Bettering Myself: Day One is a hard day indeed

[InBloom]

I'm on Day #1 of cutting out a lot of foods and snacks I usually eat on a daily basis. I'm late 30's, not "chubby" but slim with flab. I weigh 160 and i'm 5'9.

 

-No More Starbucks Bottled Frap Drinks

-No More chocolates from the candy dish at my work

-No More Ice Cream for dessert

-No More chips

-No More adding salt to foods (something i'm notorious for)

 

I eat generally healthy dinners, My wife cooks very healthy, but away from home I make poor choices for 'quick pick-me-ups' and have been indulging in a bowl of ice cream for dessert at least 3-4 times a week after dinner TV watching.

 

I'm going to start running (well jogging) and stretching and doing some light strength training.

 

BUT first is getting over my addictions, haha. I have to say it's HARD.

[seekingpeaceinlove]

Good for you! In my experience, small goals and accomplishments go very far in the long run. I've been on track with my health & fitness for 7 months now but I still struggle with my cravings. Sometimes it's terribly hard to resist going through the fast food drive-thrus or stop myself from picking up the fatty/salty/sweet snacks while grocery shopping. I literally have to talk out loud to myself and say, "NO!"

 

Make small changes and be consistent. You'll start seeing & feeling the difference in no time!

 

Good luck!

[Mr Scorpio]

-No More Starbucks Bottled Frap Drinks

-No More chocolates from the candy dish at my work

-No More Ice Cream for dessert

-No More chips

-No More adding salt to foods (something i'm notorious for)

 

 

Your body will thank you!

[Grumpybutfun]

Good luck. Proud of you, those are extremely hard steps, but I don't cut out sweets, I just monitor and exercise accordingly. Keep a log of what you eat so you can make sure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals, proteins and carbs. Don't forget everything has salt and sugars and the brighter the food, the more nutrients. Weight train at home with some dumb bells. Should be fairly inexpensive. If you want to build endurance and burn calories get a mans jump rope. I burn mine off with that...go hard until you are fatigued. Love that one.

Best,

G

[FitChick]

Allow yourself a treat. Dark chocolate is good for you. Everyday I eat one square, about half an ounce, of 72% bittersweet chocolate. If I eat milk chocolate I crave more. The darker the chocolate, the less you want to eat because the chocolate flavor is very intense. I buy the one pound bar in the red wrapper from Trader Joe's. It practically lasts forever. You could eat dark chocolate with almonds because almonds are good for you. TJ also sells small bars (one ounce?) in the red wrapper by the checkout. You could eat a whole one and I think it's about 150 calories.

 

Step away from the ice cream. If you want some cool, sweet dairy, eat Greek yogurt instead.

[ctxinfl]

A few things that helped me change my eating habits:

 

1. Determine how many calories you need per day based upon your weight and estimated calorie burn per day.

 

2. Plan out every meal and every snack for three months.

 

3. Track your caloric intake. I used MyFitnessPal.com.

 

4. Give yourself one day per week to "cheat." Don't go overboard, though indulge yourself a bit.

[Emilia]

I'm going to start running (well jogging) and stretching and doing some light strength training.

You can't train for strength 'light'. You need to push those weights, that's the only way to get stronger and to get a good physique. It pays off when you see the flab tightening up.