You are currently browsing the Weight Loss category
I saw a friend on the weekend and she looked very fit and trim. She said she had been doing a new exercise DVD and I asked her which one.
She emailed me:
This really is an incredibly good workout. I’ve tried lots of ‘em and this is my fave. Do Workout #1 one day, #2 the next, etc. Do the 10 minute ab portion at the end of your workout - ALWAYS! Start with soup cans and then increase your weights as you feel you can.
If you can’t keep up, just do what you can till you get your breath back and do your best. I can now do Workout #1 in full (with 3 lb weights).
I still cannot do Workout # in its entirety (because of the push-up section), but I’m almost there. I’ve been at this about 1 month. I eat like a Russian mountain man so it’s definitely not diet although I’ve been trying to cut back on sugar (liar). I strongly recommend this workout. I started at 3 days per week. Now I’m hooked - 5 days a week. I’m loving it.
It’s only about 20 minutes per workout (and then 10 min. abs) but it is so darn effective. You probably won’t be able to move after your first workout but I’m telling you, just do it again anyway and the body responds.
She is doing the Jari Love exercise videos. Any video you buy is highly rated.
She uses soup cans instead of weights to save money. I figured if you buy four different DVDs for the year at $15 each (includes shipping), that’s $60. This gives you some variety. That’s 17 cents a day. If you hate it or get bored with them, sell the DVDs on eBay.
Make a New Year’s resolution to get fit for 2010.
I ran into a work associate of mine a little while ago. She had lost about 40 pounds and looked great. I asked her how she lost the weight. She said that instead of doing Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, she decided to just EAT LESS. Instead of eating a big bowl of potato chips, she would give herself a small one. When she had pizza, rather than eat her usual 5-6 pieces, she would have 2 or 3. She said she did this with everything. She didn’t deny herself anything but just ate less of it. She lost all that weight in five months.
My brother and I were talking about portions. He noted that if you look at cookbooks from 50 years ago the portions on some things were half the size that they are today. I remember muffins from the sixties were teeny. Now they are meal-sized.
We could save money and slim down if we reduced portion sizes of meals to a more reasonable level.
This week with the weather improving, I have begun to walk more regularly.
Here is About.com’s calorie and distance calculator. The average person walks at a speed of 3 mph. Walk for 30 minutes. Let’s say you weigh 140 pounds. Click the Calculate It! button and you’ve burned 95 calories. There are 3500 calories in a pound. Without any other changes in your diet, you will lose a pound in 37 days. That’s 10 pounds in a year just with that walk every day.
Additionally, I take stairs when I can and I park as far as I can in the parking lot (less chance of the car getting dinged as well).
My step-daughter-in-law wanted to share her frugal weight-loss journey. Her story:
I have tried the Atkins Diet, LA Weight Loss Center and inquired about Jenny Craig. You name it, I know all about it. What I find is that they are either way too expensive or nearly impossible to keep up with a busy schedule.
If you are looking to lose those extra pounds but are deterred by these expensive meal plans and prepackaged foods, Weight Watchers has a great online plan for less than $25.00 a month (plus the initial $40 registration) whereas Weight Watchers meetings can be $15.00 WEEKLY.
I have been on the plan since May 25th of this year (3 months) and have lost 23 pounds so far. I find not only has my waistline shrunk but so has my grocery bill which more than covers the cost of my membership to Weight Watchers. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and purchase them from the local farmers’ market. I try to limit the amount of processed foods I eat which is not only healthier, but more frugal. I also found my energy levels have increased, I am less sluggish and get more done at work and around the house. I will keep you updated with my progress.
If you’re not familiar with Weight Watchers, it’s all about POINTS. I was making pear bread a few weeks ago and she asked me for the ingredients and typed the info into the Weight Watchers site. She was able to calculate the points that way. She had a modest piece and worked it into her day.
No deprivation for her!
Here you can find a great Weight Watchers cookbook and very highly rated by buyers.
I have never really been fat. But middle age is here and pounds tend to creep on. I do not have willpower. If the ice cream is in the house, I eat it. I don’t buy anything that will tempt me. That is not as easy if you have kids in the house. My solution has been to eat less and move around more.
A few tips.
Brush your teeth after you eat. A Japanese study of nearly 14,000 people found that slim people brushed their teeth after every meal. A lot of people don’t want to eat after their teeth are cleaned. As a bonus, you’ll have healthier teeth and gums.
When I put anti-nail biting solution on my fingernails, I found I ate less and lost weight. The hideous taste left me unable to munch on any snack foods and I was forced to eat everything with a fork and a knife. Presto – weight loss.
If you don’t eat after 6:00 p.m., it really cuts into those serious evening snack hours. So less food equals a weight loss. I find it hard to eat the junk food in the early hours of the day so there is some workability to this for me.
Killing appetites. My mother used to leave a note on the inside of the Christmas Black Magic chocolate box:
I spit on one of them. Your guess!
It was a major deterrent for me and dulled my appetite for food that day. I’m not quite sure how to work this one into my eating routine.
