Healthy Weight Loss

[Gráinne]

Last night at the gym, I noticed that my 25 minute mile was becoming easy. I wasn't sweating as hard, nor straining to finish. I told myself that it was because I was watching the debate on one screen, and football on the other, and thus wasn't working as hard as I do if it's just me.

Then this morning I noticed that my pants didn't work; they were way too loose. I told myself that these were old pants (true) and probably just worn out. My top was also too baggy, but I told myself the same, that it was just wearing out.

So it looks like I have to buy new pants and new bras, and kick up my pace to the next level that's difficult but doable. But what I've been thinking is, why do we ascribe outside things for success, like 'the clothes are worn out', but castigate ourselves for our "failures"? It's not only about weight.

[Andrea]

A medical procedure has kept me from working out for the last few days and I am missing it.

Wow!!! When did that happen? LOL

How is everyone else doing?

[*Anya*]

I finally lost 1/2 of a pound that had been hanging on for weeks.

I simply must get more walking in.

It was easy at my former job to just get up and go outside to walk twice a day, this job-not so much. Today, for example, 5 meetings scheduled and 2 of them are 1.5 hours each.

I just have to do it.

Make the time for me.

Have a great day fellow healthies!

[girl_dee]

i gotta get on track... just gotta.....

[Gráinne]

Good morning!

Last night at the gym-21.10 minute mile. I shaved off about 4 minutes in a couple of days, and 10 minutes since last week. 18 minutes, or even 15, doesn't seem so undoable now .

I also got my pace up to 20 minutes for about half of the mile, before my calves hurt and I had to slow down. But it's coming!

Then, because I was feeling so badass to the core, I went over to the free weight section and did my arm routine with 10 pound weights. I'd not done that before. I couldn't do as much, but that's sort of the point-to push it a little. Otherwise, you're not building your muscle.

My goal isn't to be a musclebody-I know you have to have a certain body type for that, and put in serious weightlifting even then, but nicely toned would be great . My gym offers a "women's side", but I actually prefer to work out with the football players and serious bodybuilders, as if that motivates me. I got a thumbs-up yesterday from one.

Andrea's right, when I miss a day, I don't feel as good. I also know I can mix it up a little with swimming and Zumba, but I also want to focus on that pace thing, which is easier to measure on a treadmill.

When the rest of my life feels like it's falling down around me (literally), it's nice to have something to look forward to and to actually go right.

[Sachita]

I was working out and walking everyday. had some funky problem with the top of my feet. That healed. I'm back walking. I'm not so sure about the gym any more but I did join the YMCA to swim.

I finally broke down and seriously cut back on all grains. I still might have a bit of rice soba or very small amount of rice now and then. I'm mostly juicing, which I always do but now all greens. I am amazed how I feel after one week of not eating wheat or grains. I'm eating chicken, lamb, beef and even eggs. I've increased my veggie intake quite a bit. So instead of have rice or a potato with meals I just eat more veggies or mushrooms. In a week i lost 5 pound just by not eating grains and I totally stopped sugar. Of course there is sugar in carbs and I stopped table sugars/sweets. I actually went through a bit of withdrawal over the sugar thing.

I also notice that when I do eat grains or any sugars it sets the pace for the rest of the day. I'm amazed that in a week my blood pressure and blood sugar lowered.

[Dance-with-me]

I've been using the massive chaos in my life, the fact that I'm feeling limited to just my bedroom in my home until my ex and family are finally out of there, and the fact that I'm trying to stay away from home as much as possible, as my reason to not exercise. I need to be called on that b.s. and stop using my baby-elliptical as just a place to hang bras and dry panties!

[Kelt]

I came across this article in Lifehacker and wanted to share it. As Jo was saying earlier, developing habits that you can stick with beyond the loss phase is a good idea. This has some ideas that might be helpful. I am pasting the summary article here and will link to the full report at the bottom.
_________________________________________________

This Study Shows How to Lose a Lot of Weight—and Keep It Off
Melanie Pinola
If you want to know the secret of successful weight loss and management, take a look at the results from The National Weight Control Registry. The participants in the study lost an average of 66 pounds each and kept it off for 5.5 years. Here's how they did it.
The National Weight Control Registry is a database of about 4,000 people who maintained at least a 30 pound weight loss for at least one year.

Although there were variations in how quickly they lost weight and how much, there are four things NWCR members have in common:

90% of them say they exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day
78% eat breakfast every day
75% weigh themselves at least once a week
62% watch fewer than 10 hours of TV per week
These may seem like obvious common sense essentials for weight loss, but they're still important findings. The fact that 89% of the participants used a combination of both diet and exercise reinforces the importance of both.

The dedication to a significant and extensive amount of daily exercise is also notable. Twenty-eight percent of participants used only walking as their exercise. The researchers also put pedometers on a sample of the participants and found they walked about 5.5 to 6 miles a day—far beyond the minimal guidelines.

Frequent weighing is also interesting, since some people think weighing too often is counter-productive when trying to lose weight. Weighing yourself at least weekly could be an "early warning system" to keep you on track for the long term.

See the whole study via the link below:

The National Weight Control Registry | The Permanente Journal

[JustJo]

Hello healthies

Well....I've been struggling a bit. It's not reflecting in the scale, but it's operating in my head for sure.

I've been under intense stress....both work and personal...and the emotional eating triggers are all kicked over to "Chow Down!" Thankfully, my good eating of the last year-ish means that my capacity is wayyyyy down. So, when I grab the chips and dip I manage a couple spoonsfull of dip and a couple handfuls of chips....and then I feel stuffed and mildly ill. At least that's better than the full bag and full tub action of 2 years ago.

Still, I know it's not good.

I also had such a crazy schedule of unplanned "stuff"...car issues, kids that needed to be watched because moms had crises to deal with, school schedule changes...that I missed over a week of Curves.

I was back today, and it felt fine....so I know I'm not too far off.

I guess it's just frustrating to see (and feel) how quickly those negative patterns are ready to jump back to the forefront when things get rocky. So far, the worst thing is my diet soda addiction....which has returned with a vengenance...and which I really need to stop, because I know it leads to worse eating habits pretty quickly.

Hugs to you all.

[ruffryder]

SO i read somewhere that fat is targeted mostly in the morning so one shouldn't eat breakfast.. I know I've heard conflicting stories on this and you should eat breakfast cause it's the most important meal of the day. I've also heard to load up on protein and healthy fats at this time throughout the day and save the carbs for later in the day after a workout cause that's when the carbs will be targeted by the body and they leave you feeling fuller longer. Anyone hear this also or live by any such philosophy?

I also wanted to share a list of 20 fittest foods in no particular order..

Broccoli (eat a cup per week)
Tomatoes (eat 3-4 serv. per week)
Oatmeal (eat 3-4 serv. per week)
Blueberries (eat 1 cup per week)
Salmon (eat 3 serv. per week)
Beef (eat 3 serv. per week)
Whole Wheat Bread (eat 4-6 slices per week)
Almonds (eat 3 serv. per week)
Yogurt (get 3 serv. dairy per week)
Spinach (eat 2-3 serv. per week)
Eggs (eat up to 7 eggs per week)
Milk (get 3 serv. dairy per week)
Water (drink 8-8oz glasses per day)
Sweet Potato (eat 1 per week)
Soy (eat 2 serv. per week)
Turkey Breast (eat 3 serv. per week)
Olive Oil (eat 2 tbsp per day)
Quinoa (eat up to 3 serv. per week)
Black Beans (eat 2 serv. per week)
Green Tea (drink up to 3 serv. per day)

you really are what you eat..
I'm wondering about this Quinoa stuff. What is it? How do you eat it, make it? etc..

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by ruffryder

SO i read somewhere that fat is targeted mostly in the morning so one shouldn't eat breakfast.. I know I've heard conflicting stories on this and you should eat breakfast cause it's the most important meal of the day. I've also heard to load up on protein and healthy fats at this time throughout the day and save the carbs for later in the day after a workout cause that's when the carbs will be targeted by the body and they leave you feeling fuller longer. Anyone hear this also or live by any such philosophy?

I also wanted to share a list of 20 fittest foods in no particular order..

Broccoli (eat a cup per week)
Tomatoes (eat 3-4 serv. per week)
Oatmeal (eat 3-4 serv. per week)
Blueberries (eat 1 cup per week)
Salmon (eat 3 serv. per week)
Beef (eat 3 serv. per week)
Whole Wheat Bread (eat 4-6 slices per week)
Almonds (eat 3 serv. per week)
Yogurt (get 3 serv. dairy per week)
Spinach (eat 2-3 serv. per week)
Eggs (eat up to 7 eggs per week)
Milk (get 3 serv. dairy per week)
Water (drink 8-8oz glasses per day)
Sweet Potato (eat 1 per week)
Soy (eat 2 serv. per week)
Turkey Breast (eat 3 serv. per week)
Olive Oil (eat 2 tbsp per day)
Quinoa (eat up to 3 serv. per week)
Black Beans (eat 2 serv. per week)
Green Tea (drink up to 3 serv. per day)

you really are what you eat..
I'm wondering about this Quinoa stuff. What is it? How do you eat it, make it? etc..

ruff,

ALWAYS eat something in the morning (your morning, that is, since I know you have a weird schedule sometimes). By eating something....preferrably good for you....it sets your metabolism for the day.

If you wake and don't eat anything at all, within a couple of hours your body starts hording calories, just like in starvation mode.

I can't tell you about the carbs and what time is best to eat them, but they can be harder to burn off, so if I'm not working out, I will not eat a lot of them towards the end of the day.

I've heard that it's best to eat the largest meal first, then a smaller meal and your smallest meal in the evening in an effort to prevent consuming more calories than you will expend through the day/night.

I'm not a fan of green tea, but everything else on the list looks yummy.

[PurpleQuestions84]

I started my diet this morning and i plan on Turbo jamming later

[Miss Scarlett]

My weight loss doctor says to never skip meals, especially breakfast. His food plan is pretty simple and really does work.

It's a low glycemic plan and every meal should consist of a lean protein, fruit or vegetable and a healthy fat. No breads, rice, potatoes, pasta, cereal, oatmeal, corn or quinoa. Fruits and veggies should be low on the glycemic index. He also says no to ALL artificial sweeteners, sugar, honey, agave nectar, hfcs and stevia.

My favorite breakfast is fat free plain Greek yogurt, a bit of fruit and almonds. (The yogurt is the lean protein and the almonds are the healthy fat.) It comes in at around 290 - 300 calories and stays with me all morning. I love it so much that sometimes I have it for supper too.

[Rockinonahigh]

The other day i was at the store to pick up a fue things so I picked up some jiffy pnb when I got home I realised I got the one that was low sodium with 33% less sugar,it thought yikes what did I do,it is a lot better than I thought it would be cause it has a more peanutty tast plus it didnt have the oily feel to it.Now its gonna be what I buy insted of regular Jiffy,wonder be my son even likes it.

Breakfast is something I never miss,I make it as high protine as I can,usely have scrambles eggs with a slice of sugar free whole wheat bread then a slice or two of tomato.I never eat a late lunch past 1:30pm,if I havent eaten by then I have some fruit and cheese.Water is something I need more of insted of the sodas I would rather have,I find that ice water for some reason stops the grumbling when I grt the nibbles before dinner.

[ruffryder]

Yeah, not sure when my morning is anymore. I work overnights half the week and the rest of the week I'm on regular mornings eating. When I work overnights I eat dinner at 8 and I'm usually on my feet walking and taking stairs majority of the night, then I take a break anywhere between 2-4 in the morning and most times I usually have a banana or a slim fast bar and I'm always drinking tea or coffee. Sometimes I'll just eat a meal at that time and when I get home I'll go to sleep and wake late afternoon and eat again. If I dont' eat at 2 a.m. and I'm hungry, I'll go home and make an omelette and then go to sleep. Then on my days off I'll go ahead and eat breakfast. Like today I had apple.cinn oatmeal and a whole grain muffin. so it varies. I guess it's all good, just have to watch what I'm putting inside me for food. I'm sure my body is confused because when most people are sleeping I'm getting a workout at work and then half the week it's back to normal.

I had the goal a month ago of losing 10 lbs by the end of the year and I'm half way there. I have about 4-5 to go. Happy Friday everybody. Enjoy the weekend!

[Gemme]

I know it can be hard, ruff, but try not to come home, eat and then go right to bed. That's not good for the body.

If you eat around 8pm and then not again until 2 or so, as long as you have time for it, I'd eat a complete meal. That's at least 6 hours difference and your body will need it, especially with you being so active during those hours.

I used to work graveyards all the time and, as you and Zimmeh have learned, hospitality schedules can be crazy. I was afraid of being laid off, so I made myself indispensible to my hotel by being able to work all 3 shifts and more times than not, they took advantage of that with weird scheduling. I also found it difficult to figure out the best way to eat and give myself good fuel. But I did learn that eating right before going to bed, while it helped me to fall asleep faster, just added to my waistline cuz all that food doesn't have time to process and burn off.

[girl_dee]

just a reminder to those of us who love artificial sweeteners.

It's a trick, it's a gimmick. Tests prove that people gain weight using them.

Reason is, the tongue sends a message to the pancreas when we taste something sweet, to say *hey go ahead and release that insulin*. Only we don't take in sugar, we take in something else and the pancreas is doing it's thing and releasing the insulin.

SO then you have all this insulin and no sugar to balance it.

The body knows what to do with sugar, it does not know what to do with artificial sugar, it's foreign and sometimes a chemical.

Have the coke if you like, the diet coke is counterproductive!

i went into serious withdrawal after giving up my diet coke, i liked it! Now i couldn't drink one if i tried.

But now and then i do treat myself to a taste of real coke.

[ruffryder]

Originally Posted by girl_dee

there is a theory that suggests that after a 3
bite rule. After 3 bites the craving is physically satisfied, so eating more than that isn't going to satisfy the craving 'more'.

Just a thought

I like this theory and this is what I've learned among other healthy options over the year! We enjoy going to Golden Coral buffet and I've learned if I want something I'll get it and just enjoy one - three bites as you suggest to satisfy the craving. If it just doesn't taste as I thought It would then I go for one bite and say, "ehhhh, that wasn't as good as I thought it would be." . and I push it away. LOL

Originally Posted by ruffryder

I had the goal a month ago of losing 10 lbs by the end of the year and I'm half way there. I have about 4-5 to go. Happy Friday everybody. Enjoy the weekend!

WOW! I posted this at the beginning of November and my goal was in OCT. to lose 10 lbs by the end of this year. I'm happy to say I've made it! I'm at my goal. Now for a plan for the new year!

Merry Christmas Healthy friends. Everybody enjoy the holidays with friends and family!

[PearlsNLace]

i have one goal today: moderation. less butter on popcorn while watching holiday movies, and less dip and more veg. when i attack the veg tray.

[Kelt]

Hey Healthies

This is an article I ran across today and thought was pretty good common sense stuff to bear in mind.
The thing that I do differently is on the whole grains, I find the easiest way to determine if it is 'whole' is to only eat it that way, e.g. not ground up into a flour. I also just plain stay away from most grains for my own plan, but everybody is different.

Diet Smarter in 2013 – By Consensus
JANUARY 3, 2013 BY MARK BOSMA

If you are like one of nearly 45 million other Americans, you plan to go on a diet sometime this year. Some statistics show that up to 50% of American women and 25% of American men consider themselves to be “on a diet” at any given time. The struggle to loose weight is continual for many as they bounce from one diet plan to the next.

With so many diet strategies available, how do you know which one is right? Aren’t they all different? Don’t they conflict?

To avoid these questions and diet smarter in 2013, stop comparing differences in diet strategies and start comparing similarities.

Diet by consensus
For this approach, examine the diet plans that you are considering. Base your meals around the foods generally agreed upon as “Safe” and avoid the foods generally agreed upon as “Bad.” This alone will determine about 80% of your food choices. The remaining details then become much simpler to sort out.
As an example, I compared 14 popular diet plans & diet strategies (see below), resulting in the following lists.

Safe:

Fruits
Vegetables
Lean meats (except vegan/vegetarian)
“Healthy” plant oils: olive, coconut and others high in monounsaturated fats
Whole grains

Avoid:

White refined sugar (table sugar)
High fructose corn syrup
Processed grains (white flour, white rice, etc)
Processed grain products (white breads, pastas, etc)
Processed food (cheese spreads from a can, snack cakes, etc)
Processed meats (pre-packaged lunch meats, pepperoni and the like)
Saturated fats
Trans Fats
Additional sodium (table salt)

You may be asking “That’s it? Where is the earth-shaking insight?” There are not any – not in the sense of surprise items, that is.
Instead of surprise, the insight is that many commonly touted “health foods” are the basis for many popular diet strategies and diet plans. These “diets” may differ in calorie counts and food proportions, but their shopping lists are largely based on the above.

Where to go from here
Using this information, you can begin to answer much simpler questions. Instead of asking “Which diet plan is best?”, you can ask more specific questions like “Should I limit my dairy intake?” or “Should I include eggs?”
These simple questions will be easier to research and – more importantly – easier to “trial-and-erorr” on your own.

Advice by Consensus:
While putting together the list of foods for these 14 “diets”, a list of general tips also arose.

Track Your Nutrients: When starting out, track your basic nutrients and calorie intake. This will help ensure you are on track for both nutrition and weight loss. As your eating habits change, you will be a better judge of proper intake and can track your food less often.

Use organic when possible: When possible, look for organic foods. This can help avoid the risk of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals in your food.

The less processed, the better: When in doubt, go with the foods that seem to be less processed. Processed foods often contain less nutritional value than their “whole food” counterparts. Processed foods also tend to contain more of the undesirable ingredients listed above.

“Whole” grain varies: When in doubt, go with a visual – can you see grains or pieces of grain? If so, good. Some “whole wheat” breads, on the contrary, are essentially just white breads with a little brown flour thrown in.
Look up the Glycemic Index: Research the glycemic index to gain understanding about what it is and how common foods rate on its scale. This will help explain why high-sugar fruits, sugar, and processed flours should be limited or avoided in your new diet.

Conclusion
People diet for many reasons, including weight loss, medical concerns and a desire to have more energy. Some people require a support structure and others happily go it alone. Regardless of your particular needs, the strategy of “diet by consensus” should alleviate the uncertainty you feel about diet choices.
The food lists and advice given here are a start for many of us, but please consider your personal needs and adjust as necessary. Keep in mind that I am neither your doctor nor dietitian: this is advice, not a prescription!

Link to article with referenced diets

*The only bone I have to pick with this is the reference to coconut oil as 'high in monounsaturated fats'. Umm, not so much. The pluses and minuses of this particular oil are hotly debated, so, I'm not going there other than to say I do cook with it in small amounts myself. YMMV.