Also wanted to add that I love summer fruits, so have a house full of peaches, mangoes, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, etc. I get tired of eating just fruit, so do make smoothies at times as well, and just had one for breakfast. Yum! We are having some work done at the house and my longtime contractor got me into the fruit smoothies, so I make him one when he and I are both here as well.
Fruit is good - but summer vegetables will come in at a much lower calorie and “sugar” count. Fruit should still be in limited quantities.
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/fruit-portion-sizes/
I often choose to just keep 2-3 fruits on hand at a time to ensure they don’t go to waste, that no one in the house OD’s over fruit and to keep variety through the summer.
However, “go bananas” on eating fresh tomatoes, pepper slices, cucumbers, greens, etc.!
Was just having this discussion with the contractor. He says in the morning before he starts work he fills up on blended veggies (beets, radishes with the greens, kale, spinach, cukes and I forget what else-- I’ll have to ask. I was out picking my crop of cherry tomatoes as we chatted, so those can go in too. Made me want to make gazpacho!!
Interesting article popped up in the food tracker site today http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1011289-health-benefits-dash-diet-9-delicious-recipes/
Has anyone followed it?
Flag Day and the fifth anniversary of my joining this thread. I still credit it with being the major factor in my weight loss and health regime. Regretfully I’ve gained back half of the 50 pounds that I lost in the first year. My problem was the broken ankle in summer 2013 and some high stresses during the rest of that year. Well, technically my problem was losing my self control. By 2014 my weight and blood sugar both started rising again.
Truthfully I am somewhat relieved that I haven’t gained back more; I know statistics are against maintaining long term loss. And my habits have slipped, although I’m keeping up with many of the changes. Also my overall stamina and strength are still above what they were when I started, especially after my refresher PT earlier this year. Due to foot bunions etc., I have issues with extensive walking, and running will never work for me.
I’ve been going through my own posts for inspiration to start fresh today and re-implement the “portion control, exercise, and self control” that served me so well. I know my changes (intended to be life long) absolutely worked for me for two years. So here I go again!
I will bet I will be so active in my month in Switzerland that I will tone up and maybe lose a couple of lbs. Had a wonderful job interview on Monday - so if that job comes through, I will have a great work day structure (I do well with losing weight with active mind and body at work).
One of my friends talked about Swiss chocolate, and honestly I cannot gain weight there - my clothes are already tight. Hate to stick out like the overweight American that I am…
Being fed and housed by family (both parents are from Switzerland) and some friends that live there. It will be great seeing everyone. This is my 5th trip to Switzerland (first one was when I was 12), but my last trip was 18 years ago - and since then I have had a lot of chemo in stage III disease but am cancer free 6 years now. Will see if my first language comes back to me. On previous trips, it was like a switch was flipped in my brain and I was thinking and speaking in the Swiss language.
Doing great here. Motivated both exercise and food wise. And, no, I am not running. Anywhere. Ever. LOL.
Hang in there ladies!
Marilyn,
Wow- 5 years! Time flies! You should be proud of the behavioral and dietary changes you have adopted. That is wonderful. It is hard to do this stuff, and we should all be proud of what we have accomplished, even if we are inconsistent or have periodic human flaws. The point is that you are aware of it, desire to keep an eye on it and are motivated to be attentive to your health and well being. You get an “A” for effort, regardless of the outcome. You ARE an inspiration. You have lost weight and will lose weight again. Hang in there. You can do what is right for you.
For me, I have kicked up the frequency of exercising. I’ve been less careful about the food intake, partially because we have hosted a party, had leftovers, and have had some new appliances coming and going that have had our food moved up and down more than once to the regular vs basement fridge, so getting stuff to prepare has been less convenient. And DH brings home leftovers from lunch and dinner meetings. And while they are certainly not the mainstay of my diet, I love summer fruits and have a variety in the house. I kinda got sick of hard boiled eggs for a while, after using that cool microwave egg cooker we all raved about in another thread!
So for right now I am proud of my increased frequency of exercise. I can run farther before stopping to walk, and can go farther and/or faster. I vary the pace, but look at the overall time and distance, both on the treadmill and out on the trails with friends or DH. I also do some weight stuff, upper body or leg stuff, and am not feeling sore, which is good for me.
Because I can cover a 5k distance (walk/run), DH has been gently “pushing” me to do one. Its something I am really interested in. If the time ever comes when I consider it (doubtful) it won’t be when the temperature approaches the triple digits. But its not something I aspire to do. Just like he doesn’t like beets, I don’t like exercise. I do it because its a good thing to do. Now, if only I can get him to eat beets… then again, he might try to get me to eat liver… eeewww =P~
Marilyn- I’m proud of you.
Jym626- you too. Both of you have worked hard to change your exercise and eating patterns.
I know my major downfalls. I am never going to love exercise. I need to add more of it to my life just from a mobility standpoint. Due to some structural issues I need to be in the best shape I can be to age well. I want to be able to travel and don’t want to limit where I can go based on my physical capabilities.
I know I need to join a gym or some sort of organized fitness class.
oops typo above. A 5k is not something I am really interested in. Just not. I don’t look forward to working out. Doubt that will change.
Thanks for the support and encouragement, @mom60. Personally, I am not one for organized classes. Have done them in the past, but its been a long time. At present I like to go when either I am meeting a friend at the gym, or when it fits in my schedule. If you do a class, please report back. Good luck. You can do it!!
Vacation time in Switzerland - getting a lot of walking in. Eating healthy but very well. Not worrying about losing or gaining weight. With all the walking, clothes are fitting better. Having a marvelous time.
Way to go,@SOSConcern. Enjoy!
Am trying to cut back on evening snacking. That has been my downfall. But I am exercising more. Took today off, but did yesterday and am meeting a friend at the river trail in the morning. How is everyone else doing?
Hi ladies and gents, I am back after a fun year of travel and last kid graduating from college. I have not been focusing on exercise or watching my eating and poof … 10 pounds showed up on me. I guess at 52 I have lost my free metabolism. I don’t mind the curves, but I suspect the extra pounds don’t add up to terrific cholesterol.
I am sorry I have been gone, but it turns out I need this thread more than I realized. Here’s to Marilyn (5 years on this thread) and Jym and abasket and others that have continued to stick with it. Awesome inspiration.
Welcome back, @SnowflakeVT !! We are here for support and encouragement.
Welcome back to our civil discourse everyone! The local paper today reprinted an article by Roberto A. Ferdman - “Why You Eat so Much”. I can’t link because I’ve used up my free Washington Post articles for the month - it originally appeared there in January. It’s not information we haven’t already discussed in this thread and refers back to some older studies. One major point was that memory plays a large part in determining how much we eat - if you don’t remember what you ate in the last days, you might eat more than you think.
The article also talked about mindful eating, and about all the inputs that can cause you to eat more than you think. Merely paying attention to your meal instead of reading or watching TV (both of which I always do) can help you control what you’re eating. We’re also influenced by those around us - such as ordering more food when the waiter is overweight. Or if the person in front of you in a buffet line takes a lot of food, you’re more likely to do the same. But in the end,
Does that mean we should eat more like cats do? =^.^=
Hanging in there. I’m on one of those famous plateaus while my body figures things out. Going to the gym 3-4 times a week is my priority right now. Getting it done! One calorie, one plank, one salsa step at a time. 
I had been doing pretty well the past few days and had shed a few lbs. Was also out on the trail with a friend this morning who pushed me more than I’d expected. So was doing well… until DH came home with a chocolate raspberry mousse cake slice from Capital Grille tonight!
Enjoy it and do a longer hike tomorrow!