assessment with Todds efforts in the black jersey. Will keep all future comments constructive from now on ! -
Ooooh. Upped my weights yesterday for arms and shoulders and the area is all a bit tender! Need an inhouse physio. Hmmm might just stick to lower body today.
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Great workout today, made my muscles burn. And one of the PT's told me I wouldnt want to lose much more, as I was fading away. Love it.
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try lifting 'man weights'. Heavy weights. You won't 'bulk up' or anything like that, you'll enjoy it, and it'll be different too for you.<br />
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Otherwise most advice sounds good above.<br />
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Although you can lose weight after being on the booze, but it won't be fat - your body finds it tougher to mobilise fat reserves after being on the turps, so will burn carbs and muscle before it gets into the fat!! -
Good to know wise one! Even if you are old and broken! <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
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[quote name='BartMan']try lifting 'man weights'. Heavy weights. You won't 'bulk up' or anything like that, you'll enjoy it, and it'll be different too for you.<br />
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Otherwise most advice sounds good above.<br />
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Although you can lose weight after being on the booze, but it won't be fat - your body finds it tougher to mobilise fat reserves after being on the turps, so will burn carbs and muscle before it gets into the fat!![/QUOTE]<br />
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Oh dear, I'm in a bit of a conundrum tonight with the free booze flowing aplenty ! <br />
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It's funny how women fear "bulking up" yet guys generally want that more than anything else. Unless they're really fat to start with of course..... -
free booze superceds (sp?) all training regimes!<br />
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Yeah, chicks crack me up - I think they expect they'll go to bed and wake up in the morning looking like superman after doing a days heavy weights. If only. -
Went to the gym, did a great workout, was feeling pretty bloody good. Then some of the body shaping chicks sauntered out in their itty bitty bikinis to practice poses and get photographed. Abruptly felt like a towering heffalump. Sigh.
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Was mean to my legs today. Made myself do an extra set of lunges and camp squats, so now they feel like jelly. Been doing a bit more core stuff too, and have to say I have less back pain now. The exercise where you brace yourself on your forearms and toes and suck in your abs is really good. Far prefer that to crunches, but I'm doing both.
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Yeah that is really good Mokey - imagine trying to get your bellybutton to meet your spine, feel the pain!<br />
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I do a variant of the plank (what you described) on the bosu (the half swiss ball thingy). You set up on it as if you are doing a push up, then you move down onto your elbows/forearms one at a time then back up into press up form. You count each movement of each arm (from press up down to forearm) and the whole time have to keep your back straight. It's good as you are moving but still feel that tension in your core. I have this as a superset exercise with my squats and go for a 40-50 count. Kicks my ass but I like it better than staying in a static hold for X seconds/minutes! -
Mokey I would back up Bart's comment about lifting "big". I think it's one of the biggest misconceptions among a large number of women that lifting big = being beefy/unfeminine. <br />
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The females at my gym that have the lean, low body fat, shaped physiques (I'm not just talking about being thin) all do decent deadlifts, shoulder pressing, dumbbell presses/flyes etc with not "easy" weights. You'll know you're alive afterwards <img src='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/invision/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> -
Whew. To mix things up a bit went on a 4 hour hike to the top of a waterfall today. Now have serious jelly legs from the number of mountain goat moves I had to do, but bonus, sat on some rocks in the middle of the rapids at the top and wrote the outline for 5 chapters of book 2. Rock on!
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check out the latest (or the last), M2 woman magazine, got an article about women lifting heavy weights and how they SHOULD do it (I could have written that for them for free). <br />
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It was in a waiting room and nothing else to read, OK!!!??? -
[quote name='Mokey']Whew. To mix things up a bit went on a 4 hour hike to the top of a waterfall today. Now have serious jelly legs from the number of mountain goat moves I had to do, but bonus, sat on some rocks in the middle of the rapids at the top and wrote the outline for 5 chapters of book 2. Rock on![/QUOTE]<br />
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oh Mokey, pun intended!!? <br />
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Good work on the climb and the writing work tho! -
Lol thanks, thats what happens when you write a post without brain in gear!<br />
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Bart, I do have a free weight section in my workout, they have been good for my shoulders. -
Random. Even though my calf muscles are killing me after yesterday's hike, spent just under 90 mins at the gym tonight. Did some extra tricep stuff because they are the least toned part of my arms now. Also added a session on the rowing machine for something a bit different. Despite various aches and pains feel great right now.<br />
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Even more random - walked past the chocolate aisle at the supermarket! I must be ill! -
Went to the Mount for the Crusaders Chiefs game last night so stayed over and went for a beach walk at 7.30 this morning. Bit rainy but the water was very warm. Man I love the beach, could stay there for hours wandering up and down.
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Good workout today, definitely able to hold the plank for longer than I used to. Hopped on the rowing machine for a quick km, but I think I must have a technique problem cos the only place I could feel it was in the crook of my elbows.
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Grrrr to Easter. The gym is shut and there is an abundance of chocolate around. Went for two walks instead, second one carrying my two year old niece half the way so I guess that is something. Invested in a truckload of new clothes this week too despite not quite being at my goal weight. The pants situation was just getting too ridiculous (waistbands hanging below my hipbones and baggy). Have to say its bloody nice to be wearing stuff that actually fits.
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ahhh, gyms - good when Mrs B instructs meaning we have a KEY!!!
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Went to the gym today and did a nasty leg workout plus a bit of core stuff and weights. Hopped on the scales at the end to see that I've put on just under a kg, fuck you Easter.
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[quote name='Mokey']Went to the gym today and did a nasty leg workout plus a bit of core stuff and weights. Hopped on the scales at the end to see that I've put on just under a kg, [B]fuck you Easter.[/[/B]QUOTE]<br />
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Not being much of a chocoholic I did as well surprisingly. Actually I had lots of beer, wine and food. Perhaps it is no surprise at all. -
Just shows how easy it is to undo all your good work.<br />
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Hour at the gym today plus a 2km walk so feel all right at the moment. -
[quote name='Mokey']Went to the gym today and did a nasty leg workout plus a bit of core stuff and weights. Hopped on the scales at the end to see that I've put on just under a kg, fuck you Easter.[/QUOTE]<br />
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You can vary quite a bit if you weigh yourself after exercise, depends on how dehydrated you, etc. Just pay attention to what you weigh first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. And even then, just once a week, as you'll fluctuate a lot normally. -
[quote name='Kirwan']You can vary quite a bit if you weigh yourself after exercise, depends on how dehydrated you, etc. Just pay attention to what you weigh first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. And even then, just once a week, as you'll fluctuate a lot normally.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Or you can take a more scientific approach to it and weigh yourself every day and use a rolling average to get an idea of your average weight and the trend in your average weight.<br />
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There are tools on the net to do all the calculations for you all you have to do is weigh yourself first thing every morning and train yourself to stop caring about the daily weights and focus on the average weight instead.<br />
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I think the "old" only do it once a week thing can be just as hit and miss as the do it every day its easy to do a basic statistical analysis of weight but people tend to shy away from it for some reason. <br />
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Ohh and I would be surprised if you were able to eat enough to put on 1kg in 4 days even eating only chocolate<br />
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As 1kg of body fat = 7700 calories of energy<br />
4 days of normal activity for a woman = 8000 (2000cals * 4days in truth its probably a little lower)<br />
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So the total you have to eat to put on 1kg of fat in 4 days is 15700 calories<br />
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100g of dairy milk = 520 calories (Is there anything google doesn't know)<br />
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so to put on 1kg you would have had to eat around 3 kg of diary milk. (15700 / 520 * 10 with some rounding)<br />
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Or 1.5kg on top of your normal food intake.<br />
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This assumes of course that the food consumed has passed through your digestive tract in the normal way (please don't feel obliged to share that)<br />
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If you did this then you may want to find a better support group then a sports forum.<br />
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Mooshld -
That's an interesting post, thanks. I record my weight daily, so will look into that average approach.
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Bloody hell mooshld!! Very interesting (and slightly frightening) post. Actually I think it was more my grazing over those days and four days without the gym, I actually only ate one Easter egg. The average weight thing sounds good, at the moment I weigh myself sporadically at best, maybe every 10 days or something and at different times so probably that is not helping. Don't have scales at home so only do the weigh in when I remember to at the gym.
