kristingjertsen Member

I add unsweetened soy milk, flax seed meal, and chia seed along with walnuts and pecans. Sometimes I will go savory with an egg over easy and crumbled bacon on top.

Hard to do, but try to get out of the house. Go for a walk, to the gym, the library, join a club, reach out to the nice folks you meet for a coffee date. Find a support group for grieving widows. Allow yourself to grieve and give yourself time to heal. Be cautious about starting a new relationship too early. I have watched…

Not at my gym. When I was younger (and cuter), guys would offer to spot me or show me how to do moves correctly and then ask me out. Now that I am in my 50s, they are still nice, but call me ma'am and offer words of encouragement for my hard work to keep fit. They are also gracious enough to help out when someone has left…

I do both. I keep weights, a mat, and simple exercise tools at home for a quick work out on days that I can't make the gym because I am too busy. I can do a pretty straightforward workout using body weight exercises and free weights, and then stretch and do yoga. On "non gym" days, I walk in my neighborhood, swim, or ride…

Another quick option is scrambled eggs and toast (cooking, but one pan and quick clean up). If I have some lox and capers, I will add that to the pan. If not, I defrost some mixed berries to have as an easy dessert.

I cut up a small avocado, add some diced red onion, cherry tomatoes, a half tbsp. olive oil, and sprinkle on chili lime seasoning. If I have some cooked chicken, I will add some of that. If not, I open a can of sardines in water, drain them, add a tsp of olive oil and a squeeze of lime and call it dinner. Quick, easy, and…

I started out with low fat breakfast, but learned over time that I had better control over my eating all day if I made sure to have some healthy fat (nuts, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil for example), lean protein (eggs, uncured chicken sausage. unsweetened soy milk) and high fiber foods (spinach, mixed greens, peppers,…

We all make this mistake. Forgive yourself, start over, and don't let this slow you down. It is a blip on the radar.

I lost 56 pounds 6 years ago with the "slow" approach. It took me just over a year to reach a healthy weight. My eating habits had changed enough that I managed to keep 31 of those pounds off until two years ago when I had a work injury and surgery requiring a long rehabilitation and gained 25 lbs. back. I began working to…

I use a food scale when calculating servings of almost everything. For example, I will weigh avocado (something I eat every day) to see how many grams it is before eating it. Keeps me honest and aware of portion size. I don't do this when I am eating out, my rule of thumb there is to eat no more than half the food on my…

The best way to handle this is to keep doing what works for you and find some supportive friends to encourage you on your journey. I agree it can be very frustrating to watch a family member sabotage his own health and sometimes the health of others. As for the favorite snacks, I finally learned to say, "Please don't buy X…

Feeling a bit frustrated this morning. I switched our family over to a heathier diet a few weeks ago after several family members were diagnosed with extreme obesity and related health issues (no real surprise to me; I have been encouraging them to adopt healthier behaviors for a long time). Doctor bluntly told one of them…

The reality is that losing weight and maintaining the loss long-term are two very different issues. You have to keep monitoring your weight, fitness, and eating and adjust your strategies as you go along. This is the new normal if you want to stay healthy and fit.

Please add me in. I just started eating low carb and keto so I am in the very early stages of learning how to be successful on this type of diet. My spouse was told by his doctor to start eating a low carb diet and I am hoping he will have more success if I move to this type of diet, too. 21 g of carbs so far today and I…

Cloe's Pops. I tried the Dark Chocolate last night for dessert. 60 calories, 15 grams of carbs (13 of sugar, kind of high but manageable). Very satisfying chocolate taste, not as rich as an ice cream bar but still very good. She also has fruit bars which are also low in calories. Nice option when you just need something…

For me, the goal weight is one that I can manage long term (at 53, I doubt I will ever see my post-bootcamp weight again) and one that keeps my face and body from looking gaunt and drawn (as my great-grandmother would say, "You have to make a choice between your face and your figure. My face is so beautiful, that I went…

The people who are suggesting you see a Physical therapist to help you create an exercise plan are giving you excellent advice. If you jump in without really understanding your condition and what you need to do to safely rehabilitate your back, you may end up hurting instead of helping the problem. I, too, have had surgery…

Fit into a pair of slacks that I have not been able to get over my hips for 3 years. Can zip the waistbands of my skirts all the way up and my belts fit again. Transitioned from diet soda and heavily Splenda sweetened tea to water with lemon or lime. Eating fruit without adding stevia or Splenda. Coffee is still a work in…

I am trying to find a path to transition my family from unhealthy eating and fitness habits to a healthier lifestyle. I began 8 years ago when my doctor told me that I was obese, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hypoglycemia episodes, which suggested that my pancreas was being affected and I was on the fast…

I eat lots of veggies, avocado, some fruit, beans, unsalted nuts like walnuts and sunflower seeds, fatty fish like sardines and salmon, a little chicken, red meat about once per month, use healthy oils like olive, sunflower, and flaxseed, and half cup servings of whole grains like brown rice, farro, and oatmeal once or…

My doctor seems to think that muscle mass is a better indicator of being a healthy older adult. She commented once that she had recently seen a study that the amount of muscle in a woman's thighs at age 50 is a good indicator of just how healthy she will be in old age. She encouraged me to keep weight training, walking,…

I have exercised every day this week--gym, cardio, walking, or weights.

We often end up in restaurants where it is hard to eat healthy when we eat out as a family. I can usually get a salad (hold the cheese and croutons) and some kind of grilled meat and veggies. When the trip is to a restaurant where there are no good options for me (fast food, donut shop, etc.), I usually have a glass of…

I do think that the time needed to prepare meals from scratch is a big factor in many people's food decisions. I am a homemaker and I have the time available to do food prep and menu planning on a daily basis. When I worked, cooking was much less fun and felt like work on top of my already busy day. We were more likely to…

I avoid processed foods and limit eating out because it is expensive and makes it hard to keep the weight off. I eat vegan meals 2 times per day (not for ethical reasons, but because of my family history of heart disease, colon cancer, and stroke) and one meal with animal protein daily (eggs, fish, chicken, and red meat…

I have a BBQ fanatic in the house, so I have a system. BBQ chicken (I remove the skin, shred the meat, and add mustard sauce or a little BBQ sauce), collard greens or green beans (eat half a portion and skip the added meat), a sweet potato (I ask for no butter and brown sugar on the side and sprinkle a tsp of the brown…

Don't be a slave to the weight on your scale. I see it as just one helpful device in my weight loss journey, not as judge and jury to my progress. The food scale in my kitchen keeps me much more on track to reach my goals than the bathroom scale. I have found that the journey is not a steady decline in my weight, but an up…

This is called "forward head" and yes, there are exercises to correct the problem. The basic premise is that you need to strengthen the muscles of your upper back and shoulders and stretch the muscles on the front of your upper body in order to correct forward head. There are also exercises to help stretch and strengthen…

Sunday weigh in: I have lost 1.6 pounds this week. Focusing on eating healthy, homemade meals and getting more exercise.

One bad day is simply that, one day of not eating as you know you should. One bad day only becomes a problem if you beat yourself up about it and decide to have another bad day tomorrow. Put it behind you--you don't even have to get on the scale the morning after. Just go back to doing the things you need to be healthy.