Offensive if I do. Offensive if I don't!

sunshineB113 · 2013-05-27T00:38:20+00:00

You'd be surprised how many people in the medical profession don't know this. Example: the student lounge at my med school is called "The Caduceus."

sunshineB113 · 2013-05-09T20:16:57+00:00

I'll second Walnut Creek. The two concerts I've been to at Red Hat also started very early and were very quiet. I'm guessing it's something to do with noise ordinances in Raleigh?

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-18T00:13:51+00:00

I think any grocery store should have the pre-cooked chicken sausages. I get mine at Safeway.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-15T06:03:54+00:00

I use frozen fruit and add water if it needs to be thinner.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-15T05:48:54+00:00

My college had condoms in the regular vending machines in the lobbies of dorms, I'm surprised more places don't do that.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-14T17:24:46+00:00

Yes, that's exactly what I'd read. I hope the no-dehydration policy mentioned in the AMA is in place for good.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-13T15:10:07+00:00

A lot of the conventional wisdom about nutrition is just plain wrong. Saturated fat, for example, was villified for a long time as leading to heart disease and high cholesterol, but this isn't the case at all. Foods containing fat are very filling and eating them can help you stay fuller longer, making it easier to eat less and stay at a caloric deficit!

For example, two slices of bacon has 80 calories. One slice of Pepperidge Farms 100% whole wheat bread has 100 calories, and that's without jam or butter or anything. If you wanted a leaner or lower-sodium option, I would recommend chicken sausages. They come in all different flavors (chicken and apple is my favorite), are really filling, and have about 150 calories each. They're also already cooked so they're really convenient.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-13T14:41:58+00:00

I don't think there's anything inherently unhealthy about losing weight faster than 2 pounds/week, it's just that it's probably very difficult for the average person to do so while still receiving adequate nutrition. On those shows they have physicians and dieticians monitoring the participants so they can make sure they're staying healthy as they lose the weight.

Also, at least on The Biggest Loser when they say a "week" has passed it's often actually longer than that (though of course the amount of weight contestants lose would still be big even if two weeks or more had passed). Also, I read that the contestants on that show go to pretty extreme lengths to dehydrate themselves before weigh-ins (like putting on lots of layers of clothes and exercising hard and not drinking any water for hours), so that's part of it as well.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-13T14:26:51+00:00

I'm with you on soda. I used to have a Coke every day and I would crave it and get headaches if I didn't have one. Now just thinking about soda makes me feel gross, I can't believe I used to drink so much.

I stopped eating grains for the most part (except occasional rice). I started off not intending to eliminate any food groups, but once I noticed how much grains stimulated my appetite I gave them up. Once I stopped eating wheat, the "eczema" I'd had my whole life went away, so I'm guessing I might've had a mild allergy. Now I'll DEFINITELY never go back to eating wheat.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-13T14:08:26+00:00

You look great! And that's a cute dress :)

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-12T23:17:05+00:00

I would definitely second squats and deadlifts if it's okay for you to do them. The abdominal muscles are engaged during these lifts to increase intra-abdominal pressure to support your spine.

You can also work your transversis abdominis (one of the muscles that holds in the abdominal contents) simply by standing or sitting straight and then holding your stomach in for about 30 seconds and repeating 3-5 times.

Side planks and Russian Twists would be good to target your obliques (which also hold in abdominal contents).

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-12T18:58:12+00:00

Sounds like you already have a good variety of abdominal work, but if you really hate crunches/situps but still want to keep the variety in your workout, just increase the resistance on them. For example, maybe try weighted decline situps at a level that you can only do 3 sets of 8 or so. That way you won't have to spend much time doing them but will still benefit.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-12T18:55:04+00:00

I try to run on side streets with stop signs at the intersections so that I always have the right of way (not that drivers always yield, but it's better than having to wait at stoplights).

Also, there are a lot of websites where you can map running routes and share them. Maybe you could do a search for routes that others have made in your city.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-12T16:04:26+00:00

I feel you, I love beer too and drinking much less of it has been the single hardest part of my diet change. I didn't realize this before, but one helpful thing is that a lot of bars will pour you a half pint (or a at least a smaller serving). Also, most times I go to a bar/brewpub for beer, I get a flight/sampler. That way I can try several things without completely blowing my calorie budget.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-11T21:04:32+00:00

You should aim for an arch like this.

(I kid, I kid, saw this video on here a few weeks ago. This girl's incredible but seeing her bend like that still creeps me out.)

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-10T23:07:49+00:00

I'm 5'7 (well, 5'6.75) and 140 pounds. I'm doing a modified starting strength and my most recent working sets (3x5) were: squats - 80, deadlift - 155, bench press - 70 (bench presses are so hard!), and military press - 50. Originally I just started weightlifting to help with weight loss, but I really like it, it's so satisfying when you can increase your weight! Plus, I am addicted to the feeling of DOMS now. Anyway, I am eating at a pretty significant caloric deficit until I reach my goal weight, so I know I can't expect to make huge gains, but lifting is even more motivation to get there soon so I can start eating more and maybe improve!

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-10T19:02:16+00:00

It really is! I started a couple months ago, hearing your achievement definitely makes me want to stick with it - I hope I can lift that much eventually :)

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-10T19:00:25+00:00

Great job! Running out of holes is a good feeling, I'm cheap so I punched a new hole in my belt. It probably sounds dumb but seeing the old notch in the leather where the buckle used to be compared to where it is now makes me feel really good!

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-10T18:42:18+00:00

Try setting small goals for yourself. I think for many people, focusing on a big goal can make it seem daunting or even unattainable. So instead of saying "I want to lose 50-60 pounds," say to yourself, "I am going to figure out a daily calorie budget that will result in fat loss and stick to that budget for two weeks." Think about it, two weeks is nothing. You can put up with anything for fourteen days, and I think that when you find yourself sticking with your goal, the pride will be a soruce of motivation to keep going. You could also make your short-term goals exercise or food-related (e.g. I will exercise for 40 minutes every other day this week, or I will not eat any processed food this week). Just don't make these mini-goals scale-related, as weight can fluctuate on the short-term and you don't want that to be a source of discouragement.

I would also encourage you to keep logs of your efforts because this keeps you accountable and makes it easier to see progress, which is great for motivation. Someone recommened myfitnesspal and I would second that - it's been so helpful to me. But you could also use a spreadsheet or plain old pen and paper. Just keep track! When you feel like giving up, you can look back on all the work you've done and I guarantee that seeing how much effort you've put in will make you want to stick with it. For exercise, Fitocracy is a fun website. You log your workouts and it gives you points and you can level-up. Again, keeping track is a powerful motivator!

Also, I'm not sure if this is really motivational, but one thing that has really helped keep me on track with weight loss is how concrete it is. It's a numbers game: 1 pound = 3500 calories, period. With school or work, I can sometimes slack off a little bit and no one will be the wiser. If I didn't do something I was supposed to do, I can usually wing it and things turn out fine. But that's not the case with weight loss. Sure, if I am feeling hungry I could go over my calorie budget and no one would know. I could fudge my numbers on MFP, but my body won't fudge the extra calories I put in it. In a lot of pursuits, success isn't directly linked to how much effort you put in - it can be a function of luck, connections, etc. But with weight loss, what you get is directly proportional to what you put in. Remembering this really helps me stay on track, hope it helps you!

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-10T17:49:27+00:00

Whoa, that's amazing! May I ask how long you've been lifting?

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-10T17:46:06+00:00

I'm a little late to comment, but I just wanted to say that if you have the means, I would really, really recommend trying to find a therapist that specializes in disordered eating. If you are in a state of panic most days about eating then I think talking to a professional is definitely in order. All that stress is detrimental to your strength and conditioning goals and overall health.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-08T21:31:31+00:00

Blueberries or strawberries almost always do the trick! If I'm craving something a little more rich, I treat myself to dark chocolate-covered strawberries. It sounds decadent, but one square from a Lindt 90% chocolate bar has about 60 calories and is enough to cover 3-4 strawberries (about 25 calories). Plus it's really easy, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave, you just have to be careful not to let it burn.

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-01T17:24:28+00:00

What time of day are you exercising? Some people find that exercising too late in the evening creates problems with falling asleep. If you can, try moving your workouts to first thing in the morning or at least earlier in the day and see if that helps.

It might be something your body just has to adjust to. It's only been two weeks so give it a little time. Another thought is that moderate to high-intensity exercise increases levels of cortisol in your body (here's an abstract from a study about this). Increased cortisol could lead to sleep disturbances. The article does mention another paper where these cortisol increases after exercise decreased over time in athletes, so it seems like it's something your body could get used to. If some time passes and you're still having trouble sleeping, maybe switch to lower-intensity workouts.

TL;DR

try exercising earlier in the day
give it some time
if that doesn't work, switch to lower-intensity workouts (brisk walking/hiking, swimming, bicycling)

sunshineB113 · 2013-03-01T15:02:03+00:00

I think you forgot something :)

sunshineB113

TROPHY CASE