several questions if anyone has answers thanks!!!

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first off... does anyone know an inexpensive pedometer /music player that works i would like to keep up with stuff away from home.. or an offline app that helps you keep track without internet access!!??!!

i am still new to this so it seems maybe my proportioning is in excess when planning meals i have cut down alot of unhealthy foods i was eating and drinking but worried that i will not see results like i log my snacks and meals and it is more than one serving.. i try to drink water before meals to maybe in hopes to eat less i dont know if it is working...how often do you weigh yourself when trying to keep track?

i like to dance as part of my exercise routine even though i suck at it ..i also like aerobics cardio/fat burning exercises but with my bad knees due to arthritis/ and being out of shape i cannot seem to manage getting past ten min before stopping...advice please?!!!??!

Replies

  • pglou
    pglou Posts: 3 Member
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    For myself, learning what to eat is a big step. When dieting, I find that a good place to start is to cut out sugar, flour and hard bean family and limit dairy and fruits. This was advised by my doctor. This will encourage you to find the right foods, vegetables and vegetable protein. Limit red meats to once a week and focus on fish and poultry. I count carbs, not calories. I use a nutri bullet 600 part time to extract the nutrients from veggies, nuts and seeds. I make my own soy milk and almond flour, I use soy flour and mix in some coconut flour to avoid the unhealthy white flours. I thicken sometimes with xantum gum, sometimes with cornstarch, sometimes with glucomannan that has extra fiber in it. I have a lot more tips but way too many to write. Pay attention to serving portions and daily intake. Weigh once a week.
  • Wiccanandi
    Wiccanandi Posts: 32 Member
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    If you have an android phone, download cardiotrainer or noom. they both track steps and can be used with or without gps etc. cardiotrainer also plays music while you exercise/walk etc so it's a good little app and also free :)
  • MissKissKins
    MissKissKins Posts: 16 Member
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    A lot of it is just finding what works for you!

    For instance, I don't particularly like some healthy foods out there that you "should" eat (i.e. quinoa, brown rice, wheats and grains) and I find the "healthy snacks" just bore me (i.e. cottage cheese and fruit, snack on nuts, snack on vegetables etc) I just end up more hungry because I'm not enjoying what I'm eating then I eat whatever is convenient.
    Find the foods you like it's all about moderation. For breakfasts I have freshly made porridge (not the microwaveable stuff) or weetabix, snacks for me are fruit, and Greek yoghurt with granola. Lunch is usually a pasta dish or leftovers from dinner previously, and dinner is whatever I've cooked.
    I do most of my cooking from scratch, It doesn't meet the "clean eating" standards but it's home-made which is healthier anyway and I know what goes into my meals. I've tried to be aware of my portion sizes, and I read somewhere about listening to your body and noticing when you're actually hungry and eating then. I did this and it actually made a difference!

    I noticed that by the time I got to work in the mornings I was hungry so I have my banana and orange. Then lunch is around 12-1. Then I noticed my hunger coming again in the afternoon about 3ish but what I was eating wasn't sustaining me until dinner and I was eating convenience foods again. That's when I started having Greek yoghurt and granola I found the protein in Greek yoghurt satisfied me until dinner. Then dinner is whenever I'm home/after the gym.

    As for the exercise have you considered swimming? It's an excellent all over body exercise and is really good for those with weak joints as you're not bearing weight. Build your strength that way before trying cardio on land where your joints are needed? And keep up with the dancing! If you enjoy it that's half the battle who cares if you're any good at it!! Keep at it :smile:

    Also as a side note I don't weigh myself. The scales never reflect what I feel. For instance over the past few years I've gone from a dress size 14 (bordering on the 16 at one point) to a size 10-12 now. But if I look at my scales I am still the same weight. I've always enjoyed weights though and always had some form of weight programme and now a Personal Trainer to build me up on weights. And they say that muscle occupies less space than fat so I tend to go with how my clothes feel and what I see in the mirror rather than the numbers on the scale.

    Hope that might help you a little bit!
  • Tammynado
    Tammynado Posts: 17 Member
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    for dance type work outs - go to youtube and search for superherofitnesstv - I have been working out to her videos for a while now - she even has just started a paid online service for $10 a month but her youtube videos are totally free... you don't need anything - no equipment you can do these at home - you can start and stop the video as you need to - she has everything from 7 minute workouts to 45 min workouts... she even has a couple of workouts you can do in a chair. She is very motivating and since the youtube videos are totally free - can't beat that. Starting somewhere - doing something regardless of whether its only 10 mins is still a great start.... If you can only do 10 mins of her video that is fine - she does a lot of dance work outs - kick boxing, etc.... but you go at your own pace and she says as long as you keep moving that is all that matters and no one see's you - your at your own home - so have fun with it. Do the 10 mins 3 times a week - then try 4 times a week ... till you can build up your strength more - add more days and add an extra minute or too... Find something fun that you like to do ... if you don't like these videos - search youtube it's free and there are a ton of work out videos on there... i like zumba too but I don't have the time to go to a class outside my home so I pull up zumba work outs on youtube and do them at night too...

    I find I do better if I log everything-foodwise ... I eat 3 meals, 2 snacks between meals and some kind of light dessert - don't not eat ... I watch the nurtritional information on my food logs to see if i have had too much sugar or too many carbs.... My doc says the best thing to remember is eat clean - try cutting out the processed food - think caveman if they didn't have it to eat you shouldn't eat it either... now I don't follow that exactly but I put that in my mind and I work hard and cutting out a lot of processed food. I am a heart patient so I find it hard to lose weight due to my condition and meds and the doc says losing weight is 75% what you eat and only 25% working out - so making good choices with food consisently will be helpful in the long run.... You should only lose 1-2 lbs per week - remember you didn't gain the weight over night it won't come off over night. Set small goals daily and weekly - it will be easier and more rewarding than just looking at the long range goal of xxx amount of weight loss. If you have someone that is a friend of family that is trying to lose weight too - its helpful to commit together - talk to each other keep each motivated - talk about what you eat, work out, etc - keep each other accountable.
    Good Luck!!