The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[DogMa]

Mine's mostly women, too, but several of 'em have lost chunks of weight (in various ways), so they're all pretty understanding and encouraging. One goes to the on-campus gym most days for her lunch, one does stairs a couple of days a week, etc. One of the writers is starting a Medifast-type plan today, actually - but one run by the hospital, with regular doctor, nutritionist and psychologist visits.

I'm still struggling a little. Food's been better, but workouts have been uninspired and I'm having trouble doing my full hour. Although I'm hoping today it was because my feet hurt (went to a concert Saturday night that involved standing for three or four hours - in uncomfortable shoes, because my friends neglected to tell me there would be no seating). I'm going to do PUSH today again, though, and hopefully I'll be in a better frame of mind tomorrow (but if my feet are still bothering me, I may just walk instead of even trying to run - I'm hoping it was the attempt at running and resulting pain that made me wimp out after half an hour).

[DogMa]

Oh, and my Prius experience was NOT good. We waited 45 minutes just to drive it, because the people at this dealership were so awful (a salesman took the car out for 40 minutes on his own - when I had scheduled a test drive - and didn't answer his cell when my salesman tried to call him). This was AFTER the salesman made me wait 10 or 15 minutes after I got there, even though we had made an appointment. Never even offered us something to drink. Then I got in it, and couldn't see anything. Or felt like I couldn't, partly because the set-up is so different. I never even got out of the parking lot.

So anyway, I'm going to go to a closer dealership this weekend and this time bring a cushion to sit on, and see if that helps. Plus maybe try a Civic Hybrid at the Honda place next door. (And if I like the Prius better this time, see if these guys will give me the same deal I was going to get at the other place, because I'd rather buy my car somewhere else than from those twits.)

[Sojourner]

Would you rather buy a Prius in Modesto?
I can prolly get you a really good deal!

[DogMa]

Ha. Except the air fare (not to mention the drive home) would make it less of a deal. Although I'm always up for a trip back to Cali. (I was thinking more the dealer that's less than a mile from me, though. Probably easier. LOL.)

And yay. Did my PUSH workout, and even set up a little schedule on a white board in my office so I see "PUSH" in big purple letters every time I look up. With a check mark if I've done it already. And I held the side planks for the whole time I was supposed to (they were hard before, but now they're the very last thing before stretches, so I'm pretty wiped out by the time I get to them).

[Lauren]

Hey, Rob -

I have no tolerance for bad customer service - especially from someone who's trying to close a deal! I wouldn't buy from them regardless of price, and I'd tell them why, too! :-) I'm a business-woman, and I become totally self-righteous when I hear stories like yours! haha

Congrats on finishing the PUSH workout and the evil planks. One of these days I'm gonna have to give them a shot to see satan at work.

My gym just go some new ab machine that looked like child's play, I was totally cocky thinking, "what the heck, I'm strong," but noooooo, this thing humbled me INSTANTLY. I'm plopping myself on that thing every chance I get just to prove to "it" that I can beat it! Ha!

Sounds like you're feeling better today (mentally), so that's really good to see!

Cheers,

Lauren

[DogMa]

I'm getting there, at least. Food's better today, calories are plenty low for some reason, and at least I got through PUSH, if not my full cardio workout.

What kinda machine was it?

And re: the car, that's my first inclination, too. But if it's a big difference in price - because a lot of places are charging OVER sticker for the Prius right now and this would be under - I'd still consider it. And then complain to Costco, which runs the car-buying program, about the dealership and this salesman in particular (who is the only one at the dealership I can use to get the Costco deal).

Of course, all that is only IF I find it better this weekend, with a nice big memory foam pillow under my butt.

[Lauren]

Geez, you'd think they'd make cars to accomodate the petite folks of the world! You still have to add a pillow?? That's crazy!

Okay, so the machine is the Ab Coaster, but here's why I found it so difficult. I asked the guy who manages my gym to show me the proper technique and he claims that you should NOT use momentum to aid in the process, to go reeeeeally slowly with each rep. Now, when I DO use some bit of momentum (like the video on the ab coaster's website), I am totally able to do it. It's a work out, but hardly impossible. But when I try to go uber-slow, like he recommends, I absolutely struggled ridiculously to even get one good rep - and the cruelest part about it is that the machine "counts" the reps, so even if I thought I did one complete one, it didn't register it! So, A) am I just a wimp? Or, B) Is the guy who manages the gym just wrong? Ha.

Evil, I tell ya!

Lauren

[DogMa]

Hmmm, I would think you'd get some benefit from using momentum, but obviously it would be more of a workout without it. Bob says the same thing with a few of our moves, but if I didn't use a little momentum, I wouldn't be able to do it at all. I figure I use as little as I can, with the goal being none. But like when I first started doing the Seal, it's better to use some momentum than to just lie there on my back like a stranded turtle. Or beached seal.

And I know. But a LOT of cars don't have seats that adjust up the way mine does. I suffer every time I rent a car (or I sit on a pillow or balled up jacket or something to get some height). I had heard the Prius was particularly good for short women, but I think my problem is all my height is in my legs, so I'm especially short when I'm sitting. I don't even wear petite pants most of the time because they're too short on me, but I have practically no torso. I go straight from breasts to hips.

[DogMa]

I'm back - feeling much more like ME again. Stuck to my calorie count yesterday, and then got up this morning and did my full hour on the treadmill. I decided to bag the whole Couch to 5K after talking to my cousin (the one who runs and does a million other very athletic things). New plan, because I seem to NEED a plan: I'll run as long as I can (although honestly, I probably could have run a little longer) and then walk the rest of the hour. Then after doing that a couple of days, I'll run a bit longer. Right now at 5 mph because that's more doable for me than trying to run more than a couple of minutes at 6 mph.

Anyway, I think I'm back. Yay for that.

[Tawanda]

Grrr on the salesman! With the hybrids the car salesmen know someone else will come along, willling to put up with their poor service, since the cars are in so high a demand. I hope the next dealership will treat you better and that you'll find a car that fits you well...

[DogMa]

Thanks, T. I have my pillow all ready to go for Saturday. And I'm in a MUCH better frame of mind now, which should help, too.

[cydj21]

Anyway, I think I'm back. Yay for that.

Yay for that is right! It never ceases to amaze me just how powerful a healthy diet and exercise routine are for the entire mind, body and spirit. Truly. If I were to go off plan right now and binge out, even if I didn't gain an ounce, I would feel like crap mentally.

A little over 10lbs from now and I'm going to start PUSHing it with you! Granted, I have a lot of catching up to do, but I am getting really excited about it overall.

[DogMa]

It's hard to say which came first, the bad attitude or the bad food/exercise (actually, I know the bad attitude and lack of motivation led to the bad workouts). I'm not sure what was going on there, although I do suspect it was the four days without my omega 3's. But hopefully now the serotonin is flowing again.

And cool on PUSH. I really do like the program.

[DogMa]

OK, I'm proud of myself (and my mood has OBVIOUSLY improved considerably now). I decided I need to make some new friends. So I joined a couple of online meeting-type groups (that swear they're not hook-up groups, and they don't seem like it from what I could tell). I'm going to a Scottish festival Sunday with a few people from one of 'em (they're called Meetin and MEETup). I was also going to go later this month to a singles book club, but the book they're reading is apparently very Christian, so not something I'd be interested in. But at least it's a start.

[DogMa]

Weight is slowly dropping back down. Funny how that happens when I eat and exercise the way I should, right? I just need to keep my calories low, apparently, and ignore all that "never drop below 1200 or 1400" or whatever most programs say. As my cousin points out, those limits are for average-size women. My caloric needs are clearly lower. (Which stinks, but I'm closer to just accepting it and moving on.)

Daily food right now, which I'm pretty comfortable with:
Pre-workout: Vitatop (which seems to take care of my chocolate cravings for the day; 100 calories and 5 or 6 grams of fiber)
Breakfast: Half my old fritatta thing (egg substitute, mushrooms, spinach, sometimes onions, and a little chopped reduced-fat bacon or feta), plus two slices of reduced-calorie toast (80 cals for two slices, plus lots of fiber)
Midmorning: Stacy's soy crisps
Lunch: Big salad with chicken breast, a little low-fat feta, a couple of chopped walnuts and a few raisins or craisins or pieces of chopped date or dried cherry, and sugar-free, fat-free dressing (Maple Grove Farms, not Walden Farms)
Afternoon: Low-fat string cheese and baby carrots (or raspberries and blueberries, or apple slices)
Dinner: 2 "oven-fried" chicken thighs (with panko crumbs), roasted asparagus, baked artichoke hearts and steamed baby carrots, and raspberries/blueberries for dessert

I like that my dinner's still pretty big, because I tend to be very hungry by the time I get home. But a lot of it is veggies (and I like having more than one veggie, so it's easier to eat a lot; I get bored if I'm only having one kind).