The Great Loose Weight Thread

[blackjohn]

P.S. Notice there's no rum ration included in the calorie count!

Ok, time for one of you clever folks to find out just how many calories are in a "serving" of rum!

[The Doctor]

1 shot (1.5 oz.) of 80 proof dark rum is approximately 56 calories. The "darker" the rum, the higher the calories. *hic!*

[Silkie McDonough]

OK ...day one. Made it. See exercise won't kill me. Feels good.

[Red-Handed Jill]

I've found that a typical "pirate" shot of rum is 90 calories... :)

And in terms of calories, the range Glamour gives is quite wide. If I ate all of those meals and snacks, I'd be too big for even my fat pants in no time. The idea is excellent in premise, though - eat several small meals rather than just two or three larger ones and don't skip breakfast. Keeps the metabolism revved up.

Lots of sites have calculators on them to help you figure what your caloric intake should be given your age, weight and activity level. I calculated the caloric intake for my goal weight and am using that as a guide for how much I should eat.

[blackjohn]

OK ...day one. Made it. See exercise won't kill me. Feels good.

In fact, not only will it not kill you, it will, over time, do just the opposite!

Jill, I agree... the typical pirate shot of rum is much larger than normal... hmmm... what's your daily rum ration???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gill_%28unit%29

Hmmm... I'll trust wiki on this... "Following Britain's conquest of Jamaica in 1655, a half pint or "2 gills" of rum gradually replaced beer and brandy as the drink of choice." Interesting, this article refutes the Vernon-grog connection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog

[CrazyCholeBlack]

Alright I'll admit that I've been using this as motivation too. No computer time until I've done my 30 minute penance. I've been ten pounds from goal for over a year now. Time to admit that I'm not "taking a break to get used to the weight loss" but have just gotten lazy again.

So does this mean I get to have a rum ration to?

[Rogue Mermaid]

I went to the gym last night (and tonight I will again). I'm working out for about an hour after work. I'm doing all cardio right now - 10 min on the stepper, 30 min on the treadmill, and 10 min on the elipitical.

I've discovered that I stay warm for a long time on the nights I work out. It's nice since the weather plummitted last night.

My mood is alot better too when I know I've been working out.

[LongTom]

I got my weights dialed in properly yesterday, so now I have a workout that I can actually finish. (Proved it by doing three complete sets with the adjusted numbers, which I regard as making up for missing Saturday.) I'll use these for a week or two, then start inching up the weight values again.

Tried the stairstepper for the first time in over a year this morning. Old Monkey-Mind badly wanted off after 10 minutes. I persevered for the whole 20, but it sure wasn't much fun. I think I will have to dig up some books on tape to keep my brain occupied, instead of staring despairingly at the seemingly immobile countdown timer.

And I weighed myself. Gads. 197 lb. A record high.

All right then: my goal is 185 by end of June and 175 by end of 2007. (Going by straight BodyMassIndex, they say my ideal weight should be 151, but that sounds like crap to me. I don't care if "emaciated" is the authentic pirate look; I'll take some muscles, thank you very much.)

[Silkie McDonough]

Did my 20 min low-impace aerobics today. :)

[blackjohn]

I went to the gym last night (and tonight I will again). I'm working out for about an hour after work. I'm doing all cardio right now - 10 min on the stepper, 30 min on the treadmill, and 10 min on the elipitical.

I've discovered that I stay warm for a long time on the nights I work out. It's nice since the weather plummitted last night.

My mood is alot better too when I know I've been working out.

Impressive!

I did 20 again this morning. It is a fact that it is easier if I do it as the very first thing right after I wake up.

I think next week I'll try cranking the time up by 5 or 10 minutes.

[blackjohn]

All right then: my goal is 185 by end of June and 175 by end of 2007. (Going by straight BodyMassIndex, they say my ideal weight should be 151, but that sounds like crap to me. I don't care if "emaciated" is the authentic pirate look; I'll take some muscles, thank you very much.)

Bravo for having a goal!!! I think seeing numbers or some other measureable quantity helps focus.

My goal... be able to fit into some old clothes so I can spend more money on pirate stuff!

:)

[blackjohn]

Did my 20 min low-impace aerobics today. :)

Way to go!

I like that low impact stuff because I sometimes worry about my knees.

[Red Cat Jenny]

Wow! reading this, this morning has inspired me! Thanks guys..and ladies. I'm a treadmll addict once I start. I've found if you can wear a headset (and your housemates can stand it) if you can sing along while you works out then you know you're in good shape. Just mind the dance moves (I've almost fallen off a few times due to my favorite songs! but it's incredibly boring otherwise.

Today I went back to 8 glasses of water a day. I found the last time I did this it not only kept my metabolism up, but it kept me full and my skin looked great. It washes all the old gunky stuff out.

Raises an 8 oz glass of water (not grog*sigh*) to ye healthy pirates

[Rogue Mermaid]

'm a treadmll addict once I start. I've found if you can wear a headset (and your housemates can stand it) if you can sing along while you works out then you know you're in good shape.

I want to sing along to my iPod at the gym...but the people on the treadmills around me might be alittle weirded out. I imagine it's hard to keep a straight face working out next to someone singing "Holla Back Girl".

I'd like to get a timer at work that goes off every hour. Then I would be sure to get at least 8 glasses of water a day. 8 hours of work, 8 glasses of water.

[Silkie McDonough]

I suppose I should have something prophetic or wise to say but I think saying "Day three, done." sums it up.

[LongTom]

I don't suppose walking to the sandwich shop at lunch counts, does it? It is pretty close to half a mile each way... nah, I didn't think so either. So I did a weight workout when I got home from the commute, too.

I noticed that some of the exercises I had picked were inadvertently working the same muscle groups multiple times. That probably was why I was running out of steam on those muscles. (Barbell bench presses, intended to work the chest muscles, require you to extend the triceps too. Afterwards, the tricep extension exercises were just not happening. Imagine that....) So today I picked a new chest exercise and changed the order a little, so that everything gets worked once. The workout went much smoother this time.

The moral to that rambling narrative is: keep a sharp lookout for factors that interfere with your success. When you spot one, kill it. Figure out how to fix it or work around it. Don't let it continue to stop you.

Okay, end of sermon. Thanks for the support, everyone!

[Duchess]

I confess I started teaching a new session of belly dance classes last last night and I decided to make them work hard enough to make me work. I was afraid that it would drive people away from the class, but as of today all the students I've run into have said it was great. So increased fitness here we come!

[blackjohn]

I think I've noticed it is easier for me to ride the exercise machine while watching something WITH the subtitles on. Reading the subtitles must keep my eyes from wandering to the clock or something???

Keep up the good work folks!

[Red-Handed Jill]

I've was inspired to add more structure to my workouts. I've already been race walking five days a week and was doing some work with weights, but have now structured them more consistently into my schedule.

[Silkie McDonough]

Made it back, which means I did todays 20. The pub has been a great motivator for me, succeeding where others have failed.

[Cpt Sophia M Eisley]

Way to go folks! Jes' gotta keep up the good work, and mix it up if things feel dull or aren't working as they used to. I'm hoping to get more walking in this evening (might even speed if I get the chance), and some pilates.

[blackjohn]

Did my time! And, as much as I'd love to stay and chat... I've got to get ready for The Pyrate Feast!

And...

Wooohooo... my clothes seem to fit better than they did two months ago when I last wore them!!!

[Silkie McDonough]

I'm back. This means I did another 20 min today. Small steps. I will raise the time in a week or so. For noe 20 is good.

[Asukaru]

I'm joining in a little bit late but after trying on some pants that fit a couple of weeks ago and realizing just how much the inactivity of a desk job can do to you - I think it's high time to go on a diet.

Thus far I've been taking walks on my breaks and lunches at work when the weather permits. I've not lost anything but I'm not gaining either.

[blackjohn]

The more the merrier!!!! Welcome!

So, yesterday I semi-skipped a day. I couldn't ride the machine due to reenacting gear being strewn all over the place. Instead, this cold, fluffy white stuff fell from the sky, so I spent an hour outdoors running around in it with the family! Now that is exercise!

Today... 25! Wooo! And tomorrow, I may throw on some extra weights!

More success stories???