Posts by laurar23

i heartily agree with sticking to whole foods and as few packaged ones as possible.  this means looking for wheat pastas and breads, veggies from the produce section or frozen in bags if you must (watch the sodium), and stay away from foods with high fructose corn syrup.   if you don't watch out for this already, you will be amazed what it is found in - pasta sauces, canned goods, crackers, breads (even "whole wheat" ones).  also less red meat and more soy, turkey (lean) and chicken.  and get a cheap kitchen scale and start measuring amounts of food. 

another good way to get ideas as you go forward is to count calories on this site.   i'd also recommend going to realage.com, honestly answer their realage test, print out their suggestions for better health, and get their email newsletter.  good, good stuff in it.  i've always considered myself on top of health issues, and continue to take pointers from them every week.  plus the calorie count on this site has so opened my eyes.

hopefully your husband is willing to help.  my husband and i signed up for calorie count together and have honestly had fun figuring meals out together every day. 

a workout tool i would recommend for the home is tony little's gazelle (google it).  my sister is a personal trainer and gym manager and she recommended it for our home use.  it's great for those just beginning to work out and all fitness levels can use it.  the basic one is $100 and is easy to put together and folds up nicely.  you can gazelle in front of the tube.  it keeps track of distance, calories burned, and time elapsed.  up the intensity simply by moving your body differently.

now, if you can offer me tips for quitting smoking - i've gone 24 hours - i'd be most grateful! 

laurar23