So I suck, but I suck cause I've been in the planning stages of revamping my blog. I've got so many ideas but I wanted to check in and say hey and see how everyone has been doing and give some updates on how I've been doing.
Sooooooo I kinda hit a wall my weight loss dropped from 3 pounds a week to around one or two, this fall in comparison to the summer, so i decided the time had come to do something different. I joined a new gym and got a personal trainer. I've been doing it now for a month and the results are in! I lost 12 pounds, 1 inch in my chest, 1.5 inches in my waist, 2.5 inches in my hips, 3.5 inches in my thighs and 1 inch in my calves ( I gained an inch in my biceps, but I have have kinda thin arms so that's okay that's muscle!) for a total of 8.5 inches lost. The big shocker was my body fat percentage, it went from 45.3 % to 28.5% ( I made my trainer do it twice to make sure it was correct) I lost 16.8% body fat!
I am a happy girl right now, I worked hard this month. Pushed myself in ways I didn't think I could push myself and it was amazing! I'm even more excited for the next month, I found a kettlebell training place (kettlebells are something I am extremely passionate about) and in one evaluation session I learned so much of what i was doing incorrectly. So I'll also be doing that three days a week.
My goal for next month, is another 12 pounds, I'd like to lose at least 10 inches and another 2-4% body fat. Of course if it doesn't happen it's okay, as long as I tried my best I'm happy!
How is everyone doing this month? Are we keeping up with our goals? Are we working as hard as we did on January first? If not, get back on that horse, this weight is not gonna come off by itself, you've got to remember to go strong no matter what, even on your bad days!
Love you guys!
Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Going Out and Having Fun!! (With No Guilt)
So in case you were unaware I am a young single girl (know any hot, professional, nice, younger guys send them my way please ;) ) anyway that being said I do go out occasionally for dinner and drinks sometimes a movie and I've had to learn how to go out and not feel guilty the next day about the calories I ingest.
First I'm gonna tackle the movies, I don't snack at movies at all. No popcorn, No candy and I buy an overpriced bottle of water to drink. I know it sounds impossible, but honestly you are going to ingest 500 plus calories mindlessly during the movie and you just don't need it. First rule of thumb don't go to the movies hungry. Eat dinner first whether at home or a restaurant those calories are going to be better for you calories (nutrient rich) than a bucket of popcorn and a pound of red hots and if you're full then the smells won't make you as hungry and it will be easier to say no. If you absolutely NEED popcorn get a small one, no extra butter, no extra salt, it's plenty buttery and plenty salty all on it's own.
Next drinks, drinking probably won't make you put on weight but it does inhibit weight loss. So here are few tips to drink caloricly responsibly (because we all know not to drink and drive right? I hope so!) Don't drink a whole lot, we don't need to plastered to have a good time, I have three drink maximum on a night out that's enough now I'm not able to drive, but I'm not falling down drunk and its probably about 400 calories I ingested here, that's my snack maximum for the day. Also if you get plastered and you feel like crud the next day you aren't gonna want to work out, so not only did you you drink lots and lots and lots of calories, you don't burn them off the next day, that is bad, bad , bad. So three drinks, no hang over and work out the next day! Now what should you drink? No beer, not even light beer, honestly beer is liquid bread, are you going to eat a whole loaf of bread while on a diet? NO, so don't drink it either. If you loooove beer, have one, only one and make it a light one. Clear alcohols are the best, light rums, vodka, gin these have the least amount of calories and are always good mixed with a diet drink. Margaritas, i love me a margarita, most restaurants have a skinny version, this is great! TGIFridays has two skinny margaritas both only 130 calories. This is how you don't blow your work out at the bar :)
Dining out. When you go to a restaurant be smart okay? First ask yourself how much do I eat out, if your answer is once or twice a month go for it, treat yourself don't worry about it, that Alfredo pasta is not gonna kill you, you are good the other 28-29 days out of the month. If your answer is more like mine and you go out to eat 3 to 4 times a week (dinners and lunches, I told you I had an active social calender) you need to be more aware of what you eat. Stay away from cream sauces and fried foods. Eat lots of salads (not salads with fried chicken on top) and soups. Soups are a good way to one fill you up because it has lots of water and not get a lot of calories. The soups need to broth based not cream based, so get the minestrone over the cream of potato soup. Sandwiches are good, anything covered in gravy is bad (I'm from the south). Baked potatoes are good, make sure it's small about 5 ounces if you get cheese no sour cream, if you get sour cream not cheese. Veggie plates are great, at Chilli's i get the veggie tacos, super good very filling and I don't eat all the tortillas. Skip the desert, get some coffee instead. :)
Can you go out and have fun? YES and you should. If all you do is work, gym, home you aren't living and the whole purpose of being healthy is to live a better life. I believe in living in the moment, so if I REALLY want some pasta and white sauce I'll get it, but i am also aware I will have to put an extra hour on the treadmill the next day to work it off. So go out, have fun, but have fun responsibly and you won't have to stress about the extra calories. Always go strong no matter what!! :)
First I'm gonna tackle the movies, I don't snack at movies at all. No popcorn, No candy and I buy an overpriced bottle of water to drink. I know it sounds impossible, but honestly you are going to ingest 500 plus calories mindlessly during the movie and you just don't need it. First rule of thumb don't go to the movies hungry. Eat dinner first whether at home or a restaurant those calories are going to be better for you calories (nutrient rich) than a bucket of popcorn and a pound of red hots and if you're full then the smells won't make you as hungry and it will be easier to say no. If you absolutely NEED popcorn get a small one, no extra butter, no extra salt, it's plenty buttery and plenty salty all on it's own.
Next drinks, drinking probably won't make you put on weight but it does inhibit weight loss. So here are few tips to drink caloricly responsibly (because we all know not to drink and drive right? I hope so!) Don't drink a whole lot, we don't need to plastered to have a good time, I have three drink maximum on a night out that's enough now I'm not able to drive, but I'm not falling down drunk and its probably about 400 calories I ingested here, that's my snack maximum for the day. Also if you get plastered and you feel like crud the next day you aren't gonna want to work out, so not only did you you drink lots and lots and lots of calories, you don't burn them off the next day, that is bad, bad , bad. So three drinks, no hang over and work out the next day! Now what should you drink? No beer, not even light beer, honestly beer is liquid bread, are you going to eat a whole loaf of bread while on a diet? NO, so don't drink it either. If you loooove beer, have one, only one and make it a light one. Clear alcohols are the best, light rums, vodka, gin these have the least amount of calories and are always good mixed with a diet drink. Margaritas, i love me a margarita, most restaurants have a skinny version, this is great! TGIFridays has two skinny margaritas both only 130 calories. This is how you don't blow your work out at the bar :)
Dining out. When you go to a restaurant be smart okay? First ask yourself how much do I eat out, if your answer is once or twice a month go for it, treat yourself don't worry about it, that Alfredo pasta is not gonna kill you, you are good the other 28-29 days out of the month. If your answer is more like mine and you go out to eat 3 to 4 times a week (dinners and lunches, I told you I had an active social calender) you need to be more aware of what you eat. Stay away from cream sauces and fried foods. Eat lots of salads (not salads with fried chicken on top) and soups. Soups are a good way to one fill you up because it has lots of water and not get a lot of calories. The soups need to broth based not cream based, so get the minestrone over the cream of potato soup. Sandwiches are good, anything covered in gravy is bad (I'm from the south). Baked potatoes are good, make sure it's small about 5 ounces if you get cheese no sour cream, if you get sour cream not cheese. Veggie plates are great, at Chilli's i get the veggie tacos, super good very filling and I don't eat all the tortillas. Skip the desert, get some coffee instead. :)
Can you go out and have fun? YES and you should. If all you do is work, gym, home you aren't living and the whole purpose of being healthy is to live a better life. I believe in living in the moment, so if I REALLY want some pasta and white sauce I'll get it, but i am also aware I will have to put an extra hour on the treadmill the next day to work it off. So go out, have fun, but have fun responsibly and you won't have to stress about the extra calories. Always go strong no matter what!! :)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Surviving the Holidays!
Oh my goodness I haven't blogged in a very long time! I have missed y'all and this page. Life has been super hectic but in a good way. The holidays have kinda taken over my life since before Thanksgiving, but I have been really good at keeping up with my exercise and diet routine. I actually lost weight during Thanksgiving week which was a really great thing I was kinda proud of myself. According to the National Institute of Health the average American gains about one pound over the holiday season. This is WAY less than than the 7-10 pounds we all think we might gain. So I don't think eating those extra cookies at the office Christmas party are what is dangerous for those of us trying to maintain a healthy weight or trying to get some weight off, but what is dangerous is falling out of our exercise routine.
Every one's New Year's resolution is to lose weight, be healthy, and I think for some of us it's because we have fallen off the work out wagon so to speak. So how about this, how about we enjoy the holiday cookies, not stress about our food input this Christmas and focus solely on our exercise output. Don't not go to the gym just because you are busy, can't do a complete workout because you have to go Christmas shopping no worries as long as you still do something just don't get out of your routine. If you keep your exercise routine it won't be a big deal to go back to things after the holiday season has settled down. I think this will also include eating better after the cookie temptations have gone away. If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times, the exercise portion of your diet and exercise plan is more important than your diet. So if you're going out of town for Christmas do some research, figure out how to do some exercise in your hotel, or maybe your gym also has a gym in the city you are visiting or just go for a walk or a run, it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you keep your body in the mood for exercise.
Do not stress about your weight during the holidays, have fun, enjoy the season with people that love you, eat some fudge but remember stay active and go strong no matter what!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Fitness!!!!!
Hey guys! How was every one's week? I'm still having Internet issues so the only computer access I have is at work right now bummer, but I'm hoping that changes this week (hoping!). Anyway I hope everyone had as good a week as I had, I lost five pounds! Woo hoo time to celebrate. Now i know my body and any week I have a big loss is going to be followed by a week of little to no weight loss. Its totally okay, the numbers on the scale while important are not near as important as being fit.
So Wednesday my grandmother calls me to ask me what I want for Christmas, my reply, kettlebells. To which my grandmother responds kettle-what? What are you cooking (I come from a group of very domesticated kitchen-orientated women) and why would a kettle be shaped like a bell? I told her noooo nana a kettlebell is this exercise tool I use it is basically a canon ball with a handle. The Russians developed it to train their army and man is it a good training tool. Unlike dumbbells the kettlebell's center of mass is extended beyond the hand, allowing for swinging movements. What is so amazing about a kettlebell workout is it engages your core, strengthens your back, legs, shoulders and arms and is a resistance and cardio workout in one. For an hour's work you do what should have probably taken two hours.
I recommend the kettlebells to anyone a man or a woman. They vary in weight from 3lb all the way to 35lbs so as you get stronger all you have to do is move up in weight (i'm actually going to buy a 15lb kettlebell this week, I'm currently using a 10lbs one). You don't have to spend any money on videos to teach yourself how to use a kettlebell, I learned how to use it via Youtube! The best informative videos are by a girl named Marianne, her channel is all about kettlebells from beginner to advanced. Her channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/Kitty8Tim and she also has a more informative website: http://www.myomytv.com . Check it out. You can get really cheap kettlebells at Wal - Mart (even cheaper at walmart.com) and you don't have to go to a gym to use them. Do it home all you need is some space and about an hour and you will have an awesome full body exercise! Try it and remember while your swinging your kettlebell to go strong no matter what!!! Bye guys!
So Wednesday my grandmother calls me to ask me what I want for Christmas, my reply, kettlebells. To which my grandmother responds kettle-what? What are you cooking (I come from a group of very domesticated kitchen-orientated women) and why would a kettle be shaped like a bell? I told her noooo nana a kettlebell is this exercise tool I use it is basically a canon ball with a handle. The Russians developed it to train their army and man is it a good training tool. Unlike dumbbells the kettlebell's center of mass is extended beyond the hand, allowing for swinging movements. What is so amazing about a kettlebell workout is it engages your core, strengthens your back, legs, shoulders and arms and is a resistance and cardio workout in one. For an hour's work you do what should have probably taken two hours.
I recommend the kettlebells to anyone a man or a woman. They vary in weight from 3lb all the way to 35lbs so as you get stronger all you have to do is move up in weight (i'm actually going to buy a 15lb kettlebell this week, I'm currently using a 10lbs one). You don't have to spend any money on videos to teach yourself how to use a kettlebell, I learned how to use it via Youtube! The best informative videos are by a girl named Marianne, her channel is all about kettlebells from beginner to advanced. Her channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/Kitty8Tim and she also has a more informative website: http://www.myomytv.com . Check it out. You can get really cheap kettlebells at Wal - Mart (even cheaper at walmart.com) and you don't have to go to a gym to use them. Do it home all you need is some space and about an hour and you will have an awesome full body exercise! Try it and remember while your swinging your kettlebell to go strong no matter what!!! Bye guys!
Having Support and Showing Support
I think I made a post once already about supporters and haters, but this is something that is going to come up over and over again and something happened this week in my life to make me reevaluate somethings.
First I wanna talk about my dad. I love the guy and he loves me and wants whats best for me, however i did not get his genes for being thin. The man is 59 years old, lives (i mean LIVES) off chocolate and has a waist size of 32. He has never been and probably will never be over weight. Which is amazing for him he doesn't have to worry about being fat (however that does not mean his eating habits are healthy, just because you are thin does not mean you can eat junk without it coming back to bite you.) So that being said, my daddy loved me at 430 pounds and thought I was his beautiful little girl and will love me at 200 pounds and still think I'm his beautiful little girl. He supports my weight loss, is proud of my motivation and accomplishment, but sometimes doesn't fully understand how hard it is. This week me and my parents went to Wal-Mart together, this is a rare occurrence, my dad is a truck driver and is usually away from home and I do the grocery shopping now that we are living healthier lives, but we are doing home renovations and we all needed to go to decide on paint colors and buy some stuff like that. Well as we were checking out my dad sees the movie theatre size boxes of candy on sale and decides to get three. He gets Whoppers (his favorite), Junior Mints (my moms favorite) and Milk Duds (my favorite), sweet right? He deserves a hug for thinking of us, right? Well yes and no. It is sweet, but it's also not very supportive. One box of Milk Duds like that has about 3 servings (17 candy pieces) for 170 calories per serving (not even gonna go into the fat) and it's full of preservatives (I no longer eat processed food if I can help it). All of which makes this a very bad treat for me, and I can say no to buying it no problem but once it's in my house I have trouble saying no. I was good, i had about 10 pieces and stopped, gave him back the box and said I didn't want to see it. I know it sounds mean, but it's one of my trigger foods and I absolutely HAVE to stay away from them. And when he didn't eat the box and put it in the freezer and left to go out of town for work I threw the box away.
So here is a man, that loves me, would die for me and says he is supportive but his actions prove otherwise. He wants me thin, fit and healthy, but like most of us shows his love through food. So if you're the person in any kind of relationship with someone trying to lose any amount of weight it is your responsibility to show your love by NOT tempting them. I would have much preferred a hug from my dad than the Milk Duds.
I have a really great support system I am so lucky in that because some people don't. This is very hard to do without a support system. If people in your life aren't receptive to you losing weight tell them to stop. I told my dad no more Milk Duds! If your husband still brings home bags and bags of chips and wont stop tell him to keep them in his car. He can eat them, but you can't be around them. Eventually they will learn to not bring trigger foods to you. I don't think it doesn't mean they don't love us, I just don't think they understand how hard it really is. If the people in your life are mean to you about your weight loss journey, use it to prove them wrong. I'm saying YOU CAN DO IT! If I've said it once I've said it a million times, I am not special, if I can lose weight so can you. Support is nice, but it is not necessary at the end of the day you're the one in the gym, in the kitchen and in your life making better choices. Live it to the fullest, get to out there and prove you're stronger than Milk Duds and the bags of chips in the world and always go strong no matter what!
First I wanna talk about my dad. I love the guy and he loves me and wants whats best for me, however i did not get his genes for being thin. The man is 59 years old, lives (i mean LIVES) off chocolate and has a waist size of 32. He has never been and probably will never be over weight. Which is amazing for him he doesn't have to worry about being fat (however that does not mean his eating habits are healthy, just because you are thin does not mean you can eat junk without it coming back to bite you.) So that being said, my daddy loved me at 430 pounds and thought I was his beautiful little girl and will love me at 200 pounds and still think I'm his beautiful little girl. He supports my weight loss, is proud of my motivation and accomplishment, but sometimes doesn't fully understand how hard it is. This week me and my parents went to Wal-Mart together, this is a rare occurrence, my dad is a truck driver and is usually away from home and I do the grocery shopping now that we are living healthier lives, but we are doing home renovations and we all needed to go to decide on paint colors and buy some stuff like that. Well as we were checking out my dad sees the movie theatre size boxes of candy on sale and decides to get three. He gets Whoppers (his favorite), Junior Mints (my moms favorite) and Milk Duds (my favorite), sweet right? He deserves a hug for thinking of us, right? Well yes and no. It is sweet, but it's also not very supportive. One box of Milk Duds like that has about 3 servings (17 candy pieces) for 170 calories per serving (not even gonna go into the fat) and it's full of preservatives (I no longer eat processed food if I can help it). All of which makes this a very bad treat for me, and I can say no to buying it no problem but once it's in my house I have trouble saying no. I was good, i had about 10 pieces and stopped, gave him back the box and said I didn't want to see it. I know it sounds mean, but it's one of my trigger foods and I absolutely HAVE to stay away from them. And when he didn't eat the box and put it in the freezer and left to go out of town for work I threw the box away.
So here is a man, that loves me, would die for me and says he is supportive but his actions prove otherwise. He wants me thin, fit and healthy, but like most of us shows his love through food. So if you're the person in any kind of relationship with someone trying to lose any amount of weight it is your responsibility to show your love by NOT tempting them. I would have much preferred a hug from my dad than the Milk Duds.
I have a really great support system I am so lucky in that because some people don't. This is very hard to do without a support system. If people in your life aren't receptive to you losing weight tell them to stop. I told my dad no more Milk Duds! If your husband still brings home bags and bags of chips and wont stop tell him to keep them in his car. He can eat them, but you can't be around them. Eventually they will learn to not bring trigger foods to you. I don't think it doesn't mean they don't love us, I just don't think they understand how hard it really is. If the people in your life are mean to you about your weight loss journey, use it to prove them wrong. I'm saying YOU CAN DO IT! If I've said it once I've said it a million times, I am not special, if I can lose weight so can you. Support is nice, but it is not necessary at the end of the day you're the one in the gym, in the kitchen and in your life making better choices. Live it to the fullest, get to out there and prove you're stronger than Milk Duds and the bags of chips in the world and always go strong no matter what!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
FOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!
Okay so yesterday was a rough emotional day, I cried a lot, stayed in on a Saturday night watched some tivo'd shows I'd been meaning to catch up on and totally ate bad food. Right? NOPE. Even though yesterday was a rough day for me (it is always rough when I'm having issues with my family) and I vegged out in front of the TV, the vegging did not include massive amounts of junk food. For this I think i deserve an award. In the past a day like yesterday I would have baked cookies, eaten ice cream, made home made high sugar lattes, probably even baked some cupcakes,because not only am I stress eater I am also a stress cooker. And I'm a good cook at that, so you want a fancy 1,000 calorie dessert I am your girl, of course that lead to waaaaay more girl than was really needed. So today lets talk about food, the good about it, the bad about it, the necessary about it, and the lies about food.
Alright who here reading this blog has dieted, is on a diet, thinks they need to lose weight, or is thinking about starting a diet? I'm gonna guess just about everyone, because just about everyone whose dominate language is English is probably unhappy with their weight. Why is that? Simply, we have lots of access to food and we eat a lot, thus making us fat. Pretty simple. Without getting into the genetics of everything (because as a scientist I fully believe some people are more prone to be heavier than others regardless of diet) I am going to talk about our relationships with food and how we can have a healthier one.
Did you know that prior to the the 1500's in Europe a peasant (which most people were peasants) ate meat maybe once or twice a year? It's true, now tell me how often have you had a piece of meat just today. In this time period fairy tales weren't about money, they were about food. One of the most popular German fairy tales of 1515 was about a girl who discovers a magic blanket in the forest and every time she opened it a feast was laid before her. Why is this? Food was a luxury item (like BMW's are for us today). Imagine this same girl walking into a super market that we shop in every day, with this abundance of food? Can you imagine her reaction? Is it any wonder most Americans are over weight? Our entire lives revolve around food. In the past I've talked about eating healthy and eating often, but do we really understand what eating healthy is? Most of us probably do not.
I've talked a lot about the learning curve in my weight loss, I learned efficient work outs and I've slowly but surely learned to eat. Below is pretty much how I relearned how to eat.
First easy step, start with portion control, anytime you watch a chef on TV they tell you to make the food pretty because we eat with our eyes first right? Well this is true with portions. I eat off smaller paper plates (about 12 inches in circumference). My plate looks fuller with less food, this is an easy way to trick my brain into thinking we are eating more than we actually are, it works trust me. Also do not fill your plate, mentally break your plate into quarters and fill each quarter about half way. Eat what's on your plate. Still hungry when your plate is empty wait 8-10 minuets before going back for seconds. This gives your stomach enough time to tell your brain whether you are actually full, if you still want more after that 8-10 minutes go get about a quarter as much as you got the first round and then i bet you will be really full with out being stuffed.
Second, keep a food journal. Don't tell me you can't, because you can, it is not hard especially if you have a smart phone. There is an app for that. I use a free one, that only counts my food. Then I use one online that counts my food and my exercise, so i know exactly how many calories I am burning. If it is in black and white you are less likely to over indulge or forget how many calories are in something. At first it is a little tedious, but like anything it becomes habit and it is a good habit to have while you re-learn how to eat. Remember there are 3,500 calories in one pound of body fat so in order to lose one pound a week you must have a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day (7x500=3500 calories = 1 pound) if your goal is two pounds you must burn a 1,000 calories a day (this is typically my goal.) You need to know your Basal Metabolic Rate* (the amount of calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day and did not move) to know how many calories to burn to lose weight. My BMR right now is 1,921 calories, this is what my body burns on it's own running my organs. So I round down to 1,900 (easier math), say i eat 2,200 calories a day that buts me at +300 calories that means in order to lose two pounds for the week i need to burn 1,300 calories for me this is about an hour and half work out. GREAT gotta do this seven days a week, boo, which is why logically we work harder some days and burn more calories than others. Hence the food journal, helps you keep track of it all.
Third, avoid food label buzz words. If you are just starting out, focus on calories. Organic is NOT lower in calories than non-organic. So an organic egg is going to have 90 calories, a non-organic, hormone loaded egg is also going to have 90 calories. Remember in an earlier post I talked about baby steps, well focusing on calories is a baby step in your diet. Organic, is great, multi-grain is great, but ONLY if they actually have less calories than their counter parts. Learn to read your labels, our tax dollars go to enforcing those labels for a reason. In a post in the future I will talk about getting the most nutrient filled calories you can get, but for today lets just focus on counting okay :).
Fourth, lets learn to cook. Learn to make your own meals. Firstly you will save money, think about how much money you spend buying lunch at work weekly, lets say you're cheap and only spend seven bucks a day 7X5=35 dollars a week. Take your lunch, i bet you can take a sandwich and soup for around 3 bucks a day (or salad, or hey make dinner and take left over dinner and then it's free because you cook dinner anyway) 3X5=15 that is a savings of 20 bucks a week 20X52 (52 weeks in a year)= 1,040 dollars saved a year! So you're slimming your waistline and saving money to replace your fat jeans! I think the best cooking show on Food Network for those of us trying to get thin or maintain being thin is called Hungry Girl. She has so many tricks and swaps and I have learned so much from her. Google her! She is awesome and has awesome easy recipes. Don't be afraid to experiment! Try some tofu in your enchiladas instead of beef (I like it!) if you don't like it okay, but who knows maybe you will!
Fifth, it is okay to indulge. Do you want a cookie? Eat a cookie, just don't eat the whole dozen. Want some ice cream go to an ice cream shop and buy some. I do recommend baking your own treats, it makes it easier to control what is in them and preservatives are not our friends okay?
Sixth, if it is made in a refinery it belongs in our car not our bodies. Splenda and other artificial sweeteners doctors are learning are particularly bad for diabetics (it makes it hard for them to maintain static glucose levels). So if you are diabetic, the sweetener you should get is Truvia (made from the stevia plant, don't worry they have off brands also). This is much easier on a diabetics body, than the artificial stuff. If you aren't diabetic you can have real sugar, just not a lot of it, keep it between 4-6grams okay? (Again read your labels).
So what are we gonna do? Keep our portions small! Don't over eat, I used to eat so much and I am now amazed at how small my portions are becoming , last night dinner consisted of half a ham and chicken sandwich and 30 sweet potato fries, which was a serving size and I was full. My dog got the benefit of my other half of a sandwich. We were both very happy with this outcome. Second count your calories, learn how much your putting in and how much you are working off. Third don't believe everything you read, just because the labeling looks healthy does not mean it is. Fourth, cooking is fun! Learn to take control of the food in your life and make you some healthy options. Fifth, don't deny yourself everything, if you don't treat your self sometimes you will be very grumpy and no one likes to be grumpy. Fifth eat what nature makes, not a chemist (this is true for the trans fats also), if its natural our bodies know how to deal with it and it makes easier to burn off. Remember food is not the enemy, it is okay to love food, we just have to learn how to love it in a healthy way. So remember to always go strong no matter what in finding your healthy balance in your food relationships!
* Great calculator for BMR - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Alright who here reading this blog has dieted, is on a diet, thinks they need to lose weight, or is thinking about starting a diet? I'm gonna guess just about everyone, because just about everyone whose dominate language is English is probably unhappy with their weight. Why is that? Simply, we have lots of access to food and we eat a lot, thus making us fat. Pretty simple. Without getting into the genetics of everything (because as a scientist I fully believe some people are more prone to be heavier than others regardless of diet) I am going to talk about our relationships with food and how we can have a healthier one.
Did you know that prior to the the 1500's in Europe a peasant (which most people were peasants) ate meat maybe once or twice a year? It's true, now tell me how often have you had a piece of meat just today. In this time period fairy tales weren't about money, they were about food. One of the most popular German fairy tales of 1515 was about a girl who discovers a magic blanket in the forest and every time she opened it a feast was laid before her. Why is this? Food was a luxury item (like BMW's are for us today). Imagine this same girl walking into a super market that we shop in every day, with this abundance of food? Can you imagine her reaction? Is it any wonder most Americans are over weight? Our entire lives revolve around food. In the past I've talked about eating healthy and eating often, but do we really understand what eating healthy is? Most of us probably do not.
I've talked a lot about the learning curve in my weight loss, I learned efficient work outs and I've slowly but surely learned to eat. Below is pretty much how I relearned how to eat.
First easy step, start with portion control, anytime you watch a chef on TV they tell you to make the food pretty because we eat with our eyes first right? Well this is true with portions. I eat off smaller paper plates (about 12 inches in circumference). My plate looks fuller with less food, this is an easy way to trick my brain into thinking we are eating more than we actually are, it works trust me. Also do not fill your plate, mentally break your plate into quarters and fill each quarter about half way. Eat what's on your plate. Still hungry when your plate is empty wait 8-10 minuets before going back for seconds. This gives your stomach enough time to tell your brain whether you are actually full, if you still want more after that 8-10 minutes go get about a quarter as much as you got the first round and then i bet you will be really full with out being stuffed.
Second, keep a food journal. Don't tell me you can't, because you can, it is not hard especially if you have a smart phone. There is an app for that. I use a free one, that only counts my food. Then I use one online that counts my food and my exercise, so i know exactly how many calories I am burning. If it is in black and white you are less likely to over indulge or forget how many calories are in something. At first it is a little tedious, but like anything it becomes habit and it is a good habit to have while you re-learn how to eat. Remember there are 3,500 calories in one pound of body fat so in order to lose one pound a week you must have a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day (7x500=3500 calories = 1 pound) if your goal is two pounds you must burn a 1,000 calories a day (this is typically my goal.) You need to know your Basal Metabolic Rate* (the amount of calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day and did not move) to know how many calories to burn to lose weight. My BMR right now is 1,921 calories, this is what my body burns on it's own running my organs. So I round down to 1,900 (easier math), say i eat 2,200 calories a day that buts me at +300 calories that means in order to lose two pounds for the week i need to burn 1,300 calories for me this is about an hour and half work out. GREAT gotta do this seven days a week, boo, which is why logically we work harder some days and burn more calories than others. Hence the food journal, helps you keep track of it all.
Third, avoid food label buzz words. If you are just starting out, focus on calories. Organic is NOT lower in calories than non-organic. So an organic egg is going to have 90 calories, a non-organic, hormone loaded egg is also going to have 90 calories. Remember in an earlier post I talked about baby steps, well focusing on calories is a baby step in your diet. Organic, is great, multi-grain is great, but ONLY if they actually have less calories than their counter parts. Learn to read your labels, our tax dollars go to enforcing those labels for a reason. In a post in the future I will talk about getting the most nutrient filled calories you can get, but for today lets just focus on counting okay :).
Fourth, lets learn to cook. Learn to make your own meals. Firstly you will save money, think about how much money you spend buying lunch at work weekly, lets say you're cheap and only spend seven bucks a day 7X5=35 dollars a week. Take your lunch, i bet you can take a sandwich and soup for around 3 bucks a day (or salad, or hey make dinner and take left over dinner and then it's free because you cook dinner anyway) 3X5=15 that is a savings of 20 bucks a week 20X52 (52 weeks in a year)= 1,040 dollars saved a year! So you're slimming your waistline and saving money to replace your fat jeans! I think the best cooking show on Food Network for those of us trying to get thin or maintain being thin is called Hungry Girl. She has so many tricks and swaps and I have learned so much from her. Google her! She is awesome and has awesome easy recipes. Don't be afraid to experiment! Try some tofu in your enchiladas instead of beef (I like it!) if you don't like it okay, but who knows maybe you will!
Fifth, it is okay to indulge. Do you want a cookie? Eat a cookie, just don't eat the whole dozen. Want some ice cream go to an ice cream shop and buy some. I do recommend baking your own treats, it makes it easier to control what is in them and preservatives are not our friends okay?
Sixth, if it is made in a refinery it belongs in our car not our bodies. Splenda and other artificial sweeteners doctors are learning are particularly bad for diabetics (it makes it hard for them to maintain static glucose levels). So if you are diabetic, the sweetener you should get is Truvia (made from the stevia plant, don't worry they have off brands also). This is much easier on a diabetics body, than the artificial stuff. If you aren't diabetic you can have real sugar, just not a lot of it, keep it between 4-6grams okay? (Again read your labels).
So what are we gonna do? Keep our portions small! Don't over eat, I used to eat so much and I am now amazed at how small my portions are becoming , last night dinner consisted of half a ham and chicken sandwich and 30 sweet potato fries, which was a serving size and I was full. My dog got the benefit of my other half of a sandwich. We were both very happy with this outcome. Second count your calories, learn how much your putting in and how much you are working off. Third don't believe everything you read, just because the labeling looks healthy does not mean it is. Fourth, cooking is fun! Learn to take control of the food in your life and make you some healthy options. Fifth, don't deny yourself everything, if you don't treat your self sometimes you will be very grumpy and no one likes to be grumpy. Fifth eat what nature makes, not a chemist (this is true for the trans fats also), if its natural our bodies know how to deal with it and it makes easier to burn off. Remember food is not the enemy, it is okay to love food, we just have to learn how to love it in a healthy way. So remember to always go strong no matter what in finding your healthy balance in your food relationships!
* Great calculator for BMR - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Being Selfish
Hey guys, soo it's been forever since I updated, I'm having Internet problems at home, but I'm hoping they will be fixed by Monday so I can update more often. So much has happened this week and I'm like " I wanna blog about this" and then can't get online so yeah, here is to fixed Internet!
So yesterday my mom and I are driving to the pool to swim laps for an hour and she made a comment that I was self-centered, talk about hurting my feelings! It's okay though she was a little bit right, because in order to make the changes I have made in my life I need to be a little bit self centered. No one else can go to the gym for me, do the work for me, deal with the pain of sore muscles and muscle pulls for me, nor can they truly benefit from the success for me. Beyond appreciating the aesthetic no one can feel my heart pumping better, or the pain free long walks but me.
Unfortunately I am the type of person that has a very hard time saying no, I also have a lot of responsibilities. Flat out I am never home and I love that, but of course this causes problems at home (don't worry i have no children I am neglecting, just parents who feel neglected at times). I love spending hours on end in the gym, I love helping my friends with their workout goals, pushing them and them pushing me. I love my jobs and I love to work hard and play hard. Just like my new body, my new attitude on life is going to have some growing pains.
The biggest difference I feel in my life is I feel like I am finally living my life for myself, and I don't think I have ever done that before. Of course we can't 100% be all about ourselves all the time we all have people in our lives we take care of, but we cannot allow that care taking to rule our lives. Maybe one of the reasons I got so big is because I did not care enough about me to change it.
This post maybe a little to harsh and brutal to put on the Internet, but I refuse to sugar coat this journey. Just like when I was big if you didn't like how i looked you are more than welcome to look in the other direction, now it's if you don't like my attitude you don't have to hang around me. I think the easiest part to losing weight is the actual losing of the weight, that's just a scientific calculation, it's all the emotional, social stuff that I am struggling with. Nothing in life that is worth doing is easy. My favorite quote is from Saint Catherine of Siena "Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring." This is so true, this journey wouldn't be worth it without all the pain, sweat and tears. So just remember to go strong no matter what, I know I am.
So yesterday my mom and I are driving to the pool to swim laps for an hour and she made a comment that I was self-centered, talk about hurting my feelings! It's okay though she was a little bit right, because in order to make the changes I have made in my life I need to be a little bit self centered. No one else can go to the gym for me, do the work for me, deal with the pain of sore muscles and muscle pulls for me, nor can they truly benefit from the success for me. Beyond appreciating the aesthetic no one can feel my heart pumping better, or the pain free long walks but me.
Unfortunately I am the type of person that has a very hard time saying no, I also have a lot of responsibilities. Flat out I am never home and I love that, but of course this causes problems at home (don't worry i have no children I am neglecting, just parents who feel neglected at times). I love spending hours on end in the gym, I love helping my friends with their workout goals, pushing them and them pushing me. I love my jobs and I love to work hard and play hard. Just like my new body, my new attitude on life is going to have some growing pains.
The biggest difference I feel in my life is I feel like I am finally living my life for myself, and I don't think I have ever done that before. Of course we can't 100% be all about ourselves all the time we all have people in our lives we take care of, but we cannot allow that care taking to rule our lives. Maybe one of the reasons I got so big is because I did not care enough about me to change it.
This post maybe a little to harsh and brutal to put on the Internet, but I refuse to sugar coat this journey. Just like when I was big if you didn't like how i looked you are more than welcome to look in the other direction, now it's if you don't like my attitude you don't have to hang around me. I think the easiest part to losing weight is the actual losing of the weight, that's just a scientific calculation, it's all the emotional, social stuff that I am struggling with. Nothing in life that is worth doing is easy. My favorite quote is from Saint Catherine of Siena "Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring." This is so true, this journey wouldn't be worth it without all the pain, sweat and tears. So just remember to go strong no matter what, I know I am.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Starting a Work Out Plan
Hey y'all how's your Sunday treating you? Watching football??? Vegging on the couch while your team scores that amazing play (or gets the stuffing kicked out of them)? Either way I hope you are having a great day. So I was talking with a friend last night and she has decided she wants to get into shape, she's put on about 40 pounds since having her children and realizes it is only gonna get worse if she doesn't decide to do something about it now and she wanted some advice on starting. Should she get a trainer? What diet should she follow? How much should she work out? Stuff like that, stuff I wondered about before I started exercising.
Something I think I need to make very clear, is I am a broke college student. I work several jobs, pay for school and books and car payments and insurance all on my own, so I don't have funds available for bad ass trainers and expensive pre-planed meals and I for sure do not have tens of thousands of dollars for a radical weight loss surgery. So I taught myself all on my own.
Now before you start any weight loss program you should see your doctor, find out if you are healthy enough to actively loss weight, if you have any limitations the doctor will tell you and you can work around them.
So you want to loss weight, you've decided enough is enough I am gonna get active and get healthy! Awesome! Where do you start? I started slowly, I was lucky I had access to a gym on campus and I started going three times a week for about 30 min to an hour each time. I would do 30 - 45 minuets of cardio and then do so resistance work to start conditioning my muscles. But lets say you do not have access to a gym and you can't afford one. Well here are some easy tips to get you moving toward you work out goal.
1. Do not start a diet yet! Now I know I will take a lot of flack for this, but I think it's true. I was exercising for about two months before I changed my diet. I believe in "a the little bit at a time" approach and I also believe that getting physically active is more important than a diet. So lets change one thing at a time, lets get you moving first.
2. Start small, do not start going for an all out run five days a week. Firstly you run the chance of hurting yourself if you go from bam non-active to trying to train like an Olympic runner and also you will frustrate yourself when you can't complete something. Try walking, go to the high school in your area and walk around the track for 30 minuets. I recommend exercising in the morning, now if this means getting up at 5am to go for a walk before your kids get up do it. Working out in the morning puts your body in a burning mode all day long. So REALLY try to exercise in the morning, eat some oatmeal and go for a walk. IF you absolutely can't then do it in the evening, just do it and stick with it.
3. Give your self mini-goals. So my overall goal is to lose 210 pounds by July 2012 (when I turn 30!) but through out my journey i have had lots of mini goals. For example in the beginning I could only run 3 miles in an hour on the elliptical, i would give my self two weeks and in two weeks i would push my self to run 3.15, then 3.3. Stuff like that, very realistic, obtainable goals. And then i would reward myself in some small way, my reward to myself when I reached 4 miles in an hour was new work out clothes. Yours could be going to see that silly movie you're dying to see, don't go see it UNTIL you reach your goal however.
4. Once you've been working out for awhile (one or two months) start to work on your diet. Again START SLOW, I started by eliminating fast food restaurants one by one. Then I started eliminating excess fat from my diet (switched to 2% milk and low fat cheese) then tackled kicking out high fat proteins from my diet and figuring out recipes that included vegetarian proteins.
5. Now you're set, you're motivated, you're eating right, weight is dropping off like bees on a hive? Right? Well maybe it was and now it's slowed down a little? Now you have to work on keeping your workouts fresh, play with muscle confusion. Working out is not a place where you can be a creature of habit. Don't just run, run and do push ups, go swimming, go walking one day instead of running, keep adding weight to your resistance work out, do some yoga (this is all examples of stuff I do by the way). You have to keep your body guessing and working in different ways to burn existing fat.
If you can do those five things (and you can, because I did and there is absolutely nothing special or different about me and you) then I promise you will be on your way to a healthy life style.
Do you need a trainer? Nope do some research, get started on your own, get motivated ON YOUR OWN, you can do it. Do you need a dietitian? Nope do some research, the Internet is a great place to learn and if you learn how to do it on your own then it is much easier to follow. Now I'm not saying that trainers and dietitians aren't great resources, they are, and if you can afford it DO IT! I would have loved to have someone there in the gym telling me exactly how to work out, I may have lost even more weight in the beginning, but I could not afford one. If you can't afford one don't think you can't do it on your own, YOU CAN, it may be a little harder and a little slower, but really losing weight and get healthy all starts and ends with you. So go strong no matter what!
Something I think I need to make very clear, is I am a broke college student. I work several jobs, pay for school and books and car payments and insurance all on my own, so I don't have funds available for bad ass trainers and expensive pre-planed meals and I for sure do not have tens of thousands of dollars for a radical weight loss surgery. So I taught myself all on my own.
Now before you start any weight loss program you should see your doctor, find out if you are healthy enough to actively loss weight, if you have any limitations the doctor will tell you and you can work around them.
So you want to loss weight, you've decided enough is enough I am gonna get active and get healthy! Awesome! Where do you start? I started slowly, I was lucky I had access to a gym on campus and I started going three times a week for about 30 min to an hour each time. I would do 30 - 45 minuets of cardio and then do so resistance work to start conditioning my muscles. But lets say you do not have access to a gym and you can't afford one. Well here are some easy tips to get you moving toward you work out goal.
1. Do not start a diet yet! Now I know I will take a lot of flack for this, but I think it's true. I was exercising for about two months before I changed my diet. I believe in "a the little bit at a time" approach and I also believe that getting physically active is more important than a diet. So lets change one thing at a time, lets get you moving first.
2. Start small, do not start going for an all out run five days a week. Firstly you run the chance of hurting yourself if you go from bam non-active to trying to train like an Olympic runner and also you will frustrate yourself when you can't complete something. Try walking, go to the high school in your area and walk around the track for 30 minuets. I recommend exercising in the morning, now if this means getting up at 5am to go for a walk before your kids get up do it. Working out in the morning puts your body in a burning mode all day long. So REALLY try to exercise in the morning, eat some oatmeal and go for a walk. IF you absolutely can't then do it in the evening, just do it and stick with it.
3. Give your self mini-goals. So my overall goal is to lose 210 pounds by July 2012 (when I turn 30!) but through out my journey i have had lots of mini goals. For example in the beginning I could only run 3 miles in an hour on the elliptical, i would give my self two weeks and in two weeks i would push my self to run 3.15, then 3.3. Stuff like that, very realistic, obtainable goals. And then i would reward myself in some small way, my reward to myself when I reached 4 miles in an hour was new work out clothes. Yours could be going to see that silly movie you're dying to see, don't go see it UNTIL you reach your goal however.
4. Once you've been working out for awhile (one or two months) start to work on your diet. Again START SLOW, I started by eliminating fast food restaurants one by one. Then I started eliminating excess fat from my diet (switched to 2% milk and low fat cheese) then tackled kicking out high fat proteins from my diet and figuring out recipes that included vegetarian proteins.
5. Now you're set, you're motivated, you're eating right, weight is dropping off like bees on a hive? Right? Well maybe it was and now it's slowed down a little? Now you have to work on keeping your workouts fresh, play with muscle confusion. Working out is not a place where you can be a creature of habit. Don't just run, run and do push ups, go swimming, go walking one day instead of running, keep adding weight to your resistance work out, do some yoga (this is all examples of stuff I do by the way). You have to keep your body guessing and working in different ways to burn existing fat.
If you can do those five things (and you can, because I did and there is absolutely nothing special or different about me and you) then I promise you will be on your way to a healthy life style.
Do you need a trainer? Nope do some research, get started on your own, get motivated ON YOUR OWN, you can do it. Do you need a dietitian? Nope do some research, the Internet is a great place to learn and if you learn how to do it on your own then it is much easier to follow. Now I'm not saying that trainers and dietitians aren't great resources, they are, and if you can afford it DO IT! I would have loved to have someone there in the gym telling me exactly how to work out, I may have lost even more weight in the beginning, but I could not afford one. If you can't afford one don't think you can't do it on your own, YOU CAN, it may be a little harder and a little slower, but really losing weight and get healthy all starts and ends with you. So go strong no matter what!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Weekend Baby!!!!
Hey my friends!!! So how was every one's Friday night? I had an amusingly fun night that included dinner out with some really great friends and some adult (not good for me calorie wise) beverages. Oh who am I kidding the pasta I ate at the restaurant wasn't good for me either, but it's totally fine. I'm going to the gym today to run off those tasty adult beverages!
Last night i went out for some margaritas and dinner with my friends that because of our busy schedules we hadn't been able to see each other a lot lately. It's special nights like this that I love being in my new body. I have always been a confident, happy girl, but at over 400 pounds one is going to have some insecurities. One of those for me was eating in public. Now I didn't let my insecurity rule my life and no one should, I still went out to eat with my friends and enjoyed myself, but in the back of my head I always thought oh someone is watching me eating this and that didn't matter what it was and is saying mean things about me somewhere. "Oh look at that fat lazy girl stuffing her face at a reasturant". I don't think like this anymore, someone may still be talking about me for whatever reason ( because not everyone is going to like you and oh well their loss) at a table down the way from me, but I've done something amazing and no one can take that from me.
A lot of people tell me they don't want to use a gym because they are afraid people (the buff dudes or the tiny girls) are gonna stare at them or just be plain mean to them. I am here to tell you this will not happen. It never happened to me and if it for some reason it does happen to you tell the gym staff they will handle it. The people who work for and own gyms are not there because they want to look hot, I think that is a major misconception, they want to share their knowledge of health and fitness with others and they are there to help you more importantly they WANT to help you. That being said I think 90% of people who use the gym are there because they want to be healthy, not pick up people or make fun of people. I've noticed that gym people rarely talk to each other, we all just kind of do our own thing and focus on our workouts. So don't let what other people might say to you keep you from using a gym if you want to use a gym. Gyms are great ways to get motivated, if it hadn't have been for the gym on the campus of my school opening I may not have started this journey. In the beginning I was not a workout oust side type person. If you do pay for a gym or fitness classes DO NOT WASTE THEM, go use them, even if you don't feel like it, it's your money don't throw it away. Like I say all the time, if I can do it anyone can. So get over being worried about what other people think and make a healthy change for YOU! You are the only thing standing in your own way! Have a great Saturday guys!!! :)
Last night i went out for some margaritas and dinner with my friends that because of our busy schedules we hadn't been able to see each other a lot lately. It's special nights like this that I love being in my new body. I have always been a confident, happy girl, but at over 400 pounds one is going to have some insecurities. One of those for me was eating in public. Now I didn't let my insecurity rule my life and no one should, I still went out to eat with my friends and enjoyed myself, but in the back of my head I always thought oh someone is watching me eating this and that didn't matter what it was and is saying mean things about me somewhere. "Oh look at that fat lazy girl stuffing her face at a reasturant". I don't think like this anymore, someone may still be talking about me for whatever reason ( because not everyone is going to like you and oh well their loss) at a table down the way from me, but I've done something amazing and no one can take that from me.
A lot of people tell me they don't want to use a gym because they are afraid people (the buff dudes or the tiny girls) are gonna stare at them or just be plain mean to them. I am here to tell you this will not happen. It never happened to me and if it for some reason it does happen to you tell the gym staff they will handle it. The people who work for and own gyms are not there because they want to look hot, I think that is a major misconception, they want to share their knowledge of health and fitness with others and they are there to help you more importantly they WANT to help you. That being said I think 90% of people who use the gym are there because they want to be healthy, not pick up people or make fun of people. I've noticed that gym people rarely talk to each other, we all just kind of do our own thing and focus on our workouts. So don't let what other people might say to you keep you from using a gym if you want to use a gym. Gyms are great ways to get motivated, if it hadn't have been for the gym on the campus of my school opening I may not have started this journey. In the beginning I was not a workout oust side type person. If you do pay for a gym or fitness classes DO NOT WASTE THEM, go use them, even if you don't feel like it, it's your money don't throw it away. Like I say all the time, if I can do it anyone can. So get over being worried about what other people think and make a healthy change for YOU! You are the only thing standing in your own way! Have a great Saturday guys!!! :)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Lies We Tell Ourselves
My friends! Long time no blog, it has been an ultra busy, emotional week for me. I still made it to the gym even when I didn't feel like it or did not have a lot of time. It may not have been my best week gym wise, but i still pushed and pushed as hard I was physically and emotionally able this week.
So I want to talk about liars, to quote the really cool Dr. House "everyone lies", and it is totally true. Everyone lies and we mainly lie to ourselves. Yesterday I was watching the Dr. Oz show (I love this show, he has awesome health and diet tips, and I actually follow one of his diets from his show) and there was a woman on there who weighs over 700 pounds and is TRYING to get to 1,800 pounds. She earns money from being a super -sized big beautiful woman (ssbbw) model, and men actually pay to watch her eat. All the sexual fetishisms aside, she claims that she is the picture of health, AT 700 POUNDS! It's not possible and in fact Dr. Oz proved just how unhealthy she was, but it did not matter to her she has convinced her self that she is healthy and what she is doing to her body is perfectly okay. What is sad is that at 410 pounds I did the same exact thing.
I was never diabetic, not even pre-diabetic, I got tested every year because my mom is a diabetic (what is funny is when she first became diabetic when i was 8 years old she was not overweight at all) and has been for 21 years. So diabetes has always been something that scared me, but other than that I come from good genes, no heart disease, strokes anything like that and my family lives a very long time (my maternal great grandmother and her twin lived to be 102 and 103) so other than being fat I have good healthy genes on my side. However at 410 pounds, I did not exercise, I did not eat as well as I should have and I was in fact very unhealthy. That is not what I told myself however, I always said "well I'm not diabetic so it's all good". That was a lie, flat out. I could not walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, walking around the mall would make my ankles swell and my feet hurt and forget running. These things do not happen to a healthy person.
The best day of my life was when I decided to quit lying to myself and get healthy, I'm now 268 pounds (yay I've lost more this week) and I am the healthiest I have ever been in my life. I can go up three flights of stairs in my university's library with out getting winded and it feels amazing. So if you are reading this and you are overweight and not doing anything about it stop being a liar, get off the couch and walk around the block. You will feel amazing I promise and it does not take much, you do not need to be like me and be balls to the wall all the time. Stop lying and do fifteen minuets of cardio three times a week ( anyone can find fifteen minuets in a day)and your body will love you for it. The world will be a much better place when we all stop lying, I know my world got better when I stop telling my self lies. Have a great friday my friends!
So I want to talk about liars, to quote the really cool Dr. House "everyone lies", and it is totally true. Everyone lies and we mainly lie to ourselves. Yesterday I was watching the Dr. Oz show (I love this show, he has awesome health and diet tips, and I actually follow one of his diets from his show) and there was a woman on there who weighs over 700 pounds and is TRYING to get to 1,800 pounds. She earns money from being a super -sized big beautiful woman (ssbbw) model, and men actually pay to watch her eat. All the sexual fetishisms aside, she claims that she is the picture of health, AT 700 POUNDS! It's not possible and in fact Dr. Oz proved just how unhealthy she was, but it did not matter to her she has convinced her self that she is healthy and what she is doing to her body is perfectly okay. What is sad is that at 410 pounds I did the same exact thing.
I was never diabetic, not even pre-diabetic, I got tested every year because my mom is a diabetic (what is funny is when she first became diabetic when i was 8 years old she was not overweight at all) and has been for 21 years. So diabetes has always been something that scared me, but other than that I come from good genes, no heart disease, strokes anything like that and my family lives a very long time (my maternal great grandmother and her twin lived to be 102 and 103) so other than being fat I have good healthy genes on my side. However at 410 pounds, I did not exercise, I did not eat as well as I should have and I was in fact very unhealthy. That is not what I told myself however, I always said "well I'm not diabetic so it's all good". That was a lie, flat out. I could not walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, walking around the mall would make my ankles swell and my feet hurt and forget running. These things do not happen to a healthy person.
The best day of my life was when I decided to quit lying to myself and get healthy, I'm now 268 pounds (yay I've lost more this week) and I am the healthiest I have ever been in my life. I can go up three flights of stairs in my university's library with out getting winded and it feels amazing. So if you are reading this and you are overweight and not doing anything about it stop being a liar, get off the couch and walk around the block. You will feel amazing I promise and it does not take much, you do not need to be like me and be balls to the wall all the time. Stop lying and do fifteen minuets of cardio three times a week ( anyone can find fifteen minuets in a day)and your body will love you for it. The world will be a much better place when we all stop lying, I know my world got better when I stop telling my self lies. Have a great friday my friends!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Body Image Stuff
Hola my friends!!! How is every one's weekend? Did everyone have a fun Friday night? I stayed home and cried my way through Beaches.. because I love that movie and we all need a good cry every once in awhile. Anyway enough about my total love for Bette Midler, lets talk about how we all see our bodies shall we? If i posed the question " what is your least favorite part of your body and why" to every woman (and some men) i know there is not a doubt in my mind I would get a detailed list from all of them of every body part they hated. How about if I asked you what part of your body you loved? How would you answer that one? Because, shouldn't we, no matter what our size love some portion of ourselves? I know at my biggest I still loved particular parts of my body, namely my hair and my eyes. They were something I was very proud about and something that I thought made me special.
Now here I am 145 lbs lighter (yup I've lost another 10 pound since starting this blog woo hoo!) and i find myself focusing on what I hate about my body. I am one of those unlucky apple shaped girls that carries a lot of her weight in her stomach. It sucks so much sometimes, even though logically i know my stomach is smaller (I can see it) I still get upset that it's not flat yet. Also the bigger I got the bigger my legs got, I got fat girl legs. Cankles, fat calves and SUPER thick thighs. While my legs are better (namely my ankles and calves) they still aren't normal looking in my opinion (I hate my inner thighs). So instead of looking down on myself for what i don't like I made a list of the body parts I LOVE since I've started losing weight.
My List:
Now here I am 145 lbs lighter (yup I've lost another 10 pound since starting this blog woo hoo!) and i find myself focusing on what I hate about my body. I am one of those unlucky apple shaped girls that carries a lot of her weight in her stomach. It sucks so much sometimes, even though logically i know my stomach is smaller (I can see it) I still get upset that it's not flat yet. Also the bigger I got the bigger my legs got, I got fat girl legs. Cankles, fat calves and SUPER thick thighs. While my legs are better (namely my ankles and calves) they still aren't normal looking in my opinion (I hate my inner thighs). So instead of looking down on myself for what i don't like I made a list of the body parts I LOVE since I've started losing weight.
My List:
- My ankles - I no longer have cankles, I can now put on a pair of heels with pride and not worry about them look fleshy and gross.
- My Calves - When I started this my calves were about 24 inches around, not even wide calf boots fit, it was so upsetting. Now my right calf is 18 inches and my left is 19 (why the discrepancy can't tell you, but i have what i lovingly call my fat and skinny leg). I love my calves so much that I bought two pairs of calf high boots for the fall and I'm soooo excited to wear them. Yes they are still wide width, but i don't care at all, they fit and I feel hot in them.
- My back - My back looks sooo good, it's getting thin and sexy and i love it.
- My Butt - To go along with my back, if i could walk backwards everywhere i would, that is how much I'm loving my back and butt.
- My arms, clavicle and shoulders - This was the first place i really started to see my weight loss, i love the muscle tone I'm getting in my arms and shoulders, and how jackets fit me sooo much better.
So I think you should make a list the next time you look in the mirror and go "i have the ugliest fill in the blank", stop yourself, look at what you do love. No matter what it is. Continue to work on your trouble areas at the gym, but don't obsess. Everyone of us is beautiful to someone and none of us are perfect and perfection is boring anyway. If you don't believe me ask your husband, boyfriend, best friend or your mom or your dad if your worst part is as bad as you think it is and I bet they will look at you like you came from another planet. So love yourself and only once you love yourself can you really improve yourself!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Diet and Exercise
Hey y'all so it's been a couple of days since my last post, and I'm sorry about that but I'm back! Tonight I want to talk about how important it is to eat when you exercise. Now losing weight is simple math, you need to eat less calories than you exert and you will lose weight. And we can all do that, we can all count calories but that's not all what nutrition is about. I exercise A LOT, I work out like an athlete, i run at least five miles a day, and recently i have taken on the StairMaster. Then I do weight work , my average work out is about 4 hours a day, and sometimes I head back to the gym in the evening. Recently I've figured out I am no getting enough protein in my diet to repair the muscles I damage when I exercise. This was making me slow and sluggish and really not able to push myself like I wanted.
Does this mean I'm gonna eat an 8 ounce sirloin a day, no but I wish! There are lots of super healthy lean proteins out there. I eat lots of quiona (which is an AWESOME vegetarian protein), chicken and egg whites. I also never miss a meal, and always have snacks with me. You should eat five (yes FIVE) times a day.
Even when everything in your system says no don't eat I'll burn more calories, it's not true. Eat, eat healthy and eat often. If you're exercising you WILL burn off what you eat and it's all about balance. You have to relearn how to be healthy if you want your weight loss to last your entire life! :)
Does this mean I'm gonna eat an 8 ounce sirloin a day, no but I wish! There are lots of super healthy lean proteins out there. I eat lots of quiona (which is an AWESOME vegetarian protein), chicken and egg whites. I also never miss a meal, and always have snacks with me. You should eat five (yes FIVE) times a day.
Even when everything in your system says no don't eat I'll burn more calories, it's not true. Eat, eat healthy and eat often. If you're exercising you WILL burn off what you eat and it's all about balance. You have to relearn how to be healthy if you want your weight loss to last your entire life! :)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Support and Haters
Hola! Let's talk about having a support system, because I think like trying to quit drinking stopping bad food and exercise habits is just as hard if not harder. If you're an alcoholic you can not go to bars, not go down the beer aisle in a grocery store, it is completely possible to avoid drinking in your life until you get to a place where you can be around it and not want it. With food we HAVE to eat, you can avoid restaurants but you still have to go to the grocery store, you still have to cook dinner, you can't just put all food in a box and never see it again. This is why it is important to have people who support you, to talk you down from eating an entire big family bag of potato chips.
I don't do group exercise, an occasional kick boxing class cause I think it's cool, but no aerobics or anything like that. I'll go running with a friend, but for the most part I exercise alone. I have no problems with that, I've never really been shy nor cared about what people thought about how I looked, my attitude has been and always will be if you don't like how I look you are more than welcome to look in the other direction. For most people they don't like to workout alone, so get a buddy or do join that class, you WILL make friends with same goals you have and they will help you through the tough times. I still need support, I'm lucky most of my friends embrace and love the changes I have made. If I'm having a bad workout day I talk about it on my Facebook and my friends get me through it. The opposite is true also, I use my Facebook to post my milestones and most of my friends support it. Not everyone in your life is going to support your weight loss however and you need to be prepared for that.
It was a major shock to me when one of my friends was down right mean to me about my weight loss. She said something about always being thin and never having to work out, to which i replied "lucky you" and smiled. The truth of the matter is that lots of people don't handle change well. When you lose the kind of weight I have (and am still losing) it is a major change. I'm no longer the funny fat girl when we go to the bars who doesn't really get hit on, now I'm just like my friends, very normal sized, and men notice me. Is it because now I represent more competition? I don't know maybe, but I think more likely people just become used to the status quo and don't like it disrupted. You have to just get rid of the negativity. If they are people that aren't vital to your life boot 'em out, delete them from your Facebook and smile when you see them at the mall rockin' your size smaller jeans. If they are friends you love and don't want to delete from your life, avoid talking about your progress with them, just go on like everything is normal, because hearing the negativity will eventually bring you down and you do not want that when doing something like conquering a weight problem. Keep the ones that support you super close. I am lucky, my best friend in the entire world is my number one supporter (and I am hers, she's gone from a size 22 to a 12 in like the last two years) and last night when I was having a rough night she texted me and told me I was beautiful. Surround yourself with people like my best friend, because with people who love us for who we truly are and support us no matter what we can take whatever the world throws at us.
I don't do group exercise, an occasional kick boxing class cause I think it's cool, but no aerobics or anything like that. I'll go running with a friend, but for the most part I exercise alone. I have no problems with that, I've never really been shy nor cared about what people thought about how I looked, my attitude has been and always will be if you don't like how I look you are more than welcome to look in the other direction. For most people they don't like to workout alone, so get a buddy or do join that class, you WILL make friends with same goals you have and they will help you through the tough times. I still need support, I'm lucky most of my friends embrace and love the changes I have made. If I'm having a bad workout day I talk about it on my Facebook and my friends get me through it. The opposite is true also, I use my Facebook to post my milestones and most of my friends support it. Not everyone in your life is going to support your weight loss however and you need to be prepared for that.
It was a major shock to me when one of my friends was down right mean to me about my weight loss. She said something about always being thin and never having to work out, to which i replied "lucky you" and smiled. The truth of the matter is that lots of people don't handle change well. When you lose the kind of weight I have (and am still losing) it is a major change. I'm no longer the funny fat girl when we go to the bars who doesn't really get hit on, now I'm just like my friends, very normal sized, and men notice me. Is it because now I represent more competition? I don't know maybe, but I think more likely people just become used to the status quo and don't like it disrupted. You have to just get rid of the negativity. If they are people that aren't vital to your life boot 'em out, delete them from your Facebook and smile when you see them at the mall rockin' your size smaller jeans. If they are friends you love and don't want to delete from your life, avoid talking about your progress with them, just go on like everything is normal, because hearing the negativity will eventually bring you down and you do not want that when doing something like conquering a weight problem. Keep the ones that support you super close. I am lucky, my best friend in the entire world is my number one supporter (and I am hers, she's gone from a size 22 to a 12 in like the last two years) and last night when I was having a rough night she texted me and told me I was beautiful. Surround yourself with people like my best friend, because with people who love us for who we truly are and support us no matter what we can take whatever the world throws at us.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Getting Started
Hey guys! Sorry it's been a couple of days since my last post, I've had some family issues going on but I promise I will try my best to post daily, I know y'all miss my neurotic rantings when i don't post. So I mentioned in my previous blog I would explain why my weight loss in the beginning was super slow. It's an easy answer I started out gradually.
Starting out slow is I think the best way to do it. I remember when I decided to hit the gym I needed tennis shoes and work out clothes, cause I had none of neither, and I didn't run out and buy 50 dollar shoes and expensive workout clothes. I got my shoes for 9 bucks at walmart and one work out outfit at the dollar store cause it was on sale. The last thing I wanted to do was spend lots of money and not keep up with the gym. I also did not change my diet at all. I kept eating crap, like a huge quesidilla then going to the gym and trying to run, worst work out ever.
Starting of slow was important, at first the goal was 3 miles on the elliptical in an hour, then a month later it was 3 miles in an hour doing intervals, then four miles, now i run five in an hour and run for two hours a day. If I had started with unrealistic goals I would not be where I am today.
My whole philosophy in losing weight is change one thing, I don't care if you weigh 500 lbs and can't exercise, or have bad knees, or anything, just change one thing. Give up sodas, or don't eat bread at dinner, or give up candy five days out of the week. Walk to your mail box, walk your dog around the block anything. I promise you will see a change, not day one, or two maybe not till day 20, but you will see a change and those changes will become addicting. Like me it took me like four months to lose the first 20 pounds and go down a pants size, and I knew then I wanted more, so changed my diet, pretty radically and I was okay with it. Am I perfect when it comes to my diet, no because it's not a diet, I re-taught myself how to eat and if you are morbidly obese and want to get it off and keep it off you will also have to re-teach your self somethings.
So start off slow, but don't ever stop. Keep going to the gym or the park with your dogs. If I can do it anyone can, because trust me I'm a very average person just trying to accomplish a goal like you are! Thanks guys! :)
Starting out slow is I think the best way to do it. I remember when I decided to hit the gym I needed tennis shoes and work out clothes, cause I had none of neither, and I didn't run out and buy 50 dollar shoes and expensive workout clothes. I got my shoes for 9 bucks at walmart and one work out outfit at the dollar store cause it was on sale. The last thing I wanted to do was spend lots of money and not keep up with the gym. I also did not change my diet at all. I kept eating crap, like a huge quesidilla then going to the gym and trying to run, worst work out ever.
Starting of slow was important, at first the goal was 3 miles on the elliptical in an hour, then a month later it was 3 miles in an hour doing intervals, then four miles, now i run five in an hour and run for two hours a day. If I had started with unrealistic goals I would not be where I am today.
My whole philosophy in losing weight is change one thing, I don't care if you weigh 500 lbs and can't exercise, or have bad knees, or anything, just change one thing. Give up sodas, or don't eat bread at dinner, or give up candy five days out of the week. Walk to your mail box, walk your dog around the block anything. I promise you will see a change, not day one, or two maybe not till day 20, but you will see a change and those changes will become addicting. Like me it took me like four months to lose the first 20 pounds and go down a pants size, and I knew then I wanted more, so changed my diet, pretty radically and I was okay with it. Am I perfect when it comes to my diet, no because it's not a diet, I re-taught myself how to eat and if you are morbidly obese and want to get it off and keep it off you will also have to re-teach your self somethings.
So start off slow, but don't ever stop. Keep going to the gym or the park with your dogs. If I can do it anyone can, because trust me I'm a very average person just trying to accomplish a goal like you are! Thanks guys! :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Stress and The Scale
Something y'all may not know about me is I am a biologist. So when I hear something that pertains to the body I typically understand it. This makes losing weight a little easier for me, not much mind you, but a little bit. So stress, stress is a bad, bad thing, but no one can ever be stress free. For sure not me, a college student with several jobs and a sick mom, so stress is a part of my life. Unfortunately stress does raise cortisol levels and cortisol is a steroid hormone that is released in response to low blood sugar (skipping meals) and stress. All cortisol does is try to increase blood sugar, and it tells your body "hey we are starving when we do get food store it as fat" because fat is a quick easy energy storage device in the body. This is a great hormone if your a nomadic person with weeks between meals, however most of us are fairly seditory whose next meal is a drive-thru away. All that being said our stress in our lives is very real and when you are trying to lose weight it is something we have to deal with.
Here is a plus, exercising produces serotonin this is an amazing stress reliever and this will help lower your cortisol levels, but what happens when the exercising is causing the stress. For me it is the scale, now in the beginning of my journey I weighed myself before I started working out and then did it once every three months. In the beginning my weight loss was suuuuuuupppppeeerrrr sloooooow, I will explain why in a later post. So when i saw that first 20 pounds i was so happy. However this summer I started going hard to the gym, and I started weighing my self more, like once a week more and this is bad. Your body weight fluctuates sooooo much. Weighing once a week is insanity don't do it, learn from my mistakes. Weigh in once every two weeks or even better once a month. Or don't weigh in at all, let your doctor do your weighing at your regular check up, just workout and enjoy the shrinking inches and dropping pants sizes. Don't let the scale stress you out, there is so much real stress in your life there is no need to add to it. You will be happier for it I promise!
Here is a plus, exercising produces serotonin this is an amazing stress reliever and this will help lower your cortisol levels, but what happens when the exercising is causing the stress. For me it is the scale, now in the beginning of my journey I weighed myself before I started working out and then did it once every three months. In the beginning my weight loss was suuuuuuupppppeeerrrr sloooooow, I will explain why in a later post. So when i saw that first 20 pounds i was so happy. However this summer I started going hard to the gym, and I started weighing my self more, like once a week more and this is bad. Your body weight fluctuates sooooo much. Weighing once a week is insanity don't do it, learn from my mistakes. Weigh in once every two weeks or even better once a month. Or don't weigh in at all, let your doctor do your weighing at your regular check up, just workout and enjoy the shrinking inches and dropping pants sizes. Don't let the scale stress you out, there is so much real stress in your life there is no need to add to it. You will be happier for it I promise!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)