So, yesterday I actually worked out again. It felt great, just to be moving after being doubled over in bed for a couple of days. I'm not sure what it was exactly, I'm just glad that I'm over it. I've also started taking a calcium and magnesium supplement in addition to the multivitamin I had been taking. I was a little concerned about my calcium intake as I'd practically eliminated dairy from my diet (except for the occasional fat free yogurt). This, with the enriched soy milk I've been drinking brings me up to a good daily level. I really like that nutrient calculator on Fitday. I'm really paying attention to what's in my food these days, aside from the calories and fat. With each week that passes I'm learning more and more about what's actually in everything that I'm eating.
Anyway...here's this week's Progress Prompt:
You have a lot to be grateful for as you lose weight, become active and feel good about yourself. Write a gratitude journal entry.
I thought that this week's prompt was a little odd. At least for me. I frequently write about gratitude in my journal, and I notice that many of us who have weight-loss / fitness journals do as well. I suppose though that some people do get hung up on what they have yet to accomplish instead of reflection upon what they have already done. I'm very pleased with myself and what I have been able to do since I began this on January 6. I do know though, that this is not a "diet" for me, I've said this before. This is a total lifestyle change that we are committed to and have chosen to accept for the rest of our lives. While I do enjoy that my clothes are starting to get loose on me, the main reason for the change was to improve our health. Obviously, one of the side effects of improving our overall health and fitness is weight loss, and we both have it to lose. While I wish that we had made this change earlier, I'm glad that we did it when we did and I'm very happy about the way we feel. We're both stronger and healthier today than we were 3 months ago and for that I am thankful.
Monday, March 10, 2003
Sunday, March 09, 2003
I'm finally starting to feel more human today. The nausea and gassy feeling have passed. I did about 6 loads of laundry yesterday so I don't have any real chores to get done today. I'm looking forward to a peaceful day, so far so good. I did not end up exercising yesterday, at least not on my bike or with my weights. I did make about a million trips up and down the stairs though and did some stretching. Both things made me feel better but I was really exhausted by dinner time yesterday.
I'm just glad that whatever bug I had seems to be gone. I really hate how illness can throw you off program. I'm finding that I if I deviate a little bit from my routine I miss it. Funny how that is huh?
I'm just glad that whatever bug I had seems to be gone. I really hate how illness can throw you off program. I'm finding that I if I deviate a little bit from my routine I miss it. Funny how that is huh?
Saturday, March 08, 2003
I found this on Yahoo and thought that it may be of interest to others:
Live Longer By Simply Trying to Lose Weight
By Amanda Gardner
HealthScoutNews Reporter
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthScoutNews) -- It's the thought that counts, even when it comes to weight loss.
Successful or not, people who try to lose weight live longer than people who don't try and whose weight remains stable, says a new study appearing in the March 4 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
The lowest death rates were in people who tried and actually succeeded in losing modest amounts of weight, while the highest rates were in people who lost weight without really trying.
Although countless studies have looked at weight loss and mortality rates, none has looked at unintentional weight loss vs. intentional weight loss, and few have looked at long-term results.
"There's an ongoing paradox in weight-loss research as it relates to long-term outcomes," says Edward Gregg, lead author of the study and an epidemiologist with the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in Atlanta. "There's a whole lot of evidence that, in the short term, people who are overweight, when they lose weight, they have improvements in a whole lot of risk factors. And at the same time, there's also a fair amount of evidence that people who are at high risk for hypertension and diabetes will reduce their risk of developing those disorders if they lose weight."
Other research, however, has linked weight loss to an increased death rate over the long haul, the study says.
Here, the researchers analyzed data from 6,391 overweight and obese American adults 35 years or older who were part of the National Health Interview Survey. The participants had responded to questions about whether or not they had tried to lose weight.
After analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that people who tried and succeeded in losing weight had a 24 percent lower mortality rate than people who didn't try to lose weight and whose weight remained stable.
"People trying to lose weight had a lower death rate essentially regardless of whether they lost. However, the lowest rates was associated with modest intentional weight loss," Gregg says.
"Trying to lose weight may be an important factor above and beyond how much you succeed, so I think the best advice we can give at present is for overweight people to try to achieve gradual weight reductions with lifestyle changes," Gregg adds.
People who lost weight without trying had a 31 percent (the range was 29 to 77 percent) higher death rate. "To me, unintentional weight loss almost always means people have some dread disease," says Dr. John Maylard, a cardiologist with the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in Covington, La. "This is not a society where people just lose weight for no reason."
One unexpected finding was a lower mortality rate among people who gained weight while reporting that they were not trying to lose. This link was found mostly in men and disappeared after excluding people who smoked.
One limitation to the research is that the data was reported by the participants themselves, rather than by an impartial expert. It's also not a randomized, controlled trial like one now under way through the National Institutes of Health.
Limitations notwithstanding, why would trying and failing to lose weight be associated with living longer?
Possibly because these people are watching what they eat and are also are engaging in other positive health behaviors, such as wearing seat belts, drinking alcohol in moderation, and seeing their doctor on a regular basis.
Their weight may also be more stable. "These people probably are moderating what they get into. They may not be losing too much, but they're not gaining too much either," Maylard says.
And exercise may be a factor as well. "These people may also be engaged in higher levels of physical activity, which has been associated with lower mortality even though more physical activity doesn't mean you will be more successful at losing weight," Gregg says. "The same may be true with certain dietary approaches. People who reported trying to lose weight may be eating healthier diets. I don't think it's really clear yet that it's actually the weight per se that someone loses or is it the behaviors underlying it."
More information
For more on managing your weight, visit the American Heart Association. To calculate your body mass index, use this calculator from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Live Longer By Simply Trying to Lose Weight
By Amanda Gardner
HealthScoutNews Reporter
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthScoutNews) -- It's the thought that counts, even when it comes to weight loss.
Successful or not, people who try to lose weight live longer than people who don't try and whose weight remains stable, says a new study appearing in the March 4 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
The lowest death rates were in people who tried and actually succeeded in losing modest amounts of weight, while the highest rates were in people who lost weight without really trying.
Although countless studies have looked at weight loss and mortality rates, none has looked at unintentional weight loss vs. intentional weight loss, and few have looked at long-term results.
"There's an ongoing paradox in weight-loss research as it relates to long-term outcomes," says Edward Gregg, lead author of the study and an epidemiologist with the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in Atlanta. "There's a whole lot of evidence that, in the short term, people who are overweight, when they lose weight, they have improvements in a whole lot of risk factors. And at the same time, there's also a fair amount of evidence that people who are at high risk for hypertension and diabetes will reduce their risk of developing those disorders if they lose weight."
Other research, however, has linked weight loss to an increased death rate over the long haul, the study says.
Here, the researchers analyzed data from 6,391 overweight and obese American adults 35 years or older who were part of the National Health Interview Survey. The participants had responded to questions about whether or not they had tried to lose weight.
After analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that people who tried and succeeded in losing weight had a 24 percent lower mortality rate than people who didn't try to lose weight and whose weight remained stable.
"People trying to lose weight had a lower death rate essentially regardless of whether they lost. However, the lowest rates was associated with modest intentional weight loss," Gregg says.
"Trying to lose weight may be an important factor above and beyond how much you succeed, so I think the best advice we can give at present is for overweight people to try to achieve gradual weight reductions with lifestyle changes," Gregg adds.
People who lost weight without trying had a 31 percent (the range was 29 to 77 percent) higher death rate. "To me, unintentional weight loss almost always means people have some dread disease," says Dr. John Maylard, a cardiologist with the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in Covington, La. "This is not a society where people just lose weight for no reason."
One unexpected finding was a lower mortality rate among people who gained weight while reporting that they were not trying to lose. This link was found mostly in men and disappeared after excluding people who smoked.
One limitation to the research is that the data was reported by the participants themselves, rather than by an impartial expert. It's also not a randomized, controlled trial like one now under way through the National Institutes of Health.
Limitations notwithstanding, why would trying and failing to lose weight be associated with living longer?
Possibly because these people are watching what they eat and are also are engaging in other positive health behaviors, such as wearing seat belts, drinking alcohol in moderation, and seeing their doctor on a regular basis.
Their weight may also be more stable. "These people probably are moderating what they get into. They may not be losing too much, but they're not gaining too much either," Maylard says.
And exercise may be a factor as well. "These people may also be engaged in higher levels of physical activity, which has been associated with lower mortality even though more physical activity doesn't mean you will be more successful at losing weight," Gregg says. "The same may be true with certain dietary approaches. People who reported trying to lose weight may be eating healthier diets. I don't think it's really clear yet that it's actually the weight per se that someone loses or is it the behaviors underlying it."
More information
For more on managing your weight, visit the American Heart Association. To calculate your body mass index, use this calculator from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
I'm starting to feel a little better today. I spent the best part of yesterday trying to keep warm and resting. My stomach is still a little wonky, and I have a bit of a headache. I feel really wiped out. It's a weird bug I tell ya. I slept in a little bit this morning, got up around 6:50 a.m. or so. I've had my breakfast and it's sitting okay. I couldn't have much coffee though, don't know why I tried, I don't think I really thought about it to be honest. It's just a reflex in the morning isn't it?
Today I'm not going to do too much, I have some laundry to do and if I feel like later on, I may work out, as gently as I can. I hope that this doesn't last much longer, I wanted to relax this weekend but not this way!
Today I'm not going to do too much, I have some laundry to do and if I feel like later on, I may work out, as gently as I can. I hope that this doesn't last much longer, I wanted to relax this weekend but not this way!
Friday, March 07, 2003
Well I'm home from work. I made it about 1/2 way through the morning. I feel really crappy, like someone has inflated a balloon in my stomach. It's very uncomfortable. I'm running a bit of a fever too so I'm heading to bed. There's been a bug going through our office all week, I've fought the good fight every day so far but today I lost. Just in time for the weekend too, charming. When I first started feeling yucky I assumed it was my period starting but this is totally different, something I've never had before. It feels like a stomach bug, on top of my period starting, doubly charming. Who has more fun than people I ask you? Anyway, I'm heading off to bed. Snuggly blankets, here I come...
Well, I'm awake but feeling really fuzzy and achey this morning. I'm not sure if it's because of the cold and dampness or just because my body is starting to give into the bug that has been going through our office. Whatever it is, I'm gonna have to drag my ass into work this morning because I have a bunch of stuff on my desk that I have to deal with. Hopefully I'll make it through the whole day. Yikes, not a nice a way to start the weekend is it?
Thursday, March 06, 2003
It was such a long day, I'm so happy to be home and chilling out. We took my father-in-law out for supper tonight. We didn't go to any of our "safe" bets, we tried a place that we hadn't been to in a few years. It was pretty okay, we ordered very sensibly and came in under slightly for the day. It's amazing what a difference it can make when you avoid creamy and fried things. I had a wonderful club sandwich on really fresh whole grain bread and some salad and baked potato with it.
I didn't ride my bike tonight but we stopped off for a few odds and ends for the weekend at the grocery store so I got a tonne of walking in then. Also, we're moving office at work so I was up and down the stairs a tonne of times today. My office is being moved upstairs so I'll have a lot of extra exercise each day, which I'm looking forward to. I do notice though that my heel started bothering me by the end of the day again. I'm thinking now that it's related to the stairs and I'm sure it will subside when I get used do doing all that running.
When we were at Loblaws, I stopped off in the health food section to try and find a calcium supplement. I'm trying to get the most nutritional bang for my "buck" so to speak and I have noticed that my calcium is a little lower than I'd like it to be. Rather than go for a multi-vitamin, I found a Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D supplement. The woman I spoke with explained the difference between the different brands and combinations of stuff and this one came out on top and was on special. I find that the reports section of Fitday is great for finding out where you're getting too much or not enough of a given vitamin and/or mineral. I'm really concerned about my bones and teeth. I don't want to end up with osteoporosis or dentures when I'm a little old lady so I figured I'd best get started on this now.
Anyway, I'm making lots of typos now so I should skip off to bed. 'night all!
I didn't ride my bike tonight but we stopped off for a few odds and ends for the weekend at the grocery store so I got a tonne of walking in then. Also, we're moving office at work so I was up and down the stairs a tonne of times today. My office is being moved upstairs so I'll have a lot of extra exercise each day, which I'm looking forward to. I do notice though that my heel started bothering me by the end of the day again. I'm thinking now that it's related to the stairs and I'm sure it will subside when I get used do doing all that running.
When we were at Loblaws, I stopped off in the health food section to try and find a calcium supplement. I'm trying to get the most nutritional bang for my "buck" so to speak and I have noticed that my calcium is a little lower than I'd like it to be. Rather than go for a multi-vitamin, I found a Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D supplement. The woman I spoke with explained the difference between the different brands and combinations of stuff and this one came out on top and was on special. I find that the reports section of Fitday is great for finding out where you're getting too much or not enough of a given vitamin and/or mineral. I'm really concerned about my bones and teeth. I don't want to end up with osteoporosis or dentures when I'm a little old lady so I figured I'd best get started on this now.
Anyway, I'm making lots of typos now so I should skip off to bed. 'night all!
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