I guess I had a lightbulb moment again. Be prepared I'm going to ramble.

In my humble opinion there are four 'components' in the plan to gain the attractive, slender, strong and health body I want.
A) eat less
B) eat cleaner
c) cardio
d) weight lifting

I've been surfing around the internet getting impatient with the folks who are more than willing to do C but not B or A and B but not D and so on...
And then I realised that I have not done any cardio in ... um ... It doesn't really matter that I've just sort of forgotten or haven't had time ....it's not like I outright refuse ... nonsense ... I'm not doing C. Plain and simple!

If I want what it is, I have to do what it takes.

((whips out note book and grabs pen to take notes))

Ok Susan I am thinking again!!!!!

I don't think B is a necessary component to losing weight...just a nearly necessary component to maintaining the weight you'll lose.

I slack on all of the above, all the time! Okay, I've gotten really good at A, and most weeks I am doing okay-okay with C. D is on my mind but lagging and B...well...it could be improved.

it's that simple isn't???? i am doing a,c,d but not so sure about b. i am trying to learn to eat cleaner. last night i actually ate a couple of raw baby carrots in a little low fat ranch dressing. so i'm trying.

but i think i must work much hard on b and d. not sure i am putting out enough effort or energy on those. may have to have a talk with my trainer. just not feeling the burn the next day to let me know i worked my muscles out hard enough.

thanks for the extra motivation.

I'm trying, Susan! You've been a big inspiration! Compared to where I was in December:

A) Eat less... I'm not only eating less, but eating different!

B) Eat cleaner... I'm not clean, but definitely cleaner. Fries out, apples and baby carrots in. It's a start!

C) Cardio... doing some type of cardio 5 days a week. Haven't messed up a week yet!

D) Strength... same as cardio, 5 days a week. I've only missed 1 day since February 1 (and sadly, didn't make it up, just chalked it up and moved on)

"Clean" seems to be a bugaboo for lots of folks!

If you want a smaller version of the body you have right now, with all the fat distributions basically the same (belly, butt, thighs, whatever), then sure. The quality of your food choices doesn't matter. Cut calories, burn off fat, get smaller.

If you want to transform your body--change fat percentages, increase muscle mass, change fat distribution--and be a different body, then you need to be careful about what you eat. For this particular goal, your food choices matter.

I think that B is important for overall health - you just feel better when you're eating good food. A strong healthy body needs nutrients, and since most foods are nearly devoid of them now, it's really important to make clean food choices. It may not be absolutely necessary to drop pounds, but eating clean will make it easier and will help keep a whole slew of health problems at bay, aside from those that are weight-related. i made some huge changes in the types of foods I eat about 5 years ago - I don't eat meals in a box, i stick to organic fruits, veggies, meats, and dairy, and i make an effort to know and understand what's in the food that i eat. This means no more KD, or convenience store snacks, and it takes some more energy... but I feel 100 times better now - plus, I rarely get sick anymore and I've kept my allergies in check with eating healthier foods.

i agree that all of the above is key. b is not THAT important, but it does help!!


unfortunately life happened to me the past week and i have been off my game plan. thankfully 3 days of that i was sick...yes thankfully, because i couldnt eat therefore the no exercise thing was null and void. right?

I think I am going to make more time for D
I saw this on my local news chanle this morrin...
http://www.wrdw.com/health/2403506.html

It made sence to me I got to make up a plan for it....Still thinking Susan...

That is good. Very concise!

I have to disagree here. I think you can lose "pounds" by just limiting your calorie intake...but if you aren't eating as well/as clean as you could then you are not going to be getting the best results from your weight loss. Strength training increases muscle mass, and cardio burns fat...but you have to be eating to fuel those processes. Your body needs clean protein to assist in this building of muscle-along with the strength training, for instance.
I think there are so many things that proper, clean eating can do for you and your body and looks besides just the pounds that show on the scale.

Because really, anyone can lose 5 pounds-but are they losing 5 pounds of water weight, fat, or of their their own muscle mass? It totally depends on their exercise regime and how they are eating.

Agree 100%. I feel so much better now that I eat as much whole foods as possible (particularly 5+ servings of vegetables a day, 2+ servings of fruit, lean protein, whole grains, low fat dairy, healthy fat) than I did eating crap all day. I haven't been sick a single day since July 2004. I used to fall asleep in my office nearly every afternoon. That has stopped completely. I love being a size 6. I love trying on pretty dresses at Ann Taylor's and every one looks nice. I love pictures of myself. I love all of those things, being thin is great - but I love the FEELING of being healthy most of all.

A person could lose weight by eating less than 1000 calories of nothing but twinkies every day - that doesn't make a person healthy. Long term health is the most important gift we can give ourselves. So for me, B trumps A by a huge huge huge margin (exercise being also important, of course).

I think B is an important part of the equation too. I for one am losing weight to have a long and healthy life, with no diabetes, heart disease or other diet related illness. I could eat 1500 calories full of saturated fats and sugar, and lose weight, depending on my calorie output of course.

But that wouldn't help me achieve my ultimate goal, which is to be a healthy weight. We all know slim people who are anything but healthy.

Also I find when I am naughty and don't eat clean, exercise, especially strength training is almost impossible, I have no energy, and I feel rotten.

I'm doing B, C and D, and I find that by doing B it leads to A without the trauma of counting. By eating clean unprocessed foods I generally find that I'm eating stuff with fewer calories and nasty stuff than I'd otherwise have eaten.

B is very important for me long term, it's my way of reconciling the fact that I can eat really tasty, freshly cooked or prepared food without feeling like it's depriving me of anything. There are health benefits, but I find it has psychological benefits too. By sticking to clean(ish) food I feel like I'm treating myself far more than if I just took vitamins or food supplements.

B is important, no doubt about it in my mind. But for me, the key is eating clean-NER not 100% totally clean. 100% clean would be undoable for me long term. It would require me to feel deprived and deprivation is not a good motivator for me.

I have an easier time resisting the not so clean if I know it's my choice to do so.

I'm certainly not advocating a 1,500 calorie a day diet consisting totally of Big Macs, Super Fries and a 40oz Coke, but knowing that I *can* choose that if I wanted to (don't worry, I wouldn't!) makes it a lot less appealing to me. I can pass it by because no one is standing behind me saying "You may NOT have that".

I've been eating MUCH cleaner in the past few months and mostly enjoying it! I've discovered two new, fun crunchy snacks (Kashi GoLean Crunch -- is that "clean"?) and baby carrots (but only with dip -- is dip "clean"?). I've even learned about different apple varieties and am looking forward to eating them (whodathunkit!).

But I'm not going to forever swear off the occasional cookie or piece of cake, or even a single french fry from a friend's pack (yes, I can eat just one -- I've done it before).

Again, this is all in reference to me (hence all the bolds and underlines). YMMV.

Hope that makes sense.