Healthy Eating / Healthy Living

[Mousey Girl]

I have lost more than 50lbs in the past year. I know that I still have quite a ways to go, but right now I am pleased with how far I've come. I wore a 26-28 jean and now I am easily a 22, and those are starting to bag a tiny bit. I haven't really done anything drastic. I still eat what I want, but in much, much smaller portions. Instead of munching on chips or cookies, we have Wheat Thins and Chees-its.

I have noticed that I have problems if I eat anything that is overly greasy. I do get cravings for cheap fast food, but instead of going for a quarter-pounder with cheese, supersized, I do better with a Happy Meal, and even then I don't finish the fries.

I do need to drink more water. I am addicted to diet sodas.

Now that I am no longer walking at work, I need to head back to curves. My backside is no longer a total bowl of jello, and I would like to keep it that way.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Mousey Girl

I do get cravings for cheap fast food, but instead of going for a quarter-pounder with cheese, supersized, I do better with a Happy Meal, and even then I don't finish the fries.

Happy Meals rule!

It's true that so many "kids meals" are actually appropriate adult portions. In fact, 30 years ago, those were considered normal adult portions.

Just furthers my argument that increased "regular" portions have largely contributed to today's weight epidemic.

People didn't drink 32 ounces or more of soda at one time. They also didn't chow down on ginormous things of fries, or giant burgers like quarter-pounders, which wasn't even added to McD's menu until 1973.

[Disneyphile]

Here's an interesting site about portion comparisons over the decades:

http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/

[Not Afraid]

I CLEARLY remember going to McDonalds or Taco Bell (it was "treat" back then) and everyone got ONE item (taco, regular hamburger) and one side (Frijoles, small fries) and a small drink (usually 7up). We never ordered more than that.

I also remember when sodas were something "special" that you got to drink on Saturday night while eating popcorn and watching something on TV.

Granted, I grew up eating wheat bread, organic vegetables, raw milk and white chedder cheese (orange cheese wasn't allowed in our house), so I doubt what i remember could be considered the norm.

[MouseWife]

Soda. I remember my mom making some out of a packet.

We never bought sodas at McDonalds', once she treated and for some strange reason they left it to ME the smallest one to carry the tray of 4 sodas...well, I won't go on with that.

If we ate out, it was one burger, maybe a fry to share with another person.

Maybe that is part of the issue~we feel that as grown ups we can eat what we want. Not that little kid whose mom says 'If you're really hungry, you'll eat whatever I make you!!'

I know when I want to go to a nice place but not for dinner, just to check it out, I'll have a cup of joe and perhaps a nice pastry/dessert. Never ever was that something we did.

So, perhaps,being nice to myself isn't being so nice?

But that goes for staying overnight up at Disneyland. Never not ever never as a kid, always saw the Disneyland Hotel lights as we drove away at night. Now, I love to stay overnight, it is more the odd deal that we don't.

[Not Afraid]

Yeah, well, I can only lie to myself for so long.

[Prudence]

My healthy living change is to start getting a reasonable amount of sleep. There are lots of things I could, and perhaps should, change, but if I don't start regularly getting more than 4.5-5 hours of sleep per night I don't think any of the other changes will be particularly effective.

[I Heart Disneyland]

Originally Posted by Prudence

My healthy living change is to start getting a reasonable amount of sleep. There are lots of things I could, and perhaps should, change, but if I don't start regularly getting more than 4.5-5 hours of sleep per night I don't think any of the other changes will be particularly effective.

I would die if I had only 4.5 - 5 hours of sleep a night! I am a horrible insomniac and on the 3 days a week that I work ( I only work 3 ) I am always sleep deprived even at 6 hours of sleep! On my days off, I sleep in nice and late and usually sleep over 9 hours. How do you do it?

[blueerica]

Originally Posted by Prudence

My healthy living change is to start getting a reasonable amount of sleep. There are lots of things I could, and perhaps should, change, but if I don't start regularly getting more than 4.5-5 hours of sleep per night I don't think any of the other changes will be particularly effective.

Sleep makes a tremendous difference with weight, as does stress.. and it's pretty obvious you've had too little of the first and too much of the latter lately.

Taking it kind of easy and getting some massive sleep (I used to be able to only sleep 8 hours if I was sick, most days were around 5... Somehow now I rack up 8-9 hours a night!!) has probably been the only thing that has helped me maintain my weight, despite working out a little less and eating more. I can't explain it with anything else, because nothing else makes sense.

I also should add - and I hadn't really told anyone - I was losing a LOT of hair in the last year of school. Not chunks or anything, but WAY more than normal (and by way more, I mean I shed about 10x more than my cat... I had to switch to a wide-tooth comb... I almost broke my vacuum cleaner). Luckily I have thick hair, so it wasn't too much of a problem, but I was concerned. Once I moved out here and have been sleeping and getting more sleep for myself... voila! My hair loss is back to the 'normal' range.

[Ghoulish Delight]

The best part about exercising at lunch is that it gives me an excuse to take a shower in the middle of the day. And the world is just a better place after a midday shower.