In preparation for our healthy lifestyle thread.......

[Teresa]

The health thread should be nonsmoking :!:

of course, my dahling. we're drinking and smoking on another thread at a later date...

 

[Mango]

I'll probably be able to hop on a bit tonite. I'll be home by 10 pm latest. My little sister and brother in law have to go to church tonight for Baptism training!
Mr. Mango was selected as the "Godfather". He is so flattered. Tried to upload a pic, but the filesize was too large and I can't figure out how to make it smaller.

Ok, remembered how to make pic smaller. Here goes, these are my darling nephews I am babysitting tonight.

 

[Teresa]

I don't smoke. Can I still be invited?

no.

 

[Teresa]

I think I posted on this before so please excuse me if this is a repeat. But due to some recent health problems (not weight related), I was required to give up a few things in my diet. My husband, who had high blood sugar, also joined me in the effort, and even though neither of us were looking to lose weight specifically, we both did anyway. I dropped 10 pounds and my husband dropped 20, in about 2 months. And it wasn't hard. Here's our deal:

1: Eliminate all sweet drinks immediately (sodas, gatorade, sweetened tea, whatever.)
2. Eliminate or drastically reduce white flours, sugar, corn syrup (read those labels), processed grains like white rice
3. Increase proteins, but keep the meat lean! Increase dark leafy greens.
4. Don't get too dogmatic or it will backfire. Once a week we eat whatever we want--pasta, mexican food, whatever. It's OK. We never gave up beer either.

Our meals now look something like this, they're all delicious, and they keep the weight off:
--BBQ chicken breasts on or off the bone served with a great salad
--Spicy turkey cheeseburgers and cole slaw (sometimes on low carb or high fiber bread, sometimes not)
--Blackened grouper with lemon butter asparagus
--Grilled chicken/veg quesadillas on low-carb tortillas with guacamole
--Greek spinach pie/spanikopita (easy to make)
--Eggs and turkey sausage if we eat breakfast, (which we're supposed to but often don't)
--Dessert: Sugar free mint choc chip ice cream (Kroger makes the best, you cant tell its sugar free, we have it almost every night!)
--Snacks: Lots of honey roasted nuts, strawberries and cherries

It's basically eating the way farmers and europeans eat...less processed foods, more simple, real food. Its the processed stuff that puffed us up, we found. Sadly, that meant giving up breakfast cereal, (my fave food!), but I got through that. I never gave up drinking, but I don't have more than a few beers throughout the week.

Once a month or so, we let ourselves get donuts or cake. Once a week, we go out to eat and order whatever the heck we want. Anyway, your mileage may vary, but this diet worked for us like a charm, got my husbands blood sugar down to healthy levels, and as a bonus, we both lost weight.

Now if only I can get my lazy butt exercising.....

you're going to have to post this again when we start the new thread (you too Linda Bob). just can't think about what the heck to call it. you all have had some good ideas. you all decide and just tell me. if the thread is very popular and continues, then Daddy-O may give us our own forum (if it makes sense to do so)...

 

[DD]

you're going to have to post this again when we start the new thread (you too Linda Bob). just can't think about what the heck to call it. you all have had some good ideas. you all decide and just tell me. if the thread is very popular and continues, then Daddy-O may give us our own forum (if it makes sense to do so)...[/QUOTE]

I was hoping you'd say that!! And, I'm hoping that he will give us our own forum---non-smoking of course!!! ;-)

 

[DD]

Ok, remembered how to make pic smaller. Here goes, these are my darling nephews I am babysitting tonight.

They ARE darling!!! You're a lucky aunt!!

 

[Sheila]

Ok, remembered how to make pic smaller. Here goes, these are my darling nephews I am babysitting tonight.

How cute ! How old Auntie Mango?

 

[Ocean Lover]

Ok, remembered how to make pic smaller. Here goes, these are my darling nephews I am babysitting tonight.

Adorable!!!

 

[DD]

If I don't get up and start right in (like 6 am), I usually don't exercise. I start doing other stuff (like SoWalling or paperwork), then lose my will to do it. Then beat myself up about it all day. I'm in that pattern now, but am getting ready to go in the other room and at least do a good stretching tape.

The mornings that I am back on track and do 30 to 60 minutes of Pilates turn into the days that I eat better, feel better, and am totally organized and get things done. It is a head thing, like LBH said.

The best weeks are the ones that I can add a good walk to, about 4 or 5 nights a week, with my good friend and neighbor who is 6 ft. tall and has obviously really long legs. I feel like a little terrier trying to keep up with her- so I'm am walking really fast!

And bad news here- for a good jump start- no wine or booze for at least a week. It really does work though. I've been hauling around an extra 5 lbs. of puffiness since June just 'cause I got back on the wine wagon. Time to get back off! (where is the sobbing smilie)

Where? Where? I cannot see 5 extra lbs of puffiness in your pic!! You look great! The wine must agree with you!! And here you had me thinking last fall that you had some big old butt after our conversations about pumpkin pie and bacon...you fibbed just a little now, didn't you?

 

[kathydwells]

Where? Where? I cannot see 5 extra lbs of puffiness in your pic!! You look great! The wine must agree with you!! And here you had me thinking last fall that you had some big old butt after our conversations about pumpkin pie and bacon...you fibbed just a little now, didn't you?

Don't let her fool you...she is tall, skinny and beautiful..all that I aspire to be. She makes me look short and dumpy in my picture....not that there is anything wrong with that let me add before I get into trouble. Just not the way I like to see myself. I see I have alot of work to do and will certaintly join you all on the healthy lifestyle thread!!!!