DLV Biggest Loser Contest

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This posting is from: annie
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> It supposed to be like
> doing push ups and sit-ups, but done electronically.

> Has anyone tried this?

I have not personally used this, but I'm familiar with
the technique and the equipment used.

This comes under the subject of Electronic Muscle
Stimulation, and the technique is not new. It's been
in use for years for such things as rehabilitation,
preventing atrophy of paralyzed muscles, athletic
training, etc.

Years ago I knew a physical therapy student who did
some personal experimenting in an attempt to replace
the otherwise rigorous exercises, such as sit-ups.

He was using a laboratory grade stimulator, of course,
and not a Popeil product. (But wait! There's more!)

I forget his exact words, but he described it as just
as exhausting as doing umpteen-million voluntary
sit-ups, but having to do them involuntarily, like an
"electronic drill sergeant" standing over him.

He did not keep it up very long. :)

> I'm more concerned on any lingering bad side effects
> or damage it can cause to internal organs or skin
> with regular use.

I am not a licensed physician or physical therapist,
but ...

EMS is a proven treatment for some conditions. Many
chiropractic and physical therapy practices will have
these units (the professional grade versions) on site
and use them regularly.

IIRC the currents used are not sufficient for skin
burns. I would think that muscle strains are the most
risk.

I might also suspect the quality and fitness for use
of cheaper consumer grade units. I really don't know
if these home units have to have FDA approval or not,
but I suspect that the infomercial units do not.

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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: annie
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> It supposed to be like
> doing push ups and sit-ups, but done electronically.

Here's another data point for ya. :)

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/05/projectabsurd.shtm

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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Mary Beth
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>It has to done without too much exercise, for
>increasing muscle size due to exercise, doesn't give
>one the fem figure in the shoulder and leg area.

Actually, bicycling and rollerskating will give you amazing calf
definition.

All of my GG friends are jealous of my legs, especially when I'm in
heels.

mb

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(This posting was entered by Mary Beth, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Laura
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This is embarrassing but I need to make some changes in my lifestyle.

I have gained about 60 pounds over the past four years. It is hard to
believe I have managed to gain that much that quickly but I have. I now
tip the scales at 242 pounds.

If I could manage just a one pound weight loss per week from now until
Pinkfest in Chicago, I would be under 220. I will do my best.

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(This posting was entered by Laura, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: annie
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>I have gained about nn pounds over the past four years. It is
>hard to believe I have managed to gain that much that quickly
>but I have. I now tip the scales at mmm pounds.

You don't look out of shape, Laura, really. :)

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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Gina
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Mary Beth and Laura,

Welcome to the greatest losers,

Trust me Laura when I think of the 60+ pounds I've accumulated, it
really bugs me, now I have to work so hard to get rid of it!

So far we have and their starting weights:

Kumiko
Gina - 272 (oh my gawd!)
Rosada - 204
Mary Beth - 191
Laura - 242

Over the weekend I suffered a bit from dehydration, so make sure
you drink lots of water, Gatorade and the like. I was so proud of
myself, I prepared food for sixty people (BBQ Tri-tip, Potatoes
roasted in butter, onions and garlic, sautied Mushrooms, and corn
on the cob) at an off-road event that I helped with. Usually, I
eat about two hundred pounds of food, but one lightly filled plate
was all I ate. Maybe I'm getting the hint. I didn't weigh myself
today but I'm feeling better about myself and food, that's a big
step.

More later.

Love,

Gina

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This posting is from: kumiko yvonne watanabe
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> Here's the thing I find about eating - Americans eat too damn much,
> period.

I agree!

Buffets and cheap good food is what Vegas is all about...to keep you
fed in the casino for you to gamble more money away. I remember a
time when one could get a 1ft long hot dog or a cup of shrimp cocktail
for less than a dollar at almost all the casinos downtown and on the strip.

Many places have replaced them with buffets or cheap late night meals
like a 16oz porterhouse steak and eggs for $1.50, or a 16oz prime rib
full dinner for less than $5.00. The low prices also temps one to eat
more than one does back home.

When one goes to a buffet, try to remember to eat slowly. You will
discover you will get full faster and not eat so much. Drinking alot of
water while eating can also do this. Once you feel full, its easier to
stop. Also, try to eat a complete balanced meal at a buffet than
concentrating on what you want to eat. This is NOT easy!

Or just don't go to buffets.

Bad diets can also create cravings, which results in over-indulgence in
those items at some point when one is trying to diet. The idea is to
have these items in small amounts to satisfy and not create a need or
crave for it while on a diet.

I've noticed many of the diet plans, follow the American Heart Assoc
guide to nutrition and meal size. If we can keep to it, and as MB has
stated doing weekly physical exercise... we should do good in reducing
our weight, and save money that would have gone to those diet plans.

Avoid (but don't ignore or stop eating alot of) starch items like rice,
potatoes, breads, grains and sugars. These are the carbos that goes
immediately to fat in your body.

Now, the other problem is the beer, or favorite wine, or liquor that is
free while gambling, or at a cheap cost, or on events like the Limo
Tour. Those liquid refreshments contain alot of calories too.

Another is the fast food joints like MacDonalds etc. All fatty stuff. But
even these places now have salads. Eat a salad instead of a burger.

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(This posting was entered by kumiko yvonne watanabe, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Mary Beth
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Usually, I eat about two hundred pounds of food, but one lightly filled plate
was all I ate. Maybe I'm getting the hint.

Here's the thing I find about eating - Americans eat too damn much,
period.

I usually eat until I'm almost full, then put the leftovers in the
fridge and leave them for another meal.

Nobody needs a 16-oz steak in one sitting. I try to apportion my meals
with no more than 6-oz of the main course (beef/poultry/fish etc). As
much as I love the Vegas buffets, it really sickens me to see people
going back 4, 5, 6 times and just gorging themselves.

Beyond that, the other important thing is exercise whenever the
opportunity presents itself. I always try to take the stairs instead
of the elevator, park across the lot for the door of the store, etc.

mb

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(This posting was entered by Mary Beth, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Denise McCracken
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I lost 120# in one year, but I can't tell you how, because an
acquaintance of mine who was neurotic because she had just gained
100# heard about it, called the mental health people, and I spent
a week in the looney bin as a suicide risk. The police actually
led me away in handcuffs...for losing weight. I can tell you
that it's wonderful to be thin, though, even though you have to
buy new clothes.

I know that you're having fun with this, but sometimes you have to
be careful what you say to whom. In Arizona, anyone can call the
mental health department, say that they're worried that you're
starving yourself to death, and the police will come pick you up
and throw you in a mental hospital, which is basically a jail with
locked doors instead of bars. They call this a "petition", I
guess because it's easier than calling it "it deliberately being
arrested and jailed for doing nothing wrong".

-denise

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(This posting was entered by Denise McCracken, an external user of MyDLV.)

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This posting is from: Mary Beth
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>In Arizona, anyone can call the mental health department,
>say that they're worried that you're starving yourself to
>death, and the police will come pick you up and throw you
>in a mental hospital, which is basically a jail with locked
>doors instead of bars

I wasn't aware the state of Arizona had suspended Habeas Corpus.

Did you demand a lawyer? I would have sued the sh*t out of them.

mb

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(This posting was entered by Mary Beth, an external user of MyDLV.)