The photo does not even come close to what my stomach looks like. It's a fantasy image of what I would like my lower abdomen to appear.

It will never be exactly like that, though. A few years back, I had a surgery which left a scar from about an inch from my navel downward. When I lie down in certain ways the scar looks like a river between two small hills on either side. I am trying my best to get the sides trimmed and firm.

To do this, I have been doing 5 V-Up repetitions and 10 abdominal crunches each time I work out. Some weeks that amounts to five days.

Tips for the V-Up exercise:
When I make the V I try to hold it for a 5 second count.
I lower my arms and legs as slowly as I can.
I try not to rest in between repetitions. If I do, it's two or three seconds at most.

Tips for the abdominal crunches:
I do not lace my hands behind my head. I found that if I did, I was unconsciously pulling my head up. That can lead to neck injury.
I keep my arms straight at my sides about an inch from the mat.
I attempt to lift my head and upper abdomen as far as I can off the mat.
As with the V-Up, I hold each crunch for a 5 second count.
Again, I try not to rest between repetitions. Two or three seconds are the maximum rest time between repetitions.

This report on the fyiliving site talks about how much time to rest between repetitions to achieve muscle power, muscle volume increase or muscle tolerance.

That's what I'm doing to eliminate the pooch. I feel the burn in the abdominal muscles when I do these exercises so I know it has to be working. I'm looking forward to a smaller tummy. Maybe pants another one or two sizes smaller? It's a goal.

Until next time, think fit, think healthy.

There's something exhilarating about cleaning out your side of the closet after you have lost ten pounds of weight or more. To date, I have lost 57 pounds since mid-March of 2010.

This last weekend I determined to go through my clothes and donate whatever didn't fit or what I no longer liked to a thrift store which works in coordination with a disabled veterans' group. To do the job correctly, I needed to try on almost everything.

Here's some of what I found waiting for me:
one pair of bib overalls which my oldest daughter thought may have belonged to her at one time (too bad, finders keepers, nyah nyah and all that stuff. They look good on me, now)

red checked flannel long sleeved shirt (It's winter here and this is sure to get some usage, maybe even with the bib overalls previously mentioned.)

purple and green wool long sleeved shirt (same as the flannel shirt above)

floral and white curvy shorter dress with a sweetheart type neckline (oh yeah! it fits very well!)

olive green crocheted bolero type coverup (great for wearing over a blouse and skirt or a short or long sleeved dress)

red fitted rayon and polyester Christmas or Valentine's Day dress (one of my favorites when I was slimmer. Well, guess what? The woman in red is back!)

Well, you get the idea. I haven't even begun to attack the other places in the room where I have clothes and already have a kitchen garbage can sized bag of clothing to donate. My closet if filling with things I can actually wear, not stuff I wanna wear someday. Even more, the now-fitting clothes I have rediscovered have encouraged me to keep on losing to my goal weight of around 160 pounds.

I have gone down about 3 or 4 pants sizes from a 24-26W to an 18-20W depending upon the manufacturer. I used to wear elastic-waisted pants exclusively but now have been wearing jeans and pants without elastic waistbands.

My advice to gain some quick encouragement? Clean out your closet.

Until next time, think healthy, think fit.

This last month I have had to almost completely stop writing because of something which diverted all of my energy and attention to my family. I wanted to apologize for not keeping up with this blog for a month. I had to prioritize. Family and their immediate needs before writing.

I am beginning to write again. The events which drew me away are resolving somewhat.

I have to confess that I have not been as vigilant about exercise and diet in the previous month. My emotional state over the family situation left me weary and drained. Those are the times when I am most likely to over-indulge in the wrong foods and want to be sedentary rather than mobile. Surprisingly, I maintained my weight loss although weigh-ins have been like a yo-yo, up 3 or 4 pounds and back down, then up again. As my emotional state levels out, my determination to lose weight returns.

I'm back. I'm stronger. I will continue to post my successes and failures. Thanks for being patient with me.

I used to be able to stretch like this. Honest, I did. Now, however, the lower abdomen, like a couch pillow, limits my ability to touch the heels of my feet. My abdomen has had its muscles stretched by four full-term pregnancies, the last of which was fourteen years ago. It was not the type of stretching which would produce a pleasing side profile.

Today I want to explore stretching exercises, both before and after a workout. First, a confession: I haven't been doing stretching exercises, at least none I am aware of. I'm probably fortunate I haven't hurt myself.

For years, the prevailing advice about stretching exercises has been to do them both before and after a workout. A 2004 study of both amateur and professional athletes seems to indicate stretching exercises done before a workout do not reduce the risk of injury as previously believed. Some of the muscle's strength and power may actually be decreased if the muscle is stretched before the workout. (See the link to Len Kravitz's article).

According to Kristie Leong, a family physician and a Featured Contributor in Health and Wellness on Yahoo and health issues contributor to Associated Content, post-exercise stretches are the best. Your muscles are already warm and stretched from the workout. (See the link to her article.)

All of the sites I consulted stated some of the same things. Ballistic stretching, the type where you stretch the muscle by bouncing or pulsing the body over the muscle being stretched, is more likely to damage the muscle and is not recommended. (I have done this type of stretch in the past.)

You should warm up before you stretch. A good warm up may simply be a slow jog in place or a short bike ride, any activity which raises your core body temperature. The best warmup is a less intense version of what your main workout activity will be. A brisk walking pace before a sprint, for instance. When your core body temperature is raised, your muscles are more flexible and will stretch easier.

Any static stretch should be done slowly and smoothly and held for at least 30 seconds. The stretch should produce mild tension, not pain, in the muscle.

Dynamic stretches are ones in which the athlete is preparing a particular muscle for a specific movement in a competitive sport. These types of stretches take away the stiffness in muscles prior to the muscles being used.

One of my favorite stretching exercises: the standing hamstring stretch-I love to see if I can touch the palms of my hands to the floor (although lately, if I can touch my fingertips to the floor, I rejoice).

Stretching exercises are meant to increase the body's flexibility. A flexible body moves gracefully. I want to look as graceful as I can. Until Friday, think healthy, think fit.

Sources:
"Should You Do Static Stretches Before Exercising?" by Kristie Leong. Explains some of the research.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5758700/should_you_do_static_stretches_before.html?cat=50

"Stretching: A Research Retrospective" by Len Kravitz. Contains definitions of the types of stretching exercises and analyzes the research on whether stretching should be done before, during or after workouts.
http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/stretching2010UNM.html

This site contains photos and exercise descriptions of stretches for each muscle group in the body:
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/stretching/allstretches.php

First, I am happy to have completed the A to Z Blog Challenge for 2011. Much thanks to Elizabeth Mueller who distributed the award you see at the bottom of my home page. I'm not too sure if the zebra is laughing at me for having done this or glad for my accomplishment.

Next, I will be trimming this blog to a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule so that I can devote time to some neglected articles I want to finish for Associated Content. I am also participating in another Blog Challenge, this time going from Z to A. In 2006, started out as a fiction writer. The blog I will be entering in that challenge is called Heaven's Sunrise and is devoted to short stories I have written, book reviews and short studies of things in the Bible. Who knows? Maybe a story about someone trying to lose weight will appear on the blog.

My anticipated schedule for "Trimming the Couch Potato" will be: Monday, a health fact in the news; Wednesday, exercise in general, cardio workouts, strength training or stretching; and Friday, diets, foods and drinks.

Here's an announcement I waited all weekend to pronounce. As of Saturday I am now a little over 25 pounds lighter than when I started. My energy level seems to be increasing and I know my mood has improved for the better. I still have 105 pounds I would prefer to take off. If I get to 100 pounds lighter and find I feel fine at that weight, I'll maintain that.

So here is the first of my Monday posts about something I found in recent health news which interested me, and, I hope, you.

Did you know there was a study done about liposuction and whether this fat reduction method lasts? Two researchers at the University of Colorado studied a group of women who had liposuction on their lower abdomens or thighs and another group, the control group, who did not. None of the women were obese (which makes me wonder what they had to begin with that needed suctioning.) I guess they pouched out in the wrong places.

After a year's time, the women in the liposuction group gained back the fat which was suctioned off. Where on the body they gained it back was interesting. It didn't come back in the places where it was originally. Instead, it seemed to find a new place to 'inhabit', for lack of a better word. The fat redistributed itself around the shoulders, triceps of the upper arms, and mainly in the upper abdominal region.

The New York Times article does not indicate whether any studies were done to find out if the women changed anything about their lifestyles after the liposuction or if a lifestyle change would have prevented the fat from reoccurring. Gotta wonder.

The study also did not study men who had the procedure done. Would they have fared better than their female counterparts?

Liposuction may be an alternative for the extremely morbidly obese but I think I'll continue to try to take mine off the old-fashioned way: with even doses of exercise, proper nutrition and lots of patience.

Until Wednesday, think healthy, think fit.

The New York Times article by Gina Kolata "With Lipo, the Fat Comes Back__In Weird Places":
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42852400/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/

When you feel tired most of the time and are subsequently diagnosed with anemia, you know your diet needs to be enhanced with iron-rich foods. But if you have wounds which take a long time to heal or you begin to have trouble with your senses of taste or smell, you might have a zinc deficiency.

Zinc is one of those trace minerals your body must have to function well. It is the second most abundant mineral in the human body. Without it, your immune system will not operate as well. The carbohydrates you eat can not be broken down without zinc in your body.

People who follow a vegan diet or one in which they purposely eat less protein are more likely to have symptoms of zinc deficiency than those who eat a variety of foods including high protein animal products, legumes, and peanuts. If you are a vegetarian dieter, you can get more zinc in your diet by using wheat germ in your cooking, purchasing cereals fortified with zinc, eating pumpkin seeds or focusing on meals incorporating beans and legumes as the protein source. If your vegetarian diet does not exclude dairy products, milk is a good source of zinc.

The best sources of zinc in the diet are the dark meat portions of poultry, pork, beef, lamb, peanut butter, peanuts, and legumes like lentils, peas and beans. Fish and the white meat portions of poultry have been touted by the USDA as the leanest and therefore among the healthiest of the choices in the meat food group, yet they are not the best providers of zinc in the diet. Peanut butter is high in fat but it is one of the better choices for giving your body the zinc it needs.

Years ago, I came across a recipe for making low fat lentil burgers. Lentils take only about 45 minutes to cook until they are soft enough to use. Add chopped onion and garlic. I put one whole egg and saltine cracker crumbs in my lentil burger mix as if I were making a meat loaf. Other lentil burger recipes I have found add mashed potato, chopped mushrooms, shredded carrot, finely ground oatmeal, soy sauce and spices like curry powder, parsley, thyme, cumin or cayenne. Just start with cooked lentils and add what you wish until you come up with a mixture which will maintain a burger shape when you fry it (using nonstick canola spray, of course.) I will include a link to one of the more intriguing recipes at the bottom of this post.

You can also oven toast your own pumpkin and squash seeds. In some recipes, you can season the seeds with things other than salt, including cinnamon and sugar.  Here's a basic how to do it from one of my favorite recipe sites:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Roasting-Pumpkin-Seeds/Detail.aspx

The National Institutes of Health page on zinc in the diet:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002416.htm

This lentil burger recipe includes instructions for making a dipping sauce:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/lentil-burgers-recipe.htm

I have never been a big fan of plain yogurt. I'm in total agreement with Bill Cosby when he said it "tastes like bad breath". Back in the days when I attended TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meetings, plain yogurt was touted as a wonderful substitute for sour cream on everything from baked potatoes to enchiladas.

Sorry. I'd rather have sour cream.

But if you offer me lowfat fruit yogurt or the fruit and yogurt parfait McDonald's offers, I'm sure to thank you.

I'm very careful when looking for yogurt at the local grocery store. I want to buy lowfat low calorie yogurt with a flavor and with active cultures (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus). I avoid yogurt which says it is sweetened with Nutrasweet (aspartame) or other artificial sweeteners. I know the FDA says they are safe but didn't they say the same about saccharin and cyclamates?

There are many who would tell me that those kinds of yogurt are calorie heavy and have too much sugar. They would say I should have a piece of raw fruit instead.

You see, I don't use yogurt as a diet food. I eat it as a dessert after meals. When I eat it as a dessert I savor each bite. It can take me five minutes to consume a 6 ounce container of yogurt. Of course, it can take me the same amount of time to savor each bite of a piece of coconut layer cake or apple pie a la mode. Which has more calories, though?

The key to purchasing yogurt is to check for the amount of calcium one serving gives you (20% of the recommended daily dietary allowance is good; 30% is better), see how many calories a serving size is and make sure it has active cultures and no artificial sweeteners.

Measured by that criteria, I'm afraid my McDonald's fruit and yogurt parfait falls short. As far as calories, one 5.4 ounce serving contains 160 calories and 21 grams of sugar. It also gives only 15% of the RDA for calcium.

Meanwhile, a 6 ounce container of Yoplait Key Lime Original Style Yogurt has 170 calories, 26 grams of sugar, and 50% of the Daily Value of calcium and vitamin D. I don't purchase the Yoplait Light yogurts because they use aspartame as a secondary sweetener to high fructose corn syrup, the third ingredient on the label.

I sometimes buy Land O Lakes lowfat blended yogurt in the 6 ounce containers. One container of vanilla yogurt is 160 calories, 26 grams of sugar, and gives 20% of the Daily Value of calcium and vitamin D. It contains active yogurt cultures. The second and third ingredient on the list are sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

I have made my own plain yogurt at home but it does take some time. It tastes good and you know exactly what you have put in it.

Yogurt is a healthy addition to your diet because of its calcium, vitamin D, active probiotic bacteria cultures and protein content. It doesn't have to taste like bad breath. Until next time, think healthy, think fit.

The health benefits of yogurt explained on webmd:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-yogurt

If you have the ambition to make your own yogurt at home, here are two articles to get you started. The first by Angie Mohr uses raw milk (if you have access to a dairy farm) and the second by Cindi Oldham uses milk from the grocery store.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5768706/how_to_make_raw_milk_yogurt.html?cat=22
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1672478/making_easy_homemade_yogurt.html?cat=22

Xanax is a prescribed medicine of the benzodiapezine group which is used to calm anxiety. People with severe cases of anxiety may require Xanax or another similar anxiety-reducing drug.

For most of us, a regular exercise regime has been proven through a number of small studies to be effective in calming anxieties and lifting the mood of mildly to moderately depressed individuals. That doesn't mean that exercise is a cure-all for anxiety disorders and depression but it can help.

The way exercise helps is not yet totally understood. Physical activity boosts the release of chemicals to the brain like endorphins and neurotransmitters. Endorphins in particular are responsible for what is known as the "runner's high", a period in the workout when the brain sends feel-good messages to the rest of the body. I've felt that "high" after a workout. It can become addictive.

To be helpful as part of the treatment for anxiety and depression, exercise must be regular. Some doctors recommend a minimum of thirty minutes three times a week and others prescribe as high as thirty minutes six days a week.

When you do cardiovascular exercise, your heart rate increases. Your heart, which is really a muscle, becomes more efficient as you consistently work out. After a number of cardio workouts, you will find your resting heart rate, your heart rate when you are sitting or lying down, will be slower. Your improved breathing and heart rate combine to lower your anxiety. You will also find your thinking becomes less muddy. You will see problems with clarity and be able to concentrate better to find solutions.

With all of the stress life has to throw at you and me, we need the calming effects regular cardiovascular exercise can give. Until tomorrow, think healthy, think fit.

How to tell if your anxiety is normal or requires psychotherapy and medication as well as exercise:
http://www.womenfitness.net/anxietyexercise.htm

"Regular Exercise Reduces Patient Anxiety by 20 Percent, Study Finds", a February 2010 article in Science Daily:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100222161848.htm

One of the reports linking positive mental health and physical fitness, this one by Daniel M. Landers of Arizona State University:
http://www.fitness.gov/mentalhealth.htm

Since beginning this blog, whenever I reached a weight loss plateau or gained weight, I would smack myself upside the head and regret not taking my measurements before starting my journey.

I try to do everything I have read when recording my weight. I weigh in wearing the same clothing, my workout clothes and tennis shoes. I use the scale in the women's locker room at the fitness center and try to make sure it is in about the same location each time I weigh.

My workout schedule fluctuates, though. Some days my husband wants to come with me and I have to wait for him. Other days are so full of other plans and things which must be done that we don't get to the gym until late. My weight can fluctuate depending on whether I have eaten or drunk anything prior to the time I arrive at the gym. It can also fluctuate for the week prior to my period (although I am entering menopause so my period doesn't arrive on schedule anymore.)

As I remember from the past, measurements are more motivating and less dependent upon the time of day you take them.

Well, I finally have my tape measure ready and will be recording my measurements in a small notebook I bought for the purpose. This way, if the scale goes "Boo! Hiss!" when I get on it, maybe my measurement record can jeer right back.

Weighing in on a scale does have its benefits. For one thing, if you notice your weight staying the same, you can tweak your diet or intensify your exercise and get back to a losing pattern. If you are gaining, it's a warning sign for you to examine the things which may have changed in your life to cause the fluctuation. Maybe a new medication is causing water retention. Maybe stress has tempted you to eat a bit more comfort food than you should.

The tape measure and the scales used together can be good motivational tools as you continue to lose weight and become fit. 'W' is for weighing in, only half of the picture of the healthier you.

Until my next post, think healthy, think fit.

Tips on how to record your measurements. "Beginners Guide to Measurement Tape Weight Loss" by Pam Gaulin.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/146685/beginners_guide_to_measurement_tape.html?cat=51

What measurements do I take? This article gives you tips.
http://www.ivillage.com/how-do-i-take-my-measurements/4-n-142316

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Each of us who are overweight got that way for perhaps a combination of reasons. The last time I posted I looked at unusual diets. One of the diets listed on everydaydiet.org is the Vice-Busting Diet. This weight loss program has been endorsed by none other than Dr. Oz, the popular cardiothoracic surgeon who appeared on Oprah Winfrey's and Larry King's shows.

With this diet, you concentrate on the food habit you know has most held you back from losing weight. Other healthy activities are introduced throughout the twelve-week time period of the plan.

Dictionary definitions of 'vice' include "physical defect or weakness", "a slight personal failing", or something much more sinister like immoral or evil behavior. The Bible seems to have quite a bit to say about gluttony as an act of wrongdoing. The book of Proverbs (23:2) says "Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." That's a pretty serious way to get rid of your vice! The idea is that if you have a difficult time controlling your binges you may also have other areas of your life in which you over-indulge.

Gluttony is, however, one of the vices many American Christians tend to rationalize, perhaps thinking it a minor act of wrong-doing. The havoc gluttony produces over time in the body can not be reasoned away or excused.

Back to the word 'vice'. I know the things I do or don't do which make me gain weight.

If I neglect physical activity and sit at my computer for extended periods of time, only getting up to go to the bathroom, I will gain weight.

If I eat less than two hours before going to bed for the night, I will gain weight.

If I daily over-indulge in foods with so-called empty calories, I will gain weight.

If I do not drink at least some water each day, I will gain weight.

If I deprive my body of sleep as I did when I was going to college to get my education degree, I will gain weight. (The vending machine was always well-stocked with Snickers bars and the coffee machine or coffee pot was always handy.)

I'm not boasting that I have conquered all of these problem vices in my life. I haven't. The Vice-Busting Diet, at its core, is a sensible concept. If you and I can identify one of our bad habits which we know sabotages our weight loss efforts and work on that one habit until not doing it (or doing it) becomes natural, we will change the habit (hopefully) for life. Then we can start on the next bad habit. Before long, we will be much healthier and have greater success than if we tried to do a complete lifestyle change all at once.

Be prepared to spend quite a period of time getting used to behaving in a healthier manner. According to one source I read, it can take up to an average of two months to establish a new pattern.

One way of breaking a vice is to replace the behavior with something healthy. If my vice is eating way more than I should in one meal, perhaps always using a smaller plate than the rest of the family will help. Instead of taking a second helping of something which tastes good, put a serving in a dish to be frozen or refrigerated and eaten the next day for lunch. Or get up from the table and get busy doing something else, maybe washing the dishes.

One of the first things I want to do is to be more consistent in my workout times. I must make sure I am planning my gym schedule at the beginning of each week. Too often in the last three weeks I have gotten too busy or made my workout times dependent upon someone else's schedule.

Until my next post

What the Bible says about overeating:
http://www.gotquestions.org/gluttony-sin.html

An interesting article about the length of time required to develop new habits:
http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/09/how-long-to-form-a-habit.php

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