I'm down 70 lbs as of this morning in 4 months doing the following:
1: Very low carbs, less than 50 grams a day usually...and those come from "good" carbs in vegetables. No alchohol (this was big for me), no bread, no wraps disguised as low carbs, no crackers. Not only are carbs just sugar...I made bad food descisions when drinking. Bar food sucks!
2: 10,000 steps, 5 miles a day moving. Notice how I said "moving". That many "steps" sounds daunting, at first you don't think it will be easy to do...you learn it is not all about going for a few 2-3 mile walks, it is about how you get out of your car a walk. Just go walk to a friends house like you did as a teenager!
3: I like dogs. I volunteered at the local Humane Society. I have a scheduled day I walk dogs, but they can always use the help so you can go as much as you want, meet and work with great people and dogs. I go on Thursday mornings and after 2-3 hours I am 4-4.5 miles and am done for the day. Besides, you are doing a good thing!
More detail:
1: Carbs are sugar, plain and simple. I have never eated "sweets", hate desert and don't eat candy. My sugar was Bread, crackers, pasta, alchohol. The reason you get hungry and have spikes in your mood is because of sugar. It's was hard at first, but after about 2 weeks my mood got much better,cravings went away. I started seeing food as fuel for my body. The weight will pour off of you the first month.
Buy a scale. I weigh everything. High protein foods I eat: Hard boiled egg whites only, 97% hamburger, chicken sausages, turkey, skinless chicken ,shrimp(wow, you can eat all of this you want).I try to use the bbq as much as possible and don't sweat the seasoning, but I never use a sauce out of a bottle. Cayenne, paprika, garlic salt, whatever...we have bigger fish to fry than worry about these. Buy container of egg whites in milk-style carton. I mix in one real egg for color and flavor. You can have a huge omlette with 6 turkey sausages every morning if you want!
New found foods: Pork Rinds! I love crunch, and this is the only way I get it. Go easy. a lot of calories. Cauliflower! I had never had cauliflower before 3 mos. ago. It is like potatoes...it will take on whatever flavor you sprinkle on it. I will literally eat 3 heads of cauliflower a day sometimes. You can grind it up like mash potatoes and flavor it, mix it with meatloaf, if you must have bread you can mix grind it down and mix with muffin mix. Jicama... I had never heard out it but sometimes I cut it up like french fries and bake it. little high in calories for little gain for me.
Some vegs I don't eat over others because of higher carbs, but lettuce, celery, onions, brocoli, carrots, mushrooms, are my favs. I go for bulk lettuce and vegetables to fill plate, spiked with peppered egg whites for protein, and a meat protein, usually 4 oz. or so will do...then if I want some crunch a small bowl of pork rinds sprinkled with my fav spice. I don't really do fruit, but never really did before. Apples cut up in your food add crunch...which I do sometimes.
2: Moving rather than walking. Dog shelter gets me 3-4 miles a few days a week. I walk to the store. Walking back with 2 sacks of food in each arm is great for arms. My theory is if I force myself to walk there, I HAVE TO walk back right? Double my distance. I have a dog...rather than just throwing the ball I throw it and walk towards it in the park. My dog brings it back to where I'm walking and I throw it again. Before I know it we have walked 1-2 miles. I usually do this twice a day. Go shopping at Walmart big box...get a shopping cart and walk every aisle. Park far away every place you shop. ALWAYS take your cart back to the store...don't leave it in corral. Stairs always. Discover all of the parks and trails in your town...I'll bet there are a lot that you don't know about and have never been. Vareity, variety. I swim at the pool. I hike local trails 1 or 2 times a week. Dog is a good excuse and always an exercise partner. If you don't have one, I'm sure a freind would love to have you walk their dog and take it off their hands for a Saturday or two! Make a little extra money?
3: I'm 49 and hadn't thrown a baseball since my early twenties. I had a mountin bike but never rode it. Start thinking about what we used to do as teenagers...we walked around all day, we threw the baseball, we played football, we rode our bikes to a friends house. People, it has nothing to do with your age...it is what we don't do anymore. I bought one of those baseball trainers that return your throw...I'll go to the backyard and play catch with myself for 30 minutes or so. I bought a used tennis racket and hit a tennis ball for my dog to chase at the park...then I'll hit it against the wall to myself for a while! When was the last time you shot a basketball? You do know that they are in virtually every schoolyard in your town, right? Go to the high school and walk the bleachers...you will feel it! (walk THERE if you can). Hanging on the monkey bars!? Ha!
Hope this helps give you some ideas...it is so good to see my Dr. smile and ask me what I'm doing. People will tell you that you look younger, you look happier, you are better at your job...your outlook on life will change. I'm not a Dr., but I'm convinced there is a corelation between carbs, sugar spikes, cravings, sleep schedule, mood and attitude with eating carbs way in excess of what our bodies were made for...I would do this even if I had not lost 70lbs...I'm serious. I can live with THIS!
