What improvements have you made in your life/ diet?

BrendaLee

Since starting this journey, what have you improved on? It's good to celebrate the small things.

I have pretty much cut out soda altogether, I never (except maybe on "junk food night") buy it, and only have the occasional glass at someone else's house. This is huge for me, because I never imagined I could break my near 2L a day habit.

I have cut my sugar intake by probably...oh, I don't know...a gazillion percent. I still go over my MFP goal a lot of days, but it's nothing compared to what I used to consume. I would literally eat an entire cake, pie or box of snack cakes in a day in the past. Now, my treat is 1/2 cup frozen yogurt with a banana. Sometimes I have a cup, but it's pretty amazing to me that I don't eat the whole 2L!

Other than the occasional planned "junk food night" with my daughter, I eat hardly any junk or snack food. In the past, I often lived off of junk food.

My main beverage now is water. Water! I'm not a water-lover, but when I'm thirsty, it's what I reach for. Even orange juice, which I would drink up in a day, now sits in my fridge for a week. My mother and I were at the grocery store the other day, and she said, "You'd better get something to drink", and I said, "I drink water". Big step for me. lol

I move. I actually don't sit on my butt 24/7. I look forward to exercise, and whenever my fibromyalgia allows me to, I do it. I get mad at the fibro some days because I want to do so much more, and I can't due to the pain and fatigue, but I push myself so much further than I ever have before. Sometimes I pay the price- like the other day when I did a 4 minute Tabata workout doing fast squats. I paid the price for that when I could barely sit down, get up, or walk for 2 days.

I don't quit when I have a slip-up. In the past, one bad day would mean the end of my weight loss journey, and I often wouldn't try again for months or even years. Now, if I overeat, I get right back at it the next meal or the next day. I have a lot more good days than bad, which is awesome.

__

My diet is not quite where I would ideally like it to be, but the improvement is huge, and this feels like something I can live with for a while. I've lost 19 pounds (probably more since I haven't weighed in quite a while), and I'm sticking with it.

__

Have any little (or big) accomplishments you'd like to celebrate? Feel free to ramble on as much as you need to. I did.

sjmay

Congratulations BrendaLee on all your accomplishments!!!! :flowerforyou: Sounds like you are doing wonderful!

I know exactly what you mean about the soda. I was once a pepsiaholic and now I don't drink it at all. In fact, I don't really like it a whole lot. I find that it doesn't quench my thirst and it upsets my belly with all the fizz.

I'm also very happy with my eating and exercise. I, as well, still have a long way to go in improving, but I am doing SO much better! And I feel great.

I think my biggest improvement is mornings. Before I NEVER wanted to get out of bed:grumble: And if DH tried to get me out of bed before I wanted, I would tear his head off (which is where I got nickname "the bear" - don't wake the bear and don't poke the bear). Anyways, I run and walk in the mornings now and LOVE IT I am usually awake and ready to go as soon as, if not before, the alarm goes off! It has brought a whole new peace and attitude into my life.

I find it so hard to believe with a few simple steps, I feel so much better about myself and life :bigsmile: I finally feel "truely" happy!

EDIT: Thanks for making this thread! It really made me realize more about how much I have achieved and how happy I am now

CasperO

You rock Brenda. I like your common sense approach - your reality.

Lessee,,, improvements:

I watch what I eat without minding. At first it was a burden, now it's natural and just what I do. Very used to it.

I exercise, and feel wierd when I don't get it done. It's part of my routine.

I'm kinder, more gentle, more decent. When I was heavier, my self esteem was not so good, so I compensated with the tough-guy thing. I was a real pr!ck to deal with a lot of the time. Very in-your-face. Now I'm more confident, I'm stronger, tougher, more stamina. I know I can TCB. People look at me and they figure I can probably TCB too, so less confrontation. I just don't have to prove anything anymore, 'cause the proof is out there for the world to see. (I work in engineering/construction, this stuff plays a role).

I also got involved in a very peace/love/understanding-oriented church, and that helped too. That's an improvement all on it's own.

Wecandothis

Nice! Excellent Brenda - making it about a lifetime and not about the short term seems to be what you're saying. If you goof up, just start again the next day, it's not a disaster that has to make you quit. And having that attitude takes the pressure off.

I have quit most bread - I know that was a problem area for me. I LOVE Italian or French Bread, used to eat an entire loaf of either at one sitting. *wince*

Now it's only whole grain tortillas once in a while.

I don't put 8 spoonfulls of sugar or splenda into my tea any more. I've learned to enjoy it plain.

I eat fresh food!!! A lot of it raw.

I stopped eating 'low fat' but now pay attention to what kind of fat I eat.

I don't crave JUST ONE COOKIE because I know I can have it if I want it. It's not off limits.

And I now walk up and down the stairwell at work and take walks with my daughter.

Thanks for this thread, Brenda, it's nice to see the positive changes!

stormieweather

I gave up smoking. And don't need an inhaler anymore!!
I gave up my beloved SoBe's (I started sucking them down when I quit drinking in 2003).
I don't go out for lunch every Friday anymore. There is not much in a commercial restaurant that appeals to me these days.
I have purpose which involves my personal well-being. Being a mother, partner, employee is great, but one needs to do things for oneself as well.
My desire to live healthier has rubbed off on my partner who finally went to the Dr. about some serious health issues. Maybe now he'll live longer too!

I could write more, but need to get back to work here :laugh:

pattitricia85

great post!! When i think about the last four and a half months i can't believe the changes i made.

Fist, I have only had fast food once in the last four and a half months!!!! I can't believe that! I love McDonalds and use to give in at least once a week (usually more).

Also, I changed up my exercise routine and do it the mornings. Now i get up at 5:20 get my workout clothes on and get on the train to work, to use the gym we have there and get my 3-4 mile jog and then head up to my desk. I don't get home till 5:30 so, its a 12 hour day but i feel great and have surprised myself w/ the amount of energy i have. Also, i have not skipped a planned workout since changing it to the mornings, when i was going to the gym in the evenings, i would ususally flake out half the time!

Lastly, i have been good about planning my meals. I think that is such a major part of weight loss that a lot of people struggling don't realize. I make my grocery list and plan every meal every thursday night. It has made a huge difference, and cut down my grocery bill!

BrendaLee

Great posts, Guys. :drinker:

TuscanySun

I like this thread!

I drink tons more water and crave that more than other things.

I excersize usually every day, even if just a little...and I want to do it. Makes me nuts to miss.

I forgive myself and I've stopped hearing the negative self-hate talk almost completely.

I eat healthy, tons of veggies.

I'm making health and wellness an integral part of my son and my lives, trying to break the cycle.

I've lowered my BMI by 11 points, so far.

21alpine

Way to go Brendalee ! Keep up the good work :flowerforyou:

I now include a lot more fruits and vegetables in my diet. I have found the wonderous flavor from fresh, not canned fruits & veggies much more pleasing to the pallete. I cut out all soda, which I too used to do 2 L a day if not more. I now only have it occasionaly if we eat out. Now my beverage of choice is water :drinker: and I drink my 8 cups a day every day when before water was something I never touched :noway:

I never used to look at the nutrition labels. I would just buy what I liked. Now I find myself looking at EVERY label and a lot of times finding myself putting it back on the grocery shelf and choosing something else. It now takes me a lot longer to shop :bigsmile: but hey, I'm getting more exercise that way

I am up to walking 4 miles every day before work and after lunch. I started out with just a mile because I would have so much pain from plantar facciatis. Now that I have orthodics, the pain is virtually non existent and I can walk much farther.

I have cut down on the amout of pasta, potatoes, breads & rice and switched to whole grains.

I haven't cut out everything definitevily. If there is something I want, then I will have it, but now in moderation and I too will pick up and continue on with the next meal if I slip too much. I am determined more than ever to get healthier for me and for my children if they should need me for anything.

Thanks for this post, it's really an inspiration ! :smooched:

amymeenieminymo

I too have cut out most pop....it's really rare that we have it in the house, only for like parties and such and I occasionally get it when I go out to eat.

I pack my lunch most days but before when I would go out to lunch I would get taco bell, wendy's, mcdonalds. Now it's only subway, potbelly, panera....places where I can get something healthy.

I have stuck to working out on a regular basis for well over a year now which I think is my biggest accomplishment. In the past I would be determined to work out and I'd do it for a couple of weeks and then quit when I didn't see instant results. I laughed because I realized that back when I was single and would do online dating profiles, I always lied and said I worked out 2-3 times a week. Now I could actually say that's true, if not more like 4-6 times a week.

Like many others, when I fall off the wagon I dust myself off and get right back on the next day. Before I would have said oh well, it was good while it lasted and go back to eating bad all the time. I also don't fall to peer preassure as much. I'm not always good at it, but there are lots of times now where I can sip my water while everyone else is chugging beer or pop, and I have a salad while others are enjoying appetizers or desserts. I've also cut out almost all drinking alcohol....Four or five years ago I used to go to the bar EVERY weekend and some week nights and down either several beers or long islands. Even a year or two I would drink a lot at least every couple weekends, but now I can't even tell you the last time I had much more than one beer.

amymeenieminymo

great post!! When i think about the last four and a half months i can't believe the changes i made.

Fist, I have only had fast food once in the last four and a half months!!!! I can't believe that! I love McDonalds and use to give in at least once a week (usually more).

Also, I changed up my exercise routine and do it the mornings. Now i get up at 5:20 get my workout clothes on and get on the train to work, to use the gym we have there and get my 3-4 mile jog and then head up to my desk. I don't get home till 5:30 so, its a 12 hour day but i feel great and have surprised myself w/ the amount of energy i have. Also, i have not skipped a planned workout since changing it to the mornings, when i was going to the gym in the evenings, i would ususally flake out half the time!

Lastly, i have been good about planning my meals. I think that is such a major part of weight loss that a lot of people struggling don't realize. I make my grocery list and plan every meal every thursday night. It has made a huge difference, and cut down my grocery bill!

I plan my meals as well and this has helped a lot on my grocery bill. I used to just pick up whatever looked good, and it was either no so healthy, or I had a lot of food that got thrown out because we just never got around to eating it.

April0815

My biggest accomplishment I would have to say is working out. I would never stick with it. A while back my husbands friend gave me a treadmill and I started walking a mile on it everyday, well as soon as my son started baseball I used that as an excuse, having to go to practices and games would make it where I didn't have time when I got home. Well now that I have set my mind to working out I have been going to the gym 6 days a week at 6:45am. 3 of those days I work out with a trainer for a hour, the days I do that I go back after work at 4:30pm for cardio. So I am very proud of myself for that. I take one day a week off and I hate doing that.

I am also proud of how I eat now. That is such a big change.

lwilliams1007

My biggest improvement was giving up so many sweets and I don't drink sodas or artificial juices anymore. I have maintained working out for 30 mins at least 3x a week and most of the time 5x a week. . I just wanted to pat myself on the back, This is my 1st time ever trying to loose weight, before baby #4 I didn't have weight problems but having a baby 11 years later and in the mid 30's sure makes a difference. But if my once lazy self can do it then anybody can.

Phera

I only ate one slice of pizza yesterday and for me that is huge. There is a fantastic pizza place down the street that we'd order from at least once every couple weeks and I'd proceed to eat half a large pizza. Now if we really want it, we walk to the shop and order a slice.

I've been downloading my calories and exercise to an Excel spreadsheet and I'm averaging at least 60 minutes of exercise a day for the last 2 months.

jolinemariem

going for a month without a cig

going from like a 12 pack of mountain dew a day to like 3 or 4 diet low low sodium sodas

keeping on with exersizing even if its not i do this this day and this this day its exersize every day

those are a few of my big ones

Man_loosing_weight

I started a month ago by just counting my calories and checking my fat intake. Subsequent to that I try my ad most to walk at least 3 times a week and do some exercise. Done to the mature of my work its not always possible to keep to the exercise program. :glasses:
In the last month I went over my daily calories only twice. :sad: I have started to eat more vegetables and fish. As you can see if have lost my first 10kgs. The difference in my sleeping habits due to the exercise is 100% better. You just feel better.

To all the people out. We can do it :drinker:

Wecandothis

To all the people out. We can do it :drinker:

Yes we can! Thank you for this thread, it not only allows us a chance to brag on what we've done differently but it gives us all good ideas about other good changes we can make!

Azdak

For me, it was basically going back to my previous lifestyle after years of letting everything else get in the way.

I come from a fitness background and spent many years working with others to implement healthy lifestyle changes. I lived the lifestyle that I "preached" about to others. About 10 years ago, things started to change for the worse. It was a combination of job hours, job stress, injuries, and lifestyle changes (2nd marriage). I fell into the cycle of "it's OK to "cheat" once in a while" where the "cheat" become a continuous occurrence. I started to binge late at night to deal with stress and my job also put me through stretches where I would be working 16-20 days for a couple of weeks on end. I was still in a fitness-related business, so the increasing weight just added to the stress and drastically lowered my self-esteem. I have no "before" pictures, because for the past 8 years I avoided cameras like a mafia hit man. At family gatherings there are either no pictures of me, or I am at the back of a group with just my head sticking up.

We always say we "want" to make changes, but I have found that two things are necessary--at least for me. It took one significant event to provide instant focus, and I also had to experience a significant change in lifestyle. The lifestyle change started when I lost my job in January of this year. That interrupted some of the self-destructive eating patterns (as well as removing a ton of stress). Even that wasn't enough to provide a catalyst, however. I made some changes and did a little more exercise, but nothing significant. The real "shock" came on 3/18/09 when my lab results indicated I was diabetic. I was already taking pills for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but the diabetes was the last straw. Given my background, I know exactly what that meant--not so much the long-term health complications, but the irrefutable evidence of the damage I was doing to my body.

At that point, everything snapped instantly into focus. It's amazing how one's perspective and priorities can change so definitively. All those foods that seemed so necessary and irresistable--cookies, junk food, move popcorn, etc--became completely unnecessary in the blink of an eye. And other foods quickly went on the "boycott" list as I tested my blood sugars and saw the negative effects. (It's interesting to see how many processed foods send your blood sugar levels skyrocketing--stuff you wouldn't necessarily expect, like brand-name peanut butter, fat-free salad dressings, rice-a-roni type boxed meals). I was able to go to parties and restaurants and (mostly) avoid overeating, go to the movies w/out eating popcorn, etc).

In looking for some internet programs to help track my food intake, I stumbled across MFP. I have to say that MFP has played a significant role in my success. I am a data-oriented person. Being able to easily calculate calorie intake and keep an online diary was very important to me. Having an established calorie goal gave me a clear "target" to shoot for. It was a lot easier to say "no" to a second helping or to junk food if I saw I was already at my daily limit. It also helped to see what I COULD eat (and in some cases, it was more than I thought), so I was able to plan meals that were tasty and had variety and yet still kept me in my program.

I immediately set up a spreadsheet to track weight loss, blood sugar readings, blood pressure, and exercise. That, along with MFP, gave me an empirical "framework" and structure that allowed me to effectively manage my program.

The diabetes diagnosis also enabled me to take complete control over grocery shopping and food preparation. Before I had deferred to my wife, partly because my job kept me too busy, but mostly because she and her two kids were more fussy eaters and it was just easier for me to give in. But she lacks both the knowledge and desire for healthy cooking, so that was always a problem. Now, I had some leverage to move in on her "turf" without being too threatening (she also quickly learned to enjoy coming home from work and having someone else do all the cooking and cleanup!). I made some compromises as well--specifically I started eating meat again and found some new recipes that weren't quite as "exotic" as the stuff I usually make.

So, my success consisted primarily of portion control and exercise. I modified my diet from a 60-25-15 carbohydrate-fat-protein ratio to more of a 40-30-30. (At first, I went EXTREMELY low-carb because of the diabetes, but that exhausted my glycogen stores so quickly I became a zombie and could barely make it up a flight of stairs). The ratio change helped control appetite as well as blood sugar spikes. I also emphasized whole grains and tons of fresh produce. I have also found that toasted soy nuts from Costco are a great hi-protein, low fat between-meal snack.

I purposely did not drastically cut fat or shy away from richer foods. I did not want to make the diet so "artificial" that I could not translate it back into a "real" lifestyle. It was better for me to eat smaller portions and fill in the "bulk" with salads, veggies, etc. I still made casseroles and lasagna and enchiladas, etc--just made a couple of substitutions and packed away the "leftovers" before I sat down to eat--found out I was getting 4-6 meals from a recipe that in the past only lasted for 1 or 2.

I was also able to recommit myself to an exercise program. In that I was helped immensely by the fact that I have two excellent pieces of cardio equipment in my basement--and a nearby park district facility that was cheap ($15 a month) for strength training. The low-impact machines (stairmaster and treadmill) meant I could ramp up my exercise volume without injuring myself.

So I threw myself into my "program" with full commitment and was able to stay rigidly focused. Because of that, I saw pretty quick results--16 lb in the first month. I knew it wasn't all fat and I knew I was losing some lean mass as well, but the positive reinforcement of seeing the scale go down was much more important--I could sort the rest out later. The next month I lost 13 more pounds and now it was "easy". I knew I had a good program going, so I didn't have to worry if I went to a party or relaxed for a meal--I just went back on the "plan" and everything continued on.

Now I am at 53 pounds lost. and I have gone off my blood pressure meds (actually, I did that in April) with no problems. I had my blood retested this week and my blood sugar readings are completely normal, meaning I am no longer considered diabetic (cholesterol was excellent as well, although that's also due to medication and that I probably will never be able to stop). My exercise level has gone up so much I actually have had to force myself to take 1 day off per week because I was developing overtraining symptoms. I have gone from barely being able fo complete a 20 min run of 4 min run/2 min walk at 6.0 mph for the run speed to this week where I ran 90 minutes continuously yesterday at 6.8 mph.

It has changed my life so dramatically, it's hard to explain. The funny thing is that I am still out of work, so I can't really afford to buy new clothes. So I am walking around in my old "fat clothes", looking like some refugee who just got off the boat and whose pants can barely stay on. I plan to lose another 20 pounds or so, and then it will be time for some SERIOUS shopping ;-)

mnichol

I now push myself to sweat when exercising, i learned to leave my comfort zone!!

I no longer puts gobs of mayo on white bread as a snack!!! I know, eewwww!! :noway:

I don't cook everything i see on the foodtv shows!! :laugh:

BrendaLee

I only ate one slice of pizza yesterday and for me that is huge. There is a fantastic pizza place down the street that we'd order from at least once every couple weeks and I'd proceed to eat half a large pizza. Now if we really want it, we walk to the shop and order a slice.

I've been downloading my calories and exercise to an Excel spreadsheet and I'm averaging at least 60 minutes of exercise a day for the last 2 months.

I love that. Everything (even pizza) in moderation.

BrendaLee

going for a month without a cig

going from like a 12 pack of mountain dew a day to like 3 or 4 diet low low sodium sodas

keeping on with exersizing even if its not i do this this day and this this day its exersize every day

those are a few of my big ones

Congrats on getting a month in without smoking! :drinker: