Welcome raclut and hoosiermom! Please share with us your accomplishments and we’ll root for you!
I started the new year with a 6.5 mile run early this morning. It was crisp, I was dressed just right, and had a 6 mph pace – which is excellent for me (lately I’ve been really slow). I was so glad to be that speedy and to feel good about it. Then I went for a long walk on the beach with friends.
I would love to cut sugar from my diet for just one month. Heck, I wish I had the willpower to do it for a week. I was with a friend this weekend who has more willpower than anyone I know. Her diet for years has seemed boring and one-note to me, but when she realized her blood sugar numbers were heading into pre-diabetic range, she cut all sugar from her diet overnight. And hasn’t looked back.
Welcome raclut and hoosiermom. Lots of resources and knowledgeable people here. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might have, share your experiences, both your successes and slips, and enjoy the supportive camaraderie!
When I joined this thread, I had no idea I would stick around for so long. Wow, seven years later, I am still here. A few practical points that worked well for me. Not saying that everyone has to do the same, just giving you some examples…
Clean eating. One approach is to identify the foods that are like “opiates for the masses” for you and get rid of them. Like going full cold turkey. I made sure there was no bread in the house - knowing myself well, I could not trust myself to keep it easily available. I did not track my food, but I developed a habit of asking myself before taking each first bite: why am I eating this? When you pause and think, junk will become less appetizing. The so called Okinawa diet helped, too. Basically, it is not a diet - it is a rule that says stop eating when you first begin to feel full. Your stomach receptors react to stretching of the stomach walls and tell you that there is enough food in there to get you through until the next meal. Trust them. Go for quality, not quantity. If you want chocolate, by a box of expensive truffles. Psychologically, it is much easier to gorge on a $3 pound of M&Ms than on a $30 pound of handmade Euro chocolates.
Exercise. Develop a routine and try to stick to it. Allocating a time of the day when you are usually not busy with other stuff or not distracted by family etc. is a good idea. Start small and do not get discouraged if you can’t achieve what you think you should be doing by then. It took a while for me to get to the point to be able to run half a mile without gasping for air like a fish out of water… I kept doing these small runs until I could run without dropping dead at the end, then moved to a longer distance. The following distances became much easier! Find an exercise buddy. A Fitbit works like a good buddy for me. Identify the activities that you do not hate. You might not enjoy them right away, but if you hate something, you will much less likely continue with it. It does not have to be running, like it is for me. Just something that does not put you off. For example, I will never join a ball sport team (hate those games) or cycle (bike seats are painful).
And most importantly, come here and post regularly. It will keep your accountable to yourself! Post no matter how small the achievement is!
Agree @BunsenBurner. Although my eating isn’t perfect, the key for me is to find something you like to do. And liking something may take time. I didn’t start loving running in fact, sometimes I still don’t love it. But I keep plugging on, slowly and surely. I used to and still love to walk, I could walk all the time. But it got to be where I loved food more and needed to step it up. And sweat, and raise my heart rate. Those are really important.
Little things I do. I like to golf and it’s a struggle when everyone else is in a cart, but I try and walk. I park in a far away spot, it’s a stupid game for me, I need to find a spot I can pull through.
I try to find something to do in every season, now I snowshoe and XC ski. It’s not that bad once you warm up and have the right clothes.
I’ve done treadmill, elliptical, stationary bikes, and weights. I was in a car accident in 2016 and stopped exercising due to some injuries but I am starting again by going for walks and adding more things as I get stronger. I try not to keep things in the house that are tempting. I used to be addicted to soda but stopped drinking it 3 years ago. I stick with green tea without any sugar and water with lemon. I know if I continue forward I will thank myself later in spring. It is a matter of making time for myself a priority. I need to work on flexibility and specifically leg strengthening.
Welcome newcomers! I started on this thread when I was in the middle of the couch to 5K program, and last year I completed 6 half-marathons. This thread helped a ton, getting me over the obstacles that inevitably crop up.
Walked/ran 5 miles this morning down by the harbor. I’m still a bit startled when my new fitbit does the 10,000 step happy dance. I think I’ve only hit it twice since I got the fitbit for Christmas. I need to try to hit it more days than not from now on!
Sad news on our doggie - we said goodbye to him yesterday morning. The vet’s best guess was a brain tumor, which I did not realize are somewhat common in older dogs. The house is quiet.
Here’s hoping for a wonderful, healthy, nutritious & active 2017 for all of us!
So, so sad about your dog Gertrude. Such a tough thing to go through. Hugs to you.
@raclut sounds like you are no stranger to exercise. Maybe make a January goal - something that will push you to be accountable but something attainable. If you can enter February or March still exercising - that will be key.
Hi, I have a question – @raclut just reminded me. I often hear about people cutting soda out of their diets to lose weight or maintain their current, desired weight (etc). I love Coke Zero. It’s a no-calorie soda; why do people talk about cutting soda from their diets rather than switching to sugar-free versions? Is there something I’m missing? Thanks. This question is especially for you experienced pros like @BunsenBurner@abasket et al, those who know what they’re talking about.
I have nervous energy tonight! Watching the Lions v Packers. Would love to see the Lions win for once. I know @abasket is rooting for her Packers. But geez can’t the Lions get a break once every 20 years or so.
That Coke Zero gets its “sweet” taste from something - some type of artificial sweetner. There are many studies that point to the negatives of artificial sweetners including possible weight gain and/or less weight loss. Drinking artificially sweetened drinks still also makes you crave “sweet” - which often translates into reaching for other sweets.
Others can probably share more/better info. I’m not a sugar free or sugar full soda fan - one thing I have never had in my diet!
I just made a personal decision to cut soda even diet soda after reading about all the chemicals in it. My teeth thank me for it as they are much whiter. Personally I find soda very addictive and at work it was freely available in the pantry. For me it is one thing I probably save money on since I no longer buy it and it was not adding any nutritional value for me. If it is not in the house I am not going to be drinking it. Now I find the taste odd since I haven’t had it in a long time.
@deb922 - no doubt rooting for the Packers! But I have a family full of Lion lovers so thrilled that Washington lost so that this game is not QUITE so important. Both teams (as I understand it) will be going to the playoffs! My brother is 60 and has been a Lions fan all his life - has NEVER seen them win a Super Bowl!
I quit the diet soda after my heart attack – it was part of a routine that involved soda and unhealthy food.
Saw a 30-day challenge on FB where you don’t have chips, potatoes, ice cream, fast food, fried food, chocolate, white bread, soda/juice, cake/donuts and cookies/candy. I think it’ll be a good way to get back into healthy habits and it’s doable. It’s stuff I need to avoid anyway.
To follow up on the Coke Zero and other “diet” sodas that use artificial sweeteners, there is a lot of research which has found that artificial sweeteners result in weight gain. This happens through two processes. There’s a brain chemical reaction that occurs when artificial sweetners that have no calories are consumed. The brain “expects” calories from the sweet tasting “food”. When the calories aren’t there, the brain triggers a chemical response that causes a person to seek out more food to get the calories that were expected from the sweet taste of the artificial sweetener. Conversely, the missing caloric content from artificial sweetners can also trigger a brain response to reduce physical activity. So the consumption of diet soda can contribute to weight and fat gain by triggering a response to eat more to take in more calories or to reduce activity thereby decreasing energy expenditure. Serious about losing weight and body fat, then cut out all sodas. Anyway you cut it, soda is devoid of nutrients and either presents empty calories from sugar or promotes over eating due to artificial sweetners.
I like diet sodas and never felt they caused weight gian for me. That said, they are full of nasty chemicals and the colas are bad for bone density in females, and that is an issue for me. I still have about 3 a week, which my bone doctor said is fine. I just really like them. I try to drink iced tea when it is a good option- or hot tea.
So sorry, Gertrude. It’s just painful to say goodbye to our dear animal friends.
The Hoka Bondi 5 (newest Bondi) is excellent and has much needed improvement in outsole durability. Nice add to my collection! Raced yesterday in the Topo Ultrafly. I’m still liking them a lot.
Talk about chemicals, I once was rebuilding a 1951 Harley Davidson. Had a bunch of nuts and bolts that were frozen together. Put them in a glass of Coke to free them up. Forgot about them and let them sit overnight. Next morning, the nuts and bolts were destroyed, corroded beyond use. And you want to put that crap through your intestinal tract? Might as well drink Draino :D.
