Exercise and eating right

[RStar]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

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.

[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...

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by RStar

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.

Originally Posted by Euro

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.