losing weight

littlewhip · Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:26 pm

I think I've heard everything from eating healthy, grazing, count carbs, lower fat intake, do cardiovascular exercise and other things. When it comes to losing weight, it seems a never ending battle. I think some of the gurus have it right when they say it's a lifestyle change.
before I had a child (which, by the way, makes your body go crazy and allows for hormone and regulatory change...you have to get to know your metabolism all over again!) I was around 180 lbs. I wanted to lose some weight, and didn't know how to do it properly. I eventually forgot about it through the years, and one day I woke up, and I was a slim trim 150 lbs!
I had been working at a shipping dock pulling 1,000 pbs skids with a hand jack (a device that uses two long tongs on wheels that fit under the skid and lifted it using hyudrolics.) and lifting boxes that weighed about 30-50 lbs each. I was eating four small meals a day cause there was never enough time to eat lunch, and when I got home, I was too tired to eat a supper. my meals consisted of anything that was easy that didn't have to be heated or expensive. nine months later, I lost 30 lbs and gained about twice the muscle mass.
that lifestyle lasted until I had my son. then I blew up to about 270 lbs. since I'm a cheap person and live in the city I buy veggies that I find on produce stands. Also I eat alot of chicken and once in a while I'll get a steak on sale. I eat lots of nuts and dried fruits cause they are high in sugar, which is a simple carb and can be burned as soon as it's eaten (giving one a quick pick me up in a boring class) and I walk...constantly :!: I refuse to buy a bus ticket because I won't spend money on something that I can find a way around and save money. I have a bike also. I have lost about fifty pounds in one year doing this, and now weight appx. 234 lbs. I have been exercising a little more at home, cause I no longer make demands on my body to carry and pull heavy weights.
I guess what I'm saying is that losing weight is ALL about the way a person lives, and the way they look at things.
save the planet, the money, and ban the oil consumption. take a bike, or a moped if one lives farthur away from work and shopping. mopeds are cheap, (they sometimes don't need insurance, or registration, and require less fuel for more milage!!!) and the balance it takes to ride one also helps keep the body in constant motion, even if you don't feel it.
walk! enjoy the scenes. even in the dirtiest city, there are some nice sites (like architecture and doves) that can be seen easier if passing them slower.
dance while vacuming and dusting. it can help one to feel energized, and gives one the cardiovascular exercise that seems to be high in demand.
think about a career change, or even work in a different part of the same company if possible, actually anything that will require more physical energy.
climb the stairs. sometiems that's faster than using an eleveator. Challenge yourself to climb them faster each time, cutting time and calories.
snack on veggies and fruit and nuts. even baked chips instead of the fattening regular ones.
don't eat three meals a day, make it four or five. eating three meals takes more time, (which means less productive work and less pay) and makes one feel tired. sometimes americans feel we HAVE to eat at noon, and we're not even hungry!
stay away from resteraunts. they cook with butter, fats and grease. just think, the same thing at home can be not only tailored to what you like to eat, but you know how it's going to turn out AND it's cheaper!
don't eat prepackaged ANYTHING! (you can even make healthier and tastier french fries and potatoe chips than stores. prepackaged goods can make one want to eat more when they really don't need or want to.
if a person has to prepare and cook the food, doing so can force a person to slow down, enjoy the time it takes to prepare, and helps them decide if they are really hungry or if they are eating for another reason. somtimes calling someone, playing with a teddy bear, or reading a book can be just as satisfying and doesn't require the preperation of cooking a real meal.

any comments, suggestions? this way of life has worked for me twice...it's all in how you live, and how much money and environment you want to save. NOT about calories, fat and carbs... :D :!:


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