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Shaping up - Diet and exercise


Couch Tomato

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I'm diabetic and have high cholesterol. I was diagnosed with diabetes about 4 years ago.

I need to do better. Even taking my medicine every day is hard for me. Thanks to Claygasm I have my phone programmed to alert me as a reminder.

I'm sorry Couchie. I guess the Diabetes is hereditary? Must be a tough disease to control every single day. Good luck!

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Hey Gibby, good for you with your dedication to a healthy way of life. I do hate you for only needing to lose 5 lbs. Such a bitch babe!!

I also have asthma, mostly a problem when the grass pollen is high or someone gives me a cold. Other than those times, it doesn't usually bother my workouts but if I feel short of breath a quick shot of the rescue inhaler usually fixes the problem.

Did you notice that your asthma was better when you started the exercise? My ability to breath deeply improved by leaps and bounds because of the elipitical. Do you remember the first time you got on that machine? 5 minutes just about killed me but it doesn't take long to push that time up. I usually split 40 or 45 minutes between the elipitical and treadmill. I also just started a new weight program to push it up a notch. The trainer says you have to switch your program every few months. It's working because my shoulders are sore and today is the day to do weights. Ugh! Yeah!

How did you lose the 30 lbs? I'm finding that although the last 15 lbs are not easy to get rid of it's o.k. for now because the fat is falling off.

As for the chocolate....don't get carried away now! Dark chocolate, which happens to be my favorite, is said to be healthy. For we asthmatics, the caffeine is a good thing. Just love it when I can justify my two favorite vices, coffee and dark chocolate.

Well, this is how little I'm able to resist chocolate - as soon as I saw you mention it in this post, I had to go to the cupboard to get some! Heeeee. I only eat a little at a time, and I eat the darkest dark chocolate I can find. Yummmm!

I lost 30 pounds the old-fashioned way - exercise and diet. Eight years ago my daughters were little, and I didn't want to leave them to go to the gym. So I got up really early, before I went to work, and worked out to exercise videos. I followed a pretty strict food plan. It took a long time - maybe about a year - but during that time I adjusted to being at a smaller weight and to eating differently.

I wish my asthma was only bad during pollen season or when I have a cold. I'm actually on meds 365 days a year for asthma, and if I didn't take that medicine, I'd probably be in the emergency room a lot. The exercise is really good for my lungs, and does help my lung capacity. But I'm also concerned about my bones, because the inhaled steriods I have to use for the asthma can thin bones. I'm trying to counter that with things that help bone density, such as weight-bearing exercise and strong muscles.

Anyway, I'm impressed with your dedication to exercise. Do you change up your Clay videos, so that you have different things to watch while you're on the elliptical or the treadmill? Do you have favorites? A few videos I haven't ever taken off my treo are: AI2 Mack the Knife & Unchained Melody, AI5 DLTSGDOM, a couple of the Kimmel interviews, and Kimmel ATDW. I NEVER get tired of watching them. I rotate my favorite concert videos so that I have some variety. I also put some of my favorite montages on my treo, too. Some of them are really hawt, though, and I have to be careful not to moan out loud while I'm in the gym! LOL!

BTW, my treo uses mpeg4s, just like the ipod. I have a conversion program, and can convert any type of video to an mpeg4. Just let me know if you want me to convert something for you, and I'll upload it for you!

Couchie - I'm sorry that you have diabetes. It takes a lot of dedication to manage diabetes. I'm sure you know that exercise really helps. The hardest part of exercise is getting started, and developing the habit. Once you do that, it gets much easier. Honest!

Edited by Gibby
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Gibby, for some reason my asthma has gotten less severe in the past few years. I didn't develop the stuff until I was about 19 but suffered terribly with hayfever, skin rashes, etc. in my youth. My dear beloved mothers genes. I know how awful asthma is and I'm sorry you have to deal with it all year. You are the one who should be lauded because it's not easy to exercise with asthma and takes a lot of courage to fight thru it for better breath control.

I do try to take inhaled corticosteriods in the winter when I may be exposed to colds because that sends me over every time. Doctor says to begin about a month before the cold and flu season starts so I heed his advice but I don't like to take them. I like prednisone even less so no contest there.

Our exercise facilities have muted TV's with closed captions. The sound is picked up on ear phones. I have Sony Walkman earphones that I tune into whatever channel I want to listen to but mostly read the closed captions so I can listen to Clay on my IPod. Sometimes I read but only on the treadmill. I'd kill myself on the elipitical.

Thank you for the offer to convert the videos. I may take you up on that offer some time.

Chocolate, the darker the better. Yum Yum!

ETA used to play golf almost every day and I'm terribly allergic to grass. Now I play maybe 1 day a week so that probably contributes to my improved condition.

Edited by Toots
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Wow, lots of action in this thread over the weekend!

I lost my 28 pounds by cutting back on calories (I aim for about 1250 - 1300 a day now) and most of that was by trying to eliminate sugar from my diet (I used to be a sugar-holic) and reduce fatty foods. I didn't realize just how many calories I was getting from sweetened drinks like pop and chai tea latte from Starbucks, not to mention all the fried foods I was eating. Plus I was walking regularly. I enjoy it, if the weather is nice and I always wear my iPod while I walk. I am thinking of joining a gym once the weather turns bad here. We have one right around the corner from my house and I bought my 16-year-old son a membership for his birthday. Maybe if I join it will encourage him to go more, too.

Oh, I luuurves chocolate too, especially dark chocolate. I've been pretty good about not eating too much of it lately, though. I broke down on the weekend and bought my first chocolate bar in the last 6 months....SKOR. Yum.

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Hey, lucky, good to see you over here!

Do you aim for 1250 - 1300 calories a day to loose weight, or for maintenance? I eat about 1200 calories a day if I'm trying to lose weight. My trainer said that the average sedentary woman gains weight on only 1400 calories a day!

I keep track of my calories and exercise on my treo. It's a great little cell phone/PDA/video & mp3 player. Anyway, the program I use on the treo gives me an easy way to calculate calories, protein, carbs, etc. It also rewards me for exercising by letting me eat a few more calories a day!

I love chai lattes at Starbucks, too. Yum! I have them with soy, and a tall size is 180 calories. I indulge sometimes, as long as I have enough calories left!

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Hi Luckiest, Gibby

I was curious how you kept track of your calories. I do Weight Watchers on line and count points not calories but it would be valuable to know calories since the cardio machines I use keep track of how many calories expended. The WW system online also allows for a few more points as a reward for exercise.

I'm a careful eater, don't drink soda, etc.. eat my dark chocolate in small doses, no cookies, cakes or the like but my portions of real food are larger than they should be. Don't have any food issues but the metabolism left on the last train from town.

That said, I like wine and tonic with my gin on occasion. Lot's of sugar there but don't know how many calories in each. It's 2 points in WW so I don't imbibe a lot.

Thanks for the good tips this morning! Going to work on the calorie issue, 1200 calories it is!

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Do you aim for 1250 - 1300 calories a day to loose weight, or for maintenance? I eat about 1200 calories a day if I'm trying to lose weight. My trainer said that the average sedentary woman gains weight on only 1400 calories a day!

I keep track of my calories and exercise on my treo. It's a great little cell phone/PDA/video & mp3 player. Anyway, the program I use on the treo gives me an easy way to calculate calories, protein, carbs, etc. It also rewards me for exercising by letting me eat a few more calories a day!

I love chai lattes at Starbucks, too. Yum! I have them with soy, and a tall size is 180 calories. I indulge sometimes, as long as I have enough calories left!

I wrote a post on the previous page that details how I track my calories, exercise, etc on the website called The Daily Plate. 1200 is for losing weight, I usually eat around 1500 or 1600 if I am maintaining (like all of last month). But I plan to try and start losing again, now that life is getting back to normal, and the summer craziness is over. One thing that makes a huge difference to me is to eat a very high fibre diet (I aim for 25 g per day) and drink LOTS of water. Luckily the web site keeps track of this as well.

Here is a tip if you love Starbucks chai lattes - they usually use a syrup to make them (which is where most of the calories are coming from), but if you order them as a Chai misto instead, and specify, non-fat or soy milk and no water, they taste just as good, except they are made with the tea bag and you can add your own sweetener. Voila, no sugar! :RedGuy:

ETA: Toots, how many calories you should eat really varies by a lot of factors, like height, current weight, activity level, etc. The web site I use allows you to enter those statistics and then it calculates how many calories you should eat to lose however much weight you wish to lose per week. I have mine set at 1.5 pounds per week, but if I set it higher or lower it changes my recommended calorie intake.

Edited by luckiest1
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ETA: Toots, how many calories you should eat really varies by a lot of factors, like height, current weight, activity level, etc. The web site I use allows you to enter those statistics and then it calculates how many calories you should eat to lose however much weight you wish to lose per week. I have mine set at 1.5 pounds per week, but if I set it higher or lower it changes my recommended calorie intake.

That's exactly how the program in my treo works. Isn't it nice to have an electronic way to keep track of this stuff, rather than writing it all down?

I'd like to mention something fairly obvious - the scale doesn't tell the whole story. Since I'm doing cardio and weight lifting, I'm gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. But muscle is also quite a bit leaner, so there have been times when the scale hasn't budged, but I've lost inches. My trainer actually weighs and measures me, and also uses a caliper to measure body fat. She inputs it all into my file on the computer, which then calculates the percentage of body fat. To me, that's a more accurate gauge of what's happening to my body.

Anyway, if you're exercising, it's a good idea to take measurements once in awhile to keep from getting discouraged if the scale doesn't move much. How your clothes fit is a good indication of inches lost, too!

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The point system I use in weight watchers is based on height and weight. The first 10 lbs came off at a rate of about 2 lbs per week for several weeks but then it just lagged along at a slower rate. Gibby I use a trainer to guide me on the weight machines but that's all. That is something I may do in the future if the last 15 lbs won't come off. As I told you my doctor is the one who said to workout 60 minutes a day, 7 days a week.

My clothes are much looser and I've had to take in the waist and hips of some shorts. I've been doing the weight watchers on line but now I'm going to switch to meetings because I'm stuck. I chose WW because it's the diet that best mirrors the way I like to eat.

I'm 5'10" and this is the first time in my life my weight has been a problem. It's obvious that my intake is more than my body can burn off. Now the challenge is to find out what my intake needs to be! Just can't work out any harder than I do right now but I can eat less.

Now to learn about calories! Thank you ladies. :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Edited by Toots
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OK, I need some help.

In December 2005, my husband and I both stood on a scale for the first time in many years. We realized that we were going to hit a nice round number for our weight v.v. soon, and knew we needed to do something about it. Therefore, we signed up for circuit training classes through our local community college, where I work. We're now in the habit of going there three times a week -- a circuit of weights, followed by 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. Anyway, the weight came off for a while -- my husband lost almost 25 pounds, me 15.

But in the past 6 months or so, the weight has been creeping back on again. I know it's because I didn't change my eating habits all that much. I love cooking, and I love food, so that is where my temptation is. Breakfast isn't a problem for me -- a bowl of high-fiber cereal with skim milk and a cup of coffee. Dinner also isn't a problem when I cook; I usually have a fairly balanced meal there with veggies and meat, although I do throw whole grain pasta or brown rice with it once in a while.

My two main problems are these, and that's where I need help:

1) Working at a community college was great for getting in on the circuit training classes. However, it's been terrible for me at lunch time, because it has a cafeteria. This is the first place I've worked that has a cafeteria, and the temptations are just too great. Besides costing me money that I could save for Clay trips, it's been adding to my waistline. So -- what to do? I'm certainly willing to make my lunch, but I really don't like eating the same food every day. I tried that for a while with yogurt and cereal for lunch, but I quickly tired of it. Right now, I'm bringing a piece of fruit and a bottle of water to work with me every day, but then I usually buy something from the cafeteria too (usually an entree, although it may be a hamburger or tenderloin from the grill). Any suggestions on things that are quick to prepare the night before and yet good for me lunch ideas?

2) Those nights I don't feel like cooking. *sigh* Unfortunately, they happen more and more frequently as I have more and more stress from my job. Any good ideas on quick, easy dinners that don't require a lot of thought (ie, defrosting) and also are healthful?

Thanks for letting me vent....

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ldyj..you eat like I do. I love to cook and love to eat but I'm very sensible and always try to substitue brown for white whenever I can. Gibby and Lucky count calories but I do weight watchers point system. Before I became a professional malingerer (sp) I had the same issues you do because of my love for food. Don't have any good advice for you other than just learn to eat sensibly and work your ass off exercising. I've learned the two have to go together.

I signed up for weight watchers online and lost the first 15 of 30 fairly easily. It's easy because you can do it at home on your computer and don't need to spend much time on it and you and your husband can do it together. They have recipes and ideas on how to eat better and a calculator to convert calories and fat in ready made food, to points. Many restaurants now use the point system for some of their foods. If you are looking for ideas I would highly recommend weight watchers. If you don't have time to go to meetings then online is the perfect way. It's more of a lifestyle change than a diet. They also allow you extra points for exercise.

I need to eat before exercise or it's home into the refrigerator for something that I shouldn't be eating. It seems to work for me. Sounds like you may need more food for lunch so you won't be tempted to eat shit!. Vegetables are the best thing to fill you up without adding any calories.

Gibby and Lucky will weigh in with their ideas and maybe between all of us we can help you with ideas....it's tough!!!

Good Luck ldyj. Good for you doing something about your health before it can't be fixed.

ETA...weight watchers as well as others do have frozen dinners that are easily prepared. They aren't the most tasty but do fill you up when you need it and count the points for you.

Edited by Toots
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I think my problems areas are lunch & dinner. LOL. Breakfast is a cinch (fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, etc). Lunch is ok if I bring it myself (salad & non-fat dressing, Campbell's Heathy soups which are low in calories & fat and high in fibre, sometimes sushi that I buy ahead of time). I find that it's better to take more healthy choices than I necessarily need for lunch so I can have a bit of a selection (and we have a fridge so I can put leftovers or extras in there) and then I am not so tempted to snack on junky stuff if I am hungry. Dinner is a toss up because I am usually too tired and stressed to cook. If the kids aren't hungry I can make myself something healthy (salad, steamed veggies, fish), but if they are, I usually end up either making something that they like (i.e. not healthy pastas and sauces that are quick) and eating it too, or doing the take out thing, which is even worse.

Tonight I did something I haven't done in a while - I put a roast of beef & potatoes in the crock pot. Haven't looked up the calories yet (no doubt high) but I figure I'll just do up a quick steamed veggie when I get home and then make that the biggest portion on my plate. If they kids don't like the veggies, more for me!

ldyj I don't have any really good suggestions. I don't vary my breakfasts and lunches all that much, I just stick to the things I know and like. Tomorrow I'm meeting a Clay friend for lunch, so who knows what I'll end up eating......I don't have much willpower when it comes to restaurants!

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ldyj - Work can be minefield for me, too. Not only is the cafeteria a problem, but people are always bringing in cookes, candy, donuts, or sweets of any sort. It's hard to resist that stuff, day after day!

Anyway, the thing that has helped me the most is documenting what I eat. Otherwise, it's just too easy to eat something and think that it really didn't have that many calories or fat. And all of those little things add up. I keep track of what I eat on my treo - but the online program that lucky uses does the same thing. You can enter your weight, height, age, level of activity, your goal (how much you want to lose by a specific date) and the program will calculate how many calories to eat a day. Of course, there are days that I eat more than the prescribed number of calories, or I don't eat the right percentage of protein/carbs/fat. But at least I have a goal, and I usually am pretty close to meeting it. Weight watchers - used by Toots - is another way to keep track of what you eat.

I've studied the menu at the cafe at work, and I know what items I can choose from before I go to order lunch. That way I have some variety, but I can stay within the number of calories per day. I never order the desserts there, as they could use up half of my calories for the day in one fell swoop! I also take a number of healthy snacks to work, so that I don't get too hungry during the day. I take soy yogurt, carrots or sweet snap peas, a boiled egg, and maybe a 100-calorie prepackaged bag of cookes or crackers. Then I'm not starving by lunch or dinner, and I can more easily keep from eating too much. Eating more frequently during the day also helps to keep your metabolism up.

For dinner - we put together menus and do our grocery shopping for the weekend on Saturday. It's easier then to decide what to fix when we come home from work. If I have been snacking and drinking plenty of water throughout the day, though, I'm usually not that hungry by supper. If I am, I use a smaller plate, and try to eat something high in fiber to fill me up. Occasionally we will zap a healthy frozen meal in the microwave if we are just too tired to fix something.

I lost 30 pounds about eight years ago, and found that I hit plateaus, too. Once I didn't lose anything for a month and a half, even though I was sticking to my diet and exercise plan! Unfortunately, as you loose weight, you have to decrease the number of calories you eat even more to loose more. And often people have to change their workouts because the body gets used to doing one type of workout and isn't that challenged any more. Is there a different routine you could do at your gym?

Anyway, it's really great to have a place to come and discuss this stuff! It certainly helps with the motivation.

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According to my doctor, I should eat 12 shelled walnuts before my meals - the oil is supposed to reduce cholesterol and their is great protein in it. I was just pulled from cholesterol medication (blocked arteries kills everyone in my family - strokes and heart attacks) so I need to really start eating correctly now.

The best test for fish is your nose - if it smells bleachy - run, that is how they clean up old fish. They are pretty good in my local shopright (his daughter live across the street), I know the owner and he does get upset if something is old, they have a regular shelf clearing and off to charity before the expiration dates. So, I buy a lot of my fish at the shopright, not all fish markets sell fresh either - the one I used to go to closed, sigh.

Hey play,I was going thru these different subjects and found this post from you. I realize this is an old post but I was wondering why they took you off of cholesterol medicine and what brand were you using? I take it also and know it can have an adverse effect on the liver.

Have you been able to control the cholesterol without medication?

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Ok I am here and I'm pretty serious about it...I have high BP and now it seems my medication is not adequate to control it. I had blood tests and it seems my cholesterol and sugar level and all that stuff are in normal range and I went for a stress test and my heart is fine.

the only source of this uncontrolled BP is my gaining 15 to 20 pounds in the last year.

So now I need to get it off and get more off...

SO I started an exercise routine with a friend...and will be recording my meals everyday.

I will simply go on low fat, low cal, high protein diet.

started my routine this morning and the exercise felt good.

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Hey Ansamcw, glad you could join us!

Good for you doing something about your health! My BP was caused by an immeasurable amount of stress in a relatively short time. The 30 lbs I gained didn't help either but in combination it was deadly. Don't know if my mother had it or not! Does your mother or father have high BP. It does tend to be genetic.

What BP medication do you take? I take Lisinopril every day and it keeps my BP controlled. I also eat very little fat, very little meat and try to eat lot's of veggies and fruits. My way of eating is mainly portion control and it really works. As you have probably read here some of us believe in exercise and it's benefits. It's something you have to make time for but the benefits far outweigh the time you have to spend.

Good luck to you, high BP is nothing to fool around with. Those 3 girls are worth more than anything else in this world.

Keep up the good work!

Edited by Toots
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Hey Ansamcw, glad you could join us!

Good for you doing something about your health! My BP was caused by an immeasurable amount of stress in a relatively short time. The 30 lbs I gained didn't help either but in combination it was deadly. Don't know if my mother had it or not! Does your mother or father have high BP. It does tend to be genetic.

What BP medication do you take? I take Lisinopril every day and it keeps my BP controlled. I also eat very little fat, very little meat and try to eat lot's of veggies and fruits. My way of eating is mainly portion control and it really works. As you have probably read here some of us believe in exercise and it's benefits. It's something you have to make time for but the benefits far outweigh the time you have to spend.

Good luck to you, high BP is nothing to fool around with. Those 3 girls are worth more than anything else in this world.

Keep up the good work!

oh yeah high BP is in the family..My younger brother was on medication when he hit his 20's.

My medication right now is adalat...my doctor thinks we just have to change the medication family I use but we will see if the exercising and weight loss will do it.

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Hey, Ansamcw! Great to see you in this thread.

Exercise always makes me feel better, too. It's sometimes difficult to motivate myself to go to the gym, but I feel so much better after I work out. And I have more energy once I've lost a few pounds, too!

Are you going to a gym, or walking, or something else? It's great you have a buddy to work out with (I think you said that you have a workout buddy on the main thread).

Edited by Gibby
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EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I just had come and post to say that I went clothes shopping tonight, and I was able to buy pants in a size 14! It was so exciting.....I used to be an 18, then when I hit 16 I fit back into some of my old clothes and some hand-me-downs I got from my cousin.....but I had nothing in a 14 because it was too many years ago for me to have saved anything.

It's weird, I haven't really lost anything for over a month, but maybe I've built up more muscle, which weighs more than fat? Because last time I went pants shopping I know the 14s did not fit. I wish I had measured myself at the beginning....I just never thought to do that. But I have lost 28 pounds.

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YAY luckiest!!!

right now for exercise my firend and I will do a combination...treadmill and pilates/yoga. We might throw in tae bo too.

Today...I consumed 1505 calories...so is that good or bad. I need to figure that out. I think I went bad on the corn boil I attended. I did put butter on my corn but very very light but I ended up with three ears...oh well. I was good the rest of the day.

ldyJ...have you tried frozen foods like lean cuisine. I think a lot of teachers in our school does that. they are not too expensive and they have some really great flavor and you can see the nutritional content on the package.

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