Hi all!
I am a very newbie here, just joined today. I really want to share about two things and welcome any sort of advice given.

First, I am not much of an outsider person. I like to stay inside and do stuff around the house. I know you need a very good exercise plan..like cardio 3-4 times a week and strength training 2-3 times a week. I have no problem doing the strangth training, but do not like to get all dressed up and go out to have a walk. I dont even like to go out and check my mailbox. So is there any indoor fix for that?

Secondly, I am very dependable on rice. I always eat rice with something not something with rice. My new love affair is also deadly I guess, it's pasta. So you can say I more like a carb dependent person. If I dont get enough carb for any day, I get really cranky. ANy suggestion??

Thanks in advance...

Hi chubby!

I'm the same way. I MUST have my carbs, or else I'm a terrible person. I found that switching to whole wheat anything drastically cuts down what I can eat. Whereas I used to be a 2-3 cup of spaghetti person, whole wheat pasta limits me to 1 cup, since it fills me up so much faster. So that right there cut me from 400-600 calories down to 200 calories.

Try stretching your rice. Mix a lot of veggies and protein in via stir fry.

CC--it could certainly be worse! Brown rice is great for you. Have you fallen in LOVE yet with Basmati Brown RIce? It is so awesome. Also, ww pasta...I can't tell the difference with it and the bad white stuff.....check out the Fat Smash thread for lots of praise and ideas for rice......it could be lots worse.

Don't know what to tell you about not being outdoors. About 7 months of the year you won't find me indoors......that said, I live in Minnesota....5 months of the year are unbearable outdoors. I have a treadmill and pump up the incline for a good workout. Is that an option for you? If, not, do you have a stair stepper? Good luck.

I don't mind being outside if it's nice, but I used to exercise very early in the morning before the sun was up, and I lived in a neighborhood where it wasn't safe for me to be out alone in the dark, so I had no choice but to work out at home. I can't afford the money nor the space for exercise equipment, so my saving grace was workout videos/DVDs. I also used to have downstairs neighbors, so I wanted something that didn't require lots of jumping around--I discovered Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds series. Depending on your preferences, lifestyle, and level of fitness, you can definitely find a workout DVD that's right for you! I loved Tae Bo with Billy Blanks when I had more workout space (no room for high kicks in my last apartment!).

As for rice and pasta, I agree with the others--try brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Also, try to use a nice thick, hearty sauce on your pasts so you get lots of veggies and protein to fill you up with the carbs.

Hi there and WELCOME!!!

As far doing some indoor walking, the Walk Away the Pounds DVD's by Leslie Sansone are fantastic. I highly recommend them.

And maybe a little fresh air, a change of pace, getting outdoors might be good for you. Just strap on a pair of sneakers, some lightweight pants and a T-shirt and you're all set.

As for the carbs, before my lifestyle change I ate rice (and lots of it) a few times a week. I ate lots of pasta too. Bread as well. Carbs were one of my biggest downfalls. For me, I am not satisfied with a 1/2 cup serving, so I decided to do away with it completely. I thought I would NEVER get over it. But oddly enough, after about 2 weeks I was no longer a "carb person".

Of course there are MANY, MANY successful people who include both rice and pasta in their menus. Brown rice is a much better option then white. Make sure to measure it carefully, cause those calories can really add up. I would have it as a side dish, not the main one. The same thing with the pasta. Make it whole wheat, measure and make it the side dish. Also make sure to eat your carbs with a protein. Chicken, fish, eggs....

Good luck to you.

Hey there! Glad to see you here!

I'm one person who can't stand whole wheat pasta. I'd rather not eat pasta at all!

But, it's still possible for you to have SOME rice and pasta with your meals while losing weight. If you look up the calories in rice, potatoes, or pasta, you'll see why it's important to watch those foods!

I'd suggest that the first thing you do is get in the habit of measuring how much you're eating. Get yourself a set of dry measuring cups (if you don't have them), the ones you would use for flour. Use them to measure the cooked rice or pasta that you eat. For example, allow yourself 1 cup of rice or pasta for your meal. That way, you'll begin to see how much a cup looks like. Then, start to reduce how much you eat. Try 1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup (3/4 total). Then go to 1/2 cup.

The point is to get in the habit of measuring the high-calorie foods instead of just taking a "plateful." Most people who aren't watching eat way, way too much carbohydrates!

As for the exercise, others have given you some great suggestions. If you can afford it, you can also get some indoor exercise equipment, such as an exercise bike, that you can ride while watching TV or listening to music.

Good luck!

Jay

You could check your local library for the exercise tapes. That way you could try them out before buying.

thanks all for all the info.
Last month I started to eat brown basmati rice. It's not that appealing as the white version, but I like it anyhow. The funny thing is my rice cooker makes a lot of mess when I try to cook brown rice. It spatters all the liquid out and I have to clean that sticky mess. Another thing is my hubby does not like the brown rice very much. So we switch every other night. It really doen't help me a lot, I eat the white one more.

I tried to do portion control. I bought a 9 inch plate to have my dinner. I guess it will help me.

Thanks again for you advices.

The unrestrained eating of carbs is always a HUGE factor in my gaining weight. I have to watch them. Like Jay, I'd rather take my starches white. Some of the whole wheat pasta is ok, and whole grain bread is delicious, but I like white basmati rice and white pasta and potatoes. But one does have to be careful.

I used to be of the opinion that I needed to have a serving of starch with my meals in order to feel full, but they're so calorie dense that I knew I had to eat them sparingly, and cut them out almost completely while I was losing. After a couple of weeks, I stopped missing them at all. So long as I have plenty of protein and veggies (also a carb, btw) on my plate, I can get full and happy without missing the starch. It just took a while to get used to. Now I eat rice or potatoes or pasta or barley or bulgur maybe once a twice a week with my dinner, but never as the main thing on my plate, always just as a little side component along with my veggies and protein.

Your body can adapt to life without (or with limited) starches, you just have to give it some time and go through the withdrawal process.

Welcome Chubby Cat!

Since the brown rice isn't as appealing to you as the white, I suggest eating a mix of half white rice/half brown rice. That way you get the taste of the white rice with the fiber from the brown rice. I reiterate what was said about measuring your portions. The first time I measured a serving of ice cream into a half cup, I nearly fainted

I've actually heard some great things about black rice aka Forbidden Rice by the brand Lotus Foods. It has a deep purple color and a nutty taste. Many people prefer it to brown rice. Personally, I've never tried it but it may be something worth checking out. Here's a link: http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/n...prrfnbr=146780


About the exercise, if you have cable TV, you might get a channel called FitTV which has some great exercise programs.

Good luck!

I found that I didn't like ALL brown rice either, so I mix the two; 50-50 tastes so much better. We eat 1 cup cooked, as a side dish with lots of veggies and lean meat. The same for pasta; 1 cup cooked spagetti or other pasta with a nice tomato sauce (ie with meatballs) is sooo very filling. I have been doing this all along, and still lost weight.

We have pasta, rice, new potatoes, beans about 1 or 2 days a week each; some meals we have a whole grain something (bread, roll, bun, pita, tortilla); or maybe a veggie stir-fry with 1/3 cup corn or peas instead (ie steak & onions & mushrooms). One night, we may have chili; or a chunky soup with one slice of whole grain bread. You could have sweet potatoes (yams) one meal too. Lots of ideas out there ...

Sorry SWEET; you posted while I was typing; WILD RICE is nice mixed in too; of course, I like them all ...