SillySarah

I drink a lot of the lipton blueberry/acai berry (sp?) green tea. I love it! It does have some caffeine in it. You could always drink the decaf version if you're sensitive to caffeine. The only draw back that I know of is that drinking a lot of teas can diminish the strength of the enamel on your teeth. You will still want…

I try to not watch too much TV. It's too tempting to plop down in front of the TV and graze on stuff. I also try to reserve 1 - 2 special snacks to specific times during the week. I am more motivated to not eat when I am bored if I remind myself that I only have to wait a couple days for a special treat. That's what works…

You could make today an easy day by doing some easy paced walking and mellow yoga. If you're tired and need a rest day, go ahead and take one. Don't sweat it that you didn't do as many workouts as you had planned. Just focus on the here and now and get back on the "horse". There isn't a whole lot you can do to make up for…

Save your money and use the videos/workout routines from this site: http://www.bodyrock.tv/ I've been doing some of the workouts for a couple months now and I have had some great results both in the way I look as well as strength gains. Plus there are tons of workouts to choose from so you won't ever get bored! Zuzana (the…

First off, congratulations on losing those 8 lbs. Way to go! To answer your question about determining true hunger from boredom, habit, or something else, here are some new habits that helped me get past this same issue: 1. Eat small, balanced meals frequently. Try and get a reasonable amount of lean protein, whole grain,…

Same here. I almost always go over my sodium intake each day by about 1000 mg. I am pretty active and I sweat a lot. But I drink a lot of water throughout the day and my blood pressure is healthy. To the OP: Everyone is different. If your blood pressure is in a healthy range, you drink a lot of water, and if the food you…

You are so right. When weight loss stops being about what we can't do and becomes a journey to become who we can be, it's like everything starts to fall into place. Everyday is a gift and has a purpose.

Congratulations on making it through the transition from less healthy to more healthy. Being healthy is a lifestyle, not a fad and it just takes time along with small changes here and there. I know I have always struggled with feeling deprived and hungry because I would exercise sooo much and then, thinking that I had to…

Here are some of my favorites for when I am on the go: I. Homemade egg "McMuffin" with ham: 1 Thomas whole wheat english muffin (I love these cause they have an awesome flavor), toasted and cooled 1 egg scrambled 5 slices honey ham lunch meat Place the egg and ham between the sliced and toasted english muffin and eat right…

Hi guys! Just thought I'd offer my experience with this whole "calorie restriction/weight loss" paradox. I have the hardest time losing weight. I can shift weight but never really lose anything. I've found that when wanting to get lean, the scale is not always the best tool to use to gauge one's progress. I use a tape…

I'd have the following: Equipment: -Treadmill -Bike trainer/stationary bike -Rowing machine -Pull up bar -Dip station -Free weights -Adjustable benches -Floor to ceiling mirrors on at least one wall -Yoga mats -Yoga pillows -Sound system -TV/DVD player Decor: - I'd probably paint the walls various neutral colors. - The…

Welcome! It's encouraging to hear about the ways in which others are keeping their own health a priority. Good for you! You can do this!

I weigh in every morning. Of course, I do keep in mind that my weight may fluctuate from day to day and sometimes from hour to hour. I do it every day for 2 reasons. One, it helps me to stay motivated to eating healthy. I have a range of about 5 lbs that I usually fall into. When I begin creeping out of that range, It's…

Here is a link to a page for some meal ideas you could use. Not sure what types of meals you are currently eating. If your family is accustomed to eating processed foods, these meals may seem a little weird at first. So don't be surprised if you get complaints as their palates may need time to adjust. If anything, just be…

HIIT is awesome! Even as little as 20 minutes a day can really give a body some great results. Also, I find it helps to do a variety of things. I love doing HIIT or intense calisthenics followed by cycling and then swimming. I've had great results just mixing things up. And another tip is to alternate easy and hard days.…

For me, anything cumulatively over 60 minutes seems to really give me results. I have some days where I break it up into 30 minute blocks. Some days, it's 90 minutes straight. I don't know what it is, but that seems to do the trick for me. I think the important thing though isn't so much how much "exercise" you do, as it…

What kind of cardio are you doing? How intense is it? Are your energy levels consistent throughout the day? If you're doing light intensity cardio and you're making sure that you eat enough nutrients per your frame, I don't see why you should eat the extra calories. If you're doing intense and/or super long duration…

I'd start by avoiding the package food items as well. Many processed foods are loaded with extra salt, sugar, and other additives. The best rule of thumb when grocery shopping to avoid processed food is to shop mainly from the perimeter of the store. Avoid the center isles as much as possible. Fill your cart up with fruits…

I think what type of exercise you plan on doing will help determine what you could eat before your morning workout. For instance, if you'll be running or swimming, you may want to eat something very light since the jarring motion may make you feel queasy. If you're walking or doing other low impact exercise, you could…

#79 Sarah Weekly weigh in for Challenge 4: 139 Down 1 from last week. Fridays are the days I eat the most it seems. I was down to 135 on Wednesday so I'm not sure if some of my current weight is from the food baby I made last night. I know my clothing has become looser, so something is going right. = ) I'll work on…

#79 Sarah 1. Drink at least 5 (8oz) of water EVERYDAY this week 7/7 2. 8 Sets of 25 Squats 3 out of 7 days this week. 2/3 3. Get 30 Min of cardio at least 3 out of 7 days this week. 7/7 I did a ton of other leg exercises like various lunges, wall sits, and step ups that didn't actually count as squats. Good job everyone!

Hi everyone! I just have to say that I appreciate your guys' honesty with your struggles. I too have dealt with bingeing/disordered eating. I haven't had a binge in a few months, but I used to really struggle with bingeing and then using exercise to "purge" myself. I have been slowly making the conscious effort to develop…

I have found that sticking with exercise on the weekends helps. The intensity of the exercise doesn't need to be all out either. If anything, just being active and doing things as a family always help me to steer clear of grazing in front of the TV (my major downfall). I need to get back on the moderation wagon, and this…

I have had this problem too. I am actually trying to avoid cheat days all together and focus more on human sized portions of cheat foods (like 1 donut per week). The hardest part is getting back into the groove once the cheat day is over. And if the cheat day coincides with a weekend, forget it, I'm face down in a jumbo…

I wouldn't beat yourself up over this. If the food was high in sodium, you may be a bit bloated. Not sure about how much weight you'd gain though. If you feel up to it, get moving and get some exercise. I always feel better after I "sweat things out". Drink lots of fluids and even some green tea. And just because you ate…

#79 Sarah CW: 140 Up 2 from last week. But that's okay, I'll keep plugging away!

#79 Sarah I haven't been around much this week. Been traveling. 1. Drink at least 5 (8oz) of water EVERYDAY this week 7/7 2. Walk/Jog/Run a Mile 3 out of 7 days this week. 2/3 3. 30 Chair Dips 2 out 7 Days this week. 1/2 4. Do 100 toe raises 100/100 Hope everyone is doing well! Look forward to weighing in tomorrow!

I would agree with this. To the OP: You're best bet exercise wise, IMO, is to do some sort of interval training that incorporates some resistance training (body weight, free weights, etc.) along with cardio. That way you'll be building lean muscle mass, which will boost your metabolism and help the weight to come off more…

#79 Sarah Challenge 2 weigh in: 138 Start weight 140 So I am down 2 lbs! Well at least that.

#79 Sarah For challenge 2: 8oz of water every day: 7/7 6 X 15 sets sit ups: 3/3 Get min 30 minutes cardio: 3/3 Cut 100 calories from diet every day: 5/7 Considering how hungry I was last week from all the additional exercise I did, I decided not to treat any of the fitness portion of this challenge as additional exercise.…