Choices

Eat a salad, eat a salad, eat a salad. If I never hear someone say ‘you wanna lose weight? Eat a salad.’ ever again I would be ecstatic. I was a morbidly obese child. People would look at me and with the same mournful face and lament. ‘You have such a pretty face, why don’t you eat a salad.’ It was repeated so often, I really thought the only way to lose weight was to eat salads. So, every now and then, I would trying these miracle salads. I hated them, I drown them in dressing, and resented every single bite. However, salads every single night for dinner got old…real stinking quick. In my opinion, the word dieting has been abused to the point of insanity. When I used to think of the word diet I would think you would have toast for breakfast, hardboiled egg and tuna for lunch, and a salad for dinner. Rinse and repeat. That sounds absolutely abhorrent to me.

                              Look at the picture below. Can you tell me which of them is BAD?

Are you kidding, you ask? One is a healthy looking salad and the other is a grease laden burger and fries, obviously this is a trick question. I should be picking the salad, right? The real answer is, neither of these foods are bad. One of the biggest weight loss mistakes we make is criminalizing certain food choices. Putting them in this category of ‘evil’ and ‘never again’. I don’t know about you, but I love a grilled cheeseburger as much as the next person. And if you’re going to tell me I can never eat a cheeseburger again in order to be skinny, I’m going to flip you off and probably stop at Krispy Kreme Doughnut on the way home, just for spite.

The important thing is you are being honest with yourself about what you are eating and how much you are eating. If you want a cheeseburger, it is OK! You are not the worst person in the world and no one is going to stop you, harass you, or lock you up because you’re eating something that isn’t a salad. But he honest with yourself, realize what you are eating how many calories/fat/weight watcher points you’re going to have to budget for the day to have it! Make the decision; is it worth it. Do I want to skip my snacks through the day and lighten my breakfast and lunch just to have that burger tonight. Also, be realistic, just because you skipped a few snacks does not give you carte blanche to order a cheeseburger, extra cheese, bacon, with fries and a side of ranch to dip it in. 

Eating a healthy and balanced diet takes work, it takes time, and it definitely takes planning. So many of us are over scheduled, taking care of our families, working multiple jobs, work and school... I understand the time crunch applies to all of us. Which is why it is extremely important to automate your food processes. Think about it, you're stressed, you're over worked, and you need something fast and cheap. First thought is naturally going to be a drive through or something similar. Unfortunately, no matter how you budget your eating habits, a diet filled with fast food is never going to be good for you. You're talking to the girl who haaaaates to cook. Trust me, if there was a way to eat at the standard fast food joints around here and stay fit and healthy, this would have been a very short blog. Here's my secret, pass it on. The End. 

Automate your food process.

Know what you're going to eat in advance. This is where the work comes in. Take time, plan a menu, and stick with it. The easiest way I have found is taking my Sunday afternoons, cooking a few full means portioning them out into plastic containers and putting them in the fridge/freezer as appropriate. Something else to consider, use your crock pot. Easy, simple, and done when you talk in the door. Win/win.

You get off work, you're tired, you have a million errands to do and you're hungry. What now?  Since you automated your good choices, you already have the answer. You have a plan in place either a crockpot meal, or something that needs nuked for a few minutes, or something already at home waiting to be cooked. Trust me on this, if nothing else your wallet will thank you.

Keep snacks in your car and your purse.When you're out driving around the temptation to stop for something quick is alluring. However, if you have a healthy snack already with you it makes it much easier to banish your hunger and the thoughts of stopping somewhere that you will regret later.

I realize you probably already have a standard weekly menu in place, but you are making changes. You are ready to mix things up and with a little bit of work and research you are going to be eating healthier, feeling happier, and watching the pounds fall off. Who knows you will probably even find new favorite dishes, and after a few months you'll look back and wonder how you ever thought your old menu items even sounded appealing.

Happy New Year

With the eating holidays over and the new year whispering the word ‘resolution’ in our ear, a few people are setting their 2013 goals. Weight loss is usually the number one goal on women’s resolutions. A few people have sought me out for some personal weight loss advice. As my friends know, I am always more than happy to sit down and talk about their weight loss goals. Although I am not a doctor or a professional, it usually helps to have someone listen.

 I will start with the basics. 

If you have decided to live a healthier life through eating better and exercise, congratulations! With a small amount of effort, you will be rewarded greatly. There are some great benefits that come along with living healthier. Once your body acclimates to processing a more complete diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and less fatty/greasy foods you will find you have more energy during the day. Eating small meals throughout the day also helps you avoid the late morning/late afternoon sluggish feeling. If you combine exercise with that not only will your weight start changing you will sleep better, feel less stress, and become more flexible. No more exasperated sighs just because you dropped something and now have a hard time picking it up. Another plus is your relationship can be enhanced as well. Once you start feeling better about yourself, you feel more attractive, which boost your confidence, along with the flexibility you gain, and well…you can imagine. It’s just better, promise!

The first step is realizing you are the problem. I’m sorry, I realize these are harsh words, but I need to grab your attention. If you are unhappy with your weight it means the choices you have been making have not been in your best interest. You are the only person who can make these changes. I am not going to have the answer to every weight loss problem you have. I am here to encourage you, because YOU CAN DO THIS, but you will ultimately be the one to make all of the hard decisions.

These are a few tips to help you with your goal. 

1.    Drink water, lots and lots of water. While I realize the trips to the bathroom can get annoying, it really does help with your weight. 

2.    Cut your food into smaller pieces and chew slowly. Enjoy the food you're eating, take time to savor it.

3.    Put your fork down between every bite. This may sound a little silly, but eating slower really does help you feel fuller faster. There is nothing worse than tearing through your entire dinner and still being hungry.

4.    Drink a full glass of water before you eat. I’ve heard you should do this about 30 minutes before you eat, but I always just drank it right before my meal. I also eat a salad right before every meal and this is a great way to fill you up.

5.    Try to limit the unhealthy snacks available to you. While I realize this is hard for people with families, if you cannot get away from the snacks put them on a shelf together and tell yourself, that is not your shelf and there is nothing on the shelf for you. Your diet should not be one of absolute restriction. Have healthy alternative snacks around. Fruit, cheese sticks, 100 calorie snack packs are just a few ideas. Google is my best friend for recipes and snacks. Try www.skinnytaste.com, it’s been a lifesaver for me.

6.    Realize the food is not going to make you happy. Sure you might be a little grumpy with the smaller portions at first, but your body is craving that much food because it is trying to keep you the size that you are! At first it will feel irritating to not have that second helping or bypass a greasy hamburger with fries in lieu of a charbroiled chicken platter with seasoned vegetables, but your efforts will not be in vain. You will be rewarded with achieving the goal you set out to achieve. And being able to buy a smaller size pants is always a nice reward too!

7.    Have forgiveness with yourself. I will keep saying this. I believe in you, you can do this, but I can also tell you from experience… You’re going to cheat on your diet. You’re going to have days when you skip the gym and let me tell you something. That is perfectly OK. Life is a balance, we are imperfect, and we are human. All that matters is you start over fresh the next day. The less cheat days you have the faster your weight will come off. The trick is perseverance; keep at it!

8.    I’ve tried almost every popular diet there has ever been. Finally about a year ago my sister convinced me to join Weight Watchers. I was astounded. There is absolutely nothing you cannot have. Most fruits and vegetables are free points! It is the most forgiving diet I’ve ever been on. You have 0 excuse to be hungry on Weight Watchers. I highly recommend them. I ended up eating more and still losing even more weight. I was also happier. Oh! I just checked their website and they're waving the registration fee!! http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/mtf/index.aspx Hrm, now if only got a kick back from Weight Watchers!

9.     Do NOT join a gym right now!! Yes, you read that correctly. Do not join a gym right now. If you’ve made the decision to join a gym, great, awesome, totally cool. Here’s the thing, there are several thousands of other people out there who have all decided to either join or return to the gym as well. This leads to overcrowded gyms, with waiting lines for machines, and general irritation for everyone. I find the first three weeks of the new year to be the worst time to go to the gym and I either avoid it all together or go at off times, such as, late night. So my advice, wait three or four weeks and then go check out your local Y or gym club. More laid back atmosphere, less waiting, and more of a chance you will enjoy your gym experience. Although, I encourage you to have a gym buddy in the sense you can compare results and motivate each other. But remember, just because your gym buddy can’t go to the gym one day that does not excuse you as well!

10.  Finally, times are tough, if you cannot afford a gym I completely understand and empathize, however, I have great news. You do not have to join a gym to exercise. You can scour Amazon, Ebay, or google exercise DVDs until you find something that works for you. Better yet, do a little research on your own of which muscles you would like to work and then google exercises for them. Just make sure your doctor is OK with any exercise program/ gym activities/diet you want to start.

I hope you will find these tips helpful!

Exfluffygirl is now on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/exflufflygrl

Are you ready for a change?

If you’re anything like me, you have embarked on countless weight loss endeavors. I would start with high hopes. I’m GOING to do it this time. No matter what! I’ll just FORCE myself! I am sick and tired of holding in my stomach, pulling up my jeans at just the right angle so they flatter me while I look in this mirror. I am sick of having to shop on the plus side of the store. I am sick of being snickered at in public when I bend over. Sigh, I always started with the best of intentions. I really did think with enough grit and grit alone I would be successful.

 I would buy magazines with diet tips in them, look over the diets and find the recipes too time consuming, or the food unappealing, or irritatingly wasteful. ( Seriously 3/4^th of an avocado? Who does that?)  However, remember I said I was going to do this at all cost so I’d hang my head with resignation and start yet another diet I really had no interest in. Unsurprisingly after about 3 weeks or so, I would find myself right back in the very same eating habits I started with. I did this because my old eating habits were the easy habits. They were the comforting habits I had developed over the years. 

The truth is, no matter what you’re doing (regardless of grit) if it makes you miserable and you do not feel like you’re getting anything out of it…You’re not going to continue to do it for long. Stop looking for diet shortcuts. I myself had to come to this hard realization. Seriously, if there was really a miracle diet where you could eat whatever you wanted, in whatever quantity you wanted, and remain healthy don’t you think EVERYONE would know about it?! Heck, I myself would be at Gigi’s Cupcakes faster than you can say ‘Careful, don’t eat the wrapper too!’

This is why taking the time to analyze your eating habits, define what your goals are, and preparing to meet your goals are such great ideas!

Why do you want to change?

Please take some time here. Write out on paper, why you would like to change. Maybe your motivation is to become healthier, or to change the way you look, maybe your motivation is to sleep better and have more energy during the day. Whatever it is, be honest and write them out. Post it where you will see it. 

Analyzing your eating habits:

When are you hungry? Why are you eating? Are you eating too much? Are you not eating enough? Are you only eating when no one is looking? That last one was a personal favorite of mine. I can’t believe I am about to admit this, but one time in college, I ate an entire three lbs tub of white chocolate macadamia nut cookie dough with nothing but a spoon over a three day period.

Entertainment eating:

How much of a toll is entertainment eating taking on your budget? This is something most people do not realize what a huge impact it has on their budget. Sure it’s only $5 here, $7 here, $2.24 at a gas station here, but it adds up very quickly.

Really put some thoughts into each of these questions. Most importantly, be honest with yourself. It will make it easier to form your own plan of attack once you know what you’re fighting.

See you next time.

Real Talk

Starting with the truth. When you have an extraordinary amount of weight to lose there is no overnight fix anyone will ever be able to offer you. In this blog I am willing to share with you my ongoing weight loss story. It is not a streamlined quick fix account with a fairy tale ending. It is a story of hard work, perseverance, from a real perfectly flawed person.

I have lost 140 pounds over the last 8 years. While I realize that sounds like a long time, I lost the bulk of the weight in 5 and I have been slowly toning ever since. It goes by much quicker than you think. I always thought being 'skinny' was for other people and that I was a lost cause. After failing every diet I had ever tried, I assumed it just was not meant to be for me. It wasn't until I was willing to change my relationship with food that I was able to start making real progress. More importantly it allowed me to make maintainable progress.

I encourage you to take the time to read my posts to let you know, you are not alone. I have struggled with being morbidly obese for most of my life. If you're asking yourself what makes this blog different, I'll tell you. I am a real (again perfectly flawed!) person. I am not here to sell you anything. I am not a faceless writer who manufactures millions of articles for magazines designed to be sold in supermarkets with catchy titles, such as, 'Perfect abs in 2 weeks!' This blog provides candor and honesty, along with understanding. In reality, my only goal is to help others who are in the same situation as I was. Over the years, I have fought with my weight. I have cried, screamed, cursed, and broken many times along this uphill road. However, I have also learned a great deal. I was able to come up with some great coping solutions, direct approaches of addressing weight loss problems, and even a few tricks along the way. If I share my experiences so others can use them to make their journey a little easier, why not?

I have spent years fighting my weight loss battle. I am not here to talk down to anyone; I understand the physical and mental strains of being overweight. There can be feelings of hopelessness, despair, anger, and bitterness. However, I can also show you, you are not stuck! There is a way out!! The most difficult part of this process is giving up your old safe routines and venturing out into something new. 

Please keep in mind as you read this I do not plan on sugar coating anything about my experience to make it seem easier than it was. I am not here to give you a false sense of ‘you can do it because it’s easy’! It’s not easy, its work, but I promise you it is worth it. YOU are worth it. The only decision left is...

Are you ready?