I know there have been weight loss threads, but I decided to make one of my own.
I'm losin' it and wanted to share some things that are working for me, in case anyone might want to incorporate any of it for themselves. Even if you don't need to lose weight, it's always good to eat healthy. This health craze that Americans are seemingly in these days is a good craze to be in really.
I'm a big fan of Dr. Oz. I think his show is wonderful and I've learned a lot while being thoroughly entertained.
He's so inspiring with his dynamite, uplifting personality and excellent teaching skills.
My new Vita Mix with the 2 h.p. motor has also been hard at work every day. I love making smoothies. As long as there is some fruit, it winds up tasting mostly fruity and isn't too "vegetably." The fruit seems to be dominant. An example (it varies) of a smoothie, which makes two tall glasses (I save one for later) might be:
2-3 florettes of broccoli
a handful of kale
1/3 of a beet
a slice of jicama
a carrot
handful of spinach
an apple
a banana
a lrg. handful of wild blueberries or strawberries
a hunk of tofu
1 lrg TBS of Greek yogurt
some black cherry juice, about 1/2 cup
a splash of orange juice
1 rounded tsp of ground flax seed
I found that my weight, especially over the last winter had crept up to the highest I've ever weighed! (about 35 - 40 lbs over) I never really admitted to myself that I was this bad because I wasn't always over-weight. I was quite fit and athletic as a younger woman. Just over the past few years it's snuck up on me like creeping sludge in one of those horror movies. This was getting out of hand. I finally got so disgusted with my behavior, I decided to do something about it. This was in April, so the first bunch as come off pretty fast. It will probably go slower from here on.
No crash or fad diets for me...no putting myself into starvation mode, which slows down the metabolism. I'm actually changing my way of life without feeling deprived. Something I learned on Dr. Oz is that if you have too much of a pattern of low calories every day and then once every few days, you take in more, (not over the top) it tricks your body into thinking you're not "starving" and your metabolism will keep chugging along at a good rate. If you take in too little for too long, your metabolism slows way down and you stop burning calories as much. (at least until you really are starving, which of course would cause all kinds of chaos)
These smoothies are for one meal, (most every day) maybe two or one can be a snack. So, I don't get sick of them. I have stir fry often, salmon a couple times a week, beans and brown rice, adding lots of chilis and crushed red pepper. (healthy) Home made soups are good too. I've cut out most processed or white flour items. Half my plate will be comprised of veggies, the other /14th carb, the other 1/4th protein. I've cut out all butter, mayo, pastries/cookies, ice cream, cheese except sometimes a sprinkling of parmessan, just a tad. I've cut out almost all processed or prepared foods. Bad news. And I aim for 64 oz of H2o a day.
I will have a day every week or maybe every other week where I'll have what I want, like say, some pizza. And the funny thing is, I don't feel deprived and don't miss those things except once in a great while. And once in a great while is okay to have a small treat. To me, yogurt with blueberries on top is a treat. Or a handful of nuts....very good for you. Pistachios are incredibly good and fun to pick the shell apart with your teeth. They come roasted and partially opened.
I've increased my exercise to include 2.5 to 3 mile, brisk walks every day, plus a little bit of floor exercises and a little on the tread mill in the evening. But a lot of those ab exercises can hurt my bad back, but I'm trying a few that seem okay since that's where most of my fat is.
Yesterday had my blood pressure checked and although it wasn't every really high, it has come way down. It was 111/72. Yeah! I'll have to see if that's a trend though. My bone density is very good and am waiting on some results from other tests. Anyhow, I feel better, but still have more to lose...like about another 20 lbs.
I refuse to pay someone else for me to lose weight, like all those organizations. But if they help other people, more power to them. They're great. I know what to do and this is really not a big deal. You don't have to feel hungry if you fill up on veggies/fruits and other nutritious fiberous stuff, some carbs, some meat or other protein. And pretty soon, those cravings for unhealthy garbage go away.
So, I hope everyone who is working on a healthier life style is succeeding and not feeling deprived, but rather charged up and not just temporarily...that it remains as part of how we live. Feel free to share your tips and successes...would love to hear about them.
I'm losin' it and wanted to share some things that are working for me, in case anyone might want to incorporate any of it for themselves. Even if you don't need to lose weight, it's always good to eat healthy. This health craze that Americans are seemingly in these days is a good craze to be in really.
I'm a big fan of Dr. Oz. I think his show is wonderful and I've learned a lot while being thoroughly entertained.
He's so inspiring with his dynamite, uplifting personality and excellent teaching skills. My new Vita Mix with the 2 h.p. motor has also been hard at work every day. I love making smoothies. As long as there is some fruit, it winds up tasting mostly fruity and isn't too "vegetably." The fruit seems to be dominant. An example (it varies) of a smoothie, which makes two tall glasses (I save one for later) might be:
2-3 florettes of broccoli
a handful of kale
1/3 of a beet
a slice of jicama
a carrot
handful of spinach
an apple
a banana
a lrg. handful of wild blueberries or strawberries
a hunk of tofu
1 lrg TBS of Greek yogurt
some black cherry juice, about 1/2 cup
a splash of orange juice
1 rounded tsp of ground flax seed
I found that my weight, especially over the last winter had crept up to the highest I've ever weighed!
(about 35 - 40 lbs over) I never really admitted to myself that I was this bad because I wasn't always over-weight. I was quite fit and athletic as a younger woman. Just over the past few years it's snuck up on me like creeping sludge in one of those horror movies. This was getting out of hand. I finally got so disgusted with my behavior, I decided to do something about it. This was in April, so the first bunch as come off pretty fast. It will probably go slower from here on. No crash or fad diets for me...no putting myself into starvation mode, which slows down the metabolism. I'm actually changing my way of life without feeling deprived. Something I learned on Dr. Oz is that if you have too much of a pattern of low calories every day and then once every few days, you take in more, (not over the top) it tricks your body into thinking you're not "starving" and your metabolism will keep chugging along at a good rate. If you take in too little for too long, your metabolism slows way down and you stop burning calories as much. (at least until you really are starving, which of course would cause all kinds of chaos)
These smoothies are for one meal, (most every day) maybe two or one can be a snack. So, I don't get sick of them. I have stir fry often, salmon a couple times a week, beans and brown rice, adding lots of chilis and crushed red pepper. (healthy) Home made soups are good too. I've cut out most processed or white flour items. Half my plate will be comprised of veggies, the other /14th carb, the other 1/4th protein. I've cut out all butter, mayo, pastries/cookies, ice cream, cheese except sometimes a sprinkling of parmessan, just a tad. I've cut out almost all processed or prepared foods. Bad news. And I aim for 64 oz of H2o a day.
I will have a day every week or maybe every other week where I'll have what I want, like say, some pizza. And the funny thing is, I don't feel deprived and don't miss those things except once in a great while. And once in a great while is okay to have a small treat. To me, yogurt with blueberries on top is a treat. Or a handful of nuts....very good for you. Pistachios are incredibly good and fun to pick the shell apart with your teeth. They come roasted and partially opened.
I've increased my exercise to include 2.5 to 3 mile, brisk walks every day, plus a little bit of floor exercises and a little on the tread mill in the evening. But a lot of those ab exercises can hurt my bad back, but I'm trying a few that seem okay since that's where most of my fat is.
Yesterday had my blood pressure checked and although it wasn't every really high, it has come way down. It was 111/72. Yeah! I'll have to see if that's a trend though. My bone density is very good and am waiting on some results from other tests. Anyhow, I feel better, but still have more to lose...like about another 20 lbs.
I refuse to pay someone else for me to lose weight, like all those organizations. But if they help other people, more power to them. They're great. I know what to do and this is really not a big deal. You don't have to feel hungry if you fill up on veggies/fruits and other nutritious fiberous stuff, some carbs, some meat or other protein. And pretty soon, those cravings for unhealthy garbage go away.
So, I hope everyone who is working on a healthier life style is succeeding and not feeling deprived, but rather charged up and not just temporarily...that it remains as part of how we live.
Feel free to share your tips and successes...would love to hear about them.
