Getting in shape

[Choate51]

So i used to skate when I was a young lad but now i'm an out of shape 25 year old that wants to get back into hockey. I was never even a rec ice hokey player, more of the pond frozen go shoot the puck with the pals type.

Because of my location and lack of ice rinks in the area I have picked up a pair of rollerblades to get my balance back and to re-teach myself how to skate. The only problem is my lower back is killing me. I have been skating and going to the gym to drop some/lots of weight, my goal is to drop 50.

So what can I do to help strenthen the back and what other excersises I can do to help strenghten my skating skills and lose weight. I have so far droped 10 in the past 6 weeks but I need to focus more on skating excersises.

Thanks for all the direction and help guys.

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[IslesRock4]

Riding a bike keeps you in shape and helps your back. It would strengthen your legs, and I don't think it would affect your skating in a negative way.

 

[LilWinger11]

When you rollerblade, watch that you're not skating with your butt out and your back swayed. Try to think of keeping your back flat- not flat as in parallel to the ground, but more like / rather than ). I find myself rollerblading like that sometimes, even though I don't do it on the ice, and it really does stress your lower back.

 

[Little Nilan]

Well, I had a lower ligament tear and sciatica for a few months, it was unbearable.

What I did was swim, then ride the bike, then I started going to the weight room. I didn't do things half assed either in the gym, I deadlifted, squatted and all that jazz. That's when the pain went away and I started getting in shape.

I posted an excel in the Lounge's exercise thread if you're interested in a functional program that'll get you in shape and make you more athletic.

 

[bunjay]

to strengthen your back there are lots of exercises to do. not sure if you're only interested in lower back but:

upper back:

pullups cannot be beaten. dumbell rows, seated rows (without changing the angle of your back during a rep) if you want to go to a gym.

lower back:

deadlifts and more deadlifts, and reverse crunches (gyms have the frames for this where your legs are held in place and you bring your whole upper body up and down). i cant stress enough how important it is to use proper form and never do more weight than you can safely handle with back workouts.

stretch lots. there is no such thing as too much stretching. do a wamrup set for any muscle group before you start your regular sets, ~50% of your regular weight is good enough, you just want to get lots of blood flowing to the right place.

also remember that the lower back muscles are just part of the girdle of muscle around your midsection. strengthening abdominals and obliques is very important and not just to avoid injuring your back. ideal range for # of reps per set for the back is higher than for smaller muscle groups like bi/triceps, pecs, shoulders, etc. generally if you can do 10-12 reps to muscle failure on back exercises you are using the ideal amount of weight for safe strength building. the higher the # of reps to muscle failure, the more slow twitch muscle fiber you'll build instead of fast twitch. that means strength endurance over raw strength. IMO the best way to train yourself up from a low level of fitness is to build raw strength until you are as strong as you want to be, and then continue raising the # of reps (as you are able) at the same weight. muscle endurance is great and of course very important for sports but a weak muscle that can work for a long time is still a weak muscle.

playing around with medecine balls is also great for functional strength as there's such a wide range of motions you can do.

 

[Choate51]

thanks I'll give it a shot. What I think is happening is I think I tend to bend at the back to try and accelerate, I noticed it last night, and I will try and get that out of my form.

 

[Jarick]

It's a natural but bad habit to bend the back. Keep working on bending the knees and using your back only for balance. I will often try to visualize myself with "chest up and out, hips forward, knees bent" when I get a chance to work on skating, since I'm always slipping to bad habits. But when you do practice for a while, you'll feel better balanced and be able to use your edges better and get more power and speed from your legs.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

So i used to skate when I was a young lad but now i'm an out of shape 25 year old that wants to get back into hockey. I was never even a rec ice hokey player, more of the pond frozen go shoot the puck with the pals type.

Because of my location and lack of ice rinks in the area I have picked up a pair of rollerblades to get my balance back and to re-teach myself how to skate. The only problem is my lower back is killing me. I have been skating and going to the gym to drop some/lots of weight, my goal is to drop 50.

So what can I do to help strenthen the back and what other excersises I can do to help strenghten my skating skills and lose weight. I have so far droped 10 in the past 6 weeks but I need to focus more on skating excersises.

Thanks for all the direction and help guys.

Well I started to gain weight when I turned 35 or so and by the time I was at 40 I was too heavy. That middle aged metabolism slowdown sure does add weight easily.

I am glad you are getting back into hockey and getting in shape.

I need an exercise bike and as the poster in this thread suggested it will be a great thing for you either at home or at the gym because it has a great calorie burning effect from the cardio vascular speed up. I could go ride my mountain bike but would rather stay at home honestly on a bike and I don't want to join a gym $$$. Plus I have a knee issue from when i was 10 or 11 ... long story but I have scar tissue and cartilage damage from infection.


Okay here is my story, bear with me sometimes I get winded.

Okay I started a diet change (not a diet) after Thanksgiving in Novemeber. Of course I ate like a pig beforehand as it was Turkey Day!

It took until April but I lost 40 lbs because I did it right. Starvation is NOT the thing to do period. Diet change and exercise are the two things needed in combination.

I was at 270lbs at 6ft 4 in which isn't tremendously fat at that stature but my face was starting to get round as well as my arms around my biceps and stuff and the GUT area. Now I am at or around 230lbs ... I think my lowest weight possible and still being healthy would be about 220lbs for a perfect athletic low body fat thing which I do not really care to reach. I have done enough and am in way better looking shape than most 41 year olds I see around here.

I started playing a lot more hockey, I played before but only once a week or once every two weeks ... now I play twice a week on a slow week for hockey.

I cut out beef for the most part and stopped eating pastas. The pasta cut out was tough because I love pasta but damn man it is fattening as your body breaks it down like sugar and stores it as fat. So anyway I cut out pasta and beef and cut out snacking on things like chips and cookies etc. I also cut out my faveorite which were nachos, salsa with melted cheese on them. No more soda pop ..... none.

STAY AWAY FROM HIGH CARB ENERGY DRINKS .... THEY ARE SELLING YOU SUGAR! It is one of the biggest health scams in softdrink history.

I drink cranberry juice and orange juice and lots of water. LOTS OF WATER. Water in good quantities speeds up your metabolism, makes you pee a lot but hey we can't have everything now can we.

I eat apples and bananas instead for snacks and I have a Slimfast shake for breakfast. Then 2 good meals for the rest of the day with the healthy snacking in between. I am never hungry and that is the point.

One thing I love to eat is soup and sandwiches, I buy low fat frozen turkey burgers with no salt added and season them myself with whatever I want on them. I also buy Butterball cold cuts made from turkey and they are low in fat, not low in salt though.

I buy Progressos soups with the 50% less sodium which are still not very low but acceptable by the way, and enjoy those with sandwiches.

I just changed what I ate .... my blood pressure was a bordline high 150 over 90 and is now a perfect 120 over 70.

Good luck to you .... remember that losing weight takes time, it took time to gain it and it takes time to lose it again. Do it right and stay away from diet fads and pills..... please. In any case rollerblading or ice skating often will be enough to strengthen your back and legs. Riding a bike would be extremely beneficial to your leg issues whether it be on a real bike or a stationary exercise bike which is why I want one in my house to use whenever I wish to.

 

[Jarick]

That's a great story HF68, love hearing how other people lose the pounds.

I do the protein shake in the morning with a slice of toast, either a salad or sandwich for lunch, and some lean protein and veggies for dinner with a small amount of carbs. Snacks are fruit (I mix it up every week, right now I'm on a red grapes kick) and a cheese stick to curb hunger.

I put on about 10 pounds when my girlfriend was pregnant as we lived in the hospital for a few weeks and only had cafeteria food and McDonalds...ever since I've put on 5 more pounds despite doing some P90X workouts, playing league once a week, tried running for a few weeks (knees couldn't take it), etc. Really sucks being short and having no metabolism at only 26!

I just quit diet soda and aspartame yesterday, going to drink coffee in the morning and an iced green tea in the afternoon instead. Trying to get used to water again. I have a suspicion that the artificial sweeteners might be stalling any weight loss. Either that or its the dang Lexapro

 

[Little Nilan]

You can lose weight without cutting out pasta. Sugar in sports drinks is the whole point(malto or dextrose) of the drink, you're supposed to drink it during your workout. There's no scam here, everyone knows this. No reason to undereat at breakfast either, most people go 10 hours without eating when they wake up, you're supposed to eat your biggest meal at that time, it's essential.

But yeah, if you want to slim down, for the rest of the day, eat protein, fruits, vegetables and good fat. Fruits and vegetables are low calories yet they fill you up as well as starchy carbs.

I mean come on HF68, you still eat sandwiches, bread is not any better than pasta, it's worse, the only problem with pasta is people don't know what's an adequate amount.

 

[Killiecrankie*]

I run three times a week. And I walk the other four days with a rucksack filled with weights. Works good, lost 33 pounds in 3 months so far.....

 

[RandV]

I've become annoyed/self conscious about a specific out of shape problem I've developed recently. When I lived in Calgary I walked everywhere, including to work, and played hockey, so I was in pretty good shape. But since moving to Vancouver back in January, I've been stuck without a job in this crappy economy, living on EI. So basically I've been sitting around at home in front of my computer/TV all day except for hockey nights when I jump in the car and head to the rink.

While I'm hardly close to my late teen years this has kept me in relatively good shape, I skate hard when playing so my ankles are strong, my thighs are solid, and my overall fitness level is decent enough to make it through a game with a 2 line bench. The problem? With my walking cut drastically and since its an area you don't use when skating, I've developed large, flabby calves

 

[XX]

While I'm hardly close to my late teen years this has kept me in relatively good shape, I skate hard when playing so my ankles are strong, my thighs are solid, and my overall fitness level is decent enough to make it through a game with a 2 line bench. The problem? With my walking cut drastically and since its an area you don't use when skating, I've developed large, flabby calves

Go do some HIIT running 3x a week. That will clear up your problem. It may seem redundant to you, but your body has clearly adjusted to the hockey routine and is in a maintenance phase.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

You can lose weight without cutting out pasta. Sugar in sports drinks is the whole point(malto or dextrose) of the drink, you're supposed to drink it during your workout. There's no scam here, everyone knows this. No reason to undereat at breakfast either, most people go 10 hours without eating when they wake up, you're supposed to eat your biggest meal at that time, it's essential.

But yeah, if you want to slim down, for the rest of the day, eat protein, fruits, vegetables and good fat. Fruits and vegetables are low calories yet they fill you up as well as starchy carbs.

I mean come on HF68, you still eat sandwiches, bread is not any better than pasta, it's worse, the only problem with pasta is people don't know what's an adequate amount.

The energy drinks are a scam because they market them to joe schmoe who doesn't even exercise by showing their fave sports heroes drinking it. it is a huge multi million dollar business in a country where 60% (and that's being generous) of the populace is now overweight and/or obese.

If they sold it to guys who actually drank it during workouts they wouldn't sell enough to make it worth their while. You're going to tell me with a straight face that they are not doing this and that it isn't so?

I cut out most of the carbs from my diet was the point .... not all. You NEED carbs. I still sugar my coffees etc. I love cornflakes etc

I do not even know why I am explaining what cutting out pasta did for me .... I'M THE ONE WHO LOST THE 40 LBS BY DOING IT!

Yeah .... thanks for your advice. I'll change what I'm doing because it isn't working.

BEFORE ... NOTE THE ROUND FAT FACE I HATED.

270LBS

AFTER .... 230LBS

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I run three times a week. And I walk the other four days with a rucksack filled with weights. Works good, lost 33 pounds in 3 months so far.....

That's awesome man! Nice job! I wish I could do that ... gotta knee that says "stop it!" when I walk with more weight than I have naturally.

I need an exercise bike .... I wish I could run and walk with weights but I can't.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I've become annoyed/self conscious about a specific out of shape problem I've developed recently. When I lived in Calgary I walked everywhere, including to work, and played hockey, so I was in pretty good shape. But since moving to Vancouver back in January, I've been stuck without a job in this crappy economy, living on EI. So basically I've been sitting around at home in front of my computer/TV all day except for hockey nights when I jump in the car and head to the rink.

While I'm hardly close to my late teen years this has kept me in relatively good shape, I skate hard when playing so my ankles are strong, my thighs are solid, and my overall fitness level is decent enough to make it through a game with a 2 line bench. The problem? With my walking cut drastically and since its an area you don't use when skating, I've developed large, flabby calves

Well keep at it .... the fat will come off with time if you persist on findiung ways to walk more. Playing more hockey would be good ... I play twice a week in the summer and more in the winter time.

it's tough though I know, I played two nights in a row this week and now won't be able to until Monday next week. I don't like having more than three days off in between hockey.

 

[Choate51]

So my diet has changed, I eat some instant oatmeal for breakfast with a bottle of water, lunch I have a turkey cold cut sandwich with some type of fruit, then for dinner I have chicken or fish. I lost 10 pounds so far with this diet and excercise. I was so out of shape it wasn't even funny and yesterday I was able to to jog the first mile without stopping since I was 18, people may laugh but i don't give a crap anymore.

What have learned about my body is that calorie intake is the most important to me. I can eat a big mac for dinner, but as long as my calorie intake is below 1800 and work out for at least an hour every other day I seem to be making progress.

Thanks for the help and I will spend more time on the bike to see if that helps.

 

[Killiecrankie*]

That's awesome man! Nice job! I wish I could do that ... gotta knee that says "stop it!" when I walk with more weight than I have naturally.

I need an exercise bike .... I wish I could run and walk with weights but I can't.

I eat everything. Difference is I only eat proper proportions. I went to Europe and saw how people eat there and it rubbed off on me.

You can eat anything you want if you eat it in moderation.


But we live in a supersize country.


Oh ya, just don't walk with the weights if it bothers your knee. Just simply extend the distance to compensate. I hate bikes to use for primary exorcise because I always tear my hamstring or something when I skate after I train primarily on them.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

I started a diet about 5 months ago. I wouldn't really call it a diet, but a life change. I used to drink so much pop it's not even funny and really that was the thing I was gaining weight on. So I decided to switch to diet pop and eat less and try not to eat fast food a lot. I eat fast food maybe once or twice every 2 - 3 weeks now, which isn't that bad.

Basically my meal's go like this for a day.

Protein Bar for B - Fast

Grilled Chicken and Rice from a Viet place for lunch.

Some sort of low cal snack most of the time yogurt ( 35 cal / 100 ML I think !! and it tastes amazing!)

Then Dinner.

I go to the gym around 3 - 4 nights a week now, but the biggest thing for me is just trying to stay underneath 2000 calories a day or so, while doing an hour or 2 of exercise at least 4 - 5 days a week.

I am not on a hardcore diet either it's just trying to watch what I intake and exercise. Like I couldn't tell ya what's good or bad I just look for stuff that is low in fat and doesn't have that many calories. The big thing for is if I get hungry to just have an apple or something. Ooo lol I also drink a lot of Diet pepsi, which I know I should stop, but I never will >.< But I still drink 1 - 2 L of water a day.

But ya I have lost 50 LBS or so by just changing some stuff up. The pop was the biggest change and just trying to watch how many calories I intake a day, while doing regular exercise, but I guess it depends on how you want to do it. I just want to get my abs and muscles back.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I started a diet about 5 months ago. I wouldn't really call it a diet, but a life change. I used to drink so much pop it's not even funny and really that was the thing I was gaining weight on. So I decided to switch to diet pop and eat less and try not to eat fast food a lot. I eat fast food maybe once or twice every 2 - 3 weeks now, which isn't that bad.

Basically my meal's go like this for a day.

Protein Bar for B - Fast

Grilled Chicken and Rice from a Viet place for lunch.

Some sort of low cal snack most of the time yogurt ( 35 cal / 100 ML I think !! and it tastes amazing!)

Then Dinner.

I go to the gym around 3 - 4 nights a week now, but the biggest thing for me is just trying to stay underneath 2000 calories a day or so, while doing an hour or 2 of exercise at least 4 - 5 days a week.

I am not on a hardcore diet either it's just trying to watch what I intake and exercise. Like I couldn't tell ya what's good or bad I just look for stuff that is low in fat and doesn't have that many calories. The big thing for is if I get hungry to just have an apple or something. Ooo lol I also drink a lot of Diet pepsi, which I know I should stop, but I never will >.< But I still drink 1 - 2 L of water a day.

But ya I have lost 50 LBS or so by just changing some stuff up. The pop was the biggest change and just trying to watch how many calories I intake a day, while doing regular exercise, but I guess it depends on how you want to do it. I just want to get my abs and muscles back.

50 lbs ... AWESOME! 10 lbs a month is pretty decent, it takes a while to get fat and takes a while to lose it. It took me 5 months to lose 40 ... maybe that is about right and good enough.

I've leveled off at where I want to be now and have been the same weight since the end of April.

I eat everything. Difference is I only eat proper proportions. I went to Europe and saw how people eat there and it rubbed off on me.

You can eat anything you want if you eat it in moderation.


But we live in a supersize country.


Oh ya, just don't walk with the weights if it bothers your knee. Just simply extend the distance to compensate. I hate bikes to use for primary exorcise because I always tear my hamstring or something when I skate after I train primarily on them.

Yeah no kidding about the USA being the supersize country. Too bad really because people aren't figuring out to leave the microwave pizzas in the cooler.

I went to see a Bruins game in Montreal vs the Canadiens and walking around Montreal it struck me how many people were in shape and not overweight there. I was literally shocked because here when you go out and walk around town everyone it seems is fat. Almost everyone .... I feel sad to see young teens at the mall or something and they are 40 to 50 lbs overweight.

It just should not be that way and kids should be taught better at home and not be left a $20 bill to order pizza because Ma is too busy to cook.

Lame.

So my diet has changed, I eat some instant oatmeal for breakfast with a bottle of water, lunch I have a turkey cold cut sandwich with some type of fruit, then for dinner I have chicken or fish. I lost 10 pounds so far with this diet and excercise. I was so out of shape it wasn't even funny and yesterday I was able to to jog the first mile without stopping since I was 18, people may laugh but i don't give a crap anymore.

What have learned about my body is that calorie intake is the most important to me. I can eat a big mac for dinner, but as long as my calorie intake is below 1800 and work out for at least an hour every other day I seem to be making progress.

Thanks for the help and I will spend more time on the bike to see if that helps.

I remember I had started my diet change after Turkey day and around Christmas time I had lost 10 lbs after a month of eating better. It felt good but I wasn't where I wanted to be yet but it did give me some good mental status and it told me I really can do it.

In any case good luck to you guys ... I don't miss soda pop, chips, french fries, beef burritos, cheeseburgers etc because I have found alternatives.

I must admit though that I do miss a big huge plate of spaghetti and homemade meatballs regularly.

This being said however once a month I buy a large pepperoni pizza because I love pepperoni pizza. Just one ... once a month. I can do that and still be safe.

 

[bunjay]

id just like to point out that you dont need to be ripped to be in really good shape. also, going into a calorie-deficient diet will cause you to lose muscle/strength as well as fat.

and no, im not saying this because im fat

if your natural body type wont show a lot of muscle definition, i wouldnt stress over it.

oh one more thing:

hemp-seed protein is really, really great. if you live in canada, there is a distributor that sells it for $6/lb for 25lbs. it makes your shake or juice look really nasty, but that stuff really has it all.

 

[Little Nilan]

id just like to point out that you dont need to be ripped to be in really good shape. also, going into a calorie-deficient diet will cause you to lose muscle/strength as well as fat.

and no, im not saying this because im fat

if your natural body type wont show a lot of muscle definition, i wouldnt stress over it.

oh one more thing:

hemp-seed protein is really, really great. if you live in canada, there is a distributor that sells it for $6/lb for 25lbs. it makes your shake or juice look really nasty, but that stuff really has it all.

Interesting, can you post the link or distributor?

The energy drinks are a scam because they market them to joe schmoe who doesn't even exercise by showing their fave sports heroes drinking it. it is a huge multi million dollar business in a country where 60% (and that's being generous) of the populace is now overweight and/or obese.

If they sold it to guys who actually drank it during workouts they wouldn't sell enough to make it worth their while. You're going to tell me with a straight face that they are not doing this and that it isn't so?

I cut out most of the carbs from my diet was the point .... not all. You NEED carbs. I still sugar my coffees etc. I love cornflakes etc

I do not even know why I am explaining what cutting out pasta did for me .... I'M THE ONE WHO LOST THE 40 LBS BY DOING IT!

Yeah .... thanks for your advice. I'll change what I'm doing because it isn't working.

BEFORE ... NOTE THE ROUND FAT FACE I HATED.

270LBS

You'll notice I never gave you advice, or doubted that you lost weight. Kudos to you for the loss and keep up whatever's working for you. But my question would be this:

Did you cut all those things you were talking about(pasta, beef, soda, all the rest of the junk food) gradually, one by one, then noticed the pasta was what was keeping you fat, or did you cut them all at the same time? Because if it's the latter, there's no way for you to know what exactly caused the loss as you would've pretty much changed the diet completely and reduced calories significantly. Another question for you would be to explain to me the difference between eating a starchy carb of bread and a starch carb of pasta. There's none, if it's white bread then it's even worse. Fact of the matter pasta is fattening because people have no self control and eat a ******** of it. Unless you're veryy carb intolerant, you can eat it after a workout no problem. It's your loss though, you're the one who loves it, but here in Montreal, where "everyones" not fat, I don't think I met more than a handfull of people who didn't eat some.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

Interesting, can you post the link or distributor?




You'll notice I never gave you advice, or doubted that you lost weight. Kudos to you for the loss and keep up whatever's working for you. But my question would be this:

Did you cut all those things you were talking about(pasta, beef, soda, all the rest of the junk food) gradually, one by one, then noticed the pasta was what was keeping you fat, or did you cut them all at the same time? Because if it's the latter, there's no way for you to know what exactly caused the loss as you would've pretty much changed the diet completely and reduced calories significantly. Another question for you would be to explain to me the difference between eating a starchy carb of bread and a starch carb of pasta. There's none, if it's white bread then it's even worse. Fact of the matter pasta is fattening because people have no self control and eat a ******** of it. Unless you're veryy carb intolerant, you can eat it after a workout no problem. It's your loss though, you're the one who loves it, but here in Montreal, where "everyones" not fat, I don't think I met more than a handfull of people who didn't eat some.

You took a scientific pasta eating survey in Montreal did you?

Awesome.

I eat very little bread and some rice once in a while in a vegetable stir fry with baked chicken. All the fattening stuff that goes into pasta dishes makes for the very high caloric intake.

I suppose if I just ate plain white boiled pasta in a bowl it wouldn't be too bad at 200 calories a cup.

I guess you missed this comment I made above.

I must admit though that I do miss a big huge plate of spaghetti and homemade meatballs regularly.

This being said however once a month I buy a large pepperoni pizza because I love pepperoni pizza. Just one ... once a month. I can do that and still be safe.

 

[Skraut]

Growing up, I had always wanted to play hockey, but as the nearest rink was over 50 miles away, it was never practical. I had recently moved to the Cleveland area, and my new years resolution was that I would play hockey by the end of next year.

I deliberately gave myself a lot of time, because at 33, I had become very out of shape. I've always worked in the entertainment industry, first Television, then Video Game development, then working in Motorsports. The one thing that they have in common is that I was working long and odd hours with all, of the jobs, and never had time to cook properly for myself. Many times I'd grab fast food on my way in to work, somebody would do a lunch run at work, and then I'd stop at the only places that were open at Midnight, on my way home. And those places were never healthy. At 6'4" ,I was at 315lbs at the start of the year when I made the promise to myself. I quit eating fast food (with the exception of the occasional Taco Bell Fresco Taco) and just started looking for excuses to exercise.

I had a decent treadmill that had become the usual "Clothes rack" got it out, and committed to walking on it whenever I was watching hockey. I even got the point of turning it into a game where I would start the game at 1 mph, and then increase it by .5 mph whenever a goal was scored.

Eventually I built a "TreadDesk" out of some foam and wood to go over the handles of my treadmill. As I had started taking online courses to finish up my degree, I would use the treadmill the entire time I was doing my homework. I'd set it to a low speed usually 1-1.25 mph, but would be on it for 3+ hours a night.

I dropped from 315-285 in a little over 2 months, but then kind of hit a wall. I stayed at 285 for almost 3 months, and no matter what I did, the needle just seemed to stay there. I tried weight lifting, cycling, Wii Fit, EA Sports Active, and altering my diet even more. It really did start to get disheartening.

Where I work they started up a Weight Watcher's group and I joined, more out of fear of my weight going back up, than being convinced I would lose more. I know it's not for everyone, but keeping track of my points really held me accountable to what I was eating, and being able to do it on their webpage through my blackberry tickled my inner geek. Since starting up on it 8 weeks ago, I'm averaging a little over 2 lbs a week, and focusing on filling up on "Low Point" items that I should have been eating in the first place, fruits, vegetables, salads, and fiber. Some days I have trouble eating all my alloted points, because I know all the foods I can fill up on, and avoid many of the higher carb foods that were common in my diet previously.

6 weeks ago, I stepped out onto a sheet of ice for the first time in my life. The local rink is having "Learn to Skate" sessions, and I'm the only person there over the age of probably 10, but I've been having an absolute ball. The first week my instructor couldn't let go of me or I'd fall. I left the half hour class completely drenched in sweat head to toe but with a smile on my face. Since then I've been to every open skate at the rink that I could possibly make, plus I've found other rinks nearby and have their Open Skate times memorized. I've been on the ice out about 4-5 times a week since then and it has been fantastic. I can actually see muscle definition in my legs (woohoo!) and the time I spend on the ice before being worn out has gone from a half hour at first to being the first one on the ice, and then getting chased off by the Zamboni at the end of 2 hours.

I can't say my weight loss has been solely because of Weight Watchers, and I can't say it has been solely the extra exercise I've been doing by skating, but doing both has helped considerably.

I am still falling quite a bit, but it's ok because it's part of learning. The dilemma I am facing now, is buying equipment. I've been contemplating some pants and shin guards to make the "learning" a little less painful, but as the weight is falling off now, I fear making the investment in those pieces of equipment now, and then needing to replace them in another 6 months if I keep losing the weight as I am.

 

[LilWinger11]

I would definitely suggest buying and wearing a helmet, if you haven't already. But I think you're right that it's better to wait on the rest of the stuff if you're planning to continue losing weight.

If you're worried about your tailbone- and that's a legit concern- there are pads that are less bulky than hockey pants that can help. This is one (ignore that they're marketed to figure skaters, the company is really missing the boat there- they're useful to any beginner, particularly adults):

http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/site/product.cfm/id/F4FC6A5C-D610-7E99-D7D2F323FBE661D2

Another possibility would be to get a cheap pair of used hockey pants in your current size and get your own new pair when you're closer to your goal weight. Just take a good look at them to be sure the padding is still in decent shape; used adult hockey stuff has sometimes really been "worn to death" since adults don't outgrow stuff.

Congrats on the weight loss!