Healthy Eating / Healthy Living

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I'm biking to work again, as of today.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I'd done pretty well getting a few pounds off, but I have stalled and I'm starting to pick them back up again.

Things that worked: portion control, splitting restaurant meals, staying away from fried food, and of course biking.

I weigh myself daily, at the same time of the morning, and use that as inspiration when it's going down, and a reminder to behave myself when it's going up.

I've noticed lately I don't want gooey fried stuff. I can't eat potato chips anymore. I still have cravings for meat and carbs; I'm trying to be better about having good meats and carbs. And adding veggies.

[Disneyphile]

www.extrapounds.com is another really good site. They have tools to help you track weight and inches, with handy graphs to see your progress and problem areas. They also have blogs.

[Snowflake]

I gave blood this morning and my BP was higher than it ever has been. The nurse said it was elevated, but for me, this was radically higher than what I normally see. 150/90 and my normal is around 124/70.

Ergo, now looking seriously at my salt intake and increasing my walking regimen (read this to me stop being such a lazy a$$). I've got no excuse not to get my tennis shoes or walking shoes on at work, we have lagoons and ponds and ducks and loads of pretty areas to walk amogst the buildings. Plus, I live in a walking city, I have a gorgeous park 1 block from my place (up a semi steep hill) and do I walk up that hill to tour the park, nope.

Waving bye bye to sea salt at the table, and bacon as well kalamata olives (in extreme moderation).

Just the kick start I need to get me moving.

[Morrigoon]

As far as goals, I have a few myself. I'm not trying to be a model, or even look good in a swimsuit, but I'd like to be healthier.

Mostly, I want to get sick less often with my stomach issues. So that means less grease, less soda.

As an aside, I'm also trying to reduce heavily processed foods and eat more "real" food, stuff that's closer to its source. So real butter, more "fresh" bread and less preservative-filled bread, more items that still retain their original shape (chicken comes to mind).

One major exception to that is Splenda, which I'm actually trying to sub in once in a while as a way to reduce my sugar intake. I'm not comfortable with subbing it in 100% (see above paragraph), but I find that if I put 3 sugars in a coffee, I can easily put in 2 sugars and one Splenda, reducing my sugar by 1/3, and still not feel like I'm bombarding myself with over-processed food.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

One major exception to that is Splenda, which I'm actually trying to sub in once in a while as a way to reduce my sugar intake. I'm not comfortable with subbing it in 100% (see above paragraph), but I find that if I put 3 sugars in a coffee, I can easily put in 2 sugars and one Splenda, reducing my sugar by 1/3, and still not feel like I'm bombarding myself with over-processed food.

Goonie, you may want to switch to agave sweetener, it's natural and ridiculously sweet for coffeee and such. It is liquid (like honey) I've given up all the other sweeteners like spenda because I just do not know how they will be for me. Splenda gives me a headache, and I used to use Equal by the ton.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

As an aside, I'm also trying to reduce heavily processed foods and eat more "real" food, stuff that's closer to its source. So real butter, more "fresh" bread and less preservative-filled bread, more items that still retain their original shape (chicken comes to mind).

I know that the processed foods is your personal soap-box the way vegetarianism is mine - and I agree that natural foods are best. Still, there are some things that are processed that are healthier than their unprocessed counterparts. (Earth Balance v. butter comes to mind, in terms of cholesterol. ETA - but then, it's not really soooo processed. It's pressed natural oil.)

Though I'm confused about the question of retaining original shape. Is that more of a... cooking process thing?

[Morrigoon]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

I know that the processed foods is your personal soap-box the way vegetarianism is mine - and I agree that natural foods are best. Still, there are some things that are processed that are healthier than their unprocessed counterparts. (Earth Balance v. butter comes to mind, in terms of cholesterol. ETA - but then, it's not really soooo processed. It's pressed natural oil.)

Though I'm confused about the question of retaining original shape. Is that more of a... cooking process thing?

It's the difference between getting a chicken breast or a chicken nugget.

If I have a choice between a sandwich of turkey pieces in odd shapes because they were sliced right off the bird, or deli slices in perfect ovals, I'm going to prefer the odd shapes because direct off the bird is probably processed less. And the overall sandwich usually tastes better.

Also, to be fair, I'm not a hardliner about this, at all. I eat plenty of processed foods. But I'm trying to eat more of the "real" stuff and less of the processed.

One side effect I'm finding is that somehow my decision to prefer "real" food is aiding me in preferring sandwich shops over burgers, even though the difference in processing is probably minimal. I'd actually say the effect is as strong as my fear of getting sick in terms of helping to discourage me from getting burgers. Somehow my mind is convinced that the stuff in sandwiches is closer to the source. (they're certainly less greasy) Weird, but hey, if it works...

[Ghoulish Delight]

I am SO thankful that I like my coffee and tea black, no sugar. Makes dieting far more bearable to be able to reach for those whenever I want (we'll ignore the problem of caffeine addiction).

I won't lie. While wanting to avoid the health issues my dad has was the final motivating factor, vanity definitely plays a part. I don't expect to end up with washboard abs, but it'd be nice to see these love handles go away.

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

I don't expect to end up with washboard abs, but it'd be nice to see these love handles go away.

I totally know what you mean. As a secondary "side effect", it will be nice to have a lot more clothing options available for me.

My big thing is removing more cholesterol and fats from my daily intake, so that when I do want to gob out on "bacon fest", it won't have a lasting impact on my body. So, I want to balance it so I can still enjoy it, without having to cut it completely out later on due to irreversible or long-term risk.