posted Aug-24-2007 01:37 PM               

I'd like to lose ten pounds. I'm not overweight, but I'm right at the top of my height/weight class (150, 5'7") and I'd be more comfortable somewhere around 140. 130 was my lightest right before college, and it was great, but I've also put on a lot of muscle since then and I think 130 would be pretty bad for me.

Anyway, according to the internet, my basal metabloic rate (woohoo!) is around 1500, so I've been tracking what I eat on fitday (which I'm not crazy about, but it's free!), and trying to eat somewhere in the neighborhood of 1600-1700 cals per day. Fitday thinks I burn about 2100 a day, exclusive of running. I'm not in a hurry to lose the weight, it's just something I'd like to happen.

So my questions:
-- I'm doing OHR and running somewhere around 10mpw. Do I make up the calories I run off, so on a day I run 3 miles, I actually aim for 1900 calories?

--Do I need to eat the exact same amount every day, or if I'm planning on going out for burgers with friends, can I eat 1500 one day and 1800 the next? Or doesn't my body work this way?

--Fitday has a neat little pie chart detailing where my calories are coming from (carbs, fat, protein, alcohol). What it doesn't tell me is what percentage of each I'm supposed to be aiming for.

Thanks everyone!

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posted Aug-24-2007 02:00 PM            

Basically, the plan calls for eating every 3 hours at least, sometimes I do 2 1/2 hrs. Before my cardio workout, I have 1 tbsp of peanut butter. I have 5-6 small meals during the day and approx 1600-1700 calories. I've used 50/25/25 and 55/25/20 for percentages and plug the range of grams for each into sparkpeople. I've lost 6 lbs but more importantly, I'm losing fat. My clothes are much looser and I can see some definition in my arms and legs. I'm eating a ton of veggies which keeps me pretty full. there were some days I couldn't even eat 1700. The biggest thing for me has been no carbs at night. After 5-6 pm, I only have protein and veggies. You have to do more cardio though, plus weights at least 2x/wk. I do 45 mins 4 days a week and over an hour 2 other days plus weights 3 times. My weight workouts might be small, some days only pushups and pullups but I do those in the evening and my cardio in the morning. The thing I like about this is that it is something I can do for the rest of my life. Even one weekend where I had a steak and 2 pieces of chocolate cake I still lost 2 lbs that week.

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posted Aug-24-2007 03:18 PM               

I'll try for more cardio, but the main reason I started running is it's the only form that's really workable and enjoyable for me, though maybe I'll start going hiking a few mornings a week. I should start lifting too, I guess.

OK. Thanks for the info!

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posted Aug-24-2007 03:26 PM            

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posted Aug-24-2007 03:29 PM            

# I found that when I upped my mileage from 10-15mpw to 30mpw, is when I started seeing any movement on my scale(fortunately for the better)

#I noticed fitday over and under estimates certain things. so I switched to sparkspeople. It is also free and better at estimating. I also gives you a range. Mine is between 1300-1500cal. So sometimes I can let myself have a burger.

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posted Aug-24-2007 06:25 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by chele519:
Yes, that's right. Or you can do carbs at 55 and fat at 20. Running used to be the only thing I enjoyed too. Every year I ended up injured and this year after a SF I took up biking again. I've been alternating that with running to burn more calories. But, you could also do walking, just something to get out there and move. Definitely weights too.

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What's the book?

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posted Aug-24-2007 09:57 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by blue sleep:
What's the book?

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Here's the amazon link.

http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Be-Fit-Truth-About/dp/0972530703/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3416808-0673450?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188008329&sr=8-1

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posted Aug-24-2007 10:46 PM            

Continued good luck!

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posted Aug-24-2007 11:00 PM            

I gained 50 lbs when I had my son. I lost the first 35 pretty easily. Then, I hit 145 (I'm 5'6") and was Stuck there for over a year. So, I started running and doing the WW online, and also did some pilates videos 2-3 times per week. I lost the last 15 lbs and then 5 more in about 3 months.

All I can say is Weight Watchers Online. That is what made the difference for me. No, it isn't free, but it is not very expensive at all, and it is worth EVERY penny! It's totally online, so you don't have to go to meetings or talk to anyone else. It just lets you track everything that you eat, and it lets you earn "points" through exercise. It is incredible! It changed the way that I eat...even to this day I think about everything I put into my mouth. I would definately recommend it!

Good luck to you!

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posted Aug-25-2007 12:04 PM            

jami

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posted Aug-26-2007 05:06 AM               

I signed up with sparkpeople instead of Fitday and wow, is it better. I find it really useful to track food, especially since now I'm realizing that I eat about half of my calories at night. Which I think is bad. Also I should stop drinking so much, but this week was kind of a special case--one friend moved out here, and one from high school visited. Less booze next week.

I meant to go hiking this morning but got, uh, distracted. Does sex count as cardio?

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posted Aug-26-2007 09:58 AM               

I LOVE sparkpeople.com!!!

Good luck to you...

~Roxanna

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http://www.myspace.com/mrsmathis

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·* Keep Running..and when you think you've gone far enough...go further *´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·*

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posted Aug-27-2007 04:34 PM               

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posted Aug-28-2007 09:53 AM               

All it takes is planning.(make sure you have healthy food on hand at all times for your snacks). I eat every 3 hours no matter what now. I finally got my husband to go to him and he dropped 20 pnds and 6% body fat and has kept it off for 1.5 years now. He has never felt better or looked better.(51 yrs old, athlete)

Now we eat the same way, stay active, feel and look great.
I highly recommend him as a nutritionist and his book if you can not get to see him. (he is in Portland Maine)

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posted Aug-28-2007 11:57 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by pwinkle:
chele519 - i went to that same nutritionist 6 years ago & he changed my life !! (46 yr old femele, runner) I finally took off the last 10 pounds that i struggled with for years, dropped about 7% body fat in 12 weeks and have kept it off successfully for 6 years. I love the plan, it is simple to follow, i love how i feel on it - plenty of energy, full and satisifed. I can be on the plan even on vacation and traveling. It is not a diet - it is a way of life for me.

All it takes is planning.(make sure you have healthy food on hand at all times for your snacks). I eat every 3 hours no matter what now. I finally got my husband to go to him and he dropped 20 pnds and 6% body fat and has kept it off for 1.5 years now. He has never felt better or looked better.(51 yrs old, athlete)

Now we eat the same way, stay active, feel and look great.
I highly recommend him as a nutritionist and his book if you can not get to see him. (he is in Portland Maine)

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That's great to hear! I wish I had been able to go and see him. I'm in NH and it's really not too far but funds are limited and I'd only want to travel for 1 visit. I think the book is working out just as well though.

It's only been 3 1/2 weeks for me but I'm down 6 1/2 lbs and almost 4% bf. It does take more planning but it's not bad. And, I'm never hungry! I can't even eat the full amount of calories on most days. The other thing this helped was some digestive issues I've had for years. I think all the veggies have regulated things so that's another plus. I'm going to get my cholesterol checked in a couple months. I've never been able to get it below 200 and I think this time I might be able to.

I've always been a big exerciser but after injuries last year and a SF this Jan, it was hard to get going again and the motivation wasn't really there. Now I'm more enthusiastic and have no problem getting out of bed at 4:45am to run or bike. I can really see the results already, especially the definition in my arms so I'm thrilled so far. I've only got 5-7 lbs to go but another 5% bf so we'll see how that goes. It's really good to hear that it has worked for you long term.

And, if you plan accordingly, it's not really restrictive. It seemed that way to me at first and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stick with it but now I know that I can. 2 weeks ago I had a steak and a slice of choc cake and I still lost 2 lbs that week. Once I get to my goal, I think an occasional treat will be ok.

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posted Aug-28-2007 01:31 PM               

I sometimes loosen up the reins alittle, have wine with dinner for a couple of weeks,maybe some sweets but then i get right back to the plan & the weight drops and so does the body fat. It has taught me how my body responds to certain types of food and how far i can push it before weight/fat starts to show up.

keep it up - you wont regret it and if you get the $$ you should book an appt with him - 6 weeks - it is worth every penny.

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posted Aug-28-2007 01:59 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by pwinkle:
chele519 - Good for you !! it is working for you too !! keep it up and you won't believe how good you look and feel, it really is a life style change that can change your life!
I have referred 6 people to him & they all saw amazing results. (some have kept it off while others have slid back to their old ways) it is really simple after you have done it for 6 mos or so - it is 2nd nature to me now - it is all about planning & many people just cant plan but for me it is so worth it!

I sometimes loosen up the reins alittle, have wine with dinner for a couple of weeks,maybe some sweets but then i get right back to the plan & the weight drops and so does the body fat. It has taught me how my body responds to certain types of food and how far i can push it before weight/fat starts to show up.

keep it up - you wont regret it and if you get the $$ you should book an appt with him - 6 weeks - it is worth every penny.

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I'm going to see how I do with just the book. If the results I've had so far continue, then I'll be fine. If not, I was thinking I could maybe make 1 appt and go for the initial consult and then maybe continue thru email. It's about a 1 1/2 hr drive for me so I really can't do that during the week unless I took a vac day.

I think the most important changes for me have been not eating grains after 5pm and only having protein and veggies for dinner. Also, I'm trying not to eat anything processed. I did have a few frozen dinners/pizza when I didn't have a chance to make something but they were Kashi which I think is better than most. And I have Kashi crackers with my veggies.

If I have an occasional treat, I get right back to it and it doesn't seem to affect me. Before, if I had something sweet, once was not enough. I'd crave more and more. Now, I can have something once and stop. Like the peanut butter before cardio. I had stopped buying it a while ago because I could not stop myself from eating it by the spoon. Now that I'm having a tbsp 6 days a week, I have no urge to have it more than that. Instead of a candy bar, I have a chocolate Luna bar or Clif bar. Sometimes I'll have a glass of chocolate Silk as a snack at night.

The only problem I've had was this past Sunday. I rode 32 miles for the first time, which, according to sparkpeople, came out at about 1200 calories at the speed/time I did. I ended up eating more than the plan but it was all healthy stuff. It hasn't seemed to make any difference and my bf still went down so I think it's ok. But at over 2 hrs of cardio, I needed more. I think I should have eaten something during the ride too because it was really tough on the 2nd 1/2 and took me 10 mins longer. What do you do in that situation?

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posted Aug-28-2007 02:36 PM               

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It's never too late to be what you might have been
Run to Finish

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posted Aug-28-2007 03:13 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Acb8d2:
So I live in the grand ol' midwest and wouldn't be able to visit the unnamed nutrionist... however, would I get the same results from just using his book? Just wondering if anyone has done only that?

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I'm just using the book and am very happy with the results that I've had for the past 3 weeks. Here's a summary of what it entails.

Eat 1 tbsp of peanut butter before cardio. Helps start fat burning.
Eat every 3 hrs, no longer. I try and include some protein in each small meal.
Drink at least 8 glasses of water.
At least 30 mins of cardio 4 times a week. Preferably more.
Weight training 2x per week. You don't have to belong to a gym. I have weight equip at home but even squats, pullups, pushups would be good if you had nothing else available.
Eat 80% of your carbs within the first 10 hrs of your day. So, no carbs with dinner basically. For me this is 6 oz of lean protein and 2-3 servings of veggies for dinner.
He says to be really dedicated about it the first week. After that, it's really not hard. The hardest part is making sure you have healthy food with you to eat every 3 hrs.

I think the part that is helping me the most is not eating grains with dinner and eating every 2 1/2-3 hrs. I used to eat pretty well and I was exercising even more last year than I am now. I still couldn't get the results I'm seeing now. The carbs at night just sit there and get stored. If I need a snack after dinner/before bed, I have skim milk or chocolate Silk. The protein does not get stored automatically like fat and carbs so it's better for times when your activity is slow. And by eating so many veggies, the fiber fills you up so you are not as hungry either.

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posted Aug-29-2007 12:29 PM               

I used to be on 30carbs/40protein/30 fat plan - I am petite so i think he thought that was good plan to make me leaner and it worked BUT as i run more now, he has me on 51/31/18 plan
( I went back to him this spring to revise my plan since I was running more)

so i get to eat some healthy carbs (brown rice, sweet pot) at dinner to help with my running during marathon training, once that is done i will go back to no carbs at dinner but the rest of the plan will stay the same for the most part

i think the biggest change for me was to eat more calories and eating every 3 hours - that really helped me not get to the point of starving so i made bad choices, my bood sugar and moods were leveled out and i didnt feel like i was sacrificing anything. I also think the Cliff, Balance or Zone bars help me feel like i get a treat a day.

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posted Aug-29-2007 12:52 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by pwinkle:
chele519 - when i run longer than 13 mls i use gaterade &/or gels and i eat alittle bit more fruit when i get back from the run, when i go out for a longer run (over 15 mls) i eat some simple carbs before i go like english muffin or 1/2 bagel

I used to be on 30carbs/40protein/30 fat plan - I am petite so i think he thought that was good plan to make me leaner and it worked BUT as i run more now, he has me on 51/31/18 plan
( I went back to him this spring to revise my plan since I was running more)

so i get to eat some healthy carbs (brown rice, sweet pot) at dinner to help with my running during marathon training, once that is done i will go back to no carbs at dinner but the rest of the plan will stay the same for the most part

i think the biggest change for me was to eat more calories and eating every 3 hours - that really helped me not get to the point of starving so i made bad choices, my bood sugar and moods were leveled out and i didnt feel like i was sacrificing anything. I also think the Cliff, Balance or Zone bars help me feel like i get a treat a day.

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Great, thanks! I've got a 40 mile bike ride this Sat so I think I'll need something more than just peanut butter. I'll bring along some gels and maybe a Luna bar for the drive home.

Normally I do a few 1/2 marathons a year but since my SF in Jan, I didn't want to put pressure on myself to race and overtrain so I've been trying to keep my cardio more varied. I've only been running about 20 mpw, last year I was doing 40. Instead 2-3 days a week I've been biking which has worked out great. I can see though that if I were doing 2 hr runs, there is no way I could go without anything. I think that's partly why the 2nd half of my 32 mile bike ride was so hard. I've got a 2 day bike ride next month, 50-63 miles one day and 25 the next. Do you think for that week I should add the carbs at dinner?

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posted Aug-29-2007 03:08 PM               

and eat some carbs before those races in the morning, gels during race too

another trick he uses is after you are on the plan for 6 or so weeks & seeing good results, you can eat carbs at dinner for a week or 2 (1/2 cup rice, pasta or pot) then go back to orginal plan, it shakes up the body so it doesnt get into a rut of burning, its extra fuel for a week or so, then back down to org plan

good luck!

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posted Aug-29-2007 05:25 PM               

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It's never too late to be what you might have been
Run to Finish

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posted Aug-29-2007 07:30 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by pwinkle:
c

another trick he uses is after you are on the plan for 6 or so weeks & seeing good results, you can eat carbs at dinner for a week or 2 (1/2 cup rice, pasta or pot) then go back to orginal plan, it shakes up the body so it doesnt get into a rut of burning, its extra fuel for a week or so, then back down to org plan

good luck!

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I wish. I just started week 11, I lost 20 lbs in 10 weeks. This week my calories are REDUCED by 250, cause I seem to have hit a slump. No carbs at dinner, I lost my fruit at breakfast and lost my afternoon carb snack. And my lunch carb has to be a low carb tortilla. Today was the first day and I definitely missed my fruit in my cereal, but, it's just for one week and then I think it goes back up and maybe maintenance for a few weeks. I think I am going to reup for 6 more weeks, although we are going to toy with it being every two weeks, so it will actually last 12.

The best feeling was someone from NH came into my office and had not seen me for a while and based on what she saw with me, she called and is making an appointment. It's not just the weight I lost, but I look healthy and my muscles look lean.

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posted Aug-29-2007 08:54 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Mom of Scooby:
I wish. I just started week 11, I lost 20 lbs in 10 weeks. This week my calories are REDUCED by 250, cause I seem to have hit a slump. No carbs at dinner, I lost my fruit at breakfast and lost my afternoon carb snack. And my lunch carb has to be a low carb tortilla. Today was the first day and I definitely missed my fruit in my cereal, but, it's just for one week and then I think it goes back up and maybe maintenance for a few weeks. I think I am going to reup for 6 more weeks, although we are going to toy with it being every two weeks, so it will actually last 12.

The best feeling was someone from NH came into my office and had not seen me for a while and based on what she saw with me, she called and is making an appointment. It's not just the weight I lost, but I look healthy and my muscles look lean.

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You've had such great results, I'm sure it's just a plateau. That must have felt really good that she was so impressed with your results she made an appt! You are right about the muscles looking lean. I can't believe how my arms look. It seems I can see a little more definition every day. And I can see it in my legs too.

The other thing that is working really well for me with this is it makes me look for alternative foods to try. I bought some meatless meatballs tonight for a different protein source. I had them with a small amount of pasta sauce and they were great. I also bought a few frozen dinners for the rare times I don't have something for lunch at work. They are vegetarian and a tofu veggie lasagna. Hopefully I'll enjoy them.

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