2022 Healthy Lifestyle Discussion

[geenamercile]

I snacked to much at work today.  We did my favorite lesson for the past two days where I bring in different foods, and the kids get a sample randomly of one, then they have to write a descriptive essay.  So 4th block I had the left overs.  Nothing unhealthy, seaweed, green pea puffs, dried cheese..... but still snacked a lot.  

[mamasita99]

Feb 17, 2022 16:42:00 GMT -5 geenamercile said:

I snacked to much at work today.  We did my favorite lesson for the past two days where I bring in different foods, and the kids get a sample randomly of one, then they have to write a descriptive essay.  So 4th block I had the left overs.  Nothing unhealthy, seaweed, green pea puffs, dried cheese..... but still snacked a lot.  

Sounds like a cute way to get the kids interested in descriptive writing! I used to do lots of cooking activities with my life skills classes. I had fun creating the visuals recipes for them.

[Ava]

I believe I've found the right approach to my problem; small and consistent changes, plus coaching and support.

Breakfast of a piece of whole grain bread toast with cream cheese, a tangerine and green tea with milk is now a given.
I came up with that breakfast based on what the nutritionist said: a dairy product, a carb and a fruit.
I ran it by her last Monday, and she said the breakfast I chose is perfect.

This week I've concentrated on the healthy lunches. So far so good. I've only committed to 3 healthy lunches a week, but I'm doing better than that. Last week I was left hungry after a couple of hours, but the nutritionist told me to increase the protein in my healthy plate, and to drink a glass of water before lunch. I'm feeling more satiated now.

Next time I see her, on February 28, I want her to go into more detail about the healthy afternoon snack and healthy dinner, so I can start working on those in March.

So, Im doing good in the food department, but I've been lazy, overslept, it was too cold, etc. and I didn't exercise at all this week. The nutritionist said exercise is very important, and should be done a minimum of 3 times a week. Will focus on that next week.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I've had a week of binging. I'm resolute today about not having junk food!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

My physical activity is way down this week also.

[laterbloomer]

170.2!!! It was water weight!!! Yay!

For the record I drink at least 72 oz of water a day and I do a good job eating clean keto.

[countrygirl2]

We eat everything we want, just way less of it.

Right now, I'm having navy bean soup, cooked with a ham bone, best I've made in a while. Seasoned with some sweet onions, soooo good. And healthy.

I can eat 2 scrambled eggs, that will hold me longer than many foods, I'm sure it's the protein.

[Opti]

That's what my mom did CG2. Just eat less. 

[laterbloomer]

Feb 18, 2022 14:12:07 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

We eat everything we want, just way less of it.

I'm terrible at portion control and carbs are not my friend. I eat less and have more energy eating this way and it includes most of my favourite foods. I know carbs don't affect everyone the way they affect me, but keto is made for me and my food challenges.

[countrygirl2]

But without the Ozempic, I know we would be eating too much again, so anxious to see what the next plan will be after we get to our goals. He said it's almost like getting a stomach reduction, signals you are full when eating. You really make yourself uncomfortable if you eat more then you should. I don't too often, and DD doesn't at all.

I'm hoping we can develop the habit of eating less. We don't buy sweets; I try to bake something every week or two. Also, the expense of ready-made is horrible. Hubs said he started to buy some muffins and were $1.80 each, obscene. I did get hubs some strawberries with some gel mix; he eats it with those small cakes. I just eat the strawberries plain, DD does not because of the small seeds.

[geenamercile]

I did not make the gym last night.  I can home took what I had planned as a power nap around 5.  Woke up around 7:30 and was up long enough to order Chinese for me and the girls, back to sleep until my alarm went off this morning.  I am going to try tonight to make it to the gym after soccer practice.   

[Opti]

Feb 18, 2022 16:27:44 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Feb 18, 2022 14:12:07 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

We eat everything we want, just way less of it.

I'm terrible at portion control and carbs are not my friend. I eat less and have more energy eating this way and it includes most of my favourite foods. I know carbs don't affect everyone the way they affect me, but keto is made for me and my food challenges.

I'm definitely in the you do you camp when it comes to diet. I did a keto like diet back in the dying days of my job in big Pharma. Because of the time requirements for on call, I ended up eating carbs to survive on the weekend. I ballooned up like crazy.

For me, keto doesn't work because you need $$$ and access to stay on it. Food pantry life also blows me up because of the carbs and lack of filling stuff. Hopefully being more active will keep my weight in check as I search for my next job.

[Ava]

If I don't change the foods I'm eating, I'll never be at a healthy weight.
Reducing portions won't work for me. But it's different for everyone and I'm glad it's working for countrygirl2 and her daughter.

[Opti]

Feb 18, 2022 16:30:25 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

But without the Ozempic, I know we would be eating too much again, so anxious to see what the next plan will be after we get to our goals. He said it's almost like getting a stomach reduction, signals you are full when eating. You really make yourself uncomfortable if you eat more then you should. I don't too often, and DD doesn't at all.

I'm hoping we can develop the habit of eating less. We don't buy sweets; I try to bake something every week or two. Also, the expense of ready-made is horrible. Hubs said he started to buy some muffins and were $1.80 each, obscene. I did get hubs some strawberries with some gel mix; he eats it with those small cakes. I just eat the strawberries plain, DD does not because of the small seeds.

Hubs is probably still used to buying things when he's on a job site. Its not that bad for portable food. I can always tell when its construction season here, as the stores start stocking small items like nut butters in single serve squeeze packets, etc.

My mom also baked most of our sweets until she made me into the baker of the family. She made sheet cakes from scratch and various cookies. I made a fair amount of refrigerator cookie dough. Some to be brought out at the end of the meal with the family having the option of having a slice or two. I wish I had a bigger kitchen so I could do some of my preferred cookies. 

[geenamercile]

I did switch to coconut, avocado oil, and butter for pretty much all of my cooking.  The only thing I use the vegetable oil in now is for frying ODD boneless chicken wings (although I am thinking of switching to canola oil for her).  I got some almond flour to that I either just use instead of regular flour or mix it with it.  I have never been a big rice person, but recently tried cauliflower rice and really like that.  I am wondering if I can make sushi with it.  Over all I think I am pretty close to the Keto diet by default, although I think I may eat to much fruit for it, and I do like my the Russian Rye bread that Lidl carries.  So I am also in the eat what I like but less of a camp.  My biggest issue was being okay with allowing myself to get foods I like and just having my own food vs just eating what others wanted to eat so I didn't make multiple dinners.  When we were together their dad would do a lot of the cooking, and while it was nice coming home to food made he tended to make things he liked and things that were prepackage/boxed and easy.      


I am curious on what others have done to make things more healthy.  

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

geenamercile, originally (pre-Oct 2021), we'd switched to olive oil long ago. I'd also mostly given up cow milk, though I still had ice cream. At some point, I reduced my meat intake overall but substantially reduced my red meat intake.  In late 2019, I increased my vegetable intake each day to five servings and cut out all carb/starch sides--rice, potatoes, pasta, bread. I didn't last as long as laterbloomer did. I still have more vegetables than I did pre-2019, but I'm not as consistent as I was for the six months I was truly doing keto. I changed my hot chocolate coffee to a low-carb mix, and that's been a permanent change. DH was not accepting of these changes.


In October 2021, DH came down with pancreatitis. That's forced several changes including no red meat at all in our house and plant-based cheese for DH. (I'm still having some regular cheese.) We no longer purchase cow milk at all, and DH has settled on almond milk and pea milk. DH's pancreatitis caused him to lose 26 pounds in 25 days. He's settled at about a 40-pound weight loss. For him, it's mostly calorie reduction because eating more than 1500 calories per day causes him intense pain. 

[busymom]

Regarding healthy cooking, although some may disagree with me on this, I stopped using margarine when I learned it was originally invented to fatten up livestock.      We use butter, and only real butter now.


I switch up on what kind of oil we use.  Depends on the recipe.  Sometimes it's olive oil, but if it affects the taste of the recipe, there are other healthier oils out there to use.  


I try to have healthy options handy to snack on, not just for me.  Carrot sticks, celery sticks, finger foods that are ready-to-eat.  


I am one of those people that if I have a smaller portion of sweets, it satisfies the urge.  Frankly, I don't crave as much sugar now as I did when I was 30 pounds heavier.  It's weird, I know.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Got in >10,000 steps yesterday per my iPhone. 

[Lizard Queen]

We mostly  use olive oil or butter for cooking.  We use yogurt butter to spread on bread. I've never liked margarine. 

[geenamercile]

I know when the girls dad was in the picture we ate a lot more of the rice, potatoes, pasta, bread.  Honestly all of that was things that I am just meh about, besides a few certain types of breads.  Dairy was one of the things I said I couldn't give up.  I don't really drink milk but love cheese. 

I tried coconut milk in my coffee for awhile.  It wasn't bad but it doesn't make me smile like my heavy cream.  I tried black coffee too, but my stomach isn't happy with it first thing in the morning.  I have not tried pea milk, but will look for it.    

I also really like the plain Kefir with some raspberries in it.  

I did buy a bag of the monkfruit sugar over a month ago.  I have used it once.  I think as a sugar substitute it is great and will use it again when needed, but haven't need it yet. 

I did get some Shirataki noodles, used them when I did a Ramen recipe, they worked fine, but I am not sure my body really knew what to do with them.  I still have some in the fridge and will try them again at some point.     

Lidl had sale on their hot guacamole so I got some of that.  This morning breakfast was eggs over easy with guacamole on them.  Before it would have been eggs with pancakes and sausage or bacon (again not a fan, but I do like a good steak and eggs)  Because eggs with guacamole wouldn't have been considered a full breakfast.  I use to say I didn't like breakfast foods, and a lot of times wouldn't eat breakfast but then would way over eat for lunch.  Finding breakfast things I like, and having a small breakfast so I didn't over eat at lunch was one of the things that was set for me.  

I like meat.  Oldest really only eats chicken, that is another thing that I will eat it but more meh about it.  I am actually thinking of spending the 1000 dollars for a half a cow in the summer. That will keep me and the youngest in beef for the year.  I am trying to make healthier choices in what I buy as well.  I am the only one in the house who loves fish.  The girls won't eat it at all, their dad would only would eat it if it was battered and fried or smothered in butter.  So adding that back in, and cooked different ways has been a big change.  

Veggies was another thing that was limited when trying to cook for all of us.  Pretty much corn, peas, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes (Okay I like those).  So I have greatly expanded the veggies that are in the fridge.  But honestly having fun veggies that I enjoy has helped me eat more of them.  I have a real issue with asparagus, every time I buy it and roast it, it is suppose to last me like 3 meals and normally just becomes dinner itself with no left overs.  I have also adding more variety to my spice cabinet with middle eastern, and oriental spices.       

Drinking more water and not just coffee and teas was a hard switch for me.  I started with the sparkling waters/propel drinks for awhile until my pallet changed where drinking water by itself wasn't as big deal.  Still an area I am more weak in.

I have been having fun cooking new things for me, and always looking for new recipes to try out now.   

I am a little worried about the upcoming months.  I didn't make it to the gym last night as the youngest soccer practice was 2 hours not the 1 I thought.  I know that soon we will go back to the 3 practices a week.  The plus is those will be outside at the field so I can at least walk and get some movement there.  Work is also hitting the more stressful part with the end of the 3rd nine weeks/start of 4th.  And I have just been mentally exhausted coming home too.  Not effecting the eating to much, but certainly effecting getting to the gym as well.  
  

[hkguy]

Update:          Start           Current

Weight            213.5            212.5

Abdomen         44"               44"

Wasted week.  Exercise 0/3,  Dairy Queen 1/1.

I have a hundred excuses but no good ones. 

This is why I'm here; mea culpa, take personal responsibility

and try again.  Mixed metaphor: next week is a new day.

Dragging my sorry ass back onto the dance floor.

[geenamercile]

I wouldn't say it is a wasted week.  You lost a LB, and normal recommendation is like a max 2lbs a week, so half way there.  Also, from what I was told at the start you tend to lose weight working from the outside in.  This video explains what I was told about not seeing results that I wanted in the first few months.   Don't give up.  

[hkguy]

Feb 19, 2022 13:04:13 GMT -5 geenamercile said:

I wouldn't say it is a wasted week.  You lost a LB, and normal recommendation is like a max 2lbs a week, so half way there.  Also, from what I was told at the start you tend to lose weight working from the outside in.  This video explains what I was told about not seeing results that I wanted in the first few months.  Don't give up.  

Thank you.  I'm watching his website now.

[geenamercile]

168 this morning, so back to dropping 

[laterbloomer]

Feb 20, 2022 7:25:12 GMT -5 geenamercile said:

168 this morning, so back to dropping 

Me too!!! 169.4 😁😁😁😁😁

[geenamercile]

[geenamercile]

For anyone who might need the reminder..... and sorry it is so big.

[mamasita99]

Good day to all!

-Stay at or below calorie target, aiming for macro ratios: Eh, average 78 calories above target (not making my goal). Average 19 grams below protein target (not making my goal).
-16 hour fasts (want to really get these consistent before increasing): didn’t really track these. The app I use for tracking everything else was supposed to track fasts as well, but I am having trouble with the feature for some reason.
-no after dinner drink Mon-Thu (messes with my sleep and increases urge for snacking): I did well with this, 4 days no drinks. Lots of empty calories avoided right there.

I exercised most days, trying to build my muscles back up in case of zombie apocalypse.

[nidena]

Feb 20, 2022 20:56:11 GMT -5 mamasita99 said:

Good day to all!

-Stay at or below calorie target, aiming for macro ratios: Eh, average 78 calories above target (not making my goal). Average 19 grams below protein target (not making my goal).
-16 hour fasts (want to really get these consistent before increasing): didn’t really track these. The app I use for tracking everything else was supposed to track fasts as well, but I am having trouble with the feature for some reason.
-no after dinner drink Mon-Thu (messes with my sleep and increases urge for snacking): I did well with this, 4 days no drinks. Lots of empty calories avoided right there.

I exercised most days, trying to build my muscles back up in case of zombie apocalypse.

I use Zero for tracking my fasts.

[nidena]

Feb 19, 2022 12:11:44 GMT -5 geenamercile said:

I know when the girls dad was in the picture we ate a lot more of the rice, potatoes, pasta, bread.  Honestly all of that was things that I am just meh about, besides a few certain types of breads.  Dairy was one of the things I said I couldn't give up.  I don't really drink milk but love cheese. 

I tried coconut milk in my coffee for awhile.  It wasn't bad but it doesn't make me smile like my heavy cream.  I tried black coffee too, but my stomach isn't happy with it first thing in the morning.  I have not tried pea milk, but will look for it.    

I also really like the plain Kefir with some raspberries in it.  

I did buy a bag of the monkfruit sugar over a month ago.  I have used it once.  I think as a sugar substitute it is great and will use it again when needed, but haven't need it yet. 

I did get some Shirataki noodles, used them when I did a Ramen recipe, they worked fine, but I am not sure my body really knew what to do with them.  I still have some in the fridge and will try them again at some point.     

Lidl had sale on their hot guacamole so I got some of that.  This morning breakfast was eggs over easy with guacamole on them.  Before it would have been eggs with pancakes and sausage or bacon (again not a fan, but I do like a good steak and eggs)  Because eggs with guacamole wouldn't have been considered a full breakfast.  I use to say I didn't like breakfast foods, and a lot of times wouldn't eat breakfast but then would way over eat for lunch.  Finding breakfast things I like, and having a small breakfast so I didn't over eat at lunch was one of the things that was set for me.  

I like meat.  Oldest really only eats chicken, that is another thing that I will eat it but more meh about it.  I am actually thinking of spending the 1000 dollars for a half a cow in the summer. That will keep me and the youngest in beef for the year.  I am trying to make healthier choices in what I buy as well.  I am the only one in the house who loves fish.  The girls won't eat it at all, their dad would only would eat it if it was battered and fried or smothered in butter.  So adding that back in, and cooked different ways has been a big change.  

Veggies was another thing that was limited when trying to cook for all of us.  Pretty much corn, peas, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes (Okay I like those).  So I have greatly expanded the veggies that are in the fridge.  But honestly having fun veggies that I enjoy has helped me eat more of them.  I have a real issue with asparagus, every time I buy it and roast it, it is suppose to last me like 3 meals and normally just becomes dinner itself with no left overs.  I have also adding more variety to my spice cabinet with middle eastern, and oriental spices.       

Drinking more water and not just coffee and teas was a hard switch for me.  I started with the sparkling waters/propel drinks for awhile until my pallet changed where drinking water by itself wasn't as big deal.  Still an area I am more weak in.

I have been having fun cooking new things for me, and always looking for new recipes to try out now.   

I am a little worried about the upcoming months.  I didn't make it to the gym last night as the youngest soccer practice was 2 hours not the 1 I thought.  I know that soon we will go back to the 3 practices a week.  The plus is those will be outside at the field so I can at least walk and get some movement there.  Work is also hitting the more stressful part with the end of the 3rd nine weeks/start of 4th.  And I have just been mentally exhausted coming home too.  Not effecting the eating to much, but certainly effecting getting to the gym as well.  
  

I make my coffee with Plnt stevia and unsalted butter and then froth it with my Aerolatte frother.
I drink four cups of water in the morning with my vitamins.  Because of fasting, I mix 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt with some lemon juice and the four cups of water and drink it down.  It's easier to drink more water when you're trying to cut the taste of salt.  lol.
I cook everything in olive oil if it needs it.  Except asparagus.  That, I cook in my bacon pan with the leftover grease.
My go-to meal is chopped up chicken, chopped up veggies (whatever is in the fridge except maybe kale), and blueberries all cooked in olive oil.
Kale chips are another fun one: kale generously spritzed in olive oil and then baked until mostly crisp.