I just need to start

jumpybeans

I have massively fallen off the wagon.

I'm trying to figure out what I want to do/what I should do/what I need to do. It's all so confusing. Right now I just want to start walking. It's easy to do and it's free, and it's a heck of a lot more than I'm doing right now.

The other problem I have is this whole gluten free/wheat free craze. I understand there are people with actual intolerances, but I don't know if I'm one of them. I did follow a very strict gluten free diet for awhile, and I hated it. I'm not a big carb fan to begin with, but I would drive myself absolutely crazy if I wanted a slice of white bread once in awhile. Or, I would fester over making a gravy with some flour added in. I don't want to fall back into that mode again.

I'm so stressed out with other factors in my life, I don't want to stress about anything else. That means I don't want to go crazy over some strict diet, I don't want to feel guilty if I miss a scheduled workout, etc. I just want to do some simple things to start.

There's a couple of rules that I think I can take along with me. First, water intake is important. That alone will help cut down on bloating. Adding more fresh vegetables and fruit, that's just common sense. Luckily I love raw vegetables, so I'm ahead of the game there. Do I enjoy my indulgences? Absolutely. But I honestly think it's simple to just make small changes to see a world of difference. At any rate, I'm going to give it a try and see what happens.

I'm going to start with walking, drinking more water and eating more vegetables. Seems easy enough.

janejellyroll

If you have no reason to think you're intolerant to gluten, there is no reason to make yourself unhappy avoiding it.

Good luck!

Kalikel

Sounds like a plan!

You don't have to go crazy with doing the latest diet craze or even counting every calorie. Honestly, adding fruits & veggies and going for walks is probably one of the most sensible ways to start I've seen. So many people get seriously carried away and take on too much, too fast (IMO) that they cannot keep it up.

Do a little, like you are. Later, if you want to do a little more, you can.

kshama2001

If you didn't feel significantly differently when you were gluten-free, there's no reason to do it again

Sandwiches with bread made from flour make me sleepy, while those made from sprouted grains like Ezekial or Alvarado St Bakery do not, so for the most part I eat sprouted grain bread. I tried some flour bread again recently and the same thing happened, so am saving it for the end of the day when sleepiness is a good thing.

I'm going to start with walking, drinking more water and eating more vegetables.

Sounds like a good plan to me!

Bshmerlie

I think a person's diet plan should be designed to be as easy as possible and still lose weight. My theory is, the easier it is the longer you will do it for. All sorts of diets will work but the trick is to stick to them for the long haul. Try and not change things up too much. Eat the same types of foods you did before the diet just start making some better choices during each meal and eat let of it. Example, if you love pizza you can continue to have it but only have a couple of slices not 5 or 6. Instead of soda with your meal drink water. Instead of chips with your sandwhich have apple slices. All these things start to add up and help you to create a calorie deficit. Then add in just a little bit of exercise and next thing you know you're losing your 1-2 pounds per week without too much effort. You said you enjoy your little indulgences so plan for them. If you like to have ice cream everyday then put aside a certain amount of calories in your daily plan to have it.

vivmom2014

Straight up calorie counting will be your friend. You can still enjoy all the foods you love. It's less complicated. It's much tastier and more varied. And: it works.

jumpybeans

Thanks. Right now the goal is to simplify my life, not complicate it. I was driving myself nuts trying to figure out how to schedule some exercise program into my day-to-day routines. Right now it's just not happening. I feel so much better knowing that I can walk each day, I can make small changes to my diet. I don't need to be extremely restrictive and exercise for hours on end.

vivmom2014

jumpybeans wrote: »

Thanks. Right now the goal is to simplify my life, not complicate it. I was driving myself nuts trying to figure out how to schedule some exercise program into my day-to-day routines. Right now it's just not happening. I feel so much better knowing that I can walk each day, I can make small changes to my diet. I don't need to be extremely restrictive and exercise for hours on end.

Technically you don't need to exercise at all to lose weight. It's all calories in vs. calories out.

Exercise, of course, has tremendous benefits - and you can earn more calories to eat - but you can also lose weight without it.

rankinsect

Just count calories. Don't worry way to much about what you eat, within reason (eating nothing but pure sugar, for example, will be awful and quickly lead to malnutrition).

Foods higher in protein and fats tend to keep you full longer, and starchy carbs are more filling than sweet carbs, but I eliminated exactly 0 foods and I've lost about 40 lb so far. I did shift how much I eat certain foods and how often, but every day I enjoy my meals.

krithsai

Plan your meals if at all possible. I spend 15 minutes writing out every meal and snack for my upcoming week every weekend. I then go grocery shopping and stock up whatever I need. You won't believe the amount of time I save and the number of temptations I can easily avoid just by doing this.

rgioviano

jumpybeans wrote: »

I have massively fallen off the wagon.

I'm trying to figure out what I want to do/what I should do/what I need to do. It's all so confusing. Right now I just want to start walking. It's easy to do and it's free, and it's a heck of a lot more than I'm doing right now.

The other problem I have is this whole gluten free/wheat free craze. I understand there are people with actual intolerances, but I don't know if I'm one of them. I did follow a very strict gluten free diet for awhile, and I hated it. I'm not a big carb fan to begin with, but I would drive myself absolutely crazy if I wanted a slice of white bread once in awhile. Or, I would fester over making a gravy with some flour added in. I don't want to fall back into that mode again.

I'm so stressed out with other factors in my life, I don't want to stress about anything else. That means I don't want to go crazy over some strict diet, I don't want to feel guilty if I miss a scheduled workout, etc. I just want to do some simple things to start.

There's a couple of rules that I think I can take along with me. First, water intake is important. That alone will help cut down on bloating. Adding more fresh vegetables and fruit, that's just common sense. Luckily I love raw vegetables, so I'm ahead of the game there. Do I enjoy my indulgences? Absolutely. But I honestly think it's simple to just make small changes to see a world of difference. At any rate, I'm going to give it a try and see what happens.

I'm going to start with walking, drinking more water and eating more vegetables. Seems easy enough.

I would focus on three things if I were you.

First, focus on adopting one new habit at a time. Taking on more than that will increase your chances of falling off. Also, understand that you're going to adhere to this habit 80-90% of the time. If you miss it one day, don't throw away the whole week, just start the next opportunity you get.

Second, set the bar low and just commit to doing a fraction of what you want to eventually do. The hardest part is starting. You can make the decision to continue once you start. For example, if you're trying to focus on water, just have an extra bottle per day. As long as you have the bottle, you'll feel better. You can always have more, but just set yourself up for success.

Lastly, measure your progress. That's a great motivator for everyone. I highly recommend putting a habit-tracking app such as Coach.Me or Habit List on your phone. You can set up the habit, get reminded, and check it off when you're done. Once you get good with one, add another habit. I'd probably say focus on one habit for two weeks before moving to another one.

Generally, people with a gluten intolerance experience symptoms associated with eating it like hives, bloating, etc. If you don't know whether or not you have an intolerance, you most likely don't have one.

I hope this helps!