Let's talk about fitness

Jenny - posted on 02/07/2013

Whoa, has the look of COM's changed! I think I like it, but its a bit of a shock.

Cecilia - posted on 02/06/2013

I will say i am glad that i have a body frame that allows me to have 5 extra pounds with little notice. I hate that i have a body frame that i will never be considered skinny, even when i am. (If nothing else i have the legs of a runner) Because of that I can look at myself and say "I am healthy." In the long run that is really all that matters.

So ladies, be healthy above all else. Love who you are, even if you hate parts.

Lady Heather - posted on 02/06/2013

I wear size 4 rings too. But the rest of me ain't that small! Lol. Skinny fingers, skinny wrists, big ass giant rib cage.

Jenny - posted on 02/06/2013

That's very interesting about body frames, and I can see how that would make a difference. Hope you can pat yourself on the back for the amount of exercise you do because you are doing a great job, more than most, so I hope you don't beat yourself up about needing to do more.

Kelly - posted on 02/06/2013

Thank you, Jenny. My arms were a little scrawny that summer due to a wrist injury that kept me from toning them. I usually have a tad more definition. I'm 5'2" as well, but my bones are "small" or "narrow" (I guess that's the best way to describe it). I am less than 14 inches from shoulder to shoulder, and my hips are so narrow that I had issues carrying and delivering my 5 pound baby. My bones are also "thin"--my wrist is only 4.25 inches around (average is 6 inches--this is the bone measurement, not the actual wrist with the fat & skin on it--with the skin my wrist is just over 5 inches around), and I wear a size 4 ring--a size that wouldn't fit the bone of most women's fingers even if they had no skin. So while my height is average, I am literally "Small boned" which really effects the way I carry weight.

Cecilia, I was not offended--you sounded more concerned than anything, which I thought was rather nice, I just didn't want you to feel bad for me. I think our frame is very important to how much we should weigh. I have several friends who are might height as well, but who would look & feel horrible if they weighed as little as I do...in fact, it would be near impossible for them to do so simply because their bones are bigger.

Cecilia - posted on 02/06/2013

according to her doctor she is about 10 pounds under where she should be right now. She eats. She can't really work out either because she has this foot problem. So it's just how her body is. Aren't we all jealous, i know i am. I don't know if you guys can see her picture on my profile or not but from what you can see you can tell she isn't overly small or anything,

Jenny - posted on 02/05/2013

Yikes, that's pretty skinny Cecilia.
I have a younger brother who is 5'9' at 110 pounds.....he's underweight to severely underweight on all charts lol! But he's only 14 years old and his body keeps growing without a chance for his weight to catch up. I think it will start to balance out once he stops growing.

Cecilia - posted on 02/05/2013

ok for the mommie who can't get out of the house, if you can get the money together to get an xbox ( or you might already have one) Get zumba for it. Well pretty much there are tons of exercise games for the connect. Even dance games burn calories and they are fun. You can even do it with older kids as together time.

As far as i know i did it to myself when it comes to my bp. My doctor said i've made my heart healthy with all my walking and really the only way to get it back up is to stop. She told me the best thing to do is to work out when i'm stressed. My BP will naturally be higher, thus getting heart rate up isn't as hard to do.

Kelly, i'm sorry if in insulted you. That isn't what i was trying to do. I worded it badly. I'll admit for you no you don't look all sunken in as far as i can tell from the picture. I was saying for me, my ideal weight and my preferred weight are two different things because of how it makes me look. My daughter is 5'4' 107 pounds i think.. which to me means she needs some more weight considering most of hers is in her rear lol...

Jenny - posted on 02/05/2013

P.S Kelly, you look Beautiful in your profile pic, and your arms look v. skinny :)

Jenny - posted on 02/05/2013

Thanks for expanding on these rules ladies! I knew they were unrealistic to keep to the t to. Good to know no body is going to quite all those lengths, but taking it more as general advice, with I think I can do no prob, and like most of you said, some of these things we do naturally before we'd even seen the list.

I do think the portion thing would be something to maybe take a look at once in a while, you made a good point about visually seeing how much a 30g piece of cheese looks like, and yes once you've seen you don't have to keep weighing it, maybe only once in a while to make sure you're still on track.

Kelly, 48kg's is TINY! I don't know anybody who is looking fat while at these weight, and I do have a very short friend! Holy cow how short are you? People usually think I'm pretty short at 158cm (5"2). So very curious, how short are you?

And you work out a hell of a lot! Your jogging alone is enough to keep you healthy, but I know realistically people don't want to just be healthy they want to look good in their clothes, so maybe it takes a bit more than that to look good in your clothes, but still holy cow you work out as much as some fitness models work out to stay in shape!

Man I wish I had the time away from the kids to work out that much, because I am one of those crazies that does actually LOVE the gym, but we cannot afford this, and once my kids are in school I'm doomed to get back to work.

We've just moved into our new house and its bigger than where we were renting, and omg it keeps me busy all day, it is depressing how much effort some houses take to keep clean. I also prefer to clean as a I go along instead of leaving it to twice a week or so because by then everything would get so messy and I wouldn't even know where to start, I find I can stay more calm and in control if I clean up a bit everyday.

Lady Heather - posted on 02/05/2013

Yeah, I can't do early morning exercise. I wish I could. My husband leaves at 4.30 am. My older daughter is a really light sleeper so even the treadmill wouldn't work. I know she'd wake up. I can't do any sort of class because my husband is out of town so much that I'd need to be arranging babysitters all the time. It's most annoying. So I incorporate the kids by doing stroller stuff (mainly while my older one is at preschool because otherwise she is walking and then it's sloooow) and then I do circuit training at home while the younger one naps and the older one works on an art project. When my husband is home I go on the treadmill in the evening. It's a juggling act for sure.

I don't think you have given up all your hobbies if you are so dedicated to shelters. That's a hobby of sorts! I mean, if you get the same feeling from it then that's what counts. I am thinking of doing some mentoring with at risk youth. Maybe start a music program here. So it will be work and volunteering but also a hobby at the same time. I just can't wait to have a few more hours to work with!

Kelly - posted on 02/05/2013

It is much easier now that J is in school. When he was a baby/toddler, I ran in the morning before J & dh got up for the day, and did evening classes (J was not in sports yet, & dh was home to watch him). Needless to say--I often slept in when I should have been running, and skipped evening classes to spend time with my husband. Plus, we're tired at the end of the day, and even though I always felt great when I did go workout, finding the energy to push myself out the door was quite the struggle...

Sometimes I do miss my hobbies. I love to draw, and have been picking that up a little more lately, but It is hard to know what to give up to make time for hobbies--I don't want to work less at the shelters (this is my passion), I feel I need to be at J's school at least once a week, and while I don't really "enjoy" working out (who does??) I am not comfortable in my skin if I don't, and obviously I have to clean my house...I often wish the day was just a couple of hours longer!

Kerry - posted on 02/05/2013

I have low BP too and have never thought about it at al, but my ears are pricking up when I see it mentioned in terms of weight loss. I always seem to have to work out and eat less than most people to stay slim. So is it connected to matabolism or something I wonder anything we can then do to combat now our BP slowing down all the hard work!

Lady Heather - posted on 02/05/2013

I guess when my kids are in school I will have more time for exercise. I don't know if I'll do it though. Ha. I think I might fill my day with painting or sewing or gardening instead. Because frankly I prefer those things. The house we are moving into is pretty huge though so there will be lots of cleaning. HURRAH.

Kelly - posted on 02/05/2013

@ Cecilia, Yes, I do feel more than 100 pounds is too much for me. Look at my profile picture. That is me at about 98 pounds. I don't look boney or sickly. I don't think you should be "sorry" that I see myself this way. For the most part, I am able to keep my body in a place where I am happy with it--I just struggle this time of year. I'm just small--average height, but narrow bones and structure.

@ Lady Heather, I have breakfast with J, then do my running right after he leaves for school. Mon, Wed, Fri, (short run days) I go home & shower then go volunteer at J's school or the homeless shelter until 12:30pm. Then I eat lunch and head to the gym for class/weights from 1:15-2:15, shower, then go pick J up from school. Tues & Thurs (long run days), I go to Zumba directly after my run, then go home and clean/ run errands until time to pick J up from school. I live in a very small house, so it doesn't take much to keep it clean--as long as I pick up in the evenings after J is in bed, I can deep clean the whole thing in a little over an hour.

I used to do Zumba in the evenings, but it kept interfering with J's sports, I was worried about how much it would cut into my volunteer time when I moved to the daytime class, but I've actually found that volunteering only every other day (instead of every day) has made me much more productive and less "burnt out" on it. Same with cleaning--when I clean every single day, I start to cut major corners, but only doing it twice a week, I pay attention to the details. That is another reason my workout is so different from day to day--I'm sure if I did the same things each day, i would start to cut corners, you know? That's just one of my weak spots :P

Lady Heather - posted on 02/04/2013

Also I want to add that I do have fun and I don't stress when I'm doing it. Like a couple weeks ago I flew down to Vancouver for a weekend alone (OMG) and went out for a fancy dinner with a friend complete with the most perfect wine pairings. I'm pretty sure the soup course was twice my normal dinner in calories. hahahaha. Next month we are going out for an awesome birthday dinner on holiday for my husband's 30th. Many meats and cheeses and wines will be had. Possibly with a side of butter. And cake. Basically every couple of months I have a meal that is just INSANE. But when I do it I like to go to a really quality place and do a real indulgence. I plan our restaurants for holidays as soon as I book the flight because I love food just that much. So I'd say food and I have a pretty decent relationship. Sort of a friends with benefits type thing. My normal diet I really enjoy, but every once in a while you want a fling.

Lady Heather - posted on 02/04/2013

I would say I do this stuff the vast majority of the time. So yeah, it is possible. It's not so much a forced thing. If I don't eat this way I have horrible pain. I have fibromyalgia so my body is very sensitive. But point by point...

1. Drink a large glass of water before every meal
Not really, but I think this is more a reminder for people who don't drink enough water. I drink water all day so I don't really have to do this, although probably it happens because well...I eat all day and I drink all day. lol.

2. Do not drink your calories (ie. drink water, avoid juice & sodas)
I drink water and coffee and tea. The only additive in my coffee and tea is a splash of almond milk. I don't like it sweet anyways. Every once in a while - maybe once a month - I drink some fresh squeezed juice or have a latte at Starbucks.

4. Limit refined flours & grains
White rice once a week in my sushi. Other than that refined grains are for holidays. I actually quite prefer brown rice. We don't eat a lot of pasta because my daughter is allergic to tomatoes and dairy so...that's the stuff one tends to have on pasta. I guess it's just something you get used to.

5. Each 30-50g of fiber daily
If you eat the right balance of whole foods you don't really have to worry about this. I hit this target easily. If you want to check you can use My Fitness Planner and just log a few of your typical days to see what you hit. No need to really be super anal.

6. Eat an apple & berries every single day
I guess because then you're covered. Nice balance of nutrients. I do eat some sort of berry everyday because I like them. I keep them in the freezer when not in season. I don't know if I have an apple everyday. But close enough if it's a pear right? lol.

9. Measure the proper portion sized--don't try to guess
Like the fibre thing - if you do it for one week you get a feel for it. Some people grossly overestimate servings. Cheese is particularly bad for that. I had no idea what 30g of cheese looked like before I started weighing it. Now I know so I don't have to weigh.

10. No added sweeteners or artificial sweeteners
Well this one is easy for me because I like bitter things to be bitter. Ha. We have only natural sweeteners in our house - honey, maple syrup and coconut sugar. Well, I have some white sugar for Christmas baking and birthday cakes. That's all I use it for. I don't find this hard because my tastebuds like the bitter.

11. No white potatoes
These I do sometimes but I use sweet potatoes as my staple instead. I prefer the flavour.

18. Go to bed hungry
I don't know if I do this so much as I restrict night time eating because I easily get carried away. So I have a piece of fruit and an herbal tea.

19. Get proper sleep
AGREED. lol.

20. Allow one "splurge meal" each week.
I don't lose weight if I mini-splurge. Because it usually adds up to more than you think. It's not that it's inherently bad to divide up your splurge but you should track it sometime to see how it comes out. My splurge meal is 600 calories. Not a very big splurge. When I'm not trying to lose I will up that a couple hundred. But anyways, you could easily surpass that 600 in a few mini splurges.

It's not something you do forever, this anal tracking thing. I'm doing it right now because I just weaned so my portion sizes need a mega overhaul. I'm finding I have to get used to eating less so I'm doing two weeks of tracking with MFP and then I should be in the swing of things. But really if you just eat whole foods with reasonable portions the rest falls into place.

And Kelly - holy fuck how do you work out that much??? I try to alternate my days with a good long stroller walk and 20 minutes of cardio/strength intervals. That's all I do and I have one day off a week. I certainly don't have time for any more than that, nor do I find it necessary to do anymore than that. I do housework for a good chunk of the day too and that is also tiring. I'm beat at the end of the day.

Cecilia - posted on 02/04/2013

So kelly, you think anything over 100 pounds is too much for you? I am sorry that you see yourself that way. By my height i should be 114. For me, i'm too skinny then. My face is sunken in and such. I think i look unhealthy. I prefer to be right about 130ish. My 12 year old daughter weighs more than you...and i think she needs to gain a little bit.

In my opinion, you do work out enough. I hope you can find a place where you are happy with yourself.

As far as we don't have time to be healthy. Yes for the most part that is very true. Some people use it as an excuse to pick up fast food. That isn't what i mean. We don't have time to devote to ourselves and our health most of the time. We can have the flu. As mommies we can not stay in bed doing nothing if the house is infected with it.

Kelly - posted on 02/04/2013

I have a very small frame. An extra 10 pounds is A LOT on my frame. I am not comfortable in my body when I am this heavy (currently 106 pounds). My clothes don't fit properly, my limbs feel heavy and cumbersome, and I don't like my reflection in the mirror. I'm not saying women cannot be bigger and still be beautiful and healthy, just that **I** cannot be bigger and still be healthy and beautiful. My bp is about 90/60. I don't know my temp, I just know it's a problem when my bp goes too low. My bp actually goes up in the winter when I am bigger, but I am very interested in this concept and am looking forward to asking my doctors about it.

I don't workout enough, so I do try to follow a good diet. I had been doing most of the things on the list before I knew it was a list, but it is nice to have it in a list to keep in mind....simply because I love lists.

My workout is like this
Monday--20 min run, 1 hour Weights
Tuesday--50 min run, 1 hour Zumba
Wednesday--20 min run, 1 hour Elliptical or Spin
Thursday--50 min run, 1 hour Zumba
Friday--20 min run, 1 hour Weights
In the Summer, I add 1 hour of Swimming to every day, and go on a 10-20 mile bike ride with my son every morning. I know I should do the swimming & biking year round, but I can't fit them into my schedule when J is in school. I've tried. I understand how women just can't workout enough, and that is why diet is so important now, but it shouldn't be that way. We should be active enough to eat without a long list of rules, but we're not. I try to think of ways we can add physical activity without sacrificing productivity, but I just don't have any :(

Are we just too busy to be healthy??

Kelly - posted on 02/04/2013

I am not very strict with these rules, Jenny, but I do keep them in mind. Consider them more "guidelines" than rock solid rules. I will expand on some of the ones you pointed out.

1. I do drink a large glass of water between every meal--you do not have to actually drink it right before you eat, just sometime in the hour or two before you eat. (This is in the book, but I condensed everything to fit here)

2. Don't drink your calories. This refers more to people who tend to sip on sodas all day. One cup of coffee or one soda each day is fine if it keeps you sane--I have a 12oz soda (140 calories) every day while I'm sitting in the car-line to pick up my son from school. It gives me that little afternoon pick-me-up to get through the busiest part of my day.

4. Limit (not eliminate) refined flour & grains. I still eat them, I just try not to when there is another option available.

5. Fiber--total "guesstemation" there. I read the labels and buy cereals and granola that are high in fiber. I know if I eat a serving per day, I'm covered.

6. Apples & Berries. He doesn't mean to eat ONLY apples and berries, you can eat whatever fruit and veggies you like, just make sure some of them are apples and berries (berries are high in a lot of nutrients we cannot get from other fruits).

9. Measure portion sizes. I don't find this unreasonable. I don't actually weigh everything I eat, but many things I eat come measured out anyway. Plus, after measuring for a few weeks, it is very easy to measure without actually measuring--not really "guessing" but a pretty accurate "estimate". If I make cereal, I do pour it through a measuring cup, and if I feel like my portions are getting bigger, I'll start measuring more accurately again. That said, I don't measure fruits & veggies, because you can eat all you want of those. If I make a recipe, I make sure I've added the ingredients in the proper portion, then divide it by the total number of servings (rather than just taking a big scoop that is closer to 2 servings than 1).

10. Sweetners. Again, not too strict. I don't add sugar to anything, but I do still consume it in that soda I drink everyday. I do try to avoid it when possible--such as choosing not to eat a cookie or ice cream for dessert, or picking a bagel over a cinnamon bun.

11. No white potatoes. Again, on occasion--not a big deal. That is what the splurge meal is there for.

18. Go to bed hungry. I struggled with whether to expand on this one or not. He doesn't mean physically hungry, but rather don't eat within the last few hours before bed; don't grab a snack (like the traditional milk & cookies) right before bed. Instead, eat enough at dinner to keep you comfortable until bed and don't eat again.

19. Proper sleep. I'll agree with you here, this is hard with young children. My son is older now, so I don't have that problem anymore, but I can certainly sympathize.

20. Splurge meal. You can still have little snacks throughout the week, just keep moderation in mind. The Splurge meal is there so that you can have a lot of the things you normally try to avoid.

Cecilia - posted on 02/04/2013

I do agree with you Jenny, forcing yourself to do things that you hate will only make you quit. Some of these things i just seem to do them naturally like i said. I drink water while i cook because i get all dried out being over the stove lol. I'm a berry type of girl, I love smoothies in the morning, or as a snack. If my husband wasn't dieting i wouldn't measure out food.

And yes home cooking is much harder to know how much fiber and such is in there. He uses a online calculator for him to figure it out. He takes my recipes and inputs ingredients and it figures it out for him. Too much work for everyday life.

Okay the cream explains the calories in coffee. i was like omg you have 10 cups a day lol. Don't feel bad about coffee, it prevents cancer. :-)

The truth is if i were going to try to lose weight i would simply cut back on the things i know are bad. I wouldn't stress out over every calorie. That would drive me crazy. I had said before i don't think i would go to bed hungry. That would just make me sad.

Jenny - posted on 02/04/2013

I see your point. I don't agree with following rules, personally it never works and I get into a deprive/binge cycle. I believe in the idea of listening to your body and stopping when you are full. This is where portion sizes aren't always important, because if you've been out running errands all day and have had no time to eat, then I think its perfectly ok to eat more than one standard portion size if your body tells you that's how much you need for energy levels to get back up.

I have full cream milk in my coffee as its another way to incorporate dairy into my diet which i'm not too fond off so the calories go up with that, which is okay, I'm not into counting calories, if I drink my calories from healthy sources I'm not going to feel bad about it.

Most recent books I've read were In defense of Food by Micheal Pollan and Real Food: What to eat and why By Nina Planck. They're eye opening and freeing from all these restrictions. I understand that you're wanting to loose weight and this type of diet would achieve that, but once you loose all the weight you might be disappointed with how much effort it requires to keep it off, and wondering just how healthy you are being after all.

I do read the nutrition information on packages, but most of my food I cook, or eat at a restaurant or at mums, so again, quite difficult to measure up portion sizes and fiber content etc, which again I don't think is that important. I get it, its important if you're on a diet with specific goals and needing to keep track of things to reach them, but as for living out the rest of your life, I'm looking for ways to do so without so many rules.

Cecilia - posted on 02/04/2013

i'm surprised none of you guys with low bp ever connected it to weight. To lose weight working out you need to get heart rate up to burn calories right? our bodies make it hard to reach that heart rate to be able to burn anything.

Cecilia - posted on 02/04/2013

Jenny, Yes some of us really do live like this. Not fully. I don't know anyone who does it all the way.

I think maybe some of it you're reading wrong. Measure out serving size, if it says one cup use a cup to measure it. does not require weighing it. Things like dressing yes measure it, you could be using double what you thought was a serving. I find in many cases the serving size for things like that are actually way more than i need. I only started to do this because hubby went on a diet while i was pregnant, and i was actually surprised by how much is actually in a serving.

As far as fiber goes, read labels, they will tell you how much is in there per serving (hence why the above mentioned was important) As a mommy you should be reading these anyways.

It says one cheat/splurge meal a week. That does not mean you can not have chocolate. No where does it mention restricting snacks or chocolate. My idea of a cheat meal is chicken fried steak with some mashed potatoes and green beans and probably a biscuit. See how many rules i broke?

It doesn't say you can't eat rice. you can just watch how often you do it. Different rices are better or worse. I personally would never give up my Jasmine rice.(Thai fragrant rice) I eat it every few weeks.

I do believe it says added sweeteners and artificial sugar, i think it means avoid corn syrup and fake sugars. I could be wrong but i think it means sugar itself is okay.

As far as potatoes go, there's many different types you're meant to avoid the white ones. Try some roasted red potatoes, they are better than white any day (at least to me)

How do you drink 200 calories of coffee? Black coffee has 2 calories and a tablespoon of sugar has 50 calories. You said you use a teaspoon so it is 18 calories per cup of coffee for you....

The honest truth i had never seen this list before, i wasn't following it because anyone said this is what i should do. It is just what i seem to do. I don't stress out about what i eat.

Jenny - posted on 02/04/2013

Would you be happy to follow these rules and lose the 50 lbs? Personally I wouldn't want to live this way. I was able to lose 16kgs over the course of 4 months simply by incorporating 40min exercise 6 mornings a week. I did not go on a diet but I just generally tried to eat healthy.
Since then I have stopped going to the gym because we can no longer afford it and most of the weight has piled back on :/

I plan to go running 5 times a week for 20mins and hope this is enough to keep my weight in cheek without having to resort to above restrictive rules. I think I can do it, but I probably won't get down to 52kgs like I did last year, however I think I can be healthy at approx 56kg, so should be achievable.

Celeste - posted on 02/04/2013

Interesting about the low temp and low bp. That's me too. I run with a running club and they keep me accountable. I train with them Tues, Thurs and Sundays. It's about to go to 4 times a week. Fortunately, my husband is sorta supportive so he'll be with my kids while I work out..

Jenny, yeah, food is an issue I have. Like I said in my previous post, I need to lose 50 lbs. I already follow some of these rules but not everything. Maybe that's why I'm 50 lbs overweight.

Jenny - posted on 02/04/2013

Oh and of course 7. No carbs after lunch is super hard to follow, even for you super women! ;)

Jenny - posted on 02/04/2013

I sympathies with the women you know who are having difficulty following this. I would too! I find it so hard to be so strict on myself just to stay in an "acceptable" weight. I don't mind eating healthy and being fit for health reasons, but really to hit that target it doesn't take as much effort as it does to actually fit a close to size zero body.

What I would find hard:
1. Drink a large glass of water before every meal
I drink when I'm thirsty, and I drink enough water in a day. It would be awfully annoying to have to drink a large glass of water before every meal. Do you all really do this?

2. Do not drink your calories (ie. drink water, avoid juice & sodas)
I've done no soda's before, but one thing I can't live without is my daily coffee, so I'm drinking 200 odd calories right there, and find it difficult to break this habit.

4. Limit refined flours & grains
I've tried using just brown rice instead of rice for a whole year last year and it sux. I can never cook it right, and it takes forever to cook vs white rice and nobody wants to eat it!

5. Each 30-50g of fiber daily
I find it anal to have to weigh your foods. That takes the fun and pleasure out of eating. I don't even have a scale to begin with, and can't predict how much fiber is in all of my foods, i.e foods at restaurants or lunches at mums. Another unrealistic rule.

6. Eat an apple & berries every single day
Why apples and berries? What a lack of variety. I think its better to eat your 2-3 servings of fruit a day from a variety of fruits and use what is in season, at the moment we're loving nectarines, peaches and plums.


9. Measure the proper portion sized--don't try to guess
Again unrealistic for every single meal you have. I don't think this is necessary, unless you're into amateur body building, why would you need to do this. Just sticking to smaller portion sizes is hard enough, I can't imagine measuring all my meals. I've just had a a cup of coffee and
a Greek berry yogurt for breakfast and I'm not going to worry about measuring that.

10. No added sweeteners or artificial sweeteners
I add one teaspoon sugar to my coffee. You can't tell me you don't understand how it would be hard to give this up.

11. No white potatoes
White potatoes are cheap and easy to use. We occasionally make potato salad or mash potatoes both with skins on. Should I be feeling guilty about this?

18. Go to bed hungry
Feels like going against nature to do this. If I go to bread hungry I find it hard to sleep because my brain is telling me I'm hungry!

19. Get proper sleep
This one alone is hard to achieve when you're a mum of young children.

20. Allow one "splurge meal" each week.
I find this incredibly hard to stick to. I will generally have mini splurges through out the week; a bite of chocolate here, a small baked good here.

To stick to all these rules I would have to be overly conscious about food every single moment of the day, and I can't see how that breeds a healthy relationship with food.

I am a little over weight, so maybe I need to do all these things? I feel like I'd be obsessed with dieting if I follow all of this and it seems surreal that anybody is able to achieve these on a daily basis.

Is this how we're meant to live like? Maybe I need a reality check.

Lady Heather - posted on 02/04/2013

Yeah, I'm usually just under 96 and bp around 100/70. My bp actually stayed that way throughout my pregnancies and that seems weird to me.

Cecilia - posted on 02/04/2013

Yea that's me i'm at 139 right now. Not a huge deal. My normal temp is 95.7 and my normal bp is 114/60. I've never seen my bp over 120/70, even after running for an hour.

Lady Heather - posted on 02/04/2013

It's not really a big deal. It's 135 vs 125. But I have been doing a lot more exercise recently so maybe that will help. I actually work out more because it warms me up for a few minutes. It's been a shiver-y winter. Rarely does my temp go over 96 degrees. Thought I had a thyroid problem but it looks fine. Who knows what that's all about. I do find I have to be very vigilant about what I eat though. I gain weight very easily while my brother and sister never gain an ounce. Bet they aren't cold. Haha.

Kelly - posted on 02/04/2013

I have low body temp and low bp too. I never knew that could affect our weight, it just seems to be a big deal if I need surgery. With a pretty flexible diet high in fruits & veggies, and a steady workout routine, I can easily keep my weight under control, but I gain about 5 pounds every winter, right after Christmas....which is why I'm focused on this now! lol

Lady Heather - posted on 02/03/2013

Hmmm. Well, you win some, you lose some! ha.

Cecilia - posted on 02/03/2013

Yea sorry Lady. You're kinda stuck with it unless you go on a massive diet or massive exercise regime. Although, depending on how low it is, it might be possible to do it without extremes. The plus side, we're less likely to have a heart attack.

Lady Heather - posted on 02/03/2013

Interesting. I have low body temp and bp too and I seem to hang on to 10 extra lbs all the time.

Cecilia - posted on 02/03/2013

I do most of these on a daily basis. I do eat white potatoes, i don't go meat less day every week but i do try to have 2 low meat meals a week. I also have carbs with dinner. I don't think i go to bed hungry. I do not sleep within 4 hours of eating though.

Although I would put money on it that even if i followed it to a tee, i wouldn't lose weight. I used to run 10 miles a day, usually within 2 hours time, for a whole year and gained weight. I honestly don't try to lose weight any more i've given up on it. I'm not obese or anything i just would prefer to lose 10-15 pounds. I have a low bp and low body temp. My doctor said with my blood pressure i would need to run for about 4 hours to see a result. That isn't even reasonable. I walk at least 30 miles a week now ( well less than that now that it's really cold) I figure if i maintain weight i'll be fine. If i start slacking it will be impossible for me to lose it.

Kelly - posted on 02/03/2013

Splitting 100 servings of fruit between 5 of you is great! That is almost 3 servings per day, which is about what the CDC recommends, and more than the average american gets--so that is awesome :)

Chips are WAY pricier here though--they are usually about $4.50 a bag (Strawberries are only $3/pound!). Chips go on sale for around $3.50, but I have never seen them under $3 here.

Celeste, I doubt I'd ever make it 13 miles. I usually make it about 6 miles on my 50 minute runs (on occasion I've made almost 8, but not often), and I'm SPENT after! Good luck with your 1/2 marathon! I really should work out more, but fitting it into the schedule is SO HARD!!

Speaking of working out, this list doesn't even mention it, but I feel it is very important for most of us because we now live such sedentary lifestyles. How often do you all work out?

Sal - posted on 02/02/2013

Yes when berries are in season it is ok but the chip berry comparison is out for where we live, you can buy a large bag of chips, ( either frozen potato fries or aged chrisps) for well under $5 (if i buy them for my hubby i never pay more than $2) at the supermarket but a small punnet of fresh berries can easily be $8 i did buy fresh blue berries last week for 2.60 and
My 5year old will polish them off in one sitting.. Strawberries are usually cheaper but not recently for some reason... I do like frozen berries but not just as a snack they need something done to them, but seen as I buy upto 100 serves of fruit a week for my family of5 I think we aren't missing out..

Celeste - posted on 02/02/2013

Kelly, that makes sense! I usually do my runs in the early evening. Long runs are in the afternoon. Half marathon is 13.1 miles :)

Kelly - posted on 02/02/2013

I do find that "meat free" nights are more difficult now that I am married. When it was just me, most of my meals were meatless, but now very few are because my husband demands meat. I have found a handful of meat free meals he likes--veggie pizza, Ratatouille, and several tortellini variations, but they require a bit more prep and the tortellini is pricey in my area.

Celeste, what part of the day do you plan to do your running? I run daily, but they are short runs (30 minutes M,W,F, and 50 min Tu,Th), I'm not a runner :( If you are running in the evening, you will want carbs before your run, but none after. If you are running in the morning, you will not have any need for additional carbs, but if you need a boost for the run, add them to breakfast, or lunch, not dinner. I don't know how long a half marathon is, but you will want to add protein, especially for the longer runs.

Berries are expensive during certain parts of the year. I plant them so I have fresh ones in the summer and Fall, but winter is rough. That said, if you compare the cost to a bag of chips, it's really not much more--most Americans eat an entire bag of chips in 3 sittings! I usually get at least 3 big servings of berries for the same amount--the bag of chips just looks bigger. If your budget really can't handle berries every day, just do them every other, and add in extra, less expensive, colorful fruits for the other days.

Celeste - posted on 02/02/2013

I think most of it is reasonable. But, I'm not sure about the no carbs after lunch. I am a runner but I'm about 50 lbs overweight. I am going into half marathon training, where I'll be running 3x's a week during the week and then long runs once on the weekend (which will be at least an hour) so I would imagine that I need some kind of carbs? But, I think I can handle most of that list.

Sal - posted on 02/02/2013

I think it is a reasonable list.... This is the first time I have see Them and I'm going to try and add a few to my lifestyle... The no carbs at dinner is not something I could do every day but we do have a few carb free meals on rotation, and meat free dosnt happen often but we have a lot of meat light meals...the home cooked part is a no brainer I cook almost everything, so that cuts the amount of takeaways down to almost never...and also the salt... I don't know about going to bed hungry but like Kelly age eat early so dont go to be full apart from a hot drink and maybe a square of chocolate or a biscuit before bed, I do need to drink more water , I do have breakfast but its really just toast and coffee and as much as I love berries they are just to expensive to eat daily...

Melissa - posted on 02/01/2013

I follow the list mostly. I have been slipping on the no carbs after lunch. But i have given up soda/juice at home. Some of the rules that i won't give up are no artificial sugar, salt, #9, #12, #18. I used to be over weight but got down to a good weight. Its hard to get motivated to exercise. I am on disability so i have to be really carefull about what i eat. Trying to stay as close as possible to low carb. Although i am smaller than i was in high school :)

Lady Heather - posted on 01/30/2013

Not perfectly because I do go on holidays and when I'm on holidays I don't follow rules. Ha. Sometimes I have white potatoes. Sometimes I have rice with dinner. But other than those odd exceptions basically that list right there is my way of eating. I don't find it hard. I find it hard to eat any other way. Like I was just out of town for the weekend and indulged in some pretty tasty treats. I came home feeling like crap after two days. Not worth it.

My cheat meal every week is a Japanese feast featuring tempura prawn roll and gasp - white rice! lol. Nom nom nom.

Lakota - posted on 01/30/2013

I have never been overweight either, but, I started eating emotionally during my divorce and didn't have the energy or desire to exersize. I did gain some weight. I started running again when my jeans felt a little snug and stopped the over eating. I am tall, but, I do run a little longer when I eat icecream or some other dessert. Also, I'm a dietitian, so it wouldn't look good to my clients if I was overweight and unhealthy. :)

Kelly - posted on 01/30/2013

I love those foods too. I have never been overweight, but I do worry about my weight. I fear if I every miss a workout or stop being careful about what I eat, I would easily become over weight. I have a very small frame, so even just a couple of extra pounds makes a big impact for me.

Before J started school, I never had to worry--as a child we didn't have enough food to get fat, then I was too sick to gain weight, plus I had issues with food being a source of power, so I never really had an opportunity to be heavy. But then I got well, sorted through my power issues, and had enough money to buy all the food I could ever want. I did well through my pregnancy (gained 23 pounds, lost it all in 3 months) and through J's toddler years, but when he started school, I gained 10 pound the first year, and another 5 pounds the next year!! I've since lost the weight and am back down to what I feel is a good weight for my size, but I feel like I have to be ever diligent or I will gain weight.

Lakota - posted on 01/30/2013

I completely understand, Kelly. I can't do that part either. My boys and I love pasta, rice, etc. We do eat the whole wheat pasta and brown rice, so that is better and in my book ok. I'm not giving up my icecream at night either. LOL I run and do weights though. So, I'm not worried about my weight. Took a while to get there though.

Kelly - posted on 01/30/2013

I understand the WHY behind no carbs after lunch.... They break down into sugar very quickly once inside the body, then the sugar quickly turns to fat unless you use the energy before that happens (I think I read somewhere you have like 4-6 hours). If you eat them only a few of hours before bed, there is no time to burn them before the body starts going into resting mode and storing leftover energy (fats) from the day. If you go to bed, you will not burn them off until the next day, at which point they will have already turned to fats, which are harder and slower to burn than carbs, and fats also trigger our metabolism to slow when we burn them, whereas carbs do not. Thus, if you eat carbs, it is important to burn the energy off before sleeping. Carbs also give us a burst of energy a couple of hours after eating, so they could potentially interrupt sleep patterns or postpone sleep if eaten too late and not burned off.

I know all that, but I still find it very difficult to make dinner without some carb component. I love pastas and breads too much. I have a few chicken and steak recipes that I can do without carbs, but although I am not vegetarian, I am not a big fan of many meats and depend on beans and other sources for my proteins, and all of those recipes that i have include carbs.

Lakota - posted on 01/30/2013

It makes sense to me and isn't hard. The no carb thing after lunch is good for women over 40 because their bodies don't break down "sugars" the same way it used to. But, if a person is active and eats the right carbs after lunch it isn't a problem.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 01/30/2013

I think everything makes sense except the no carbs past lunch. Also, I am a vegetarian so I have different sources of protein, and eat no meat 100% of the time.