Walking To Lose Weight

24 Hour Fast

Ken — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:17:20 +0000

My wife wants me to go on a 7-day water fast. I’m a pretty risk-averse guy and going that long without food doesn’t seem healthy so I did a little research on it. One of the suggestions I found was to build up to it, so I decided to try a 24 hour fast. At 5:30 pm Friday I ate just a couple bites of food and started my fast. Of course that’s no big deal ’cause it’s not like I’d be eating before breakfast any way… Woke up about 4:30 Saturday morning (that’s normal for me on weekends) feeling hungry so I drank a couple glasses of water. That helped quite a bit – I was kind of surprised. The main thing to deal with was boredom – I never realized how boring it is to not eat breakfast. I felt hungry all morning but no hunger pangs; I just drank a glass of water now and then. After lunch my wife wanted me to take a nap with her and I agreed, but once we got to bed I couldn’t sleep. My body felt tired but my mind was wide awake so I got up and drank some more water. I thought I was going to be really looking forward to dinner and breaking my fast, but the funny thing is when dinner time came I didn’t really feel all that hungry so I skipped it. Finally at about 8:00 I cooked a small pork chop because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I went to bed with an empty stomach.

So….. does a 24 hour fast really do anything for you? In my case, at least I learned a few things. First, my mind seemed a lot clearer while on the fast. Second, even though I felt fine (other than a little hungry) I was very irritable. Third, when I broke the fast it took much less food than normal to fill me up. Since portion control is so important to a successful diet that alone makes a 24 hour fast useful. In fact I’m kind of thinking of doing this every Friday. Next weekend though I’m going to shoot for a 3 day fast, starting on Thursday night and ending Sunday.

A wake up call

Ken — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:30:33 +0000

I went to the doctor the other day for my allergies and the nurse said something about my blood pressure being “a little high.” It almost sounded like she was being sarcastic but I didn’t ask. When the doctor came in I thought he was going to have a heart attack when he looked at the chart. 162/102. After getting a good ass-chewing from him for not taking my BP medicine he wrote me new scripts and sent me on my way. I still didn’t think it was that big of a deal until I did some internet research. Long story short 162/102 is a “big deal.” I’ll be making some changes to my lifestyle, soon.

Sketchers Shape-Ups

Ken — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:00:27 +0000

One of the most important things to have for your weight loss walking program is a good pair of walking shoes. I never thought too much about this until my wife bought me a pair of Sketchers Shape-Ups last month. I never put much thought into walking shoes before so I was surprised at the difference that the Sketchers made. The first thing I noticed was that the Shape-Ups forced me to stand up straight (I tend to slouch). The sole of the Skechers Shape-Ups make you stand kind of on the balls of your feet which causes you to naturally stand up straighter. The second thing I noticed was that I can walk a lot farther in the Shape-Ups. With my old shoes, my knees and ankles would start to get sore after about a half hour of very brisk walking. With these new Sketchers I can go for at least 45 minutes with no soreness in my knees or ankles. It stands to reason that walking longer will burn more calories, so these shoes should help me lose weight – if I’d just get off my behind and start walking. Aside from that, the Sketchers Shape-Ups are very comfortable and look nice too.

Making time to walk

Ken — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:41:52 +0000

For the last few weeks I haven’t done much walking because it’s been hard to find the time. Since walking to lose weight only works if you’re actually doing the walking, though, I’ve been thinking about ways to find time to go walking. One possibility is to get up early and go for a walk before work. If you’re a morning person this is a great time to take a walk – especially during the summer. The air is still cool, birds are singing, and if you’re lucky enough to live in the right area you can see lots of wildlife. Last Saturday morning on my walk I saw killdeer, quail, morning doves, a meadowlark, lots of rabbits, and a couple kinds of butterflies. Walking in the early morning is also relaxing because the day is still quiet. The only problem is that during the week I need to be at work by 6:00 am and it’s hard for me to get up early enough to have time for a good long walk and still make it to work on time. Another option would be to walk while I’m at work. I’m lucky enough to work at a place that has a great 1 mile walking trail that circles the campus. The only problem is that during the day it’s so hot that after walking it I’d need to go home and shower, which I don’t have time for. When I get home from work, it’s the same story – too hot plus I have to take care of the kids ’till my wife gets home, etc. What I’ve been doing lately is walking in the evening, just after it gets dark. AT first my wife didn’t like this because it left her having to take care of the kids and try to do house cleaning, wash dishes, etc. all at the same time which was pretty stressful. We made a deal so I do the housework when I get home then after dinner while I’m walking all she has to do is put the dishes away and then she can hang with the kids. So far it’s working out pretty good except that after my evening walk I feel so energized that it’s hard to get to sleep before 11:00.

I need to shed some lbs…

Ken — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:27:05 +0000

My wife is right (as usual), I really need to lose some weight. My ideal weight is about 180 lbs and I currently weigh about 215. The biggest problem with my weight is most of it is concentrated around my belly – a classic “beer gut.” Not only does it look disgusting, it’s very bad for heart health. We’ve got a 5 year old son I’d like to see grow up, and as I told my wife last night I want to live a long time so that I have many years to enjoy driving my 66 Barracuda. I’d also like to get in shape so I can enjoy the things with our son that I used to enjoy with my dad. Walking isn’t my favorite activity, but walking to lose weight is probably a good idea. I enjoy bicycle riding more but that’s no fun in the wind; walking is something that I can do just about any time or any where. So my stats are 6’1″ tall, 216 lbs, and seriously out of shape, also have mild high blood pressure and cholesterol. My goals are pretty simple, I’d like to get down to 180 lbs and get my blood pressure and cholesterol level under control without medication. It would also be nice to go hiking without getting out of breath the first time the trail starts to go up hill. So… that’s where I’m at. I’ll be 46 this year and it’s time to get back in shape. I think walking to lose weight will be a good start.

Cheers,

Ken

Meet My Husband

Xiaohua — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:10:35 +0000

I started this blog to help motivate my husband to lose weight and… he hasn’t lost any weight!!! In fact, I think he’s actually put on a few extra pounds. So, I’m going to have him start writing about his experiences with trying to lose weight. I guess he can write about his own experiences better than I can any way so without further ado, meet my husband Ken.

Walk Off Belly Fat

Xiaohua — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:37:39 +0000

My biggest concern about my husband is that most of his excess weight is concentrated around his belly. Some studies show that belly fat carries much higher health risks than fat stored in other areas of the body. Walking, combined with a healthy diet, is an excellent way to lose excess belly fat. Because walking for weight loss is a low impact form of exercise, it is safer for people who have some of the health issues associated with being overweight. Even so, you should consult with your doctor before starting a walking program if you have any health problems.

Walking to Lose Weight

Xiaohua — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:49:45 +0000

Welcome to my Walking to Lose Weight blog! I don’t need to lose weight but my husband does. This blog is my journal of turning my husband from a couch potato back into the fit young man he was when we first got married. BTW, no, he’s not hen pecked, he fully supports me in this. We both want him to be around long enough to see our younger son grow up:)

At the start of this (today) he weighs 212 lbs, will have to check blood pressure and cholesterol level and post later, but both are high even though he’s on meds for them. Our goal is 180 lbs (and especially lose the belly) with both blood pressure and cholesterol in the low end of the normal range.

This won’t be just about weight loss though. The health benefits of walking aren’t limited to losing weight. I really believe that walking can enhance your physical, mental, and spiritual health. For a brief overview of the walking experience, check out my “Walking to Lose Weight” lens on Squidoo. Keep coming back here, too. I expect to update this site regularly.

Sincerely,

Xiaohua