Exercise Buddies - anyone want to join?

[Lorns]

Hi this a new thread linked to "We want to lose 10lbs NEW THREAD"

I'm a Group exercise instructor/Personal Trainer and have been offering advice to mumsnetters!

Following suggestions that it would be good to start an exercise/nutrition advice/motivation thread - well here it is!!

The first few days can be hard - but generally you still have the motivation in place at that stage. But it does have the extra downside that you feel like cack for a while - no energy, really tired, sometimes nauseous - for a few days up to 3 weeks after you start. That is supposedly the ketosis starting. However it passes and you generally come out the other end and feel better than before

The first few days can be hard - but generally you still have the motivation in place at that stage. But it does have the extra downside that you feel like cack for a while - no energy, really tired, sometimes nauseous - for a few days up to 3 weeks after you start. That is supposedly the ketosis starting. However it passes and you generally come out the other end and feel better than before

Hi all!

Well, I always gain weight in the lower stomach first.
And my pooch has already started to come back! I
It is going to be a challenge to keep this size but I. Am. Up. For. It.

Went sprinting/walking today 30 minutes & yesterday 50 minutes. Am trying to burn it back off to have relatively flat stomach again by May 4th. [determined icon]

We have nearly 4 gallons of cookie dough in the house - supremely dangerous for me. Bought them b/c were being sold as a school fundraiser for DS1. I mean, couldn't it have been wrapping paper?! I can't eat wrapping paper.

Soon will be making batches and batches for DH to bring to the office.

Keep up the good work, Marls, I bet you look fab after all your efforts

Well, I have been grocery shopping while dd at Brownies. Our fridge is now stocked up with loads and loads of yummy salad and vegetables. Also organic meat, fish, eggs and cheeses. I am going to try to eat healthy lowcarb meals for the next few days, will let you know how I get on. Also hoping to drink loads of water, herbal tea etc. No alcohol for a couple of weeks. Worth a try!

Meant to add as well, Zest magazine has running supplement in it this month. With training plans for 5k, 10k and half-marathons. Also info about stretches.

Hi Laloop!

No carbs sound scary. Is it healthy in the long term?

Have you considered switching diet regimes for a week and doing the No Count system? (healthy food from a list and no point counting!)

Sometime with whatever diet we follow, a plateau is reached and a change could be what you're after . . .

Hi quokate

I'm kind of hoping that if I eat healthy lowcarb meals for a couple of weeks it will maybe help my bad habits of craving starchy food. Fed up feeling like I have no energy at all in an hour or two after eating biscuits, toast or whatever. If I can stick to it after a couple of weeks, the plan would be to start having small portions of brown rice/pasta and wholegrain bread (as well as reintroducing fruit) - so it would be quite similar to the NoCount WW plan at that stage. Will give it a go anyhow and see how I get on.

My god OI, everything you have said to cut out are my main food things! I'm not sure I could cope with cutting out all that stuff, I wouldn't actually know how to make a meal of what was left - especially with a dh and 2 kids to feed.

Laloop, I am unsure about this weigh thing - part of me thing Tue would be a really good idea as it would possibly help me to control my weekend binges, on the other hand I know I have a boozy weekend this weekend. Oh hell, maybe we should just go for it! What do you think?

I am pretty chuffed with myself today - eating wise I've done well and I've been to the gym and done 30 mins on my cross trainer. I've got a friend coming for a drink tomorrow night but I think I might tell her to scrap the wine and we'll just have a cuppa instead [smug emotion]

quokate - I think it must be OK as I've been doing it on and off for 2.5 years. For people who don't have a sugar addiction (and yes it does exist ) normal low-fat diets are fine (if tasteless) but for those of us poor souls who have a 'sweet tooth' as it is called, low carb is so liberating. If you have to rely on willpower for the rest of yout life you will fail at some point. Low carh takes away the desire and the temptation.

Hi everyone
Have weighed myself this morning - 9st 12.5lbs and 5'4" so BMI is 24.5. Scales back safely in the cupboard, not being taken out until next Tuesday morning. Want to bring BMI back down to around 22.5 so that's about 7lbs to shift. I'm really going to give it a go...(have been saying this since ds2 was born and still can't shift the last half stone!).

So far so good this morning
Breakfast - mushroom and tomato omelette and cup of herbal tea plus large glass of water with lemon juice

Need to fit in some exercise but stuck in this morning waiting for a parcel to be delivered so will have to wait until later.

Hi everyone

marls100 - thinkg it best if you CAT me so I can e-mail you with info re posture.

Hi Lorns, how are you?

Just a thought. For those of you that do Davina legs section - how often do you do it? If It's just once a week then each time your body is getting used to doing it again. Ideally muscular strength and endurance should be done 2-3 times a week to see results and not get too sore!

If it would help everyone I'm very happy to post some nutritional advice on the site which it's diet related. Sorry but I don't agree with low-carb even for a few weeks as the body need carbs for energy. No matter what type of exercise you do, your body will always use some glucose for energy. Glucose is formed from the breakdown of carbohydrates (sugars and starches) in your diet and is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. The amount of glucose you need really depends on the amount of training you do - the more glucose you use the more you need to eat to replenish your stores. If you are active you you need a diet which consists of around 60-70% energy from carbs.

Choose wholegrain varieties and food high in fibre and watch portion sizes. If you want to know more on portion sizes - please let me know!

Hi laloop - I'm fine - just busy with teaching and looking after my family and studying. I'm doing an exam in nutition at the moment!

Thanks everso for always being on the site and being so ready to welcome everyone. Your a star!

Laloop - very of you 9St 12Ib. I weighed this morning too and I have lost nearly all of the 2.5Ibs I had put on over the weekend YEAH

Starting weight today 10St 3/4Ib (i.e. 0.75Ib) My height is about 5Ft 4.5Inch which makes my BMI about 24. I'm really glad to be under 25 as after I had ds my BMI was 37 What I'd really like is to get down to 9.5 Stone before my holiday in just under 5 weeks time. Once I get to that weight (fingers crossed) I'll see how I feel, no doubt I'll want to loose more as I always do!

I'm going to try and loose it by:-

1. Drinking more water - especially when I feel hungry
2. Eating fruit when I feel peckish
3. Controlling my evening meal portions
4. Lots and lots of excercise

Lorns, I'd be really grateful for some portion advice as I think I eat quite a large evening meal. I'd also be grateful for some advice on whole grain carbs. My evening meal tends to consist of a meat with a sauce on it with rice, pasta or potatoes. Eg, curry, spag bol, chilli, lasaga etc etc etc Is there anything I could do to make these meals healthier? They are all home made so I control what goes into the sauces - ie veg, salt......

What do you teach btw? You are very clued up on all this diet and excercise stuff! I bet your super fit!

Hi sweetheart - I teach aerobics (including LBT and body conditioning), step, aqua, 50+, stability ball, pilates, Body balance (pilates,tai-chi and yoga), Body combat, and Body pump (resistance training!

As to being superfit - although I teach alot 13 classes a week (and then some cover) I am not training as I'd like to. Ideally I would do more cardiovascular in the form of running, less resistance training and actually do Pilates rather than just teaching it (go round correcting the participants).

But hey I get paid for something I love doing and teaching!

I'll post portion sizes etc later tonight if I may....

PS well done for getting your BMI down so much!

Lorns, Don't suppose you leave in Hampshire and want to be my personal trainer do you

Wow, that's some range of classes you teach, Lorns

Have had a chicken, avocado and spinach salad with home-made vinaigrette for lunch. Followed by a bit of Port Salut cheese and cup of coffee (no sugar!). (Will give some thoughts to your advice about carbs, Lorns - maybe think about including a little complex carbs in a few days Good luck in your exam by the way, I'm sure you'll do great)

Sweetheart, well done on your weight loss to date. You must be really proud of yourself! Hopefully we'll shift another few lbs. I don't really want to go much lower than just below 9 and a half stone - that weight seems to suit my medium build.

Laloop and Lorns, you're doin really well and I'm so jealous!!! I've been really good this week food wise and have done lots of exercise so I'm hoping that on weigh-in day (Thurs) I'll have lost another 2lbs (although 4lbs would be great then I'd have lost a stone!!!)

I try to stick with low Gi carb like porridge, muesli, whole grain bread, basmati rice and waxy new potatoes as the energy release is slow and you feel fuller for longer! Also you don't get the lows and highs of high fat/high sugar food rushes so the cravings aren't severe at all.

Instead of desserts I have a Skinny Cow ice cream as the choc one is only 105 calories and 1.8g fat (per 100g) so even though it's my treat it's still low fat! They taste great by the way, just like real ice cream!!! Not having any treats this week though with a loss of 4lbs in mind.

D'ya know how to calculate BMI then? I'm 5ft5" and weight 11st03lbs but have no idea what my BMI is.

Quokate - Your BMI is 26.1. According to this BMI calculator .

Food ... I kept track yesterday and have really been eating unhealthily. So in the next few days, I'm going to try to eat/drink 2L water + one protein source (today's was peanut butter as don't like meat) + all 5 servings of fruit/vegs - all before having any of the junk that I really like to eat. That should help me greatly. We'll see if I'm able to do it.

Meeting DH this afternoon at the gym!

Many thanx Marls001 for the BMI calulation. Hopefully I'll have it below 25 soon!

Enjoy your gym session!

Yesterday was another fairly good day for me. I had toad in the hole for dinner last night with low fat sausages, it was really filling and seemed really naughty but it was well within my points for the day so would recommend it as a meal. I also tried a new recipie for chicken chasseur (sp?) the other night which was delicious and again very healthy.

So, onto day 3! I am hoping to fit in a gym visit today but with my car in the garage I might not make it there. I cycled to work this morning so I've already done a bit of excercise (although it only actually took me about 5 mins).

I really need to try and learn more about this complex carb thing as I'm sure I could be using it to help me loose weight.

Qu - I will def be keeping a look out for those skinny cow ice creams! My treat atm is a ww yoghurt!

Mars - 2L of water is loads! You'll be peeing for England. I have been up quite alot the last couple of nights, hopefully that means I'm in for a good weight loos this week.

Laloop - you'd be so proud of me! I didn't get on the scales this morning. Thats the first morning for months I haven't weighed myself. I was so tempted though I have to admit. I'd better get dh to hide them as my resolve may weaken by tomorrow

Hi all

Sweetheart - the demon bathroom scales still firmly hidden away in a cupboard here too! Haven't stepped on them since yesterday when I weighed-in. I have hung a pair of jeans that I can't do up anymore (!) on my wardrobe door - will use these as a guide for inchloss.

Managed ok yesterday, gammon, cauliflower and roasted veg for dinner. Loads and loads of water and herbal tea. If you're in the peeing team for England, I think I've made the Irish squad . Up about 3 times during the night - albeit because on two of the occasions our neighbours' car alarm woke me up and I thought if I'm up, might as well go for a wee!

Main problem for me (and it's only day two!) with this lowcarb will be breakfast. Sausage, mushrooma and boiled egg for breakfast this morning and cup of camomile tea, followed by big glass of water with lemon juice. Will see if I can last another day or so but may have to do my own version of low-carb/low gi with a few complex carbs, odd slice of wholegrain bread, porridge and brown rice.

Going to see if I can get a creche slot for ds2 at gym this morning.

Laloop, Just wondering how you manage to have such a good breakfast. Following ww I strugle to stay within my points so have to skip breakfast and make sure I eat very little at lunch time. Maybe I'm being too much of a pig with my main meal and I should half my portion!

The Jeans are a great idea - I haven't worn mine for a couple of weeks becuase I've been feeling fat. Maybe I'll try them on next Tuesday.

Sweetheart, complex carbohydrates (i.e.starch) are sugars bonded together to form a chain. Digestive enzymes have to work much harder to access the bonds to break the chain into individual sugars for absorption through the intestines. For this reason digestion of complex carbohydrates takes longer. The slow absorption of sugars provides us with a steady supply of energy and limits the amount of sugar converted into fat and stored.

Simple carbohydrates are either monosaccharides (e.g. glucose)or disaccharides, (e.g. sucrose). These are easily digested. Foods like cake, pastry, biscuits, chocolate etc contain lots of excess calories because if our cells do not require that amount of energy in that form at that time, the sugar must either be converted to glycogen (sugar storage within cells ) or converted to fat. The cell can only store a limited amount of glycogen so in many cases simple carbohydrate loaded foods may contribute to body fat stores.

Sources of complex carbs include wholegrain cereals, porridge, wholemeal bread, brown rice, potatoes, pasta, peas, beans, lentils etc.

HTH