The best advice I can give.... [Success TIPS]

gonabfit

Hey everyone!!

As I think of things that may help us along the journey, I will post them here. In the next 15-16 weeks I'm sure we will ALL learn something that has helped us along the way. Wouldn't it be awesome if we shared that with each other. Obviously, what works for me may not help you one bit and visa versa... But it may help you think of something that can help you succeed as well.

So... when you post here, try to share what you've learned thus far.

I'll go first...


1. Today I learned... that I absolutely CAN NOT expect to do anything in the morning. I used to be a morning person... Deep down I think I still am. I love my sleep so much that for whatever reason I am unable to wake up on time anymore. Each night, I get tired and say... "ah, I'll do [blah blah blah] in the morning." I get to bed at a decent time, set my alarm and HONESTLY believe I will wake up with plenty of time to either workout, pick my clothes, make breakfast... whatever. And like clockwork, I either do NOT hear the alarm until an hour later or I hear it and snooze because "I need a few extra minutes..." The thing is, I live alone and if I over sleep and hit "end" instead of snooze, no one is here to wake me up. As a health care provider, I can't afford to be late so I've got to start doing a better job of waking up on time.

I still get to work on time but it becomes a frenzied mess instead of a peaceful transition from home to work.

So from now on, clothes will be picked out before I go to sleep. Breakfast pre thought of and prepared AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Also, coffee will be set on a timer... maybe the smell of coffee will help me wake up. And I will ALWAYS have a back up breakfast bar ready in case I oversleep.

I hate running out the door rushing and knowing I didn't have time for breakfast and forgot my lunch too. So keeping some sort of bar in my car will help if I forget lunch or breakfast. It would be better than nothing. So, this morning though, hectic and frustrating, taught me a valuable lesson.

For me personally, I have to PREPARE for the next day the night before or else I WILL forget something. I think once I get the little details ironed out... I will be able to use the time I used to rush around to work out. I LOVE am workouts... I feel so good ALL day. Only thing is getting enough sleep and waking up early enough that it doesn't make me late for work.


That's my tip. What's yours?

shanti_777

At my job there is all sorts of high calorie trigger-esque drinks so my tip is : always have a selection of herbal teas in your bag/purse/backpack....that way you always have a safe, healthy calorie free hot drink at the ready.

It helps to have all my exercise clothes ready pre workout as well.

It is essentially the same tip as you

gonabfit

Thanks Shanti!! Great tip!

That's a good idea... Carrying tea bags means if you get "tired" of water... you will have something right there that can help you change the flavor a bit!

I also carry those "flavor packets" as I call them. Crystal light, Hawaiian Punch etc, they all carry them and they have 10 calories MAX. So I get to drink a sweet drink if I just feel like I HAVE to... and save on the cals while I'm out and about. AND it saves you money too!

lol

celadontea

My tips for food and fitness..

1. Look up meal prep Monday or "meal prep for the week" and find easy recipes that you already know you'll like. Buy a big set of tupperwares, gladware, or other plastic food storage containers. Go grocery shopping with your newly devised 7 lunches and dinners and prep up all your meals on a Sunday or whenever you have a day off. This has been a lifesaver, forgot to do it for a couple weeks and I'm back to old, bad habits.

2. Sign up for an event like a 5k. It will get you out the door to train even if you have an excuse. If you're not a runner, join a group fitness class and talk to people there. After a while you'll have friends in that class who you will feel somewhere that you need to see, which will keep you going to the class.

PB91765

These are some quick and filling breakfast recipes that are my go to's:

1. Trader Joe’s Coconut Cream Extra Thick and Rich Yogurt with raw cashews, chia seeds, squeeze of lemon juice.

2. Smoothies - 1 cup almond or coconut milk, 1 scoop vegan protein powder (vanilla or chocolate), 1 tblsp chia seeds, 1/2 frozen banana, and 1/2 cup of some other kind of frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mango). Add water to thin it out if you want a thinner consistancy and to last longer.

3. Soak 1/2 cup of rolled or steel cut oats OVERNIGHT in a 1/2 cup of almond or coconut milk. Serve it cold from the fridge. Add protein powder, 1 tbsp of ground chia seeds and 1 tbsp of ground flax seed and finish up with a small or medium banana, or berries of your choice, or dates.

I will feel satisfied for a good 3 to 4 hours. Then I have to think about snack and lunch and dinner. :ohwell:

Still working on quick meals that will REALLY keep me satiated for 3 to 4 hours. I LOVE to cook (and eat) but portion control is my challenge. I'm going to try Celadontea's suggestion of storage containers. Each time I make something, I'll store in individual servings (rather than 1 large) so that it's a quick grab out of the frig when packing my lunch for work. Also, great idea for supper after work - what a relief to come home and it's portioned out.

One other tip, I leave my 1/2 gallon water jug and lunch bag on the kitchen counter at night so that I don't forget them. If I have to leave really early in the morning, I fill my water jug the night before (I have a alkaline water machine) and put non-refrigerated items in the lunch bag so that I just need to take out the refrigerated item(s) in the morning.

vanillacoffee

Same as a couple of people, I am not a morning person. Two (small) things that have been helping me:
1. Know what drinks (coffee, tea) I will have in the day in advance, and keep a "reserve list" of drinks I can drink at Starbucks, etc, so I'm not struggling if co workers get coffee (happens frequently)
2. Bring gym clothes to work, to ENSURE I go to the gym after work, and dont go home first.

sseed12

What really helps me......
1. Making my lunch and snacks the night before and logging it! Just grab my lunch bag and go.
2. Make 3 chicken breasts at a time. Have them for lunch sandwich or add to salad. Lots of protein
3. Gym, gym, gym....I'm a healthcare worker too but my gym is open 24 hrs. Believe me, I hate going but am so glad I did;
.it`s getting to be a routine.


Yummy easy recipe for lunch (make lots and keep in Tupperware for multiple meals)....low cal, lots of protein but higher in sodium.
Saute sliced onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper.
Cooked shrimp with tail off. Thaw and add to pan just to heat a bit.
1 large tostitos tortilla.
2-3 tbsp. salsa
add all to tortilla and roll...yummy

east2west14

I am losing a decent amount of inches everywhere but my scale is not budging! I know that I would rather lose inches but its still bothers me a little that I am not losing in pounds. What should I do to get over this hump/bump?

miller930

I can't see your diary to see if you work out every day, but if you are and there is any strength training involved, you are probably retaining water for muscle repair. This will keep the scale at a steady number sometimes. I work out most days (cardio & strength training) but I always take a day of rest the day before my weekly weigh in to get a more accurate weight that day. Also helps to drink more water and eat less sodium. Besides that (which is what works for me) I think inches lost is fabulous!!! Remember muscle is more dense, so you could start to look smaller weighing the same, but that in turn will really start burning the fat in your body! Keep up the good work!

east2west14

Aww that helps thank you so much. I exercise regularly and don't drink enough water but I will work harder to consume more water and take breaks here and there. Get this. I even shaved my legs to see if that would move the scale lol "desperate times calls for desperate measures."

LeeKeplar

I came to the conclusion today also that I am not a morning person. for years I have had a dream of waking up early so I can get a workout done in my own home on my own treadmill I don't even have to leave the house. My husband gets up at 5:30 and is gone by 6:00 and I always think I am going to get up with him and work out but that hour of sleep with no one in bed with me. Is probably the best hour of sleep (don't tell him that!!) So I think I am just going to have to it my workout in the evening. I to am rushed and frantic every morning to get to work. Some days my hair goes back in a ponytail and I don't fix it which I hate doing. But cant get out of bed. I have got to fix this problem!! I love reading the advice on here. it has given me ideas to help. Thanks

feliperss

I love the tip about making more chicken at a time! I will definitely start making larger portions to save time and effort, it takes so much time making that chicken almost every day. Hadn't even thought about it, lol.

rescue804

I cannot be trusted to get up with my alarm clock, and also think that, in spite of that, I AM a morning person. My alarm clock does not have a 'snooze' feature, and I set it far enough away that I must get out of bed to shut it off!

Sapphire1812

1. Focus on achievements... how far you've come, NEVER how far you still have to go.
2. Don't let one meal or over snacking make you think that you've failed... you may have fallen off the wagon for a moment... but just jump straight back on. In the grand scheme of things it's just a little bump in the road.
3. I now make all my lunches the evening before when I'm working the next day. Easier to log the calories... there are so many hidden calories in "take away" foods... so making your own, you know what you'd added and in the long run it will be cheaper.
4. Log all food... the good, the bad and the ugly! Stay true to yourself... so if you need to evaluate your nutrition in the future, it will make life easier.
5. Pad meals out with loads of veggies... most are low calories and higher fibre, so fill you up.
6. Eat more healthily and watch your energy levels increase. I noticed this when I lost weight previously... then started eating "rubbish" again over a Christmas. Oh boy, did I suddenly feel so tired again. There is something very true in the saying "You are what you eat".

Btw, I'm not a morning person either... post 10am would be fine for me! I should use the tip about putting the alarm clock further away... lol, saying that if I hear it?!! I'm hopeless and sleep through alarm clocks... have hearing loss in my left ear, but don't think it's just that as my alarm is pretty loud. Although maybe I should invest in one of those special alarms for those hearing impaired, that shakes you... hmm, maybe that would wake me up or scare the living daylights outta me! :laugh:

gonabfit

Thanks sapphire amazing tips!!!