2005 BLAST OFF LBS!!! - a non stressful how to guide!

[JulieL]

Alrighty gals, I am so excited to see you take this step towards a healthier you! This change does not only impact you but your family as well! Being around a healthy person is invigorating - watch your DH encourage and support you (well he should anyway!)

First the questions, your answers will help me realize what would be motivating for YOU, and what you need help with and so on.

1. When you think of exercising what sounds exciting and what sounds overwhelming? Knowing this is key to getting you motivated. Some ladies like dancing, some like walking, some like biking and so on. I can give you some great tips here that work for YOU, not someone else. Working out 30 minutes every other day is a great way to lose weight. Let's find a workout that makes you excited!

Guide on calories burned in exercising:

http://www.fitresource.com/Fitness/CalBurn.htm

#1 best online guide and supplier of workout videos w/customer reviews as well:

http://www.collagevideo.com/


2. Do you drink water? You should definitely have water as a main drink daily. If you don't like it plain you can put lemons, limes, mint leaves, pineapple and more in it to jazz it up. Also if you don't drink much water, write down what you are replacing it with. You would not believe how much sugar is in fruit drinks, lemonades, sweetened teas and so on.

TIP: Often our bodies think we are hungry when really we are just thirsty. If you feel the need to snack, drink a 8 oz. cup of water and wait 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is up and you still feel hungry, THEN eat a small healthy snack. Honestly this really does work sometimes!

3. Do you honestly know what a portion size is? I was bfing when I first started working out. I knew that I was to eat aprx. 500 calories more than the non bfing woman, BUT since I was crazy hungry all the time I indulged in probably 1000 more, not good. Btw I WAS able to loose weight and bf over time. In about 4 months I lost 8 lbs AND gained muscle, and looked so much better even after 4 months. It was a slow loss, but it WAS a loss and I kept it up, and after I stopped bfing and cut down my portions more, more weight came off.

TIP: when I bf'd, after a workout I would eat a healthy snack of 90 calories or less to keep up my milk needs - remember I still lost weight doing this, usually I ate a low-fat yogurt.

Here's a great link you can print out and put on your fridge to help keep you on track.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/media/food_and_nutrition/pyramid.pdf

Here's a link to a book written by Dr. Sears on basic nutrition. This book is NOT about a diet, it's about breaking up the facts about nutrition that we all need to know. I say this is a must have for every family.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316777153/qid=1104854537/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-5923194-9988010


4. What food do you buy for you and your family to consume? Remember you are empowered here. YOU are the woman of the house, and YOU control what your family eats. Use that as an encouraging fact, not a daunting one. You are probably buying items with way more sugar in them than you think. 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. So for instance in a Pepsi you are consuming almost 12 teaspoons of sugar - OUCH! Here's a good link on a breakdown of sugar consumption.

http://www.sugar.org/facts/questions.html

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/media/food_and_nutrition/sugar_habit.pdf

My favorite cookbooks: these are normal food made w/less fat - and it tastes good, promise! You don't have to follow their plans just eat the meals in moderation and you're doing great!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0696217112/qid=1104856249/sr=2-1/002-5923194-9988010?v=glance&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/002863716X/qid=1104856338/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-5923194-9988010

5. What snacks are you and your family eating? Be honest here, find out what is your downfall (mine is cheese) and buy much less of it so it's just not there to eat.

6. Precut fruit, and veggies, prebag pretzels and dried fruit - the easier you make healthy snacks available for a quick grab the more likely you will be to eat them. But remember it's ok for a small sweet treat:

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/media/food_and_nutrition/candybar.pdf

TIP: if you can't keep the sweets in small moderation like shown here, don't buy them at all.

Most Americans eat so badly that if they take an honest look at what they are consuming and cut back on fat, sugar and calories they lose weight even w/out exercising. But that will only get you to lose so much, you need to be active to achieve the best results.

Find something to motivate you. For me it was pulling out old pics of me nice and trim and I framed them so I could see them and remember what I can look like. ( and I can say now, I look BETTER than I did in those pics!). For you is it keeping out an old pair of pants that use to fit, or is that depressing for you? Is it a picture of the beach - someplace you would love to go to w/out being embarrassed, or is that to much for you to think about? Is it a coupon you make yourself for a new outfit when you lose X amount of lbs? Each woman has something that works as motivation, so use it to urge you on.

Go through these and give me feed back that you would like help on! I'm so excited for you!!!

[psophia17]

Julie,

I've already figured out answers to some of your questions on my own, so I thought I'd post what I figured out and how for those, but I've also answered questions where I could use advice - you're the best for offering it!!!

>1. When you think of exercising what sounds exciting and what
>sounds overwhelming?
I found the idea of doing something in the water really motivating. I did deep water conditioning while on WW pre-PG, and had to stop because I just didn't have the energy to get to class on time (it took a 2-hour commute, and I couldn't take it). After DS was born I started with waterbabies and now do Power Water as well, which is a really good class. The biggest surprise for me was when I took a class intended to strengthen my back and abs (abs were shot after a c/s and appendectomy that took place 4 months apart). I found out that I liked the warming-up aerobics portion of the class, and that I was very graceful on the ball - even if I am way too heavy, I was the good example for the rest of the class, and that was huge for me.

>2. Do you drink water?
Yes, but not as much as I should. I like drinking flavored seltzer or sparkling water more so than plain water, just because. I also try to have at least a pint glass of v8 juice a day, which I feel does double as veggie and liquid. By not drinking the Pepsi/Coke that MIL has on hand at all times, I sleep better, am less hungry for other sweet things, and in general feel better.

>3. Do you honestly know what a portion size is?
Not really, but I know to have everything in moderation. Do you have a list of body parts that correspond to a portion size? I know that a serving of meat shouldn't be bigger than your palm, and that a tbsp. is about the size of two thumbs together. I found these kinds of guidelines helpful because they are so portable.

>4. What food do you buy for you and your family to consume?
I wish I was the woman of the house when it comes to this - MIL keeps and stocks a candy cupboard at all times. She also saw that I liked salt&pepper chips, and now buys them all the time. She does NOT buy veggies, ever. I've managed to get her to buy me v8 juice, what other easy, healthy, not too expensive snack or lunch ideas could I try? Yogurt and v8 juice I can get, but there's got to be more.

>5. What snacks are you and your family eating?
I already mentionned the candy cupboard - what can I have instead that isn't too expensive?

>6. Precut fruit, and veggies, prebag pretzels and dried fruit
>- the easier you make healthy snacks available for a quick
>grab the more likely you will be to eat them. But remember
>it's ok for a small sweet treat:
ITA - that's what got me through a year of WW, during which I lost 33 lbs.

We Can Do It!!!

[npace19147]

I could also use some healthy snack ideas. I am too big a fan of processed food!

Thanks Julie!

[amazz]

I need to get motivated to get moving! Can you help me find something that would be easy to do, but would at least get me in the habit of moving and burning some calories? I would like to stay inside for now b/c it's still too cold to go outdoors with Kami. I used to do Tae Bo(about 5 years ago) and I liked that, but there is no way I can get up the energy to do that much just yet. Any help would be most appreciated!

Also, what is a reasonable timeline for losing 30 lbs.? I think I have failed in weightloss efforts in the past b/c I wasn't realistic about how long it would take me.

Angela
Mama to Kami Allyse (10/10/04)
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg