August Health & Fitness Support

[fidgiegirl]

Hi all! If this thread got started already, sorry for the duplicate and point me to the right place. Feels kinda late to start a monthly thread.

I am into my new job and my mind is turning toward weight loss and fitness issues again for several reasons.

1) I've gained back my modest loss. Funny how noticeable five pounds is. Icky. I liked it better without them . . .
2) My new coworker has lost 40 pounds and is continuing to work on it. She is enticing me to try again.
3) I went to Costa Rica and noticed that I had a lot fewer problems with gas and bloating. When left with no choice, I even ate foods that I had been avoiding for months in the US (because of the after effects) and had no problems with those foods. So wondering what is the combo I had been eating here that brought out the worst effects? I ate much more white rice, beans, eggs there. Also ate very little dairy and very few carbs from wheat.

Also, my new schedule will be a lot more schedule and my drive somewhat shorter. That will free up 20 minutes a day - 20 minutes that could be spent at the gym before I go home. I think if I can figure out a good staggered schedule from my husband's, I can go to the gym guilt-free (dog won't be having his eyeballs turn yellow) and get in a workout. Will work on it.

First, going to try out some higher protein breakfasts and snacks to replace my daily breakfast cereal, which doesn't keep me full anyway.

[Rosemary]

Thanks for starting the thread. We traveled to visit family for 2 weeks and it was difficult to stick to my diet. And I could tell, too - I didn't sleep as well, my mood wasn't as good, my body just did not feel as good, and my back was hurting. I stepped on the scale with great trepidation after our return but luckily had only gained a pound. Back on my healthy diet now and feeling MUCH better.

Also did not get enough exercise while traveling. DD and I went for long bike rides both days this weekend and I'm feeling like we're back in a healthier rhythm.

Fidgiegirl, I'm staying off wheat long-term. It seems to be the major factor in my weight loss and foods made from wheat flour seem to spark serious cravings for me. I'm also off sugar most of the time - occasional ice cream, but usually we make it at home so it's nondairy and sweetened with dates instead.

Most breakfast cereals are just made from flour, too - I gave those up years ago. You can make your own breakfast "cereal" - granola, that is - and it will keep you full longer, especially if you eat it with yogurt instead of milk. Muesli is good, too - basically uncooked granola - if you let it absorb the water, milk, or juice, it's a less-cooked oatmeal and is very filling. I always eat nuts with breakfast to stay full til lunch. (In general, I don't eat much dairy - morning (unsweetened) yogurt is occasional; we use nondairy 'milk.')

[Glo]

DH and I have been on a weight-loss and exercise quest since mid January. Currently we're doing eight classes a week at the gym; we're there six days a week and on Tuesdays and Thursdays we're there twice a day. DH has lost 35 pounds and is two pounds from goal. I've lost 40 pounds and am 25 pounds from goal. There are lots a benefits to this life style, but it takes a lot of time and effort. We are also doing weigh****chers on line. The weight is starting to come off really really slowly. Some weeks I've gained a pound or two for no reason. If I have a weight gain, at least I want the excuse of eating chocolate cake or cherry pie! LOL. Anyway, I'm getting somewhat discouraged. Next week I check in the my doctor and see what he says.

[fidgiegirl]

Glo, awesome progress so far! Isn't it frustrating to see it slow down? Good luck with the doc visit.

Rosemary, I'm beginning to think that wheat is a big deal, bigger than I thought. I'm having a psychological difficulty with the sugar thing. I love baked goods and thinking of giving them up really feels like a punishment. I have to get over that; intellectually I know it's not a punishment and it is to help myself feel better, but still, it's an obstacle.

Today at lunch I chose a chicken sandwich with fruit instead of fries. In the afternoon I skipped a drink at Caribou but did get a cookie at Panera, and then had a piece of toast with peanut butter and jelly at home. So I did halfway well . . .

[Glo]

OP - don't deny yourself things you love to eat. In my case, I eat ice cream every day. Granted its a serving betwen 110 and 140 calories, but it is very satisfying; I believe eating this low-cal ice cream keeps me from craving sweets. I also make blueberry muffins that aren't very sweet (I believe there's only 1/2 cup sugar in the entire recipe), but they are very satisfying. Portion control is key: one serving of ice cream daily or one muffin daily.

[Rosemary]

Fidgiegirl, I hear you on the baked goods. I was there, too. It's likely that I never would have eliminated sugar if it hadn't been off the elimination diet my doctor prescribed (no honey or maple syrup either!) Baked items were my comfort foods growing up, and I have always baked. BUT after going off wheat & sugar for about 6 weeks, they completely lost their desirability to me, believe it or not. All the fresh foods we were eating were so flavorful, crisy, juicy, that thinking of eating something made out of flour just was not appealing to me. I have wheat and/or sugar occasionally now, but generally find that I prefer real, whole foods - like a perfectly fresh peach. I'm very happy that I've lost those sugar cravings!

Although I'm not eating low-carb (not limiting fruit), I am eating low-grain now. Mostly just oats, occasionally rice. Limited portions. All those "whole grains" are pretty caloric if you take a look at the numbers.

[fidgiegirl]

Thanks, everyone. I have gone two days without wheat and successfully ate eggs for breakfast this morning. I am having some of my same ol' gut symptoms tonight, though, so not entirely convinced it is the wheat. I need to do the systematic elimination, I believe, in order to really be able to pinpoint.

I am so glad the sugar thing CAN be controlled, Rosemary. It's funny, because before DH, I wasn't much of a dessert freak, actually. I rarely purchased them for myself and didn't really bake or anything.

Glo, always a good reminder about portion control. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to start denying myself SOMETHING because it's something I'm eating regularly that is making me constantly bloated and uncomfortable. Now just to figure out what it is, and hope it doesn't mean no more beautiful ice cream forever. :)

[fidgiegirl]

Say, where's lhamo? I know she was active in our other check-ins . . . or Treehugger? How'd your stress class go?

Sorry if I'm forgetting anyone . . .

[Gina]

After watching one of those 'better health' presentations on pbs, I've decided to revamp what I eat. My goal is not weight loss, though I would not be sad if some happened. But it drives me crazy to concentrate on that, so I won't. My goal is however to eat more healthy stuff, especially vegetables, and less non-healthy stuff. But nothing is off limits.

The past couple days I've been eating more salads, more veggies, and less fats and carbs, and already I think I'm noticing a difference. Could just be wishful thinking however. I am not vegetarian but would like to use meat more as a flavoring... but we will see on that one.

I have a nice garden, but don't always take full advantage of what is out there. I'm hoping to do better. I can garden year-round here, so I've planted more lettuce, as well as seeds of spinach, bok choi, broccoli, fall cukes, and a few other things.

I have no intention of giving up all goodies. For that I keep simple dark chocolate for slow savoring. I also have been making a rather nifty blender ice cream using almond milk (instead of cow), a bit of real cream, and various flavorings such as peaches, blue berries, banana, chocolate, etc. It comes out more like gelato, but it's good and fills the dessert niche.

[fidgiegirl]

Yum, Gina! Good luck on your veggie quest. Oh how I would love to garden all year round . . . :)

I avoided wheat for three days and was feeling pretty sleek. Today I did have cupcakes and a calzone but so far, so good. I am hoping that avoiding wheat will at least help me avoid so many carbs and to sub proteins or fruits/veggies.

This week, carrying on with my efforts in this area as well as adding in some runs.

[lhamo]

I'm here, lurking -- I've been on vacation for the last 2.5 weeks, and the diet/exercise plan have kind of fallen by the wayside. I have been getting some excercise, just not in the gym and not as much as usual. Diet has been hard. I will get back on track once I get home later this week and get back into a routine (and on the scale to see what the damage has been. Probably won't be pretty....

lhamo

[fidgiegirl]

It's so hard. I am always amazed at how I think I have created this great new healthy habit or routine and then, poof, I just quit doing it. One of these times it will stick :) You'll be ok, enjoy your vacation!!!

[jania]

I'm usually very self motivated to keep up with my exercise but the heat the last few weeks has done me in. Although I always take water with me I've been slightly nauseous after my walks a few days so I've really cut back, OK honestly stopped for most of the week. Today I'll mow the back yard and that will be it, high predicted is 115 and its already in the 90's before 7am. I've even let go of yoga, that's just laziness on my part. I know I'll get back with the program again, boy it's just hard in the heat.

[fidgiegirl]

Seems like maybe this is a busy month . . . not too much action here. I haven't had any successes this month. Feeling quite down about it. I need to do something. Will keep thinking about it. I have had so many starts and brief successes in the past, only to undo them later, that I'm at the point where I don't even want to try. It's like when I got so disgusted with dating about seven years ago that I said "no more."

Sorry to be a total bummer, but that's where I am. :(

[Rosemary]

My exercise has not been optimal. I've been doing a lot of yardwork this past week and it's just been a busy month. Now that we are having fall-like weather that is SO much more enjoyable than summer weather, I will go for more walks. DD and I have been taking regular bike rides, and I've been increasing our distance.

Diet is going well for the most part. I feel a lot better when I eat well. Have noticed that eating sugar makes my joints ache, which I never noticed when it was in regular dietary rotation. So one more reason to stay away from it.

Fidgiegirl, I get that 'stalled' feeling sometimes, and I have a bit of it now although not food-wise. For me it generally precedes a time of increased motivation and/or change. Somehow being stuck gives me more energy to push through things. Nonetheless, I still don't enjoy that feeling!

[lhamo]

Got home to find the damage to my weight from my vacation was not as bad as I had feared -- I had made it down to 65 kilos the morning before we left (thanks to food poisoning that had me up and running to the bathroom all night. Note to self: do not eat a salad that has been sitting out for three hours with hardboiled eggs in it....). Came back weighing in in the 66-67 range, with ample reasons for lots of extra water retention.

So, got back to the gym and ran 20 minutes straight Saturday, 30 minutes straight yesterday, and felt really good doing it. Did upper body weights Saturday, lower body weights yesterday. Swam with the kids both days, including 5 laps yesterday (DS is getting better about lap swimmming).

We had a family meeting last night to discuss our schedule for when school starts this week, and I brought up the issue of us setting some personal and collective goals in different areas, including health and fitness. I had discussed this with DS during vacation when we went walking together, and also with DH. I have seen a really great result having set some concrete goals for myself early this year, and I want to help the kids get started with goal-setting behavior as well. We were all too tired to spend too much time on it last night, but will revisit in a week or two once we get the schedule routine established. We have already incorporated some exercise and food changes into the schedule (healthy snacks only M-Th, "treats" and desserts reserved for once a day Friday, Saturday, Sunday; daily movement of some type, including swimming at least 3 days/week) so I think it should be easy to expand on that.

lhamo

[Stella]

I am joining super late, but I'll join next month's thread too. I need to get much better about the eating and exercise, but I want to start slow. Every time I've had real success I've taken a patient approach. I've been achy and overtired and that is kind of a deadly combination for me. I end up eating junk and not working out. Eventually I want to ease back on the caffeine too. Maybe just going half-caf on the coffee, since I like my coffee-related rituals. Switching some of it to herbal tea might work too.

This morning I did 15-20 minutes of yoga designed to relieve aches and pains this morning. I'm going to make that my goal this week. Hopefully that will help with the aches and wake me up a bit.

Since sleep is a big health issue for me lately, I am going to make it a priority this week to get my bedroom cleaned up and nice. I sleep better when it's in good shape. I'm also considering moving Travis to his and James' room now that he's sleeping through the night. That would be better for him too. When he does wake up it's usually because Zach's alarm clock wakes him.

[Rosemary]

Lhamo, awesome workout! You're way ahead of me.
Fidgiegirl, how's the new job?
Stella, hope you find things that help you feel better soon. It's especially hard to always pursue healthy habits when you're not sleeping.

For those of you who pack lunches regularly, check out this site: http://justbento.com/recipes
While not all the recipes are healthy, there are a good number, and what makes this better than most packed-lunch sites or books is that most of the recipes are intended to be eaten cold.

[Stella]

Great link Rosemary!

This morning wasn't the best, although I slept until 7:15AM so that was nice. I had a croissant breakfast sandwich running out the door to get to an appointment to get James' stitches out. Lunch will be veggie fried rice (heavy on the veggies and with organic, non-GMO brown rice) and dinner will be vegetable soup with pesto and homemade cornbread. If it doesn't rain we'll be swimming this afternoon, but that's looking unlikely judging by the sky.

I need to find my workout videos. I have The Biggest Loser workout video and a pilates video around here somewhere.

[fidgiegirl]

Rosemary, thanks for asking. I am still feeling it out. Some of the days have been really long. On the plus side, I can already see that this year is going to be less stressful than being in the classroom. I just hope my marriage can survive that (DH is still teaching and is facing a group of 30. Last time he had a group of 30, he almost left the profession). I need to remind myself in this new role that I don't have to get everything done RIGHT NOW like when I was in the classroom. Plus, I can pee whenever I want! Bonus! :)

lhamo, I love the group limits on treats. I can resist them just fine IF DH is resisting, too. But it's really hard to watch him eat a dessert and sit here and not have it, too.

Stella, sleep well :) Moving the baby sounds like it would help things. Isn't it interesting how a clean and organized bedroom has an effect on our sleep? A few months ago it was vacuuming. The walls had cobwebs and needed vacuumed so bad and so did ALLLLLLLL the pictures DH has on the walls. One day I finally did it and felt so much better. Such a little thing, but bothered me a lot.

Eating, meh. Not doing so well. My new co-worker does SparkPeople like I used to. She tracks and stuff and has had good luck. She said something yesterday that has stuck with me, though it hasn't changed my behavior yet. "You mostly regret something you did eat, not something you DIDN'T eat." I would agree with that.

One positive! I made a chai this morning. I make it with skim milk so it isn't a lot of calories, and keeps me full through to lunch time. Need to do it daily.

[Gina]

I've been doing pretty well with consuming more vegetables and fruits. I have been having some at every meal, and I've been enjoying them. And feeling virtuous. I've also been doing 'better' cooking, which is a real plus. I'm also feeling quite good physically.

I've been using more onions, mushrooms, broccoli..... and from the garden, lots of relatively mild fire-roasted chiles, romano beans, lettuce, tomatoes, dried blueberries, and an occasional raspberry.

Doing this is easy when I feel like it... but unfortunately sometimes I have great resistence to eating with health as a consideration and things slide.