Almost one year ago I began my weight loss mission, I was sure that losing weight was going to be the most difficult, horrible thing that I had ever done. One year later I can tell you that I was wrong. Losing weight although not always the easiest most fun thing that I had ever done was not the hard part, keeping the weight off is the hard part.
Throughout the weight loss phase you have something that you are striving for, that magic number or perfect size. You are working towards your goal and that is what keeps you saying no to that piece of cake and hitting the gym every day. The moment you step onto the scale and see your magic number flashing back at you and your skinny pants fit everything changes.
The goal has been met, mission accomplished, you feel great and a weight (literally) has been lifted from you shoulders. Now it is time to go out and celebrate with that pizza you haven't had in 6 months. From that point on what is it that will keep you from over indulging, skipping the gym, going back for seconds? You lost the weight so now you deserve to indulge a little right?
Maintaining weight loss is very challenging. Anyone who has ever lost a deal of weight in their life knows this to be true. Personally this is the third time in my life that I have lost a great deal of weight and I am determined to make it my last. Each and every time once the weight came off I slowly slid back into my old ways of living and eating that put the pounds on initially. This is the reason that diets do not work, it really must be a complete change of lifestyle. Never losing sight of why you should still say not to that extra dessert or walk away from the all you can eat pizza buffet. Slipping back into your old ways will also stuff you back into your old pants.
The past few months this is something that I personally have been struggling with and withe the holiday season approaching I am determined to not lose sight of my goal and all that I have accomplished. While you are surrounded by holiday snacks at the office try to keep in your mind what you have been working for this entire time. Saying no completely is so much easier to maintain than sticking to just one bite. Think about how much better you feel at the end of the day knowing you stuck to your plan and your pants still fit!!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
PB2 Mini Cheesecakes, low fat, low carb and AWESOME!
If you love peanut butter like I do but wish that it was not loaded with so much fat, you should check out PB2. PB2 is a natural, preservative free peanut butter powder made by bell plantation. They reduce the fat content in the peanut butter and dehydrate it leaving a powder. It can be mixed with water to make peanut butter or added to protein shakes, oatmeal. yogurt and any recipe. This is a PB2 mini cheesecake recipe from their website, bellplantation.com that I tried last night.
You will need:
2 8 oz pkg: Fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup: Fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup: Light ricotta cheese
3/4 cup: PB2
1/4 cup: Skim milk
1/4 cup: Splenda brown sugar
1/2 cup: Splenda granular
2 tsp: Vanilla extract
3/4 cup:Egg Beaters
1)Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees with a pan of water in the bottom to steam and moisten the cheesecake.
2)If you want to make mini cheesecakes place cupcake/muffin papers in a cupcake/muffin pan to make removal and eating easier. If you prefer a whole cheesecake, you can skip this step.
* Please note that I am not making a crust for my cheesecakes to reduce to carb/fat count. If you would like to add a crust crush graham crackers, vanilla wafers or cookie of your choice, stir into melted butter and place in the bottom of the papers/pan. Just keep in mind it will raise the fat and carb content.
3)Mix all ingredients together with mixer or food processor until smooth and creamy. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup pour batter into each paper, this makes about 18 minis.
ENJOY!
NUTRITIONAL FACTS (per mini when making 18)
Carbs- 8 grams
Fat- 1 gram
Protein-8 grams
You will need:
2 8 oz pkg: Fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup: Fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup: Light ricotta cheese
3/4 cup: PB2
1/4 cup: Skim milk
1/4 cup: Splenda brown sugar
1/2 cup: Splenda granular
2 tsp: Vanilla extract
3/4 cup:Egg Beaters
1)Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees with a pan of water in the bottom to steam and moisten the cheesecake.
2)If you want to make mini cheesecakes place cupcake/muffin papers in a cupcake/muffin pan to make removal and eating easier. If you prefer a whole cheesecake, you can skip this step.
* Please note that I am not making a crust for my cheesecakes to reduce to carb/fat count. If you would like to add a crust crush graham crackers, vanilla wafers or cookie of your choice, stir into melted butter and place in the bottom of the papers/pan. Just keep in mind it will raise the fat and carb content.
3)Mix all ingredients together with mixer or food processor until smooth and creamy. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup pour batter into each paper, this makes about 18 minis.
4)Place pan in over, bake at 300 degrees for 50min, then turn over off and bake 30min. Remove cheesecake from oven, let cool and refrigerate 4-6 hours. You can definitely eat the cheesecake the moment it comes out of the oven but it will be hard to remove from the papers and the consistency will not be quite right yet.
ENJOY!
NUTRITIONAL FACTS (per mini when making 18)
Carbs- 8 grams
Fat- 1 gram
Protein-8 grams
Monday, September 3, 2012
Feel the burn . . .out
We have all been there standing outside of the door to the gym, feeling like you should go in but dreading it at the same time, sometimes you go all the way back home and feel guilty about it. Other times you go into the gym only to have a half-a$$ed workout, leave and feel guilty about that too. Neither one of these scenarios is ideal or makes us feel good, what in the heck is going on!?
In general Americans tend to be pretty all or nothing people. This applies not only to "stuff", money, clothing and food but exercise as well. If going to the gym 4-5 times a week is good, why not 7 days a week twice a day?! I will tell you why, because your body needs rest. When you lift weights you are actually in a sense damaging your muscles fibers in order for them to grow but the secret is they grow while they repair themselves AT REST! A good rule of thumb to use while training is to give each body part 24-48 hours to rest before lifting that body part again.
For example if you do back and biceps on Monday then you would not turn around and train them again on Tuesday. You would give them at least that day to rest and then train them again in the second half of the week, Thursday or Friday. Depending on your goals and the system you are using you may not train them again until next Monday and that is just fine too. If you want to make gains physically you must allow your body time to repair itself no matter what type of exercise routine you are using. More often than not people think that doing something twice as much must be better but it is not. Over training is one of the most common causes of injuries not just to regular people but to athletes as well.
Just because you did not get enough sleep last night and you wake up tired does not mean that you can use over training as an excuse to skip today's workout. But if you are consistently sleeping enough, eating enough, drinking enough water and in general taking proper care of yourself but just seem to be dragging for no reason you could be over training. If you normally have no problem going to the gym and for some reason just can't make yourself walk in that door today, you may be over training. If you are having a hard time recovering from your workouts or notice the recovery time seems to be much longer than normal, you may be over training.
Be honest with yourself and pay attention to how you feel mentally and physically. Don't be afraid to take a few days off now and then, not only will it rest and invigorate you, you will be able to go that much harder and lift that much more when your body is refreshed. Do something nice for yourself like get a massage or go for an easy walk outside. Be careful not to let a few days off turn into a week and then two and so on and get into a rut.
The next time you cannot seem to get up and get to it at the gym take a moment to think about why. Is it lack of sleep? Did you not eat enough today or was your last meal hours ago and you need to replenish? If so get something to eat and go at it! If not and you cannot remember the last time you missed a workout or took a true day of rest, go home and do something nice for yourself. The gym will still be there for you tomorrow.
In general Americans tend to be pretty all or nothing people. This applies not only to "stuff", money, clothing and food but exercise as well. If going to the gym 4-5 times a week is good, why not 7 days a week twice a day?! I will tell you why, because your body needs rest. When you lift weights you are actually in a sense damaging your muscles fibers in order for them to grow but the secret is they grow while they repair themselves AT REST! A good rule of thumb to use while training is to give each body part 24-48 hours to rest before lifting that body part again.
For example if you do back and biceps on Monday then you would not turn around and train them again on Tuesday. You would give them at least that day to rest and then train them again in the second half of the week, Thursday or Friday. Depending on your goals and the system you are using you may not train them again until next Monday and that is just fine too. If you want to make gains physically you must allow your body time to repair itself no matter what type of exercise routine you are using. More often than not people think that doing something twice as much must be better but it is not. Over training is one of the most common causes of injuries not just to regular people but to athletes as well.
Just because you did not get enough sleep last night and you wake up tired does not mean that you can use over training as an excuse to skip today's workout. But if you are consistently sleeping enough, eating enough, drinking enough water and in general taking proper care of yourself but just seem to be dragging for no reason you could be over training. If you normally have no problem going to the gym and for some reason just can't make yourself walk in that door today, you may be over training. If you are having a hard time recovering from your workouts or notice the recovery time seems to be much longer than normal, you may be over training.
Be honest with yourself and pay attention to how you feel mentally and physically. Don't be afraid to take a few days off now and then, not only will it rest and invigorate you, you will be able to go that much harder and lift that much more when your body is refreshed. Do something nice for yourself like get a massage or go for an easy walk outside. Be careful not to let a few days off turn into a week and then two and so on and get into a rut.
The next time you cannot seem to get up and get to it at the gym take a moment to think about why. Is it lack of sleep? Did you not eat enough today or was your last meal hours ago and you need to replenish? If so get something to eat and go at it! If not and you cannot remember the last time you missed a workout or took a true day of rest, go home and do something nice for yourself. The gym will still be there for you tomorrow.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Its your fault, not McDonald's
We have all been in a situation where we are offered an extra helping, a dessert, a drink another piece of cheesecake whatever the case may be. It was offered, this does not mean that you have to take it. Playing the innocent victim is life is always the easier route. McDonald's made you gain 50 pounds, each day when you walk by Ronald himself jumps out of the bushes, gun in hand and escorts you into the restaurant where he not only forces you to get a Big Mac but super size as well! Let's not even talk about what happens when you try to order the grilled chicken sandwich instead!
Let's face it, we are each in control of our own lives, destinies and choices. If you are offered and extra serving of dinner or dessert it is your decision and yours alone if you choose to accept. The person offering it is probably just being polite or possibly secretly trying to sabotage you to make them feel better about themselves. The next time you make a bad decision, not just in your diet but life in general take a moment to think about why you made that decision, the consequences, accept responsibility and move on.
Never for one second place the blame on some one else, especially restaurant, fast food establishments and friends when you know you need to be prepared to make good choices. Never leave the house without your next meal or snack in your pocket even if you think you won't need it. Don''t be the victim, take charge and make change for yourself. It was you that made the choices to gain this extra weight you are trying to lose and it is you that can make the choices to make it go away.
Let's face it, we are each in control of our own lives, destinies and choices. If you are offered and extra serving of dinner or dessert it is your decision and yours alone if you choose to accept. The person offering it is probably just being polite or possibly secretly trying to sabotage you to make them feel better about themselves. The next time you make a bad decision, not just in your diet but life in general take a moment to think about why you made that decision, the consequences, accept responsibility and move on.
Never for one second place the blame on some one else, especially restaurant, fast food establishments and friends when you know you need to be prepared to make good choices. Never leave the house without your next meal or snack in your pocket even if you think you won't need it. Don''t be the victim, take charge and make change for yourself. It was you that made the choices to gain this extra weight you are trying to lose and it is you that can make the choices to make it go away.
Monday, August 13, 2012
CHEESECAKE!
Who doesn't love cheesecake? The following is a recipe for a crust less, low fat, low carb cheese cake that a friend of mine, Sharra Coley created. As always you can add things to make it your own. This is just for a basic, plain cheesecake with a hint of lemon.
You will need:
1- Cup of Splenda or sweetener of your choice
1- 8oz package of FAT FREE cream cheese
1- egg (not pictured)
2 -egg whites (not pictured)
1- tsp vanilla extract
Lemon to taste
Preparation for this is very simple and straight forward. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, I recommend softening (not melting) the cream cheese first. Mix until smooth, I used a mixer you could do this by hand but it may be more difficult to achieve a smooth consistency. Pour mixture into pan, I used a greased pie pan, a cheesecake pan is really not necessary unless you are going to double or triple the recipe.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min, remove from oven and allow to cool. Slice cake into 8 triangle pieces for desired nutritional information provided below and ENJOY!
NUTRITIONAL INFO:(per slice)
Carbs: 8 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Protein: 5 grams
You will need:
1- Cup of Splenda or sweetener of your choice
1- 8oz package of FAT FREE cream cheese
1- egg (not pictured)
2 -egg whites (not pictured)
1- tsp vanilla extract
Lemon to taste
Preparation for this is very simple and straight forward. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, I recommend softening (not melting) the cream cheese first. Mix until smooth, I used a mixer you could do this by hand but it may be more difficult to achieve a smooth consistency. Pour mixture into pan, I used a greased pie pan, a cheesecake pan is really not necessary unless you are going to double or triple the recipe.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min, remove from oven and allow to cool. Slice cake into 8 triangle pieces for desired nutritional information provided below and ENJOY!
NUTRITIONAL INFO:(per slice)
Carbs: 8 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Protein: 5 grams
Monday, August 6, 2012
Going to the gym does not = working out
Each and every one of us has seen it or been "that guy", the person at the gym who is yakking away on their cell phone, reading a magazine on a machine or strolling leisurely while catching up with the person next to them on the treadmill. If you are guilty of any of the above offenses or countless others that I will not name you need to STEP IT UP! Just because you have arrived at the gym and checked in on face book and foursquare does not mean that you are accomplishing anything just by showing up.
This does not mean that you need to go from one extreme from the other and morph into the person at your gym who moves around at a frantic pace, sweat flying everywhere, huffing, puffing and grunting. Consider your workout a job, a job that you enjoy. You should think about it ahead of time, be serious about it and have a goal for each and every day. At the very least you should know what part of your body you want to work on each day and why. To many people this may seem like a daunting task, so many of us have been showing up and going through the motions, doing the same circuit of machines over and over again for years. This is why you are are not seeing results, going through the motions at the gym does not accomplish anything, save your money and stay home.
You may be thinking that you do not know how to plan a workout or what exercises to do or why. There are millions of cheap to free resources available to help you with this. Websites such as, muscleandstrength.com and bodybuilding.com have entire databases filled with specific workouts for different goals and different needs. For example you can go into the workout section of muscleandstrength.com and choose workouts, women, fat loss and it has a million workouts for you. Write them down in a notebook, print them out or look at them on your phone at the gym and DO IT! Fitness magazine are another great resource for workouts, if you don't want to subscribe to any go the bookstore or newsstand and copy the workouts down on paper. Oxygen magazine is a great women's fitness magazine, Reps magazine, Muscle and fitness are just a few. The fitness section is overloaded in every store in America.
Once you are armed and ready with your new workout plan, do not be afraid. Even the most experienced person in the gym started right where you are. At some point everyone walked into the gym for the first time without a clue. Most of them are so worried about their own routine they are not even paying attention to you. If you are unsure of how to do something google a video or ask a trainer for help. Trainers are more than happy to help you for free if they are not working with a client, that is what they are there for. When you start a new workout it may take a few times through each part until you feel comfortable with the exercises, don't give up. Focus on doing the exercises properly and keep trying.
Another good idea is having a notebook to take to the gym with you so that not only do you have your whole workout written down in front of you, you know how much you lifted each and every time so that you can continuously improve on that and get stronger each and every week. If you are lifting weights and they are not heavy, you are just showing up. If you are doing cardio but can still easily talk on the phone or to your friend, you are just showing up. Be present in every way during your workouts and I promise you that you will start to see results and really enjoy each and every workout.
This does not mean that you need to go from one extreme from the other and morph into the person at your gym who moves around at a frantic pace, sweat flying everywhere, huffing, puffing and grunting. Consider your workout a job, a job that you enjoy. You should think about it ahead of time, be serious about it and have a goal for each and every day. At the very least you should know what part of your body you want to work on each day and why. To many people this may seem like a daunting task, so many of us have been showing up and going through the motions, doing the same circuit of machines over and over again for years. This is why you are are not seeing results, going through the motions at the gym does not accomplish anything, save your money and stay home.
You may be thinking that you do not know how to plan a workout or what exercises to do or why. There are millions of cheap to free resources available to help you with this. Websites such as, muscleandstrength.com and bodybuilding.com have entire databases filled with specific workouts for different goals and different needs. For example you can go into the workout section of muscleandstrength.com and choose workouts, women, fat loss and it has a million workouts for you. Write them down in a notebook, print them out or look at them on your phone at the gym and DO IT! Fitness magazine are another great resource for workouts, if you don't want to subscribe to any go the bookstore or newsstand and copy the workouts down on paper. Oxygen magazine is a great women's fitness magazine, Reps magazine, Muscle and fitness are just a few. The fitness section is overloaded in every store in America.
Once you are armed and ready with your new workout plan, do not be afraid. Even the most experienced person in the gym started right where you are. At some point everyone walked into the gym for the first time without a clue. Most of them are so worried about their own routine they are not even paying attention to you. If you are unsure of how to do something google a video or ask a trainer for help. Trainers are more than happy to help you for free if they are not working with a client, that is what they are there for. When you start a new workout it may take a few times through each part until you feel comfortable with the exercises, don't give up. Focus on doing the exercises properly and keep trying.
Another good idea is having a notebook to take to the gym with you so that not only do you have your whole workout written down in front of you, you know how much you lifted each and every time so that you can continuously improve on that and get stronger each and every week. If you are lifting weights and they are not heavy, you are just showing up. If you are doing cardio but can still easily talk on the phone or to your friend, you are just showing up. Be present in every way during your workouts and I promise you that you will start to see results and really enjoy each and every workout.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Breakfast Quesadillas!!
This breakfast is delicious and only takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. It can be modified to make a regular quesadilla for lunch or dinner as well, just use your imagination.
You will need:
1-Flat bread/Tortilla- I used Joseph's Bakery Lavash
1/4 cup Jimmy Deans Turkey Sausage Crumbles (fully cooked)
1/2 Cup Egg whites-I used liquid egg whites to save time but use regular eggs if you prefer
1/4 cup of Fat Free shredded Cheese
1. The first thing you should do is cook your eggs separately. I cook 1/2 cup of liquid egg whites in a small bowl in the microwave for 1:30. You can also cook them in a pan on the stove, but I do suggest cooking them first or your quesadilla will be a big, runny mess.
2. Place your tortilla on a flat surface or in a pan on the stove (stove off) and fill it before you begin cooking it. This way you are not filling the shell while it browns and melts the cheese and it will be done before you are ready to cook it.
I put the 1/4 cup of fat free, shredded cheese, 1/4 cup of pre cooked turkey sausage and the eggs in the shell. Fold the shell in half and place in the pan and turn the heat on low.
3. Cook each side until it is brown and the cheese is starting to melt. Even on low heat it will cook very quickly, just a few minutes each side. Turn it with a large spatula and be careful not to spill the ingredients out into the pan!
4. Remove from heat, let cool for 5 mins, cut into strips and enjoy!
Nutritional Information:
1 whole quesadilla
Carbs- 17grams
Fat- 6 grams
Protein- 40grams
You will need:
1-Flat bread/Tortilla- I used Joseph's Bakery Lavash
1/4 cup Jimmy Deans Turkey Sausage Crumbles (fully cooked)
1/2 Cup Egg whites-I used liquid egg whites to save time but use regular eggs if you prefer
1/4 cup of Fat Free shredded Cheese
1. The first thing you should do is cook your eggs separately. I cook 1/2 cup of liquid egg whites in a small bowl in the microwave for 1:30. You can also cook them in a pan on the stove, but I do suggest cooking them first or your quesadilla will be a big, runny mess.
2. Place your tortilla on a flat surface or in a pan on the stove (stove off) and fill it before you begin cooking it. This way you are not filling the shell while it browns and melts the cheese and it will be done before you are ready to cook it.
I put the 1/4 cup of fat free, shredded cheese, 1/4 cup of pre cooked turkey sausage and the eggs in the shell. Fold the shell in half and place in the pan and turn the heat on low.
3. Cook each side until it is brown and the cheese is starting to melt. Even on low heat it will cook very quickly, just a few minutes each side. Turn it with a large spatula and be careful not to spill the ingredients out into the pan!
4. Remove from heat, let cool for 5 mins, cut into strips and enjoy!
Nutritional Information:
1 whole quesadilla
Carbs- 17grams
Fat- 6 grams
Protein- 40grams
Monday, July 23, 2012
Guiltless cream cheese bites
It is fair to say that most of us have a sweet tooth and when you are trying to eat right satisfying that tooth can be a challenge. This is a recipe for warm, crispy cream cheese bites that will not wreck your diet and will satisfy your craving.
You will need:
- 1 package of Nasoya won ton wraps
- 1 package of your choice of filling. I used Philadelphia sweet indulgence white chocolate cream cheese, milk chocolate cream cheese and cinnamon laughing cow cream cheese. 
First lay your won ton wraps out on a flat surface and fill them. The one pictured below is 1/2 a laughing cow wedge, a full wedge was just a bit much. For the cream cheese I used 1/2 TBSP per won ton. Place the filling in the center and fold the top corners of the won ton together so the cheese does not spill out. 
Place your folded won tons on a greased baking sheet and pre heat the oven to 425 degrees. For a softer won ton brush them with olive oil or a cooking spray. For crispy won tons, leave as is and bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes. 
After the time is up, remove from the oven and ENJOY!
First lay your won ton wraps out on a flat surface and fill them. The one pictured below is 1/2 a laughing cow wedge, a full wedge was just a bit much. For the cream cheese I used 1/2 TBSP per won ton. Place the filling in the center and fold the top corners of the won ton together so the cheese does not spill out. Place your folded won tons on a greased baking sheet and pre heat the oven to 425 degrees. For a softer won ton brush them with olive oil or a cooking spray. For crispy won tons, leave as is and bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes. After the time is up, remove from the oven and ENJOY!
You could fill these with almost anything you want. Philadelphia also makes cream cheeses in pesto, santa fe and garlic to name a few if you wanted more of an appetizer. Milk Chocolate is my favorite.
NUTRITION FACTS:
1 Philadelphia Won ton with White or Milk Chocolate with 1/2 TBSP of cheese:
7 carbs
2 fat
1 protein
1 Laughing cow cinnamon wont ton with 1/2 wedge
5 carbs
2 fat
2 protein
Monday, July 16, 2012
My mom, made no excuses and lost 40 pounds!
Everyone has an excuse for why they cannot lose weight. Some say they do not have time, they do not have the money, they have an injury just to name a few. I would like to use this blog to tell you about a woman who could have used every single one of these excuses but didn't. My mom is 58 years old, sells real estate, manages a construction company with my father. Does a lot of the painting, running around and book work for that business, baby sits 10 grandchildren and has a permanent foot injury that required her to wear a boot on her foot for 6 months. She will forever not be able to do many type of common leg exercises or certain types of cardio. She easily could have said that she didn't have the time or the physical capability or that her age and metabolism were to blame but she did not.
Instead in February she started with x training and began a diet and exercise routine that required working out with weights 5 days per week and planning and tracking all of her meals. This is the same program that I began in January. Initially she did not want to do it, she did not want to take food with her in a cooler or plan her meals. Her breaking point came when she reached over to tie her shoe one morning and she felt a belly in her way, that was the turning point. She began her program in February of 2012 at 170 pounds and today almost 6 months later weighs 133 pounds. She is only 3 pounds away from her goal weight!
Even with all of the demands on her time, parties, babysitting and business lunches she has successfully ate right and exercised only having missed one workout the entire time! She has had her challenges and struggles and even wakes up at 3:30 or 4 am sometimes to get her workout in but she does it and doesn't make any excuses.
The next time you think that you do not have the time, energy or means to workout think again. The only thing standing in your way is you and your excuses. There is always a way to get it done focus on how you CAN do it instead of why you CAN'T. My mom had worked very hard and is constantly being pulled in 100 different directions but still got the job done because she wanted to and she was dedicated. Congratulations Mom!
Instead in February she started with x training and began a diet and exercise routine that required working out with weights 5 days per week and planning and tracking all of her meals. This is the same program that I began in January. Initially she did not want to do it, she did not want to take food with her in a cooler or plan her meals. Her breaking point came when she reached over to tie her shoe one morning and she felt a belly in her way, that was the turning point. She began her program in February of 2012 at 170 pounds and today almost 6 months later weighs 133 pounds. She is only 3 pounds away from her goal weight!
Even with all of the demands on her time, parties, babysitting and business lunches she has successfully ate right and exercised only having missed one workout the entire time! She has had her challenges and struggles and even wakes up at 3:30 or 4 am sometimes to get her workout in but she does it and doesn't make any excuses. The next time you think that you do not have the time, energy or means to workout think again. The only thing standing in your way is you and your excuses. There is always a way to get it done focus on how you CAN do it instead of why you CAN'T. My mom had worked very hard and is constantly being pulled in 100 different directions but still got the job done because she wanted to and she was dedicated. Congratulations Mom!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Cheating- Step away from the donuts
If you have been following this blog from the beginning you may be under the impression that I am a robot. A slightly human robot but a lean, mean diet machine robot at that. I am here to tell you that although I have worked hard and done the right things that I am just like you, I cheat, I have cheated and I am currently in recovery and on the wagon.
When I first began changing my lifestyle it definitely changed the way that I thought about food and the way that I eat. Instead of mindlessly putting things into my mouth because I was bored, happy, sad, hungry or just because it was there I was thinking about each thing and if my body needed it. Most of the time the answer to that question is no. Instead of seeing a chocolate covered almond and simply thinking, "YUMMY" I first thought, "YUMMY" and then thought, "how many grams of fat are in this, I'll pass".
In the beginning I was consistently good, I stuck to all of my numbers and my meal plan because I had not yet made any progress. As the weight began to come off I would slide a small cheat in here and there. One cupcake on weigh in day, a few chocolate covered almonds (my gateway drug) because like most people I thought, " I deserve this, I've lost x amount of pounds". The problem is like many of you I cannot eat just one of anything or just a handful of candy, I always overdo it.
Often times when I would throw a cheat into the mix I did not necessarily even want whatever the item was but the habit of eating sweets was still exactly that, a habit. Not until I had the taste of the cookie, cupcake or whatever it was would I then want something sweet, but technically the moment was over. I had cheated, so why not cheat a little bit more!? There are people I know who can eat just one cookie and be satisfied and move on with life. I am not one of those people, after one cookie or bite I feel like I didn't get any satisfaction, I want to eat a few more to really feel like it was worth it. This is how most people not only plateau on a plan but also start to gain weight back again. Luckily because of the X training program I was answering to someone else throughout my weight loss so I could not allow myself to go overboard or begin putting pounds back on. Not that there have not been days when I did go overboard and then weighed more and had to explain myself. This is not the case for everyone.
In order to start reforming my cheating ways I first had to realize that the mindset of, "I deserve this" is just not true. You deserve to maintain your new weight and new look and feel good about yourself. We are not animals or children, we do not need to be rewarding with snacks for accomplishing something. Every single day you could justify cheating with that mindset and before long you have gained 5 or 10 pounds back and then all of those treats you "deserved" have killed your goals.
What I had to do to get back on the wagon was really think about what makes me want to cheat. Is it that I am hungry? Tired? Social pressure? Boredom? Simple love of chocolate etc? For me personally the time that I am weakest is when I am tired or hungry, or both. When I am tired I am more likely to just say, "oh forget it" and eat the cookie or whatever it is. Even though this never makes me feel better and after I eat it I just want more. My willpower level stinks when I am tired. To prevent this obviously trying to get enough sleep is key but that is not always possible. I use MIO water flavor as a means to curb my cravings when I am tired. I keep it with me and instead of using it all day I will only add it to my water when I am really craving something or towards the end of the day as a treat. There are many different flavor and it is quite tasty when you find one you like. After a bottle I am usually pretty content and have killed the cookie craving.
The hungry is a little bit more difficult. One excellent way to prevent this is to make sure you space your meals far enough apart that you aren't out of food and you know you are going to be at work for 4 more hours or awake for 10 more hours. If you plan well you always have a meal to look forward to and can prevent feeling tired and hungry. If you don't and you end up finishing half of your food by 2pm then you really have no choice but to be hungry or give in and eat. No matter what when I leave the house for work etc. I always bring at least one more meal with me than I think I will need just in case the day does not go as planned. As I eat each meal I try to think about if I eat every 3-4 hours where does that put my last meal of the day? Plan accordingly to make sure you can fuel your body periodically and make it last all day long.
What is it that triggers your cheating? What food can you never seem to resist? Don't beat yourself up when you give in and go for the cookie, you are human and it happens. Just be careful of not getting out of control and falling back into your old habits. No matter what you think everyone has their bad days, try to prevent them and work through it and when you fail, move on and do better next time.
When I first began changing my lifestyle it definitely changed the way that I thought about food and the way that I eat. Instead of mindlessly putting things into my mouth because I was bored, happy, sad, hungry or just because it was there I was thinking about each thing and if my body needed it. Most of the time the answer to that question is no. Instead of seeing a chocolate covered almond and simply thinking, "YUMMY" I first thought, "YUMMY" and then thought, "how many grams of fat are in this, I'll pass".
In the beginning I was consistently good, I stuck to all of my numbers and my meal plan because I had not yet made any progress. As the weight began to come off I would slide a small cheat in here and there. One cupcake on weigh in day, a few chocolate covered almonds (my gateway drug) because like most people I thought, " I deserve this, I've lost x amount of pounds". The problem is like many of you I cannot eat just one of anything or just a handful of candy, I always overdo it.
Often times when I would throw a cheat into the mix I did not necessarily even want whatever the item was but the habit of eating sweets was still exactly that, a habit. Not until I had the taste of the cookie, cupcake or whatever it was would I then want something sweet, but technically the moment was over. I had cheated, so why not cheat a little bit more!? There are people I know who can eat just one cookie and be satisfied and move on with life. I am not one of those people, after one cookie or bite I feel like I didn't get any satisfaction, I want to eat a few more to really feel like it was worth it. This is how most people not only plateau on a plan but also start to gain weight back again. Luckily because of the X training program I was answering to someone else throughout my weight loss so I could not allow myself to go overboard or begin putting pounds back on. Not that there have not been days when I did go overboard and then weighed more and had to explain myself. This is not the case for everyone.
In order to start reforming my cheating ways I first had to realize that the mindset of, "I deserve this" is just not true. You deserve to maintain your new weight and new look and feel good about yourself. We are not animals or children, we do not need to be rewarding with snacks for accomplishing something. Every single day you could justify cheating with that mindset and before long you have gained 5 or 10 pounds back and then all of those treats you "deserved" have killed your goals.
What I had to do to get back on the wagon was really think about what makes me want to cheat. Is it that I am hungry? Tired? Social pressure? Boredom? Simple love of chocolate etc? For me personally the time that I am weakest is when I am tired or hungry, or both. When I am tired I am more likely to just say, "oh forget it" and eat the cookie or whatever it is. Even though this never makes me feel better and after I eat it I just want more. My willpower level stinks when I am tired. To prevent this obviously trying to get enough sleep is key but that is not always possible. I use MIO water flavor as a means to curb my cravings when I am tired. I keep it with me and instead of using it all day I will only add it to my water when I am really craving something or towards the end of the day as a treat. There are many different flavor and it is quite tasty when you find one you like. After a bottle I am usually pretty content and have killed the cookie craving.
The hungry is a little bit more difficult. One excellent way to prevent this is to make sure you space your meals far enough apart that you aren't out of food and you know you are going to be at work for 4 more hours or awake for 10 more hours. If you plan well you always have a meal to look forward to and can prevent feeling tired and hungry. If you don't and you end up finishing half of your food by 2pm then you really have no choice but to be hungry or give in and eat. No matter what when I leave the house for work etc. I always bring at least one more meal with me than I think I will need just in case the day does not go as planned. As I eat each meal I try to think about if I eat every 3-4 hours where does that put my last meal of the day? Plan accordingly to make sure you can fuel your body periodically and make it last all day long.
What is it that triggers your cheating? What food can you never seem to resist? Don't beat yourself up when you give in and go for the cookie, you are human and it happens. Just be careful of not getting out of control and falling back into your old habits. No matter what you think everyone has their bad days, try to prevent them and work through it and when you fail, move on and do better next time.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Gotta eat to lose!
One of the most common mistakes that people make when trying to lose weight and get in shape is the assumption that they need to eat like a bird to lose weight. The opposite is actually more effective and closer to the truth. If you want to lose weight you need to eat. The secret is to eat food that is nutritious, has a purpose and will keep you feeling full. Not to just eat, eat, eat all day because you heard that you had to eat to lose weight.
I always had heard and knew that most people really do not eat enough and that the food that they eat is basically crap which leads to low energy and weight gain. What I did not realize is that I was one of those people. Although I thought I was eating more than enough and in my uniformed state thought that I was eating pretty healthy neither of these was true.
When I first began my lifestyle change, armed with my nutrient goals and bagged lunch (before the days when I learned how to pre-plan and pre-pack) one of the most frustrating and shocking things to me during the first week or so of my new life was that I was not eating enough. I would pack a bag of random item, greek yogurt, string cheese, protein pancakes and lunch meat and take off for my 12 hour workday thinking I would have more than enough. As the day went on and I entered in my meals as I went, not knowing what the future held I would get home each night only to see that I still needed to eat sometimes as much as 1,000 more calories to hit my numbers for the day! Not only was I not hungry at this point I was horrified that at 9pm on a Saturday night I had to eat quite a bit more food and the majority of it needed to be protein.
A few days of getting home from work each night and scrambling to eat a lot more and figuring out how to make it work with my plan was all it took to push me into meal planning. At first I was not only frustrated but scared of eating all of that food. I felt like it was too much and there was no way that I would be able to lose weight this way. After a week or so of this I noticed something, not only was I losing weight but I was starting to feel hungry and really be able to eat all of that food no problem. My metabolism was getting fired up.
Everyone has heard that you need to eat 5 small meals a day, every few hours to keep your metabolism going. While there are a million different theories out there for how much and how often you should eat this is the rule of thumb that I use and it works well for me. By eating "small meals" this does not mean eat a string cheese for breakfast, a yogurt 3 hours later, an apple etc. Each small meal should consist of proteins, fats and carbs and should essentially be a small meal. (refer to my earlier blog for examples) When you go for extended periods of time without eating your bodys natural reaction is to think that there may not be food coming anytime soon, that it needs to prepare for starvation.
When your body begins to prepare for starvation it stops burning energy (carbs, fats, proteins) and starts hanging on to whatever it can so that you will have energy available. If you aren't eating regularly or eating enough your body is going to cling to everything it can, slowing everything else down and slowing down your weight loss in the process. If you are also participating in some kind of exercise program this is especially important. Too many people wake up, skip breakfast, go to they gym and then run errands before going home hours later and eating their first meal of the day. You may think this is going to help you lose weight, working out on an empty stomach but the opposite is true.
When you wake up in the morning you should eat to get your body going again. You have probably gone at least 5-6 hours without food by the time you wake up in the morning. If you do not eat, your body is not going to be going at 100%. Combine that with working out and then making your body wait yet again for more energy and you really didn't accomplish much by going to the gym because your body is hanging on for dear life at this point. You may say you cannot eat when you first wake up or you do not like to but I promise you that if you try it every day for two weeks you will not only love it you will wake up hungry and craving it.
There is also a fine line between eating to lose weight and using exercise as an excuse to over eat. Just because I said you need to eat to lose and you are in fact exercising does not give you a license to indulge after each workout. The common thought of, "I earned this, I ran on the treadmill, give me that pizza" isn't doing you any favors either. Use a website like myfitnesspal.com to get an approximate idea of how much you should be eating each day and PLAN PLAN PLAN. Failure to plan is not an excuse to make poor decisions and lose sight of your goals. Remember your body needs fuel to burn and if you aren't feeding it and feeding it properly you won't burn anything.
I always had heard and knew that most people really do not eat enough and that the food that they eat is basically crap which leads to low energy and weight gain. What I did not realize is that I was one of those people. Although I thought I was eating more than enough and in my uniformed state thought that I was eating pretty healthy neither of these was true.
When I first began my lifestyle change, armed with my nutrient goals and bagged lunch (before the days when I learned how to pre-plan and pre-pack) one of the most frustrating and shocking things to me during the first week or so of my new life was that I was not eating enough. I would pack a bag of random item, greek yogurt, string cheese, protein pancakes and lunch meat and take off for my 12 hour workday thinking I would have more than enough. As the day went on and I entered in my meals as I went, not knowing what the future held I would get home each night only to see that I still needed to eat sometimes as much as 1,000 more calories to hit my numbers for the day! Not only was I not hungry at this point I was horrified that at 9pm on a Saturday night I had to eat quite a bit more food and the majority of it needed to be protein.
A few days of getting home from work each night and scrambling to eat a lot more and figuring out how to make it work with my plan was all it took to push me into meal planning. At first I was not only frustrated but scared of eating all of that food. I felt like it was too much and there was no way that I would be able to lose weight this way. After a week or so of this I noticed something, not only was I losing weight but I was starting to feel hungry and really be able to eat all of that food no problem. My metabolism was getting fired up.
Everyone has heard that you need to eat 5 small meals a day, every few hours to keep your metabolism going. While there are a million different theories out there for how much and how often you should eat this is the rule of thumb that I use and it works well for me. By eating "small meals" this does not mean eat a string cheese for breakfast, a yogurt 3 hours later, an apple etc. Each small meal should consist of proteins, fats and carbs and should essentially be a small meal. (refer to my earlier blog for examples) When you go for extended periods of time without eating your bodys natural reaction is to think that there may not be food coming anytime soon, that it needs to prepare for starvation.
When your body begins to prepare for starvation it stops burning energy (carbs, fats, proteins) and starts hanging on to whatever it can so that you will have energy available. If you aren't eating regularly or eating enough your body is going to cling to everything it can, slowing everything else down and slowing down your weight loss in the process. If you are also participating in some kind of exercise program this is especially important. Too many people wake up, skip breakfast, go to they gym and then run errands before going home hours later and eating their first meal of the day. You may think this is going to help you lose weight, working out on an empty stomach but the opposite is true.
When you wake up in the morning you should eat to get your body going again. You have probably gone at least 5-6 hours without food by the time you wake up in the morning. If you do not eat, your body is not going to be going at 100%. Combine that with working out and then making your body wait yet again for more energy and you really didn't accomplish much by going to the gym because your body is hanging on for dear life at this point. You may say you cannot eat when you first wake up or you do not like to but I promise you that if you try it every day for two weeks you will not only love it you will wake up hungry and craving it.
There is also a fine line between eating to lose weight and using exercise as an excuse to over eat. Just because I said you need to eat to lose and you are in fact exercising does not give you a license to indulge after each workout. The common thought of, "I earned this, I ran on the treadmill, give me that pizza" isn't doing you any favors either. Use a website like myfitnesspal.com to get an approximate idea of how much you should be eating each day and PLAN PLAN PLAN. Failure to plan is not an excuse to make poor decisions and lose sight of your goals. Remember your body needs fuel to burn and if you aren't feeding it and feeding it properly you won't burn anything.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Nachos you don't have to feel bad about!
Here is my low carb, low fat, high protein spin on Nachos. As always feel free to experiment with your own toppings, proteins etc. All recipes are open to interpretation.
You will need:
1- Joseph's Whole Wheat, Oat Lavash
1/4 cup of Fat free Kraft shredded Mozzarella
1/4 cup of Fat Free Kraft shredded cheddar (or cheese of your choice)
1/2 cup of Jimmy Deans turkey sausage crumbles
Toppings of your choice- I like jalapeno slices and Trader Joe's Garlic chipotle salsa
Step 1:
Cut Lavash into "chips" using a pizza cutter or scissors, place on non stick baking sheet
Step 2: Place "chips" into oven, pre-heated to 375 degrees, bake for 7-10min depending on desired crispness
Step 3: Arrange chips on a microwave safe plate, I like to do to layers and divide the cheese and turkey evenly between them. You can also arrange them on a pan, but I prefer the microwave method.
You will need:
1- Joseph's Whole Wheat, Oat Lavash
1/4 cup of Fat free Kraft shredded Mozzarella
1/4 cup of Fat Free Kraft shredded cheddar (or cheese of your choice)
1/2 cup of Jimmy Deans turkey sausage crumbles
Toppings of your choice- I like jalapeno slices and Trader Joe's Garlic chipotle salsa
Step 1:
Cut Lavash into "chips" using a pizza cutter or scissors, place on non stick baking sheet
Step 3: Arrange chips on a microwave safe plate, I like to do to layers and divide the cheese and turkey evenly between them. You can also arrange them on a pan, but I prefer the microwave method.
Step 4: Microwave the Nachos for 5min or until cheese is melted- if using the microwave chips will not be as crisp when finished.
OR
Place pan in oven and bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted (this will take slightly longer but result in crispy chips)
Step 5: Top as desired and ENJOY!
Nutritional Facts if prepared as above:
Fat: 8grams
Carbohydrates:22 grams
Protein: 39grams
Keep in mind, be creative and adapt to your own dietary needs!
A sample weight routine for any skill level
As you continue to follow this blog you will notice over and over that I stress the importance of resistance training. I will give you a personal example of why resistance training is so important for long term success. When I began my transformation almost 7 months ago with X Training my trainer/coach Katie started me off eating about 145 grams of Carbohydrates each day, 40 grams of fat and 135 grams of protein. Gradually as I lost weight, plateaued a bit and then got to the stage where I was simply trying to squeeze the last fat off of my thighs over 6 months those numbers at their lowest were 110 grams of Carbohydrates, 30 grams of fat and 130 grams of protein.
Since achieving the weight, look and body fat that I desired we have been slowly building my food intake back up again so that I can add more lean muscle mass and eat at a maintenance level. Long story short, currently I am eating almost 200 grams of Carbohydrates per day, 55 grams of fat and 145 grams of protein and HAVE NOT GAINED A SINGLE POUND! That is almost twice as much food, this is due to the fact that I have built up so much lean muscle mass that my metabolism is on fire and have also been extremely consistent in following my diet and exercise program. If I had lost weight simply doing cardio this would not be the case because that time on the treadmill would be doing almost nothing to help my metabolism in the long term.
If you simply do not know where to start here is a sample of one of my very favorite weight training routines, provided to me by Katie Wilson at X Training. I enjoyed this one a lot because it is very simple, straight forward and quick. It is heavy lifting so form is important, it will also get you results and have you in and out of the gym in less than an hour.
Since achieving the weight, look and body fat that I desired we have been slowly building my food intake back up again so that I can add more lean muscle mass and eat at a maintenance level. Long story short, currently I am eating almost 200 grams of Carbohydrates per day, 55 grams of fat and 145 grams of protein and HAVE NOT GAINED A SINGLE POUND! That is almost twice as much food, this is due to the fact that I have built up so much lean muscle mass that my metabolism is on fire and have also been extremely consistent in following my diet and exercise program. If I had lost weight simply doing cardio this would not be the case because that time on the treadmill would be doing almost nothing to help my metabolism in the long term.
If you simply do not know where to start here is a sample of one of my very favorite weight training routines, provided to me by Katie Wilson at X Training. I enjoyed this one a lot because it is very simple, straight forward and quick. It is heavy lifting so form is important, it will also get you results and have you in and out of the gym in less than an hour.
DAY
1: LEGS
- Barbell
squats: 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Leg press: 2
sets x 4-6 reps
- Stiff-legged
dead lifts: 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- One-legged calf
raises: 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Sitting calf
raises: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
DAY
2: ARMS & ABS
- Barbell
curls: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Hammer
curls: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Preacher
curls: 1 sets x 4-6 reps
- Close-grip
bench press: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Weighted
triceps variation dips: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Skull
crushers: 1 sets x 4-6 reps
- Palms-down
dumbbell wrist curl: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Palms-Up
Dumbbell wrist curl: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
- Decline
sit-ups with weight: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
- Leg raises
with weight: 2 sets x 8-12 reps
DAY
3: SHOULDERS
- Shoulder
press: 4 sets x 4-6 reps
- Upright rows:
3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Bent over
lateral raises 3: sets x 4-6 reps
DAY
4: - NO WEIGHTS
·
Cardio Optional-
DAY
5: CHEST
- Incline
Barbell Press 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Decline
Flyes 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Dumbbell
Press 3 sets x 4-6 reps
DAY 6: BACK
- Wide Grip
Chin ups 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Bent-Over
Barbell Rows 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Lat
Pull downs 3 sets x 4-6 reps
- Dead lifts 3
sets x 4-6 reps
DAY 7: -NO WEIGHTS
· Cardio Optional
Please remember to always use proper form and ask for help from a trainer or friend if you are unsure of the proper form. There are also a lot of video instructions available online at www.muscleandstrength.com, youtube or just plain Google.
Happy Lifting!
Monday, June 18, 2012
A DIET is 7 days a week, 365 days a year!
Most people are under the impression that if they successfully follow their diet plan Monday through Friday that this means they can go crazy on Saturday and Sunday or sometimes Friday through Sunday. I have bad news for you, this doesn't equal results.
Everyone starts off strong on Monday. The gym is full, fridge is stocked with veggies, alcohol has been drank and you are ready to go. Fast forward to Friday, the gym is empty, the fridge has only leftovers and you are tired and need some relief. You figure, "why not go out for pizza and a few drinks. I deserve it.". Friday night you eat too much pizza, have too many drinks and cancel out any progress you made on Monday and most of Tuesday.
Saturday you sleep in and skip the gym because not only do you think that you deserve it but you feel like crap from eating and drinking on Friday. Later on that same day you have a graduation party to attend. You could follow your plan and eat before you go or just have a salad and chicken when you arrive but, hey it's Saturday! So you live it up, eat beef and fried chicken plus a few more beers. Go ahead and wipe your hard work from the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday off the board.
Now it's Sunday, you sleep in again, take the dog for a walk and call it exercise and although there are no social events there is also no food in the house so you order out before going to the store or fill up on random snacks that just sit in the cupboard week after week. Go ahead and wipe Thursday off of your progress board.
Now it's Monday and you are basically starting from day one again. The majority of people over estimate how many calories they burn and under estimate how much they eat. Not that you can't go out to eat now and then but if you want to progress each week towards your goals you should have no more than ONE cheat MEAL. Not a day, or two or a whole weekend. Those extra calories in two or three days combined with the workouts you skip are what is standing between you and your new life.
If you honestly and accurately tracked your calorie consumption vs calories expenditure in a day by day basis you would be shocked by the reality of those numbers. Combine that with a weekend of eating out and over consuming and you will be horrified to see that they really do equal a stale mate.
The moral of the story is not that you cannot have fun or go out but do so with your goals in mind and make better choices. Keep the big picture in mind and once you have reached that goal you still can't go crazy but you could allow a little more wiggle room. Just get there first!
Never forget: Muscles and Abs are made in the kitchen!
Everyone starts off strong on Monday. The gym is full, fridge is stocked with veggies, alcohol has been drank and you are ready to go. Fast forward to Friday, the gym is empty, the fridge has only leftovers and you are tired and need some relief. You figure, "why not go out for pizza and a few drinks. I deserve it.". Friday night you eat too much pizza, have too many drinks and cancel out any progress you made on Monday and most of Tuesday.
Saturday you sleep in and skip the gym because not only do you think that you deserve it but you feel like crap from eating and drinking on Friday. Later on that same day you have a graduation party to attend. You could follow your plan and eat before you go or just have a salad and chicken when you arrive but, hey it's Saturday! So you live it up, eat beef and fried chicken plus a few more beers. Go ahead and wipe your hard work from the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday off the board.
Now it's Sunday, you sleep in again, take the dog for a walk and call it exercise and although there are no social events there is also no food in the house so you order out before going to the store or fill up on random snacks that just sit in the cupboard week after week. Go ahead and wipe Thursday off of your progress board.
Now it's Monday and you are basically starting from day one again. The majority of people over estimate how many calories they burn and under estimate how much they eat. Not that you can't go out to eat now and then but if you want to progress each week towards your goals you should have no more than ONE cheat MEAL. Not a day, or two or a whole weekend. Those extra calories in two or three days combined with the workouts you skip are what is standing between you and your new life.
If you honestly and accurately tracked your calorie consumption vs calories expenditure in a day by day basis you would be shocked by the reality of those numbers. Combine that with a weekend of eating out and over consuming and you will be horrified to see that they really do equal a stale mate.
The moral of the story is not that you cannot have fun or go out but do so with your goals in mind and make better choices. Keep the big picture in mind and once you have reached that goal you still can't go crazy but you could allow a little more wiggle room. Just get there first!
Baked Mozzarella Sticks YUMMMY!
Here is a healthful way to make my favorite fatty food . . . Cheese Sticks! It is super simple and quick and of course, low fat and low carb!
INGREDIENTS:
1-package of Frigo light string cheese (or the brand of your choice)
1-package of Naysoya Egg roll wrappers
STEPS:
1. Use the pan of your choice and spray with non-stick cooking spray
2. lay out the desired number of egg roll wrappers
3. Place one cheese stick in the center of each wrapper and fold the bottom up and the sides in
4. Then roll the cheese stick until the wrapper is closed
5. Place cheese stick on pan, for a juicier stick you could brush them with a bit of oil or butter and place in oven, preheated to 400 degrees F
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove and ENJOY!
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
One cheese stick:
Carbs: 13 grams
Fat: 3 grams
Protein: 10grams
INGREDIENTS:
1-package of Frigo light string cheese (or the brand of your choice)
1-package of Naysoya Egg roll wrappers
STEPS:
1. Use the pan of your choice and spray with non-stick cooking spray
2. lay out the desired number of egg roll wrappers
3. Place one cheese stick in the center of each wrapper and fold the bottom up and the sides in
5. Place cheese stick on pan, for a juicier stick you could brush them with a bit of oil or butter and place in oven, preheated to 400 degrees F
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove and ENJOY!
One cheese stick:
Carbs: 13 grams
Fat: 3 grams
Protein: 10grams
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The Weight Room is your friend, step away from the treadmill
A common belief that most people have is that they need to do extreme amounts of cardio to lose weight and get in shape. The fact of the matter is that the opposite is true. Yes, doing cardio will help you lose weight but it is not really helping you build your metabolism or physically changing your appearance.
Each and every weight loss plan should contain Cardio exercise and weight training, these two things should complement each other. Even if you do not want to have big muscles you should still be doing regular resistance training. When people ask me what my workout routine consisted to lose weight and get fit the part that they are most surprised by is that I did no more than 60min of cardio total per week at any time during my program and most of the time I did far less than that.
Although doing cardio is much easier, more comfortable and less intimidating than resistance training you need to step out of the comfort zone and hit the weights. By using resistance training you will increase your lean muscle mass which will increase your metabolism, which will in turn burn more calories 24/7, which will help you achieve your goals. Just simply doing cardio is not increasing your bodies metabolism and in the long run will not change the way you look physically aside from making you smaller and still soft. The reason many people reach a weight loss goal is because they are only focusing on one type of exercise, both cardio and resistance are necessary to make long term gains possible.
You may be thinking to yourself, "I don't know how to lift weights". There is only one way to learn, if you cannot or do not want to hire a trainer, there are many other options for you that are free. Start by using machines first to become more familiar with some different exercises. Use the Internet, muscleandstrength.com is an amazing resource with articles, workouts and instructional videos. They are categorized by goal, fat loss, building mass, maintenance etc. Once you find a workout you want to try you can use the site to look up specific exercises and how to perform them. Fitness magazines are another great resource there are millions of workouts in these magazine each month with example of form, reps and sets. Once you get over your initial fear of the weight room you will be amazed how much you enjoy it. Everyone standing around you had their first day in the weight room too.
A few things to remember when lifting:
-Pay attention to your form, if you are supposed to be doing a bicep curl and you are feeling it in your back you are doing it wrong. Don't be afraid to ask a trainer for help, most of them will gladly help you for free.
- They are weights, they should be heavy. If you could do 25 reps of an exercise and there is no discomfort or burn in the muscle you need to increase your weight. Don't think only power lifters lift heavy. I am lifting heavier than I ever have before and I am the smallest I have been since 8th grade!
- Have a purpose. Before you go to the gym, think about what you are going to do that day, have a plan, take a small note book or even a post it with you so you know your routine. If the workout is from a magazine or website, bring it with!
-Your mom does not work at the gym, clean up after yourself. When you are finished with a dumbbell, put it back. When you are finished with a machine, put the plates back.
-Consider weight lifting gloves. They keep your hands protected and prevent calluses and discomfort with heavier weights.
- Have fun and don't be scared!
While you mentally prepare and research for your big weight training debut I will be working on next weeks blog where I give you an example of 1 week of my weight training routine!
Each and every weight loss plan should contain Cardio exercise and weight training, these two things should complement each other. Even if you do not want to have big muscles you should still be doing regular resistance training. When people ask me what my workout routine consisted to lose weight and get fit the part that they are most surprised by is that I did no more than 60min of cardio total per week at any time during my program and most of the time I did far less than that.
Although doing cardio is much easier, more comfortable and less intimidating than resistance training you need to step out of the comfort zone and hit the weights. By using resistance training you will increase your lean muscle mass which will increase your metabolism, which will in turn burn more calories 24/7, which will help you achieve your goals. Just simply doing cardio is not increasing your bodies metabolism and in the long run will not change the way you look physically aside from making you smaller and still soft. The reason many people reach a weight loss goal is because they are only focusing on one type of exercise, both cardio and resistance are necessary to make long term gains possible.
You may be thinking to yourself, "I don't know how to lift weights". There is only one way to learn, if you cannot or do not want to hire a trainer, there are many other options for you that are free. Start by using machines first to become more familiar with some different exercises. Use the Internet, muscleandstrength.com is an amazing resource with articles, workouts and instructional videos. They are categorized by goal, fat loss, building mass, maintenance etc. Once you find a workout you want to try you can use the site to look up specific exercises and how to perform them. Fitness magazines are another great resource there are millions of workouts in these magazine each month with example of form, reps and sets. Once you get over your initial fear of the weight room you will be amazed how much you enjoy it. Everyone standing around you had their first day in the weight room too.
A few things to remember when lifting:
-Pay attention to your form, if you are supposed to be doing a bicep curl and you are feeling it in your back you are doing it wrong. Don't be afraid to ask a trainer for help, most of them will gladly help you for free.
- They are weights, they should be heavy. If you could do 25 reps of an exercise and there is no discomfort or burn in the muscle you need to increase your weight. Don't think only power lifters lift heavy. I am lifting heavier than I ever have before and I am the smallest I have been since 8th grade!
- Have a purpose. Before you go to the gym, think about what you are going to do that day, have a plan, take a small note book or even a post it with you so you know your routine. If the workout is from a magazine or website, bring it with!
-Your mom does not work at the gym, clean up after yourself. When you are finished with a dumbbell, put it back. When you are finished with a machine, put the plates back.
-Consider weight lifting gloves. They keep your hands protected and prevent calluses and discomfort with heavier weights.
- Have fun and don't be scared!
While you mentally prepare and research for your big weight training debut I will be working on next weeks blog where I give you an example of 1 week of my weight training routine!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Chicken tortilla soup! Low fat, Low carb, high protein
This week at work a vegetarian friend of mine was talking about the "chicken" tortilla soup that she and her husband make on an almost weekly basis and all of a sudden a light bulb went off in my head, I could make a delicious low carb, low fat soup!
So here it is:
Ingredients:
1 Jar of salsa-I use Trader Joe's Garlic Chipotle but any kind will do, homemade would be delicious
1-large box of chicken broth-I use College Inn light and fat free(vegetable broth for vegetarians)
2-1 lb packages of boneless, skinless chicken breast. I find the think sliced kind is easier to shred in the end or protein of your choice
2- fresh lime
1-jalapeno or pepperoncini pepper depending on desired taste
1-TBSP of Cilantro, lite house makes freeze dried spices that cook very well
1- clove or garlic or 1TBSP garlic salt
1-package of taco seasoning mix
STEPS:
1. place chicken or whatever your choice of protein is into the bottom of a crock pot
2. Pour 3 cups of chicken broth into the pot, depending on the size of your crock pot and how much soup you would like you could use more. I use 5 total, by adding 2 at the end.
3. Pour the entire jar of your chosen salsa into the crock pot
4. Cut 2 limes into halves, squeeze the juice in and add the lime itself to the mixture
5. Cut the pepper into a few pieces and add that to the crock pot
6. Add 1 TBSP of cilantro and 1 garlic clove/TBSP of garlic to the crock pot
7. Add 2 tsp of the taco seasoning packet depending on personal taste
8. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 90min depending on your individual crock pot
9. Add 2 cups of chicken broth depending on your personal tastes or needs.
Depending on how much of your diet you are actually tracking macro wise (carbs, protein, fats etc) This last part is optional.
10. Remove the chicken breasts from the broth with tongs, place in a separate container.
11. Let the broth and the chicken cool so you can measure each one and shred the chicken.
12. Pour the broth into a large liquid measure cup- If you followed directions exactly you should have about 8 cups of broth.
13. Shred the chicken and portion according to the desired amount of protein you want in each serving of soup.
14. Store the broth and the chicken separately or portion accordingly and place in the fridge.
The reason I do steps 12 and 13 is so that I can know exactly how many carbs, fats and proteins are in each cup of soup that I consume and plan for it with my weekly meal plan. I store the broth and the chicken separately and eat 1 cup of broth plus 3oz of chicken to meet my daily needs.
TOPPINGS:
You can top each bowl of soup with fat free cheese, sour cream, and of course tortilla strips. I like to make my own tortilla strips by baking low carb tortillas in the oven and cutting them up with a pizza cutter but you could use store bought ready made strips as well.
Nutritional Information Per 1 Cup serving of Broth:
Fat-0
Carbs-4
Protein-1
Calories-20
Plus 3oz of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Protein 21 grams
ENJOY!
So here it is:
Ingredients:
1 Jar of salsa-I use Trader Joe's Garlic Chipotle but any kind will do, homemade would be delicious
1-large box of chicken broth-I use College Inn light and fat free(vegetable broth for vegetarians)
2-1 lb packages of boneless, skinless chicken breast. I find the think sliced kind is easier to shred in the end or protein of your choice
2- fresh lime
1-jalapeno or pepperoncini pepper depending on desired taste
1-TBSP of Cilantro, lite house makes freeze dried spices that cook very well
1- clove or garlic or 1TBSP garlic salt
1-package of taco seasoning mix
STEPS:
1. place chicken or whatever your choice of protein is into the bottom of a crock pot
2. Pour 3 cups of chicken broth into the pot, depending on the size of your crock pot and how much soup you would like you could use more. I use 5 total, by adding 2 at the end.
3. Pour the entire jar of your chosen salsa into the crock pot
4. Cut 2 limes into halves, squeeze the juice in and add the lime itself to the mixture
5. Cut the pepper into a few pieces and add that to the crock pot
6. Add 1 TBSP of cilantro and 1 garlic clove/TBSP of garlic to the crock pot
7. Add 2 tsp of the taco seasoning packet depending on personal taste
8. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 90min depending on your individual crock pot
9. Add 2 cups of chicken broth depending on your personal tastes or needs.
Depending on how much of your diet you are actually tracking macro wise (carbs, protein, fats etc) This last part is optional.
10. Remove the chicken breasts from the broth with tongs, place in a separate container.
11. Let the broth and the chicken cool so you can measure each one and shred the chicken.
12. Pour the broth into a large liquid measure cup- If you followed directions exactly you should have about 8 cups of broth.
13. Shred the chicken and portion according to the desired amount of protein you want in each serving of soup.
14. Store the broth and the chicken separately or portion accordingly and place in the fridge.
The reason I do steps 12 and 13 is so that I can know exactly how many carbs, fats and proteins are in each cup of soup that I consume and plan for it with my weekly meal plan. I store the broth and the chicken separately and eat 1 cup of broth plus 3oz of chicken to meet my daily needs.
TOPPINGS:
You can top each bowl of soup with fat free cheese, sour cream, and of course tortilla strips. I like to make my own tortilla strips by baking low carb tortillas in the oven and cutting them up with a pizza cutter but you could use store bought ready made strips as well.
Nutritional Information Per 1 Cup serving of Broth:
Fat-0
Carbs-4
Protein-1
Calories-20
Plus 3oz of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Protein 21 grams
ENJOY!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
5 days of packed and ready food
I have talked a lot about how planning out your meals in advance will make your life and your success 1000 times easier but sometimes a visual, step by step is what it takes to make it all click into place. While I was preparing my food for the week yesterday I took a few pics to help you out along the way.
1) Plan the meals (myfitnesspal.com), make a shopping list, go to the store. I make one larger shopping trip every 2 weeks and a smaller one in between for more perishable items. Since I started doing this I buy pretty much the same thing over and over so I have my list down to a science. When chicken or turkey are on sale I buy a few extra to freeze or if it is rice cakes etc. I just stock up because they are definitely not going bad anytime soon. In the long run this whole process can really save you a lot of $$$.
2) Cook the food you will need
Once a week I will make a crock pot of boneless, skinless chicken breast or 99% lean turkey meat in tomato sauce to last me for the next 5 days or so. If I make too much I freeze the rest in a Tupperware until I will need it next week. Be careful not to let your prepared food sit in the fridge for too many days after you cook it because you do not want to be sick. 5 days at a time is my personal rule of thumb, yours may be more or less.
3) Now that you have planned, purchased food and cooked the other food you will need it is time to pack.
The first thing I do is lay out my 5 days worth of containers. This is a picture of the larger one with a removable ice pack that fits into the lid. The smaller ones behind it fit perfectly inside, 4 small ones fit inside of each large one. These are made by fit and fresh and you can find them at target, bed bath and beyond, amazon.com and fit-fresh.com. There are many different kinds available.
For dry, non-cold items that could be crushed inside of my bag, cooler or purse like rice cakes I simply use glad ware and lay them out, fill them and stack them.
I use a digital food scale that measures in ounces, grams and kilograms to weigh out my vegetable and meats. Which I then place in the small fit and fresh containers so they will fit inside of the larger ice pack container and stay cool while I am out of the house.
I then pack go through and pack up the 5 days of food I need for the week, I put my string cheese, yogurt, laughing cow cheese wedges and anything cold inside of the larger containers. I pre- bag my protein shakes into zip locs and place it inside of each container. The rice cakes and my daily 1/2 PBJ sandwich are packed separately but kept next to the larger containers in the fridge so that I do not forget them when I leave the house. The only meal I do no pre pack is breakfast because I am always home to eat breakfast so it is not going anywhere with me.
These are smaller containers that have individual ice packs, they also make special ones for salad, cereal and fruit. I place these inside of the larger ones as well for extra refrigeration.
Now that all of the food is packed, ready and in the fridge how do you take it everywhere without looking like a complete dork? Thankfully there is a wide variety of fashionable cooler choices available online and in stores.
The bag on the left with large polka dots is from thirty-one bags and I like it because I can fit 2 whole days of food inside, it has an outside pocket and a long cross body strap. ($30 from thirtyonegifts.com) When I use it I also use it as a purse. The small green bag in the middle fits one day of food, has an outside pocket and is not too bulky if you have other bags to carry or need to put it inside of another. It is made by fit and fresh and runs about $20 they also have similar ones at target and bed bath and beyond. The black and polka dot bag fits 2 days worth of food, has a short strap, outside pocket and I also use it as a purse/cooler to cut down on items to carry. I purchased this on clearance at target for $7!
It may seem like all of this takes an entire day and the first one or two times that you do it it will take longer but once my food is cooked this entire process takes me 30min, every 5 days and saves me the time of making a lunch daily, going out to find food during the day and makes sticking to my diet 1000x easier. When all of your food is by your side there is no excuse to make a bad choice and others will follow your example. Purchasing fancy containers and coolers is not a necessity either, glad ware and icepack and the $7 cooler do a great job of keeping you prepared. Just find a system that works for you and use it.
Links
http://www.fit-fresh.com/?c1=GAW_SE_NW&source=USA&kw=fit_and_fresh_exm&cr5=14328025691&gclid=COzKkbOet7ACFQ8CQAodRTpz6w
http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/
1) Plan the meals (myfitnesspal.com), make a shopping list, go to the store. I make one larger shopping trip every 2 weeks and a smaller one in between for more perishable items. Since I started doing this I buy pretty much the same thing over and over so I have my list down to a science. When chicken or turkey are on sale I buy a few extra to freeze or if it is rice cakes etc. I just stock up because they are definitely not going bad anytime soon. In the long run this whole process can really save you a lot of $$$.
2) Cook the food you will need
Once a week I will make a crock pot of boneless, skinless chicken breast or 99% lean turkey meat in tomato sauce to last me for the next 5 days or so. If I make too much I freeze the rest in a Tupperware until I will need it next week. Be careful not to let your prepared food sit in the fridge for too many days after you cook it because you do not want to be sick. 5 days at a time is my personal rule of thumb, yours may be more or less.
3) Now that you have planned, purchased food and cooked the other food you will need it is time to pack.
The first thing I do is lay out my 5 days worth of containers. This is a picture of the larger one with a removable ice pack that fits into the lid. The smaller ones behind it fit perfectly inside, 4 small ones fit inside of each large one. These are made by fit and fresh and you can find them at target, bed bath and beyond, amazon.com and fit-fresh.com. There are many different kinds available.
For dry, non-cold items that could be crushed inside of my bag, cooler or purse like rice cakes I simply use glad ware and lay them out, fill them and stack them.
I use a digital food scale that measures in ounces, grams and kilograms to weigh out my vegetable and meats. Which I then place in the small fit and fresh containers so they will fit inside of the larger ice pack container and stay cool while I am out of the house.
These are smaller containers that have individual ice packs, they also make special ones for salad, cereal and fruit. I place these inside of the larger ones as well for extra refrigeration.
It may seem like all of this takes an entire day and the first one or two times that you do it it will take longer but once my food is cooked this entire process takes me 30min, every 5 days and saves me the time of making a lunch daily, going out to find food during the day and makes sticking to my diet 1000x easier. When all of your food is by your side there is no excuse to make a bad choice and others will follow your example. Purchasing fancy containers and coolers is not a necessity either, glad ware and icepack and the $7 cooler do a great job of keeping you prepared. Just find a system that works for you and use it.
Links
http://www.fit-fresh.com/?c1=GAW_SE_NW&source=USA&kw=fit_and_fresh_exm&cr5=14328025691&gclid=COzKkbOet7ACFQ8CQAodRTpz6w
http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Consistency . . . sucks but it is key to success
In the past I have gained and lost weight and gained and lost weight more than a few times, like many of you who are reading this. The main difference between those times and this time was consistency. Although it is not always fun consistency is what will help you lose the weight and keep it off. Most people have lost weight at some point in their lives only to slowly but surely put that weight back on.
We fool ourselves into thinking that since we have reached our goal weight now we can have fun, eat whatever we want, skip the gym and drink. Unfortunately this is not the case our body simply does not work that way. I am not saying that you can never eat pizza or cake again but even after you have reached your goal you do not have a free ticket to just go crazy. Over time this will put you right back into square one and you will have to buy new, bigger clothes, feel like a failure all over again and then start climbing back up the hill.
Consistency is the easiest and hardest thing to maintain while making a lifestyle change. The majority of people who are trying to lose weight follow their diet during the week and then not only cheat but go completely nuts on the weekend. Not only are you skipping the gym but you are eating out two, probably three times and most of us are drinking too. In your mind you think, "I deserve to have some fun, I was good all week". I agree, you do deserve some fun but not three days worth! In those two or three days of fun you have honestly completely wasted all of your hard work the previous five days.
Not only do we constantly over estimate the amount of calories that we are burning but we also under estimate the amount of calories that we are consuming. This is especially true when in comes to beverages. Not just alcohol but lattes with all of the milk (even fat free) and syrups, frappuccinos, sodas and juices you could be adding over 500 calories to your day without even realizing it. Then consider the dressing on your salad, the extra cheese on the sandwich and those birthday treats on Friday at the office. Then you drive to work, sit at a desk, drive to the gym and probably do not even give 100% when you are working out. So if you really sit down and our honest with yourself how good were you at this week?
I strongly recommend using a site or app like myfitnesspal.com and a heart rate monitor to track what you consume each day vs what you expend. By all means have a cheat MEAL once per week or on your birthday but having a cheat weekend each and every weekend is only going to keep you running in the same uphill spot week after week wondering why you aren't seeing results. It is not always fun to say no to the cake and ice cream but it is fun to buy smaller jeans! This doesn't mean you can't go out for lunch sometimes but when you go out make better choices. Have Chicken Noodle soup instead of Cream of Broccoli, eat a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a deep fried, ranch one. Take it one day and one week at a time and you'll get there. Before you know it everyone at the office will be copying you and packing a lunch every day too!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
A day in my stomach :)
The most common question people ask of me is, "What do you eat?" Here is a breakdown of what I eat on a daily basis. I pretty much eat the same exact thing each day to maintain consistency and to make it easier to pre plan my meals. A great tool that anyone can use for free is myfitnesspal.com and there is also an app. You can input your specific information i.e height, weight, activity level and weight loss goal in turn it will generate a specific number of calories, fats etc for you to work within. You can also set these number manually. Once you join, feel free to friend me if you would like, lesterlie09.
Meal 1(breakfast/pre workout)
1 cup liquid egg whites
1 individual serving Trader Joes Steelcut Oatmeal
Meal 2(post workout)
Whey Protein shake mixed with water
2 sticks of Frigo Light String Cheese
3 oz of Fage plain Greek Yogurt
Meal 3
3oz of Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 mission carb balance tortilla
1 white cheddar rice cake
2 wedges of laughing cow light cheese
Meal 4
1/2 whole wheat PBJ sandwich with reduced sugar jelly and all natural peanut butter
1 white cheddar rice cake
Meal 5(bedtime)
1 casein protein shake mixed with water-Beverly International Ultimate muscle protein is my favorite
While I was still in the weight/fat loss stages this would vary based on progress and now that I have lost weight but want to build muscle I am slowly adding more Carbs, Fats and Proteins to put that weight on appropriately.
I also must stress that I eat this EVERY DAY, I only have a cheat meal every few weeks or once a month, I do not drink even on weekends. Consistency really is your best friend when you want results. If you binge each and every week you will rarely make progress and see lasting results.
Meal 1(breakfast/pre workout)
1 cup liquid egg whites
1 individual serving Trader Joes Steelcut Oatmeal
Meal 2(post workout)
Whey Protein shake mixed with water
2 sticks of Frigo Light String Cheese
3 oz of Fage plain Greek Yogurt
Meal 3
3oz of Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 mission carb balance tortilla
1 white cheddar rice cake
2 wedges of laughing cow light cheese
Meal 4
1/2 whole wheat PBJ sandwich with reduced sugar jelly and all natural peanut butter
1 white cheddar rice cake
Meal 5(bedtime)
1 casein protein shake mixed with water-Beverly International Ultimate muscle protein is my favorite
While I was still in the weight/fat loss stages this would vary based on progress and now that I have lost weight but want to build muscle I am slowly adding more Carbs, Fats and Proteins to put that weight on appropriately.
I also must stress that I eat this EVERY DAY, I only have a cheat meal every few weeks or once a month, I do not drink even on weekends. Consistency really is your best friend when you want results. If you binge each and every week you will rarely make progress and see lasting results.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Flatbread pizza mmmmm
Today I made my boyfriend and I healthy pizza and I must say it was quite delicious.
There are minimal ingredients and it took 30min total from start to stomach.
There are minimal ingredients and it took 30min total from start to stomach.
To get started you need:
1) flatbread-I used Flat out, light original whole wheat flat bread
2)Cheese-Jewel brand fat-free Mozzarella Cheese 1/2 Cup
3)Tomato Sauce-Hunt's Tomato Sauce 1/4 cup
4)Meat- Pre-cooked Sausage-Jimmy Deans Turkey Sausage Crumbles/Hormel Turkey Pepperoni-(1/2cup or 10 slices)
5)Baby bella pre-sliced mushrooms 3oz
6)Olive Oil 1 TBSP
7) Seasoning of your choice-Garlic, basil, oregano, pepper-To taste
You can obviously put whatever toppings or combination of on your pizza I am just showing you what I made.
Directions:
1)Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2)Spray a cookie sheet with Pam(yes it will stick, I promise)
3)Spread 1/4 cup of tomato Sauce on flat bread
4)Spread 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over sauce
5)Add Topping evenly on top
6)Drizzle with olive oil (optional depending on fat needs, I like to use it to soften the mushrooms)
6)season to taste
7) Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 mins depending on desired crispiness
The breakdown nutrient wise for the ENTIRE sausage pizza (1/2 is pictured above) is:
Carbohydrates:27 grams
Fat:21gram(depending on olive oil. w/o olive oil MINUS-14 fat grams)
Protein:33grams
Content was calculated using Myfintesspal.com recipe feature
Eat for your body not your emotions
Since birth we have been conditioned to eat emotionally. This is the American way, eat for your birthday, eat to celebrate your job promotion, eat when you are sad, eat when you are happy. Eat, eat, eat, eat for every reason imaginable except for nutrition.
We are all guilty of this, myself included which is half of the reason why the entire country is overweight. We reward our children with snacks for good grades, potty training, behaving at the grocery store and countless other things that should be expected of us in normal life. Which then spills over into our eating habits our entire lives. There is nothing wrong with enjoying our food or getting excited over food but we should not choose what to eat based on how we are feeling or occurrences in our every day lives.
Throughout this journey that has been one of my biggest challenges. For example, this Friday I am attending a birthday party for a great aunt, she is 83 years old and the party will have all of the evil pleasures associated with parties. Cake, cookies, pasta salads, casseroles, wine, crackers and three different kinds of cheese balls to name a few. Most if not all of the attendees will partake in all of these snacks and then some until they are bursting at the seams. This is going to be a huge struggle for me even six months into this whole lifestyle change. I will eat out of my Tupperware in the car before arriving and be asked a gazillion times do I want (fill in the blank) and then I will be silently judged for not accepting. Meanwhile my subconscious will be screaming at me to just eat whatever I want, even though I know I can't, shouldn't and will over do it.
The major shift in the way I am now retraining my body, brain and emotions to think about food is not that I cannot enjoy what I eat because I honestly do but to enjoy what I eat not only because it tastes good but because I am eating only what my body needs to function, grow and maintain itself. If I give in to the pressure and eat the cake, cheese ball, wine and crackers not only will I disappoint myself but I will see it in the mirror and feel it in my body almost immediately after. Once your body has become accustomed to not over indulging it quite literally rejects poor food choices and makes you feel gross. Not to say that any of these things stop me every time but when I give in I definitely pay the price emotionally and physically.
It really is not our fault that we are programmed this way but it is our fault that we continue to make the choices that keep us on that path. The next time you go to a party and can't help but eat some of each thing on the buffet table or have that second and third piece of cake. Stop and think for 5 minutes about why you want to eat it. Do you want to eat it because you are caught up in the excitement, because you are hungry, because you had a bad day, because your body needs that to function or just because? Then make the decision, to eat or not to eat.
Our emotional state is often our own worst enemy when dieting. Even when you are having the worst day imaginable and you want to cry eating that pint of ice cream is only going to make you feel worse about it in the end. Find something to substitute as a healthy comfort food. It sounds so lame but it exists and can be done. I love eating white cheddar rice cakes with one wedge of Laughing Cow Cinnamon Cream Cheese spread. It is not only low cal, low fat but it is sweet and delicious! Take small steps and eat an individual sized 1 cup container or ice cream instead of the whole pint and go from there. Think before you eat.
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