Exercise and eating right

[scaeagles]

Doctors say exercise and eat right. That's just not going to happen for me anytime soon.

I exercise, not because I like to so much, but because I like junk food. Not fast food really, but give me a good pizza over a salad any day. Not big on my veggies, but I take vitamins. Except for a faulty esophogus, I'm incredibly healthy, and in decent shape. This seems to work for me, and with my esophagus, eating greasy food is a hell of a lot easier than eating stuff that's good for me.

What do you do? Do you eat right and exercise? If so, I bow to you. Do you do neither? Do you care?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I phase in and out of it. I never completely give up greasy junk food, but when I'm feeling motivated, I decrease my intake. Actually, for me it's more about portions. Whether it's "good for me" food or not, I tend to simply eat too much. If I spend a couple weeks simply consciously reducing portions, I pretty quickly loose 5-10 pounds with little effort. Add exercise to that, and it's more like 10-15 pounds.

Oh yeah, exercise. In general, I get into a good rhythm of regularly exercising...for about a month. Then, invariably, something gets me off schedule for a couple days in a row, and couch momentum takes hold for a couple months.

CP and I had just dusted off the bikes and were starting to get back to regular rides when I hurt my back. Hopefully now that I'm feeling better, we can get motivated to continue that, but the condo hunt may intervene.

[CoasterMatt]

I walk like crazy - thanks to the pedometer contest at work, I now know that I walk an average of just under 5 miles a day (at work). Outside of work, I walk even more. I eat pretty badly, and my medication to prevent seizures has "weight gain" as one of it's main side effects. Oh well, I'm gonna enjoy the time I've got.

[innerSpaceman]

I'm trying so hard to stick with it for more than 6 months. For years upon years now, it's been 3 months on, 2 months off, 5 months on, 3 months off.

There's no way on earth that the period between mid-June to mid-July is going to see me exercising. Same with the horrible stretch from mid-October to mid-January. Too busy with too much fun. Add in times when I'm obsessed with personal creative projects, and I feel doomed to the treadmill of 3 months on, same off. Blah.

I'm trying to get more of a loving habit developed. Exercise is easier for me than eating right. I try not to eat too poorly, but I certainly don't eat uber healthy. Fortunately, large portions are not consumed by the likes of little me, and sweets have never had a hold on my edible desires.

Moderation is key for me with food, but if I need to shed a few pounds ... I simply shy away from fat foods and hit the exercise a little more firmly.

Of course, I always lean too heavily on the vanity stuff like weight lifting, and am embarrassingly shy of aerobic exercise in my life. I've started to swim a lot more just recently, so we'll see how that works out. After 3 seaons off the wheels, I think my rollerblading days may be behind me.

Too bad, that was fun. And if my aerobics ain't fun, I ain't doin' it. No stationary bike or such for me. Uh-uh, can't, won't.

[wendybeth]

I'm worn out just reading this thread- does that answer your question?


Actually, since I quit smoking I'm weighing about 15 lbs more than normally, and am trying to eat better and excercise more to get rid of that. It kind of sucks because I felt better before I quit, but I know that in the long run this is going to be better for me healthwise.

[RStar]

I'm trying to get more of a loving habit developed.

This is the key right here. If you can't live with a choice you make, you are doomed to fail. It has to work with you, and you have to enjoy it.

I suggest making small, but noticeable changes. Like Chocolate? Trade in the Snickers for a low calorie treat like a low fat chocolate pudding or the non fat chocolate cookies. I use low or non fat cheese where I can (in burritos). I watch my portions and resist seconds. But remember, non fat cookies still have calories (lots of sugar) so you still can't eat the entire box! When having snacks you like/crave- devide the box/bag into single servings when you open the bag (so you don't eat half the bag of chips and go "oops!". Have no more than one a day. Have another low cal snack handy if the "2nds" temptation gets the best of you.

And choose an easy to do excersize. If it's hard for you to make it to the jym, then do something at home. Is the equipment too expensive? Find cheeper alternates. Jog on the beach, use stairs in your home, curl a 2 ltr bottle, ect.

[Stan4dSteph]

I'm doing Weight Watchers, which has caused me to be more aware of what I eat on a daily basis.

I love to play soccer. If time and my knees would permit me, I'd play it all the time. Right now, it's two times a week. The other days I try to do pilates or go for a walk. I'm most likely going to start training for the WDW half marathon soon as weel.

[scaeagles]

Sports are so much more fun than hopping on exercise equipment, but not nearly as convenient.

Basketball season adds to my exercise even more. Nothing like running around with 16 year olds for 90 minutes.

[Gemini Cricket]

I walk a great deal. I estimated that I walk about 3 miles a day. I also do it in a quick pace.

I do not eat fast food but I do eat my fare share of pizza which is not the greatest for you. We do cook at home a lot and try to avoid a lot of red meat. We even do vegetarian nights where we eat a lot of beans, soy for our protein kick. We try and have a salad with lunch and dinner and we eat a lot of fruit. We've curbed our eating out in order to save money. But I do treat myself to lunch and usually eat chicken burritos or grilled chicken and broccoli from a Chinese Restaurant near me (no MSG, not overly salty).

For the last couple of years, I have been drinking sencha green tea every day. One or two cups. Hot or cold. I enjoy it. It's supposed to be good for you.

I also do not use salt. Anything I cook does not have salt in it. (That way people can add salt to it if they like.) I worry that Ralphie and I eat too much of it. You only need a little each day.

I also make it a point to drink lots of water. It does mean a lot of trips to the loo, but oh well. I think that people don't drink enough of it and they get dehydrated and don't even know it. This leads to getting sicker more often. My theory is that people do too much soda and Starbucks and don't realize that all that caffeine is dehydrating them. Water is good stuff. We have a great filter at work and we buy bottled water at home...

:)

[€uroMeinke]

After commutting for almost a year, I find myself about 10 pounds heavier despite the increased walking I've been doing. I guess I have to lay the blame on Union Bagel (my sometime breakfest stop) and Cowboy Burger, the unfortunatly only food place within walking distance from my new office, so I must find a way to easily avoid those venues - or at least reduce the visits.

My other option is to go to Paris, I seem to loose about 5 pounds a week when I'm there without denting myself anything.

[katiesue]

I have a hard time getting into any kind of routine. I have my munchkin every other week. So one week I have plently of time to exercise after work. Then the next week by the time we get home, do her homework, get her dinner, pratice piano, I'm out of time.

I snack too much. So I've been trying to substitute better snacks. Sugar Free Jello, lowfat cheeses, nuts. I try to read lables more and get lower calorie foods when I can.

[Gemini Cricket]

Snacks do me in all the time, too. I love ice cream. I also love Nutella.

[katiesue]

Mmmmmm Nutella

[Gemini Cricket]

Mmmmmm Nutella
Psst, katiesue, I had some this morning on a toasted wheat bagel. I could barely taste the wheat part. It was overpowered by Nutella goodness.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

We're pretty conscious. We generally restrict eating at restaurants or ordering in to once a week. We're vegetarian and I've limited my cheese to occasions when I have been thinking about it and really want it. (That's my rule for any 'craving.' I have to have it for a week before I really respond to it.)

We plan our weekly menu on Sunday morning, go to the farmer's market for produce, to the store for other supplies, and stick to it pretty well. Our main meals are typically things like steamed veggies (w/ a veggie protein for me), stir fry with greens and brown rice, balsamic corn and bean salad, baked okra with pomegranate reduction... it's very healthy stuff. No butter (only cholesterol-free Earth Balance). No bad oils, only olive and sometimes canola.

I eat the same thing every morning-- teaspoon of peanut butter before vitamins, then fat-and-sugar-free-yogurt/bran/berries once I'm at work. I eat leftovers of our dinner food for lunch. I eat salad at night (and a few bites of whatever I'll be having leftover.)

I drink four ounces of juice with my vitamins in the morning, water for the rest of the day. Sparkling non-sweetened juice or iced tea (Izze and Pom Tea, primarily) as a special treat perhaps once a week.

We're exercising (or, our goal is) every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning. Swimming laps during the week, water aerobics on the weekend.

Haven't lost a pound. It it my metabolism, my stress level, my PCOS? My occasional desserty-type snack? My portion size? I dunno. But I'm being pretty damn healthy and that's what really matters. Not that it isn't effing frustrating.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I had veggie stir-fry over brown rice for lunch.

The world doesn't want me eating healthy today. First, I burned the rice and had to start over again (the pot's still soaking). Then, I heated the oil in the wok too fast and it smoked and burned to the wok and I had to start that all over again (the wok's still soaking).

Now I'm snacking on fudge Reese's. That seems to be going quite well.

[scaeagles]

So you basically suck as a cook, then?

[tracilicious]

I suggest making small, but noticeable changes. Like Chocolate? Trade in the Snickers for a low calorie treat like a low fat chocolate pudding or the non fat chocolate cookies. I use low or non fat cheese where I can (in burritos). I watch my portions and resist seconds. But remember, non fat cookies still have calories (lots of sugar) so you still can't eat the entire box! When having snacks you like/crave- devide the box/bag into single servings when you open the bag (so you don't eat half the bag of chips and go "oops!". Have no more than one a day. Have another low cal snack handy if the "2nds" temptation gets the best of you.


I must respectfully disagree. I stipulate that both a Snickers and low calorie cookies are equally bad choices. They are both processed beyond all recognition to the point that they are barely food anymore. All the low calorie food in the world won't make you healthy because it isn't what your body needs.

Stick to whole foods: veggies, rice, beans, fruits, real fats, grains, etc. If you aim never to eat out of a box you'll be healthy. It really isn't fat/calories that will make you fat (for the most part). It is eating foods that your body won't have anything else to do with but turn it into fat, be it a snickers, a low cal cookie like food, a diet soda, a regular soda, whatever. If you want a snickers grab a piece of fruit instead. If you still want some junk food then bake some ccokies or a cake with unbleached sugar, real butter or canola oil. It will still be junk, but it is real food that your body will be able to deal with. If you are eating whole foods most of the time then cravings will come less often.

My other option is to go to Paris, I seem to loose about 5 pounds a week when I'm there without denting myself anything.

My bet is the fat. French food generally uses real oils. Your liver needs essential fatty acids to make bile which rids your body of excess fat. The right fats won't make you fat. If I remember correctly, the liver controls your metabolism.

Since going veg our diet is pretty low fat. So we're adding in this smoothie made with hemp oil. Hemp oil contains Omega's 3, 6, & 9, making it superior to flax.

2 cups rice or soy milk
Ghirardelli cocoa powder to taste
Agave nectar or honey (the agave mixes better)
2 tablespoons hemp oil
1 banana

Have this for breakfast and you will have loads of energy until lunch. It eliminates my soda cravings.

Basically, we have the healthy eating part down for right now. I normally have the smoothie, or a banana if I'm lazy, for breakfast; a salad with dark greens and beans, or a veggie sandwich for lunch; various bean or tofu dishes for dinner, or pasta once a week; and lots of fruit to snack on. I've quit refined sugar and soda as well. I have loads more energy and patience. I've lost weight in the last three weeks as well. I have no idea how much but my pants are very loose. By next week I think I'll be down a pants size. This is just an added bonus, as feeling great is the real payoff.

Exercise I need to work on. When it's cooler we go on lots of walks. We normally swim everyday in the summer, but the pump in the pool broke last month and we've just now gotten it back to swimmable condition. We have an elliptical, but it's ten o'clock at night before I can get on it, and I'm pretty beat by then.

[Matterhorn Fan]

So you basically suck as a cook, then?No, actually I don't.

Today's mishaps were a combination of a typo in a cookbook and my computer being too far away from the kitchen. The eventual meal(s) were quite good (and healthy), and I'll get a nice upper-body workout getting the wok clean.

See? That's exercise AND eating healthy.

And fudge Reese's. ;)