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How I’m Making it Work

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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16 Comments

  1. Carbzilla

    I’m on my third day without candy at work (the candy jar is AT my desk, and I can’t really move it. Maybe I should just refuse to have one altogether). Third day back on WW with tracking. Just have to take one day at a time. Some coworkers and I are using this crappy workout room in the garage next door (it’s free, and we don’t have to go outside in the rain to get to it) so I figure something is better than nothing. I’m also on the Precor every night. We have 200 some odd days till Chris’ sister’s wedding in the Bahamas, and we both have 20 lbs to lose so here we go!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I think it’s fair to refuse to have a candy dish on your desk! Why not? What if you were diabetic? Then you couldn’t have candy there. The other day Michael apologized to me. He said that he finally understood how hard it is to resist candy at work because now he works at a place that has it!

      Glad you’re back at WW.

  2. Michelle @ Eat Move Balance

    I think I mentioned this before, but I have dealt with ITBS a few times myself. It’s SO frustrating. In fact, that’s an understatement. I like the advice about incorporating side-to-side strength training. I’ve been trying to work on the strength of my quadriceps and I foam roll my IT Band like it’s my job.

    In the past, when I had severe cases of it, my chiropractor used the Graston technique on my IT Bands. Super helpful! Also, yoga has been a great way to stretch and keep things relaxed, as well as work on leg and core strength.

    Great job hanging in there with the overuse injury–I know how difficult it can be!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thank you for understanding AND giving me advice! I don’t know what Graston is but I’ll check it out.

  3. Daphne @ Daphne Alive

    I know it’s frustrating, but I bet by the time you finished this post you realized just how on-track you are! Good job!!!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      You know, I did! I definitely felt better after writing it. It showed me I was doing all the things I needed to do.

  4. I ❤ 2 Eat

    I know this wasn’t directly your question, but I had to respond to YOU DON’T REALLY WANT THAT CANDY. YOU JUST WANT TO FEEL BETTER. I say that to myself sometimes, but I should say it more…hahaha. 🙂

    I try to stick to working out at least 4 times a week. Anything on top of that is gravy. Cooking at home also keeps me on track…we usually eat healthy when we eat at home, but I love to eat out too much to cook every single day!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Yes! Cooking at home makes a huge difference. Eating out is what packs on the calories for me. THanks for the comment!

  5. Marc

    “What components are helping you stay on track?” When I went to the Roller Derby a couple weeks back I was very envious of all the fun everyone seemed to be having on the track. When I went to roller skate practice (yes, there is such a thing) I met some of the ladies and they asked me if I wanted to be a referee as they need more referees. I turned them down because I am such a beginner/old guy and don’t know squat about roller derby. They said they’d teach me the rules and I’d become a better skater with practice. I still said no for now. At the same Roller Derby night I met one of my daughters co-workers. She is a computer analyst in her mid 30’s and a very attractive fit looking young lady. She is also paralyzed from the waist down. In her last week of high school, the Seniors got a day off called Senior Skip day or ditch day. All her friends wanted to go drinking and she didn’t want to go. So she went with other friends to ride ATV’s. She had an accicent on an ATV and has been paralyzed since then. Seeing her upbeat personality shine and sparkle, I realized that too many of us (me especially) take our health for granted. How she stays fit and toned, must take her much more effort than those of us blessed to be able to use our legs, as larger muscles burn more calories. She is a personal testament to the power of positivity in the face of personal crisis. I realized that night that my life is a blessing I should be grateful for. Instead of whining about not acheiving at the level I’d like, (going from fat to fit) I need to raise the bar and try harder, and most of all…dont quit. I might still become a roller derby referee, after all the holidays are over. Sorry for the long comment.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Don’t apologize for the long comment, I’m glad you shared the story with me. I agree. It’s easy to get stuck in a negative thinking cycle and not remember all the good things we have in our lives…even something as simple as being able to use both our legs and walk. The girl you met in the wheelchair is a strong woman to be positive in the face of that adversity. Amazing.

  6. evilcyber

    I don’t quite understand why you do machine training at all. Free weights involve more work from synergist and stabilizer muscles and those precisely are the muscles where your weaknesses seem to be.

    Also,in my opnion, your physical therapist is correct about you doing a lot of “front to back” movements, which led to an imbalance. But an imbalance of the quads vs. the hamstrings – that often causes changes in the knee’s movement. How are side planks supposed to alleviate that? That is an exercise mainly working the oblique ab muscles.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I’ll talk to my PT next week and see.

      I mix things up to keep it interesting in the gym. I get bored easily. So I do free weights, kettle bells, the machines, the plate machines, all of it.

  7. Christine @ Love, Life, Surf

    I totally get this. I had my 2nd knee surgery about 7 months ago and it is HARD dealing with injury and coming back from previous injuries. It’s frustrating because I just want to be better and to be back where I previously was but I know that it’s going to take some time. Right now, my focus is on building lateral strength because, as you said, that’s what I need to do in order for my knee to be stronger and not hurt.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      It really is hard getting back. I feel just like you–I am READY to be back to my normal self. And I probably do too much thinking I AM back to normal…

      What exercises are you doing?

  8. Jess

    I hope your injury is healing well, and that you get back to full workouts soon. I have another injury (I am really good at them), a pulled pec muscle… But I can do anything that doesn’t involve my pecs, so running etc is still in. I just have to take it easy for a little while…

    As much as I fought calorie counting, it really does work. The first 9 months of weight loss the weight fell off without much effort beyond eating healthier and exercising more. Unfortunately I have gotten to the point where counting calories is necessary to keep losing weight. So that is how I stay on track. It helps me to see numbers and see what I have left for the day.

    I have also made ‘friends’ at the gym. The trainers, the receptionist, the members, they all know me. I go to classes and join boot camps. If I miss a few days they question where I am. That helps to keep me on track because I know I’ll be missed!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      How did you pull your pec muscle? Boxing?

      I had the same thing…the first year of weight loss, it came off fairly easily and steadily. Then it slowed down and got much harder.

      That’s great that the gym friends keep you accountable! I love it!

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