<p>I gave up diet pepsi, too. There is nothing of value in it so it’s out. </p>
<p>Just a reminder to weigh in for your baseline if you haven’t already.</p>
<p>Now I’m of the the store to get the ingredients for that chicken asparagus thing i saw on Jan’s Sushi Blog! I’ll let you know how it is!</p>
<p>I actually use a little agave nectar to sweeten my tea or in a glass of water with ice. Who knows, maybe someday I will find out that isn’t good for you, but I am not going to worry about it. I can only worry about so many things LOL!</p>
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<p>I think I meant the excess. If you have high glucose in your blood stream all the time it will damage your organs. We all need some form of sugar because that provides engergy for our body but in our society there are just too much hence we have a diabetes epidemic.</p>
<p>I did try agave nectar but after googling agave nectar side effects, I eliminated from my diet.</p>
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<p>Bingo! Abasket nails it. Do all three of these things and you will very likely lose weight and keep it off. Do any two of them and you might lose some weight, but keeping it off will be struggle. Do only one and you probably won’t lose much weight and any weight you do lose will be gained right back.</p>
<p>^^^
Exactly! And the thing that I like best about this simple formula is that is so doable!! Even if i just go for a walk on a day when i don’t really feel like it or choose a whole wheat bread over something made with refined sugar…those changes add up. That’s what I want this go around. I want to change my eating and activity habits in a way that I can live with and will actually feel better because of. </p>
<p>Thanks, Abasket.</p>
<p>Diet Pepsi is one of my vices. I really don’t have dietary concerns about it, but I DO have bone density concerns. I have really cut back, but it is simply my favorite drink. I am not a coffee drinker, so it was my morning drink of choice. I try to do iced tea whenever possible, but there are times that I crave that Diet Pepsi.</p>
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<p>I am not sure it really is so simple. There have been times in the past where I have eaten fewer calories than I am eating now, and exercising as much if not more, and I did not lose as much weight as I have lost this past year. For me, I believe the most important thing was drastically cutting carbs. I do think that different people’s bodies respond differently to carbs–some people can handle them while some people cannot. For someone whose body responds to carbs by producing/releasing lots of insulin, cutting calories/increasing exercise alone will not result in weight loss.</p>
<p>What helped me last time, and what I am going to start again to get back on track:</p>
<ol>
<li>exercise - I used the elliptical for close to an hour, 3x per week </li>
</ol>
<p>Once I was in better shape, I found my body did not crave the crap foods as much.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Cutting down on bad carbs - most bread, potatoes, rice</p></li>
<li><p>Portion sizes. I ate smaller, more frequent meals. I did not sit down to big meals anymore, and my appetite adjusted.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I think where I got off track was when my mother became terminally ill, I stopped exercising. I also engaged in stress eating, especially in the evening. Previously, I had exercised and not eaten so much.</p>
<p>I had maintained for a few years and just let things get out of hand.</p>
<p>So, MoWC if we stock your refrig with Coke and mine with Pepsi or diet Pepsi, we’re good!</p>
<p>Isn’t it funny how we crave that precise taste. I love when I DO order a coke and the server says, “Is Pepsi okay?” and I think, “NO!” I usually just stick with water at that point.</p>
<p>Tonight we went to a frozen yogurt place after DH finished a bike ride. I am not that fond of frozen yogurt so it isn’t hard to decline. But here’s the thing, it is one of those make your own treat places where the customer fills the cup, puts on topping and weights the whole thing and pays accordingly. The cups are BIG. Even DH who was trying to put in a modest amount had this huge glob of yogurt. He added lots of fruit - but if he had eaten the whole thing, I can’t imagine how much sugar he would have consumed. Now he is 6’3" and weighs about 182/3 so weight is not an issue - but as I watched people fill their cups I KNOW they were thinking it was a pretty healthy treat.</p>
<p>I will drink Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper if I can’t have Diet Pepsi, but I will NOT let a sugared soda touch my lips! This, even if I’m washing down donuts with the diet drink!</p>
<p>I am also a frozen yogurt fan but can’t handle the serve yourself and weigh places. First time I sent WildChild to one of them he spent about $9!!! It’s just too much food. We love Pinkberry which is healthier and has smaller sizes and is served for you. Also has calorie counts for all toppings.</p>
<p>4 key to losing weight+ gaining muscle </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Nutrition nutrition nutrition- Cut out all sugar, bad carbs, and eating out!!! By not eating out you are saving yourself a ton of grief of heavy calories. When you make your own food you can better track what you put in it. You also save a TON of money. </p></li>
<li><p>High Protein diet for 2 weeks can cut your waste line significantly. When you go into a High protein diet ala atkins or south beach diet. You go into a state of ketosis- in which your body starts burning Fat stored in your butt and mid-region instead of carbohydrates you consume during the same. — Hemp protein might also help here. It works better than Whey in my tries while muscle building.</p></li>
<li><p>Portion sizes- eat 3 balanced meals. Breakfast staple- Non-Fat yogurt and EGGS!! are best Lunch- A nice turkey wrap and dinner- steak or salmon or chicken is usually a good menu. Have snacks in between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. But DO NOT EAT AFTER 9!!!</p></li>
<li><p>Exercise- I left this for last because losing weight is a numbers game. You take your current weight and multiple it by 10 and that is the amount of calories your body burn. This is an estimated that is relatively close to the actual amount. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>[BMR</a> Calculator](<a href=“http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/]BMR”>BMR Calculator) is an more accurate measure if your curious.</p>
<p>then add in a certain percentage for activity level and digestion level. Digestion is normally 10% and sitting all day is about 20% </p>
<p>So for example- For me 165 pounds it would be BMR= 1650 * .1 + 1650 * .2 + 1650=2145</p>
<p>So to lose let say 30 pounds in 6 months ; that’s approximately 1.15 pounds (4,025 calories) of fat in per week or 575 fewer calories each day. So you either eat 575 fewer calories or maintain a daily exercise routine that will burn up 575 calories per day.</p>
<p>So exercise is a numbers game. It also is good to tackle the weight loss issue head on from both angles but it can be done through nutrition only. However if you want to gain muscle you obviously need to work out. </p>
<p>P90x could be a good motivation tool but it is a bit extreme if your out of shape.</p>
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<p>It is really that simple. You were doing two of the three and not losing much weight, but when you added the third: eating healthier, which in your case meant cutting carbs, you lost weight. You actually confirm the simplicity of the three actions formula.</p>
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<p>I’m exactly the same except my primary drink is Diet Dr. Pepper not Diet Pepsi.</p>
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<p>Well, I guess it depends on how specifically you think about “healthier.” I was not eating junk–I was eating mostly low-fat, low-calorie breads and cereals, dairy (especially yogurt and reduced-fat cheeses), and fruit. Very little meat; what meat I did eat was super-lean turkey or chicken. Junk food mostly limited to pretzels and baked potato chips. And I just could not lose weight. By most people’s definition, what I eat mostly now is not healthier–I eat much more red meat, a lot of eggs, and almonds or walnuts for snacks. So if you want to say “healthier” is whatever foods help you lose wieght, that’s fine–but for me that makes a cheeseburger (no bun) healthier than a plain baked potato or a low-calorie slice of toast, and I don’t think that matches most people’s understanding of “healthier.”</p>
<p>^^You’re right, I would not consider what looks like a fairly strict Atkins-type diet to be “healthier.” And I also don’t think it’s a good way to achieve sustained weight loss. </p>
<p>Every person I’ve met who tried one of the of the very low carb diets successfully lost weight. But I have yet to meet a single one of them who managed to stick with it for much more than about about a year at the most. Then they start eating carbs again and gain it all back. A diet that low in carbs is just not sustainable. </p>
<p>My own sister had pretty good results with the Atkins diet. Lost a lot of weight. But she but she gave it up when her hair started falling out in handfuls.</p>
<p>I look at food through the nutritional value lens (protein, essential minerals and vitamins, unsaturated fats, and fiber). I do not think that a bag of sugar-free cookies and a slice of Wonderbread have more nutritional value than a grilled lean meat patty with some melted cheese on the top. On the other hand, I do not subscribe to the theory that one should lay off all sources of carbs. I run, therefore I have to have carbs. But I learned to pick reasonable sources of carbs, and in moderate amounts. A slice of toast in the morning with my eggs, yogurt, berries and cofee is a must, so are beans, sweet potato, buckwheat or barley pilaf, or quinoa with my dinner instead of white rice or pasta. For me, these choices are easy: I do not crave junk food or sweets (I personally think that Oreos are disgusting, Snickers bars are made of sweetened drywall mud, and Pringles chips are inedible, and please do not even ask me what I think about Doritos :)). Artisan breads are my downfall, so I have to control that part, but that is not really hard. One more mportant factor for me is that I never let myself go hungry, but I stop eating as soon as I feel full. I think these are sustainable eating habits, and it has been more than a year since I parted with about 30 lb of weight.</p>
<p>Thanks for the BMR calculator, peterr86.</p>
<p>okay, true confession, youngest s was leaving for a month long program so we went to a Japanese buffet last night. I knew it was a mistake for me, but signed on anyway. finding summer harder to stay on track with kids home, watching movies, snacking in front of me…sounds so silly when I write it but feels tough while it’s happening. anyway, I will let it be a slip and not a full blown relapse. anyone relate?</p>
<p>I’ve been out of town attending 2 weedings 2 weekends in a row, and am about to head to a resort for a few days. And I have a leg injury which is impeding exercising and even walking. So yes, I relate.</p>
<p>Slight favor-- can people consider not using new screennames? It gets hard to follow who one is talking to. And I am not sure multi registrations is ok.</p>