Conference rocks::weight_control

    What type of cross country machine did you receive?
    
    I have a Nordic Track, probably the best on the market.  It's great.  I
    use it for about 20-30 minutes, 5 days a week.  It was a little
    expensive, but probably the best investment I've made for excerise
    equipment.  I tried a couple of other models (easy glider was one), but
    they can not compare to the workout you get from a Nordic track.  Your
    best bet would be to rent one and see if you like it.  I highly
    recommend it. 
    
    Judy

    
    
    Re: .1
    
    Ditto.  Nordic Track is the best investment I've made as well.
    I do the same thing - 20-30 minutes a day.  I do it first thing in
    the morning.  Really starts the day out right.
    
    If it's a Nordic Track, I don't see how you can go wrong.
    Diane
    

    Well, it isn't a Nordic Track.  I have seen those, and they look like
    the ultimate in cross-country exercise machines.  It is called the
    Alpine Tracker and is made by a company called CSA.  It appears to be
    of very sturdy construction and has adjustable (up and down) poles to
    accommodate the height of the person using it.  It also has a tension
    knob so you can adjust the amount of resistance.  I believe it will
    suite my needs just fine.  My concern was how long and how often the
    workouts should be.  I will probably have to use it in the afternoon
    except maybe on weekends as "school" mornings are rather busy around
    our house and getting myself to work.  I like the idea of watching TV
    while exercising.  I think I will start at 12-15 minutes and build up
    to the 20-30 minute workouts.
    
    Thanks for the input.  Even for the couple of minutes I have tried it out,
    I sure can feel it in the upper leg region.  I hope to do some
    "outside" cross-country skiing this winter, so this should help get me
    ready for that.
    
    Thanks for the responses,
    
    Lin
    

   Lin,
  
   I've tried various exercise programs off and on (mostly off) for 25+
   years....and I've finally found one that works for me.  Looking back,
   I realize that I always tried to do TOO MUCH, either ride the exercycle
   with too much tension on the wheel, or run or do aerobics TOO FAST and
   got out of breath, or....etc.  I finally learned to take it slow and
   easy (a friend started jogging with me, and kept the pace SLOW).

   Then I disregarded all the advice about stretching, and hurt my achilles
   tendon -- couldn't run for 5 weeks.

   So:  (here's more advice!)  
      1. Do the stretching they recommend.  Even though it may not feel like 
         you're doing any good, I now believe it's more important than the 
         exercise itself -- because without stretching, you'll get hurt, and
         then you CAN'T exercise!  Equally important is to stretch again
         AFTER the exercise, while your body is warm -- your tendons will
         appreciate it!

      2. Take it slow and easy, let your endurance build up over time.
         12-15 minutes at an easy pace will gain you much more over the long
         haul than 5-10 minutes at a pace that gets you out of breath.

  Good Luck!  Let us know how this turns out.

  -Geri

    This seems like an appropriate place to put this......I'm looking for a
    used Nordic Track to buy.  (I live in Colorado Springs.)  I'd heard
    they were an excellent investment, and this notes file has convinced
    me, but I don't want to pay full price for one.
    
    If anyone has one or knows of one in good shape, please send mail to
    GENRAL::HAYES.
    
    Thanks in advance,
    Tina Hayes
    

    Tina,
    
    Not to bust your bubble, but I looked for a used Nordic Track for 18
    months, and never did find one.  I finally bought a new one (the Pro
    Model) 12/07/89.  I have used a `shuttle' type ski exerciser for about
    a year, and is was the pits.  The Nordic Track is a joy to use, very
    easy to use, very smooth.  It will give you a great workout.
    
    I just got more info from Nordic Track and they now have a "low cost" 
    model.  It still costs $399 plus shipping.
    
    Good luck with your search.
    
    R.L.  

.6>>> Not to bust your bubble, but I looked for a used Nordic Track for 18
  >>> months, and never did find one.  
    
    No need to worry - I'm not too confident I'll be able to find one, but
    decided it couldn't hurt to post a 'want add'....
    
.6>>> I just got more info from Nordic Track and they now have a "low cost" 
  >>> model.  It still costs $399 plus shipping.
    
    If you wouldn't mind sending it to me, I'd LOVE a copy of the info. you
    received.  I'm at mailstop CXO1-1/P17.  If I can manage to save enough,
    I just might order a new one!
    
    Thanks in advance,
    Tina
    
    
    

    re .7 I will look for info tonight, and send it to you tomorrow.
    
    R.L.

    re.6,.7
    
    I cannot find the info.  My wife thinks she threw it away.  However,
    you can call NordicTrack at 1-800-328-5888.  They will send you an info
    package and a short videotape (VHS or Beta).  After you view the tape they
    request you send it back to them and they provide a postage paid mailer so
    there is no hassle on your part.
    
    Here is what I remember about the units they offer (along with my
    editorial comments):
    
    	NordicTrack Elite      ~$1100 (very fancy looking, does not fold)	
    	  "     "   Achiever	  699 (almost got this one)
    	  "     "   Pro		  599 (this one works fine for me)
    	  "     "   505		  499 (front leg spacing to narrow)
    	  "     "   ???	          399 (not available when I got mine)
    
    They have a heart rate monitor and several other `accessories'
    available.  Shipping is about $28.00 via UPS.
    
    I bought the NordicTrack Pro.  If you want to chat about them, give me
    a call at DTN 367-5528.
    
    Hope this helps,
    R.L.

    Has anyone seen the 1/2 show on TV advertising the "Fit One"
    Cross-country exerciser.  I would like any inputs you may have
    regarding this machine.  They say that if you use it 20 minutes
    per day 5 days a week, you will lose up to 30 lbs. in a year without
    changing your diet.
    
    It is supposed to be compatible to the Nordictrack at half the price.
    They were very convincing on TV.  So much so, that I ordered it.
    I don't believe that I can go wrong with this exerciser, but would
    appreciate any comments you may have concerning this.
    
    Thanks!
    
    Corey

    If you do *any* exercise fo 20 min a day 5 days a week you will lose
    up to 30 lbs in a year without changing your diet.  Don't be fooled
    that there's anything special about this gadget.  Walking is free.
    
    Not also that they're not saying *at least* 30 lbs, they are saying
    *up to*  which includes an ounce!
    
    -ellie

    Wait a minute!
    
    If you weigh under 200 lbs, you will probably burn about 10 calories a 
    minute on a cross country ski machine.  At 3500 calories to the pound,
    that takes 350 minutes to burn a pound.  At 20 minutes per day, 5 days 
    per week, you will burn off about 2 pounds every 7 weeks.  That turns
    into about 14 pounds per year.
    
    I don't want to discourage you.  Exercising is better than not
    exercising.  But setting your expectations too high can be detrimental
    to establishing a long term exercise program.
    
    Another thing to keep in mind is that without changing your eating
    habits, if you stop exercising, the weigh will come back.
    
    Now, if you can cut about 50 calories from your diet each day, in
    addition to the exercise (no easy task), you can almost double the
    weight loss.
    
    One last thing is that you have to KNOW you eating habits before you
    can say you aren't going to change them.  Try counting calories for a
    week or so without trying to diet.  Figure out if that caloric level is
    maintaining your weight, or increasing it.  Also figure out if you have
    any "hidden tendencies" like having an extra helping 'cuz you got some
    exercise.  
    
    As I said, I'm not trying to discourage you.  The more you know about
    controlling your weight, the less apt you are to get discouraged by not
    meeting goals that were unrealistic.
    
    
    						-JP
    						(-140lbs for 1 yr & holding)

    re .12
    
    It seems that the 3500 calories = 1 lb is not generally held to be a
    hard and fast rule any more, since the research done by the two authors
    of "Dieters' Dilemma"  (and others, theirs was the first to gain wide
    public notice)  The 3500 cal = 1 lb is true only if nothing else
    changes.  Their theory, now generally accepted, is that your weight is
    more affected by exercise than the standard equation allows, because
    the act of exercising alters your body's "set point"  the weight your
    body tries to maintain naturally.  From experience, I can say it really
    is true.  One of the effects seen from getting regular exercise is a
    decrease in appetite, and desire for lower-calorie foods.  When I was
    exercising regularly a few years ago, I lost 20+ lbs in about 4 months
    without dieting.  During this time, I found that foods that I used to
    like -- fried foods, cream, fatty sweets -- were not appealling at all. 
    Instead what I really wanted and craved was fruits, vegetables, broiled
    fish.  This was what i *wanted*, not what I was forcing myself to eat.
    
    Yes, these are lower calorie foods, but the total of carbohydrates that
    I ate put the daily calorie count far over what I would have stuck to
    had I been dieting.
    
    -ellie

    Sorry to disagree, but it's about the hardest, fastest rule there is.
    You are confusing metabolism and maintenance levels (aka set point)
    with the physical fact that 3500 food calories = 1 pound.  People have
    a tendency to eat a particular amount of food.  Given their metabolism,
    that amount will cause them to gain, loose or stay the same. 
    
    Exercising will change your metabolism a little bit, after a while.  So
    will dieting.  If you are lucky (and many, but not all people are), the
    exercise will supress your appetite some.  However, counting on these
    effects to DOUBLE the weight loss exected from a purely caloric point
    of view is unrealistic.  And setting yourself some unrealistic and
    unattainable goals is a great way to guarantee failure.
    
    By the way, my experience agrees with yours.  I've exercised regularly
    over the past year, and my appetite has changed.  I don't crave the bad
    stuff.  I've also kept a diary of calories in and exercise, and beleive
    me the formula works.  My maintenance calories have dropped from over
    15 per pound down to about 10.  
    
    My advice is still BUY THE MACHINE!  USE THE MACHINE!!!
    
    The aerobic bennies as well as the weight loss will be great.  Just
    don't expect more than what is realistic.

    One other thing I forgot to mention is regarding your point about
    loosing 20+ pounds by exercising without dieting.  By this you mean
    that you did not focus on modifying your diet (diet = what you eat). 
    However, you did end up modifying your diet as a secondary effect.  Had
    you really not modified your diet, you wouldn't have lost the
    weight (at least not as much).  This is the point I'm concerned about
    in the original inquiry... "without changing your eating habits".
    
    By the way, Ellie.  Your method is best suited to long term success. 
    You focussed on positive changes, reinforced other positive changes that
    happened naturally, and did not focus on the negatives, the
    "deprivations" too often associated with "dieting".  I think it's lots
    easier to modify behavior this way, 'cuz there is usually much less
    guilt involved when "we are less than the best" than there is when "we
    are bad".