Healthy Weight Loss

[Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Seriously, anyone wanna talk about their exercise routine? Do you bike or walk? Lift weights? A combo of everything? What has gotten you the best results?

At the moment I can't afford a gym membership so I've gotten creative with finding aerobic and strength training exercises I can do at/near home.

Dog walks - 3x a day. Good for him, good for me.
15minutes in the morning, 15minutes before bed, and somewhere between 30-60minutes in the late afternoon/early evening (depending on my work schedule). The longer walks are no less than 4x a week. It can be challenging to get an aerobic walking pace going with a dog, but I've been training Cosmo to keep pace on our longer walks. I'm fortunate to have miles and miles of bike path running right outside of my back garden. On average we do 2-4miles at a rate of 4-4.25mph

Hula Hoop!
It makes me laugh and its great aerobic exercise when you can sustain it. I hula-hoop 20-30min.

Balance Ball
I love the balance ball because I can do core strengthening exercises without straining/harming my neck.
The balance ball takes a little bit of time to find your center of gravity on - but once you do, it is fantastic. I rarely do floor/mat exercises without it. Here is a page I have bookmarked because it has some great core strengthening exercises with the balance ball.
http://www.ehow.com/video_7524692_st...cises-abs.html

Pilates
For core strength. Pilates are hard-core, though you might not think it from observing. Small, controlled exercise in repetition that target the core. There are a lot of pilates programmes on on-demand type channels. Though I recommend starting out with a class or two so that an instructor can correct you position, so that you get a truly effective work out. Taking a pilates class is also GREAT for people with injuries to the neck or back because all of the exercises can be adjusted to suit your needs.

Couch25k
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
I hate running, but I am trying this because running would be the most time efficient and cost effective aerobic workout I could do. I still dislike running, but this programme does allow you to slowly increase your endurance.

Swimming
I love love love the water so this time of year is great for me.
An all-over body work out that you can do at your own pace, with very little stress on your body.

[Medusa]

Ok folks! Just got back from the Farmer's Market!

Here's what I got:

a huge ripe cantelope - $1.50
a huge sack of red new potatoes - $3.00
green bell peppers - 5/$1
purple onions - 3/$1
a pound of strawberries - $2
a pound of peaches - $2
a jar of salsa that I will probably give to someone here at work - $5

And it was ALL organic!


There weren't too many people there today because it's like 150 degrees outside but the lady at one of the booths who I fell in love with said that if I come at 8am I can get pretty much any fruit or vegetable you can imagine.

DEFINITELY going back on Thursday. I love the idea of buying local and also, many of the vendors are elderly so I kinda love handing over my dollars to those wrinkled palms rather than Wal-Mart or the grocery store.

WEE!

[jelli]

I'm not sure if this is the only thread talking about WW tips, recipes, encouragement, but if so I'd like to jump in.

[PinkieLee]

Originally Posted by jelli

I'm not sure if this is the only thread talking about WW tips, recipes, encouragement, but if so I'd like to jump in.

Jump on in jelli! A few of us here are on WW and others are on other plans designed for their needs. We have one common goal ~ a healthier lifestyle with healthy weight loss & motivating eachother to keep up the good work. No fads, no magic wand... just good ol' diet & exercise!

[PinkieLee]

Last night while working my 2nd job, one of the girls brought in a big ol' bag of chips, salsa & queso dip. OMG... my freakin' weakness! It took everything in my power to say NO. I texted D when I was about to cave in, and she sent back, "THINK SKINNY"! I got home and she had popped us a bag of 94% fat free popcorn and said it was "popcorn date time". That little bit of encouragement kept me on track today.

Living in Texas, we have some of the best Mexican food around... and honestly, I crave it constantly. I even got on the WW website before lunch to use the Mexican food cheat sheet, trying to convince myself that I could eat within a certain point range. I KNEW better... chips & salsa are my crack ~ no lie!

I'm telling y'all... I felt like I was in full blown addiction mode.

I got in my car, drove up to Wendy's and ordered one of my favorite salads (chicken cobb), ate my lunch in peace & quiet, and gave myself a pat on the back for making a smarter choice.

Tonya - 1
Temptation - 0

[jelli]

Feelin' Shakie!



"Knock, knock! Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you craving a creamy new concoction that combines orange and vanilla? This new sipper is AMAZING! Grab a straw, people."

Ingredients:
2 tsp. fat-free nondairy powdered creamer (like the kind by Coffee-mate)
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda or Truvia)
1 cup Trop50 No Pulp orange juice beverage
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cups crushed ice or 8 - 12 ice cubes

Directions:
In a tall glass, combine powdered creamer and sweetener with 2 tbsp. very hot water; stir to dissolve. Add Trop50 and mix well.

Transfer contents of the glass to a blender. Add all remaining ingredients and blend at high speed until thoroughly mixed. If needed, remove blender from the base, stir mixture, and blend again.

Pour into the glass, stick a straw in it, and slurp away!

MAKES 1 SERVING

Serving Size: entire recipe (about 16 oz.)
Calories: 164
Fat: <0.5g
Sodium: 65mg
Carbs: 38g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 20g
Protein: 3g

PointsPlus® value 4*

[jelli]

HG's Ultimate Movie-Viewing Snack Mix



PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, about 2 1/2 cups): 187 calories, 3.5g fat, 235mg sodium, 35g carbs, 3g fiber, 14g sugars, 3g protein -- PointsPlus® value 5*

Wanna snack on something large, sweet, AND salty!? Smuggle in a serving of this stuff...

Ingredients:
1 standard-sized bag 94% fat-free butter-flavored microwave popcorn
2 1/2 tbsp. peanut butter chips (found in the baking aisle)
1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 cups Chocolate Cheerios (or another low-fat chocolatey cereal with about 130 calories per cup)

Directions:
Cook popcorn according to package directions. Meanwhile, place peanut butter chips into a small sealable plastic bag; using a meat mallet or another heavy utensil, finely crush chips through the bag.

Once popcorn is just cool enough to handle, measure 8 cups and place in a large microwave-safe bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels. (Save the rest of the popcorn for another time.) Evenly sprinkle crushed peanut butter chips, brown sugar, and cinnamon over the popcorn.

Microwave for 30 seconds, or until the crushed peanut butter chips have partially melted.

Gently but thoroughly mix contents of the bowl to evenly distribute the toppings. Add chocolate cereal and mix well.

Serve it up (or pack it into sealable bags) and enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

[jelli]

PointsPlus™ Value: 7
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 6 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients


1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 cup(s) cooked lean ham, diced
1 cup(s) canned refried black beans
1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed and drained

4 medium whole wheat tortilla(s), warmed

1/2 cup(s) fat-free black bean dip

2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped

1/4 cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, or low-fat shredded Monterey Jack
2 medium scallion(s), chopped
Instructions

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over high heat. Add ham; sauté until browned and crispy on edges, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in both beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 3 minutes.

Place a tortilla on a dinner plate and spread with 2 tablespoons of dip; top with 1/2 cup of bean mixture, 1/2 tablespoon of cilantro, 1 tablespoon of cheese and 1/4 of scallions. Fold in sides of tortilla and roll up; repeat with remaining ingredients. Yields 1 wrap per serving.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by PinkieLee

Last night while working my 2nd job, one of the girls brought in a big ol' bag of chips, salsa & queso dip. OMG... my freakin' weakness! It took everything in my power to say NO. I texted D when I was about to cave in, and she sent back, "THINK SKINNY"! I got home and she had popped us a bag of 94% fat free popcorn and said it was "popcorn date time". That little bit of encouragement kept me on track today.

Living in Texas, we have some of the best Mexican food around... and honestly, I crave it constantly. I even got on the WW website before lunch to use the Mexican food cheat sheet, trying to convince myself that I could eat within a certain point range. I KNEW better... chips & salsa are my crack ~ no lie!

I'm telling y'all... I felt like I was in full blown addiction mode.

I got in my car, drove up to Wendy's and ordered one of my favorite salads (chicken cobb), ate my lunch in peace & quiet, and gave myself a pat on the back for making a smarter choice.

Tonya - 1
Temptation - 0

Tonyaboo - This is such a good thing that you recognized your weak spot and asked for encourgement. I love me some chips and salsa and get the desire for the crunchy/spicy goodness.

I think there are a lot of salsas available that are actually pretty low in calories or you could make one at home with the basics. The chip part would be the hard one but maybe some baked chips or a few Rye Crisps would do it?

To satiate my Mexican food craving, I have done a "taco salad" with lettuce, black beans, a few sprinkles of corn, salsa, cilantro, onion, and baked chicken. It REALLY satisfies.

[jelli]

PointsPlus™ Value: 3
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 21 min
Cooking Time: 10 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Sure, you can buy salsa in a jar, but our homemade variety is bursting with the flavors of juicy tomatoes, crisp red onions and freshly chopped cilantro.
Ingredients
19 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
14 1/2 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted, drained
2 medium tomato(es), chopped
1/2 cup(s) red onion(s), chopped
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp table salt
8 medium tortilla, flour, fat-free
1 spray(s) cooking spray, or enough to coat tortillas
2 tsp chili powder
Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and salt; set aside. (Note: If you cannot find fire-roasted tomatoes, substitute any type of canned crushed tomatoes, with or without additional flavors.)

Slice tortillas into 8 triangles each. Place on 2 nonstick baking sheets and lightly coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with chili powder. Bake until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Yields 8 chips and about 1/2 cup of salsa per serving.

[Rockinonahigh]

Ok salsa lovers I got this to say,make it at home.as some of you know in on the low carb diet so I watch the carbs and usely can keep them at 50 to 75 a day with something like 1200 calories or less.If you make salsa at home it has very little carbs cause its made of veggies,to season it use sea salt or light salt..I think I saw some light sea salt at the store but I didnt check it out.Any way,for chips use pork skins they have lots of crunch together they taste really good.If you ever need to use something to replace sugar I use splenda,it taste the same,I can use it to cook with and all is well.The thing that makes store bought salsa so bad to eat for us trying to lose weight is they use all kinds of preservativers and inhansers that have lots of calories.Since I have been watching carbs I have felt better as each day has gone by.I didnt start on the Adkins diet plan where you start with no carbs at all but am following the diabetic food plan wich at first I thought was going to be hard,in a way it is only cause I do miss the sweet stuff I use to like

[Rockinonahigh]

Today I managed 8 laps of the pool,when I started I couldnt do but 3 or four so I am improveing,I am not much of a swimer but I try as best I can.I didnt do anything else to day cause its suposed to be my easy day but I just feel I need to do something more..so when I cools off some tonight im going to walk up the block and back its a little more than a half mile but will have to do.This afternoon when I was leaveing I was ask by the desk person why I go to the weight room nearly every day,I told her I need to build up the muscels cause I didnt want the weight im loseing to end up being hanging fat that I have seen happen to so many when they lose a large amount of weight...by time I get to 200 I would have lost 103pounds..and as I have 54 more to go I go to the weight room as much as I feel nessary.Her reply was..but u will turn into a muscel bound weight lifter..women arent supose to look that way..I told her I didnt have time to educate her on my reason as I wasnt a teacher nor did care to be.She looked so clueless its not funny..maybe oneday a light will blink on in her head.

[Medusa]

Rockin - When I did Atkins, I would often eat salsa on pork rinds in my desperation to have something crunchy

[Rockinonahigh]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Rockin - When I did Atkins, I would often eat salsa on pork rinds in my desperation to have something crunchy

I got ya on wanting something crunchy,I thought missing sweets and fruit would be the thing I missed most but it was wanting crunchy stuff,You should try them with peanut butter..yumm.They r good as a subsitute for crutons for soups and salads.

[nycfem]

It's funny that you mentioned rye crisps because that's exactly what I use. "Finn Crisp Original" is my favorite kind: tasty, not high in sodium, and pure whole grain. I melt a little organic mozzarella on top and dip it in a spicy green salsa so that I drink a lot of water with it to fill myself up. It's one of my favorite snacks!

Originally Posted by Medusa

Tonyaboo - This is such a good thing that you recognized your weak spot and asked for encourgement. I love me some chips and salsa and get the desire for the crunchy/spicy goodness.

I think there are a lot of salsas available that are actually pretty low in calories or you could make one at home with the basics. The chip part would be the hard one but maybe some baked chips or a few Rye Crisps would do it?

To satiate my Mexican food craving, I have done a "taco salad" with lettuce, black beans, a few sprinkles of corn, salsa, cilantro, onion, and baked chicken. It REALLY satisfies.

[Rockinonahigh]

First off I want to thank the person who high lighted some words in a post I made a bit ago,it really is a lot of reinforcement to keep on with what im doing.Again tks a bunch.
A fue moments ago I gess I got a taste of reverse parenting,yes u know when the kid who is 38 give u the over the glasses look I use to give him when I wasnt happy about something.Not that it did him any good to do that..well I was out in 95 degree heet doing a mini work out on the patio after I got back from my walk.I mean the stuff looked lonley from me not using it so much..sooo I did 60 bench presses,75 quick steps on the stepper,then rode my exersise bike for a hard 10 minits then cooled dowm just walking around shooting hoops.I told him that he is doing the same thing I did at his age when I put on the first fue pounds right in the old bread basket.I also sugested he start doing a fue things to keep it in check now rather than later..or end up doing something about it at 65 on the edge of diabeties wich he has a huge chanch of geting cause his dad has it and so dose his brother.Then I came in to refill my water jug.

[little_ms_sunshyne]

Tonite we are definitely back on track...

For dinner Skinny Sloppy Joes w/apple string fries (actually yummy)

Dessert: lowfat Strawberry Squares ( they tasted like sugar cookies with strawberry filling...yummola!)

The meal kept us on calorie budget! If there is one thing I have learned about myself is that I have to have dessert to keep me from cheating. So I am always searching for new recipes to keep that sweet tooth in Check

Keep it up everyone! I made it through Tuesday!

Pinkie~ way to go on beating temptation!!!!

[nycfem]

Can you say more, both about Skinny Sloppy Joes and about apple string fries? All of this sounds delicious!

Originally Posted by little_ms_sunshyne

Tonite we are definitely back on track...

For dinner Skinny Sloppy Joes w/apple string fries (actually yummy)

Dessert: lowfat Strawberry Squares ( they tasted like sugar cookies with strawberry filling...yummola!)

The meal kept us on calorie budget! If there is one thing I have learned about myself is that I have to have dessert to keep me from cheating. So I am always searching for new recipes to keep that sweet tooth in Check

Keep it up everyone! I made it through Tuesday!

Pinkie~ way to go on beating temptation!!!!

[little_ms_sunshyne]

lol I am telling you I swear by Gina's Skinny Recipes! They are awesome and make healthy eating bearable!

Recipe for Strawberry Squares:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/11/s...y-squares.html


Recipe for Sloppy Joes:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/10/s...oppy-joes.html

For the straws: we bought these made. You can have Veggie Straws which taste like potato chips or Apple straws. 38 straws have about 130 calories. I dont eat 38 but they make a nice chip substitute. Bought them at Wal-Mart


I have also made her no-bake cheesecake, chicken cordon bleu, lasagna rolls, santafe crockpot chicken, and chicken parm. All really great!

The site was created to give people great Weight Watchers recipes that do not compromise the taste. Check it out and let me know what you think. Points and calorie information included for each recipe

[Queerasfck]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Seriously, anyone wanna talk about their exercise routine? Do you bike or walk? Lift weights? A combo of everything? What has gotten you the best results?

My exercise routine consists of work outs at the gym mostly. I go super early. I am usually there by 4:45 a.m. Monday-Friday and then sometimes on the weekend, later of course. I do weights first, usually targeting a specific area of the body depending on the day of the week. I do my lifting for about 30 minutes. Then I do cardio. I like to do three miles on the elliptical trainer but sometimes I'll just get on the treadmill and try jog. I'm not as young as I used to be and knees can get a little cranky. I think it will really help as I drop more weight too. Today just to change it up I only did two miles on the elliptical and then hit the Stair Climber for a mile. It almost killed me!

Besides helping with my weight I have always relied on exercise to help with depression. I think it helps my mood. It gives me time to think about things, I tend to zone out on cardio. And I definitely like that buzz I get afterwards.