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Things are only going so-so lately on the healthy living front, but I'm making the conscious decision every day to stay positive. So here's something good.

I've been able to attribute much of my past success to small changes. One small change that seems to have paid off big-time was substituting at least one serving of milk per day with unsweetened almond milk. It's 30 calories per serving and really creamy and tasty. I mix it with my cold brew coffee in the morning, and it tastes way better than skim to me now. It feels like I'm treating myself every day.

What's a small change you made that paid off big?

I jog from my parking spot to the door (and vice-versa) every day at work. It's probably only 75yds each way.
But I used to be out of breath when I got to the other end of the jog.
Now I'm not.
So I still do it.

--Patrick

I cut out sugary drinks.

It's only been a couple of weeks though, so I haven't noticed any major changes yet.

I thought of another one! I make the effort to be in mountain pose when I'm standing up. It gives me energy, especially in the morning.

When I go to Chipotle (a lot) I switched from a double-wrapped burrito to a bowl. 400 less calories.

I quit buying a bus pass. I walk anywhere an hour or less. I save a significant quantity of money, since I rarely have to take the bus or train, and the exercise is good.

I've been trying to stay positive about work, and not beat myself up about my shortcomings.

Edit: For physical health stuff - I have nearly cut out coffee, and drink hot tea. I only have soda about once a month. I'm really just trying to stay consistent with my caffeine intake. I don't want to go back to 1-2 pots of coffee per day.

I don't want to get into the food situation. One thing at a time.

Enough with the breakfast lean pockets. Tonight it's gonna be oatmeal. Steel cut oats made in the rice cooker.

DarkAudit said:

Enough with the breakfast lean pockets. Tonight it's gonna be oatmeal. Steel cut oats made in the rice cooker.

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Delicious oats. Ya know, y brother uses steel cut oats the way most people use rice. He makes savory dishes with it, and it's not that bad!

As much as unemployment isn't a good thing from a financial perspective, from a health perspective I'm really looking forward to not working 90 minutes from my apartment (on a good day) anymore. I never have time to cook myself a healthy breakfast, even if it's only microwaving some eggs and cheese, and all of the crap I've been eating to make up for it is starting to kill me (I'm only kind of kidding, I've been having some cardiac issues lately). Monday morning when I don't have to wake up at the ass-crack of way too early and have a chance to make myself some oatmeal that doesn't come from a package is going to feel so good.

Gared said:

As much as unemployment isn't a good thing from a financial perspective, from a health perspective I'm really looking forward to not working 90 minutes from my apartment (on a good day) anymore. I never have time to cook myself a healthy breakfast, even if it's only microwaving some eggs and cheese, and all of the crap I've been eating to make up for it is starting to kill me (I'm only kind of kidding, I've been having some cardiac issues lately). Monday morning when I don't have to wake up at the ass-crack of way too early and have a chance to make myself some oatmeal that doesn't come from a package is going to feel so good.

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I hate commuting. I was doing a 60 min commute (one way), and I thought I had it bad. 90 min?? You won't miss that! Enjoy the oatmeal!

When I started this commute it was, on good days, 50 - 60 minutes to work and 60 - 75 minutes home. Then there were changes to some of the local freeways and highways (most notably, the state started tolling one of the major bridges) and since then it's gone up to 75 - 90 minutes to work (unless I leave the house before 6am, and get to work before I can get in the buildings or leave after 10am so long as there aren't any major accidents) and 90 - 120 minutes home. I will most definitely not miss this commute. I will most definitely enjoy being able to get back to eating oatmeal every day.[DOUBLEPOST=1364329881][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, It really annoys me the way you've worded your location. About once every two weeks or so, it forces me to watch Oklahoma! because I hate the song stuck in my head.

Gared said:

About once every two weeks or so, it forces me to watch Oklahoma! because I hate the song stuck in my head.

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I haven't even seen the musical, but that song is ubiquitous here.

Oats were goood. Probably could've had a bigger bowl than I did. Even so, the recipe makes more than I can eat on a work "morning" (breakfast at 9pm). Too much to just toss, so there's going to be lots of leftovers by the weekend.

Holy crap. Just ran down the calorie counts on what I'd been eating for breakfast on an average day. 1450 calories for one breakfast, then snacking all day (usually about 720 calories), then something for dinner (usually my only healthy meal of the day). Cutting that out should make just a bit of a difference.

What were you having for breakfast?

Two sausage biscuits with cheese and a large caramel latte from McDonald's, on a very regular basis. Or two sausage McMuffin's with no egg and a large caramel latte. Or, if I was going to work after 10:30am, a QPC and large order of fries. Not a healthy breakfast by any stretch of the imagination.

The egg-white flatbread and cheese at Subway isn't too bad, if you're looking for a replacement sandwich. I had one this morning, actually.

When I find a new job, I might look into that. But for the meantime, I think I'll stick to some good old fashioned steel cut oats with splenda and maybe some raisins.

Gared said:

Two sausage biscuits with cheese and a large caramel latte from McDonald's, on a very regular basis. Or two sausage McMuffin's with no egg and a large caramel latte. Or, if I was going to work after 10:30am, a QPC and large order of fries. Not a healthy breakfast by any stretch of the imagination.

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You could probably make a big dent in the calorie count just by cutting out the caramel latte* even if you keep the rest.

--Patrick
*almost 300 by itself! That's almost the same as one fudge-covered Oreo cookie!

Gared said:

When I find a new job, I might look into that. But for the meantime, I think I'll stick to some good old fashioned steel cut oats with splenda and maybe some raisins.

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Even better!

Been making sure not to slump whenever I am sitting down. Also eating more fruits and veggies.

Well, this weekend wasn't exactly a healthy weekend, eating wise, but it only included one burger and a handful of fries, and the benefit in not being stuck in a crappy apartment on a gorgeous spring weekend was worth it.