Healthy Weight Loss

[Sweetfeme]

Thanks so much for this, it is very helpful

Originally Posted by Kelt

I don't know anything about the happiness project, but have heard reference to it. I ran across this article and thought it was a good one.

It is very similar to what I did for myself. After joining a gym, I found out I didn't like it much anymore and didn't fit in a lot of the machines anyway. I found out I really liked walking on the beach and the sand was much kinder to my joints.

I've been doing it for 2 1/2 years now, so there must be something to this idea.

Want an Exercise Routine You’ll Stick To? Ask Yourself These 11 Questions.
Gretchen Rubin

When I ask people what they’d like to do for their own happiness projects, they often say something like, “Exercise more regularly.” Exercise is very important for health and mood, and everyone knows this–and yet it’s often tough for people to stick to an exercise routine.

I think that one mistake is to choose a form of exercise based on a) what your friend recommends, b) what kind of change to your body you want to see, or c) what is the fashionable form of exercise. It’s helpful to consider these factors, but in the end, we’re far more likely to stick with an exercise routine that suits our nature and our schedule. If you’re struggling to exercise regularly, this is not the place to fight your nature! If you’ve been a night person all your life, vowing to get up at 5:00 a.m. to run isn’t very realistic.

Ask yourself these questions, and when you’re done, think about what kind of exercise routine would suit you best:

1. Are you a morning person or a night person?
2. Would you like to spend more time in nature?
3. Would you like more time in solitude; or more time with friends; or more time to meet new people?
4. Are you motivated by competition?
5. Do you enjoy loud music?
6. Do you do better with some form of external accountability, or does that just annoy you?
7. Would you like to challenge yourself with exercise (whether by learning a new skill or pushing yourself physically)–or not?
8. Do you like sports and games?
9. Would you like more meditative time, or more time to watch TV, read newspapers, etc?
10. Do you have a lot of control over your time?
11. Are you sensitive to weather?

Your answers should guide your thinking about exercise. Work out with a trainer? Take a class? Be inside or outside? etc.

For instance, if you’re a morning person who craves solitude and time alone with your thoughts, but has little control over your schedule and hates feeling accountable to anyone, you might enjoy walking in a park every morning before you leave for work.

If you’re a night person who loves music and meeting new people, and is also motivated by accountability, you might like to take a dance-based exercise class after work.

Often, people will say, “Go for a twenty minute walk at lunch? That’s nothing. I really need to get in shape.” Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good! The twenty minute walk you take is so much better for you than the three mile run you never do. You get the biggest health boost going from no exercise to some exercise.

Just a little tweak in a routine sometimes makes a big difference. For instance, to exercise on the weekends, I go for a long walk. Generally, I like to think while I walk, but I do a lot of walking every day, and I found myself getting bored on the long walks–and so finding excuses to skip them.

One of my Twelve Personal Commandments is to Identify the problem. What was the problem? “I’m bored during these walks, so I don’t want to go.” For the first time, I bought myself an audiobook, and for the past few weeks I’ve been listening to The Golden Compass when I walk. It makes me so happy! I haven’t missed a day’s walk since I started.


Link to original article

[Andrea]

One of the things I am noticing is my lack of control when a sweet is near me, especially when I am reading or watching tv. Of course it doesn't help that the packaging almost always contains multiple servings.

I believe it is called mindless eating.

Today I will be sorting out the <insert candy name here> into single servings so that when that craving arises, I can pick up one and leave the rest behind. Because we all know that sometimes only a sweet will do.

Why haven't I done this before???

[pajama]

Not really doing it for the weight loss necessarily. But been a week wheat-free and on my prescribed herbal supplements. I have to say.... I do actually feel a little better. And while it ain't much, I am a wee bit more active and in less pain. (Part of that may be that I am no longer working two jobs.)

[girl_dee]

It's been almost a month since anyone posted here.

i love hearing what others do.

in the grand scheme of things i don't have lots to lose but can't seem to get to where i am comfortable with myself.

i am eating way too much bread and not enough protein

drinking coke too often

eating way to much junk

so there, maybe now that i've gotten real i will behave a bit more.

i'm expected to take care of myself but when you are not in the right frame of mind it's a hard thing to do

[Miss Scarlett]

(((((Dee))))) I understand what you mean. It is extremely difficult to think about yourself when things are topsy turvy in your life. I was in the same place last year. One thing that helped me was to do small things for myself...they helped me reclaim my strength and self worth - two things we tend to forget or ignore first.

When I was taking care of my Grandparents and my Mom I neglected myself to my own detriment. I find this same behavior trying to creep back now but it's work related. Fortunately I have been blessed with wonderful, supportive people who have carte blanche when it comes to reminding me or calling my attention to this.

You are worth it Honey, you can still do things for yourself even when you are focused elsewhere. There's nothing wrong with that...never forget this.

As for protein...just the other day my weight loss doctor told me to get in 20g with each meal. It's not difficult and can be done without a heavy calorie load. I get 18g at 100 cal with a small container of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt. If I add 30g of Pistachios they contribute another 160 cal, healthy fat and 6g of protein.

[girl_dee]

i am a lazy *dieter*.

i don't like to have to count things, that's why i like Atkins, less than 20 carbs a day and that's all. i no longer stay in this plan for a long long time but my body responds well to it.

So even when i am just watching it i know to stick to low carb options.

but dang, i love bread!

i need to do well because having to answer to Syr as to why i am not eating well is a powerful deterrent to eating junk!

[Miss Scarlett]

Found a link to an article about why wheat isn't good for us. It was on my weight loss doctor's Facebook page and it answers a lot of question I have about things I noticed after eating wheat products.

[Hollylane]

Originally Posted by girl_dee

i am a lazy *dieter*.

i don't like to have to count things, that's why i like Atkins, less than 20 carbs a day and that's all. i no longer stay in this plan for a long long time but my body responds well to it.

So even when i am just watching it i know to stick to low carb options.

but dang, i love bread!

i need to do well because having to answer to Syr as to why i am not eating well is a powerful deterrent to eating junk!

Atkins style eating has always worked for me. I have a carb limit set, because anything over that impacts my blood sugar, weight, and makes other medical issues that Atkins has helped control, resurface with a vengeance.

Since the onset of my gastroparesis, every day has become a balancing act. Recently, I went vegetarian with Atkins, which became a gigantic problem. It was extremely difficult to get the fat and proteins I needed, while controlling my carb intake, and with gastroparesis, I had to make most of my vegetables low in fiber(high fiber means less carbs, the one concession I make is with asparagus). Vegetarianism was virtually impossible for me, my gastroparesis quickly began to worsen, and I started gaining weight again.

I had to give in, and choose to become a pescatarian. This opened up a lot more options, and I can do everything in my power to purchase seafood that is sustainably caught (bonus: when I catch my own fish, I know for a fact, that they are quickly and humanely dispatched). My weight/blood sugar has already started to go down, and eventually the current severe flare up of gastroparesis will start to fade (it has already, with treatment over the weekend) back into just the usual background noise.

Past primary physicians, gastroenterologists, and endocrinologists only saw that I was fat, and insisted all of my problems were related to a need to reduce my caloric intake, and eat less meals per day (gastroparesis makes it nearly impossible to get enough calories per day, or even eat at all most days. On the days you can eat, you can only have about 1/4 cup or less food per meal, and it is recommended to do this 5 times per day to avoid food literally rotting in your stomach, which can lead to the development of phytobezoars). My blood sugar, at the time I was seen by these doctors, was averaging 370, and this was with two types of insulin (6 injections per day), metformin, a "diabetic diet", and regular exercise.

Luckily, I found one of the very few gastroparesis specialists in the country, as well as a primary physician who actually understands my unique nutritional needs, who in tune I am with my body, and has a good grasp on the relatively small amount of gastroparesis information available.

I know this is a lot of information about my personal health choices/issues, but I feel it is relevant, especially when any documentary suggests that healthy weight loss is simply about changing basic elements of your eating habits to (whole grain etc), and that these changes may work for everyone. For me, carbohydrates above 20 grams per day, vegetables that are not low in fiber, and a diet not rich enough in fat and protein, are an absolute recipe for disaster. I do not eat low carb to reduce my size (though this is always a welcome outcome, and it helps me maintain current weight), I do it to remain free of the need for insulin, metformin, statin drugs, prilosec etc (blood pressure returns to normal, lower blood sugar, cholesterol returns to normal, acid reflux disappears).

I watched the entire series, The Weight of the Nation. I understand the findings of the studies done, and do not disagree with the likely outcomes of being obese throughout a lifetime. I am really excited about attention being drawn to the disease, without the usually attached shaming. I really love what cities are doing to change the environment to encourage exercise and fresh food consumption (bike paths, walking paths, adding corner stores with fresh food options).

One segment really annoyed the hell out of me though. There was a study done, on persons who had a family history of diabetes, or were pre-diabetic, and the study was done using metformin prior to a diabetic diagnosis, in combination with diet and exercise changes, to prevent type 2 diabetes. WTF?? I know for a fact, that dramatically lowering consumption of carbohydrates and moving towards a diet comprised of fresh foods, in combination with regular exercise, can prevent most pre-diabetic patients, from advancing to type 2 diabetes (evidence of this has been around for years). In fact, for me, it reversed the type 2 diabetes diagnosis entirely (until I went vegetarian, and it reared its ugly head again). I just cannot get on board with medicating for something that does not currently exist.

Okay, I think I've rambled on long enough...Sometimes I get a little too passionate about a subject.