These FiveFinger Vibrams have been awesome for my running. It used to take me a couple of days to recover from running and now it takes a few hours (ranges from 2-8 hours depending on how much water I've had over the course of previous days).

As of today, I'm down 15lbs. Not a lot but a good start. I did plateau for a bit and the running has been helping to break that plateau. The next few weeks should help more since I'm not caught up in teaching.

Help advice please..Im haveing a discusion with someone about soda..diet vs regular as well as on what else to drink besides water wich I can drink if I put some flavor in it.The water is fine its just after a fue glases I go back to something else.Anyhoo my question is about soda..the diet sodasa are suposed to be O's all the way down the ingreedence list regular soda has a bunch of carbs ,sodium,sugars ect.I hear diet sodas arent good either for u so whay call then diet of they casn be as bad as regular soda..come on,what gives?Thereason im asking is I hae gotten stuck on a palteau and cant drop below it no mater how hard I work out and cutting my food iontake down causes me to wipe out so...now what.I could exersise harder but will blow my back out .If I drink juices that have as much sugars and carbs as anything else..sports drinks,the ones ive tryed suck.

Try adding a slice of lemon to your water or tea (sans sugar and actual tea leaves/bag -- could create "sun" tea). Diet sodas, with aspartame, screw up your body's response to glucose (sugar). It thinks it has sugar from it but doesn't. I've actually found that when I cut out all soda (at the time it was ONLY diet) I lost an additional 5lbs.

I recently started drinking it but I limit myself to no more than one glass a day. I do drink upwards of 4-6 32oz bottles of filtered water a day. If I stick with water specifically, I tend to lose weight easier.

sodas are bad umkay!?!?

diet regular is doesn't matter. it isn't real food. it is chemicals, and things like aspertame and sucralose actually inhibit the breadown of fats into usable energy, and convert to dangerous chemicals in our system. :readfineprint:

it has been a belief of mine that since the introduction of diet soda, more people have developed things like restless leg syndrome and fibromialgia.(sp?)
as well as the "rationalization" that if i eat a big fatty burger/fry meal, the Diet Coke will cancel out the bad stuff........:seeingstars:



that being said, i do enjoy a nice ice cold soda, but i have weaned myself off diet mostly. drink the occasional energy drink, or "leaded" soda (reg):sunglass:

the less i drink, the more i realize how yuck i feel when i do. same with wheat and potatoes and other high carb stuff. i like it when i am eating it cause it tastes good, but no sooner than it hits bottom, i am bloaty and miserable.
will i ever learn?:byebye:

@

I would suggest cutting out the soda entirely and pretty much anything but water. I have a client who was the same way in that she didn't like water and needed to flavour it in order to drink it. That was two months ago and now she has no problems drinking 2-3 litres of unflavoured water a day, and she's also cut out diet soda (which she used to drink a lot of) completely. You just have to slowly adapt yourself to it. Actually I've had quite a few clients that have insisted to me that they can't drink unflavoured water when I've told them they need to drink more...few months later and they've got no problems with it.

What you're talking about are the nutritional facts, no the ingredients list. The nutritional facts may be all 0's but if you look at the actual ingredients list you'll notice they're just as full of crap. Same with anything that calls itself "diet" anything. The way they make a product into "diet" form is by taking out fat or refined sugar, and replace them with artificial sweatners. The problem, also, is that the nutritional facts do not cover sugar alcohols and other aritificial sweatners, nor the shit-ton of chemicals they pour in there. Read the actual ingredients list to get an idea of how healthy something is. If you can't pronounce half of it, you probably shouldn't be putting it into your body.

Because those companies don't actually give a rat's ass about people's health. There's an entire multi-billion dollar business in artificial sweatners, artificial flavours (for example, did you know that ethyl-2 methyl butrate is what creates the apple flavour in many products) and "natural" flavours (which only differ from artificial flavours in the method of their production).

I'd stay away from sports drinks or that flavoured "vitamin water." Stick to water.

Think of your food and drink as living vs. dead. Even that blue menu stuff people go on about is not something I'd ever want to put in my body. What you put in is what you get out.

You said you'd blow your back out if you exercise harder. What is the issue with your back? Has your doctor suggested you stay away from exercise, that you should not perform certain exercises? Are you using proper form, particularly in strengthening the lower back (usually the culprit)?

I have been really crunched for time lately. I'm having a hard time "finishing" a workout. I can only get through one far enough to feel amped. I cant finish one to the point where I can find some relaxation during or after. One of the reasons I workout is because I refuse to be medicated for ADD, it does help. I bought a bicycle a couple weeks ago. when I work in town, I ride that thinking it would help me feel like I completed a workout. It's like I just started one when I get to work or get home. (average 10 miles). My normal is 60 to 90 minutes. I'm only getting about 20 to 30.

I'm wondering if Yoga would help. I don't know anything about it and don't have time to learn it in a class at the gym. I do know that I could do yoga just about anywhere. My questions are:

Can I learn yoga quickly? (I'm pretty well versed on how the body works. I've just never done yoga)
Is there a particular DVD someone could recommend for a beginner?

Thank you in advance.

Diet sodas:
 

Thanks to all that replyed about this subject,I use to drink a 12 or more of regular soda a day,now its diet...about 4 a day along with crangrape or sugar free kool aid now and then.Where I use to live the water was awful..yellow water ..really it came out of the tap that way and the watrer department says it ok to drink.Now,I live where the water out of the tap is really good to drink..I got some lemons at the store and have a picture in the fridge for when I want some.I am working on drinking less soda a day as quickly as I can.I quit bthe ciggys and I know I can quit the sodas.Oh about rls..I have it but never thought that sodas could effect it nor did I consider some of my muscel twitches and pain may be from sodas.I really though it was from my back injury.Intresting thought.
One more question...fruit..I eat a lot of it.Plums,oranges,bannas,peaches and apples.Could that be puting too much sugars in my system,I do eat veggies and not to much red meat anymore,mostly chicken,fish or pork sometimes.
Recently I met with the sergons about my back injury..if I can lose another 50 pounds I can avoid sergery.This weight has go to go.

Hi Rockin,

Diet Vs. regular. Let me see if I can explain this,

Soda is just plain bad. Diet sodas have more "salts" in them, not just sodium. (will cause water retention, which in most cases is not as good as it sounds)Artificial sweeteners have the same effect on the "craving center" of the brain as sugar or high fructose corn syrup. (more so most of the time.) People then, think it's ok to drink more diet soda. and they crave it.

I for years drank at least 4 cans of diet pepsi a day. when I learned how bad diet sodas are, I cut soda out completely. Within the next month, I had lost an additional 15lbs to the 6lbs (I think) That I had lost for the 2 months prior without any additional effort. I believe it was because I cut out the soda. I wasn't trying to lose weight at that time, it was just a residual effect.

Another way to think of it is, are "light" cigarettes any safer that "full flavor". Surely the answer is no. However, the marketing folks at the tobacco companies would like you to think so.

Good luck to you.

EnderD
 

The issue with my back is ..marked dischernation at L4-L5..no extrudes fragments..degenerative change at L3-L4.On the docs report he sugested epidural injections before surgery to see how it worked cause the surgery will be extensive ad quite invasive.He also said other treatments before surgery.Why he didnt just go ahead and do some of what he sugested ..workmans comp shut down any response to him.he wouldnt do anything without it even tho he could have.I ask him if I could go thrue rehab he said NO wouldnt do any good..BS says I. Now im going to Lsu med center,it took me a year to get in the program,the rehab ppl gave me exersises to do many I already doing.Im lifting weights,rideing a bike..my butt goes numb after 2 miles then I cant feel my leg or foot for a while when I stop and get off the bike.The weights im useing are not over ten pounds hand weights but I do 4 to 5 sets of diffrent moves and am doing 75 to 100 modified sit ups every other day,30 to 50 depends on the day leg extions and a fue smaller things .I feel better with the exersise just stay sore and have poped my sholder out as well as my back gets spazed out if I dont pay attention to the warnings I get to back off a day or two or even a week.Any way thats the story on the back and workouts..I should be iun better shape and lost more weight by now.Im trying to fiugre out what to do next to shed more weight.

Advice?
 

I had a setback to my working out a little over a month ago when I tripped and fell on my left knee (An item had been left in the middle of a store aisle, and I didn't see it.). After getting x-rays that looked fine, I waited ten days and then resumed working out. Unfortunately I felt that everything was all better so I happily went right back into long, high intensity work-outs. On the fourth day of that, my pain returned, so I've been resting since then, and my knee has been improving. Rest is seeming to really help it. Luckily I have this month off work, which is great because at work I am running up and down stairs all day (a five story walk-up school building). During this time of resting it, I have also had an MRI of my knee and this showed no tears but noted "mild arthritic changes." I am not sure what this means and will likely go to a doctor to try and find out what exactly this means in my case. My plan is to wait until I get to the point where it feels pretty much normal but then when I exercise again to take it easy this time. Usually I do very high resistance/intensity with lower speed on bikes and elliptical machines. I am going to try reversing the equation and doing lower intensity with higher speeds instead. My thought is that this will make it easier on my joints. I'm someone who is heavyset yet loves to exercise. Lifting weights and doing cardio just gives me a great mood lift and also helps me to manage my weight to some degree. Anyway, given my injury, I thought I would ask if anyone has any advice? Thank you for taking the time to read this. I have found people on this thread to be very wise and supportive.

Most of the time I have doctored myself with RICE- rest, ice, compression and elevation. If you hurt something, stop working it, ice it, bandage it and if it's something like an ankle or knee, keep it raised as much as possible. When I get twinges, I back off.

Lately, I have had pain in one knee doing heavy leg presses. I tried backing the weight off and it actually felt worse. I took a good look at the picture on the leg press machine where they show you how to work it and the guy in the picture was doing his presses with his thighs above parallel. I had been putting the seat as low as it would go, because I had been taught to do full squats in a weightlifting (Olympic style) club back in the day.

Once I raised the seat on the leg press machine so my thighs were just above parallel, I could go heavy again without it bothering my knee.

I hope your knee gets better Jennifer!!!!! ((( YOU ))) :rrose:

I just started a new regimen today: I'm off for three weeks until my final semester that begins the end of August (leading into September) and I live about a mile (or more) from a great place to do a morning walk! The hiking trail surrounds a heavily forested golf course and it's about a two mile distance, doing the course one time. So I walk to the site, do two laps and then walk home - for a total of about 4-5 miles. I wanted to jumpstart my physical activity again because when I am busy with homework duties, I often end up sitting for hours just to read -- and then if that isn't enough, I often sit for hours just typing out my items that are due. What I consume for food is heathy and I get plenty of water in (during the course of the day - about 2 qts?), so I am focusing on revving up my exercise and since today was day one - my legs were on fire today, but they are better tonight. I think I will do a series of stretches before I head out in the morning and then do a little rest break between my laps and stetch a bit more, then see if this helps socialize me into my new routine. I've decided that if I can lose about 25 pounds between now and the end of October and then see if I can lose another 25 by the Christmas/New Years holidays, I figure that I will be in the best shape I have been in quite awhile. My wieght tends to yo-yo, but I think it's due to inactivity and having to sit for extended periods of time. I hope my plan of action succeeds (where weight loss is concerned) and also, to help me to feel better and to instill a stronger ethic for taking care of my physical health needs.

Ive been drinking water for the most part for a couple of days and found its not so bad at all,Today I got some lemons to put it it to gove it some taste.I only have drank less than two cans of soda beleave it or not since I started with water for the most part.I aso got some drink flavore but am stayig away from anything with sapertaine in it,at least as much as humanly possable.I have been hearing a lot of bad stuff about what it dose to ones system and realise I am haveing some of the digestive probs they r talking about and r takeing two meds to deal with it..now if I dont injest any I should over time have that solved..I hope.

*closing my eyes, humming loudly, not hearing you*
 

Dear Ryobi,

bustin my bubble dude!
i love my diet coke.
LOVE
*pouting big time*

OMG.. that sounds dangerous almost. Reminds me of the International Messenger Race they held once in Toronto. It consisted of riding from pub to pub in the middle of February during a storm. And as you hit each pub, you had to drink a whole pint of beer (some were Guinness). :blink:


I've been off the running since Little Rock and will start up again tomorrow, after dropping K off at the airport. I'll then be "working out" by doing the last of my packing and taking things apart. One more week...

+1 on the Brita. I drink at least a gallon of water daily, 1.5 on days I workout. Don't know where I'd be w/o my Brita!

Surprised no one has mentioned Green Tea (as in iced green tea). Easy to make sun tea (well, least in these parts since the sun shines everyday). I buy decaf green tea bags in bulk, throw a few in a glass container (with the Brita water!). Once brewed, tea goes into individual Nalgene bottles in frig so I can grab & go. Oh, and sweeten it up w/Stevia. :nixon::