Weight loss and diet

[renaissancewoman101]

Hey, I am actually MAKING the effort to lose weight. I have started to work out on a treadmill once a day for 30 minutes. I walk at a brisk speed that leaves me hot and sweaty after my workout is done. I do this in the morning before I go to school or before I go out for the day.

 

I still eat the same, which would be a coffee and muffin in the morning, something fast food like during the afternoon in between school and stuff, and dinner is a toss up between eating out or cooking spaghetti. I do much on stuff most of the day (candy).

 

I am determined to work out EVERYDAY. Where I live, when I workout in the morning, there usually is someone down there working out too so I usually talk to people, else I listen to iPod.

 

Is it enough to JUST work out and not DRASTICALLY change my diet? I am hoping to lose 10 lbs by the end of this month (have to go to a wedding of a family friend). BTW, my mom is happy to know I am working out.

 

Also, it seems I feel better when I work out. I know as time goes on it will seem a drag, but 20 minutes is not too much of my day.

[hosswhispra]

Good for you, RW.

 

30 minutes a day of brisk exercise is a good starting point. In addition, when you get your fitness up a bit, I would suggest adding some cardiovascular exercise to your routine. That's when you get your heart rate up to 80% of it's max (how to calculate: 220-age= target heart rate). You want to do the CV exercise for at least 20 minutes, 3x a week. Some experts suggest 30 minutes.

 

Walking is a great start. Walking also helps to relieve both anxiety and depression.

 

Changing your eating habits is also a good thing. Try making some of you own foods. When you eat out, you can't regulate how much oil/butter they use to cook the food in. Cut down on carbs, and eat more green vegetables and proteins (chicken, fish, and a little red meat).

 

I am glad that you're doing this for you.

[renaissancewoman101]

I will try to add more to my routine as I get used to working out. I dont want to overexert myself because of my asthma issues. I really want to lose weight for MYSELF, mainly because carrying around so much weight makes me NOT feel so good about myself.

 

I dont know why, but I am determined to do this.

[rose2summer]

Hey RW,

 

I am proud of you! I can recommend based on my own experiences.

 

I exercise 6days/wk from 30min-2hr depending on my time constraints.

 

This includes a modified stair climber + weights. I alternate days, upper body on 1 day, lower body the next.

 

For eating, I choose multi-grain wheat bread, lots of chicken (skinless), cottage cheese), fruits, vegetables.

 

Sometimes healthy foods can be bland for me, so I put hot sauce on my fruits and vegetables, it's called pico de gallo chili powder.

 

I eat 5times/day and drink about 8bottles of water/day.

 

The spaghetti you mentioned may not be the best idea is it is very high glycemic index (high carb content), instead maybe eat a multi-grain bread turkey sandwhich.

 

My last meal is always by 5PM and I never eat beyond that time, so that I give my body enough time for digestion.

 

I have lost nearly 50lbs as a result of this change and have dropped 20% body fat.

 

It's been very rewarding for me as I have everyone I haven't seen in a while take notice of the change and I am much healthier which was my ultimate goal.

 

You can definitely do this but realize it has ups and downs along the way, so just keep working at it.

 

Hugs, Rose

[WorkNProgress]

Good for you that you are walking on the treadmill. That is a great start however you may just be cancelling out your workout. So your food intake during the day determines the rate of weight you will loose. What you have stated it looks like you eat alot of empty calories. Incorporate more fruits and salads. Apples and cheese are a great snack between classes.

 

If you also work out with light weights that could help. 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes of light weight work. Plus if you loose the weight you are also toning the flab.

 

Good Luck!

[hosswhispra]

That's the key RW. Ease into the exercise and soon enough it will become part of your regular routine (just like your morning coffee--that's me too). If I did not do my walk each day, I think I would go insane now I am headed to the gym here in a little while to run on the treadmill, myself.

 

Exercise is great too when you're feeling down.

[Shadows Light]

Good for you!!! Congrats!!! I think you are doing great.

 

Agree with Horsewhisppa... change your diet slowly. Why don't you try to bring a piece of fruit with you for a snack. Or how about taking along a little trailmix in your purse for a snack.

 

I agree...its a pain in the bucket to try to come home from work and cook a meal. ick. Far easier to go fast food. Can you try making better choices for your fast food? M'D's has wonderful chicken ceasar salads...

and instead of Fry's.. I'll get a fruit/yogurt thing. M'd's also have APPLE DIPPERS for kids... tonz better for you than french fries.

 

What also helps me is... if I buy all the stuff I need to make a salad.. and cut it up, put it into plastic containers so its good to go for the week. I'll even broil and cut up skinnless boneless chicken and put it in fridge. All ready and good to go. Sunday Afternoons are great for cooking, cutting, and preparing for the week ahead. Just a thought.

 

OHHHH... and get yourself one of those exercise balls. I LOVE it. If you spend any time watching TV... use the exercise ball to do stetches with. Its awesome.!!!

[renaissancewoman101]

Diet is a thing I have problems messing around with. I could trying eating more salads and more healthy snacks. I am incorporating exercise and diet changes into my life slowly so this doesn't become a fad that burns out after awhile. I need some long term changes. I don't why I feel so motivated to do this for once.

[rose2summer]

Well, diet is more important in my opinion.

 

I used to exercise amazing amounts, many hours, and I wouldn't lose weight.

 

It wasn't until I changed my diet that I finally saw changes.

 

But then again I used to be a fast food junkie, they knew me at every mcdonald's, burger king, taco bell, etc, by name.

 

Old habits are hard to break but definitely possible.

 

I believe you can do it.

 

Hugs, Rose

[Beec]

Diet is a thing I have problems messing around with. I could trying eating more salads and more healthy snacks. I am incorporating exercise and diet changes into my life slowly so this doesn't become a fad that burns out after awhile. I need some long term changes. I don't why I feel so motivated to do this for once.

 

Good attitude. You should make gradual changes, so you keep them up.

 

Will exercise along be enough? Maybe, it depends on you, your metabolism, and a number of other things. Will is be enough to lose tne pounds in month? Well, that's a lot to lose in such a short period. So, that's less likely. Some diets changes would probably help too, but don't lose the attittude about gradual changes.

 

You might consider adding some weight or other resistance exercise. Resistance adds muscle, adding muscle burns more calories, you lose faster.

 

Also, don't become a slave to a certain weight number. You are getting in better physical condition. Keep your eye on improving your condition. If you want and looked at female atheletes who guys thought were hot, you would find in many cases that their weight was a lot higher than you thought. Men think they are hot because they are in shape, not because they are skinny. It's not how much they weigh, it's their condition. You'll look and feel better when you are in better condition. If you are in great shape, weight is only a number.

[Dako]

A common rule of thumb is that walking burns 100 calories per mile, so a big burger, coke and fries could take about 10 miles of walking. Now imagine eating half those calories and walking 10 miles.

You'll still burn off lunch, but also some stored fat, and lose weight.

[Batya33]

Skip the muffin or substitute for whole grain low fat crackers or one piece of dry whole grain toast with a bit of low sugar preserves. Most muffins have at least 600 calories, a great deal of fat and sugar and, when I used to eat them they were singly responsible for putting weight on me (I was never overweight but made the mistake of thinking they were "health biscuits" ;-) when basically, you are eating cake).

 

I don't think exercise is enough. Make small changes in your diet and then make more when you develop better habits. I stopped eating muffins and bagels except maybe a few times a year, switched to high fiber carbs and decreased carbs generally, cut down on pizza and if I did, not a lot of cheese and not too much and cut way down on pasta (i.e. carbs).

[Batya33]

A common rule of thumb is that walking burns 100 calories per mile, so a big burger, coke and fries could take about 10 miles of walking. Now imagine eating half those calories and walking 10 miles.

You'll still burn off lunch, but also some stored fat, and lose weight.

 

The problem is that the # of calories you burn depends on your size/weight and typically women burn different amounts from men.

[Dako]

Absolutely.

I was merely using rough figures, since burger fat content, portion size, people's bodies, metabolism and walking terrain are all variable.

My point is that cutting calories takes less effort than only increasing activity in terms of weight loss.

[itsallgrand]

Woohoo Ren. The 'click' happened for you. I can tell. You will stick with it with that attitude hun.

 

The only thing I would suggest right now is try cutting 1 - Just One - fast food meal in your week. You can do that without any suffering. You won't even notice.

 

Fast food is nasty. Cutting some of it will help not only with the weight/empty cals, but also to make you feel better inside. It's poison - and heavy, heavy - easing up on that stuff will make a HUGE difference in your energy!

[renaissancewoman101]

Well, I didnt eat much for lunch today. Had a small salad. Now my stomach is growling and there is leftover pizza in the fridge that I am eyeing hungrily.

 

I went to TJ's and bought me some trail mix and dried fruit and another salad. I like that place, lots of different foods. As for working out, I will do that again tomorrow and maybe add something else to it.

 

BTW, I am PMSing so now I feel bloated.

[Batya33]

Well, I didnt eat much for lunch today. Had a small salad. Now my stomach is growling and there is leftover pizza in the fridge that I am eyeing hungrily.

 

I went to TJ's and bought me some trail mix and dried fruit and another salad. I like that place, lots of different foods. As for working out, I will do that again tomorrow and maybe add something else to it.

 

BTW, I am PMSing so now I feel bloated.

 

FYI - trail mix and dried fruit are very high in calories and sugar - check the packaging - health benefits as compared to fresh fruit are really no better. A small handful of nuts per day is ok but otherwise I would stick to fresh fruits and vegetables. Much harder to eat the several apples that have the same combined calories as a small amount of dried fruit.

[monkey1]

also, if you cut out sugar before and after you work out, that will help you lose weight. sadly, that means no fruits before or after excercising. even though fruits have good sugar, it does have sugar. i think at most you should have 8 grams of sugar at each meal. this is a total adjustment for me because i LOVE cereal and most cereal has loads of sugar, even the more healtier ones i thought were ok. i also stopped eating banans which i regularly ate before and after i worked out. now i just try to eat it during the day or on the days i know i won't be working out.

 

just stock up on protein and good carbs, cut down on the sugar and salt

[easyguy]

...And salt, in nutritional terms, goes by the word sodium in many products. When you buy/look at products food products (in boxes/cans/etc.), read the label on the back and just skim it over, looking what the % is (it should read "Daily % Value") for a single day. If it says "15%", then you know that once you have X number of servings, you will have taken in 15% of your daily sodium intake.

 

Also, when it comes to calories and fat, the "calories from fat" (on the nutritional label) is what you should be most aware of. If something has 170 calories, and 125 of those calories are from fat, then most of the product is fat, not simple calories.

 

Just some basic nutrition label skills are great to have, just so you know what you're consuming. This isn't to say that you have to read every single product every day, but to just have some idea of what you're eating/drinking, it helps... especially if you're trying to lose weight. A nifty website I found out about not that long ago is link removed. Browse around and see if you can benefit from it.

 

Weight loss is a long process. It's more about habit than anything else. You should try and have 3 or 4 servings of veggies on a daily basis; i.e. a handful of carrot sticks, a salad, etc. Start slow and eventually work your way into eating veggies on a daily basis. Mix them in with meals.

 

And remember, all fats are not bad. Fat that comes from fish (Omega 3) is an extremely heathly fat. Just because you're trying to lose weight doesn't mean you have to cut out anything with any kind of fat in it. Obviously, McDonald's in not healthy... though every now and then it's okay (say, once or twice a month or so).

 

Like I said, once you fall into healthier eating habits, results will start to show as time goes on. Don't expect to lose a lot of weight really fast. It's just not going to happen. Don't try, because it isn't healthy. I remember hearing about this teenager who was on his high school wrestling team, and he had this notion that he had to quickly loose weight to get into a different weight level, so what did he do? He lost 15 pounds in a single workout. Had to be rushed to the ER.

 

Anyway, just my two cents.

(Think long term!

[renaissancewoman101]

Easyguy, after reading your post, I guess the best way for me to lose weight is to eat what my mother cooks when I go up to visit her. She is SO afraid of additives and sodium in food that she cooks food that is very bland (as in VERY little salt and flavoring). It's healthy food (little bit of meat and lots of veggies) but she doesnt flavor her food.

 

I exercised again this morning for 30 minutes at a faster speed and was pooping out about 10 minutes. I also got a cramp in my leg. Ugh!!!! . I ate some slices of French bread with strawberry jam for breakfast and drank two cups of coffee. I am kinda hungry but I have a half a roast beef sandwhich that I am going to eat for lunch.

 

I have to go out later for a therapy appt and may pick up a juice drink at a juice place around the area. Eating healthy is not something I am good at. I like to graze all day.

[Batya33]

Most of what you said is good. Be careful about juice and juice drinks - no fiber, a lot of sugar and many calories - and easy to consume many calories quickly. Grazing is ok, just graze on raw carrots, a small apple, a handful of high fiber cereal - nothing that will trigger your sweet/fat tooth. Drink flavored seltzer that has no calories and no artificial sweetener.

[WorkNProgress]

The French bread with jam isnt the best breakfast in the world. As you said you are hungry. It does not last long to cessiate the hunger. The best thing you can do in the AM is very quick and filling. Buy Eggbeaters, whole wheat english muffins, I cant believe its not butter spray, Boca "sausage" pattie, and N/F cheese slices.

 

In the microwave the Boca pattie first and set aside, then make the eggs part. Microwave the eggbeaters for about 60 seconds (it may vary) add enough for 1 serving. Watch it a bit so it doesnt over cook.

 

Then toast your english muffins, spray the butter on the muffins. Put all the fixins together and you have a nice healthy FILLING egg mc muffin. It takes about 4 minutes to make. This will keep you satisfied.

[Batya33]

The French bread with jam isnt the best breakfast in the world. As you said you are hungry. It does not last long to cessiate the hunger. The best thing you can do in the AM is very quick and filling. Buy Eggbeaters, whole wheat english muffins, I cant believe its not butter spray, Boca "sausage" pattie, and N/F cheese slices.

 

In the microwave the Boca pattie first and set aside, then make the eggs part. Microwave the eggbeaters for about 60 seconds (it may vary) add enough for 1 serving. Watch it a bit so it doesnt over cook.

 

Then toast your english muffins, spray the butter on the muffins. Put all the fixins together and you have a nice healthy FILLING egg mc muffin. It takes about 4 minutes to make. This will keep you satisfied.

 

Well, I would stay away from the processed foods because typically they have a lot of salt. A better breakfast option is real eggs (keep it to a few a week if you have high cholestorol), and some whole grain toast - the heavier the better with just a tiny smear of butter and maybe some allfruit jam.

[WorkNProgress]

Well, I would stay away from the processed foods because typically they have a lot of salt. A better breakfast option is real eggs (keep it to a few a week if you have high cholestorol), and some whole grain toast - the heavier the better with just a tiny smear of butter and maybe some allfruit jam.

 

 

Hmm not sure where the salt is? Unless you add it.

 

Boca Patties

2.5 g fat

0 g sat fat

60 calories

5 g soy protein

 

Egg Beaters

only made with egg whites with no fat or cholesterol

 

The cheese isnt bad it has calcium and dairy, the w/w muffin well is whole wheat. The butter spray you can use or not use it depends on the person.

 

All in all this was a recipe that I learned through Weight Watchers.

[Batya33]

Hmm not sure where the salt is? Unless you add it.

 

Boca Patties

2.5 g fat

0 g sat fat

60 calories

5 g soy protein

 

Egg Beaters

only made with egg whites with no fat or cholesterol

 

The cheese isnt bad it has calcium and dairy, the w/w muffin well is whole wheat. The butter spray you can use or not use it depends on the person.

 

All in all this was a recipe that I learned through Weight Watchers.

 

 

I would avoid processed foods and check the labels on "whole wheat" bread/muffins - if there are not more than 2 grams of fiber per about 100calories worth they are not considered high fiber.

 

I also find that having to prepare recipes if you have a busy schedule doesn't help change habits - it is sort of a new novelty but it becomes too much work and then people return to the easier things to grab. Far better to have fresh fruit, veggies, maybe some low fat string cheese around to grab rather than junk food.