Whats your BMI?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Lately we are becoming more aware of weight and how it affects not only health, but the bottom :wink: line</p>

<p>[oh thats just muscle](<a href=“http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/”>http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/&lt;/a&gt;)
isn’t it?</p>

<p>[extra</a> weight contributes to higher health costs and lower paychecks](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/business/02money.html?ex=1171515600&en=5bd8a430afb248c7&ei=5070]extra”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/business/02money.html?ex=1171515600&en=5bd8a430afb248c7&ei=5070)</p>

<p>I was pretty slender for many years, but put on weight after a few kids plus, working where eating was a social activity, ( as many offices are) and where if you didn’t look like everyone else, it seemed to be a criticism didn’t help.</p>

<p>Anyway- I now feel better and look better than I did 10 years ago, and I think it helps that in my area, healthy activity is encouraged- even if it rains all the time .</p>

<p>However I realize, that when all those around you, eat a certain way, which perhaps encourages overweight, it can be very difficult to be different.
[Fat advocacy on campus](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/fashion/26fat.html?ex=1171515600&en=dbd77d8e5a89be45&ei=5070”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/fashion/26fat.html?ex=1171515600&en=dbd77d8e5a89be45&ei=5070&lt;/a&gt;)
Some people, also have decided to stop fighting the battle with weight & embrace it.
Something that I feel is disturbing.
Its one thing if you are built larger than average, but are still active and it doesn’t interfere with your activities, but to see people, for example young women, limiting their choices, because they don’t like walking or getting out of breath, is really sad.
Yes it is an appearance issue, but its also a health issue,the obese may not feel their health is impacted too much when they are 25, but I can tell you they will when they are 35 and 45.</p>

<p>[not to say that I am not concerned about children getting letters sent home about their potential chubbiness](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/health/08obesity.html?ex=1171515600&en=e3cb367ded752e30&ei=5070”>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/health/08obesity.html?ex=1171515600&en=e3cb367ded752e30&ei=5070&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>But - and I only speak for myself, when I really started to recognize that I deserved to take care of myself- & it was ok to take time to exercise so that I could have more energy for “fun” things, then losing weight came easily.</p>

<p>I admit I never had to deal with some of the obstacles that some do, I do the grocery shopping, I had only put on a few ( 30) extra lbs not 70
( but hey I am short- 30 lbs is a lot)- and while over the years I had experienced sabotage by especially my husband ( why do men bring their wives cartons of haagen dazs when they know they are trying to cut down on empty calories?)this last time, I developed a backbone, and wasn’t afraid to say no to people pushing things at me.</p>

<p>It isn’t a choice between being anorexic and being obese. I realize some are too worried about maintaining their size zero ( that is just silly for people over 5’2")-but for most people, the unhealthy side of the scale tips toward overweight, and that includes our kids-not the chubbiness that they outgrow, but when the eating patterns that they will mimic, wont let them outgrow it.</p>

<p>I know that many on CC are already active- Im not talking to you :slight_smile:
but I wanted to encourage those who are just thinking about it- to get up and do it. IT really makes you feel a lot better- you just have to stick with it.
And the feedback is great :D</p>

2

<p>Yay!!! Can we start a weight-loss // exercise // health support thread? I have also gained 40 lbs over the past 10 years, and am definitely heading towards diabetes. If you saw me, you wouldn’t think I was grossly overweight, as I am 5’6", but I am quite unhappy with myself. :(</p>

3

<p>Im all for a support thread- Im not big on meetings, particulary as those things usually backfire because I go * look at them- Im not that bad*</p>

<p>I think my mom is prediabetic- she already has been on meds that have neuropathic effects and she is very sedentary.
Diabetes is a big concern for alot of people, especially the way they put fructose in everything- I think it really messes people up.
<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2003559833_syrup07.html[/url]”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2003559833_syrup07.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I , like, her, put on weight through the middle, which healthwise is the worst place, because it packs around your organs.
The good thing is however, that supposedly, it is much easier to lose weight from there. ( I haven’t quite gotten to where I want to be- but if I squint, I can see it from here)</p>

<p>I think the biggest motivator for me especially at the beginning- wasn’t that my appearance has changed for the better- because that took a while for me to see- but soon after I really became serious about working out regularly, I felt so much better.
My arthritis in my hands, has all but gone away, I have more energy and exercising actually makes me less hungry.</p>

<p>I joined a gym a few years ago, with a friend, which helped alot, unfortunately it can be hard to coordinate schedules, and we don’t go at the same time anymore.
( I also joined the gym because I didn’t want to have the excuse of air quality, or rain or cold :wink: )</p>

<p>But for those who don’t want to join a gym- I know we can come up with other supports as well.
There are lots of great exercise videos- that I try to use when I am traveling, because I don’t quite have a routine down in my head to do on my own- ( well actually I get distracted pretty easy too)</p>

<p>so now I am distracted- I HAD found a fantastic website that had quick time movies of how to use machines and weights & I thought I had bookmarked it & I can’t find it again… so I will be back</p>

4

<p>Great idea. Let’s just share ideas and tips and things that work for us.</p>

<p>The nice thing about doing this in a forum like this is that no one can SEE us – so no one can look at someone and say, “SHE needs to lose weight?” or, alternatively, “Jeez, thank God I don’t look like HER!!”</p>

5

<p>Three-day a week squash player here. For 9 months, I did Jazzercise! :eek:</p>

<p>See below:</p>

<p>Poetry in Motion</p>

<p>Yeow! I’m sore!</p>

<p>I just got home from my Jazzercise class at the city parks and recreation center, and have tumbled into my writing chair. Don’t laugh – it’s not funny! (yet!) I haven’t so far managed to say anything at all witty, and my bones and muscles don’t feel amused.</p>

<p>All right, it is an entertaining sight. Me and 35 sweaty women. Big ones and little ones. Fat ones and skinny ones and svelte ones and odd-shaped ones. Young ones and…young-at-hearts. One or two pregnant. (I, of course, am the oddest shaped of all!) They’ve decided I’m just one of the girls. Good thing, too, because I’m not sure how I could deal with it otherwise.</p>

<p>Jazzercise is “a cardio-enhancing combination of dance and exercise.” Or at least they tell me it is cardio-enhancing – at the moment, I’m not sure I could find a pulse. There are some fine dancers in the class who are also in great shape. There are some folks in great shape who don’t dance worth beans. There are also some out-of-shape dancers. Then there is the back row. I’m in the back row. We don’t dance too good (I’m being kind), and after about 20 minutes, we have trouble lifting our feet. </p>

<p>There are two women, both in their 60s I think, who have been doing this three times a week for 20 years. Sigh. I can’t imagine doing this for 20 years. I’ll have to push myself to go back on Thursday. One day at a time. That’s why I bought the big 16-session pass. I’m a cheapskate, and having spent the dough in advance, there’s no way I’m not going to get my money’s worth, even if I die in the attempt. “We Shall Overcome,” I keep wanting to sing after each session.</p>

<p>Sadly, the music isn’t jazz. Up-tempo disco mostly, the kind I deliberately missed the polyester years to avoid. The high point is some of the songs from “Flashdance” (no Jennifer Beals anywhere in the vicinity); then there’s assorted “disco-country” (does such a category exist, or did I just make that up? What do you call ‘Tanya Tucker’? I am well beyond my range of cultural competence here.) Something called “Irish Techno” (?) My new favorite is an “education” song by a guy named Thomas Dolby, “She Blinded Me with Science”:</p>

<pre><code> It’s poetry in motion
And when she turned her eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
She blinded me with science
And failed me in biology.
</code></pre>

<p>I don’t think I’d ever get into an automobile with someone who played this stuff on the car stereo. But here I am. </p>

<p>I do need to find a way to get some exercise that doesn’t involve round things. In my early-to-mid 40s, I used to play full-court basketball three times a week. Don’t get the wrong impression: it’s not what it seems. I’m short, slow, and can’t jump, all three being congenital, which I think means they had to let me play under the Americans with Disabilities Act. I was certainly no worse in my 40s than I was in my 20s, which doesn’t say much, and I could hear the cheers of the mythical multitude every time I managed to get a shot off, which was rather rare, or even succeed in running up and down the court twice without gasping for breath. But, alas, the body wouldn’t heal fast enough from all the elbows and hip checks, and I had to hang ‘em up.</p>

<p>I also liked to play softball. I styled myself a good infielder, with slick hands, and a relatively weak bat. Scrappy! Alack, now when I play catch, I see the ball perfectly up until it gets about two feet away, and then I lose it. More often than not, the ball bounces off the heel of the glove…or worse. Softball has simply become too hazardous.</p>

<p>And so, at least for the present, it’s Jazzercise. I’d be hardpressed to say I actually like it, but for now, I can get by with a detached and sweaty amusement, and there’s no question me and the girls get quite a workout. The instructor, who never seems to approach even moist (though I can’t see that well from where I sweat), calls out steps and counts, but I have no idea what the steps are called or what she is counting. And she can talk and dance and bend and sway and jump all at the same time! She follows baseball, and Barry Bonds. Doesn’t care for Paris Hilton. (“Skankoid,” she says.) I mostly “copy” (all right – that’s a little euphemistic), and smile a bunch and sweat a lot. She comments that I’m a really happy guy. I’m trying to convince myself that I am, or at least that I can talk myself into it. I look around. We are all smiling. We are poetry in motion! And the gym floor moves. </p>

<p>So what do we have to teach the kids so that they can live to be 105? I don’t think I should be the one to ask, as my particular genetic inheritance makes the possibility of such an accomplishment very doubtful. Still, I always enjoy the advice passed down in the newspaper by those who have managed this particular feat of longevity. You know, “Smoke a cigar after dinner every night; drink two shots of vodka before lunch; sing in the bathtub; always vote for the challenger; don’t read depressing newspaper stories, etc., etc.” (I’ve discovered you can even scramble them: “Smoke a cigar in the bathtub every night; drink two shots of vodka after reading a depressing newspaper story; always vote before lunch….”)</p>

<p>Don’t preach. Let your kids see you taking good care of yourself. Or at least look like you’re trying. Eat right, and enjoy that extra piece of cheesecake. Stay in shape (what shape is yet to be determined; but I’m clearly more “well-rounded” than I used to be.) Imbibe a little if you like, or abstain, but don’t make a big deal about it either way. Make walking to the supermarket, rather than driving, a religious observance. Sleep occasionally. Do something that feeds your soul, and do something that feeds other people’s. Know at least a few of your neighbors. Always stretch beyond your comfort zone. If you already know how to country line-dance, learn to tango. Live with intention.</p>

<p>Don’t sweat the small stuff. That’s what the Jazzercise class is for, and, if you’re like me, you’ll forget it every time you try to raise your left knee.</p>

<hr>

<p>P.S. I am offering $5.00 off any of my other books to any homeschooling parent of the masculine persuasion who sends me a receipt from having attended a Jazzercise class. I need a support group.</p>

6

<p>Emerald, I think the letters home are a problem. If a child is seeing a pediatrician, and their growth is following the child’s established pattern, that is more relevant than a school nurse’s one shot assessment at a class weigh-in. Our elementary school nurse is not a favorite of mine. For many reasons. But the weigh-ins are not done in private. The office door is left open, so other kids can hear. D was always built like a skeleton. That is the childhood body type of my H’s entire family. Perfectly healthy & normal. The nurse always was on the lookout for eating disorders, and would not believe me when I told her we were very happy with d’s healthy and varried food intake & unlimited energy. Nurse then claimed she suspected scoliosis, possibly because her assessment sills are weak. After having the pediatrician re-check her, he wondered if the nurse had received her RN through the mail! I wonder if the scoliosis scare was a ruse to get D to a doctor, even though she had documented annual check-ups and I am an RN myself.</p>

<p>Son (age 10) is built like a linebacker. (Childhood body types from my side of the family.) Again, pediatrician points out that this has been his build from birth. He is not the slightest bit worried about S’s height/weight ratio. I’m having son exempted from the nurse’s scoliosis screening, partly because I don’t want her seeing him without a shirt on & making an uninformed evaluation about his chunkiness. He plays sports every day & earns that presidential fitness award. No, he’s not likely to have an Abecrombie model torso, but he’s strong & healthy.</p>

<p>I worry that the “epidemic” of childhood obesity is making kids too worried about their bodies. Normal variations have to be allowed for. When my s & his hockey or basketball team mates are together, I’ll notice that some are built like birds & some are built like bulls. They’re all healthy, active kids.</p>

7

<p>I am one of those CCers that needs to get off her duff and do something. I have put on lots of lbs since age 35–now age 50. I keep telling myself that “next week”–but next week never comes. I love to eat and so far have not found an exercise that I “enjoy”. I don’t know why all this dusting, vacuuming, laundry and yard work doesn’t burn up more calories!! Of course the computer time doesn’t help;).</p>

8

<p>I walk to my dietician every two weeks and get on a scale. Works wonders! I have given myself one year to let go of the ravages of menopause. Slowly, slowly. I have people come up to me and ask me how I have done it. I am just reversing the process of fat deposit in my middle that caught me off guard. My BMI is normal range now…but high side. I think the greatest thing that I discovered is you don’t have to put up with weight gain and aging. It comes off no matter what age you are. I feel great!</p>

9

<p>About a year and a half ago, my mom convinced my dad to go with her to a yoga class at our gym… he ended up really liking it, and now he goes every Sunday night even though she’s stopped! It’s called “Power Yoga”, which I guess makes it manly enough for my dad (who at 42 is 6’5 and quite fit, despite being the stereotypical pale, scrawny, bespectacled nerd in high school–I’ve seen pictures :D). He says it’s a better workout than you’d think.</p>

<p>Personally, I’m 5’6 and 110 lbs, which gives me a BMI of 17.8 according to the link in emeraldkity’s post… so I’m underweight (naturally, thanks to small bones and good genes) but ridiculously out of shape. I used to do cardio and weights three or four times a week, but with college application stress and trying to pass the IB Diploma I haven’t been to the gym once since I came back from my summer vacation. I’m thinking about joining the softball team (my school isn’t exactly an athletic powerhouse–they have to beg people to join the teams) partly because it’ll motivate me to get back into shape, partly because the thought of me as a varsity athlete is amusing beyond belief. :D</p>

10

<p>ya know I think the age of George Burns types living to 100 smoking a cigar are over :frowning:
I really think there is a lot of crap in the air, in our food and I know that they put more additives in tobacco nowdays.
Lots are living till their 80s or 90s though- and since we are, I would sure rather be mobile and able to enjoy those extra years that our grandparents didn’t have, than stuck in an "adjustable bed)</p>

<p>( I think vacuming does actually burn up calories especially if you move furniture- I used to clean house naked- it saved me from getting cleaners and junk all over my clothes that I forgot to change-except it kind of frightened the neighbors* and my daughter when I didn’t hear her come home from school* )</p>

<p>I would agree that the letters home aren’t appropriate and probably do more harm than good.
For one, I know so many kids who are skinny one year, and chunky the next, then skinny again, it really depends on growth patterns.
Not to mention, schools are some of the worst offenders.
High fat and salt foods in the cafeteria- cutting recess and PE, and many of the teachers are overweight especially in elementary school.
Elementary school- at least when I was in school, wasn’t a place that made me feel good about my athletic ability, and I was skinny, I just wasn’t fast or strong.</p>

<p>I like how some states/districts, are encouraging more individual sports, and not cutting recess.
Our city parks levy, is paying for all 3rd and 4th graders to learn to swim- however, I didn’t even realize this until I went to the swimming pool, it doesn’t seem to be advertised other public places( although maybe it is in the elementary schools)
Swimming I think is a very important skill to have, especially in an area with so many rivers and lakes.
Both the girls elementary schools had swimming every week, although as the teachers in the public school became older and less inclined to want to be seen in a bathing suit the program is all but dropped.:frowning:
( sidetrack- once for a KCTS anniversary, they filmed people around the city singing “Imagine”, they closed with older D singing the final bits* she was about 6*, sitting outside the public pool at Greenlake in Seattle- I don’t know why I just thought of that)</p>

<p>I loved the program though, especially in Ds public school, I noticed that even though it * did take time* schlepping across the street to the city pool and to get the kids changed, in the pool, changed again and back-, but they were so much calmer on days they had swimming and seemed to pay more attention after the exercise.</p>

<p>Mini- I used to take jazz classes- actual jazz classes taught by a dancer, but OMG it was so hard!
As soon as I figured out a routine it was either made faster or she added another three steps.
I don’t think I did it smoothly enough to really get exercise points out of it.
It was fun- but considering how pleased the instructor was when I learned the smallest thing- I must have been pathetic :(</p>

<p>Thats how I feel about swimming right now.
Im not a great swimmer- I haven’t got the goggles thing down ( I have to wear my contacts swimming otherwise I wouldnt be able to see a thing) and while I am motivated, Im not * that * motivated.
Im only going because my 16 year old really wants to get a position as a lifeguard, ( which I think is a little overreaching but Im not going to say anything) so she has me take her once a week to practice .
I * thought* swimming was supposed to be good for asthma- but so far it seems a lot harder work than a bench press.
Im telling myself its the fumes from the chlorine.</p>

<p>However- how many things does she “allow” me to do with her?
not so many- so I go willingly.
She is a pretty good teacher, ( she has been on swim team), but Im afraid she is a little impatient with my progress.
But I suppose I should stick with it- after all, one of my motivators for going to the gym and working on my strenght as well as my balance, is to be able to try surfing when I get to Hawaii.
Swimming , I hear, may be part of the whole package :D</p>

<p>[oh- I found the link to the site to build your own program!](<a href=“http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html”>http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>I really like how it not only shows you the full range of motion in the exercise, but it also tells you what muscles are being used and in what fashion.
It also has some updated info that explains why it is good to change around what you do .</p>

11

<p>yoga is actually a really good workout- I think is the backbone of Madonnas workout :wink: for example and she is in pretty good shape ( except I think she is a little thin)
Thats great that your dad likes it-it is really good for strenght and flexibility- even weight lifters do it, because it helps to improve range of motion.</p>

<p>Some schools even still require PE credits to graduate- my daughter had to take PE almost every semester- which was probably a very good idea at a school where kids lived in the library.
Its easy to start to feel like you just exist from the neck up when you are studying for finals.( plus I guess they figured at least they would take a shower after PE)</p>

12

<p>Ok last post and then I have to get out of here!
I found this web site when looking for balance aids-
like I mentioned I want to try surfing and as I have gotten older, my inner ear seems to have gotten messed up.
For a while, I could barely even sit on a swing.
But I got one of [these[/url</a>]
to have at home
and [url=<a href=“http://www.fitter1.com/duraball.html?mtcPromotion=cat-exball>duraball”>http://www.fitter1.com/duraball.html?mtcPromotion=cat-exball>duraball&lt;/a&gt;] to use for a desk chair](<a href=“http://www.fitter1.com/wobble-board-16.html]these[/url”>Office Chair Alternatives - USA Fitterfirst)
It is supposed to help you “work your core”</p>

13

<p>mini- I love you- I wish you were sweatin’ in the back row of my classes! I am doing yoga (ashtanga, so some “power” component) and it is a lot harder than it looks…don’t even try bikram unless you have the fortitude to do a full work out in a sauna! The moves were fine, but the heat inspired thoughts of vomiting vs. passing out and which would be the best option. After a week straight I could get through w/o getting a sick feeling, but as soon as I missed a couple of days it was like starting from scratch, a little too intense a physical experience for me, but inspiring.</p>

<p>I lost 10+ pounds about a year ago and have kept it off, here are my helpful hints:</p>

<p>Mom’s should not eat to be polite, just because they are fixing dinner for the family. If you are not hungry, don’t eat!!</p>

<p>Try to stop eating as soon as possible in the evening, choose your time, 7PM, 8PM, 9PM, 10PM- pick your poison time and STOP! I am such a nighttime snacker, this one kills me, but really makes a difference</p>

<p>Do little tiny things all day to pump up your metabolism- walk up and down the stairs, Don’t be efficient, waste lots of energy running back and forth to the same room, getting 1 item per trip, even better do it about once an hour to keep your energy level up; park far away from the stores; fidget, do anything to burn a few extra calories…if you can burn some extras and not be eating too, even better. do isometrics at your desk or on the couch or in bed- just squeeze & hold any old muscle.</p>

<p>I look at my fidgety kid who never stops moving and is the leanest one in the house- I try to emulate her :slight_smile: It is working!</p>

<p>I understand why the BMI could be a good tool in some situations, but it does nothing to take into account basic body size, bone structure, build, etc. I am 5’6" like camellia and I have not seen 110# since about 9th grade. If I am 125# every one thinks I am anorexic- not kidding, I get tons of flack if I am under 130#, it would be lovely to be teeny tiny boned like Camellia, but to compare our BMIs and make a decision about our overall health is silly. I have friends who are built smaller than I am who can be “fatter” than me and weigh less both…not that I am not totally capable of being too fat, hence the need to lose those 10# last year and the efforts to do another 10# this year…maybe my family will think I am anorexic again.</p>

<p>Emerald Kity- I am with you on the family sabotage thing, when you start doing too well on the weight loss thing, people get annoyed. Ha! I am pretty annoying when I am in the weight loss zone, I have to obsess a bit or I can’t do it :D</p>

14

<p>I am also a nightime snacker:-) Love the pretzels and a glass of good wine with cheese. Yum…
How about a support group in which weekly we would write how much we have lost? And share our tips for doing it? This way you do not have to disclose your weight.
I was never a skinny girl, but I tend to loose weight dramatically during and after pregnancy. But since my youngest is now 10, it is either time to go on a diet or get pregnant :slight_smile:
So who is in?</p>

15

<p>I’ve done hip hop classes for five years now–I’m one of the oldest in the class–certainly the oldest with the least amount of inibition. All I can say is that Beyonce Belly Roll ain’t easy.</p>

<p>With the advent of Empty nest, I’ve added swing dance classes and events with DH. My goal is to look like the guy they focus on after the first few seconds of the video. <a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ayMPFsJmnU[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ayMPFsJmnU&lt;/a&gt; Anyway, I love the big swing bands, love the dances–even though once again–we’re on the old end. Salsa might also be in my future. I love music and I love shakin’ my bits and there are no good dance clubs for my age group–certainly no hip hop dance clubs for middle aged ladies with jiggly bit!</p>

<p>After years of battling the wrong genetics, the pounds are finally melting away, usually 2 pounds a week if you can belive it, without much additional effort. About three months ago, I cut out most sugar and processed carbs–which wasn’t as hard as I expected because after the first few weeks because the cravings literally disappeared. </p>

<p>I eat heaps of walnuts and almonds for snacks–and to quench that pre-dinner starvation. I thought those nuts would land on my hips but they haven’t. :wink: I also took the You Diet guys advice and limited my breakfast and lunch selections to a three day rotation–taking a break on weekends or for travel. That also helps limit cravings–because there is nothing unknown and exciting to anticipate, haha. I also make a point of eating something raw when I first wake up–grapes or fruit. I also eat veggies, religiously, at lunch and dinner. Anyway, it’s not hard and it’s the first time I’ve experienced the ‘melt’. Yay!</p>

<p>I am back into skinny leg black jeans that I haven’t been able to wear since 2005. Alright, they might look like they are spray painted on–but I am in them and the button is closed at the waist!</p>

16

<p>36-that’s what the work (hospital dietary) says at the health fair. Each year the large diet aide tests me and points out I am obese on her sheet with a HUGE smile. Each year the the RD tells her something is wrong. They have a hand held thing. 5’2.5" 107-109# A real health fair put me at 18.5 with their machine. In college I participated in a study, we were tested with the water method. Came in and rode a bike 3 times a week-that decreased everyone’s BMI.</p>

<p>I was a chubby (not fat) child and probably have a “fat” inner child stuck in my mind. I lack coordination, love to run but cannot-still remember the runner’s high. I watch what I eat and walk, love stairs and hills, I use an exercise bike. Cheers-I just started the nut nibble-works well for me also.</p>

17

<p>Just a note about “giving up sugar:”
Chances are if you THINK you’re giving up sugar, you’re probably not. I gave up all–and I mean ALL–refined sugar and sugar subsitutes for two years (something I would love to keep doing, but it really is impossible at college on a meal plan and in terms of going off campus). The layperson tends to think of sugar as donuts, coffee drinks, soda, cookies, and ice cream–wrong! Basically, I learned that everything has sugar! This includes
*99% of spaghetti sauces (ruling out pasta, pizza, etc.)
*bread (including bagels, muffins, white, wheat, French, speciality breads, corn bread, etc., only excluding flatbread, pita bread, tortillas, and “Bible bread” [that is made from the only Biblical recipe])
*Goldfish crackers (yeah, I was shocked by that one)
*juices (excluding orange)
*bagel chips (though I suppose that falls under “bread”)
*peanut butter (excluding all natural)
*many flavors of potato chips
*salad dressings, ketchup, and most other condiments
*etc., etc.</p>

<p>Combine this with being a vegetarian, and I pretty much couldn’t go out to eat anywhere, save maybe to eat plain pasta or French fries (and the vegetarian thing often ruled out the latter). I couldn’t/didn’t eat at parties or other functions because chances are that everything had sugar, though my mom did learn to make a very good pizza crust with scratch with organic [no sugar] sauce. I lived off a rotating diet of three or four things, drinking sugar free juice and eating fruit, nuts, Cheezits, and Quakes as side dishes. I learned to read a lot of labels but to assume that everything had sugar unless proven otherwise. I did “break type” when traveling or on certain special occassions, but I liked the lifestyle and liked my meger menu a lot. I was a complete sugaraholic, too, before giving it up hardcore, so it’s totally doable if you can go to a standard grocercy store and don’t mind eating exclusively at home. Just don’t think you’re giving up sugar unless less you read everything!</p>

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<p>Yikes this thread is so timely with me. I just started back at the gym after two years (when I quit I was working out 2 hours a day- think Linda Hamilton Terminator 2, lol). Anyway, my arms HUUURRRT.
My health food advisor told me the latest thing is this 35 grams of fiber per day diet. Supposedly once you get started and it kicks in, you can eat away! I imagine so, after trying to cram all that fiber in. It’s supposed to kick the metabolism up a couple notches. Anyone try this???</p>

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<p>Other than salad dressing–used very sparingly–I do not eat any of those things wolfie. Pasta, Pizza and bread are long gone–except for the rare nibble of pasta or bread two or three times per month. Amazingly, I don’t miss them.</p>

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<p>Doubleplay, I know that the weight watchers program places a lot of importance on fiber.</p>

<p>One of my goals is to lose some weight this summer and figure out effective ways to keep it off next year. I’ve always been active and played sports, but I was injured in my junior year in high school during pre-season, and I was out for the season. That’s when I started to gain weight since instead of running around, lifting, and sprinting for two hours a day I was sitting with the trainer with heat on my leg and doing gentle stretching–not quite the calorie burner. I lost about 10 pounds that summer with weight watchers, but since I couldn’t play sports the next year, I ended up gaining it back plus a little. College life, with food, alcohol, strange meal times, and little time for the gym, has added about 10 more pounds. I really like healthy food and being active, so I really shouldn’t be overweight. My mom has been meeting with a personal trainer at our gym, and she offered to pay for me, too. The gym is about 25 minutes away (but really nice), so an appointment with a trainer will force me to make the effort to drive out there. I’ve also heard really good things about a running program led by the cross country coach at my former high school. He’s extremely nice and gets people running very well through a walk/jog program. I’m a pretty natural runner, but I’m definitely out of shape! I’m built quite strong, so I enjoy lifting at the gym, which I need to start doing again. Then I’d like to figure out how I can eat well and work out at school, which can be quite difficult. I’d really like to lose at least thirty pounds eventually, but I know it will take time and hard work. </p>

<p>I think a support + ideas thread would be a good idea to try.</p>