Invitation to My Christmas Challenge
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You are invited to join my Christmas Challenge. Your reasons for taking on this challenge may differ from mine, but whatever the situation, here's the challenge: eat right over the holidays and either maintain or lose weight. What?!?! Have I lost my mind, you ask? No, I haven't. Here's the Deal: I am registered for Ironman Wisconsin 2010. I did not race (at all) this past season therefore stayed at my pre-season, sedentary weight earned after the 2008 triathlon season. ...
7 Comments
Karin said:
Hi Jenna, I read your post and my hat is off to you! I am not an athlete and never have been, but since giving birth almost one year ago, I have also struggled to lose my last 10 lbs. of apples. I would like to join you on this diet challenge, yes for different reasons, but perhaps for the same end goal. It was only about 8 weeks ago that I learned that I have hypothyroidism (triggered postpartum apparently, but lingering) and it explains a lot of issues I have had since having a baby, one of them being that I dropped the majority of my weight 6-12 weeks after giving birth but held on to the last 10 despite any and all measures, including diet modification and hiring a personal trainer and going to the gym for hard cardio and weights 6 days a week. You read at the beginning I am not an athlete and never have been, meaning that I guess I took maintaining my previous weight/physique for granted. Once diagnosed about 8 weeks ago, a doctor prescribed levothyroxine. I went for a retest at the 6 week point and it seems my thyroid levels are starting to swing back to almost normal which may make my 6 day a week sojourn to the gym and wise diet choices finally pay off, hopefully! I'd love to follow your progress and join you in your quest, if possible. I realize our goals are different, yet it always helps to have the guidance and motivation of others to help us work through what we never thought we could achieve. - Karin
EatRightAroundChicago said:
Yay! Thanks for joining, Karin!
As you stated, you have some additional challenges to contend with, but it sounds like you're on the right track!
Keep up the gym workouts for sure and let me know if you have questions!
Sincerely,
Jenna
Quincy said:
Ok, I'll join. I am planning a running and triathlon (sprint and olympic) season for next year too. And I had a baby last January. And I am trying to lose the small dog...the last 10 lbs are the worst. I look ok, I just know that it is better for me to drop a little more weight to avoid injury and get better times. Sometimes people give me a hard time about wanting to lose a bit more weight, and I always tell them...if you were running a marathon, and you were carrying a 10lb pack on your back...wouldn't it feel good to just throw that pack to the side? They get it then...
I am using Weight Watchers Online and sort of have an unofficial weight/yoga/maintenance cardio thing going on. And my brother just shipped me my first road bike (did my first tri on a borrowed bike)! Gotta peel off the bandaid and get back out for some runs. Not today though, yuck! ;-)
EatRightAroundChicago said:
Yay!
It is true, it's not always about looking good...it's about reaching a healthy and performance-friendly weight that really means more muscle, less fat. It is really important to be well-fueled and at a weight that is best for your health - I cannot state that point enough. It's not about looking "fine".
The weather poses quite a challenge for the workouts. I'm going to post my current solutions to the winter-weather in a few.
Thanks for reading and joining!
Please feel free to post questions or comments. I'm certain that they will help others as well.
Sincerely,
Jenna
Quincy said:
Question...I have been toying with getting a body fat analysis done...but I am not sure specifically I would do with the information. How would I use that information in my weight loss efforts? Or does it matter? I am confident that 10 more pounds won't put me into a low bodyfat situation, but maybe I would find out that I should lose a bit more to be at optimum weight? Thoughts? Thanks for this blog, it's great!
EatRightAroundChicago said:
Such a great question!
A baseline body fat assessment can be helpful when you're aim is to get lean and avoid losing muscle mass. You're really trying to lose unnecessary body fat (while maintaining a safe, healthy %) and increase muscle mass opposed to simply losing weight - and a body fat assessment is the best measure for this.
Body composition is a big topic (I took an entire semester of it during my doctorate work), but here is the information that you can use:
- The "gold standard" measure is Underwater Weighing or hydro-densitometry. They lower you in a tank of water and take your weight to calculate your body composition. It still has a standard error associated with it, but is considered valid and reliable. DEXA is also an option for assessing body fat, but it's typically used for bone density. You can find a facility that will do Underwater Weighing, but I recommend looking for an exercise science lab at a University.
- Skinfold Assessment is another option. The reliability of skinfold depends on the practitioner (it's basically pinching your fat in specific locations and plugging the values into an equation to estimate lean body mass). So, look for an ACSM certified personal trainer at a local fitness club and make sure you do your follow-up appointment with the same person.
- Bioelectrical Impedance (BIA) is a non-invasive option that doesn't require pinching or water, just electrodes. If you find a place that does BIA, make sure that they give you pre-test instructions and that you follow them. If you haven't planned ahead for your BIA, then it probably will not be reliable or valid.
- The body fat scales do not have a wealth of evidence to support their validity and reliability. I'd say to use them to monitor your progress, but remember that there may be a large margin of error.
So, to answer your question, I think that an assessment would be motivating and interesting - and easy if you find a local University to do it. But if it's costly or inconvenient, you can use a tape measure to track your progress at home!
(I was so long winded that I will likely use this as a post!)
Todd29 said:
The major reason so many people in America are overweight is because we eat too much for comfort! It does not hurt to treat ourselves with something special once in a while, what is necessary is that we limit our portions and do not overeat! It is also necessary to keep our body properly hydrated, so drink a full glass of water with each meal or snack. Being overweight sucked, but after reading a book, I lost 85 pounds! Words can not express how good I feel! This is a comment which I recently received about the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps
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