<p>Wheat grass…reminds me of when Trace Adkins was on The Apprentice.</p>
<p>I am at my best when I am exercising regularly and sticking to natural foods. If I cut back on exercising, I eat more, not less. </p>
<p>My primary form of exercise is racewalking - and for those of you who can’t run or don’t like to run, it may look silly but it is a very time efficient way of burning calories and staying in shape. If anyone is interested, i will help you get started.</p>
<p>One way to make treadmills, stairmaster, rowing machines, etc. more enjoyable is Netflix! I consider my Netflix subscription part of my exercise budget. I either watch movies in half hour increments, or rent TV seasons one disc at a time. I make sure to get something I really want to watch; I have learned that stuff I just SHOULD watch means I avoid the exercise equipment.</p>
<p>Thanks Sabaray! I’m also here looking for inspiration. Health problems have also pushed me in to the overweight group. I used to play competitive tennis but suffered a life threatening health scare during a match several years ago. Since then I have been cleared for exercise but mentally unable to really push myself athletically. On came the pounds. This past year I had knee surgery and I am still limping around in discomfort. I am hoping to really modify my diet and try some biking to see if that helps. I will keep checking in here looking for some accountability. My plan is to reduce portion sizes and try to limit sugars and carbs. Wish me luck! I’m also hoping some of you can post links or recipes for some delicious low fat, low carb and low sugar meals. Good Luck to all as we face this challenge together!!!</p>
<p>A good starting point if you’re serious about changing your eating habits is to find a moment of strength and go through the kitchen and donate, give away, or throw out any food that shouldn’t be part of your new regimen. Don’t worry about what the food might have cost - it’ll ‘cost’ you more if you eat it. Get rid of it all at once. Most people will hit times (like late at night) when they’re hit with the hunger gremlins and go on the prowl in the kitchen but if the food’s not there they don’t eat it.</p>
<p>It’s also very helpful if the other members of the household support or better yet, embrace the changed eating habits. When one partner tries to control their food intake but the other partner still wants to eat ice cream and chips, it can make it very tough on the one trying to change their habits. Even if the partner doesn’t need or want to lose weight hopefully they’ll show enough respect for their partner to not derail them by insisting on having these banned foods in the house.</p>
<p>I admire those of you who can stick with indoor trainers, whether ellipticals or treadmill. I find them way too boring. Luckily I live where I can hike or ride my bike 365 days a year.</p>
<p>Exercising does make me lose weight, but I have to do **a lot ** of it to get the weight loss. To keep the weight off, though, I need to cut down on calories.</p>
<p>There have been several studies on yoga and weight loss. It’s not really a direct relationship – yoga doesn’t burn that many calories. What it will do is give you more awareness of all that’s going on with your body, which makes you less inclined to eat junk or to overeat. It also lowers the…ugh, forgot the name of it… the hormone? enzyme? that accumulates in the body due to stress which leads to belly fat.</p>
<p>I know several people who have lost weight and kept it off using Weight Watchers. My friend lost about 40 pounds in the past year and is eating much more healthily because she follows the WW recipes. She’s even had me over for dinner and I must say it was very tasty. I didn’t feel the least deprived.</p>
<p>I also hate the treadmill and if that was the only machine, I’d never exercise. I like the elliptical, the stair climber, and the reclining bike (good for reading with). I’ve found that even if I only do it for 10 minutes, I feel good. Then, I’m warmed up and it’s easy to do a few dumbbell lifts, even a few abdominal floor things. I also do my yoga routine after. It’s much more satisfying to do after your body’s warmed up.</p>
<p>The main thing that doing yoga has given me is a friendly relationship with my body. It really feels good to do, when you’re doing it, so it’s not a chore. Afterwards, I feel like I’ve gotten a massage and I feel all loose and tingly.</p>
<p>Both H and I lost 20 lb each since we did a few modifications to our lifestyle this past summer. My goal was to lose 10 lb, but I’m not complaining about overshooting my target - there are some fun clothes that come in size small! Here is what we did:</p>
<ol>
<li>Got rid of the “dinner plates”. From now on, we eat all meals off of “salad” plates, like people in Europe do.</li>
<li>Deleted all white bread and sweets (except dark chocolate) from our diet, and replaced butter with olive oil. No more sugary drinks or anyhting that has that infamous high fructose corn syrup; all juice gets diluted with water 50-50. A glass of wine is OK once in a while. OK, maybe more often than that :)</li>
<li>Still eat plenty of dairy, whole grain breads and lean meat, but limit red meat to maybe once or twice a week. Afternoon meals have to have vegetable(s) as the main ingredient.</li>
<li>Still eat our 2000 calories, but ramped up our exercise and are now running 3-5K 5-6 times per week, rain or shine, and doing weight-bearing exercises (we run in the evening after we get back home from work). Frankly, I feel much less hungry after a run than before it.</li>
<li>We almost never eat out. I cook daily and pack our lunches. This way, we know that we are not eating “mystery ingredients”. We do not buy junk food “snacks” - an apple or a handful of nuts is the best snack.</li>
</ol>
<p>Here is the funny part - DD told me a couple of days ago, “Mom. Your fridge sucks!” “What’s wrong with it?” “It looks like an old fart’s fridge! There is nothing good in there - it is all healthy, organic crap!” I’m proud to be an old and fit fart ;)</p>
<p>Great thread! Weight is not my issue (although I could lose a few pounds) but I hate to exercise. I’m not sure how to quote but MISSYPIE wrote:</p>
<p>I really hate exercising, really hate running. I’m very unathletic, so I’ve never found a sport I enjoy. Exercise is sheer drudgery, plain and simple. </p>
<p>Sounds like me! Motivation is really key (quite simply, I’m not) and I really need to exercise for health issues. A few months ago a friend and I joined a gym together, came up with a routine and worked out 4-5x a week (more than I’ve ever worked out) for about a month. Then life got busy and first my friend couldn’t find the time and then I injured my hand. My goal for 2010 is to get back to exercising…I think I need two buddies so if one’s not available, I’ve got a spare since I’m not motivated on my own!</p>
<p>hmom5, congratulations. It sounds like you’ve made a dramatic change in your lifestyle. IMO, that’s what it’s all about – not losing weight, or being able to benchpress 200 pounds, but being fit, limber, and healthy.</p>
<p>“Here is the funny part - DD told me a couple of days ago, “Mom. Your fridge sucks!” “What’s wrong with it?” “It looks like an old fart’s fridge! There is nothing good in there - it is all healthy, organic crap!” I’m proud to be an old and fit fart”</p>
<p>LOL, my DS said basically the same thing recently. Fruits, yogurt, veggies, hummus. We’ve slipped during the holidays though and because I STILL buy him stuff when he comes home…which means that I end up eating it too. </p>
<p>Missypie, your description of the fancy food types fit us pretty good (when DS is in college of course). We went from eating out or getting takeout 2/3 times per week to once per week…and have used the extra $ to upgrade our food budget. Scallops, shrimp, fancy fresh fish (in small portions) and lots of roasted veggies. No burgers. No fast food at all. Home-cooked stuff. If we’re short on time, I stick organic chicken in a crockpot with lots of veggies and organic tomato sauce. Yum. And I don’t miss eating out and wondering what is in my food…</p>
<p>I’m definitely a fan of the “fancy food” diet plan. S is headed off for the weekend but D and H would definitely be on board with it. I think that’s today’s project - planning out a week of meals and snacks. </p>
<p>toneranger, when the kids are gone I do a similar low-fat chicken soup in my crockpot- organic chicken, black beans, Mexican tomatoes, green chilis and salsa. If you absolutely must it can be served over baked tortilla chips for some texture.</p>
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<p>My H has food issues dating from childhood that only years of therapy could possibly cure. Besides all the other issues that I won’t go into, if it’s cheap, he’ll buy it. A few months ago, DING DONGS were on sale and he had a coupon, so we had Ding Dongs in the house because they were almost free. He buys all the horrible processed stuff off the sale bin. He buys little fresh food because you can’t keep that in the house for two years and still eat it. (We’ve had a GIANT can of green chiles in the house for about 5 years.)</p>
<p>About once a year, I do a food purge when he’s not at home…this year I pitched about 5 garbage bags of candy, etc. (I took it to the school dumpster because he goes through the trash. This summer one of our kids threw away 3 fast food chicken nuggets, in the garage trash. They spent the night in a hot garage and the next morning the dug them out of the trash and ate them. See what I mean about needing a psychologist?)</p>
<p>hey sabaray, that crock pot concoction sounds great. </p>
<p>When rushed, I also use organic chic thighs with TJS peach salsa and some chopped red/yellow peppers. Shred the chicken when done, drain some of the juice so it’s not so sloppy and serve in wheat tortillas with a small amount of avocado and light sour cream. Only problem is that it’s so yummy that you want to eat too much! We should start a light healthy meals thread…or is there one already out there. If so, maybe we should refresh it!</p>
<p>For example, Wegmans sells outstanding fresh scallops. I smear them with aged balasmic vinegar and garlic and brown them in a pan. Tasty, healthy, and very easy!</p>
<p>I’m so glad this thread was created. I have to have to have to address my fitness/wellbeing. I have 40 lbs to lose and have almost completely stopped exercizing. Several years ago, I dropped almost 25 lbs doing WW and walked 90 minutes about 5 times a week. But I never met my goal and it’s all back now. WW really helped me on portion control and accountability. For instance, one glass of wine doesn’t mean the same thing if you drink two glasses worth but out of the same glass. 
I’m fortunate to live in an area where walking is very accessible: we have lots of sidewalks and trails in the neighborhood. And I belong to a gym, but I find it discouraging as it’s so packed with the superfit and buff. I can only display a six-pack if it contains beer.</p>
<p>I don’t think the elliptical requires any coordination. You put your feet on the pedals and you move them! If there are arm levers, you can use them or not.</p>
<p>A treadmill does, though 
I can cross country ski (skate or classic, with good balance and glide). But I can’t run on a treadmill without nearly falling off. I have learned the hard way to only walk when a treadmill is the most convenient machine for exercising…</p>
<p>Agreed with MOWC on the elliptical. If I can do it anyone can. I’ve also found my iPod to be a great motivator while exercising. Nothing like music from my college days to make me think I’m young and fit again! </p>
<p>The Discovery Health website is offering a “National Body Challenge” for 2010. It’s an eight-week challenge that offers workout plans, menus, recipes, you name it. Also allows you to track your progress and set goals. Best part? It’s free. Might be worth exploring for those of us with some excess poundage to lose.</p>
<p>I guess the big problem with the elliptical is that I can’t do it while reading. It’s just so boring!!! I don’t have an ipod. The TVs at the gym are set to cnn, fox news and espn. (It must be a contractual requirement because I went last year during the Super Bowl and they didn’t even have the Super Bowl on.)</p>
<p>Another vote for the ipod to help make boring machines tolerable and to amp up your workout. I spent a considerable amount of time developing a playlist for exercise and I love it. It’s time to add some new material though.
I lost 5 lbs after doing yoga for about a month (when I started). I was doing it three times per week though and have since reduced.
The National Challenge sounds cool…I’ll check it out. I also got a couple of neat organic and healthy cookbooks for Christmas. I’m ready!!!
I can run on a treadmill and actually kind of like it, but my knee hurts :(</p>