Fitness/Diet Dilemma...Which should I do??

[Stacy]

I have 20 lbs to lose and cant seem to stay on track. I've decided to go with the "just do it" mentality b/c none of my other "pep" talks have worked. I seem to go ok but get sidelined with illness or my "all or nothing" attitude with food gets in the way, or as I slowly increase the impact/intensity of my workouts my knees start to ache....excuses, excuses...

Anyway, when working out should I modify the impact of the workouts I have (ie. all of Cathe's, KCM, original BBC and a few others) now, OR purchase a rebounder and really try to put more "oomph" into my current workouts? I'm wondering when I start seeing results with cleaning eating and shedding some pounds, will my achy joints improve thus not needing a rebounder or maybe I'm just getting old and I'll "need" a rebounder either way???

For you rebounders....do I need specific rebounder workouts or can I use what I have and still get good use out of a rebounder?

Thanks!

 

[lrayburn]

Work on your attitude/relationship with food. There is not a whole lot of point in spending money on a new fitness toy if you don't resolve that. I have spent years trying to out-exercise an okay diet (generally healthy, whole foods not junk but too much, emotional eating and not watching portion sizes). Now that I've realized that I have to resolve my issues with food first, I've actually been happier and able to back off the exercise a bit and still see improvements.

Good luck!
Lisa

 

[RapidBreath]

All or nothing is a killer on a good diet. I used to fall into that trap. I listen to the "Reasonable Diet" podcast by Sandra Ahten and she has great tips on how to deal with exactly that issue. Also, the Inside Out Weight Loss podcast with Renee Stephens is great too. Both are free on iTunes. I listen during workouts (jogging, hiking, etc.) and while driving.

If your joints hurt there is nothing wrong with getting a rebounder. But, according to Leigh Peele (the fat loss troubleshooter) its better to use cardio that is less aggressive on the body during fat loss. That said. I prefer to jog because it seems to have thinned out my thigh area the most.

Also, there is a diet method that uses the idea that if you get all of your nutrients you won't have cravings. So that would be actually meeting all of your RDA for nutrients. Some people have had success with that.

For me, certain foods just don't help. I allow myself some treats but they are the cleanest versions. So, if its ice cream its the Haagen Daz 5 or if its cheesy puffs its Tings. They aren't really clean but they are the cleanest version and I measure out a serving. If you can't have something in the house, make yourself go out and buy a serving from a frozen yogurt shop rather than have it in the house to torture yourself with.

Back to the all or nothing thinking: its just like they say in AA (Sandra Ahten idea here.) its your thinking protecting your drinking well here its your thinking protecting your eating. Part of what is going on is that the body wants to be plump so that it can survive times of famine. Well. We don't see much famine anymore. So, what happens is you are driven to eat foods that make you put on fat. Part of that is thoughts in your head that justify eating the whole bag of cheesy poufs or a pint of ice cream.

Sometimes, certain foods are triggers. I can't eat a donut. Just can't do it. I can eat a dozen donuts. And put on (no joke) 12 pounds of fat in a day. That was a downer. Anyway. My point is there foods I just won't eat. My top no-nos are donuts, white bread, white rice, sweetened cream (go figure), KFC, McNuggets, cheap candy (what happened to the bag, who ate that? oh crap. . .it was me.) and potato chips. Also, I stay the hell away from caffiene because it induces insulin resistance by draining the body of inositol (vit. B 8) and soy because it induces thyroid problems and adds more estrogen to my body. Estrogen usually makes people plumper and I'm no light weight and I'm estrogen dominant (thats another story.)

sorry for the ramble I hope some of that helped.

 

[beskinny]

Also, I stay the hell away from caffiene because it induces insulin resistance by draining the body of inositol (vit. B 8) and soy because it induces thyroid problems and adds more estrogen to my body. Estrogen usually makes people plumper and I'm no light weight and I'm estrogen dominant (thats another story.).

Can you expand on the above quote? I've never heard of it so am interested in hearing more. Thanks!!

 

[kathryn]

I agree that working on your food intake is essential. Try to look at food as fuel, and you want to fuel your body with the best stuff.

I highly recommend getting a copy of "Picture-Perfect Weight Loss" from your local library. It's good for helping get a grasp of calories vs. nutrients, as it compares two food options with the same calorie content (one very calorie dense, so a small portion, and one very nutrient dense, and a large portion) in pictures on facing pages. It can help you get into the mind frame of making the 'best choice' when it comes to meal time.

Also, I agree with RapidBreath that there are certain trigger foods that are difficult to eat just a small amount of (I feel it ties in to what she mentioned about getting all nutrients: when you eat something that is nutrient poor--especially foods low in minerals, which are nutrients that are lacking in the standard American diet, or SAD--your body is still craving those nutrients, which means it's easy to go through a bag of potato chips in one fell swoop, but nutrient-dense foods are harder to overeat.)

One way of adding high-nutrient/low-calorie-density foods to your diet is to start the day with a green smoothie. Just that one simple change can be extremely beneficial, IMO. It definitely jump-started my being able to finally lose 10 pounds that I gained in the first two years at my current job, pounds that I was unable to lose before.

Here are some recipes to give you a start: http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/blog.php?b=1595