What is the one change you would suggest, to start living healthier?

My husband and I want to live healthier. I had a baby 7 months ago and want to lose 15 pounds from my pregnancy. I want to work out not only to achieve this goal but thereafter as a weekly part of my schedule. I want to cook healthier, eat healthier, and have more energy. We have tried and tried and tried to make it happen several times, but always fail because it is easy to get take-out or go thru a drive thru. We always go back to our ways of pizza for dinner, fried foods, ice cream, watching TV instead of getting up to go to the gym etc etc, and we get disappointed in ourselves. Now I am starting to think I need to incorporate one healthy habit into my life, one at a time until it is a part of my daily routine. But I don't know where to start to ensure that I am successful this time. Any suggestions? What is a step I can take, to start living a healthier lifestyle? What would you recommend be the first start so I am successful in my goals? Thank you for your time

the first thing that needs to be changed is your mind.

YOU have to make the decision to live healthier and stick with it.

don't buy pizza, fried foods, ice cream etc. buy healthy foods like fresh fruits and veggies then eat them.

look at it this way. if you model a healthy lifestyle for your child, you will be sure to raise a healthy child.

healthy family means fewer (or no) sick days off work, fewer (or no) sick days out of school, and fewer (or no) missed activities because of illness.

our bodies really do react to what we eat.

i know i feel like dancing after i eat an apple but want a nap after a heavy meal.

you're very welcome.

good luck! Report It

Drink more water

Drink more water. It's the easiest, cheapest thing you can do. Get rid of the soda and sugary juices and stick with water. Buy yourself two water bottles (one for each of you) and carry them around. Pretty soon you won't even want any soda and anything with caffeine will make you so hyper you won't want it anymore.

Give up sugars - processed or fruit-derived. Weight problems, diabetes and a host of health problems started to become endemic once sugar sodas became widely avaiable. We are just not built to consume mass amounts of sugar - so our health is a lot better without it.

Start by working out. Not just going to the gym. Take a walk (either by yourself with the stroller, or as a family) every day. Walking for 20-30 minutes, even at a leisurely pace will get your body moving.

Oh, and as far as eating the junk- if it's not in the house, you can't eat it. Try getting healthier prepare at home meals, like meal in a bag frozen stuff. There are some great meals that take less than 10 minutes to make in your grocers frozen food aisle.

exercise at 30 minutes a day, six days a week. stop eating pasta and bread. and drink water instead of cold drinks

one reason you may not be losing weight is stress the number one cause of people not being able to loose weight

Resolve to eat only half of your current portions of food. Like all healthy habits, this is easier said than done, but really commit yourself to doing it. Tell each other and friends and family of your commitment, and ask for their support.

No sugar or white flour. :)

Exercise.....I gave up smoking almost 2 years ago and as a result gained 30 lbs..Now, I'm short of breath!...I know all I have to do is start doing a regimented exercise program but I can't find the time, so I know exactly what you mean...Christmas is a crazy time but it's surely going to be my only New Years resolution!

Throw away your television. You don't need it for anything (you have a computer, so you can check the news if you need to).

The commercials you see on television - for fast food, junk food, prescription drugs, and useless diet fads - are bad for your mind.

Sitting there and watching a glowing box is harming your mind - if you raise your child with a television in the house, you will be passing on a legacy of lethargy.

Make this one change and the rest will follow.

cut out the fast food and the soda and that way your baby won't get addicted 2 thses living habits either and the baby will just know 2 live healthier from a young age and won't have 2 struggle 2. go on a after noon walk with yourself the baby and your husband

To start with, try eating more meals at home. You are less likely to eat as much. Also, limit your soda intake. Drinking less sodas and more water will help you lose a few pounds. I was 210 when I had my son and within 4 months I was down to 140. I started eating ice crushed in a blender when I had cravings. I brushed my teeth three times a day. and I went from drinking Dr.Pepper all day to once a day. I drank bottled water flavored with lemon juice or a half teaspoon of sugar. Place a note on the fridge that says, NO SODA TODAY or make a menu for meals you can cook at home and put that on the fridge. Seeing it will make you more apt to cook than go out. I hope this helps. I have struggled with weight for a long time, but I eat right now and I am always on the go. Dance with your baby in the living room to upbeat music. Thats what I do with a two yar old that lives with me. We dance and I also lay on the floor on my back and she sits on my feet and I lift her in the air. This not only works out your thighs and tummy but it is cheaper than going to the gym. A little at a time makes a big difference later.

you can eat whatever you want as long as you exercise enough to burn it off. the only reason you should go on a diet is b/c you don't want to exercise as much. more food = more exercise. and try to keep it cardio for more calorie burning. don't try to lose 15 pounds though.... try to run a mile everyday or somthing like that.. a routine. 15 pounds is just water wieght anyway it will come right back. and as far as fast food and junk food it's just more concentrated calories. I.E. more exercise to burn it off. if you try to just drastically try to change you lifestyle, you're still going to be miserable, just for a differt reason.

make drinking 8 cups of water a day a habit. Drinking 3 cups of 1% milk is good too because this will make you feel slightly full before your meals. Cut your meals in half. Some for now, then some for later. These are a few beginning easy steps to a healther life style. And each week just try adding something new that you know it's good for your body. It's all about habit,routine and commitment. If you really want it you have to believe you can and do it! Exercise is one you will have to add into your schudule and you can start light by just speed walking ever other day for 20 mins.
HABIT HABIT HABIT,..ROUTINE ROUTINE ROUTINE,..COMMITMENT COMMITMENT COMMITMENT is the key!

Start by eating a healthy breakfast every day. That sets your metabolism for working most efficiently, and you get a new chance each day to "break your fast" and do it right.

I eat oatmeal and I take some low fat string cheese with me to work for a mid-morning meal. I take my lunch every day, and I usually make it with a can of soup (reduced sodium kind), and I keep frozen vegetables on hand, so I can add a tupperware cup of extra veggies to the soup. I take a couple pieces of fruit and eat at least one apple each day, with a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter. It's my favorite treat; tastes like a caramel apple. Yum! I keep granola bars on hand to have as a snack, and I find by having these small snacks on hand, I don't let myself get overly hungry, and that makes it easier not to go off course with my plans to stay healthy. It's easier not to overeat at dinner when I've kept my hunger satisfied throughout the day.

Drink plenty of water, and get adequate sleep, too! Sometimes people eat, when in fact they are thirsty. Sometimes they eat when they are actually tired. With a little one, if you are not getting your 8 hrs. at night, even 6 hours plus a power nap of 20 minutes (you one night after work, your husband the next night after work) will help. One of the Weight Watcher's tips is to identify when you are hungry vs. tired vs. thirsty and treat the need appropriately.

Prevention Magazine is full of ideas every month on how to incorporate small steps in to your life to get big gains. If you don't have much time to read with a little one, just try one page per day, and you will still absorb new info to help guide you over time. It's really written for people who need a quick shot of info on a lot of areas for better health. It will fit in your bag; keep it handy, and when you find yourself having to wait in a line, have a little read.

Good luck!

Start walking. The best way is go to the mall. I can walk around there for hours and not realize I had been there so long. It is better to go there on a full stomach because of the food courts and candy stores or learn to JUST SAY NO. Choose healthy yet filling foods to eat before your walk. Plan to reward yourself with 1 small scoop of ice cream topped with berries. You will feel as if you are cheating, when in reality you are not because you watched your serving size.

So by what I have suggested, you are killing 3 birds with one stone. 1. You have to eat healthy before your walk. 2. You have to walk. 3. You have to be able to know what to say "no" to and what to indulge in, without overindulgence.

Enjoy

try counting calories
that way, you can hit the drive thru, but you gotta count instead
on the board with the order #s it usually says the amount of calories
or get a subway meal that is healthier than drive thu

Exercising really helps. You could take walks with your husband and baby. When you're free, you could maybe go for a run. An exercising machine might help;; like a cycling machine thing or a sit up machine.
Also, try to eat dinner early (somewhere between 5 and 7pm) and no eating after that. Have regular meals-eat most at lunch and least at dinner. This will allow enough time for the food to digest.
If you're having takeaways, sushi would be good. Or noodles, even. That is, healthy noodles, or pasta. Pasta with veges and steamed chicken, spaghetti with tomato sauce and sliced onion (when cooked, it tastes real good @.@), and tomatoes, and a very small portion of meatballs..

Here's how I make it xD
First I placed some spaghetti into a pot filled with water.

*When the water was boiling, I tipped the hot water out and then added cold water, then put it to boil again. Once boiling, tip the spaghetti into a strainer and leave overnight.* (you don't have to do it this way if you don't want to-it just tastes better cause it makes the spaghetti more.. chewy? sorta.. uh, it's hard to explain. But just cooking the spaghetti in the pot filled with water is fine too)

Next cook the meatballs. While they're cooking, peel some tomatoes, chop em up, then add tomato puree. Mix it all together. Tip that mixture into a frying pan and simmer it, then add the spaghetti and meatballs!

I haven't proof read what I've written so please excuse some parts if they don't make sense ^_^;

For snacks, substitute junk food for fruit.

Hi,

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Good luck!

One of the healthiest things I do is to juice 2-3 time a day. I use a couple of hand fulls of something green then follow with a carrot and an apple. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I make an all carrot juice drink. It's so so healthy for you.