Get fit and lose weight!

[Front-Ranger]

Now that it's a new year, I'd like to pass along some fitness and weight loss tips that have worked for me.

In the past, I have focused on fitness and watched what I eat only when my clothes started to get tight (I never weigh myself). But lately it is a continuous, never-ending process. I don't like to shop for clothes, so there's a big impetus for me to stay the same size.

It's generally a lot of little things throughout the day. For instance, I work on the 3rd floor, so I decided to never use the elevators unless I am carrying a full crock pot to work, LOL! Also, I work in an office, so it is easy to avoid snacking during the day...no refrigerator or kitchen at hand! If I have a busy morning, nothing passes my lips but coffee and an occasional mint from 7 a.m. until lunchtime!

Please add your tips here!!

[Front-Ranger]

Very important tip! Stay away from Offline Chuck, especially during the holidays, when he makes divine fudge and divinity!! But, since it's not possible to stay away from him, drastic measures must be taken to control the damage once the holidays are over!

[Front-Ranger]

Please join me in giving up a vice for Lent!! I am not particularly religious and barely even know what Lent is all about, but I love the European custom of austerity at this time of year. The vice that I am foreswearing is wine. There are a lot of empty calories in it and a glass of wine seems to go straight to my midsection!! (Yes, that includes the beer and hard stuff too--no more dry Manhattans until Easter!!) There are 100 calories in a 5-oz glass of wine, so this is an easy way to cut out 100-200 calories a day. Plus, I have more energy!!

Lent doesn't start until after Mardi Gras, so I'll give you some time to think about which vice you want to give up. However, since I've already made my decision, I'm starting now this weekend!!

[Front-Ranger]

My boss passed out some dieting advice from Prevention Magazine at staff meeting and I don't like what I read. The literature tells what to eat (not what not to eat) and the quantities seem huge, starting with NINE servings of fruits and vegetables! PER DAY! I could never stuff all that in, plus you're supposed to eat 3-6 whole grain foods every day. I like whole grain rice, wheat berries, etc. but I find it very filling! Then, add 2-3 servings of calcium-rich foods--I also find milk and cheese very filling (yogurt not so much so). Then, add ...BEANS! Five times a week...at least!! Filling to the max!! I'm starting to feel bloated just reading this! And nuts 5x a week...raw almonds are my primary snack food. Fish 2x a week. Then 8 glasses of water every DAY! Can you imagine adding water to all those fruits, vegetables, and grains?? I could not even function!! This advice must be for people with large stomachs...no thanks, I'll pass!!

[Jeff Wrangler]

My boss passed out some dieting advice from Prevention Magazine at staff meeting and I don't like what I read. The literature tells what to eat (not what not to eat) and the quantities seem huge, starting with NINE servings of fruits and vegetables! PER DAY! I could never stuff all that in, plus you're supposed to eat 3-6 whole grain foods every day. I like whole grain rice, wheat berries, etc. but I find it very filling! Then, add 2-3 servings of calcium-rich foods--I also find milk and cheese very filling (yogurt not so much so). Then, add ...BEANS! Five times a week...at least!! Filling to the max!! I'm starting to feel bloated just reading this! And nuts 5x a week...raw almonds are my primary snack food. Fish 2x a week. Then 8 glasses of water every DAY! Can you imagine adding water to all those fruits, vegetables, and grains?? I could not even function!! This advice must be for people with large stomachs...no thanks, I'll pass!!

The issue I have with dietary advice that recommends you eat so many servings or portions of something is that the recommendations I've seen never seem to specify what constitutes a serving or a portion. With prepared foods, you can check the label. One slice of my favorite whole-wheat bread is one portion or one serving. One serving of the pretzel nuggets I include in my lunch every day is ten pretzel nuggets. One serving of Ragu spaghetti sauce is one-half cup (doesn't sound like much, but when I got into the habit of measuring how much sauce I put on my spaghetti, I found a half a cup to be quite adequate).

But how do you tell with fresh fruits and vegetables? How much broccoli equals one serving? If an apple or a carrot is large enough, does it equal two servings? How do you tell? 

[Front-Ranger]

Time to revive this thread! My fall resolution is to walk/run 20 miles a week. My son does 300 a week on his bike, so I think I can manage 20

Yee-haw!! I think I'm gonna make my goal this week, in fact, I've already walked/biked/climbed over 20 miles; love those elipticals!!

[Front-Ranger]

The issue I have with dietary advice that recommends you eat so many servings or portions of something is that the recommendations I've seen never seem to specify what constitutes a serving or a portion. With prepared foods, you can check the label. One slice of my favorite whole-wheat bread is one portion or one serving. One serving of the pretzel nuggets I include in my lunch every day is ten pretzel nuggets. One serving of Ragu spaghetti sauce is one-half cup (doesn't sound like much, but when I got into the habit of measuring how much sauce I put on my spaghetti, I found a half a cup to be quite adequate).

But how do you tell with fresh fruits and vegetables? How much broccoli equals one serving? If an apple or a carrot is large enough, does it equal two servings? How do you tell? 

I agree that this is a big problem, friend. And I also suspect (I always hear that word in Ennis' voice!) that a serving is a different size for different people. In my case, a 3 oz steak is quite adequate whereas for some ranch hands, 12 oz hits the spot (12 oz of steak on a plate just terrifies me!!).

[serious crayons]

I believe four oz. is considered a portion of steak. I think Americans have gotten way off-kilter in their ideas about portion sizes. For example, I believe it wasn't until the late 1970s or so that McDonald's started offering medium- and large-size french fries. People just ate the regular size, which is the current small size, and that was fine. But then McDonald's realized they could sell more fries if they offered larger sizes, because while many people felt piggy ordering two smalls, they were comfortable ordering mediums or larges. Now a small seems like something made for a toddler.

That's one example of a trend that happened in a lot of different places, from bagels to big gulps to giant candy bars to restaurant portions in general and so on.

I saw a magazine article about a guy who lost weight simply by reducing the size of his plates from 12 inches to 9 inches. Apparently he has written a book about it. He moved into a 1940s house, and found his 12" dishes didn't fit in the cupboards!

I could relate, because I moved into a smallish 1940s house, and bought a 76-inch sofa, and the delivery guys couldn't get it in the front door. I had to exchange it for a 72-inch or something. But some furniture stores simply don't sell sofas at less than 80 inches. Now this week, I've been shopping for a new refrigerator. The placement of the cupboard above the fridge limits me to one smaller than 67 inches high. Those are very  difficult to find, these days -- I finally found a few, but they have to be special ordered. The current fridge is, I'm guessing, maybe 20 years old, and is less than 60" high, which practically constitutes a dorm-size compact these days.

Everything is just bigger now.

[ifyoucantfixit]

  

         Well?   we all get bigger with time,...   unfortunately.  Hence the profusion of diets these days/

[Front-Ranger]

I'm not sure it is natural to get bigger in time. Even Alma's grandparents were described as "little." My parents shrank over the years. Lots of people lose weight as they age rather than gaining it.

I would like to share my most valuable exercise tip now. I decided that when I want to read in the next few months, I would do it while exercizing. Thus, I took my new edition of the New Yorker down to the clubhouse and perused it while walking on the treadmill and using the eliptical machine! It made the time go by very quickly, and before I got bored, I had run 7.5 miles!!