ShapeFit.com

cosettie76 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 9

went to park today with kids. saw two absolutely amazing looking women with kids younger than mine! now, i've been working out for past 2 years, doing free weights on arms or machines for legs and 25 - 45 minutes running 3 - 4 times per week. I've added sit-ups and have worked up from 8 to 50 yay!! I lost 30 lbs. YAY!! but, looking at these other women... I'm perturbed. What more can I do that I'm not? And, more importantly, how do I keep my iron levels high since I just feel like napping all the time. (my kids are 5 and 2 1/2)

caden0925 · Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 36 Location: Denver, Colorado

Are you eating a healthy diet?

Boss Man · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:17 am Post subject:

Things like Red Meat, Liver and Spinach have Iron.

cosettie76 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 9

i've got my breakfast down to a cup of fiber one, a cup of frozen berries, a cup of milk... but then i kindof lose stamina on this diet and may end up helping myself to a frozen burrito or two for lunch.. and i'm really good at making casseroles for dinner that almost no one else eats around here and i do hate throwing food away.. still working on that one. have a tough time finding foods i like and sticking to them at only 1300 calories/day. i'm only 5'3".

Boss Man · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:25 am Post subject:

Calories look a bit low. The average for women is about 1,800.

So if you eat every 2.5-3 hours, eat 6 trimes a day, 300 calories a go, you should be more in line with what you need.

If you're losing stamina, it's probably either low Carbs in some meals, or not enough Protein to keep you feeling fuller.

caden0925 · Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 36 Location: Denver, Colorado

I agree completely with what Boss Man said.

SarahPT · Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 603 Location: Western Maine

Hey there,
first of all, don't be hard on yourself. Having children changes so much in your body. It's simply easier for some women to get their pre baby bodies back than other.

That being said, good that you are exercising. You said you are working only arms and legs? What about shoulders, back, chest, etc? It's very important if you are going to develop strength to develop it everywhere, not just in certain muscles. Also, if you can do 50 sit ups it's time to find more challenging exercise that you can only do about 15 of. Quality over quantity.

Besides the meat, oatmeal, oat bran and cream of wheat are good iron sources. Nutrition is the biggest factor in getting the body you want. 1300 cals is a bit low....if you have metabolism issues that might be right for you, but there is a good chance that is too low. Eating small meals often, with fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, lean meats is important.

Let me know if I can help any more.

Sarah

cosettie76 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 9

i read that raisins are a good source of iron - but they seem to be high in sugar. i also read that eggs can get in the way of absorbing iron. i love potatoes and a website shows they have iron, but is that easily absorbed? i'm just having a hard time staying awake and consider myself lucky that my kids nap at about 2 each day, but i'd rather have that time to catch up on housework.

Boss Man · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 11:35 pm Post subject:

Thats quite true about the Raisins. Raisins have about 130 grams Carbs per cup, of which about 2/3 of that is sugar.

As the thing with Raisins goes, thay rate at about 65-70 moderate GI, the GI number being the percentage Blood Sugar is elevated, by the Raisins.

That doesn't necessarily mean thats a bad thing. the Sugar may not necessarily be the sort classed as refined, or some sort of Sucrose Sugar, it could be a more healthy low GI type sugar like Fructose, that's actually in there, but due to the quantity in them, there could be the a train of though which says, eating them after workouts, when Blood Sugar could be reduced, would be more beneficial, and in some cases with a Breakast, though I'm not sure if Blood Sugar levels reduce during the sleep process, in every case, they might not for some people.

cosettie76 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 9

this is great info i'm getting and i think i get it. here's an example:
breakfast: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/2. c. milk, 1 c. blackberries
snack: 1 banana, 2 tbsp. peanut butter
lunch: 2 slices bread, cheese slice, meat slice, tomato, mustard
snack: 1 bagel, 2 tbsp. cream cheese
dinner: 2 oz spaghetti noodles, 1/2 c. diced tomatoes, 1/4 c. tomato sauce, 1/2 c. mushrooms, 1/7th sausage link
desser: 1 c. milk chocolate chip ice cream.

Ta-Dah! 1800 calories in 6 meals... not too sure of the iron content here, tho... give me some time with a calculator here...

cosettie76 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 9

it didn't work. only 9.08 milligrams of iron. supposed to get at least 14 milligrams/day. hmm...

cosettie76 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 9

this is it, really
breakfast 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/2 c. milk, 1 c. blackberries
snack: 1/2 bagel, 1 tbsp pb, 3 c spinach, 1 activia strawberries
lunch: 2 slices bread, 1/2 c tuna
snack: 4 eggs, 1 c. coffee w/ 1/4 c. milk
dinner: 1 sausage link, 3 c. spinach
dessert: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/2 c. milk, 1 c. blackberries

a bit less than 1800 calories, 108 g. protein, 15 mg iron. Very Happy

swanso5 · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 2:13 am Post subject:

breakfast 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/2 c. milk, 1 c. blackberries...have fruit first
snack: 1/2 bagel, 1 tbsp pb, 3 c spinach, 1 activia strawberries..take out bagel and replace with some sort of solid protein source
lunch: 2 slices bread, 1/2 c tuna...how about a full tin??
snack: 4 eggs, 1 c. coffee w/ 1/4 c. milk...coffee a bit earlier would be better
dinner: 1 sausage link, 3 c. spinach..replace sauage with a better protein source as it's processed containing trans fats which will not only make you fat but give you heart attacks too
dessert: 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/2 c. milk, 1 c. blackberries...completely change to solid priotein and avaocado is a good choice here

Boss Man · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:07 pm Post subject:

cosettie76 · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 9

i was just going with what foods i had in stock - we usually have sausage about 4 times a year.

i'm very happy, tho. I followed thru with what i said i'd do - with some changes - and i'm happy to report that i didn't fall asleep in the afternoon yesterday - or today!

breakfast: 1 c. blackberries, 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/2 c. milk
snack: 1/2 c. grapenuts, 1/2 c. milk, 1/2 c. blackberries
lunch: 2 slices bread, 1/2 c. tuna
snack: potato w/ 1/4 c. salsa
dinner: 1 c. spaghetti (yep, a bit of sausage in the sauce, but really lean)
desert: banana
more than 21 mg of iron!

this is an all new way for me to look at a diet. previously, i was only concerned with keeping track of fiber. i love having my energy back! but, i don't understand what a solid meat source is or why it's important. ?