What Has Worked For You In Terms Of Diet And Fitness?

In the Tip of The Day Program, after a bit of time, I ask subscribers this:

"One thing I need for you today is think about what has worked for you in terms of weight loss and diets, and email it to me. I talk a lot about "Diet Fusion" and how it is a very personal thing, that you need to tailor whatever diet you do to your own unique life. What have you done, what has worked for you, what stopped working for you. Things like that. Thinking about the successes can provide some insight."

I get some some of the best responses and realized, no one is seeing this great stuff but me!  So I'm going to start posting here.  Here's a recent one:

"My greatest success as a women health and fitness-wise is exercising in a group. I think that not only do women like to look good for men, they like to look good for other women. Women notice the little things, especially if you have achieved a weight-loss goal or fitness goal and you are looking a little trimmer.

Unfortunately, in today's economy, it is hard to afford to go somewhere where you have to pay for a membership. Thus, I have found myself falling off the wagon.

I am always trying, though, and have found the work-outs on cable TV (On-Demand) to be very helpful especially since you can choose from many different workouts to suit how you are feeling that day. Also, they are of various lengths of time so if you only have a little bit of time, there is that flexibility.

Having the right things in the fridge is always helpful. I am a "grabber" when it comes to hunger. I grab at the quickest thing possible and if you have grilled chicken breast on hand or things like yogurt, you can bring it along with you.

Today, there is nothing to "grab" that is healthy, so I just ate a piece of cake (my step-daughter made it for my husband for Father's day - I want to chuck it, but he says it stays!). I know I should not have eaten the piece of cake, but it was there.

Having the right things available is half the battle. As soon as my stepdaughter is gone from her visit with us, so is the cake!

Hope this was helpful."

Yes, pk, this was extremely helpful.  I have to have the right things in my fridge as well.  If I see fruit or carrots right there, at eye level, I just grab it.

Jackie

Comments

[Terri]

I have used some of the insights of Dr Pericone, especially around inflammation and low grade infections, which cause people to gain weight and make it nearly impossible to take it off. Many of us have these inflammations, in our gums and teeth, in our bladder, in our entire system. I just got rid of a major inflammation, and without changing my eating habits, lost 12 pounds. Inflammation is so much more common then we know, and keeping your body healthy seems like a good floor to put your weight maintenance program on.

You have a lot of health authors you refer to, and I use them all so appreciatively...Dr Pericome might be someone you want to add to your list of people...he, for instance, outlines the benefits of some saturated fat, like virgin organic cocoanut oil, which supports cell tissue.

I find that no one expert has all of the tips I need...finding the experts in the first place however is a blessing...at least I have a wider basin of information to select from for this particular being, being healthy and strong.

I love your tip of the day.

[Carol]

I have been trying to add a lot more veggies and fruit to my diet. I read Dr. Furhman's books and that really inspired me to do that. I definately agree with having the right food around to just grab -- and not having the wrong food around. Luckily, my two 3 year olds also love veggies, and actually prefer them as snacks so I can avoid most of the kid snack foods. I have noticed that when I have "fallen off the wagon" and had a treat, it doesn't seem to affect my weight like it used to and I don't want as much of it as before. Geneen Roth's books have also helped me to care for myself more, so I have more motivation to try to eat better and exercise more.

[Veronica]

when I watch a movie insted of having popcorns
I eat two tablespoons of flax seeds Ijust take one seed at the time that keeps my mouth busy.

[Christine]

What has worked for me is keeping a journal. I track my calorie intake, weight and exercises on my CalorieSmart device. I ordered this device a year or two before I started using. Once I started keeping a journal of everything I was eating I was able to see how much I was consuming. There I set a limit on my calories - 1200 to 1600 daily. I also tracked to make sure I was burning at least 500 to 600 calories a day. I was able to lose 53 pounds in four months. I have lost 63 pounds now and have been able to maintain my weight for a year with a much higher calorie intake!!! I want to lose 10 more pounds then maintain that weight for the rest of my life.

[Ty]

I agree with the poster who said get a dog- if you don't mind wal;king/hiking, but maybe just need a little extra incentive, the dog has worked for me. I hike a few miles enarly every day and if I don't get a "real" workout in, I know that I have than fo fall back on. I have been eating my fruits and veggies first at mealtimes (lots of course), making sure there is plenty of fruit, veggies and hummus around, and eating a mug of healthy vegetable soup before meals. Since I started eating the soupd I have been eating far less at meals.

[Mona]

whole foods focus. Workout buddies, even when they aren't working out -- she helps me meal plan and weigh in. My other one is ahead of me and makes me put in a final push for the week before we do some intense workout together for which I'm not prepared. The dog walk does set off a good day as far as exercise and water and food. He is the most reliable, relentless workout buddy available. Online buddies help me keep focused and workout other issues. I miss group exercise for aerobics -- it would really help, bc I don't like aerobics. Biking around my neighborhood has helped me get started - it was easy on my knees and the "Whee! factor" (going downhill) really helps. It's fun!

[Christine r .w.]

I can see just about everybody if not all are doings program,but I am just gaining more and more weight ! I am up to266 from 250.please help.desperate!!

[Lauretta Whatley]

I took up photography. I'm so busy looking for birds and things to take a photo of, I don't realize how far I've walked. On miserable days or when I just want to watch TV, I crochet to keep my hands busy. I can't snack and crochet at the same time. Sparkpeople.com is another site that helps you track food etc. It helped me see what I was eating that I could substitute so I didn't go on a diet, I just amended my current one and I'm losing weight.35 lbs so far.

[Karen]

Eat to Live is perfect for me since I am already vegan and don't do sugar (I just can't moderate). I am also a member of WW and don't have a very good record of journaling. So I just eat as much fruits and vegetables as I want and I'm not hungry. I lost 4.4 lbs this week, which is unheard of for me. The only problem is my craving for carbs and I fell off the wagon with Grape Nuts. I am back on program as of today, and we'll see how much damage I did when I weigh in on Thurs. Maybe I'll be able to work in a box of Grape Nuts over the course of a week iso brown rice.

One thing I can definitely recommend - Get a dog. We walk every night. And I absolutely love hiking and don't have to push myself to do that on weekends. I'm a night eater and liked the suggestion I read here to do weights while watching TV.

[Debora]

Right now I am excited about my iPod Touch program called "Lose It". It is a free download and keeps track of your b,l,d and snack calories. Tells you how many you have left and keeps track of exercize calories burned. I have logged food before, but I would have pieces of paper everywhere or could not find my notebook. My iPod is always with me. I think this just may work!

[Roxanne]

Right now, what's working for me is to switch out all white with whole grains. You can have bread, but it needs to be whole grain. I am eating whole foods. No artificial anything, and you know, it feels so good. I am practicing the pyramid and getting the 5 fruits/veggies a day. You know, they're onto something. I am a firm believer that no good food is bad food. Ie, carrots aren't bad. Some people say strawberries have sugar in them. If God made it, eat it, all in moderation of course.

What has worked in the past was the protein power plan, but I couldn't stick to it. It became expensive, and I did lose weight with it.
You can afford to eat healthy. As a nutritionist once told me, a bag of apples costs as much as that box of granola bars or bag of chips.