I want get rockin' again... Lol

58rocker

Hi Everyone,

My name is Peter and I only signed up last night and am glad that we have this online community to help each other, it's a great idea. Years ago I used to keep very fit with jiving down at the rock 'n' roll clubs but then shift work got in the way

I have mainly been on the heavy side because of having sedentary jobs but now I took an early retirement and moved from UK to Cebu, Philippines. Personally I do find it hard with the heat and have to stay in places with aircon so not enough exercise and more weight has gone on.

I did lose just over 60 pounds in late 2009/10 by really reducing my fatty food intake, sweets, biscuits and steeping on the treadmill for 20 minutes a day. But then I was diagnosed with a DVT (blood clot in leg) and because of warfarin medication, my Doc said i have to hold my weight steady. Then came Pneumonia followed by intestinal problems and yes, the weight gradually went back on partially (28 pounds of it)

Even worse I never got much of my energy back after the pneumonia and now feel stiff from sitting at the damn computer! I just started back on treadmill along with a diet but the food for me is boring, this is where I need your help and suggestions please.
I cannot eat vegetables and salads, personal choice since I was a kid. I tend to survive here on chicken fillet (skinless, boneless), jacket potatoes, sometimes fruit (need more of that), breakfast cereals and granary bread. I have to kick out all the sweet things again but they were only comfort foods anyway.

If any of you good people can help with any suggestions then I am ready to listen, I need to get some variety in my eating plan.
I wish it was not so hot & humid here, would prefer a walk in the park as opposed to using the treadmill every day. Anyway the treadmill is in front of the TV so not too boring....

Thanks for reading my long first post, feel free to add me as a friend

ReiningQueenBee

Crank up the gym time to 60 mins 5 days a week and the fat will MELT away! Even if a treadmill for 60 mins straight while watching TV or reading a book. TRUST ME, it works. I have tried it all including getting a Lap Band (surgery) and nothing compares to just getting off the chair and exercising for 1 hour a day. It's your life and your health, so that 1 hour a day needs to be priority #1. If I can do it (work 2 full time jobs + 8 yr old & 16 yr old) anyone can!

Keep track of everything going in your mouth and add some vitamin supps (B gives me an energy boost) and eat as much organic fruits AND veggies (learn the ways to prep them to make them tasty) and lean chicken and fish. I have dropped 9 lbs since last Friday and I am astounded at what 1 hour a day of movement is doing to my body!

Good luck & we're all here rootin' for ya!

58rocker

Thanks for your suggestions ReiningQueenBee, I would love to get up to 60 minutes straight exercise but at the moment my heart says No Way. I have started with 10 minutes twice a day and will add 5 minutes to those times each week as well as raising the incline gradually.

Sorry, I forgot to mention the high blood pressure, 3 years ago it was at 198/103 when I dropped out of work. Had a lot of things going on at the time. Now with meds it is down to 140/83 and I know the exercise and weight loss will get it down further.

Any tips where to get recipes on making veggies easier to take, or can I use wheatgrass/supergreens instead?

Cheers!

kmalex

Can you eat fish? If you can then you should try adding that to your diet.

bmcmforfun

Proud of you for taking the steps to change your life. As for the veggies....I was not a big veggie person either. I could eat some but they had to be raw. Now I really enjoy them grilled. Sliced red, yellow and orange bell peppers, onions, asparagus are great on the grill w/ nothing but a little sea salt and cracked black pepper tossed w/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I am still building up to the squash and Zucchini. If you like cabbage, you could make a shredded cabbage salad instead of using lettuce. Add grilled chicken, lean turkey, fish, shrimp or crab meat. Just watch the dressings...some are full of fat and cholesterol. Not sure if you have "Special K" brand at your markets but they have a "Protein Meal bar" that is like eating a candy bar. I use that for breakfast on the days I run short on time in the mornings. I suggest giving up all carbonation drinks (including the diet). It took about 3wks for me to get it totally out of my body. I was amazed at how much better I felt with just that change alone. I actually felt decompressed. I know that sounds crazy but that is the only way I can explain it. Giving up carbonation was the very first change I made. The 2nd was giving up all fast foods. That was difficult for me. Now, if I find my self at a fast food restaurant, I choose the grilled sandwich, no mayo or cheese, w/ salad instead of the burger/french fries. I limit myself on this due to the amount of sodium in their foods. Exercise is key. I would suggest not going up too much on the incline until you have built up your time. Once you get to the 60mins per day then I would go up on the incline. Try to stretch as well. This has helped me more than you know. I know you can do this. Stay focused. You will have days you don't do well and that is okay. Just don't let it be longer than a day. Get back on track the next morning. I am on a journey and it is great to be able to share my suggestions through my learning process. I wish you all the best. Friend me if you would like.

58rocker

Can you eat fish? If you can then you should try adding that to your diet.

I used to eat Smoked Mackarel (cold) and Cod in deep fried batter (naughty) when I lived in UK, Now I am in Philippines there are plenty varieties of fish but I tend to get put off trying it because a couple of friends have had bad tummys after eating fish that has not been kept cold enough.

Even eating chicken at some food places here I have got a dose of Delhi Belly and had to reach out for the imodium tablets. I mostly tend to cook for myself these days and be careful where I buy meat etc from, so hot out here most of the time.

Miss my smoked mackarel though...

watergirl626

Crank up the gym time to 60 mins 5 days a week and the fat will MELT away!

I've heard that it's even better to break that into 20 minutes 3x/day because it helps keep your metabolism up throughout the whole day. Do you know if there is any truth to that?

58rocker

Proud of you for taking the steps to change your life. As for the veggies....I was not a big veggie person either. I could eat some but they had to be raw. Now I really enjoy them grilled. Sliced red, yellow and orange bell peppers, onions, asparagus are great on the grill w/ nothing but a little sea salt and cracked black pepper tossed w/ Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I am still building up to the squash and Zucchini. If you like cabbage, you could make a shredded cabbage salad instead of using lettuce. Add grilled chicken, lean turkey, fish, shrimp or crab meat. Just watch the dressings...some are full of fat and cholesterol. Not sure if you have "Special K" brand at your markets but they have a "Protein Meal bar" that is like eating a candy bar. I use that for breakfast on the days I run short on time in the mornings. I suggest giving up all carbonation drinks (including the diet). It took about 3wks for me to get it totally out of my body. I was amazed at how much better I felt with just that change alone. I actually felt decompressed. I know that sounds crazy but that is the only way I can explain it. Giving up carbonation was the very first change I made. The 2nd was giving up all fast foods. That was difficult for me. Now, if I find my self at a fast food restaurant, I choose the grilled sandwich, no mayo or cheese, w/ salad instead of the burger/french fries. I limit myself on this due to the amount of sodium in their foods. Exercise is key. I would suggest not going up too much on the incline until you have built up your time. Once you get to the 60mins per day then I would go up on the incline. Try to stretch as well. This has helped me more than you know. I know you can do this. Stay focused. You will have days you don't do well and that is okay. Just don't let it be longer than a day. Get back on track the next morning. I am on a journey and it is great to be able to share my suggestions through my learning process. I wish you all the best. Friend me if you would like.

Hi Bmcmforfun and thanks for your helpful post,

I can eat lettuce if I had to, but may take up your suggestion of bell peppers done on the grill. Not too keen on carbonated drinks (only if I am thirsty while out somewhere) and I use the Cambridge DIet Sunshine Orange drink mix to add to water mostly. I ove my chicken grilled, skinless boneless. Turkey is damn hard to get here, just normally see it at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I actually prefer that to chicken.

A good way for me to fend off the hunger is a handful of All Bran dry, but eaten with a cup of tea, does the job nicely. It has been hard getting back into the exercise, I notice my heart rate is back to where it was when I last started. At rest though it is always between 48 and 55. i have today just bought a chest strap with heart monitor on a watch as it is probably more accurate then my treadmill HR monitor. Thanks also for the tip about holding off with the incline for a while, I should be up to 60 minutes a day in about 4 weeks.

58rocker

Crank up the gym time to 60 mins 5 days a week and the fat will MELT away!

I've heard that it's even better to break that into 20 minutes 3x/day because it helps keep your metabolism up throughout the whole day. Do you know if there is any truth to that?

Hi watergirl626,

I was thinking along the same lines but I did hear that it is more helpful for the cardiovascular system if you do the exercise in one go.

Maybe someone more experienced here could let us know,

Good luck anyway with your aims