On the Right Track

[BrunetteGoddess]

Finally.

SO I've finally gotten on the right track with eating right and exercising. Mom and Dad were sweet enough to take me grocery shopping on Sunday because R and I were broke and had hardly any food (let alone healthy food), so I have better stuff to eat.

I've been eating a lot of fruit (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, apples, grapes, and pineapple), staying away from caffeine for the most part ( I had one Red Bull on Sunday), and walking all 3 dogs separately around the block for cardio and doing floor exercises.

For the first time I can eat breakfast and be full for hours, and I'm snacking on fruit and walnuts, and drinking water. I've also been eating small frequent meals instead of binging all at once on crap.

Haven't lost any weight yet; it's slow going and I crack ( had a bag of salt n vinegar chips today) but since Sunday I have been getting better each day.

Just thought I'd share, I'm really proud of myself ( and eating grapes as I type this! )

[teeth_of_the_hydra]

Congrats, Delicious Arizona Wife! I was going to reply to your other thread and rave about the awesomeness of summer fruit such as berries and pineapple, but you're on the ball. Really, though: summer is an excellent time to jump-start weight loss, even in AZ where, as I understand, it's hot as balls. In-season fruits such as berries, melons, peaches and plums are delicious and good for you (w/ antioxidants, vitamins and high water content) and sweet enough to curb dessert cravings (for me at least... well, most of the time ) and WAY more interesting than the apples and oranges you get from September-April. And the heat makes it easier to drink the half gallon (or more, if you're active outdoors) of water you should be drinking. In terms of exercise, is swimming possible for you? It's my favorite hot-weather exercise because a) it works all your muscles at once, b) it doesn't leave you sore, and c) playing in the pool is more fun than hoofing it on the treadmill, I think. This is, of course, largely based on personal preference... but hey, I generally hate working out, but I love hanging out in the pool in the summer, so maybe it'll work for you. Dog walking sounds pretty fun, too. I always thought I'd like walking around the neighborhood more if I was escorted by a creature who was constantly reminding me how fun and novel the world was (i.e. "Wow do you smell that?! Let's go over there! Gosh, I LOVE fire hydrants! Hey look another dog! OMG hi! Lemme check out your butt!" Yeah, more fun than just me plodding around the 'burbs, for sure.)

Something I don't recall from your other thread is if you said you liked to cook. If you do, or if you're interested in learning, I can recommend some holistic strategies toward stocking a healthier kitchen (which won't necessarily cost you a ton of money!) and cooking more wholesome, nutritious, tasty-ass food.

Good luck getting healthy! You are doing great so far!

[BrunetteGoddess]

Thanks!

No, i don't like to cook at all. Bleh. I'm way too impatient, but I'd be interested in any kind of strategies you have!

I do like to swim, but right now our community pool ( I live in a gated housing community with a community pool, not an apartment) requires you to have a key to get in and we have lost ours. So I mostly go when I'm visiting my parents and we go over to the neighbor's house.

One thing that irks me though is it's hard to find certain fruits that are fresh out here in AZ. For example:

I got a huge package of strawberries at Price Club/ Costco. They all looked kind of bad, but I picked a package that looked the best. I just went through the batch today after only having them 2 days and had to throw out all but 8 strawberries, and this was in a huge package!

I also got a package of blackberries and by day 1 there's ones growing "fur" on them!

Grrr...

[greenidlady1]

Good for you, eatting right isn't easy to do, it takes discipline. Good luck and keep up the good work!

[BrunetteGoddess]

You're right. All I want is a huge cheeseburger...

[teeth_of_the_hydra]

This time of year frozen fruit is probably more expensive than fresh, but if the fresh fruit in your area is crappy, frozen might be worth a try. Frozen fruit can be just as good for you as fresh fruit. Some people seem to think that the freezing kills off some of its good enzymes, but I've also heard that fruit is frozen almost immediately after harvest, whereas fresh fruit is days or weeks old by the time it gets to grocery stores. Anyway, if you buy frozen, buy the kind in the plastic bags where the only ingredient is fruit. The kind in tubs (strawberries, mostly) has sugar.

Frozen fruit, of course, sort of sucks to eat by itself, but it's great in smoothies. And smoothies are the universe's way of tricking you into eating all that nonsense that's good for you in one fell swoop Which can also work for someone trying to eat healthy but who does not like to cook. Since you mentioned being interested, allow me to launch right into a monologue entitled "Why Smoothies as a Species Totally Rule, and How To Encourage the Genesis of an Optimal Specimen."

*Clears throat*

In the course of the following monologue, you will notice that I do not use measurements. That is because I believe measurements are for the simple-minded. Understanding the texture, taste and smell of your ingredients will yield better results than blindly following a recipe. You will also notice that I constantly badmouth high fructose corn syrup. If you are wondering why, do a google search and find out. The other food item that I avoid like the plague is hydrogenated oil (trans fat) of any kind. I advise avoiding both of these items religiously. For better or for worse, it is a shortcut to avoiding many junk foods, as many junk foods have these ingredients.

Now. Gather some combination of the following items, or as many of them as you have around, or only the ones you like, and not the ones you are allergic to. Feel free to add more of your own if you like them or believe them to be healthy or whatever. In my opinion, the best smoothies usually include the following ingredients:

-Organic yogurt (organic because I believe it is crucial to avoid additives, such as gelatin, high fructose corn syrup, etc. The only ingredients in your yogurt should be milk, natural flavors or fruit if relevant, active cultures, and maybe inulin. If you can find a non-organic yogurt without junk, that's fine too.)

-Fruit (frozen or fresh, but definitely unsweetened)

-Bananas (in a category all their own because I think a smoothie without bananas is like sex without a cute partner. You could do it, but it's not going to be exactly awesome.)

-Fruit juice (without added sugar) OR soy milk OR milk from a quadruped (cow, goat, etc.) OR water

-Ice, if you want it for texture

Optional and discretionary ingredients:

-Food enzymes (I use capsules and break them open)
-Psyllium husk powder
-Protein powder (soy or otherwise, without high fructose corn syrup or a ton of added sugar. Some are slightly sweetened and that's okay, but, as always, stay away from the HFCS)
-Honey (local is better) OR maple syrup OR raw sugar
-Ginger root (fresh, grated)
-Nut butter (all natural! no hydrogenated oils!)
-Vanilla extract
-Ovaltine (call me a dork but I think Ovaltine is the best thing since hot chicks were invented. You get excellent chocolate taste with a ton of added vitamins in a powder which dissolves smoothly, without HFCS! yahoo!)

Put everything you're using into the blender and mix until smooth. But you knew that part already. Some good suggested combinations are:

-Watermelon/ cucumber (de-seeded)/ ginger root/ orange juice

-Banana/ ovaltine/ peanut butter/ milk

-Banana/ yogurt/ honey/ OJ/ protein powder with any number of other added fruits for deliciousness

Happy Smoothieing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, maybe all that was redundant, because maybe you already know all about smoothies, but that's my first suggestion for eating healthy when you don't like to cook. More to come.

[BrunetteGoddess]

Ah, I love you toh.

[teeth_of_the_hydra]

And I love smoothies.

...Oh, and you. I totally love you. I was still thinking about frosty, delicious smoothies though. Mmm maybe I'll go make one now.

[BrunetteGoddess]

....still craving a burger....

[naughty_princess]

^ you could always try a veggie burger! maybe even on sprouted grain bread

[scarletfang]

congratulations! the first few weeks of eating better are always the hardest, but if i promise it gets better, will you believe me?

i started making a conscious effort to watch my diet about 2 years ago, and with no added effort (ie no change in activity level), i've lost about 30 pounds, and my hair, skin, and nails all look way healthier...

i also found that over the first few months, i went from OMGWANTFRIEDFOOD all the time to occasionally having a few bites of something and thinking 'ew...people actually EAT this???"