It's been a little while & I have a few questions.
It's been crazy here. My brother just had his wisdom teeth pulled, we might be moving (YESSSS) and I made a deal with my mother. So the deal is, that when I lose my first 100 pounds, she has to quit smoking. She agreed to it! I never thought in a million years that she would, but she did! She said it wasn't going to be easy, but I told her I'd help her and that it might take a while, just like my weight loss, but it can happen. I've been begging her to quit for a long time. She has a lot of health issues herself. She's lost over 150 pounds herself after getting sick 8-9 years ago, but smoking has still been a huge issue. I've decided myself to losing this weight and on a whim asked if she'd be willing to do that, as it would motivate me more too! So, I'm very excited about that.
I had a question though. I've been eating healthier. My grandmother took me shopping and bought me strawberries, apples, celery, salad, carrots, etc. I've noticed though, that when I eat something healthy, like some celery and carrots, it doesn't even attempt to fill me up. Is it because there aren't any carbs? I really have no idea how food works to be honest. We're going grocery shopping for the month on the 5th, so I want to get some more carrots, salad and stuff, but is there anything else that is healthy but a little more filling?
I've also started walking a mile a day at the school track, but it got really cold again so I stopped doing that. It was just too hard on my lungs, heavy breathing and all that fun stuff. So I've been doing some sit-ups, push-ups (girly cheating ones, lol) and some leg lift type exercises. I found a few videos on youtube that i've tried. (walk away the pounds). When I went to the track, my brother and I would walk a mile and then play a few games of volleyball, so we were moving for about 45 minutes. I've been pretty bummed about not being able to go again, so is there any home exercise tips you can give me that can last as long without wearing me out within 15 minutes?
Also, if all I do is walk a mile or two every day, adding in as much jogging here and there that i can tolerate, will that be enough to actually lose weight consistently? I'm not calorie counting, because it just overwhelms me, but i have been eating in moderation and eating up the healthy stuff in the house, so i'm just hoping it's not more than 1500 calories a day.
Last edited by itsjustmagic; 03-02-2012 at 08:44 PM.
Congrats on the progress! At your current weight, you can eat more than 1500 calories. Most women around your weight eat about 2000 to lose. With that being said, you can definitely over eat on healthy foods. You don't need to calorie count, but its good to make mental notes of what you ate. I keep things simple (no complex recipes with 10 different ingredients) because I would HATE to add all that up.
As for carrots, they did not fill me up at first either. I would eat them being like "yay I ate something healthy!'.... and than 20 minutes later be hungry again and eat something bad. However, as your body gets used to the different foods and small portions, you will start to get more full on smaller amounts. An apple actually makes me full now.
Now for the exercise. Any exercise is great. Most people prefer to start with only diet changes at first however so they do not become overwhelmed. It would be easy to lose weight at your current size with only a diet change. With that said tho, if you like exercising keep at it! It's great for the cardiovascular system. Just don't force yourself with too much at once to prevent burning out!
Healthy food is not just veggies. Do not forget your protein (fish, chicken, turkey). Cottage cheese is great, I love love love wraps (meat, spinach, cheese, pickles, cucumbers.... very filling). The ONLY salad I ever eat is a "Big Mac Salad". It includes lettuce, extra lean ground beef, 1 serving of thousand island dressing and pickles. Its amazing. I don't get binge cravings when eating carbs (some do)... so I eat whole grain pasta on a weekly basis along with brown rice. I have toast with peanut butter and a single size yogurt cup almost daily for breakfast. I guess I am just trying to say that veggies are not the only thing great for your body.
Sorry if it seems like I rambled!!! You can do it!
Vegetables are carbs; just low-calorie ones. Other complex carbs are things like beans, lentils, brown rice, barley, whole grain breads & pastas, etc -- just measure the portions (1/2-1 cup cooked).
I find that apples, pears, strawberries, grapes, peaches, bananas, and melons are quite filling fruit. You can eat regular meals, just have one serving, that's all.
Cut out the pop & junk; and drink low-fat milk & water instead. Don't forget your lean protein; you could put a little cheese or peanut butter in that celery to feel fuller. To your salads, add lean meat, or tuna or salmon or cheese or boiled eggs (which are filling too).
Breakfast can just be a whole grain cereal with skim milk & fruit; or whole grain toast with peanut butter & fruit; or an egg & tst & fruit. I alternate throughout the week.
For exercise, you can dance, walk off the lbs, hand-weights, hooping, mock boxing, and toning exercises like the ones you have been doing, until you can go outside again. Keep up the good work; it will be well worth it!
Last edited by Justwant2Bhealthy; 03-04-2012 at 02:12 PM.
Wow! What a great deal with your mom. Maybe she will be inspired to be healthier from your good example.
One thing that has helped me with feeling hungry is fiber. I am a calorie counter and when I started, I would just eat anything until I had used up all of my calories. The more I learned about food, the better I started to eat. I try to add fiber rich foods to my diet. Switch to high fiber/ whole grains when you can. They fill you up and hold you for awhile. Protein is another thing that helps you stay feeling full but stay with the lean proteins.
For exercise, I like walk away the pounds. It is encouraging and positive and you can start with 1 mile and work up.
Stick with it and do what you can and before you know it, your mom will have to quit smoking.
Thank you for all of the suggestions. I love whole grains and I've actually been eating them for the past 6 months or so anyway. They just taste better in my opinion. I'll definitely keep the fiber in mind. I've been pretty consistent with my workouts, even though I'm still bummed that I can't get outside. I'm so ready to hit that track again, I can't even believe it. While I was exercising tonight, I noticed that I could lift my legs higher and I could do more reps than when I started. It was a really great feeling and made me want to keep going for even longer.
I keep forgetting about protein and I didn't know that I could eat 2,000 calories a day and still lose weight. I love fresh spinach and wraps are a favorite of mine as well, so I'm going to get stuff to make that.
Carbs and protein take about 4 hours to digest. Fat takes 7 hrs. So having "mixed meals" that have a bit of each can go a long way toward satiety from more fiber and the fat.
Just naked fruit won't hold me long. It's got to be apple slices with some PB slapped on there.
But yes, when you start high up, you can lose on 2000 and not have to change that for a long while.
For healthy and filling, look for things with: whole grains, fiber, mono and polyunsaturated fats, and proteins.
Exercise isn't needed to lose weight. That said, your question is a math question. Are you burning more than you're eating? If yes, then you'll lose weight. Also, it's a math question that can be hard to figure out correctly if you're not counting calories; we're notoriously bad estimators of our food intake. If you want to avoid it and you're still seeing progress on the scale, good on you and keep it up. However, if you start noticing some stalling, this would be the first place to tighten up on. Hope that helps.
i find that fat is the most important component to make me full. If my meal doesn't have fat, I feel hungry within a couple hours. A meal with enough (10-12g) fat will keep me full for many hours.
Fat is definitely not bad in moderation, so don't shy away from it!
It's been a little while & I have a few questions.
