by 17 people |
It's time to put FUN into weight loss. I'm not talking about Richard-Simmon's fun. I'm talking about honest-to-goodness I-can't-wait-to-try-this FUN! When you enjoy something, you stick with it. This lens will introduce you to many ways to have fun, laugh a bit, destress, and drop pounds at the same time. I'll be sharing my experiences along the way and hope you will, too. We'll Laugh and Lose together!
I update this lens about once a week or two weeks with ideas and fun tips for losing weight. Bookmark this page and come back to visit me. If you like what you see, please click on the stars above to rate this page. And, don't forget to scroll down and leave me a note. I'd love to hear what you have to say!
In order to keep the length of this lens manageable, I archive some articles to my personal weight-loss lens -- Diet Tips. If you'd like to read past articles or see how I'm doing with my own weight-loss challenge, come visit me at Diet Tips.
Low Calorie Snack
Make your own 100 (or 150) calorie snack bags!
You've seen the 100-calorie snacks lining the grocery store shelves. I bought a few myself while they were on sale. Then it came to me. Why pay extra for a company to give me more packaging, when I can simply make my own 100-calorie snacks? You can, too!
I take my favorite snacks, read the nutrition label and figure out how many I could eat for 100 calories and put that amount in a ziploc bag. I bag up every bit of the snack so that I can take them on the go or when I have the munchies. I can control my noshing more easily if I have a 100-calorie bag with me as I'm watching TV, rather than the whole bag.
If you enjoy cooking, you can make up your own Chex Mix, too. You can have a full cup for only 140 calories. Not bad! Here's one version of the recipe. You can find others online and on boxes of Chex.
3 cups each of Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cheerios, and Thin Pretzel Sticks
4 t Worcestershire Sauce
2 t Butter Buds
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t Seasoned Salt
1/2 t Onion Powder
Butter flavored cooking spray
Directions: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spray a 15x10x1 baking pan with cooking spray. Combine cereals and pretzels in pan, than lightly coat with cooking spray. Drizzle mixture with Worcestershire sauce. Combine remanning ingredients and sprinkle over cereal mix. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container.
Serves 10 (1 cup each) approx. 140 calories per cup!
I take my favorite snacks, read the nutrition label and figure out how many I could eat for 100 calories and put that amount in a ziploc bag. I bag up every bit of the snack so that I can take them on the go or when I have the munchies. I can control my noshing more easily if I have a 100-calorie bag with me as I'm watching TV, rather than the whole bag.
If you enjoy cooking, you can make up your own Chex Mix, too. You can have a full cup for only 140 calories. Not bad! Here's one version of the recipe. You can find others online and on boxes of Chex.
3 cups each of Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cheerios, and Thin Pretzel Sticks
4 t Worcestershire Sauce
2 t Butter Buds
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t Seasoned Salt
1/2 t Onion Powder
Butter flavored cooking spray
Directions: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spray a 15x10x1 baking pan with cooking spray. Combine cereals and pretzels in pan, than lightly coat with cooking spray. Drizzle mixture with Worcestershire sauce. Combine remanning ingredients and sprinkle over cereal mix. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container.
Serves 10 (1 cup each) approx. 140 calories per cup!
The Latest in Dieting News
Here's what newsmakers have been saying about dieting today.
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Routine -- A Key to Success
Several articles I've read recently suggested limiting food choices. They said that having too many choices makes it harder to make a good choice.
Last week I decided to give the limited choice thing a try and actually lost 4 pounds in the process. These are the choices I made.
1) I ate the same breakfast every day -- a mix of two different cereals with a dash of Fiber Sure. The fiber helped me feel full longer. And it was nice not to have to think about what to fix for breakfast when I was barely awake.
2) I am generally hungry midmorning. I decided to take a coffee break just before I got hungry. I've found coffee at that time of the day decreases my hunger.
3) For lunch I had 3 choices. If I was awake enough to think about it, I packed a lunch from the previous night's left overs. I have protein meal bars (with fiber) in my desk drawer. That's always an option. If I wasn't hungry for that, I bought a salad with protein from the cafeteria in the building.
4) I generally get a little hungry around 3 or 4. If I wait until I get home to eat something more, I'm ravenously hungry and tend to over eat. So I brought some healthy snacks to work -- pretzels (my own 100-calorie ziploc bags), fruit, or an organic snack bar. All of these options were around 100 calories. If I didn't think that would tie me over, I bought a soda.
5) My partner makes dinner for us some nights, so I just had what she fixed. If not, I had left overs from a previous night. I tried to keep the meal light and I added Fiber Sure to make sure the meal would keep me feeling satisfied. I have a tendency to graze after dinner. Having enough fiber reduces my chances of feeling like I need something else at night.
6) Sometimes I was still hungry in the evening, but not overly so since I had eaten well throughout the day. Since I wasn't overly hungry, I was able to make good food choices. Usually I had a handful of almonds or one piece of dark chocolate.
My choices increased throughout the day. I had more choices at times when I had time to think about what would be good to eat. When I only had time to grab and go, my choices were already made insuring successful choices.
I am sold on limited choices and following a set eating schedule. It has worked for me for the past two weeks and I have not gotten tired of it. You might want to give it a try. What do you have to lose? ;-)
Last week I decided to give the limited choice thing a try and actually lost 4 pounds in the process. These are the choices I made.
1) I ate the same breakfast every day -- a mix of two different cereals with a dash of Fiber Sure. The fiber helped me feel full longer. And it was nice not to have to think about what to fix for breakfast when I was barely awake.
2) I am generally hungry midmorning. I decided to take a coffee break just before I got hungry. I've found coffee at that time of the day decreases my hunger.
3) For lunch I had 3 choices. If I was awake enough to think about it, I packed a lunch from the previous night's left overs. I have protein meal bars (with fiber) in my desk drawer. That's always an option. If I wasn't hungry for that, I bought a salad with protein from the cafeteria in the building.
4) I generally get a little hungry around 3 or 4. If I wait until I get home to eat something more, I'm ravenously hungry and tend to over eat. So I brought some healthy snacks to work -- pretzels (my own 100-calorie ziploc bags), fruit, or an organic snack bar. All of these options were around 100 calories. If I didn't think that would tie me over, I bought a soda.
5) My partner makes dinner for us some nights, so I just had what she fixed. If not, I had left overs from a previous night. I tried to keep the meal light and I added Fiber Sure to make sure the meal would keep me feeling satisfied. I have a tendency to graze after dinner. Having enough fiber reduces my chances of feeling like I need something else at night.
6) Sometimes I was still hungry in the evening, but not overly so since I had eaten well throughout the day. Since I wasn't overly hungry, I was able to make good food choices. Usually I had a handful of almonds or one piece of dark chocolate.
My choices increased throughout the day. I had more choices at times when I had time to think about what would be good to eat. When I only had time to grab and go, my choices were already made insuring successful choices.
I am sold on limited choices and following a set eating schedule. It has worked for me for the past two weeks and I have not gotten tired of it. You might want to give it a try. What do you have to lose? ;-)
Your Healthy To Go Foods
What healthy foods do you grab on the go?
health_advisor wrote...
Thank you for a very informative data.
Learning this will be truly helpful.
five stars for this lens!
Every man is the author of his body. Lose
weight and be healthy.
Posted August 19, 2008
Lensmaster
All Natural wrote
ALL Natural
Weightloss Help Putting fun in weightloss is what it's all about.. Love your ideas.. keep it going
Posted April 19, 2008
Lensmaster
vg wrote
Hi AshleyShea, Great lens. I really enjoyed the articles. I have also created a lens on nutritional weight loss http://www.squidoo.com/nutritionalweightloss/. It has lots of useful resources including articles.click here
Posted August 04, 2007
TrustedHealthSolutions wrote...
Glass of v8 vegetable juice give me all the energy i need. Juicy fruits like the Chinese pairs are also preferred. Thank you, very nice lens (5 *'s). Trusted Health Supplements
Posted June 13, 2007
kberman wrote...
I have chosen your lens as a Squidoo featured lens.
Good work! Kathy. Check out my lens list at http://www.squidoo.com/cmlens.
Posted June 07, 2007
Quick Poll
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Clean Start
Make your first step a good one.
Every diet guru has suggestions for ways to start your diet on the right food. One of those suggestions almost always involves a purge of your refrigerator and cabinets of "bad" food. I love the idea of starting off fresh, but I don't agree with the classification of "bad" food. "Everything in moderation," is my mantra.
Here are my suggestions for a sure start to your new way of eating.
1. Take everything out of your refrigerator and give your refrigerator a good cleaning. I think half the reason I eat out as often as I do is because nothing in the refrigerator looks good. That may just be because I have a messy refrigerator. Now is a good time clean it up. New year, new food routine, newly cleaned frig.
2. When you put food back into your refrigerator, take a good look at each item. Some things should be thrown away because they are well past their freshness dates. Some you may want to toss because you just don't eat it. (You thought you were going to like that gourmet pepper jam, but you've never acquired a taste for it.) Some you may have forgotten you have. A little reorganization may be helpful.
3. Take a look at the nutritional information on the foods that you are keeping. The purpose of this isn't to give you a case of the guilts, it's to inform you. Who knew a tablespoon of a creamy salad dressing could have so many calories? Who knew that jam doesn't have much in the way of calories and is actually a better option than margarine or cream cheese?
On another day, try taking the same steps with your cabinets/pantry. Depending on how much food you have stored, this could be a several-day project. That's ok.
When you put food dry food away, take a look at the portion sizes. To help you eat appropriate portions of food, you may want to separate your food 1-portion bags. You can get small, snack-size, zip-lock bags at the grocery store. Why pay extra for food companies to give you 100-calorie snacks when you can do it yourself for the price of a box of zip-lock bags? When you pack your lunch, you just have to grab a bag and off you go. Maybe you'll want to store your cereal this way, too, if you tend to eat breakfast on the go. Your individual bags will fit easily into the original containers for storage and will also fit in your purse or briefcase for easy travel.
Give yourself the gift of a fresh start! You'll find sticking to your resolution will be a lot easier.
Here are my suggestions for a sure start to your new way of eating.
1. Take everything out of your refrigerator and give your refrigerator a good cleaning. I think half the reason I eat out as often as I do is because nothing in the refrigerator looks good. That may just be because I have a messy refrigerator. Now is a good time clean it up. New year, new food routine, newly cleaned frig.
2. When you put food back into your refrigerator, take a good look at each item. Some things should be thrown away because they are well past their freshness dates. Some you may want to toss because you just don't eat it. (You thought you were going to like that gourmet pepper jam, but you've never acquired a taste for it.) Some you may have forgotten you have. A little reorganization may be helpful.
3. Take a look at the nutritional information on the foods that you are keeping. The purpose of this isn't to give you a case of the guilts, it's to inform you. Who knew a tablespoon of a creamy salad dressing could have so many calories? Who knew that jam doesn't have much in the way of calories and is actually a better option than margarine or cream cheese?
On another day, try taking the same steps with your cabinets/pantry. Depending on how much food you have stored, this could be a several-day project. That's ok.
When you put food dry food away, take a look at the portion sizes. To help you eat appropriate portions of food, you may want to separate your food 1-portion bags. You can get small, snack-size, zip-lock bags at the grocery store. Why pay extra for food companies to give you 100-calorie snacks when you can do it yourself for the price of a box of zip-lock bags? When you pack your lunch, you just have to grab a bag and off you go. Maybe you'll want to store your cereal this way, too, if you tend to eat breakfast on the go. Your individual bags will fit easily into the original containers for storage and will also fit in your purse or briefcase for easy travel.
Give yourself the gift of a fresh start! You'll find sticking to your resolution will be a lot easier.
Support and Focus
How to make it through the week
Now that the holidays are over and I am back from business trips, I am ready to put some good, healthy habits into practice. I am committed to eating in a more healthy way and becoming more physically active.One thing I am going to do to help me bring about those healthy habits is to set a weekly focus. A weekly focus can be anything from a chat with a friend who supports your efforts to attending a Weight Watcher's meeting or reading a book that gives good advice. Anything or anyone that provides support is a great addition to your weight loss efforts.
My weekly focus will come from the book Our Lady of Weight Loss. Those of you who haven't seen the book are in for a real treat. It is not what you expect. It's all about having fun.
I know I will never stay on a weight-loss plan long enough to lose the weight if it isn't fun. Our Lady of Weight Loss provides a bit of humor as well as good advice that I think will help me walk more lightly (pun intended) through this weight-loss process.
To give you an idea of Our Lady's humor combined with good healthy advice, check out her 10 Commandments of Weight Loss in which Commandment #7 is "Thou shalt drink enough Holy Water to frighten Noah and map out all the restrooms in thy village."
In the book, Our Lady of Weight Loss, the author provides 42 "Kicks." Each Kick includes just plain old good advice with a humorous twist, a craft project (some silly, but always fun), sometimes a recipe and things to do. I plan on focusing on one Kick a week as support and reminders and levity.
If you'd like to join me, please stop by the Gather group for Our Lady followers -- The Order of St. Joan of the Holy Grill (http://weightloss.gather.com). I'll be making a post on each Kick and serving up my own brand of weight-loss humor. We'll laugh our way through the battle of the bulge.
Eating on the Run
What's a Secret Code Card? Scroll down to find my article about them.
Looking back at my Secret Code Cards, I've found a few meal options that I can eat on the go and they keep me satisfied for a long time.
I have tried almost every nutrition/protein bar on the planet. I used to be a Balance Bar junkie until I realized that the high fructose corn syrup in the bars jacked up my cravings for all things sweet. I switched over to another brand (the name escapes me at the moment) and I discovered I was allergic to soy.
Never giving up on finding something healthy I can eat on the go, I found two great products. I didn't realize how great they were until they kept showing up in my Secret Code Cards and foods that satisfy me for several hours.
When I need something just to tie me over for a few hours until I can get a real meal, LaraBars are my choice. They are made with REAL ingredients -- primarily fruits and nuts -- nothing you couldn't find in your own kitchen. And because the ingredients are unprocessed, it gives my body something to "chew on" for a while. And it doesn't hurt that they taste great! Just don't expect the chocolate-flavored bars to taste like chocolate. They taste good, but the chocolate flavor just doesn't come through strong enough.
When I need a meal to go, I reach for Detour Whey Protein bars. They are chocked with protein and keep me satisfied for 5-6 hours. They are great in the morning. I head out the door around 6:45. If I eat one of these on my way to work, It's well after noon (usually more like 2:00) before I'm hungry again. Not bad for a 460 calorie meal.
I've provided links for my favorite foods below. While they work for me, they may not work for you. Everyone's tastes and nutritional needs are a little different.
I'd love to know what foods you've found to eat on the go and are healthy, too. Please click in the box below and add a food item to the list. Thanks!
I have tried almost every nutrition/protein bar on the planet. I used to be a Balance Bar junkie until I realized that the high fructose corn syrup in the bars jacked up my cravings for all things sweet. I switched over to another brand (the name escapes me at the moment) and I discovered I was allergic to soy.
Never giving up on finding something healthy I can eat on the go, I found two great products. I didn't realize how great they were until they kept showing up in my Secret Code Cards and foods that satisfy me for several hours.
When I need something just to tie me over for a few hours until I can get a real meal, LaraBars are my choice. They are made with REAL ingredients -- primarily fruits and nuts -- nothing you couldn't find in your own kitchen. And because the ingredients are unprocessed, it gives my body something to "chew on" for a while. And it doesn't hurt that they taste great! Just don't expect the chocolate-flavored bars to taste like chocolate. They taste good, but the chocolate flavor just doesn't come through strong enough.
When I need a meal to go, I reach for Detour Whey Protein bars. They are chocked with protein and keep me satisfied for 5-6 hours. They are great in the morning. I head out the door around 6:45. If I eat one of these on my way to work, It's well after noon (usually more like 2:00) before I'm hungry again. Not bad for a 460 calorie meal.
I've provided links for my favorite foods below. While they work for me, they may not work for you. Everyone's tastes and nutritional needs are a little different.
I'd love to know what foods you've found to eat on the go and are healthy, too. Please click in the box below and add a food item to the list. Thanks!
Goal Setting Motivation
"The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to achieving your dreams."
Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author of The Greatest Salesman In The World
Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author of The Greatest Salesman In The World
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A riff about goals
It's the time of year where people start making goals and resolutions that almost always involve weight loss and/or exercise. Here are a few words of wisdom about setting goals and meeting them.The Good
The best thing you can do for yourself is make a goal. Goals will keep you striving towards those things that you really want. Goals can be small -- I want to exercise 2 times this week for at least 30 minutes. Goals can be large -- I want to lose 50 pounds by June. And goals can be somewhere inbetween. It's nice to have some of each -- a goal that you can complete and feel successful about right away, a goal that you are working towards for the month, and a goal that you can set your path towards for the year.
The Bad
Goals can make you feel like a failure when you can't meet them. This is why it is hugely important to set realistic goals. I would love to be my ideal weight by spring, but I know, with the amount of weight I have to lose, it is physically impossible. I also want to increase my exercise routine, but if I try to do it all at once, I will fail. I won't be able to keep up, so I'll give up. It's better to make smaller goals you know you can meet, than to make a demanding goal that will only make you feel like a failure when you can't keep up with it.
The Ugly
Ok, so you've set some realistic goals. You are progressing towards the long-term goal and are feeling pretty successful with the short-term goals. Then...life happens. Relatives drop in. You have to work a ton of overtime. Something breaks up your normal routine. You know you can get right back into the routine as soon as life gets back to "normal," but when will that happen?
This is where goals start turning ugly. Once your friend, giving you the nudge you need, now becoming evil bully making you think, "Why bother? I've messed up. I can't reach that goal now no matter how hard I try."
Don't listen! You know you've been successful. You know you set a completely realistic long-term goal -- until the unexpected got you out of your routine.
You can turn everything around by adjusting your goals to work with your new situation. It may feel like a set-back, but it isn't. You are just setting goals that are more realistic for your current set of circumstances.
Long-term goals will always need adjustments because you can never be sure what will happen in your life over the long haul. Give yourself a break. Make adjustments as needed and keep plowing ahead.
Don't Just Sit There! Get Creative!
A chill is in the air in the northern states. It's this time of year that we all love to hibernate. It's hard to get motivated to do much more than plop in front of the television or computer. What a perfect time to try something new that will keep your hands busy and away from food.One of my favorite sites for motivation to do something else with my time than eat in front of the television is Swap-Bot.com. At this site you can swap things you make or things you buy. It's up to you and your interests. You could make a new friend in Portugal, receive a fancy tea cup from Paris, send and receive simple postcards from all around the world. If postage costs are prohibitive, you can limit yourself to swaps in your area.
Take a look and see if there's a swap that interests you. You can search the swaps by category. You will find everything from swapping items to pamper yourself on cold winter nights to swapping handmade crocheted or knitted mittens.
By signing up for a swap, you commit yourself to making or creating a package or letter for another person. It may not take a lot of your time, but it's enough time to get you out of the kitchen for a while. And who knows what kind of joys your mail carrier will bring in return.
You may want to challenge youself to try one of the creative swaps. You usually have up to a month or so to create send out your item. That gives you 4 weeks to dream up and create an item for someone else. During those 4-weeks, you'll spend at least a few hours doing something more active than gazing into a computer or television screen.
If you visit the site now, you'll have the chance to participate in a swap before the holiday rush sets in. Once the holidays are over and life is back to normal, you can check the site again for current swaps.
Have fun!
Creative Juices
Go on, stir your creativity!
Check out these sites for creative inspiration. What do you have to lose? You could find a new hobby that will help keep your hands busy and away from food.
- Swap-bot - Welcome
- Swap-bot.com
Swaps Made Simple
The easiest way to create and join swaps on the internet!
Swap anything from tea towels to ATCs, books to hot cocoa, handmade mittens to fabric postcards. It's all up to your interests and imagination. - Fabric.com: Fabric - Discount Fabric
- This is one of the best fabric shops online. They always have some fabrics on sale for $1.95/yard. If you don't like it when you get it -- it's not the color or texture you expected -- there's no hassle. Ship it back to them for free. And, you get free shipping on your first order.
- Soul Food Cafe
- Do you like to dabble in writing fiction? Here's your one-stop site for inspiration. Best thing -- it doesn't cost a dime. Stop by and check out what's happening in the fictional land of Lemuria! Tell the Enchantress that AshleyShea sent you.
- Creative Collage
- Anyone who has scissors, glue, and magazine clippings can collage. Get some inspiration for your next collage project here.
- Vista Print
- Create inexpensive greeting cards, postcards, mailing labels and note pads. Use your own photos/images or use ones available on this site. Check out their specials. Sometimes you can get items just for the cost of shipping.
- Free Craft Projects, Patterns, Ideas and Resources from Crafter's Community
- Free craft projects, patterns and ideas. Free Craft Resources and message boards. Holiday and seasonal crafts for family, school and kids.
Walk it Off!
Keep it light, keep it fun, keep the weight dropping.
Walk? Are you kidding? Walking isn't fun! Well, you may feel that way now...but, you may be surprised that there are ways to make it fun.Do you like a challenge? Do you like to dream? Do you enjoy listening in on office gossip? Yes, gossip could be a motivator for you to start walking. Intrigued? Keep reading! ;-)
I've been wearing a pedometer most days since May when I was part of a Women's Health Challenge. I was surprised how motivating it was. It was fun to watch the number of steps jump up into the thousands. Because I wanted to see improvement, I found more ways to add a few more steps on to my day. And, as my walking increased, my waist line decreased. I dropped a couple of pants sizes! That was the best motivation of all!
If you like a challenge, using a pedometer might be a way to make walking fun. You could make a simple goal of adding 100 or 1,000 steps on to your total weekly step count. For another 100 steps a week, park farther away from the entrance to the store or office. For another 1,000 steps a week, take a walk around the block or the office.
And that's where the gossip comes in. Just walking around your place of business can keep you in the know about all sorts of things! Vary your path every day. You'll meet new people and hear interesting conversations. Challenge yourself to take the stairs to the next floor. Add on floors as you feel ready. Besides being great for your physical health, it'll help you destress, too.
Then there's the dreamer. What's in this for you? Choose a place you love or one you would like to visit. Set a goal of walking there -- virtually.
I have a goal of walking 600,000 steps by the end of the year. For me, 600,000 steps converts to roughly 170 miles. (See below to find out how you can convert your steps to miles.) One of my favorite places in the world is the the northeast coast. Using MapQuest.com, I have plotted a route from Ogunquit to Bar Harbor, Maine. Check out where I am on my route at Virtual Walk Updates.
There are as many ways of making walking fun as there are people. If I haven't hit on one that works for you, leave a comment. Tell me what you love to do and I'll try to create your own personal motivator.
I hate to exercise, but I love to....
Tell me what you love to do and I'll do my best at offering suggestions for making moving above something you'll enjoy.
Lensmaster
Michelle Maynard wrote
I am a security officer at a plant and I walk 20 miles every week. I work two twelve hour shifts and I do 6 rounds a piece on those, and the two eight hour shifts I make four rounds a piece. I change my rounds up all of the time but I always have to force myself each time to go again..... :]
Posted December 04, 2007
Lensmaster
Daniel wrote
Hi, I like to exercise ... I really do, I go to to get my information.
Posted May 05, 2007
How to Convert Steps to Miles
1. Walk a distance you know and count the steps. You can measure a distance across your living room or down the hall. Make sure the distance is 10 feet or more. This will make your estimate more accurate.
2. Write down the number of your steps, S, it took you to walk the distance. Also write the distance, D, you walked. For example, it took me 10 steps to walk 15 feet across my living room.
3. Convert your steps to feet.
Your steps for the day ÷ S x D = number of feet you've walked.
For example, when I walk 7,000 steps in a day, I divide by 10 and multiply by 15 ft.
7,000 ÷ 10 x 15 = 10,500 ft
4. Convert to miles.
Divide the number of feet you've walked by 5,280 (the number of feet in a mile).
10,500 ÷ 5,280 = 1.98
On days that I walk 7,000 steps, I've walked almost 2 miles.
If you have questions about how to do this conversion, please leave a comment. I'd be more than happy to help.
2. Write down the number of your steps, S, it took you to walk the distance. Also write the distance, D, you walked. For example, it took me 10 steps to walk 15 feet across my living room.
3. Convert your steps to feet.
Your steps for the day ÷ S x D = number of feet you've walked.
For example, when I walk 7,000 steps in a day, I divide by 10 and multiply by 15 ft.
7,000 ÷ 10 x 15 = 10,500 ft
4. Convert to miles.
Divide the number of feet you've walked by 5,280 (the number of feet in a mile).
10,500 ÷ 5,280 = 1.98
On days that I walk 7,000 steps, I've walked almost 2 miles.
If you have questions about how to do this conversion, please leave a comment. I'd be more than happy to help.
Best Little Foodie Resource!
Do you want to know what's in what you just ate?
Calorie King is the best resource on the web for people who want to know the nutritional values of what they are eating. This site categorizes all sorts of food, from items you find in the grocery store (complete with brand names) to items at restaurants and fast food places.
To give you an idea of the information available at Calorie King, here's their record on McDonald's Breakfast Burrito. By the way, this information was very easy to find. I entered "Breakfast Burrito" in their search box on the main page and McDonald's was one of several options.
If you need a resource for finding nutritional information about basic foods as well as popular fast foods, and restaurants, check out the link for Calorie King in the link section. When I did a search for "Breakfast Burrito," I was able to find this information about McDonald's tasty variety.
Calories 300 ( Kilojoules 1254 )
% Daily
Value*
Total Fat 16 g 25%
Saturated Fat 6 g 30%
Trans Fatty Acids 1 g
Cholesterol 175 mg 58%
Sodium 760 mg 32%
Total Carbohydrates 26 g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1 g 4%
Sugars 3 g
Protein 13 g
Calorie King is the best online resource I have found for this information. They have other tools, too, but I just use their free Food Search. Check out the link section below for a link to this site and to other helpful sites.
To give you an idea of the information available at Calorie King, here's their record on McDonald's Breakfast Burrito. By the way, this information was very easy to find. I entered "Breakfast Burrito" in their search box on the main page and McDonald's was one of several options.
If you need a resource for finding nutritional information about basic foods as well as popular fast foods, and restaurants, check out the link for Calorie King in the link section. When I did a search for "Breakfast Burrito," I was able to find this information about McDonald's tasty variety.
Calories 300 ( Kilojoules 1254 )
% Daily
Value*
Total Fat 16 g 25%
Saturated Fat 6 g 30%
Trans Fatty Acids 1 g
Cholesterol 175 mg 58%
Sodium 760 mg 32%
Total Carbohydrates 26 g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1 g 4%
Sugars 3 g
Protein 13 g
Calorie King is the best online resource I have found for this information. They have other tools, too, but I just use their free Food Search. Check out the link section below for a link to this site and to other helpful sites.
Tell It Like It Is
Talk back
Let me know what's been helpful for you.
Share your stories of weight loss fun for others to enjoy!
Lensmaster
Jasmine wrote
I got on the treadmill because I checked out Our Lady of Weight Loss from the library! :)
Posted January 22, 2008
Tools and Resources
Helpful websites to keep you losing
- Calorie King
- The best source I've found for nutritional information for restaurants as well as items you'd buy at the grocery store.
- not what you may remember about the President's Fitness Challenge
- Everything you need to challenge yourself to become more active.
It only takes a small change. Instead of telling yourself you can't, tell yourself you can. You'll be surprised when you start logging a few minutes of housework here and a few minutes of walking there. It adds up. And the more it adds up, the more excited you'll get about getting more active. - Diet Diaries
- Diet Diaries is a free site where you can keep a daily diet blog / diary, leave posts and receive encouraging comments from fellow dieters. Both private and public accounts are available and free.
- Red Exerciser
- This may just be a fad-exercise gimmick, but it looks like it might be worth a shot considering you can try it for 30 days. If it works, it is a great no-impact option for exercise and a wonderful way for those who can't be on their feet for long to get in some exercise.
- 10 Ways to Slim Down, in a Week by Scott L.
- Ever feel like you just wanna go "MOOOO"? How do we let things get so out of control? There's just too many answers to that question. But, there is a way to make a change. This isn't . . .
Sites to Explore
I'm always on the look out for web sites or articles that will help keep us laughing, having fun, and staying motivated. Check here for my latest finds!
- Diet Riot a humorous non diet weight loss site that integrates Nutrition, Fitness, and Hunger Healing
- Diet Riot weight loss is a humorous, non diet approach to permanent weight loss.
- 5 Ways to Move Your Butt This Fall
- Lets face it, there are a lot of people who simply don't like to exercise. It is looked upon as work... plain and simple. But what if we made it fun? Here's my list that burns calories, and gets those bones moving again.
- Exercise - Making Exercise Fun
- Most of us have heard that we should exercise three to five times per week
for overall wellbeing. But knowing what to do and actually doing it are two
different things. - Fun activities you can do with your kids
- Exercise for Fun and Fitness Parents and Kids Together:
"Love your Body, Move your Body!" - 5 Ways to Make Exercise Fun Again
- What did you do as a kid when you were told you could stop doing chores, stop doing homework...and just play?
- Dieting Humor
- 1.If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no
calories.
2.If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the
candy bar are cancelled out by the diet soda.
3.When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you
don't eat more than they do. - 15 ways to make exercise more fun!
- Break out the hula-hoop! Dig out that Twister game from the back of your closet! There are more ways to have fun burning calories than you think!
- Chocolate box
- Take one...they are scrumptious and calorie free. You'll never get the one you take a bite out of and put back in the box. And, like a great fortune cookie, you'll never know what sort of treasures or adventures it may bestow on you.
- How To Make A Fabric Postcard DebR Style
- This article takes you through the entire process of making a fabric postcard -- complete with pictures to go along with each step. It's a simple process and fun to do with a few scraps of fabric.
- AshleyShea's Etsy Shop
- Check out what I'm creating!
- National Health and Wellness
- This site has a wealth of information, including some great tips for getting more steps into your daily routine!
Talk to Me! =-D
Give it to me straight. Tell me about your struggles, your challenges, your successes, too. Ask questions about my articles or my personal weight-loss challenges.
ArtByLinda wrote...
Hi, this is a great lens...health is so important. I find the south beach diet works well for me when I need to drop some weight, but I feel better if I start walking, and riding my bike. I use the scale as inspiration, an atta boy so to speak, but the true test is how I feel physically! When my weight goes up, I feel like crap, my back hurts, my body tells me...come on, time to buckle down! The one fun thing I find to reward myself for doing well is buying new clothes~ Great lens...I have to tell you though with so many guestbooks, I got to the first one and thought it was the end of your lens.
Take care, and happy loosing! Linda
Posted August 19, 2008
Lensmaster
Jasmine wrote
I have gained 60 lbs since leaving a domestically violent relationship and becoming a perpetually broke single mom. Food seems to have replaced all that I have lost and I am at the end of my rope. It is hard for me to get out of bed every morning but I do so for my little princess. I got on the treadmill today and walked for 30 minutes, my first exercise in three years! I thought was going to have a cardiac event! The road ahead seems so long, how on earth can someone lose 90 lbs? Seems hopeless...
Posted January 22, 2008
Lensmaster
Michelle Maynard wrote
I have been overweight for years now. I had stomach stappling and it failed because of a surgery gone wrong. I am not confident when I talk to people because I feel as though I am talked about behind my back. I would love to have a close friend or friends to talk to that have the same problems as me
Posted December 04, 2007
happynutritionist wrote...
Hey, what a GREAT Squid! I would love to "swap" lensroll links, and maybe some other things too. I love having sponsors, contributors and participants in http://2007weightlosschallenge.com , maybe you'd like to be a part, Ashley (or anyone else!), you have a lot to offer!! Claudia L. Meydrech, CN
Posted March 06, 2007
by AshleyShea
One of the many queens of the scale, I can carry my weight with the best of them when it comes to weight loss. Join me in knocking the serious system... (more)
