Weight Watchers and Skating

[AgnesNitt]

I'd kill for a cookie. 

[Doubletoe]

I hope so double toe.  I've actually GAINED weight recently, and I hope it's because I'm finally building muscle in my hips (which have been non-existent until now).

Otherwise my measurements have stayed pretty much even, and my diet is the same as it always is.  Still, it's depressing to step on a scale and see a higher number when I've been so careful eating!

If your measurements have stayed the same but you've gained weight, it's time for a happy dance!!!!  This means you have built lean muscle mass, which not only gives your body a better shape, but is also guaranteed to burn the fat you have left much faster!  Each muscle cell burns 5x more calories than a fat cell, so building your body's big muscles (glutes, quads, etc) will help you burn more fat even when you aren't exercising!

[FigureSpins]

I've been doing pretty well at planning meals and snacks.  Banana and chocolate milk after skating or working out is perfect if I actually remember to bring it with me.  If not, the voices in my head start up as soon as I put the key in the ignition..."let's stop and get a shrimp,egg roll..." "Yeah, and maybe some boneless spare ribs..." "Or we can stop at the greasy burger joint..." "If I go to a supermarket, I'll buy junk food..."  "What about a Snickers - they have peanuts.  Peanuts are nutritious...""Have to go straight home...have to go straight home..."

When they voices start debating which Chinese restaurant has the best shrimp egg rolls, I kick myself mentally and I reach for the granola bar hidden under the seat.  It worked tonight, but boy is it hard to resist temptation.  I rewarded myself by pricing an alteration to my skating jacket.  The sleeves have always been long, but now it looks sloppy because the jacket's become a little baggy.  I'm down 20 lbs.; only 80 to go!

[4711]

I've been doing pretty well at planning meals and snacks.  Banana and chocolate milk after skating or working out is perfect if I actually remember to bring it with me.  If not, the voices in my head start up as soon as I put the key in the ignition..."let's stop and get a shrimp,egg roll..." "Yeah, and maybe some boneless spare ribs..." "Or we can stop at the greasy burger joint..." "If I go to a supermarket, I'll buy junk food..."  "What about a Snickers - they have peanuts.  Peanuts are nutritious...""Have to go straight home...have to go straight home..."

When they voices start debating which Chinese restaurant has the best shrimp egg rolls, I kick myself mentally and I reach for the granola bar hidden under the seat.  It worked tonight, but boy is it hard to resist temptation.  I rewarded myself by pricing an alteration to my skating jacket.  The sleeves have always been long, but now it looks sloppy because the jacket's become a little baggy.  I'm down 20 lbs.; only 80 to go!

I do admire you.
I am not sure I would have the self control.

matter of fact I think I don't. I just scavenged my desk for the last of the jelly beans I dropped a few days ago (and those were not good ones either, they tasted like scented candles! And no, I do not eat candles! )

But sometimes I wonder if we do not put too much emphasis on the numbers on the scale (as somebody mentioned: muscle weighs more than fat and actually requires energy to function, even in rest) and dress sizes than the important goal: actual gain in fitness and a sustainable lifestyle vs diets we want to break.

I have to admit, I am far from achieving the lifestyle stage. I think I got a box of lettuce and a bag of sugar peas rotting in my fridge as we speak....

BTW: you can make healthier home cooked varieties of most of your favorite foods that probably taste much better than bought, too: my husband makes a killer shrimp egg roll. Remember: fat is not all bad! A bit of fat in your diet keeps you full longer, helping you avoid cravings that wreck your program!

[FigureSpins]

Recipe, please.  My sister's great at making Chinese food at home, but she really works at it and has a pantry like Warehouse 13 with specialty foods from every culture, lol.  My BIL was assigned to the Chinatown police precinct for years, so they developed an appetite for Chinese food and the vendors (who appreciated the burly cops presence) gave them lots of info on ingredients and cooking techniques.

In my case, the scale numbers are important.  I am quite short and I miss being able to skate freely without carrying the equivalent of another person.  Even if I don't make it to my original skating weight, that's okay.  I'll still be healthier than I am now.

[4711]

I will ask him! ^_^

They include a lot of cabbage.

Health and fitness is what counts in the end!

[4711]

Ok, I asked.
The recipe is really simple:
Take a bag of coleslaw cabbage, shredded, that also contains carrots. 'parboil' them (I think he means poaching though ) then add a bag of shrimp. I think he used the small precooked ones, and they were chopped up some. let them warm up. The drain and rinse all of that under cold water. Season with salt and pepper and some soy sauce, wrap in premade wonton/eggroll wrappers, fry.
You can always play with the filling a little, add other things, leave something out.

[ONskater74]

Wow, you ladies really have to work at the whole weightloss/diet thing!  It must really suck to be eating the right stuff and still gain weight. I just eat like sardines and mixed beans out of the can with triscuits... or hamd and cheese sandwiches with pickles and beer. Breakfast is 2 scrambled eggs and 2-3 pieces of bread with butter, peanut butter and honey or marmalade. Of course 2 cups of coffee a day, Lunch is often 2 chicken salad wraps a raisin bran muffin and a Hot Chocolate from Timmies..."$6.19 I'll see you at the window". I guess I eat crappy, and if I want pie or cookies I just buy it and eat it. I'm 6 ft and have been about 150 lbs since I was 18, been 145 the last 6 months or so. Seem to be losing the thin layer of fat on my lower back or something? All my 32" trousers are too loose. But quads, glutes and the rest of my legs seem to be going the right direction.
I wonder if guy diets work for girls? I lived for a few years on pretty much peanut butter sandwiches and coffee/beer.... I guess eating for me is a real bore. So I just look at labels and buy the stuff with the most protein and the least preservatives, that you can eat right out of the can
I'm 38 and ain't dead yet, and in fact feel better than ever, younger, more flexible, fitter, etc.

[4711]

Wow, you ladies really have to work at the whole weightloss/diet thing!  It must really suck to be eating the right stuff and still gain weight. I just eat like sardines and mixed beans out of the can with triscuits... or hamd and cheese sandwiches with pickles and beer. Breakfast is 2 scrambled eggs and 2-3 pieces of bread with butter, peanut butter and honey or marmalade. Of course 2 cups of coffee a day, Lunch is often 2 chicken salad wraps a raisin bran muffin and a Hot Chocolate from Timmies..."$6.19 I'll see you at the window". I guess I eat crappy, and if I want pie or cookies I just buy it and eat it. I'm 6 ft and have been about 150 lbs since I was 18, been 145 the last 6 months or so. Seem to be losing the thin layer of fat on my lower back or something? All my 32" trousers are too loose. But quads, glutes and the rest of my legs seem to be going the right direction.
I wonder if guy diets work for girls? I lived for a few years on pretty much peanut butter sandwiches and coffee/beer.... I guess eating for me is a real bore. So I just look at labels and buy the stuff with the most protein and the least preservatives, that you can eat right out of the can
I'm 38 and ain't dead yet, and in fact feel better than ever, younger, more flexible, fitter, etc.

damn, you are about 10 years too old!  (hides passport)

I don't know, I don't think guy diets work for gals, to tell you the truth.
But I am game for a BP sammich and coffee...I prefer something more savory with my beer though.

[jjane45]

Just because your body is not complaining yet does not mean that specific diet is the best for your health.

Speaking of diet, I now make veggie soup regularly. It's easy to prepare and fulfilling enough to replace a meal here and there, although I am not losing weight at all lol. It also gave me a chance to try out vegetables that I've never heard of, some I fell in love with (yuca root), some I'll not buy again (leek, rutabaga, or parsnip). I think the last batch had sweet potato, carrot, yuca root, rutabaga, potato, ginger, garlic, kale, bittermelon, onion, celery, tomato, in that order. Not too many friends showed interest in my soup though, lol.

[sampaguita]

I'm not overweight by BMI standards, but I do have this layer of belly fat that I want to eliminate. I think I eat pretty healthy, not anorexic nor depriving myself of anything. I rarely eat sweets, and my sugar intake is mainly fruit-based. Sometimes I have jam, but that's pretty much it. I've trained my body to eat what it needs to eat. Sometimes I feel hungry and I eat a lot, sometimes I don't feel like eating. I just listen to my body, since it doesn't really ask for anything "bad" (well, sometimes I get this craving for milk tea or fruit shakes! but that's not too bad). On a somewhat unrelated note, my main problem right now is restraining myself to buy what I call "luxury" drinks -- when I do the math, I can use the same amount of money to pay for other more important things like skating. 

I've been told at the gym that I really need to do cardio since I'm 25% body fat. The trainer told me I should try to do 45 minutes of cardio on the treadmill every other day, but that's something I haven't done because I just don't want to do it. I can handle 2 hours of resistance training, but cardio is just hard -- both on my endurance and my joints. It just never felt right.

Speaking of cardio, is there an exercise that I can do at home that is easier on the joints than running or walking?

[4711]

I hard treadmills are notoriously hard on the joints. Try the bike or go swimming - even though it uses different muscles than skating.

Or speed skating

[jjane45]

...wrap in premade wonton/eggroll wrappers, fry.

I was recently introduced to rice paper and it's remarkably easy to handle: dip in cold water for 10 seconds and let stand for 20 seconds or until soft.

Now it becomes Vietnamese spring roll

[sampaguita]

I hard treadmills are notoriously hard on the joints. Try the bike or go swimming - even though it uses different muscles than skating.

Or speed skating

Ah, glad to know it's not just me, it's the treadmill, lol!

Swimming is out of the question because I can't swim, haha! But we have a machine at home that is similar to a bike so maybe I can use that. Thanks!

[Kitten23]

Give me a Spin Class and I'm in heaven, personally.

I was on WW; couldn't relate to anyone in my meeting and then had school and couldn't make ANY of the meetings.  Tried online, but it just didn't work for me...     What to do???  What to do??

[Landing~Lutzes]

I hope so double toe.  I've actually GAINED weight recently, and I hope it's because I'm finally building muscle in my hips (which have been non-existent until now).

Otherwise my measurements have stayed pretty much even, and my diet is the same as it always is.  Still, it's depressing to step on a scale and see a higher number when I've been so careful eating!

Don't be duscouraged! Muscle weighs more than fat, and also burns more calories than fat! The number on the scale can be so deceiving. Have you ever tried checking your body fat percentage instead of weight? This can be a more accurate way to asses your weight..... You may be surprised to find that the number on the scale can go up while your measurements and body fat percentage go down! :-) as someone who used to weigh myself daily, I now very rarely weigh myself and instead focus on my body fat percentage.

[supra]

My sister does the myfitnesspal thing, and I started doing it too. It sucks for girls. They can only eat 1200 cals a day without working out (on a 1000 deficit) and I can eat 1800 on the same deficit, and most days I end up eating 3000ish on a deficit. My bodyfat is in a medically healthy range (probably 13-15%?) but I still don't look like an Abercrombie model yet. Also if I drop to the 170s from low 180s I might be able to grab a basketball rim, which would be cool at 5'9.

[Purple Sparkly]

Whenever I want to reach for a snack when I'm not really hungry, I remind myself that I have never accidentally eaten anything.  Everything I eat is my choice, so I will choose not to eat that snack right now.

[supra]

Whenever I want to reach for a snack when I'm not really hungry, I remind myself that I have never accidentally eaten anything.  Everything I eat is my choice, so I will choose not to eat that snack right now.

My problem is I sorta got out of the habit of snacking. I either make a giant plate of hot food or just don't eat. It can be bad sometimes, as calorically I won't be even unless I'm actually counting calories, because one day, say, I'll be out or whatever, and have only eaten breakfast, and then I'll have like a 2000 calorie deficit that day. Then next day, it'll be a day I'm doing nothing and have all the time in the world to cook, then 2000 calorie surplus. That type of thing isn't good for your metabolism. For a girl with a lower metabolic rate, though, I guess the "never snack ever" strategy would probably be good. Personally I wish I had things like Cliff bars or whatnot to get some quick calories on the go without being a total idiot about it.

Also, you gotta think about what calories are more "worth it." http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m81z666gfN1qbk3ilo1_500.jpg Like that ramen there (from the Asian market, not my picture, though) is probably about 300-400 calories. Meanwhile a Snickers bar is 300 calories, or a 20oz soda is 300 calories.

[Landing~Lutzes]

Speaking of cardio, is there an exercise that I can do at home that is easier on the joints than running or walking?

Have you ever thought of jump roping? If you do it correctly and focus on a light, springy jump, it's not as hard on your joints. I'm a ballet dancer, and my personal trainer hates the fact that I run, as it is notoriously bad for ballerinas! So she got me started on a jump roping routine and Iam working on 5 minutes straight, daily. Right now I can do about 1 minute straight and then a few second break where I just walk and catch my breat. May be something to try? I'm sure it would help with skating jumps, too.

Also, I think skating is a great form of cardio cross training! Power stroking around the rink is excellent cardio!

[supra]

Buy or make a slideboard. It's got a direct correlation to the skating movement, and it's as easy on the joints as skating stroking is, which is to say pretty easy.

[Kitten23]

Buy or make a slideboard. It's got a direct correlation to the skating movement, and it's as easy on the joints as skating stroking is, which is to say pretty easy.

I'm angry at myself for not taking my old slideboard with me when I moved (I forgot it).  Have you looked at how much those things cost now??   I think I brought mine for $30.00.  Have you made a slideboard?  Is it hard?  Do I need a lot of tools?  I live in an apartment and can't make a lot of noise, especially on Friday nights/Saturday morning-afternoons.

[rachelplotkin]

Buy or make a slideboard. It's got a direct correlation to the skating movement, and it's as easy on the joints as skating stroking is, which is to say pretty easy.

My PT says these are not a good idea because, unlike skating, your lateral motion is abruptly halted by the edges of the board.  Apparently the sudden stopping motion is bad for knees.  Your PT may have a different opinion.  I've never used one so have no real life experience with it.

[supra]

My PT says these are not a good idea because, unlike skating, your lateral motion is abruptly halted by the edges of the board.  Apparently the sudden stopping motion is bad for knees.  Your PT may have a different opinion.  I've never used one so have no real life experience with it.

I don't have a PT. So, maybe I'm wrong about the joint thing. I just really liked the slideboard when I first started out. One thing I'd do to slow things down was hold dumbells in my hand while I was on it, so once things started getting too quick, the dumbells would slow it down and make things harder for you. You can also use a longer board and increase distance to decrease your feet slamming into the end. Also, the board I used was a Reebok one, iirc, and it was ramped up to the stopper, it didn't just stop totally at 90 degrees.

As far as making one, a guy on youtube said his was easy to make. He got a piece of "hard board" from Lowes for like $6, and it's smooth. I have some scrap linoleum I was planning to use to make mine, but shortly after I got the linoleum, I pretty much got bored/tired of the slideboard and just concentrated on weights instead. The only issue with the hardboard idea is it's not easy to store. Hard board is like, the compressed cardboard type stuff you can use to put up as a wall. Like the same material as like a peg board, but smooth. I think ideally, a slideboard would be made of I think polyurethane, but PU is pretty expensive to buy as sheets. One slideboard that used to be at my gym that got stolen by the hockey specific people who train there was made of plywood, and then the plastic part was only about a millimeter thick. It was also adjustable out to like 8 or more feet long or something like that.

http://www.goaliestore.com/board/doctor-ice/95699-just-built-goalie-slide-board.html
Here's some plans similar to what I saw on the youtube video.

Basically, you can slide on anything as long as it's not rough. My gym's hard wood floors in the aerobic studio probably slid just as well as the slideboard did.

OH! One problem for slideboards I had was the Reebok one, though fairly portable, because it rolled and unrolled, it wouldn't stick too well to the floor. To the rubber floor in the weight room I usually didn't have to barricade it too much, but at 180-195lbs when I used it, it wouldn't stick to a wood floor at all, I'd have to stack like 2 45lb plates at the end with yoga mat sticker things down the length of everything, it was a pain to set up. Something to keep in mind if you decide to go try to find a piece of linoleum or whatever and do it at home. Also, if you don't have slideboard specific boots, get your most slippery socks. Athletic socks aren't slippery. I wore dress socks.

[Vicki7]

I do Slimming World, so a totally different plan, but I'm finding that my skating stamina is improving as I'm now carrying 16lbs less

Now, to stop accepting when coach offers me chocolate haha