How did you start?

laura35

Cathlete
For those of you who have been with cathe for awhile now seem to really have your eating down pat as well as the workouts. I love to exercise and have no problem getting my workouts in. It is a part of my life, if i dont do it I feel like something is just missing in my day. Anyway, the only thing holding me up from getting leaner and a better body is my eating. I do good for a couple of days or weeks then I totally blow it. I would like to know how you all got the will to follow a good eating plan and stick with it. I have seen many of your pictures that you have posted and some of you look as good as cathe. Did you achieve this by doing only cathe workouts? and what type of eating plan are you doing. I just read about the zig zagging of calories which might be doable for me but again, i end up doing good for a while and then totally blow it by eating out or junk at home when i am bored,depressed etc..... I am willing to learn from others and surely welcome it. I have learned alot over the yrs as far as exercise is concerned and have reaped the benefits from proper form etc... You should see some of the people in my exercise class that i attend that have poor form , I just want to tell them the right way of doing it so they dont hurt themselves plus so they will achieve better results also, but i figure that is the instructors job and I dont want to affend anyone by doing so. I am thinking of taking a nutrition class figuring it might help me conquer my cravings to eat when i dont need to. Anyway I am so close to being what I consider lean and fit , it is just the eating that is holding me back from achieving this. sorry this is so long and thanks.
 
We've been sharing our ideas with you for some time now, and you seem to need more, so I second the suggestions you've gotten to spend a few pennies to consult with a nutritionist. I'm sure he/she will be able to give you a program tailored to your needs much better than any of us can.
Just Do It! :)
 
Hi Laura--you're definitely right about correcting others' form. It's bad gym manners. ;)

Anyway, I think the answers you'll get from people will vary widely. Different things work for everyone. I know many women have gotten in incredible shape by doing home workouts only.

The way I started......I got a gym membership for my 21st b'day (that was 17 years ago--OMG!) and was hooked. I did a low fat diet until I hit 30, then the scale started inching up so I switched to low carb.

The most important thing about a diet is you have to choose one that you can live with. If a diet makes you miserable you won't stick to it. There are so many options out there & I know it seems intimidating, but if you do a search in the forum you'll come up w/a wealth of good info.
 
Laura,

I don't know if you are talking about me or not, but I would like to share how I got started with you.

I have always been pretty active and able to maintain a decent weight. I would go to the gym now and then but nothing consistently. My job put in a small fitness center and since it was convenient I worked out more. I didn't and don't work out for appearance, but do consider it a bonus as I never thought I could develop true muscle. As I gained more knowledge, I realized that I could eat better and get even better results. My mom and sister used Weight Watchers with much success so I came up with my own spin on the program and just began to watch my portions and pay more attention to what I ate. I have NEVER counted calories and I have NEVER cut any food groups from my diet. When I competed I had to be more strict, but other than that...moderation is the key. I also found that keeping a food diary helps a great deal and I still keep one.

I've only recently come across Cathe and I love her workouts, but lately I have felt the need to go back to basics with my strength training. So for now, mostly I use Cathe and running for cardio and do more traditional weight workouts.

You just have to have a goal in mind and believe you can do whatever you set your mind to. Read a lot and try different things...pay attention to how your body responds...stick with what works (for you) and dump what doesn't. It's all about trial and error because we are all so very different.

Hope this helps...


~Marietta
FITXME
http://www.picturetrail.com/fitxme
 
LauraMax and Marietta,
thank you for being so kind. I appreciate your advice.Some people think it is so easy to just eat the right way
and dont understand that it takes a person time to conquer these issues. Its not something your are gonna change overnight. Marietta girl, you got some awesome arms!!!! again thank you for your advice and suggestions.
 
If you're referring to me, I NEVER said it was easy to eat the right way. I struggle with it every single day. But if you want to do it, then you do it. You struggle and you find what works and soon it comes a little less difficult and you find yourself choosing more wisely. You use all the resources, find out all the information, but in the end, it comes down to you not picking up the corn dog, or the chips, or the donut and picking up a piece of fruit, or some nuts or a salad instead.
 
Laura,

I second what Shelley says. I believe we all struggle with this day to day, some days being better than others, and some days you are thinking WTH happened!! I picked up on something you said, you said you "blow it". Well we all do from time to time. We all deal with emotions, hormone fluctuation, stress, etc. These all impact our eating. The key is to get the basics down, like eating balanced meals three times a day with two or three snacks and cutting out processed foods or at least keeping them to a bare minimum. One thing you have to realize is this "you are going to fail sometimes". No one is perfect, we all have hills and valleys in our eating and exercise. Don't have an "all-or-nothing" mentality which, heaven help me, I suffer from at times. If you have a cookie or some chips, don't say "well I've blown it, now I have to eat the whole bag". I struggle against this and it is not fun.

There is so much knowledge and support on this forum but in the end, it is you who will have to make the decision to change and head in the right direction. Don't get discouraged, come here for support, tells us when the cookies got the best of you!!

HTH. Take care and take charge beginning today.
 
your right nobody can do it for me but me. It is nice though to get all the information one can get from people who have conquered or at least had some success with these issues to help better yourself.Its a big battle for me, and seeing the results some of these nice ladies have had is really inspiring to me and they obviously are very knowledgable on fitness and i would love to learn all i can from them, thats all . I am sorry if i posted a similiar thread before i dont mean to bother people. thanks
 
Laura, you're not bothering anyone. I think what I and others here have tried to say is that we all struggle with eating the right things and keeping our impulse to overeat under control. It is a never-ending battle, at least it is for me. Keep up your exercise program, I'm sure you already know exercise helps curb that appetite.

:)
 
Hi Laura,

An importanat key is knowing that from time to time, you are going to blow it! We all do, everyone eats something they "shouldn't" from time to time, EVEN CATHE. First, you need to accept that fact and know it's going to happen. Besides, some of the healthiest diet plans encourage an occasional (once a week) "cheat meal". It is said to help your metabolism but even more, it keeps you sane.

No one here has sworn off pizza and chocolate for life...unless they are allergic or hate it to begin with. The important thing is to be moderate and HAVE A PLAN! Most of us struggle with making the right choices, we just do various things to make those choices easier. Also, all things considered, we eat right because we prefer it. It nothing but crap for a few days and come tell us how you feel...I bet you will feel like crap...tired, run down and sloppy.

Here is an example of something that works well for me...last Friday I met my brother for dinner. All he eats is pizza so i knew it would be in front of me. So I ordered my Chef's salad with dressing on the side, ate it all and allowed myself 1/2 a slice of pizza. That was my plan, I knew it before meeting my brother and that is what I did. No guilt. No damage. Example of a plan.
 
yeah, when i eat bad, junk and stuff, i feel bad. It definately takes a toll on you not just externally but internally as well. I do feel better when i eat better,also less cravings. I notice when i eat more sweets, i crave them more.
 
I'm not that great; I'm probably about 3 lbs. overweight, but I do alright for myself. I found that trying to deny myself what I really want never works. What works is changing what I want. I really LIKE food that is good for me. And sugary foods, although they may taste good for a few moments, usually leave me feeling tired,craving more sugar and wanting to brush my teeth. Knowing that makes me not want them so much. I'd rather eat a bag of popcorn than eat a cookie, because I like knowing that it's full of fiber and low in fat and sugar. I just feel happy eating it and knowing that, and it tastes good. But denial has never worked for me. "Dieting" in the traditional sense just makes me binge, which makes me fat.

-Nancy
 

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