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Diet and Exercise
Good news, our Shaklee 180 stuff came yesterday. Monday and Tuesday I was just doing Kirkland Weight Loss Shakes (basically a Slim Fast). A couple negatives about those (the Kirkland).. They are NOT dairy free, they have a lot of sugar, and they are not very filling. I was sooo hungry between meals (and I was doing 5 meals a day!).
So far the Shaklee seems like it will be much better. Lactose free, low sugar (so not too sweet), 24g of protein per serving (not including the protein from the unsweetened almond milk I mixed it with). And I can't be sure, since I'm drinking my first one as we speak... But it seems SO much more filling than the Kirkland.
Only issues - it's a little chunky just shaken with the milk, so I need to maybe pre-blend them the night before in my bullet and then re-shake right before drinking. And I need more tupperware drinking containers :P
I'm feeling hopeful about this! And it's helping me meet another of my goals.. I tracked everything I'm going to be eating today and my breakdown is 44% from carbs, 25% from fat and 31% from protein. That's up 10% on protein and down 10% on carbs!
Now to just stick to it. Will power! Wedding in less than 3 months. I can do this!
Good luck Dawn! I hope you start seeing results soon :).
So far so good.. It's been an hour and a half since I had the shake and I'm not overly hungry yet. That's my biggest worry with this diet - I hate being hungry. We'll see how the afternoon stretch goes, that's usually the worst.
I do protein smoothies in the morning (when I remember). A friend hipped me to a trick: add in froze fruit and it makes it more like a frosty. I get the bag of frozen mixed fruit. I mix it with Almond milk (vanilla), the protein mix and some chia seeds. The chia seeds are supposed to keep you full (and they do) but I hate the texture and they get in every nook and cranny.
This Shaklee shake stuff is basically a fiber packed soy protein shake. I didn't expect it to get thick on it's own, but it did. I was going to blend it with a banana if it didn't, but no need now. And it did pretty good to fill me up! Better than any whey protein shake or meal replacement shake I've ever had before...
Dawn wrote: "This Shaklee shake stuff is basically a fiber packed soy protein shake. I didn't expect it to get thick on it's own, but it did. I was going to blend it with a banana if it didn't, but no need now...."I just looked it up - I didn't realize it was more of a meal replacement.
I guess I do the same but I call my shakes "post workout recovery." LOL!
I read somewhere that I needed to add a bunch more stuff because all I was doing was drinking a bunch of high protein fruit. But I'm nervous about that because I often hate the taste of most other additives. I tried wheatgerm before and it was gritty. :( Now I'm using chia and I'm still "meh."
It's a meal replacement, but higher protein and fiber and lower sugar and carbs than any others I've tried. With 16g of protein, it's closer to a protein shake than most. I also do straight protein post workout recovery drinks.. Usually.. Don't know that I need that anymore with the protein I'm getting throughout the day with the meal replacements. We'll see! With my whey protein post-recovery drinks, I always added banana and peanut butter to make it less watery. With this, I might add that stuff sometimes to mix up the flavor, or add berries to the vanilla one or things like that.. But I don't really need to, it's pretty well rounded on it's own.
I'm pretty impressed by it so far.. And that's hard for me to admit! Lol.. When I met J's family they were all "Shaklee this" and "Shaklee that", and I had never heard of it and thought it was kind of lame. But it's proving me wrong right now. I hate that :P
I avoid whey like the plague. I'm lactose intolerant and whey is a dairy product. GNC sales person told me that the new whey has very little to no lactose - but if there's enough in it to trigger my intolerance then I'd be getting stomach cramps and tossing my cookies. It's so painful that I don't want to take the chance - so I use egg white protein. I really like the GNC brand but it has a lot of sugar. I'm using a different one now - it's not as tasty but its a "cleaner" product with less sugar.
I'm tempted to try the shaklee but I need to cut a lot more out of my diet first...I just need to find a baseline of some sort.
The Shaklee is lactose and glucose free, that was one of the things that decided me on trying it. That, and it has a good dose of potassium. I can never seem to get enough potassium, I get calve cramps and foot cramps when I sleep because of it.
Dawn wrote: "The Shaklee is lactose and glucose free, that was one of the things that decided me on trying it. That, and it has a good dose of potassium. I can never seem to get enough potassium, I get calve cr..."I don't get a lot of potassium, either. Just picked up a banana allergy about a year ago. :(
Bananas are a good source, but still only 12% of the daily needed amount. I was having trouble finding the other 90%. Can't eat 10 bananas a day!
Dawn wrote: "Bananas are a good source, but still only 12% of the daily needed amount. I was having trouble finding the other 90%. Can't eat 10 bananas a day!"truth
I've been doing really good at working out this week! Have done insanity every day. Yesterday I had my all time high calorie burn.. 500 calories in my 45 minute work out. Not sure if that's good compared to others, but I don't really care either. It's good for me! I feel like I'm keeping up a lot better.. I can jump a little higher.. And I can push myself longer and through more pain before taking a break. I like seeing results.I'm soooo worried about today though. Today on the schedule is the Pure Cardio workout, which sucks. I've done it twice... It's bullshit. 40 minutes, no breaks, fast cardio, I thought I was going to die. And today? Pure Cardio is supposed to be followed up by another 20 minute Cardio Abs workout. Joy.
But whatever, I'm doing it! As I'm working out, when I'm tired and sweaty and all of my muscles are burning, I'm thinking about one thing.. Those before pictures I took in a bikini I'm taking on my honeymoon, and how unattractive my body looked. And also? I'm thinking about the people who don't think I'll actually stick to and get in shape.
I'm so committed. I've been perfect on my diet all week, no cheats, 1200 calories a day with an average burn on 2000... I'm not losing weight, but I KNOW I'm burning fat.
K. Got a little carried away. I'm just feeling pumped and proud of myself.. And terrified for the workouts tonight! But also excited for a chance to push myself to new limits.
Dawn wrote: "I've been doing really good at working out this week! Have done insanity every day. Yesterday I had my all time high calorie burn.. 500 calories in my 45 minute work out. Not sure if that's good co..."That's great!
My workout was ho-hum today. I didn't do as much (running late).
I weighed myself today. I gained weight again. WTF, man. I'm doing everything.
Cardio, weight lifting, stretching, walking. WTF! The only thing I'm not doing is yoga at this point.
I can't seem to get it working.
I know exactly how you feel... I ate 1,112 calories yesterday, and burned over 2,000 (including my 500 calories cadio workout). I feeeeel like I should have lost 0.5 lb at least, but I gained 0.2 lb. It's not about the number. It's not about the number. It's not about the number! I just keep telling myself that :)
Dawn wrote: "It's not about the number. It's not about the number. It's not about the number! I just keep telling myself that :) "It's going to have to become my new mantra.
O_o
So I just looked at that shaklee stuff. $35 for 15 servings???? OMG
Have you tried the SlimFast shakes?
Lol... Well, it's a meal replacement. And 35 for 15 servings is breakfast and lunch for a week, so it's not actually that bad. 2.50 meal isn't ridiculous.And I have tried slim fast, it isn't filling at all. So far with these shakes I have had no problems with hunger, they are all natural and higher protein and lower carb and sugar than slim fast. And lower calories for more volume.
All around worth it in my opinion. Slim fast is like 4 for 6 or 7? So it's really not significantly less expensive.
I will say that the snack bars and crisps are more pricey than they should be. $2 a bar is a little silly... But those aren't necessary to the shake plan. Any 100-200 calorie healthy snack will do, just insert twice a day instead of shaklee bars or crisps.Honestly... I save money at $2.50 a meal. Lean cuisines for lunch are $3 or more, and if I go out its between $10 and $20 for just one meal. Breakfast is a little hit, since I usually do oatmeal which is pretty cheap, but overall it's a save.
Congrats. My belief is that feeling good about yourself is the most important thing about working out. I know it's trite but it's true. And the difference between a good diet and a bad one. I've seen bad diets and what they do to dieters. If you're hungry, have no energy, there's something wrong. But it sounds like you're doing great to me.
Dawn wrote: "Lol... Well, it's a meal replacement. And 35 for 15 servings is breakfast and lunch for a week, so it's not actually that bad. 2.50 meal isn't ridiculous.And I have tried slim fast, it isn't fill..."
It's a bit less expensive: about $23 for 3pks of 14 (amazon). I used to use them a long time ago - when they had a really tasty dairy free pineapple one. I guess it didn't do well cause I can't find it.
I probably wouldn't get full - I was a lot smaller then (about 10 years ago) and I remember being hungry...
I might try it (shaklee). I need to loose some freaking weight.
Dawn wrote: "I will say that the snack bars and crisps are more pricey than they should be. $2 a bar is a little silly... But those aren't necessary to the shake plan. Any 100-200 calorie healthy snack will do,..."I'll probably try to go for hummus and raw veggies than the bars/snacks/crisps. Those things infuriate me with their smallness.
See, right now I buy and make my lunch. I generally spend around $10 for about a week. I make: 1 sandwich with lunch meat, sliced tomato, red leaf lettuce and 1 slice of cheese.
But I guess even that is too much. :(
How is your metabolism? Maybe you aren't burning enough and need a boost? Do you count calories at all?
Dawn wrote: "How is your metabolism? Maybe you aren't burning enough and need a boost? Do you count calories at all?"
IDK about the metabolism.
I recently had to start taking a heart medication due to having heart palpitations (that they can't diagnose). It slows my heartbeat so I'm thinking it may have slowed my metabolism as a side result? I've never had this much of a problem losing weight.
I don't count calories right now. I used to but I hate it and I stopped.
I should probably start again. I guess I'm just being lazy.
I made it through the two workouts! 540 calories! Woo!!!
Dawn wrote: "I made it through the two workouts! 540 calories! Woo!!!"COngrats!
Laurel wrote: "Thinking of you MrsJ.":)
*hug*
All of this working out is exhausting... I'm feeling pretty sore! Not so sore that I won't work out, but persistently achy for sure. I'm halfway through week three of insanity, and it's catching up to me. Pros - J says he can tell the difference in my stomach (although I can't), and I can DEFINITELY tell the difference in my thighs and calves, they are much firmer. Butt is pretty much the same. Cons - I'm tired! LOL. And tonight is pure cardio AND cardio abs again. I hate pure cardio!
Another pro (sort of)... I've realized that I think I need to eat more. Lately I've been hungry a lot more often, I think it's because working out has kick started my metabolism. So.. I'm going from a 1200 calorie diet to a 1350. I know it's only 150 calories, but baby steps... It's actually hard to add that many. I'm so used to eating the same size snack and meals that I'm finding myself planning out my day and then trying to figure out where to squeeze more in. It's not a bad feeling...
Scale hasn't changed, but apparently that's common with insanity. You stay the same or gain the first month, and lose the second. So we'll see what happens!
Anyway... Just wanted to update :)
Dawn wrote: "All of this working out is exhausting... I'm feeling pretty sore! Not so sore that I won't work out, but persistently achy for sure. I'm halfway through week three of insanity, and it's catching ..."
Yaaay! That sounds great! :-D
You make me want to try Insanity BUT I already own P90X. It makes no sense to buy a new system when I haven't used the [expensive] one I already have. O_o
The main reason I chose Insanity over P90X because it doesn't require any equipment. We have a gym with a weight bench and free weights and a pull up bar, but there is only a tiny TV in there that's hooked up to a Roku.. And not much room to work out. I do Insanity in my living room (after a little furniture re-arrangement) and at most I need a yoga mat.The second reason.. Insanity seemed more cardio / fat burning focused, and P90X more muscle building focused. Right now I just need to get in better shape.. I'll focus on getting stronger later.
Really though, I've heard great things about P90X. J has mentioned doing it because there isn't as much knee strain (Insanity has a lot of jumping and is hard on the joints). So I would agree.. Don't buy a new system until you've tried the old! Lol.
And yeah... EXPENSIVE. I got mine on Ebay, but it was still pricey. I count it as worth it because I love it, but still think it's way over priced.
Dawn wrote: "The main reason I chose Insanity over P90X because it doesn't require any equipment. We have a gym with a weight bench and free weights and a pull up bar, but there is only a tiny TV in there that'..."I have room to do cardio or weightlifting in my gym and I already have the necessary equipment without buying any new ones.
But I'm glad to hear about the knees! I have weaker knees and I don't do a lot of jumping.
I can't really tell what P90X is supposed to be focused on - I would normally agree with you and say its more strength based... But I just looked it up and "supposedly" you have three options with the system:
Classic: This routine offers three days of resistance (with the use of free weights or resistance bands that will have to be purchased separately) and three days of cardio and yoga.
Lean: This routine offers two days of resistance and four days of cardio/yoga.
Doubles: This routine is nothing more than the Classic program with extra cardio thrown in. Typically, a person will do the regular program in the morning and then will do the extra cardio in the evening. Its very intensive and for people who want to serious strength training.
I guess I should be doing the lean program. O_o IDK about this... lol!
I saw Insanity for like $300+!!!! Wow! Like, wow!
That's a little extreme... At full price it's $140 or so (on Amazon and Beachbody.com). Where are you seeing $300?
Not that $140 isn't extreme... LOL. I got it for half that used, and even that is too expensive to me. I only paid that much that because I couldn't find a reliable copy to ..borrow.. and kept missing days because the copies I ..borrowed.. didn't work.But I figure if I keep it in good shape, I can sell it for at least the same amount I bought it for, if I ever decide I'm done with it. And if I don't ever decide I'm done with it.. Well, then it was worth it I guess!
Dawn wrote: "Not that $140 isn't extreme... LOL. I got it for half that used, and even that is too expensive to me. I only paid that much that because I couldn't find a reliable copy to ..borrow.. and kept miss..."I think I was looking at a different system.
But it's still super expensive!
I've seen it from $140-$280! That's a lot.
I can't remember what I paid for P90X - it was too much, too. At least over $100.
The way I justify it to myself.. I've bought so many other $5 - $10 fitness videos. I have 6 or 7 Jillian Michael's DVD's, a set of Yoga DVD's, some Zuzka DVD's, Zumba DVD's, a Zumba XBox game.. And I never use any of them. Insanity is the first thing I've used and like and actually WANT to keep using and am seeing results on. So it was worth the up front investment, based on how much I thought I'd get out of it.
Dawn wrote: "The way I justify it to myself.. I've bought so many other $5 - $10 fitness videos. I have 6 or 7 Jillian Michael's DVD's, a set of Yoga DVD's, some Zuzka DVD's, Zumba DVD's, a Zumba XBox game.. An..."I can't really say that for P90X (that I've gotten value) - I bought it for hubby originally but he never really used it, either.
So, I've actually been counting calories this week. O_oWe'll see how this goes and how long I can keep it up.
But for good news, I weighed myself today. I lost 5 lbs! IDK if this is because the last few times I've weighed myself have been during the weekend or what but 5lbs! WOW.
Now lets see if I can keep it off this time. Last time I lost 5 lbs I gained 6.
Meanwhile, I'm back up to 128 despite working out every day and counting calories :POh well. I've heard most people gain weight their first month of Insanity.. I just hope I start losing soon!
Dawn wrote: "Meanwhile, I'm back up to 128 despite working out every day and counting calories :POh well. I've heard most people gain weight their first month of Insanity.. I just hope I start losing soon!"
Did you measure yourself? Maybe you're putting on muscle.
I measured myself over the weekend, still the same. But I'm small anyway.. So I don't know that my measurements can change that much.
Dawn wrote: "I measured myself over the weekend, still the same. But I'm small anyway.. So I don't know that my measurements can change that much."That makes sense.
But as much as youre working out, the only thing it could be is muscle or water-weight.
I have to say I was surprised to find a Diet and Exercise thread in here and an active one at that! Pleasant surprise, especially since this is a big headache for me.Background: never been an athlete but have been even more sedentary in the last couple years. Spine surgery in 2011 and two surgeries to right knee before that plus some long standing joint issues - let's just say "pain free" is a lovely concept. Then in March I busted my left (formerly "good" knee and had surgery 3 weeks ago.
So here I am, knowing that shedding 30 - 40 lbs would be a wonderful thing for my health but with a few more weeks of crutches ahead and then who knows what rehab holds.
I'm going on the concept that Rome wasn't built in a day. I can't do much by way of exercise yet, so I figure counting calories is the best I can do for now. I'm using the My Fitness Pal app for that.
So alas, I haven't much to contribute to the workout discussions but I have seen some nice ideas on the food front. Good luck with your goals everybody :)
Hey I'm more of a lurker than a poster and have been following this thread with interest but just wanted to thank you dawn and all the other friendly helpful posters for getting me motivated I've had a fitbit for about 6 months and love it. Recently though I just haven't been trying very hard but today went for my first run in forever was more like a shuffle and then a walk :) but I'm determined to lose this baby weight although my baby is technically a toddler so the baby weight is more like chocolate and bread weight. I've been stuck at 7kgs to lose for a year, time for a change.
Good luck guys - Honestly the best advice I can think of is just to get moving. Whatever your abilities or level just take it at your own pace.
Karen wrote: "I have to say I was surprised to find a Diet and Exercise thread in here and an active one at that! Pleasant surprise, especially since this is a big headache for me.Background: never been an ath..."
Thanks!
Ange wrote: "Hey I'm more of a lurker than a poster and have been following this thread with interest but just wanted to thank you dawn and all the other friendly helpful posters for getting me motivated I've h..."GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted on progress :)
No problem, I'm full of good recipes. Skinnytaste is one of my favorite healthy recipe websites. Why? It's not super crazy complicated, it's just normal foods people eat every day, but lightened up and little.
I love cooking, and if it's healthy too? All the better.