Weight Loss thread....

[jbirds1210]

I had two frozen diet dinners for lunch yesterday to give me 600 calories which helped a lot, oddly its still fewer calories than a chicken quesadelia from taco bueno so its all good.

There is a TON of sodium in frozen dinners. Be careful not to lose weight and end up driving your blood pressure through the roof.

I can only speak for myself here, but I have found that sugar/flour is the beast that was keeping me obese. After years of failing, I am within five pounds of my goal. Low fat/high carb diets had a very temporary effect on my weight.

Good job on the exercise! It sounds like a lot of fun.

Jason

[WildBill]

When you cook, cook lots of it and freeze most of it in meal-sized portions. That way, when you are running low on time, instead of buying unhealthy restaurant or fast food, heat up the healthier meal you made yourself earlier. I have lots of truly healthy frozen dinners without all that sodium.

I think dukesean's advice is the best. Homecooked frozen meals taste better, are cheaper, just as convenient and much more heathly that anything that is mass produced. The only problem I have is portion control. They taste so much better I want to eat more.

[melkor41]

The frozen meals are a stop gap right now.

I fell off the home cooked wagon i was on due to time constraints. I did not have time to cook anything in the evenings due to the mad rush of extra work at my job. As soon as it calms back down I will get back to cooking.

I have been keeping an eye on the sodium on the meals and trying to offset it with plenty of water.

Its not the best, but its better than fast food right now.

This weekend I will try to see if i can get some time to cook up a week of meals and stick them in the ziplock bowls like I used to.

[dukesean]

There are definitely times when you just need something quick, and unfortunately fast food is too convenient to pass up in these situations. The key though is to get as healthy of a meal as you can possibly get there. For example, if you must have a hamburger, have it without the cheese, bacon, or mayo. Definitely far from perfect, but you just saved yourself 300 calories and many grams of fat right there. Even better yet, instead of the hamburger get the grilled chicken sandwich (not the crispy one - that is just as bad if not worse) with tomato and lettuce, no mayo. By the way, do you know how long it takes to burn off 300 calories on the treadmill??

Don't EVER get the combo meal which just adds fat and sugar and empty calories. Instead, if you don't think the sandwich will appease your hunger, go for the cup of fruit or baked potato (no sour cream) and you should be good to go.

Finally, give up the sodas for good and stick to water and skim milk. It's not easy, as Americans I think we're addicted to sugar, but stay away even from juices, which are loaded with sugars. But once you get past that hump you'll ask yourself how you ever drank the stuff in the first place. Seriously, I don't drink anything now but water or skim milk. Every once in a while I get a random craving for a 7up or something like that. When I taste it, my immediate reaction is "wow that is super sweet" and end up throwing it away after the first sip or two.

Anyways, good luck, and all of us are here to motivate each other

[John]

I need to get back on this too. My wife and I tried a national weight loss system earlier this year. I won't mention Nutrisystem's name, but we stopped it when we saw some of the same snacks they provide in Petsmart. I am not kidding here either. Looked the same and had the same ingredients, but differnt packaging, slightly different. ewe!

Will weigh myself this morning and set a goal. Thanks for brining this up.

[John]

Finally, give up the sodas for good and stick to water and skim milk.

What is it about soda anyway. I find that if i drink caffene free diet coke (basically colored water with CO2, right?) I do not lose as well as when i drink only water and and maybe unsweetend tea. I am starting to think that the sugar substitues they use do not really help any. Says 0 calories though.

I also know that in sports... sodas are a big no no,diet or not, but have no idea why the diet ones are not OK.

[melkor41]

Finally, give up the sodas for good and stick to water and skim milk.

What is it about soda anyway. I find that if i drink caffene free diet coke (basically colored water with CO2, right?) I do not lose as well as when i drink only water and and maybe unsweetend tea. I am starting to think that the sugar substitues they use do not really help any. Says 0 calories though.

I also know that in sports... sodas are a big no no,diet or not, but have no idea why the diet ones are not OK.

IIRC the co2 gets in your blood and reduces the oxygen and makes it harder to perform right. It also keeps you used to consuming sweets

[melkor41]

266.0 yay down a pound

Did well yesterday but did not go to class due to the mountian of laundry. I forced myself to do 20 pushups and 10 situps between every load cycle. I forgot my lunch today But there is a box of special K in my desk so I will eat that dry. I left my money at home to keep me from being tempted by the evil snack machine

[dukesean]

What is it about soda anyway. I find that if i drink caffene free diet coke (basically colored water with CO2, right?) I do not lose as well as when i drink only water and and maybe unsweetend tea. I am starting to think that the sugar substitues they use do not really help any. Says 0 calories though.

Whether you agree with me or not is a different matter, but I believe that our bodies are super smart and well designed, and take in as much energy as possible from the substance you put into your stomach. Even though diet sodas are technically 0 calories, I think somehow our body converts those sugar alcohols into actual calories. I'm no scientist, nor do I have any evidence of this, it's just my personal belief. Besides, the more you stay away from artificial anythings, the better.

I also know that in sports... sodas are a big no no,diet or not, but have no idea why the diet ones are not OK.

The reason you don't drink sodas in sports, diet or otherwise, is because of the caffiene, which is a diuretic (causes you to pee more often) and will dehydrate you.

I left my money at home to keep me from being tempted by the evil snack machine

Actually, I usually keep a stash of healthy snacks in my drawers, such as dried fruit, granola, etc. I find that munching on these whenever i get a little hungry prevents me from gorging when I go out for lunch or dinner. Just don't stock up your drawer with Doritos.

[The Annoyed Man]

Finally, give up the sodas for good and stick to water and skim milk.

What is it about soda anyway. I find that if i drink caffene free diet coke (basically colored water with CO2, right?) I do not lose as well as when i drink only water and and maybe unsweetend tea. I am starting to think that the sugar substitues they use do not really help any. Says 0 calories though.

I also know that in sports... sodas are a big no no,diet or not, but have no idea why the diet ones are not OK.

In Weight Watchers, they tell us that your body requires lots of water - pure water - and that drinking lots of water has several benefits: 1) it is necessary to burning calories more efficiently and it has the effect of speeding up our metabolism; 2) it flushes crud out of your system, including all that sodium chloride we like to put on our foods, and all the toxins that have been stored in our fat and are now being released into our bloodstream as we burn fat and lose weight; 3) it depresses your appetite (if you slam down a tall glass of water before you eat, you will eat less because you're already a bit full - of water); and 4) it helps our body to the produce synovial fluids which lubricate our joints, which is important because as we lose weight we also become more active. Sodas, even diet sodas, don't do all that - or at least they don't do it nearly as well - because of all the other stuff in them.

Water is good stuff. I drink as much of it as I can stand.

[nedmoore]

Personal trainer 3 days a week, I am never pain free!

[Tactical_Texan_CHL]

Had to do some hospital sales calls today. I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Man, that alone will make a difference if you do alot of work up and down different floors of a building!

[dukesean]

Had to do some hospital sales calls today. I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Man, that alone will make a difference if you do alot of work up and down different floors of a building!

small steps make a big difference.

Did you like my double entendre?

[Tactical_Texan_CHL]

[gregthehand]

I'll come forward and admit that I'm a yo-yo weight loser myself. I lose then gain back often. Recently I lost 45 lbs and now I've gained back 20! To me it is and always will be a constant battle.