New Years, Weight Loss, Treadmills

"After the holidays we'll start working out."

We're all guilty of it. Even my wife recently started talking about getting in shape after the holidays. For my wife and I it's not a random resolution though.. we are both losing weight and getting healthier so we can work on having children. I started early and surprisingly didn't gain any weight over the holidays. Since the beginning of October I've lost 15 pounds. Not a staggering amount but I'll be able to start working out again since my wife's parents are giving us a "lightly used" treadmill. Isn't that how most treadmills end up? Well I plan on using it, since moving to the new house with our little 1/4 mile dead end cul-de-sac off a major highway I don't have anywhere safe to walk anymore like I did around the apartments in Raleigh.

Some diet changes I've made recently include switching from potato chips to pretzels (1g of fat instead of 12-14g), fat free ranch dressing (0g fat instead of 12g, and yes the texture is a little off, but you don't notice much in a salad), eating more fruits and vegetables.. we've been eating salads with dinner, yes it's not that healthy with cheese and bacon bits, but its a start. I like bananas and they are cheap.. I want some grapes but I refuse to pay 4.00$+ a pound for them. I switched to diet soda's years ago, but i'm trying to drink more water.

How sad is it that my goal weight which is 100 pounds less then I am now is still considered "obese" by the BMI calculators. Oh well, it's a start. If I make it there I'm sure I'll keep going. I've walked a 5k (58 minutes, or roughly 3 miles an hour) I want to eventually run one. Not like 19 minute rocketship pace, but something in the 25-30 minute range would be nice (6 miles an hour).

Here's to the New Year. Have a happy and healthy 2010.

Reduced Fat Wheat Thins

Wheat thins are probably pretty healthy to begin with (compared to potato chips) but the reduced fat version makes them even more so.

Here's the stats.

Serving size 29g (about 16 crackers)
130 Calories
3.5 g of fat (only 0.5 saturated, plus 2 grams poly unsaturated) compared to 5 g fat in normal wheat thins (30% reduced).
230 mg sodium
22 g carbs (2g fiber, 4 g sugar)

Label claim - 11g of whole grain per 29g serving.

Not only are they better than regular Wheat Thins, compared to potato chips

Chips: 28 g serving
150 calories
9 g fat, 2 g saturated
95mg sodium
14 g carbs

I like the reduced fat Wheat Thins just on taste alone, I've always liked Wheat Thins, but the health aspects make them a guilt free snack.