h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just had a couple of shape yogurt called lasting satisfaction very nice mango and raspberry. Low fat low sugar. Oh yes and fish and chips for main course.

Well, my main course was reasonably healthy - chili beef with vegetables and noodles. Very tasty.

Right now, I'm settled down with a bottle of white wine. I reckon I've earned it after walking the dog twice, plus doing some work at the other house.

My daughter in law in North Carolina sent this to me this morning. It s a bit long but it made me think that we are actually wanting to change our lives big time.

Shouldn't we plant it out? We are all different and so no particular eating pattern will work for everyone. I liked some of what I read and it was helpful some wasn't but I thought I would share anyway.

If you need to lose weight...here are five steps you can do!


The last time you went on vacation did you plan where you'd go,
where you'd stay, how long the trip would last, what you might do
when there? Most of us follow a plan every day, even on days we
do the same thing as always, we still have a basic structure to
our day. Why then do we attempt to lose weight without making a
similar plan? How are we supposed to make progress if we simply
hope for the best and then go face the world? It's no wonder we
forget our resolve to eat better by 10 AM.

It's far easier to reach your destination with a map; therefore,
here is your roadmap to permament weight loss. Follow these five
steps, every day for one week. At the end of the week (say Sunday
evening) take stock. How has the week gone? Did you follow
through? Did you make a plan and then follow your plan?

Make adjustments where necessary. That's the whole point. When
you discover a plan that really is workable, you'll be much more
likely to work toward following through until that new plan
becomes your new habit.

Each week decide if you'd like to follow the steps for another
week. It takes some discipline to follow-through, but anything
worthwhile takes effort. Even the lottery requires buying a
ticket.

STEP 1: State What You Want to Achieve in the Next Month

"I want to lose 50 pounds."

Is that achievable in the next month? If not, break it down into
smaller mini-goals. "I want to lose 5 pounds this month."

What other ways can you describe what you want? Try using other
senses such as what you'll see, what you might hear (compliments,
etc.) and what you will feel:

"I want to step on the scale and see (a certain number) of pounds
(remember keep it reasonable for something you can achieve in one
month).

"I want to feel my pants getting looser."

"I want to see myself in the mirror wearing last year's bathing
suit and it fits."

"I want other people to notice my clothes are getting too big for
me."

"I want to easily bend over and touch my toes."

"I want to get up from a seated position, easily and gracefully."

Those are positive goals. Focus on what you want. How you want to
feel, what you want to experience. Imagine hearing these things,
feeling these things. Does it "feel" right? Are there any issues
that pop up regarding what you are imagining? If so, you'll be
able to refine your goals as you progress.

STEP 2: Make A Plan

Get out your weekly calendar and start with eating less (portion
control), eating more (healthier foods), or eating differently in
some way. Obviously, you're going to need to make some changes
but that doesn't mean you have to find the latest fad diet to
follow. Absolutely the best thing is to look at how you eat now
and see where you might make some changes.

Do you eat pizza every Friday night? What if you ate it only
three Fridays a month? What if you stopped at one slice less than
usual? I've noticed that Friday nights I can easily eat four
slices yet Saturday leftovers one slice seems to be plenty.
What's different is that Saturdays don't have the "indulgence"
atmosphere that I associate with Friday nights. Have you noticed
anything similar in your eating habits?

Do you mindlessly snack out of the bag of chips until they're all
gone? Start to use some portion control. Take a small bowlful to
your chair instead of the whole bag. Decide in advance how many
bowls you'll eat, and stick to your plan. Be reasonable. If you
know it's going to take three bowls full of chips, fine. It's
still probably less than eating the whole bag, and later you can
cut it back to two. One day you'll find a handful or two is
plenty.

Gradually cutting back on quantity, gradually introducing other
ideas such as an apple here and there, modifying what you prefer
to eat is a far better approach than eliminating all your
favorites. The former is a way to develop an eating style that
works for you and that you can live with. The latter (fad diet
approach) is fine for short-term weight loss but that weight
inevidebly comes back simply because you'll eventually go back to
the eating style you prefer.

STEP 3: Consider Exercise

Adding regular exercise helps more than anything else because the
more active you become the more calories you burn, and if you
build muscle, the more calories you'll burn at rest. What, when,
how often? Do you need equipment, books, tapes or can you just
get started and gather the other ingredients as you go?

Write it all out. Your plan should include which days of the week
and at what time. Don't make the mistake of trying to decide
you'll exercise every day. You're not likely to stick to a plan
that doesn't have build-in off days. Make it easy at first. You
can always add more later.

Hate to exercise? Think outside the box. Exercise does not have
to mean getting sweaty to the oldies. It can be gardening, bike
riding, it can be enjoying nature. Anything where you're up and
doing something other than sitting watching TV, unless of course
you're using DDR (Dance, Dance, Revolution) or the new
Yourself!Fitness program for X-box, PC and PlayStation. Dance,
play, go fishing. Whatever floats your boat but get out and get
busy.

STEP 4: Decide Whether Your Plan Is Workable For You

Take a look at your plan and decide whether it's possible. If
not, make changes until it is.

Start by listing each individually what you want to achieve, and
then answering the question of how you will achieve it?

1. I want to eat less quantity. I'd achieve it by having half or
three-quarters of the amount I usually have. See if that is
sufficient. Keep a food diary for one week, religiously writing
down everything that goes in my mouth.

2. I want to eat more, healthier foods. I'll achieve this by
adding more fruits and vegetables for snacks, so when I'm hungry,
or think I'm hungry, I'll have an apple or some carrots. This has
the added benefit of more nutrition.

3. I want to eat in a different manner. I'd achieve this by pay
more attention while eating. Turn off distractions. Think of each
bite as a separate event. Write down what I'm tasting and see
what I notice now that I never noticed before? Different smells,
sights, textures, and subtle tastes. I'll make an effort to
really chew each bite at least 10 times.

4. I want to add some exercise. I'll achieve this by doing some
research at the library or on the Internet about what I might
enjoy, then perhaps get a free pass to my closest gym, talk to
friends, borrow exercise tapes. Consider hiking. Find exercises I
can do in front of the TV at first, or on the floor in my bedroom
when I first get up. Whatever works.

I'm willing to experiment until you find what works best. I don't
care if other people see me getting started. I'll start slowly,
then add more after the first few weeks, when I'm ready.

Finally, close your eyes and imagine carrying out your plan. If
you chose getting up an hour earlier, see yourself doing it. Does
it fit? Are you a night person? If so, an early morning workout
probably won't pan out -- stick to midday or evening workouts.
Find what fits for you. Can you really see yourself doing what
you've chosen, regularly? If not, adjust, find something you will
do regularly. It's consistency that gets the results.

STEP 5: Set Up Plan A And Determine What You Need To Get Started

Plan A:

1) I need a small notebook I can carry with me for keeping track
of what and when I eat (only needed short-term to get an idea of
what I'm eating now and where I might make small changes).

2) Need monthly calendar to track my exercise minutes, even if
it's only 10 minutes this month and 20 next, that's progress. You
are after progress, not perfection. There is no such thing as
perfection.

3) Visit library or order book online for using bodyweight for
exercises. Pushups, crunches, etc., can be done without any extra
equipment.

4) Buy healthy foods to have on hand such as fruits, cut up
vegetables. Visit different grocery stores and markets to see
what's there I hadn't noticed. Make dinner at least twice a week
and freeze leftovers into ready-to-eat frozen meals.

5) Purchase or order supplements, protein powders, videos, etc.,
if I want them.

Putting It All Together

Start working your plan. Don't wait for the next full-moon or
some other arbitrary starting date. Just get started. The sooner
you start, the sooner you begin to see results.

If you use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), do it at least
three times a day. It only takes a couple of minutes and you can
do it while you do other things, so get it done. Check in with
your list of behaviors you'd like to change

I just don't get it. Half the time, I forget to eat with work and Uni and all, I don't have a car so I walk just about *everywhere* (need to have my shoes resoled every 6 months because they have holes in them!) and I do a sport that's even considered an extreme sport 6-7 hours per week, and yet, I just keep gaining weight Diet time for me, too, I'm afraid... *sigh*

As a kid, I was so skinny people thought I was anorexic, and then, puberty hit...

Have you had your thyroid glandine checked, Mala?

No, why?

I think it's just that when I do eat, I eat the wrong thing Had some problems this summer because (apparently) I'd been getting too little vitamin B and iron (I'm a vegetarian) and I tend to eat too many fried things...

Ok, if you're sure it's from eating the wrong things, it's ok. If you can't figure out why you gain weight, have the thyroid checked.

Maybe I should, just in case. Probably should have a checkup anyway (how's that for a new year's resolution?) as I've successfully managed to avoid that for, uh, the last 10 years...

B'elana told me about this thread. What fun to join others dieting. I'm doing the South Beach Diet. Although it's 'trendy' right now I've done a lot of research and it seems one of the best out there..

You should definitely check the thyroid. If function is low that could be a culprit. Also if you don't eat often that might also do it.. it's actually better to graze on small, healthy portions throughout the day than to not eat..

probably healthier, but by the time I actually make it out of bed I'm running late for work or Uni, so it's a choice of skip breakfast or get some junk food at the overpriced cafeteria...

Making sandwiches ahead is also not an option; I live alone and never go through a whole loaf of bread before it goes too stale to eat, so I've basically stopped buying it

Had a hard day today...I had to do the weekly shop and was feeling very hungry as I went from aisle to aisle. I found myself lingering by the cheeses...I love cheese (my biggest downfall)

Does anyone know the calories in a small dollop of Blue cheese sauce?

xx

Mal have you considered keeping a little mini fridgie at work? I have a tiny one (no larger than a coffee maker) on my desk and I keep healthy snacks in it.

Luckily at my work we have a really good cafeteria. One of the cooks makes the most wonderful veggie omelets. But if I don't have time to go and get one I'll graze on carrots and celery dipped in hummus or have a piece of low-fat cheese.

ReT - re the blue cheese sauce look at the ingredients. If it didn't have a lot of fats or sugar in it you're probably okay. Thank goodness for the fact that most of the newer diets don't outlaw cheese as long as it's not processed with sugars and bad fats.

Never, ever, go shopping when you're hungry. All kinds of things will find their way into your basket, just because you fancy them at that moment. Have a good meal and *then* go shopping. You're less likely to buy things you "aren't allowed to have".

Other than that, allow yourself some leeway. Have a bit of cheese once a week, as a treat if you've been doing well. I don't like the idea of food as a 'reward' while trying to lose weight, but I also know that 'forbidden' foods become much more attractive. So don't 'forbid' foods. Just don't have them too often.

Batty, good idea with the fridge - problem is, my work is as a professor's assistant at my Uni, I don't even have a desk to myself Oh, well, I'll find a way.

And luckily, as a vegetarian, my doctor says I'm *supposed* to have both cheese and an egg every day.

Mal, bread can be frozen or you could make a pasta salad in advance and take a small bowl of that with you. I used to make chick pea salad and rice salad to make a change. Instead of bread you could buy pitta breads which also can be frozen and taken out day by day. Even if you just take a lump of cheese and an apple it is healthier than the megga calory megga money junk stuff.

I'm very lucky in that my office is very diet friendly. The cafeteria caters to all sorts of diets, including vegan. Plus among the free coffee, sodas, bottled water and juices is a vegetable juice that can help calm the munchies.

Sadly, my freezer is virtually non-existant, and I need the space I *do* have for corn and spinach and berries and herbs...

But the salad is a good idea

I used to make pasta salads and take them to work, if I had little time they were just that pasta and olive oil or pesto. On more planned days they would contain chopped vegetables, chick peas or cheese. I realize that you probably only have a tiny freezer compartment in your fridge, that isn't big enough for bread.

Hmm, sounds fast enough, I'll give that a go

what about a lunch bag that is insulated? then you can keep a sandwich bag full of ice in the bottom of it? Or I'd just freeze a half-full bottle of water to use with it.. then at lunch time I'd fill it the rest of the way and have iced water to drink with my lunch.