Healthy Weight Loss

[sylvie]

my goals today:

- sign & set up sparkpeople site.. to keep track of my weight, exercise & food intake.. its important i keep track of it somewhere..
- have already done a very early workout this morning, (and that felt so great!!) but plan on figuring out an ab workout regime as well as some more workout exercises to do at home once i'm home this evening... i have a stepper, resistance bands, some 2 lb and 3 lb weights to use as well..
- make a list of things to get to aide me in my healthy journey - some DVD's for workouts at home.. measuring tape, weight scale, mp3 player
- get a schedule of the zumba classes at my Gym, and plan around my work shifts next week and choose one zumba class to attend and try..
- also plan a workout schedule in advance around my work hours, then i'll hold myself to it, if i planned to go in the first place..
- & lastly, research some healthy snack foods, and set some rules for myself to follow

[sylvie]

Gemme thank you so much again for your tips & help!
and thank you everyone else too, you've all given me so much information - i swear each day i get more and more motivated.. before long i'll be so well equipped to make this happen, and i'm seriously soo lovin' it..

i notice small things already - like my clothing feeling a lil less tight, and my energy level soaring compared to before.. the positivity in my attitude and the increase in workout..
now i want to start keeping track of everything, i'm sooo ready for more!

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by sylvie

my goals today:

- sign & set up sparkpeople site.. to keep track of my weight, exercise & food intake.. its important i keep track of it somewhere..
- have already done a very early workout this morning, (and that felt so great!!) but plan on figuring out an ab workout regime as well as some more workout exercises to do at home once i'm home this evening... i have a stepper, resistance bands, some 2 lb and 3 lb weights to use as well..
- make a list of things to get to aide me in my healthy journey - some DVD's for workouts at home.. measuring tape, weight scale, mp3 player
- get a schedule of the zumba classes at my Gym, and plan around my work shifts next week and choose one zumba class to attend and try..
- also plan a workout schedule in advance around my work hours, then i'll hold myself to it, if i planned to go in the first place..
- & lastly, research some healthy snack foods, and set some rules for myself to follow

Don't forget your local library! Most have several dvds that you can check out without having to purchase them.

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Don't forget your local library! Most have several dvds that you can check out without having to purchase them.

you always suggest the best of things! LOL
i didn't even think of the library actually, i was thinking on getting some books too so perfect idea, i will add that to my list of things to do this week.. the library is a hop, skip and a jump from me...

=)

[sylvie]

i did an early morning workout today and feel okay, i hurt myself yesterday so probably should not have pushed it but im medicated lmao... so it eases the pain some..i did some research yesterday starting with a link Gemme shared, on ab workouts and went from there.. but i struggled with the ab part for now since i pulled muscles around the tum and back.. so i'll work on that more soon as i can.

so this morning i did a combination of stepup's, resistance workout, some cardio and finished with some ab - can we say ouch? something i definitely need to work on and increase as i go though.. today was hard to do cuz of the hurt already..
so i didn't push myself and didnt get the workout i usually do.. i thought maybe stretching it out some would be good though since i work a busy shift today - so far i dont feel so badly.. not as painful as it was when i first got up..i was very careful.
i even remembered to do my stretches, something i often forget about..

[sylvie]

ohhh , i know mad poster is back again.. LOL..
they dont call me miss gabbalot for nothing!!

question for ya's : can anyone suggest some healthy snack ideas ? i always buy some fruit, i need something crunchy and sweet or to kick those cravings.. i'm a potato chip lover and steering away from those obviously, but find i'm constantly craving those lol.

i know fresh pineapple is something that curbs my sweet tooth craving, but i can't buy enough for everyday LOL.. i need more ideas.. any suggestions you all have for snacking i'd appreciate..

[JustJo]

I have to be careful with snacking...I work from home so the kitchen is about 10 feet from my desk.

Having said that, when I do feel the craving for snacks I usually choose fruit...banana, apple, kiwi, fresh berries....or a granola bar. I love the kashi brand, and they're high in protein and fiber and whole grains and all that good stuff...they even have one that's dark chocolate and cherry and can almost make you believe it's a candy bar while still being healthy.

Other things I sometimes have....a small handful of nuts (although it's hard to stop at a handful), yogurt smoothie or a small carton of yogurt, string cheese (I get the individually wrapped ones...makes it easier to grab one and step away from the fridge ).

I love chips too....and we always have them in the house, which makes it tough. I have found that buying the single serving size (designed for lunchboxes) helps me. Again, I can grab one and walk away, and when I'm done...I'm done. I know they're wasteful on packaging, but it helps.

One thing I discovered with the diabetes is that I tended to eat on auto-pilot, and frequently didn't even taste my food. When I'm upset and doing "emotional eating" I can still find myself in that situation....with half a giant bag of BBQ chips gone and I don't even remember eating them or the flavor. I discovered that mindful eating helps. If I'm eating that snack size bag of chips, or that single square of Dove chocolate, I really focus on it....no other distractions.....I even close my eyes, and really experience the texture and flavor of what I'm eating fully. I've find my cravings are satisfied with a surprisingly tiny amount if I do this.

In other news....I haven't been as good about my walking or my diet as I like (it's been a rough week), but I still managed to lose 2 lbs. Yay!

[nycfem]

I carry snacks in my purse and gym bag. Here's some of what I like:

Extend bars (150 cals each): http://www.extendbar.com/ (keeps your hunger down and your blood sugar in check). They are sweet and filling.

Apples and nuts (love raw cashews)

Whole wheat pretzels

oranges

bananas (good for potassium)

From the health food store: dry roasted edamame dusted w/wasabi powder. These come in a pack, and one-fourth of a cup is 130 calories. Snacks should be in this range of calories up to 200. I like these because they are spicy due to the wasabi. I love spice, and it gets me to drink water. They also come in a lightly salted flavor.

Pre-bagged popcorn from the health food store.

Here are some of my fave snacks that I can't carry around:

O% fat Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt is high in protein.). FAGE is my fave brand. I have this at least once a day, usually for breakfast. It's protein packed, and I add berries or banana or raisins or dried cranberries and walnuts, along with cinnamon and flax seed, plus whole grain puffs (my fave are Kamut grain). So yummy and filling.

String cheese, raw pistachios, and an apple.

I'm a vegetarian, so I buy fake/soy "ham" and wrap a few slices around a string cheese (like a sandwich wrap) and dip it in mustard while I eat it.

Whole grain rye crisps w/melted reduced fat cheese and salsa (healthy version of nachos)

An apple w/natural PB (I actually also buy individual PB packets, to make this an "on the go" snack)

Whole grain crackers (try "Mary's gone Crackers" brand) w/hummus.

Originally Posted by sylvie

ohhh , i know mad poster is back again.. LOL..
they dont call me miss gabbalot for nothing!!

question for ya's : can anyone suggest some healthy snack ideas ? i always buy some fruit, i need something crunchy and sweet or to kick those cravings.. i'm a potato chip lover and steering away from those obviously, but find i'm constantly craving those lol.

i know fresh pineapple is something that curbs my sweet tooth craving, but i can't buy enough for everyday LOL.. i need more ideas.. any suggestions you all have for snacking i'd appreciate..