diets | pad patter 6.23.20

I started Noom in January and even with shelter in place and all that entails, I am down over twenty pounds. I definitely don't feel like I'm dieting. I eat all of the stuff that I want to eat, to be honest, just in different quantities. A key part of Noom is reading their daily articles, so if that's not something you're interested in, this might not be the right one for you. The articles made all of the difference in the world for me. I found out that my weight gain was due to a lot of mental stuff... and Noom helped me think about food differently. Once I changed my thinking about food, the easier it has been to stick with it. I don't feel like I'm waiting to reach a goal to quit, because I really don't feel like I'm depriving myself of anything that I want. It's hard to explain, but just let me know if you want more info!! The link is an offer they give to existing members, it will give you some sort of discount if you decide to sign up.

 

I try to not eat in the evening. Night eating is not good for me. As far as the rest of my "diet", I try to eat healthy. I can't eat sweets very successfully, which is totally in my favor. Sweets used to be my downfall. I also drink a lot of water.

 

I’m loosely on Weight Watchers but til meetings restart it’s a bit of a failure which I accept. At the very least I’m more conscious about what and how much I’m eating even if technically I’m not really on the program yet.

 

I have been doing low carb/keto and have lost 6kgs and am feeling so much healthier. My blood pressure is down and with walking I am feeling happier within myself. It works for me. I have made it a lifestyle, don't think I can eat normally/in moderation, I love carbs way too much.

 

are there any calories on what you are drinking? I've seen people loose loads of weight switching from coke to water. Be wary of artificial sweeteners, they don't have any calories but they do have a negative impact on weight management.
Check you daily portions of vegetables - aim for a minimum of 5 a day on those, 7 is ideal. Don't worry about eating less, just try to eat smart.

 

I started Weight Watchers in March... right after lockdown started! It's been a bit of a struggle but I'm down 12 pounds. I've had a couple rough weeks in June (stress and family things), but managed not to gain. Now that we are out more, I plan to include more moving and hiking too! I've tried to incrementally change my eating habits and don't eat after 8 as well. I also have to have 8 glasses of water before I allow myself other types of drinks - crystal light, fizzy water, etc.

 

I'm with you, Kayla! I'm trying to drop a stubborn 10lbs or so. Quarantine has not helped. I am working on eating better, more protein/fewer carbs and finally got back to the gym yesterday. We've been walking and playing things like badminton to get exercise since everything's been closed. I'm also drinking more water. I've really been trying to work on counting macros and I use MyFitnessPal to track them. Carbs are my weakness!

 

Like Cheryl said, for many of us, it is an emotional or mental change. Our situation since March has thrown things out of whack for me. I have steadily gained back 8 pounds of the 25 I lost. I know it is the stress, depression, and grieving for things lost due to covid. I am ready to get back on track.

Tip: only eat when you are hungry. Yeah, you would think we all did that, but so often we eat when we are not actually stomach growling hungry. The only time I ignore the hunger pains is when it is after 8pm (evenings are my downfall). Going to bed hungry means I lose weight. I am also working on getting more sleep, so going to sleep to avoid hunger is good for me right now.

Another tip: small plates, small bowls. I will eat everything in the bowl. So if I use a very small bowl I can usually limit how much I eat.

And lastly, be kind to yourself. You can start over tomorrow. You can start over now, this hour. The past mistakes are done. Be different now. You can do it!

 

In a nutshell, it's just making sure I get the right percentages of carbs, fats, and proteins. In MyFitnessPal, it lets you set the percentages you want, like 40% carbs, 25% protein, and 35% fat (example), and it's based on the number of calories you set as your goal to eat in a day. Then as you put in your food for the day, it shows you where you are and how much of each you are getting, as well as how many calories. It shows how many grams of each you have left for the day and then also on a graph with the percentages. I like that it figures it all out for me, so I don't really have to count. I don't know if that makes sense, but I like being able to see wow, I've had a lot of carbs already today so I need to cut back the rest of the day. So, if you want to go really low carb, or low fat, set that percentage lower and it will calculate how much you can eat and track it as you put in meals and snacks. It also syncs with like iPhone health or Apple Watch, and gives you "credit" for exercise.

 

Thanks Kayla! It feels good and like I said, with Noom, I don't feel like I've given anything up really. Well, I've given up bad habits, but I haven't given up foods that I love or being able to eat out, etc.

The cost seems to be hard to nail down. It is a factor of how much weight you want to lose and how long you want to take to get there. Mine is around $90 every four months. I am thinking that I am on track to cancel my subscription and work within their free tools now. I have renewed once and will decide what I think I want to do by my next renewal in September. It is not time consuming at all to read the articles... 5-10 minutes a day. You will be assigned a personal coach who checks in regularly and helps you along the way, and will have access to a group forum as well. Participate as little or as much as you want. The article reading is the key part though, that's what changed things for me.

 

Like @Cherylndesigns all I'm doing now is to avoid sugar which helped add the 10lb I've gained "since"... More water through trying to alternate the 8oz of sugar free iced tea or iced coffee with the sugar free Vanilla Creamer (yes, pure plastic ...) with the an 8oz of water with mint or lemon. Today I actually went back to walking in the house...in 10-15 min segments. Just over 3k steps so I have a good way to go but that's about 2500 more than a 'normal' day of scrapping and Zoom calls. Bit by bit it went on and bit by bit it will come off.

Otherwise our diet has always been pretty healthy. Even Dick reminds me I used to walk outside (except in the summer) but that was in 2018 pre his cancer! Sometimes I just want to say Shut the F up! he lost all 'his' fat from chemo and radiation so in one way no work was required. Now he bikes hard every day and loves to sweat. Ugh... Old age laziness. <-- that's me.