My doctor had just told me to watch my blood pressure a couple of years ago. It seemed to have been fluctuating, but didn't yet need medication. Since June I've lost about 36 pounds and it's gone back to normal. I keep food records, so I'm able to track my sodium intake. I aim for it to be under 2400. I don't always succeed, but it enough that I do sometimes. After a while your tastes will also change. On the rare occasions I do go out for something like KFC or other fast food, it's unpalatably salty! It becomes self-reinforcing if you stick to it. If you don't already cook, you should try to learn; it gives you greater flexibility to control your diet.

Just start over, as if it were new. If you're keeping records, pick a week where you were on track with your goals and try to emulate what you did at that time. No exceptions or sliding, at least for a little while, until it becomes routine again.



It's like a pool - yeah it's cold, but you just have to jump in.

I think the funniest thing about tennis is my mom "tosses the ball" with her other hand before "serving" with the controller. We always laugh at her.

Fall starts another volleyball season for me, so I'll have that as part of my weekly routine. And the weekly research group meetings are now monthly, freeing up another day to go to the gym.

I've always walked my own road, so people just ignore me when they're having a barbecue, for example, and I bring my own marinated chicken breasts & veggies for the grill. Half the time they want what I'm eating. Nobody bothers me about it, but if I were to get thin enough, they'd start ragging me about anorexia, etc. like they did when I was in hs. (I was FAR from anorectic.)



And I do stick to my plan, even if people around me are doing something else. It depends. If it's a planned outing, then I'd probably saved up calories for a few days so I can splurge there anyway. Basically I eat what I want to eat, but I don't go over 10,500 a week. Simple as that.



(I even had McDonalds on the way back from the gym today - I wanted fries!)



Other people in the study are receiving less support. Their mates like them the way they look now. (The leader simply advised them to say they're dieting to improve their health - one can't really argue with that.)



I kind of like the idea of Motivators on this site, but I haven't listed any one as a motivator.



Personally, I'm a little on the fence about my own body image. One of my ex's nickname for me was "Luscious." There is a certain attractiveness we can have that calls to mind heady, intoxicating, overripe, succulent fruit ...



I kind of like some of my roundness, but I DON'T like my softness. I've always preferred muscle; both on me and on my men.

Ahh - Sir Mix-A-Lot - "Baby Got Back", 'twas my theme song in college.

"Gimme a sista I can't resist her/red beans & rice didn't miss her."



Still makes me laugh.



"Da Butt" by EU (in the movie Skool Daze) was a good one too.



I was always surrounded by the ultra slim stick figure girls too. But I knew I didn't look like that and never would. Even in my "wraith" phase, I had "back."



At the same time, deep down I also knew that spandex was not supposed to sag when you put it on, like I would see on some white girls. I still think some take it too far.



But everyone's formative years were traumatic one way or another. My coworker complains of growing up looking like a skinny "12 year old boy with giant tits."

In looking for another topic, I kept running across repositories of information specific to African-American concerns.



African American Health (at NIH)



African American Health Center (at Netwellness)



But doing such a Google search is mostly just depressing, as the most of the hits are articles trying to discover why we're more likely to have worse health ... with the underlying common denominator being - we have worse health.



Here is an article that suggests discrimination (or even perceived discrimination) is part of the culprit. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/06102 7183652.htm

Interesting.

They're pretty good - you usually see them in the winter around here (north), but fruit really isn't seasonal anymore. They're sweet, sometimes seedless. Addictive.

pretzels, cherry tomatoes, fat free yogurt with All Bran buds mixed in, Cabot's 70% reduced fat sharp cheddar, cherries, diced peaches in sugar free syrup...

As for the muscles burn fat theory, I think what it boils down to is that muscle cells consume energy whereas fat cells store energy. If you increase your muscle mass, you'll have more consumers using those stores. It should effect your metabolism.



Quotes: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/burn ing_calories/starvation.htm

What's the link between muscle and metabolism?



The metabolic rate - the rate at which the body burns calories - is partly determined by the amount of muscle we have. In general, the more muscle we have, the higher our metabolic rate; the less muscle we have, the lower our metabolic rate.



Is there anything else I can do to stop losing muscle when I'm dieting?



As well as making sure you have sufficient calories to burn fat rather than muscle, it's also possible to build muscle, which in turn boosts metabolism. And the way to do this is, of course, to increase the amount of exercise you do. While aerobic activities such as jogging, swimming, fast walking and aerobic classes help to tone muscle and burn fat, strength or resistance training in particular will increase the amount of muscle you have in your body. And this is good news because for every extra 1lb of muscle you have, your body uses around an extra 50 calories a day! This means an extra 10lb of muscle will burn roughly an extra 500 calories a day without you doing anything - and that's a sufficient amount to lose 1lb in a week.

I also used a Wii tracker and ended up getting mine from PC Connection within a couple of days (ordered it on a Saturday - it shipped Monday). The only stickler was that I ended up buying a bundle with 4 other games, instead of just the basic system. I'll get to the other games eventually, but I would have been just as happy with just the basic system and Wii Sports. I've only ever used Wii Sports & Wii Play.

Another factor is body type - I brought to work my old pictures of me at 150 lbs (which is ABOVE the weight the charts say I should be) One word describes it - Wraith. There's no way I'm going back to that weight.



I've been volunteering for studies since I was in college. I was a psych major - believe in animal testing, believe in human testing, and I have the scars to prove it! (Literally.)



They're using the L.E.A.R.N. system, which is handy. The book has a lot of good information. I can't pick out any particular tip that is more relevant than the others. What works for me is to think of calories as a per diem; I have $15.00 a day to spend. If I spend more, I'll owe it back. If I spend less, I'll have more to spend tomorrow. When you're out of money, you can't have anything else.

Hi all,



I'm going through the same thing. My coworker asked why I was limping today. She laughed when I responded Wii bowling. She just doesn't understand. I demonstrated the motion, and she said it looked like a pretty nice lunge. Yeah well, try doing that for over an hour straight. That's a lot of lunges! I've got a good knot in a very large muscle.



It's all good; I'm only sore because it's new, that will pass.



Cheers!

Hi,



I found this site from a thread in SparkPeople.com, and thought I'd use it to track my fitness separately from that site. (I go by Succubus over there, and most everywhere on line.)



From what I can see, the groups and forums here aren't nearly as chatty as over there, but that's fine with me. Basically what sold me on this site is the ability to track Wii play as fitness.



As my profile states, I'm currently a volunteer in an obesity research study, in which I'm on a reduced-calorie diet (<1500 calories/day) and behavior modification (learning how to eat right, track calories, etc.). It's a year-long study.



I have to say I appreciate the disclaimer about this group's not trying to promote a racial divide. In general, I only join groups based on shared interests, not shared attributes. But the fact remains that Black health issues do differ in some respects, due to culture, environment, and also physically. It's worth recognizing.



Cheers!

I think there is a strong cultural component as well. One may be overweight and want to diet, but gets dissuaded by their mate or family members who think they look fine. (I've heard such an anecdote in my group.)



I'm currently in an obesity study, and I remember on my second or third visit, I was in the elevator with a Caribbean man, who was asking why I was there. (It was after hours and the building was mostly empty.) When I told him I was there for a study, he asked, "Sleep?" I said, no, obesity. He was genuinely shocked. He told me I looked absolutely fine the way I am, and should not lose any weight. This was not the first time I've had this sort of unsolicited comment. A Hispanic man stopped me on the street last year and gave me a lecture about not losing any weight. (I don't know what it is about NYC that people feel free to start such conversations.)

I belong to the Rock in Astoria. I tend to work out after work.



I mostly do my own cooking or get frozen food if I'm pressed for time.



The last fitness equipment I bought was from Modell's but only because Oxford Healthcare gives members a 10% discount. (Chose the gym partly for the same reason, plus amenities and convenience.)

I play coed indoor sixes. I'm in a league that goes year-round (4 seasons.)