New Years health resolution

[lewber]

I need to make one. I need to eat less junk. I need to exercise more. But I don't want to. I have some bad habits and I'm getting old enough where it's time to take action.

I like healthy food, I just like bad food too!

Two big vices- diet coke and chips. I go through months where I don't drink any, but I'm currently back on. And I need the crunch of chips. I crave the crunch. I could eat chips and salsa every day for lunch.

Where am i going to get the willpower? I've thought about a trainer. Somebody to hold me accountable because I'm clearly not doing it for myself. I start with little goals but I still give up. My health isn't to where the dr is telling me to get my act in gear. But I know I'd feel better if I did more and I'd love to lose 20-30 pounds, but obviously not enough to do it.

Anyone been here and turned it around? Anyone know how to be mentally stronger? I've always been one to do what is necessary, but not much extra. Deadlines are my friend, they get me motivated.

Kind of venting, but open to advice. I feel like I know what I should do, but I can't seem to make myself do it.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Ok, this sounds stupid but 3 years ago I resolved to floss every night. That was it. I had a chart which helped. That led to adding push ups in Feb, etc, etc. one new thing a month. I have to concentrate. I get easily sidetracked with too much stuff. I would say pick one thing, say, give up chips. I'd sub popcorn or veggie sticks with salsa or gum. Something oral. I'd track every day. I'd allow chips say 1 time a month. I'd plan that day, maybe at a party or out to eat. Then tackle something else the next month. I just ticked a day off the calendar but try habitforgedot com if you like online. Take this for what it's worth. Good luck! Believe in yourself. Oh, and if you " mess up" just carry on. Humans aren't perfect.

[Cakes]

I have never been very active, as in regular exercise. A couple of years ago I decided to force myself to walk daily. That turned into running, which I had always hated, simply because the 5 mile route I took was too time consuming. 

 

I was naturally transformed and so was my mindset on exercise. I began to crave my runs, got a little bit obsessed even. It was awesome. 

 

Last year I began an educational program that was very intensive and it became very hard to fit in my regular exercise. My class is complete and I am getting back on track and it is awesome!

 

My biggest suggestion is to focus on daily exercise first, then begin to work on your eating habits. You will being to feel great and the food swaps will become easier. 

[gardenmom5]

I need to make one. I need to eat less junk. I need to exercise more. But I don't want to. I have some bad habits and I'm getting old enough where it's time to take action.

I like healthy food, I just like bad food too!

Two big vices- diet coke and chips. I go through months where I don't drink any, but I'm currently back on. And I need the crunch of chips. I crave the crunch. I could eat chips and salsa every day for lunch.

Where am i going to get the willpower? I've thought about a trainer. Somebody to hold me accountable because I'm clearly not doing it for myself. I start with little goals but I still give up. My health isn't to where the dr is telling me to get my act in gear. But I know I'd feel better if I did more and I'd love to lose 20-30 pounds, but obviously not enough to do it.

Anyone been here and turned it around? Anyone know how to be mentally stronger? I've always been one to do what is necessary, but not much extra. Deadlines are my friend, they get me motivated.

Kind of venting, but open to advice. I feel like I know what I should do, but I can't seem to make myself do it.

 

go cold turkey on the pop.  your either getting a lot of sugar, or a lot f HFCS - which contains mercury. (it's made with caustic soda - which contains mercury. ds was drinking root beer during a blood draw.  his mercury level was 7.4.  that's the same as if he'd swallowed a thermometer.)

and HFCS messes with how your brain handles sugar cravings.  same with any other artificial sweetener.  you can put the money you DON'T spend on pop in a jar, and see how much you have at the end of the month. go treat yourself to something. (NOT food related.)

 

switch to crunchy veggies.  carrot sticks, celery (I put peanut butter and cinnamon on it.)

 

myfitnesspal is a free site you can enter everything you eat.  and do enter everything.  you can also enter exercise.  seeing it in black and white is good - and you can 'invite' others to see it.

 

when I was trying to motivate myself to exercise regularly- I made a goal of 4x per week for three weeks I could have a massage.  the next time it was 5x per week.

I downloaded a pedometer to my phone (my old phone, the new phone pedometer doesn't work right.) so I could see my steps.  that's motivating.

[lewber]

Thanks for the suggestions. I just watched the fed up movie and that got me motivated to do better. I have done lots of what you mention, I just lack follow through. I start but eventually, whether a week or 6 months later, I fall off. Have yet to make anything a true lifestyle change.

I agree though the diet coke needs to stop cold turkey. I have done that many times before, I just start drinking it again and then straight down hill I go.

I also need the accountability of writing everything down again. Even if I don't count calories I need to see how much junk, processed, or fast food I eat. I'm sure I'm underestimating it.

Thanks for the positive advice!

[Annie G]

Are you an all or nothing kind of person or are you motivated by small victories? I do better setting small goals- it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. If I suddenly decided to turn my diet around AND start daily workouts,  I'm sure I would falter because one cheat makes me feel like a failure. 

So you have to figure out what works best for you.  Some people do much better making all the changes at once.

 

And you would likely do better with an accountability partner. I'm so lucky that I have dh, because we encourage each other both with diet and exercise.  When I'm feeling weak, he pushes me.  When he's having a tough week, I drag him to the gym with me anyway.  When we do splurge, we do it together and help each other make decent choices.   

 

Chips and salsa aren't the worst choices you could make for a snack- if you keep your portion size small and choose a fresh salsa.   

[Tess in the Burbs]

We are trying to ease into things.  I have been logging my food for over a year at loseit.  Free.  love it.  I just got a tracker that was cheap.  The app isn't consistent, but it has been helpful to see how lazy I am.  Dh and I are now trying to do one more push up a day.  I can't do regular push ups.  I did ONE.  And my abs were killing me today.  So today I did 2.  I plan to do one more a day.  It's something. 

 

I am also wanting to walk daily....and I hope after next week to be mentally ready.  For me, when I am into something I go all out.  Right now I am not there mentally to push myself, but I want to be.  We have been buying more veggies and meal planning this week.  Hoping to add in the daily walking next week.  

 

Dh and I are going to help keep each other accountable.  At this point, weight loss would be nice, but after logging food for a year and not losing anything I am aiming for better fitness.  I want to go hiking and the places I want to go are up steep hills.  I need to get fit.  I plan to put a goal of one big hike a month.  

 

But for me, if I can mentally get into the game I can be successful.  Hope you can make a plan and stick to it. Start small so you can have some early success. 

[Cakes]

lewber, you are being harsh with yourself!

 

If you get off track, acknowledge it with a simple "oops, I am off track. I don't want to do that" then carry on. Quit looking back :-)

 

We ALL get off track here and there. It is far more productive to focus on getting back on track than to focus on the fact that you got off track at all.
 

Hugs!

[Joyofsixreboot]

We all get off track but if you had a flat tire would you slash the other three? Just fix stuff and move on.

[texasmama]

Honestly?

 

I would give up Diet Coke immediately. It is a true threat to your health, IMO. Substitute with some other drink - even sugar sweetened tea would be better. Use stevia to sweeten tea if you don't mind it or sub with water with lemon.

 

I would also eat chips and salsa for lunch every day if I wanted to. You will tire of it in time but it might help you get over the hump of giving up Diet Coke.

 

I've changed a lot of eating and drinking habits, including giving up Diet Coke. The trick for me was to do it one thing at a time. It makes it more palatable.

[MeghansMom]

My doctor gave the okay for me to get back to the gym, so I start back the third week of January.

Looking forward to that! I was doing strength training and cardio, also I was starting to run again.

I have been really stressed and binging on sugar and carbs, so I am trying to be more conscious of my eating

by keeping an online food journal, drinking lots of water and getting my veggies and fruits in.

I also try to have "healthier" versions of things I like to eat. Like instead of a cheeseburger and fries, I will have a veggie burger and small baked potato, instead of hot wings, I will make buffalo pizza with grilled chicken and pita bread, hot sauce onions, some blue cheese and make a healthy side salad, instead of a burrito out, I will make a bean one with some cheese, veggies and sauce at home.

I find I have a big problem with eating out too much, cheaply, but not for my health.

I know exercising again will help with binging and stress.

[lewber]

Thank you all for your stories and suggestions. I think I am 80/20 with the eating, but I weigh too much for that to be true, so I am going to have to track it I think. I like the idea of little things one at a time. I can give up Diet coke - I've done it for years before. But it truly is addictive and I just love it. I don't drink coffee, and it offers that little something in the morning or with a meal when I just do not want water. I am good with water and unsweet tea, I just really enjoy a Diet coke too!

So I think I'll try the calendar hanging up on my bedroom door with a weekly goal only for now. I think it will be helpful to see it marked off every day. I have a fitbit, and I was good for months this summer. But I have a very sedentary desk job. Walking enough to get 10,000 steps took a lot of time, for too few calories I think. I need more bang for the buck so to speak.

But for this week I'll start smaller.

My goals this week are - the 7 minute workout every day, no potato chips, and a green smoothie every day. These seem do-able, but still progress. I'll re-evaluate next Monday.

[hornblower]

A couple years ago I started the green smoothie thing and it's been very good for me. I try to have at least one/day and I have them before a meal, esp a slightly rich meal. The smoothies fill me up so I eat les of whatever comes next and it made portion control much easier.

 

I also kicked my diet coke habit but I did it by starting coffee. I don't really like coffee. You don't have to like it to drink it. I drink it medicinally for the caffeine. I have it with unsweetened low fat soy which I shake up in the carton - it kind of froths when you shake it hard so it's a bit like a faux cappuccino.. One mug in morning, another one around lunch.

[Tsuga]

I do one workout video set at a time. I can commit to a season. I also take three months off per year which probably isn't ideal but at my age I believe it reduces my risk of injury. This is not based on scientific evidence but on how I feel. I do a three-month Beachbody workout then take two to three weeks off, not as a reward--my health is the reward--but just to let my ligaments recover.

 

I would also give up diet pop. That stuff is nasty. Honestly, when I look at it, I look at it like I look at a drug. Like I look at online porn. "What the HECK are you trying to sell me?" I get angry at their charging money to ruin my health. The negative emotions I have related to pop made it easy to never drink it again. And I don't. I do have occasional mineral water with lemon or lime in it.

 

Coffee is one of the safest appetite suppressors there is. Two cups a day, one at breakfast and one before lunch, seriously reduces appetite and there are no known side effects and it's been tested extensively, mainly by addicts like me. I wouldn't suggest adding caffeine to someone who was not addicted, but seeing as how you already drink diet pop, you might as well. Coffee also has some good cholesterol in it.

 

I haven't lost weight (at least, not a lot) but I have quit smoking and I have started working out regularly as an adult and it was hard. Good luck!

 

 

[lewber]

I have thought about taking up coffee. I do like hot tea though so I have that. But it doesn't have the same kind of addicting properties as coffee might or Diet coke does for me.  

 

I have been doing smoothies 4 - 5 times a week for the past few months, so it shouldn't be too hard to up that. Right now I usually have a large one for breakfast, with just greens, berries, flax seed, lime juice, and water. I like the idea of a small one before a big meal or going out to keep me on track. 

[Tsuga]

I think hot black tea would be addicting--I can drink it instead of coffee so as not to get a caffeine headache.

 

You are really healthy with your smoothies! I should do that.

[lewber]

I think hot black tea would be addicting--I can drink it instead of coffee so as not to get a caffeine headache.

 

You are really healthy with your smoothies! I should do that.

This smoothie is really good and so yummy. The bkenerties and lime juice make up for the greens. I skewts use extra ice too. Sometimes I also add pomegranate juice too.

 

I like to try to follow dr furhman's recommendations to eat GBOMBS As much as possible- Greens, berries, onions, mushrooms, beans, seeds and nuts. I can get three in with one smoothie. That leaves my black bean nachos:) and onion salsa for lunch! Ha!

I hate mushrooms but have been meaning to get mushroom extract to add to my smoothies because it's supposed to be so good for you.