Processed Food--How much is too much?

For someone actively trying to lose weight, any processed food is generally too much.

Sorry, but losing weight is hard work, not just discipline wise, either, but it also takes extra time initially on your part to learn how to prepare healthy meals from scratch.

If you look at the label on even the low calorie type processed meals, there are very few out there that are low in sodium and have the balance of nutrients our bodies require.

I'm not saying that picking up a healthier choice of a prepackaged meal isn't allowable every once in a while. But it should be a rarity, at best.

Allow this time in your life to be just that, a little more me time! That means allotting yourself time to prepare healthy meals. Quite honestly, once you get the rhythm of it, it really doesn't take any longer than going through the check-out line at your favorite fast food restaurant or even their drive-through window.

Set your steamer on to boil, rinse some beans, cauliflower, broccoli, or other vege you're fond of, throw a skinless, boneless chicken breast or salmon steak in the oven to cook for 20 minutes and there you have it, a healthy meal. Or substitute the steamed veges for a fresh salad. Add a diet slice of bread and you even have your starch to round out the meal. Be creative and discover what healthy dishes you can whip up in no time.

If you put the energy into experimenting with creating your own healthy meals early, you'll not only reap the benefit of being able to make meals in a flash from this day forward, but you'll instantly start to see those pounds disappear. You'll even notice a difference in how you grocery shop, what aisles you'll soon be avoiding and which ones become your friend. I even found grocery shopping to be a much faster endeavor as I learned to prepare healthier meals. And you'll not see as much waste anymore, either. So eating healthy is good for the environment as well. (Hey, is that another reason to add to our Why list? It is one for me.)

So next time you're tempted to pick-up something prepackaged or processed, take a detour to the produce aisle, butcher counter and dairy section of your supermarket and indulge a bit more time there and a lot less everywhere else.

Blessings and Good luck with the scale next time you step on.

Eileen

Fluctuating Weight

Ever notice that sometimes it seems as though your weight fluctuates like the Canadian dollar?

In any given day you can see a difference in your weight ranging up to somewhere close to 2 1/2 lbs. It's for this very reason, I guess, that it is good practice to be consistent with your weigh-in times. Whether you check the scale twice a week or once a week, you should always try to do it at the same time each of those days. Personally, I like the early morning time slot. It always gives me the lowest number--it's my friend, indeed.

I always wondered why on life insurance forms they ask if you've seen a difference of more than five pounds in weight over the past year. Now I know. I guess they figure a difference of five pounds within a year means you're either actively dieting or not, as the case may be. In either case, it's a warning sign to them that your health is being adjusted in one way or another. For those who are adjusting the scale downward, heading to your optimal weight, this is a good thing, but for those who are tipping the scale in the wrong direction, this is not so good.

I know my yearly weight management goal now that I'm at a healthy weight for my age, bone structure, and height. I'll strive to never reach that five pound difference, which works right in there with my weekly two pound allerting number.

So don't let the daily fluctuation of your weight get you down, it's completely normal, but do be concerned about the weekly, monthly, and even yearly alteration to your weight. That's the telling numbers--the ones we should be allerted by.

Off to find some veges for my snack,

Eileen

Surviving Celebrations

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Be happy, rejoice, He lives!

Have you ever noticed that celebrations can be a dieters worst enemy, though?

On a side note, I don't particularly like the word dieter (or any derivative of it) because of the negative connotation it has acquired over the years. But for lack of a better word equally as concise as diet, I'm going to use it from time to time. I personally like to think of my eating habits as a healthy life choice, rather than being on a never-ending diet.

For those who are watching their intake of food, celebrations do pose a real challenge. I don't recommend total denial of partaking in those special items on the menu though. Everyone deserves to enjoy treats once in a while. My suggestion is to enjoy them in a sampling sort of way, but if you just have to have more, do so with the understanding that this "one time" is the exception to the rule. You must be quite firm with yourself that that kind of enjoyment cannot run into a daily, recurring incident. Period.

And some additional exercise would be a good thing to add to your agenda for the next several days to counteract the damage those "extra's" cost you.

It's kind of in line with the old adage "Don't let your weekends run into your week." Splurging is acceptable on an occasional basis, but you are always accountable for your actions, so one way or another you will have to deal with the aftermath of that enjoyment.

Just be prepared to accept the consequences of celebrating. Whether it be to workout harder to regain your previous achievement, or to decrease your calorie intake during the next few days, or a combination of both, you do need to get back on the healthy track and the sooner the better.

So now that the big Easter weekend is over, spend some time retraining yourself to eat, sleep, and exercise in a healthy way again. Prepare yourself so you can enjoy the next big celebration without guilt, knowing that you have the ability to regain control of your eating habits immediately afterward.

Celebrating is good for you. Just know when to stop.

May our sweet tooth be amptly satisfied and may we crave all that is healthy once again.

'Till next time,
Eileen

Alerting number. Do you have one?

I tipped the scale this morning and not in the right direction, either.

I shouldn't be surprised. My children were on March break for ten days from school and my hubby took Monday to Wednesday off as well. In that time frame we visited Chucky Cheese (a pizza and arcade type place, although at least there I opted for the salad bar), Pizza Hut, had a Mexican night at home with a movie, enjoyed the local bakery a little too often and also dipped my hand into a bag a chips far too often. No wonder I gained 2 pounds over the last 10 days.

I discovered that since my pants didn't feel too tight by mid week I was feeling lucky. Maybe somehow my metabalism decided to act like I was twenty again and thus I could continue to enjoy the comforts of those days.

No. No. No. Bad idea to trick myself into thinking that way.

Today, I pulled out my most fitted jeans and forced them on just so I could feel their snugness to my growing curves once more. (I'm exaggerating of course, 2 pounds doesn't really make that great a difference, but if I don't get a handle on this the next additional 2 probably will.)

I've decided that that's my alerting number.

Do you have an alerting number?

I think everyone who has reached their goal should decide on one. That telling increase number of pounds that alerts you to get back on track, lose it, and work to maintain that goal weight once more.

If you make your number too high, then the struggle to lose it will be all the greater, so be cautious when chosing one, but also remember to allow yourself some room to enjoy those good old days every once in a while.

Pressing on with making healthier choices this week.

Eileen

Those dreadful Plateaus

Plateauing?--Now’s the time to mix things up.

If you regularly exercise, try a different routine for a week or so. Do you usually walk? Go for a bike ride or skip rope instead, or add this to your regular daily walks. The idea is to get your system’s attention by way of changing your regular routine.

If you don’t exercise, now’s the time to try it out. A simple 20 minute power walk each day for a week could kick-start your system into burning that fat all over again. And hopefully you’ll love it so much that you’ll stick with it.

What can you do food wise? If you are already limiting your food intake to the healthiest state you can, don’t despair. Again, mix things up. If you normally don’t eat protein for breakfast, try moving one of your daily portions to the first meal of the day. One tip I found particularly helpful was to eat my daily intake of starchy food in the first two meals of the day. That meant no potatoes with supper, but when I saw the scale start to move in my favor, I was more than happy to make that switch temporarily.

Anything that jars your system into noticing a change in your daily routine will help it to begin functioning optimally again. Think about what you always do the same, and then make some alterations.

I really believe there is truth to the old adage: Sometimes a change is as good as a rest.

Here’s to trying new things,

Eileen

Lower that Sodium Intake

Sodium (salt) is hidden in many items you wouldn’t naturally think were high in it. Salt acts like a retainer, not something you want a lot of at any time in your life.

Did you know that low-fat cottage cheese is relatively high in sodium? It surprised me. So check labels of all your favorites and if an item is relatively high in sodium but fairly healthy other wise, be sure to lower your intake of it. Enjoy it three or four times a week instead of everyday.

I use to like having 1% cottage cheese with a sliced apple or orange for breakfast every morning. That way I got a healthy protein or dairy into me first thing in the morning, along with a portion or two of fruit. It was so easy to prepare and tasted great, but once I realized the sodium involved, I began switching it up with yogurt. One morning I’d have my fruit in a bowl of low-fat yogurt (much less sodium involved) and the next I’d enjoy my cottage cheese again. Just by alternating, I lowered my sodium, and didn’t have to give up one of my favorite foods.

A helpful tip: If you do find that you’ve ingested a lot of sodium in one day, be sure to drink extra water too. It helps to flush that excess salt from your system.

On with the fight,

Eileen

Conquering Cravings

This is a tough one. I have many tricks up my sleeve for this problem and as I’m sure you can guess, there are times when each and every one of them fail me.

Everyone is different, so my best advice is to look at finding a solution to this problem in the form of trial and error. We’re never always going to be able to conquer our cravings, so, for the times that I don’t, I choose to think of it as my “human” moments. I deal with the consequences, drink extra water in hopes of flushing the bad stuff out faster, then move on, vowing to do better next time.

Here are a few of the things I try:

• If you know that you have a particular weakness to a certain taboo treat, then the obvious scenario would be to forbid that item from your home during your weight loss phase and then limiting its presence thereafter. If others in your family enjoy the same items, then this method isn’t always possible…I know. (Insert a sigh here.)

• Make it a general rule that you drink a full glass of water and wait a couple minutes in between before succumbing to your craving. Sometimes this eliminates the craving all together. Sometimes it gives me that needed time to remember all the reasons why I shouldn’t ingest the forbidden. …And sometimes this technique doesn’t work at all. But at least I’m one cup closer to reaching my healthy water intake for the day.

• Make a pact with yourself that can’t be broken. Take only a sampling, and be satisfied and thankful for it.

• This following scenario provides the greatest success for me. As a Christian, I’m often reminded of Paul’s wonderful counsel in 1 Corinthians 6:19. As long as I can remember, I’ve always broadened the meaning of this verse to be wise counsel for all of life’s temptations. This is especially helpful when I crave what I know to be solely empty calorie laden food. The fact that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit always reminds me of my responsibilities and that surviving this one little sacrifice is nothing in comparison to what my Savior endured for me.

Be creative and come up with your own tools to help you overcome cravings. We won’t always succeed, but we are sure to fail if we never try.

May our successes be greater than our failures,

Eileen

Examining Why?

A huge factor in the success of losing weight and keeping it off is our reason(s) for doing so.

My theory is that the more reasons you have for reaching or maintaining your goal weight, the better!

Let’s face it, our moods, desires, and needs change all the time. What was once your favorite pair of jeans that just fit so right, will one day change, and if you’re like me, that new favorite pair will just happen to be a size or two larger than the old faves were. Changing with the times, so to speak, can be a trap in which we all fall into from time to time.

So examine your reasons for setting this goal and keep adding new reasons to that list so that you will always have one that’s relevant at any given time and in any given situation.

It’s those reasons that will help you ward off dangerous cravings, make you ask for that doggy bag, give you reason to choose the boneless, skinless chicken breast with veges rather than the crispy fries and burger that just so happen to be available as well.

Make your reasons matter enough to give you pause. Those precious seconds could eliminate regret and backsliding on your journey to a healthier you!

I challenge you to take a few moments and discover a new reason or two to stick to this fight of getting the body and energy level you deserve.

Blessings to us all,

Eileen

Joining a Professional Weight Loss Plan versus Going it Alone?

In the past twelve years I've bounced between both methods and here are a few of my observations:

1. Long term, with both methods of losing weight I fell back into old ways and regained all or more of my unwanted weight. (Hence this blog--the plan is that it will help me keep it off this time.) The trick , I believe, is to realize that those of us who are prone to gaining excess weight are much like alcholics. We will forever need to control our cravings and be determined to make good, healthy choices, especially after we've indulged a bit.

2. Going it alone is cheaper, but the support you gain from the professional programs can be mighty helpful in establishing good eating habits, especially when you first start attempting to lose weight.

And lastly,

3. I lost weight faster while hooked to a plan, but with some of those plans (especially ones layed out in magazines)I experienced major mood swings while following them. My poor family! I must remember to apologize again for all those hormonal moments.


Anyway, what I think I gained most from the professional plans is the tools they taught me. ie, true portion sizes (though, that can be learned from studying Canada's Food Guide), tricks to overcome those annoying plateaus, and making those all important food and exercise logs that I discussed in the previous post.

So my suggestion to those considering signing up for a major weight loss plan is that you take advantage of the free consultations out there. Pick some reputable plans that have locations within a reasonable distance from you, soak in the knowledge they provide during those sessions and then, if you find them financially feasible, pick the one that best suits your personality and needs. But don't go into it with the expectation that once you lose the weight the struggle is over. No. No. No. Keeping that weight off is a lifelong discipline and you must use what you learned during your time in the program for the rest of your life for it work successfully.

If you choose to go it alone, do study portion control if you aren't all ready familiar with it, and be prepared to pull those measuring cups and the scale out and use them diligently.

May we all make excellent choices today,

Eileen

Keeping a detailed food and exercise log.

For my first post, I'm going to give you what I consider the most important tool to weight loss. Seriously, take the plunge and try it and not just for a day or two, commit to doing it for a couple weeks at least and then you'll see how easy and helpful it really is.

I know it seems like a pain at first, but once you get the handle of it, this type of record keeping is invaluable to achieving and maintaining your weight goals and it takes little energy and time to do, too.

You'll want to personalize your own log, but what works for me is having a counter of how many portions of protein, carbs, fruits, vegetables, dairy, fats, miscellaneous (ie, the naughty stuff), and water intake, in the form of a summary on my daily log. I also write down exactly what I eat throughout the day with weight and measurements of certain foods included. That way I can't cheat. If I've eaten a whole medium-sized banana or a large apple, that's counted as two fruits, not just one. These small things really do make a difference when you're trying to drop pounds. I also note if I've done my walk that day, or not.

If you work from home this kind of record keeping is pretty simple. Just keep your spiral notebook, or duotang on your kitchen counter or hanging on a cork board, ready for you to write your entries in each time you have a meal or a snack. If you work outside the home and have access to a computer, what about creating a log in a document or carrying a small notebook with you to update throughout the day?

Where there is a will, there is a way!!

To me, this is the single most important tool that helped me achieve my goal weight, and I believe it will be the best tool for helping me maintain my goal weight for life. It makes me accountable on paper, therefore I see and can't deny when I've taken too many liberties and my clothes start feeling tight as a result.