Health Blog

Re-posted on behalf of Heres2ya on 11/8/06


Heres2ya said:
I have been following a health regimen with diet and exercise.  I must say I have been more successful at the diet than with the exercise.  I eat 5 small meals and drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.  I have lost 20 lbs over the last 5 months, but I feel flabby.  I don't know how to muster my enthusiasm for the exercise.  I love yard and in-house projects and will work hard until I'm about to drop, but I need something more routine, like walking 2 miles everyday.  I lack motivation like janhill (see July 3, 2006)  Hey Jan, maybe we could talk each other thru this.  By the way, congrats on losing the 40 pounds (and it could be more by now!)  Keep up the good work.  This Thanksgiving will be your 1 year mark.  Let me know if you learned of any motivational aids.
October 23, 2006 1:18 PM

Re-posted on behalf of Janhill on 11/8/06

janhill said:
Thanks for all this good information.  I am new to this in more ways than one.  Somewhere around Thanksgiving of last year I decided to loose weight and I have lost 40 pounds.  I found that the important issue with food is cutting down on portions.  I always ate breakfast; however, salads have become a big part of my meals.  Basically, though, I just cut back on how much I eat.  The big problem I have is exercise.  Even though I have joined a fittness center, I just cannot motivate myself to go on a regular basis.  Any motivational aids would be greatly appreciated.
July 3, 2006 9:20 PM

Re-posted on behalf of KYgirl on 11/8/06


KYgirl said:
I read recently about a CEO of some company who has his computer station set up with a treadmill.  He stays on it all day.  It's only set at 1 mph, but the constant movement has caused him to lose a lot of weight.  I WANT THAT!  He also has a treadmill in the location where he holds meetings, and again, stays on it walking at 1 mph.  How do we get the bosses to let us try this?!  Sitting in front of this computer all day is hard on the hip width . . . wouldn't this be a wonderful way to get back into, or stay in shape?!  I'd definitely vote for this.
July 3, 2006 2:26 PM

Re-posted on behalf of mshannon on 11/8/06

mshannon said:
So true that it doesn't happen overnight and that it is a lifestyle change. In fact, I find it really helps to stop thinking about being on a diet or that it's just a temporary situation until you reach your ideal weight and to start thinking eating healthy and controlling portions are the way you're going to lead your life.

Also, I found out the hard way,that while exercise is important, you can't control your weight without the healthy eating/portion control part. I used to be a competitive runner and I could eat whatever I wanted. As I got older (no comments from the peanut gallery here), I found I couldn't eat whatever I wanted and then exercise it away in a day any more. In fact, once I got smart about calories and how much it takes to burn off those calories, it really made me stop and think, do I really want to eat this? For example, if I ran a 10k, I still wouldn't have burned off one of those new Starbuck blackberry green tea frappuccino's...even when it's small and without the whipped cream. That's not to say I wouldn't still order one, I just know now that running isn't going to delete a steady diet of them.

Lastly, especially to Rudi, you have to eat breakfast--it sets the stage for the whole day. Try eating more protein at night--it should help make you feel full and may help your cravings. Some snacks that are pretty safe at night that don't involve fruit or vegetables (I don't care what anyone says, fruits and veggies don't feel like snacks unless they are in a crust or have ice cream on top of them!) are microwave 94% fat-free popcorn that come in the mini-bags, Weight Watcher ice cream bars (they have a million varities and they are all fab), fat-free puddings and those 100 calorie packs of cookies. As you can see, I'm kinda a pro at finding the less guilty snacks.

Here's to seeing less of you... in a good way.

Mary Angela--a lumen
June 25, 2006 8:32 PM

Re-posted on behalf of dellraye on 11/8/06

dellraye said:
Congrats on your progress, Doug! Making changes is hard, and I know because I've been working on adopting a healthier lifestyle for a year now- since we started offering Weight Watchers here at work.  And I'm still making changes on this journey and probably will be for a long time. I'm convinced it is the every day choices that make the difference, like Dr. Mike says.

I read somewhere that making a significant lifestyle change is like getting your Ph.D. It ain't gonna happen in a week, or even a month. It's a bunch of small, steady successes along the way that add up to a big outcome. You have to be patient with yourself and give it time for it to really stick. That's what I'm trying to do, anyway.

Hang in there !
June 22, 2006 10:15 AM

Re-posted on behalf on Rudi on 11/8/06  

rudi said:
I agree that changing habits is tough. Having brought my overall excercise level up to a solid output, I now notice that my weight plateau'ed at 180, even though I have a couple more layers of fat to kill.

I recently have been toying with the idea of portion-control as a way to continue my weight loss. My normal tactic is to skip breakfast, eat a healthy lunch, and then gorge myself at dinner.

Decreasing my overall caloric intake at dinner has been tough! I am so used to the "full" feeling, that when I give myself a smaller dinner, I still feel hungry. So I'm a lot more likely to go for another serving, or pound out an unhealthy snack before bed.

This is a terrible habit, but one I have to break if I want to get to my ideal fight weight of 168lbs.

The other negative effect is that at 6'0, 180lbs, my BMI is 24, and I am not eligible for the $300 weight loss incentive! Maybe Doug will just give me $300 and we'll call it even.

- r.



June 21, 2006 11:39 AM

I generally eat in a manner that is pretty healthy.  I, too, have had a lot of trouble keeping up with an exercise regimen.  Recently, I have started exercising with a close friend, who, like me, has trouble staying on an exercise schedule.  To date, our exercise program consists primarily of walking -- half an hour to fifty minutes, five to six times a week.  I cannot say that we have made this a "habit" yet because we are just in week two.  I can say, however, that we are encouraging each other.  If one of us doesn't want to get out, the other usually does.  We, of course, get to talk, too, so that is a bonus.

I love to exercise so that is not my area of improvement.  Mine is eating.  Portion sizes and desserts are my problem.  Since I started to record what I eat, I learned how distorted my idea of appropriate portions is.  I have to relearn how to eat.