To most dieters, that phrase is almost like a death sentence. Your head start whirling as you go into an internal battle of "Do I eat what I want?" or "Do I do what's right?" But, what if you did both! I think that would cause a head explosion as the two battles collided.
In an earlier entry, I touched on restaurant portions and how crazy big they are. If you remember, I told you, you can eat what you want, but cut it all in half! I still stand by that. My husband will get that whim where he'll want to go out to eat steak. I'll have that steak with him, and I'll enjoy every bite. But I order an 8 oz steak and cut it in half. And you can enjoy that potato with your steak, but don't ask for extra butter or sour cream. Even better, don't even ask for it loaded. I eat mine with the tablespoonish of butter and sour cream they give you with it and call it good. Add salt and pepper if what they serve you isn't taste enough.
Another thing to remember when eating out, veggies are still your friend! You can eat as much salad, as many green beans, corn, squash, whatever tickles your fancy, and you won't have to worry about dipping into your daily points. Of course, if you order these things fried, battered, scalloped, blackened, buttered, or breaded, they will more than likely be higher points for you. Also, watch the salads, because some of the dressings served with salads can eat up your points quicker than everything else in it!
Buffets are a tricky one. You don't realize how fast the points add up until you sit down and total them up! A good start is to have a plan. First thing I do is take the first plate and load up with a big salad. I usually skip the croutons and just put a little cheese, since those do add up quick. Use the lightest dressing you can find! When it comes to the main dish, load that plate with veggies. Make sure they don't include the above bolded words. Then go for a meat, but make it a small portion. I definitely don't recommend going for seconds, unless you for sure want to go over your daily quota. Dessert is a tricky one, so that I'll leave to your discretion. They usually offer frozen yogurt, sugar free treats, and things like that. I usually splurge on a bit of ice cream, about 1/2 cup worth, with a little hot fudge.
One of your biggest allies is planning ahead! If you know you'll be going out to eat and even better, if you know where your going, do a little research on what to have ahead of time. Most chain restaurants have their nutrition information on their website. Just plug it into your calculator and you can estimate how much your eating. Make sure you look up the nutrition info for everything you plan to eat, including any bread on the table. Another decent source is Dotti's Weight Loss Zone. But I warn you that some of the point information is a little out of date. If you can go to the restaurant site to check, I recommend that!
Those are the best solutions I can offer for eating out. They have all worked well for me! As with anything else weight loss, will power and self control are key!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
I Hit A Slump
I'll admit it, last week, I hit a HUGE slump. I totally wasn't into the weight loss thing the way I should be. It wouldn't be right for me to give weight loss advice when I'm not even following it myself. There were a few personal reasons why I just couldn't pull it together. Things are much better now, so I can get back to giving you tidbits of info. Today is a bit busy for me, I need to get some major house cleaning done after our long weekend. Tomorrow I'll post the bit on buffets that I promised you! I have it all pretty well thought out in my head, just need to get a moment to sit down and type it out. I will make that moment tomorrow! Thank you for bearing with me in my down time!
Next up, heading to my goal of 170 by my birthday!!
Next up, heading to my goal of 170 by my birthday!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A Little Rant, Please Don't Mind Me
I know it's been a few days since I've gotten on and wrote a nugget of info up for you all. Sorry about that, my life has been pretty busy the last few days. I'm forcing myself to get something out today, then back to work, so I can take the time to write up something good for you tomorrow.
Today, it's a rant. I've had a few thoughts brewing in my head that just drives me insane about people. I'll share them with you, and I'll hope your not anyone I'm talking about here!
Annoying Thing #1 - People that say their fat, complain about it and all that, but do nothing about it. Do you really think the weight is going to fall off you just because you want it too. No, it takes just a wee bit of effort. Not a ton, I promise. I'm a pretty lazy person at times and even I can do this! I think what's worse than being the fat person complaining about it is the fat person complaining about it then shooting daggers at you when you tell them you've lost so many pounds. I usually don't tell people how much I've lost unless they ask. Unless it's my close family, then I like to tell them because I'm proud of myself. I can almost feel the steam coming off a member of my family when I tell this person about my progress. All I want is for that person just to be happy for me, and if they'd like to lose weight too, let me help them! /rant
Annoying Thing #2 - People that are "trying" to lose weight without the education they need for it, go to a buffet, order a water, but then load up their plate with the fattiest foods. Really now, you think not ordering a soda or even ordering a diet soda is going to counter act all that food on your plate. If it makes you feel better about eating so much, then you need to not complain about being fat. Your doing it to yourself!
Annoying Thing #3 - There is no miracle cure for weight loss. Diet pills, exercise drugs, surgeries, and everything that falls in that category is CHEATING! Weight loss is not easy, nor should it be. You did the effort of eating the way you did to put the weight on, you do the effort to get it off! I understand, you may be big, but I've seen women 300-400 lbs go on the website SparkPeople and lose weight just with their effort and not take the easy way out. That is an accomplishment. And when your done with said miracle cure (unless it's permanent), your eating habits don't change, then your surprised why it all comes back on tenfold. Part of the key to weight loss is changing your habits a bit. You don't have to make a radical change, but to make progress you do need to make a few!
Ok, that feels better! I think I'm done! Speaking of buffets, tomorrow I'll help you tackle a trip to the buffet or any in general eating out situation where you can't totally plan your meal!
Today, it's a rant. I've had a few thoughts brewing in my head that just drives me insane about people. I'll share them with you, and I'll hope your not anyone I'm talking about here!
Annoying Thing #1 - People that say their fat, complain about it and all that, but do nothing about it. Do you really think the weight is going to fall off you just because you want it too. No, it takes just a wee bit of effort. Not a ton, I promise. I'm a pretty lazy person at times and even I can do this! I think what's worse than being the fat person complaining about it is the fat person complaining about it then shooting daggers at you when you tell them you've lost so many pounds. I usually don't tell people how much I've lost unless they ask. Unless it's my close family, then I like to tell them because I'm proud of myself. I can almost feel the steam coming off a member of my family when I tell this person about my progress. All I want is for that person just to be happy for me, and if they'd like to lose weight too, let me help them! /rant
Annoying Thing #2 - People that are "trying" to lose weight without the education they need for it, go to a buffet, order a water, but then load up their plate with the fattiest foods. Really now, you think not ordering a soda or even ordering a diet soda is going to counter act all that food on your plate. If it makes you feel better about eating so much, then you need to not complain about being fat. Your doing it to yourself!
Annoying Thing #3 - There is no miracle cure for weight loss. Diet pills, exercise drugs, surgeries, and everything that falls in that category is CHEATING! Weight loss is not easy, nor should it be. You did the effort of eating the way you did to put the weight on, you do the effort to get it off! I understand, you may be big, but I've seen women 300-400 lbs go on the website SparkPeople and lose weight just with their effort and not take the easy way out. That is an accomplishment. And when your done with said miracle cure (unless it's permanent), your eating habits don't change, then your surprised why it all comes back on tenfold. Part of the key to weight loss is changing your habits a bit. You don't have to make a radical change, but to make progress you do need to make a few!
Ok, that feels better! I think I'm done! Speaking of buffets, tomorrow I'll help you tackle a trip to the buffet or any in general eating out situation where you can't totally plan your meal!
Friday, July 24, 2009
To Eat Or Not To Eat
Workout points or calories that is. There is a lot of debate on this subject. Do you eat the calories you burn when you workout? I've tried both ways and have formed my own opinion on the subject. Granted, I'm sure there are more scientific or professional opinions and facts behind it all, but this is what I feel.
To Eat - When I first started out, last year, and even for a couple months this time, I ate my activity points. By the way, activity points are what Weight Watchers gives you for your working out. They have a calculator for that as well, going off of your weight, how long you worked out, and your intensity. For example, if I work out for 30 minutes at a moderate pace, that is breaking a sweat, but still able to talk, I can eat 2 more points for that day. I did have a loss, but nothing outrageous. I think most of the loss came from just following my plan.
Not To Eat - Shortly after I restarted this year, I had an epiphany. If I go workout and burn say 200 calories or 2 points worth of food, then go and eat an extra 2 points, what exactly did I just workout for. Nothing?! I mean, I go work the calories off, just to eat them again, so basically I worked out for nothing! That definitely isn't something I like to do! I quit eating the activity point and lost 4 pounds that first week. With my weight now, I can watch and kind of control my loss with how much I work out. One week I really dig in and do 3-4 days working out, I'll lose 2 pounds easily. The weeks where I slack and not workout or maybe do it once, I usually stay the same, or worse, gain.
As you can see, I favor the "Not To Eat" workout calories. Ultimately, the choice is up to you. I just know whats proven to work for me!
To Eat - When I first started out, last year, and even for a couple months this time, I ate my activity points. By the way, activity points are what Weight Watchers gives you for your working out. They have a calculator for that as well, going off of your weight, how long you worked out, and your intensity. For example, if I work out for 30 minutes at a moderate pace, that is breaking a sweat, but still able to talk, I can eat 2 more points for that day. I did have a loss, but nothing outrageous. I think most of the loss came from just following my plan.
Not To Eat - Shortly after I restarted this year, I had an epiphany. If I go workout and burn say 200 calories or 2 points worth of food, then go and eat an extra 2 points, what exactly did I just workout for. Nothing?! I mean, I go work the calories off, just to eat them again, so basically I worked out for nothing! That definitely isn't something I like to do! I quit eating the activity point and lost 4 pounds that first week. With my weight now, I can watch and kind of control my loss with how much I work out. One week I really dig in and do 3-4 days working out, I'll lose 2 pounds easily. The weeks where I slack and not workout or maybe do it once, I usually stay the same, or worse, gain.
As you can see, I favor the "Not To Eat" workout calories. Ultimately, the choice is up to you. I just know whats proven to work for me!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Break Out The Measuring Cups!
Portion control is one of the biggest things when controlling weight loss. I know I wouldn't have gotten anywhere with my loss without it. And just like the title, I recommend getting out the measuring cups and spoons.
A lot of items try to deceive you with their packaging. Something that you may think is one serving usually gets broken into 2 or 3 or more! One of the most important things to remember is Check your Nutrition Label! I think the sneakiest thing manufactures do is tell you something is 100 calories a serving. You have a decent sized bag, but small enough you think it's only one serving. After downing the content, to your horror you find you just ate 3 servings worth of food, or 300 calories! My favorite thing to combat this is buy the 100 Calorie packs right off the bat. Make sure to check the label but things from Keebler, Nabisco, Pringles, etc, packaged in special 100 Calorie boxes with individual packs inside, are 100 calories a serving. Of course, if you eat more than 1 pack, then that's more calories.
You pick up the container of ice cream and look at the nutrition label. A half cup of ice cream is 130 calories. Instead of just guessing that a bowl full is half a cup, Get out that Measuring Cup and Measure! Sometimes the size of the serving you get may surprise you! I know for me, I find I get more than I think the size should be! After a while, when you are used to the sizes or when your not near a measuring cup and spoon, you can eye ball the size. It's good practice to still pull out the measuring cup every once in a while to doubt check your thinking! I know, your not always going to be around measuring cups at every meal. A few little tidbits to help remember sizes are:
When you go out to eat, the portions are completely out of whack. It's usually recommended that you eat 3-4 oz of meat a serving, but I defy you to find a steak on a menu smaller than 8 oz! Potatoes are bigger than what you would eat at home. Don't even get me started on desserts and appetizers. The sad truth is, you can end up eating your whole daily caloric intake in one sitting! That's why I recommend you Cut Restaurant Meals in Half! Go a step further and ask for the to go box right away and put half of your meal in that to take home for tomorrow! I even go as far and will cut foot long subs in half for lower points. Oh, and one quick tip, when out at restaurants, don't even touch the bread basket. One roll is easily 3-4 points, plus butter!
One last thing that I think is a great idea is Measure Out your Servings Ahead of Time! Say you make a big pot of soup. The point and calorie value on it are so perfect that you'd like to have it again in the near future. Why not, since you already have your measuring cup out for tonight, measure out individual servings for later. Even better, put them in freezer containers and freeze them for a later time! Doing this will save you a step later and insure you get the right amount then too!
These tips will definitely help keep your portions under control. The biggest thing that thwarts weight loss is over sized portions. It's important to not only watch what you eat, but how much of it you eat!
A lot of items try to deceive you with their packaging. Something that you may think is one serving usually gets broken into 2 or 3 or more! One of the most important things to remember is Check your Nutrition Label! I think the sneakiest thing manufactures do is tell you something is 100 calories a serving. You have a decent sized bag, but small enough you think it's only one serving. After downing the content, to your horror you find you just ate 3 servings worth of food, or 300 calories! My favorite thing to combat this is buy the 100 Calorie packs right off the bat. Make sure to check the label but things from Keebler, Nabisco, Pringles, etc, packaged in special 100 Calorie boxes with individual packs inside, are 100 calories a serving. Of course, if you eat more than 1 pack, then that's more calories.
You pick up the container of ice cream and look at the nutrition label. A half cup of ice cream is 130 calories. Instead of just guessing that a bowl full is half a cup, Get out that Measuring Cup and Measure! Sometimes the size of the serving you get may surprise you! I know for me, I find I get more than I think the size should be! After a while, when you are used to the sizes or when your not near a measuring cup and spoon, you can eye ball the size. It's good practice to still pull out the measuring cup every once in a while to doubt check your thinking! I know, your not always going to be around measuring cups at every meal. A few little tidbits to help remember sizes are:
- 1 Fist or 1 tennis ball = 1 cup or 1 medium fruit
- 1 Thumb from tip to 1st joint = 1 Tbsp
- 1 Finger from tip to 1st joint = 1 tsp
- 1 pack of cards = 3 oz of meat
When you go out to eat, the portions are completely out of whack. It's usually recommended that you eat 3-4 oz of meat a serving, but I defy you to find a steak on a menu smaller than 8 oz! Potatoes are bigger than what you would eat at home. Don't even get me started on desserts and appetizers. The sad truth is, you can end up eating your whole daily caloric intake in one sitting! That's why I recommend you Cut Restaurant Meals in Half! Go a step further and ask for the to go box right away and put half of your meal in that to take home for tomorrow! I even go as far and will cut foot long subs in half for lower points. Oh, and one quick tip, when out at restaurants, don't even touch the bread basket. One roll is easily 3-4 points, plus butter!
One last thing that I think is a great idea is Measure Out your Servings Ahead of Time! Say you make a big pot of soup. The point and calorie value on it are so perfect that you'd like to have it again in the near future. Why not, since you already have your measuring cup out for tonight, measure out individual servings for later. Even better, put them in freezer containers and freeze them for a later time! Doing this will save you a step later and insure you get the right amount then too!
These tips will definitely help keep your portions under control. The biggest thing that thwarts weight loss is over sized portions. It's important to not only watch what you eat, but how much of it you eat!
Monday, July 20, 2009
What's For Breakfast?
Most diet plans I see give you a bowl of cereal with skim milk and some kind of juice or toast with an egg and coffee. That's all fine and dandy, but doesn't it get old eating the same old thing for breakfast. Never mind, what happens when you do want a bowl of the sugary sweet cereal. Do you feel guilty when you splurge on it?
For me, breakfast is really something I don't give a second thought. I don't eat a bunch, but I do usually make a big one on Sundays. Typically I have a bowl of cereal with 2% milk. I can't stand skim, it tastes like watered down milk. What kind of cereal do I eat, you may be wondering. Today it was Corn Pops, sometimes I have Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Pebbles, Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, Rice Chex, basically whatever strikes my fancy. Milk and any of the above cereals give me 3 points for my breakfast. Just make sure that whatever cereal you eat, you check the label! Some of the above give me 2 points for 1 cup, while others offer 2 points for 3/4 cup. I tend to pick the cereals that give me more, but occasionally I can't resist the call of the really sweet.
What if you don't want cereal? What if you want a real breakfast? Most breakfast foods are fairly low in calories and fat. However there are a few sneaky things you need to watch out for.
Pop Tarts - One of the first sneaky breakfast foods is Pop Tarts, any and all flavors. I used to eat Pop Tarts all the time before I got on my plan. I thought it was a quick and easy breakfast, and with that didn't think it was that bad for me. Did you know, one pastry is 4 points?! Yes, one pastry, in a pack of two, just one is that many. If you had both, then it'd be 8 points! I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I don't want to have to give up my other meals just for this one!
Pancakes - This is one of the foods that surprised me. I figured if Pop Tarts were 4 points, then a pancake has got to be pretty high too. Actually, one pancake is 1 point! If you have two, then it's 3 points total. The thing with this is, usually most people put butter and syrup on their pancakes, so you have to add those in too. I can butter and syrup my pancake for 3 points total. Two pancakes with butter and syrup is 6 points. Not bad, but that's usually why I splurge on these with my Sunday breakfast.
Toaster Strudel - Another one that surprised me at first. I thought Pop Tarts would be low, so I thought this would be low too. Boy was I wrong! Just like a Pop Tart, these are 4 points each. Given the choice, I'd choose a Toaster Strudel over a Pop Tart. Sure there is less food with a Toaster Strudel, but it tastes so much better.
Waffles - Similar to pancakes, except costing you 1 more point for one. Again, you have to remember to add in the syrup and butter. One waffle is 5 points with syrup and butter. Another good one to put off until a high points day. But that's not to say that you couldn't work 5 points into your daily total!
Eggs - Some people like them, some don't. I'm one of those that don't really care for eggs. I don't typically figure out the points for these, but I will throw it in for anyone that does like them. One fried egg is only 2 points, but if you add milk, cheese, or anything really, to it, then the points go up. Half a cup of scrambled eggs is 5 points compared to 2 points from a fried one.
Toast - Sometimes, I like to have an English Muffin for breakfast. The good part is it's only 2 points for a muffin, but you have to add in the butter. Bread is typically 2 points, but I've been buying the 45 calorie and 35 calorie breads for only 1 point for two slices. Sara Lee and Earth Grains makes some good low calorie breads in many flavors. French Toast is a different entity though. Two slices of French Toast is 7 points, plus the butter and syrup. This would be a good one to avoid unless you work it in! Along the grains line, I don't recommend bagels because they are higher in calories right off the bat. Then add in some cream cheese and you've got a pretty high calorie breakfast.
Remember, when choosing the most important meal of the day, you add in all the little parts you eat. They add up fast! If you do plan to have a bigger breakfast, try to plan the rest of your day around it. Just don't get bored with the typical, bland, "diet" breakfasts.
For me, breakfast is really something I don't give a second thought. I don't eat a bunch, but I do usually make a big one on Sundays. Typically I have a bowl of cereal with 2% milk. I can't stand skim, it tastes like watered down milk. What kind of cereal do I eat, you may be wondering. Today it was Corn Pops, sometimes I have Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Pebbles, Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, Rice Chex, basically whatever strikes my fancy. Milk and any of the above cereals give me 3 points for my breakfast. Just make sure that whatever cereal you eat, you check the label! Some of the above give me 2 points for 1 cup, while others offer 2 points for 3/4 cup. I tend to pick the cereals that give me more, but occasionally I can't resist the call of the really sweet.
What if you don't want cereal? What if you want a real breakfast? Most breakfast foods are fairly low in calories and fat. However there are a few sneaky things you need to watch out for.
Pop Tarts - One of the first sneaky breakfast foods is Pop Tarts, any and all flavors. I used to eat Pop Tarts all the time before I got on my plan. I thought it was a quick and easy breakfast, and with that didn't think it was that bad for me. Did you know, one pastry is 4 points?! Yes, one pastry, in a pack of two, just one is that many. If you had both, then it'd be 8 points! I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I don't want to have to give up my other meals just for this one!
Pancakes - This is one of the foods that surprised me. I figured if Pop Tarts were 4 points, then a pancake has got to be pretty high too. Actually, one pancake is 1 point! If you have two, then it's 3 points total. The thing with this is, usually most people put butter and syrup on their pancakes, so you have to add those in too. I can butter and syrup my pancake for 3 points total. Two pancakes with butter and syrup is 6 points. Not bad, but that's usually why I splurge on these with my Sunday breakfast.
Toaster Strudel - Another one that surprised me at first. I thought Pop Tarts would be low, so I thought this would be low too. Boy was I wrong! Just like a Pop Tart, these are 4 points each. Given the choice, I'd choose a Toaster Strudel over a Pop Tart. Sure there is less food with a Toaster Strudel, but it tastes so much better.
Waffles - Similar to pancakes, except costing you 1 more point for one. Again, you have to remember to add in the syrup and butter. One waffle is 5 points with syrup and butter. Another good one to put off until a high points day. But that's not to say that you couldn't work 5 points into your daily total!
Eggs - Some people like them, some don't. I'm one of those that don't really care for eggs. I don't typically figure out the points for these, but I will throw it in for anyone that does like them. One fried egg is only 2 points, but if you add milk, cheese, or anything really, to it, then the points go up. Half a cup of scrambled eggs is 5 points compared to 2 points from a fried one.
Toast - Sometimes, I like to have an English Muffin for breakfast. The good part is it's only 2 points for a muffin, but you have to add in the butter. Bread is typically 2 points, but I've been buying the 45 calorie and 35 calorie breads for only 1 point for two slices. Sara Lee and Earth Grains makes some good low calorie breads in many flavors. French Toast is a different entity though. Two slices of French Toast is 7 points, plus the butter and syrup. This would be a good one to avoid unless you work it in! Along the grains line, I don't recommend bagels because they are higher in calories right off the bat. Then add in some cream cheese and you've got a pretty high calorie breakfast.
Remember, when choosing the most important meal of the day, you add in all the little parts you eat. They add up fast! If you do plan to have a bigger breakfast, try to plan the rest of your day around it. Just don't get bored with the typical, bland, "diet" breakfasts.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Even Mom's Can Do It!
Exercise that is! I won't go into the millions and billions of statistics, details, techniques, etc. We all know that exercise is good for your body. We know that it helps out your body in many ways. And if you don't know that it helps you lose weight, then you should!
There are a number of things you can do for exercising. You can get a video and work out to that. Get a video game that works you out. I have the Wii Fit and love it! Go for a walk, like we did at the zoo all day today. Anything that gets your heart pumping and your limbs moving. If you want the best burn for your workout, I've read mixing strength exercises in with walking or cardio will get rid of the most fat.
Now for the mom part. As a mom of four kids, I find making a special time to work out very difficult! For a while, I actually gave up on trying and guess what happened to the weight loss. I got a little smarter and with the suggestion of a friend, worked to my advantage the four little weights I have sitting around this house!
The Wagon Pull - The first thing I did, and the thing that probably works me out the most, is piling as many kids as I can in their wagon and pulling them up and down our driveway for a mile. Please note that you will burn more and get more worked out the rougher the terrain is. My driveway, for example, is a rocky, bumpy, pothole filled lane road that provides a nice challenge!
The Flying Leg Press - My kids love this one. One of their favorites I do with them. I like it because it works my legs, especially my thighs. What you do is lay on your back on the floor. Lift your legs off the ground and bend them. Have your child put their abdomen up to your feet. Grab their hands and lift them up with your feet so they are in "flying" position. Bend and straighten your legs, causing your child to go up and down. Do 10-20 of these, then rest, and do more until your feeling the burn! Please use caution when doing this one! I don't want any little ones getting injured!
The Baby Chest Press - I call it baby because I use my 18 pound baby, but you can use any size child your able to. Pick up said child and simply lift them, up and down, over your head. Straight up, straight down, 10-20 repetitions, until you feel it. Babies love this one, mine giggles the entire time! Again, use caution on this! I don't want any dropped babies!
Those are all the kid involved workouts, but I hope to come up with more. When I do get a few more, I'll be sure to share! Just remember, working out isn't as effective if you aren't feeling the burn, sweating, and generally getting into it! If you want to lose more, you need to burn more!
There are a number of things you can do for exercising. You can get a video and work out to that. Get a video game that works you out. I have the Wii Fit and love it! Go for a walk, like we did at the zoo all day today. Anything that gets your heart pumping and your limbs moving. If you want the best burn for your workout, I've read mixing strength exercises in with walking or cardio will get rid of the most fat.
Now for the mom part. As a mom of four kids, I find making a special time to work out very difficult! For a while, I actually gave up on trying and guess what happened to the weight loss. I got a little smarter and with the suggestion of a friend, worked to my advantage the four little weights I have sitting around this house!
The Wagon Pull - The first thing I did, and the thing that probably works me out the most, is piling as many kids as I can in their wagon and pulling them up and down our driveway for a mile. Please note that you will burn more and get more worked out the rougher the terrain is. My driveway, for example, is a rocky, bumpy, pothole filled lane road that provides a nice challenge!
The Flying Leg Press - My kids love this one. One of their favorites I do with them. I like it because it works my legs, especially my thighs. What you do is lay on your back on the floor. Lift your legs off the ground and bend them. Have your child put their abdomen up to your feet. Grab their hands and lift them up with your feet so they are in "flying" position. Bend and straighten your legs, causing your child to go up and down. Do 10-20 of these, then rest, and do more until your feeling the burn! Please use caution when doing this one! I don't want any little ones getting injured!
The Baby Chest Press - I call it baby because I use my 18 pound baby, but you can use any size child your able to. Pick up said child and simply lift them, up and down, over your head. Straight up, straight down, 10-20 repetitions, until you feel it. Babies love this one, mine giggles the entire time! Again, use caution on this! I don't want any dropped babies!
Those are all the kid involved workouts, but I hope to come up with more. When I do get a few more, I'll be sure to share! Just remember, working out isn't as effective if you aren't feeling the burn, sweating, and generally getting into it! If you want to lose more, you need to burn more!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Enjoy Your Food
One afternoon, I stumbled across a very good article in Good Housekeeping. The article talked about how your more likely to over eat if you don't enjoy your food. On thinking more about that, it is exactly right! How many times have you actually sat down to a meal and ate it slowly, savoring every bite, taste, sensation. In the fast pace, rush-rush world we live in now, almost everything is being made for convenience and ease. The more convenient and easier it is to make, the faster you can consume it and move on to the next thing. Sound about right. Never mind the fact that portions are so out of whack, a lot of times you end up consuming double what your supposed to. (More on this topic later!) Most of the time, even if you have a sit down dinner, it's spent wolfing it down due to hunger, boredom, or trying to move on to something else you have planned. A lot of times after a binge like this, you feel miserable, but you end up doing it again and again to yourself.
After I read that article, I started paying attention to how I ate. And yes, even now, a lot of times I'm trying to hurry through a meal to do something with my kids. But I do try to make a conscious effort to enjoy what I eat too. I took this concept one step farther. On a day I really needed some chocolate, but didn't have a lot of points, I decided to eat some of my Hershey's Chocolate Bar (3 squares for 1 point). But instead of eating as quick as I could, wanting the next bite before it was even in my mouth, I decided to take it slow. I decided to use as many of my senses as possible. I smelled the rich chocolaty aroma, the way it made me excited just to smell the richness of it. I enjoyed the dark brown color, with a little bit of shine, just enough to catch your eye. I traced the letters stamped on it with my eyes. I could feel the coolness of the chocolate in my fingers. As well, I could feel the chocolate melting a little on my fingers. Then came the part I was waiting for. All the examining of the chocolate, made me anxious to eat it. I took a bite, not a big one, just a nibble. I swished it around in my mouth. Let it melt on my tongue. Tasted the chocolaty sweetness as it coated my tongue and filled my mouth. With all the bites after that, I focused on the bite in my mouth, not thinking of anything besides that. To my amazement, I made those 3 squares of chocolate more than filled my chocolate craving and even filled me enough until dinner time.
Just because you are on a "diet" plan, especially starting out and feeling like you've cut back a lot on the food your used to, doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. If your body takes the time to make the hungry feeling hit you, you should take the time to enjoy the food you are putting in your body. Why eat it if your not enjoying!
After I read that article, I started paying attention to how I ate. And yes, even now, a lot of times I'm trying to hurry through a meal to do something with my kids. But I do try to make a conscious effort to enjoy what I eat too. I took this concept one step farther. On a day I really needed some chocolate, but didn't have a lot of points, I decided to eat some of my Hershey's Chocolate Bar (3 squares for 1 point). But instead of eating as quick as I could, wanting the next bite before it was even in my mouth, I decided to take it slow. I decided to use as many of my senses as possible. I smelled the rich chocolaty aroma, the way it made me excited just to smell the richness of it. I enjoyed the dark brown color, with a little bit of shine, just enough to catch your eye. I traced the letters stamped on it with my eyes. I could feel the coolness of the chocolate in my fingers. As well, I could feel the chocolate melting a little on my fingers. Then came the part I was waiting for. All the examining of the chocolate, made me anxious to eat it. I took a bite, not a big one, just a nibble. I swished it around in my mouth. Let it melt on my tongue. Tasted the chocolaty sweetness as it coated my tongue and filled my mouth. With all the bites after that, I focused on the bite in my mouth, not thinking of anything besides that. To my amazement, I made those 3 squares of chocolate more than filled my chocolate craving and even filled me enough until dinner time.
Just because you are on a "diet" plan, especially starting out and feeling like you've cut back a lot on the food your used to, doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. If your body takes the time to make the hungry feeling hit you, you should take the time to enjoy the food you are putting in your body. Why eat it if your not enjoying!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Snack Time
I hit a milestone today on my weigh in! I lost 1 more pound to make it 30 pounds lost since January! To celebrate, today I will share my favorite snacks with you and maybe throw in a few comparisons! And yes, you will notice chocolate in most of them. I'm a chocoholic!
The Surprising Snack - When I started out last year, I thought I'd go all out and buy everything healthy, low cal, low fat, multi-grain, etc and so forth. I slowly found that a lot of that stuff went to waste, wasn't near as good, or better yet, the original just as good for you! One of the low cal things I picked up was the 100 calorie pack Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes. I have to admit that these are very tasty and very close in taste to the original. A serving is 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 5 grams of fiber. For all the points counting people, you plug that into your calculators and you get 1 point per pack! You get 3 little cakes, which I think is a perfect size to satisfy that chocolate craving. And honestly, the cakes aren't too little, so you don't feel like your getting jipped! There really is no comparison to the similar snack, Weight Watcher Chocolate Cake, for the same amount of points. They are very small, dry, funky tasting, and expensive!
The Salty Snack - I'm not always in the mood for chocolate or sweets. If I want a low calorie/point snack, I usually look to popcorn. There are the 100 calorie bags of popcorn, Pop Secret 100 calorie packs. And yes, the whole bag is 100 calories or 2 points. The only flaw I have found with them, at least at my house, is they burn way too easy in the microwave. I have yet to have a bag that not even a little was burned. It wasn't cooking error on myself, because I'd watch that stuff like a hawk, but no matter when I took it out, it seemed a bit was burnt, even if the whole bag wasn't popped! Instead, I found Act II Butter Popcorn to be a better alternative. You can eat the entire bag of that for 2 points (90 calories, 6 fat, and 1.5 fiber), and that bag is much bigger than the 100 calorie bag! And if you do want a bit of sweet with your popcorn, Act II Kettle Corn gives you that hint of sweet and salt for just 2 points as well (75 calories, 3.75 fat, and 0 fiber).
The Candy - In yesterday's entry, I told you that a Snickers bar is 7 points. Just about all candy bars are the same. Kit Kat bar is 5 points, Twix bar is 7 points, even one Reese's Peanut Butter Egg from Easter is 4 points. Fun size and Mini size aren't much better, 2 points for most, occasionally 1. But is that little mini enough to satisfy the candy craving. For me no, I find I just want to go back for more, then the calories and points add up fast. One day, I was in dire need of some chocolate, scrounging around my kitchen for something of substantial chocolate. In the fridge I had found some Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars leftover from a recent bonfire we had had (S'mores). I looked at the nutrition facts and 1 whole bar was 210 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber, 5 points, not too bad. On that particular day, I couldn't afford 5 points on a whole bar, but I did need something. I did a little math and found out if you break the bar into quarters, 3 squares of chocolate is only 1 point, 53 calories, 3 grams of fat and 0 grams of fiber. This is where the will power and self control come in. For me, the 3 squares is enough for me to savor, enjoy, and get my chocolate fix. You just have to remember to take small bites and enjoy the flavor of it, don't just wolf it down. (More on this topic at a later time!)
The Grand Dessert - On days that I try to have higher calories, if I have a lot of points left over, or if I just need to indulge in something good, I found something that really does the trick. Betty Crockers Warm Delight Mini Bowls are an amazing snack for only 150 calories each. My favorite is the Molten Chocolate, only 3 points for 1 bowl, but they also have Molten Caramel and Chocolate Raspberry Decadence. It does require just a tiny bit of work to make, adding water, mixing, squeezing on the chocolate, caramel, or raspberry, and microwaving for 30 seconds. To me, that is worth the warm, gooey, goodness. And if you really want a treat, a quarter cup of Vanilla Ice Cream on top help make it seem like a fancy dessert and not a lower calorie snack. I use Prairie Farm Vanilla Ice Cream, my favorite and shameless advertising of the place we haul our milk to, for only 2 points a quarter cup. If you want the full half cup, it's only 3 points, 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 0 grams of fiber. I find for the mini bowl, a quarter cup is plenty. Most vanilla ice creams have similar nutrition info. Of course, if you use Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream, you'll find you can have more or use less points with the lower fat and calorie content!
The New Find - At my recent trip to the grocery story, they finally had 100 calorie pack Oreo Cakesters. I've been waiting to try these just to see if their as good as they look. I had one pack last night and I wasn't disappointed. They are about the same size as the 100 calorie Hostess Cupcakes, and like them, there are 3 in a pack. Granted, I want to try a few more packs before I determine if this is a permanent fixture on my list, but it is very promising. Especially at only 2 points a pack, 100 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber.
I hope these gave you some food for thought. I recommend you pick any or all of these up on your next grocery trip, you won't be disappointed. Happy snacking to everyone!
The Surprising Snack - When I started out last year, I thought I'd go all out and buy everything healthy, low cal, low fat, multi-grain, etc and so forth. I slowly found that a lot of that stuff went to waste, wasn't near as good, or better yet, the original just as good for you! One of the low cal things I picked up was the 100 calorie pack Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes. I have to admit that these are very tasty and very close in taste to the original. A serving is 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 5 grams of fiber. For all the points counting people, you plug that into your calculators and you get 1 point per pack! You get 3 little cakes, which I think is a perfect size to satisfy that chocolate craving. And honestly, the cakes aren't too little, so you don't feel like your getting jipped! There really is no comparison to the similar snack, Weight Watcher Chocolate Cake, for the same amount of points. They are very small, dry, funky tasting, and expensive!
The Salty Snack - I'm not always in the mood for chocolate or sweets. If I want a low calorie/point snack, I usually look to popcorn. There are the 100 calorie bags of popcorn, Pop Secret 100 calorie packs. And yes, the whole bag is 100 calories or 2 points. The only flaw I have found with them, at least at my house, is they burn way too easy in the microwave. I have yet to have a bag that not even a little was burned. It wasn't cooking error on myself, because I'd watch that stuff like a hawk, but no matter when I took it out, it seemed a bit was burnt, even if the whole bag wasn't popped! Instead, I found Act II Butter Popcorn to be a better alternative. You can eat the entire bag of that for 2 points (90 calories, 6 fat, and 1.5 fiber), and that bag is much bigger than the 100 calorie bag! And if you do want a bit of sweet with your popcorn, Act II Kettle Corn gives you that hint of sweet and salt for just 2 points as well (75 calories, 3.75 fat, and 0 fiber).
The Candy - In yesterday's entry, I told you that a Snickers bar is 7 points. Just about all candy bars are the same. Kit Kat bar is 5 points, Twix bar is 7 points, even one Reese's Peanut Butter Egg from Easter is 4 points. Fun size and Mini size aren't much better, 2 points for most, occasionally 1. But is that little mini enough to satisfy the candy craving. For me no, I find I just want to go back for more, then the calories and points add up fast. One day, I was in dire need of some chocolate, scrounging around my kitchen for something of substantial chocolate. In the fridge I had found some Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars leftover from a recent bonfire we had had (S'mores). I looked at the nutrition facts and 1 whole bar was 210 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber, 5 points, not too bad. On that particular day, I couldn't afford 5 points on a whole bar, but I did need something. I did a little math and found out if you break the bar into quarters, 3 squares of chocolate is only 1 point, 53 calories, 3 grams of fat and 0 grams of fiber. This is where the will power and self control come in. For me, the 3 squares is enough for me to savor, enjoy, and get my chocolate fix. You just have to remember to take small bites and enjoy the flavor of it, don't just wolf it down. (More on this topic at a later time!)
The Grand Dessert - On days that I try to have higher calories, if I have a lot of points left over, or if I just need to indulge in something good, I found something that really does the trick. Betty Crockers Warm Delight Mini Bowls are an amazing snack for only 150 calories each. My favorite is the Molten Chocolate, only 3 points for 1 bowl, but they also have Molten Caramel and Chocolate Raspberry Decadence. It does require just a tiny bit of work to make, adding water, mixing, squeezing on the chocolate, caramel, or raspberry, and microwaving for 30 seconds. To me, that is worth the warm, gooey, goodness. And if you really want a treat, a quarter cup of Vanilla Ice Cream on top help make it seem like a fancy dessert and not a lower calorie snack. I use Prairie Farm Vanilla Ice Cream, my favorite and shameless advertising of the place we haul our milk to, for only 2 points a quarter cup. If you want the full half cup, it's only 3 points, 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 0 grams of fiber. I find for the mini bowl, a quarter cup is plenty. Most vanilla ice creams have similar nutrition info. Of course, if you use Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream, you'll find you can have more or use less points with the lower fat and calorie content!
The New Find - At my recent trip to the grocery story, they finally had 100 calorie pack Oreo Cakesters. I've been waiting to try these just to see if their as good as they look. I had one pack last night and I wasn't disappointed. They are about the same size as the 100 calorie Hostess Cupcakes, and like them, there are 3 in a pack. Granted, I want to try a few more packs before I determine if this is a permanent fixture on my list, but it is very promising. Especially at only 2 points a pack, 100 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 1 gram of fiber.
I hope these gave you some food for thought. I recommend you pick any or all of these up on your next grocery trip, you won't be disappointed. Happy snacking to everyone!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
About My Plan
I know I only touched on the plan I follow yesterday. Today I'll go more in depth, since well, that's the whole point of this blog!
As I mentioned yesterday, I follow Weight Watchers Flex Points plan. I won't go too in depth on the plan since I have no clue where the copyright infringement line is. Basically, based on your weight you get a set number of points you can eat a day. (Yes, I know the current plan goes off weight, height, activity level, etc.) If you convert points to calories, one point equals 50 calories. I get 24 points in a day or 1200 calories. In addition to that, I get an extra 35 points or 1750 a week to use as I want. To get points out of your food, you have to take the calories, fat, and fiber and plug it into a special formula. (I won't divulge it here, again, fearing copyright stuff, but if I have a big enough following and request, I'll go further into the plan at a later date!) For example, a medium apple is 1 point. A Snickers candy bar is 7. See where I'm going with this?!
You may be thinking, "That's not a lot of calories to eat." I plan to show you just how you can stretch that amount of calories/points out and still feel satisfied. Whats more, I want to show you how to do it with your current lifestyle. I don't want you to think you have to change your life completely around. Granted, you will have to make a few changes and maybe buy a few new to you products. But you won't have to switch to a diet of 1 egg for breakfast, a tofurkey dog for lunch, soy nuts for a snack, and a small bean burrito for dinner. (Note: This is not a real diet menu. I just threw these off the top of my head because this is what a diet looks like to me.)
A big key to having success with the new plan is Don't beat yourself up if you screw up. I once heard it compared to a GPS in your car. What does it do when you make a wrong turn? It doesn't beat you up, belittle you, make you feel bad. If it does, you need a new GPS. It simply says "Turn around at your next available convenience." The same holds true with trying to lose weight. Say you have an off day and decide to eat that piece of cake with ice cream on top. Don't gorge it down then feel ashamed. Enjoy it! Savor it! Try again tomorrow at getting it right! Granted you don't want to slip up every day or you won't get anywhere. Like in a car, if you make a wrong left turn and then keep making left turns, you'll just go in a circle (or square if you want to be technical).
Another thing, I've recently found to help keep success up is Purposely cheat! Now I don't mean every day or all the time, but some cheating is ok. I find when I've been following my plan for a while, I start to get bored. Then I slip and screw up, next thing I know I've gained a pound or two. Every couple of months, my husband and I plan a get away together. On this get away, I get away from everything, literally! Kids, work, chores, and yes, "diet" plan. I enjoy the weekend, eat what I want, and just let go. Granted I know the following weigh in will probably not show a loss. But mentally I feel like I've lost some baggage and can start anew!
I mentioned about the extra 1750 calories a week I get. I find I end up using them on the weekends. But that's just our lifestyle. You can use them how you want. During the week I try to stay on the strict 24 points/1200 calories, maybe going over by 100 calories (2 points) at the most. The thing I do make sure to do is Always have a high calorie day. Every week! Take one day and make sure you eat more calories than normal. And I'm talking like 1700 to 2000 calories, enjoy your splurges on this day. Doing this ensure you get enough calories within the week so your body does think it's being deprived and go into starvation mode. Starvation mode is a very bad thing. Your body will basically hold on to any and everything you eat, the result being no weight lost. Then you look back at your week and can't figure out how you didn't lose anything when you followed plan to T. It's because you followed it too well. But make sure, the extra calories you consume on your high calorie day come out of your extra 1750, that's part of the plan.
I think I've give enough information for you to digest for one day. I don't want to overwhelm and fry your brain! I plan to try to post more tidbits and info daily, but I don't intend every post to be this long. Today's just happened to be so long so I could get a lot of the basics in! Hope that was enough food for thought for one day! Good luck to everyone trying to lose weight along with me!
As I mentioned yesterday, I follow Weight Watchers Flex Points plan. I won't go too in depth on the plan since I have no clue where the copyright infringement line is. Basically, based on your weight you get a set number of points you can eat a day. (Yes, I know the current plan goes off weight, height, activity level, etc.) If you convert points to calories, one point equals 50 calories. I get 24 points in a day or 1200 calories. In addition to that, I get an extra 35 points or 1750 a week to use as I want. To get points out of your food, you have to take the calories, fat, and fiber and plug it into a special formula. (I won't divulge it here, again, fearing copyright stuff, but if I have a big enough following and request, I'll go further into the plan at a later date!) For example, a medium apple is 1 point. A Snickers candy bar is 7. See where I'm going with this?!
You may be thinking, "That's not a lot of calories to eat." I plan to show you just how you can stretch that amount of calories/points out and still feel satisfied. Whats more, I want to show you how to do it with your current lifestyle. I don't want you to think you have to change your life completely around. Granted, you will have to make a few changes and maybe buy a few new to you products. But you won't have to switch to a diet of 1 egg for breakfast, a tofurkey dog for lunch, soy nuts for a snack, and a small bean burrito for dinner. (Note: This is not a real diet menu. I just threw these off the top of my head because this is what a diet looks like to me.)
A big key to having success with the new plan is Don't beat yourself up if you screw up. I once heard it compared to a GPS in your car. What does it do when you make a wrong turn? It doesn't beat you up, belittle you, make you feel bad. If it does, you need a new GPS. It simply says "Turn around at your next available convenience." The same holds true with trying to lose weight. Say you have an off day and decide to eat that piece of cake with ice cream on top. Don't gorge it down then feel ashamed. Enjoy it! Savor it! Try again tomorrow at getting it right! Granted you don't want to slip up every day or you won't get anywhere. Like in a car, if you make a wrong left turn and then keep making left turns, you'll just go in a circle (or square if you want to be technical).
Another thing, I've recently found to help keep success up is Purposely cheat! Now I don't mean every day or all the time, but some cheating is ok. I find when I've been following my plan for a while, I start to get bored. Then I slip and screw up, next thing I know I've gained a pound or two. Every couple of months, my husband and I plan a get away together. On this get away, I get away from everything, literally! Kids, work, chores, and yes, "diet" plan. I enjoy the weekend, eat what I want, and just let go. Granted I know the following weigh in will probably not show a loss. But mentally I feel like I've lost some baggage and can start anew!
I mentioned about the extra 1750 calories a week I get. I find I end up using them on the weekends. But that's just our lifestyle. You can use them how you want. During the week I try to stay on the strict 24 points/1200 calories, maybe going over by 100 calories (2 points) at the most. The thing I do make sure to do is Always have a high calorie day. Every week! Take one day and make sure you eat more calories than normal. And I'm talking like 1700 to 2000 calories, enjoy your splurges on this day. Doing this ensure you get enough calories within the week so your body does think it's being deprived and go into starvation mode. Starvation mode is a very bad thing. Your body will basically hold on to any and everything you eat, the result being no weight lost. Then you look back at your week and can't figure out how you didn't lose anything when you followed plan to T. It's because you followed it too well. But make sure, the extra calories you consume on your high calorie day come out of your extra 1750, that's part of the plan.
I think I've give enough information for you to digest for one day. I don't want to overwhelm and fry your brain! I plan to try to post more tidbits and info daily, but I don't intend every post to be this long. Today's just happened to be so long so I could get a lot of the basics in! Hope that was enough food for thought for one day! Good luck to everyone trying to lose weight along with me!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Beginning - About This Blog
After losing weight and "dieting" for the past 6 months, I've come across many surprising things that I feel I should pass on. I had a friend recommend I write a book, but I think blogging would be so much easier. My intentions with this blog is to show the readers that you can lose weight without "dieting" the traditional way.
If you notice, one of the main things I've done so far is put the word dieting in quotes. I feel if you want to lose weight, no "diet" will do it. You have to want to change your lifestyle and your thinking. If you don't even consider doing this, you will fail. Plain and simple. Granted, I will use the word "diet" sometimes, for lack of a better term.
Now for a little about myself. I'm a stay at home mom of 4. My kids keep me very busy all the time and that occasionally gets in the way of my exercise routine and blogging. I try to work with it. I also have another blog about them if your curious.
In the past, I have tried fad diets (notice this one isn't in quotes because I do mean diet). None of them worked in the long term. Sure I lost a few pounds here and there, but nothing stuck. Last year, after the birth of my son, I was ready to shed the pounds for good. I thought we were done having children, so I dug in and did my research. Weight Watchers seemed like a good plan to try. I lost 20 lbs in 11 weeks. Then I got the biggest surprise, I was pregnant again. All weight loss plans had to be put on hold. I recently restarted Weight Watchers in January and to date have lost 29 lbs. The thing is, I've never joined Weight Watcher. I've never been to a meeting. I've not even been on their site other than to find out about my local meetings, that I've never attended. I do follow a modified version of their Flex Points plan and through that have found out all the little secrets I'll share with you!
I hope to show everyone that it's really easy to follow a "diet" plan and lose weight, all while you hardly have to change your current eating habits. I'll show you how to work a healthier and weight loss plan into your daily routine. The daily topics may vary, but I hope to provide valuable information with all of it!
If you notice, one of the main things I've done so far is put the word dieting in quotes. I feel if you want to lose weight, no "diet" will do it. You have to want to change your lifestyle and your thinking. If you don't even consider doing this, you will fail. Plain and simple. Granted, I will use the word "diet" sometimes, for lack of a better term.
Now for a little about myself. I'm a stay at home mom of 4. My kids keep me very busy all the time and that occasionally gets in the way of my exercise routine and blogging. I try to work with it. I also have another blog about them if your curious.
In the past, I have tried fad diets (notice this one isn't in quotes because I do mean diet). None of them worked in the long term. Sure I lost a few pounds here and there, but nothing stuck. Last year, after the birth of my son, I was ready to shed the pounds for good. I thought we were done having children, so I dug in and did my research. Weight Watchers seemed like a good plan to try. I lost 20 lbs in 11 weeks. Then I got the biggest surprise, I was pregnant again. All weight loss plans had to be put on hold. I recently restarted Weight Watchers in January and to date have lost 29 lbs. The thing is, I've never joined Weight Watcher. I've never been to a meeting. I've not even been on their site other than to find out about my local meetings, that I've never attended. I do follow a modified version of their Flex Points plan and through that have found out all the little secrets I'll share with you!
I hope to show everyone that it's really easy to follow a "diet" plan and lose weight, all while you hardly have to change your current eating habits. I'll show you how to work a healthier and weight loss plan into your daily routine. The daily topics may vary, but I hope to provide valuable information with all of it!
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