Wagon Jumpers - August 30 - September 5, 2009 (2 Waiting List Spots Available)
Welcome
(I keep the waiting list capped at 4 people as it can be a 16 week wait with that length. If you are interested in spot 3 or 4 please read below and contact me.)
Welcome to the Wagon Jumpers weekly thread. We are a group of CC members who have identified that one of our main challenges with achieving our weight loss, maintenance or general health goals is consistency.
This thread is designed to encourage long term commitment to our goals by publicly declaring them and asking the other members of this thread to hold us accountable. The primary focus of wagon jumpers is not how much weight you have lost, or need to loose, but what you need to do on a daily basis to meet your long term goals.
There are two rules for Wagon Jumpers:
1. All members must post once per week between Sunday and Friday.
2. All members must check the thread for members who have not posted by Saturday (a short list is posted on Thursday) or are on the MIA list on Sunday and send them a polite and positive message to stay involved in the group and on track with their goals.
If you would like to be a member of this thread please see the guidelines below and send me a PM if you are still interested (there may be a waiting list).
Medium Size Group = Some Time Commitment
The original idea of Wagon Jumpers was to create a close community where participants could get to know each other and hopefully form virtual-life and perhaps even physical-life bonds to create a support network as they attempted long term weight loss.
We quickly discovered that this was impossible with an 'always open' group as there were too many people coming and going. For this reason the group is finding its optimum level is between 20 and 25 participants.
A medium sized group means that we have an active thread that produces between 30 - 45 posts per week. Members do not need to read / respond to every post every week. I do notice that those who respond regularly do tend to keep their goals top of mind, and have a better chance to achieve them. I estimate the average time spent by an active member on Wagon Jumpers to be between 1-2 hours per week.
If you are looking for an always open group on CC there are several that operate by different weight criteria, similar motivational patterns etc... There are also many small groups that cap their numbers between 4-10 people to keep the group more intimate, and easier for members to keep up with.
Interested in Joining?
General Guidelines for Joining
1. Are you a wagon jumper?
Do you know how to loose weight, you often have success but then you find yourself loosing interest in your plan, or sabotaging your plan. It's not the "how" to loose weight that is the problem, it's the "how" to stay motivated.
2. Do you have a long way to go?
This group is designed so that members can get to know each other and support each other. Ideally you are planning to be a CC member and part of this forum for at least 6 months or more to achieve your goals and hopefully stay in motivation for a further 6 months or more.
Yes. This is, a long term plan.
3. Do you have the time?
This is a medium sized group, the thread does move fairly quickly each week. If you do not have regular internet access this is likely not the group for you.
Still interested?
Send Supersized a PM. (Please do not reply on the thread)
An overview will be sent to you, you will have a chance to ask questions and an invitation will be sent to you once a spot is open.
Google Group
We have recently added a google group as an option for members, past members, and members on the waiting list. If you would like access to the google group (and are in one of the above categories) send a message to beaglesmuggler (at) roger.com with your username and e-mail address and I will add you to the google group.
Wagon Jumpers Participants
Year 1 - Week 17 Riders:
Supersized 
(myself)
Year 1 - Week 13 Riders:
Year 1 - Week 12 Riders - Congratulations on 1 Year, 3 Months!:
Defrog3 - Maternity Leave to October 31, 2009
Year 1 - Week 9 Riders:
Year 1 - Week 7 Riders:
Year 1 - Week 2 Riders:
Week 48 Riders:
Nannygabber - Vacation September 9 - 20, 2009
Week 41 Riders:
Week 39 Riders:
Week 35 Riders:
Week 15 Riders:
Week 11 Riders:
Week 6 Riders:
Week 5 Riders:
Week 4 Riders - Congratulations on 1 Month!:
Week 3 Riders:
Week 2 Riders:
Week 1 Riders:
New:
Missing In Action:
Missing In Action - 1 Week:
Missing In Action - 2 Weeks:
Current Membership: 23
Current Waiting List: 2
Outstanding Wait List Invites: 0
12 Week CONSISTENCY GOALS
(as set w/o June 28th, 2009)
By September 19th, I will be...
Msmeg1984 - NEW: eating a weekly average of 2,000 cal/day and, MAINTENANCE: exercising 3x/week for at least 9 of the 12 weeks.
Dovelette - NEW: NROLFW 3x week for 9 out of 12 weeks.
Merimeriqcontrary - NEW: 3 times/week exercise for at least 9 out of the 12 weeks.
Wenchie58 - NEW: Logging my food intake of <1500 cals per day at least 5 days per week.
Figurethefat - NEW: to run/walk a minimum of six 5ks per month. MAINTENANCE:to continue doing a minimum of 1,500 exercise minutes per month.
Kyashiis - NEW: Run a minimum of 3 kilos 12 times over the 12-week period. MAINTENANCE:I will zig-zag on my food intake consistently throughout each week and end up with an average daily calorie count of 1,100 cals.
Raven21 - NEW: Eat all my yummy, healthy meals (3) and snacks (2) before 9pm for 12 weeks, with no more than 12 days missed. MAINTENANCE:Exercise at least 3 times a week
Supersized - NEW: Go to gym 3x/week for 6 of 12 weeks. MAINTENANCE: Log all food for 9 of 12 weeks.
Cawilder - NEW: Log my food 85% of the time. MAINTENANCE: Running at least 5 hrs/week and lifting 2x/week.
Nannygabber - MAINTENANCE: Strength training 3x/week for 9 of 12 weeks. Macronutrient ratio of 40/30/30 (carb/fat/protein) for 9 of 12 weeks.
Germaica - NEW: Exercise at least 3x/week for at least 30 min for 9 of 12 weeks. MAINTENANCE: Continue to eat 1 portion of high iron food at least 4 times per week.
Jessicaanne2001 - NEW: Keep calories under 2,000 checking by logging food 4x/week. MAINTENANCE: workout at the gym 4x/week
Carryonandon - NEW: Exercise 3x weekly MAINTENANCE: 300-500 calorie deficit daily.
Constanza - NEW: For the next 12 weeks, less twelve days I will follow this meal plan: 3 meals, 1 snack and 1 dessert per day, no more than 7 alcoholic drinks per week. MAINTENANCE: exercise an average of 2x/week.
Previous Threads:
Wagon Jumpers - August 23 - 29, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - August 15 - 22, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - August 9 - 15, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - August 2 - 8, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - July 26 - Aug 1, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - July 19 - 25, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - July 12 - 18th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - July 5 - 11th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - June 28 - July 4, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - June 21 - 27th, 2009
Wagon Jumper - June 14 - 20th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - June 7 - 13th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers May 31 - June 6th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers May 24 - 30th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - May 17 - 23rd, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - May 10 - 16th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - May 3 - 9th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - April 26 - May 2nd, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - April 19 - 25th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - April 12 - 18th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - April 5 - April 11th, 2009
Wagon Jumpers - March 29 - April 4th, 2009
As always all members are encouraged to tag this thread so that it is easy to find.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
Coming soon (will need to get that topics list on my memory key for when I update this at work.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS: ZORA & AUSTIEMG
The end of summer seems to be a time for renewal, so we have many new members joining our group in the last few weeks. Please take a moment to welcome Zora and Austiemg.
Hope everyone had a great weekend. We ended up having a fairly busy one with a couple dinner parties (we hosted, so food was within plan thank goodness!) and meeting up with a friend from back home. One of our guests this weekend commented that I looked thinner - so that's a good sign. We don't have a scale right now, but I have noticed my clothes fitting slightly better.
In preparation for starting NROLFW, I'm bumping up my protein quotient and calories - while still maintaining a modest calorie deficit - which is inline with my goal. I'm excited about the program, but feel like I'm overpreparing out of procrastination. Just *do* it already, right?
Tips on the program would be welcome - especially if anyone has an alternative to some of the exercises involving the barbell. I'm going to use our apartment gym which is pretty well-appointed, but doesn't have a barbell.
Other than that, I've been doing well on my goals - keeping the deficit and 3x exercising.
:-) And welcome to the new members!
I was very good about exercising this past month, and will hit 2,000 minutes, so well above the mark. Also ran the 6 5ks, the last one outside -- a first for me. It was hard, but I did it keeping a 5 mph pace the entire way. Eh!
As for eating I've been doing a much better job since fessing up to my lack of control a few weeks ago. Every morning I write a loose plan in my journal regarding exercise and food for the day. The extra planning has helped immensely. There's really not much else I can do...
Welcome to the new people. I'm wondering why the end of summer would be a time for renewal?? It's usually what happens in Spring. I notice much more stuff in the media these days especially with the push toward universal healthcare. Unfortunately in the states that means universal insurance. I wish it wasn't necessary to have "insurance" just to visit a healthcare professional. Anyway perhaps there is more of a conscious awareness that individuals have to take responsibility for their bodies, hence the increased interest in the group.
Healthgain to everyone!
Well, this is my last week before vacation. Lots to do, lots to do! Look out FLORIDA, here we come! ... with a vengeance!
It really is my first real vacation EVER, so you can imagine how very excited I am.
I will guess I'd have to say that I am doing ok with my healthgain. While I have not adhered to my goals, I am still losing weight. I am officially down by 35 lbs this year. I had gained about 5 back, so I had to RE-lose those. Ugh. I'm not starving, I am not excessively exercising. It all seems to be just right. Heh, who would have guessed I'd achieve a static level of behaviours and still be able to drop lbs. ME, the misbehaviour QUEEN? LOL!
I guess it comes down to three things.
1. Eat 5 or more small meals every day.
2. Focus on protein (HIGH!) and fat (LOW!).
3. Sweat in some form every day.
I have to tell you guys this... I got rave comments from my Zumba instructor. Mind you, who is perfectly trim, and wildly energetic. An absolute picture of health. She and I have become friends and like to talk after class. She says to me, "Well I think you look great! You are trim and healthy looking, and to me you have arrived." Gals, I gotta say... I think she needs glasses. Either that or she patronized me to the max. *I* think (know) I have about 25 more lbs to lose. And even then, I will never be able to be as ripped and cut as she is because I just have the skin issue to deal with... LOL! And uhhh no, not having surgery. Maybe not. Maybe... but maybe not. LOL. ... she made me feel good anyhow.
I watched some kind of garbage on TV this weekend, "The Top (insert number) Best and Worst Beach Bodies of the Year" I saw some very good and some very bad celebrity bodies on there. It was funny, after watching about 2/3 of it, and being bored out of my mind (I never EVER watch TV) from sitting there too long, I had to just get up and turn it off. I didn't even care really, because its just ridiculous how so much emphasis is placed on the "perfect" bum, chest, tummy, hips, legs... etc. UGH. I got up from my bed (admittedly unclothed), and stood in front of the mirror. I thought "You know, I tend to be pretty hard on myself, maybe my Zumba instructor is at least half right." And I took a good long look, at all angles. There are real improvements. I can see muscles in my arms and legs, I can see flat where there used to be rolls. I actually have a calf muscle for the first time in my life! I may not have a "Best Beach Body" of the year, but I ain't doin' too bad for lil ol me.
I am at Week 48. In 4 more weeks, that will be 52. That's an entire year! WOW. I am really amazed at myself, and for that matter, ANYONE... who can stick with it that long. My point of this whole entry is this... I was never able to stick to it in the past, and can attribute my ability to do so, entirely to this group. So yes, in response to figure's comment last week about Sara and her dedication to this group. THANK YOU. I honestly, in all sincerity, would NOT be at this level of health and fitness today without Wagon Jumpers.
Anyway, I've been tanning and trying to get a good base so I don't get cooked like a french fry at the beach. Hehe, because I will definitely be covered in coconut oil. So, I gotta tell ya, I am feeling pretty good about my appearance, even with 25 lbs to go. Still not wearing a bikini on the beach though!
I am fitting nicely into 10's these days, and some of the tops i bought for vacation were size Small. Mostly Mediums, but Small is cool! LOL.
So even though I have missed the mark on attaining my "goals" - my ultimate goal is still on track. And its in auto-pilot mode, no extra effort required, and that's exactly where I had hoped I would find myself. YAY!
Anyhow, enough raving about ME... I am going to say "CUT"! And this show is over. LOL!
See you guys when I am back from FL.
Healthgain wishes to everyone, and warm WV hugs... Warmer ones from sunny Florida!
~Julie
Hi,
Yes, I am still here. We were on vacation and guess what I can not post from my iPhone... I am sure there is some app out there but I did not have it.
We did a car trip around Oregon for vacation. Saw alot of nice things / sites and after 6 days we were somewhat happy to be home with more space.
Have not done any exercise and eating is definitely off the wagon. Autumn time has always been a good time for me to recommit so I am working towards that.
My knee is better but I think it is just time that is healing it. I wish I knew the root cause of the problem. I don't trust it right now even though it does not hurt all the time I don't feel like it is fixed...
So, I don't have an action plan yet on how to get back on the wagon but I am starting...
Welcome to new members - you will like it here!
Thanks
One month in the group! It's been fun getting to know a bit about everyone. I suppose I should say a something about myself and my own goals.
I've been losing weight for a couple of years now (50+ pounds.) I was fairly happy with where I was, I'm 56 y.o., 5'6", and wear a size ten. I'm not as concerned about numbers as how I look and feel. But at my yearly check up in June my doctor found that my blood glucose level had risen to a pre-diabetic stage, despite my weight loss and regular exercise. Type 2 diabetes runs in my family. She suggested I lose twenty pounds in the hopes that it will prevent any further increase. I'm finding it very difficult to lose the weight even with careful calorie counting and exercise. I was was becoming discouraged. So far I've lost 5-7 pounds, my weight fluctuates.
My goal right now is to continue to log my food, keep my calorie count at about 1600 per day, and exercise 3-4 times per week. My goal weight at this point is 139 pounds. This week I have not been faithful about logging or exercising. So I need to get back to logging food and go back to the gym. I'm hoping that in joining Wagon Jumpers I find the extra motivation that I need.
Carry Sounds like you have recovered from your move smoothly if you are hosting dinner parties, congratulations!
When you say barbell, do you mean the olympic bar (the bar that you put weights on either end of) or free weight in general (i.e. the small and large hand held weights) which are also sometimes referred to as barbells.
Laura I think end of summer ends up being a renewal period because of the back to school / back to work craze. Summer is ended people tend to make a conscious choice to focus and make life changes at this point. I generally see the most change over in this group: after Christmas and after summer.
Julie I'm sure you are your own worst critic, now take the compliment!
Carol Me and you need to start planning the back on the wagon journey.
Bleedtoblue We will probably start to revisit some of these discussions this group had earlier as we are picking up new members. We all likely joined CC because the calories in calories out thing made sense to us. Generally this group has found that it's not quite that straight forward. Many calorie counters quit their diets because the constant low cal need creates constant hunger and pressure to quit. It also sometimes slows down your metabolism. Success strategies (and different ones seem to work for different folks) seem to include:
- Ensuring that you are eating breakfast
- Eating at regular times throughout the day
Both of those work because when you get hungry and your blood sugar dips your body produces cortosol to store the energy of food you consume later. This also spikes your blood sugar when you do eat.
- Zig zagging calories or averaging calories across a week.
This allows you to handle days where you just feel hungrier and need more to eat without triggering that cortosol.
- Focus on changing what you eat.
Most of us eat too many carbs and fats and not enough protein. Julie has a great spreadsheet that I'm sure she'd share on focusing on getting your nutrition to a 40/30/30 macronutrient breakdown (protein/carbs/fat).
Sara.
Hi everyone,
I am vcruicky, just introducing myself to fellow wagon jumpers. I am 49, but turning 50 on the 25th September, so on the countdown. This has been part of my motivation to rejoin CC, and also to become an honoured member of wagon jumpers - tht is to redefine some very bad habits, become healthier, fitter, and ultimately become vegetarian, and at some stage vegan - with hopefully the by product of losing the seven plus extra stone that my 4 foot inches frame is carrying as extra insulation.
I have been on the clean eating challenge on this site since August 12, and have lost 11 lbs, which has been a good stepping stone to eating healthier, and starting the weight loss.
I eat 3 meals a day, and 3 snacks, and as my bad habits evolve around drinking diet coke, then wanting chocolate, and then copper kettle crisps, which then needs something sweet again so icecream and chocolate sauce - so you can see putting on 7 stone was a breeze - and I might add thoroughly enoyable. As i did not believe in portion control - if I wanted it I ate it - and as an emotinal eater when under stress - with my husband having had prostate cancer for 7 years, and in the last 18 months Parkinson's, stress eating was a regulare occurrence.
However, since the date I started the clean eating challenge I had an epiphany, not only my 50th, but having my 18 months old grandson on the weekends. I want to be the grandma that can play,not just puff and wheeze on the sofa, and say "grandma is sick and cannot play today"
So no more processed food, diet soda, bread, cakes, junk food, sweets and the all the crap i have been eating for 35+ years. No more excuses, just as the Nike saying says i am going to "JUST DO IT".
I am doing 30 mins of gentle walking, as I need to get my head around the food issues, and then I will get reved up on the excercise. I also a while ago did loads at the gym, about a year ago, and was doing great, and whilst at the gym, myhusband took a tumble, and I felt very guilty for leaving him for so long , I had been 2 hours. So, now I do shorter stints, and will eventually do more but, when I feel able to leave him for longer, or get some at home stuff to do.
Well so much for an introducton I just wrote a book - sorry.
Hope to catch up and become friends with you all, feel free to add me to your buddy list.
vcruicky (Vera)
Check In
I've been limping along in my goals. I'm following the nutritionist plan well for breakfast, snack and lunch. But Dinners last week fell apart.
Also with the convention last week and all else I never quite got my exercise back in.
I need to work to reintroduce these in the next few weeks, while I've missed my goals this round there is no reason that I should not set myself up for success for next round.
Weekly Goals:
- Make 3 dinners at home this week (one done)
- Do a meal plan for Next week before Sunday morning.
Vera Welcome to the Group! I'm guessing you live in or are from England, been a while since I heard "stones"! (born in Belfast me). Congratulations on your motivation, hopefully we can help you keep that up, or if not 100% (because most of us have difficulty with that) we'll at least give you a safe place to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on track if and when you do get sidelined.
I will note one caution, while I fully support veggie and vegan diets (raised veggie, was vegan for quite some time and still predominantly cook that way) I can say first hand that veggie & vegan are not a straight road to loosing weight (as I look at 250 lb pics of me). Like any diet moderation will be the key and seeking a balance of proper nutrition.
Cheers,
Sara.
Hi Sara,
Yes, living in the UK now, but was in Australia, with kilos, only taken me 8 years to understand UK stones and pounds, and everyone here understands it better.
I take your advice on vegge and vegan not being easy road to wight loss, Iam more lookng at it as a healthier option of eating, but doing it in small increments - mainly eating fish and very occassionally chicken at the moment, and eating veggie for 4 days out of 7.
It is because i LOVE TO COOK, so and using it as a way to learn about new foods and recipies, to become healthier, and lsoe weight as a by product. Also, hoping this will help my husband eat helathier, no so much frish and chips and chinese from the take away, but more veggie chilli and brown rice with fruit salads.
hopefully focusing on changing one thing at a time will make the transition easier, and a lot more fun.
looking forward to being a part of this group, and meeting the challenges ahead full on.
hope you are doing well.
Vera
Sara - Thanks! We've been here one month now and it is starting to feel like we've been here awhile already. A new job will help with that - so keep your fingers crossed for me as I have a solid lead on one right now.
For barbell, I mean an olympic bar. We don't have one of those at our gym, but we do have a large variety of handheld ones. There is a machine (not a smith machine) that can simulate some of the barbell functions, but I'll have to check it out further.
The job search has been distracting me, so I'm a couple days past when i meant to start lifting already. I want to make sure I get off on the right foot, though - so no rush. It seems like it will be a little complicated to get going with the high protein diet *and* the exercise routine. Counting calories alone was a bit more simple. The recipes in the book are a good guideline, though, and it turns out a lot of the foods I already eat fall into the right categories (turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread, for instance).
Nannygabber - Congrats on your progress and have a fun vacation!!
Feeling awesome this week! I've even been getting some quick walks in, instead of the typical stroll. I was feeling dragged out last week and when I went to clinic they put me on a new med (to go with the twentysomething I already take) to reduce fluid. Welllll.....I know it's not the "proper" type of weight loss....but hey...I am down 11 pounds since last Friday! LOL Guess I was carrying a little extra. Oooops!
Having more ambition leads to moving more....and I HAVE been eating well, but was continuing to gain...was frustrating beyond belief! Hopefully things will progress at a more agreeable rate now.
Welcome to all new members! Lets get fit!
I just want to really welcome all the new members to this thread! I myself am quite new, but since I am a student, and the semester just began, I am quite busy so I do not have too much time to keep track of everybody. I will get right on it as soon as all the excitement dies down. XD
My check in:
I've been burning 500 every day for sure, I think, but I need to adjust my eating habits. I keep snacking at night. I know I should do something like brush my teeth, but I always feel too lazy to do so, and it just leads to more eating. I need to conquer this, I think, most of all, since it's totally undoing the 500 calories that I burn every day haha.
Check in - last week was terrible. I was at the beach again and overdid it. I got a few long walks in, but no real exercise.
Now that I am back home, I have been getting back into exercising. I got in two good lifting sessions and one long hilly walk. I have that great sore feeling in my muscles that I love. Some of my poor eating habits followed me home from the beach, but I finally put in a good day today. I am hoping to recommit now that the kids are back in school and I will not be traveling for a while.
Nannygabber - I am so impressed with your accomplishments and your current state of mind. Congrats and keep up the good work.
Hi everyone,
My Check in
kept to my 1200 calories, and lost another .5 b this week so still going down. Very proud of myself, I went out with my osne for a few hours, and smelt frying onions and sausages, OMG it smelled heavenly. But i am so proud, I did not crumble and have one - as it would have started me on the slippers slope to eating anything in site for the day - as I would have had a diet coke with it and then gone downhill rapidly. I did however, go home and get out a quorn vegetarian sausage, and did do some onions, and had it with salad and brown rice - felt like I needed to polish my halo after tea. When I was down a .5lb this moning - it was worth it.
Nannygrabber, I love how you have put in 3 simple rules, it is easier then to have somethng to focus on. Enjoy your vacation.
cawilder, looking forward to you posting your action plan, and it is good to recommit in the Autumn, before the winter blues set in and you feel like leaving it till spring - good luck.
bleedtoblue, I think having to lsoe weight for a medical reason is sometmes the extra motivation we need, and like you logging calories is a vital part of losing weight - good luck, and I will follow your progress with interest. Well done for losing the 5-7 lbs already - slow and steady wins the race.
supersize, I am sure everyone can identify with needing to revisit goals, and I think by declaring them in a forum like this the accountability, and actually putting them in writting can be very powerful motivation. Ilike the idea of weekly goals, and for some of us even a daily goal can help the journey. Good luck on makeing another 2 dinners at home and your meal plan for te following week.
Hello everyone and a hearty welcome to all the new members. :)
Congrats on resisting the temptation and welcome to the club of people trying to cure themselves of emotional stuffing face, vera.
Austie and Zora, nice to have you on the same boat and I can't wait to know you better.
I feel that autumn is always a great time for planning (whether realistically or not), so it indeed a time of renewal.
Nanny Take the compliment already and feel great! :P You totally deserve it, even if you always say you're the lead wagon jumper of this group, it's getting harder and harder to believe.
Sara You're from N. Ireland, how very nice...
Check-in
Last week was great exercise-wise (5 workouts) and food-wise I've finally climbed back in the saddle, calorie-counting again. I was away from home for three days at my bf's house and didn't actually log my food, but roughly I know that I didn't go over my planned total.
This week I'm already at a 2 workout mark and today I'm renting a bike for 2 hours to go wild. :)
Regarding the food ratio of 40/30/30. At the end of the day I always end up with a 30/50/20 ratio. In 1200 cals, it's really hard to fit more protein. Any ideas? The carbs are mostly veggies and fruit. (And I'm trying to cut back on fruit from 3-4 to two servings per day). I don't really like fish, so for protein I go for yogurt, chicken breast, milk, eggs, lentils and lean beef. I try to work out at least 3-4 days a week and I know I need more protein.
merimeriqcontrary - About the protein on 1200 cal/day - I was keeping to that calorie level for awhile as well without much success at getting high levels of protein. (Unfortunately my favorite meals all involve a ton of carbs). Another easy way to get more protein are those protein nutrition bars. A brand that I like to get sometimes is Special K (located in the weight loss section) because it tastes good, like a candy bar and they score pretty well on the CC nutrition analyzer.
I sound like a commercial, but I promise I'm not being paid or otherwise rewarded for that plug.
Also, I found out you need to be careful doing the 1200 cal/day limit and increase your calories on the days you exercise - or your body can go into starvation mode and you won't really lose weight like you want to (plus it's not too healthy :-). "They" say that keeping a 500 calorie deficit between what you intake and what you burn in a day is a good way to avoid this predicament. In case you are already doing this - please disregard my statement! It's just that in my experience what people had to say about this was right on.
One of the things I love about WJ is that it keeps me plugged into the health/nutrition world, and I keep learning more and more about it.
I wasn't going to post any more due to time restraints before leaving for vacation, but I can't not. LOL.
Thanks Everyone, for the notes of affirmation.
I can't help but respond to Meri's question about protein. In my case, I had to go get some protein powder. It can add up to 25 grams per serving, and if you choose wisely when you purchase, you can find very low cal / low fat versions. I have found it to be essential.
It has so many viable options in recipes also, rather than just with milk or in a shake. I use a scoop of either vanilla or chocolate in morning coffee, a scoop of vanilla in my oatmeal, i make pancakes with 3eggwhites and a scoop of vanilla, with a small banana and 1/4 cup of oatmeal, served with sugar free syrup. I have even mixed it into fat-free plain yogurt with some crushed berries. Just get creative, you'll come up with your own ideas!
Protein bars are also something I added to my menu. They're like having a treat, but it's really good for you! I get Pure Protein Peanutbutter Chocolate. Kinda like a candy bar. Stay away from the high carb ones though.
And on your ratios... the lower fat ratio is good! If its below 30 for me, I consider myself to have exceeded my expectations. Now, if you can manage to keep that one low, and just get the protein up, you won't have to worry as much about carbs, especially if its as you say and they're not junk carbs. My carbs come from oatmeal, whole grain bread, fruits, berries, veggies. As long as they're healthy carbs, and your fats are low, and your protein is high, you've pretty much got it whipped.... regardless of calories. Honest. That's how I am doing it anyhow. LOL.
Ok, 'nuff said. Time to get packin' some more stuff! Making the selections is so hard, there's so much I want to take, but can't.... :( ...hehe.
Talk to you all soon, I hope I can write from the beach. Not sure (RE: Carol's experience) that my iPhone will allow me. But I'll TRY!
Healthgain to all,
~Julie
What is the diet for kidney stones?
For kidney stones, you should drink at least three to four quarts of fluid (preferably water) everyday. There are several kinds of kidney stones... Read more