Everyday Systems

Kevin

Hitting your abs with a shovelglove is not likely to improve core strength. I would re-think my approach to ab-work if I were you. :D

Good one, Joel. =o)

Kevin

Hmm. I do lots of varietal days. For instance, I do "hammer only" days, where motion must approximate something you can do with a hammer: I do 35 of each of hammering straight up at the roof; hammering straight foward like I'm trying to hit high on a wall; drive posts; split wood; fireman. That, by ...

Kevin

Assuming this is just too hard to start when you're feeling so dependent on food, can you put out some cut-up some celery, lettuce leaves, baby carrots and grape tomatoes? Snack just on that... it'll keep your mouth busy, give you good nutrition, and you might still be able to lose weight... It's go...

Kevin

As an experienced No-Ser, If I could give you a piece of advise about starting No-S on Friday nights, it would be don't . I stopped losing weight when I did that. As soon as I went back to starting No-S saturday morning, things got better again. And the Sometimes is important. I allow myself pretty ...

Kevin

A jump from 10 to 16 would be a big one, but you could do some things with the 16, and others with the 10 if you wanted to avoid the intermediate size. Or secure some weights to the 10 for a while. I wouldn't worry about "over exercising". When using big weights, it's probably a good idea to let you...

Kevin

And you get another dose of our beautiful East coast winter weather! DC in an ice storm - does it get any nastier?

Kevin

You can certainly start on an S day. I did. In some ways I think it might be better to get yourself ready by having a normal weekend. But remember, after that, it's 21 days in a row - including weekends of No-S days. Good luck. Getting past the first few days, then the first few weeks, is the toughe...

Kevin

Good luck, Janine. This is definitely do-able, even if at times it's a bit hard.

Kevin

I agree completely with Julie. Take one meal, one six hour fast without snacking, then another meal. For now, don't look at the big picture. One step at a time.

Kevin

Sigh. I guess I'm the only Nats fan on the site. But isn't it great? Pitchers and catchers reported this week! Pretty soon the grass will be green, the hats will be red (whether a Philly or a Nats fan), and the comforting sound of a baseball game on the radio during a summer evening will fill the ai...

Kevin

If you ever doubt the existence of a food item, check Trader Joe's. Incredible place.

Kevin

You're really using a 12 pound hammer? Wow. I'm using a 16 now. It's not easy. 20 flip the levers with my elbow at the end of the handle and that's all she wrote! thtrchic, another thought for you... find a handle that's comfortable in your grip. My new 16 pounder has a thin handle, and it's much ha...

Kevin

It seems to me that I can maintain weight with No-S, but, if I really want to lose it, I must add exercise.

Kevin

I'm just back myself after an eight month posting hiatus!

Kevin

I think I would start with an eight pound hammer, although Deb seems to do fine with a 10. I think 12 might be over-the-top unless you're really strong. I just walked through Sports Authority and curled a 30 pound dumbell with one arm 10 times pretty easily. I just bought a 16 pounder, and it's plen...

Kevin

I've adopted No-S as my lifestyle for the last few years. I've fallen off the wagon from time to time, but I'm happier, lighter, and more in control than ever before. Shovelglove is great exercise, ever-changing and adjustable, practical, and fun. Good luck with both. One thing to keep in mind. No-S...

Kevin

It's a lot easier to No-S when your days are predictable. Those sorts of stressors do make it much more difficult. In fact, I was nearly perfect for over a year, then failed after a particularly difficult time at work made it harder to comply.

Anyway, back at it, right? Right.

Kevin

When you do flip the lever, are you bracing the handle of the shovel against your forearm? And is your hand far enough up the handle? I've been SGing for years on and off, but if I didn't brace the handle against my forearm all the way up to my elbow, my wrists would be sore, too! When you do this m...

Kevin

My wife *loves* Peapod, too. Safeway has a similar new service, too.

Kevin

A lot of time the motivation isn't there to exercise. But you can still do it. Inertia is a powerful influence. If you are at rest, you'll tend to stay that way. Take the first step. Then the second. Pretty soon, you'll be proud that you manufactured motivation out of thin air, and that you overcame...

Kevin

Maybe you should start differently. First, don't expect 100% success. Until you develop that habit, it won't happen. No-S is simple, but it isn't easy. It takes practice. It takes coaching yourself. It takes some will. You work in a place of excess - that's a tough one to get past. I know that the m...

Kevin

Wow... a 17 year old daughter! Mine just turned 16. The years fly by, don't they...

I still have a picture on the fridge of her when I could cradle her in one arm...

Kevin

If I had to ride 40 minutes home, I'd definitely be eating before I started. For a long time, I needed a fourth meal. I'm an insulin dependent diabetic, so I know all about Bg crashes, and how frantic they make you feel. I wouldn't feel bad about adding that fourth meal. It might just be too hard to...

Kevin

Give it some time. There's is a distinct progress-plateau-progress aspect to my weight loss. Your body won't give up its stasis easily. It may need to be convinced that your new diet is for real, that it's going to last, and that you're not going to starve. I know this doesn't sound scientific, but ...

Kevin

Take a walk through the posts here and you'll find lots of folks who have failed repeatedly before succeeding. Take heart. Failure and redemption is a prevalent theme in the human story - why should you be different? Maybe it's too hard to think about a whole week of No-S. So, just succeed tonight. ...

Kevin

I haven't chimed in on this recently, but hammering a tire is great exercise, more aerobic, much less muscle-pumping. I don't do it during the Winter (my basement has 7-foot ceilings and my wife would put me out), but during warmer months, I use a tire quite frequently. It has a completely different...

Kevin

Go to the Shovelglove Home page (see the link at the top of this bulletin board page) and click on the Sledgehammer Store link. Free shipping, and it arrived in about three days. $10 cheaper than the local Home Depot!

Kevin

Wrist strength. I didn't think about that. I guess that could be the issue. Anyway, Reinhard is the guy with the answers on this one. Another good triceps strengthener is a move I call, for lack of a better term, "align the lentel" (a lentel is a support that bridges a door or window). It's sort of ...

Kevin

There is something refreshing about SG. I do it when I come home from work tense from the daily thrashing and the road war home. About the telephone thing... here's a line I like: "There's really nothing left for us to talk about, so, if you don't mind, I'm going to hang up now... (3-2-1) <click>" Y...

Kevin

Hoist the sack shouldn't hurt... The head of the hammer does brush my back from time to time, but never with enough force to hurt. Are you standing straight up when you do this, or are you leaned forward?

Kevin

Stop weighing yourself everyday. You're torturing yourself needlessly, and giving yourself a false reason to stop No-Sing. My weight varies by as much as three pounds every day . I always weigh less in the mornings. I can weigh 184 in the morning and 187 before I go to bed. This is more true when I ...

Kevin

21 days really is a hallmark. And 10 pounds is nothing to sneeze at! Good luck!

Kevin

I don't plan at all. Breakfast is usually a bagel and some fruit, lunch is whatever sandwich I can scrape up, and apple, and a small bag of chips, dinner is whatever the family is having.

Sometimes I eat lunch out. Sometimes even fastfood. Usually I try to get to Subway or somewhere like that.

Kevin

I lost about 22 pounds over eight months, then slacked off and gained back about 12 of those. But I'm doing a lot of resistance exercise, so I'm figuring probably five of that is muscle. I'm back on track again and losing weight again. Eating three times a day I can get close to, and maintain, the w...

Kevin

I haven't been there. But I live in the Northern suburbs.

My new favorite lunch out restaurant it Potbelly's. They make a sandwich called "a wreck..." When God invented the sandwich, this is what he had in mind.

Plus, you can get a giant, crunchy dill pickle for a buck...

Kevin

It sounds like a good idea. I think you explained well one of the big appeals of No-S - it's do-able!

Kevin

The 16 pounder is heavier, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I did a little less than usual last night, but not a whole lot. My arms were burning a little more.

Really, it was just the way that big piece of metal on the end of a (skinnier) handle looked.

Kevin

That was not four meals, that was three meals virtually plated. Perfectly acceptable.

I dunno. I don't think you're eating enough. Maybe look up how many calories a woman of your size and age should be eating, and compare it to what you are eating..

Kevin

Very cool link. Enlightening.

Kevin

Holy Crap! My old one was stamped 14, but I seriously doubt it...

This thing feels like a VW bug on the end of a wood handle...

Kevin

Another DCer... we're getting to be quite a movement! It sounds like you are doing great... stick with it. I find, even when I've been starving before a meal, that if I take a minute during the meal on S days, I usually stop before I get to seconds. Let me guess... Chipotle? Where the burritos are a...

Kevin

I do 50 hindu squats, 50 pushups, and 10 pullups.

Kevin

Giving blood is *definitely* an S day.

Kevin

Simply highlight with the cursor the words you want to embolden or italicize, then press the button. If you copy from a previous message into your message body, then highlight and press the Quote button, it'll appear quoted. You'll know the text is highlighted where you are typing becuase you'll see...

Kevin

I think am a lucky guy, with or without regard to the hammer. I'm used to using tools up - I have a splitting maul the head of which has been loose for years. It does, however, have a real hickory handle, and hasn't rotted out. The hammer head felt loose, but not *that* loose. Of course, I don't let...

Kevin

I think that if the fries fit on a physical plate, then it's OK. Is it healthy? Obviously not, but it still comports to the one physical plate of food rule. Over time this will become less of an issue as you realize a fast food lunch doesn't satiate your appetite very well and you'll switch to heal...

Kevin

Nice! Glad it's working well for you. Chores become fun after this. I'm looking forward to the first big snowstorm of the season

I worry about you, Reinhard.

Actually, I too am looking forward to snow. The wheel weights are on the tractor and the battery is all charged up... =0)

Kevin

Given that the hammer was made in China, I found it hard to believe that they would ship in hickory from here.

Kevin

On every level, fries are a disaster. They are very high on the glycemic index. They have vast amounts of fats (and very often the disastrous hydrogenated fats). They don't fill you up (although the fat helps). Carry carrots with you if necessary. Get the fruit cup instead of the fries. Whatever you...

Kevin

If there is a halved bagel, english muffin, or two pieces of bread on my plate, whatever else is on my plate becomes filling. This is true at breakfast, lunch or dinner. I, like you, worship the Earl (of Sandwich, that is). I see nothing wrong with it. I do restrain myself when eating dinner with ot...

Kevin

Well, it seemed completely sound. There was plenty of varnish on the wood handle. The head was loose, but that happens. I'm guessing, though, that when I left it outside during the summer (when I use the tire), rain must have collected inside the head, and the wood rotted. The hammer was from Harbor...

Kevin

Congrats on the hammer. It is a great, fun form of exercise.

Here's a quote from more recent popular music culture...

Hammer time!

Kevin

So here is the proverbial thousand dollar hammer that the Military has been wasting our money on... now you can waste you money *without* giving it up in taxes!

Kevin

Well, it's sort of a hybrid... a lot like stoke, but without any lift at the end... I imagine it as sort of busting up the coke in the blast furnace... shoveling position, but straight forward about mid thigh height, very hard and fast. So the head and handle were going horizontally in a straight li...

Kevin

My 14 pound hammer self destructed last night. The wood inside the head rotted. The velocity with which the head left the handle was pretty frightening. It flew about 12 feet. The fact that the head was loose was a dead giveaway. Consider the condition of your hammer, so you won't have to consider t...

Kevin

I agree with Jan. Don't under-do lunch. If you must, because you work through lunch, "virtual plate" some of it to after school. Like eat a sandwich and some veggies but leave an apple until the school day is over.

Kevin

Feel better, Deb. And that boy Richie, too!

Kevin

I'll admit that I don't stick to 14 minutes a day, or necessarily only SG on non-S days. I figure why stop if I'm enjoying it? I would say, when you are starting, don't go crazy. You'll need the break. Until you are used to it, it's a lot easier to hurt yourself by doing a little extra. And if you g...

Kevin

If you are a beer drinker, consider having one before dinner. I find it supresses my appetite dramatically and makes the wait for (or the preparation of) dinner much easier.

Kevin

Bee, if you are worrying about the difference between red and white wine, you're thinking too hard. That's not in the spirit of No-S. =0)

Kevin

I would respectfully recommend two things: 1. Make sure you have enough money to upgrade the server - or cover its administative costs, becuase the user group has got to be part of the deal, right? 2. I would structure the book as a series of your philoso-casts, sort of a series of gentle lectures. ...

Kevin

My experience is that when you stop using your sweet tooth, the tooth fairy will come and take it away.

That was so nicely put...

Kevin

The thing that sort of led me to try SG was that I have a woodstove that my wife loves to feed, and 15 minutes with a splitting maul would leave me sitting on a log, out of breath. Not anymore! I can do (controlled hard labor in the yard for hours on end. SG is the very best cross-training for yard ...

Kevin

I hope you are feeling better, Herman.

Kevin

Here's another move for those of you that do this as training for yardwork (like me). Rake like you are using a gravel rake or a garden rake. push and pull the SG. Do it quickly and its pretty cardio intensive. I move around a little like I am grading soil around me. It's unusual because both hands ...

Kevin

I may have to join you. My 14 pounder is getting a bit light, but I don't want to buy a 16, then a 20 in another year...

Kevin

I do pullups in sets of eight to ten. After an SG session, I can do maybe four. On a good day.

Kevin

But if you hadn't done NoS at all, how much more would you weigh?

Clearly, this is a lot harder for some people than it is for others - and that is disheartening. But all you can do are the things you can do!

I would encourage you to keep at it. Maintenance is a lot better than weight gain, no?

Kevin

If you aren't doing this already, can I suggest a 20 minute walk a day? I'm not being flip: that little bit of exercise can tip you towards success, and nothing breeds success like success! Walking is the very best weight loss exercise, in my opinion. Give it another shot. And if you fail, give it a...

Kevin

I was very surprised one evening after SGing for about six months when I went to my cousin's house, got on his Solarflex (where he "jokingly" set the weight for about 185), and I promptly cracked off 10 good presses. I do pushups, too, but I never would have believed I could have done that much. He ...

Kevin

I could never pull off wearing a superman T shirt. Not enough, what, guts? Brass? Nerve?

Kevin

Sometimes, you need a trick to help you refocus. I've been doing lots of exercise, but not much shovelglove. Pushups, pullups, dips, rows... I've gotten pretty strong on them. I wanted to put more cardio back in, so I picked up the hammer again. This time, I decided to be a purist and only do exerci...

Kevin

It's nice to hear from you!

Kevin

You rock!

Kevin

You *still* rock.

Kevin

Being an SGer that often uses a tire, I'll say this: Hitting a tire is much more rewarding. Using a tire is more aerobic, but produces less muscle fatigue. Using a tire is much easier on the joints (elbows, wrists and shoulders) than "sundome" SG. I like them both. at 47, I often favor exercise that...

Kevin

It's been so long I can't find my daily log anymore...

I hope everyone is well.

Kevin

My ads are for dibetic fare and treatment options. They really do this well.

Kevin

I don't find the stress of daily work activities makes me want food - I like feeling hungry and lean. Seriously. And No-S gives me complete control over one aspect of my life. So, less stress. The stress that makes me fail is fatigue. If I'm tired, I lose my self control. Very quicky. I guess I'm ju...

Kevin

Nicely done.

Kevin

Congrats on all the good things going on in your life.

There's one more thing you can do when you are anxious for food: exercise. Not a lot if you aren't up to a lot, but something. You are breaking a very well entrenched habit. It'll take some doing. Replace it with a better habit.

Kevin

I'm sure you are doing fine. If, over the course of a few months, you find you aren't losing at the rate you would like, try reducing the porportion of high calorie foods. But don't worry. If you eat less, and exercise more, you'll lose weight.

Kevin

Sounds pretty good, Reinhard. I've reduced mine to five sets of 50 a day, really good form, but I spread them out (one or two in the morning, the rest every hour or so from 6:00 p.m till about 10:00 p.m. I have to admit that the SG has not been as regular as it should be. My back has been aching a b...

Kevin

Nah, you don't need a book. There are a million glycemic index references on the web. Take advantage of them.

Good luck. Let us know how it works. You can do this. You must do this.

Kevin

The effect of low glycemic index foods should not be discounted. The metabolic difference between brown rice and white rice is pretty substantial.

Good luck. Let us know how it's going!

Kevin

I'm not a doctor, but you sound like you're familiar with them, so I know you'll take this as just one humble diabetic's opinion. You're hyperinsulinemic, and on glucophage? Is the glucophage causing the hyperinsulinemia? I'm an insulin-dependent diabetic (type I for 27 years), on an insulin pump, a...

Kevin

Want2behealthy, for some motivation, think of what a good example you'll set for your daughter...

You can do it. You can.

Kevin

I'm betting it wasn't the surgery so much as the time off from work? Those are truly hard times. But you can reverse the trend. That was yesterday. This is today. Get to it! And congrats on the UR. Sometimes, that's what you really need to get started is some exercise. Something positive. One thing ...

Kevin

Just keep it up. You'll get thinner.

Kevin

Punch through it. It gets easier. As some others have pointed out, a little exercise will often get you through those afternoons when you are sure you are starving. At this point, I get hungry about 5:00 now for maybe 20 minutes, then it goes away until dinner time at 7:00. It really, truly does get...

Kevin

It's been years since Crocodile Dundee. I didn't think I'd ever hear that turn of phrase. Nice work!

Kevin

Jump in. The water's fine!

Congratulations on making the commitment to eat sanely.

Kevin

Just the Home Opener. Would love to go tonight and watch Patterson and Smoltz, but I couldn't get it together in time. But most of this series is on TV. I probably will wait until they play Baltimore on May 19th...

Next year, maybe a 20 game season ticket package.

Kevin

Nice to hear from you again, Samarai.

Hey, Blondie... go Nats.

Kevin

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic. When I forget to take insulin (yes, I know, how can I forget - but it happens about once a month - I just forget to press the button on my insulin pump) my mouth feels the same way - a bit numb, sore, and unpleasant. It doesn't matter what carb I'm eating. I think ...

Kevin

You've shown great willpower!

If you mean can you have veggie pizza for lunch or dinner, you're the one that gets to make that call. But not between meals!

Kevin

Talk about a meal-unfriendly schedule...

Kevin

If you go back through the posts here, you'll see that the majority of people have lost weight, to varying degrees, so I wouldn't let that be a worry. As to not eating until you get home from the gym, that is going to be a stretch... not because you'll really be weaker after not eating since lunch -...

Kevin

Whatever I want. Really. I avoid hydrogenated oil (trans fats) at all costs, and I do try to eat *reasonably*, but I don't go out of my way to avoid anything.

Kevin

You have great self discipline! Quitting tobacco and excess food at the same time!

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