curvygirly

Hey Topher,

Good goals and welcome!! I was going to suggest trying different stomach exercises daily to keep it interesting. for instance, one day stick a chair under your legs, so you have elevation. it will hit different spots on your abs.

good job first day down:)

why not get on the phone and talk to some people you need to catch up with, trust me a 20 minute dog walk can turn into a 90 minute one easily that way. or do it after dinner when you have less things to do around the house?

Suse-

Hi how are you? welcome! You remind me of myself a little bit. I'm the same height, I portion control easily, and I am addicted to bejewelled blitz as well. i haven't touched it for 2 months, but now talking to you is making me think about it:S and i read blogs all the time and love to read.

For starters, make a posting in the weight loss battle page if you haven['t already. and every single day post in it. whether you worked out or didn't but post. know we are waiting to read about your day.

I used to do this half attempt at working out and losing weight. I would have some amazing kick butt days of working out and eating healthy, then fall off the wagon for a day or two, and then repeat the cycle. that has let me climb an extra 20 lbs to the already 30 I had to lose. NOT a good idea.

I started weight watchers, just go to a meeting or just google "bootcamp buddies" they can tell you what it is about. you don't have to pay , information is free on the internet.

either way, ensure that.....

you are drinking 8 cups of water daily, 4-5 fruit or veggie servings, 3 servings of protein and dairy. start with that, it is intimidating for sure.

since portion control isn't a problem try to pick better foods don't make drastic changes they dont last long. whatever you are craving to eat, eat half of it and a side salad.

put on your favorite season of a tv show, or a movie and work out to it. i'm so busy that the only time i get to watch some tv is if i work out.

if you just change and burn 500 more calories daily, in one week u can lose a pound. in little over a month thats 5 lbs. on our height, 5 lbs makes a huge difference!!

post your trials, n ur celebrations on here, we are here to help:)

Thanks guys for your awesome Help. I should just keep it simple stupid eh.

Just curious...

What do you eat before working out... how long do you wait before eating?

I generally don't eat anything for about 2 hours before working out. But sometimes I"m starving before the workout, so I have a small healthy snack. I've noticed, I'm starving after I work out, and since I finish at about 9 pm I don't want to eat my last meal even later. So I sometimes, eat the second I'm done working out , even before showering. :oops: Besides being kinda uncomfy, is this a bad idea? I do try to add some protein in.

Also dummy question- I know you should aim to have your last meal no later than 3 hours before going to bed. so 6 pm dinner, 9 pm bed time. Now I sit in my room, and just relax online , or study a bit, really late. sometimes falling asleep at 4 am. My last meal should be at 1 am then??? Lately, my last meal ends up hitting about 10 pm. My stomach is growling when I am falling asleep, but I ignore it. Is this a bad pattern?

Welcome!!

I love your first name by the way. What field of medicine do you practice? where do you practice? I'm just curious because I'm a medical student myself. The couch to 5 k is a pretty cool program, I did it for a while up to the 1k part, and then just got bored with it, but it is a good start. If you have an mp3 player, you can download pod casts that are specifically made for couch to 5k so you can have someone telling you when to switch speeds, and it is accompanied with music. There is even a link out there that teaches you to make your own. Best of Luck in your weight loss goals!!!

woohoo, congrats on that endeavour!! There is a great program you can download to your ipod called

"couch to 5 k" it's interval training like steve suggested. jog 1 minute, walk 1 minute, back and forth. then the next week, they amp it to 1.5 minute jogs, each week goes on a bit more, til eventually you run the whole 5 k. I know you can do that, but perhaps you can use it to build up.. endurance ( i think is the word?) Rather than running 5k one day and timing it, and hoping to be better on time, the next time you do it.. why not take a short distance and improve the time with that. Take your 5k workout , split it into K's. Each K time yourself, and tell yourself you want to beat it by 10 seconds, each time. Hey, if you can beat 50 seconds each day per workout , that is quite a triumph if you think about it.

Also, there is google pedometer. Just google it. and you can map out a course specific to working out. it is really detailed and helpful. and will figure out calories burnt and all.

Haha, that's so funny that you mention that Steve, I had the weirdest dream we got a dog at home and that my father had an obsession with eating dog food.

Solong... That is a good mentality. For me too, if something is off limits I become obsessed and want it more for some reason. These days you can find almost anything in a healthier substitute. The word moderation has always been a struggle for me, bc I don't know what moderation is. Is is once a month, once a week, once a day? I start rationalizing that if the rest of my food choices are good, I can eat so and so bad food, more often. Bad idea. So I just pretend it's off limit , except for once a week, etc.

I actually lost 2 lbs this week. My workout was kicked up a few notches, 5 times this week but I did it more intense than normal. And let me tell you I ate, alot of good stuff, a ton of water, but I also had a kiddy scoop of ice cream one day, half an entree of restaurant pasta one day, and some spring rolls. So you still can lose weight , as long as you do it smartly!

Hey Josh, (just kidding )

How are you?! welcome to this community, everyone here is really sweet and encouraging. Make a post on the workout battle logs, to keep yourself accounted for .

Might I suggest, if you are doing squats, to try to go as low as if you were to sit in a chair, that really helps me feel the burn, and squeeze your butt cheeks as you do it. this might be DUH for you, so i apologize.

haha Audj , i cant tell if you are serious or not. i haven't seen that movie in weeks so i'm slightly confused.

also why is your name audj, what does it stand for, sounds funky.

Okay i have rewrote this post 3 times trying to not make it so long.

So vote>

What is better to lose weight and have a good diet/meal plan mentality...

-eating small good snacks/ meals every hour or so...

Pro- Amps up metabolism

Con- you are eating more often than normal and if you don't have anything healthy around you might end up being too hungry to say no to the bad snacks. You end up thinking about food a lot more

-eating healthy meals, and few snacks in between

Pro- keeps your mind off food in between meal times

Con- metabolism isn't as fast

-balance it, whatever feels appropriate

aww thanks you are such a sweetie. I really appreciate the concern, kind words and advice. and i def will listen to it. but lol, my old relatives, are OLD and indian, meaning if it isn't a lentil soup or roti, it isn't food. but good thinking still. lol

This is a very important issue for me and I have recently realized that. I grew up eating nonsense food and never gaining a pound , but I did workout occasionally and having a perfect figure . In Grad school, bc I was so happy with my bf and our relationship I continued to eat nonsense food but overdid it since he ate like a house, and never working out. I ate because I was happy, and loved not being worried about how I looked. the weight, all 50 lbs packed on really nicely

I've been depressed for 4-5 years, since the weight gain (not because of the weight gain) and I realize that this is causing my weight to stay on. My parents are really really strict erratic indians and have high, if not impossible , expectations of me.

They also belittle me 24/7 in regards to my weight , my 5'2 height, and the fact that I am not fair skin. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Because they are always petty about what I eat, I realize that I "get revenge" by eating bad food.

After a really really bad conversation with them, even though I crave a salad, I opt for a high carb pasta, just because "if they knew it would bug them". this is pathetic, but I realize I have been doing this for years.

Also, my parents don't want me going anywhere other than school and the library, literally. So I sneak off an hour early daily, and hang out with my best friend. Sadly, there isn't much to do if you are on a time crunch and worried if you run into your parents or someone who will tell your parents you were out. So we usually just have some drinks or a meal together. Which equals, pure unhealthy food being eaten.

My two best friends, suffer from a problem where they can't gain weight for the life of em, so I forget that and order whatever junk they order.

These are the KEY factors in why my weight is not moving. I feel ridiculous. I feel like, I am those people that are eating icecream while on a treadmill. A useless thing to do.

I buy healthy food, opt for lower calorie meals to make at home, but I go out with my friends, cry about my parents and eat something that is just not helping. I used to think up untli a week ago "oh as long as it works within my calories ", but honestly I am just fooling myself.

I loved Steve's past article about using common sense. He is right. I could technically eat a Big Mac and fries every single day and put it in my calories, but that is not common sense to lose weight. Just like my daily dose of some high carb past or pizza or dessert, may fit in to my calories, i still work out, and i might still lose weight, but we both know it is just not a smart plan.

How do i change this?

For starters, I need to start seeing a therapist. there are way too many issues I am dealing with and I need some outside help.

i'm going to make steve's post my mantra, "use common sense"

I want to impress those around me when I eat. I don't want to have to have the daily explanation of , "oh no no, i am trying to lose weight, but you know i ate really well and i am watching my calories and, I can fit this pizza slice in, trust me".

c) I told my best friend that, we can still hang out, but, after we hang out I am going str8 home to work out, so I can't eat daily with her. Instead, once a week on Sundays, I will eat out with her. It's hard to cut out altogether, and being able to look forward to it once a week, is better than cutting it off and then rebelling.

D) my parents pack my lunch and I usually don't like a soggy sandwich , even if it is yummy and healthy. I'm going to opt for a 6 inch subway with a side of veggies and low fat dip , daily. It is going to be fresh, full of veggies, fill me up and keep me happy. If I am prone to eating outside food on a regular basis, at least if it is healthy, I won't be doing as much damage.

I read Steve's post a while ago about what he eats, and that really impressed me. Everything is for a reason, whether it be to get some good protein or fat in, etc.

I'm going to start thinking about my food as in "what kind of nutrients could I use right now? or food serving is important?" rather than, "hmm what am I craving?"

Sorry this became a diary post. BUt I think this is a very important issue, and if anyone else is facing it, we need to get it fixed before we attempt to just lose weight on its own.

Ps- Steve, can we do a diary section on this. as you can tell my posts become rambles. and really I am talking to myself and figuring it out as i type. Maybe let us make a profile, track our progress, add pictures, and keep posts up along the way?

I just wanted to know if anyone battles with emotional eating, and how they have battled or are currently battling it?

Good call Steve, but I think it would be cheaper for us to buy the product then drive up to Atl

I hadn't heard of it before either. I missed the last 10 minutes, can you believe that?! I had an emergency and now will have to wait for it again. I didn't think it was that good though.

Your post is very true!

in a study from some time ago, scientists gave some rats sugar. some rats nutrasweet. the rats that got pure sugar, were able to stay full for a bit and relax. the ones who got nutrasweet, ate more nutrasweet then if they had just eaten sugar. point being- our body isn't made to break down fake things, like fake sugar, fake salt, etc. it slows down our metab , and confuses it. imagine, throwing a kink into a factory assembly line, it would shake things up and set it back somewhat.

i used to drink pepsi , maybe a can and a half a day. then i switched to diet pepsi, and it became a regular, 3-4 cans a day easily. and i noticed when i drank it, i drank more and more of it, my body craved the sugar. relating back to my rat story.

so, i do avoid the diet soda unless i need caffeine , i hate coffee. but the crystal light, sadly is my crutch at the moment, bc i hate the taste of water, and even if it makes me crave more, well hell i'm drinking more water then.

Thanks!! You are awesome, this is exactly what I needed

Anyone into kickboxing?

Just curious if anyone has sites, tips, etc.

How do i keep from my leather gloves smelling? P U

Also, my wrist and knuckles are sore every day, can anyone recommend some good warm up/cool down stretches for that.

I have a question and forgive me Steve, if I probably repeated myself from a previous email.

Common sense tells me those that swear off bad carbs and junk food lose weight.

Common sense also tells me those that rely on those, won't lose weight.

However can eating bad stuff in moderation and adding a whole lot of good things into your diet, including exercise be enough to lose weight?!

Specifically, for me, in the last two weeks I kickbox an hour daily. Add in some squats/lunges , triceps bicep extensions on alternate days.

My diet is no where near perfect. But it has changed and I wonder if these changes for the time being are good enough to give me results..

-going from no meal before 3 pm to eating breakfast

- no water to drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day in the form of crystal light

-half a serving of vegetables daily to 4-5 fruits/ vegetable servings

-adding in 1 serving of dairy and protein daily

-going from the burger and fries to half a sandwich with veggies and dip

- i do count my points (from weight watchers), but i do eat some kind of bad fast food or bad carb atleast twice a week

-a chocolate granola bar almost daily

-I do have a main carb as my meal (bread, rice, indian roti) still, but I cut it down in half and fill up on veggies

I haven't seen any results on the scale yet, for a month. I know from past , I am a sloooooow loser. kind of an oxymoron eh

Will these changes be enough to let me start seeing weight loss? these changes are a big deal for me, and I don't want to start adding in too many that are not realistic and make me end up resorting to my old habits.

Can you perhaps give me a serving size suggested for each category, of fruits, water, dairy , protein that is the minimal i should aim for to try to see weight loss.

Sorry I'm studying as well, and trying to lose weight and study is like pulling teeth. :roll: NOT FUN.

I'm hoping people can start posting what they eat daily. just to let others get an idea of what is a good option to eat, and we can help tweak eachother's diets.

Here is what I ate today..

breakfast...

-A besan poora- this is a Indian dish. It is basically 2 tbsp of gram flour (chick pea flour-high high in protein), and you basically make it into a pancake, , minimal oil, and add veggies, and eat it with some ketchup.

- lemon water

lunch...

low fat cheese slice, veggie meat slices on whole wheat whole grain bread

fat free veggie dip with cucumbers and brocoli

crystal light (3 cups)

snack: low fat chocolate milk, 1 apple, 1 cup of grapes

dinner...

2 rotis ( whole wheat tortilla type)

vegetable medley with minimal oil and a tsp or two of sauce

3 cups of crystal light

dessert..

chocolate granola bar and 12 ruffle sour creme and onion chips

I worked out an hour of kickboxing and light weight lifting after and drank 3 cups of water with it

Now I know my diet can be tweaked, for starters avoid the chips and granola bar. that's for sure, but I am trying to do it slowly and surely. Making slight adjustments.

I'm doing weight watchers on the side, been on/off it for so long i never saw any results. so now i am forcing myself to stick to it.

so i love www.dwlz.com it gives you points for every restaurant you can think of!

www.caloriesperhour.com is also a great website, it not only has food calculators but activity and workout calculators and forums

www.thedailyplate.com has nutritional value for thousands of food items from generic ones you find in the grocery store, to the ones you eat at restaurants. You can also track what you eat, input activity. Some parts you have to pay for.

Congratulations!!!!

That is a huge success- go put your party pants on and strut !

If you find it hard to get into running, i suggest looking at Couch to 5k, this might sound dummy if you are already doing 5 k easily, but I'm not too sure how long it has been since your last 5k.