Terrified to ask this...
Replies
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Sounds like you need to shop at Super King for fruits and veggies. They have great prices and the produce and fruit are good. They have in addition to their regular low prices, specials on Tues. and Wed. Their meat dept. also has wonderful prices on
select items, including fish. I looked at their regular shelf products and wasn't impressed with their prices. As in any case you do have to shop around.
As for soda, we rarely have it in my home. My kids are water drinkers, but don't get me wrong when they all lived here, if someone brought soda over they went wild. Now that their grown, none of them keep soda at their homes. Only if there is going to be a party. So kids do learn from their parents. Now is the time to set a good example and you and your kids will be healthier.
Don't get discouraged, you have to many people here to support you....0 -
Hello!
I took a look at your food diary and I see that vegetables, fruits, lean meats and whole grains are missing. You seem to be meeting your daily calorie goal but the food is not nutritious enough.
There are many websites that can give you samples of a day or week's worth of healthy meals so you can get some ideas. I tend to stay away from cheese slices. Too much sodium = too much water retention.
Hang in there! You can make this work.0 -
There's been a lot of great advice in here. I would say don't worry so much. It's ok for the weight loss to take a while. Trying to rush it often discourages people. That's why the go down then back up again. For your strength training make sure you're doing a lot of reps with lower weight. That puts more focus on burning calories while note bulking up. Also Eggs and Tuna can be cheap protien sources. Otmeal is a great cheap meal source, and veggies are a great way to fill up. Green beans for example are practically just solidified water. It's really not very expensive to eat healthy. You'lle save more money by planning out your meals and eating well than you will by impulse eating on junk.0
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How could I have forgotten peanut butter??!!
And since you can eat a few more calories... potatoes, carrots... the starchy vegetables tend to be cheap, and when they aren't deep fried or smothered in something like butter, they're really pretty healthy.
Also, while many people prefer fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen are pretty close in nutritional value, and often cheaper.
You've got a wonderful attitude. I hope out of all these suggestions enough of them will work for you. I'm getting some good ideas from it too. Thank you!
Oh, and did you already have oatmeal and/or granola on your list.
And if you like pizza... how about homemade? It can be cheaper, healthier, and kids love getting to help make it by putting stuff on their own mini pizzas.0 -
I know this has already been said but weigh and measure EVERYTHING, you will be surprised how much overestimation you do. Also, NEVER trust the calories on here to be accurate, this is user entered information as far as I know and I can have the product in hand and the range of being off can be any thing, I have seen like maybe 3 calories off, but I have also seen 3-4 hundred calories off.
Frozen fruits and vegetables are easier to eat before they go bad, I am not sure if they are as healthy as the fresh, but it is better than pizza and soda (pop)
Good luck on your journey, you are aware that you are not over weight and fall quite nicely into a healthy weight, right?
Oh, and anyone who reads this, I make the mini pizza with English Muffins, which I found a package that is 90 calories for the entire muffin.0 -
How could I have forgotten peanut butter??!!
And since you can eat a few more calories... potatoes, carrots... the starchy vegetables tend to be cheap, and when they aren't deep fried or smothered in something like butter, they're really pretty healthy.
Also, while many people prefer fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen are pretty close in nutritional value, and often cheaper.
You've got a wonderful attitude. I hope out of all these suggestions enough of them will work for you. I'm getting some good ideas from it too. Thank you!
Oh, and did you already have oatmeal and/or granola on your list.
And if you like pizza... how about homemade? It can be cheaper, healthier, and kids love getting to help make it by putting stuff on their own mini pizzas.
:laugh: They wanted pizza this weekend. I came up with a mini pizza on the english mffins I had in the back of the fridge. PERFECT use for them since they were a little on the "stale" side and they wouldn't eat them toasted. I didn't have any sauce though. Ended up just putting on some oregano flakes I found in the back of the cupboard and some pepperoni slices the neighbor gave us a couple weeks ago.0 -
To me the problem is obvious. You are 5' 8.5" and156 lbs. you don't need to lose any more weight. Your body is trying to tell you that.
That's a good point, you're only half an inch shorter than me and only 1lb more than my goal weight. Are you sure you need to lose weight? I would look anorexic lower than 155
Apparently I have a "Small frame"?? I only set my goal based on where the Dr. said I should aim for because of my wrist size? It's 5.25" if that helps. Maybe the Dr. is a quack and I'm beating my brains in for nothing??
No if you have a smaller frame than me you can certainly be thinner. If you want to test him google it, a lot of people on here say the one that measure by your elbow is the most accurate and I used that to find out I have a medium frame.0 -
Good luck on your journey, you are aware that you are not over weight and fall quite nicely into a healthy weight, right?
Oh, and anyone who reads this, I make the mini pizza with English Muffins, which I found a package that is 90 calories for the entire muffin.
Yes. I know. I've only set my goal on such a low number because that is what my Dr. Recommended when I very first started out. I'm thinking on going to another and seeing what THEY might have to say.
I made those this weekend (I think I even had one for lunch today). They were a HUGE hit! I think I may have found my new "pizza" :drinker:0 -
To me the problem is obvious. You are 5' 8.5" and156 lbs. you don't need to lose any more weight. Your body is trying to tell you that.
That's a good point, you're only half an inch shorter than me and only 1lb more than my goal weight. Are you sure you need to lose weight? I would look anorexic lower than 155
Apparently I have a "Small frame"?? I only set my goal based on where the Dr. said I should aim for because of my wrist size? It's 5.25" if that helps. Maybe the Dr. is a quack and I'm beating my brains in for nothing??
No if you have a smaller frame than me you can certainly be thinner. If you want to test him google it, a lot of people on here say the one that measure by your elbow is the most accurate and I used that to find out I have a medium frame.
I'd like to check him. Can I ask where you found that? And do you just measure the bones? Or the whole way across?0 -
To me the problem is obvious. You are 5' 8.5" and156 lbs. you don't need to lose any more weight. Your body is trying to tell you that.
That's a good point, you're only half an inch shorter than me and only 1lb more than my goal weight. Are you sure you need to lose weight? I would look anorexic lower than 155
Apparently I have a "Small frame"?? I only set my goal based on where the Dr. said I should aim for because of my wrist size? It's 5.25" if that helps. Maybe the Dr. is a quack and I'm beating my brains in for nothing??
No if you have a smaller frame than me you can certainly be thinner. If you want to test him google it, a lot of people on here say the one that measure by your elbow is the most accurate and I used that to find out I have a medium frame.
I'd like to check him. Can I ask where you found that? And do you just measure the bones? Or the whole way across?
Just went and found the site I used
http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Elbow
Try that one0 -
You're getting so many good suggestions for exercise and diet, I thought I might add some cost-saving tips. My apologies if these were mentioned already; I didn't have time to read the whole thread.
1. It's summer. Scout garage sales for exercise equipment and workout DVD's videos. You might also want to look for a cheap bicycle.
2. If you have Craig's list in your city, scout them for the same.
3. Check out your library for workout DVDs, videos, and books.
Maybe you can save the gymn fee?
4. Check out your library for books on cooking on a budget. There are tonnes. My Mom raised 4 of us on my Dad's small salary. She used to do this and we all appreciated the new recipes she found.
5. Try shopping bulk for things like split peas, beans, rice, and oatmeal. You can save SO much money. It's a learning curve for most of us, but making soup or chillis or casseroles from what you find in the bulk bin can save you a lot. And, it's often tastier and more nutricious.
6. Eggs + veggies = something cheap, quick, and healthy no matter how you put it together. On nights you're tempted to have pizza, try just doing some scrambled eggs with whatever veggies are hanging around. If you have more energy, do a fritatta or a crustless quiche.
Good luck. (By the way, I'm no stranger to having it take 6 weeks to drop a pound. Sometimes bodies are just weird. Just keep trying things until it gives up, stops fighting you, and lets you fit into the skinny jeans again! :O)0 -
Just went and found the site I used
http://health.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Frame-Size-Elbow
Try that one
Ugh! If I measured that right (I had to look at pictures) it comes out being 2.25 inches. Still a small frame, but thank GOODNESS he didn't see THAT low side number. I'd go CRAZY! It's got it set at 126-139. :sad:0 -
I never knew there was such a thing as a body frame measurement. Thanks for sharing! I saw the questions on how to measure the elbow and, sure enough, it's NOT the circumfrance. I found these instructions; hope it helps:
http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/frame_size_calculator.asp0 -
Exercising along with eating right can help you lose 2 pounds a week, maybe even 3. For me, I keep my calorie intake 500 calories less than my BMR and then I strive to burn 500 calories or more exercising, usually 1-2 hours brisk walking a day, or if you have an elliptical cross training machine at home, 1 hour can easily burn 500+ calories.
As for eating, stick to whole foods and stay away from processed junk food. Fruits, veggies, wheat bread, low fat cheeses and milk, yogurt (with live enzymes and cultures), and lean/white meat (like fish, turkey, and chicken) are all great for you. Sodas, potato chips, red meat, fried foods (the worst!), fast food, and sugary sweets are very unhealthy and best be avoided.
A suggestion when grocery shopping, stick to the outer aisles and edges of the grocery store. That's where you'll find everything you need, mostly whole foods. If you start going down the middle aisles then you start finding processes junk food like frozen dinners, pop tarts, and other things you don't need.0 -
I never knew there was such a thing as a body frame measurement. Thanks for sharing! I saw the questions on how to measure the elbow and, sure enough, it's NOT the circumfrance. I found these instructions; hope it helps:
http://www.myfooddiary.com/resources/frame_size_calculator.asp
Glad it helped both of us! :laugh: I measured right. Sad. Just....Sad. Still glad the Dr didn't see those numbers though. Whew!0 -
Forgive me if these have already been suggested, but I don't have a moment to read through the thread and I really want to help:
1) NEVER drink soda. Just never. Don't. Ever.
2) Cereal makes just as good (if not better) an"instant" dinner as pizza. Even better if it's old-fashioned oatmeal. Only takes 5 minutes, you control the sugar and there's NO fat or sodium in there. Do your kids and yourself a favor and NEVER bring home a pizza. Just never. Don't. Ever.
3) Get yourself a 32-oz, refillable water bottle and keep it with you at all times. Drink. Refill. Drink. Refill. Drink. Refill. Try not to float away.
4) Log EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. No cheating. Not even a bite! If you think it's too small to log, it's too small to bother putting in your mouth. No excuses.
Honestly, you will see a difference if you do the above. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!
Yes, honestly you will see a difference. You'll have no fun in your life anymore. Have the soda, have the piece of pizza occasionally and see that you stay near to your calorie limits. Eat according to your goal and always eat the calories you burn in the gym. It's even ok to "overeat" some day(s) and to "undereat" the next day(s). That's an easy way to avoid hitting a plateau for a longer period. I had, pizza, soda, beers, candies, chocolate (but all in moderation) and the only thing that caused a standstill in losing weight was when I did not eat enough. When you are serious about losing weight eating healthier choices becomes a natural habit anyway but it does not mean that you have to cut out the little sins completely. Life's about joy :-)0 -
Wow lol. I'm not going down to the low end of my recommended range, I've been 155 before and know that's what's good for me0
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If you're BMI is in the healthy range, what is the issue? Your pics seem fine. Why do you want to lose more weight? Not everyone needs to be a skinny supermodel, after all. As women age, a fuller body is more sexy, anyway.
Having said that, I do think you need to eat more fruits and veggies. Agree that soda is not the best choice. Although it's hard with a family, I get it...
Have you thought of growing your own food to supplement your diet? A greenhouse if you're in the north could be a great investment. And it's another activity that burns calories. Kids can help, too, and it's quite educational (and fun).
Also agree that you should end your gym membership if it keeps you from choosing healthy foods. Walking, running, gardening, fishing (great suggestion), etc., are all "free" activities that can burn a lot of calories.
Good luck.
--P0 -
i looked at your diary and was surprised to see no salads no veg its all processed foods, thats never good, we need the healthy fruit and veg.0
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I LOVE CHEESE
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Well, I recently ate Chinese food and gained 4lbs of water in one day. lol. It went away 3 days later, but still. I don't know about having to avoid soda entirely. It is expensive though, so maybe it if you cut it out for a while, you could better your diet and eat more calories. Personally? My diet is dreadful, but I still lose weight, so I am a terrible role model, however, whatever I do is obviously working for me. I also am studying to be a registered dietician. I eat 1500 calories, sometimes more, and I am 5'4" and I still lose...I weigh about 170. I think you need to talk to your dr or a nutritionist. Truly, it sounds like you hit a plateau because your calories are too low for your activity level and height/weight, but that is just my opinion. You could also try not adding a lot of salt to your food, if you use a lot of it. Try to avoid extra sugar as well because if you have too much sugar your body has trouble breaking the carbs down and it can be converted and stored as fat in your system. That is sort of what happens with diabetes. Some of the weight could also be an increase in your muscle mass, since you work out. I pray it works out for you and you lose a little quicker soon.
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I think you're going to have to tune up your diet a little to see some more weight loss. I also think the pizza here and there and the root beer here and there without planning are killing any progress you might make. I used to allow myself a "cheat day" where I pigged out every week, but I had to scale that back to a cheat meal a week, and now maybe every 10 days.
I used to drink as much soda and beer as I wanted, but I just stopped that stuff because I realized I wanted to lose weight more than I wanted to enjoy that beer or soda. Getting rid of soda and beer made a big, immediate difference.
Tracking your meals, every single thing you put in your mouth, right here on MFP is a real eye opener as to where you are going wrong in your diet.
As far as drinks, I pretty much just drink coffee, OJ in the morning, and sparkling water with lime.
i have a completely different opinion here. first, i went through her diary and i think it's pretty squeaky clean, with a few indulgences here and there. i am all about indulging (in MODERATION!) as a means to prevent binging, burnout, or going crazy! girlfriend, i think you are on the right path and i encourage you to keep on keepin' on. maybe try to vary your workouts, try some classes at the gym or pump some heavy iron. best of luck to you!0 -
to change your macros click MY HOME...click GOALS...scroll down...click CHANGE GOALS..choose custom, click CONTINUE...you will be able to change the percentages.
upping your protein will be a great thing.
and watch the sodium!!!
and i love weight training...you can pick up your kids and squat...i used to do that with mine.
Thank you! I've been trying to figure out how to do this forever!!0 -
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And if you like pizza... how about homemade? It can be cheaper, healthier, and kids love getting to help make it by putting stuff on their own mini pizzas.
:laugh: They wanted pizza this weekend. I came up with a mini pizza on the english mffins I had in the back of the fridge. PERFECT use for them since they were a little on the "stale" side and they wouldn't eat them toasted. I didn't have any sauce though. Ended up just putting on some oregano flakes I found in the back of the cupboard and some pepperoni slices the neighbor gave us a couple weeks ago.
Creative! Great! If you cook, a simple pizza crust is pretty easy, and if you make it yourself, you might even be able to use some whole wheat. Depending on what you have available and like, you can make a few crusts and then add what you have (or let the kids pick from what you have). A few more options... sliced tomatoes instead of sauce, broccoli, pineapple, left over meat cut up, cheese, olives, mushrooms, peppers, if you don't have sauce or cheese, a small amount of butter or olive oil.
And I loved the idea of a garden. I have some cherry tomatoes growing inside... the plant has been producing the occasional tomato for close to two years now! And it's a great way to involve children in fun and healthy eating. Some kids who wouldn't go near vegetables normally are so proud and willing to eat something they grew themselves.0 -
I've experienced plateaus... and with my personality, I needed a clean slate to get on track. I did the Fat Smash Diet 9-Day detox and it got me back on track. I highly recommend it. It's mainly fruits, veggies, yogurt, brown rice, oatmeal... (no meat, candy, cheese, alcohol). Maybe this will work for you too?0
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And if you like pizza... how about homemade? It can be cheaper, healthier, and kids love getting to help make it by putting stuff on their own mini pizzas.
:laugh: They wanted pizza this weekend. I came up with a mini pizza on the english mffins I had in the back of the fridge. PERFECT use for them since they were a little on the "stale" side and they wouldn't eat them toasted. I didn't have any sauce though. Ended up just putting on some oregano flakes I found in the back of the cupboard and some pepperoni slices the neighbor gave us a couple weeks ago.
Creative! Great! If you cook, a simple pizza crust is pretty easy, and if you make it yourself, you might even be able to use some whole wheat. Depending on what you have available and like, you can make a few crusts and then add what you have (or let the kids pick from what you have). A few more options... sliced tomatoes instead of sauce, broccoli, pineapple, left over meat cut up, cheese, olives, mushrooms, peppers, if you don't have sauce or cheese, a small amount of butter or olive oil.
And I loved the idea of a garden. I have some cherry tomatoes growing inside... the plant has been producing the occasional tomato for close to two years now! And it's a great way to involve children in fun and healthy eating. Some kids who wouldn't go near vegetables normally are so proud and willing to eat something they grew themselves.
I'm working on getting a garden started. I've only got seeds for now, but since we're moving shortly (in September) I see no point in trying to start them now only to be forced to leave them behind. Hopefully our new place will have enough of an area that I can grow some of my own vegetables! :drinker:
For now I have seeds for green peppers, cucumbers, and some garlic. Not much, but we LOVE those things, so....maybe I won't have to BUY any soon.0 -
This is a complete guess, and I didn't read through all 4 pages, so forgive me if this has been suggested. You eat a lot of dairy which has a lot of fat, if you cut out some of the dairy you may notice a loss. Try eating less fat, more protein to keep you full. Personally I don't believe you have to cut out everything that's "bad", just cut down, or cut things out but let yourself have a little of the things you like every once in awhile.0
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I also haven't read through all 4 pages, but I've taken a look at the last few days of your diary and have a couple suggestions:
-You eat a lot of breads (pastries, pretzels, muffins), try to restrict that to just having bread to hold a sandwhich together
-Cut out any liquid but water. Sucks for the first couple weeks, but after you get used to it pop won't even taste that good anymore (if you struggle at first, try that water bottle sweeteners that only have about 15 calores in a serving, they make a tasty drink!)
-In one of the days I looked at I noticed you didn't eat breakfast! Nooo! Some people feel the complete reverse of hunger in the morning, but I swear it will help jumpstart the rest of the day. Even an apple will help.
-Since I've mentioned apples, I'll go on my fruit rant. You need way more fruits and vegetables in your diet, I'd go so far as to say take all the money you spend on breads and dairy, and spend it on fruits and veggies. They are better for you and you can eat a lot more cause they're such low calories! Apples are the easiest, they last for a while in the fridge, always under 100 calories, and pretty cheap! For summer I also like to get seedless watermelons. They're great for a snack with the kids and are a great way to get hydrated!
-I'd also say ditch the gym for now. My remedy has been running around the neighborhood and Insanity in the living room. I would also think it'd be a better investment to buy a couple freewights for yourself and just do strength training at home instead of dumping money into a gym membership every month.
Hope I helped a little bit, good luck on your journey. And no matter how many trial & error issues you go through, don't give up! We can see the process already 0 -
If you're BMI is in the healthy range, what is the issue? Your pics seem fine. Why do you want to lose more weight? Not everyone needs to be a skinny supermodel, after all. As women age, a fuller body is more sexy, anyway.
Having said that, I do think you need to eat more fruits and veggies. Agree that soda is not the best choice. Although it's hard with a family, I get it...
--P
Her doctor has told her to lose weight...0 -
I'm working on getting a garden started. I've only got seeds for now, but since we're moving shortly (in September) I see no point in trying to start them now only to be forced to leave them behind. Hopefully our new place will have enough of an area that I can grow some of my own vegetables! :drinker:
For now I have seeds for green peppers, cucumbers, and some garlic. Not much, but we LOVE those things, so....maybe I won't have to BUY any soon.
Oh, so one more stressor and activity... getting ready to move. You've got enough to keep you busy!
With all that, I can understand waiting to plant, but if you want to get a head-start, try a container garden. You can take that with you.
Hope you're not terrified anymore. 0
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