You know you're in trouble when your former weights

[_Jersey Girl]

workout music is now your cardio.

Oh my gosh! Has anyone else spent the whole winter being a couch potato? (Yoga doesn't count.) I gained 6 pounds (weighed in at docs about three weeks ago) over winter! I know, you don't think that sounds like a lot but it's a lot on my snack size frame.

I have been (too) slowly trying to get off my duff over here and let me tell you I've got a fight on my hands! I started by reducing portions/calories for the last couple of weeks and also increasing water intake. You gotta start some place, right?

I also play tricks on myself. (Here comes the crazy.) Like wearing form fitting clothing. Even though I look like crap in them right now, I can trick myself into believing that I'm "already there" so long as I don't look in a full length mirror. ;-)

I already know I'm crazy, you don't have to point that out, okay? I do what helps me.

I also purged a ton of old clothes and bought some new pieces. Apparently, I'm motivated by clothing. :-)

My weights that have been looking cool and collecting dust all winter, are now dusted off. I have playlists for weights and walking. Some of the walking music is faster for better cardio. I usually use the walking music for walking and dancing. The best I can do right now is use the weights music (slower) for everything.

I can only do 2 songs for weights and 3 for dancing right now. WTH!!

And yet, I'm not willing to say I'm screwed entirely because that would be self defeating.

Is anyone else getting off the couch? What tricks/methods do you use to jump start yourself mentally and physically?

Where do you start?

Thanks!

(I'm totally posting this, I don't care how embarrassing it is.)

[_Gunnar]

I, like perhaps most people, spend much more time on the couch than is good for me. Yet, one of the very lowest things on my list of worries is my weight. I just weighed myself at 159.5 lbs. (72.3 kilos), which is probably a bit more than ideal for my height of 69.5 inches (176.5 cm), but it has remained at about that level plus or minus 3 to 5 lbs. for decades with no conscious effort on my part, seemingly no matter how much or little I eat or exercise. I get moderate exercise by walking most everywhere I go in my small community, usually using the car only if going somewhere with family members or if I am in a hurry. About the only thing that seems to affect my weight appreciably is vigorous, hard exercise, which, if anything, makes me gain weight in the form of increased muscle mass, which as you surely know is denser than the fat it might replace. When I was a youth, hard, resistance exercises such as lifting weights, pushups, chin-ups, etc. was the only way I could manage to gain weight, seemingly no matter how much I ate. I was the skinniest of all my friends, and I could out eat any two of them combined. If my food intake was more than my body really needed, it just excreted the excess somehow, apparently. My body seems to have an unusually forgiving metabolism.

Still, I recognize that I could be taking better care of myself than I currently do and ought to exercise more and eat junk food a bit less often, but that is fairly low (probably a bit too low) on my list of priorities. I have to give my wife a lot of credit, though. She is a great cook and feeds us a well-balanced diet with a good variety of nutritious foods.

[_just me]

I've been doing terrible. I've been consuming so much chocolate it's indecent.

So, I've started back on walking or treadmill, depending on weather. I go for about a mile, 20+ minutes. I also do some incline and faster to get the heartrate up. I'll add weights in a week or so.

I bought a bunch of fresh food yesterday.

Today I started with a protein shake (made with almond milk).
I've been drinking water with lemon throughout the day. Snacking on a few salted almonds.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with a little cheese. (one whole, one white)
I did my treadmill.
Lunch was a big lettuce salad with a little ham and cheese and dressing. Oh, and about 1/2 cup leftover fried rice.

I've decided that this summer I am going to be much more active than I was last summer. I have some annoying issues that make sun exposure an ordeal for me. But, this year I am determined not to let it slow me down. I miss hiking. I need to take the kids to the pool.

I've been acquiring some new clothes, too. New pj's, new yoga pants. New hiking clothes. Things to support me, not sit in my closet.

Anyway, my gut has gotten pretty big (for me). I have a new scale on the way. Ours broke a while ago and when I weighed myself recently I almost died. But the more important thing is how I feel. I don't like how I feel. Oh, and I've been having trouble sleeping and night sweats (oh lordy, don't let it be "the change"). I need to get my health back on track.

For me, I just get tired of feeling yuck. Once I decide to fix it I stay fairly motivated.

Things I find helpful to kill cravings:

* Herb tea, no sweetener
* Almonds
* Water with lemon
* Eggs for breakfast
* Find triggers (like sitting on the computer for a long time)
* I have to make sure I am eating enough protein

Once I start exercising I want to do it more and more because it elevates my mood and gets me excited about getting strong.

[Guest]

I've been doing terrible. I've been consuming so much chocolate it's indecent.

Chocolate is one of favorite "health" foods--especially dark chocolate with almonds.

I also love fish of all kinds--especially if it is in the form of my favorite dish, fiskegrateng! It is a Norwegian dish my wife learned how to make from my dearly departed Norwegian mother. Served with boiled potatoes, carrots and corn and dribbled over with a sauce made from melted butter (or margarine) and diced green onions it is to die for! Whenever my wife brings it to a potluck dinner, it is one of the first things to disappear. Even people who don't like fish love it. It is not uncommon for people who have tried it and loved it and asked my wife for the recipe to be flabbergasted to discover that the main ingredient is fish. "But it can't be fish!", they sometimes say; "I don't like fish!"

If you have trouble finding a translation app to translate the recipe to English, let me know, and I'll post my wife's recipe that she got from my mother in English upon request.

Or you might try looking at this site. It appears to be about the same kind of thing with variations that even my wife has not yet tried.

The below recipe seems very similar to what my wife uses.

Ingredients Nutrition

Servings 4 Units US
500 g white fish fillets, poached
1⁄3 cup margarine
1⁄2 cup white flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs, beaten
buttered bread crumbs (optional) or grated cheese (optional)

Directions
Flake the poached fish into a well greased baking dish.
In a small saucepan, melt margarine, and add 1/2 cup flour.
Gradually add the milk, salt, pepper and the beaten eggs.
Beat thoroughly until smooth and lump-free.
Pour over fish and top with a layer of buttered bread-crumbs OR grated cheese.
Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 45 minutes.

But the recipe at the first link in this post is closer to the recipe my wife got from my mother. Just translate it and enjoy!

[_Jersey Girl]

Thanks folks. Except Gunnar who doesn't gain weight. ;-)

I know why I've gained weight.

1. Not doing my own cooking for the past 5 months.
2. Stress eating.
3. Not making private time to exercise.

The weather where I live doesn't help either. I dropped my gym membership in late fall (?) because I knew I wouldn't be able to make it into town during winter. I had plans to get a treadmill to replace the gym membership, but my plans were thwarted but stuff I can't say here. I posted about that on another fitness thread.

So yeah, six extra pounds. And again, I know that some folks will look at that and think, "Hey, tell me when you have a real problem." Trust me, 6 pounds on me is like 20 on the rest of you guys. just me hit the nail on the head when she says she doesn't feel good. That pretty much nails how I feel right now.

And again, the weather. I like to use our long drive way for walking/cardio. This time of year it almost dries out and then it gets snowed on again.

It's snowing as I type this.

I'm in a giant rut right now and I need to push myself out of it. I appreciate the ideas! Really feeling out of whack and not liking myself right now.

Or the snow.

Thanks for listening!

[_Jersey Girl]

Chocolate is one of favorite "health" foods--especially dark chocolate with almonds.

I usually do this little thing where I mix almonds, dark chocolate chips (not many) and throw in craisins if I have any.

:-)

[_Jersey Girl]

I've been doing terrible. I've been consuming so much chocolate it's indecent.

I don't really have a sweet tooth, but in winter I stash blizzard chocolate. ;-) Usually a couple of bars of IKEA chocolate. So I've been eating chocolate, too, and of course, Happy Easter. Ugh! I've been eating way more beef than I ever do and also chips.

kmn

So, I've started back on walking or treadmill, depending on weather. I go for about a mile, 20+ minutes. I also do some incline and faster to get the heartrate up. I'll add weights in a week or so.

I'm not even there yet in my head, but I'm making myself do some things.

I bought a bunch of fresh food yesterday.

I usually eat clean for the most part. Haven't been for the past 5 months.

Today I started with a protein shake (made with almond milk).
I've been drinking water with lemon throughout the day. Snacking on a few salted almonds.

Why lemon water?

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with a little cheese. (one whole, one white)
I did my treadmill.
Lunch was a big lettuce salad with a little ham and cheese and dressing. Oh, and about 1/2 cup leftover fried rice.

That sounds like a good day, just me!

I've decided that this summer I am going to be much more active than I was last summer. I have some annoying issues that make sun exposure an ordeal for me. But, this year I am determined not to let it slow me down. I miss hiking. I need to take the kids to the pool.

I'm far more active in summer. That's why I lose like 10 pounds without even blinking. It's this time of year...stuck, stuck, stuck inside!

I've been acquiring some new clothes, too. New pj's, new yoga pants. New hiking clothes. Things to support me, not sit in my closet.

I do that! :-) I also bought some things to add for summer, since I donated so many of my clothes. For some reason a closet with a few updated outfits inspires me to do better.

Anyway, my gut has gotten pretty big (for me). I have a new scale on the way. Ours broke a while ago and when I weighed myself recently I almost died. But the more important thing is how I feel. I don't like how I feel. Oh, and I've been having trouble sleeping and night sweats (oh lordy, don't let it be "the change"). I need to get my health back on track.

For me, I just get tired of feeling yuck. Once I decide to fix it I stay fairly motivated.

I'm still not "there" yet in my head. I'm working on it!

Things I find helpful to kill cravings:

* Herb tea, no sweetener
* Almonds
* Water with lemon
* Eggs for breakfast
* Find triggers (like sitting on the computer for a long time)
* I have to make sure I am eating enough protein

I don't have too many cravings to fend off. I don't have a love relationship with food. I've just not been eating as I normally would and it caught up with me! Those are good ideas!!

Once I start exercising I want to do it more and more because it elevates my mood and gets me excited about getting strong.

It's like your muscles are telling you, "Hey, do that again!"

Still not there, but thank you! I'll get there eventually!

And tell me about the lemon water please.

[_Gunnar]

Chocolate is one of favorite "health" foods--especially dark chocolate with almonds.

I usually do this little thing where I mix almonds, dark chocolate chips (not many) and throw in craisins if I have any.

:-)

Yum! My kind of treat as well! And not just craisins. Raisins are just as good. When my children were little, they preferred raisins to candy.

[_Gunnar]

I'm in a giant rut right now and I need to push myself out of it. I appreciate the ideas! Really feeling out of whack and not liking myself right now.

Make yourself and your family a batch of fiskegrateng. Eating that will surely put you and everyone with whom you share it in a good mood. But if they think they don't like fish, don't tell them what it really is until after they taste it. They will probably love it before they know what it is if they taste it first, even if they are not fish lovers. That has been my experience with others who tasted it for the first time. Cod and sole and probably tilapia are excellent choices to make it with. My wife made it with salmon once, and that was amazing! Just thinking about that experience makes me salivate!

[_The CCC]

Eat less, exercise more. Do whatever it takes to do those two things and you'll be healthier.