The big oak (Quercus) needs to drop some dead limbs!

I had an interesting idea. There has been quite a bit of talk about carrying around the weight that you've lost. I was thinking I would lift it. I can start by curling the weight in each hand and see how many reps I can get. Then when it gets to heavy to curl in each hand I could move on to a different lift like pressing or cleaning. I have plenty of plates and a set of dumbbells in my room with the bike so it will be easy. Situps and curls will be an easy way to add to the hour of cycling. I can do different lifts to mix it up so I can do it more often.
 
So the first results of Curl What You Lost:

2 dumbbells weighing 29 pounds each (the handle with clip is 4 pounds) which is .8 pounds more than I've lost in each hand.

1 continuous set alternating arms up to 50 so:

25 reps each arm

I could have done more, but they started to get sloppy with the last couple reps. That will be plenty to make my arms sore. Hopefully I can up the reps before I have to go up to 34 pounds.
 
I've lost my weight drinking a lot more diet soda than I should. Quercus is absolutely right about the studies showing it's counterproductive nature to dieting (hadn't heard about the osteoporosis but it doesn't surprise me either). So far I've managed to avoid those pitfalls, but then my food temptations have always been more toward the fatty foods than the sugary foods. So I tend not to have sugar cravings.

I've done okay cutting back, so maybe for now try and stick with that and then cutting back a little more in a few months. I also like a regular coke as a treat (just had one).

Long term, I'd like to cut out diet sodas altogether and replace them with one or two regular cokes a day plus water. The problem is to make sure one or two regular cokes don't become four or five.
 
Being overweight is certainly a bigger health risk than drinking soda. I'm not one to say you shouldn't drink soda. Too much is obviously bad for you and I do poorly with moderation. I am struggling with it today. That's a sure sign that I drink too much of it. I'll make it through this week as I get challenge points. Hopefully the cravings will subside and I can stick with it past that.

There was a time when I wouldn't taste my wife's coffee drinks because they tasted gross sweet to me. Now I drink them regularly. The sugar free mostly, but either way used to be too sweet. That meant that donuts, candy, ice cream , and all sorts of other terrible stuff was either small quantity or not at all. That's what I need in my life. It's not that I eat them often, I could just live without them all together if I can get rid of my main source of sweet taste (diet soda).
 
Hey Quercus - craving get better! Honest - first week is the worst! So if you get through that you might as well continue (if you want that is)
The weight (you lost) lifting sounds like a great idea - I was just happy hold those 20lbs weight in my hands for a few seconds...Lol.

I hope you have a great week!
 
Thanks Justina! I'm going to try to kick sodas for good. We will see. My wife just popped the top on a diet ginger ale. I'm having green tea.
 
HEHE Bless - it's harder if someone else's having it...
it's like me when i gave up chocolate for lent - my husband had it...but I was soo determined.. I made it through. Good luck!!
Well done on the green tea x
 
RESIST! Once you get the number of days moderately high, it's easier to keep going rather than lose the progress.
 
Thanks Cory and Jen! Jen I'm happy to see you around again. I'm still soda free. I'm not craving it at all today.

I only got a half hour of exercise yesterday, but I will ride my spin bike for an hour, do crunches, pushups, and some overhead presses with my weight lost dumbbells this evening. I've done well on calories and water today. I hope to be in the 3teens by next Saturday's weigh-in.
 
yay!!! well done on no soda!! You are good!! Keep it up!!

Good job with exercise! Your mini goal sounds reasonable - go for it!
 
You can do it! I'm almost 3 weeks in now without soda. I think you'll have no problem getting to the three teens.
 
Okay so no bike, but that's because I spent a couple hours hauling, chopping and piling brush. I barely managed a set of 25 with my 29 pound dunbbells. Who would have thought that curls would be easier than overhead presses?

I also did 20 Marine crunches and 5 pushups. I don't know why I could only get 3 the other evening. 20 was hard, but I managed them as one set. The pushups were all hard and 5 was a max set.

So full points for exercise and points for situps. Day 4 of no calories drank, no artificial sweetner drank. I don't believe I've had any artificial sweeteners ate or drank since last Thursday. Lots of water, green tea, and black coffee.

Thanks for the encouragement Justina and Cory! I feel like I'm over the hump with the craving and I hope the weight will cooperate with me.
 
Tx for the info Quercus. Will read through it when I have a minute. I drink about 2 cans of Coke zero at most a day. I'm mostly a water drinking - always have been so I'm sure its not too bad.

Great job on the curl reps!!
 
1 hour spin bike (that sucked tonight)
60 rep set of 29 pound curls (30 per arm)
20 crunches (had to take a break at 12)
5 pushups
 
Well done Don. Curls are just a way to sprinkle in a little resistance training. I need to get back to a power lifting routine, but I think I'm going to wait until I get lighter and build my core strength up a little. A powerlifting buddy of mine put it this way. Curls are like mustard. There's nothing wrong with having a little to liven things up, but if you eat a bowl of mustard you're an idiot.

I may be eating a bowl of mustard.
 
A powerlifting buddy of mine put it this way. Curls are like mustard. There's nothing wrong with having a little to liven things up, but if you eat a bowl of mustard you're an idiot.

I may be eating a bowl of mustard.

I LOL'd. But I like mustard....
 
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