Hi! I was wondering what you all thought would be the better thing to do to lose weight and get in shape
1- don't really exercise too much, but go on a "diet" - ww or something similar or 2- exerise 5-6 times a week, 30-45 minutes, and eat as you usually do, just limit sweets and snacks as much as possible
just curious! I remember a few years ago when I was on weight watchers, I lost 25 pounds and did very little exercise - just walked the dog once or twice a day...
and for the past year, I've been exercising pretty regularly, but haven't really restricted my eating and have maintained, but not lost anything...
I know the ideal would be to do both, but I wanted to start slowly and see what happens. thanks!
quote:thanks for the sample menu - it does help me - I always feel that if I eat more than three times a day, I'm doing something wrong, but I see that you make really healthy choices (and low points ones, too!)
I suppose some people eat three times a day... I think that if I naturally snack when I'm off the wagon... maybe it is better to naturally snack when I'm on the wagon and just make healthier choices....
We didn't have dessert every night when I was a kid, so that isn't an issue for me and I'm really happy eating really healthy M-F. We do eat desserts on the weekends.
quote:what is miso soup? do you add the canned vegetables to the soup as you are cooking it? it sounds good!
Miso is Japanese soup. I buy the Kikkoman or Trader Joes dry miso soup mix. One package has three servings, but each serving supplies 37% of your days worth of sodium - so I just use half a package. Or chicken, veg or beef broth work.
I usually, put 1.5-2 cups cold broth/water in a pot with 1.5 c. frozen or fresh vegs and heat it until it boils. If I'm really hungry, I'll throw some chunks of tofu or 1/2 c. beans in there... Makes about 4 cups of soup and I eat it all and it is really filling! And I get 3 servings of vegs in...
quote:are you still doing WW? I remember your posts from before when we talked about ww -
Yep, still doing WW. Made lifetime at the beginning of the month. (Yay for me. ) I get all my day to day support on this board. Somebody had a good point... that WW can get some of the credit, but it was me who decided to eat healthy day in and day out.
I'm eating a BUNCH of 20-23 point days this month because I have sooooo many parties and family dinners this month. It is great to have lots family... but takes a bunch of planning. I just copied one of my 20 point days below.
quote:you seem to have found what really works for you!
Also had to mess around and find out what DOESN'T work, too. I'm really sure that 3 meals a day doesn't work for me... I suppose everybody has to discover what doesn't work and what does work for themselves!
Nice to see you again! Congrats on exercising and maintaining for a year!!! That really is an accomplishment. I find it VERY easy to gain weight, and to stay the same takes a lot of thought and planning not to gain 10, 20, 30... lbs in a year!
Denise
This message has been edited. Last edited by: GoingSkiing,
Denise
Posts: 8693 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
thanks for the sample menu - it does help me - I always feel that if I eat more than three times a day, I'm doing something wrong, but I see that you make really healthy choices (and low points ones, too!)
what is miso soup? do you add the canned vegetables to the soup as you are cooking it? it sounds good!
are you still doing WW? I remember your posts from before when we talked about ww - you seem to have found what really works for you! that's great!
quote:Originally posted by PiscesLL: get to three meals a day, no snacks except fruit, and occasional treat hopefully this will take me through the holidays!
I'd go crazy if I didn't snack... I'd eat twice as much at every meal...
Here's kind of what I eat on the days I don't have to go to a dinner or potluck or party or something...
8am - (half of breakfast) ¼ c. dry oatmeal, ½ c. skim milk, 1 c. frozen berries - put all in microwave for 4 mins.,½ t. sugar
11:30am (other half of breakfast) ¼ c. dry oatmeal, ½ c. skim milk, in microwave for 2 mins.,½ t. sugar
Thank you for all your advice - I think that for me, it's always been the snacking that is my downfall - right before halloween I was doing great following a modified version of WW Core program (on my own - not going to meetings) and I was really exercising and feeling great! Then I fell off the wagon and just fell back into the "all or nothing mentality"
then after a week and a half on south beach last week, and realizing that's not for me - I am back to trying to figure out what works.
It's the eating that is harder for me to get under control - I enjoy the exercising (even if it's at 9pm!) so I'm going to 1. get back to working out 2. get to three meals a day, no snacks except fruit, and occasional treat hopefully this will take me through the holidays!
2.) Identify (time, place, food) and eliminate your worst food habit. You don't have to change all of your eating behaviors all at once. After the first bad food habit is eliminated, go on to identify and resolve another one, etc.
In my case, I immediately eliminated a lot of calories, just by quashing my nightly "9PM Cheese And Cracker Party".
I think a lot of this depends on how fast you want to achieve your goals. I started out trying to get the exercise piece going and it took me a good long time (we're talking years here) and lots of starting over to get it going. I believe that my eating wasn't totally out of control most of the time (unbalanced but I wasn't eating 3x the required cals or anything like that) but I was really sedentary. Once I had that going (and I really just started it as a "I know I should do this for my health" sort of reason, not weight loss) then it was relatively easy to step over and start to address eating a more balanced diet. It also meant once I did that, so far the weight loss has been slow and steady for the most part.
Hope that helps. I think that for me (and for lots of us on the board) that trying to do both things all at once was a recipe for 'all or none' thinking from which I was always able to find the 'none' route. Sometimes you have to pick your battles and really doing either thing is better for your health.
The big question is which is easier for YOU?!?! Look at the next two-three weeks and see if it will be easier to fit in exercise or healthier eating. Do you gravitate one way or the other?
Denise
Denise
Posts: 8693 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
First, let me change some words here. "Diet" is not in my vocabulary under any eating plan. WW is a lifetime commitment to heatlhy eating, as is what is suggested here. If you "diet" you are doomed to "die-it". I firmly believe that without the two you can't or will make it harder on yourself. Why not start out with both at a very baby step level? Could you follow your points or whatever, and add a walk in every other day? Or could you eat healthy and do the same with movement. Your body needs to have the food to give you enery and survive. The movement, helps make those calories put to good use. For me, I've lost 40 pounds, and if it weren't for both, in very small baby steps, I wouldn't be that much thinner or healthier.
It's never too late to get it right.
Posts: 3473 | Location: Central USA | Registered: March 11, 2004
For me, I HAVE to have the food in order in order to lose weight. I have found, though, that easing into exercise and some good eating yields that best results. I know that I can starve myself and lose weight without a bit of exericse. I can't maintain that for the rest of my life- or even a month. So, I exercise 3-5 times a week for about 40-70 minutes, try to follow a food plan and I feel good. Any other way and I feel yucky.
How about doing the food program (WW or whatever you want) and adding just 10 minutes walking per day. You can even do it in fromt of the TV!
) I get all my day to day support on this board. Somebody had a good point... that WW can get some of the credit, but it was me who decided to eat healthy day in and day out. 
