Before & After

CONGRATS. You look great. What was your workout routine like?

Thanks, Pav. Here is my exercise regimen and TIPS:

I power walk around the track Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (TR is Holy Bible Study) during lunch hour as I do 2 miles. I am training myself to run/jog this month. On Tuesdays, I go to the gym for upper body strengthening (weights); and then I sit in the hot tub for 15 minutes to relax.....such a treat!

TIPS:

Drink 64 oz of water daily. I suggest you eat 1,250 calories at the beginning, take your vitamins/supplements, talk to your doctor before exercising/dieting, use extra virgin olive oil, eat wheat products: bread, spaghetti, cereal, etc., eat fruits and veggies, snack on "any" type of nut (walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds are best), drink skim/soy milk, eat yogurt, eat fish/chicken/turkey/lean meats, have salads WITHOUT dressing (use extra virgin olive oil), stay away from POPS/SODAS (drink diet sodas/pops once a day if not, once a week), don't eat "fried foods" (French fries, potato chips, etc), eat Baked Lays, air popped popcorn, go to www.pilsbury.com and buy a pizza stone ($29.99) you can create your own delicious homemade pizzas with Boboli wheat pizza crust (already made); veggies to your heart's content, one can of refried beans (protein), one can of whole kernel corn (drained), and lite mozzarella cheese...yum! You can eat the Oreda crinkle cut fries that you bake in the oven, stay away from the salt shaker, stay AWAY from processed foods, foods made with hydrogenated oils (cookies, cakes, pies, etc). For dessert you can eat a skinny cow chocolate w/peanut butter ice cream sandwich....yummy!

Stop eating 2-3 hours BEFORE you go to sleep. I learned from Oprah's Boot Camp you have to STOP eating 2-3 hours BEFORE you go to sleep because your metabolism shuts down (as everything does when you're in a REM (Rapid Eye Movement).

Go to www.prevention.com. They have yummy recipes and are another source of website for motivation. Did you know that if you pay for your subscription to Prevention they give you a free pedometer? One should walk/step 10,000 steps daily. Check them out! They have a free website w/the magazine there in front of you in case you can't subscribe just yet.

Don't drink COFFEE. Drink Chai black/green tea instead. Chew gum all day. It keeps your mouth "busy". I've also heard/learned that before you eat a meal eat your soup first since it helps fill you up before the main course.

Weigh yourself "monthly". I swear (Eva crossing her finger and doing a "cross" by her ) you WILL lose 3-4 pounds every month. If you do the "math" that's THE average of 1 pound a week. This helps you from NOT getting discouraged IF, if, you weigh yourself daily/weekly as allot of women in this site tend to do (weigh themselves daily/weekly and then get discouraged and give up on dieting/exercising).

Thirty minutes before you work out eat one of the following: one apple, OR one small box of raisins with a handful of walnuts, OR soup, OR yogurt. Why? "They are packed with high-quality carbohydrates, which provide a quick source of fuel for your muscles, but they have just enough protein and fat to help you maintain a steady, elevated energy level" (source: Prevention Magazine April 2007).

AFTER your work out, drink a protein shake (Slimfast, Special K, EAS Myoplex, etc). Why? "After a workout, your muscles need protein to repair microscopic muscle tears, plus another shot of carbs to help restock energy stores. Cyclists who drank it after a tough racing session had improved endurance and recovered fast than those who drank an ordinary sports drink (which supplies carbs and electrolytes, but no protein)" (Source: Prevention Magazine April 2007).

Stay away from alcoholic drinks (includes wine).

Set small goals for right now. Start with the FIRST 10 pounds. Later, the weight will be HARDER to lose. Remember, it's soooo easy to gain the weight, but hard to lose it. "No pain, no gain!" No worries if the weight is harder to lose since it means that it is time to "up" your exercise regimen (1 hour 3-4 days a week). When you've lost the weight, then you can go "up" to 1,500 calories (maybe for the last stubborn 10 pounds). If you closely watch "THE BIGGEST LOSER" they have to lose more than 50 pounds; their calorie intake is 1,000-1,100. Wow! Bless their for doing that!!! If you've watched the Diet Detective, he gets rid of all the "fat" foods in your fridge and pantry (cakes, cookies, pies, etc). He fills those places with veggies, fruits, wheat products, dairy products, low fat cheeses, olive oil, etc. I LOVED that show, but you can still check out his website: www.dietdetective.com/lose-weight.aspx

If you want more "tips" let me know as you know how to reach me. Blessings and good luck!

Thanks for your tips. Very helpful. Did you plateau and how long did it take you to lose 20lbs?

YW. Nope, I haven't "plateaued" (sp). I began my New Year's Resolution this year to maintain my weight, lose the weight, diet, exercise, for my "health", and to get the damn willpower back that I lost a long, long, LONG, time ago! With everything that you read I SLOWLY added it (Jan @ 189 pounds); then in Feb I saw coupons for Slim Fast and it coincided with Prevention magazine telling me to drink a "chocolate" protein shake AFTER my regimen to rev up my muscles after my work out. Okay. In March, I was invited by a co worker to join her "Weight Partners" group and I was SO embarassed since they "log in" their weight and measurements that MY excuse was, "Well, since it's March, and ya'll started in January, I think I'll join the group, read my hand outs you give us, I'll work out at the track during lunch time, and won't log in my weight since 'I'm far behind from ya'll'". Well, in March I power walked the track (2 miles) for an hour M/W/F. Ya'll have to remember that I weigh myself once a month. So my ticker kept getting me MOTIVATED and I got my will power back! I log on my desk blotter the days I work out and I log it in here, too. In April I weighed 182 -- May I weighed 180.5 -- June I weighed 177.0 -- July I weighed 177.5 -- August I weighed 171.8 -- September I weighed 172.8 -- and in OCTOBER...drum roll....I weighed 169.4 :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

So to answer your question, I lost 20 pounds in 9 months :happy: :happy: :happy:

This is the PERFECT reason why I tell ya'll to weigh yourself "monthly" because your body changes from day to day. Did I get discouraged when I GAINED a pound? Heck no! I just stepped back and looked at my exercise regimen and INCREASED it; since I am doing so I will lose MORE weight

Blessings!

Today is dress down day and I'm STILL wearing my size 8 black Wranglers

Eva

01 January 2009 189 pounds (New Years Day) :noway:
15 February 2009 (lost my notes!!) :sad: :sad:
15 March 2009 186.5 pounds
15 April 2009 182.0 pounds
15 May 2009 180.5 pounds
15 June 2009 177.0 pounds
15 July 2009 177.5 pounds
15 August 2009 171.8 pounds
15 September 2009 172.8 pounds......DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!!!
15 October 2009 169.4 pounds :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Blessings!

Eva

So true what you wrote. I workout even when Aunt flow's in town. I workout when I don't want to workout. But I only workout 5X/week.

LOL Aunt Flo :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Look at your calorie intake, drink water, weigh yourself once a month, abstain from alcohol, eat fruits, veggies, etc., (MY tips), and then let us know how you are next month (15 November 2009). Blessings!

Eva

CONGRATULATIONS GIRL!
You look great. you have great advice, but some for me is hard to follow. I don't like tea so I have to drink coffee. (Unless you count iced tea which is loaded with sugar)

I was weighing in weekly but I will buy a measuring tape and do that instead cuz the scale is driving me crazy right now and I'm about to be discouraged. This is my 4th week and have only lost 4lbs.
So tomorrow will be my last weigh in and I'll count that as my October weight. Wish me luck.

I am exercising 6x a week tho so that shud be helping. I drink all my water, and 1 cup of coffee. I think I'm getting enough fruits and veggies but perhaps too many carbs? will put my food diary to public so u can comment on it.

Thanks!!!!

Thanks, Girl! You know what iced tea has (sugar); so again, it's up to you to have it or not. I myself (go ahead and CRINGE) drink unsweetned ice tea The measuring tape is PERFECT! I tell ya'll that I allow my clothes to do the talking for me! I'm writing this quickly as I'm eating my apple before I work out. If this is your 4th week, then you have LOST a pound a week. Please don't get discouraged if you don't lose another 4 pounds next month. Just look at MY weight tracker that I typed here. I'm NOT embarassed to let ya'll know how much I weighed-in every month...I KNOW some of you ladies were thinking I was full of BOLOGNA; so one of the ladies asked me yesterday for a before and after photo. I thought, why the hell not?!

Your carb intake shouldn't be a problem. I'd LOVE to see your food diary and I'll check it out after I come back from working out during my lunch hour. Guess what?! :noway: Today is our Organizational picnic and I'm NOT going! I'm manning the office, working out during my lunch hour, and I DON'T need to eat Bar-B-Que, potato salad, beans, cole slaw, SODAS, and DESSERT!

WILLPOWER!!!!!!!!!!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Blessings!

Eva

PS: I just had a girlfriend peek in my office door and said, "Hi, Ms. Eva, I see you running around the track!" :happy: :happy: "That's me!" I told her. Motivation! Motivation! I the motivation I get!

CONGRATULATIONS GIRL!

4 lbs in one month is great. I only lose 2lbs at the most in a month. So you should be pround of yourself.

Thanks. but my goals are 2lbs a week thats why I'm kind of disappointed. but u are right. I shud be happy with my results.

PS. ur boys are adorable!

Sorry, Chickie, the AVERAGE is 1 pound a week. It won't kill you, and you're NOT going to die if you weigh yourself once a month! Also, I just commented on your food diary :happy: Blessings!

Eva