Since the new year started, I have made some changes in my eating habits and what I eat.

Since Jan 1st, I have given up Coke, which was my favorite soft drink. I still drink a few Sprites a week, but my main drink is water and iced tea.

I no longer eat french fries, nor do I eat anything with chocolate in it. I have also given up candy bars:Smiley199 .

I am eating more grilled chicken, more salads w/vegetables, low fat lunch meats, and whole wheat bread. I also can't remember the last time I had a hamburger. I'm cutting back on those also.

For breakfasts, I am eating raisin bran and mini wheats.

This is just a start. It has really caused me to be very disciplined in what I eat. Just this evening, I joined a "Start Walking Program" sponsored by my employer. In this program, I watch what I eat and I exercise regularly. I have a sheet that I keep my progress on.

It's time for a healthier me:wink: .

Keith you nailed it. You will be seeing results in no time. It's very similar to what I did in late 2005, and I lost 20 pounds gradually. Lose the weight gradually and it will be easier to keep it off, and you'll suffer less.

Keith, congrats on your way to healthier eating...

Just one teensy bit of advice

Don't tell yourself you Can't have something.. because if you are anything like me or 99% of the population, the minute you say to yourself.. " I can't have that piece of chocolate" all you will think of, day and night, morning noon and night, is, guess what? Chocolate...chocolate everywhere! On the billboards, on TV, in your dreams, everyone around you will be shoving chocolate in their faces.. okay,you get the picture, lol

So, here is a trick, if it starts getting to you, whether it's fries or chocolate or Coke.. moderation... the three bite rule or three sips.. knowing that if you really wanted something you can take three small bites of a dessert or have three fries, helps tremendously.

Also, a tip I heard the other day.. don't eat after 6:30 pm - nothing, nada..

Good luck!

Took me a while, but gradually shifted to just diet sodas now and some green tea mixed in....As long as I still get my caffeine I'm good

Lean pocket for breakfast, lean cuisines, S. Beach or kashi's mainly for lunch and try to eat at home at least 5 nights a week...Now if I can just cutout the happy hours I could actually lose some weight :bright_id

Good luck on your quest Keith

Took me a while, but gradually shifted to just diet sodas now and some green tea mixed in....As long as I still get my caffeine I'm good

Lean pocket for breakfast, lean cuisines, S. Beach or kashi's mainly for lunch and try to eat at home at least 5 nights a week...Now if I can just cutout the happy hours I could actually lose some weight :bright_id

Good luck on your quest Keith
Thanks. I am actually doing this a little bit at a time so that my body doesn't go in to shock. So far, so good.

It has been two months now since I have been on this health kick, and I am still sticking to most of it. I have not had a coke in two months....all I drink now is iced tea and water. Maybe twice a week I will have a can of Sprite.

I have not had any candy bars in the last two months, although, I have cheated a little and have had a few chocolate chip cookies. I'm still trying to ween myself off of Sonic Blasts.

I'm still eating mini wheats and raisin bran for breakfast, and low fat meat w/whole wheat bread for my lunch.

I do feel much better, and I am not as jittery as I used to be. I don't really see that much of a difference in my weight, although I do feel that I have lost some. Like any good "dieter," I do not own a set of scales.

It does seem like my clothes are getting looser, but I am not that overly excited about it yet.

Do you see any results yet Keith? Fax me one of thems sheets so I can use it to track the progress I am making by eating 10 brownies yesterday. I promise I wont eat any today and I'll only drink diet soda, and I'll go rid myself of the Doritos I just ate.

It has been two months now since I have been on this health kick, and I am still sticking to most of it. I have not had a coke in two months....all I drink now is iced tea and water. Maybe twice a week I will have a can of Sprite.

I have not had any candy bars in the last two months, although, I have cheated a little and have had a few chocolate chip cookies. I'm still trying to ween myself off of Sonic Blasts.

I'm still eating mini wheats and raisin bran for breakfast, and low fat meat w/whole wheat bread for my lunch.

I do feel much better, and I am not as jittery as I used to be. I don't really see that much of a difference in my weight, although I do feel that I have lost some. Like any good "dieter," I do not own a set of scales.

It does seem like my clothes are getting looser, but I am not that overly excited about it yet.
Keith, that's awesome! Are you combining any cardiovascular excercise with your diet modification?

Speaking of cardio, I bought a jump rope and used it last night. About 100 jumps into I thought I was going to die. How did I do at least 500 in a row when I was a kid. NO stamina anymore, I'm telling you.

Old age sucks!

Especially when you're only 19!

Especially when you're only 19!

19??? Good lord child...I've got socks older than you!

Wow, I bet you don't get very many foot massages.

Are'nt you supposed to be jumping rope or something?

Nope, I'm at work, so you know, nothing to do.

Evidently exercise is overrated anyway :treadmill (Finally an excuse to use the treadmill smiley)


No need to diet and exercise to lose weight

Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:29AM EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study debunks the widely held belief that diet plus exercise is the most effective way to lose weight. Researchers report that dieting alone is just as effective as dieting plus exercise.

"For weight loss to occur, an individual needs to maintain a difference between the number of calories they consume everyday and the number of calories they burn through metabolism and physical activity," Dr. Leanne Redman of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, explains in a press release.

"What we found was that it did not matter whether a reduction in calories was achieved through diet or burned everyday through exercise."

Thirty-five overweight but otherwise healthy adults -- 16 men and 19 women -- completed the 6-month study. Twelve were assigned to a diet-only group; they reduced their calorie intake by 25 percent. Twelve were assigned to diet plus exercise; they reduced their calorie intake by 12.5 percent and increased their exercise by 12.5 percent. The remaining 11 subjects made no significant diet or exercise changes.

Redman and colleagues found that the diet-only group and the diet plus exercise group lost roughly the same amount of weight, albeit by different means. They lost about 10 percent of their body weight, 24 percent of their fat mass and 27 percent of their abdominal "visceral" fat -- the deep internal fat linked to heart disease risk.

Therefore, if the goal is purely shedding pounds, diet or exercise will work, according to this study. However, as the researchers point out, regular exercise can improve aerobic fitness and lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

The study also found that exercise did little to tone specific areas of the body. Fat was reduced consistently across the whole body and not more in any one trouble spot.

"Our study then would indicate that weight loss cannot override the way in which any individual stores fat. Perhaps an apple will always be an apple, and a pear, a pear," Redman concludes.

This suggests that people are "genetically programmed for fat storage in a particular pattern and that this programming cannot be easily overcome by weight loss," the authors note in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2007

Congrats Keith! That ROCKS!

I kicked my first love last summer. I had been battling that addiction since high school. I was hooked mostly because my dad drank it and we always had it around.

My dad is an alcoholic but that's not the beverage I'm speaking of....

they call it Mountain Dew...............I call it sugary sweet heaven.

Just kicking something like soda pop is already putting health on your side :)

I actually crave healthy foods like fruits and veggies. I just don't always have those around ;) so that's my excuse.

I've heard that diet alone can really impact your health compared to diet and exercise but I think exercise just makes you feel better. You get your blood pumping and there's more energy and the endorphins (sp?) help you feel like you can take on the world!

I miss yoga! :Smiley173

Evidently exercise is overrated anyway :treadmill (Finally an excuse to use the treadmill smiley)


No need to diet and exercise to lose weight

Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:29AM EST

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study debunks the widely held belief that diet plus exercise is the most effective way to lose weight. Researchers report that dieting alone is just as effective as dieting plus exercise.

"For weight loss to occur, an individual needs to maintain a difference between the number of calories they consume everyday and the number of calories they burn through metabolism and physical activity," Dr. Leanne Redman of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, explains in a press release.

"What we found was that it did not matter whether a reduction in calories was achieved through diet or burned everyday through exercise."

Thirty-five overweight but otherwise healthy adults -- 16 men and 19 women -- completed the 6-month study. Twelve were assigned to a diet-only group; they reduced their calorie intake by 25 percent. Twelve were assigned to diet plus exercise; they reduced their calorie intake by 12.5 percent and increased their exercise by 12.5 percent. The remaining 11 subjects made no significant diet or exercise changes.

Redman and colleagues found that the diet-only group and the diet plus exercise group lost roughly the same amount of weight, albeit by different means. They lost about 10 percent of their body weight, 24 percent of their fat mass and 27 percent of their abdominal "visceral" fat -- the deep internal fat linked to heart disease risk.

Therefore, if the goal is purely shedding pounds, diet or exercise will work, according to this study. However, as the researchers point out, regular exercise can improve aerobic fitness and lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

The study also found that exercise did little to tone specific areas of the body. Fat was reduced consistently across the whole body and not more in any one trouble spot.

"Our study then would indicate that weight loss cannot override the way in which any individual stores fat. Perhaps an apple will always be an apple, and a pear, a pear," Redman concludes.

This suggests that people are "genetically programmed for fat storage in a particular pattern and that this programming cannot be easily overcome by weight loss," the authors note in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2007

Lies, all lies! I'll bet these are the same "scientists" who support global warming! That's it, I'm calling Inhofe right now!

Keith, that's awesome! Are you combining any cardiovascular excercise with your diet modification?
I've tried to do as much walking as I can, but lately I have been so busy at work, I have had no time to walk. I did do quite a bit of work this weekend, working my leg muscles and my upper muscles. I'm staying with it........I just have to keep up my walking exercises.

I too have been trying to get healthy and have been going to the Earlywine YMCA everyday after I drop off my youngin at school.

I walk at least 15-30 min a day and on Tuesdays and Thursdays participate in an hour long water exercise class. On M-W-F I do a structured weight lifting program that the Y offers. I had to start off really low on those because I have no upper body strength and it has been years since I've really worked out.

Overall, I've kept up with the program (with the exception of Spring Break week), but my biggest hurdle has been changing my eating habits. I have been trying cut back to one coke/soft drink a day, and drink plenty more water.

So now if I can just get the eating habits under control, I'll be doing great.

I've tried to do as much walking as I can, but lately I have been so busy at work, I have had no time to walk. I did do quite a bit of work this weekend, working my leg muscles and my upper muscles. I'm staying with it........I just have to keep up my walking exercises.
Outstanding! Believe it or don't, 30-45 minutes per day of walking will actually burn more fat than trying to jog that distance. Studies show that intense cardio increases production of Cortisol resulting in more stored belly fat. Also, low weight-high rep resistance training will increase your metabolic rate thus burning even more body fat!

Ok, we bought a home gym and I've been using it the past few days. THats about it.

I started this thread in January, and was bound and determined to stick with this new health kick of mine. Here is an update.

Well, I still have not had a Coke, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper in almost 5 months. That's even hard for me to believe, mainly because I was a cocaholic. I drink water, tea, and have an occasional Sprite or Root Beer.

I have started eating a small amount of chocolate, however, I have still cut way back on french fries and hamburgers. I am eating more chicken, fish, and salads.

I still eat raisin bran and mini wheats for breakfast, and for lunch, I eat very lean lunch meat on whole wheat bread.

Plus, since I am now mowing around 9 lawns a week, my appetite hasn't been as strong and I am drinking three times as much water. Heck, I think I am actually finally losing weight, and being in the sun a lot has given me a golden tan (like that even matters).

Luck to you Keith. I'm beginning to return to a better level of activity (slowly, but surely) than I've had for a while. I'm a long way from ever giving up my fav foods, but progress is progress.

I've decided that I would like to be able to run. I picked up the cross country training schedule for the summer for the kids at my school. I got some shoes (Nike Shox) that don't give me shin splints...it's a problem, and it's painful...and I'm at a pretty good fitness level now so I don't get winded so quickly and my legs don't itch when I run. I can leg-lift 86% of my body weight, and I'm hoping to be able to lift even more. I am much more defined in my upper body than I was before. I have a jawline again! Having a gym so close is really cool.

The training schedule says I have to be able to run a mile to start, so that's my first goal...I can run for 7 minutes now, and I'm running about a 10-11 min. mile. Endurance before speed seems like a good plan to me...can't go very far if I get too winded!

The kids think it's cool that I want to be able to do this. A few kids and me have decided we want to run in the relay portion of the memorial marathon next spring :)

Weight loss is just a side effect. When the school bake sales and whatnot stop, it'll be so much easier.

Foods I normally eat anyway: Lean beef/chicken, sometimes turkey, fresh veggies, fresh fruit (mostly berries and grapes), whole grains like Kashi cereal and bars, and brown rice. Sometimes I have a frozen meal in there. Dairy, usually nonfat sugar-free yogurt, fat free organic milk, and cheese. Not always low-fat cheese because I can limit myself pretty easily if I can just have a little of the real thing. Also, oatmeal, and fiber-sure. What a wonderful invention. 64oz or more of water a day. And one day a week to eat whatever I want!

Okay, so when's school out so I can really focus on this????

My weakness is vegetables. I know they are good for me, but all I really like are green beans, corn, and broccoli. I love bananas and apples too, but they don't like me.

Keith, give Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper a try. I know, I know...you don't like them. Well, I didn't really for a long time, but after drinking them for several months, I actually acquired a taste for diet Coke. Actually now when I drink regular sodas I think they're too sweet. Diet soft drinks have no calories, so you can drink away without gaining any weight.

Good for you Keith! about 7 years ago I ended up dropping 60-ish lbs and have kept it off - i started exercising and changing my eating habits as well as 8 months of Slim-Fast. So much of it is behavior modification - if you can get your mind around the lifestyle change, then the battle is (mostly) won... just got to keep at it... i agree about the diet sodas - i drink a few Big Gulps a day of Diet Coke (my one vice) - it'll probably shorten my life by a few years, but i'll die happy! At least try Coke Zero - it's got less of the diet taste... in addition, i drink about the same amount of water... just get out and walk a little more, bike a little more, throw in some light weightlifting a little - just try things until you find something you like. the key is to just get moving. as far as eating, cutting out the fried stuff is good, and everything in moderation... great start!