In the fall of 2006 I started Weight Watchers. It was something I thought I'd never do (pay money to lose weight) but I signed up when my school district started a group. Now I wasn't wildly successful or anything, but I did lose about 15 pounds, my clothes all felt comfortable (and looked decent) and I was within the top of the range of a normal, healthy weight. I think I was within a few pounds of what is a realistic weight for my body since even in highschool with 3 sports, cutting way back on calories/fat I was only about 13 lbs less than that (and people started telling me I looked too thin).
Right as I was getting close to my "goal weight" while doing Weight Watchers, my husband and I found out we were going to be parents! WW was no longer an option and my appetite went all weird on me. Although I was lucky not to be one of those who was down for the count with debilitating morning sickness, I found that I had to eat small meals all day long in order to keep from feeling queasy. I gained 10 pounds within the first 2 months! Those 10 pounds that I put on before you're supposed to have gained any weight at all are still with me, 6 months post-partum. This is fairly disappointing since I lost 25 pound the first couple weeks after giving birth (crazy I know!). I thought nursing was the miracle diet, but apparently even the miracle diet has its limits;)
So here I am now with a lack of time and money to join WW again, but needing to lose those last 10 or so pounds. In the past couple of months some of my favorite blogs have posted about free weight loss tools and I am finally going to try to take advantage! imommies brought up Wellness 360, a website that helps you to track all aspects of your health. Apparently you get some financial benefits directly correlated to how much you use the program. I'm sure its not much, but anything is worth it, hey? Money Saving Mom is where I first read about SparkPeople.com, a site that is similar to WW etools, but free! I am thinking of checking this out as well. A few weeks ago I noticed an article on Blissfully Domestic about some simple steps to take to lose weight. I am all over that idea. A blogger friend of mine, Sarah, uses a free program called Fitday and has good things to say about it. I am excited to check it out as well once I get the chance. Another link you might want to check out is an article I read yesterday from Cheap Healthy Good. She talks about the recent research that discusses the correlation between people buying certain diet foods and obesity/being chronically overweight. Fascinating stuff.
I'll tell you a little about what I've done already (more in coming posts). The past few days I have started writing down everything I eat. Just like my friend and a great source of inspiration does, I am using the old fashioned pen and paper. This week I've also tried out the green smoothie experiment. If you are interested, check out my previous posts (edited to add a link to the specific amounts to put in your smoothie!) regarding this week's green smoothie experiment here, here and here.
Lest this get incredibly boring, I am going to cut this off now and continue this as an installment series of sorts. Next week (or possibly in 2 weeks as we'll be traveling to Arizona for a week and may not have internet there). I will share a Christ-centered book on weight loss that I've been reading as well as my view/history with exercise.
How do you stay fit and healthy on a budget? I am especially curious about those of you who do/have struggled with your weight. What is your biggest area of struggle?
Right as I was getting close to my "goal weight" while doing Weight Watchers, my husband and I found out we were going to be parents! WW was no longer an option and my appetite went all weird on me. Although I was lucky not to be one of those who was down for the count with debilitating morning sickness, I found that I had to eat small meals all day long in order to keep from feeling queasy. I gained 10 pounds within the first 2 months! Those 10 pounds that I put on before you're supposed to have gained any weight at all are still with me, 6 months post-partum. This is fairly disappointing since I lost 25 pound the first couple weeks after giving birth (crazy I know!). I thought nursing was the miracle diet, but apparently even the miracle diet has its limits;)
So here I am now with a lack of time and money to join WW again, but needing to lose those last 10 or so pounds. In the past couple of months some of my favorite blogs have posted about free weight loss tools and I am finally going to try to take advantage! imommies brought up Wellness 360, a website that helps you to track all aspects of your health. Apparently you get some financial benefits directly correlated to how much you use the program. I'm sure its not much, but anything is worth it, hey? Money Saving Mom is where I first read about SparkPeople.com, a site that is similar to WW etools, but free! I am thinking of checking this out as well. A few weeks ago I noticed an article on Blissfully Domestic about some simple steps to take to lose weight. I am all over that idea. A blogger friend of mine, Sarah, uses a free program called Fitday and has good things to say about it. I am excited to check it out as well once I get the chance. Another link you might want to check out is an article I read yesterday from Cheap Healthy Good. She talks about the recent research that discusses the correlation between people buying certain diet foods and obesity/being chronically overweight. Fascinating stuff.
I'll tell you a little about what I've done already (more in coming posts). The past few days I have started writing down everything I eat. Just like my friend and a great source of inspiration does, I am using the old fashioned pen and paper. This week I've also tried out the green smoothie experiment. If you are interested, check out my previous posts (edited to add a link to the specific amounts to put in your smoothie!) regarding this week's green smoothie experiment here, here and here.
Lest this get incredibly boring, I am going to cut this off now and continue this as an installment series of sorts. Next week (or possibly in 2 weeks as we'll be traveling to Arizona for a week and may not have internet there). I will share a Christ-centered book on weight loss that I've been reading as well as my view/history with exercise.
How do you stay fit and healthy on a budget? I am especially curious about those of you who do/have struggled with your weight. What is your biggest area of struggle?
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5 comments:
Well, it's a good thing you won't be around for Free cone Day!! Looks like I'l be doing in the rain at this rate!
I do WW but I do it on my own. I have a few other friends & family members doing the same thing so we help keep each other accountable and make at least 1 - 2 point friendly items at every family gathering. I bought an updated complete food companion on Amazon (there wer also some on ebay) and I have a few cookbooks bought from library sales & borrowed from friends/relatives. I like WW because I have an easier time keeping track of 21 points than 1600 calories. The hard thing (financially) is steering clear of prepackaged low-cal treats that are so seductive!
Thanks for posting about sparkpeople.com! I have also been a WW member for years (lost, gained, lost...etc.) but now it's "not in the budget" anymore. Plus, post baby, WW has not been working for me. So it's time to try something else. Thanks for the suggestion!
I definitely recommend SparkPeople.com. It's easy and it's REAL food. I can't recommend it enough. It's very educational too. You learn a lot about portions.
Get out with that cute baby too. Of course I recommend Stroller Strides, but walking is a wonderful way to burn calories and you burn 20% more doing the same walk with a stroller!
All the best!
In February we used our tax return to buy a treadmill. I record all of my shows and only allow myself to watch TV when I am on the treadmill. The good news is I use the treadmill twice a day and am highly entertained while doing so and now I watch far less television. I have lost 11 pounds since getting the treadmill. I also weigh daily and write my weight on a calendar. I write the total number of calories burned on a calendar as well. This has helped me to see my body trends such as water retention around ovulation and period time so I don't get discouraged.
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