DH and I joined a gym....need help

[nathaliabrown]

I did get a good deal!

Anyways, I am 5'9 @ 170 and he is 6'1 @ 280. We both are trying to get in shape. I have been working out for about 6 months now. I just need to start eating better. I am planning on being pregnant next month (surrogate) so I want to be healthy through out the pregnancy and continue to work out as much as possible. I did it with my DD. DH just needs to get healthy.
Any advice? Tips? What are some healthy meals you cook during the week? We have a family of 5. I think my best bet is to just stop eating out. We have a BIG issue with that. I am sure if we just stopped the weight would come flying off. So that is my goal. I have been trying to do it that if I want to eat out it is Quiznos or Subway, but still that is not always healthy as I have to have mayo on my sandwich....lol. I guess I am just looking for any advice that can be given.

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

Limit or avoid carbonated beverages including the diet ones.

 

[wide awake]

I drink diet coke all day long and am a size 4, so don't see carbonated drinks as a problem. Weight loss and health are a matter of choices. If you have to have mayo on your sandwich that is fine, but then you can't have cheese or avocado. Eating at home does allow you more control over portions and ingredients. Many easy dishes are cheap, healthy, and low cal. Pots of beans, rice, roast chicken, green salad from a bag w/ some fresh ingredients thrown in, oil and vinegar dressing, grilled flank steak, roasted pork loin, roasted or grilled vegetables, fresh fruit, homemade vegetable soups, scrambled eggs, sugar free jello w/ fruit in it. If you stick to this type of food at home you can enjoy an occassional sandwich w/ mayo.

 

[nathaliabrown]

I dont drink alot of sodas. I actually drink alot of water. I will sometimes have crystal lite or make some tea with nutivia(sweetener) in it. DH has a issue with diet drinks. He believes that since they are 0 cal there is nothing wrong with them. He does not believe anything I say.

He works over nights 11PM -7AM. A majority of the time is he is alone so he needs something to keep him awake (caffeine). So that is his excuse.

 

[Pembo]

I used sparkpeople.com last year to lose weight. It's free to join. You can enter in all your foods and see exactly how many calories you are eating...then you'll see where to cut or add. I especially like the recipe calorie tool. You can enter in your own recipes to calculate calories. I was quite surprised over some little foods that packed a huge calorie count!

Good luck to you...

 

[daisyduck123]

I drink diet coke all day long and am a size 4, so don't see carbonated drinks as a problem.

I drink Diet Pepsi ALL DAY long, am 5'7", & weigh 120. I don't see the diet drinks as a problem either. It's got ZERO/near zero calories for crying out loud. How in the world could it be the cause of weight gain?

One thing I do is RARELY use all the "extras" (mayo, ketchup, mustard, gravy, sour cream, etc) on my food. Sometimes I cringe when I see people slather their food in the stuff. If the food isn't yummy enough to eat by itself, then I just don't eat it.

I wouldn't blame eating out as the culprit of your weight gain (my family eats out often). There are plenty of healthy options out there. I would take a look at the foods you've been ordering while dining out.

Good luck! It sounds like you are off to a good start.

 

[Debbie]

I think your plan to cut out the fast food/eating out is the best start ever (and you'll save money, too! ). For me, a couple of things help, especially when my kids were little.

1. PLAN your meals for the week [or month] (you don't have to follow the plan, but having it makes supper practically a no brainer)
2. once a month cooking...ie PREPARE those meals you've planned so that they ARE fast food
3. always have fresh veggies cleaned and ready to eat
4. a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter for anyone with the munchies
5. use sparkpeople

Good luck to both you and your hubby! And congrats on the upcoming events, too!

 

[SplashMo]

Eat Breakfast everyday no exceptions. Oatmeal is a great choice.

Avoid eating out. Avoid packaged/prepared foods. (Do eat Chicken, turkey, frozen or fresh vegetables/fruit, whole wheat bread.)

Drink 8 glasses of water . day...

 

[mjkacmom]

I wouldn't blame eating out as the culprit of your weight gain (my family eats out often). There are plenty of healthy options out there. I would take a look at the foods you've been ordering while dining out.

Good luck! It sounds like you are off to a good start.

It's not just what you eat, it's how much of it you eat. I suggest eating no more of 1/2 of an entree. Also, research how many calories an entree is - most people don't know that an average chicken caesar salad has 1500 calories. As for carbonated drinks, I drink a liter of seltzer every day.

 

[RN01]

If you're exercising, once you change the way you are eating the weight will start coming off. Here is some things I do... Limit eating out, and when you do choose healthy options (grilled chicken with mustard instead of mayo), use whole wheat bread and pasta, lots of fruits and veggies, no fried foods and drink lots of water. Also here's a little trick I learned... instead of using syrup on your pancakes, use fruit flavored yogert. You will save tons of calories this way and it's not too bad either!

 

[brymolmom]

I agree with limiting or eliminating the sodas....Not from the calorie perspective - but it is NOT a healthy thing to be drinking.

 

[clarabelle]

I would reccomend keeping a food diary
You can do that online (sparkpeople) or just grab an old notebook and use it.
You can find calorie values for most things online.
So eat like "normal" and keep your journal for a few days.
Then
look at your intake and see if you can cut 250 calories a day. If you do this -plus work out you should lose about a pound a week.
Write down things you like that are healthy and try to keep those things in the house. Think about getting a digital food scale and measuring all your portions (at least for a little while)
Also have a go to "light meal" something that is really low in calories that fills you up -you can eat that after you have a bad day or meal to make up for it.
I like black bean burgers (120 calories) with salsa and a cut up green pepper with some salad dressing
I can't go out for mexican without really blowing it -so I am making that kind of food at home frequently to help with the cravings.
I also like Vita brownies (100 cals) sugar free puddings and pop chips for my junk food fix

I teach spinning at the gym -so of course I am going to reccomend that for a really good calorie burn. Start of slow -and don't let anyone push you into exercise that hurts.

Boy this was long!!
You can do this.

 

[clarabelle]

Another thing

Set yourself up to succeed at the gym. You don't want to have the excuse that you forgot your shoes to keep you from working out.
I suggest and emergency gym bag (doesn't have to be an actual bag -could be grocery bag) with old pair of workout shoes, socks, towel, a couple of bars (I really like Lara bars) change for drink machine or extra empty water bottle.
That you keep in your car somewhere so you can still workout if you forgot something

 

[rubato]

I drink Diet Pepsi ALL DAY long, am 5'7", & weigh 120. I don't see the diet drinks as a problem either. It's got ZERO/near zero calories for crying out loud. How in the world could it be the cause of weight gain?

There are a lot of problems associated with diet sodas. Phosphoric acid is bad for your stomach, plus it blocks calcium absorption, so it's especially bad for women. Sodium is just all around bad and can lead to weight gain. You shouldn't ingest a lot of caffeine, either, so, since most people drink caffeinated diet sodas, that's not good. Also, it dehydrates you which can make any cellulite you have look really bad (this is the one that finally made me quit drinking all soda). I know a lot of very skinny smokers, but no one will ever convince me that they are healthy.

Now, back on topic.

It's wonderful that you and your husband are trying to get healthy. Make sure you do, indeed make it to the gym. Try out all the cardio equipment until you find what works for you. I love to run and do not enjoy any other cardio. But, to each their own. My husband wouldn't run unless his life depended on it. There are also lots of fun classes you can take. Zumba is awesome. I've never had so much fun burning fat. Make sure you lift weights or do weight bearing activities also. If you want to build up your metabolism, the best way is to gain more muscle. You should still be able to do everything once you are pregnant, so don't worry.

As far as eating goes, you body uses calories for fuel, so counting calories is the best thing you can do. Go online and find a caloric needs calculator. Then, you need to create a calorie deficit. For every 3500 calories less you eat, you lose a pound of fat. You can create that deficit through diet, exercise or both.

Good luck and, join everyone on the WISH board. We talk about exercise and diet over there.
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=59

 

[fiveforall]

I'm 5'7 and weigh 135. I have struggled with my weight for most of my adult life, but finally got things figured out when I learned portion control! My suggestions are as follows:

1. Exercise, exercise, exercise! You've joined the gym and that's great. When DH and I began to make time to go and think of it as date time, I began to look forward to it. If you can't get to the gym, jump rope, walk around the house, or keep busy cleaning. I do some form of exercise every day.

2. Drink water. It keeps you hydrated and full. I drink diet soda too, but sometimes it can induce cravings for me, so I make sure to have lots of water around.

3. Eat tons of fruit and most vegetables. I limit corn and potatoes, but every thing else is free game.

4. Avoid processed diet foods. I don't eat bars or shakes, only real food. Read ingredients on the "diet" stuff. Yikes!

5. Keep grilled chicken on hand. My go to meal is as follows: huge bowl of spring mix, one grilled chicken breast, 1/4 cup cranberries, 1/4 cup feta cheese, and 3 tablespoons slivered almonds. I add two tablespoons of fat free strawberry balsamic dressing. Yummy.

6. Eat breakfast. My breakfast of choice is sugar free maple oatmeal with tons of blueberries.

7. Remember treats should be just that...a treat. Don't eat cake or 100 calorie snack packs every day. I had to train my body to not demand sweets after every meal. A bowl of cherries is now as satisfying as cherry pie.

So basically, eat real food that you prepare and exercise. You'll do great!

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

i agree stop eating out! saves $ too