Becky
Posted on 03/13/2006 7:13:52 AM PST by retrokitten
NO VERBAL ATTACKS! NO NAME CALLING! NO BASHING! THE OVERWEIGHT! NO NASTY PICTURES POSTED! This will be a thread about getting healthy and no attacks will be tolerated.
Any fitness or activity level. 100+ pounds to lose or no weight to lose. Those who have lost weight and kept it off, please share with us what has worked for you. Maybe you love a certain activity, biking, skiing, rock climbing, walking, running, whatever, tell us about how it helps you stay in shape. Share your weight loss success. Just a place to share ideas about all things exercise and diet related. Exchange recipes, ask questions, tell us about your workout.
Please share your successes! Let's encourage and inspire each other to get healthy! We'll have more energy for fighting liberals!
I've put together some health and fitness related links to get us started.
FitDay
Track your calories, carbs, protein, fat, and activity all in one place. It's free to sign up.
Review of several commercial diet plans
10 Tips for Lasting Weight Loss
From the diet channel, long but a good read
The Diet Channel's Free 8 Week Diet
The Diet Channel also has information on tons of different plans, including many for specific conditions. Diabetes, gluten-free, pregnancy, arthritis, etc.
BMI Calculator
Just in case you were feeling too good about yourself. :-D
The Many Benefits of Weight Training
Tips for working exercise into your day
Dottie's Weight Loss Zone
Points info for fellow Weight Watchers
You're added!
Yup. I'll eat enough calories to maintain and then create my deficit through exercise.
Swimming would be much kinder on your joints. Do you have an indoor pool facility near you?
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LOL!
Thanks for posting that! Very interesting and helpful.
has some really good "supportive" gear. I've ordered some really good sports bras from here. Trying to put off looking like the National Geographic centerfold for as long as I can!
LOL! I don't really have enough to worry about, but I'll definitely check out the link. Thanks!
I'm not a protein person myself either.... so I have to remind myself there are other sources than meat, fish, chicken etc like edamame, nuts, soy milk, skim cheese etc.
And I've also discovered that my thirst often makes me think I'm hungry, so I've become a guzzler of artifiically sweetened lemonade :)
You're right, I should go swimming more often. We have a really nice, new facility near by, but they don't do a good job of keeping the little darlings out of the lap lanes. Frustrating.
Do they have organized classes? That might be better.
Yeah,
I work around food a lot, and I tend to taste this or grab that. Then I get home and I do the same. Actually measuring portion sizes is a real eye opener too (waddaya mean thats a serving!!)
Oh, that and I have no portion control mechanism for things like ice cream. Can't even have the stuff in the house! :(
Just thought I'd share my story and hope others can maybe get some advice from it.
I'm a 6'1" 24 year old guy. This time last year I was 240lbs and smoking nearly a pack a day.
Tip #1: If you're trying to lose weight, quit smoking NOW. Not later, not when you've lost weight. NOW. Cigarettes are not for appetite control, they're for killing you. So just stop. Cold turkey worked for me, it may not for others. Aside from the obvious physical benefits of quitting, being able to stop was a SUCCESS! I realized that if I could defeat nicotine, I could defeat this spare tire around my waist.
Tip #2: Eat right, but don't torture yourself. You have to cut calories, but starvation isn't the answer. Eat three good meals and let yourself snack on good stuff like fruit, veggies, granola, etc. Just watch the portions! Americans are notorious for eating way too much. Just keep that in check and you should be okay. I didn't buy into low-carb, no-carb, whatever. It's all about balance. Besides, you'll need some carbs to power your workouts!
Tip #3: Find a physical activity that you actually ENJOY doing! I discovered mountain biking, which is extremely demanding physically, keeps you mentally alert at all times, supplies the adrenaline rush I need, and is loads of fun! Slaving away in the gym with weights or a treadmill always bored me to tears, so I couldn't keep up with it. But with cycling, I am always eager to go. So it's a hobby that is fun and exciting, and at the same time is melting off the pounds! Even after the weight is gone, you'll still be doing the activity and staying healthy.
Today, -60 pounds later, my weight hovers around 180 and am in the best shape of my life. My mile-run has gone from not-possible-without-walking to under six minutes, and I'm an avid cyclist and soon to be competitive (but still for fun) mountain bike racer. It was tough work, but now I am simply maintaining a healthy body. I have new hobbies, new friends and a new lease on life, all for just one year of hard work and effort. Good luck to everyone; it's a battle you CAN win!
Thank you so much for sharing your story! Congrats on such a great weight loss and for getting so healthy!
Wow, that is awesome, you are an inspiration!
One thing I would say to anyone reaing this thread who hasn't exrecised much is to be careful not to run too much too soon.
A lot of people think they can just jump on a treadmill and run until they are tired and they will be ok. Fact is, you may be able to run fine for 5 miles, but because you are doing too much too soon the stress on your feet and knees may put you out of action in the long run (pun).
Sadly true. There are some things that I have had to cut out almost completely. Pizza is the #1. Thank God for Lean Cuisine pizza's or I would have gone crazy. But Giordano's and all the great local Chicago pizza places haven't had my business in a long time.
And chips. I'm a total chip-a-holic. It doesn't even matter what kind I love them all. The only ones I get now are the 100 calorie pack of Pringles.
Eat until I'm full instead of until I'm stuffed.
... or eat until I've have enough instead of until I'm full.
Taking a salad for lunch one or two times a week, instead of a sandwich (cold cuts), and adding lettuce to my sandwiches and less of the other stuff.
(I've cut out ham, salami and pepperoni, but I'm still taking either turkey or roast beef.)
The in-between meal snacks are mostly gone. I haven't bought that extra 25-cent bag of chips on the way out of the grocery store. I'm leaving the cookies for the wife and kids. I've been taking a banana most likely.
Cutting out those dollar-menu items and the .99-cent whopper nights when I buy a decaf coffee.
Sometimes it seems simple, and sometimes it's a little like my old pre-calc class: it seems like I keep approaching 200 but I never quite reach that limit. It just seems to take a little more effort to get there.
Becky
Those little things make a difference. Someone else mentioned writing everything we eat down and one of the reasons why that works so well, is because we don't realize how many times we may be snacking or nibbling on something. Those seemingly little snacks really add up over the course of a day and week.
Tell us about it.
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