The traditional method of thinking when it comes to weight loss is something like this: If you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. Many people go out and binge and then think "I need to go for an extra long work out to make up for all the calories I just took in". This kind of thinking is ok, but it doesn't capture the whole story.
As I've mentioned before, keeping your metabolism up is key when it comes to weight loss and a good schedule can give you better results than just working out. For instance, suppose that person above goes out and does a rigorous workout during which they burn 1500 calories and then doesn't do anything for the next week. Another person breaks this routine into 3 500-calories workouts throughout the week. The first person will raise their metabolism at the beginning of the week, but it will then drop steadily throughout the rest of the week. The second person will keep their metabolism higher throughout the week. The result is that the second person's metabolism will be higher on average and so they will burn more calories. Of course, regular exercise has other benefits as well such as strengthening your heart and muscles. Sporadic exercise tends to put extra stress on the heart and body but doesn't but doesn't strengthen anything--the result is that it can be worse than not working out at all.
When trying to lose weight, your plan should be an assault on your metabolism. If you've been working out for a while and notice that you're no longer getting the results that you used to, it's because your metabolism is no longer high enough to compensate for the number of calories you are taking in. This can happen if you reduced the number of calories you were taking in, but it can also happen because you are lighter than you were and just don't burn as many calories during your daily activity.
A great way to combat the fact that your metabolism will naturally drop as you lose weight is by adding muscle. For one thing, doing strength training is a form of exercise you can do on days when you aren't doing cardio, but it also does a lot to increase your BMR. It takes a lot of calories for your body to maintain muscle mass, so just having this extra muscle mass makes your body work harder. If you find yourself starting to plateau, give weight lifting a try.
Updates
Some people did not submit updates. I've left those entries blank.
<GreekHouse> June was a pretty good month for me. I unofficially crossed over the 50 pounds lost mark! I do my normal weigh ins in the morning now, but I used to do them after I worked out. After my workouts, I've weighed in as low as 213.4--down from my high of 265.4. I'm still yet to "officially" weigh in under 215.4, but that will come soon.
My best friend from Iowa State is moving to Colorado at the end of the month, so I imagine this month will not be a good one for me because I'll be spending more time with him and not focusing as much on trying to lose weight. I've been losing weight for so long now, I'm confident that I'll have no trouble finishing off the job soon and spending time with my friend is just more important for me this month.
</GreekHouse>
<SBG>
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<Andrew> I've been really, really bad about my fitness lately. As it turns out, only softball is more conducive to drinking than rugby. Throw in my birthday and a couple of important international rugby matches (Lions vs. Springboks) and I've been hitting the bar harder than the gym. And to top it all off, I hurt my knee sometime last week. So, at the very least I'm gonna adjust my diet (less beer, actual food), until I can get back on my knee.
</Andrew>
<Rhubarb_Runner>
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<Jonas>
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<DreadPirateWillYoung> A pretty mediocre June as I just treated water with my weight and didn't watch what I ate very well. My plan to continue playing 3-basketball games a week fizzled as summer began and all the staff around here decided to take off a lot of time leaving us scrambling for players. However, I did supplement it with a weekly soccer game with the students that I'm going to try to maintain. Also, I pretty much abandoned the weightroom until last week so I lost some strength on some of my lifting. That will be making a return.
</DreadPirateWillYoung>
<Cheaptoy>I've had a pretty busy travel schedule over that past couple of months that have made it fairly tough to keep up with my standard routine, but I've been able to get my workouts in when I can. I'm up to about 193 - 194 lbs, so I'm doing well there, and I'm making gains in my weightlifting, so it isn't all fat. My fiancee just got a bike, and I finally got around to getting a tire pump, so I'm hoping to start getting out on some casual bike rides a couple of times per week.
</Cheaptoy>
<Rob>
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<NewGuy>
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<Yickit> Well June has been a pretty good month for activity. Summer brings summer sports: Golf, Kickball, Softball, Swimming, etc. I've been fortunate enough so far to be pretty active and get outside. I still haven't met any of my goals from January, but before I gorged myself on cheeseburgers and all you can drink booze on my honeymoon, I was close. I'm not sure what I weigh at the moment, but its somewhere between where I started and my low point for the year.
So for July I'm looking to continue what I've restarted in June. Namely: running a couple of times a week, messing around on the Wii Fit[I just bought a neoprene cover for the board, which has helped my hands not to slip as much making it much easier to use.], keeping track of my exercise and nutrition on Dailyburn.com [formerly Gyminee], and eating a bit less by weight, while focusing on having as many fresh fruit and vegetables as I can afford during their prime season.
So there you have it. July is always a good month.
</Yickit>
<CarterHayes>
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<meat>
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<FreeAlonzo> I have had a frustrating couple of months. I have been exercising more than ever with either an exercise bike, real bike, a little tennis, and even doing some weights.
However, I've gained a few pounds, or at best stayed flat. Some of it is due to the weight lifting as I am obviously adding muscle to my arms and upper body. But some of it is due to increased calorie intake. I wouldn't mind if the weight stayed the same as long as the remaining spare tire went away.
Good news is that although I am frustrated I haven't given up. I bike a lot and plan a 60 mile trip this Friday, a 160 two-day trip in July and a 110 mile one-way trip in August.
I am going to start an weight regiment that concentrates on the abs and redouble my efforts to reduce calories. Hopefully that will show some loss of pounds.
</FreeAlonzo>
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public shaming!!! heh. way to call out the slackers!
this weekend's recipe: swiss chard frittata.
1 bunch (about 8 large leaves) swiss chard. Trim the stems, strip the leaves, wash both well. chop the stems and coarsely shred the leaves. (substitutes: 2-3 cups of fresh spinach; or a cup or so of steamed broccoli, cut into small pieces)
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced.
2 strips bacon, diced (or omit the bacon and use oil to saute the veggies)
6-8 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork, mixed with a splash of milk (2-3 Tbsp)
1/2 cup (a handful) shredded cheese (cheddar, jack or swiss would be fine).
salt and pepper
start the bacon in a cold, oven-proof pan (preferably a large cast iron skillet). fry over medium heat to render the fat, spooning it off to a bowl as you go. when the bacon is satisfactorily crispy, remove to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
add back into the pan some of the reserved bacon fat, the onion and the chopped stems. season lightly with salt. fry on medium-low until the onions are nicely carmelized and the stems are soft (about 10-15 minutes). raise the heat to medium and add in the mushrooms, stirring frequently. When the mushrooms are cooked down and most of their liquid is evaporated, add in a touch more bacon fat or oil, the shredded greens and another sprinkle of salt. stir to coat the greens and cover for a minute to wilt them. Uncover and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the eggs. Return to low heat, stirring to distribute the vegetables. As the curd begins to set, stir in the cheese and bacon. You want everything nicely distributed, not all sunk to the bottom.
Continue to cook on the stovetop while pre-heating your broiler, about 5 minutes. The eggs should be almost fully set and you should smell some browning of the eggs as the bottom forms a light crust. adjust the oven rack to the second level from the top. broil the eggs for a minute or two to lightly brown the top, being careful not to burn the crap out of the dish.
return the pan to a cool spot on the stove and let stand for at least 10 minutes. serve in wedges either warm or room temperature with a salad and fresh fruit. Not exactly diet food, but not "heavy" either, thanks to the substantial infusion of veggies.
I love recipes that require making bacon and subsequently using the fat later on.
And for what it's worth, Kari got some cast iron skillets for her bridal shower that we get to pick up in two short weeks. I'm significantly excited by them.
you gotta balance the pork fat with the beef fat in your diet.
I made a veggie version of this today for late breakfast/brunch, with no bacon, and substituting broiled asparagus for the greens, and crumbled feta for the cheese. Yumm.
but I used the top rack, not the second rack, under the broiler.
Don't let anyone tell you you're a bad influence on the WGOM Fitness Challenge.
eggs are good for you
Did my update not get to you? I did forget to put "cheaptpy" at the end of it, so if you have one from some weird person with no username, that's me.
Sorry about that, I just missed it. It's up there now.
No problem, I'll try to remember to sign my emails. I think I was a little under the influence when I wrote that.
Interesting piece on how and when to eat before, during and after exercising, from Tara Parker-Pope's "Well" blog at the NYT.