Health & weight management thread

[RubyCamaro]

Okay, I miss the New Year's resolution weight loss thread. It died for a number of reasons. One was the title. We felt the need to renew it with each passing new year losing (or making it difficult to retrieve) a lot of good information in the threads. Then a few of us who were regulars achieved our goals or had life changes. For myself, I had done really well but then my job changed & it has messed up my routine to the point I have lost much of the ground I have gained AND my health is seriously suffering.

Whatever the reasons, we just never renewed the thread this year. The other thread that was started just does not have the same tone & is not as generally useful as it focuses more exclusively on body building. Sooooooooooo, all that said, I need my support system & weight/health management gurus back to help me find a way to get myself back on track.

Okay, here are the issues currently for me:

1) My commute takes much longer now making it much more difficult (dang near impossible) to make it to any organized exercize class which is something I really need.

2) I also have more computer work at night & the office I work in is a very isolating setting meaning I spend WAY too much of my days sitting on my butt.

3) I am under much more stress and have lost much of my social support network.

4) I have put back on over 10 lbs, my blood pressure has gone up requiring changes in my medications and I feel lousy.

HELP!!!!!!!!!

[hrpiii]

Well Ruby, you are not the only one in this boat. This is just how the business world works for so many people. Fewer staff and more projects/work is becoming the norm.

First, focus on your diet, as it will be the most important if you cannot get time to get some exercise in. Make time to start with a good breakfast. Prepare meals in advance. All this stuff you hear and read about, works.

Track your calories, protien, carbs for a few days to get a good baseline of what your "normal" day is like. Then we can tweak from there.

[RubyCamaro]

Thanks. I will work on it. Another complication is that my mother-in-law bought me a new stove. Good problem you say? Well, yeah, except that I am having to relearn how to cook things. I can no longer use my beloved Iron skillets (they scratch the ceramic/glass surface & heat too slowly potentially damaging the surface). I am having a hard time finding skillets that cook eggs & our healthy pancakes as well without being a PITA to clean. And now my oven has no bottom burner so things like my healthy cookies don't crisp up & brown on the bottom as well. Not sure I like this convection cooking thing. I'm learning but I sure wish I had my perfectly good old stove back.


I also tried making some changes to my morning shake (that I don't do every day any more trying to eat more "real" food) trying to replace the protien powder with "real" protien. That has not gone so well either. Tried low fat cottage cheese but my tummy does not like that. Next, maybe greek yougurt??? I also am trying to find healther snack options to satisfy my sweet tooth without throwing me too far off track and staying gluten free. I bought me an "Ice Cream" maker so I can try to make some healthier protien rich & low fat options. Got any good recipes?

[Smoke 'em]

I would like to see something like this get up and running for us normal folks as well. Lol! No offense to the He-men and She-ras in the other thread. There is a lot of good info in the other one but as you said it is really more for the lifters and bodybuilders as the title states. I would like to get up and running again so to speak once I am able to. I had a bad motorcycle acccident last year in June. The major thing was my femur being broken and coming out of the back of my leg. I had about 60% of the strength back in my leg and kept telling them something was not right with my knee. I had a torn lcl and meniscus. So almost a year later this April, I had to be cut open again to have knee surgery for something that I was told should have been corrected within 6 weeks of the accident. If that would have happened the surgery would not have been as intensive. So I had to start therapy all back over again and now my leg has about 40% of the strength back in it. Anyway, so I was averaging 15 to 18% body fat based on our yearly checkups at work and I would like to try to get back to that. My last visit to the doctor put me around 25% so I have a little work to do. So there is the short version of my story and why I think this thread would be a good idea.

[its a syn]

Have you tried Fiber One bars? I don't know if they are gluten free though. They cure my sweet tooth well. Low cal.low carb.

[Todd in Vancouver]

This is a great idea for a thread. Can I suggest the first page be reserved for things like recipes and things that really work so we don't have to browse multiple pages for what we are looking for.

This is tough and for those with health issues like Smoke 'em it's an extra challenge. I really get it as I have multiple health issues that keep my weight doing the yoyo on a day to day bases. No kidding I had to buy new clothes because mine didn't fit and a week later they were so big I couldn't wear them.

Here are two things I've done that help;
1- I adopted a rescue dog. There are no excuses, rain or shine I walk my dog every day because I have to. If you go this route remember to adopt don't shop!

2- as I sit here typing this I'm having a bowl of cut up water melon and apple. When I buy a watermelon I cut it up into bite size cubes right away and put it in a container in my fridge. It becomes my easy go to because it's ready to go. Watermelon is also surprisingly filling.

Good luck everyone and I've subscribed to see what else is working for everyone.

[RubyCamaro]

Originally Posted by its a syn

Have you tried Fiber One bars? I don't know if they are gluten free though. They cure my sweet tooth well. Low cal.low carb.

I would bet they are not Gluten free but I wonder if they would be good for my hubby! His problem is more the salty snacks most of the time but he likes a little something sweet with his coffee in the mornings.

[RubyCamaro]

Reserved for recipes & helpful ideas for quick location. As I get time I will go through the old threads & pull out helpful stuff. installment one:

Great Protein Powders I have used over the years. These are Quality Protein powders, low sugars, no fillers, taste great, mix well. You do get what you pay for.

VPX Zero Carb
BSN Lean Dessert
Opt Nutrition Pro Complex
Monster Milk
Beverly International
Dymatize
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Don't have time to cook and those high-preservative microwave meals gotcha reachin for a fast-food instead? I found something that works great for me and wanted to share it with all of you. I take a big bowl that has a lid and dump in a bag of salad and add some other fresh vegetables to it such as sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers etc. I then have protein items in small containers on the side that I already drained/rinsed/chopped such as black beans, tuna, kidney beans, or egg whites that I can add to the salad so it isn't just blah vegetables. Since I run, I also have some pasta I can add in to get some carbs...but not too much. All of these things are at your finger tips throughout the week so throwing together a healthy, well-rounded meal is a cinch and the salads also make nice side dishes if you actually have time to prepare a meal, just omit the protein additions (assuming your meal has protein)! Hope you all find this helpful and good luck on achieving your health and fitness goals!!

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Originally Posted by SSGirl
Here is a typical day for me:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Coffee
Snack around 10: banana or apple
Lunch: Mixed Green Salad with LF Balsamic Vinegarette Dressing, 1 oz sliced turkey, cheese stick
Snack around 3:30pm: FF Yogurt
Dinner: 3 oz Grilled Chicken, Green Beans, Brown Rice
After Dinner Snack around 7:30pm: Handful of Almonds or if I want a sweet treat I will get a Nutrigrain Bar

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Originally Posted by Ktulu87
Chocolate Protein Bars (OUR FAV.)
Ingredients:
* 1 cup Oat Flour (our grocery store doesn't sell oat flour so I just grind up 1 cup of oats in a coffee grinder)
* 4 Egg Whites
* 2 heaping scoops Chocolate or Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
* ½ cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal
* ½ tsp Baking Soda
* ¼ tsp Salt
* 8oz Berry flavored Baby Food
* 3 tbsp Baking Cocoa
* 4oz Water (you can measure this with one of the empty jars of baby food)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients (oat flower, chocolate or vanilla whey protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa) together in a large bowl.
3. Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Splenda, Berry flavored Baby Food,Water) together in a medium sized bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray cooking dish (8x8) with a non stick butter spray and add batter to dish.
6. Bake 25 +/- minutes in oven.
Makes 8 peices, serving size one peice
Calories: 96
Fat: 1.4 grams
Carbs: 12 grams
Protein: 12 grams

Hope you like it! Much healthier than brownies!

Carrot Cake Protein Bars (Very yummy and moist)
Ingredients:
* 1 cup oat flour (you can grind up one cup of oats in a coffee grinder)
* 2 heaping scoops vanilla whey protein
* 2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/8 tsp allspice (optional, makes it more of a spice cake, i usually use it)
* 1/8 tsp nutmeg
* 4 egg whites
* 3/4 cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal
* 8 oz baby food carrots
* 4 oz water ( you can measure this with one of the empty baby food jars)
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Mix egg whites, Splenda, baby food carrots and water in a bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray glass pyrex dish (8x8) with non-stick butter spray.
6. Pour batter into dish.
7. Bake 25 +/- minutes.
**OPTIONAL: You can stir one cup of whole oats to the final mixture to make it more of a filling cake bar, but remember it will up the carbs and calories!
Makes 8 peices, serving size one peice
Calories: 94
Fats: 1.25 grams
Carbs: 10 grams
Protein: 12 grams

Both of the protein bars I've posted are great with coffee!
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Here's a great recipe for awesome PB/Almond Pancakes

5 Tbs coconut flour (I get mine from whole foods)
1/4 Tsp Baking powder
1 Tsp peanut butter
5 Packets (or to taste) stevia/splenda/ or sweetener of choice
Tiny pinch of salt
7 Egg whites (or 3 eggs~ Note: this will change calories)
1/4 Cup water (may use less depending on consistency of batter…add slowly until pancake consistency forms!)
*Optional variations: A few drops of maple extract, a few chocolate chips, or 1 Tbs of cocoa powder for a PB-chocolate version!

Method:

In a medium size bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except for the water, and begin to mix. (It will be very lumpy/thick at this point…don’t worry!)
Begin adding water slowly, a little at a time, stirring until a thick pancake batter forms, (you can also use a blender, hand-held mixer, or immersion blender to mix up ingredients with ease!) *Note: Batter will be a little thicker than typical pancake batter, but should still be ‘thin’ enough to pour onto a griddle!
Meanwhile, heat a nonstick griddle (or nonstick skillet) coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.
Serve warm with sugar-free/low sugar syrup, light butter, whip cream, or whatever topping sounds good to you!

Macros: 350 calories, 11g fat, 31g carbs, 16g fiber, 36g protein
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Protien pumpkin pancakes


I just made these and they are delish...

70g unflavored designer whey protein
6g ON vanilla protein
1C egg whites
124g 100% pure canned pumpkin
splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to taste (i used less than 1/4C splenda and about 1-2t of the others)

Mix well and cook like a regular pancake. I made 1/4C servings - the recipe made 7. I'd like to try the pancakes with grated zucchini as well.

Total Cals: 465, Fat: 6.1g, Carb: 15.1g, Pro: 84.1g, Fiber: 5.1g.

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I've been reading this thread and see a lot of useful info but also see a lot of for lack of a better word mistakes. It may seem odd but you should not be that concerned with weight loss but more so fat loss. Weight loss especially on very low calorie diets is more often muscle loss and water loss. The concern should be fat loss.It seems that a lot of you are "starving" yourselves. This will show fast weight loss(muscle and water) but will back fire. To properly loose weight you must eat, try to eat 5 or 6 meals a day, every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Eat your "healthy" carbs earlier in the day and taper them off as you aproach evening. Cardio should be an important component of weight loss but so is weight lifting. Building muscle mass has many benefits, faster metabolism, increased fat burning are two important to your goals. If you are lifting weights and you should be feed your muscles with a fast absorbing post workout drink, something simple, dextrose or maltdiextrose with protein powder and water, consume it within 20 min. of your workout. All meals should be balanced with protein, healthy carbs and healthy fats. If you follow these simple rules fat loss will be a little slower but permanent and you will look and feel much better.

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Cajun Shrimp

From Cooking Light

4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal bag and shake to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add shrimp; sauté 4 minutes or until shrimp are done.

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I am NOT a professional but may be able to give you some advice from experience. I have had some major injuries due to a motorcycle crash.( partially detached left foot, 12 broken bones including both collar bones and two gortex patches for severe hernia'). Walking and everyday activities were very painful and difficult and still is sometimes, this is what led to my weight lifting. If you gradually exercise and lift weights the supporting muscle around your injuries become stronger. With the muscle stronger a lot off the pressure on your joints is relieved and it makes a big difference.

Eating is very important and you should try to eat regularily. It is best to get your nutrition from whole foods as much as possible. Protein shakes and the such are good for a boost in protein intake (you can only eat so much chicken and tuna lol) but it is not the best choice but definately better than skipping meals. You can also get meal replacements. They usually come in packets that you miw with milk or water. They are a step above protein shakes in that they are controlled in calories and macro nutrients. Store bought meal replacement bars are usually not a good choice they are more like high protein candy bars.

If you are serious about your goals there are no excuses for not exercising. You would be surprised at the gains that can be made from your home with little or no equipment, a few dumbells to start with and body weight exercise (which are often overlooked) like push-ups and chin-ups can produce amazing results.

I hope this information is somewhat useful.
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Cutting carbs too low is not a good idea, doing so will have almost the same effect as not eating enough, it will send your body into "starvation mode" and most everything you eat will be stored as fat. Instead try cutting out processed carbs and switch to whole grains, brown rice and sweet potatoes etc. Eat these carbs earlier in the day, later in the day eat fiberous carbs such as green veggies etc. Normally a good starting point would be 50% carbs , 35% protein and 15% fat. If you need a larger amount of fat loss lower your carb intake and increase your protein and fat intake something like 40%,40% 20%. Not knowing specifics if you are lets say a middle aged woman and not very active you should probably be eating around 1600 cals a day, divide this by preferably 5 meals/snacks a day so your meals should be around 340 to 350 cals each and snacks slightly lower. Now pick your proteins carbs and fats to meet the ratios above and your off to a great start. Remember the food sources you get these ratios from are more important than the ratios themselves in other words you wouldn't want to get your fats from candy and soda, instead fish, nuts, all natural peanut butter, avocado's etc. the same with the other groups as well. Also I cannot express enough how important water is especially if you are eating more proteins.
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Yogurt is a good example. All dairy products have natural sugars in them but they add processed sugar to make them more tasteful, I always get non-fat greek yogurt then add a scoop of vanilla protein powder, a handful of blueberries and if it's a meal a little bit of whole grain cereal, it makes for a quick and easy well balanced snack or mini meal.
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AWESOME SALMON RECIPE

Sesame Dijon Salmon
Makes 4 servings.

1 lb. raw salmon filet, sliced into quarters (this recipe is great with any fish)
Lemon Juice, 2 tbsp.
Grey Poupon hearty grain brown mustard (with the brown speckles), 2 tbsp.
4 tbsp. sesame seeds
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
Top salmon with sesame-dijon "crust" by first squirting lemon juice over salmon fillets. Next, add salt & pepper to taste. Spoon a half-tbsp. of the Grey Poupon mustard onto each filet (meat side, not skin side), and use the back of the spoon to spread the mustard around. Finish topping by sprinkling 1 tsp. sesame seeds on each piece of fish - spread evenly so as to create a "crust" look on top of the meat.

Place salmon on foil lined cookie sheet and bake in oven uncovered for 15 minutes or until salmon looks to be 90% cooked. Turn on broiler function on oven and allow dijon-sesame crust to turn a little brown on the edges.
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TURKEY CHILI

This is another favorite. I don't use the olive oil in the recipe, i just used the olive oil non-stick spray.
I divide this one up depending on what I want to stay in between and freeze it. Its so good and will keep frozen for a while.

Makes 6 Servings

34 oz Extra Lean Ground Turkey
12 oz Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
12 oz Dark Red Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed)
12 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes (in juice not puree)

1 Tbsp Olive oil for saute
12 oz Green Bell Pepper, diced (remove seeds and stem)
6 oz Red Bell Pepper, diced (remove seeds and stem)
6 oz Yellow Onion, diced

2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Cumin
Salt and Pepper
2 Jalapeno peppers chopped (remove seeds and stems)
1 Bunch Cilantro, chopped lightly

Method:
1. Dice Onion and peppers and put them in a pan with the olive oil, sautee on med/low till soft (about 15 minutes)
2. While that is cooking, in large Pot add Tomatoes and Beans and bring up to a simmer.
3. When peppers and onions are coked add them in with beans and tomatoes.
4. Chop Jalapeno and put in the same pot.
5. Sautee ground turkey in the same pan you cooked the onions and peppers in (DO NOT wash it first). Add spices to turkey when almost cooked. Salt and pepper also.
6. Add cooked turkey to pot with other stuff.
7. Chop up cilantro lightly and put into pot.
8. Simmer for a few minutes and then serve or break up into 6 servings and chill.

Per Portion Stats
Protein grams- 28g
Carbs - 20 g
Fat grams- 13g
Calories- about 380
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[JimiBlaze]

I started working out/eating better about 6 months ago so I will share a few things that have worked for me, and my results are proof...my overall weight is down about 20lbs, but I've dropped my body fat 10% and about 3 inches off my waist and my strength is through the roof from where I started.
Since your limited on time to exercise...I'd recommend a bike or elliptical. Just 30 minutes a day will make a big difference.
As for diet, I eat 4 eggs for breakfast (4 whites, 2 yolks). mid-morning snack of greek yogurt or if my wife makes one in the morning I get a delicious smoothie. Lunch is chicken breast with a green veg (broccoli, green beans, spinach, asparagus). mid afternoon snack is a can of either chicken breast or tuna, sometimes greek yogurt. Dinner, lean protein, usually fish or turkey with a veg and either brown rice, couscous, or quinoa. Pre bed snack, either yogurt, cottage cheese or just a glass of milk

I try to have small snack between meals, meals are spaced 4 hours apart. The pre-bed snacks that I mentioned will keep your metabolism up and burning fat while you sleep. Other good snacks...sweet potatoes, almonds, jerky

On this diet, along with quite a bit of exercise, after 6 months I have gotten back in the best shape since college (13 years ago). I also cut back on my beer drinking

Hope this helps, good luck!

[CFD]

There was so much information in the New years thread including recipes, how to calculate caloric needs, meal planning etc it's going to take forever to get that much info here but I will try to help as much as possible. I'm going to jump right in and start with this. You've got to know what you're eating. I know what people think are healthy snacks but many times they are not and snacks add up the calories fast.

Here is an example. Fiber one protein bars were mentioned, sure they sound healthy but has anyone, other than me, ever read the nutritional label and more importantly the INGREDIENT LIST.
Well here ya go, after reading it you don't see red flags everywhere. You should. Here's the ones that jump out at me right off.

sugar

vegetable oil

corn syrup ( more sugar)

rice flower

fructose ( more sugar)

maltodextrin ( more sugar)

The bars are small so the values don't seem like much but in reality they are, add them into your daily allowances and they tip the scales against you never mind the fact they promote fat gain rather than fat loss.


Now if you want a protein bar, make one that's healthy yourself, in this link are some recipes including a couple for protein bars.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/attach...9&d=1356750805

[Mouse6.2]

Our family has accomplished a major life style change two years ago this past June and it has made a huge difference in our health. We all have lost weight and kept it off. Meals are tasty and cleanup in the kitchen is so much easier. I know I will get hammered for this but such as life. Just stating what worked for our family. We also have a special needs daughter with CP and can't exercise and she even lost weight and the doctors were please and said to keep doing what we are doing.

All we did was went to a plant strong diet and oil free, (as much as possible). If anyone is interested Google "Forks Over Knives", "The Engine 2 Diet" and "My Beef With Meat". Ton of great meals and deserts to choose from.

Like I said, meal clean up is so easy now, no nasty grease to deal with.

It makes meals a great deal easier to make and prepare if you live near a Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Even a Fresh Market. We are not really close about 70 miles away, so we make monthly trips and stock up.

Also, a rice cooker and slow cooker are great to have, along with a Vitamix blender and a nice sized food processor.

One other place to look for meals is happyherbivore.com

Just in case anyone is going to ask about how we get our protein, here is some good information on that.

[Muscle Car Lover]

You will get a million ideas, all different.

I was on the Paleo thing from January to about mid June and I felt GREAT. Was wonderful and I kicked off about 10 pounds (5'9 was 165lbs went to 155). I went off it for the summer so far due to cookouts, etc, laziness. Felt way worse. Going right back to it come September. Remember, beer does not count against Paleo!
Funny thing is back in my boxing days my trainer had me eat almost a perfect Paleo diet, even though it was not called that then. I guess it makes sense!

As far as all the computer work you have, that's tougher. May I suggest a stand up desk? These things are awesome and really help out with all kinds of things.

A bunch of our executives have them and I know a ton of stock traders that use them. Highly recommended.

I run around my lab all day so I am never able to sit at my desk.

[RubyCamaro]

I think my laptop holder (I won't call it a desk) at my Mon-Th office may be able to extend up. I could not stand all day as my back starts to hurt after a while but I might be able to do it for some of the day. I have started "hall walking" when I have clients no-show and am caught up on documentation. I probably get on some people's nerves but I don't care. It is not much but it is better than nothing.

[Mydivorcegift]

Ruby....I'm going to give you some tough love....

As you have said you have been in these threads for years and no matter what anyone tells you regarding food, working out, etc ultimately it is up to YOU to stop making excuses. Do you want it bad enough to do what it takes to get the job done. There is no one holding YOU back other than YOU.

Before I moved to TN I worked in Atlanta at a computer desk job. I assure you my commute was worse than yours....both physically and mentally. 9:30-6 was more like 8-7....along with 3 dogs and a son that played a high level of travel baseball.....MAKE THE TIME, MAKE THE CHOICES.

My forever mates journey....206lbs to 129lbs in 10 months done by getting up at 4:30 EVERY morning M-Sat and running sprints, going to the gym at night and lifting free weights, and making the choice not to put crap in her system. Every day, Mon-Saturday, for 10 months and doing yoga on Sunday. This while being a single, full time working mom, with twins and 2 dogs to care for and no help until I moved here.

You can say the "tone" is different in the other thread and it may well be, but it is mostly full of people that have, or truly want to make life changes.

Ruby you can do it. You have the knowledge just from being around all of the "threads". It's up to you to use that knowledge and implement permanent change.