Am I doing enough to get back in it?

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Tian-Tian, Sep 10, 2009.

  1. Tian-Tian

    Tian-Tian Awesome 15 minutes a day.

    So I've returned from a long summer of being out of commission due to a car accident that had me in a neck brace for three weeks and physical therapy for four. My back is, as of this moment, still giving me problems. (I just got done icing down after just getting back from swimming 825 yards at my college pool; whew!)

    Since my accident, I have set my goals:
    • Get my weight back down under 200 lbs.
    • Regain my flexibility
    • Further improve my skills in Tae Kwon Do and Hosin-Hapkido.

    Here's the breakdown of my "training schedule" (as copy/pasted from my MAP journal):

    Monday
    - Beginner TDK (which I sometimes arrive at and wind up volunteer TA-ing for)-11am-noon
    - Intermediate TDK-noon-1pm
    - Swimming conditioning-5-6pm

    Tuesday
    - Beginning Hapkido (which I am actually an assistant/volunteer TA for)-10am-11am

    Wednesday
    - Beginner TDK (which I sometimes arrive at and wind up volunteer TA-ing for)-11am-noon
    - Intermediate TDK-noon-1pm
    - Swimming conditioning-5-6pm

    Thursday
    - Beginning Hapkido (which I am actually an assistant/volunteer TA for)-10am-11am
    - TDK club practice, 6:30-8pm

    Friday
    - No physical-ed classes.

    I am drinking lots of water, cutting back heavily on salts, increasing my protein intake and eating lots more fruits and veggies.

    I weighed myself just after swimming this evening and I weigh in at a hefty 210 lbs. This is an uncomfortable weight to carry around... and it's heck on my back, neck and the rest of my joints.

    So is my schedule too much, too little? Each day I'm getting better health-wise but I still come home achy, sore, tired and frustrated that I can't do my middle split anymore. Every once in a while I get these awful back spasms that hurt like crazy, too!!

    Help me out?

    Thanks,
    ~Eva

    P.S. Pictures can be provided at your request, just in case you might need some reassurance that I'm not a "lost cause" at 210 lbs... because some people already seem to think that about me. :(
     
  2. Spinmaster

    Spinmaster Valued Member

    You're not a "lost cause" by any means. My dad used to be over 300 lbs, and my mom has finally managed to get him to stick with a good diet (Hallelujah Diet, specifically. It's vegan, and like 90 percent raw, I think), and he's dropping the weight nicely. The next trick will be to get him doing consistent exercise... But with your interest in MA and such, that part shouldn't be much of a problem for you. :)
    You just have to be willing to make yourself eat properly. That's easier said than done, I know... I love my food more than I should. :( Thankfully I have a fast metabolism, so I haven't really packed on extra pounds... but I know it'll eventually catch up to me. I'm hoping/planning to start eating better sometime in the not-to-distant future, because Coach is looking to get my brother and me into some competitions next year, and I want every edge I can get.
    Sorry for the rambling, it's late and I'm tired. :p
     
  3. Tian-Tian

    Tian-Tian Awesome 15 minutes a day.

    Actually, Spinmaster, I had a feeling you'd be the first to comment. And frankly, I know I can trust your input because you're sensible and understanding.

    Oh, darn that blasted food! If we didn't need it to live, I'd say do away with it!! :rolleyes:
     
  4. Su lin

    Su lin Gone away

    It's actually not that hard. Increase cardio, eat regularly, more lean protein and less sugar, bad fats and bad carbs. Easy :)

    If you really want to succeed you won't find it hard giving up the bad food. Plus remember to have around 10% cheat meals per week so you still get a little fun. :)
     
  5. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    I have to agree with Spinmaster and Su Lin.

    You are not a lost cause. If you get your diet sorted out, that should make a major impact on your weight. Obviously, because you are carrying injuries, you have to be careful about what you do, but if you could add some weight training to your routine, that will help with the weight loss.

    A good idea for monitoring weight loss is to take monthly photos of yourself, as these can showing changing body composition, sometimes more effectively than the scales alone can. You may, initially, be replacing fat with muscle and, therefore, your weight may not drop as rapidly as you want.

    I would also recommend keeping a food diary.
     
  6. embra

    embra Valued Member

    Try Spirulina and Chorella - both are full of nutrients (cant remember what of the top of my head) and practicially empty you inside out.

    Also, I suggest going to your doc and requesting a full lipid profile Cholestoral test and keep getting tested at least every year, more frequently preferably. I dont know what the US measures are, but if you are behind on HDL (the good Cholestoral) which we nearly all are - because none of us eat enough fatty fish oils - unless you are an eskimo; then take Omega 3-6-9 supplements and buckets of herring/mackrel - this will improve the bio-chemistry of your cholestoral mechanisms no end.

    Ask with other people on this forum (Cosmic Fish I think is one), because their is a lot that can be done with ones internal bio-chemistry to get ones blood flow quality and metabolism working efficiently; which then make it easier to burn fat when exercising.

    Su-lin's dont eat sugar is important (this is my big problem).
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2009
  7. Gary

    Gary Vs The Irresistible Farce Supporter

    I wouldn't bother with supplements if you have a lot to lose to be honest. Concentrate on cutting sugars right back and getting your food in as natural a state as possible. I like Mark Sisson's stuff at Mark's Daily Apple personally, his approach is similar to Paleo diets but closer aligned to what we'd actually have been eating.

    My girlfriend has been following his primal blueprint for a while now and her weight loss has been sure but steady. She's had a lot of people ask her 'secret' and want to follow the same diet. She's lost over a stone (140lbs to 125lbs so far) and progress only stalled when she got lazy and started adding in too many cheats. This is pretty gratifying since the diet seems to go against a lot of common knowledge, seeing her lose weight while on a diet of curries, steak, sausages and so on has quietened a lot of her critics at work, half of which were on vegetarian diets/diet shakes/very low calorie diets and so on, all of which failed at some point. She hasn't been counting calories, instead keeping her diet clean (no processed foods, no sugars, very few starchy foods, no vegetable oils) while eating plenty of natural foods (meats (lean and fatty), fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts and a little dairy occasionally and letting her hormones get to a state where they can start doing what their supposed to do and using energy instead of storing it and making her less hungry as food is used rather than stored. It makes the diet easy once you get past the initial cravings for quick energy sources, plus it sorts out a lot of other issues. She's had clearer skin, a huge drop in allergic reactions like hay fever and her asthma inhaler has been relegated to a drawer. A cholesterol test at work gave her Triglyceride to HDL ratio as 0.5, anything under 2 is considered excellent. LDL was low but without testing for ApolipoproteinB for good/bad LDL it's fairly irrelevant. For exercise she plays badminton once a week, which wont be having a huge effect on weight loss!

    I can't recommend the approach enough, personally I can't remember the last time I fell sick or felt tired during the day, plus fat loss has never been a problem.

    One last thing, before you consider yourself a lost cause consider one of my favourite quotes from Henry Ford:

     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2009
  8. Tian-Tian

    Tian-Tian Awesome 15 minutes a day.

    Y'all are awesome. Just so you know. :hat:

    Okay, after my crazy workouts yesterday, I was feeling a little nauseous and very weak before I passed out on my bed around 10pm. I'm feeling better this morning, just very sore all over. :eek:

    Food so far this morning:
    - applesauce (1 cup) (note: yep, it's got sugar. I guess I'll be giving the rest of it to someone else...?)
    - water

    I'm craving a banana for some reason. :confused: Mmmm...

    P.S. This inspires me: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3MSVMTTWaw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3MSVMTTWaw[/ame]
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2009
  9. Spinmaster

    Spinmaster Valued Member

    Thanks, I appreciate that. :) Sometimes my folks describe me slightly differently though... :evil:

    If you're craving a banana, eat a banana! One thing I've heard is that you don't really need to limit your consumption of raw fruits and vegetables, your body will tell you when you've had enough. In any case, much better than craving/eating chocolate or bacon like I'm doing now. :p
     
  10. Gary

    Gary Vs The Irresistible Farce Supporter

    +1

    A banana is about as sugary as fruit gets yet you'd need ten of them to get the equivalent sugar of a mars bar from them, plus you'd get all the extra nutrients and fibre.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2009
  11. Tian-Tian

    Tian-Tian Awesome 15 minutes a day.

    I just downed a banana and about 1 liter of water after Hapkido practice. :hat:

    SO GOOD.

    Question: If I were to go grocery shopping within this week or next, what should be on my list? :eek:

    I'm thinking something along the lines of:
    - bananas
    - apples
    - celery
    - peanut butter (DELICIOUS)
    - whole wheat bread
    - cheese (because I love cheese and no diet I ever go on should do without cheese)
    - milk (2%, 1% or go fat-free?)
    - grapes
    - apricots and/or peaches
    - oranges/tangerines
    - apples
    - MEAT. (I don't know what kind, yet. :confused: )
    - alfalfa sprouts!! (yum!)
    - Fish oil?? (I'm still gonna need convincing on this one)

    Offer up more suggestions, please! :)
     
  12. embra

    embra Valued Member

    T-T, I suggest that you find out what it is that you are doing that is causing the back spasms as well.

    I suspect that it is partly muscular and partly spinal, but you should 'listen' very carefully to see where the tension is coming from, and maybe see someone to help deal with it with some extra exercises, designed to remove tension.

    I suspect you are being too ambitious with your MA routines right now, but this is just my suspicion - Im not you and Im not a physio.

    Also, go to a nutritionist with your diet plans.
     
  13. Tian-Tian

    Tian-Tian Awesome 15 minutes a day.

    Newsflash: I totally discovered that there is a nutritionist/ fitness center on campus!! I know where I'll be headed for the rest of the semester. :) Whoo-hoo!

    Embra, I've always been a little too ambitious for my own good, but so far things have always worked out. :cool:

    Don't worry, my swimming conditioning coach already got after me yesterday because I was pushing too hard on my back during my streamline drills. And Master Yoon told me to not run on my ankle for a while, since it's been acting up.... and Anthony warned me to work on just hand techniques for now during club practice (which is tonight).

    In short: my instructors have already warned me about pushing myself too hard. I got the message and I'm just doing the best I can to not further injure myself, but neither let myself "go soft" with my efforts, either.

    In other news: I'm craving an apple right now. :eek:
     
  14. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Buy more veggies. Carrots, sprouts, peppers, onions, spinach etc. If you have a freezer, I highly recommend frozen veggies and fruit. They make life so much easier, just grab some and whack them in the microwave and you've got your veggie portion sorted. You can add them to soups, scrambled eggs, in fact anything you can think of. With frozen fruit, you can defrost it in the fridge overnight and mix it with your breakfast.

    For meat, buy lean cuts of chicken and turkey.

    Yes to the fish oil, do not avoid this!
     
  15. Gary

    Gary Vs The Irresistible Farce Supporter

    Why lean cuts of meat?
     
  16. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    I don't know why I typed 'lean' - I put it down to it being Friday morning and I'm really tired and have a million things to do today!

    Tian-Tian, ignore the 'lean' bit in my previous post. Fat on meat is not your enemy (and it tastes darned good too)!
     
  17. Gary

    Gary Vs The Irresistible Farce Supporter

    Awesome, I was just getting ready for a thread split about saturated fats and cholesterol types!
     
  18. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    It might be worth starting one of those anyway. Heck, I get confused with all the different recommendation out there, so I wouldn't be surprised if others do too.

    Just a quick question... have you actually bought Mark's (of the Daily Apple site) Primal Blueprint book, and is it worth it or is just reading his website enough? I'm in need of a new book to read!
     
  19. Gary

    Gary Vs The Irresistible Farce Supporter

    I've not read it, but I've been following his site for ages which has a huge back catalogue. He posts daily and has been at it for years so there's well over 1000 posts up. I've read a lot of them so I suspect the book would just be a concentrated form of the posts. I'd still consider it myself though, it would be a nice resource if it's anywhere near his usual quality.
     
  20. Tian-Tian

    Tian-Tian Awesome 15 minutes a day.

    A little meat + fat never harmed anyone, then? In moderation, I assume.

    So I don't know if anyone hopped over to my journal since last night, but I was in terrible pain all through my back, neck, shoulders, ankle and wrist. It was absolutely awful. Ibuprofen didn't help one bit and I had to resort to a muscle relaxant just so I could sleep through the muscle spasms.

    My TENS unit still hasn't arrived, so I'm gonna have to reorder it AGAIN. *sigh*

    I'm gonna head over to University Health Services today and see if someone can help me over there. These spasms are getting out of hand... and just when I was doing well, too!!

    Do y'all think I should take a week break from physical activity until I can figure out what's going on? Rest and recover, that sort of thing.
     

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