Where are all the "getting in shape" threads?

[musey]

Date: 3/7/2008 4:17:46 PM
Author: Courtneylub

Monday - Friday: I eat pretty well by eating 3 meals a day with maybe a snack or 2. This is about 1000-1200 cals a day. I try not to eat past 7:30 in the evening. Before my knee screwed up, I worked out at the gym twice a week (30 min on elliptical) and a couple days a week at home (jogging/walking or workout DVD).

This is basically what I did last fall with practically NO results.

You might be eating too low for your body, in which case your metabolism might slow down too much. I was trying to stay in that same range last fall, and I think I probably average closer to 1300-1500 now and I'm doing much better.

It might just be the quality of my food now, though.

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 3/7/2008 6:14:23 PM
Author: musey

Date: 3/7/2008 4:17:46 PM
Author: Courtneylub

Monday - Friday: I eat pretty well by eating 3 meals a day with maybe a snack or 2. This is about 1000-1200 cals a day. I try not to eat past 7:30 in the evening. Before my knee screwed up, I worked out at the gym twice a week (30 min on elliptical) and a couple days a week at home (jogging/walking or workout DVD).

This is basically what I did last fall with practically NO results.

You might be eating too low for your body, in which case your metabolism might slow down too much. I was trying to stay in that same range last fall, and I think I probably average closer to 1300-1500 now and I''m doing much better.

It might just be the quality of my food now, though.

I wonder if this has anything at all to do with my metabolism....I have a very slow heart beat when I''m not active. My doc took an EKG of my heart a few months ago and said "You must be a jogger." I had just started working out. I think it''s always been slow. When I monitor my heart while working out, it''s usually in the highest zone (cardio or whatever). Does this mean if I''m inactive all day, my metabolism is super slow?

 

[happy in love]

So, I''m a little late to this thread, but what works best for me is eating lots of small meals throughout the day so I am never super hungry. If I let myself get past that point I have NO self control! I used to eat lots of "diet" foods, you know, lots of artificial ingredients but low calories/low fat. That always worked for me before, but I started thinking about all the "crap" I was putting into my body so I could be healthy/fit and decided that this time I''m doing it different!

I have cut out as many processed foods that I can (including artificial sweeteners), and switched to organic as much as possible. I also try to eat lots more fruits and veggies as snacks, and drink tea with a little honey throughout the day (after my morning coffee of course!) instead lots of starbucks. I don''t count every calorie, but I do stay aware of what I am eating throughout the day, and try not to drop too low in calories.

Last year in preparation for a Hawaii trip I tried to cut calories WAY back to the 1000-1200 range but with the amount of calories I was burning I ended up making myself weak, tired and cranky! It was also too hard to stick to, so I ended up gaining it back through out the year.

I am 4lbs away from my goal weight with 5 weeks left. I am still working on it, but am loving where I am at now, so I''m not too stressed with the scale #s at this point.
Hopefully the 2 bridal showers, 3 baby showers, and my bachelorette party all this month won''t kill my progress!

one last thing... weight training once a week and pilates twice a week (along with cardio of course) has made such a difference in my "look." I wanted to look toned, but still feminine, and this seems to be working! I recommend pilates for all!

Good luck!

 

[happy in love]

oohh... and one of my new favorite snacks is some plain nonfat greek yogurt with berries and honey... low calorie, natural, and filling!

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 3/7/2008 7:03:42 PM
Author: happy in love
oohh... and one of my new favorite snacks is some plain nonfat greek yogurt with berries and honey... low calorie, natural, and filling!

I just type a reply but it was eaten.

The quicker version...

Are you referring to Fage? I love it but I had it in my head that it was high in sugar so I stopped eating it. Is that true? If not, I''ll go to the store in the morning and stock up. I love it with berries and honey (or granola and honey). Yum!

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 3/7/2008 7:02:27 PM
Author: happy in love
So, I''m a little late to this thread, but what works best for me is eating lots of small meals throughout the day so I am never super hungry. If I let myself get past that point I have NO self control! I used to eat lots of ''diet'' foods, you know, lots of artificial ingredients but low calories/low fat. That always worked for me before, but I started thinking about all the ''crap'' I was putting into my body so I could be healthy/fit and decided that this time I''m doing it different!

I have cut out as many processed foods that I can (including artificial sweeteners), and switched to organic as much as possible. I also try to eat lots more fruits and veggies as snacks, and drink tea with a little honey throughout the day (after my morning coffee of course!) instead lots of starbucks. I don''t count every calorie, but I do stay aware of what I am eating throughout the day, and try not to drop too low in calories.

Last year in preparation for a Hawaii trip I tried to cut calories WAY back to the 1000-1200 range but with the amount of calories I was burning I ended up making myself weak, tired and cranky! It was also too hard to stick to, so I ended up gaining it back through out the year.

I am 4lbs away from my goal weight with 5 weeks left. I am still working on it, but am loving where I am at now, so I''m not too stressed with the scale #s at this point.
Hopefully the 2 bridal showers, 3 baby showers, and my bachelorette party all this month won''t kill my progress!

one last thing... weight training once a week and pilates twice a week (along with cardio of course) has made such a difference in my ''look.'' I wanted to look toned, but still feminine, and this seems to be working! I recommend pilates for all!

Good luck!

Oooh! I love the sound of weight training once a week, pilates, and cardio. How much cardio would you say you do per week?

Wow, that''s a lot of showers and parties! Hope you can resist all of the yummy food and sweets without depriving yourself!

So, you''re 4 lbs away from you goal..that is great! What was your starting goal if you don''t mind me asking?

Oh and what do you put in your coffee if you don''t use artifical sweeteners?

That''s it for the questions.

 

[Harleigh]

This came at an opportune time, Courtney! My friend just emailed me saying, "Whoohoo, only 136 days left!" Holy cow, my wedding is that soon? I really need to start working out to get my body in bikini mode for Maui...looking good in the dress only needs my arms to look really good, but I want to feel fantastic on my honeymoon!

I also take glucosamine for my knees and ankles and some days I swear I feel it working and others I''m convinced I''ve been imagining it...just depends on how my body is feeling that day. I have been sick for almost 2 weeks now and haven''t gotten to be very active at all, and since I''m still pretty ill, I don''t know when the end will be in sight and I can get back to the gym.

My own gym membership (at a tiny, friendly little gym) just ended and my FI signed me up at his (bless his sweet, dear heart!), but he goes to a huge chain gym and I must admit that I am intimidated about going to such a large place. Has anyone else experienced this??? I know I just need to suck it up and go and get it over with, but we can go to any of the gym locations, so it will take getting used to 4 or 5 nearby locations between both of our houses, and the thought of that terrifies me! Maybe I should just ask for a tour of each one? Any suggestions? I feel like sucha nincompoop!

Thanks for bringing this up, Courtney, and thanks to everyone for your great replies. Sparkpeople.com looks pretty promising, and I love the idea of the 3-hour diet, but I just don''t know how expensive it is and if it''s really worth all the money. Definitely something to consider, though!

Best of luck to you!

 

[Neveah]

.... I read the article about artificial sweetners...also saw it on the TODAY show.

Then a couple days later they said that they only performed the experiment on a total of 12 rats and it was conducted by people who were not dieticians/scientists etc. I''m not sure how much stock I would put into Web MD also.

I think the key is moderation.... You shouldn''t be drinking 5 of anything... even if it is diet!

I''m sorry, but I don''t think that if you stop putting splenda in your coffee in the morning that you''re going to lose weight. *But MAN if it were only that easy!*

You shouldn''t deprive yourself of something you love... and if you love your morning coffee w/ splenda then have it! Let it be your "treat" for the day and cut out something that''s not so healthy (chips, chocolate, etc)

Lots of good ideas here! My only suggestion would be to not go on a fad diet. Don''t even go on a diet. CHANGE your eating habits to be healthier. Don''t just do it for your wedding/HM. Do it forever!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 3/7/2008 10:46:05 PM
Author: Neveah
.... I read the article about artificial sweetners...also saw it on the TODAY show.

Then a couple days later they said that they only performed the experiment on a total of 12 rats and it was conducted by people who were not dieticians/scientists etc. I''m not sure how much stock I would put into Web MD also.

I think the key is moderation.... You shouldn''t be drinking 5 of anything... even if it is diet!

I''m sorry, but I don''t think that if you stop putting splenda in your coffee in the morning that you''re going to lose weight. *But MAN if it were only that easy!*

You shouldn''t deprive yourself of something you love... and if you love your morning coffee w/ splenda then have it! Let it be your ''treat'' for the day and cut out something that''s not so healthy (chips, chocolate, etc)

Lots of good ideas here! My only suggestion would be to not go on a fad diet. Don''t even go on a diet. CHANGE your eating habits to be healthier. Don''t just do it for your wedding/HM. Do it forever!

Different study. In this case, there were two sets of studies done by doctors at a respected university. The studies I linked to are a few years old, not the recent one which I know little about.
Maybe its just me, but when I lived in Europe and switched to all natural foods, I lost a lot of weight and never looked better. My roomate who ate well except she ate about a cup of aspartimine a day actually gained 9 pounds in the same period even though everything else we ate and did was the same.

 

[happy in love]

Hi Courtney,

I wanted to loose 10 lbs. so I guess 6lbs down isn't a huge amount, but definately shows a significant difference!!!
I just use organic sugar in my coffee, I just cut down how much I use throughout the day so I don't take in too many unwanted calories. I have been trying to go by the age old "everything in moderation" idea. I use real butter too instead of the diet variety, I just can't imagine the fake stuff being good for anything but cutting calories I guess.
The other think that I think is helpful is high fiber! I think Musey was suggesting this too, I definately am less hungry with a high fiber diet, and I just feel better too.

I read a book that a girlfriend gave me (its actually a cookbook with a lot of extra stuff) called Nourishing Traditions, and while I will never be able to follow it completely it inspired me to eat much more naturally!

(eta: I aim to do cardio 4 days a week, and occasionally I'll add a fifth day because of all these parties!! Some days I only have time for 30 min. Those days I do higher intensity interval courses. On days when I can do 45-60 min. I do a slightly lower intensity, but still do the intervals. My trainer believes that intervals are the best workout for your heart, and going along with this whole "health" kick, I figure I should be worried about my heart as much as my dress size!)

Zoe,
Fage is what I was first buying, but my nearest grocery store doesn't carry that brand. The one I have been eating lately is Voskos and has 8 grams of sugar and 140 calories in 8oz. (the nonfat, plain) I say stock up!

 

[honey22]

I think the problems with artificial sweeteners can also be that they get you used to sweet tasting stuff. You can have extras such as lollies, soft drinks etc as they are sweet with low calories. Then you get used to the sweet stuff and you crave more sweet foods, such as chocolate etc, which can also be high in fat too. Personally, I am lucky. Artificial sweeteners give me shocking headaches so apart from the occaisional diet jelly I never eat them.

There is also some scientific evidence (and by scientific, I mean actually respected, peer-reviewed journals, I am a scientist myself and are very wary of ''studies'' splashed over the news and web) to suggest there can be neurological problems associated with high intakes of artifical sweeteners. I am not saying don''t ever drink them, I am sure they are fine for most of us on occasion, but high level daily use could be a problem. And I can''t say I am suprised, they are just chemicals, and like a lot of other chemical food additives, can be harmful to some people, in high doses. THink MSG, some enhances, flavours etc. I am just not 100% convinced we should be eating or drinking all that stuff.

 

[EricaR]

As I am trying to get into the habit of eating healthier I noticed something really interesting. I mean, it should have been obvious but sometimes I''m dense and just don''t "get it".

For most of my first week of Weight Watchers I was just eating what I already had in the house - fresh veggies, fruit, whole grain breads, etc. I was just eating them in smaller quantities. Last weekend I went to the grocery store and found lots of "lovely" snacks like Hostess 100cal packs (1 pt), Weight Watchers mini cakes (1 pt), reduced fat granola bars (2 pts). Suddenly the burst of energy I had last week was gone. I think my body needs the whole, healthy foods in order to feel good.

This morning I had an english muffin and about a cup and a half of grapes for breakfast. Only two points and I feel full and satisfied. When I go back to the grocery store this weekend I am going to keep this in mind and stock up on lots of fruits and veggies. I can''t wait for summer when the farm stands open and I can get local organic produce half a mile from home.

 

[Laurenj915]

I love those 100 calorie snack packs because they taste great but I have to make a real effort not to eat them unless I am on the verge of a junkfood binge.

On an average day I think to myself "I can I can eat more than a pint of starwberries (for the same amount of calories) or one of those tiny packs".

On a bad day when I am about to go out and buy a pint of icecream or box of cookies I grab one of those 100 calorie packs, satisfy my craving, and it was 100 calories rather than 500.



What everyone has been talking about, artificial sweetners, fiber, carbs, fat... is all important to figure out what works for you and satisfies you personally. Some people eat sweets and then crave more sweets. Some people love low carb while some don''t feel satisfied on it.

In the end though, the most important thing and what every scientist will tell you, weight loss and weight gain is about the balence of how many calories you consume vs how many calories you burn. If you are gaining weight it is because you are underestimating how many calories you consume.

Also, the most recent scientific studies show that there is very little variation in people''s metabolism.
Article

 

[basil]

This is a topic near and dear to me right now!

I''ve been struggling to lose the same 3-5 pounds for the last year now. My body just doesn''t want to let go of them. It seems like I can be really good for two weeks and lose two pounds, but then I go out to dinner with friends and have a few drinks and a plate of pasta, and I''m right back where I started! I know I can''t really gain 2 pounds in one meal, but it seems that way. I don''t think I can live my life without occasional splurges though.

So I just started doing Weight Watchers - today is the first day I''m counting points. 20 points is really not that much food! Unfortunately, my gym is closed this week because it''s the college kids'' spring break, so that''s not helping.

If this doesn''t work, I''m on the verge of just planning on doing some sort of fad diet (?slim fast) the month before the wedding. I know it''s not healthy in the long term, but I feel like I eat a pretty good diet and work out regularly now, and I still can''t seem to get down to the magical weight I want to be.

 

[Courtneylub]

Lauren, interesting article. Thanks for postin!

Basil, I''m in your boat. You lose a couple pounds, then one meal out will make you gain it back! I know I have more than 4 months to get it off, but if I still have this problem in 3 months, I will crash diet! I know it''s bad and everyone says to make it a lifestyle change, but HELLO it''s my wedding! I will make it a lifestyle change after my wedding when I have time to! ha

 

[EricaR]

I''ve found that it is really easy to make small changes to a meal to make it easier to keep my eating in check. One thing I do is if we are eating out I always ask for a to-go box as soon as the food arrives. I put half my portion into the box before I even start eating. And you know what, most times I''m full after just eating the half left on my plate and then I''m not tempted to sit there and keep picking at what is left on my plate while waiting for everyone else to finish eating.

I always order a side salad to eat before my meal, as that helps me feel full, too. Plus, I get the dressing on the side. Most restaurants drown their salads in dressing and dressings are packed with fat and calories. I either drizzle the dressing on top of the salad or use my fork to pick up my next bite of food and just lightly dip it into the dressing, just enough to get a taste.