Plateaus - and the Walmart HHCG

Well, first off, I need to adjust my review of WalMart's homeopathic HCG.  It does work, but it tastes nasty, until you get used to it.  (It's chocolate mint flavored.  I didn't think anything could make me dislike chocolate mint.  Eww.)  Once you get used to it, it's not bad.

It does work.  Did I mention that?  Works just fine. 

So, I've been plateaued for a week.  It's been driving me crazy.  Apple day helped some, but then I stalled again the next day.  So I went back to that old standby that always helps me.

Exercise.

Now, Dr Simeons does not prescribe exercise in his protocol, but I suggest that you include it in your regimen if you are physically able to do so.  Even if it's just a stroll around the block.  Your body was designed to move, not to veg out in front of a screen.  So start walking.  Just gentle walking, you don't need to run or do power walks! 

I would not suggest starting an Olympic training protocol while on the HCG protocol, but you do need to move. 

My routine will be a run around the block.  I do interval training - a 5 minute warm up, then 1 minute running and 2 minutes walking for six rounds, then a five minute cool down.  However, I am used to training!  I've been working out all my life on some level or another.  I've worked with Olympic trainers and done boot camps, I've done a lot of weight training, and I will say this over and over.....

Listen to your body! 

You may not be able to do what I do.  Find something that is gentle enough for you to stick with, and then stick with it! 

I'm kind of weird about working out these days, I'm so busy that I just can't stand to go to the gym and add another thing to my list.  But I can manage a quick run around the block (and I do this just before bedtime, by the way).  Somehow getting in the car to drive to the gym is just that one more thing I don't want to do. 

So get out and move.  There is so much to do! 

Oh, and I dropped 2 pounds overnight after my first little run.  It will work.

Killer workout

Just finished another killer workout.  Trimetrics has us raising our heart rate, intertwining cardio and weight training, in a way no other trainer does.  It is amazing.  Of course, I feel like  a dork some of the time because I have balance problems and bad knees, but that's ok.  I finished class today drenched in sweat and almost done with my first 1/2 gallon of water.

Haven't been working out....

Between bad knees, an injured shoulder, and a pinched nerve in my hip, I feel like I'm falling apart.  I've taken 3 weeks off from boot camp, hoping that the rest will help my poor body heal.  I do feel a lot better, and I think I'll be able to return to my regular workout schedule next week.

Nutrition has been going well, except I still don't like vegetables, and I still don't like salad, and I know I'm going to have to eat grilled meat and salad to get this weight off. 

Indoor vs Outdoor Exercise

I just saw a tweet that said, "I do not trust treadmill numbers. Indoor workouts and outdoor workouts exist in different spaces and should not be compared."

Um.

All workouts are different.  That's why we cross train!  Well, that's why I cross-train.  I don't want my body to get used to just running, or just lifting, or just hiking.  I want to be lean and fit across the board.

I love weight training, and I can walk for miles (walked 10 miles yesterday to work off a good mad), and I can dance all night and then some, but sprinting makes me ache, mountain biking gets me winded pretty quick, and hiking will kill my knees if I'm not careful. 

But I want to live an active lifestyle. 

I'm not after just marathoning, or triathalons... I'm after fitness. 

Because of the broad range of activities I pursue, I have to say all workouts exist in different spaces. 

So - what are your workout/fitness goals?

Exercise is Indispensable to Effective Weight Loss

I would love to be the one to tell you that you can achieve your ideal weight and keep it without exercise.  I'd love to lay on my couch all day, reading books and eating eclairs and always weight 125 pounds. 

But it ain't a'gonna happen. 

As important as diet is, exercise plays an important role in achieving and maintaining weight loss. 

For one thing, muscle is much denser than fat. That means that with weight training to build your muscles, you can gain pounds AND lose inches, ending up at a smaller clothing size but a heavier weight.  Over time, the more muscle you carry, the easier it is to release extra fat stores from the body. 

Fat doesn't burn calories, either.  It just hangs around, making the rest of your body work harder to live.  Muscle is active, and simply gaining muscle means that you are burning more calories by sitting on the couch than a fat person is.  Pretty snifty, huh?

Then there's the fact that working out daily has important after effects all day long.  A weight training session in the morning can help you burn more calories all day. Exercise relieves stress, too.  I've gone back to my habit of walking when I'm angry instead of inhaling bonbons.

I don't advise anyone to begin a strenuous exercise regimen on the HCG protocol.  During active dieting, start with a walk around the block, and ease into a more strenuous program after the maintenance portion is completed.  I recommend an interval approach, like that used by EXL Fitness.  (And if you're in Utah, come down to EXL Fitness for a 2 week free trial.  Tell Mat that Donna sent you.)

A little backslide

Not just on the weight, but on the blogging.  Yesterday I weighed in at 157.2,  and today I gained 2 pounds.  What went wrong? 

Well, a good chunk of it was the 2 bowls of raisin bran I ate at bedtime.  During the protocol, carbs are not allowed.  It might also have been lack of sleep. 

Hopefully, though, that 2 pounds is MUSCLE from all the boot camp training I've done for the past 9 months or so. 

Exercise on HCG

Pounds and Inches states that little exercise is needed, mostly "strolling" around the block.  However, I have worked out (off and on) for years. I don't feel right unless I work out.  And, now that I'm over 40, every little bit of calorie expenditure helps.

But 500 calories a day isn't enough for a hard, strenuous workout.  Really.

I listen to my body, and scale back if I feel like I need to.  It's frustrating in a lot of ways, since I've lifted heavy weight before and the weakness kinda catches me off guard.  At the same time, I don't want to get hurt.  I do want to  maintain muscle and lose fat.  HCG helps with that a great deal.  Exercise does a lot to help that as well. 

So what I personally tell people (for what it's worth), don't BEGIN a workout routine, other than easy walking, while on the protocol.

If you're already working out, CONTINUE your workouts by all means.  Be prepared to scale back.  Listen to your body.  Mine says "Get your butt up and get a wiggle on!" 

Oh, and work out with a trainer if you don't have one.  You want someone who will push you to, but not beyond, your limits, and will understand that your strength will change while you're on protocol.  I recommend Mat the Trainer at EXL Fitness in Orem, UT.  He's been putting up with me for months, so he knows what he's in for if your on HCG.

Daily accountability - Weight this morning 160.2 Goal weight 125.0. 

Day 1 Very Low Calories (VLCD)

That would be today.  It's a relief not to eat so much any more.  I'm drinking lots of water and (yes) Diet Coke, although I'm trying to lean more towards the water.  Dinner tonight will be salad with grilled chicken breast for me and hamburgers for the kids.

I also went to EXL Fitness for the next phase of boot camp. It felt sooo good to get my body moving after three weeks (!) of inactivity.  Our bodies are meant to be moved and used.  They're not for holding still.  I even made it almost all the way around the building without stopping to walk, and I got my 20 straight-legged situps in (with Mat cheering me on).  Thankfully he didn't make us do bear crawls!  I hate those (walking on  hands and feet with your butt up in the air).

I'm planning on a long walk tonight and tomorrow, and then boot camp again on Wednesday.  I'm pretty tied up emotionally - I feel like I'm holding myself together with baling wire and twine, all my emotions in a tight little knot in the pit of my stomach - so maybe the long walk will help.

Today's weight = 165.0, goal = 125.0

Women and Weight Training

Weigh training, or strength training, has been my exercise of choice for as long as I can remember. My dad lifted weights, and I loved the ability to see myself as a strong woman.

Because I do a lot of strength training, my scale weight is higher for my body size than most women. I am 155 pounds and wear a size 6.

2 things brought the importance of building muscle to my attention. One is a friend of mine who lost over 100 pounds on HCG. She is currenly 20 pounds lighter than I am, and wears a 12 - 14 instead of a 6.

The other was a conversation I had with a co-worker several years ago. She was a beautiful woman, but she was overweight and ashamed of her body. She always wore these long, flowing tents. One day she commented on how nice I looked in my tailored suit (I had recently lost 40 pounds at the time). I told her that one of my secrets was lifting weights, so I could weigh more, and eat more, and be smaller.

"I couldn't do that. I don't want to get big," she said.

I really had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, "But you already are!"

In order to gain muscle, it is necessary to produce testosterone. Ladies, this is the MALE sex hormone. We produce testosterone, but in very minute amounts. After all, we don't want to sing bass or put hair on our chests. We do want to be able to gain muscle.

Women gain muscle weight at a much slower rate than men. Our muscles aren't designed to get big. All the working out in the world will not put big huge muscles on us, unless we're supplementing. And even then it is difficult.

What we want is strength and definition. A beautifully toned body is incredibly sexy. We want strength and endurance, and curves where there are supposed to be curves. You know. Breasts, hips, and a little waist.

When we carry muscle, our metabolism increases. We're able to eat more. We get more out of our cardio, because muscle at rest burns calories - fat does not.

Strength training done right is nothing but beneficial for the ladies. Don't be afraid of it. Embrace your inner athlete and enjoy becoming a strong woman.

For top strength and cardio training in Utah, see Mat the Trainer at EXL Fitness in Orem.