Fitness Fridays Health Club #4: Move It & Lose It!

[Toby's my baby]

I'm doing pretty good, not the greatest though. I'm going to lift weights again tomorrow and then basketball practice after that.

My mom said that after my brother started lifting weights, he got really bad stretch marks. I know that I'm not lifting nearly as much as my brother, but is there even a slight chance that I could get stretch marks?? I really dont want them, obviously, who does, but if there is a slight chance, how do you avoid it??

[cyber-sibes]

Can I try again? I posted last week but didn't check back much. Will you guys talk to me & encourage me to loose weight? I've just been on this eating frenzy for weeks now. I think it's strresssss - my hubs quit his job and while he is working from home, we have no idea what our income will be like over the next few months while he switches careers. I have ALOT of anxiety. Also dealing with him being here all the time is weird, cause I work from home too. So I'm eating and eating and eating.... HELP!

[christa]

Will you guys talk to me & encourage me to loose weight? .....I think it's strresssss - my hubs quit his job and while he is working from home, we have no idea what our income will be like over the next few months while he switches careers. I have ALOT of anxiety. Also dealing with him being here all the time is weird, cause I work from home too. So I'm eating and eating and eating.... HELP!

Well, where to start . . .

I'm sure if you've been reading at all, you'll have some idea of what we have all made our life changing decisions - why we want to get healthy. Some of us are here because we want to loose weight - some of us are just trying to be more healthy, eat better.

I can understand why it would be hard for you, in your situation - with your husband just loosing his job - the anxiety & stress of all that - having to deal with the situation . . . maybe you could think of this as a time to start over. The two of you do have more time together, but maybe you could spend more time together doing things like taking walks, cooking healthy meals together . . .

Just stick with us - check in occasionally & let us know how things are going. Maybe you'll get some ideas from us . . . some recipes . . . check the old threads too! Just please please please keep coming back because your health is so important, especially in a stressful time - you need to take care of yourself.

Hang in there!

[finn's mom]

I just woke up about an hour and a half ago and took Finn for an hour long walk. There's an open range dog area down the street, and, I wanted to see how long it would take to walk there. About 30 minutes each way. Not too shabby, and, it was lovely walking with Finn! Great exercise for both of us, and, a good, peaceful time, too!

[Rachel]

At long last - since we started this Fitness Friday Club- three pounds finally came off. I know that doesn't sound like much to the younger set, but I was beginning to wonder if I ever was going to lose anything. My elpitical broke and forced me to change my exercise routine, which probably was of some help, but also I have managed to eat smaller portions at some meals.

The small plate thing really does work for me. I also use a juice glass instead of a regular glass when I drink anything with calories. Another technique that has worked for me is when I have a sandwich (always very healthy, mainly a thin slice of turkey, lots of spinach or Romaine, slice of red onion and slice of tomato on whole wheat bread with a small spreading of low fat Miracle Whip), I cut it in half, put the other half in the refrigerator and tell myself if after eating the half, I still want the other half, I can come back to get it. More times than not, I don't eat the other half until another meal.

Now if I can just hold on to the motivation that I get from seeing the scale actually move down.

[jazzcat]

Rachel - Congrats on the three pounds!!!! Sounds like you are doing great and found some great ways to keep your portions down. I love the cutting the sandwich in half and putting it in the fridge. I need to try that!

Finn's Mom - I think you are lucky to have Finn to walk. I wished I had a dog to walk. I walk in my neighborhood in the evenings and so many people are out with their dogs. I've tried using that approach of good exercise for me with hubby to talk him into a dog but he won't budge. We just don't have a good backyard for a dog and with 5 cats in the house we don't have the room for one inside. Maybe some day we'll move to a house with a big backyard and I can have my dog!!

[christa]

The small plate thing really does work for me.

Congrats on the 3 pounds!!! Sometimes it does take awhile to get started - to notice a change but once you get going, it usually falls right off.

I'm glad that the small plate thing works for you! Worked for me too. I really give it a lot of credit for my weight loss! Smaller portions are a KEY to losing and that is one way to trick yourself into thinking that you're getting a plate full of food!

[christa]

I'm doing pretty good, not the greatest though. I'm going to lift weights again tomorrow and then basketball practice after that.

My mom said that after my brother started lifting weights, he got really bad stretch marks. I know that I'm not lifting nearly as much as my brother, but is there even a slight chance that I could get stretch marks?? I really dont want them, obviously, who does, but if there is a slight chance, how do you avoid it??

I am pretty sure you won't get them - I think that's more of a guy thing because they grow so much faster & get so much bigger. A woman's body isn't made to get big like a guys (unless you're going to use steriods, LOL) . . . that's the only way you could get that big and have that problem. My husband has stretch marks on his arms too - from when he was in high school, when he started lifting & got so big so quick. I've never ever seen a girl with stretch marks from lifting, and I'm around a lot of gals that lift. Your mom might just be afraid that you're going to become "one of those women" . . . like the women bodybuilders that everyone is afraid to look at . . . know what I mean? They look manley, they're so huge? There's no possible way you can get that ripped without taking drugs.