Starting this Sunday, who wants to start getting healthy from inside out with me? Healthy body support crew

http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=163281

I'm not! I swear! I got out this AM for 8.5km, and am still doing well to avoid the carbs. Am also down about 5 pounds since I jumped back on the wagon, which is good feedback to keep me going. I hope everyone else is going strong! <em>edited by FarmGirl on 12/09/2011</em>

Where is week 2 of the challenge? Everyone is eating doughnuts, LOl!

Where is week 2 of the challenge?

Amazing and very inspirational thread!!! Have fallen off the track...blaming it on the holidays etc...so need to get back...motivating to read each ones efforts to get going... I've realised what really works for me is to eat the good carbs thu the day but totally no carbs post 4pm....i feel carbs sit heavy in the stomach so if u eat them at night and with little or no activity....the tummy never looks flat...so pump up the protein at night...grilled fish,chicken salads...etc... yes lotsa water too...infact drinking warm water seems to kick start my non existent metabolism:)) Say a glassful 20 mins after every meal...Have a goal to loose abt 6-8 lbs before christmas...hope i can make it..

Go flymum! I've dropped a little weight, but I know my weight tends to fluctuate a lot over the course of a month (hello, hormones) so it's hard to know what's a real effect of the work. But so far this week, I have run 13 miles and lost 3 pounds. I've been doing really well avoiding the white stuff, and also drinking a lot of water. So looking forward to getting the kids into school so I have the time to dedicate to the effort. Also can't wait for early morning temps and humidity to drop some more. Keep it up!

Sounds good, flymum. Looking forward to your updates. :)

Great site ladies. You've inspired me to start today!! I used to be so healthy with back to back body pump and RPM a few times a week. Now 3 years after getting married to my DH with the worst unhealthy eating habits, and a baby I can bearly do one sit up. But today I read this and started. 30 min power walk before little one woke up & then took him for a play in the pool. Eggs and spinach for breakfast, salad for lunch steamed salmon for dinner. I wish you all will power in return :)

Great replies everyone. Sorry I haven't posted in afew days, but I'll update here now. kavsmum, you asked about teh taste of soymilk, well it doesn't have mush of a taste, but to me it tastes clean. Also, it doesn't create mucus in your system like cow's milk does, and organic soy milk is cheap and readily available. How are all of you doing? AmyAus, we haven't heard from you in a while either. For me, I'm now on Day 5 of 7 for the Gm Diet. So far I've lost 2.8 pounds / 1.27 kg and reduced my body fat by .5%. This is without working out very much. I went to the gym in the first couple of days of the diet, but in the past couple of days, my energy was low. I'm going to go to the gym in the next half hour and do some cardio and weights.

I've really found that eating clean and cutting out the junk is makig such a difference. My little pouchy tum is finally going down. That and I've been working out much more, back into daily swims which I love :)

fairytale, you're right on...and I do find that when I am dissatisfied with other aspects of my life, I tend to take it out on my body. Which is so stupid, considering I need to wear this thing every day for the rest of my life. ;) I'm up and at 'em for day 3 of morning running. Interestingly, even with the September heat, I can run better in the morning than I can in the evening. I am just a morning person, and my energy has always been better in the morning. Still, need coffee before going out, which drives the hub crazy. Didn't do great on food yesterday; had some wholemeal bread, but at least it was wholemeal. It was dh who handed it to me. Still, a little better every day. I want to be fitting back into my khakis by month's end. AMyAus, do you swim? Have a pool? Are you fighting an autoimmune problem? Hope that's not too nosey. I know if I couldn't exercise, I'd struggle. Hope it's going well for you.

LOVE this thread - have been changing my lifestyle bit by bit but keep having relapses - this has filled me with motivation! HERE WE GO!

@ AmyAus82 and all you other ladies - what a wonderful challenge you have started! WOW! Sounds excellent! I started a 30 day fitness challenge in July and it was a great success. The meaning of this challenge was to exercise 30 minutes per day for 30 days in total. The thread is still left in EW (30 DFC). I am a well-being and fitness professional and if you want to find inspiration for exercising, just google my lucky 9 and click on BODY category. There are several easy and fun ideas and instructions on how to work out at home FOR FREE. Most of these exercises can be done in 30 minutes - efficient, quick & fun. My blog is not commercial and I do not gain financially if you visit it - I have started this blog just to spread well-being and happiness and inspire people to live a happy life. I remember reading how someone complained in EW how she just doesn't find that 'switch' in her head to start loosing weight. My advise is the following: LOVE YOURSELF!!! Go in front of the mirror and tell yourself that you love yourself, and you and your body deserve the best. If you have negative thoughts about yourself and your body, in example you think that you hate your body, you will keep abusing your body and you will continue overeating and skipping exercise, because you don't feel like you deserve better. Stop this cycle and start loving your body - be gentle, loving and caring, and your body will love you back :). And you will start making choices that are good for you. I wish you all good luck with finding a new healthier lifestyle!!!

WildMint, I am starting over too. Don't feel too terrible, and be sure to journal your small victories. Faster running times, more pool laps, a pound here, an inch there. In the US, I worked out with friends. That was what we did instead of going out. I'd meet my bestie and we'd do a training run, or meet at the Y and work out, and then have a coffee afterward. I had 5 different women I'd meet to work out with, and this was our private talk time. (Each one on one.) I also am a member of a virtual running club that's been going 7 years now. We're online in a couple different venues, and we occasionally meet up to run whenever we're in another one's town. There are also camping weekends in centrally located states, and we've had meetups at major events like big marathons and such. And you don't have to be fast or great to benefit from a running club. A 10-minute mile is totally respectable, and there are clubs that are kind to beginners.

FarmGirl, you are my hero, i love your post! I read tonnes of literature on healthy eating and doing pilates at home, I had pretty much the same routine as you are for a year, dropped 2 dress sizes, got some muscles, quit my arthritis medications etc...i felt amazing and looked better than in my twenties... But being inactive due to the summer heat, poor ramadan-vacations diet... Now i have to start over! I feel like a complete loser after achieving the unachievable!:( You wrote a real good stuff, it inspires me again!

Ugh, my laptop just puked out and lost my post. Trying again... What I have discovered (YMMV): - Simple starches are my enemy. White bread, rice, potatoes, any sort of cake or cookie or muffin, salty crisps/popcorn is an invitation for disaster. One is not bad, but in my world, there is no "just one." So I have to do without entirely. And then I feel darn good that way, and it is truly worth it. - Protein foods are my heroes. Tuna, eggs, cheeses, yogurt, chicken, turkey, salmon and nuts are all great for me, hard to overeat (because they are so satifying), and they keep me powered up. - Salads and fresh vegetables are the trusty sidekicks for the proteins. I eat them in huge bowls, with interesting vinegars, spices, herbs and nice olive oil. Always a little olive oil, but very little. I have excellent cholesterol. - Dill pickles (without sugar) are a nice alternative to salty chips/crisps. - Legumes/pulses are good, but I have to choose carefully. I do best with black beans, Great Northern beans, green lentils and chickpeas. Not all agree with me/ I use them in soups and salads, not dips because I limit bread. ;) No soy for me. I like it, it doesn't seem to like me. I also don't do peanut butter. (I got dysentery from peanuts once a long time ago and have not done well with them since. :P) - I always need my coffee. Milk with coffee is my pre-run breakfast. I have a protein-and-veg post-run breakfast. - Cereals disagree with me. I sometimes wonder whether I am gluten sensitive. - No juice. If I have a drink of juice, it is waaaaay watered down, preferably with fizzy water, and on ice. Too easy to drink a lot of calories and still need to eat something. - Both cardio and strength are crucial. I do cardio first, strength after. I need to warm up to do my core and back exercises, and I like to be fresh for cardio. - I have to progressively challenge myself. This means running progressively faster and longer. Holding poses longer. Adding weights to squats. Working harder. It pays off. - Do what you can. I started by walking with a baby in a sling and a 2yo in a stroller and progressed to running with both of them in a jogger/bike trailer. I have also done bellydance videos, pilates, yoga, weights, weight machines, ellipticals, cycling, and now I'm trying to swim. I don't want to spend the $$$ on a gym membership. My Y at home was SO CHEAP, it has ruined me for these clubs. So, I walk, run, swim, and do yoga, pilates and some old-school exercises. If I can find decent music, I'll dance around the house. Planks are great for abs, arms, hips, pecs, butt, and anyone can do them. Headstands relieve anxiety and depression. .... So, what did I do today? I ran/walked about 5k this AM, followed by sun salutations, crunches and stretches. Swam 1000m later in the AM, and also walked about half an hour at MOE late in the afternoon. Cleaned the house. What did I eat? Huge piles of salad: about 4 cukes, a head of Boston lettuce, a tomato, a red capsicum, some white onion. 1 can tuna. Some feta cheese. Two eggs. 2 tbsp olive oil. Dark chocolate. A diet coke. Coffee and about 1C full fat milk. 1 large beet. Drank a lot of water. Still drinking it now. :) I know diet coke is evil, and eventually it will be eliminated, too. I allow myself one per day. I keep very dark chocolate on hand and eat a couple squares once in a while when I need a treat. Again, it's hard to overeat really good, really dark chocolate. Once my kids are in school and the weather moderates, I look forward to getting out for a full hour and more of walking and/or running. I also have an OK bike and hope to use it to run errands in the cooler weather (at least around Jumeira). I did this one summer in the US and we saved a lot on gas, and I also lost a lot of weight. Cycling was good for my running too, strengthening the quads to help balance the hamstrings. I have arthritis and pretty badly degenerated disks in my back, so it can be hard to exercise sometimes, but it's also all the more important that I keep moving and control my weight. So, lots of good reasons to work out.

Had a mug of green tea and a cup of prune juice :) still gonna have a bowl of fruits in a while!

natalie8, what does soya milk taste like? I know it's good for you especially if you are going through the menopause.

Hi all, and welcome farmgirl. I'd love to hear a report from you too. Today is day 1 of the GM diet for me. I can't drink cow's milk, so I'm substituting it with soy milk. http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/~jajoo/gmdiet.html This past Friday I went to Lulu's at Arabian Centre and stocked up on fruit and veggies and juices and the other items for this diet. They suggest Lipton's onion soup mix, but I like to use the organic soup stcoks, so I picked up a couple of boxes of the onion version. The juices that I have are an apple blackcurrant, an apple carrot and a nice grapefruit juice. So far, I've had three tall glasses of green tea and I'm going to head to the gym in the next 15 minutes. I'm going to focus on cardio / fat burning and abs today. I also need to remember to weigh myself. We have anice digital scale that gives fat% and water% as well as weight.

Wow farmgirl, hope you are going to pass on some of your tips! I went shopping yesterday and got lots of fruit and veg and prune juice. Have even got my DH & DD to do it as well!!

Wow, so it's not just me feeling this way? Excellent! I gained a lot of weight (25 pounds) in the lead-up to relocating to Dubai, and to my dismay, have lost only 2lbs since arriving here! I discovered this tonight, as I finally went out and bought a scale. :( I have done it before. In fact, 7 years ago I was 60 pounds heavier than I am right now! I lost it through dietary changes and exercise. I gained some back twice (smaller amounts though) and have always been able to rebound in a few months' time. So, along with the scale, I bought a new notebook, and I am keeping a food and exercise journal. I know what works for me is eliminating starches, eating a lot of raw vegetables, and working out religiously, 5-6 days per week for more than an hour daily. I can do this. I started today. My goal is to lose 25 pounds by year's end, and once again be in half-marathon shape by January.

Thanks for that, Chocs.

Just a note on the drinking water. You can actually drink too much water and actually flush important salts/minerals out your system. Swap some of the water with an energy drink.

OK, I'm in! I'm planning on starting the GM diet tomorrow anyway, so this will be a nice push. http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/~jajoo/gmdiet.html I've already cut out white stuff like breads, pastas and rice. I'm pretty sure that I'm gluten intolerant, so for the carbs, I'll only stick to brown rice and only have it once in a while. I'm also not good with dairy, so for the GM diet, I'm going to have soy milk. Great tips and info, AmyAus. If you don't mind, I'd love to add some as we go along too. Just a note on fruit juices. Only get ones that are 100% pure, no additives, sugar or artificial sweetener. And, when you're drinking any sweet juice, you should add water to it to dilute it. I do about half and half. Even thought fruit juice is all natural, it still contains a lot of sugar (natural). Your body will react to this as it would with any sugar and produce more insulin. You want to keep your insulin levels balanced. When you eat fruit, it should be on an empty stomach. First thing in the morning is best for fruit.

I am in too ... I've been on a healthy eating / exercising push since the end of June as am getting I shape for doing Everest Base Camp trek in 8 weeks time. Everything helps :). Really like the challenges idea AmyAus82 :) That's great assisi! I'd love to hear your story on that too.

Should the 3 tasks go with the normal lifestyle that we're already having?

I started on the prunes a couple of weeks ago .. Just maybe 4 in couple of tablespoons of juice for dessert ... Certainly gets you moving and getting rid of all those toxins :)

how much of the 500ml prune juice at a time? is it 500ml/day?

A Rancher I have to finish everything too that is half my problem:)

This lady is changing her lifestyle too! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2032285/Worlds-heaviest-mother-goes-diet-ditched-chubby-chaser-fianc.html World's heaviest mother goes on diet… after she was ditched by her chubby chaser fiancé <em>edited by A Rancher on 01/09/2011</em>