Every Gym’s Nightmare

Hi Kelly,

Thank you
Annonymous

You kind of answered your own question in the question. You have to stop the binges first, then the urge goes away- you have to fight. It would be easy if it were the other way around- if you didn’t feel compelled to binge, you wouldn’t have to do it.

You have to fake it till you make it. White knuckle it. All those other cliches.

Of course its easier said than done. The first thing you have to do is decide that you have a choice. You always have a choice. Each bite of food that you put into your mouth is another opportunity to decide to stop. I used to have the mentality that, “well, I already started binging so I might as well finish it up because I blew bit already” but this is the wrong way of thinking- its just making excuses for yourself. Each step is a success, so if you stop one bite into the binge, or one bite

So what happens? You start to binge, and try and stop, but you get anxious. All you can think about it finishing your binge, and you won;t be able to calm down until you do. You might physically get shakey, or your heart might beat fast and your head spins (sounds like drugs, no?) but guess what? That feeling goes away. Research shows it goes away within an hour, but mine usually didn’t take that long.

The trick now is to distract yourself. You can go about it one of two ways: you can tackle it head on and try and sort through your feelings, or you can ignore them completely. Generally, in the beginning its best to just distract yourself, and do anything you can to pass the time: call a friend, go for a walk- but its usually best if you get out of the house and away from food until the urge goes away. Then, when you get better are resisting the urge, you can use your anxiety to try and figure out why you respond to food the way you do: why do I want to binge right now? what happened that is causing me to react this way? journal about it. talk to yourself out loud. Lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling and just listen to all the thoughts racing through your head and shoot each one down. No i dont need to binge. No it wont make me feel better. No this isnt going to solve anything. No this is not the person I want to be.

The urge will go away when you stop giving into the binges. You are binging because its the only way you know how to deal with your anxiety, but when you dont let yourself do it anymore, you will naturally lose the need to. The clearer your mind gets, and the better you feel about yourself after resisting a few times, you’ll start to realize exactly what triggers you and find a way to deal with it head on- not in a self destructive way. Good luck.

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Do you know what causes the popping noise during exercise? The classic example might be a knee pop during a lunge, but my shoulders pop like crazy during front raises and side lateral raises. The pops are pretty loud and aren’t limited to just the first or two reps! The pops aren’t there for each and every lift, but maybe 40% of the time. This is not the exercise soundtrack I want! Any ideas? thanks! Also, your last two posts were particularly awesome. Thanks!

Mackenzie

You know, I HAVE NO IDEA. Well, I didn’t, so I looked it up. I have a shoulder and an elbow that crack pretty gnarly sometimes, but normally a lot of people’s knees crack with regular movement.

I DID know, however, that if your joints pop without your forcing them and it doesn’t hurt- you are fine, and don’t worry about it. If you force them to pop- that’s bad. And if it hurts when they pop- that’s bad.

I found a pretty good answer, and don’t really feel like summarizing it (I’m busy! Sue me) so here it is:

From HowStuffWorks:

Joints are the meeting points of two separate bones, held together and in place by connective tissues and ligaments. All of the joints in our bodies are surrounded by synovial fluid, a thick, clear liquid. When you stretch or bend your finger to pop the knuckle, you’re causing the bones of the joint to pull apart. As they do, the connective tissue capsule that surrounds the joint is stretched. By stretching this capsule, you increase its volume. And as we know from chemistry class, with an increase in volume comes a decrease in pressure. So as the pressure of the synovial fluid drops, gases dissolved in the fluid become less soluble, forming bubbles through a process called cavitation. When the joint is stretched far enough, the pressure in the capsule drops so low that these bubbles burst, producing the pop that we associate with knuckle cracking.

This doesn’t really answer this situation, though, because why do some areas pop on some people and not others.

I dug around a little more, and found that sometimes popping that occurs on its own is a sign of the joints hypermobility- the tendons and ligaments are not as tight, or as strong as they should be, so the joint slips larger on its own, without any force. So my shoulder and elbow are more hypermobile than the rest of me, as someone who’s knee pops is more hypermobile that the rest of their joints.

My elbow actually locks up sometimes, and I have to force it straight and it pops, but other times it does it on its own, so actually i dont know which it is.

Arthritis has not been proven to be a side effect of popping, but due to the stress it puts on the connective tissue, you can cause some soft tissue damage.

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EAS Myoplex Strength Formula shakes (these things are good)
Bugalug hair accessories (random, I know- I write for a parenting site! and I guess you could wear them yourself? Come on- its free!)

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I keep accidentally deleting your comments because I’m an idiot. I don’t hate you guys, and I love all of your comments, I just keep being careless and forgetting to switch to awaiting moderation instead of all before I delete them in an effort to get rid of the ridiculous amount of spam I get.

So sorry! Keep commenting, lol!

Hey Kelly!

-Amy Hansen

Amy- there are a few things to consider:

1) The Harris Benedict formula is to figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight. In order to safely lose weight (about 1 pound a week) you want to subtract about 500 calories from that (500 calories equals 3,500 over a week: 3,500 calories are in a pound, so viola!) so in order to lose, you should be eating around 1,800-2,00 calories a day. Bleh, math.

2) 1,200- 1,500 is way too low. You aren’t going to drop weight if you don’t eat enough- which makes all that exercise you are doing a waste. I say it over and over, but if your body is starving, not matter how much you make it work, it isn’t going to burn calories, so you definately shouldnt be anywhere under 1,600, especially for the weight you are at.

3) Your body only needs a day in between to heal from strength training so you can split your strength training up a number of different ways. You can do full body each time, you can alternate upper and lower (which means one week you will do upper twice and one week you will do lower twice) or you can split it into random muscle groups, or you can do full body one day, then abs and core the next- it really doesnt matter. As long as you give your muscles one day of rest in between workouts (at least) you’ll be fine. Remember: We give our bodies too much credit. Weeks are a man-made thing, your body doesnt think in terms of weeks, so dont worry so much about being even. However, 2 times a week isnt bad, so don;t fret too much

4) Some good sites to check out for exercises are: Youtube.com (just type in the body part you want to work) PTontheNet.com (you have to search a bit for free stuff, but if you sign up for a membership- that’s what my work uses when we aren’t feeling creative), Workoutz.com. There are a million. Just search free workout videos and you’ll find anything you could ever want.

Are you coming to the Costa Rica Health and Fitness Retreat?

New Giveaways!

EAS Myoplex Strength Formula shakes (these things are good)
Bugalug hair accessories (random, I know- I write for a parenting site!)

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Kelly,
I have a question/want your opinion. I eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and snack everyday. I do different workouts each night (cardio/strength training). I would like to lose a few pounds but I am at a steady weight. Do you think that eating the same thing everday has some sort of affect on the body? Should you change up what you eat? It doesn’t bother me (I actually enjoy it), but what do you think?
Thanks so much!
p.s. I love your blog! So informative!

I’m not a nutritionist but I did a ton of research and was not able to find anywhere that says eating the same foods is bad, as long as the foods you are eating are healthy, and you are getting enough calories. A well balanced diet is important, so if any of those foods you eat everyday are deficient in any nutrients, you’re diet is going to be completely lacking in that area. If you are nervous about that, consider varying your intake, or as long as it is safe for you, take a daily multivitamin.

Are you coming to the Costa Rica Health and Fitness Retreat?

Don’t forget to enter the giveaways- they end tomorrow:
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Valerie Bertinelli Fitness DVD Giveaway

Kate

This is it! I’m so excited!

My project I’ve been working on and hinting at is finally set in stone, and I can let you guys in on it!

I’ve been working with FITtours, an amazing company that plans fitness based vacations around the world, plus 8 total weeks of fitness programming, with the guidance of fitness and nutritional professionals, no matter what your goals may be, and they have asked me to host my own retreat in Costa Rica, and you are all invited!

The trip runs January 31st through February 8th, and is jam packed with yoga, massages, strength classes, rainforest hikes, white water rafting, plus a body image speaker and more, all in beautiful Costa Rica!

Check out the trip’s page on the FITtours website for all the details, itinerary and for pricing.

The price is all inclusive, which means it covers all of the activites, all lodging, delicious, healthy meals and snacks, massages, transportation- everything! (except for airfare, which is is cheaper when you purchase on your own than if we did a group rate.)

Everyone is invited, so bring your friends, your spouse, your gym buddy- everyone! I will be there, and I expect you to be there, too! We will have a blast!

Feel free to email me with any and all questions and kelly@everygymsnightmare.com!

I’m about ready to make my announcement, but I’m running into some issues getting it posted (not with the announcement itself.) I’ll make it as soon as possible, and then get to all your Q and A’s. I know a lot of you are waiting on some.

Thanks for your patience! It will be worth the wait!

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P90X Week 1 Recap

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Im 23 today, so Im taking the day off! Back tomorrow with more Q and A’s!

Also, Im an idiot and accidentally deleted all the comments from the previous post. Sorry

Hi Kelly,

Ally

First- congrats on your recovery and doing so well. 8 days may not seem like much to other people, but for a binger, that seems like an eternity.

I can’t give you specific advice, because everyone that suffers from an eating disorder responds to different treatments differently, but what I can do is tell you how I handled food during recovery, and tell that for your specific situation only you are your psychologist are going to be able to figure out whats best for you.

Generally, for bingers and bulimics, strict in terms of food is your friend. Generally, a binge (and purge, if applicable, as in my case) is caused by feeling like you ate too much and “blew it” already, triggering your anxiety. Once that anxiety is triggered and burning in the pit of your stomach and clogging your brain, you do the only thing you know how to make it go away: eat more. That seems stupid to people that dont understand, and even to me now as I am recovered, but food is what bingers use to make them feel good- either numb or calm.

The only way I could explain a binge/purge episode to someone that didnt understand an had it make sense was this:

I would start out eating a normal meal, doing my best to eat healthy. Suddenly, I would feel like I ate too, much and the anxiety would set in. I had that full stomach feeling, which equalled weak and fat, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, obsessing about it, beating myself up, and I could not stop the anxiety, it consumed me. I knew that the only way I could stop thinking about food, was to not want food anymore, so I would eat everything insight until I was so full I couldn’t walk. Right after a binge was the only time I felt calm because i didnt want want food- and every other second of every day I always thought about food. I knew i was going to purge afterward so the calories didnt bother me, so I would sit for about 5 minutes enjoying my clam, and then the fear of digesting the calories sets in and I have to go purge. The calm, or high, whatever you call it, only lasts a few minutes, which is why bulimics binge and purge over and over again, up to 8 times a days.

My counselor made me eat strictly- but under my own terms. I had to keep a food journal, and he gave me a calorie goal and as long as I stayed there and didnt purge, we called it a good day. eventually, we incorporated more healthy foods and slowly upped my intake to not trigger me. The first hurdle is to stop the binges, and the only way to do that is to stop before you get to far which takes more self control than anyone can imagine, but eventually it get easier.

Your counselor and you will come up with strategies to stop binges and eat healthily. You wont have to go it alone, and you will find some thing that will work for you but might not for anyone else. The binges are the first thing to tackle, so dont over obsess about your everyday calories- thats what sends you into a binge episode in the first place.

Good luck!

GIVEAWAYS!
EZ Rider Radio Flyer Scooter
Fluxus Clothing Giveaway!

Check out my P90X Product Overview post, and ask questions! Ill answer them in the following post, with links to your blogs, if you’ve got em.

Also, expect an announcement about probably the most exciting thing to happen to me all year, and how you can get in on it, too!

I have a question (shocker, right?). In my day-to-day life, I get a lot of exercise. I walk everywhere, so probably anywhere between an hour to three hours of walking most days, plus I serve three times a week (so I’m walking around, carrying heavy trays, etc.) and I stretch when I first get out of bed in the mornings, so I’m curious as to whether this all counts towards the exercise that professionals say you should be getting every day. I’m not trying to lose weight (actually right now I’m trying to gain weight) and I’m healthy (normal blood pressure, cholestrol, etc.) so if my day-to-day life gives me enough fitness should I still be heading to the gym?

SarahF

Sadly, no, being active in your everyday life isn’t enough in terms of exercise.

People tend to get caught thinking about exercise as a way to burn calories- and if they are burning those calories through their everyday activity, which is entirely possible to do, that you don;t have to exercise. The truth is, exercise is vital for many different reasons, not just weight.

I myself got trapped in this way of thinking for a while. I used to wear a pedometer constantly to make sure I was walking enough. I would aim for 17,000 steps everyday, which is pretty high, but I would use that goal as a replacement for real cardio, thinking as long as it added up in the end, whats the difference?

There is a big difference. There are certain health benefits you can only get from exercise, which is why its can’t be skipped.

Elevated Heart Rate: Getting your heart rate up is probably the biggest reason to do traditional exercise. Getting your heart rate up will not only burn fat and calories, it increases oxygen production to your muscles and pumps blood through your arteries and veins. Why is this important? It increases your cardiovascular endurance, which trains your heart to beat stronger and last longer. Blood pumping hard through your veins breaks up cholesterol deposits, lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure- which is are huge risks for women. Heart disease is the number one killer of women, and cardiovascular exercise is the best way to prevent that. The harder you push your body, the better it rises to the challenge which it means it learns how to function with less effort- lowering your resting heart rate. The lower your resting heart, the longer it takes for your heart to eventually give out, adding years to your life.

Increased Bone Density: Another huge issue for women is bone density. As we age, our bone density decreases, and the only way to not only hold off the loss, but to improve bone density is through strength training. Usually with our bodies, as in the case of muscles, the more strain you put on them, the more likely you will cause injury (muscle pull or tear.) Bones are special- they stick to the “form follows function” rule, which means the harder you are on them, the stronger they become. If you break a bone, it grows back stronger than before. You need to put pressure on your bones to ensure that they become stronger- either through weight training, or medium-high impact cardio. Of course, be careful as your joints don’t always like to keep up with your bones, but ask any doctor and the number one way to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis is through exercise.

Increased Muscle Size and Strength: Some people are born thin, but no one is born muscular. Aside from giving you a killer frame, building muscle is very important to your health. Some people can develop muscle through incidental exercise, like people that haul heavy boxes all day, or do hard manual labor, but even then, they are not going to strengthen every muscle evenly. Muscle strength will not only prevent injury from day to day, it will also help improve your every day performance. The stronger you are, the easier every day tasks will be, and the more energy you will have.

Weight: There are certain added benefits exercise provides you when it comes to weight loss and keeping a healthy body fat percentage that just every day activity can’t provide. The more muscle you have on your body, and the harder you push your body through intense exercise, the higher your metabolism will become at rest. While indicental exercise will burn some calories, it will do very little to actually change the composition of your body, which will replace fat with muscle.

Long story short- yes, you need to exercise. There is no better way to prevent disease, prolong your life, and change your body composition for the better. Its about your health.

GIVEAWAYS!
EZ Rider Radio Flyer Scooter
Fluxus Clothing Giveaway!

Check out my P90X Product Overview post, and ask questions! Ill answer them in the following post, with links to your blogs, if you’ve got em.

Also, expect an announcement about probably the most exciting thing to happen to me all year, and how you can get in on it, too!