Run Run Run
 

Hello, :D

My name is Molly, I am 234 lbs.:( My wedding is in 7 weeks and 2 days. my goal is 37 - 40 lbs in that time. I intend to run a mile in the evening every day. Eat really light and smack myself every time i over do it. I am drinking a lot less, in fact, no drinking during the week at all. it makes me hungry and lazy. Goal weight is 200lbs. after that we will see. Ultimate goal weight is 160. :p

Thanks for reading. :o

I'll post photos later this weekend

I would say that 37-40 pounds in 7 weeks is very optimistic, notice I didn't say "impossible" just "very optimistic". You might find that you lose very quickly the first couple of weeks 3-6/week, especially if you are making drastic changes in your diet and exercise, but then it may taper off to more like 1-2/week which is a healthier rate but way more frustrating for a prospective bride.

In order to lose weight you need to make sure that you consume fewer calories than you burn, 3,500 calories = 1 pound. My own personal daily goal is to burn 1,000-1,500 more calories than I consume, which works out to about 2-3 pounds/week loss. I don't know what your lifestyle is like but a mile of running would not be enough of a workout for me to get my calorie burn where I need it. I take a ride on the elliptical 6 days/week for an hour. This burns around 700-800 calories. I think running burns about the same for me, but works slightly different muscles. I might recommend that you do your mile of running and then pop in a workout DVD and go for another 30-60 minutes, maybe interval training or core muscle toning. Muscle development is key in long term weight control because the more muscle you carry the more efficiently you burn calories.

The other thing you probably need to look at is where your calories are coming from. My own demon is carbs, I gravitate toward an 80+% carb diet, so in order to build muscle and slim down I had to lower my carbs and up my proteins, but every body is a little different. I'm currently enjoying a pretty good melting process by keeping my calorie pie at 40% carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats, and keeping my calories between 1,350-1,650. Good luck honey and don't slap yourself too hard. Life's a journey and it's important to enjoy the ride.

Ouch!
 

I absolutely agree that I need to do more than a mile a day. I'm super out of shape, I figure the evening run is more of a set in stone goal every day. I will do some videos like you suggest and I am planning a very drastic diet change. For the past several months i was drinking 3 - 4 cocktails a night and eating willy nilly anything I could get away with. Justifying it by saying, well im hungry. (not hungry, just bored):eek:

I'm planning to pick up the protein because based on my graph I'm clearly not getting enough. I also realized that my goal is extreme. It is my focus and thus giving me motivation. the more i think about the wedding the less that little snack between meals looks a lot less appealing. Any weight loss every week will make me very happy. :)

I just went for my run and OMG I hurt. thinking I need to stretch and get my heart rate up before I go out next time. I don't want to hurt myself. :mad:

Here is a photo of me: Fattest i've ever been. this is me june 4, 2010

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...e/DSC05159.jpg

Blah!
 

This morning I feel bloated and dragged down. I need to go to sleep a lot earlier. Today I have some chores to get done, after laundry is finished I plan to do some workout videos in my room. Supposed to go for a walk with an acquaintance but the weather doesn't seem to want to permit it.

Need to stay focused. :mad:

Feeling Better!
 

I joined a Gym
 

I joined LA Fitness, This means i have a place to go to get a real workout. I'm excited about this, just need to stay motivated, I went tonight with a friend, We did in order: Bike 15 minutes, outer leg machine, inner leg machine, Glute machine, lats machine (under hand and over hand pulling), Abs machine, then back to cardio on the Elliptical. :D

Going back on monday, wed. fri. And Saturdays

I'm ready to take this weight off!

Sounds very similar to my workouts, I do 5 mins on the treadmill, 5-10 mins stretching, butterfly, lats, abs, biceps and triceps, then 30 mins on the arc trainer (which is very similar to the elliptical). The arc trainer is plenty to work out my lower half, my buns are now 90% cellulite free-not bad for starting out with "major hail damage" back there! I have arthritis and tendonitis in multiple joints so the stretching is very very important for me. One thing I've been doing lately is changing up my speed on the arc trainer so I'm spiking my heart rate more. Make sure you keep your arms in motion on the elliptical, if you brace yourself on the sides of the machine it's very easy to "cheat" and not even realize you're doing it. If you're taking weight off with your arms, it's much easier to keep going but you won't get the benefit.

Hey Molly, I am going to throw in my 2 cents. Great work on making the life change. It sounds like you are well on your way to success. Have you considered changing your diet and just doing a lot of walking rather than running, gym etc. Try walking at a brisk pace for 1 hour per day outside, rain or shine no matter what. That may just be enough to lose a lot weight. All I am saying is that it is really hard and painful on the body to start running when you are not used to it. After you have walked every day for 3 months then start mixing a little running into your walks and then before you know it you will be running all the time, painlessly, or relatively painlessly at least. Lastly, there is website called runkeeper.com where you can keep track of your runs.

thankS!
 

Hi Molly,

Good luck and congrats on your upcoming wedding. I'm glad that for whatever motivation you are making changes and taking care of yourself. Don't pressure yourself to do too much too soon, but push yourself a little each time you exercise and, like you said, one small change at a time. Just wanted to jump in and say not to sweat the weight change. Our weight fluctuates day to day and even hour to hour but it has nothing to do with overall loss; you might could measure that best by weighing weekly and/or measuring instead of using the scale. Don't let it derail you...and I speak from the experience of getting obsessed with it and having to hide the scale for a while ;).

Evil Scale
 

I will go out and get some measuring tape today. Be a good walk to the store :) What car? lol

I need more protein in my diet, i'm apparently an all sugar and carb girl. That needs to change! thinking fruit smoothies made here at home, high pulp orange juice, non-fat plain or vanilla yogurt with Frozen whole fruit. Yum! Maybe even consider getting protein powder for it. Any Advice on that?

Today I am feeling a bit slow, My right knee has been real tight since I started working out. Just before I decided to make Big life changes I had a trip over my daughter and landed on my knee, been in pain ever since but powering through it. My knee appears to have A LOT of fat around it. This is very depressing and disgusting. I would like advice on how to focus a lot of energy on my thighs and knees to really do some damage to the fat around my knee. :(

Sadly, inside the knees and thighs are two of the places that fat tends to accumulate on women. You can't spot reduce anything, but to tone the muscles underneath, keep on with your running and/or walking and add in some squats and lunges. Actually, more than some; a lot!

I don't have any experience with protein powder but for protein I swear by Greek yogurt. It has a lot more protein than regular yougurt...check it out. It's all trial and error, by the way ;).

For a cheap protein boost it doesn't get any better than tuna. Your average can of tuna has 42.6 grams of protein and costs about $.70. Greek yogurt which is very yummy BTW, costs 2-3 times that and has 14-15 grams of protein. I usually buy tuna in water, but tuna in veg oil is only slightly higher in calories. The protein powder I use is called Spiru-Tein, and I buy it at my local health food store. What I like about it is that there are only 96 calories in a serving, but it has 15 grams of protein, I buy the chocolate flavored one and put it in my coffee. Other good sources of protein are: nuts, eggs, milk, chicken, beef etc etc.

By the way, your weight increase could be due to swelling, and if your muscles hurt, guaranteed you have swelling somewhere. It could also be a million other things, like constipation, increased muscle mass, water retention or even just the time of day you weighed yourself. All that hard work takes a little time to show. As for "spot reducing" it's just not possible, but I will say that using the elliptical for the last 5 months has definitely improved my lower half.

If you had a really hard workout and weighed yourself at the end, you may have been dehydrated. A gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds. Also, I noticed you said "knee" not "knees". If your injured knee is larger than your "good" knee, you might want to have it checked out. If your knee is injured but you keep working out hard, it won't heal properly.

Just don't put the tuna in your fruit smoothie :p.

Greek yogurt would definitely be better in that regard, and much better than the regular vanilla yogurt you mentioned.

5.5 lbs a week is way too high of a goal to set for yourself, and to be blunt, I doubt you'd lose that much. The thing with waiting so long before an engagement is that you'll never be satisfied, it's always best to prepare before hand. Start shooting for 2 lbs!

Since you have a gym membership, start hitting the weights 3-4 days a week, and lift as heavy weights as you possibly can. Shoot for 5-8 reps and make sure when you walk out of the gym that you couldn't get anymore reps done.

Whey protein is great post-workout since it's a fast absorbing protein. Try to figure out your body fat % so you can figure out your LBM and start getting the proper amount of protein.

Eat cottage cheese before you go to bed, it'll stop your body from eating away at itself while you're sleeping.

Good luck and stay healthy!

Yes, its just my right knee, I was looking at this morning and it is definitely larger than the other. I can't tell you how many stories I heard about over weight people with Knee issues. I do not have insurance so i can't have it looked at unfortunately.

I will take the advice of doing squats. I feel weird doing them, i just hold my hands down and try to sit with out sitting right?

Like I said before I realize 5 lbs a week is SUPER REDICULOUS, it was just a really optimistic goal and I made is to really motivate my life change. and Also I have said before that Any weight loss at the end of the week is going to be thrilling and worth while!

Greek Yogurt! Got it. :)

Water on the knee
 

I'll have to take photos, but I may have water on the knee, all the symptoms sound right and the cause may have been a torn ligament. After I work out though I lack pain or even during unless I am doing high impact work outs like running on pavement which I have decided is far too hard on my joints and shins.

I have REALLY bad knees, and have had numerous bouts of "water on the knee". It is usually really pronounced and looks like a golf ball under the skin (or maybe 1/2 a golf ball), when you press on the swelling it visibly moves and you have zero sensation in the skin it's under. It will deflate on it's own, but will maybe take 4-6 weeks while it heals. A torn ligament can feel lots of different ways (depending on the actual ligament), but typically it's a sharp pain in an isolated area. And if you actually have a torn ligament it's best to get it immobilized and stay off it until it heals (otherwise you may end up needing surgery). If you just have pain in the knee and some swelling treat it with ice 2-4 times/day, ibuprophen (Advil or Motrin), and if you tolerate ibuprophen well you can up the dose to 3-4 tablets every 4-6 hours. Ibuprophen is an anti-inflammatory and it will help reduce the swelling and make it feel better, although it doesn't do a thing to heal the problem. Alieve or naproxin sodium is also an anti-inflammatory, but it works longer so that might be a good option for night time, but only if you tolerate it well.

Sorry about the knee honey, I feel your pain - especially this morning.

You Rock!
 

Almeeker, Wow, Excellent stats! I applaud you for losing so much weight, very inspiring :):D

MollyVarie - Grats on the wedding and wanting to lose weight. I have read through this post and I can't help but see a pattern that matches other ppl I know who have struggled with weight loss:

1. Deside to lose weight because of a special event,
2. Make an unrealistic goal (too much, too fast),
3. Begin working out a little heavier than you should,
4. Not being prepared for the pain of starting a workout program,
5. Not being prepared for how much work, working out really is,
6. Finding excuses to stop or reduce your workout (including injury).

I, myself, have been though this.

I would suggest you continue your workouts as best you can. Don't worry about what you will weight at wedding time. This should be a life-time change and something you will never stop. If you can't commit to that, then you're not ready mentally, and you need to re-evaluate your life.

I hope this helps, I really am not trying to be mean. I like ppl to be blunt with me, I hope you do too.

Molly, try to balance your workouts with exercises that don't put so much pressure on your knees, like cycling, swimming, eliptical etc

If you like running I highly recommend the Couch To 5k program. I am on week 3 and seeing improvements every time I go out there and run. It is program that slowly builds on the running so that you prevent injury. You can find it here: Cool Running :: The Couch-to-5K Running Plan If you have an iPhone or an iTouch you can even get an app for it that coaches you through. I absolutely love it!

Another amazing workout designed to burn fat is Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, available on DVD at any bookstore. It is amazing!

Like others have told you, setting your goals too high can lead to disappointment and you shouldn't put that kind of pressure on yourself... especially since you are heading towards one of life's most important events, your wedding. Try to focus on the fact that your wedding is a celebration of your love, and that should include being loving towards yourself. One day you will look back on this time. Do you want to reminisce about how crazed you became about losing weight and hurting yourself? Or do you want to look back and remember how excited you were and how it was the springboard for your new healthy loving way of life? Whatever weight you lose will be an achievement and you will look beautiful if you feel beautiful. Be kind to yourself and enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Good luck!

Thank you, what a nice thing to say, certainly the nicest thing anybody has said to me today - seriously. Yes, the knee will get better, as long as you give it some time to heal. And it will feel better if you take steps to keep the swelling down, ibuprophen, ice, elevation, immobilization, naproxin etc. You just have to keep at it, even when it feels like none of it is helping.

You certainly can still exercise with a bum knee, believe me. Before, between and after my knee surgeries I did PT for almost 2 years. I was in the shape of my life and still have strong hate feelings towards that beastly PT guy. He used to make me walk backwards on the treadmill for hours on end. BACKWARDS at a fairly steep incline. I also did the stair stepper for maybe 20-30 minutes at a time, every stinking day for 2 years. The stationary bike is also the bomb for bad knees, so long as you keep the seat high and don't put your knee at anything more severe than a 90 degree bend. I'm almost 5'-2" and never put the seat lower than the 4th notch, which is probably perfect for someone about 5'-7". You might consider buying a stationary bike for home use. They aren't too pricey, they are available in compact versions which fit almost anywhere and it's really great for the knees, and the buns and the legs, and if you get one with moving arms it's great for the underarm flap too! All good. And for the most part, a bike workout doesn't hurt the next day. These days I use the bike mostly to warm up for all the other stuff I do, 15-20 minutes at top speed, and I'm ready to take on the world.

I would add that I would love to see you get in great shape and be really healthy, and if that happens by your wedding FANTASTIC, but more importantly I hope that being healthy happens to you for the rest of your life, not just the next 7 weeks. Or is it 6 1/2 now? Anyway I think that is what the other posters are trying to say. I think all of us have gone on a diet for a specific event and then after the event we've dropped the diet and gone back to our old ways, gained it all back and then some. We just don't want to see you make that same mistake, I don't think anyone is trying to be mean, just cautionary. It's great if getting married is your "ah-ha" moment, but don't let it fizzle after the vows are said.

My inspiration for getting healthy and staying there is my family, quite specifically the children. DH already had pretty good habits, but he works all the time. I'm home with the kids and until not too long ago, I had some (not all just some) terrible eating habits and I weighed twice what I should. So consequently I was raising the children to be the same way. I've reversed some of that through example, and some through shear stubbornness. We've got a ways to go, but we'll get there. I see in your photo there is a little girl, maybe after the wedding you can add her to the "healthy" motivation and keep it going strong. Just a thought.

I am staying positive. Staying reasonable. staying focused on my goals of being healthy and thin no matter how long that takes. I've made a huge commitment to myself, to my daughter, and to my husband. I don't want to burn out so I am taking it slow. running is off my list of things to do. The elliptical and bike are my Cardio and that 1 mile walk to the gym doesn't hurt either.

Day 3 at the Gym is tomorrow. Took my daughter for a walk down to the park and by the water this morning. Broke a fair sweat. Had a small 300 cal. meal for lunch. Feel ok! Can't wait till tomorrow.

first and foremost... You're Beautiful!!! glad that you didn't stop working out over the knee. There are so many exercies to do that won't hurt your knee. With that said, to actually burn fat you have to get your heart rate up for over thrity minutes. to be more confusing you have to keep it stable within a reasonable bpm (beats per minute) Most gym equipment has heart rate monitors on them-- USE THEM.

be careful not to do a cardio workout--- (the confusing part) a cardio workout works your heart and that is what you condition. puts your body in stress and uses readily available fats not stored fats. the bpm chart on most equipment will show the range according to age. harder is not better.

a fat burning workout-- (what you want) you are laboring your body and it reacts as you want it to. it uses the fat that you have stored --aka thighs and bellies and hips for women. you are not putting your body to its threshold or in other words stressing your heart causing alarm. but it will take your body awhile to register this message - hence the 30 minutes.. but your body will keep burning your stored fat for hours afterward leaving your readily availabe fat alone. get your heart rate--- just not off the chart.

I am going to follow you. totally want to see a picture of you in your wedding gown. :)

Running or jogging in the morning or evening is very healthy. Nowadays people seem to be health conscious and are adapting healthy habits.