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-   -   Motivational Thread - February 24 - March 2 (https://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums/motivation-support/10698-motivational-thread-february-24-march-2-a.html)

aimeet_1 02-24-2014 02:55 PM

I was also curious to know how many daily calories everyone tries to target? And if you post that range, how active are you?

JediMindTricks 02-24-2014 05:37 PM

Hi, all. I was on briefly a while back, but didn't last long. I'm recommitted now and some things have changed. I gave up diet soda (that's all I would drink all day), and I'm now drinking lots of water. I haven't noticed any difference, and it's been a couple months, but I know it's better for me nonetheless. I am also exercising this time. My teenage son and I have been doing a weight/cardio circuit 3x/week that lasts 30 minutes. We started about 2 weeks ago. Right now I can only do once around, but maybe next month we'll shoot for 2x around for an hour workout. But baby steps are good. He keeps me motivated and makes me go even when I don't feel like getting up off my butt. I've already been able to increase weight on many machines, an I have increased my steps during cardio a lot.

I'm having a hard time getting my protein in. I'm interested in some of the protein shakes you all are talking about, but are they high in calories? Mern, I have found that the best cookbook on the planet is Pinterest. You can find recipes of any type on there, including low carb. I use it all the time, and have found many many recipes that my whole family loves. I recommend trying it if you haven't already. Also great resource for paleo, gluten free, low cal, etc.

My goals are
1. Exercise 3x, and maybe even 4.
2. Increase protein

Keeping it simple so I don't get overwhelmed from the get-go.

lildebbieg 02-25-2014 12:23 AM


Originally Posted by Kumochi (Post 105932)
Glad to hear you are all doing well. I was thinking this morning it might be good to post at the end of the month all the gains we have made aside from the scales. My main purpose is improving my fitness although losing weight is an essential part of that.

This morning I remembered reading this post from Mary last week that I meant to respond to but didn't. I love your suggestion Mary and couldn't agree more! The scale certainly doesn't tell the whole picture. I agree it's important to celebrate our NSVs (non-scale victories).

Speaking of NSVs, I had one this morning! I'm wearing a pair of dress pants today that I haven't been able to wear in 5 years! These were the pants that I tried on at the end of the summer that made me realize just how much weight I had gained. For some reason, the number on the scale wasn't resigtering with me (I think I was in denial). Putting those pants on and seeing how far apart the button and button loop were shocked me...I mean shocked me! :eek: I've been trying them on periodically throughout the past 6 months and they slowly were easier to button up. This morning I pulled on the pants I normally wear to work and they looked almost too loose, so I grab my target pants and realized they fit nice again! :D Feels great!

Aimee - I don't count calories. When I first started here at fitday, I was counting calories but it was making me crazy!! I decided that whatever I am doing to lose the weight, I need to be able to do for life, so stop counting. I just do my best to eat well 90% of the time which is something I feel I can do for life. As for how active I am, I workout anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, 7 days a week. I aim to do a 40 minute interval workout daily in the morning. I mix cardio and strength into each of these workouts. Then 3-4 days a week, I do extra cardio (up to an hour) in the evening which has mostly been the elliptical and sometimes treadmill running. Long term, I plan to keep the daily morning workouts and hope that will be enough to maintain my weight once I reach my goal.

Jedi - Welcome back! It sounds like you're off to a great start and have a good solid plan. That's awesome that your son is doing this with you and keeping you motivated! Motivation can be one of the toughest things....at least in my opinion. As far as protein goes, the protein powder I use has only 120 calories per scoop and I mix it with unsweetened almond milk which is only 40 calories per cup. So 180 calories and I get 20 grams of protein. Having said that, I personally think that unless you're going pretty hard at the exercise, you really don't need to add in a protein shake. The fitness industry is a billion dollar industry so they promote things like protein powders because they make money. Protein powders are good if your workouts are hard enough that you're breaking down muscle to build it up and it's needed for recovery. Having said all that, if you feel sore and tired from your workouts, then you could benefit from adding in extra protein...if not, you may be getting enough protein from your diet. Just my 2 cents.

Jenn - What kind of game to you play on the Wii? Or is it more like an exercise video that you follow along to?

Libby - How is you reading of the Shred Diet coming along? Do you think it's something you're going to tryout or are you just interested in the recipes? I've never heard of it...you'll have give us a preview.

Ian - Hope we didn't scare you away with all the questions about your job :p

Mern - How was your first day back?

Have an awesome day my fitday buddies!

JediMindTricks 02-25-2014 12:54 AM

lildebbieg...Thank you for the welcome. I have seen cans of protein powder in the health food section that are extremely expensive, and I would never pay that much money for them. But I can get unsweetened, unflavored protein powder from the bulk bins at Sprouts for a fraction of the cost. Is it essentially the same thing, do you know? Also, I keep track of my protein and it has been about 1/2 of the minimum my health coach says I should aim for. Some days I don't eat any meat, and particularly on those days it is hard for me to get anywhere near what she says to get. So I have been thinking about getting powder to supplement.

Mern 02-25-2014 01:23 AM

Debbie, thanks for the welcome back. :) Kudos on your exercise! My low carb tortillas are only 5 net carbs and I love them--actually prefer them to regular bread after eating them for several years. They are rather doughy and I can actually use them for calzones by folding them over the filling, moistening the edges with water, crimping them shut with a fork, and baking on parchment paper in the oven for 10 minutes. I also use the tortillas as pizza crust--put them in a skillet to toast them and then put pre-warmed toppings on it and then top with cheese and cover the skillet until the cheese is melted. Oh, thanks so much for the low carb recipe link. I have several but have never seen this one and will check that out after I exercise this morning. I sent you a PM with the name of my bootcamp DVD because it's from another weightloss support website and Mike or another administrator would probably have to delete it from my post. My first day back felt good--did better on my exercise than I expected--31 minutes divided into two sessions--as far as my stamina honestly took me and I'm proud of myself for that, ate totally on track, but forgot about water. I'll have a goal of 48 oz. of water today.

Aimee, hi! Well done on your exercise. Your shake sounds yummy. I manage my blood sugar through diet alone (reversed from pre-diabetic to normal) and so wish I could eat bananas, but it does sound delicious. I do, though, have some low carb protein shake mix that does taste like banana. I'll add some vanilla and cinnamon. Thanks for the idea. Admirable goals--especially with the small meals. I aim for 1200-1500 calories per day and am not as active as I should be--1/2 hour exercise per day is my target, but right now I'm having to split that into two sessions.

JediMindTricks, that's wonderful that you're exercising with your son! My doctor wholeheartedly agrees that babysteps are good--in fact, she recommended that for me last December in getting back to exercise. I had Pinterest before but terminated my account. I may give that a try again. Thanks for the recommendation. :)

Libby, you seem to be doing really well. Congratulations on your hard work!

Kumochi, thanks for the welcome back. I used the protein shakes to get my count up, too. My doc finally agrees with me that I can handle 120g per day and my protein numbers are quite normal in my bloodwork--and that more protein helps me lose weight more easily.

Jenn, way to go on your walking yesterday! Just do the best you can--as long as you go as far as your stamina will take you without overdoing it, you're getting a good workout. I'm a little stiff since getting back to exercise yesterday for the first time since January 10, but I'm not sore. I couldn't do all I'd have liked, but I honestly went as far as my stamina would take me. I did 18 minutes of my bootcamp DVD (6 minutes of warmup and 12 minutes of intense (for ME) cardio and later I did 13 minutes of aerobic walking which was the equivalent of .8 miles. I'll try to add two minutes more exercise today however I can accomplish that.

lildebbieg 02-25-2014 03:57 AM


Originally Posted by JediMindTricks (Post 106019)
lildebbieg...Thank you for the welcome. I have seen cans of protein powder in the health food section that are extremely expensive, and I would never pay that much money for them. But I can get unsweetened, unflavored protein powder from the bulk bins at Sprouts for a fraction of the cost. Is it essentially the same thing, do you know? Also, I keep track of my protein and it has been about 1/2 of the minimum my health coach says I should aim for. Some days I don't eat any meat, and particularly on those days it is hard for me to get anywhere near what she says to get. So I have been thinking about getting powder to supplement.

Great question! I've seen the plain protein powder at Bulk Barn, but I've never tried it or read the ingredients. We don't have a Sprouts here either so I can't speak on their product. You could always ask your health coach if the Sprouts stuff compares to the other more expensive brands. My guess is, it would be the same but without a Brand Name, it sells for less money....just a guess though.

Mern 02-25-2014 09:56 AM

Delicious dinner thanks to Debbie! :)

I made the Baked Chicken Strips with Mustard, Almond, and Parmesan from a website Debbie suggested Kalyn's Kitchen® It was under low carb recipes and my husband, who is not a low carber, loved it.

As Kalyn said, some of the ground almond coating did fall off (maybe 1/4) but it was still really delicious. She said total cooking time at 450 is 20-25 minutes depending on the pan used, but mine took only about 16 minutes to cook completely through and perfectly. Maybe my cooking time was shortened because I lined my cooking sheet with aluminum foil to save cleanup.

Mern 02-25-2014 10:02 AM

JediMindTricks, I reactivated my Pinterest account to look for
low carb recipes. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

Kumochi 02-25-2014 10:40 AM

Nice to see so many active people. I missed the Y today - mainly because my legs were sore although a new client gave me a second excuse. I plan to go tomorrow to make up. I'm not sure if I swept to hard at curling last night or why my leg hurt. I have been lower on my protein the last 3 days. Maybe I'll have a shake tonight. Usually I use my protein shake for breakfast with almond milk and fruit added.

JediMindTricks 02-25-2014 10:57 AM

aimeet, I try to stay around 1200-1300 on a good day, but will still feel good about myself if I go up to 1600 once in a while. That will put me at 600-1000 deficit on a rest day and up to 900-1300 calorie deficit on an exercise day. Given that, I don't understand why the weight is not coming off. It's taken almost 2 months to lose just 10 lbs.

Can you all tell me what brand of protein powder you use? I'm thinking about trying it, but don't know what to look at.

Mern, I hope you find lots of good ideas on Pinterest for your low carb cooking.


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