first time post - any advice?

aro1589

Hello! 

I am getting married on October 27th.

From January 2011 until now, I've lost 30 pounds. 

I'd like to lose 15 more by the wedding.

I don't eat a lot.  Usually just a small breakfast (usually berries or a slice of break with apple butter or something), a small lunch (maybe an eggsalad sandwich), and a big dinner.  I unfortunately eat a lot of carbs and ground beef (gross!) but I also try to do a lot fo fruits and veggies.  We do skim milk, whole wheat bread, etc, so we try to make some effort to be healthy, but overall we have average eating habits. (I proudly haven't had a sip of soda since February 21st though!

My biggest problem though is that I work in a bakery!  Do you know how hard it is to be surrounded with cake and cookies all day and not to nibble?!  I never like pig out, but I usually have half a cookie here, tiny sample of cake there, etc.  It's just really hard.  I'm getting better though.  I try to chew gum so I don't nibble on anything.  My fiance has type 1 diabetes so we never buy sweets, but when I'm at work I tend to eat little things.

My fiance and I go for longg walks (4-5 miles) but other than that, I don't really excercise. 

I'm 145 and I'd like to get down to 130ish by the wedding.  I have 4 months.

Let's say I give 85% effort (I'm not going to lie to myself and say I'm going to eat great every single day from now until then).  Do-able?

Any suggestions? Any quick, easy, HEALTHY dinner ideas? 

J&K10910

Track your calories.  See how much those little bites add up to.  Also, if you ate a bigger breakfast and lunch (or at least more calorie dense, or a nice, healthy snack in there), you might be less tempted to nibble at work.  I would also suggest you give yourself "permission" to eat a certain amount of whatever each day, and work into your eating plan.  Then you don't have to feel bad, and you don't need to take bites of everything because you know you can have something else the next day.

For recipes, try skinnytaste.com and cookinglight.com.

McRogol

I second the food tracking...my fitness pal is a free website that will help you!

firsttimersluck

I don't understand why you say "gross" to ground beef.. If you thought it wasgross, why would you eat it? 

I agree that you need to track those calories. You say you don't eat a lot,but you say you snack a lot at work. Snacks add up, and food logging will help you see that more. 

Also, how tall are you? Are you sure that 130 is realistic for your height and proportions? Only you can REALLY answer that, but I know that I will never HEALTHILY get down to 130. Make sure your goals are realistic! (they might be, idk.. Just something that we often overlook ) 

Making your diet more dinner heavy is often a downfall of many (including myself until about a year ago) I would try to adjust to make breakfast your biggest meal, or at least so that your three meals are more balanced in calories. 

GL op!  

aro1589

firsttimerluck - ground beef is gross to me, but it tastes good (if that makes sense).  I know it's not good for you, so anything that is unhealthy I consider gross.  Not to mention if you don't get the lean beef, soo much grease comes off it.  BUT, it tastes delish so I eat more than I should. 

I'm 5'3".  130 is a bit ambitious, but I certainly wouldn't be unhealthy or underweight.  I think 130 is a good weight for me.  I know other girls who are my height who are 115...THAT is unrealistic!

I've tried counting calories in the past but I find it to be very difficult.  A lot of people swear by it, so maybe I should give it another try.

J&K10910

93% lean ground beef is not bad at all.  Ground sirloin is even better for you, if you can spring the expense.  Beef is not the devil.  I don't get that.

It IS difficult to count calories.  But everything about losing weight is difficult.  If it was easy, none of us would be here, and everyone would be thin.  There's no easy button for healthy, sustainable weight loss.

WrenA12

Have you tried almond milk? It's fewer calories then regular milk (it's like 60 calories for 8 oz), it doesn't taste bad, and it claims to have 50% more calcium. I would suggest starting off with the original sweetened kind first. I use the unsweetened, but I also use it in honey nut chex. LOL!

It sounds like you're on the right path. Keep up the good work.

jjswin

Have your tried WW?? Some people say it didn't work for them but I felt like it made me more aware of things, and I liked being able to save up my weekly points to have something I really wanted (maybe this would work for you nibbles at work). The free calorie counting web sites just never worked for me, I felt like if I paid for WW I would stick to it more. Instead of walking maybe your go do a fast brisk walk to burn more calories.  As for the ground beef thing, it's ok in moderation and the 90% lean or above is really not that bad.

sarah111309

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_first-time-post-any-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:391d934f-da88-41ce-af40-6cd5142c2d0fPost:abd53c14-34cf-4db9-a775-04fc15837e07">Re: first time post - any advice?</a>:
[QUOTE]firsttimerluck - <strong>ground beef is gross to me, but it tastes good (if that makes sense).  I know it's not good for you, so anything that is unhealthy I consider gross.  Not to mention if you don't get the lean beef, soo much grease comes off it.  BUT, it tastes delish so I eat more than I should.</strong>  I'm 5'3".  130 is a bit ambitious, but I certainly wouldn't be unhealthy or underweight.  I think 130 is a good weight for me.  I know other girls who are my height who are 115...THAT is unrealistic! I've tried counting calories in the past but I find it to be very difficult.  A lot of people swear by it, so maybe I should give it another try.
Posted by aro1589[/QUOTE]

Have you tried using ground turkey instead of ground beef? There isn't a huge taste difference and if you are using it in a dish you really can't taste a difference. Just a thought on cutting out the beef if you think it is gross.

smlane1223

I've found that adding protein to every meal helps me tremendously. It helps to keep me fuller longer and also helps me to eat less carbs. For instance, a breakfast for me would be egg whites on an english muffin or a protein shake of some sort (protein powder, almond milk and fruit). Lunch would be chicken or turkey with veggies and fruit. Dinner, again, chicken, turkey, fish, veggies, fruit. I'd snack in between - cottage cheese, greek yogurt, cheese stick and fruit, almonds, etc.

Also, have you thought about adding weights to your workouts? That would help you build muscle, which would burn more calories.

I'm getting married November 3 so we're not too far apart - and I'm in the same boat as you! I would like to lose about 20-25 more pounds. We can do it!!