A Dozen

Which is about how many pounds I have lost so far, more or less. I weighed myself a few days ago and the scale said I had a 13 pound loss, but with all the crazy eating I have been doing over the weekend, I think it's probably more like 12! In honor of my dozen, here are two lists of twelve according to this Healthy Foodie: things to get rid of and things to add to your diet to jump start some healthier eating and hopefully some slimming of pounds!

Twelve Things to Get Rid Of

• Mayo. Easily done. Ask for 'no mayo' when you order sandwiches and avoid those potato or pasta salads that are laden with mayonnaise.

• Regular Soda. Besides the fact that there is zero nutrition, there's also lots of empty calories. Switch to diet and drink it only as a treat or when out on the town.

• Sugary sweets. Really. Since it's summertime, there is no lack for really fresh fruit or other juicy treats at the farmstand. White sugar also falls into this category. Switch to Splenda or even start with half sugar and half Splenda. Look for 'sugar-free' options when buying drinks, candy, or condiments (syrup, jam, etc.).

• A Get-thin-quick Mentality. Healthy weightloss and eating is a lifestyle, not a temporary fix or a sprint. If you start thinking longterm, all these 'little' things will add up to 'big things'. Speaking of big things....

• Big Portions. What's with all the super-sizing? Order yourself a kid's meal when you're out. Or when you're at home, measure your portions. Even if it's only for a week, it's a great exercise to train yourself to 'see' how much you should be eating. And another big thing to get rid of....

• Big Plates. I *love* this trick. I only use small plates. At a recent bridal shower I attended, there was loads of foods. Literally. It was quite a lavish spread. I probably could've eaten 4 days worth of POINTS right then and there! But I found the smallest plate there was and filled that up. Several of the motherly guests were chuckling at me and telling me to "GET A BIGGER PLATE!"  But that was just my point. Smaller plates make a little food seem bigger.

• Cheese. Full-fat cheese can really be a healthy diet buster. It's great in tiny amounts, but most people don't know how much a 'serving' of cheese really is. Just skip it altogether {or use light cheese} and you'll be better off for it.

• Late-night noshing. Every heard about not eating after 8 pm? I usually do it out of boredom, so I grab a cold drink instead. If I plan on staying up late, say past 11, I do allow myself a planned snack. Since we eat dinner around 5 pm, if I don't snack on those late nights, I'll go to bed with a rumbly tummy, making it really difficult to fall asleep.

• Stress-eating. Don't even go there. I know it happens to the best of us, probably most people even! I try to pray instead, but you can do whatever helps you get through the moment. Go for a walk. Take a hot bath. Sit down with a glass of (light) Iced Tea and new magazine. Just don't reach for the bag of potato chips.

• White-flour products. It's just plain not as good for you as whole-wheat. Calories with very little fiber.

• Fast-food fare. It's truly not all bad, but your usual cheeseburger-and-fries order should be traded in for something better for you. Many restaurants have healthy menu options, so stick to those when dining out. Nearly all the fast food places have nutritional information available, either at the counter or online. I nearly always 'plan' what I will be eating before I go, so that I'm not tempted while waiting in the drive-thru lane.

• Anything 'fried'. Don't really need any explanation here, do I?

Things to Add to Your {Almost} Healthy Diet

• More fluids. I, for one, drink too little and eat when I'm really thirsty. Staying hydrated is good for you and makes your skin look healthier too.

• Fruits & Veggies. I add more veggies to everything. We'll splurge on a $5 pizza from Little Caesar's and I'll load mine up with sauteed veggies. Same thing with a convenient Lean Cuisine. Eat salads. Try some new recipes for creative veggie side dishes. Grab a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar.

• Reasonable Expectations. I'll never be a size 6. Trying to accomplish that will only leave me discouraged with a great sense of failure. As we age and/or have more children, our bodies change. We can't expect the same things from them as we once did. You can't expect to lose 20 pounds in one month, well, most of us can't. Set yourself up for success by planning some reasonable short and long term goals. Then stick to it!

• Sleep. When I don't get enough, I start feeling sluggish around early afternoon, so to compensate I would pump my body full of sugar to overcome that tired feeling. Not good. Feeling well rested helps me make eating choices. Period.

• Fiber. In the Weight Watchers world, the fiber lowers the amount of POINTS in an item. I love Fiber Bars (generic taste great too!) when I need a filling treat. Some of them remind me of candy bars leaving me feeling less deprived. Which leads me to....

• Dessert. It's not evil and we shouldn't paint it as such. If we remove every indulge that we once enjoyed, we'll only end up feeling grumpy and probably binging or giving up. Split a dessert with a friend. Or allow yourself X number of bites. Also available are the lower calorie treats like Trader Joe's No Pudge Brownies, Skinny Cow ice cream bars, or 100 calorie pack goodies. Every Healthy Foodie needs dessert!

• A Scale. Not only the kind that you weigh yourself on, but the small kitchen type for your food. Do you really know what 3 ounces of chicken looks like? You should. It'll help you keep your portions in check.

• Good-for-you Convenience Foods. All the cooks in the family need a break every now and again and even the slowest of lifestyles has its hectic days. Fill the cupboards and freezer with a couple of healthy on-the-go snacks and quick fix meals to keep yourself from getting too hungry and making bad food picks.

• Exercise. I really don't do it often enough, so this one is kinda just paying lip service to what we all know to be true. Exercise is good for us, both our bodies and our spirits. I like late afternoon or evening walks with the kids, a swift bike ride on the local trail with the wind on my face, or a good round with a Tae-bo video. Other small things add up as well, like parking further from the front door of a store or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

• Incentives. We're all motivated by something. Building in non-food rewards to your weight loss plan (if that what you're after) can help you keep your eye on the goal. Treat yourself to a manicure or a movie or a new outfit! Sometimes an event is a great motivator as well. The last time Hubs and I visited Door County, I told myself that I would be at least a size smaller the next time I returned. I wouldn't let myself go back unless that was true!

• Variety. It's the spice of life, people. I get bored fairly easily so I try to mix things up by purchasing a new healthy snack, trying an unusual vegetable, or attempting a creative recipe. If I get bored with the same-old same-old, imagine how my taste buds must feel!

• Accountability. Some people just can't lose weight or commit to being healthy without it. Whether it's your husband, kids, weight-loss forum or some gal pals, tell people what you're planning to do or change and them give them permission to hold you to it.

There you have it. Twelve pounds lost and 6 pounds left to go to reach my first short-term goal: 10% of my starting weight lost. Hope you're finding yourself healthier & happier!

Cravings

"The people who manage their weight the best are not those who crave foods less often but those who give in some of the time." --Susan Roberts, PhD

I came across this quote in an old issue of Cooking Light. I wholeheartedly agree! I think we all have cravings. And while you're pregnant, well, let's not even go there. The entire article, "Go Ahead, Give In", September 2008, gives strategies that work in either keeping cravings at bay or how to give in wisely. Some of the strategies include: Eat regularly, Practice portion control, Keep a food diary, Delayed gratification. I believe I've alluded to the idea before that I like to recognize my cravings and then satisfy it with something similar or a tiny piece of whatever I'm actually desiring. {The article refers to this strategy as "keeping it real".} If you're craving chocolate, an apple just won't do. I'll have a couple nibbles of a really high quality chocolate bar, one or two dark Hershey's kisses or maybe even a Trader Joe's No-Pudge brownie. The strategy that stood out to me the most is that of delayed gratification. Instead of telling myself "I can NOT have a Starbucks Frappuccinno" {it was painful to even type that!}, I can tell myself, "Not today" or "Not now, maybe next time". I actually have done this quite often without realizing it! It works pretty well in the area of finances also. BONUS!

Do you recognize those cravings when they strike? Got any good cravings strategies?

Distracted??

I love my free subscription to Good Housekeeping for two reasons: it's free and Geneen Roth's column. {Besides that, there's lots of other great articles, home tips, and recipes.} An expert on emotional eating, she pens some truly insightful words regarding the "whys" of eating. I usually am still pondering the previous month's topic when my latest issue arrives.

This last one was on eating while distracted. You know, in front of the TV, at the computer desk, while driving, while reading, etc. I'm not sure if eating while trying to calm sibling squabbles or satisfy a fussy toddler, qualifies. The premise was that you think you're getting twice the enjoyment out of your meal, say by eating while watching your favorite movie. Geneen asserts that the premise is false. You're actually only getting half the pleasure from your food that you otherwise would have if you were just focused solely on what is going in your mouth. After giving it some thought, I'd have to agree. Ever notice how when you go to the movies, about 15 minutes into the main attraction your hand hits the bottom of the empty popcorn bucket. You look down. Huh? Who ate all my popcorn? I've even noticed the same thing while eating healthy snacks at my computer desk, which I try to refrain from doing these days. I'm mindlessly blog surfing or purging emails and before I know it, my hand is grasping at an empty plate.

It just makes more sense that to enjoy our food the most & get not only physical but physiological satisfaction from our meals, we shouldn't let our focus be divided. We should savor, enjoy, relish the taste, flavors and textures of our plate, not be improving our multi-tasking skills.This kind of thinking is reminiscent of one of the principles of the book that spurred on my healthy eating journey, French Women Don't Get Fat. I remember reading about how eating should be a ritual: using a real plate {as opposed to paper}, cloth napkins, sitting at the table, enjoying.

Are you guilty of being a distracted eater?

Eating & Money

A word from an interview with Suze Orman, personal financial advisor extraordinaire:

I have a really, really hard time with budgets, and the reason I have a hard time with budgets is that budgets are just like diets. Neither of them work. Neither of them work. You go on a diet, you restrict, you lose – I mean, it happens to me all the time. You lose five pounds, ten pounds, and then you get so frustrated because you didn’t get to do what you want; you now eat everything you want and now you gain 20.

The same is true with a budget.............What do I like?

I like consciousness. I like people being able to decide what they should be spending money on and what they shouldn’t; what they want to eat and what they should be eating that’s good for them, versus what they know is bad. And when you stay in touch with who you are and what makes you healthy, so that you can live your best life – whether it’s with food, whether it’s with money, whether it’s with exercise, whether it’s with spirituality ...... when you are in touch with who you are, and you make conscious decisions or decisions from a place of consciousness, knowing that it’s an intelligent decision, it’s a wise decision, it’s not an emotional decision, it’s not an irrational decision – then what happens is you automatically choose the right choices for you. You eat what’s good for you, you spend money on things that are wise for you and that you need, and everything falls in place.

So it’s not about budgets and being restricted. It’s not about diets and choosing the right – and limiting what you can and cannot eat. It’s getting in touch with your own power, so that you make the right choices for you, and when you make the right choices for you, then you live your best life. And when you live your best life, you feel even more powerful; that allows you to make even better choices for you.

The "getting in touch with your own power" part seems a little New Age-y to me, but I love the premise. I like consciousness too. Kinda what I was referring to in my last post, knowing the "how we got here" instead of just cleaning up the aftermath. I like the thinking that I can choose what to eat {and spend my money out} by making an intelligent and wise decision, not one that's emotional or irrational. I think there is power in that: knowing that I'm making the right choice for the right reasons.

Edited to say: I do think budgets work. Not the kind of "I'm accustomed to spending $600 a month on groceries, but now I only plan on spending $300" budgets that I think Suze is referring to, but the kind that are purposeful, realistic guidelines of where you plan to use your money.

P.S. The rest of the interview over at Wise Bread has lots of great financial wisdom, so you may just want to check it out.

How'd you get there?

photo by Fatty Tuna













Seeing as January 1st is just behind us, many a blogger has posted their goals for 2009, quite a few of which involve losing some excess baggage. As important as it is to make the decision to lose weight, I think it's almost more important to understand how you got there in the first place. Whether it's just making the wrong food choices, laziness in not wanting to prepare fresher food from scratch, eating for emotional reasons {comfort, boredom, stress, reward}, lack of knowledge about portion control, I think it will do us worlds of good to understand the "whys" and not just attack the surplus pounds. I'll go first.

How did I get this way?

I had zero understanding of portions. I had no clue what a cup of pasta looked like and it was not uncommon for me to go for seconds. I was fixed in the mindset that healthy food = flavorless. I couldn't discern the types of foods I was craving {sweet, crunchy, salty, etc.} and how to translate those same cravings into healthy choices.

I think I had a relatively basic understanding of what foods are good for us and what foods aren't. Avoid anything fried, cream sauces, mayonnaise, and lots of sweets. {I guess that means a quarter-pounder is good food, eh?} There are lots of other nuances and so much more to learn about what foods are the best foods and which foods should be avoided. I was under the basic premise that a healthy lifestyle would be one of deprivation and that if I wanted to lose 20, 30, 40 pounds and keep it off that I would never again be able to eat the things I loved the most.

I never was an exerciser or had the interest to become one. I do usually enjoy it when I do it, but I was convinced that I would not be able to lose weight if I did not work-out several times a week. That was not something I wanted to do and I now know that exercise is just one small part of a healthy lifestyle, not the key that unlocks all the doors.

I just wasn't ready to change. As long as I could wear nice clothes and felt like I looked presentable then I really wasn't motivated at all. The tipping point was when I stopped feeling good in my own skin, when the only types of clothes that would fit were too similar looking to potato sacks. Several months went by between the time I knew I should do something about my weight and actually getting up the gusto to actually do it. But when I was finally ready, I was ready. I didn't look back. I didn't give up. I kept moving forward.

After rereading everything I've written above, I can see now how much of my extra weight was due to what I believe about healthy food and eating well. The poor eating habits just stemmed from what I held to be true. Really, if you think about it, all of our actions, eating included, begin with what we believe. If we address the excess pounds, without addressing how the pounds got there, I don't think we can be successful in keeping them off over the long haul.

Ok. Your turn.

Assessing the Damage

Thanks to a great weekend getaway with the love of my life, I will now be assessing the damage from all the wonderful food we indulged in. I did not regret a minute of my no-POINT-counting-weekend, well, ok, maybe just a little driving home & dreading what the scale might read. I realize that the worst thing I can do is not weigh myself. The worst that can happen is that I gained a few pounds & will just have to eat "clean" this next week. The good news is that my mom has joined WW and has used my example as her motivation! This, in turn, motivates me to keep...moving...forward. So, the damage is....

....*gained 1 pound*.....

Phew! Not nearly as bad as I expected. Guess all the walking & extra activity paid off!

my thoughts: After "falling off the wagon", weigh yourself as soon as possible. No use avoiding the scale as you're only fooling yourself. Assess. Plan. Move Forward!

In everything

by ifijay
I was introduced to a new worship song at church this past weekend. The main idea is that "God is in everything". The verses included lines like God in breathing, God in resting, God in working, etc. Which got me thinking about.... God in eating. If we are sure that God is in everything, then that would have to include eating also, right? I am not sure how this applies in a practical way, but here are some things that come to mind:

Enjoyment: He is the Creator of all things, food included {well, the natural ones at least}, and we should enjoy the good things He has made. I can marvel at His creativity whenever I am eating something natural and observing its facets: flavor, color, texture and how those things make a melody in my mouth. {Melody in my mouth, I love that!} I think it probably gives Him praise when we delight in these things!

Purpose: Am I using my eating to fill a void that God should be filling? a.k.a. Emotional Eating. The term "Comfort Food" was coined for a reason. It's comforting! There shouldn't be any guilt in eating something warm, hearty, and filling on a cold winter's eve, but eating a quart of ice cream, straight from the container, in one sitting, should raise a red flag. There is hunger (physical) and then there is HUNGER (spiritual); we shouldn't confuse the two.

Evident Fruit: One of the fruits of the Spirit is "self-control". In Titus 2:5, older women are told to teach younger women to be "self-controlled". I think, somehow, it brings Him glory when we are able to be good "managers" of what we are eating. Just because salad is healthy, doesn't mean we should eat bowlful after bowlful if we are not truly hungry. I would also add: making prayer a part of our mealtimes, even if it's something as simple as just thanking Him for His provision. Not sure if that would fall under a category I listed, but thought I'd mention it none the less. What comes to mind when you consider God in eating? Any thoughts on how that looks in a practical way? Am I crazy?

Please remember, I am on a journey here, like maybe many of you are. I am not claiming to be any kind of expert on eating philosophy. Just trying to change my life, one small step at a time.