Working out/time/fatigue/diet.... ideas?

[Louisa]

"Getting ready for summer..." What the crazy thing is, is every year we seem to say this same thing!  I have been working out regularly this past winter, but I fear Im not losing the weight I want to and only becoming more toned!  Anyone else finding it hard to diet while tending to the craziness of life?  I find I am at work at the office and when lunch rolls around, the most convenient and healthiest options are fruit, salads from mcdonalds (dont know how healthy they are!) pizza, and I promise myself to work it off however thats all I am doing ! Is working off what I just ate that day rather than Losing weight! What are some good options?  I can stop at Martins (grocery store) for a salad from the fresh salad bar.... but I am finding that I feel weak and out of it through the day living off greenery! Im not going to say i eat perfectly! I do have my share of chocolate cravings and french fry cravings... :-( I think that may be half the problem.... just not sure..

And little time to cook anything at home to eat...... between work, errands, the animals...I am also working on going back to school for my masters... half the time once I get home in the evening.. usually around 9 most nights after everything... I am ready to pop in a movie and fall asleep with it....   I do manage to get to the gym at least 3 days a week however sadly, it's often after 9pm (around 9:30 ish usually..) and I workout till around 11 when the gym closes...and poop myself out. 

Been getting headaches and being very tired during the day... people have said to get up and work out EARLY in the day, but I dont know, I feel like it will drain me more... I know all you can do is try, right??.... any ideas?  anyone with similar diet/fatigue problems...

I do take a Centrum chewable multi-vitamin each day.  And have been prescribec Imitrex for migraines... Yuck    but they seem to be worse if I am fatigued, working out and eating salads...    lost here...

[JoeF]

Louisa as my aerobic teaching friend tells me... Drink water water water...
 take your weight in pounds  and divide that number by 2 and that is how much water you should be drining a day.  so a 150 pound person should be drinkin 75 ozs of water.

Also where are you getting your protein from?

to burn the weight you need to get the ole metabolism going. What do you work on in the gym?
Do you know what your heart rate while exercising is? you have to the ole heart pumping.
your theoretical max heart rate is  220 minus your age. you want to get your heart rate in the 80% of that max.

[patty]

BLECK!! wait til you hit 40 ish dear LOL. in order to lose weight you must burn more calories than what you consume as i`m sure you know. muscle weighs more than fat so don`t go by a scale....in fact throw the damn thing away...seriously. go by the way your clothes fit and the way you feel and look in the mirror.  muscle is  more compact than fat so that is why you go down in sizes but may not see much change in weight by numbers. muscle is also more active than fat so your resting metabolic rate will be higher when you`ve got more muscle which in turn burns more calories which in turn will let you eat more...and that`s great news!! LOL we tend to over criticize ourselves. look in the mirror and tell yourself what looks good and what needs a bit of work and go from there. aerobic exercise will take weight off...what`s your cardio routine? i feel you need to change something up....find a different workout time. mid day possible? early morning? exercising in the morning gives you more energy during the day. it may not feel like it at first while your body is adjusting but give it time. i think you`re pushing too hard. working out til 11 pm and then trying to sleep and getting up early morning is just hard on your body. eat sensibly. cut way back on processed and refined foods and try to stay as close to natural as possible. i have a friend who cut out white flour and white sugar items and she lost weight at a consistent rate.  your body will also plateau out. it`ll get used to a routine and it won`t be challenged anymore so change it up. this also helps you so you don`t get bored. like the italian stallion said (joey) drink lots of water. i opt for a half to a full gallon per day. at first i peed like a racehorse but my body acclimated and that stopped good luck friend and remember slow and steady. and no fad diets crap...only temporary and it`s not good for you

[BEAU]

You might want to take a look at a couple things...
First of all, I am with joe and patty with the water thing. Drink lots of water!! It's great for you!
Then see if you can get in some better lunches. Fruits and salads are ok, but yes, you need to have some protein in there, and some carbs for energy. If you don't have enough carbs, you have no energy. That can drag you down. Get some whole grains for carbs and you can get some energy for your day.
The other thing, is you may want to look at trying to exercise in the morning too. Working out late at night has got to have an effect on you too. If you exercise that late, you don't get home until later, then with unwinding time, you are getting to bed way too late. That just sets you up to not get enough sleep for the night. It has a much greater effect than getting up a little early in the morning. Plus the early morning workout gives you a boost for your day as well. Give it a try and see how you like it.
Remember, the scale is not the almighty ruler of all things. Have you tried doing measurements of various body parts? When my daughter started working out, that's the first thing I had her do. She was always obsessed by the scale too... but two weeks into it when she had only lost a pound or so, she was glad she had measured... as she had lost an inch and a half off her waist!! So try doing some measurements of body parts and compare them every couple weeks. Do your upper arms, thighs, shins, waist, etc...

[Louisa]

Thank you guys so  much!  Honestly and truly, I hadnt thought of it that way.... and thats the onnnly thing with drinking water, patty, I can account for... I feel like I have over-active bladder! (was hoping to hold that off at least for a few years!!)
I am definitley going to invest in that, only other question is... any ideas on how to get good carbs/proteins in for lunch/dinner on the run? 

I've been lucky enough to have my  mother living just a few doors down the street from me... (then again, some people might not consider that lucky...hmm ;-)) but it's great for my dog, on days she isnt at my Moms, she comes up everyday God bless her to let the little bum out to piddle and walk.  And half the time, she is at my mothers all day with her Schnauzers... and the poor cat, Maggie, is home by her lonesome.  She sleeps 80% of the day anyhow.  I do get home periodically, I dont live too far from "downtown"... although its not a huge town.  So I get to stop in, but unfortunately often Tuesday thru Thursday I am gone 9am to 9pm or 11pm if I workout... Friday just work 9-5.  So it gets expensive eating out all the time even just for lunch or one meal a day.   

[JoeF]

I carry around PAYDAY PRO bars with me (Not the candy bar) 15 grams of protein. I get them at Walgreens or CVS.
Obviously Beans, cheese and meats are good sources of protein.
After I wrok out expecially if I have been lifting weights I have a chocolate protein shake. I use a brand called Designer Whey and mix it with Skim Milk.

Also check out some of those drinks like  Ensure and carnation instant breakfast for the times you can't eat right.

Did I mention water water water.  

[BEAU]

I'm not sure what type of work you do, or what your options are for lunch. But packing a lunch might work better than running out to lunch every day. Even if it's something easy, or a frozen lunch.
You can make an excellent sandwich with whole grain bread, your favorite luncheon meat (protein), cheese, and throw some lettuce and tomato in a separate bag (so they dont get the whole thing soggy) and have a great sandwich for lunch. Go easy on the mayo to save calories, or skip it and throw on mustard. Add some fruit and baby carrots, heck you can even throw in a snack bag of chips if you wanted to, just don't put a big bag in there! 
One thing I have seen the ladies here do with great success, is use the Healthy Choice, and Weight Watchers frozen meals. These are the pre-packaged, frozen meals that take the guesswork out of portion control. They say they are quite good, and they are sized for one meal. If you stock up on them and try bringing one even every other day, it could make a difference. Some of the ladies here in the office have lost quite a bit of weight using those meals and the Weight Watchers program to count their points. I think the big thing with that is to watch their portion sizes, and the meals do it for them. It also keeps them away from the french fries and quarter pounders! So that might be an option to think about. If you have access to a fridge to put them in... or an insulated bag to keep them cold...

[Carol]

Hey Louisa!
Yep, it's the American way these days, isn't it.  You're best be is to work out BEFORE your day starts.  Your endorphins are released to get your energy going and your metabolism is set for the day.  If the only option is at the end of the day, then so be it, but it's not optimal.  Have containers on your desk of almonds, raisins, yougurt covered pretzels, yogurt covered raisins, pretzel rods....they help with the munchies, supply some protein and offer some "crunchy" time.  Always eat a breakfast that's substantial.  Even if you make pancakes with canned pumpkin, it is a filler and offers you some vitamins, eggs (I boild a dozen at a time to stick in lunchbags for the week 2-5 are recommended) eggs are a protein that will keep you going.  peanut butter and salt free crackers are great in fast forward along with a handful of carrots.  There's a bit of fat and some sugar, but not a bad deal really.   Fill up on whole grain bread with your slice of cheese and lean turkey for lunch....the whole wheat builds bulk.  Instand oatmeal....just add water and some fresh fruit-voila-great lunch.  walk, walk, walk....take steps, furthest parking spot, doing calf push-ups under your desk......a little help for ya, I hope.

[patty]

for snacks i like carol's stuff like the nuts and pretzels and yogurt covered stuff. nuts are fattening but its good fat (yes, there is good fat) and a good sense of protein. i love the hard boiled egg too....i have one everyday for bkfst. eggs are the only complete protein out there. throw in berries....a cupful of blueberries is an excellent thing full of antioxidants and the like.  keep up with the water...your body WILL get used to it you just have to keep doing it some of my coworkers have also had success with weight watchers..they reteach you how to eat and stress portion control. i think that's why it works for so many, there are no no no's...only moderation and accountability so you don't feel deprived. i used to freeze grapes and sliced nanners and use them for snacks in the summer; refreshing and healthy and natural   brown bagging your lunch is excellent. i do it everyday. saves you cash plus it can be healthier.