JUST A TAD BIT

CRANKY.. a bit over three weeks ago I quit smoking.. was really antsey the first couple of weeks.. could have killed someone at the drop of a hat.. thankfully I didn't or else I'd be in jail and smoking again.. can't do that.. now I feel better.. however I also started a diet and going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. So all is well EXCEPT............. I'VE ONLY LOST 10 LBS IN A THREE WEEKS... WTF.. so now I'm discouraged and also very stiff and sore and tired.. I thought by now I'd start feeling better but I don't.. my body hurts, I'm extremely tired ... so what's going on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, if you follow my lead.........go back to eating, drinking, and carousing around the bars......dont start smoking again, quit the gym, and jog to work, chase Gunnar around the field and throw a couple of hundred bales of hay.....then come here and spend some time with Donkey dragging you around the pen......oh yeah, and you know I dont cook like Sexy.......Garlic Bread, cheese, and coffee........works for me. :cowboyhound.gi

Hang in there Wissy, it will get better, you are throwing a lot at your body to once. 10lbs in 3 weeks is a great weight loss. It is healthy to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week and it stays off easier. You create habits...not just diet. Proud of you, keep up the good work.

:congratulation

Ten pounds in 3 weeks is awesome...especially after quitting smoking!!!! I really admire your willpower. Good to hear that you are feeling better so you know what you are doing is a true benefit to you. Last time I spoke to a dietian they said it takes a person's body a while to reprogram if the routine changes...so hang in there. It sounds like you might be stressing yourself with the gym work out...are you doing the gym workout on your own or has someone set you up on a schedule...maybe you need to slack back a bit and gradually work yourself up to a longer workout....sure isn't any fun being stiff and sore all the time.

leave it to you Joan. lol.. gonna take you up on having donkey drag me around in the round pen..
Loves color.. I'm trying to hang in there.. just a bit discouraged at the moment..
and yes Freva.. I think I'm pushing it to much at the gym.. I am doing it on my own, no one set me up.. I know the stuff I can do and the stuff I just can't because of my knee.. I'm trying to concentrate on building the muscle up around my knee to give it more support.. it's getting a tad bit better.. and the tread mill I do on the flat because of my knee I can't run on it nor can I use the incline.. but I've been trying to go to fast at a walk and to long.. I may have to slow it down and build up slowly.. just like you said.. and the weights I am doing are ok.. I have it set up to do 9 different ones which takes me about 20 minutes or so.. depending.. I do 25 / 30 mins on the treadmill at 3.0 going about a mile.. maybe that's to much for my hip and back are killing me half way through but I don't give in until I reach that mile... oh it's so hard.. ya I know boo hoo.. lol.. I just don't know why I'm so tired.. sore I can understand.. I went to bed last nite at 9pm.. up at 6am.. that's good sleep.. although I don't always sleep right through.. still.. geesh..

Well, Mariea, everybody has to have a S M A R T A S S in their lives somewhere........and you GOT ME!!! :cowboyhound.gi

10 pounds in 3 weeks is a great start! ESPECIALLY after quitting smoking. most people gain weight.

the key to weight loss is low, slow, steady cardio (treadmill, bike, eliptical),
what kind of weights are you doing/how much weight/how many reps?

i could add that im a personal trainer with a Kinesiology Degree/Certified Kinesiologist :)

also, if you want a program I'd be glad to help

Well Joan if that's true .. then I sure am glad it's you.. cause your one in a billion.. trillion.. did I say that out loud.. fuc.................. lol

You're still not smoking and 10 pounds in 3 weeks isn't bad at all. It don't come all at once.
Keep up the good work. You can do it!

Withatwist..just gonna call you twist.. that's easier.. omg .. yes I want a program, that would be so awesome..
ok so here's the senerio... I have one bad knee.. no cartliage .. and hurts to bend it to much.. ok going up stairs.. down is a problem.. can't do the bike.. tried the eliptical, my knee hurt some.. not alot but wasn't sure if that was good or not.. doctor told me not the strap the knee but to do exercises to strenghten the muscle around the knee.. only walk on a flat she said.. .. so here's what I do.. first I go on the treadmill at 2.7 to 3 for 20-30 mins.. I go one 1 mile.. it's killing me though, my back and hip just screams/burns about 1/4 way through, but I keep going. I orginially set the tread mill up for cardio, but it keep increasing the incline which put stress on my knee and it hurt.. so I just manuall set the treadmill.. my heart rates stays at about 134 .. then I do the circuit they have set up on the weights.. there are nine.. none of which I find to hard.. I keep the weight about 30-50 lbs depending on machine.. I go to Good life .. I do two sets of eight.. on each weight.. the machines I use are for each muscle group.. I stay away from any one that gives my knee pain.. but there are a couple for the knee muscles that I do .. seems ok..

so is this ok.. or do you want to tweak it ...add.. or subtract to give me advise..

should I stay on the eliptical even though it hurts..

Firebug.. yes it do.. you know how patient I am.. lol

sounds like you have a good handle on it, i would probably suggest going down in weight a little, and do more reps, and 1 more set (3 sets of 12), here we use the "rule of 16" meaning if you can do more than 16 of a weight, its too light, if you cant do 12-14, its too much, so you kind of want to aim in the middle. you dont want any more then 30-45 sec of rest - this makes it another cardio-type workout
more cardio would be ideal, but if its hurting your knee and back, then dont do it.
im not sure what the goodlife treadmills are like compared to ours, but they say a brisk "conversational" pace - where you can talk to a friend, but you're kinda breathing heavy, is great for fat burning, and ideally you want to work up to 45-60 minutes.

i have a few client with knee issues, and some tend to like the recumbent bikes to help regain mobility (but if lack of cartilage is a problem, this probably wont help).

dont do the eliptical if it hurts, i think in this case, pain does not lead to gain, since there is a definite joint problem - not related to muscle/fitness.

swimming is also a good option - less pounding on the joints.

does that help any? or too much info? lol

oh, and which knee exercises hurt, and which dont? that may give me an idea of the pain location :)

well, it helped me.......thanks.....

i figured i should contribute now and again, i've been a bit of a lurker/creeper for the past little while :P

one more thing (now i cant shut up, lol)
if you're stiff/sore/tired make sure you are rehydrating - LOTS of water,
and do you stretch????

ummmm no I don't stretch.. should I .. even before going on the tread mill.. did take water with me.. haven't for a bit.. kind of a slacker on the water bit..

stretch between cardio and weights, when muscles are warm, and after weights - helps move around any built up lactic acid.
water really helps with soreness, again, water is required to remove lactic acid! (which causes the stiffness/pain) and stretching helps with any swelling (remember, lifting weights works by straining the muscles, forcing them to adapt and get stronger :) )

omg I wrote you a long post.. it disappeared.. wrote another.. it's gone too.. gonna give up in a minute.. tried to tell you what machines hurt my freaking knee

oh yeah this last one made it.. to print.. wtf..

haha, my computer here at work does that sometimes.... i dont even pretend to understand it.

okay the water thing makes sense.. seems I sit at a desk all day.. so when I go to the gym.. it must shock my poor over weight system all to Bleeding heart.. oh ya!

as I am trying to tell you.. the machines that hurt my knee are.. one where you sit and put your feet up on a platform.. knees are really bent and then push out.. ouch.. that hurts.. the other is you stand up and put one foot on a peddle thingy and push backwards.. that hurts the sore knee but just fine for the other one..
the other machine is you site and put your knees against a pad and push outwards.. that hurt knee and hip same leg.. however the machine the you do the same but opposite you pull inwards.. that's ok.. ..

I sweat big time on the tread mill.. and really can't talk .. I have to hang on too.. because my back hurts so much not to...

wonder if this post is going to make it.. third time..

aawwwwwwww it made it.. I think what happened is you are posting same time as me.. and if I dont' hit save while it waits for your post to finish it won't save and post what I wrote.. hahaha.. ok so I'm on to this thing now..

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week.. last week I went mon, tue, and thurs.. this week, mon, tue , thurs.. maybe friday.. see how it goes..

I do half hour on tread mill half hour on weights..

so I should be doing 3 sets of 12 instead of 1 set of eight.. and I dont' really rest between sets.. when I have done more.. I'll lower the weights until it becomes to easy then I'll set them up a notch

got it!
okay, so if you're sweating big time, you have to drink lots of water! the soreness and crankiness can come from dehydration. fun fact: your brain needs water to think!

sounds like avoid all the knee machines! they tend to stress a healthy knee anyway....
this may sound scary, but how about squats? do they hurt? they are my go-to exercise - works a lot of muscles, in one natural move. basically its like sitting in a chair, then deciding not to. dont go over 90* bend, or if it hurts, only go to where it hurts, then back up. keep your back slightly out, or "buttercup" stuck out, lol. may not be pretty, but they work! :P

and maybe back down the treadmill a bit? go slower, but sweating is a good sign of fat burning :)

haha, that just happened to me! we are posting at the same time.


if you're pressed for time even 2 or 1 set of 12 will help, after cardio, with little rest between.

i think the water is a big one, and often, people dont notice they are dehydrated, and think they are hungry instead. a trick i learned at summer camp was we had to have a glass of water before any other juice/etc. and before our meal. makes a difference! also, reaching for water instead of snacking helps cut calories :)

okay I just did some squats.. it's fine as long as I don't bend my knee to much.. so I can do those before I go to the gym or sometime during the day here at work.. means I don't move around very much.. kind of stuck to my chair.. lol

and I will try and drink more water.. sometimes I just don't want water.. I know I have to so I will make a bigger effort to drink more..

I'll keep pushing myself on the treadmill.. made slow it down a tad..

Thanks girl.. you've helped me more than you know.. so when I get down again.. I'm calling on you.. ok.. lol