Exercise

[rowyn]

On the one hand, this would explain why taking up regular exercise has only kept me around the same weight for the last three or four years. Since apparently I'm supposed to exercise an hour a day just to avoid gaining more weight. Even on a good week I'm not doing that much. (Although it depends in part on what exactly qualifies as "moderate" vs "high" intensity.) So actually, I am fortunate in not having gained weight since 2009. Yay?

On the other hand: ARGH. Stupid fleshy body, so demanding. x.x

(On a tangential note: even after taking exercise off my resolution list, I'm still exercising 4-5 times a week. So I haven't thrown up my hands and given up. YET.)

Comments

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

I've seen elsewhere that exercise is completely tangential to weight gain or loss. So this study might be a case of correlation is not causation, especially since the results have to be further qualfied in order for them to get any results at all.

[rowyn]

Yeah ... personally, I think the reason I'm staying the same weight is that I automatically adjust how much I eat based on how many calories I burn. I suppose I should try tracking how much I eat. Again. I'm really sick of paying attention to it, though.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Diet change can help quite a bit too. But, is it possible you're setting your weight target too low? The super-skinny supermodel look is not for everyone. };)

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

I know for me it's 'don't eat snacks'. A rule that I am not so very good at keeping, but when I do keep it it works...

But I'm pretty sure that's not universally applicable since other people have been given the exact opposite advice (eat tiny meals and snack a lot).

[rowyn]

For me, the only thing that's really worked is "eat fewer calories". I used to drink a ton of Coke and have this huge brownie from the cafe near work every day, back in '97. I lost about 20 pounds by giving those up. But I still drink diet soda and I still don't have a big daily dessert any more, /and/ exercising regularly ... yet here I am, hovering around my all-time high. Sigh. Stupid high-maintenance finicky body.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

I've seen that too -- if you take some indulgence and give it up, you get a temporary weight loss but it comes right back even if you still keep not indulging. Your body adjusts, and now you're torturing yourself just to stay where you used to be without having to torture yourself.

If only it worked the other way around! >:)

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

I don't try to avoid snacks, myself, but I do try to eliminate cheese and I switched from white rice to brown rice. It may make a difference what kind of snacks one chooses as well. Dried fruit might make a wholesome snack.

I've been pondering a more difficult task, reducing or eliminating oil in cooking for myself. Most all of the recipes I know involve frying!

[rowyn]

Naw, I'm not being unrealistic. My low weight as an adult is about 120lbs; at that weight I was still quite curvy. I'm currently 153lbs or so. I could lose 50 pounds and still not be below the 'normal' BMI range for my height. As it is, I'm about 10-15 lbs above the 'normal' BMI. So it's not a big deal if I don't lose weight, but it's still not a bad idea. And the nurse at the health clinic in January nagged me about it.

Also, I have a bunch of clothes I'd like to fit in again someday. -.-

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Curvy is good! ^_^

How tall are you though? I'm 5'8", at my high end I was at 170, I'm currently running about 140, which I think is fine and thus I haven't felt pressured to do more exercise.

[rowyn]

I'm 5'2.5" or something. If I were 5'8" I wouldn't be concerned about weighing 140 either. :) I think the 'normal' range for my height is supposed to be 110-140 or so.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, carry on then. ^_^