Posts by healthfirst

Great topic!  I'm always looking for new recipes that are healthy as well as fairly easy and quick to throw together after work during the week. 

Here's my recipe:  Chicken Cacciatore  It's a recipe that I made for the first time last week when my bf and I went to dinner at his parents' house, and he mentioned last minute that I was the one cooking the meal!  In the past, I have succombed to making less healthy meals when I have company because I don't want to force anyone else to make healthy choices, but then I realized how ridiculous that is.  Don't I want the people I care about to be healthy?? So I chose a healthy new recipe that I had been planning on making that week anyway, and everyone loved it!  I received compliments from everyone at the table, and no one missed the extra calories or fat.  Yay!  Plus, it's a super easy recipe to make, and the prep time is only about 15 minutes.

I did pretty well last week.  I cooked most nights during the week, so I was proud of that, and I plan to cook a lot this week too.  I am super excited because I found out that there is a much newer, nicer gym near my bf's house than the one I've been using (which was a total dump with machines that should have been replaced about 20 years ago).  Hoorah! 

marlasinger - I can totally relate!  Like Super said last week, I have such an "all or nothing" attitude, which leads to yo-yo'ing between being nearly perfect to being completely out of control.  This thread is helping me to shrink the "out of control" phases and lengthen the good phases, and I'm trying to also learn that it doesn't have to be all or nothing.  It's about doing as many little things as I can, and eventually, those little things will lead to results. 

My life has been so so hectic this summer, and I'm starting to feel like it's snowballing as the end of summer nears.  I have been super busy at work, and I've also been dealing with some hard times that my boyfriend is going through that are causing me added stress.  I have been so tired lately, despite getting a decent amount of sleep (I aim for 7-8 hours/night) and working out pretty regularly.  I am going out of town this weekend for my cousin's wedding, and I'm really looking forward to spending a weekend with my family.  They always tend to calm me down and make me feel better about my life.  I'm also extremely relieved that (by the grace of God) the dress that I was planning on wearing to the wedding still fits.  I was sure it would be too small, but I tried it on this morning, and it fit just fine!  Woohoo!  So I guess that's one success.

The main thing I'm proud of over the last few months is that I've gotten back into a habit of working out on a regular basis.  I haven't been as strict as I think I need to be, but I'm still going to the gym at least a few times a week, so I'm definitely making progress. 

Gotta head out for a meeting, but I'll try to check back in later!  Hope everyone has a great day!!

Hi everyone!  It sounds like most of you have been doing a great job and staying on track, which is quite impressive given the summer holidays, vacations, etc.  I'm doing ok...not great, but not terrible, and I'm cutting myself some slack for the past week and the following week because I have been/will be out of town a lot, so I figure as long as I can manage to stay close to the wagon, then I'm doing well enough. 

Tiegurl - what a great link!  That is some wonderful motivation, as well as a much needed kick in the pants.  I am constantly trying to remind myself that I am the only one in control of what I do with/to my body.  I can't blame anyone else, nor can I expect anyone else to lose the weight for me.  This is my journey, my body, my life...and I want to make it the best it can be!

I will be out of town all of next week (through July 23), so I probably won't get to check in, but I'll be back in a couple of weeks, and hopefully I'll have a good report.  Thanks for sticking with me over the rocky few weeks I've had.  I promise I'll be a more active member of this group when my life slows down a little at the end of July!  Best of luck to everyone in the meantime!!

Still alive and kicking!  I've been out of town for most of the week and busy for all of it, but I've managed to do pretty well staying on the wagon. 

I tend to eat when I'm bored, tired, or stressed.  It's also very important for me to eat small meals/snacks regularly throughout the day because if I go for too long without eating, I get cranky and irritable, and my diet tends to go out the window.  I've been really working to remind myself that I feel better when I eat healthier foods, and I've avoided a few potential slip ups. 

I hope everyone has had a great week!  Hopefully I'll be a more active participant in next week's thread!

Hi friends!  I'm happy to report that I'm still on the wagon, and I'm glad to see all of you here with me!  I did really well last week and made it to the gym 5 times (which is my weekly goal), so I am very proud of myself and motivated to reach my goal again this week. 

I use a few methods to dealing with cravings:

First, if I'm craving a snack or munchies at a time when I am not planning on eating, I'll chew on a piece of gum or suck on a mint to try to distract myself from whatever I'm craving.  This usually works.  If not, it's on to plan b.

My next plan of attack is to eat something healthy first.  For example, yesterday afternoon I was really craving ice cream.  It was blazing hot outside and I just really wanted a cold, sweet treat.  It was around dinnertime, so I told myself that I would eat a healthy dinner first, and then if I still wanted ice cream, I could have some.  I filled up on a grilled chicken salad, loaded with veggies, but I still wanted the ice cream, so it's on to plan c.

If I've tried to resist the craving to no avail, I let myself indulge.  I got a small cup of really amazingly rich ice cream from a local ice cream shop last night, and savored each bite I took.  Since I had already filled up on a healthy dinner, I wasn't so ravenous that I scarfed it down without really enjoying it.  Plus, I realized after I had finished about half the cup that I was content, and I threw the rest away.  The damage was minimal, and I didn't feel deprived. 

First, congratulations to supersized for getting to the gym extra early this morning!!  I also work out in the mornings, and for some reason, the getting up part never gets easier for me, so kudos to anyone else who manages to drag their butt out of bed instead of hitting the snooze button!  And I totally agree with how amazing it feels to have your work out finished before most people are even awake...there's just nothing like knowing that you started your day off in a healthy way!

I loved your post, gettinghealthy123, and I couldn't agree more.  I am a calorie count veteran, but I've never been big on posting until this thread.  I love that this thread is different...it's motivating and welcoming, and it also holds me accountable.  Bravo to supersized for starting it, and bravo to all of us for keeping it going.  I hope we can continue motivating each other to our goals and beyond!

Hey team!  I've been kind of MIA lately...partly due to vacation, partly due to being busy at the start of the work week, and partly due to pure laziness.  I spent my week off being dragged by the wagon...I wasn't terrible with my food choices, but I didn't work out at all.  Not good.  I've hopped back on the wagon this week, and this is where I plan to stay!  This group has really encouraged me to stick with it, and I'm very thankful to all of you for posting your experiences.  That is what motivates me most...hearing other people's stories of struggles and success.  The "I fell down, but I picked myself up" stories are very motivating, especially when I'm struggling to get back on track. 

I agree that a challenge that's focused more on % time on the wagon or something similar would be most beneficial, since all of our goals are different.  As for the implementation, a weekly challenge sounds good to me.  I really like the weekly topics, and I think if we added a goal or challenge to the opening post, that would give all of us some added motivation!

When I first read this week's topic yesterday, I thought, oh, how easy!  Of course I have a plan!  But then I started typing, and I realized...my plan was vague, lacked specific goals and incentives, and probably lacked the time constraints needed to keep me on track.  So I've been thinking and thinking (don't tell my employer!) for the past 2 days, and I blabbered in my journal a little, and I think I've formed my initial plan.  It will probably be altered as I go along and hear new brilliant ideas from cc-ers, but here it is:

My plan is to lose weight and get healthy by doing the following: a) eat lots of veggies! b) drink lots of water! c) use portion control, and just make "good decisions" when it comes to meals by planning meals in advance (as much as possible) and d) exercise regularly (minimum of 30min/day, 5 days/week; aiming for 45-60 min most days)

To track my progress, I will weigh myself once a week beginning on June 4 - Wednesdays seem to be good weigh-in days for me.  I am waiting a little while because I don't want to discourage myself by weighing in too soon, but I know that I need the accountability of regular weigh-ins.  I tend to avoid the scale when I start jumping off the wagon, so it is very important that I stick to my scheduled weigh-ins.  I also plan to check in with y'all weekly (or more) and be honest about my progress.

My goals: like most people, I do have lots of looks-related goals such as looking good in a bathing suit this summer, feeling more confident at my cousin's wedding in August, fitting into all of my clothes again, etc. I've realized, though, that those goals are not enough to keep me on track...if they were, I never would've fallen off the wagon and gained the weight back in the first place!  So I am setting some fitness-related goals that are attainable and time sensitive.  First, I want to get in good enough running condition to run a 5K with my cousin on June 21 and not be too embarassed by my time or my exhaustion at the finish line.  Second, I want to continue to improve my fitness so that I can run a 10K with friends on July 26.  Third, I want to run a half marathon at the end of October with a friend who will be in Australia until then.  We ran it in 2007, and I cannot believe how out of shape I have gotten since then.  She wants to start training for a marathon after that, and though I'm not sure yet if that's really a goal of mine, I would at least like to feel that it's an option.

Sorry my plan is so long!  Thanks for posing such an important question and providing such insight!  I feel very confident that we can all stick to our plans and achieve lots of success in the coming weeks/months/years.  :)

You make some excellent points, and I totally agree.  In the YOU: On a Diet book (or whatever it's called), Dr. Oz mentions some of the same points regarding how our social environment has encouraged the obesity epidemic.  I don't think the point is to blame society for making us fat, but it is critical to understand how those factors contribute to our daily decision making.  As so many people have said, until we really understand and address the factors that contributed to our weight gain, we cannot truly get past it and keep the weight off for good.

There are 2 things that I tell myself in the morning to make myself get up:  #1-I do not need more than 7-8 hours of sleep.  If I've slept 7 hours, then I have no excuse and I should be fine once I get up.  #2- I will let myself sleep in tomorrow.  Now, #2 is almost always a lie, but somehow my early morning brain always falls for that trick.  I also agree that once you get into the routine of getting up and getting a little exercise, it gets way easier, but I definitely no how hard it is to start, and honestly, even though it gets easier with time, it's never really easy.

I know exactly how you feel.  My experience was not quite as drastic, but I would venture to guess the pain is very similar.  From Jan - August of last year, I lost about 20 pounds and maintained a wonderfully healthy lifestyle until the end of summer/fall.  Then, I fell just like you did and eventually reverted completely into my old habits.  Once I started gaining weight again, I got so upset with myself, that I didn't even try to stop it.  Now I'm back on the wagon, and I'm determined to stay on this time.  It's only been a couple weeks for me, but it is amazing how much better I feel already, just knowing that I am once again focused on my goal.  It took me a long time to get over  the let down of last year, but I am committed to putting that in the past and moving on.  I know that we can both achieve our goals...you just have to remember the things that kept you going before.  Best of luck! 

Also, I just joined a thread for wagon jumpers...I think it will be a great help; you should join too!

Molly, you are hysterical.  I absolutely love your description of the high fiber cereal.  I always eat Fiber One with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze and some blueberries (and sometimes some sliced bananas too).  I actually think it's quite tasty! 

My favorite thing to do with butternut squash is to make butternut squash fries.  I like to buy the pre-sliced squash from Trader Joe's because I haven't mastered the art of peeling those suckers.  I just lay the slices on some foil on a cookie sheet, spray with a little non-fat cooking spray, and add some sprinkles of salt.  I bake them for about 30 minutes, and they come out tasting EXACTLY like sweet potato fries, and they're SOOO delicious (and healthy!).  I highly recommend giving them a try.