 judygab 11 years ago | Having a dog (not a puppy) you can take for walks is great exercise. Community ed offers yoga, Pilates, umba and Tennis which is very addicting. Volunteering in a school or nursing home is great too. |
 ammbets 11 years ago | Another idea is to volunteer. I personally love working with the kids at the elementary school. I also enjoy the hospital and working with seniors. The is so many places to volenteer. Find your passion and share it with others. It’s a win win! |
 Carla 11 years ago | Thanks, Howie. Yes, I think it would be good to find something that will keep me away from the house at least several hours a day. I have started looking for a part-time job, but in case I don’t find anything, I am also thinking about finding some regular hobby. Cycling sounds a bit bold for a start, I think that even a local book club would be useful for me, if I’d walk to get there and spend a few hours away from home. 🙂 |
 Maverick 11 years ago | Being home alone with the frige is like sitting down with a meal for two when there is only one of you. Not many people can withstand that kind of temptation regularly.
Personally I think a hobbie you love that keeps you out of the house and away from the frige or cookie cupboards is very important. I have taken seriously to bicycline, it takes me away from the house and it’s only me and my water bottle and because my rides are fifteen miles or more I also take an orange, apple or something to ward of real hunger. I’m seventy five and recovering from tripple bypass, so if I can do it anyone can…Good luck…Howie |
 Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Good luck to you, and remember that your family can only benefit from your diet, because it is based on the type of healthy eating that everyone should learn and be doing for themselves. |
| Carla 11 years ago | Thank you so much for this detailed advice! This gives me a lot to think about, and now I believe I could really make a difference if I reorganize my life to follow your suggestions as much as I can. I will have to sit and have a talk with my family to see how we’ll deal with this in our household. I don’t want to terrorize them with my diet, but I think it would be best to keep some snacks in a special cupboard that will be too high for me to reach easily. :)) |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | First, it is important to eat small meals throughout the day to curb any genuine hunger. Second, is the issue of the non-hunger-related eating. One of the most popular ways of “fixing” the lifestyle is to find something else you like to do as much as eating, and which will keep your hands busy – it goes without saying that finding an exercise you like is ideal, as it also helps your body beyond not being overfed. An addition to this could be sipping on something throughout the day, such as tea, chickory, lemonade sweetened with a natural non-sugar sweetener, or water. Equally important is to make the most readily available foods in the fridge those that are light but well-loved, such as fruits and vegetables of choice (really think this through – don’t count on the standard carrot and celery sticks if they don’t excite you), even low-fat dairy – and any heavy foods are either not purchased , reserved for other family members, or otherwise not easily accessed (i.e. pre-portioned and frozen). Finally, the golden rule for all of these methods and for making a change for the long-term better is to make the change slowly and comfortably – for example, every time you find yourself wanting to get a snack, think to yourself “what would I normally do, and how can I make it just a little bit better?” A little bit better may include gradually smaller portions sizes for snacks, avoiding the temptation once in a while, choosing a lighter snack, trading part of a later/heavier meal for the snack (i.e., a cookie now, then vegetables instead of potatoes later, lemon juice instead of dressing on salad). On that note, compensate during family meals – only prepare enough for single portions for everyone, so at least you don’t overnibble then just because more is in front of you. Start thinking of food as medicine – and you don’t want to OD. |
| Carla 11 years ago | Hi everyone. As the title says, I’m a housewife. In the past taking care of my daughter took a lot of time and energy, but now she is older and I have a lot of free time on my hands. Maybe it was a midlife crisis, but in the last year or two I found myself battling this feeling of emptiness and as a consequence I ate too much.
My weight gain was slow but persistent. The way this is going, I’m about to hit the 200 lbs mark very soon, and that is really a wake up call. I guess what I wanted to ask is: how do you “fix” your lifestyle when you’ve got too much free time on your hands and a non-stop access to a fridge? It’s very difficult to change. All advices are welcome, especially if someone had a similar situation and knows how to pull out of it. |
