"I've decided that perhaps I'm bulimic and just keep forgetting to purge."

-- Paula Poundstone

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Eat less, move more

Good morning!

Some people have asked me what program or diet I am following. The mere question sends my life flashing before my eyes every time.

I’ve been a chunker my whole life. (Anyone else remember the horror of having to buy the “Husky” jeans as a kid?)

It seems I’ve been on one diet or another throughout all my years. That is, until I just said “screw it,” and we see where that got me.

I’ve done The Grapefruit Diet. The Cabbage Diet. The Low-Fat Diet. The Low-Carb Diet.

My young adulthood favorite: The Cigarettes and Diet Coke Diet.

This time? I’m trying to be sensible (not always my strong suit). I’m taking the advice a doctor gave me years ago when I asked him to help me lose weight:

“Eat less, move more,” he said.

Trust me, both of those thoughts (eating less and moving more) scare the hell out of me. I’ve always had the appetite of a grown man, even as a young girl.

But I figure right now any movement is “moving more.” I’ve done nothing for far too long.

(I did just get off the treadmill, by the way. I went 22.5 minutes for 1.1 miles today.)

That eating less thing can be tricky, though. I have to tell myself it is fewer calories, not necessarily eating less.

And the key to that, for me, is being prepared. Take a look at my picture. That was taken Sunday.

I plan to cut up vegetables for the whole week, just like that, so that I just grab them and go to work.

For breakfast yesterday, I had a Fiber One bar, a banana and a glass of V-8. Snack: raw almonds.

(Note: I really like Egg Beaters and turkey sausage links, but the above breakfast is usually what I have time for, especially since I’m exercising and writing in the mornings.)

For lunch, I had tuna mixed with the reduced-fat mayo made with olive oil (even better if you can eat the tuna dry, but it gags me) and reduced-fat Triscuits. Plus some of those vegetables (I take grape tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. I try hard to eat them alone, but hummus is a pretty good dip for veggies.)

For dinner, I had salmon burgers, which I found in the frozen food section. I was pretty pleased. Not too fishy. And you guessed it … more veggies.

So, that’s just one day, but you get the point. Use common sense.

Eat less, move more.

What works for you?

6 comments:

  1. mooooving is the only thing that's ever worked for me. That combined with avoiding the abundant snacks at the office! I thought I'd lose weight while off with my broken ankle ... not so. I was less mobile (though I gained some great upper body strength from using crutches for two months), ate three meals a day plus snacks ... ugh.

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  2. I have to say.... as soon as the kids left for school I wanted to check to see if you had a new entry today! I start my "eat less, move more" today!! Thanks for the inspiration.

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  3. Misty, I'm rooting for you! You are a strong person and can do this. What works for me is whole foods, and if I do eat something from a box it needs to have less than 5 ingredients in it. Any breads or pastas are 100% whole wheat. I recommend you to read some of Micheal Pollan's books on food, "Omnivore's Delimma, In Defense of Food, Food Rules", if you haven't already. It gives you a history of our food system and really breaks down how these foods are made and why they are not healthy for us. These books have changed the way I eat. Wishing you the best!! ~~~Jennifer Bottom Sobecki

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  4. Tuna hint..they make packages of Tuna with Lemon Pepper seasoning, hickory smoke, etc..They are really really good! I use half a pack on a bed of lettuce with other good veggies mixed in...and use a light italian dressing. I LOVE IT! and it is a great filling lunch. Keep up the great work. I think of you every time I want to cut a workout short or stop and get some fast food...Keep inspiring and motivating!
    Shauna

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  5. Forgot to tell you how wise you are to get up and exercise first thing. Once upon a time (that means my mid-20s) I got out and jogged at 5:30 a.m. before I had to get the kids up and go to work. I was 40 pounds overweight and felt every fat ounce. But exercising first thing does get the body in gear better for the whole day. After two weeks I saw a big difference and began to look forward to getting outside and moving in the quiet of sunrise. When the weather gets warm, consider taking a tour of your neighborhood, which looks perfect for a brisk sunrise walk. Cheering for ya!

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  6. You rock girlfriend! I've found a few things that work for me and one of them is that I don't ignore cravings. If I have a hankering for ice cream, I have to have it or I'll eat everything between me and it. Now I just have a sample and walk away...my favorites are the Dove 70 cal ice cream bites. Also, I had to make up my mind that exercise was just going to be a part of my day like other daily necessities so then it stopped being something I dreaded. After a year of working out two hours a day and losing NOTHING I did have to have doctor intervention and tried a round of some crazy drugs. I hated taking them but they did teach me that food doesn't rule my life and even though i stopped them earlier than I was supposed to, I think of the lesson they taught me a lot...especially when I'm starving at lunch and really just want a big ol' greasy somethin'. I will still live with a salad. Just change one thing at a time. Keep on rockin'!

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