| Archive for The Magic Bus Trip Never get off the Bus! |
| mae_west |
little help here...I was cruising on a low(er) carb diet in late April and early May. I would eat 3 eggs for breakfast, fried in butter. I also had a piece of squirrely bread ( bread made from sprouted wheat- a local product) toasted with butter. I was sticking to mostly meat for the rest of the day and eating the local asparagus- usually steamed with butter and lemon. Other days when I had no asparagus, I would eat an asian broccoli salad or no veggies at all. I also make homemade ice cream.While eating this way and with very little exercise, I lost 11 pounds in 5 weeks. Then I moved the veggies out and the exercise in. I don't walk outside because of my allergies. I do Denise Austins fat blast walk. There is a 15 minute mile that incorporates some high intensity into the walk (30 to 60 seconds), which I like. I have been doing this 15 minute set and another 15 minute set alternately two times in a row (60 minutes total) followed by 10 minutes of stretching. I do this 1 hr. workout 2 days in a row (my days off). If I have time - and I try to make time- I do another 30 or 45 minutes the next day. This is when I have time to do exercise, because of my work hours and being a single mom, my time is not always my own. During the 2 full weeks that I was doing this, I lost NO weight. I read that when you start a new exercise routine that your body is not used to (ie more intensity ) you may not lose for 4 to 6 weeks. My problem is (and jump in here any time with ideas people) am I not losing because of the exercise? Or am I making too many changes all at once? Do I keep up the exercise the way I am? Or do I stop the exercise and just concentrate on the ultra low carb way of eating and then add exercise later? My main goal is to lose the weight. I do not want to hamper this by doing too much. No loss after 5 straight weeks of loss was kind of depressing. I was losing weight eating bread (just one slice and it is so tasty- 17 carbs per slice and 5 gr. of fiber = 12 gr ****and totally coated in sesame seeds!!) I am also trying to encourage others to try this way of eating. Not too successful if I cannot lose any weight doing it myself. Any help and ideas would be appreciated! Mae |
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| Dan |
Cardio wont make a hell of a difference unless taken to an extreme. Consider: walking an hour at 3 mph might burn 400 calories. 9 days later if you don't eat more to compensate, you'll lose an extra pound---perhaps.
Hit the weights. Extra muscle burns calories 24-7. Cardio only burns calories while you do it. |
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| mae_west |
Thank you!Thanks Dan!!!!! That is what I am talkin' about!Do you have any links to sites where I can learn correct form at home? Are there dvd's somewhere that would show me what to do? What weights do I need to start out? Any info is appreciated! What eating plan are you following or do you recommend for beginners? Is induction better than ultra (<5 carbs) low carb? Just wondering... |
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| Dan |
Re: Thank you!
For a book (and DVD) on strength training on a low carb diet, Slow Burn For instructions on performing exercises
Get a 100 lb, cast iron (avoid the vinyl ones---they're crap) weight set from Sears or WalMart. Should come with a barbell and some dumbbell handles. You also might want to invest in a folding bench (or at least a stability ball---don't try to use a barbell on those though.)
My carbs rarely go over 40. My protein is about 1 gm/lb. The rest is as much fat as I can cram in a day. Good luck. |
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| Dean |
Re: little help here...Mae,It's calories in versus calories out that will make the difference in weight loss. Exercise should not be used to burn calories. Exercise should be used to get yourself in shape... change your body composition, so that you have more muscle... change your hormonal environment, so you will setup a better "calories out" situation (better metabolism). As Dan said... having more muscle is going to help burn more calories 24/7. And, having certain hormones in the correct ratios is also going to help setup a certain environment that will help to build muscle and to burn fat. That is the reason for watching macro ratios, and for exercising. BUT... you still have to watch calories, cuz they are going to play a part as well. Cardio is a wonderful thing for moving lymph (getting rid of toxins), improving cardiovascular health, etc. Depending on what type of cardio you do, you will also be manipulating hormones, which could either help you build muscle (an anabolic environment) or could actually tear muscle down (catabolic environment). It's hard to know about cardio. It's confusing. But, resistance training (if done correctly) will help you change your body composition to more muscle and less fat. It will setup a great hormonal environment as well. Some say HIIT workouts help do the same thing. It sounds like you have been doing a version of HIIT already. Your experience with a stall could have to do with gaining more muscle, which weighs more than fat... or it could be coincidental and have nothing to do with exercise, changes to your eating, or whatever. Remember that there are SO many reasons to eat VLC... that have nothing to do with losing weight or changing your body composition via hormonal environments, etc. But, changing the hormonal environment can provide you with health benefits that you won't notice on the scale. Excess insulin, blood sugar, etc. is not a good thing. And, balancing the hormones to a more beneficial state is what LCing can help you do. Hormones balance one another, in a cascade effect. If you have an unusually high level of one hormone, it can touch off all sorts of problems, because of the balance being thrown off in your body. This can have all sorts of ramifications for your health... including, but not limited to, more body fat. There are body builders who get super ripped eating extremely high carbs. They look fantastic! But, are they really healthy on the inside? Eating some carbs is not going to hurt you that much. Eating too many probably will. If you really love your slice of bread, don't sweat it. But, I think it has been shown that lowering carbs is going to be advantageous to one's health. Exercise is too. I'm sorry you have not seen the weight loss that you want. You might wanna use FitDay and track your calories, and find some way of measuring your body fat, either with calipers, or certain body measurements, or bioelectric impedance scales (there are a lot of inexpensive ones out there now). If you notice that you are gaining muscle, and know that this is why you are not losing weight, it will ease your mind a lot. I agree with Dan on the calories out with more muscle on your body. Look how many calories he eats, and it's just helping him grow more muscle. That's the advantage of resistance training over cardio. Good luck, keep us posted, and start a journal and/or exercise log if it helps. We all can benefit from one another's experiences. BTW... here is a link that Jake posted awhile ago. It has lots of different resistance exercises, and shows the proper form (very important, as I'm sure you know). http://magicbus.myfreeforum.org/about702.html Also... to obtain weights you might wanna check http://craigslist.org/ There are people selling all kinds of weights and benches for dirt cheap all the time on craigslist. IMO, the safest way to go to start off would be dumbbells and a bench... especially if you have no spotter. They can give you a better and more versatile resistance workout too. |
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| Dave |
Re: little help here...
BOO!! I diasagree! BOO! Get off the stage! *throws rotten tomatoes at Dean* BOO! |
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| mae_west |
You guys are funny!
Seriously tho, I need to be low carb because I am a carb addict. I did not find that the bread caused cravings, and it did go a long way to helping me get a grip on uncontrolled eating because the bread and 3 eggs was good for about 6 hours or more. Plus it is tasty. I was still running around 30 to 40 carbs total a day, with the bread. I decided to cut the bread out and try to go very low carb and at the same time to increase my exercise- in the form of cardio ( I already had the dvds and it works into my schedule). I am concerned that even tho I will lose weight on low carb and very low carb I will not get the toning that I want at the end of the day- hence the increase in exercise. What I want is a toned body when all the fat is gone. All I hear is cardio, cardio, cardio. So I started with cardio. But when I read stuff on this board.....maybe I am not doing the right thing for my body in the long run. Do I need cardio? It makes sense to have cardiovascular strength. Cardio strengthens the heart and helps in fat loss (somewhat). Will it tone me? Not likely unless it is in combination with HIIT- correct? So, what is the best way to achieve a toned, strong healthy body after years of abuse at the hands of flour and sugar? I will look in to the dvd's on weight lifting/sculpting. I want to look reallllllly good when I lose my weight. Scary good! Like, Wow, you are too old to look that good good! Any other ideas are welcome. I want my best for me! Again, you bus folk are great! Mae |
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| Dan |
Weight training will spike your metabolism more than cardio is likely to. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn each day just being alive AND the lower your insulin resistance will be. If you keep calories constant and work at making yourself stronger your body will become leaner and more shapely. A strength training program with short rests between sets/exercises will provide cardiovascular conditioning. I assure you when I lift weights and keep my rest periods under a minute, my heart is beating in my throat. Take just enough time between sets to catch your breath and you will be fine. Also as you build muscle, your body produces new blood vessels to feed it, which means your circulation becomes more efficient. If you want to run/jog/do aerobics/whatever, do it because you enjoy it, but don't expect it to make sweeping changes in your appearance. Toning is simply: dieting to lose fat + exercising to add muscle size.
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| Dean |
You and a whole lot of other folks, including ME! 
That's a good reason to include it in your diet. Coffee with half & half does the same thing for me. I love the treat... and it keeps my mind off other junk food. I would suspect, that while the bread gave you a small treat that you need psychologically, the eggs kept your body running and kept you satiated... the fat in the eggs especially.
Some say cardio is worthless. I think it is great. But, no matter the type of cardio (HIIT or otherwise), it won't really help you with muscle toning. Only resistance workouts are gonna help you with that. That's not to say there are not any benefits with cardio (especially if you enjoy it). But, keep in mind that too much cardio may take away from the gains you are trying to make with resistance training. Too much cardio can put you in a state that will tear down your muscle. So, finding the right amount is the trick. And, it is one hell of a trick, believe me. I struggle with deciding that one all the time... and am not the only one who does. Don't just give it up completely, though. It is good for you. HIIT may be best. ??? When you find out the answer to how much and what type of cardio to do... go to this thread and let me know, would ya? 
http://magicbus.myfreeforum.org/about727.html Thanks. |
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| Dean |
Re: little help here...
Well... if weight loss comes about from burning your excess stores via cellular respiration... and calories are simply a measurement of energy... then what are we talking about here, Dave? 
I think the problem and confusion that everyone has about calories, is food is given a value of how much energy it will provide (expressed in calories)... but, for some people that food provides excess energy (which gets stored), and for some people that food will supply energy that will get burned up very quickly. Ask a world class cyclist how much pasta she can put away (and burn off) during a world class race. Give a totally sedentary individual with a severe metabolic disorder the same amount of pasta (same number of calories) and watch how much of that stuff is going to get stored as body fat. Calories in versus calories out. A simple measurement of energy transfer. Problem is, how is this energy getting used? Perhaps futile cycles exist, so that fat will get used differently than other substrates involved in cellular respiration. But, it is still getting used (calories out). So, I don't understand why people are so reluctant to hear about calories in/calories out. What other way can energy transfer involving food and/or metabolism be expressed, Dave? Clue me in to the new paradigm.
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| mae_west |
The interesting thing about the Denise Austin video is how she incorporates upper body toning into her lower body workout. I tried a Leslie Sansone video, but Leslie likes to talk more than stretch.
Denise brings it in the toning and high intensity without much notice, so you are "walking" along and boom now you are really moving. I know I can feel the fat loss in my upper body more, but that could be because there is less there. My biceps are definately getting stronger. I do measure myself, but like the scale, it is not accurate. I trust how my clothes feel. I like the idea of the slow burn video. It would be nice to learn slow and correct form and have those results so fast. My guess would be that I would actually have to do it more often? Or is it just 40 minutes a week, period? who are "most" people? Thin people who need to tone or everyone? The only thing I don't like about slow burn is the 26 bucks for shipping. Seems excessive, unless they are like ebay and that's how they make $$. Still, it is a more reasonable price to be able to work out at home. I want to get in to shape so I can go to the pool and swim with my daughter and not feel self conscious (at least not feel self conscious about my weight!!) I saw that comment on calories in calories out on a British special on Atkins. Besides getting the whole low carb concept wrong, the participants in the study were eating spagetti on the low carb diet they did for 2 weeks. Everyone (even low cal) lost a couple of pounds. That made me really wonder about the calories in/out thing. We all know that eating high fat low carb works. It does not fit in that little box of calories in/out quite as well as the old concept of low calorie/low fat. I am not sure why, but I do know it works for me!! Mae |
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| Rich |
Hi Mae,
I am a personal fitnes trainer, so maybe I can help. What types of things to you have access to? |
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| Dean |
I think that when most people give up the carb foods they are eating so much of, they naturally limit their calorie intake so much that they lose weight. Their metabolism might also start burning more calories as well. There are so many calories in junk food that when you cut all that stuff out, you have tons of room for fat. Eating fat will cut your appetite down so much, a person won't eat as much. Keeping up with the blood sugar roller coaster by stuffing carbs in your mouth all day is not going to limit your food intake. These are some of the reasons that low carb works so well at helping people lose weight... and why people on low fat diets HAVE to count calories, cuz if they don't they will consume too many. That is why it seems that calorie counting is necessary on low fat, and not so on low carb. Because it IS necessary. BUT... that does NOT mean that calories are not going to count... it just means that YOU don't have to count them if you are doing high fat/low carb. When you start to heal your metabolism by eating the natural human diet, you will start burning more calories. Just the fact that you have altered your hormonal environment to naturally put on more muscle is going to help you burn more calories. Calories in/calories out. Futile cycles may play a part as well. But, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It HAS to be transferred. Just HOW it gets transferred may be elusive, but that does not mean the laws of thermodynamics have been overthrown. Of course, the BEST part of all this is that low carbers are NOT consuming all the EMPTY calories (the food that has no nutrients) and ARE consuming nutrient dense food (animal food). So, their overall health is going to be WAY better for that. |
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| mae_west |
Hi Rich,
I work shift work and can't afford to spend too much in the beginning until I know if it is something I can stick with. I like workout dvd's because I can do them at home and eventually learn the correct way to do things (aerobic dvd's are too annoying). That is why I like the Denise Austin tapes. I want to learn proper strength/resistance training. Any ideas??? Thanks, Mae |
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| Rich |
There is a video series called The Firm, they have been around for 20 years.
IMHO they have the best workout videos for the home. Here is their website www.FirmDirect.com I am sure you can pick up their videos on ebay or something. |
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| mae_west |
Thanks! | ||||||
| Ryan |
Here is an alternative option, if you don't have a lot of time:
http://www.amazon.com/Every-Woman...oks&qid=1184005119&sr=8-1 Another book written for both men and women is: http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Sev...oks&qid=1184005119&sr=8-2 I've done this style of resistance training in the past and had excellent results. I unfortunately dropped off last March and backslid but am now getting back into it. |
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| mae_west |
Thanks Ryan!
That looks like something I have time for. And it is the type of exercise I need! Mae |
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| mae_west |
So I guess I am a big Fred Hahn fan now...that book is really interesting.
I have done 3 slow burn workouts, and I can see how weak I really am. That is something I want to change. Sorry, Dan, I had to buy some of those standard free weights; I could not wait to get to a Wal mart, and it was all that was available. I got 36 pounds: 2x 3#, 2x 5# and 2x 10#. That will get me started. I am trying to convince my 10 yr. old to do it with me, but.... When I did get to walmart, they only had a 40# set of cast iron, for the same price as the 36 lb I bought. I go Tuesday to pick up a grass fed beef pack from a (fairly) local farm. Thanks for all the advice everyone!!! |
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| jeff |
Good luck with the weights, and keep us posted!! | ||||||
| mae_west |
It has been rough the last 2 weeks...I had vacation and did not have time to get more than one SB workout in per week (baaaaadddddd......)
What is really scary is that Fred is right- even tho I have done only 2 workouts in 2 weeks, I can feel the muscle strength. Biceps getting larger and harder (really glad the program was not a waste of money!!! :P) So you really do not need more than 2 workouts a week, and can get by on one (but of course I need more until I reach goal). I have not been losing weight, tho , for the simple reason that I have been busy and have substituted breakfast for coffee. The last couple of days I have been forcing myself to eat something and I lost a couple of pounds (or at least my weight has not gone up from a low point the last 3 times I was on the scale). So, I am obviously going into starvation mode by not eating for like 16 hours a day, regardless of how much protein and fat I eat for the other 8 hours. Lesson learned. I am doing the protein power, which I like because I can eat the fruit that is in season right now. I did buy some no name brand frozen mixed fruit to make smoothies with (will be using either plain full fat yogurt or Daves recipes with coconut milk). I have a ton of local fruit frozen in my freezer right now alongside the yummy grass fed beef I bought. Still getting lots of nice fresh greens at the local farmers market, and I guess I eat better than most people I know! That is my report for now!! Must go read what all of you have been up to! Mae *** Whoops! Those are DEANs recipes for smoothies! sorry dean! |
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| Dan |
Remember, Mae. Losing "weight" is meaningless. You could be gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Tracking your body measurements once a week is probably better than staring down a scale every day. | ||||||
| Dave |
Hey Dan,
In Colpo's new book he says that extra muscle does not provide that much of an advantage in burning calories. Very Little in fact. What do you think? |
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| Dan |
Depends what you mean by that. It takes calories to generate new muscle. This cost can be taken from fat stores if you aren't overeating. Additionally, weight training makes it more likely that surplus calories will go towards creating new muscle as opposed to fat. Most people who begin strength training boost their metabolism anywhere up to 7%. Assuming your maintenance calories were 3000/day, you now burn an extra 210 calories a day just being alive. Not too shabby when you consider it would take two hours of *DAILY* aerobics to do the same. In the course of two weeks, that's almost an extra pound of fat lost. Once you become "trained", the addition of extra muscle may not provide as striking an effect as it did. http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/con...=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/con...=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/con...=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT |
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