Dieting and what works for a FOB

[Supernal]

I, too, need to become healthier, but having diabetes pretty well rules out any kind of fasting. I'm trying to eat more fruits & veg, good carbs (e.g. beans) but not too many, lean meats, and some soy products. The main problem is that temptation is everywhere! I wonder what people from poor countries think when they come to Canada or the US and there's opportunities to eat junk EVERYWHERE!

My main focus right now is fitness. I'm starting very slowly, with the focus not necessarily on losing a lot of weight (too stressful, which causes overeating!) but on become more fit so I can learn how to scuba dive. I'm taking swimming lessons 2x a week, and 1 aquafit. At home, I put on music and dance for about 20 minutes while holding 2-lb weights.

I'm wondering if there's anything else I should do (remember I'm 47 and out-of-shape, but no heart problems), or how do I know when it's time to increase the time and/or intensity of anything I do?

 

[Cacia]

well, you can put the treadmill on incline and open the laptop up flat like a book and be on SB for hours. I like that one. OH! get a pulsar (sp?) heart monitor and get in your cruise speed ...maybe 130/min for you. Actually, I was working too hard and not able to maintain long enough. Now, I maintain my target rate and it's amazing how much easier it is. I can go an entire episode of Desperate Housewives and about half of Grey's Anatomy and post. Post, but not spell.

 

[Supernal]

That's a good idea. I don't have a treadmill but could walk in place while watching TV. I sometimes do stretching in front of the TV or computer but not much else. I don't have a laptop so I'd have to hold my keyboard in the air!

 

[coach_izzy]

well, you can put the treadmill on incline and open the laptop up flat like a book and be on SB for hours. I like that one. OH! get a pulsar (sp?) heart monitor and get in your cruise speed ...maybe 130/min for you. Actually, I was working too hard and not able to maintain long enough. Now, I maintain my target rate and it's amazing how much easier it is. I can go an entire episode of Desperate Housewives and about half of Grey's Anatomy and post. Post, but not spell.

I'm wondering Catherine, why are you emphasizing time over intensity on your routine? The application of time over intensity is used mainly for the Elderly on the initial stages of rehab and physical therapy, and for patients with cardiac episodes that need to get started, and that is only maintained for a couple of weeks.

The productivity of exercise programs are based on how challenging they're for your body. A beginner does not have to end a workout throwing up, but does not have to have it too easy either. A good routine is always challenging. A challenging routine demands paying attention and certain level of problem solving. If you can read, or watch TV, etc during a workout, well, all you're doing is elevating your body temperature, but not getting a fraction of the benefits. If your rationale is certain "target" area, keep in mind that the fallacy of the "fat burning" zone is a misinterpretation of human physiology, and has been long debunked.

Heart rate zones have been discarded by modern exercise physiologists because they're not a reliable indicator of exercise intensity. They may still have some use in the beginner and therapy patients (for instance, people on Beta Blockers MUST stay within certain area, considered safe for their physiology) but even so, their use is very limited. Is not uncommon for truly fit people to exceed their recommended "target zone", and they do so without any kind of discomfort. Instead, what's being used as a more accurate way to prescribe exercise is what's referred to "Lactate Treshhold" and "Rate of Perceived Exertion" (RPE)

 

[coach_izzy]

I, too, need to become healthier, but having diabetes pretty well rules out any kind of fasting. I'm trying to eat more fruits & veg, good carbs (e.g. beans) but not too many, lean meats, and some soy products. The main problem is that temptation is everywhere! I wonder what people from poor countries think when they come to Canada or the US and there's opportunities to eat junk EVERYWHERE!

My main focus right now is fitness. I'm starting very slowly, with the focus not necessarily on losing a lot of weight (too stressful, which causes overeating!) but on become more fit so I can learn how to scuba dive. I'm taking swimming lessons 2x a week, and 1 aquafit. At home, I put on music and dance for about 20 minutes while holding 2-lb weights.

I'm wondering if there's anything else I should do (remember I'm 47 and out-of-shape, but no heart problems), or how do I know when it's time to increase the time and/or intensity of anything I do?

First of all, get a check-up with your physician. You mentioned diabetes, so it's important that your doc goes over an evaluation with you. That'll also give you a baseline to compare to for future reference. This is even more important if you have Type I (juvenile onset) diabetes.

As far as a fitness program goes, I would recomend you to get Cameron's book "Fitness for Divers". It'll give you really good ideas, and there are programs that suit all levels, from the very beginner to the advanced. The guidance will help you stay on track. What about temptation? Well, it's everywhere, true, but the more you challenge yourself, the harder you'll find it to mess up since you won't want to ruin your hard work with a few careless bites. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Supernal]

Thanks, I did have a check-up recently and went to a diabetes clinic but didn't get any specific recommendations except to start slowly, check my heart rate, and make sure my blood glucose levels don't get too low during exercise. (Type II diabetes)

 

[dbg40]

I had the same problem,
Drop the booze.
WATER!....LOTS OF WATER......!!!!
NOTHING. ...but lean qusine meals, (add extra veggies)
Low fat popcorn for snacks.
Work out on a bow flex
i lost 22 lbs of fat, and gained 12 lbs of muscle in 9 weeks.
DO NOT CHEAT!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Supernal]

DO NOT CHEAT!!!!!!!!!!!

NOOOOO......really???? :11:

 

[Supernal]

You have a nice smile, though.

 

[Robert Phillips]

Well I finally got around to getting a friend to take a current photo of me a couple of days ago. I'm down to almost 190 lbs and close on the fat to muscle ratio that I can be content with.
FWIW - that's rain on my black suede shirt - not dandruff.

My friend, I hardly recognise you! Of course that may be because you do not have divers hair in that picture

You look great!