Healthy Weight Loss

[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!

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by JustJo

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.

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!

YAY on the 2lbs lost! congratulations Jo!
it's funny you say that about the single serving size of chips..
i've even found if i go to kitchen and grab a handful and put the bag back in the cupboard, then i'm fine and it's satisfied me.. but if i bring the bag with me to the living room, i eat and eat and eat.. it's neat how we can trick the mind with lil things like that, eh?

[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..

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by sylvie

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...

=)

Hey, that hop, skip and a jump count towards your movement for the day!

Originally Posted by 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..

Always. Stretch.



Always.

It not only helps to alleviate potential soreness but smooths your muscles out nicely so they can heal better too, like a bubble bath does for some of us.

Did I mention to always stretch?

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..

I snacks. I buy tons of them so I'll have plenty of options and won't feel as if I 'have' to eat one thing or another because I'm out of something. I'm totally an options kinda girl.

I have Orville Redenbacher's 100 calorie mini bags of popcorn in butter for my savory cravings and kettle corn for my sweet tooth. One bag pops up to 2-4 cups worth of popcorn!

Quaker rice cakes are YUMMY now. I like the caramel corn flavor the best and for 50 calories per cake, that's not too bad.

If you are good with portioning food, I recommend nuts. I look at the cannister or bag or whatever they come in and see what the serving size is and, if I can't see myself taking ONLY that many out at a time (and not going back), I don't get them. Wal-Mart makes a mix called Mountain mix. It has cashews and peanuts and raisins and M&Ms in it. For some reason, even though I don't care for M&Ms, I find it hard to stop at the serving size. So I don't buy it anymore. I do, however, have Planter's Creme Brule Almonds because, for some crazy reason, I can take out 18 of them and put them on a napkin or saucer and nibble on them and be good with it. They are SUPER yummy, btw.

For my nuttin's gonna cut it but pure unadulterated sugar fits, I keep Tootsie Pops in the house. One pop is 60 calories and if I'm playing online or watching TV while I eat it, I can stretch it out so that it takes me half an hour to an hour to finish it (I put it down while actually watching TV and suck on it during the commercials, for example.).

Cheese is good but...again...really only if you can control your portions. Nuts and cheese are notoriously high in fat, both good and bad, so I don't nash on them a lot unless I'm having some awful jonesin' cravings.

Reduced fat/sodium/calories/etc snack chips and crackers. Again, portion control.

I eat animal crackers. I get the HUGE bag at the Mart of Wal and divvy it up into ziplocks and so, I know how many servings are in each bag and I keep track of each little animal as it goes down my gullet.

I guess more than anything that's helped me thus far, regardless of what I'm eating, I eat less if I write it down. I carry a food journal with me EVERYWHERE (ask Ebon). I went out to Magnolia Cafe and Chili's the past couple of weeks with him and I wrote down everything I ate at both places. Even the bottomless chips and salsa and, yes, I had plenty.

I was surprised, though. Someone I consider a good friend said he was very uncomfortable with me doing that and he. actually. told. me. to. stop. doing. it.



I was gobsmacked that someone thought that they had that kind of control over me, even if it was meant with love. I found THAT quite disturbing, actually.

What was I talking about again?

Originally Posted by 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!

Mindful eating is an excellent resource for maintaining your dietary program, whatever it may be. Not only will you eat less, but you'll enjoy it more.

No eating standing up. To the best of your ability, set up a routine place and well, routine, for eating. It's like when they say to have a routine for getting ready for bed will help your body rest better. If your body has a routine for prepping for food, it will 'feel' it more.

Did you know that your taste buds start to dull after only 3-4 bites of sweet stuff? I can imagine it's the same with salty or spicy too. So, once they start to dull, we start to chase the 'high' of the first bite or two and....if we're not mindful...can devour the whole darn thing.

Two pounds is GREAT for a week! Congrats.

[sylvie]

YAY thank you for the snack suggestions everyone, i knew ya's would give me some good ideas... there was a ton of stuff you all suggested that i would love, so this week, when i do my shopping im going to make a list of the things i need, and finally can go at this full force..

snacking is one of my big downfalls.. though i am going to try to stop eating at night, after 6pm.. i usually work til 7pm, and eat when i get home, so this will be a big change for me, ill have to bring something to work to eat there , rather than wait to get home..

so usually, once i am home, i want to snack cuz im too lazy to cook LOL..
but snacks for breaks at work, as well as days im home i'd love to eat healthier for..
Gemme, loved that idea with the tootsie pop too, i love tootsie pops and usually the commercial breaks are when i want to get up and scour the fridge or cupboards looking for something! oh and animal crackers, i love! and haven't had since sooo long..

TY so much again everyone, YAY!

[sylvie]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Hey, that hop, skip and a jump count towards your movement for the day!





Always. Stretch.



Always.

It not only helps to alleviate potential soreness but smooths your muscles out nicely so they can heal better too, like a bubble bath does for some of us.

Did I mention to always stretch?

yesss, i know! i'm terrible about not stretching, or ... i was anyway!
but now that i'm getting serious about all of this, it's something i need to do..
so from this day forward, i shall stretch!!
even before my hop, skip & a jump! hehe...
Thanks Gemme !!