a few questions...

Ok. So I need advice. My parents just gave me a lecture on not drinking enough milk. i have cut it almost entirely out of my diet. Is that bad?

If I do drink milk, I will go over my calorie limit. what should i do?

 Also, what keeps the runners motivated to run everyday? I can't seem to remain motivated.

also i eat too much sugar/candy. how do i stop?

also, i am addicted diet coke because it has no calories. how do i stop my addiction?

addicted coffee a little bit too (not as bad as diet coke)???

milk is GOOD for you, and is essential to keep your bones healthy, especially for women! 

osteoporosis is a major concern for older women, so to avoid that later in life drink milk!

that is exactally the reason my parents want me to drink milk, osteoporosis. my grandma had it and they do not want me to get it.

Many people have varying views on milk. I personally think milk is disgusting and it's filled with pus and antibiotics and God knows what else. I also think the dairy industry has done a great job in making people think we need milk, which I don't think we do.

No, I don't have a bunch of research to back it up but I have read a lot in the past on the matter. It's out there if you're feeling strongly about it.

ok....i guess i will drink 1 glass a day and just work off the calories.

ok does anyone have advice about my questions regarding running, sugar, diet coke, and coffee?

how many cals are you consuming in a day if milk puts you over the top? you probably need to find another sweet treat besides the sugary stuff!

i burn about 1800 calories a day and aim for a deficit of 500, so 1300. however, i usually eat close to or over 1300 a day without the milk.

i am trying to eat yogurt for the sugary but yogurt is still very high in sugar. any ideas on what i could substitute for sugar that is better?

OK

I don't really like milk... by itself anyway.  I like it in cereal and oatmeal... I drink orange juice with the calcium, and I eat yogurt everyday.  So maybe try working in different dairy products and a suppliment.

I love diet coke too!  I probably have one can a day during week days.  It doens't make a difference for me; however, I drink at least a gallon of water a day.  I literally carry around a gallon of water.

As far as sugar goes... I don't eat very much candy, but I do like to eat dark chocolate.  I don't ever feel bad about that because I just eat a piece at a time after dinner.  Maybe sugar free candy will work for you.

 For running, I am motivated by music, and honestly, if you do it long enough, it becomes addicting.  If you have an MP3 player, keep good music on it and it will help improve the duration of your workouts.  You don't have to run everyday either.  Walking will burn almost the exact same ammount of calories as running if you go the same distance.  So good luck!

Have you thought about taking a calcium supplement?

The best way to stop eating sugar/coke/coffee is will-power.

I stay motivated to run because if I don't my dog doesn't get worn out and ends up bouncing off the walls and chewing all the furniture while I'm at work.

thanks for the advice!

as for the calcium supplement, i can't take it because of the acne medicine i am on. :(

you definately don't NEED to drink milk... parents tend to think they know all :)  there's plenty of research out there that says you don't.... almost everything comes fortified with calcium now too... do you eat cheese? yogurt? any other dairy? how about soy milk?  i dont' drink milk, i eat cheese though.  and i recently discovered soy milk and love it.  milk is produced by cows for thier babies to grow into healthy 2000lb. adult cows.... it's not even meant for humans and so packed with antibiotics these days anyway.

A year and a half ago, I hated cardio.  But I told myself I could suck it up and walk ten minutes on the treadmill, even if I hated it.  So I did that for a week.  The next week I added five minutes, and so on, until I was walking 30-40 minutes.  Then I found the hiking program and started doing that.  One day, a year ago January,  I was short on time and decided to try and run for ten to fifteen minutes.  I did it and didn't keel over, and a runner was born.  To stay motivated, I keep track of my progress and try to do better -- longer distance, longer time, better heartrate, etc.  I read Runner's World magazine and go to their website to learn as much as I can about running.  It's important to be smart about it and not try to do too much too fast - that's when you get injured.  I do not run everyday.  Last year I trained for a 5K race, ran it and finished it.  To keep my motivation going, I am now training for a half marathon at the end of April.  My training plan for the half marathon has me running four days a week and crosstraining two days.  Saturday is a complete off day from any exercise.  My mp3 player is a great training aid when I have to run for a long time on the treadmill.  I run for myself - for my personal satisfaction in accomplishing goals I have set for myself.  Best of luck to you with your running program.  It's probably better that you do not run every day, as your muscles and bones need some recovery time to repair the damage from running so they can become stronger.  Spend time reading lots and lots about running - it really helps.

I have some weird issues with milk...so i drink rice dream... its full of vitamins and just as good for u...if not better for u...i think since baby cows drink mothers milk it should be kept for them its  made for cows..not humans..and there is nooo taste differnence

Milk is nice, but its in no way necessary. I'm allergic to it, so I don't even have the option (I think its gross anyways). Find a good multivitamin that is high in all the stuff you're missing nutrition-wise. Some cereals contain a high level of calcium. Find one that you could see yourself snacking on, and eat a serving or 2 of it dry as a snack, or mix it in with nuts/fruits as a healthy trail mix.

The cereal I eat every day has 45%DV for 3/4cup (only 120 calories). It has a lot of other vitamins/minerals in it too. You can find calcium in surprising places sometimes too. Take a trip to your local grocery store and find a reasonable substitute. 

I hate milk, but drink it anyways because it is healthy and keeps me full (a big plus).  It has calcium and protein so one glass per day is great for you and is only 90 calories.  I cannot drink straight milk (nasty) so I add nesquick reduced sugar chocolate milk mix (35 cal) to it, stir, and yum!!! It is sweet and tastes nothing like milk!!  :)

Original Post by africalover4ever:

Ok. So I need advice. My parents just gave me a lecture on not drinking enough milk. i have cut it almost entirely out of my diet. Is that bad?

If I do drink milk, I will go over my calorie limit. what should i do?

 Also, what keeps the runners motivated to run everyday? I can't seem to remain motivated.

also i eat too much sugar/candy. how do i stop?

also, i am addicted diet coke because it has no calories. how do i stop my addiction?

addicted coffee a little bit too (not as bad as diet coke)???

Agreed with above posters - milk is hardly necessary - in fact, there are better places to get calcium, such as fresh, raw spinach and other vegetables.

 

You want to stop eating so much sugar and candy? quit buying candy.  Eat fruit instead of 'sugar.

Stop drinking diet soda.  If you want to stop drinking it, just stop - it's like anything else - don't buy it, and you can't drink it.  Artificial sweeteners and caffiene isn't good for you anyway.  Things like sweet n' low and aspertame can actually INCREASE your sweet tooth, since your body is getting the sweet taste, but it wants the real sugar too.

Coffee is 'not as bad' as diet coke because it's more or less natural.  The caffiene in diet coke comes from coffee beans that have been processed into being decaf coffee.  Go read the wiki article on caffiene sometime.  Also, if you must drink milk, you'd be much better off going with organic milk.  "regular" milk does have pus, blood and other nasty things mostly filtered out, made by overstressed cows forced to produce milk all year around with hormones. 

take a calcium pill instead

run in the morning to get it out of the way - I get on the eliptical for 30 minutes in the morning and have been for a while now.  I am now addicted to it and I hated excersise before.  I started out almost fainting after only 5 minutes.

Fudgcicle makes a sugar free ice cream bar that has only 40 calories...that's my chocolate/sweet fix. MMMM  Some chocolate flavored cereal is good too, if you stick to the serving size for it - and it will help with your milk intake!  Or you can eat it dry.  Try chocolate Chex!

milk is good for you . a glass a day is fine. yogert is also good for you and i would not count that as a surgery treat. try dryed fruit even tho it seems very surgy none of it is added and you get vitamins.

 about the running. if you dont like it try a difrent form of cardio. like roller bladding.

Original Post by bernst31:

milk is good for you . a glass a day is fine. yogert is also good for you and i would not count that as a surgery treat. try dryed fruit even tho it seems very surgy none of it is added and you get vitamins.

 

Contrary to this - dried fruit is probably going to be too many calories/sugar.  The problem with eating one prune is that it's like eating a whole plum with the water removed - that's fine if you can stop at one.

Plenty of people are lactose intolorant, and they get plenty of calcium without milk.  Lots of things are 'good for you', but you can't eat all of them, and probably even shouldn't.

Most yogurt is very high in sugar, and the average yogurt is 240 calories for one small tub.  I tried the WW yogurt, at 100 calories per, but I don't like to eat things with artificial sweeteners if I can do otherwise - just go with the whole fruit.

Ok. So I need advice. My parents just gave me a lecture on not drinking enough milk. i have cut it almost entirely out of my diet. Is that bad?

I've cut milk almost completely out of my diet, and I'm still getting plenty of calcium through other sources:  spinach, yogurt, cheese, vitamin supplement, almond milk.  If you want a source for a creamy type beverage, I suggest soy, rice, or almond milk.  I know the almond milk doesn't have a high amount of protein, but it does still have the calcium. 

 Also, what keeps the runners motivated to run everyday? I can't seem to remain motivated.

I don't run because of foot problems, but what motivates me to exercise everyday is that I remember how good I feel afterwards, and that I can get in a little more calories for the day.

also i eat too much sugar/candy. how do i stop?

Stop buying it and eat fruit instead, but watch portion sizes since it has calories too.  I'm a chocoholic, but I've learned to indulge in high quality small portions of dark chocolate - if you can control yourself and portion it out, you could try this.  And if you don't have a sensitivity to artificial sweeteners, you can get sugar free candies.

also, i am addicted diet coke because it has no calories. how do i stop my addiction?

Chances are you're not addicted to the Coke itself, but the caffeine.  You could try gradually switching to caffiene free diet coke, but it would be better to get off of it altogether.  I would suggest reducing the amount you drink by one serving or can every other day to ween yourself off.

addicted coffee a little bit too (not as bad as diet coke)???

I'm a coffee addict myself, but this is not as bad as an addiction to Coke, and one I fully embrace.  If you really want to get off of coffee, again, you can ween yourself off by mixing decaf and regular and gradually switching yourself to all decaf.  (start off with 25% decaf for a few days, then 50%, etc.).