Your Perfect Weight Week 44-48

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes (or less)

Along with your walking and your low-fat eating, we do hope you've been keeping up your two- or three-time-a-week strength-training sessions! If so, you're well on the way to transforming yourself into a lean, mean, calorie-burning machine! This week, for your workout pleasure, we offer you five more ways to pump up and bump up your metabolism rate. First, a few strength-training reminders.

* Space out your sessions. Give yourself a day off between workouts.

* Don't neglect your warm-ups and cooldowns.

* Periodically ask a pro at the gym or health club to spot-check you to make sure you're using the machines and weights properly.

* Vary your exercises. Aim to work on several different muscles and muscle groups during each session.

* Don't push yourself beyond your limits.

And now, the exercises. Each set consists of 8 to 12 repetitions. Try to do three sets of each.

Overhead press. Sit with your feet firmly on the floor. Raise the weight to shoulder height. Keeping your back straight, press the bar to arm's length overhead, pause, then lower. Repeat. (This can be done with free weights or on a machine.)

Biceps curl. Hold a barbell with both hands, palms facing up. Stand with your back straight, with the bar at arm's length against your upper thighs. Curl the bar up in a semicircular motion until your forearms touch your biceps. Keep your upper arms close to the sides of your body. Lower the bar slowly to starting position using the same path. Repeat.

Triceps extension. While sitting with your feet firmly on the floor, hold a dumbbell, with both hands overhead at arm's length. Lower the weight behind your head in a semicircular motion until your forearms touch your biceps. Return using the same path. Repeat.

Lower back. Position the front of your upper body over the end of a waist-high bench. Bend over with your head down and your hands placed lightly behind your ears. Slowly raise your torso until you're level with the bench. Repeat.

Abdominal curl. Lie on your back with your knees bent, fingers lightly touching your ears. (You can place your hands behind your head as long as you don't use them to pull your head forward.) Slowly curl your upper torso up until just your shoulders leave the floor. Hold for a few seconds, go down and repeat, inhaling as you go down. (If this is too difficult, keep your arms at your sides.)

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Week 45: Tame your stress
and lose your belly

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes (or less)

Those pounds of stress weighing on your shoulders. You feel them, even though you can't actually see them. But maybe you're looking at the wrong place. It could be they've migrated south, down to your potbelly. You've done a lot of work these past months on changing your exercise and eating habits. But if you haven't yet banished those last unwanted pounds (and any remaining belly bulge) it's time to take another look at the role that stress plays in weight gain.

This unexpected notion that stress affects your weight comes from researchers at Yale University's Department of Psychology. And it could help explain why some people have more trouble with their midsections than they apparently deserve.

What could well be happening, the Yale team believes, is that uncontrolled stress triggers the release of a hormone called cortisol, which in turn causes fat to be preferentially deposited around your middle.

Now what exactly is "uncontrolled" stress? It's not knowing what dreadful thing is going to happen to you next, or why. Or else it's feeling as though you're not in control, that no matter what you do, you just can't get on top of the situation. This is the kind of stress that's purely negative. What's more, it's been found that the inability to handle stress is just as bad for the size of your belly as having stress in the first place.

Banish Stress, Banish Your Belly

Now, a potbelly isn't simply unsightly but it's a health problem, too. Excess fat carried in the abdominal area has been tied to increased risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, so there are lots of good reasons to try to tame your stress besides wanting to look good in that new two-piece bathing suit you've got your eye on.

Marielle Rebuffe-Scrive, Ph.D., and colleague Judith Rodin, Ph.D., have been investigating the relationship between stress and abdominal fat for some time. Eliminating stress won't mean an automatic end to belly bulge, but dealing with stress is an important component of banishing a potbelly, says Dr. Rebuffe-Scrive. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Ask yourself why. "Try to think: Why am I under stress? Why is this happening?" says Dr. Rebuffe-Scrive. Understanding the source of your stress is the first step in dealing with it.

Take a walk. Many people report that the quickest, easiest and most pleasant way to calm down and de-stress is by going for a walk. This can be your regular daily workout walk or a slow saunter around the block. Plus, walking, like any other exercise you may prefer, tends to burn belly flab for energy, so this is a two-way health and shape improver.

Don't hesitate to meditate. Redford B. Williams, M.D., director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, says that research shows that cortisol levels go down through transcendental meditation (TM). To learn how, you can read a book on TM or take a local course. Or try this quick meditation. "Just pay attention to your breathing," suggests Dr. Williams. "Every time you breathe in and out, notice it. Each time you breathe out, say a word or phrase to yourself that conjures up the mental image you're trying to achieve, like 'Calm down' or 'Cool it.' When your mind starts to wander back to whatever was bugging you, just say to yourself, 'Oh well' and come back to paying attention to your breathing and saying the word or phrase." About ten minutes a day of practice, and soon you'll be able to call on your skill in any stressful situation.

Record it. Don't forget about the stress-busting benefits of writing things down! Your success diary can be your best ally in fighting stress, if you use it.

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Week 46: Warm-weather workout

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes (or less)

Maybe it's summertime, or maybe you're planning a vacation at some warm-weather resort. (And after 46 weeks on the 52-week plan, you must be looking pretty terrific in those shorts or swim togs!) But if you're concerned that it might be too hot to exercise as usual, you needn't be. You can keep up your walking routine by keeping cool: Head for the air-conditioned comfort of a mall, or to a treadmill in the hotel gym or your own climate-controlled bedroom.

Even if you prefer the great outdoors, you can probably continue your fitness walking as long as you take a few extra precautions. (If your Week 46 falls during cold weather, see "Cold-Weather Walking," on page 216, instead.)

Acclimate. If you're already walking every day, you'll tend to acclimate naturally to the hot weather. But on really hot days, back off a little on your speed or distance. Avoid the midday sun; try to take your walks in the morning or early evening. And if you can find a shady trail, use it!

Hydrate. Drink six to eight ounces of fluid for every 15 minutes of exercise in the heat. Carry a water bottle and take sips along the way.

Evaporate. On a really hot day, dampen your clothing; use a misting bottle, or get your shirt wet and then wring it out. As the water evaporates, it will act like a portable air conditioner. Short sleeves are better than going sleeveless: You'll be covering more surface area with wetness and protecting yourself from sunburn.

Slather on protection. Always wear a sunscreen of at least sun protection factor (SPF) 15 when you're outdoors. And spread petroleum jelly on your toes and the bottoms of your feet to keep feet from blistering.

Do a switcheroo. Two pairs are better than one. By alternating your walking shoes, you give them a chance to dry out between workouts.

Warm weather, for most people, also means eating light, and you'll probably want to stick to simple fare: crisp greens, cold pasta salads or maybe a fresh-fruit salad accompanied by some low-fat cheese or nonfat yogurt. And if you're bullish on barbeque, there's nothing more wonderful than skewers of fresh vegetables like zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and cherry tomatoes, alternating with chunks of fish (try tuna or swordfish) or lean meat, all grilled to perfection. Who said watching your weight has to be depressing?

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Week 47: Handling those
devilish diet saboteurs

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes (or less)

Everybody loves a winner! That's what they say, don't they? And heaven knows, by Week 47, after all your hard weight-loss work, you're definitely a winner! So, why do the people who care about you give you such a hard time about your diet? If you didn't know any better, you'd almost think they wanted you to go back to your pudgy days. That's nonsense . . . or is it?

Not really, says Ronette Kolotkin, Ph.D., who heads the behavioral program at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina. "When you change and become successful, the very people who wanted you to change may suddenly start saying things like, 'I hate the way you're cooking now,' or 'All you do is go to the gym!' You have to realize that there may be negative consequences to weight loss. You feel great about it, but perhaps others won't."

How maddening! Just when you may be looking to your friends, family and co-workers to give you support and a pat on the back for your weight-loss efforts, they turn into diet saboteurs. Now you're hearing little wisecracks about how you've sworn off double-bacon cheeseburgers, for example, or they keep insisting you have one teeny weeny taste of that key lime pie when you really don't want it.

Change is always hard, and when people see you changing in ways that affect them directly or cause them to question their own behavior, they may consciously or unconsciously try to get you to resume your old, familiar ways. "They may feel threatened or jealous, and they may try to make you feel inadequate," says Dr. Kolotkin.

The solution? "Just hang in and deal with it, rather than get frightened by their reactions," she advises. And the best way to deal with it: Assert yourself when others try to make you feel bad or silly about your weight-loss program, or encourage you to deviate from it. You may find these responses to the food pushers in your life helpful.

* "Thanks, but that cake doesn't fit into my program."

* "Thanks, but I don't want any right now--maybe later" (and, of course, don't eat it later either!).

* "Thanks, but I'm allergic to chocolate" (or peanuts or milk products or whatever).

* (with someone who's especially persistent) "Fine, just put some on my plate" (and don't eat it!).

Remember, you need not get angry. In fact, the calmer you stay, the more likely you are to succeed in getting them off the subject and on to something more interesting.

Remember, too, that no one need become your diet saboteur unless you allow him to be. As long as you're completely in control of your own behavior, nobody can sway you from your slim-down mission. It's easy to blame your weight-loss setbacks on your kids' junk food or on your co-worker's birthday cake or on your spouse's frequent business dinners. But you can handle all these situations and more if you choose to. After all you've done to lose weight, you don't want to undo it. Watch out that you don't allow yourself to become the biggest diet saboteur in your life.

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Week 48: Make your
stationary bike more fun

Exercise goal: Walk seven days, three miles
per day in 45 minutes (or less)

Week 48! Can you feel the excitement? The programs's coming to a close, and you've never felt better in your life! You're eating well and feeling anything but deprived. And when you look in the mirror, you love what you see!

As your weight-loss program gradually turns into a weight-maintenance program, you've got to be continually on the lookout for ways to keep your meals interesting, your workouts fun, and your motivation up. And as we've said before, there will be days when whatever you've been doing all along seems dull, dull, dull. Don't let that happen! Shake things up! Change something--anything.

For instance, instead of walking this week, think about giving that old stationary bike buried under that load of laundry a whirl. And why not? Riding a stationary bike is a superb way to shed fat fast and build lean muscle. In fact, in a recent Tufts University study, a group of stationary cyclists, burning only 360 calories a day over 12 weeks, were able to lose a whopping 19 pounds of fat and gain 3 pounds of lean muscle, all with-out dieting!

If your bike has bored you in the past, here are some snappy suggestions to make it more fun and more productive.

Do intervals. Once you've been cycling at a steady pace for a while, kick up the speed and spin faster for a half minute or even a minute. Then return to your original pace. This'll help break the monotony and burn extra calories.

Take a stand. Get an attachable reading stand so you can peruse the morning paper or a thick paperback as you burn fat.

Use big words. Try finding big-print books and magazines, so you don't have to bend forward to read, risking a backache.

Listen up. If reading on a bike makes you dizzy, listen to books on tape. You can program your workout by chapters, or "reread" the steamy parts to work up a better sweat.

Keep moving with movies. Rent some of your favorite videos, or finally catch up with soap opera episodes you've been taping for weeks. There are even videos available that provide tours through beautiful terrain or let you race against other riders. Just position the bike near the TV set.

Make it scenic. If you have a window with a nice view of a busy street, park your bike facing it and people watch, dog watch or bird watch.

Tune in. A personal headphone stereo can help keep the mental beat flowing. Keep the volume low enough, though, to hear the phone, doorbell or comments from your envious, inactive relatives.

Get a speaker phone. While sweating away, call your friends, your accountant, the Home Shopping Network, anyone who'll listen to you.

Sing! Sing! What's more fun than riding a stationary bicycle? How about doing it as you bellow off-key renditions of Broadway show tunes?

"Perspirate" and dictate. A handheld Dictaphone is great for letters, random thoughts, shopping lists or awful poetry you'd share with no one else.

Don't forget to give yourself credit for your time on the bike! Jot down your cycling time in your success diary. It'll allow you to knock a day or two off your weekly walking goal. And why not polish up that old bike sitting in the garage or reward yourself with a spiffy new one so you can remind yourself of the pleasures of outdoor cycling?

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