Healthy & Fitness - September 2014

[Ramblinrose]

ohhh...just received verification of my diet bet. My weight photo via scale and photo were accepted. Also received what I will need to lose to win the bet...5.2 lbs. Really kind of scary because this is gonna take me down to a weight that I haven't seen in a very very long time.

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
― John Wayne

Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.
--Eddie Rickenbacker

You can read more about Eddie Rickenbacker and courage in the Members Only.... Retreat for Summer 2014 thread on page 3. Its called The Old Guy and a Bucket of Shrimp

[Harriet]

Ramblin' thank you for the SHEMs.

I wonder if you will remember the answer to your question when you see the first words, because I think you know this. HFCS is High Fructose Corn Syrup, the 1970s invention from Japan, an industrial food product, that now sweetens most of our soft drinks and other sweet prepared foods because it is cheaper to acquire than sugar. It doesn't have to be broken down in the digestive tract, taking time, but can go straight to the liver and therefore causes trouble.

Fructose itself is not such a bad guy since fruit contains it and folks have been doing fine with fruit for years and it is part of a complex of nutrients and fiber. But because HFCS, containing fructose that's free from fiber, now takes up such a high percentage of people's diets, it's the extremely unnatural levels, very cheap to sell, that cause harm. So replacing HFCS sodas with actual sugar-containing sodas again would take that percentage down, take the burden away from the liver somewhat, and be healthier.

Also sugar "signals" the body that it has had sweets by triggering leptin, which controls appetite, but HFCS doesn't, which might cause someone to over-consume.

[Ramblinrose]

Thought for the day...

I've decided
I'll never
Get down to my
Original weight.

I'm Okay with that.

After all
6 lbs., 3 oz.
Is just
Not realistic

Andrea Orbeck

[Ramblinrose]

Thanks Harriet...I didn't remember that

[FelineFriend]

I had a root canal today, so was able to eat very little.

For:
B - 1.5 cups Greek yogurt and 2 scoops International coffee
L - (Was on the way to go to the dentist), I ate 1 protein bar with 2 Tbsp. of Almond Butter on it.
D - (I was sore, tired from 2.5 hours in the chair), so ate 1.5 cups of Greek (very high protein, too.) yogurt, 1 cheddar cheese stick, and succumbed to 2 scoops of International coffee.

I DO know this isn't much food, at ALL, for 1 day, but under the circumstances, I could NOT eat a heavy lunch and then go to the dentist immediately after. I needed protein and to eat light. Afterwards, I had the excuse of being tired and sore. I'm not snacking tonight because I need to take my thyroid pill before bedtime on an empty stomach.

I did not exercise or walk or anything. I'll try to tomorrow, on Anti-Procrastination Day.

Some days aren't "perfect".

[Lynlee]

http://ginews.blogspot.com.au/#JBM
Lots on sweeteners studies and weight loss in this edition. Also the usual recipes. May be some ideas there.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

In Canada, nothing has HFCS added to it. On the other hand, it does have "fructose/glucose and/or sugar" which is code for HFCS. I figure if any sugar gets into something labeled that way, it is by accident!

Giving up the soda isn't insurmountable. When I was sick the first time, I gave up diet (withdrawal night from aspartame was the only night I considered going to the hospital for all the time I was sick with hepatitis - the pain was almost unbearable and I had also been taken off all OTC pain-killers.) When I was hospitalized for gall bladder, I was taken off non-clear sodas (but offered ginger-ale at every meal) and stayed off them for about 4 - 6 weeks after just to see how long I could do it. And for Lent this year, I did the same (except during Lent I'd have one each Sunday since Sunday's aren't fast days.)

For me regular soda it is more habit than anything else, although I will admit to loving the flavour and getting an 'addicts' hit of happiness/relief when I have a soda. Probably much as those who are addicted to coffee get a hit. It isn't just the caffeine, it is the taste/sugar/caffeine/marketing combined that I react to. (With aspartame there is a physical addiction for me that isn't related to caffeine since I can hop on and off regular soda without withdrawal symptoms but can't do that with diet sodas.

So giving up is just a matter of self control and I'm taking it down to 'one day at a time'. Instead of tracking soda, I'm now tracking sugared drinks each night.

I'm also now tracking WW points. I'm not following WW but I'm 'pointing' what I write down so I can see why I weigh this much. It is pretty obvious that I've been eating way more than I thought I was, some days well over 40 points! (That's roughly 2400 calories depending on how much fibre and veggies I had.) Of course, 6 of those were soda so cutting soda is an easy way to cut some calories, although, since I should only be having 25 points a day, there's a long way to go in cutting points and if I add milk (WW would like me to have at least 1 more glass a day) there goes another 2 points.

I'm going out for lunch today and was WW pointing the options at Tim Horton's. The sandwiches are a better caloric choice than the chili, simply because a large roll comes with the chili (and I eat it to complete the protein chains) and that adds 7 points (when I put on the butter, 5 without.) So the question becomes, will the sandwich fill me up the same way the chili does? I'm not tempted to snack afternoons when I have the chili. Sure the sandwich lunch is 5 points less but if I then snack on baked Lays, etc through the afternoon, I may not be 'winning' in the calorie counting game.

Dinner tonight is planned. Chicken stir fry for me to use up the leftover chicken and peppers. Ribs for dh.

Gotta run now because I've also planned out my day by the minute and got distracted here!

[Lady Maverick]

i'm enjoying reading this thread very much. Good information and inspirational.

Yesterday I stayed on track with my healthy habits.
** Treadmill. Yesterday baby step increase was adding .1 to top speed....still very slow (3.2) but slowly increasing.
** Logged food in MFP and stayed under goal (1200 calories)
** Logged steps - I knew I wasn't being as active as I needed but was busy doing things that didn't add steps (cooking, paperwork etc). Ended the day with 6418.
** Fruit & vegetables = 9
** Water = over 100 ozs. When it is hovering at 100 degrees outside it is not hard to drink water!

Yesterday I setup and started wearing a watch that includes heart monitor. This is the first time I have used a device to check pulse/heart rate. I have been VERY surprised how high my pulse is. I thought it was normally in 40-60 range but my resting pulse is between 77 - 88 beats per minute. When I was on treadmill this morning my pulse was 133. I need to learn more about heart rate.

[Twins' Mom]

Not a great day yesterday. Ate well for breakfast and lunch, then dh and I went out for burger and fries for supper. We were both feeling low/frustrated and used that to justify our eating choice.

LM, I had been meaning to look up heart rate info because I ck mine at the YMCA and on our treadmill here. The formula is 220 minus one's age, then the target for cardio work is 70% of that. Mine should be about 113 then ( (220-58) x 70% ). I easily achieve that on the treadmill and don't feel that I'm actually working very hard. I usually use a 1 - 3 % incline and go just under 4 mph.

Link to an article: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/g ... o-exercise

This morning's breakfast was two eggs scrambled with red sweet pepper and spinach and a little low fat feta.

[Lady Maverick]

Mine should be about 113 then ( (220-58) x 70% ).

I'm 58 years old too so that would be mine also. So......does that means when I'm walking at 3.2 MPH and my pulse is 133 that I need to slow down? I'm not winded so it seemed to be a good pace for me. Going to learn more....

Ack! I took the plunge & joined my first Dietbet. It is to lose 4% of my weight starting Sept 7th until Oct 7th. I wish it started TODAY while I have the courage to do it.
I can do this...
I can..