Time to shift a few pounds for summer. Any tips?

Jenny - posted on 03/23/2011

Lanaye, i did not address any of my post to you, but to Steph, hoping to give her some information and encourage her to do her own research on nutritious foods.

If you are educated about artificial sweeteners and still use them, that is fine. But a lot of people don't know much about them and I was very deceived my self about them so I am passionate on this topic.

Did not mean to offend you one bit. I was talking to Steph. I cant believe you thought my whole post was in response to you. I would have written a long response had i not read your post because I am passionate about this topic.

Anyway, Good luck to you Steph :)

ASHLEY - posted on 03/23/2011

this is what I do, seems to be working slowly but surely:

- I breastfed which helped. (some ppl gain while nursing)

- drink water water water eat your foods but give up the drinks.

- excercise with your daughter...I go on nature walks with my toddler and newborn. Play outside as much as possible you will automatically be more active if you go outside. Walk around mall or whatever you can think of as she gets bigger and starts walking you will find more fun things to do.

- try to be more aware of your portions... I love hotwings and could eat 30 but I have to stop myself and say just eat the 10 that comes in an order thats bad enough lol.



you r burning calories no matter what you are doing just remember standing is better than sitting... walking is better than standing... running is better than walking :) also when sitting at the computer sit on a giant excercise ball the balancing your doing uses your muscle without you ever thinking about it.

April - posted on 03/23/2011

I count calories and I use an app on my droid. It's my fitness pal. If you don't have a phone that gets apps, they also have a website. www.myfitnesspal.com You can actually set the app up on your phone then go online and use it too. They sinc together so you can use both! I too don't get to excercise the way I should and this helps a lot. I have lost over 10 pounds using it. Granted it took a couple of months but it came off!! ;-) I hope this helps!

Keli - posted on 03/22/2011

when i was pregnant i drank sooo much water. and icechips and after having my baby i weighed less then i did before i was pregnant,i to am wanting to lose soem weight for summer so im going to try that again, and walking walking walking,as soon as spring hits all that walking will help to! i dont have time to go to the gym and all that jazz so ill jump on my eleptical for 20 minutes if my baby is content.

Lanaye - posted on 03/22/2011

THIS COMMENT WASNT FOR YOU JENNY, TAKE IT EASY. I am a specialist I dont need your education. If you read my comment would of noticed I didnt suggest it, I said try something different with foods you like. Every on is different, I lost 25 pound 2 years ago & I am still maintaining it. I just cut some things and added other thing I enjoy eating like fruit for example. I work out all the time & I havent had any challenges or set backs. And I know about sweeters & things that are not natural I have scientist on my Team & I help people lose weight for a living for over 5 years. So again it was an example of what I did lately, again everyone is different that is why I stressed, do what you like. And I dont need luck I am already successful.

Jenny - posted on 03/22/2011

I don't believe in splenda or diet drinks. They are a marketing joke. All last year i drank just diet drinks with artificial sweeteners and it did nothing for me. I'm a sucker for sweets and junk food too, but then i read how bad these are for you.



I read in a nutrition book that your body does not recognize the chemicals in artificial sweeteners, so it will build fat cells around them to protect your body and also to be able to absorb these chemicals. This can't be good for us!



I don't believe in dieting, i believe in living healthy. I was a terrible food junkie and still am but i have made some small changes that have made a difference.



Look at weight-loss being a long term goal. Really if you want to loose 10 pounds or so you could do it with a drastic diet, but likely you'll put it all back on again once you stop.



I took a new years resolution to be more healthy with little steps at a time, aiming to loose 1kg (2.2pounds) per month with a maximum weight loss of between 8-12kg (17.6 - 26.4 pounds) by the end of the year either of which i would be very happy with.



So far I've successfully lost a kilo a month and it feels like I'm not even trying. The best thing is that i've lost 3.5kg (7.7pounds) and it has stayed off with only signs of more to fall off. I have already accomplished my goal of being healthier and staying that way.



The changes that i have made so far are these:



- I drink water as my main liquid intake. You don't have to drink a ton of it, but make it your number one choice of drink. The only other thing i drink is a cup of coffee a day (with raw sugar and low fat milk). But if i ever get that soda craving i allow myself a couple sips. Usually, now that i've drunk water for the past 3 months, a couple of sips of soda taste extremely sweet and i remember why i went off it in the first place!



- I only eat wholemeal bread. This one was very easy to do.



- I switched from normal sugar to raw sugar. Again this was so easy. (Plus all these little changes do add up to make a major difference)



- I switched to reduced fat cheese slices for homemade sandwiches (I cant believe these contain half the amount of fat that regular cheese has and I don't even notice the difference.) Swiss cheese if I'm having subway.



- If I have to eat fast food from Mc'donallds or some place like that, I only eat the burger, not the fries and soda. And if you want to take this a step further, take the top bun off the burger. Oh and max is one slice of cheese on the burger, but better if there's none.



- I changed my margarine spread to a low fat olive oil type. This has no trans fats, mimimul saturated fat and lots of good poly-unsaturated fat.



And that's it for now.



The best advice I can give you is: Get yourself informed about food. When you hear healthy people tell you things like "drinking soda is not good for you, check your nutrition panels for minimal fats, sugars and sodium before you buy, watch your portion size" this will not have much impact on you because you have not done all the research that these individuals have done in order to get this knowledge and understand what it means. Start by googling these things. Learn about good fats vs bad fats, learn about simple (i like to call empty) carbohydrates vs complex carbs, about refined sugars.



It will give you the motivation you need to make these healthy changes. Motivation comes from somewhere, and knowledge is an excellent motivator. You wont be so quick to down that bar of chocolate if you knew how much saturated fat it contains with little to no nutrients, which will just result in clogged up arteries and a short life with medical problems. You don't need to be healthy all the time to benefit from the advantages of eating good nutrition, but doing so 80% of the time allows you to slip up 20% of the time without any drastic consequences, enabling you to live a 80% healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life.



Also to encourage you, I do not do any consistent exercise as i find this very hard to do, but i have still lost weight without exercising because 80% of my problem came from food. Once I get my diet to be consistently healthy (80% of the time) (and my little bubs turns one) I think it will be easier for me to start incorporating exercise into my lifestyle.



Good luck!

Lanaye - posted on 03/22/2011

I know what you mean, I just purchased some flavors of crystal lite because I love sweet drinks. And I purchased some splenda for my crystal lite lemon drink too & it is sooo good. So that means I cut out 300 calories a day with this drink & I could have more because it's 0 calories (take it when you eat out too, that gives you room for desert). You have to try some different things that you like too. take your time in the market & find out what you can change without losing the stuff you like. I hope this has been helpful :)

Sarah - posted on 03/21/2011

Up your water intake! Cut out sodas/ gatorade etc they are pretty much empty calories/sugar. Drinking water flushes toxins from your body as well as making your skin look great for bikini season. Also, try portioning snacks out ahead of time so you aren't snacking while making something for your little girl. Maybe take a bit longer walk take the round about way to the park or park your car a block from further from the park if you drive. You could also play games with your little one that involve using her as a weight. I know that sounds weird, but if you are lifting her up over your head (strengthening back and arms) or lay on your back and put her across your hips and lift your hips to the sky do this (10-12x for 3-5 reps. maybe 3x per day) she gets the physical contact with you and you get a work-out while you play. Another thing I do is think about your belly while you are walking, suck it in hold for ~10-15 secs and let it back out this works like sit ups and helps strenghten your core. I do this while walking to the park and am so used to it I noticed I do it without really thinking about it now.
Good luck

Danielle - posted on 03/21/2011

Something that really helped me (I LOVE food to) was keeping a food journal. When you have to write down everything you eat, you find yourself trying to justify every bit of it to yourself. Some foods I just stopped having a desire for because I would write it down then realize their was 0 reason I needed to eat it.

While I kept up the journal I lost 20 lbs over 2 months, while walking 30 minutes 3 times a week. As far as exercise, you will be more likely to lose and keep it off if you do cardio and resistance. In fact all women should do resistance to stem off osteoporosis! Haha, anyway, getting off my soap-box. Best of luck!

Kristine - posted on 03/21/2011

excercise while you play with your girl...put her on your belly and hold her for her balance while you do some crunches (half sit-ups). "bench press" her from the same position to streanghten your arms. put her on her back on the floor and do push ups over her. also with her on the floor you can stand up and bend down to do toe touches to streatch your legs. stand up and hold her close and to some twists with her to tighten your belly and back. try some of these before or after your walks, she will love the attention, and you will gain a little muscle!

Nikki - posted on 03/21/2011

Hi! I have a two year old and yes I can be hard to find time to take care of yourself. First, a diet just won't work. It's not realistic as with eliminating food from your diet. If you want that bowl of ice cream. Have it because depriving yourself will just be torment! Just smaller portions and moderation. Also, drink tons of water. I have a container that hold 64oz of water (8 glasses) and I drink one of those a day. I do this because more so than not we mistake thirst for hunger. Plus eat six small meals a day. Not three big ones and don't skip meals at all.

Exercise. Oh, exercise. As many suggested, walking is the best option. Fresh air for you and baby is great! Plus cardio is a must to lose weight. But you need to build muscle also as muscle burns more calories, even if you are sitting in the floor with baby. I enjoy doing pilates. I have three videos that are 18 minutes long each

Steph - posted on 03/21/2011

thats a good rate of weight loss ill have to have a look .,i think my problem is i find just standard exercise boring so something new will keep me motivated ., but im determined to get into a good routine to inprove my heath an body by summer .,so i best get working lol x

Raychel - posted on 03/20/2011

I do Jillian Michaels 30 day shred it's only about 30 minutes long and I have lost 10 pounds in 20 days I have a problem watching what I eat so Im sure if I did than Id lose more. I am able to do that with my son either napping or playing (he is 19 months) there are 3 levels and I have just been doing level one and I still have been losing weight. Also we have are washer and dryer in our basement and when I am doing laundry I will bring my son down there and sometimes while he is playing I will just kinda jog up and down the stairs for about 5 mins...

Steph - posted on 03/20/2011

thanks everyone ill defo try getting out and walking more especially now the nice weathers here ,and drinking more water ,.zumba sounds fun ill have a look tonight :D ., and ive never for fort of tryin a few exercises while waitin for dinner to do great idea instead of standing ther starin at the pot :D ., hopefully ill get into a good routine if i start tryin these thing ., thanks for all the help xx

Melissa - posted on 03/20/2011

Zumba, so fun and easy,I do it either while he is sleeping or at night...I just you tubed some good videos and follow those for 20- 30 mins! And Watch what you eat!

Kelly - posted on 03/20/2011

It sounds silly, but I used to exercise while I cooked dinner. I make a lot of skillet meals or baked dishes, so there is a lot of time spent just standing there watching it and remembering to stir every 10 minutes or so. So in between stirring, or while stuff bakes, I would do a few sets of lunges, some sit-ups, push-ups, and stretches. It works better for strength and resistance training than cardio b/c it's not really enough time to get your heart rate up.



Then I would run with my little during the day--I ran on smooth pavement, so I just got an inexpensive running stroller from Target. I also found a cart that attached to my bike on clearance at Target one year and started pulling him around in that, but your little might be too small for that yet. J was about 2 when I started doing that.

Bethany - posted on 03/20/2011

watch what you're puting in your mouth. It'll make any activity you do so much more effective. Check the nutrition panel at the back of most foods and go for less than 10% sugar and fat (monounsaturates are ok), and keep the obvious food bad-guys to a minimum treat occasionally.



Take bub for a LONG walk in the pram each day. Preferably with a little hill or two. I go about 5 kms 3 or 4 times a week around the suburb. It goes past the shopping centre, so I can use the bathroom, or change Charlotte, or get a snack if I need to.



Best tip, start all this with NEXT summer in mind, and just enjoy being you.



Drink some water whenever you're at a sink.

Katherine - posted on 03/20/2011

If it's warm go for walks, that always helps. At least half an hour. Play outside. That's what I do.