I so admire the people who can keep weight off without logging food. How much more convenient life must be without having to write it all down! But I'm not one of them.
Rarely can I let junk food in the house. It's just to hard for me to keep my mitts (and tongue) off of it.
I've had people question and challenge me on both of these issues. In years gone by I have let others bully me into bringing foods that were not in my best interest into my home when I knew I wasn't strong enough to resist them. I've also felt ashamed that I planned to log my food even after I lost my weight, despite knowing it would help me to maintain, because someone told me that wasn't a realistic way to live.
But not anymore: These are two limitations I've had to acknowledge and respect about myself.
I have a friend who does what is necessary to keep her body fat at a healthy level when she pays a trainer/coach to help her. It's something she has to work into her budget to stay successful. She's not weaker than anyone else. Quite the opposite: She is strong enough to recognize and respect her own unique needs and then implement them.
Another person I know has to to to Weight Watchers meetings and weigh-in on a weekly basis in order to not gain her weight back.
Some do best avoiding restaurants; others can't stay home because they eat out of boredom. Some do best if they plan their meals ahead, while others will rebel and overeat if their foods are strictly dictated: They do better with a little (or a lot) more give in their eating plan. Still others do better if they avoid things like white flour or sugar all together, while there are those who find success when they can indulge a little from time to time.
Your picture of success will not look like that of anyone else. This is a good thing and as it should be. You have to be true to your personality and respect your own limitations. Maybe these boundaries will change with time. Maybe they won't. But for lasting success in the weight loss and fitness game, you are going to have to be honest and true with yourself about what works for you.
If someone else doesn't like it? Well....... Let them eat cake........
Or not......
Friday, December 28, 2012
Accept Your Body Type
"I want your abs!".
I get this comment a lot. While I know it's meant as a compliment, some of the people who say this are seriously trying to get abs just like mine. They will write me telling me they've eaten what I eat, exercised like I exercise, and done their level best to emulate me. And still they don't have my abs. They want to know what they are doing wrong.
And here is my answer: Nothing. They are doing nothing wrong.
See, other people doing what I do to get my abs is the equivalent of me doing what Figure Pro Erin Stern does to get her legs. Try as I might, I'll never have Erin's legs, because I am not Erin.
My lower half will always be my weak point, the place where I will always wish I could improve. There are broken veins and even at 10% body fat, when they are looking the best they can, there is always at least a little cellulite. To add insult to injury, at body fat that low there's also saggy skin right under my glutes.
So what's a bottom-heavy girl to do? I capitalize on my abs, arms, shoulders, and back (I have awesome back muscles!). I show these parts off. I hide my legs as much as I need to so that they don't take away from the beauty of my upper body.
This doesn't mean I don't work on my lower body, because I do. I work REALLY hard on it, because not only do I want to see improvement there, but also because those big muscles burn the most fat. And I need to keep my fat levels low for the sake of my health. So for me, it's about more way more than appearance- It's about being healthy and balanced.
But I have accepted that my legs and glutes will never be my strong suit. And you may need to accept that your abs will never be yours. Or whatever body part makes you crazy.
There are parts of your physique you can reshape: My shoulders are naturally very slight. I have worked to build muscle on them to help balance my wide hips. I've built up my back for the same reason. I've added muscle, and therefore definition, to my arms.
But some things (like wide waists, big calves, and bubble butts) can't be changed with diet and exercise. You might be very lean and still have a waist measurement almost the same as your hips, a bust line that is more than generous, or muscular calves that will never fit into a pair of skinny jeans. Like me, you might have to get down to an unsustainable and unhealthy body fat level to get true symmetry to your physique. The sooner you accept that the healthiest thing may for you may not be the most asthetically pleasing, the sooner you will be content with your body.
Change what you can, accept what you can't, aim for health over all, and celebrate the uniqueness of YOU!
I get this comment a lot. While I know it's meant as a compliment, some of the people who say this are seriously trying to get abs just like mine. They will write me telling me they've eaten what I eat, exercised like I exercise, and done their level best to emulate me. And still they don't have my abs. They want to know what they are doing wrong.
And here is my answer: Nothing. They are doing nothing wrong.
See, other people doing what I do to get my abs is the equivalent of me doing what Figure Pro Erin Stern does to get her legs. Try as I might, I'll never have Erin's legs, because I am not Erin.
My lower half will always be my weak point, the place where I will always wish I could improve. There are broken veins and even at 10% body fat, when they are looking the best they can, there is always at least a little cellulite. To add insult to injury, at body fat that low there's also saggy skin right under my glutes.
So what's a bottom-heavy girl to do? I capitalize on my abs, arms, shoulders, and back (I have awesome back muscles!). I show these parts off. I hide my legs as much as I need to so that they don't take away from the beauty of my upper body.
This doesn't mean I don't work on my lower body, because I do. I work REALLY hard on it, because not only do I want to see improvement there, but also because those big muscles burn the most fat. And I need to keep my fat levels low for the sake of my health. So for me, it's about more way more than appearance- It's about being healthy and balanced.
But I have accepted that my legs and glutes will never be my strong suit. And you may need to accept that your abs will never be yours. Or whatever body part makes you crazy.
There are parts of your physique you can reshape: My shoulders are naturally very slight. I have worked to build muscle on them to help balance my wide hips. I've built up my back for the same reason. I've added muscle, and therefore definition, to my arms.
But some things (like wide waists, big calves, and bubble butts) can't be changed with diet and exercise. You might be very lean and still have a waist measurement almost the same as your hips, a bust line that is more than generous, or muscular calves that will never fit into a pair of skinny jeans. Like me, you might have to get down to an unsustainable and unhealthy body fat level to get true symmetry to your physique. The sooner you accept that the healthiest thing may for you may not be the most asthetically pleasing, the sooner you will be content with your body.
Change what you can, accept what you can't, aim for health over all, and celebrate the uniqueness of YOU!
Don't Jack With Your Program!
You know what I think is one of the biggest reasons people don't lose weight on a program? Because they don't follow the program in it's entirity. They do part of it, but not all of it. They hire a coach and do the exercises he says but don't follow the eating plan. Or do a pretty good job of following the eating plan 5 days out of the week, but go off the rails and eat whatever they darned well please two. Or follow the eating plan perfectly but don't exercise the way he tells you to. Or decide they're going to have rice with dinner even though the coach told them to just have asparagus and fish. You get the idea.
Here's the thing: With most programs, whether they are a company-owned plan like Jenny Craig or a pricey one made by a coach personally for you, your best success is dependent on doing ALL of said program. It's made to work as a whole. You take one part of it out, and like the gears in a watch, either the whole mechanism stops working or it isn't nearly as effective as if you did the program in it's entirety.
If you are working with a coach, I would advise to put blinders on and just DO it. Don't read Weight Watchers material if you are following Julie Lohre's program. (But if you are doing Weight Watchers, read ALL of the material.) Don't decide it's time to brush up on the Paleo diet or read "The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" when you are paying Mike Davies to make a program for you. Why? Because in there somewhere is going to be something that isn't going to be what your coach or program has lined up for you. You will start to doubt the effectiveness of what they have you doing. And with doubt comes lack of enthusiasm. And with lack of enthusiasm comes lack of adherence. And with lack of adherence comes lack of results.
Commit to whatever plan you are doing in it's entirety. Focus like a laser beam, block everything else out, and just GO! Pick a plan, follow the WHOLE plan, and stick with it. You'll be the one getting the results while others are saying "This plan just doesn't work for me."
Here's the thing: With most programs, whether they are a company-owned plan like Jenny Craig or a pricey one made by a coach personally for you, your best success is dependent on doing ALL of said program. It's made to work as a whole. You take one part of it out, and like the gears in a watch, either the whole mechanism stops working or it isn't nearly as effective as if you did the program in it's entirety.
If you are working with a coach, I would advise to put blinders on and just DO it. Don't read Weight Watchers material if you are following Julie Lohre's program. (But if you are doing Weight Watchers, read ALL of the material.) Don't decide it's time to brush up on the Paleo diet or read "The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" when you are paying Mike Davies to make a program for you. Why? Because in there somewhere is going to be something that isn't going to be what your coach or program has lined up for you. You will start to doubt the effectiveness of what they have you doing. And with doubt comes lack of enthusiasm. And with lack of enthusiasm comes lack of adherence. And with lack of adherence comes lack of results.
Commit to whatever plan you are doing in it's entirety. Focus like a laser beam, block everything else out, and just GO! Pick a plan, follow the WHOLE plan, and stick with it. You'll be the one getting the results while others are saying "This plan just doesn't work for me."
Friday, October 26, 2012
Have You Heard of Baking Eggs Instead of Boiling Them?
I love having hard boiled eggs around, but they can be a pain in the tush to make. The pot can boil over if the eggs break in there, making a horrible mess to clean up; there is a risk of not getting them done enough; and there is always the chance that I'll forget about them and wind up with smelly, exploded egg on the ceiling (now THAT'S a riot to clean up!).
Then I read about baking whole eggs, in-shell, on-line and gave it a try. I gotta tell ya- I was nervous. But amazingly, it worked! I am certainly not the first person to blog about this, but thought I would pass this on to my readers in case they did not know about it.
Here's how it's done:
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Put an egg into each of either a regular sized or mini muffing tin. I have two muffin tins that make 12 muffins each, so I can either cook one or two dozen eggs at a time. (Alternately, you can put the eggs right on the racks in the oven, but if one of the eggs cracks I'd rather clean up a muffin tin than the bottom of my oven.)
Stick the tin in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. (Now you have something screaming at you at the end of the cook time, so you won't forget and boil all the water out of the pot and risk your whole kitchen smell like burnt egg shells. Nasty!)
Hang on to your egg cartons- You'll store the cooked eggs in them when they are done.
When the timer goes off, take your eggs out of the oven, but leave them in the tin for 5 minutes at room temp. They will have little brown spots on them, but don't worry about it: They will come off in the next step.
In the meantime, fill something with cold water (I just plug up my sink and turn the water on, filling it enough to just cover the eggs). At the end of 5 minutes, put the eggs into the cold water. (I use tongs if they are still too hot to handle.)
The muffin tin is usually clean still, so I just put it back in my cabinet.
When the eggs have cooled, put them in the saved egg carton. Be sure to mark it, so that you know which eggs are hard boiled and which are not in your fridge. I put an "HB" on the sides of mine with a sharpie so I can see it easily when I open the fridge.
That's it- Perfectly cooked "hard boiled" eggs without the watch-time and potential mess of doing them on the stove. Yay!
Then I read about baking whole eggs, in-shell, on-line and gave it a try. I gotta tell ya- I was nervous. But amazingly, it worked! I am certainly not the first person to blog about this, but thought I would pass this on to my readers in case they did not know about it.
Here's how it's done:
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Put an egg into each of either a regular sized or mini muffing tin. I have two muffin tins that make 12 muffins each, so I can either cook one or two dozen eggs at a time. (Alternately, you can put the eggs right on the racks in the oven, but if one of the eggs cracks I'd rather clean up a muffin tin than the bottom of my oven.)
Stick the tin in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. (Now you have something screaming at you at the end of the cook time, so you won't forget and boil all the water out of the pot and risk your whole kitchen smell like burnt egg shells. Nasty!)
Hang on to your egg cartons- You'll store the cooked eggs in them when they are done.
When the timer goes off, take your eggs out of the oven, but leave them in the tin for 5 minutes at room temp. They will have little brown spots on them, but don't worry about it: They will come off in the next step.
In the meantime, fill something with cold water (I just plug up my sink and turn the water on, filling it enough to just cover the eggs). At the end of 5 minutes, put the eggs into the cold water. (I use tongs if they are still too hot to handle.)
The muffin tin is usually clean still, so I just put it back in my cabinet.
When the eggs have cooled, put them in the saved egg carton. Be sure to mark it, so that you know which eggs are hard boiled and which are not in your fridge. I put an "HB" on the sides of mine with a sharpie so I can see it easily when I open the fridge.
That's it- Perfectly cooked "hard boiled" eggs without the watch-time and potential mess of doing them on the stove. Yay!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
For the Guys, On Behalf Of Women Everywhere
I want to apologize- This blog was published in draft stage, before I was done with it. Embarrassing!
I'll come right to the point: Guys, we women like for you to have butts. And it seems that as you age, if you don't get your.... er... butts into the gym, you wind up with flat backsides.
This flattening pretty much expressly comes from sitting a lot. I can spot a guy with a desk job who never visits the gym within 100 feet: Wide, flat, and almost narrow at the very bottom. Yeah, guys- We women notice nice butts on men that are in their 40's and beyond. It impresses us. If you have one, endeavor to keep it. If you don't, get to the gym and get one!
Now, I'm a gal who loves a nicely defined upper body. I'm a self-admitted chest girl. But true fitness is displayed in a man in his midsection and his butt. That's the area that takes the most self discipline for you guys to build up and maintain. So while a moundy muscular chest gets my initial attention, I have respect for a man in mid-life with nice glutes.
Not only is it about appearance, but having a well-developed lower body is good for your health and quality of life. A strong lower body will carry you around longer, be less likely to suffer things like back problems in the lumbar spine that so often start hitting men in their 40's, and greatly reduce your likelihood of suffering broken bones when you fall as you age. (Does hip replacement surgery sound like fun?)
Chances are that if I have inspired you to go to the gym, you will head for variations on the squat and leg press, because not only are those the grand-daddy of moves to develop the lower body, but they're also done on masculine equipment: REAL men use the big plates. (Insert caveman-type laugh here.)
But the fact is that the guys I see with good butts in midlife and beyond are the ones in the gym that aren't too proud to do lunges, step-ups, all variations of split squats, and cable kickbacks. And you'll see them getting cardio sometimes on the step-type equipment. Yeah, I know all those have the rep of being girly, but they do NOT create a girly look for you guys! They create a butt that gets our attention.
We women miss your butts! Please, bring them back!
Guys, are you listening? And women, do you agree?
I'll come right to the point: Guys, we women like for you to have butts. And it seems that as you age, if you don't get your.... er... butts into the gym, you wind up with flat backsides.
This flattening pretty much expressly comes from sitting a lot. I can spot a guy with a desk job who never visits the gym within 100 feet: Wide, flat, and almost narrow at the very bottom. Yeah, guys- We women notice nice butts on men that are in their 40's and beyond. It impresses us. If you have one, endeavor to keep it. If you don't, get to the gym and get one!
Now, I'm a gal who loves a nicely defined upper body. I'm a self-admitted chest girl. But true fitness is displayed in a man in his midsection and his butt. That's the area that takes the most self discipline for you guys to build up and maintain. So while a moundy muscular chest gets my initial attention, I have respect for a man in mid-life with nice glutes.
Not only is it about appearance, but having a well-developed lower body is good for your health and quality of life. A strong lower body will carry you around longer, be less likely to suffer things like back problems in the lumbar spine that so often start hitting men in their 40's, and greatly reduce your likelihood of suffering broken bones when you fall as you age. (Does hip replacement surgery sound like fun?)
Chances are that if I have inspired you to go to the gym, you will head for variations on the squat and leg press, because not only are those the grand-daddy of moves to develop the lower body, but they're also done on masculine equipment: REAL men use the big plates. (Insert caveman-type laugh here.)
But the fact is that the guys I see with good butts in midlife and beyond are the ones in the gym that aren't too proud to do lunges, step-ups, all variations of split squats, and cable kickbacks. And you'll see them getting cardio sometimes on the step-type equipment. Yeah, I know all those have the rep of being girly, but they do NOT create a girly look for you guys! They create a butt that gets our attention.
We women miss your butts! Please, bring them back!
Guys, are you listening? And women, do you agree?
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Coconut Oil- Try it and You'll Never Go Back!
Have you ever heard of coconut oil? I hadn't either, until I read about it in Tosca Reno's "Eat Clean" books. She says she eats 3 Tablespoons of it a day. Now, Tosca doesn't eat any foods that are not clean, so I'm sure that 360 calories of a good source of fat don't hurt her. But for the rest of us it might not be the best idea to consume this quantity if we are trying to lose weight. However, it's a great food to substitute for some other fats in your diet for a myriad of reasons. Here's an article that goes into detail, because I am too lazy to type it all out: www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
At any rate, I have discovered how versatile this oil is and how wonderful it makes food taste! I have tried substituting it in a myriad of recipes, from stir-fries to baked goods, and every time, without exception, it improves the recipe tremendously. The texture makes even recipes where whole-wheat flour is subbed in for regular white (which usually results in a tougher product) melt-in-your-mouth.
Case in point: I'm GREAT at making pie crust, but have always had to use refined white flour for it to be flaky enough to grant my approval. Last night I made my traditional pie crust (my own recipe and technique), but substituted 1/4 of the white flour for whole-wheat and all of the shortening with coconut oil. It was wonderful! Next time I am going to try it with all whole-wheat flour. I'll bet it turns out terrific.
Coconut oil can be substituted strait over for any kind of fat a recipe calls for, but is especially good in recipes that call for butter or shortening, the latter of which is particularly bad for your heart and arteries.
An unusual property of coconut oil is that it holds solid at temperatures 76 degrees Fahrenheit and below. Above that and it starts to melt. I was keeping it in the same cabinet I always had, but mysteriously it was beginning to liquify. It finally occurred to me that it was being stored next to an exterior wall: With the Texas summer heat on the other side of the wall the coconut oil was getting a little too warm to hold it's solid state. I moved it to my pantry, which is on an inside wall, and it went back to solid.
If you want to use it in a recipe that calls for liquid oil, just melt it first. In a recipe that calls for a solid fat (butter, margarine, or shortening), use it strait out of the jar.
Unlike olive oil (which is also heart healthy), coconut oil is heat stable. So you can use it for types of cooking that call for prolonged exposure to heat and it won't destroy the flavor of your food.
And it's not just good for cooking- I like to stir a teaspoon of it into my oats or whole-grain cream of what in the mornings. It adds a nice flavor and texture to it, and the added fat slows digestion and helps to keep me full longer.
Most stores carry coconut oil on the shelves with other types of cooking oils.
One caveat of coconut oil is that it is more expensive than most other commonly-used fat sources. But I think that once you've tried it you'll be sold and never go back to shortening, at least, again. It's worth the investment to get that artery-clogging stuff out of the diets of you and your family.
At any rate, I have discovered how versatile this oil is and how wonderful it makes food taste! I have tried substituting it in a myriad of recipes, from stir-fries to baked goods, and every time, without exception, it improves the recipe tremendously. The texture makes even recipes where whole-wheat flour is subbed in for regular white (which usually results in a tougher product) melt-in-your-mouth.
Case in point: I'm GREAT at making pie crust, but have always had to use refined white flour for it to be flaky enough to grant my approval. Last night I made my traditional pie crust (my own recipe and technique), but substituted 1/4 of the white flour for whole-wheat and all of the shortening with coconut oil. It was wonderful! Next time I am going to try it with all whole-wheat flour. I'll bet it turns out terrific.
Coconut oil can be substituted strait over for any kind of fat a recipe calls for, but is especially good in recipes that call for butter or shortening, the latter of which is particularly bad for your heart and arteries.
An unusual property of coconut oil is that it holds solid at temperatures 76 degrees Fahrenheit and below. Above that and it starts to melt. I was keeping it in the same cabinet I always had, but mysteriously it was beginning to liquify. It finally occurred to me that it was being stored next to an exterior wall: With the Texas summer heat on the other side of the wall the coconut oil was getting a little too warm to hold it's solid state. I moved it to my pantry, which is on an inside wall, and it went back to solid.
If you want to use it in a recipe that calls for liquid oil, just melt it first. In a recipe that calls for a solid fat (butter, margarine, or shortening), use it strait out of the jar.
Unlike olive oil (which is also heart healthy), coconut oil is heat stable. So you can use it for types of cooking that call for prolonged exposure to heat and it won't destroy the flavor of your food.
And it's not just good for cooking- I like to stir a teaspoon of it into my oats or whole-grain cream of what in the mornings. It adds a nice flavor and texture to it, and the added fat slows digestion and helps to keep me full longer.
Most stores carry coconut oil on the shelves with other types of cooking oils.
One caveat of coconut oil is that it is more expensive than most other commonly-used fat sources. But I think that once you've tried it you'll be sold and never go back to shortening, at least, again. It's worth the investment to get that artery-clogging stuff out of the diets of you and your family.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tweaking The Weight Watchers Program
I've lost a majority of my weight on the Weight Watchers program. It is the plan that I return to most often when I need to reign things in again, and to this day I log my foods in my Weight Watchers Points Plus food log even when I am maintaining. (I've always done better with a pen and paper than virtual tracking.) But I've found that with the new program that came out last year, I believe it was, I was having a hard time losing weight when needed and others were commenting the same.
Now, let me say before I go any farther that if you are using the Weight Watchers program and losing just fine, don't change a thing! If you hit a stall down the line you can revisit this blog and see if it helps, but in the meantime there is absolutely no point in fixing something that is not broke.
It didn't take me very long to figure out what the problems are, and the biggest in my opinion is the unlimited fruits. Now, I've always thought and still think that fruit gets an unnecessarily bad rap, along with wheat, white potatoes, and corn. But to let people eat fruit without accounting for it can completely stall weight loss, and actually cause people who are maintaining to gain weight.
The problem isn't that fruit is bad for you. The problem is that most people in the weight loss world have an issue with portion control. Fruit is higher in sugars, albeit natural sugars. I don't have enough room in this blog to explain the entire biological process (and you'd probably get bored, anyhow), so just trust me when I say that too many sugars of any source can actually change how the body stores calories, sending more of them to fat.
Yes, the Weight Watchers gurus tell you to eat fruit until you feel satisfied. But lets get honest here: If people who are or have been overweight could tell when they were satisfied.... well.... there wouldn't be a need for Weight Watchers.
Consequently, my proposal is that you count the first two servings of fruit as "free", and account for any after that in your daily points. In case you weren't around for previous Weight Watchers programs, a serving is about 80 calories, or the equivalent of a cup of cut-up fruit. Or in the case of bananas, a half of a large banana. (So if you eat a whole large banana for breakfast, that's the end of the "free" fruits for the day.)
The unlimited non-starchy veggies are still good, though. While it's not portion control, it'd be almost impossible to eat enough of them to mess with fat storage.
The second tweak I would suggest is to up the intake of water from 6 cups a day to 12. And make it real water- not "non-caloric beverages". (To read my blog on why water is so important, click here.)
Another thing I would highly recommend is to rely more on whole foods rather than processed, to include Weight Watchers food products. While I think Weight Watchers is a good program, it bugs me a little that they don't put more emphasis on minimally processed foods. Calories are not all created equal, and the your body turns processed foods into fat much easier than foods the way Mother Nature made them. (This is, by the way, the reason I could never be a Weight Watchers leader: They push the employees to sell their products. I could not in good conscience sell people foods that I know aren't truly healthy.)
And lastly, eat your exercise points earned, but forget about your weekly Points Allowance, unless you are really desperate. Doing so seems to put the daily calories at a more metabolism-friendly level. And when you count your exercise points, err on the side of caution and don't be too generous with your estimations. But do go ahead and give yourself more than the 42 on the log, if you have earned more than that.
I realize this blog is not going to apply to the majority, and I am sorry for that. I just thought the few frustrated might find it helpful.
Now, let me say before I go any farther that if you are using the Weight Watchers program and losing just fine, don't change a thing! If you hit a stall down the line you can revisit this blog and see if it helps, but in the meantime there is absolutely no point in fixing something that is not broke.
It didn't take me very long to figure out what the problems are, and the biggest in my opinion is the unlimited fruits. Now, I've always thought and still think that fruit gets an unnecessarily bad rap, along with wheat, white potatoes, and corn. But to let people eat fruit without accounting for it can completely stall weight loss, and actually cause people who are maintaining to gain weight.
The problem isn't that fruit is bad for you. The problem is that most people in the weight loss world have an issue with portion control. Fruit is higher in sugars, albeit natural sugars. I don't have enough room in this blog to explain the entire biological process (and you'd probably get bored, anyhow), so just trust me when I say that too many sugars of any source can actually change how the body stores calories, sending more of them to fat.
Yes, the Weight Watchers gurus tell you to eat fruit until you feel satisfied. But lets get honest here: If people who are or have been overweight could tell when they were satisfied.... well.... there wouldn't be a need for Weight Watchers.
Consequently, my proposal is that you count the first two servings of fruit as "free", and account for any after that in your daily points. In case you weren't around for previous Weight Watchers programs, a serving is about 80 calories, or the equivalent of a cup of cut-up fruit. Or in the case of bananas, a half of a large banana. (So if you eat a whole large banana for breakfast, that's the end of the "free" fruits for the day.)
The unlimited non-starchy veggies are still good, though. While it's not portion control, it'd be almost impossible to eat enough of them to mess with fat storage.
The second tweak I would suggest is to up the intake of water from 6 cups a day to 12. And make it real water- not "non-caloric beverages". (To read my blog on why water is so important, click here.)
Another thing I would highly recommend is to rely more on whole foods rather than processed, to include Weight Watchers food products. While I think Weight Watchers is a good program, it bugs me a little that they don't put more emphasis on minimally processed foods. Calories are not all created equal, and the your body turns processed foods into fat much easier than foods the way Mother Nature made them. (This is, by the way, the reason I could never be a Weight Watchers leader: They push the employees to sell their products. I could not in good conscience sell people foods that I know aren't truly healthy.)
And lastly, eat your exercise points earned, but forget about your weekly Points Allowance, unless you are really desperate. Doing so seems to put the daily calories at a more metabolism-friendly level. And when you count your exercise points, err on the side of caution and don't be too generous with your estimations. But do go ahead and give yourself more than the 42 on the log, if you have earned more than that.
I realize this blog is not going to apply to the majority, and I am sorry for that. I just thought the few frustrated might find it helpful.
Friday, August 17, 2012
I HATE Cheat Meals!
Man.... I have a real problem with this whole "Cheat Meal", or worse yet, "Cheat Day" concept.
First of all, could we please stop using the word "cheat"? Cheat makes it sound like if you don't over-indulge in foods that are horrible for you, you've failed your mission. Do you really want to cheat yourself out of your healthy eating plan?
Additionally, for someone who is a recovering binge eater (like me), it's an open invitation to gorge. I can easily do 3,000 or more calories worth of damage in the span of just an hour or two. It's really not that hard. (Proof: At Applebees, 1/2 order of onion rings- 645 calories, Riblets platter- 1700 calories, 1/2 Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae- 775 calories. Total: 3120 calories, even when I shared the appetizer and dessert. And I was drinking un-sweet tea!)
One pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories. If I managed to eat 500 calories less than my daily caloric intake for a week, that should add up to about a pound of weight loss that week (500x7 days in the week=3500 calories). Which would be great, except I pretty much packed all of those calories into the above Applebees meal.
And people wonder why they aren't losing weight with cheat meals.
If we move into a bigger meal, or (God forbid!) an entire cheat day, it's easy to see how weight gain could actually occur despite eating well 6 days out of 7.
Look, I don't mean to be Negative Nancy about enjoying a treat every once in a while. But we need to rethink the way we view foods in regards to how we are going to live our life from here on out. It all really DOES make a difference over the long haul.
In David Greenwalt's book The Leanness Lifestyle (which I have frequently referred to as my Fitness Bible many times), he purposes a Splurge Meal. This is a much better thing to call it, IMHO. You are not going off the rails with cheating, you are planning an indulgence. And it is going to factor into your weekly caloric intake.
How do you make this work? Personally, during the rest of the week I'd shave another 100 calories off of each day. This gives me 600 calories more out of my diet I can "play" with for my Splurge meal. That's step 1.
Next, I'd cut back on my carbs the day of the planned splurge. I'm taking it out of carbs, because let's face it, people don't usually splurge on turkey breast.
Here's how I'd put it into action:
I'd bring my regular morning oatmeal from 1/2 C dry measure (before cooking) to 1/4 C. That's 75 calories. I'd probably also skip my fruit for my mid-morning or after-workout snack and have just protein powder. There's another 80 or so calories, all from carbs. Lunch would be reduced by about a single portion of carbs, for about another 80 carb calories. So right there, I've got 235 calories in the bank. Add it to the 600 I managed to cut back on during the week, and I'm 835 calories ahead. Plus, I still have my regular dinner calories to factor in, which is normally about 500 for me. Add that to the 835 I already saved, and now I'm at 1335. This I can do.
Now, it's time to plan (not haphazardly wing) that splurge.
Before I go to Applebees I decide what it is I most want to splurge on. For me it's the cookie Sundae, which I am going to split with my teen daughter (she's skinny).
Knowing this, I look up the nutritional information online before I ever leave the house. Then when I get to the restaurant I order, according to plan, the 9-ounce house sirloin (I'm hungry!) for 310 calories with the garlic mashed potatoes for 250 calories and the seasonal veggies for about 40 calories. That's 600 calories for a very decent dinner that is still a splurge over what I would normally eat.
Dessert is another 775 for 1/2 of that Cookie Sundae. I'm at 1375 calories, just 40 over my 1335. No big deal.
The trick immediately AFTER the splurge is to stick to the plan. If you are anything like me you tend to go a bit off of the rails once a splurge has occurred. This means I still have my protein shake before bed, even if I don't feel particularly hungry, just to get myself RIGHT BACK on track.
And what's important is that I did NOT cheat, so I have nothing to feel guilty for.
The closer you get to goal the more important honesty with yourself and planning like this will be. Fat doesn't take a vacation, so please don't believe it isn't going to show up if you invite it by eating with abandon.
And for Pete's sake, stop calling it a Cheat Meal. At least, in front of me.
First of all, could we please stop using the word "cheat"? Cheat makes it sound like if you don't over-indulge in foods that are horrible for you, you've failed your mission. Do you really want to cheat yourself out of your healthy eating plan?
Additionally, for someone who is a recovering binge eater (like me), it's an open invitation to gorge. I can easily do 3,000 or more calories worth of damage in the span of just an hour or two. It's really not that hard. (Proof: At Applebees, 1/2 order of onion rings- 645 calories, Riblets platter- 1700 calories, 1/2 Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae- 775 calories. Total: 3120 calories, even when I shared the appetizer and dessert. And I was drinking un-sweet tea!)
One pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories. If I managed to eat 500 calories less than my daily caloric intake for a week, that should add up to about a pound of weight loss that week (500x7 days in the week=3500 calories). Which would be great, except I pretty much packed all of those calories into the above Applebees meal.
And people wonder why they aren't losing weight with cheat meals.
If we move into a bigger meal, or (God forbid!) an entire cheat day, it's easy to see how weight gain could actually occur despite eating well 6 days out of 7.
Look, I don't mean to be Negative Nancy about enjoying a treat every once in a while. But we need to rethink the way we view foods in regards to how we are going to live our life from here on out. It all really DOES make a difference over the long haul.
In David Greenwalt's book The Leanness Lifestyle (which I have frequently referred to as my Fitness Bible many times), he purposes a Splurge Meal. This is a much better thing to call it, IMHO. You are not going off the rails with cheating, you are planning an indulgence. And it is going to factor into your weekly caloric intake.
How do you make this work? Personally, during the rest of the week I'd shave another 100 calories off of each day. This gives me 600 calories more out of my diet I can "play" with for my Splurge meal. That's step 1.
Next, I'd cut back on my carbs the day of the planned splurge. I'm taking it out of carbs, because let's face it, people don't usually splurge on turkey breast.
Here's how I'd put it into action:
I'd bring my regular morning oatmeal from 1/2 C dry measure (before cooking) to 1/4 C. That's 75 calories. I'd probably also skip my fruit for my mid-morning or after-workout snack and have just protein powder. There's another 80 or so calories, all from carbs. Lunch would be reduced by about a single portion of carbs, for about another 80 carb calories. So right there, I've got 235 calories in the bank. Add it to the 600 I managed to cut back on during the week, and I'm 835 calories ahead. Plus, I still have my regular dinner calories to factor in, which is normally about 500 for me. Add that to the 835 I already saved, and now I'm at 1335. This I can do.
Now, it's time to plan (not haphazardly wing) that splurge.
Before I go to Applebees I decide what it is I most want to splurge on. For me it's the cookie Sundae, which I am going to split with my teen daughter (she's skinny).
Knowing this, I look up the nutritional information online before I ever leave the house. Then when I get to the restaurant I order, according to plan, the 9-ounce house sirloin (I'm hungry!) for 310 calories with the garlic mashed potatoes for 250 calories and the seasonal veggies for about 40 calories. That's 600 calories for a very decent dinner that is still a splurge over what I would normally eat.
Dessert is another 775 for 1/2 of that Cookie Sundae. I'm at 1375 calories, just 40 over my 1335. No big deal.
The trick immediately AFTER the splurge is to stick to the plan. If you are anything like me you tend to go a bit off of the rails once a splurge has occurred. This means I still have my protein shake before bed, even if I don't feel particularly hungry, just to get myself RIGHT BACK on track.
And what's important is that I did NOT cheat, so I have nothing to feel guilty for.
The closer you get to goal the more important honesty with yourself and planning like this will be. Fat doesn't take a vacation, so please don't believe it isn't going to show up if you invite it by eating with abandon.
And for Pete's sake, stop calling it a Cheat Meal. At least, in front of me.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Punching Bags
This isn't the typical kind of advice-giving blog I usually do. I may
not even keep this one up long. It's more of a story: Something I want
to share, because it will perhaps help someone else somehow.
This has been what I have begun to refer to as "The Summer From Hell". A culmination of events spanning over almost a year that came to a head this summer, with lasting effects. I won't go into specific details, but suffice it to say in many ways it's been like a nightmare I can't wake up from.
I've been under a tremendous amount of stress for the past 10 months or so. More stress than I ever have been before in my 45 years of life. And watching family members go through even more stress than I am going through is the most stressful thing of all.
The reality of the enormity of the situation came to light last Thursday afternoon. I went to the gym Friday morning. Coincidentally, Friday my workout partner, Ivory, was not able to be there. I was on my own.
My first exercise was split squats on the Smith machine. I did my first set, but my heart was not in it.
I stood there, leaning against the Smith bar, and thought of all that had come down: How much all the garbage had impacted so many areas of the lives of so many people. How much I personally ached with the tremendous loss I felt. There seemed to be a suppressing weight on my shoulders that there simply are not words to describe. The closest I can come is that it felt like I was literally being broken inside.
I thought to myself "I don't want to be here." If ever I had justification to leave the gym for emotional reasons, this was it. If you knew the circumstances, you'd tell me I could have left and had no reason to feel guilt, too. I knew this. I was ready to walk out the door.
Normally Ivory would be there to tell me to finish my workout, dang it. Or I would stick around simply to not leave him hanging. But he wasn't there. Maybe, I thought, that was a sign I shouldn't be there that day- that it was okay, just this once, to leave.
Then I looked up, and directly in my range of vision, not 20 feet in front of me, was a man in a wheel chair. I have seen this man at the gym almost every time I've been there since I started coming about a month ago. It is clear his handicap leaves him unable to walk. But still he comes in and does what he can. Which, in our gym, is not a whole lot. Most of our machines and the set up are for people who have four functioning limbs.
But there he was, boxing away at a punching bag- the only form of cardio he can get. And he doesn't even have anyone to hold the bag, so it's just swinging around wildly. Hardly the workout it should be. But still, he was doing what he could with what he had.
As I watched him I slowly began to realized how blessed I was. Did my situation suck? Yeah. Was I under stress? Yes- tremendous stress. Were family members hurting and suffering in ways that were going to more than likely have devastating effects for years to come? Yep.
But the fact was that I still had things to be grateful for. I HAD family to hurt me- Maybe this guy did not. I HAD legs to walk me around- this guy did not. I drive a truck to the gym- This guy drives his wheelchair. I have a workout partner (most days). This guy works out alone.
I still didn't want to work out, but suddenly I didn't feel as sorry for myself anymore. So my mind made a bargain with my body: "I'll just finish my 5 sets of this exercise. If at that point I feel like going home, I can. No guilt."
I kept my deal with myself and finished those 5 sets. The guy in the wheel chair kept punching away at that bag.
And you know the rest of the story, don't you?
Well.... humor me and finish reading it, anyhow, K? (You made it this far!)
No surprise- Exactly what I had hoped would happen, happened. By the end of the 5th set of split squats (15 each leg per set), I had completely forgotten the deal I made with myself and went on to the next exercise, and the next, and the next. I finished a very challenging glute and ab workout (over an hours worth), then did a full cardio routine, and THEN spent 15 minutes stretching. I didn't even think about the fact that I'd wanted to leave until long after I'd gone home.
I've learned a few things about myself over the past 26+ years of working out. One of them is that with my propensity towards severe depression, working out helps to keep me off of head meds. It gives me a sunnier outlook. That was a lot of the reason I made the bargain with myself to stay there- I wanted the mood-boosting effects of the workout, if I could just stick around that long.
Working out also gives me something steady and sure in the often-rocky waters of life. The iron will always be there. It's not going to fail me. It's not going to lie. It doesn't care who believes what about me, and it's never going to sling a zinger meant to pierce my heart. It's just there, steady and sure, giving me a positive place to channel my emotions, be they the height of happiness of the pit of despair. The gym gives me a place to pull myself out of my emotional hole. It's my safety zone.
My problems aren't going away. I know this. But the man in the wheelchair? His problems aren't going away either. And yet there he is, day after day, week after week, doing what he can to make himself the best him he can be. He doesn't use his obstacles as an excuses to quit, so why should I?
Maybe some day I'll thank him. Or.... Maybe next time I'll simply hold the bag for him, and let him slug away.
This has been what I have begun to refer to as "The Summer From Hell". A culmination of events spanning over almost a year that came to a head this summer, with lasting effects. I won't go into specific details, but suffice it to say in many ways it's been like a nightmare I can't wake up from.
I've been under a tremendous amount of stress for the past 10 months or so. More stress than I ever have been before in my 45 years of life. And watching family members go through even more stress than I am going through is the most stressful thing of all.
The reality of the enormity of the situation came to light last Thursday afternoon. I went to the gym Friday morning. Coincidentally, Friday my workout partner, Ivory, was not able to be there. I was on my own.
My first exercise was split squats on the Smith machine. I did my first set, but my heart was not in it.
I stood there, leaning against the Smith bar, and thought of all that had come down: How much all the garbage had impacted so many areas of the lives of so many people. How much I personally ached with the tremendous loss I felt. There seemed to be a suppressing weight on my shoulders that there simply are not words to describe. The closest I can come is that it felt like I was literally being broken inside.
I thought to myself "I don't want to be here." If ever I had justification to leave the gym for emotional reasons, this was it. If you knew the circumstances, you'd tell me I could have left and had no reason to feel guilt, too. I knew this. I was ready to walk out the door.
Normally Ivory would be there to tell me to finish my workout, dang it. Or I would stick around simply to not leave him hanging. But he wasn't there. Maybe, I thought, that was a sign I shouldn't be there that day- that it was okay, just this once, to leave.
Then I looked up, and directly in my range of vision, not 20 feet in front of me, was a man in a wheel chair. I have seen this man at the gym almost every time I've been there since I started coming about a month ago. It is clear his handicap leaves him unable to walk. But still he comes in and does what he can. Which, in our gym, is not a whole lot. Most of our machines and the set up are for people who have four functioning limbs.
But there he was, boxing away at a punching bag- the only form of cardio he can get. And he doesn't even have anyone to hold the bag, so it's just swinging around wildly. Hardly the workout it should be. But still, he was doing what he could with what he had.
As I watched him I slowly began to realized how blessed I was. Did my situation suck? Yeah. Was I under stress? Yes- tremendous stress. Were family members hurting and suffering in ways that were going to more than likely have devastating effects for years to come? Yep.
But the fact was that I still had things to be grateful for. I HAD family to hurt me- Maybe this guy did not. I HAD legs to walk me around- this guy did not. I drive a truck to the gym- This guy drives his wheelchair. I have a workout partner (most days). This guy works out alone.
I still didn't want to work out, but suddenly I didn't feel as sorry for myself anymore. So my mind made a bargain with my body: "I'll just finish my 5 sets of this exercise. If at that point I feel like going home, I can. No guilt."
I kept my deal with myself and finished those 5 sets. The guy in the wheel chair kept punching away at that bag.
And you know the rest of the story, don't you?
Well.... humor me and finish reading it, anyhow, K? (You made it this far!)
No surprise- Exactly what I had hoped would happen, happened. By the end of the 5th set of split squats (15 each leg per set), I had completely forgotten the deal I made with myself and went on to the next exercise, and the next, and the next. I finished a very challenging glute and ab workout (over an hours worth), then did a full cardio routine, and THEN spent 15 minutes stretching. I didn't even think about the fact that I'd wanted to leave until long after I'd gone home.
I've learned a few things about myself over the past 26+ years of working out. One of them is that with my propensity towards severe depression, working out helps to keep me off of head meds. It gives me a sunnier outlook. That was a lot of the reason I made the bargain with myself to stay there- I wanted the mood-boosting effects of the workout, if I could just stick around that long.
Working out also gives me something steady and sure in the often-rocky waters of life. The iron will always be there. It's not going to fail me. It's not going to lie. It doesn't care who believes what about me, and it's never going to sling a zinger meant to pierce my heart. It's just there, steady and sure, giving me a positive place to channel my emotions, be they the height of happiness of the pit of despair. The gym gives me a place to pull myself out of my emotional hole. It's my safety zone.
My problems aren't going away. I know this. But the man in the wheelchair? His problems aren't going away either. And yet there he is, day after day, week after week, doing what he can to make himself the best him he can be. He doesn't use his obstacles as an excuses to quit, so why should I?
Maybe some day I'll thank him. Or.... Maybe next time I'll simply hold the bag for him, and let him slug away.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Tip For Females to Adjust Cardio Calories Burned
I have a tip I use when figuring out how many cardio calories I have burned. This stems from something I read in David Greenwalt's book "The Leanness Lifestyle", which I consider my fitness bible. In the book he states that it's reasonable to assume that a man working very hard burns 10 calories a minute and a woman 8. Since he goes off of scientific studies and not hunches, I trust David's book and the things he says in it.
I've always felt like cardio machines are a little generous when it comes to how many calories they say I burn. I wanted to adjust it to be on the safe side of realistic for my logging purposes. So, working off of the 10/8 rule above, it's fair to guess that we women burn about 80% of the number of calories men doing performing the same activity at the same intensity. (8 is 80% of 10.) I assume the machine thinks I am a man, since while I have had a machine ask my weight and age, I've yet to see one that asks my gender. Given that, I take the total amount of calories it says I've burned and reduce it by 20% to give me 80%. (This is easier mental math for me than multiplying it by 80%)
So if I worked out on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes and it says I burned 450 calories, I assume I burned roughly 360 calories. (20% of 450 is 90: 450 minus 90 is 360.)
To break it down even further for my usually-exhausted mind at the end of a tough cardio workout, I just double what 10% is to come up with the 20% number, since 10% is easier to tell at a glance. So in the case of the elliptical workout above, 45 is 10% of 450. 45 times two is 90. So 90 is 20%, or what I need to subtract from the total the machine is giving me.
Everyone following?
My personal method for logging my food and exercise is in my Weight Watchers tracker, which we all know uses a point system instead of calories. I assume every 50 calories is 1 Weight Watchers point. So I round the number I came up with (360) down (not EVER up- I am trying to err on the side of caution) to the nearest 50. For the aforementioned elliptical workout, this would give me 350. Then I just divide by 50 to come up with the number of Points to check off in my exercise tracker- in this case 7. (350 divided by 50 is 7.)
This is all very rough and by no means terribly accurate, but I've found it's a good way to guess.
If you are a man, forget it. As long as you entered your age and weight into the machine, just go with the number it gives you. If you are a man using the Weight Watchers system, round that number down to the nearest 50, divide by 50, and there 'ya got your exercise points.
I've always felt like cardio machines are a little generous when it comes to how many calories they say I burn. I wanted to adjust it to be on the safe side of realistic for my logging purposes. So, working off of the 10/8 rule above, it's fair to guess that we women burn about 80% of the number of calories men doing performing the same activity at the same intensity. (8 is 80% of 10.) I assume the machine thinks I am a man, since while I have had a machine ask my weight and age, I've yet to see one that asks my gender. Given that, I take the total amount of calories it says I've burned and reduce it by 20% to give me 80%. (This is easier mental math for me than multiplying it by 80%)
So if I worked out on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes and it says I burned 450 calories, I assume I burned roughly 360 calories. (20% of 450 is 90: 450 minus 90 is 360.)
To break it down even further for my usually-exhausted mind at the end of a tough cardio workout, I just double what 10% is to come up with the 20% number, since 10% is easier to tell at a glance. So in the case of the elliptical workout above, 45 is 10% of 450. 45 times two is 90. So 90 is 20%, or what I need to subtract from the total the machine is giving me.
Everyone following?
My personal method for logging my food and exercise is in my Weight Watchers tracker, which we all know uses a point system instead of calories. I assume every 50 calories is 1 Weight Watchers point. So I round the number I came up with (360) down (not EVER up- I am trying to err on the side of caution) to the nearest 50. For the aforementioned elliptical workout, this would give me 350. Then I just divide by 50 to come up with the number of Points to check off in my exercise tracker- in this case 7. (350 divided by 50 is 7.)
This is all very rough and by no means terribly accurate, but I've found it's a good way to guess.
If you are a man, forget it. As long as you entered your age and weight into the machine, just go with the number it gives you. If you are a man using the Weight Watchers system, round that number down to the nearest 50, divide by 50, and there 'ya got your exercise points.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Motivating The People Around You To Get Fit
I must admit, I was a little misleading with that title.
Because now I am about to disappoint you. And I am also about to get lambasted by people for a myriad of reasons that even I can't predict. It's a touchy subject, but I have come to the conclusion that the answer to the question "How do I get my loved one to get in shape" is, quite simply, "You can't".
That's right. There's not a blessed thing you can plot to do to motivate someone who is not you to change. I've learned this by not only observing others, but by living it (and making the people around me miserable and resent me, I might add). The truth is I may have also stalled their trip down the fitness path.
Learn from my mistakes and those I have observed in others. Please.
When we get in better shape, we naturally want the people we love to also get in shape because..... well...... we love them.
But let's be honest- If someone tried to influence you to change back before you started getting your act together, would it have done any good?
Didn't think so.
Now what makes you think they are any different?
Your best bet is to continue to do what is best for you and hope it will motivate them. And chances are it probably will..... eventually. But I can almost guarantee it won't be as soon as you want. So stop waiting for them to get their keisters in gear and just get on with your own fit life.
Here are some things I believe you have the right to do:
-You have the right to insist on keeping trigger foods out of the house. In our house I get to choose what comes into the kitchen. If I am feeling strong, ice cream may make it through the door. But if I don't either bring it in myself or invite it in, it's not allowed. Maybe that sounds unfair, but I'm the one who's made the big changes for her health, here, and I shouldn't be expected to live with things that could sabotage that. It'd be like expecting a coke addict to live in a crack house: Completely unrealistic. And since my way of eating won't hurt anyone else, and keeping trigger foods around COULD hurt me, on this one I get my way.
- You have the right to expect the rest of the family to respect your workout schedule. It's what helped you get healthy, it is what will help you stay healthy, and you have a right to your health. No one else should be allowed to mess that up. (However, you should try to make your daily workout at the most convenient time for the people you live with. For me, this is first thing in the morning. It makes me available for my family the rest of the day.)
- You have the right to tell people you are not responsible for making their choices for them. Trust me, along the line someone is going to decide they want to look better, too, and say something to the effect of "Just tell me what to eat and how to work, since you've already done this." When someone doesn't make the effort themselves, they aren't learning how to implement the changes necessary to maintain their health after the goal is met. Teach them? Yes. Do it for them? That's not your responsiblity.
- You have the right to stand up for yourself when people make fun of your healthier choices. Just because you are making choices that might make people uncomfortable does NOT mean you have to take their less-than-kind comments lying down. It's okay to say something like "Ouch! That hurt!'.
- You have the right to serve healthy food to your guests. If they don't want to eat the kinds of foods you serve, they need to host the event in their own home.
- You have the right to bring foods you can eat when you go to a place where you know there won't be any good choices for you. This includes restaurants and times you are invited to someone's house. If people don't like this one, that's just too bad. You have the business of being healthy that comes first.
- You have the right (and responsiblity) to be kind. Remember the old saying "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"? It REALLY applies here.
And here are some things I believe you do NOT have the right to do:
- You do not have the right to lecture other people on why the food you are eating is superior to their choices. People really resent this. Trust me- if they want to know, they will ask.
- You do not have the right to tell others what to order in restaurants. Unless it's your your child this is none of your business. (If they ask you what a good choice is, that's another issue all together.)
- You do not have the right to dictate what is served in someone else's home. It's okay to (nicely!) ask what they are going to serve, so you can prepare. But to ask them to serve something else entirely is simply rude.
- You do not have the right to nag someone else on why you want them to get fit. Was this ever motivational for you?
- You do not have the right to ask someone pointed questions like "How's your weight?" Oh, come on.... You know at least one person who's done something like that. Don't become this individual. They know they are heavy- It's not like you are giving them a new revelation. (Besides, how are they supposed to answer? "It sucks. Thanks for asking! And yours?"?)
It bears repeating- In making wise choices consistently you might very well set an example for your loved one that will eventually motivate them to change. Let that be a motivator for you in doing the right things if you like, but don't let anyone else be your key reason for getting or staying fit. Keep YOU the focus of your fit lifestyle. You will be more genuine, and therefore more appealing, in your influence that way.
Because now I am about to disappoint you. And I am also about to get lambasted by people for a myriad of reasons that even I can't predict. It's a touchy subject, but I have come to the conclusion that the answer to the question "How do I get my loved one to get in shape" is, quite simply, "You can't".
That's right. There's not a blessed thing you can plot to do to motivate someone who is not you to change. I've learned this by not only observing others, but by living it (and making the people around me miserable and resent me, I might add). The truth is I may have also stalled their trip down the fitness path.
Learn from my mistakes and those I have observed in others. Please.
When we get in better shape, we naturally want the people we love to also get in shape because..... well...... we love them.
But let's be honest- If someone tried to influence you to change back before you started getting your act together, would it have done any good?
Didn't think so.
Now what makes you think they are any different?
Your best bet is to continue to do what is best for you and hope it will motivate them. And chances are it probably will..... eventually. But I can almost guarantee it won't be as soon as you want. So stop waiting for them to get their keisters in gear and just get on with your own fit life.
Here are some things I believe you have the right to do:
-You have the right to insist on keeping trigger foods out of the house. In our house I get to choose what comes into the kitchen. If I am feeling strong, ice cream may make it through the door. But if I don't either bring it in myself or invite it in, it's not allowed. Maybe that sounds unfair, but I'm the one who's made the big changes for her health, here, and I shouldn't be expected to live with things that could sabotage that. It'd be like expecting a coke addict to live in a crack house: Completely unrealistic. And since my way of eating won't hurt anyone else, and keeping trigger foods around COULD hurt me, on this one I get my way.
- You have the right to expect the rest of the family to respect your workout schedule. It's what helped you get healthy, it is what will help you stay healthy, and you have a right to your health. No one else should be allowed to mess that up. (However, you should try to make your daily workout at the most convenient time for the people you live with. For me, this is first thing in the morning. It makes me available for my family the rest of the day.)
- You have the right to tell people you are not responsible for making their choices for them. Trust me, along the line someone is going to decide they want to look better, too, and say something to the effect of "Just tell me what to eat and how to work, since you've already done this." When someone doesn't make the effort themselves, they aren't learning how to implement the changes necessary to maintain their health after the goal is met. Teach them? Yes. Do it for them? That's not your responsiblity.
- You have the right to stand up for yourself when people make fun of your healthier choices. Just because you are making choices that might make people uncomfortable does NOT mean you have to take their less-than-kind comments lying down. It's okay to say something like "Ouch! That hurt!'.
- You have the right to serve healthy food to your guests. If they don't want to eat the kinds of foods you serve, they need to host the event in their own home.
- You have the right to bring foods you can eat when you go to a place where you know there won't be any good choices for you. This includes restaurants and times you are invited to someone's house. If people don't like this one, that's just too bad. You have the business of being healthy that comes first.
- You have the right (and responsiblity) to be kind. Remember the old saying "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"? It REALLY applies here.
And here are some things I believe you do NOT have the right to do:
- You do not have the right to lecture other people on why the food you are eating is superior to their choices. People really resent this. Trust me- if they want to know, they will ask.
- You do not have the right to tell others what to order in restaurants. Unless it's your your child this is none of your business. (If they ask you what a good choice is, that's another issue all together.)
- You do not have the right to dictate what is served in someone else's home. It's okay to (nicely!) ask what they are going to serve, so you can prepare. But to ask them to serve something else entirely is simply rude.
- You do not have the right to nag someone else on why you want them to get fit. Was this ever motivational for you?
- You do not have the right to ask someone pointed questions like "How's your weight?" Oh, come on.... You know at least one person who's done something like that. Don't become this individual. They know they are heavy- It's not like you are giving them a new revelation. (Besides, how are they supposed to answer? "It sucks. Thanks for asking! And yours?"?)
It bears repeating- In making wise choices consistently you might very well set an example for your loved one that will eventually motivate them to change. Let that be a motivator for you in doing the right things if you like, but don't let anyone else be your key reason for getting or staying fit. Keep YOU the focus of your fit lifestyle. You will be more genuine, and therefore more appealing, in your influence that way.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Spot On....... Or, How To Be A Good Workout Partner
So..... You are one of the lucky ones who has found a compatible workout partner with the same workout style, who respects your boundaries, and who has the same time availability. Blessed indeed you are! Here are some things I have observed and experienced that will help you be a workout partner they will appreciate and respect:
1. Firmly establish at the beginning what your partnership will look like. Are you doing the same program and taking turns doing sets so that you can assist and encourage one another? Doing the same program and working out NEXT to each other, in cadence? Simply going to be at the gym at the same time to support each other in your separate programs and spot the other when you need it? A combination of these? Make sure you know what his or her definition of "partner" is.
2. Show up on time. If you are going to be late, text or call and tell your partner. That way they can get in a little extra warm-up cardio while they wait for you. Nothing is worse than sitting in your car or on a bench in the gym thinking "Where is she? Is she Okay? Did she get in a car wreck? Oversleep? Should I get started working out, or wait?"
3. Let your partner know ASAP if you aren't going to be there one day. My partner tells me often a week or more in advance. I appreciate it. It lets me know I don't have to be there if I want to sleep in a little longer (we usually work out in the early AM), and also lets me mentally prepare for a workout alone- It's not going to be a heavy day if I'm flying solo!
4. If you are going to change your program, discuss it with your partner. This might seem like a no-brainer, but I've actually heard of people walking into the gym and informing their partner that they are starting something different that very day. This means the partner either has to change gears on the fly to accommodate or finds they are left out completely and in a very abrupt fashion. That's not fair. You are a team. Let your teammate know if you want to switch things up. Which leads to......
5. If you are going to implement a program that requires you to go solo, or you want to stop working out with your partner either permanently or for a period of time, let them know about this well in advance. This will give your counterpart time to adjust and regroup. You had time to think about the change you are going to make, now he or she needs time to think of what changes they will need to make in turn to adjust to not having you around.
6. Leave your phone in the car. If you must bring it in for emergency reasons, explain what is going on to your partner. This way they'll be supportive when you have to answer or call mid-workout. Plus, they'll be looking out for your phone and are less likely to step on it!
7. Ask how they prefer to be spotted. A lot of guys lifting heavy weights want to be spotted right above the elbow. Women often want to feel a set of hands more mid-upper arm. Others like to be spotted at the wrist. Some people want to hear "It's all you!" when lifting a heavy load, while others want you to lie and say "I've got it!", when really you are applying minimal pressure to help them. You will get to know their needs and preferences in detail as you continue to work out together, but at the beginning you really need to ask.
8. For Pete's sake, pay attention (and I mean rapt attention) when spotting your partner. This means no talking to your pals, looking at the hot member of the opposite sex saunter by, admiring yourself in the mirror, or anything else that is not staring right at your partner. And put the music in your headset on pause so you can hear your partners signal (often difficult breathing) that it's time for you to kick into action and spot them. Texting and calling shouldn't be an issue, because you left your phone in the car, remember? And even if you brought it in for an emergency per #6, talking and texting should wait until your partner is NOT mid-set. They are depending on you for safety. Don't let them down.
9. Help them switch out weights, even if you are using different lifting apparatus'. It's considerate and besides, lifting with a partner already takes longer than lifting alone- this will help you both get out of the gym a little quicker.
10. Encourage, but not to the point of urging them to do something that could hurt them. It takes time to figure out when your partner is not pushing themselves hard enough and when they are stopping because their body truly can't take anymore. But until you get to know each other a little better, here's a clue: Phrases that are doubtful, like "I am not sure if I should move up to the 45's for the next set", usually mean they are simply unsure of their own strength. If you feel they can do more, tell them to go pick up the 45's and you will help if it's too much. On the other hand, if they are making a definitive statement like "My elbow can't take that weight", respect it. You don't want to be responsible for your partner getting injured.
11. If you decide you aren't compatible as partners after all and find it in your best interest to "break up", it's best to be up front about it. Are their feelings going to be hurt? Probably a little, at least. But it's a lot kinder to let them know they are free to find someone else to work out with than to let them stumble awkwardly around the gym wondering if they have a partner or not. Saying something along the lines of "I am finding that our lifting partnership isn't working out the way I had hoped. I'm so sorry, and I do appreciate what I have learned from working out with you. I think it's time we looked for other lifting partners. In the meantime, if you need a spot, please don't hesitate to ask!" should suffice. If they ask for specifics, tell them. It might help them in future lifting-partner relationships. Otherwise, keep specific reasons to yourself. It could wind up adding insult to the injury.
12. Above all, treasure your partner. Often we have to look years for someone that has that magic combination that works in the gym. Treat them with respect, and expect to be treated with respect in return. Who knows? You might find yourself with a life-long friend.
1. Firmly establish at the beginning what your partnership will look like. Are you doing the same program and taking turns doing sets so that you can assist and encourage one another? Doing the same program and working out NEXT to each other, in cadence? Simply going to be at the gym at the same time to support each other in your separate programs and spot the other when you need it? A combination of these? Make sure you know what his or her definition of "partner" is.
2. Show up on time. If you are going to be late, text or call and tell your partner. That way they can get in a little extra warm-up cardio while they wait for you. Nothing is worse than sitting in your car or on a bench in the gym thinking "Where is she? Is she Okay? Did she get in a car wreck? Oversleep? Should I get started working out, or wait?"
3. Let your partner know ASAP if you aren't going to be there one day. My partner tells me often a week or more in advance. I appreciate it. It lets me know I don't have to be there if I want to sleep in a little longer (we usually work out in the early AM), and also lets me mentally prepare for a workout alone- It's not going to be a heavy day if I'm flying solo!
4. If you are going to change your program, discuss it with your partner. This might seem like a no-brainer, but I've actually heard of people walking into the gym and informing their partner that they are starting something different that very day. This means the partner either has to change gears on the fly to accommodate or finds they are left out completely and in a very abrupt fashion. That's not fair. You are a team. Let your teammate know if you want to switch things up. Which leads to......
5. If you are going to implement a program that requires you to go solo, or you want to stop working out with your partner either permanently or for a period of time, let them know about this well in advance. This will give your counterpart time to adjust and regroup. You had time to think about the change you are going to make, now he or she needs time to think of what changes they will need to make in turn to adjust to not having you around.
6. Leave your phone in the car. If you must bring it in for emergency reasons, explain what is going on to your partner. This way they'll be supportive when you have to answer or call mid-workout. Plus, they'll be looking out for your phone and are less likely to step on it!
7. Ask how they prefer to be spotted. A lot of guys lifting heavy weights want to be spotted right above the elbow. Women often want to feel a set of hands more mid-upper arm. Others like to be spotted at the wrist. Some people want to hear "It's all you!" when lifting a heavy load, while others want you to lie and say "I've got it!", when really you are applying minimal pressure to help them. You will get to know their needs and preferences in detail as you continue to work out together, but at the beginning you really need to ask.
8. For Pete's sake, pay attention (and I mean rapt attention) when spotting your partner. This means no talking to your pals, looking at the hot member of the opposite sex saunter by, admiring yourself in the mirror, or anything else that is not staring right at your partner. And put the music in your headset on pause so you can hear your partners signal (often difficult breathing) that it's time for you to kick into action and spot them. Texting and calling shouldn't be an issue, because you left your phone in the car, remember? And even if you brought it in for an emergency per #6, talking and texting should wait until your partner is NOT mid-set. They are depending on you for safety. Don't let them down.
9. Help them switch out weights, even if you are using different lifting apparatus'. It's considerate and besides, lifting with a partner already takes longer than lifting alone- this will help you both get out of the gym a little quicker.
10. Encourage, but not to the point of urging them to do something that could hurt them. It takes time to figure out when your partner is not pushing themselves hard enough and when they are stopping because their body truly can't take anymore. But until you get to know each other a little better, here's a clue: Phrases that are doubtful, like "I am not sure if I should move up to the 45's for the next set", usually mean they are simply unsure of their own strength. If you feel they can do more, tell them to go pick up the 45's and you will help if it's too much. On the other hand, if they are making a definitive statement like "My elbow can't take that weight", respect it. You don't want to be responsible for your partner getting injured.
11. If you decide you aren't compatible as partners after all and find it in your best interest to "break up", it's best to be up front about it. Are their feelings going to be hurt? Probably a little, at least. But it's a lot kinder to let them know they are free to find someone else to work out with than to let them stumble awkwardly around the gym wondering if they have a partner or not. Saying something along the lines of "I am finding that our lifting partnership isn't working out the way I had hoped. I'm so sorry, and I do appreciate what I have learned from working out with you. I think it's time we looked for other lifting partners. In the meantime, if you need a spot, please don't hesitate to ask!" should suffice. If they ask for specifics, tell them. It might help them in future lifting-partner relationships. Otherwise, keep specific reasons to yourself. It could wind up adding insult to the injury.
12. Above all, treasure your partner. Often we have to look years for someone that has that magic combination that works in the gym. Treat them with respect, and expect to be treated with respect in return. Who knows? You might find yourself with a life-long friend.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Yep..... Thos Studies Were Right........
Lately I've learned first hand that some of the things I have read but was never sure about are indeed true. I would recommend you take my word for these things and not try to find out first-hand. The process stinks.
Here they are, in no particular order:
- Extreme stress really does hinder fat loss. I hired Julie Lohre as a coach. She is awesome, with the most comprehensive program and organizational skills I have seen to date. But, bless her heart, she couldn't elicit a change in my body, despite her best efforts. I was (and still am) under a ton of stress in my personal life. I am absolutely confident this stress stopped my body from letting go of the fat she was trying so hard to wrangle off of me. I only did her program for 8 weeks because I felt bad. She has limited availability and I felt her time was better spent with a client who she could actually gain some satisfaction from. I'd of worked with her longer, otherwise.
- L-glutamine powder taken either pre- or post-workout really does help with soreness. Spent all last week sore when I forgot to take it (because of the stress). And my routine didn't change at all, so it's not like I did anything new to elicit the pain.
- If I start eating refined sugars (white flour or white sugar), it's pretty much guaranteed to trigger a binge.
-Same with diet soda.
- Exercise really does stimulate feel-good hormones that help lift your mood. It's much harder for me emotionally in the early mornings since my life has encountered sadness that is not going to go away (maybe ever). After I work out, however, I feel better the rest of the day. For this reason I am going to try and split my workouts up to lifting in the morning and cardio at night, just to get the good stuff going through me 24/7. And I am going to start adding in weekend exercise all I can.
- Cardio is not as important as lifting, but it's still important. I don't drop weight nearly as fast without it.
- 1600 seems to be the magic number for me. If I eat calories much below that, I don't drop weight nearly as quickly. And the lower I go below 1600, the more my weight loss stalls. Additionally, I get really hungry if I eat below about 1450. Seems my body wants the muscle I've worked so hard for FED! I've heard this. I've blogged about it. (See "Moving Past a Weight Loss Plateau"). And I have lived it numerous times.
- No kidding, stress really does give you more grey hair. (This has nothing to do with physical fitness, but it's true nonetheless.) I will be scheduling an appointment with my stylist soon.
So there you go- I have been my own, unwilling, science experiment. Maybe my experience can help someone else who thinks, as I used to, "I wonder if that's really true?". And now I am curious- What fitness data have YOU found first-hand to be true?
Here they are, in no particular order:
- Extreme stress really does hinder fat loss. I hired Julie Lohre as a coach. She is awesome, with the most comprehensive program and organizational skills I have seen to date. But, bless her heart, she couldn't elicit a change in my body, despite her best efforts. I was (and still am) under a ton of stress in my personal life. I am absolutely confident this stress stopped my body from letting go of the fat she was trying so hard to wrangle off of me. I only did her program for 8 weeks because I felt bad. She has limited availability and I felt her time was better spent with a client who she could actually gain some satisfaction from. I'd of worked with her longer, otherwise.
- L-glutamine powder taken either pre- or post-workout really does help with soreness. Spent all last week sore when I forgot to take it (because of the stress). And my routine didn't change at all, so it's not like I did anything new to elicit the pain.
- If I start eating refined sugars (white flour or white sugar), it's pretty much guaranteed to trigger a binge.
-Same with diet soda.
- Exercise really does stimulate feel-good hormones that help lift your mood. It's much harder for me emotionally in the early mornings since my life has encountered sadness that is not going to go away (maybe ever). After I work out, however, I feel better the rest of the day. For this reason I am going to try and split my workouts up to lifting in the morning and cardio at night, just to get the good stuff going through me 24/7. And I am going to start adding in weekend exercise all I can.
- Cardio is not as important as lifting, but it's still important. I don't drop weight nearly as fast without it.
- 1600 seems to be the magic number for me. If I eat calories much below that, I don't drop weight nearly as quickly. And the lower I go below 1600, the more my weight loss stalls. Additionally, I get really hungry if I eat below about 1450. Seems my body wants the muscle I've worked so hard for FED! I've heard this. I've blogged about it. (See "Moving Past a Weight Loss Plateau"). And I have lived it numerous times.
- No kidding, stress really does give you more grey hair. (This has nothing to do with physical fitness, but it's true nonetheless.) I will be scheduling an appointment with my stylist soon.
So there you go- I have been my own, unwilling, science experiment. Maybe my experience can help someone else who thinks, as I used to, "I wonder if that's really true?". And now I am curious- What fitness data have YOU found first-hand to be true?
Friday, July 13, 2012
What To Eat Before and After You Workout
This is a subject that brings a lot of confusion, and understandably so. Thankfully, there is a short answer: Protein and Carbs.
Both protein and carbs work in conjunction to both fuel and repair your muscles. Easy 'nuff, right?
But there are a few additional things that may come in handy to know:
- First of all, fat intake slows digestion. So if you want to eat before your workout to fuel you a little fat is Okay (although not necessary), because it keeps you from blowing through the nutrients quickly and running out of steam before your workout is done. For me, this typically is a whole egg and three or four egg whites scrambled together along with 1/3 C of plain (not instant- bad for you!) dry oatmeal, cooked. The fat is in the egg yolk. However, after a work out it would be ideal (not necessary, but ideal) to keep fat intake to a minimum so that the carbs and protein can get into your muscles as quickly as possible. Whey protein is a very fast digesting protein and the carbs in fruit are also a quickly-digesting sugar. So if you have a scoop of whey mixed in water or skim milk and a banana on the way home from the gym you can fuel your body optimally.
- If you work out later in the day and eat meals every 3 hours or so that have both protein and carbs in them, you really don't need to worry too much about what you eat before or after you work out, because your body has both nutrients already continually fueling it.
- If you work out first thing in the morning, you need to give it a little more thought. At this point, it becomes more about personal goals and how much food you can stomach before a workout. For instance, if you are someone who is interested in burning fat, there is a school of thought that says doing cardio on an empty stomach burns more fat. The reason for this is that, presumably, there is little glycogen in the cells and the system goes strait to fat for fuel. (I'm doubtful about this for reasons that will take another blog, but for now let's assume it is a likelihood that you do indeed burn more fat doing cardio on an empty tummy.) This would, of course, be best accomplished first thing in the morning.
However, if you want to do your strength training at the same time of day as your cardio, you stand the potential of running into a problem, because you may not have enough energy to lift weights to your maximum capacity without something in your system to fuel you. I've seen some fitness competitors manage this by doing the cardio on an empty stomach, then eating a little something right in the gym and proceeding on to weight lifting.
For me personally the solution is to eat a full breakfast and wait about an hour before lifting (it takes me that long after I've eaten to get my household in order and myself driven to the gym). I do my weight lifting first, while I am at my freshest and I have the most energy (it's always a priority for me over cardio,anyhow). Then, after my muscles have had a chance to deplete some of the glycogen from the carbs from lifting, I go on to my cardio.
If you are someone who gets an upset stomach if you eat anything before you work out..... well, Duh! Don't eat! :-D
- As a last point, I'd like to express that if you don't do any/all/some of this, please don't think your workout is a waste. The truth is that most, if not all, of this is splitting hairs. The important thing is that you both exercise and eat clean (minimal processed foods). Period. If you are a fitness competitor or model these things can add up to make the difference that gets you the trophy or translates best for the camera lens. For the rest of us, these are good things to know but not necessary rules to live by.
The truth is that for the everyday person, eating clean and training dirty is enough. Your body will thank you!
Both protein and carbs work in conjunction to both fuel and repair your muscles. Easy 'nuff, right?
But there are a few additional things that may come in handy to know:
- First of all, fat intake slows digestion. So if you want to eat before your workout to fuel you a little fat is Okay (although not necessary), because it keeps you from blowing through the nutrients quickly and running out of steam before your workout is done. For me, this typically is a whole egg and three or four egg whites scrambled together along with 1/3 C of plain (not instant- bad for you!) dry oatmeal, cooked. The fat is in the egg yolk. However, after a work out it would be ideal (not necessary, but ideal) to keep fat intake to a minimum so that the carbs and protein can get into your muscles as quickly as possible. Whey protein is a very fast digesting protein and the carbs in fruit are also a quickly-digesting sugar. So if you have a scoop of whey mixed in water or skim milk and a banana on the way home from the gym you can fuel your body optimally.
- If you work out later in the day and eat meals every 3 hours or so that have both protein and carbs in them, you really don't need to worry too much about what you eat before or after you work out, because your body has both nutrients already continually fueling it.
- If you work out first thing in the morning, you need to give it a little more thought. At this point, it becomes more about personal goals and how much food you can stomach before a workout. For instance, if you are someone who is interested in burning fat, there is a school of thought that says doing cardio on an empty stomach burns more fat. The reason for this is that, presumably, there is little glycogen in the cells and the system goes strait to fat for fuel. (I'm doubtful about this for reasons that will take another blog, but for now let's assume it is a likelihood that you do indeed burn more fat doing cardio on an empty tummy.) This would, of course, be best accomplished first thing in the morning.
However, if you want to do your strength training at the same time of day as your cardio, you stand the potential of running into a problem, because you may not have enough energy to lift weights to your maximum capacity without something in your system to fuel you. I've seen some fitness competitors manage this by doing the cardio on an empty stomach, then eating a little something right in the gym and proceeding on to weight lifting.
For me personally the solution is to eat a full breakfast and wait about an hour before lifting (it takes me that long after I've eaten to get my household in order and myself driven to the gym). I do my weight lifting first, while I am at my freshest and I have the most energy (it's always a priority for me over cardio,anyhow). Then, after my muscles have had a chance to deplete some of the glycogen from the carbs from lifting, I go on to my cardio.
If you are someone who gets an upset stomach if you eat anything before you work out..... well, Duh! Don't eat! :-D
- As a last point, I'd like to express that if you don't do any/all/some of this, please don't think your workout is a waste. The truth is that most, if not all, of this is splitting hairs. The important thing is that you both exercise and eat clean (minimal processed foods). Period. If you are a fitness competitor or model these things can add up to make the difference that gets you the trophy or translates best for the camera lens. For the rest of us, these are good things to know but not necessary rules to live by.
The truth is that for the everyday person, eating clean and training dirty is enough. Your body will thank you!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Magic Grocery Shopping
Once a month I do my "big shopping" in a large grocery store. As I wander down the aisles I will sometimes see women with a look on their face that I recognize. It's because I used to have the very same look on my face several years ago. It's the "What product can I buy that will make my weight issues go away?" look. This look always occurs on the aisles where there is plenty of packaged food, most often near the cereal bars or in the cookie and cracker aisle. That's where I used to get that same look on my face, too.
I think as Americans (maybe people in other areas of the world too, I don't know. I've only ever lived here.)....... anyhow..... I think we have become conditioned to think that in packaging foods we have somehow made them better or improved on Mother Nature. I used to be looking to see if someone came up with something that was ultra-nutritious, low in calories, and low in fat, all while being ultra-delicious. Oh, and if that food also had some magical ability to make fat melt off my body, that would be even better.
What tickles me is that occasionally one of these lost-looking people will glance at my cart, as if trying to see if I have some secret ingredient. Of course, my cart looks pretty boring compared to the pretty packaged things on the shelves, so I don't capture their attention for long.
I often wish I could take the hand of those poor confused souls and lead them to the fresh produce section. Our next stop would be the meat counter, showing them how to select lean cuts (organic and fed what the animal is SUPPOSED to eat in nature, if they can afford it), then over to the dairy section to show them how to look for products that don't have added hormones or antibiotics, preferably also from animals fed what it is animals would naturally choose to eat in the wild. I'd like to teach them not to be afraid of fats from natural sources the way God made them, not the way we have changed them to be. Next we'd make a quick trip through the aisles for coconut and olive oils (coconut oil is more expensive, but for the little bit of baking I do it's a much healthier option and bakes up nicer, plus it handles heat on the stove better than olive oil), and the kind of nut butters that you have to keep in the fridge because the oil separates from the peanuts if you don't. Then I'd walk them through the bread section and show them what the ingredients list of baked products withOUT white flour in them looks like (it's tricky- companies have learned to be careful with how they word the ingredients list), and lastly through the frozen foods section where we would select unadorned frozen veggies, fruits (like berries, for smoothies), and fish to thaw quickly for healthy meals for their family. Most of the rest of the stuff in the frozen section we'd leave alone.
The fact is that there ARE magic ingredients, but we are so used to looking at them that we don't really see them anymore. Pass up the processed stuff. If a product looks NOTHING like the original ingredients it claims to have in it, it's been processed too much to be truly good for you anymore. It may not taste as good at first, but you and your family will get used to it and learn eventually to prefer the natural foods. God knew what He was doing when he made foods- He designed them to nourish our bodies. It's a little hard to improve on God.
We can't all afford to eat all clean all the time. I understand this. The things that have a longer shelf life are cheaper. I get it. But if you are looking for a magic bullet in a man-made food, you'll never find it. Buy healthy all you can afford to, and cook at home all you can (hint- your Crock Pot is your pal). Cooking at home more often will help offset the added cost of the higher grocery bill from the better foods.
You are building the little bodies of your kids to be healthy adults and you are taking care of your own body so that it will carry you well through life. Love your body with your choices- Choices that are as close to the way Mother Nature as you can. It's not an instant fix, but over time you will be glad you did.
I think as Americans (maybe people in other areas of the world too, I don't know. I've only ever lived here.)....... anyhow..... I think we have become conditioned to think that in packaging foods we have somehow made them better or improved on Mother Nature. I used to be looking to see if someone came up with something that was ultra-nutritious, low in calories, and low in fat, all while being ultra-delicious. Oh, and if that food also had some magical ability to make fat melt off my body, that would be even better.
What tickles me is that occasionally one of these lost-looking people will glance at my cart, as if trying to see if I have some secret ingredient. Of course, my cart looks pretty boring compared to the pretty packaged things on the shelves, so I don't capture their attention for long.
I often wish I could take the hand of those poor confused souls and lead them to the fresh produce section. Our next stop would be the meat counter, showing them how to select lean cuts (organic and fed what the animal is SUPPOSED to eat in nature, if they can afford it), then over to the dairy section to show them how to look for products that don't have added hormones or antibiotics, preferably also from animals fed what it is animals would naturally choose to eat in the wild. I'd like to teach them not to be afraid of fats from natural sources the way God made them, not the way we have changed them to be. Next we'd make a quick trip through the aisles for coconut and olive oils (coconut oil is more expensive, but for the little bit of baking I do it's a much healthier option and bakes up nicer, plus it handles heat on the stove better than olive oil), and the kind of nut butters that you have to keep in the fridge because the oil separates from the peanuts if you don't. Then I'd walk them through the bread section and show them what the ingredients list of baked products withOUT white flour in them looks like (it's tricky- companies have learned to be careful with how they word the ingredients list), and lastly through the frozen foods section where we would select unadorned frozen veggies, fruits (like berries, for smoothies), and fish to thaw quickly for healthy meals for their family. Most of the rest of the stuff in the frozen section we'd leave alone.
The fact is that there ARE magic ingredients, but we are so used to looking at them that we don't really see them anymore. Pass up the processed stuff. If a product looks NOTHING like the original ingredients it claims to have in it, it's been processed too much to be truly good for you anymore. It may not taste as good at first, but you and your family will get used to it and learn eventually to prefer the natural foods. God knew what He was doing when he made foods- He designed them to nourish our bodies. It's a little hard to improve on God.
We can't all afford to eat all clean all the time. I understand this. The things that have a longer shelf life are cheaper. I get it. But if you are looking for a magic bullet in a man-made food, you'll never find it. Buy healthy all you can afford to, and cook at home all you can (hint- your Crock Pot is your pal). Cooking at home more often will help offset the added cost of the higher grocery bill from the better foods.
You are building the little bodies of your kids to be healthy adults and you are taking care of your own body so that it will carry you well through life. Love your body with your choices- Choices that are as close to the way Mother Nature as you can. It's not an instant fix, but over time you will be glad you did.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Evolvement of Moderation
I have heard a lot of people say that a life of moderation is key in keeping balance between real life and fitness. I completely agree, but I've come to find that my view of moderation has had to change as my fitness journey has progressed. What used to be moderate for me would now be considered excess.
The changes in what I considered "moderate" happened gradually as I progressed. I'd stall and realize I had to take an honest look at what I was doing, then figure out what must change to get closer to my goal. This usually involved giving something up. (Okay, I was "substituting" one thing for a healthier choice most of the time, but the fact is that I had to give one thing up in order to substitute it with another.) My definition of "moderation" had to change once again.
It's a natural process that you will have to go through, too, as you get more fit.
When I started my journey to weight loss at almost 200 pounds, a small serving of dessert every day was moderation. I have found that at my maintenance weight a serving of dessert perhaps every week or two is now moderation. At the beginning of my weight-loss I could eat most every food I'd eaten when I was not trying to lose weight, just in controlled amounts. Now I have had to abandon many of those foods on all but a the very rare occasion to maintain the health I have worked so hard to achieve. This has been hard for me to accept, but I have had to wrap my head around the fact that if I do what I used to do, I'll look like I used to look. Worse yet, I'll be as unhealthy as I used to be. Not cool.
I miss ice-cream with magic shell. I miss baking several times a week and eating it, to include sampling the dough/batter/frosting. I miss my Chili Dog Pie recipe and my Grandma's biscuits. I really do. But if I continue to indulge in these things regularly I won't be able to maintain my current level of health.
I guess I've decided that I'd rather live a longer life enjoying these foods hardly ever than a shorter one eating them as often as I'd like.
It's your call. It's your body. It's your life. I'm not judging you. But if you want to continue to see the fat come off and/or the muscle come on, you are going to have to adjust your definition of "moderation" as you progress. I'm sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news...... I didn't make this rule up.... It's just the way it is.
The changes in what I considered "moderate" happened gradually as I progressed. I'd stall and realize I had to take an honest look at what I was doing, then figure out what must change to get closer to my goal. This usually involved giving something up. (Okay, I was "substituting" one thing for a healthier choice most of the time, but the fact is that I had to give one thing up in order to substitute it with another.) My definition of "moderation" had to change once again.
It's a natural process that you will have to go through, too, as you get more fit.
When I started my journey to weight loss at almost 200 pounds, a small serving of dessert every day was moderation. I have found that at my maintenance weight a serving of dessert perhaps every week or two is now moderation. At the beginning of my weight-loss I could eat most every food I'd eaten when I was not trying to lose weight, just in controlled amounts. Now I have had to abandon many of those foods on all but a the very rare occasion to maintain the health I have worked so hard to achieve. This has been hard for me to accept, but I have had to wrap my head around the fact that if I do what I used to do, I'll look like I used to look. Worse yet, I'll be as unhealthy as I used to be. Not cool.
I miss ice-cream with magic shell. I miss baking several times a week and eating it, to include sampling the dough/batter/frosting. I miss my Chili Dog Pie recipe and my Grandma's biscuits. I really do. But if I continue to indulge in these things regularly I won't be able to maintain my current level of health.
I guess I've decided that I'd rather live a longer life enjoying these foods hardly ever than a shorter one eating them as often as I'd like.
It's your call. It's your body. It's your life. I'm not judging you. But if you want to continue to see the fat come off and/or the muscle come on, you are going to have to adjust your definition of "moderation" as you progress. I'm sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news...... I didn't make this rule up.... It's just the way it is.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Video Blog Link: The thinking behind my latest workout split.
Just a warning- This is a lot of info! And longer than I would have liked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJU7_YFTnk&feature=g-upl&context=G21953c4AUAAAAAAAAAA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJU7_YFTnk&feature=g-upl&context=G21953c4AUAAAAAAAAAA
Monday, March 26, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
From Diet Soda To Water
This is a tough one, isn't it? Learning to make your main beverage (or your only beverage) water. Seems we all get hooked on diet soda at some point. I'm even going to venture a guess that a majority of the people I know struggling to lose weight are diet-soda-aholics. And since there is no 12-step program for this addiction, I thought it might be handy to share how I managed to kick my own heavy diet soda habit.
I think most of us begin drinking diet soda because it has a sweet taste and no calories. We like sweet. And we figure without calories it can't derail our weight loss efforts. No harm in a diet soda once a day, is there? Then we start drinking two. At home. And then make it our regular beverage when we drink out. And then we have it "only after noon" EVERY SINGLE DAY! And next thing you know, breakfast is over and your seeking out that sweet fizzy taste fix that only a diet soda would give you.
Of course, you wouldn't dream of drinking a regular soda with sugar in it because that.... THAT would make you fat. But this diet stuff? "Hey", you reason "It's got water in it and my body needs water. And it's not giving me any calories, and my body certainly doesn't need any of THOSE! And lookie here- It doesn't have sodium, or caffeine, either! I'm doing something good for my body by making this diet soda choice!". Yeppers- I've been there too, and said all of these things to myself, and more. (My favorite line I told myself when ordering a bacon cheeseburger and fries with a diet soda was "If they made a diet burger and fries, I'd order those, too." I was the champion of excuses!)
Then a little lightbulb went off; "If there is no sugar, little sodium, and often no caffeine in diet soda, what IS in there? There has to be something, or else it would be.... well...... water." And the answer to that question? In a word- Chemicals. What good were chemicals going to do me? Because here I was, being careful with my diet (I was drinking diet soda even after I'd made significant progress in my weight loss), and still bathing my insides with chemicals via diet soda. Not exactly the healthiest thing I could do for a body I was trying to make healthier by every other means.
Sadly, it was time to start the very painful process of breaking up with Mr. Fizzy.
The first thing I did was move from diet soda to those fizzy flavored waters they sell. (The peach was my favorite!) This went on for probably a year or more. Then I started reading that carbonation (which makes the fizz) can cause calcium to leach from the bones, which in turn causes the bones to be weaker and more prone to breakage as I age.
Since being 80 and incapacitated with a broken hip didn't sound appealing to me, I ditched the carbonation and went with the flavored waters, no fizz. These stood in for a while. But then I started taking a look at the artificial sweeteners and some of the purported side effects from them (my aunt, who has Parkinsons disease, often wonders if her copious drinking of diet sodas didn't help her condition along), and figured it wasn't worth the risk to have those coursing through my body all the time,either.
So then I started drinking iced tea with artificial sweetener in it, but watered it down. A lot.
Eventually I managed to get it so watered down that the tea wasn't really tea anymore- it was just dirty water. At that point I let go entirely and went to strait water.
This doesn't mean I don't ever have a diet soda anymore, because I do. On occasion I'll have one as a treat, usually when I go to the movies with my family, who are all munching on candy. It gives my mouth something do to, and I don't feel completely left out. (Please don't ask me how I can feel left out when we are all starting strait ahead at a screen in the dark- This concept alludes me to this day. But the fact is that it happens.)
And when I go to restaurants I will often get a glass of unsweetened tea and sweeten it with Stevia packets I carry in a baggie in my purse. Stevia is the ground leaf of the Stevia plant, which is sweet. Much preferable to saccharine, sucralose, or any other artificial sweeteners, since Stevia is ground directly from a plant. Depending on the brand you buy (I use Stevia In The Raw), it can taste a tad bitter, but I can't stand unsweetened tea, so Stevia it is. And yes, I have turned into a baggie-carrying, chemicaly-paranoid fanatic.
Paying homage to my "if they made diet burgers" excuse (above), I'm using the "If I could hand them organic chicken to make my salad I would" excuse for the sweetener.
Anyhow, that's my story of how I kicked diet sodas and my reasons why. Maybe you are inspired. Maybe you are (I hope) thinking of artificial chemicals in a different way. And maybe you are rolling your eyes. But regardless, I hope you tell me what you think!
I think most of us begin drinking diet soda because it has a sweet taste and no calories. We like sweet. And we figure without calories it can't derail our weight loss efforts. No harm in a diet soda once a day, is there? Then we start drinking two. At home. And then make it our regular beverage when we drink out. And then we have it "only after noon" EVERY SINGLE DAY! And next thing you know, breakfast is over and your seeking out that sweet fizzy taste fix that only a diet soda would give you.
Of course, you wouldn't dream of drinking a regular soda with sugar in it because that.... THAT would make you fat. But this diet stuff? "Hey", you reason "It's got water in it and my body needs water. And it's not giving me any calories, and my body certainly doesn't need any of THOSE! And lookie here- It doesn't have sodium, or caffeine, either! I'm doing something good for my body by making this diet soda choice!". Yeppers- I've been there too, and said all of these things to myself, and more. (My favorite line I told myself when ordering a bacon cheeseburger and fries with a diet soda was "If they made a diet burger and fries, I'd order those, too." I was the champion of excuses!)
Then a little lightbulb went off; "If there is no sugar, little sodium, and often no caffeine in diet soda, what IS in there? There has to be something, or else it would be.... well...... water." And the answer to that question? In a word- Chemicals. What good were chemicals going to do me? Because here I was, being careful with my diet (I was drinking diet soda even after I'd made significant progress in my weight loss), and still bathing my insides with chemicals via diet soda. Not exactly the healthiest thing I could do for a body I was trying to make healthier by every other means.
Sadly, it was time to start the very painful process of breaking up with Mr. Fizzy.
The first thing I did was move from diet soda to those fizzy flavored waters they sell. (The peach was my favorite!) This went on for probably a year or more. Then I started reading that carbonation (which makes the fizz) can cause calcium to leach from the bones, which in turn causes the bones to be weaker and more prone to breakage as I age.
Since being 80 and incapacitated with a broken hip didn't sound appealing to me, I ditched the carbonation and went with the flavored waters, no fizz. These stood in for a while. But then I started taking a look at the artificial sweeteners and some of the purported side effects from them (my aunt, who has Parkinsons disease, often wonders if her copious drinking of diet sodas didn't help her condition along), and figured it wasn't worth the risk to have those coursing through my body all the time,either.
So then I started drinking iced tea with artificial sweetener in it, but watered it down. A lot.
Eventually I managed to get it so watered down that the tea wasn't really tea anymore- it was just dirty water. At that point I let go entirely and went to strait water.
This doesn't mean I don't ever have a diet soda anymore, because I do. On occasion I'll have one as a treat, usually when I go to the movies with my family, who are all munching on candy. It gives my mouth something do to, and I don't feel completely left out. (Please don't ask me how I can feel left out when we are all starting strait ahead at a screen in the dark- This concept alludes me to this day. But the fact is that it happens.)
And when I go to restaurants I will often get a glass of unsweetened tea and sweeten it with Stevia packets I carry in a baggie in my purse. Stevia is the ground leaf of the Stevia plant, which is sweet. Much preferable to saccharine, sucralose, or any other artificial sweeteners, since Stevia is ground directly from a plant. Depending on the brand you buy (I use Stevia In The Raw), it can taste a tad bitter, but I can't stand unsweetened tea, so Stevia it is. And yes, I have turned into a baggie-carrying, chemicaly-paranoid fanatic.
Paying homage to my "if they made diet burgers" excuse (above), I'm using the "If I could hand them organic chicken to make my salad I would" excuse for the sweetener.
Anyhow, that's my story of how I kicked diet sodas and my reasons why. Maybe you are inspired. Maybe you are (I hope) thinking of artificial chemicals in a different way. And maybe you are rolling your eyes. But regardless, I hope you tell me what you think!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Video Blog Link: Quick, healthy foods for at work and in the car.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3245by7ijLo
A few things I forgot to mention:
- Beef Jerky. As long as sodium is not an issue for you and you ensure it is very low fat this can be a great source of protein that stays good for a long time.
- Cut-up veggies. Either cut them yourself and put in the sandwich bags, or get the single-serving size in the produce section of the store. I LOVE the sugar snap peas!
- Holy Guacamole individual servings, also sold in the produce section. This makes a great dip for the veggies and gives you healthy fats.
- And my "Car kit"- A trio of foods that hold up well without refrigeration for a long time. I try to keep this in my vehicle all the time. It includes:
* Ready-made protein drink
* A protein bar
* Beef jerky.
Please let me know what you think!
A few things I forgot to mention:
- Beef Jerky. As long as sodium is not an issue for you and you ensure it is very low fat this can be a great source of protein that stays good for a long time.
- Cut-up veggies. Either cut them yourself and put in the sandwich bags, or get the single-serving size in the produce section of the store. I LOVE the sugar snap peas!
- Holy Guacamole individual servings, also sold in the produce section. This makes a great dip for the veggies and gives you healthy fats.
- And my "Car kit"- A trio of foods that hold up well without refrigeration for a long time. I try to keep this in my vehicle all the time. It includes:
* Ready-made protein drink
* A protein bar
* Beef jerky.
Please let me know what you think!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Hard Choices
There came a point about 3 years ago in my weight loss and fitness journey that I knew if I was going to progress any farther I would have to spend more time in the gym and cooking healthy foods. And in order to do that, I was going to have to give something up. After conducting a rather painful lifestyle self-examination, I realized what needed to go: Sewing.
I am a very good seamstress, if I do say so myself. I have been sewing for about 30 years now. Since I am a perfectionist, I wasn't happy turning out anything that didn't look positively beautiful. And perfection takes time. A LOT of time! I figured as long as I was putting the effort in, it might as well be right. And it was. Here are photos of just a few of my beloved projects:
But I had to get honest with myself and reevaluate my priorities. After some internal examination I decided the proper place to focus my energies and time was now on getting healthier for not only myself, but for my family. Additionally, I wasn't able to spend the time helping others like I wanted because my butt was stuck in a chair in front of a sewing machine manipulating fabric. So I finished up the last of my important projects and put sewing on the back burner. That was a couple of years ago, and I haven't regretted the decision since, although sometimes I do get a little melancholy about it.
This doesn't mean I don't ever sew, because in a pinch I do. And I am grateful for my sewing skills. For instance, I made a lovely fully lined wool trench coat for my daughter this winter- She is tall and willowy, and at almost 6 feet tall and 125 lbs nothing was fitting her. (This is not an exaggeration- literally NOTHING fit her even close to properly with those very long limbs.) Marching practices for the high school band would have been miserable without a warm and properly-fitting winter coat. I literally don't know what she'd of done if I couldn't sew. Here are a few of pictures of the project:
But other than the rare project, my sewing maching sits neglected in it's cabinet.
Another thing I have just recently given up is baking. This was an even harder one to abandon than sewing. Baking gives instant gratification and makes my family very happy! This in turn makes me happy! But I eat what I bake, and the stuff sitting around, even if I do avoid it, gets me thinking in a direction that is not good for my health. (I'm sorry, but my experience has been that even with healthier ingredients, it's very difficult to make baked goods that are truly good for you and taste good, too.) So, like sewing, unless it's for a rare occasion, baking is pretty much out of my life.
When people say that living healthy is a lifestyle, they aren't kidding! I'm not saying you have to abandon ALL of your time-consuming or bad-for-you habits right now. I see skinny people who sew and healthy people who bake. I just can't be one of them. At least not for the time being.
Habits are formed gradually and new practices towards healthier living are best added little by little, as you feel ready for the the changes. The truth is that if 5 years ago you'd of told me I'd of all but stopped both sewing AND (bigger shock!) baking, I'd of told you that you were talking to the wrong woman. If you knew me back then, you are nodding your head in agreement. :-)
The moral of my story? Don't be afraid to reevaluate and be honest with yourself about what needs to exit your life. I can pretty much guarantee that over time, as you progress into becoming fitter and healthier, your life will look a lot different than it does today. And that's Ok. Giving up things that slow your progress is not giving in- It's being mature and honest enough with yourself to say "This isn't in my best interest anymore". Your family may balk a bit (my 15-year old is still asking for brownies), but eventually they'll come to accept and appreciate that you made the hard choices in not only your best interest, but theirs as well.
I am a very good seamstress, if I do say so myself. I have been sewing for about 30 years now. Since I am a perfectionist, I wasn't happy turning out anything that didn't look positively beautiful. And perfection takes time. A LOT of time! I figured as long as I was putting the effort in, it might as well be right. And it was. Here are photos of just a few of my beloved projects:
But I had to get honest with myself and reevaluate my priorities. After some internal examination I decided the proper place to focus my energies and time was now on getting healthier for not only myself, but for my family. Additionally, I wasn't able to spend the time helping others like I wanted because my butt was stuck in a chair in front of a sewing machine manipulating fabric. So I finished up the last of my important projects and put sewing on the back burner. That was a couple of years ago, and I haven't regretted the decision since, although sometimes I do get a little melancholy about it.
This doesn't mean I don't ever sew, because in a pinch I do. And I am grateful for my sewing skills. For instance, I made a lovely fully lined wool trench coat for my daughter this winter- She is tall and willowy, and at almost 6 feet tall and 125 lbs nothing was fitting her. (This is not an exaggeration- literally NOTHING fit her even close to properly with those very long limbs.) Marching practices for the high school band would have been miserable without a warm and properly-fitting winter coat. I literally don't know what she'd of done if I couldn't sew. Here are a few of pictures of the project:
But other than the rare project, my sewing maching sits neglected in it's cabinet.
Another thing I have just recently given up is baking. This was an even harder one to abandon than sewing. Baking gives instant gratification and makes my family very happy! This in turn makes me happy! But I eat what I bake, and the stuff sitting around, even if I do avoid it, gets me thinking in a direction that is not good for my health. (I'm sorry, but my experience has been that even with healthier ingredients, it's very difficult to make baked goods that are truly good for you and taste good, too.) So, like sewing, unless it's for a rare occasion, baking is pretty much out of my life.
When people say that living healthy is a lifestyle, they aren't kidding! I'm not saying you have to abandon ALL of your time-consuming or bad-for-you habits right now. I see skinny people who sew and healthy people who bake. I just can't be one of them. At least not for the time being.
Habits are formed gradually and new practices towards healthier living are best added little by little, as you feel ready for the the changes. The truth is that if 5 years ago you'd of told me I'd of all but stopped both sewing AND (bigger shock!) baking, I'd of told you that you were talking to the wrong woman. If you knew me back then, you are nodding your head in agreement. :-)
The moral of my story? Don't be afraid to reevaluate and be honest with yourself about what needs to exit your life. I can pretty much guarantee that over time, as you progress into becoming fitter and healthier, your life will look a lot different than it does today. And that's Ok. Giving up things that slow your progress is not giving in- It's being mature and honest enough with yourself to say "This isn't in my best interest anymore". Your family may balk a bit (my 15-year old is still asking for brownies), but eventually they'll come to accept and appreciate that you made the hard choices in not only your best interest, but theirs as well.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Video Blog: My Daily Supplements
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr6yZ-XpPXA
Here's the breakdown:
With breakfast:
Multivitamin
2 CLA pills w/ Thermogenics
Fish Oil pill
Vitamin D pill
Daughter's Multivitamin
With food at lunch or a little after:
Iron pill
Super Citramax, if I am struggling with appetite control.
Before bed:
Calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement
Fish Oil Pill
With my protein powder (I add water and drink on the way out of the gym):
L-Glutamine powder
BCAA's (when I have them, which I didn't for this video.
Here's the breakdown:
With breakfast:
Multivitamin
2 CLA pills w/ Thermogenics
Fish Oil pill
Vitamin D pill
Daughter's Multivitamin
With food at lunch or a little after:
Iron pill
Super Citramax, if I am struggling with appetite control.
Before bed:
Calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement
Fish Oil Pill
With my protein powder (I add water and drink on the way out of the gym):
L-Glutamine powder
BCAA's (when I have them, which I didn't for this video.
A Surprising Supplement Rescource
Could you use another source for your protein-rich dietary supplements? You might want to consider bariatric product suppliers. They have become my surprising source for protein-rich supplements to aid in my quest to be leaner and more muscular.
Bariatric patients (who have had either gastric by-pass or lap-band surgery) have stomachs that have been surgically altered to hold very little food. One of their primary concerns is getting enough protein. They have to pack as much of it as possible into a very small stomach space. Bariatric foods accomplish this. So it follows that these protein-rich foods can also be very handy for weight lifters and people looking to raise their dietary protein levels.
Now don't get me wrong: These supplements aren't cheap. But most of us who buy protein bars and powders have come to accept the expense.
There is a protein powder sold by our local bariatric doctor called Nectar. It's made by the Syntrax company. Per scoop Nectar is 100 calories, all of them from protein. No carbs. No fat. Just protein. And it comes in a dizzying array of flavors! (I love the peach.)
Bariatric places also tend to stock protein bars that are less garbage and more good for you, because they are interested in keeping their patients as healthy as possible. Generally these bars will have not only about equal amounts of carbs as protein, but also some fiber in them, which really helps with feeling full. For bariatric patients these are meal replacements. (Remember- their stomachs hold next to nothing!) For the rest of us, they are between-meal snacks. But they taste good (you aren't going to get an obese person who ate exactly what they liked getting that way to eat food that tastes like crap), and give a good balance of nutrients.
Don't be afraid to walk into your local bariatric doctor and ask if they sell powders and bars. They won't mind having you for a client! This is one avenue of revenue for them and they are happy to sell their products to the general public.
Another thing I like about purchasing from our local bariatric doctor's office is that they have samples of the protein flavors. So I can try out a single serving for $2, instead of spending $32 on an entire tub of powder I may not like the flavor of.
If you don't have a bariatric doctor nearby who sells supplements you can also order online. Here is a site that I use: http://www.dietdirect.com/wonderslim-crispy-protein-diet-bars.html. Not only do I like the bars in the link (I've mentioned these a couple of times in my blogs), but they also sell the Nectar Protein powder. And a lot of other stuff, too! They offer a surprising amount of vitamins and various tablet supplements, as well. Take a poke around to see! (Although I would NOT recommend their entree mixes- Not only are they highly processed, but I don't think they taste all that great.) If you order more than $49 you get free shipping, and check out the "discounts and coupons" tags on the left bar, under "Wonderslim", to see if you qualify for any discounts or special offers.
I know this isn't a practical resource for everyone, but thought it might be something some of my wonderful readers might like to know about.
Bariatric patients (who have had either gastric by-pass or lap-band surgery) have stomachs that have been surgically altered to hold very little food. One of their primary concerns is getting enough protein. They have to pack as much of it as possible into a very small stomach space. Bariatric foods accomplish this. So it follows that these protein-rich foods can also be very handy for weight lifters and people looking to raise their dietary protein levels.
Now don't get me wrong: These supplements aren't cheap. But most of us who buy protein bars and powders have come to accept the expense.
There is a protein powder sold by our local bariatric doctor called Nectar. It's made by the Syntrax company. Per scoop Nectar is 100 calories, all of them from protein. No carbs. No fat. Just protein. And it comes in a dizzying array of flavors! (I love the peach.)
Bariatric places also tend to stock protein bars that are less garbage and more good for you, because they are interested in keeping their patients as healthy as possible. Generally these bars will have not only about equal amounts of carbs as protein, but also some fiber in them, which really helps with feeling full. For bariatric patients these are meal replacements. (Remember- their stomachs hold next to nothing!) For the rest of us, they are between-meal snacks. But they taste good (you aren't going to get an obese person who ate exactly what they liked getting that way to eat food that tastes like crap), and give a good balance of nutrients.
Don't be afraid to walk into your local bariatric doctor and ask if they sell powders and bars. They won't mind having you for a client! This is one avenue of revenue for them and they are happy to sell their products to the general public.
Another thing I like about purchasing from our local bariatric doctor's office is that they have samples of the protein flavors. So I can try out a single serving for $2, instead of spending $32 on an entire tub of powder I may not like the flavor of.
If you don't have a bariatric doctor nearby who sells supplements you can also order online. Here is a site that I use: http://www.dietdirect.com/wonderslim-crispy-protein-diet-bars.html. Not only do I like the bars in the link (I've mentioned these a couple of times in my blogs), but they also sell the Nectar Protein powder. And a lot of other stuff, too! They offer a surprising amount of vitamins and various tablet supplements, as well. Take a poke around to see! (Although I would NOT recommend their entree mixes- Not only are they highly processed, but I don't think they taste all that great.) If you order more than $49 you get free shipping, and check out the "discounts and coupons" tags on the left bar, under "Wonderslim", to see if you qualify for any discounts or special offers.
I know this isn't a practical resource for everyone, but thought it might be something some of my wonderful readers might like to know about.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Video Blog: Believe In Yourself!
This one is a little rough, but I was concerned if I re-taped I'd lose a lot of my sincerity in trying to get it "right".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDJYwo8nt5s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDJYwo8nt5s
Video Blog: Organizational Tools I Have Used in my Quest for Fitness
Here is a link to my very first video blog. It's pretty self-explanatory!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKSEWgllqDs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKSEWgllqDs
Friday, January 6, 2012
Binge Recovery
Okay, so you've done it- You ate way too much of the wrong stuff. And in the middle of kicking yourself and wishing you could go back in time, you are wondering "Is there anything I can do to help reduce the negative effects of this?' I have an answer for you, and that answer is "YES"! (And no, it does not involve the porcelain god and sticking a finger down your throat!)
This isn't going to be easy, no magic pill, but it will get most, if not all, of the garbage you just ate out of your system. There are basically three steps you will employ for the next 3 days:
1. Drink water like it's going out of style! This is NOT the time to shy away from water because you are afraid it will make you weigh even more in the morning. It's time to guzzle. It will give your cleansing organs a vehicle to carry all of that bad stuff (carbs, sodium, fat, chemicals) out of your body as fast as possible. The sooner they leave the body, the harder it is for your body to store them as fat. I'm not talking water toxicity levels, here, but make a concerted effort to drink more water than you normally would. And water- not diet soda or any other kind of beverage you would rather drink. Water. Water doesn't give your body one MORE factor to process and deal with.
2. Cardio like a mad person! If you have any extra time for additional cardio over the next 72 hours, just do it, no questions asked. I had a trainer friend of mine say that it takes the body 72 hours to turn unaccounted for carbs into fat. You are trying to get 'em accounted for with cardio! I have no idea if what he said was right or not, but putting as much time into cardio as possible for three days after a binge has helped me to keep the damage at bay. Cardio uses glycogen, which is what the body turns carbs into, for fuel. If glycogen doesn't get used for fuel, the body stores it as fat (future fuel). You want to try to stop that from happening
As an aside- Don't abandon your weight lifting routine, though! Lifting also uses glycogen, although not as much. Keep up the lifting routine the same, but raise your cardio level. Two or three 30 or 40-minute cardio sessions a day is not too much right now, if you can squeeze that much in!
Oh! And expect the next day to have kick-butt cardio and lifting sessions. With all of that glycogen now stored in your muscles you will be able to push harder than normal in your workouts. (Proving that every cloud truly does have a silver lining!)
3. Focus your diet for the next day on protein, with only veggies for carbs. It's Okay to have nonfat milk products. My guess is that after the binge you aren't going to be wanting too many carbs, anyhow. The next two days after that, go for small servings of things like oatmeal with breakfast and whole grains like 100% whole wheat or Ezekial breads and brown rice with lunch and dinner.
Why am I focusing on carbs? Because I am almost certain you didn't binge on turkey breast. You either binged on sweet carbs (cookies, ice cream, brownies), salty carbs (potato chips, crackers), or a combo (peanut butter, kettle corn). None of these combinations is scale-friendly when done in excess, and the only way to get rid of the weight gain is to get rid of the carbs floatin' around in your body.
And the next time, if you can think about it before you immerse your head into that vat of peanut butter again, remind yourself that a binge is 3 days of hard work to (hopefully) undo the damage. I've done this enough times that the thought of both the un-do process and the intestinal distress that is certain to arrive shortly after the binge has ended is almost always enough to stop me in my tracks. It's taken a couple of years to learn my lesson, but now I can almost always say to myself "Ugh! It's just not worth it!" and step away from the temptation.
Depending on your personality, when you get on the scale is up to you. I make myself get on the scale the next morning because I can't stay in denial if I'm looking at the (temporary) damage I've caused. Seeing a big jump motivates me to get right back on track! I also like watching the numbers come down over the next couple of days- It's interesting to me. But if you are the type it is just going to discouraged and want to dive into a bag of BBQ chips when the number is up, I'd advise waiting until after your 3-day recovery process is over.
This isn't going to be easy, no magic pill, but it will get most, if not all, of the garbage you just ate out of your system. There are basically three steps you will employ for the next 3 days:
1. Drink water like it's going out of style! This is NOT the time to shy away from water because you are afraid it will make you weigh even more in the morning. It's time to guzzle. It will give your cleansing organs a vehicle to carry all of that bad stuff (carbs, sodium, fat, chemicals) out of your body as fast as possible. The sooner they leave the body, the harder it is for your body to store them as fat. I'm not talking water toxicity levels, here, but make a concerted effort to drink more water than you normally would. And water- not diet soda or any other kind of beverage you would rather drink. Water. Water doesn't give your body one MORE factor to process and deal with.
2. Cardio like a mad person! If you have any extra time for additional cardio over the next 72 hours, just do it, no questions asked. I had a trainer friend of mine say that it takes the body 72 hours to turn unaccounted for carbs into fat. You are trying to get 'em accounted for with cardio! I have no idea if what he said was right or not, but putting as much time into cardio as possible for three days after a binge has helped me to keep the damage at bay. Cardio uses glycogen, which is what the body turns carbs into, for fuel. If glycogen doesn't get used for fuel, the body stores it as fat (future fuel). You want to try to stop that from happening
As an aside- Don't abandon your weight lifting routine, though! Lifting also uses glycogen, although not as much. Keep up the lifting routine the same, but raise your cardio level. Two or three 30 or 40-minute cardio sessions a day is not too much right now, if you can squeeze that much in!
Oh! And expect the next day to have kick-butt cardio and lifting sessions. With all of that glycogen now stored in your muscles you will be able to push harder than normal in your workouts. (Proving that every cloud truly does have a silver lining!)
3. Focus your diet for the next day on protein, with only veggies for carbs. It's Okay to have nonfat milk products. My guess is that after the binge you aren't going to be wanting too many carbs, anyhow. The next two days after that, go for small servings of things like oatmeal with breakfast and whole grains like 100% whole wheat or Ezekial breads and brown rice with lunch and dinner.
Why am I focusing on carbs? Because I am almost certain you didn't binge on turkey breast. You either binged on sweet carbs (cookies, ice cream, brownies), salty carbs (potato chips, crackers), or a combo (peanut butter, kettle corn). None of these combinations is scale-friendly when done in excess, and the only way to get rid of the weight gain is to get rid of the carbs floatin' around in your body.
And the next time, if you can think about it before you immerse your head into that vat of peanut butter again, remind yourself that a binge is 3 days of hard work to (hopefully) undo the damage. I've done this enough times that the thought of both the un-do process and the intestinal distress that is certain to arrive shortly after the binge has ended is almost always enough to stop me in my tracks. It's taken a couple of years to learn my lesson, but now I can almost always say to myself "Ugh! It's just not worth it!" and step away from the temptation.
Depending on your personality, when you get on the scale is up to you. I make myself get on the scale the next morning because I can't stay in denial if I'm looking at the (temporary) damage I've caused. Seeing a big jump motivates me to get right back on track! I also like watching the numbers come down over the next couple of days- It's interesting to me. But if you are the type it is just going to discouraged and want to dive into a bag of BBQ chips when the number is up, I'd advise waiting until after your 3-day recovery process is over.
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