The Diet/Self-Improvement Thread

[lilychemgirl]

Well, obviously the equipment and classes would not be to quite such a high standard, but if you are just hoping to get into better shape then I am sure they would be fine. My gym is pretty much the best in the area, and I really like that as I am kind of hardcore when I am exercising, but I have in the past attended gyms which were pretty bargain basement and they were fine.
I was a single mama on a tight budget for a few years (until my first was 2 1/2) and I didn't go to any gym at the time, so kudos to you

[booboo]

thanks, lol, All I want to do is reduce the mummy tummy a little! It's a hard step though, taking time away from your toddler IYKWIM & overcoming the tiredness to do anything in the first place. I'm hoping it will give me a bit of energy in the long run though, I liked what you said about the increase in metabolism with increased muscle mass

I'm also making a dedicated effort to give up refined carbs, I have decided that they just sap my energy & the only reason I get them is because they are so cheap, but it's not really worth it aye Also now my little girl is eating what I'm eating, I should really do a better job of it I think

Doesn't it suck how refined crap is cheaper than unprocessed healthy stuff though? It''s sooo hard to avoid filling your trolley with crackers & stuff & not many healthy alternatives that are affordable

[karen]

Doesn't it suck how refined crap is cheaper than unprocessed healthy stuff though?

Yes! I'm not sure where you live, but Aldi's has some really good, healthy alternatives and good prices. For me, just making a few simple substitutions like oatmeal for breakfast, and eating apples for a snack makes a difference, and saves money.

[booboo]

Oooh, I love ALDI! They are the best supermarket ever! I'm in Melbourne, unfortunately not close to ALDI though, & I have to take a tram & a bit of a walk as I don't have a car. It's hard to take much when I have my little girl with me, but I take any chance I can get to go!

ALDI rocks!

[lilychemgirl]

Oh yeah, my dh and I were just talking about that. We get super grainy bread (33% wholegrain) and it is literally 4 times the price of the cheapest white bread at the supermarket. If you are on a low income which are you going to choose? I know that you can get wholegrains and soak and cook them yourselves, but how many people are willing to do that, or even fully understand the principles of a healthy diet (which, I know I know, doesn't include any bread really, lol) or the implications of stuffing themselves with highly processed refined grains?
We live in a low income area, so there is a lot of obesity and related problems. Many people pretty much live on white bread and fish and chips (fried battered fish and fries). There was even a recent study in the paper that stated that the cheapest beer is cheaper than bottled water (and milk) in the supermarket!
Anyway, that's a bit off topic. I did another RPM class today, it was awesome, I totally kicked my butt I guess I must be a masochist (although to me pushing myself really hard doesn't feel bad, it feels great).

[booboo]

It's probably not quite so bad here, there are abundances of local markets where you can get phenomenally cheap fruit & veges, & the breads are at least decent quality .But it is getting worse.

I'm lucky because I'm keeping the weight off by bfing, (although it doesn't seem to do much for the tummy roll!), but have got into lazy bad habits, eg toast for bkfast, crackers for snacks, sandwhiches, toast or mousetraps for lunch most days, biscuits with my tea & will often have pasta or rice for dinner, so mostly eating carbs carbs carbs. But it's quite hard to concentrate at the supermarket when you have toddler accompanienment, so I don't really get to check the labels or anything really & easy to put the cheap stuff in the trolley.

I could make my own bread (with the breadmaker), but of course then it's a tradeoff of time at the expense of time with my girl.

I wouldn't mind some good snack ideas (not fruit though, my teeth are really wrecked, a few years of bulimia, then heinous morning sickness has pretty much wrecked them & I try to stick away from acid now).

Also, what's a good beginner excercise for someone who hasn't done much in a while (& is really tired, lol)

[booboo]

Just thinking about it more, Germans eat a huge amount of bread & Italians a lot of pasta & I think they are pretty healthy. But I think they also don't eat the really crappy stuff.

[ChristineLynnP]

I haven't been following all that closely, but re: the bread/pasta thing being bad for the diet, it's really interesting to read up on how low-GI foods affect our blood sugar which in turn affects hormones and weight.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Glucose-Revol ... 1569243859

This book from Amazon is very intersting. I own two versions of it, and it's handy to have for quick reference. Low-GI eating can be extremely difficult and I'm not at all pushing strict adherence to it, in fact with my low blood sugar and living in an area where it isn't easy to have nothing but "healthy" or low-GI foods on hand (I could tell horror stories about the closest "health food stores" but won't), but there are quite a few quick and easy things you take away from the book, such as:

Pasta- this isn't nearly as bad for you as you might think. But the way you cook it makes all the difference. "Mushy" pasta converts to sugar quickly and will affect you. Al Dente or "firm" pasta is much healthier for you.

Bread- Harder, darker loaves are the way to go. Jewish Rye was the healthiest if I remember right but truth be told I couldn't stand it. I stick with whole grain.

Potatoes and corn- two foods to avoid as much as possible. When I read more about the connection between blood sugar, hormones, and the skin, it all really started making sense to me. I steer clear of potatoes as much as possible, and not only has my weight been down a bit with the one simple change, but my skin is so much clearer. It's like potatoes were a trigger food for me. I do allow them occasionally as a special treat because honestly potatoes are a huge comfort food and if I eliminate them I'll go overboard when I finally give in, and that's not good. But the more I eat them, the worse my skin.

Also, portion control helps a lot. A serving of pasta is about the size of a softball or your fist, if I recall. You easily get 3-4 times that much in a restaurant, and this is what's become normal in our homes too. I've read that for portion control, it's helpful to keep a deck of cards handy (a serving of meat), a softball or make a fist (pasta and grains), refer to your thumb (a serving of cheese) and so on as quick references for what a serving should look like. Compare that to what our servings have become... yikes!

[booboo]

noooooooooooo! Potatoes must be good! They grow in the ground, how can anything that grows surrounded by soil nutrients be bad? I refuse to beleave it

[lilychemgirl]

Yeah, weight loss is an awesome breastfeeding side effect. I sit about 5kg less than normal when nursing, unfortunately it comes back within a month of weaning, lol
Do you like to walk? What about just walking with your little one in a pushchair/backpack, and maybe add some intervals (running or jogging for a short period of time) in to bump up your cardiovascular fitness? In terms of resistance training, if you don't want to make it to the gym then you could try this workout:
http://www.noexcusesworkouts.com/v/vspf ... orkout.pdf
Quick and easy, and it will actually help