January 13, 2010
What you gonna do with all that junk? You know... all that junk inside your trunk? If you're in the market to lose a couple of extra pounds (or more), then you have to do it healthfully. And a few tips from your Momversation panelists couldn't hurt. It's a new year and a new you, so if you want to get in shape, check out what our mom bloggers have to say. Rebecca Woolf of Girl's Gone Child asks, "What are your best weight loss tips?"
Do you have any tips for healthful eating? Do you find it difficult to lose weight? Join the Momversation by commenting below.
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21 Comments
When I was a kid I was sooooo active. Then I hurt my back and suddenly I couldn't stand for more than 10 minutes at a time and this lasted for a few years. I was very worried that I would put on tons of weight so I became very food-conscience.
The best thing you can possibly do is actually quite simple and just common sense:
1. Pay attention to what you eat. Eat good food. We all know what good food is, we're not dumb.
2. Don't eat so much. I hate it when people argue that not eating enough will raise your metabolism or some other goofy result and make you gain weight. Its crap. The formula is so simple. If you eat less, you WILL loose weight. Period. Not that I'm advocating any eating disorders, we all know what a healthy balance is (like I said, we're not dumb). Just don't eat so much! You don't need to feel stuffed all the time, just don't go hungry!
So that's my diet tip, common sense! Its kept me at a healthy weight all my life, even through periods of time where I could not exercise.
Mon, 2010-03-01 06:07
I have found that as long as you exercise, and eat a lot of fiber and protein, you can splurge on a little sugar and fat and still lose weight...but the main factor is in fact to eat less. (I am hypothyroid and it's really difficult for people with hypothyroidism to lose weight, however I've had 4 kids and have maintained a normal healthy weight).
www.monogrammedgiftsetc.com
Sun, 2010-02-21 15:02
I'm excrutiatingly late here, but the best food advice I ever got was from my chiropractor. Eat foods that rot. Not rotten food, obviously, but food that has the ability to rot. It's almost always better for you than things that don't.
Fri, 2010-02-19 14:51
I'm a little late to this party...but without changing my DIET AT ALL, I lost about 15 pounds in 2 months just by doing a regular 30 minutes of exercise. Every morning. I did skip weekends, but weekdays, I was doing the elliptical at the Y. I had to drive by it every day to take my daughter to school...and it worked out really well. I wasn't even doing it that hard or fast. I put my music on, and some songs actually made me go faster, but I didn't have a constant speed or anything. I did drink a lot of water, but I didn't fully cut out my coke or iced tea.
I am out of the habit b/c of a move...but I hope in the next week or two to pick my habit back up. And I will also be portion cutting and losing ALL fast food when I start up again.
Thu, 2010-01-21 12:46
Rebecca - I'm not trying to sound snarky or bitchy . . . but complacency does not cause binge eating. Terrible eating? Maybe. Making bad food choices? For sure. But not true binge eating.
Binge eating is an eating disorder, and it drives me nuts when people throw that term around. Like when someone says, "Oh my Gawd. I'm so stressed out. I went on a HUGE BINGE and ate 4 cookies this afternoon." Um, no. When something triggers a binge, I can eat a whole pizza and still feel empty. It's a soul-sucking, emotionally exhausting sickness that is very difficult to control.
Sorry for the soapbox, but you touched a raw, exposed nerve.
And Mindy? I would *kill* to be as "scary" as you were before losing 25 pounds! :)
Sat, 2010-01-16 15:34
@Anonamomma: Yeah, when I saw that picture, I thought, my producer loves me and would never hurt my feelings! There were far worse to choose from. Plus? You never see me standing up in these videos, do you? Am I right? Let's just say that my kids couldn't hug me all the way around my body then, and then can now. : ) And finally, I'm pretty good with lighting and makeup. I can make anyone look just about flawless if you give me enough of both!
Mon, 2010-01-18 05:56
ooooooh such a good topic! here's a tip for those of us fighting the endless sugar-addiction battle ...I know that I suffer from this one, especially now that I recently gave birth and have been using sugar for quick energy now and then...
the tip is to take 2,000 mg of vitamin c (yep, that much!) per day until your cravings subside. it does the trick every time, and the benefits of a diet without sugar are too many to count!
cheers!
http://thelawyermommy.blogspot.com/
Thu, 2010-01-14 15:55
This is my new favorite blog to follow!
I wanted to let you know about a book that has worked for me. It's titled "Obesity Free Forever" by Georgene Collins.
Georgene really understands what it feels like to be obese and she helped me change my life forever.
Even though it's only been a short while since starting this life changing experience I already see a difference. I have told all my friends about it. They've seen me and see a HUGE difference.
This is a life long change and I'm happy and healthy and excited and look forward to each day.
Fri, 2010-01-15 18:08
@Mindy. Thanks for adding your third point. I, too, was frustrated that you mentioned three but only were able to describe two. I'm anal retentive like that ...
My weight loss tip? I give up alcohol for a while. Initially, it's hard but nothing works for me quite as fast.
Wed, 2010-01-13 20:26
Yep, I was acutely aware that it sounded as if I had trouble counting to three! I think I made five or six points, so I can understand the difficulty in making me sound coherent. I also mentioned in the raw footage that stopping alcohol intake for, say, a week, does the trick for a few quick pounds - my parents do this regularly and swear by it.
Alternatively, you could come lie with us and get the swine flu, fifth disease, and every other obscure illnesss in the land. We're lucky that way.
Wed, 2010-01-13 21:22
What works for me is to do a modified version of Medifast. I have never been able to do the plan perfectly for any longer than about 13 days, however, if I eat the Medifast meals during the day and then have what I want for dinner, I still lose weight at a pretty good clip. It similar to the results Rebecca had by eliminating gluten, because it ends up cutting your carbs and calories.
Also, Karen - 43? I had guesstimated you at about 36. You look great!
Wed, 2010-01-13 15:59
I've learned not to drink my calories.
You know what I mean, the machiatto extra tall whatevers, juices and pop. I know most coffee and pop drinkers would be horrified of me saying that but those things are usually calories you don't tend to tally at the end of the day and before you know it your calorie intake has been blown.
Drink water!
Mindy, I've been doing the eat strict during the weekday, eat whatever on the weekend (usually Sunday) and that works for me. I find that having that day at the end of the week is a great reward for a job well done.
Mix up your workouts, you'll get bored and give up after a while and also your body gets used the workouts if you do the same thing everyday.
Wed, 2010-01-13 14:21
Here it is: You know the part of your plate that you allocate for pastas and meat and cheese? The BIG part of the plate? You swap that portion of the plate out for the small portion you allocate for fruits and veggies.
Bulking up on fruits and veggies helps me lose weight. It's so simple, yet I just forget to stay that course. We can go for days without fruits or veggies in the house without even noticing, but the minute that last bite of cookie is swallowed one of us has already found the cars keys and is heading out to the grocery store!
www.buenobaby.com
Wed, 2010-01-13 12:29
A related question - how do I get back to my pre-pregnancy shape? I lost the pregnancy weight, but things are not in the same place. Pre-pregnancy my weight was more evenly distributed. Now, I am BOTH top heavy and mid-section heavy. I feel like a misshapen orange perched on two toothpicks. Is this a lost cause? Is my butt gone forever?
I am also a huge proponent of portion control. When I eat out, I try to only eat 1/2 or less of what I am given. Also, I do not eat left-overs from restaurants very often. I view going out as a "treat." Allowing myself to continue to eat the "treat" for the next couple days completely defeats the purpose of the original portion control. I know that this is wasteful. I should really ask that the restaurant only give me 1/2 of the food. I do not mind paying the same price for it.
Wed, 2010-01-13 11:17
Eat half is a great tip...I'm going to apply that today.
As for gluten, when I went gluten-free I lost 8 pounds in under two weeks. And I felt a lot better. I'm still gluten-free but I'm sure I've gained back those 8 pounds (especially since discovering some tasty gluten-free backed goods).
Wed, 2010-01-13 10:42
I have to agree: eat half. Ask for a smaller portion in restaurants, eat one instead of 2 sandwiches, take smaller portions at home... Feel ok with leaving something on your plate! Leftovers are a GOOD thing, freeze em, use them the next day, or take them to work! I currently live in Germany, and while the portions are still quite large, I now am horrified with how huge they are in the US in comparison. And then you think you want to cook/order a meal with appetizer, main dish and dessert? I just can"t do it anymore.
Another thing is that eating slower helps, especially slowing yourself down if you are just sooo hungry and need to stuff something in your mouth right away. It can take around 15 minutes for your brain to go "oh, yeah, food is reaching my stomach, turn off the EATEATEAT alarm". And hey, you can always eat something smaller a little later if the alarm is still clanging.
I still have trouble with that last one. Hell, I still feel bad with leaving something on my plate. But you know what, I want to feel good about me, and not worry if the cook/waiter/whoever is not feeling good about me leaving something.
AVOID FAST FOOD. That is all I can say on that. I really like Susheela's quote. Yeah, make it yourself (from scratch, no cheating), then you know what is in it, and appreciate the work that went into it as well!
Wed, 2010-01-13 09:34
Well I completely believe in eat less and move more, as simple as that sounds. However, that was easier said than done for me for about 5 years. I was moving, I have worked out consistently for years ... but I was still gaining ... because I wasn't eating less OR even eating a rational amount. So I decided to do Weight Watchers online (have several friends that swear by it) ... and it has worked! I've lost 30 lbs in about 4 mos and have 10 to go. For me it is about the accountability, the portion control and making healthier choices. I plan to get the last 10 lbs off, do the maintenance for a few months and then try to go it on my own by keeping a daily food journal and using the knowledge I've gained from WW.
Wed, 2010-01-13 08:59
Another thing that worked for me for a while was to eat very strictly during the week, and then I could eat anything i wanted on the weekends. After a while, the five days of healthy eating got to feel more "right" than the two days of eating anything I wanted, and started to seep into the weekends as well. All you need is time and distance from your trigger foods to make you crave them less and actually make you feel a bit ill when you eat them.
I used to be totally addicted to the M&M bowls we kept in my office. It made me grumpy and I was constantly crashing after the high. I went cold turkey, craved like crazy, but then one day it just sounded gross.
Twenty days to make or break a habit, baby!
Wed, 2010-01-13 09:32
I can't believe this got cut! Have sex with the lights on. VERY MOTIVATING.
Wed, 2010-01-13 08:36
Supposedly, having sex burns a lot of calories... Lights on or off!
Wed, 2010-01-13 09:36
I recently came across a great tip while leafing through a friend's copy of Michael Pollan's new book "Food Rules." And maybe it's just a good rule for everyday eating, not just weight loss.
I think it was something like, "Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you've made it yourself."
Wed, 2010-01-13 05:02