Very intuitive. I like my career but hate my job. I sit in front of a screen all day and am bored to tears. So I nibble. Hence, I bring bags of celery and cucumbers and huge tubs of greens. That’s also why I sip tea and water all day long.
I’m too close to retirement to change now.
Exercise is new for me, but I agree that it’s important. It’s an effort, but I’m trying to make it a habit. (One-half hour on my “gazelle” glider tonight.)
Me too. But I don’t live alone and what’s kept in the cupboard is not entirely up to me. Neither can I control what people bring to work to share. Cookies, cakes, chocolates, crackers. It’s all over the office. So I try to bring healthy substitutes to keep me on the straight and narrow. (It doesn’t always work!)
I have really good satiety with this multigrain hot cereal rather than oatmeal for breakfast. One serving makes a big bowl for 160 calories, 3 minutes in the microwave. I add cinnamon, a splash of half and half (20cal), a level tablespoon of brown sugar (45 cal), and a banana (105cal). It keeps me full for a really long time, as in I’ll sometimes skip lunch, have a snack in the afternoon, and then be hungry for dinner.
Or I’ll have that for dinner. Hope this helps once in a while, anyway.
OK well you’ve stated your problem very well. We all can give you support but we can’t do it for you. And you have to face facts. FOOD IS GOOD. NOT EATING IS HARD.
You’re not a hog, food is GOOD and it’s CHEAP. This is why you eat. That cheesecake is a lot cheaper than a night out at the movies and it’s SO good too.
People mindlessly eat. Try this exercise, eat what you want. But here’s the rule, you are NOT ALLOWED, to eat anything unless it’s at a table, in a plate, and all you do is eat. No reading or watching TV or computer while you do this.
So let’s say I’m watching TV and want a Twinkie. Just turn the TV off, go to the kitchen, take out a plate, put the Twinkie on the plate, eat it, then wash the plate and go back turn on the TV and watch it.
Seriously try this for a day, you will be SHOCKED at how much you are eating and not realizing it.
As for exercise, since you’re new to it, I strongly recommend books on tape. I exercise a lot and it IS boring. This is why people quit. But now I go to the library and get books on tape, and as I’m on the treadmill or lifting weights or whatever, I listen to the book. It’s amazing all the books I’ve “read” that way. And you don’t get bored with the exercise.
Another thing is a support group. If you can’t find one in your area, look up Meet Up (dot) Com
Also don’t be so hard on yourself. You stopped smoking that is a MAJOR life event. So what if you put on a few pounds. Perhaps you needed that to get over the lack of smoke. You’re to be congratulated you quit.
You can always lose the weight. The trouble with weight is is sneaks up on you. You may have been thinking “I quit smoking” then suddenly caught site of yourself in the mirror and said, “how did THIS happen so fast.” Well as much as we’d like to think the one box of HoHos put on all that weight, it took awhile to get it on and so accept the fact, it ain’t gonna come off overnight either.
And I can tell you when you’re ready to lose the weight you will. So take it slowly so you don’t backslide into smoking
You said, you gained 30 pounds. So the first step is to STOP gaining weight. Not losing it but maintaining it so you don’t gain anymore. Second step is to figure out a loss goal, this should be about 2 pounds per week and in three months you’ll be there.
Third remember even if you don’t lose it, so what? Fifty years from now we’ll all be dead (well most of us) and no one is gonna remember if you’re fat or thin anyway. Yeah of course you want to be healthy but also don’t try to achieve too much at once either
Drink a tablespoon of vinegar (I prefer apple cider vinegar) after each meal; the astringent will constrict your stomach lining and hinder your appetite.
Is there a reason you are not chewing gum? I thought gum was the hero of all smoking cessation. I just quit 2 months ago, but I can’t chew gum (bad jaw) but I have a pen to chew instead.
If you were to chew on some mint gum it might keep your mouth occupied longer, as well as ruin the taste of possible snacks.
Google “mint appetite suppressant” for info on using mint as an appetite suppressant.
Yeah, when I’m losing weight, I’m really hungry for a couple of weeks. But then I either get used to the feeling, or my stomach shrinks.
Oh, and there’s no way you like carbs as much as I do.
And, I’ve discovered (the hard way) that I canNOT stop snacking.
So I had to learn to snack on healthy stuff-- I had to imagine a Venn diagram, or list, of “Foods I Like” and “Foods That Are Good For Me”, and find those (few) things that are in both categories.
For me: those little carrots, sometimes dipped in a teence of peanut butter; or a cold apple with a triangle of Laughing Cow cheese; or McDonald’s side salads (Mmm…Paul Newman Italian dressing…)
Oh, and I just can’t give up sweets. So I trick myself: I use tiny candy bars to keep myself from eating big ones. I’ll eat a cookie a day to keep myself from scarfing down a donut (or two – they’re everywhere at my work)!
But it was SO empowering to realize that if I cut out most of the crap in my diet, and got some exercise, I COULD lose weight! Woo-hooooo!
My attitude towards exercise is not the usual one, but it works for me - I treat exercise like a chore, like flossing my teeth - I don’t particularly want to do it, but I have to, so I just do it. I spent my life waiting for the exercise that I enjoyed to come along (like all the advice tells you), and it never did.
I can do okay with “out of sight, out of mind.” I keep some junk in a cupboard in my room - I can get up and go get myself a snack of junk, but it’s a lot harder than if it’s right there in front of me. Portion control really helps, too - I bring one piece of chocolate back with me, not the whole bar.
Or some green apple gum - the smell of green apple is another appetite suppressant.
Amen! Listen to a good podcast or book! I used to hate working out, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m bribing myself: “Oh, man, I just cannnn’t get on that bike… but, hey, wait! If I do, I’ll find out What Happens Next!”
And then as soon as I put in the earbuds, I lose track of time on the bike (or treadmill or elliptical, or even on a walk). As a bonus, I’m not hearing other people blather.
So find a book or podcast that’s interesting and well-read, and get moving!
Although I might update “books on tape” to “books on CD, ripped to my iPod” or “books downloaded from Audible.com or the iTunes store… or now directly from BN.com”!
Me too. They say it only takes a few weeks before something becomes a habit, and this applies to exercise too. I exercise every day, and it’s something I have to do before bed like washing my face and brushing my teeth. I don’t enjoy it (I’ve grown past hating it, but even after more than four years it’s not fun) and have to remind myself that I’d like gaining weight even less to get myself going sometimes, but it does get done almost all the time because I treat it as something I have to do rather than something to be done when I’m in the mood or get around to it.
What do you mean by ravenous? Is it that your tummy is growling and peckish? Or do you get cold sweats, shakes, and feel faint and light headed hungry?
Have you tried eating things that are superduper fiber-y and filling? Or even those chewable fiber tablets with lotsa water? Also, I find that coffee and tea will kill my appetite for quite awhile. That’s a bad habit of mine, I don’t like breakfast anyway, and when I get to work I’ll have coffee which effectively kills my appetite even further, worst thing a fat person can do is not eat breakfast.
Good idea, thanks. For now, I have set up my “gazelle” glider in the living room, smack in front of the television. Looks ugly, but I don’t care if it makes it easy for me to use it.
Thank you! I appreciate the encouragement!
Well, with my age, some health issues and diabetes in the family, it’s become important not to let it get out of control.
I looked into this a bit. Apparently, vinegar is not a new age “woo-woo” concept, but something that can affect one’sblood glucose. Interesting. Cool.
Actually, I am chewing gum — just not much. I chew while I’m driving. But it doesn’t do much for me. (Hey, congrats on your quit, Zipper!)
I suspect this is what I need to face: hunger. I’m just not used to having to deal with such a constant gnawing.
This is where I think I’m headed. It’s simply time to grow up and “do what I gotta do”. Elfin, you exercise before you go to bed? Doesn’t that make it harder to fall asleep?
This is how I get through my day at work. I eat, sip herbal tea and listen to podcasts while I work.
I eat breakfast. Sometimes more than once.
I used to have coffee and a cigarette for breakfast, but I stopped drinking caffeinated beverages a few years ago, as I was working my way towards quitting smoking.
As for the hunger — no cold sweats, shakes or feeling faint. Just a somewhat urgent, growly, gimme-that-sandwich-now feeling that’s always in the background.
Guys, I want you all to know that I really appreciate the advice. Last night, I exercised and skipped my usual bedtime snack (Fiber One bars and/ or a banana). This morning, I had some eggs and a small piece of toast for breakfast, followed by a spoonful of cider vinegar. I’m sitting here sipping my herbal tea, and yes, I’m hungry, but trying to simply accept it. Onward.
I heard long ago that drinking COLD water makes your stomach contract or shrink up. I don’t know if that’s true but it, uh, makes other things shrink as well, so why not? So when I diet, I try to always drink cold water when I feel hungry. When I’m dehydrated and need to get a lot of water in me quickly, it’s always tap temperature. If it’s cold, I just can’t get as much down.
I’ve lost over 30 pounds without really feeling hungry at all. You don’t have to deal with hunger if you eat the right way. Skip your rice crackers and Fiber One bars. Eat nuts for a snack, or carrots/celery with almond butter. Eat whatever meat you feel like–don’t take the skin off your chicken! Just give up the grains, legumes (so no peanut butter!) and sugar, and try to keep your carb consumption somewhere between 50 and 80 grams a day, with at least .5 and up to 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. And don’t be afraid of fat! I almost always get about as many fat grams as I do protein–fat is about 65% of my daily intake, mostly through animal fats. But it really does work. I used to have to snack at 2:30-3:00 every day–I’d go up to the vending machine and get cookies or M&Ms or chips…now I never snack. Hell, I made these awesome flourless brownies with honey as the sweetener, and even though they fit into my diet if I eat one from time to time, they’ve been in my house for 10 days now and I’ve only had 4 of them. Damn things are going to go bad. You really do stop craving the stuff once you stop eating it–you just have to get through the first two weeks. But I promise you, hunger is not essential to losing weight. You don’t have to be miserable!
I lost track of whether or not it was mentioned in this thread yet or not, but if it hasn’t I’ll plug a shout-out to **quinoa **now: fairly complete protein, high in fiber, and easy as all hell to cook (just simmer in broth or salted water for 15-20 minutes). You can add any chopped veggies you like (good way to get rid of random leftovers!) and it’s good cold, too - it’s not starchy so it doesn’t get gummy, meaning it makes excellent leftovers.
Nope. I sleep much much better than I used to, which is one of the bigger reasons I’ve stuck with it. Bear in mind, though, that exercise before bed only seems to work well for (some) people with ADHD. Many people with normal wiring do report it making it harder to sleep, so they need to do it several hours before bed. In your case, it might be a thing you do every day before supper rather than before bed.
Hey, a bunch of Dopers have those calorie-counter apps and such, right? Could someone out there run the OP’s sample menu through one of those? Now I’m super-curious to know if my guesstimate was really so off as to incur the ire of Sam and what the numbers really would be…
(With the understanding that the list he posted was not a full day’s intake - just until midafternoon.)
Here’s what I have from using a variety of online sources. Remember, some of these are going to be estimates:
Fiber 1 - 150 cal
Grapes, 1 cup = 100 cal
Apple, 1 medium = 100 cal
350 cal
10 rice crackers - 90 cal
4 oz reduced fat cheddar - 360 cals (if 2% cheddar, 180 if no fat cheddar)
1 cup mixed stir fried veggies - 50 cals (not counting any oil in there)
320 - 500 cal, depending on what “reduced fat” cheddar is. I’m guessing it’s the 2% kind. Also, add a few cals for the oil in the stir fry
1 cuke - 50 cals
5 cups stir fry - if this is 1 cup cook chicken breast and 4 cups cooked veggies, we’re looking at about 415 cals, not counting any oils. (200 for the veggies, 215 for the chicken.)
465 cals
Fiber 1 - 150 cals
box of chocolates = 575 cals
725 cals
We’re already at over 2000 calories, assuming “reduced fat cheddar” is 2% cheddar. Otherwise, best case scenario, we’re at 1820 or so.
Subtract that box of chocolates, and we’re at 1425. Assume the cheese is no fat cheese, and we’re at 1245. Remember, too, we’re not taking into account any fat that might be in the stir fry. One tablespoon of oil will add another 100 calories on any of these estimates.
Make sure to rinse the quinoa first, unless the package says you don’t have to. Dump it in a colander and run water over it until the water is no longer foamy. Quinoa is coated in saponins, soapy-tasting chemicals, but it’s easy to wash them off.
The Fiber One bar was only 100 calories (2.5 gm fat, 19 carbs and 5 gm fiber).
There was absolutely no oil in the stir fry, and far less than 1 cup of chicken, maybe one-third of a cup — at the very most, one-half cup, but I don’t think it was that much.
Everything else looks about right, though. Thanks! That pretty much confirms what I said in my original post: I’m a ravenous hog.
Today started out better, with a conscious focus on protein instead of carbs, but by noon, I was utterly starving. I’m afraid that, by 1:30 pm, I had given in and snarfed another box of chocolate-covered almonds. [shakes head]
A better sleep is a good incentive for me — probably better than weight loss, as it’s likely more of an immediate benefit. Thanks, Elfin.
As for the quinoa, it looks like a carby-starchy sort of thing — I could be wrong, but that doesn’t seem like it would be weight-loss friendly.
Having established my innate hogginess, I’m ready to let this thread die, but in the meantime, I’m trying to wade through Stoid’s rather lengthy thread about weight loss in hopes of educating myself.
