Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I'm reminded every day of how much the little things matter.

Take oatmeal. Healthy, right?

Instant oatmeal (just add hot water) has 13 grams of sugar and 270 milligrams of sodium per serving. By contrast, quick-cook oatmeal has 1 gram of sugar and no sodium. Big difference. I'd rather add my own brown sugar, thanks.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

So right, Cadet.

I try to stay away from meals that come from a little pouch with 'just add water and microwave' as the preparation instructions. And the quick oats take all of 60 seconds longer to prepare.

Then again, I give into temptation every now and then and eat a bg ol' pastrami burger with fries. So I'm probably not the best guy to ask for advice when it comes to nutrition.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

It's not about being perfect, it's about making good choices 90 percent of the time.

If you eat well and exercise all week and have that burger, it won't kill you. In fact, you may enjoy it more. Or it will give you something to look forward to.

The pressure to be perfect can do more to derail you than an occasional burger.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I did the Met-Rx shakes ("original drink mix") for a while and liked them. I was thinking about getting some again recently, but decided against it when I checked out the ingredients on the package closely and saw partially hydrogenated oils on the list. I decided to cut out the "engineered nutrition" stuff and go get whey powder and protein bars (Clif Builder's Bars) from Whole Foods. Similar nutrition stats, but not as high in protein. I'm much more comfortable consuming that stuff, though, because the ingredients list doesn't read like a science project.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I've decided a small love handle is a small price to pay for eating well -- and by that, I mean eating yummy, indulgent stuff every now and then. I'm not training for the Olympics. I just want to be fit, feel better and race with some other cyclists once or twice a month.

I also try to snack on carrots and bananas instead of Pringles. But I feel no real shame after eating like a pig once a week or so.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I'm on your tail, Ides -- but not too close, since drafting's a no-no in my triathlon neighborhood. I did three hours on the roads in a typical Pacific Northwest drizzle on Saturday. Needed the time on the roads but staying out in that kind of weather did wonders for my psyche. Toughens me up, I suppose.

And I'm finding it harder to sleep until 10 a.m. like normal because I'm too excited for my workouts. I feel like an overly perky aerobics instructor. Ugh.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

In the last week I've re-read this entire thread. Amazing stuff.

If you're serious about fitness, it's probably worth printing it out, just in case it gets lost in cyberspace one day. I'm going to leave it in sticky mode for now, thinking spring (and approaching summer) might be a time of renewed interest.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I'm still keepin' things going. I lost 115 pounds in 2004 (if this story sounds familiar, well, it's because I posted for years under another handle 8)) and I've had no problems keeping it off.

I actually gained some weight in the last six months from lifting. It was a good thing. Still in great shape. Still feeling great almost all the time. All the nasty physical problems I had while 315 are gone gone gone.

It totally can be done. If you're tired of being fat, just stop being fat. In most cases, it's a choice. Take control, stop being owned by food/cokes and it'll work. Book it. Once you get into a routine of better eating and regular exercise, I cannot stress how EASY it is to keep it going. It becomes second nature.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I've got a spot reserved in one of the big local tri events in my area. But I'm thinking I'm too much of a wussy to do the whole thing and I'll just go down and cover the thing for the paper.

But I feel almost obligated to race in it because it is the same tri my cousin died in last year. The event fills up quickly every year, but they gave the family 40 spots to go and 'finish the race' for him. So, even though it will pretty much destroy me, I think I'll go do it.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

A small but important tip: When buying food, try to keep the amount of fat calories as close to 10% of total calories as possible. You'll lose weight without so much as lifting a finger, except to eat.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

That's some sage advice there.

The routine's the thing. I'm down 16 pounds since the start of the year and would really like to lose 50 more.

At first it was horribly difficult staying away from the burgers, fries, etc. Now, I've lost enough that I feel better when I eat right and feel like crap when I don't.

The bottom line is I used to eat maybe 2-3 healthy meals a week. Now I eat 18-19 a week and it's amazing how much more energy I have and how easy it is to stay concentrated on doing the right thing.

I'm very serious about losing 50 more pounds, though. If anyone would like to be a private cyber workout/diet buddy, PM me.

BTW, the epiphany for me was carrying a 50-pound suitcase up the stairs and wanting to fall over afterwards. It scared the hell out of me to think about how much healthier and more energetic I'd be if I got fit and light.

Anyway, good luck to folks and thanks for the many positive contributions to this thread.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I joined the Y the other day. This afternoon, I exercised for the first time in a while and kept things relatively simple (20 minute jog/walk, one too many wayward jump shots, 40 minutes on the bike).

I feel good. However, that wouldn't be the case if I went full bore. I kind of babied it today.

That said, do you folks recommend any starter exercises, etc?