mmmm, toast

[lagilman]

I'm in decent if not fabulous shape (my cardio's good, my bones are strong).  All I want is to lose a whole grand total of 5 pounds, to get to what I think is a reasonable weight for my height, age, and build (that weight would be 135 pounds).

I can - and have - lost that weight and reached that goal. Repeatedly, as the joke goes. But dropping 1/2 pound a week requires a) moderate but regular 3-4 times a week exercise, AND b) cutting my calorie consumption.

Well, yes. That's how it goes.

Except cutting my calorie consumption, as calculated by my current weight/build and level of exercise, brings me to 1400 calories a day. And 1400 calories a day? Is putting me into hibernation/sleep mode.

(experience shows that I work best on 1800-2000 cal/day, mostly in protein and carbs. I burn hot, apparently)

But when I up the cals... yeah, no weight loss.

So. Upping the calories, and upping the exercise. ugh. Have I ever mentioned what an utterly lazy meerkat I am? Walking, sure, I can city-hike or trail-walk for miles and be fine. But running or biking, especially in not-ideal weather... I need a cookie to get me out and moving, and without a reliable exercise buddy, I suspect I'm toast.

Mmmm, toast.

So..looks like I'm going to have to be the shitty upstairs neighbor, and get a treadmill to go with my other routines.  Any recommendations, oh Internets?  (I need something that will go to at least 4mph, needs few bells and/or whistles, and has decent padding for my crap knee)


EtA: I have my doctor's seal of approval on both my eating habits and my exercise routines.  So please...don't post advice on how you think I should adjust any of that, if you're not a medical professional.  And even if you are.

Comments

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

have to be the shitty upstairs neighbor

.no that would be the one with the basketball...

[lagilman]

I'm already the shitty neighbor with the jumprope, but at least that I keep to reasonable hours and only 10 minutes at a time...

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

now, if you were in the Roller Derby...

[deire.livejournal.com]

I should exercise too. I've actually been told no jogging or weight lifting. Swimming heavily encouraged. And, ah, winter is an issue. Yeah, I can find indoor pools, but they aren't usually that warm.

[elektra.livejournal.com]

If you can afford it--ask what they recommend at the gym. If you want to go more "budget"--we've had a decent treadmill from Sears that has been running for at least a decade. Sears is surprisingly good for appliances and exercise equipment. I wanted (at the time--there weren't a lot of digital readout then) variable speed, foldable, incline--and I got all of them on a comfortable walking/running surface.

Good luck finding what you need.

[lagilman]

and which gym would that be?

(I used to have a ProForm I loved, but it was a massive machine, not suitable for an NYC apartment)

[elektra.livejournal.com]

I thought you had somewhere you'd worked out in the past . . . someplace very "not trendy" from what you'd written about it. I thought it was someplace you might still know folks, even if you weren't a member.

[cepetit.myopenid.com (from livejournal.com)]

Given the knee, have you considered a cycle-type-device or a rowing machine? They may be a little (not a lot) more expensive, if you don't get one with a lot of bells and whistles and electronica... and both your knees and the neighbor downstairs will thank you.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I have similar aspirations and challenges, and, at least in the short to moderate term, do well substituting more protein for carbs - you will shed some water weight without compromising your efforts, and if you can add a little bit of upper-body exercise to go with your legs-and-cardio routine (whether that's pushups of your preferred variety, planks, dumbbell (or, hell, gallon jug) curl-and-presses, or whatever), that can add another few dozen calories per day to your burn.

(fat = ~3500 calories per pound, so, the rough equivalent of the caloric load of a case of beer or soft drinks... this makes your goal about 20,000 total extra calories burned... and, as much as i personally hate it, fasted, low-effort cardio first thing in the morning is the best way to "target" fat preferentially, since your blood sugar is depleted, and only bumping up your heart rate to moderate levels (115-135bpm at our age) will keep from cannibalizing (catabolizing, actually) the muscles you've got).

[lagilman]

As I said in the original post, my diet and exercise program has been doctor-vetted, specific to the way my body works, and my medical conditions. I'm not asking for advice there.

Reducing carbs below my established consumption, for me, is a very bad idea.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

Ah, gotcha. I wasn't sure if there was much wiggle room for the humdrum suggestions like "more water" and "turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees."

*ponders* Afraid I'm out of good ideas, but I have lots of terrible ones! :-)

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

http://www.amazon.com/DeskCycle-Desk-Exercise-Pedal-Exerciser/dp/B00B1VDNQA

Is something like this an option, or will the cats murder your feet for the crime of behaving like prey?