Skinny Cows [CLOSED GROUP]
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@Smiley I know what you mean. I had that same line of thinking when I started. I promise you, it will get easier. I don't even work out as much as I should, just walks but I have changed my eating and gotten rid of the pop and I'm losing about a pound a day just on that. I know the soda is tempting. I have several 24 packs in my house because my fiance just can't live without it. Just keep trying to keep water closer to you than the soda. I always reach for what is convenient. I never take soda in the car, only water.... that's how I drink most of mine because I"m always thirsty when I drive ha ha.
As for the food, sometimes it helps if you cook some things ahead of time. I usually buy chicken tenders and grill the whole package at once and then chop it into cubes to keep in the fridge. They can last about a week to a week and a half but I usually eat it all before then. I love salmon so I buy the individually wrapped ones to grill and always have a few cans sitting around. Veggies can last about a week or more depending on what they are. You can always shop based on what things can be thrown together in different ways, quickly and easily. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the more your imagination can help.. Just having stuff ready to grab takes away the need to plan. I don't have time to plan either so I have a need to be able to just go to the fridge and grab... now I just have to grab a few things and combine but I still can have a full meal in under 10 minutes.
My current staples that I ALWAYS keep around for meals or snacks are cooked meat (chicken, beef etc) chunks, cans of salmon and tuna, or frozen fillets that cook quickly, Pico de Gallo (is great with so many things), Tropical Pico (for the times I crave sweets), triskets, cheerios and spring roll rice wrappers (great for wraps and I even used them once for wet burritos without the fat and carbs), and fresh veggies especially spinach, low cal asian dressing.
If you have a smart phone, look for an app called "fooducate" it is wonderful. There are so many things I thought were worse for me than they really are (chili) and things I thought were at least mediocre which I found out were horrible (toaster strudel). You could start buy just trying to eliminate D's and F;s and then build up. I started that way but as my shopping trip went on I ended up with only A's and B's in my basket, even with my fiancee with me (he got really into it too).
I don't think you are being negative, I think you are being honest. Don't be afraid to take a step back for a day or two to restrategize if you need to. One of the biggest things we Americans have against us is what we have been taught about food and mealtimes. We all just need to throw the old concepts out the window and think outside of the box that our mothers, and their mothers have built for us.
You can do it. Take it one day at a time. If you mess up, don't let it phase you because tomorrow is another day and we ALL mess up now and again.0 -
Shayna - I'm with you on the boobs... My bras are fitting so much better, and the girls are looking perkier! I credit it to all the pushups, and the punching drills in my kickboxing class. Awesome NSV! Good luck with eating more... I have a really hard time doing that. Even on kickboxing days, I have a hard time bringing myself to eat more than the 1200 calories. It's a definite mental block for me. Keep me posted on how it works out for you.
Terri - Hope you're feeling better!! Great job on getting the workout in anyway.
Lissa - Between you and Shayna, you might convince me to eat some of my exercise calories. Nuts are definitely better than the brownies.
smileyav - In addition to what MK said above, maybe try to do some exercise that keeps you off your foot? Knee pushups, situps... etc. Any exercise is better than no exercise!
As for our challenges, I didn't do so well with the cardio (as I was away all weekend, and fell off the wagon early in the week), but I got back on the horse last night. Karate last night, and kickboxing today. I did my pushups, and I'm proud to report that I can do three "toe" pushups now!
For this week (starting tomorrow) here's what I'm thinking for our weekly challenges:
Cardiovascular Exercise - Try one type of cardio exercise you've never done before (and tell us about it!).
Strength Exercise - Add 10 jump squats every day this week (or regular/wall squats if you have bad knees) to the 10 pushups from last week.
Mental Challenge - Use the "food notes" section of the food journal to record the times when you make a good food choice over a bad one, and vice versa, especially for my fellow emotional eaters. I've found it very helpful to note how I'm feeling when I make a bad food choice.
Getting to know you - Many of us seem to be having a little trouble staying motivated... Post your reasons for wanting to lose weight, and what keeps you motivated.
Lisa
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Smileyav, I think you should focus on the positive things you have accomplished - you have lost 6 pounds! That's great. And by the way, your post didn't sound negative, it sounded more like you were beating yourself up.
So my two cents... I'm all about positive thinking (which is a riot, because my husband is the most negative person in the world... my glass is half full and his glass is not only empty but dirty with the other dishes in the sink... haha)...
Set achievable goals... each goal you accomplish, the better you feel about yourself. You are not on a "diet" but you are making better food choices... If you're hooked on diet soda, start off by consuming half the amount you normally consume... maybe replace the other half with water... If that is too tough, set the goal at reducing by 25%... do that for two weeks or so (whatever feels right) and the reduce again... The potential flaw in that plan is if diet soda is what you consume for caffeine... you may need to add tea/coffee or something... but you get the point.
What kind of carbs are you hooked on? When you have the soda under control, maybe try to either eliminate some of the carbs or switch to serving size portions... I'm just thinking out loud, but you get my drift. We've all been on diets where we have denied ourselves of things and as a result, we have binged and gained more back... (I think back to all the crazy diets I've tried... sigh... talk about wasted time and energy)... This strategy will not lead to quick weight loss, but it may help you maintain better choices, etc.
Another thought.... think about how weight watchers has set up their program... all foods have value... if you want a treat, have it, just add it's amount of points (or mfp calories) to you daily points/calorie tally. That way you don't feel like you're denying yourself....
Renee had some good points about meals, etc... I stock up in frozen veggies so I always have some on hand...
One more thing... your foot... baby it... wait until it's healed completely before you exercise on it... otherwise it will take FOREVER for it to heal... for exercise in the meantime? Do you have any kickboxing dvd's or does your cable company have an exercise on demand? (I'm a fan of the 10lb slimdown extreme kickboxing by chris freytag - that series is on my cable company's on demand program) Do the upper body moves... you'll get your heart rate up, burn calories, etc. If you don't have access to those things, do a circuit of arm moves for a few minutes... punches, maybe the arm moves for jumping jacks, small arm circles, large arm circles, etc... just a thought.
Must go - and remember, the skinny cows are here for you!
Lissa0 -
HI Ladies!
I have done A LOT of reading around the subject of eating back your exercise calories - and I pretty much don't... not saying that is the right thing to do, just saying that is what works for me!
I will give a brief summary of the things I've learned in my quest for knowledge - if you already know this stuff, or aren't interested skip ahead
BMR = Basal metabolic rate, the number of calories you would burn if you did NOTHING all day - i.e. sat in bed
I am not sure what formula MFP used to calculate this, to me MFP gives me a much higher value than the standard formula does... not sure why that is! So I use the formula below to calculate my BMR (note this is all non-metric calculations, for kg/cm you need a different formula - I imagine you can google it!)
Females: 655 + (4.3 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Males: 66 + (6.3 x weight in lbs) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
My current BMR is 1604
AMR = Active metabolic rate, the number of calories you burn in a normal day based on the things you do that you DO NOT count as "exercise". This is basically your BMR multiplied by a number:
1.1 = Sedentary physical activity (Desk job/ Sitting down most of day)
1.2 = Light physical activity (On your feet for half the day of more - stay at home mums/ sales people/ doctors)
1.3 = Moderate physical activity (On the move all day - gardeners/ carpenters/ postal workers)
1.4 = High physical activity (Constantly on the move, and manual labour - construction workers/ farm workers/ movers)
I have a desk job so I am a 1.1, so my AMR is BMR X 1.1 = 1764
Exercise Expenditure = This is just the exercise you log and calculate the calories you burn from.
The final equations!
Total burned in one day = AMR + Exericse expenditure
So your calorie deficit each day is:
Total burned in one day - Total eaten in one day
Since each lb is around 3500 cals you need a calorie deficit of 1000 each day to burn 2lbs a week!
Hopefully that cleared some stuff up? As you can see from the equation if you eat back your exercise calories the biggest deficit you can have is the difference between what you eat and your AMR - this might only be a loss of 1lb a week - however many people believe that this is a more sustainable way of losing weight - I guess it depends on your body!! Also the closer you get to your goal the lower your AMR will be, so the harder you have to work to lose 1lb - ANNOYING HUH?!
Right anyways, apologies for that massive post!!! I am now off to do my jump squats and my pushups (I'm up to 6 real ones!!!! - well not getting down very low, but it's progress!)
Steph x0 -
MFP actually gives me a LOWER BMR than the formula (I just tried it), according to MFP my BMR is 1,549, however my AMR (which you can find on the "Goals" page under "Calories burnt from normal daily activity" is 1,930 - which I think is way too high for me!
I guess it's not an exact science, but you just need to pick a number and stick to it
Steph x0 -
Yippee
,
CW 192.8 down 1.2 pounds!!! So glad I'd been stuck at 194 for what seems like forever!!0 -
I"m at 10 pounds in 2 weeks, YAY. My old jeans that didn't fit 2 weeks ago, now fit very comfortably, the jeans I've been wearing fall down and can be taken off without undoing the zipper and the button and my shirts fit better. If ten pounds can do all this, I wonder where I will be when I hit my goal. I'm hoping next summer that my pre-pregnancy summer clothes will fit again.
And for those of you who need a laugh today.... here is a funny thing that happened to me.
A few days ago I went on a trail ride with my friends Anna And Dan. I used my western saddle which I bought mainly for my 13 yo to use and almost never use it myself, so I'm not used to it but I don't dare take my Dressage saddle on trail because it costs way to much to replace if something bad were to happen. Anyway, when we returned I went to get off my horse. I did this in my usual way by swinging my right leg over to meet my left, and use my upper body to slowly slide down. Well...as I said I'm not used to my western saddle which has something a dressage saddle doesn't, a saddle horn. As I slid down I hung myself onto that saddle horn by my bra. So there I was, laughing hysterically and dangling from the back of my horse by my bra and trying to stop laughing long enough to beg for Anna's help. Of course Dan, being a man, had to edge in for the free show!
Have a Happy Friday Guys.....and don't forget your new goals.0 -
Wow, it seems NOBODY writes on here anymore, I'm starting to feel a little abandoned.0
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Don't feel abandoned... I just don't have much to say (which if you really knew me, that's a shocker - I'm never at a loss for words)... I'm not feeling like myself... I'm tired... not exhausted, but not motivated... I am exercising and eating right (and consuming right amount of calories)... I'm just feeling BLAH... I think it's the weather... in New England it's been fogging/rainy/overcast, etc...
Must go and clean my house.... Have a great day...
oh and Renee... i absolutely LOVED the saddle story... I laughed about it all day!0 -
It seems slow here... I need some new simple meal and snack ideas... I'm feeling frustrated on food choices... Unhealthy/ greasy does not sound good but neither does healthy... I'm just stuck and need new ideas... Anyone have suggestions?? Please???0
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Your not abandoned. When I work 12 hour shifts they turn into 15 hour shifts with the drive. Back to back days give me time to exercise, sleep and do it again. I loved the saddle story- too funny.
Smiley- I also cook extra and then eat the leftovers at work. We buy our meat in bulk and then use a food saver divide it down into smaller servings. If I have nothing ready- I will just boil a chicken breast and use it in salad or make chicken salad.
Steph- I use my exercise calories as a bonus- some days when I am extra hungry- I eat some or all of them. Other days I don't. I figure if you were to stick to your calorie goal without any exercise you would still lose the weight.
Abjedi- I love apples with low-fat caramel di0 -
You are not abandoned! I was thinking for some time about ways to overcome our general slow-down in motivation. I started thinking about a list of ways to keep motivated. I've always been really good about going to the gym, but the healthy eating choices part is harder for me.
To stay psychologically motivated:
1. I'm a big believer in weighing yourself every day, for a lot of reasons. For one, if you have a good day on Monday, Tues, and Weds, you will likely see the positive effects on Tues, Weds, or Thursday. This will make you feel like you are making progress and give you a boost. Say you have a bad day on Monday-- you will likely see the results of this on Tuesday or Wednesday, which will keep you accountable and motivate you to be good that day. But let's say you have a bad day on Monday and you only weigh yourself on Sundays-- it's a little easier to not really feel accountable. Also, if you go on a bender of bad days Monday-Weds, you might end up engaging in compensatory behaviors that are unhealthy the rest of the week, because you are scared to weigh in on Sunday. I also think weighing yourself every day takes out some of the fear involved. I remember I did not weigh myself for about 6 months last year, because I was scared and kept thinking "I will weigh myself when I'm pretty sure I'm under 180" which is absurd! But if you have other thoughts about how often to weigh in, I'm interested to hear them
2. Take some clothing that you are close to being able to fit into and hang them in a place where you will see it every day.
3. I have a stack of "But" cards. These are index cards you use to battle bad reasoning, ie "I know I should be eating healthy ... but I really want that piece of chocolate cake" or "I have this healthy meal I brought with me ...but everyone else is gorging themselves on free pizza." On some of these cards you can list your motivations for losing weight, (ie, "For my kids," "because I want to look good at my reunion" or whatever). On other index cards you can write direct arguments against these sorts of "but" statements, like "I have to do this to lose weight," or "I can eat that unhealthy food, but I'll feel pretty bad about myself right after," or "Actually I will feel best if I just stay on track"
4. On other index cards, write down instances where you made a good choice over a bad one. In other words, give yourself credit. ie "Turned down donuts offered at the office--I wasn't even hungry anyway" or "Today I did a new activity, even though I was a little scared of it, and I ended up liking it." You can read all these index cards every morning to help change your mindset, and keep you motivated. These cards remind you that you CAN do it.
5. Give yourself non-food related rewards for reaching each of your minigoals. Like buying a new, nice article of clothing, taking a bubble bath, going to that guilty pleasure movie you've been wanting to see. One of my rewards--weirdly enough, is a white button down dress shirt. I've always carried too much weight in my stomach to have button down dress shirts look really good on me, which is annoying because they are integral to wearing a suit. So I wrote "Button down shirt" on a post it and put it on my desk at work where I can see it every time I am tempted to eat office "goodies". ("badies" is more like it...)
6. Have some sort of note directly on your fridge to remind you to eat healthy. This way you have to stare right at it and ignore it if you're going to self-sabotage your healthy eating.
Motivation to work out:
1. Have a set scheduled time that you work out. Let your friends and family know that there are no ifs ands or buts about this. This is part of your day, just as integral as brushing your teeth in the morning. Working out a certain number of times a week does mean that you will have to make sacrifices. The hardest part for me was not going to a social event because I had to work out. But my friends were still there in the morning, and most of the time I could just show up to the outing late. But it might mean that the dishes don't get done as soon as you want, or that you won't spend the time working on that report. Ultimately, the world won't end if the dishes aren't done, and it is extremely likely that over time you will figure out ways to do the things you need/want to do, AND work out.
2. Put your workout clothes on around the time you are supposed to work out, even if you've come up with some excuse not to work out earlier. Once you've got your clothes on, even if you kinda don't want to go, you're more likely to go because you're already dressed.
3. Even if you really don't want to work out, do it anyway. If you have no energy, you will likely be surprised that after 5 or 10 minutes, you will have energy. If you are in pain, and a doctor has NOT told you not to work out at all, work out anyway, and remind yourself that everyone who frequently works out regularly experiences aches and pains. If you have a medical issue, it is likely that there are still exercises that your doctor says are safe. Do them, even if its inconvenient. I have seen several of those documentaries on the Discover Health channel like "500 pound man" and a lot of these stories involve "and then I got hurt and my weight just exploded." Likely that wasn't the case. An injury does not inevitably lead to explosive weight gain. There is no way a doctor told that guy "You should just stay on your couch and continue to eat thousands of calories over your limit." When I was in school I had a spine problem that even made it difficult to walk. One of the few exercises I was approved for was swimming, which I did NOT want to do, mainly because I hadn't worn a bathing suit in years because of being self conscious about my weight. But you know what, I learned to swim again, and really enjoyed it, and am now nostalgic for the California weather where I could swim well into November. You need to be a hardass on yourself.. because there will ALWAYS been some excuse not to work out.
4. If you have an MP3 player or iPod, load it (and regularly update it) with stuff that excites you. For me, this is total guilty pleasure songs that are good to work out to. Podcasts and audiobooks are also good for less up-tempo activities like weight lifting or going for long walks. I have podcasts that I really really enjoy, and I ONLY listen to them when I'm working out or driving to work (which I dislike) which gives me something to look forward to.
Sorry for the long post, I just thought this might be useful0 -
Great advice- I am going to give the "but" cards a try.0
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Hi Everyone!
I had a busy (but great) weekend. The only think I don't like about the MFP app on the iPod is it doesn't let you see the message boards or respond to them
Anyhow, Eating more has defiantly helped spur up the weight loss again. Happy news there. And for the motivation piece I do as as mugwump suggested, I put on my exercise close around the time I go each night and since I take my dog with me every night for the walk once she sees i have my clothes on she goes into hyper crazy mode cause she knows its time to go.
Also I need my music to power me through. Anything with a beat that keeps me putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes I get caught up in the music and "dance" as I walk.
As a possible conversation piece what kind of music do you guys listen to when you work out? Mine usually changes every few weeks cause I don't want the music to get old. Currently I have a blend of J-Z & Kanye West, Childish Gambino, Lady Gaga, Fergie, and some ABBA thrown in for some spice :happy: This track is due for another re-haul soon so any suggestions you guys throw out will be appreciated.
I am also going to go visit my family in Minnesota in two weeks and my sister text me to warn me the parents want to go get a family photo while im there. Definitely extra motivation for the next two weeks to be super good.0 -
Hi guys!
You're definitely not abandoned. I had a rough week last week, and I never post much on the weekend. I promise to be back in full force tomorrow!
Have a good night!
Lisa0 -
Hi Skinny Cows!
I picked up the Jillian Michaels DVD set "The Biggest Winner". It was actually pretty fun! I prefer circuit-style training over dance/aerobics type exercises. The fact that they're short is great too. I can add them to my existing workout, and there's no reason not to do them, because they don't take much time. So that's my new activity for the week!
My nutrition was good today... I've been trying to limit my carbs a little (not in to Atkins territory, but I'm trying to keep it under 100 grams a day) to see if it will help to accelerate my weight loss a little. I'm hoping to hit the 2lb per week mark, especially because I have so much to lose.
Shayna - I need music to keep me going too. I'm more of a fan of hard rock. There's just something about a driving rock beat that keeps me moving!
Violet - I also put a piece of goal clothing where I can see it every day. For me, it's a pair of gorgeous Nine West knee-high boots. I'm about 1 inch away from being able to do them up. For as long as I can remember, I haven't been able to wear high boots because my calves are too big. I can't wait to finally zip them up!
For motivation, I also think about being able to perform better at the sports I love. I would love to play soccer again, but I simply can't run around the field like I used to. I want to be able to downhill ski with my spouse and kids. I don't want to worry about exceeding the weight limit on my snowshoes! Mostly though, I would love to be able to move like my kickboxing teacher. He is so fit and agile... A real inspiration!
How's everyone doing with the pushups and jump squats? Because of kickboxing, I can jump squat like a champ, but I'm still struggling with doing traditional (instead of knee) pushups. I can only hammer out a couple before I have to revert back to knee pushups. My first mini pushup goal is to be able to do 20!
Just for fun, I thought maybe we could do a little poll... Would you get plastic surgery? If so, where?
Hope you guys had a great start to your week!
Lisa 0 -
Hello all!
Sorry I haven't been around too much to post on here and comment on status' - I am so stressed at the moment!
I had an exam yesterday, and have another one next Tuesday, and combined with trying to plan a wedding (which is not planned at all) and having time to do anything else is causing me to STRESS OUT.
My jump squats/ pushups are going well - I'm now doing 10 real pushups (which is as shocking to me as anyone!) and I'm trying to get my jump squats to be as perfect as possible. I think for the rest of this week I'm going to work on getting my jumps bigger and more explosive inbetween squats (my squats are already pretty parallel to the floor, but they don't look as pretty as Jillian Michaels' ones!)
I've been reading up on various diets at the moment as I feel stalled in mine - after considering Dukan but rejecting it as a fad, I'm now thinking about Primal Blueprint (pretty much caveman diet). It seems interesting, so I'll let you know how I get on! Its pretty much a "lower" carb option - although you can eat as much fruit and veg as you want, so not THAT low carb
My new activity for the week was starting the couch to 5k program - I am really interested to learn to run, so this might be something I can add into my week to get my running kickstarted!
I probably WOULD get plastic surgery, although I guess I don't know if I would truly go through with it until I do!! The most likely thing for me would be to get my boobs lifted at some point in the future - I've always had massive boobs and I really dont want to lose them to my knees once I start getting older and having children!
I love the idea of getting some goal clothing hanging up somewhere - mine would also be knee high boots!!!! I have to buy "extra-wide" boots at the moment and it's so frustrating! They're just NOT as pretty!!
I also love the idea of the index cards to carry around with me to stop me making bad choices - I'm going to work on those tonight!!
Steph x0 -
Hi girls!
Sorry I havent been around much I have had a few set backs and have lost alot of motivation but I am hoping I will be back with it in the next few days...I find it hard doing healthy meals just for myself and still giving my son good foods too that he will eat....and been toilet training him too which is another stress. And my work shifts have changed for the next couple of weeks which really throws everything too. I just cant find a workout I like doing....I have Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and I like it but I struggle to do it with my son around, the same with Zumba, I love it, but I can normally only go once a week if that cause I have noone to look after my son....grrr.....I have just been really negative and cant get myself out of it!!
Hope the rest of you still all going strong!!0 -
Oh and the next few weeks I have so much bad stuff planned....Its grand final of Aussie Rules Footy this weekend in Australia, and I also have a hens night the follow day, then 2 weeks after that I have a baby shower at my place for my best friend, then the weekend after that I have a wedding.....how do I find healthy options at those things!!0
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Tyem1 - Wow you are a busy lady! I would advise not to stress it. You know ahead of time that your choices are going to be limited as far as eating and as long as your mindful of it usually we tend not to over eat. I get these health tips through work and last week I received one that made complete sense to me.
"Health Tip 9/21/11: Believe it or not, occasional overeating does not have to make a big impact on body weight. The extra calories can often be offset by exercise or careful choices on other days. But eating extra calories daily is different. Overeating by a consistent 100 calories per day can cause roughly a 10 pound weight gain over a year. Focus on eating a balanced diet, which is rich in fruits veggies and whole grain products."
Also don't worry if you don't get your exercise through a specific means. I cant stand going to the gym and work out videos make me feel stupid when i do them so I find exercise that I enjoy! Usually its walking the dog or hiking on weekends. If you have children im sure you are moving and grooving quite a bit already. Let your son sit on your foot and hang onto your leg and give him a ride around the house for 5 minutes on each leg. Not only will that tone your legs up but its something fun for your little guy as well.0
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