ready2bskinE

*big sigh*  I’ve been terrible lately!! I feel like, all I keep doing is saying what I’m *going* to do, as in future tense, then I just let all my opportunities to do the best/healthy thing slip right past me.  I have a million excuses for everything, and it’s to the point that I’m even sick of hearing them myself!  I got that one run in, and it felt good… A short, two mile run, but no foot or leg pain.  So why didn’t I go out again the next day?  Basically, it boils down to sheer laziness.

I’ve been lazy about everything lately!  Except counting my calories… No, I’ve been doing that 6 days a week, and let me tell you, it’s not pretty.  I’ll have a few good days where I’m right at 1500, then it’s like WHOA!! Calorie explosion!  :(  Like yesterday… All I did was EAT!  Like I couldn’t stop stuffing my face.  I had close to 2600 calories!! Technically, that’s enough for two days!  Especially since my workout attempt was feeble, at best.  I did some lunges, squats, and pushups, a couple of minutes in plank position and called it a day.  So that didn’t burn any calories.

My weight is up, just as I knew it would be.  I didn’t even weigh in for my team this weekend because I was just like, What’s the point??  All I ever do is gain and lose the same freaking weight…  As of this morning, after yesterday’s gorge-fest, I’m officially up to 131.8!!  I’ve been avoiding Buddy Slim because I feel like a complete failure. 

But yesterday, my new issue of Shape came in the mail, and of course it’s helping me get some of my motivation back.  I read some diet tips, and a few of them struck a chord with me, so I thought I’d share them.  I’m *hoping* that putting these into practice will help me rearrange my eating patterns and keep my weight from ballooning further.

The article is called Eat Like a Happy Person and I’m just going to paraphrase, because it’s pretty long.

In her new book, Eat Your Way to Happiness, Shape advisory board member Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., explains how munching on the right foods a the right time can boost your mood and energy, improve concentration, control cravings, and keep you slim.

1. Pick real foods. To be your best, you have to cut back on processed foods.  In a UCLA study, people showed improvements in memory and mental function within just two weeks of eating healthier.  But you don’t have to be perfect; if 75% of what you eat is “real”, you can play with the other 25% to work in favorite treats.

2. Power up breakfast.  During the night, your body depletes its stores of glycogen; to correct that deficit, your brain releases a chemical called neuropeptide Y at the crack of dawn.  Its sole purpose is to get you to eat carbs.  Carbohydrates refuel your brain so you think more clearly and help you start the day off calm.  Your best bets are oatmeal, whole-grain cold cereal, whole wheat toast or waffles, and fresh fruit, but whatever you do, don’t skip breakfast.  Even if you have a good lunch, you’ll never regain the energy and brain power you would have had if you had take five minutes to eat in the morning.

3. Have some fat at lunch.  (This is the one *I* need to remember!)  The brain’s production of an appetite stimulating chemical called galanin naturally rises midday.  Galanin triggers fat cravings, so you want to satisfy them in a healthy way. Overly fatty foods-like a cheeseburger and fries-will send galanin production into overdrive and cause increased fat cravings; instead, add avocado to your sandwich or salad in place of cheese, eat a few nuts or olives rather than chips, or have a small piece of dark chocolate instead of cookies for dessert.

4. Eat a light dinner.  Eat early so you have time to digest before bed, and have a lowfat dinner that contains 500 to 700 calories, max.

5. Snack before bed.  (Shocked to learn this is OK!! lol)  An all carb snack about an hour before you turn in can up your serotonin levels, which has a calming effect on your body. You’ll sleep more soundly, which is crucial for a happier mind-set, maximum energy, and weight control.  It takes just 30 grams of high quality carbs to get a serotonin boost-a whole wheat English muffin with a little jam, five graham crackers, or nine Triscuits.

6. Sprinkle in superfoods.  What makes a food super? It must supply mega nutrients for minimal calories so you get a whopping dose of waist-slimming fiber and mood-boosting vitamins.  And it has to be loaded with antioxidants, nutrients that protect the brain from free radicals that otherwise speed aging, slow memory, and dampen your spirits.  Nearly all brightly colored fruits and veggies fit the bill-like berries, dark, leafy greens, magoes, citrus fruit, and carrots, as do nuts, beans and whole grains.  Fish counts too, because it supplies your brain cells with Omega-3 fatty acids they need to stay supple, which makes them better at absorbing nutrients, passing messages to and from the rest of your body, and getting rid of toxins-functions important for mood and memory.

These are things I knew on a surface level, but I liked the article because it went into detail about WHY these things are good for you.  Me personally, I’m more likely to do something if I understand why I’m doing it, as opposed to just doing it “because I should.”    So I feel like my spirits have been lifted slightly, even though I have the same 5 lbs to lose before I’m back to where I was (well, actually, closer to 7!)  but I am still sure I can reach 120 by Christmas.

I’m apparently not very good at following through when I talk about what I’m GOING to do, so I’m just going to go and do my best, and hopefully I’ll have some good news to report later, when I talk about what I HAVE done. 

I shared an article earlier this week that mentioned the “diet mentality” making all diets unhealthy.  Now, while I totally respect everyone’s opinions and completely believe that there’s NO 1-right-way to do anything, for me, the counting calories and thinking non stop about what I could or couldn’t eat was becoming a stumbling block.  So I decided to STOP doing it.  Of course, I’m still careful about my portion sizes and making sure I get plenty of fruit, veggies, whole grains, and protein, but I threw the whole number tracking system out the window and replaced it with a new commitment to get in plenty of exercise and water.

It’s working wonders!! I’m not even necessarily trying to lose weight anymore; if I maintain from here on out, I’ll be happy, but if I lose a couple of more lbs by eating a healthy diet and getting in my running and toning, then I’m happy with that too.  And the scale is steadily going down.  I’m stunned actually, because when I was TRYING so hard to break into the 120’s, counting every calorie, planning every single meal and snack, I kept gaining and losing the same 3 lbs.  Let go of that stress, and it’s like a miracle.  :)  Saturday I weighed in at 131, and today I’m down to 129, and there’s still 3 more days til I officially weigh in again so I’m pretty excited.  Apparently this is going to work out great for me, and I’m so thrilled because I’m starting to feel “normal” again (as opposed to being on a continuous diet).

I always said, “It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change,” like so many of you.  But UNLIKE so many others, I was stuck in that diet mentality of counting calories and thinking “if I ate that earlier today, then here are my choices for dinner….”  restricting, feeling guilty, binging.    Ups and downs…. terrible cycles.  That’s not a lifestyle, and if it is, it certainly isn’t one I want to maintain for the rest of my life.  What I’m doing now is much more in-tune with who I am. 

Running Update:   I finally timed myself and measured out my distance on mapmyrun.com this morning, and I finished the first 3.1 miles or 5K in about 25 minutes! I know that’s not a world record or anything, but it made me happy because I had assumed I was doing it in around 30 minutes.  Planning to do the Race For the Cure that’s coming up, and since I was able to get in another mile and a half before the end of my run, I’m thinking I *might* just be ready for a 10K by Christmas.  :D  I’m certainly hoping and looking into races I might do….  It feels so good to have a fitness goal that isn’t weight-related!

Ok, I’m off to hop in the shower.  No pepper spray on my face today! lmao  :D  But I’m still stinky.  :p  Hope all you buddies are having a great day and feeling positive, too!!

Want the short answer? Yes. Now, you may be thinking, “If I don’t stay on some kind of diet, I’ll just blow up like a balloon. I need to be on a program just to keep control of myself.” But consider that any kind of dieting involves a diet mentality, which ensures failure, encourages you to ignore hunger and satiety signals, and promotes a negative relationship with food, because you have to give up “forbidden” foods and, often, eat foods you don’t really like. This inevitably results in giving in, which often means binging and feeling terrible about yourself. So, though this idea may sound radical, we firmly believe there is no good diet.By “diet,” we mean the conscious restriction of the amounts or kind of foods you’re allowed to eat for the express purpose of losing weight. A diet is something that you go on when you want to change your body, and go off once you’ve reached a certain goal. Though we certainly do endorse consuming a wide variety of healthful foods, paying attention to portion sizes, and thinking twice before eating a lot of foods that are high in calories but low in nutrition, we don’t recommend following any kind of plan that tells you what, how much, and how often you should eat, without regard for your body’s hunger and satiety signals. And we definitely don’t recommend any eating plan that you go on and then go off.

Although it may sound surprising, the negative effects of dieting also hold true even if you aren’t following a formal diet but still think like a dieter. If you count grams of fat, opt for high-protein foods while shunning carbs, rely on “safe” foods, beat yourself up for eating “bad” foods, consciously or unconsciously undereat (which can trigger overeating later), use diet soft drinks or coffee to quell your hunger, or decide what you can eat based on what you’ve already eaten today, you’re dieting.

The Physical and Psychological Effects of Dieting

Have you ever noticed that as soon as you go on a diet, all you want to do is eat? Even if you weren’t particularly concerned about food prior to dieting, all of a sudden you become obsessed with it. You find yourself preoccupied with what you’ll have for your next meal, whether you can have a snack, what others are eating, or even what you’ll allow yourself to eat tomorrow. What’s going on?

The mind and the body are inextricably linked, and never is this more apparent than when you go on a diet. Geared to survive during feast or famine, both body and mind switch into survival mode when the food supply is radically diminished. While the body turns down the metabolism and becomes a “slow burner” in an attempt to hang on to every single calorie, the mind gears itself to one overriding purpose: getting food. The result? Suddenly, you may find yourself clipping recipes, planning menus, cooking elaborate meals or dishes for others (neither of which you’ll eat yourself), or even dreaming about food at night. The message is clear: Your body wants food, and your mind does, too.

After a few days of extremely restricting your food, you’ll probably become more depressed and anxious. Although this may be due to changes in neurotransmitters like serotonin, it may also occur because you are depriving yourself of things that are very pleasurable that aren’t replaced by anything else — leaving a pleasure void. You may suddenly prefer to spend more time alone — it takes too much energy to deal with others — and your self-esteem may start to drop. Unfortunately, the more depressed, anxious, and isolated you become, the more you’ll obsess about food.

Some people can hold out longer than others, but the result is eventually the same: a binge. You eat something you “shouldn’t,” which makes you feel as if you’ve blown it. So you let go and eat. During the binge you feel relief — at last you can relax and do what you’ve wanted to do all along. But you may also feel as if you’re in a trance and can’t stop yourself. It’s almost as if your body has developed a will of its own; it’s going to feed itself whether you like it or not. As a result, you can end up eating more food in one sitting than you ever did when you weren’t dieting.

Are you crazy? Absolutely not. This is a normal, even healthy reaction to a period of semi-starvation, a reaction that made good sense during primitive times. After a period of famine, it was natural and necessary for our ancient ancestors to overeat. They needed to be able to take advantage of a feast when they had the chance, because the food supply was uncertain. To make this possible, their appetites increased after a period of famine. So the same amount of food that would have satisfied them during times of plenty left them feeling hungry after a period of semi-starvation. The same thing happens to you when you restrict food. Suddenly, you develop the urge and the capacity to binge, and you no longer feel satisfied after eating what you used to consider a normal meal. In short, restrictive dieting can trigger binges and leave you hungry even after you’ve eaten normal amounts of food. This is true for most Runaway Eaters, and even for those dieters who do not develop Runaway Eating problems.

The psychological consequences of dieting were clearly illustrated in a classic study of the effects of semi-starvation done in 1950 by Ancel Keys, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota. In the study, 36 healthy, young, psychologically sound males were observed over a period of 1 year. During the first 3 months, the men ate normal amounts of food; during the next 6 months, they were given half as much food; and during the last 3 months, their food allotment was gradually increased. During the semi-starvation period, the men became preoccupied with food and constantly talked about it, read cookbooks, clipped recipes, and daydreamed about eating. When a meal was served, many took an inordinately long time to eat it, trying to make it last. Over time, the men became extremely depressed, anxious, and irritable.

Once they made it through the period of semi-starvation, the men ate nearly continuously, with some indulging in 8,000- to 10,000-calorie binges. The men reported that their hunger actually increased right after meals, and some of them continued to eat to the point of being sick without feeling satisfied. Although most of the men finally reverted to normal eating patterns within 5 months of the study’s end, some continued with their new patterns of “extreme overconsumption.”

We see these same patterns in dieters: the preoccupation with food; the anxiety, depression, and irritability; the tendency to go off the diet and eat more than one would have in the pre-diet days; and a propensity toward bingeing even after the diet has ended.

Reprinted from: Runaway Eating: The 8-Point Plan to Conquer Adult Food and Weight Obsessions by Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., and Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. © 2005 Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., and Nadine Taylor, M.S., R.D. (January 2005; $14.95US/$20.95CAN; 1-59486-038-6) Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold.

Authors:
Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., is the William R. and Jeanne H. Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a professor of nutrition in the School of Public Health and the director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program.

Nadine Taylor is a registered dietitian and chair of the Women’s Health Council of the American Nutraceutical Association. She is the author of numerous health books and articles.

*big sigh*  I realize now, through the help of some good buddies, that a lot of my problems with food come from not being hungry, or necessarily loving the taste of food (which I do… taste, texture, LOVE!) but more from a need to be in control.  Let me tell you about this weird episode that happened last night…. and is continuing today.

OK, so I get home from work last night, and start on this shrimp dish that the hubby LOVES!  A friend brought us some fresh shrimp that he caught in the Gulf, and I have no idea the calorie or nutrient content of shrimp, I just knew that it needed to be cooked and consumed pronto.    My kids were playing computer games, so I never got a chance to look up the calorie info before dinner was done.  I sort-of figured that the dish was through the roof high in calories, so I nixed the side dishes and said We’re JUST having this.  There was more than enough for that to be ok, and I thought, I’ll just have a tiny portion.  And I did just put a small portion on my plate.  Then my husband put the rest of his huge portion that he couldn’t finish onto my plate… No wasting the shrimp. lol  Shrimp is like $12-$15 per lb here, so we don’t eat it often, and were very thankful that we received these large, delicious fresh shrimp for free.

So…. of course I ate it! Then, still not being able to get to the computer to check the calorie count, my nervousness increases.  What did I just do???  I’m freaking out, pacing, not wanting to be mean to the kids; no sense rushing them off the computer just because I’m freaking out about calories.  Start checking the labels of everything I used in the dish (besides the shrimp) and I’m like… Woah!!!  Why didn’t I do that FIRST??  I shouldn’t have eaten that AT ALL.  So I know I’m way over for the day, and that just triggers a binge.  A full out binge of animal crackers and milk.  I probably had 3-4 servings of those stupid cookies, and 2 or 3 glasses of milk.  So not only did I go WAY overboard with dinner, my “dessert” was like 700 calories or maybe more.

You have no idea how bad I wanted to go throw that stuff up.

But one of my buddies suggested that sitting with the guilt was much more useful, and I definitely agree with her.  I didn’t do it necessarily to punish myself, but to focus on my feelings and think about things.

I realized that, when I didn’t have complete control of my calorie count, I lost it.  It wasn’t what you’d think, like, “Oh well, I blew it, might as well have some cookies, too.”  Because that would seem NORMAL.  It was like, out of control stress eating, because I didn’t have the numbers I needed to have a peaceful dinner and a decent journal entry.

Realization: I must be a control freak.  That made me think about the things that make me happy, vs. the things that make me stress out.  I could list all the things for you, but basically it boils down to happy= order, organization, sticking to plans/lists/schedules, clean, etc etc.  stress= the opposite, disorder, disorganization, not having enough information, veering off the plan, untidiness, etc….

So… I have to make up for all those calories somehow, and it’s going to be by having two 1200 calorie days in a row.  (After all, if I average it out for the week, that will take me back down to an average of 1400-1500/day, so at the end of the week, it all evens out, and that’s what matters to me.)   I started out by making a list, of COURSE of what times I should eat and how many calories at each meal. THEN surprised myself by thinking… I need to organize my bedroom.  There were piles of clean clothes that needed to be put away, but there was nowhere to put them because I still need to clean out all the clothes that are too big for me now and give them away.  It’s so disorganized and cluttered. Or I should say, it WAS.    I spent my morning putting all that stuff away, organizing, getting the big clothes ready to go bye bye.    It looks great in there now, even got some candles lit.  It’s like my little peaceful sanctuary.  And for SOME REASON, I don’t feel like eating out of control anymore, ESPECIALLY when I’m in there.  Because I had a 150 calorie breakfast of plain oatmeal and egg whites, and I was counting down the MINUTES til I could eat again.  Until I got that room clean.  Now I want the rest of the house to look just as great, and I feel like (this may sound NUTS) but getting it that way and keeping it that way can be my new control issue. Like, maybe I can just switch it from food to that??  Not sure how that stuff works: I may very well end up obsessed with BOTH things.  Can a person turn themselves into being obsessive-compulsive??

One big thing that’s worrying me right now though, is that we’re planning a trip soon, and we’ll be staying with relatives for a little while.  What am I going to do, when I’m eating either food a relative has prepared OR eating out for days on end??  Will I just go crazy and eat everything in sight? Will I try too hard to be in control and wind up severely restricting my calorie intake (like, to the point of it being too far…. or I hate to say the “a” word, cuz I don’t want to go there, but that’s like a control thing, and I can see that in myself.)  I feel like right now, I have to be very careful about the choices I make because I could go either way.  I could just easily go back to not caring at all and weighing 200 lbs, or I could go too far, caring too much, obsessing even, and limit myself too much.  (I initially wanted to do two 1000 calorie days to make up for my binge, but talked myself into 1200, so see…. that’s not good. I mean, it’s good I decided to do 1,200 but it’s a bad sign that I considered 1,000.)

*another big sigh*  I just need to sort all this out and I’m having a hard time.  Think I’ll go clean some more…. Maybe alphabetize the canned goods  or something.  (???)  Just kidding. 

I have a problem with food! I know, that seems obvious, right? I’m trying to lose weight, get fit, I’m here on Buddy Slim…. Of course I probably have a problem with food. So why has it taken ME so long to realize it??

Mentally, I know what I should be doing. Eating lots of fruits and veggies throughout the day, lean protein, keep dinner to a minimum: Nutritious, but not too filling. Not good to eat til you can’t move just before bed time.

So…. why is it so hard for me to do it??  I do well all day, thinking of my goals, what I want to accomplish as far as having a lean, muscular body… If you want to LOOK athletic, you have to BE athletic. I tell myself this, I live my life like that. Well, for most of each day.  Then at dinner time, I lose it.  I eat too much, make poor choices, make excuses about stress…. Yes, I am stressed out at the end of the day.  But eating poorly doesn’t make me feel any better!

It makes me feel worse.  Much worse.   So much worse, that I’m usually very tempted to finish up my day by vomiting whatever nonsense I’ve put into my stomach.  But I KNOW that makes it even worse.  Like, ok I binge, but people who binge then purge get put into hospitals.  I’ve actually given in to that tempation twice in the past couple of weeks.  It makes me feel terrible: like a loser because not only can I not stick to my goals, I’m so weak that I can’t deal with the guilt afterwards.  But at the same time, I’m just happy that not all of those calories will turn into fat while I sleep.

I’m hesitant to even publish this blog. I know it makes me look terrible.  But at the same time, I know that I can’t be the only person who struggles with this.  I know that I have some type of problem, and I know that as of right now, I don’t know what to do about it; I don’t think I have the resources to fix it myself.  I don’t know where to begin.  I don’t even know how I let myself get to this point.  One thing I do know, is that I don’t want to go any further down this road to self-destruction.  I’m losing motivation, losing self-confidence, losing some self-respect even.  I don’t have that much to spare.

I don’t really have anyone I can talk to about this. I know the first question anyone would ask is WHY??? Why would you do that to yourself.  And the honest answer is: I DON’T KNOW.  Maybe I’m afraid.  Afraid of being fat, afraid of not reaching my goals.  Afraid that I CAN’T reach my goals.  Maybe I’m just weak.  Maybe I don’t know how to handle stress.  Maybe I’m freaking crazy.  That’s how I feel sometimes.

I’m going to publish this, make it public.  We’re only as sick as our secrets.  Yes, I know what I’m doing isn’t right, isn’t healthy.  Say what you want, but I don’t need anyone to tell me that.  What I need is for someone to tell me how to fix this before it gets too out of control.

Today is Day 3 of my new start.  :D  I decided to zig zag my calories this week, along with my new, improved workout plan and “half plate method” I’m doing this week. Hopefully that will help shake things up and burn some extra fat.  Have I mentioned my half plate method that I’m trying this week?  I just decided that no matter what meal it is, breakfast, dinner, whatever, half of my plate will be full of fruits and/or veggies. Then the other half can be eggs, wheat toast, chicken, potatoes, whatever.  Can’t fit a ton of mashed potatoes on a plate that is loaded with veggies and some chicken, so I’m hoping this method will help me #1 watch my portion control and #2 keep my calories in check.  Just something I’m trying out.

 Yesterday shopping with my family was AWESOME! Everybody went: my mom, dad, and 17 year old brother, my two kids, and my husband. It was so much fun!  :D  I love shopping with all of them.  The kids are MAJORLY entertained with that many people they love surrounding them, and no one gets frustrated because there are so many adults that we actually compete for the kids attention, rather than getting irritated with them when they won’t be still.  We were ALL worn out by the end of the day.

 And I got some new clothes!!!!  WooooHOoooo! Finally, some clothes that FIT!  Pretty much everything in my closet was getting too big. Some of it was ridiculously big!  (But I was wearing it anyway, which *I think* speaks to what a low-maintenance woman I am! LOL)  No, it’s just that, my husband was like, “You ALWAYS want new clothes!”  And I DO NOT! I just think, that since I’m down to a SIX, it’s time to retire the size TEN jeans!! I mean, what woman wants to wear a ten when she’s a six?  Any hands??  LOL   So I’m pretty excited!  I tried a pair of size seven jeans that I just KNEW would look awesome on me. They were so cute, and ON SALE, but….. I needed a size FIVE in them, and they didn’t have any. (You know, they just put the random left-overs on sale, so you don’t always get lucky.)  But I wasn’t upset!! I was on cloud nine that I needed a size five in them!!  :D   (Mind you, I do NOT wear a five in everything. The jeans I wore yesterday were 7s and they fit just fine.  So… you never know.)   ;)    Anyway, I didn’t mean to go on and on bragging about my clothes size. It’s just that it’s been A LONG time since I’ve been able to squeeze into clothes that size.  It’s exciting!

I had a green salad (with fat free dressing on the SIDE) and a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch and shared a small order of fries with my two kids, then we went to a deli for dinner and I had a bowl of chicken soup and 1/2 a turkey sandwich with grapes.  I think I was probably within my calorie limit for the day, since I didn’t have any snacks or anything.  Oh, we watched a movie when we got home to unwind, and I ate a whole bag of light popcorn myself, but that’s only like 50 calories or something.  So, all in all, it was a great day!

Went grocery shopping today, and got lots of fresh fruit and veggies, so that I can keep up with my 1/2 plate method this week.  Made the kids put lots of the stuff they grabbed back, so thanks to being the MEAN MOMMY I won’t have to stare at cookies, chips (well, I let them get Pizza Pringles, but trust me, I will NOT have a hard time resisting THOSE) cake or brownie mixes, cookie dough, or ice cream.  (Yes, they took each of those things down and tried to put them in my basket, and they’re THREE and ONE!  I’m seriously thinking I should start leaving them at home when I go….  I’d save money, be more relaxed, AND have less temptation to just say OK! to the junk food.  But I guess that’s a subject for another time…. LOL)

One other thing I’ve decided to try, is having a Slim Fast shake and fruit or veggies for dinner. (With my bigger meals being breakfast and lunch, so I can eat more when I actually need the energy, and less when I’m winding down for the day.)  I did Slim Fast when I started out, and I really liked it. It helped me lose weight, and I think the fact that it has actual nutritional value with not many calories might make it the perfect thing for the late dinners I’ve been having.  That will mean I don’t have to cook dinner for myself, so I can eat when I get home from work, and THEN cook for my family. Or while I cook for my family.  But I won’t be eating an hour and a half before bed time anymore.  Just a thought…. I did buy the Slim Fast, but I’m not sure yet if it’s going to be dinner for this week.

OK, my kid is begging for some soup. Made her put the treats back, but I let her get the Shrek chicken soup she begged for.  (btw, they’ll put a cartoon characters face on ANYTHING if they think it’ll sell a few more, won’t they??)  Hope everyone’s winding up their weekend right and looking forward to a great week!

In a recent University of Virginia study, women who regularly did high-intensity workouts (where they were breathing hard) had significantly less belly flab at the end of a four-month period than exercisers who always worked at an easier level- even though both groups burned the same number of calories. Pushing it may increase production of hormones that help burn fat post exercise- and ab flab may be very susceptible to this effect. Try sprint intervals, walking at a steep incline, or both.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Sunday was Day 3 of No Binging and Day 1 of my plan to exercise for 21 straight days (as part of my habit-forming strategy).  All in all, a good day, though I seriously doubt I had enough calories. Part of me is still trying to “make up” for my binge, but it was mostly due to being entirely too busy to sit down and eat.  I had a few bites at a Chinese buffet my family insisted on going to after church, a granola bar I found in my purse, and a few of my kids Goldfish.     Today I’m going to focus on eating more, with a major emphasis on fresh fruit and veggies, and on adding some sprints to my walk this afternoon.

Yes or No? Why or why not?

Personally, I think it would be VERY helpful, not *just* for dieters, but for anyone who cares about what they put into their mouth. I think special nutrition facts sheets should be available on request that include the same information about each dish as what you would find on the back of a pre-packaged meal, the same thing that you would find online if you searched before going to the restaurant. Why not?? If you don’t care, don’t look. If you want to splurge without feeling guilty, don’t ask. BUT for those of us who want to be able to make informed decisions but didn’t have time to Google before stopping for lunch, why shouldn’t we have access to that information? Even if I decided to get a burger and fries (not likely) why shouldn’t I be able to know exactly how small of a dinner I need to eat later to counter-balance the splurge and not gain weight? If I knew of certain restaurants that provided that information as a courtesy to their waistline-conscious patrons, I would DEFINITELY choose them over others who don’t.

What do you think? Would it help you along your weight-loss journey if you knew the nutritional content of everything you put into your mouth, even when you were eating out? Or would it just make you feel guilty?

Fat grams. Every label tells you how many are in what you eat. I, for the most part, haven’t been paying much attention to that part of the nutrition information. I’ve been paying more attention to the calorie content, trying to follow the simple formula of less calories in, more calories burned = weight loss. And for the most part, it’s worked. HOWEVER, as those who read my previous blog about my belly FAT know, that diet of just lower calories hasn’t really helped in that area AT ALL. Yes, I weigh less, but my belly, which has been the fattest part of me since I gained this weight, is STILL really really fat.

 So my good buddy Michelle suggested I try a low-fat diet. Wow!! What a good idea, I thought. So a couple of days ago, I started counting every single gram of carbs/protein/and fat that were in everything I ate. What an eye opener!!  I may have been sticking to a 1500 calorie (give or take) diet, but SO MANY of those calories were coming from FAT!!  No wonder my body isn’t burning this fat; I’m constantly FEEDING it more fat; it can’t keep up!! 

 And I had a BIG mess up today!! We were out and about, shopping, running errands, had our taxes done. And I suggest we go to Subway for dinner. Well, of course the big baby pulls into Mazzio’s pizza instead!  :(   BUT I COULD have ordered a salad…. Pizza does happen to be my weakness though, and since I’ve been so “good” lately, I decided, just this time, to go ahead and have the pizza. When I got home, I checked online, and each slice of pizza contained my total goal of fat grams for the day!!  My calories stayed within a reasonable range (below 2000) but my fat grams were through the ROOF!!  Like, 350% of the daily value I had given myself for the day.  AND my carbs were over the limit too, but not by much. Suprising though, for that meat-lover’s pizza… My protein intake was only HALF what it should have been for today.  All those calories, and no muscle-building food for my body. 

 I am disappointed in myself, but at the same time, I’m so very thankful for this eye-opener. Now I KNOW for sure what I need to do (at least in part!)  LOL   :D   I know I need to continue monitoring the nutrient breakdown of every single thing I eat, until I get “good” at eating a low-fat diet. I need to up the cardio too, and work on my core strength, and just my strength in general… And I need to make sure I give my body that protein it needs to build muscles.

 *sigh* That’s a tall order, but I’m aiming to do every single one of those things next week.  I just feel so sure that if I do those things consistently, I will see some amazing results, far better than what I’ve seen so far. 

 Thanks to all my buddies for the great suggestions. I was wondering, how do you make sure you get enough protein each day, and how do you do at limiting the FAT you put into your body?? 

Man I’ve done a LOT better this week than I did last week!! I started off the week at 145.5, and my next mini-goal is 140. If I can somehow get half-way there this week, and reach that goal by the end of next week, I will be SO HAPPY!! I haven’t been able to get to the gym YET this week, but I’ve still done mini-workouts here and there with my FitTv buddies (LOL) and my Wii Fit. Not as kick-butt as hitting the gym, but hey, I’m not the best driver anyway, and when you add freezing rain to the mix…. I’m much better off figuring out what I can do at home! And I’ve really surprised myself at how I’ve been able to keep my calorie intake at a reasonable level! Through the holidays, I was eating WAY too much, and I thought it would take a WHILE to get back on track… But nope, I’m doing just fine! It also helps that I started MJ’s Defeat the Treats challenge! That really did keep my hand outta the candy this morning!

Well, I’ve got a busy day today! My washing machine has died a slow death… it just officially kicked the bucket Monday. My hubby tried to revive it, but even with all his handy-man skills, there was nothing that could be done. *tear* So I have to load all our dirty clothes up and haul them over to my mom’s! I’ll be over there all day, not JUST because of the laundry, but also because when we get together we run our mouths a LOT! Then I’ll have to “pretend” that I didn’t “have time” to come home, clean the house, and cook dinner before hubby gets home from work!! LOL Hope he doesn’t read this!!