How many people do you know who have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol? Probably quite a few. Maybe even you are dealing with one of these conditions.
Unfortunately, these health issues are so common we’ve lost our respect for them. Someone says, “Yeah, I have high blood pressure,” as easily as if she/he was talking about the common cold.
People take medication like it was a magic potion, feeling like that’s all they need to do and they’ll be okay. They abuse their bodies by eating fried foods, sweets, and salty snacks – when they’re bodies cannot process that kind of junk. They sit at their desk, at their dinner table, and on their couch while their heart and body are weakening.
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I love Thanksgiving. It’s so restful for me because we go to my mom’s house for dinner. I don’t have to mega clean my house or cook a huge meal. She wants to make everything herself and is only “allowing” me to bring a dessert.
I get to go into the gym in the morning and have a kick-butt workout. (The goal is to burn at least 800 calories.) Then I can put my feet up and catch some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV before we leave.
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I ran into a past client today. He had lost a lot of weight when he worked with me and got into great shape.
He told me that several months ago his wife said, “After three years, you shouldn’t need the food scale anymore.” And she put it away.
He started eating larger portions because he was no longer weighing and measuring his foods. In three months time, he put 30 pounds on.
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I find that I get in trouble with my calories when I don’t plan my food out for the day. Even if I’m choosing healthy foods, it’s so easy to have 50 extra calories here, 70 extra calories there, and so on. Before I know it, I get to dinner and realize I don’t have enough calories left for the rest of the day to remain in my calorie limit.
It’s simply poor planning on my part. When I sketch out my food for the day (before I eat it), I can make adjustments and wiser choices. This allows me to add up my calorie total to make sure I’m within my limit.
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There’s still the misconception that weight training will bulk you up. People trying to lose weight tend to stay away from weights. Instead they put in hours of walking, swimming, and bike riding. All those are fantastic! But to get the best results – in both weight loss and body composition – there’s no trade off for weight lifting.
When you lose weight, you will lose some lean muscle. It’s an unfortunate fact because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, and the more calories you burn. So you can see the problem here. More weight loss, more muscle loss, lower metabolism, less calorie burn.
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Sometimes I just want something that tastes really good. Something sweet and delicious. Something cool and creamy. Something rich and chocolaty. Something that tastes bad for me…but isn’t.
Fortunately, I’ve found some healthy alternatives to peanut butter cups and ice cream. When my sweet tooth kicks in, I tame it with these treats (or at least try to!):
Yogurt – mix 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt with Splenda, vanilla, and berries.
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The day started off with the toilet overflowing into a great big mess on the bathroom floor. The plastic thingy that’s supposed to go back down after flushing so the tank can fill didn’t seal back down. The water kept running and running. Fortunately I heard it before I took the dogs for a walk or the whole house would’ve been flooded.
So I had a giant load of towels to wash besides the regular laundry. Then my boys decided fighting over their K’nex pieces before breakfast was a good way to get the day started. And my puppy ripped the stuffing out of his toy, and chewed up a pencil into shards all over the living room floor.
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A lot of people don’t realize all the emotional up and downs they’ll have on their weight loss journey. Just like losing weight is a process on the outside, adjusting to a new image is a process on the inside.
I remember when I first lost my weight. I often had “fat days” when I felt big and ugly and unattractive. It didn’t matter the size jeans I put on; I felt fat.
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I teach a first and second grade gym class and I’m always amazed by the kids. We start every class off with a warm up – 20 jumping jacks, 20 pushups, 20 run in place, and 20 crunches. Then we do sprints, frog hops (jump squats in disguise), and more sprints across the gymnasium.
They love it.
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If you’re like me, the amount of time you have to exercise varies from day to day. One day I may get in 75 minutes, the next day 45, another day 60, and if I’m really lucky, two days of 100 minutes. I have to roll with my schedule.
Your schedule probably fluctuates daily too. The important thing is to not skip exercise even if it has to be squeezed in. On the days you do have more time, fit in that intense exercise session.
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You could say I have a healthy appetite. I’m not one to forget to eat (wish I was). So, I began wondering if there are certain foods that make you feel fuller than others.
From experience, I know eating a bowl of cereal is about as good as a wafer in my stomach. (I think my stomach is turbo charged.) I also know animal protein sticks. So here’s what I found out about foods that’ll fill you up and keep you full.
Fiber: fiber is great for filling you up and slowing your digestion. Try getting high fiber foods every time you eat. Some good options are: apples, berries, oatmeal, popcorn, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, beans, peas, salad, broccoli, corn, and baked potatoes.
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Tonight I was in a rush and emotionally agitated when I grabbed dinner. I wolfed it down trying to hurry and eat as fast as I could. Afterward, I did not feel satisfied or full. So I ate more – outside of my eating plan for the day and over my calorie limit. Ugh!
I realized that I should have waited until I could’ve eaten quietly, peacefully, and slowly. I should have done something relaxing like drink herbal tea or take a shower. If I would’ve calmed down and slowed my pace, I could have eaten and enjoyed my dinner. And my body would’ve realized that I had actually eaten!
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It would be great if every day you felt totally motivated, on top of your game, and pumped up with will power. Well, you’re lucky if you get one of those days a week.
For most people, motivation waxes and wanes. Stress, busyness, and tiredness can all hack away at the strongest person’s determination. Not to mention that big fight with your spouse or “that time” of the month. (Give me chocolate!)
Motivation to eat healthy foods and do your exercise just isn’t going to be full power every day. So, what do you do when you’re low on motivation?
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I was talking with a lady recently and she said, “I want to lose 10 pounds…by tomorrow!” Don’t we all!
Oh, why does weight loss have to be a process? Why can’t we go to bed one night and wake up the next day 10 pounds lighter? Why does it have to be so much hard work? So much discipline? So much time?
The fact is; weight loss is a tough process. (If it was easy nobody would have a weight problem!)
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When I’m really stressed out or overly tired, that’s when I want to eat. The problem is, I know too much information about emotional eating. So I have this whole internal conversation with myself – while debating whether or not I’m going to keep eating.
“Lis, you know food doesn’t fix anything. You’re just going to feel worse if you eat that. So, why do you want to eat anyway? What’s going on?”
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I tend to burn through my food like the Tasmanian devil spins through a tree. About two hours after eating, I’m feeling hungry again. If I don’t eat, I’ll become tired, spacey, and sometimes shaky.
I had my blood sugar tested and it was normal. No problems there. So why the high hunger level? And why do I go craving crazy if I eat any starches other than brown rice or oats? Why do I only feel full if I eat a lot of protein?
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You may be a “marginal” eater, getting some healthy food and some junk food every day. One way to improve your eating is by adding a whole food every time you eat.
This is so important for good nutrition and health, not just for weight loss. Your body needs those vitamins and minerals, proteins, and healthy fats and carbs. And not just you – your family too!
It’s not hard to add whole foods all throughout your day. Look for the kinds of food that are fresh and unprocessed, such as fruits and veggies, lean proteins, low fat dairy, and whole grains.
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One client I began working with a few months ago started out very unfit. Over 40 and overweight, her muscles were weak, she was in poor cardiovascular condition, and she had very little endurance. She had to stop between each exercise to recover and catch her breath.
In the time since we began training, she has become incredibly stronger. It’s amazing and inspiring. Not only does she weight train, she goes outdoors on walking/jogging intervals. Her heart rate response is so much better and she has great recovery time.
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Food journaling and weighing/measuring your foods are some of the best ways to stay on track with your eating. If you want to lose weight, you need to know what and how much is going into your body. Yet measuring foods all the time can be time consuming.
If you find you never “get around” to measuring your foods, make it easier. Don’t worry about lower calorie foods. Just eat a moderate portion of them. High calorie foods, however, you should always measure and pre-portion. It’s way too easy to overeat them and pack on extra calories.
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