At-home and No-equipment Exercise

I was reading Ana's Girl's blog posts from June. (I'm behind on all your blogs!)

Some things she'd written reminded me of isometric exercises, and of at-home-no-equipment exercises. So here's some links.

Isometric Exercise tutorial

Shape's Workout links page

Bunch of info about muscle groups, simple exercises, callisthenics right HERE.

Just about every magazine geared towards women has a website with a fitness/exercise section.

i feel fat... but optimistic

I feel fat.

I can't see my toes. Literally.

I have NO clothes that look even halfway good on me.

It's freakin' summer and I'm still freakin' fat.

So... the plan:

I weighed/measured on the 1st. I'll do it again on the 15th and again on the 31st. And that's it. On no other day shall I step onto the scale. I'm a bit of a scale junkie, so I'm wagering that by taking the scale away, I will work harder to see a bigger difference from the 1st to mid-July and then to the end of the month.

THE FAT STATS:

222 lbs.

(all measurements in inches at widest parts)
42 bust
43 waist
49 hip
47 butt
15 upper arm
26.5 per thigh
16.25 per mid-shin
6.5 wrist


THE MEANS:

No starvation. But also no high calorie days. Keep calories above 1200 but below 1600. Eat somewhat intuitively, but balance calorie consumption with exercise. Spend less time sitting, more time moving. Get enough sleep per night. And plenty to drink. Limit sodium and cut off caffeine by 4pm. Write what I eat, how many calories. Be mindful ~ pay attention to what I'm eating as I'm having it, and also be sure I'm not emotional-eating. Ask, "is it worth the calories?" (It's usually not).


A METHOD THAT WORKS FOR ME:

I've found that for me, thinking of calories in terms of cost helps. Example: 3 strawberries would cost me 25 calories out of 1400 for the day. Is it worth it? Definitely. Whereas a portion of fries would cost 400 calories, a big chunk of my daily expenditures! Not worth the cost at all!

Also going with the cost thing, I can search for the bargains. 3 strawberries for 25 calories are packed with flavor and nutrients, but won't fill me up. French Fries count as a starchy vegetable, but come with a bunch of fat and oil and salt. Might satiate my hunger at the moment, but I'm sure to be hungry later. For the price of the fries I could have the strawberries plus a giant veggie salad without dressing, air popped corn and a cup of soup!


EXERCISE:

I hate public exercising - I always feel soooo self conscious. Any one else feel that way?

This Summer I am going to exercise by: doing cardio and strength training in a community center/gym, walk around the neighborhood, find and ride a bike, and finally unwrap and use the workout DVDs I bought ages ago.

I plan/hope to do the gym three times a week (if I can get a ride, it's too far/ too many busy streets to walk) maybe work out at the gym MWF. And then 2-3 other days do light activity like walking, DVDs, biking, and other at home exercises. One day will be a total rest day. (but not a binge eat day!)

I would like to try some form of yoga.

any ideas?

1st of June tomorrow and I've no weight loss related plans or goals. What are ya'll doing in June?

57 tips

(When you want to eat but "shouldn't")

Tips:

1. imagine what you'll look like at your goal
2. make a to-do list
3. clean out files, or school papers, or a desk, or junk drawer
4. plan a dream trip or romantic encounter -- even if it's not practical
5. leave the house -- go for a non-exercise walk or somewhere without food
6. daydream
7. read a book
8. exercise (only if not fatigued or dizzy, etc)
   
9. take a short nap
   
10. drink water. add lemon or drink tea if craving no calorie/sodium flavor.
11. if it's a late night craving -- go to bed. make a rule that you cannot leave the bed.
12. blog publicly or journal privately
    
13. find a hobby - i like beading, it's cheap, easy, can be mindless, and might make something pretty!
14. get paper, glue and magazines. make a collage.
15. do your nails
16. clean something dirty -- toilet, a pets cage
17. write a letter to your hunger/stomach
18. surf the web
19. make and remake weight goals
    
20. rub lotion over entire body
21. brush your teeth
22. chew gum -- but only if it doesn't make cravings worse!
23. take a few deep breaths
24. watch some television
25. play with a pet
26. go someplace fun where food isn't allowed (library, museum)
27. look at own pics at highest weight
28. take a shower
29. try a new hairstyle or makeup tip
30. count coins - depending how many you have it may take a while, and filthy coins leave fingers smelling gross and metallic
    
31. do a few sit-ups or squats
32. turn on some music and dance a bit
33. call a friend
    
34. write about a recent accomplishment, refer to it when feeling down, or bingey
35. arrange photos in an album (real or online) or scrapbook
36. go thru a old yearbook and look at the people who "were better"
37. play a board game or sport with kids (siblings, nephew/niece) or friends
    
38. tear paper into little bits, the smaller the bits the better. count the bits.
39. try on clothes, a swimsuit
    
40. wash your car, if you have one
41. take a warm bath
42. start a holiday/birthday shopping list
43. check your email, usual website haunts
44. create a mantra
45. start a project
46. do homework, or study any topic - even if not in school
47. try meditation
48. play solitaire
49. sew a throw pillow - especially good if you do not already know how to sew!
50. spritz on a body mist or light scented candles
51. progressive relaxation -- tighten and release muscles
52. organize big things (closet, room) or small things (knickknacks, bookshelf)
53. dust a room, or a house!
54. do gardening, sweeping, or other outside work
55. stretch
56. get crayons and a coloring book...
57. fix something that is broken
    

**If nothing works and you feel awful and hungry and out of control, maybe you really should eat something. A slight set-back one day, must be better than a giant binge-fest!

i have a lot of curves....

Since I'll never post a real picture of myself, here's a visual aid.

fat stats : )

As of today...

Measurements in inches:

Waist - 43
Hip - 49
Thighs - 46
1 Thigh - 29
Chest - 43
Upper Arm - ~15-16

Weight.... uhhh.... let's put this in the silliest terms.
100,607 grams
0.1006 ton

kay?

back and fatter than ever!

It's been a long time, huh? I'm back to the weight I was when I first started this blog. Depressing... I'm trying a new angle on this weight loss thing. Healthy eating and exercise. riiiight....

Here's the logic: I'm HUGE. I live in a family of people who like to eat big quantities, often. We're all vegetarians....so me using that as an excuse....it just wouldn't work. I've gotten cornered into therapy -- with a guy who happens to have ed training... ummm coincidence? or maybe paranoia on my part. :(

I'm still counting calories. Getting about 1200 per day + a wee bit of exercise. Figure I'll up the exercise and see if I can lose some. Seems only time I "lose" weight is day after laxies. And that's not really lost weight, ya know?

So PLAN? Honestly...I dunno. Guess I'll try to steal a moment to log on now and then and post... weight? measurements? Gosh, haven't measured myself in forever! I did get some calipers a.k.a torture devices tho. So I'll break out the calipers, measuring tape, scales and notebooks and bmi charts and.... post.

Blogs ~ I've been reading Jo's blog and Poker face and a handful of others now and then. Haven't commented - haven't been able to log onto google...stupid lost password... But hey, maybe I'll be able to get a few words in here and there.

Youtube.... anyone watch "those" videos on youtube? Anyone have the experience of someone borrowing your computer... clicking into youtube... and seeing the incriminating "videos recommended for you"?

That's it for now - it's late at night here - so maybe I'll post again in the AM?

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diets."

POLL RESULTS

Don't remember if I've put these results up and...I'm too lazy to see if I have. So! Here's the results for the poll: "What are your favorite fitness/fashion magazines?" (multiple selections allowed)


Glamour ---------------- 35%
Cosmopolitan ------------ 32%
Other -------------------- 32%
Allure -------------------- 20%
Shape -------------------- 17%
Women's/Men's Health -- 14%
Don't read magazines ---- 14%
Self ---------------------- 11%
Yoga Journal -------------- 8%
Health -------------------- 0%

Speaking for myself - Glamour is the top fashion magazine, and Women's Health and Shape are rocking good fitness magazines. The best part about Shape is that in every issue there's at least one "weight loss story" or a "weight loss diary" complete with before/after pictures. And yes, I personally think Health is a sucky magazine.

back!!!!

I'm back! Back from where, you ask? Well... last I posted, I'd decided to go offline for a bit. Then I got sick. Then I had 2 trips to the emergency room. Then I ended up inpatient at a general psychiatric facility...for about a month. And now I'm sick again. Still sick and achy and crap. As for the weight bit...it's crap. At the psych hospital -- it's not for screwed up eating ppl or anything, but they weigh you every week AND they watch how much you eat AND if they decide you're not eating enough you're basically force fed doritos and Boost in addition to regular meals AND there's no way to exercise cause you're on this tiny little unit. So I went the complete opposite of the "dieting" thing. I ate chips and juice and cereal and milk and every single meal. Sooo... you can imagine how my weight is. Let's put it this way, I'm stuck wearing sweatpants for a while. ughghghghgh...

Ana's Girl & Vee, I've been keeping up with ya'll's blogs even though I haven't been posting/commenting.

Ana's Girl - love the progress/dedication you have now! hate the cutting :)

Vee - dang! your current internet situation + aunts + broken into house + .....


I'll be doing some catching up blog reading! I'll try to comment, but often when I'm reading a blog, I'm not logged into google. And I don't stay logged in cause I don't want anyone to get on my compy and find this blog!

xx
Samantha