September 30th 2009

Well, I feel as though I'm not so focused on losing weight. When I say that, I mean my every waking minute isn't spent thinking about it, and I'm actually seeing some progress. There's one reason to be grateful for sickness! It makes you lose your appetite. Can't complain there. I decided to not put so much thinking into it and live, but adjust. I want to lose 1 pound a week. Shouldn't be too hard one would think, but those people probably haven't REALLY tried to lose weight right?! If our society weren't so engrossed in food for EVERY occassion it would be a little easier. I've been watching Biggest Loser and I thought, the show is what, like 10 weeks, maybe a few more, so if I can watch that, gain a little inspiration, then as soon as 10 weeks pass, I'll be 10 pounds lighter. That's the idea anyway. I get so wrapped in up in losing weight, and so frustrated with it, that I do the discouraged and binge, but start again tomorrow. I think those of us who have "issues" need to take a different approach to it. It might take longer, but after a year of trying, how far have we come? No where for me, not even after 4 years of "trying". So start small, for example, if you drink pop every day, cut it out. I think I heard somewhere if you were to cut out pop, you could lost 10 pounds. That's just for a drink. The key is to not replace it with something else though. The journaling is huge though (eventhough I don't do it. Well, I will tomorrow though :)). There are so many things we probably put into our mouths and don't realize it. For me, a bite here and there from my kids lunches, or their snacks. I mean, over the course of a day, it's probably 100-200 calories I'm sure. Anyway, change one thing and start there. It's just the starting that can be hard sometimes!

Much Too Busy!

Ok, LISA, I finally signed on to this thing. It's been almost 2 wks since I've even checked my email. Don't know what to say about the weight thing except that it's a BEAST! I am, however, going to attempt to confront the beast and beat it back. Will update as I go. In the meantime, choose your foods wisely - they can be your enemy!

I BLEW IT!!! Now what??

The title says it all! You had a bad day. Don't we all? We start out with great intentions and somewhere along the way we lose our focus. Maybe a neighbor or coworker brought goodies, maybe you found that goodie you had hidden away (Mama is FAMOUS for this!! We've found petrified goodies every once in a while.), maybe you're going out to dinner on impulse.

These kinds of things can throw us off track and we lose sight of the goal.

The goal isn't to lose 50 pounds (or whatever you need) TODAY. The goal is to make the best CHOICES today. If you do that every day you will be healthier- in every area of your life.

So, back to the title...

You did great for breakfast and terrible for lunch- don't worry, you have the rest of the day to choose better. You did great until after dinner and the snacks got you- prepare for that temptation. Only allow healthy snacks. Place treats far away from easy reach. If you snack downstairs, put those chocolates upstairs in the linen closet. Make it an effort to get to them and that will allow time to rethink whether you really need to eat it.

When you know dinner out is the plan, make your other meals and snacks very light and healthy. You can have a HUGE salad with FF/SF dressings- even balsamic vinegar. Fill up on the things that have the least caloric consequences.

Before you go to dinner, have 1/2 a cup of raw carrots and a glass of water. Again, like a previous post said, look at the menu on line or even call ahead and ask what their healthiest options are. Then enjoy your meal. Make sure the amount of food they bring fits into your day's needs. They often bring huge portions of food. Have them wrap half of it to take home or share the meal.

When you totally mess up, you can refocus and start with the next meal- don't wait until MONDAY to start again. In 4 hours or so it's mealtime again and you can be in control right away.

Maybe you can get a walk in. And if you've already walked this morning, try to get a short one in this evening. Don't let one bad episode ruin your ultimate goal~ a happy, healthy, strong body.

Recognize your mistake- what factors influenced your choices. What can you do to avoid those or change those factors? If you can't avoid them, what can you do to face them? Visualize this in your mind and you will have the strength to choose better later today or first thing in the morning. You CAN do it!

The Write Stuff

You've heard it before, haven't you? When you're trying to lose weight, keep a food journal. Did you dismiss it, thinking you could keep track "in your head" of all you ate for the day? Sure, you can remember what you've eaten in a day, so why write?
There are a few reasons why keeping a food journal is a great tool in your weight loss "tool kit".
1. You may NOT remember all you ate for the day. Did you record that little bite of cookie, or that can of pop? The candy dish on the table- did you get that piece written down? Which brings us to #
2. It may keep you from BLTs- bites, licks, and tastes. Knowing you have to "report" to your journal may give you second thoughts about that piece of candy or bite of cookie... Nothing is wrong with a little treat - even daily, but write it down and figure it into your day.
3. Writing down your daily intake lets you see WHAT you are eating as a whole- that helps you determine what you NEED. If you had oatmeal and toast with milk for breakfast and a ham sandwich with chips and drink for lunch you can quickly see that you haven't had any fruits or veggies and maybe you've had enough grains for the day. Knowing we need at least 5 fruits and veggies would throw all those servings into dinner.
4. Keeping a journal lets you see what works for your body. Are you protein-based or carb-based? Which one gives you more energy? Which one satisfies and lasts for you? Should you start the day with carbs or protein? By writing down your menu you can look at your week and see that your mornings were sluggish and maybe that's because you had cereal. Try more protein the next few days and see if it sustains your energy level longer.
5. May help with variety. See how many days you've had chicken this week??? You definitely need variety in your diet. Chicken isn't as high in protein or iron as beef. Beef doesn't have Omega Fatty 3's like fish. You can look at your journal and see where you may be lacking a well-rounded diet.
Can YOU think of MORE reasons a journal is a good idea? Can you think of any reason it's NOT a good idea? Then give it a try! You don't even need a formal journal. Take a cheap spiral notebook and keep it in the kitchen where you can write. Make it small so you can take it to work and write your lunch in.
Journaling is a great tool to help you have success in your healthy life~ good luck!

Every day in every way I'm getting better...

Habits rule when you're not thinking.
Make your habits work for you and not against you.

Agreed

I agree with the planning. It needs to be planned, otherwise, you grab what's most convenient and fast (well, I do) and those are typically the things not to eat. There are a few things that I like to eat that are low whatever and good and quick. One for now:

Tortilla Soup

2 cans chicken broth (or 3 cups)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes (juice and all)
1 can (4 oz I think) green chilies
1 can chicken

Put all together, heat and eat. It calls for optional: cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. But beware, that's what turns a healthy soup into a "hearty" soup. Not always so good, but oh so goood! :)

Thank goodness it's Friday!

A thought we often feel- if we can just make it to the weekend. That's not a bad thought, unless you're thinking if you're good all week, eating and exercising, then the weekend is free game. You can ruin your work and lose your focus on the weekend unless you plan for it.
If you're going to the movie and you always get popcorn, you can still have it. Order the small. If you're going out to eat, see if the restaurant is on the Internet and look at the menu early in the day. What are the best choices? Make them now while you're strong, not tonight when you're hungry. You can even call a restaurant and ask what their healthy choices are. If you make the best choice and it's still covered in cheese, scrape most of it off! Ask for dressing on the side.
The point is to PLAN AHEAD.
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" is true in every case when we're trying to change something in our lives.
For example, today I had a book club luncheon. I ate light for breakfast- just a yogurt and a couple almonds. For lunch we had chilled raspberry soup, small chicken salad croissants, a fruit tray, a veggie tray and for dessert, pretzel salad. I had about a cup of soup, chicken salad w/o the croissant, and a little of the rest. It added up to a sizeable lunch, so when dinner was here I ate half a small potato, some chicken, a large green salad and some cantaloupe and watermelon.
Tomorrow we'll move Caroline down to Provo, so I'll be good all day and depending how the day goes, we may make sandwiches at her place or grab a Subway.
The same planning can work for exercising. Again, looking ahead to the weekend. Since we're moving Caroline in tomorrow, we'll be climbing the stairs multiple times, lifting loads of stuff to carry in. I can adjust my exercise to do less formal exercise since I'll get more later in the day.
Saturdays are a good day to do "free" kinds of exercises- go to the beach and get in! Walk on the beach, hike a trail, bike rides, walk the bridge. Things you may not have time for in a regular week.
There you go- it's Friday and you're ready for a great weekend! Reward yourself because of all your dedication this week by sticking with it! What have you got to lose?