Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
These threads are full of conflicting suggestions to lose weight. If you have maintained a healthy weight for while, say a year or more, or, if you have a weight loss goal and are steadily losing, what do you consider to be your best healthy habits? I thought it might be interesting to see what habits pop up more than once.
Here are mine:
1. Exercise 5 days a week for 45 mins-1 hour, alternating cardio and heavy weights.
2. Limit eating out to 1-2 times a week.
3. Plan meals and shop in advance.
4. Eat mindfully--thinking about portion size and nutrition rather than gastronomical pleasure when deciding what to eat.
5. Drink only water, coffee and unsweet tea--never soft drinks of any kind and rarely juice or alcohol.
6. Eat 4-5 small meals a day.
7. Aim to drink 1/2 gallon of water every day.
I'm not perfect and struggle to limit sweets, but these habits have kept me at a healthy weight for most of my adult life.
1. Make all my own meals consisting of a protein/fat item (eggs or meat) with vegetables.
2. Use only fresh ingredients and no processed foods.
3. Limit carbs to under 30 a day and no sugar, flour, potatoes, or rice.
4. Drink a gallon of water a day (including 0 calorie lemon flavored mineral water). Drink only water or coffee.
5. Exercise 1-2 hours a day.
6. Eat a full breakfast and something every 3 hours.
7. Snack on almonds and have a small number of berries for dessert.
8 Don't worry about fat and generally stir fry things in butter or olive oil.
This produces 2-3 pounds a week in weight loss. To slow that, add some whole grain complex carbs.
I have never really had to deal with losing weight as I've been pretty thin my whole life, so high metabolism may play a role, but I think learned habits contribute alot ie. my whole family is lean and we pretty much have the same diet, physical routine so here are the main things that I think keep me thin:
1. NEVER drink soda, not even diet soda! I have had soda before and it leaves me tired and sluggish and I feel sick - so instead of soda I mostly drink water throughout the day, maybe a glass of milk at supper time or a glass of juice.
2. Get at least some kind of physical activity for at least 1/2 hour in the evening - walking, jogging, biking.
3. Cook most of my meals at home. I only go out to eat once a week at the most. I don't have alot of time either, I cook mostly quick meals - pasta, pizza, chicken, tacos- frozen stir fry etc. I usually have seamed broccoli or some kind of vegitable with my supper. Luch is usually some kind of soup, sandwich. Breakfast, a bowl of instant oatmeal, cream of wheat.
4. I snack between meals and its not always something healthy, cookie, bar, what have you.
5. I know its advised against, but I pig out before I go to bed. Not necesarily bad food, usually some kind of bakery item, ice cream, chips and I usually throw in an orange or yogurt.
So take it or leave it, but thats been my intake and excercise for more than 30 years, and Ive never been over 165lbs.
1. Don't eat out. Waste of time, money, and health.
2. Eat as many organic fruits/veggies/nuts/sprouts as possible and mix it up
3. Avoid all animal products as they cause lethargy, sickness, and bombard the system with protein. Heart disease alone, which is one of the biggest killers in America, is reduced by massive amounts when you eliminate animal products.
4. Lastly, try to avoid cooked food. You absorb less nutrients and overeat because your body doesn't get clear signals that it has what it needs.
Eat vegetables. I have always love vegetables even as a little kid.
Eat fresh food.
Eat foods with ingredients that I understand.
Stocking fruit, nuts, and other healthy snacks in the house so that when I'm in a snacking mood, I will at least be getting some nutrients and not gorging on candy bars and cupcakes.
Preferring low sodium foods.
Not hurting or making myself pay for eating one donut or unhealthy food every once in a while.
A lot of vegetables don't release all their nutrients unless cooked. You need to break down the cell walls.
Mostly red ones like tomatoes have more lycopene when cooked. You should actually eat vegetables both ways but most people don't eat enough raw ones, or if they do, they drown them out in antibiotic, GMO ridden crap like ranch dressing. But yeah, I should have changed it to "Eat more fresh veggies without dressing".
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
