Monday, June 27, 2011

Converting to a New Religion

Okay! I've made a decision (YAY me!).

I'm converting to dark chocolate.

I know. I know. Remain calm.

But here's the thing: I've made a serious goal. I want to be physically fit. I don't need to be skinny, but I want to be stronger and have more stamina. Therefore, I'll admit here (but only because I'm pretty sure my high school crushes don't read this blog), I want to be 100 pounds lighter by this time next year.

Standards (rumors?) say it is safe to lose 2% of your body weight per week. So, based on that, I think this is a reasonable goal.

I started last Monday by adding water aerobics to my schedule. I went three times. I didn't stress myself out about changing my eating habits, yet. But, I made healthier choices at each opportunity. For example, I chose a Thai Salad at a restaurant one day instead of the deep fried finger steaks and french fries I love.

And, I still ate my chocolate, but I think I heard somewhere (another rumor??) that dark chocolate is better for you than milk chocolate. Therefore, I asked myself, if the choices were NO chocolate or DARK chocolate, which would I choose? Dark, duh.

So, I'm converting to DARK CHOCOLATE. Wish me luck.

And, by the way, I dropped five pounds this last week, just by adding three classes of water aerobics and healthier food choices.

This week? Four water aerobic classes. That's all I can promise.
:)

What are your healthy eating tips? And, do you prefer DARK or MILK chocolate? Could you convert?

15 comments:

  1. Good luck with your fitness goals! I've just started some as well. It's hard to get used to, but once you get in the habit, it's great! :D

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  2. Welcome to the dark side. As far as fitness goals go...I'm with you girl. I'll keep checking back here to offer you encouragement. I too want to lose 100-pounds and be healthy.

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  3. Five pounds! Five, good on ya.
    Fitness depends on exercise because it's muscle that burns fat and wise food consumption helps by stabilizing metabolism.
    The scale is ok, but rely on tummy tape measurement for progress.
    Please do not stop.
    Drink pure water often.

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  4. Good for you! Making a goal is the first step, and you're way beyond that.

    About 12 years ago I discovered I was lactose intolerant, so I switched then to dark chocolate. Now it's what I prefer (except I still have a weakness for peanut M&Ms).

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  5. I heard dark chocolate was better, too, but I still prefer milk chocolate. I'm sure once you've developed a taste for it, you'll like dark better. Good luck.

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  6. Yes dark chocolate is actually very good for your health because of the antioxidants it contains. That's why I have my fair share of dark chocolate (in moderation of course!) too. I love its rich, deep taste, much better than the cloying milk chocolate!

    Duncan In Kuantan

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  7. Red wine has antioxidants too. A glass of red wine and a piece of dark chocolate (not too much!) a day is actually very healthy for you.

    Good luck on your weight goals!

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  8. Good on you, Margo. Best of luck achieving your goal! :-)

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  9. Congratulations on your weight loss and the changes you made! I've heard about the health benefits of dark chocolate, too, but I've never liked it much, so I guess I'll just have to keep working at it. Practice makes perfect, right? I shall practice eating dark chocolate. Good luck!

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  10. Good for you, Margo! I'm a milk chocolate fan. I don't care for dark chocolate, but tastebuds can change so who knows? Maybe some day I'll like it. For now, milk chocolate gets my fullest attention!

    Milk chocolate has health benefits too, but dark chocolate has a lot more antioxidants and the benefits are better for it. Good luck with your health goals, and congrats on your weight loss so far!!!

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  11. Me, too! I need discipline to keep fit. I don't have any. Ugh.

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  12. Lorelei says:
    Hey, good for you,Maro!

    There are good choices in food, an choosing dark chocolate is one. You can find the 60% and 70% cocoa, too.

    Another thing I avoid are foods with corn sweeteners. A number of products now say on their lables "No high fruictose". The only way to know is to read ingredients. Sugar, instead is better for you because our bodies don't store it as fat,which is what fruictose does.

    Keep it up!

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  13. Dark Chocolate rocks! And I probably eat way too much of it. So good.

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  14. thanks for all of the great support people!

    I've finished day two of the Flat Belly Diet!

    I'll let you know how that goes ... yikes!

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  15. Oh, Dark, for sure! Which is fortunate, because I'm allergic to milk. ;-)

    Healthy eating tips! 1)Drink lots of water a day. It's good for you, it helps your body flush out toxins, it actually reduces water retention, AND if you're full of water, you're less likely to snack on junk. 2)Eat regularly, and eat enough. Include a healthy fat at every meal. (Your stomach has a special nerve in it that is for measuring the amount of fat you've eaten, and you'll feel hungry until you reach that minimum level at each meal. Your body needs a little of the right kinds of fats for healthy brain function, among other things.) 3)Carry an "approved" snack with you at all times: an energy bar, or a mix of nuts and raisins, or a banana or some such. I keep mine in my purse. 4)When the diet is over, don't revert back to your old eating habits. Make sure you choose foods now that are healthy and that you enjoy, so you'll be more likely to continue to make those healthy choices later.

    Good luck! You can do it!

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