When you eat until you are "stuffed" it can take a long time before your body can tell you that it is hungry. Are you listening to me? We all over eat every day. Even now while on this journey to a new me, I know if I eat very sparingly during the day so that I can "save up" for my evening meal, I tend to over eat at that last meal of the day, and quite honestly that is the worst meal to over eat at. Your body does not have enough hours left in the day to process and better yet, USE these calories for fuel that you have just consumed. So what does your body do? It "stores" it as fat to use at a later time or day. One day when you aren't eating so much and aren't getting that 2500 to 3800 calories per day!
So back the the lady who taught us about listening to our body for clues that we are hungry. She said it is very simple. First she had us to un-program ourself about when and what time we should eat. She gave us specific instructions on how to begin this process.
1. She explained that your body is not necessarily on a "set" schedule, but our MIND is.
2. She told us to forget about three meals per day and two healthy snacks per day.
(who eats two "healthy" snacks per day any way?)
3. She said pray before you begin and ask the Lord to let you be in tune with the signals
that your body will give you when it is hungry.
4. Drink water and other unsweetened drinks while you are waiting for the first "signal" of
hunger so as not to get dehydrated.
5. But the key is to listen to your body for the "hunger signal".
So what is the "hunger signal"? I thought you would never ask! She said that the hunger signal can take on many forms. For some is is growling in the tummy, for others it is an "empty" feeling in their stomach. Some may feel weak or worn out, others may have a stomach that makes other types of noises or rumblings.
I learned so much from the Weigh Down Workshop, my problem is I never really applied any of the techniques that I learned to my every day eating. It is too easy to do what you always do. Eat what you always eat, and eat when you have always eaten. It would take a very concentrated effort to only eat when you are hungry but maybe this challenge will help all of us realize that we should not eat just to eat, but we should eat when our body is crying out for fuel (food) Sometimes a glass of cold water can fill the crying in your stomach. But if it is food you need just make sure to make a good choice. Listen to the voice inside your belly.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
When Your Hungry ... EAT !!!
There are so many times during the day when I can eat. Let's see, when I wake up, when I get up, when I leave for work, when I drive to work, when I get to work, during my work day, break time, lunch time, snack time, and on my way home from work, when I get home from work, dinner time, munch out time, during TV time, before I go to bed, midnight snack time, and any other time in between!
So, when do I eat? How do I know when is the best time to eat? That's pretty easy... When I am hungry! A few years ago, probably ten or more, I did a weight loss program with some ladies at the church that I was attending and it was called "The Weigh Down Workshop". Many of you may have heard of it. It is written by a Christian woman who struggled for years with her weight and finally got in tune with how the Lord wired her body to work and be healthy.
The gal who wrote the diet, or message I should say, had been doing this program herself for many years and had been very successful in not only losing her extra weight but keeping it off. Everything she spoke about in her book and the videos that we watched was geared with the same thought. "When you are hungry, only Then should you eat.". What she meant by this was that you should learn to listen to your body for clues to tell you it is time to eat. Easier said than done, right? Well not necessarily...
She explained that many years ago our ancestors, even as far back as during Bible times, that food was not as plentiful as food is today. People did not tend to be over weight or obese because food was not in abundance and therefore there was not the tendency to over eat, or eat the wrong things in general because they were not available. I remember when I was a young girl telling my mother that I was hungry. Well I didn't really know what hunger was I just knew that I wanted something to eat. And most of the time I got this response, " Well you need to wait until dinner." Or "If you have to eat something, eat a piece of fruit."
Well this usually did three things, it made me (1) want to sneak and snack on things that I should not eat, and since we did not have "sweets" in our house I would eat peanut butter on crackers!! Yum yum one of my all time favorites! And (2) it made me look at fruit as something undesirable, something that was good for you so therefore not something that I wanted to partake in. And finally (3) because I had eaten something before my meal, I was not really very hungry during my meal, but because I did not want my parents to know I had eaten a whole lot of crackers and peanut butter I would eat everything that was for dinner as well. Meaning I was stuffed!
To be continued .....
So, when do I eat? How do I know when is the best time to eat? That's pretty easy... When I am hungry! A few years ago, probably ten or more, I did a weight loss program with some ladies at the church that I was attending and it was called "The Weigh Down Workshop". Many of you may have heard of it. It is written by a Christian woman who struggled for years with her weight and finally got in tune with how the Lord wired her body to work and be healthy.
The gal who wrote the diet, or message I should say, had been doing this program herself for many years and had been very successful in not only losing her extra weight but keeping it off. Everything she spoke about in her book and the videos that we watched was geared with the same thought. "When you are hungry, only Then should you eat.". What she meant by this was that you should learn to listen to your body for clues to tell you it is time to eat. Easier said than done, right? Well not necessarily...
She explained that many years ago our ancestors, even as far back as during Bible times, that food was not as plentiful as food is today. People did not tend to be over weight or obese because food was not in abundance and therefore there was not the tendency to over eat, or eat the wrong things in general because they were not available. I remember when I was a young girl telling my mother that I was hungry. Well I didn't really know what hunger was I just knew that I wanted something to eat. And most of the time I got this response, " Well you need to wait until dinner." Or "If you have to eat something, eat a piece of fruit."
Well this usually did three things, it made me (1) want to sneak and snack on things that I should not eat, and since we did not have "sweets" in our house I would eat peanut butter on crackers!! Yum yum one of my all time favorites! And (2) it made me look at fruit as something undesirable, something that was good for you so therefore not something that I wanted to partake in. And finally (3) because I had eaten something before my meal, I was not really very hungry during my meal, but because I did not want my parents to know I had eaten a whole lot of crackers and peanut butter I would eat everything that was for dinner as well. Meaning I was stuffed!
To be continued .....
Monday, March 28, 2011
The "POWER" Of Half
Do you ever watch those TV shows that have doctors and other weight loss experts on them that try to encourage us all to lost weight and to gain a healthier lifestyle? Many times they are preaching the same message. If we would learn how to eat just 500 calories fewer per day we could lose 1-2 pounds per week! They offer up a simple formula using the scenario that if you cut out 500 calories from your daily food intake that you will lose weight. What are they talking about? How can this be so? How do they know?
The answer is simple. They know because they have college, and medical school and their license to practice medicine that tells them the facts behind the statement. So my question has always been, "How do you know that 500 calories is enough? How do you know you can lose weight by only cutting out 500 calories?". The explanation that I have heard on numerous occasions is that the average person eats between 2500 to 3800 calories per day. And unless you are in supreme physical shape, and are at your personal "goal weight" you are probably struggling with Mr. Scale. Your trips onto Mr. scale are not met with excitement but with heartache and discouragement. The reason? Because if you continue to eat this high a count of calories per day without burning some of them off with exercise you are going to gain weight.
So without counting the calories what would be a quick and easy way to get rid of 500 calories per day? Here is my free advice. Try eating everything that you would normally eat. If you eat salad with non low-fat ranch dressing, cheese, croutons, and the works, eat it but only Half the portion that you would have normally eaten. You enjoy Wendys Double Cheeseburgers? Order one and cut it in half! Don't save the other half for the trip home in your car. Throw it away! I promise you won't miss it! You like to order a large fries and shake? Dump half the fries into the waste bin "Before" sitting down to consume your meal. Oh and the same with that chocolate shake. Go ahead and pour out half of it or give away half of it before you take the first slurp.
I know this sounds funny and extreme but believe me it works! Way back when we first adopted our children I remember losing quite a bit of weight without really trying. And when I thought about it during my trip down Memory Lane and looking at those pictures, I realized it was because I would order whatever I wanted to eat and I would Split my food with my daughter, Pam. We would share the entire meal so I was only getting Half of what I would have normally eaten.
So why don't you take this challenge? For the next three days, or maybe week, try eating Half of the food that you would have normally put in your pie hole (mouth). It goes without saying that by the weeks end you will have a favorable visit with Mr. Scale and if you continue to do this he will wait on you to come back again later so that he can tell you some more good news! If your up for the challenge I ask that you weigh yourself in Before you start so that you can see for youraelf if this excercise worked for you. Oh go ahead! The only thing you have to lose is a few calories, which means pounds, and a few french fries!
The answer is simple. They know because they have college, and medical school and their license to practice medicine that tells them the facts behind the statement. So my question has always been, "How do you know that 500 calories is enough? How do you know you can lose weight by only cutting out 500 calories?". The explanation that I have heard on numerous occasions is that the average person eats between 2500 to 3800 calories per day. And unless you are in supreme physical shape, and are at your personal "goal weight" you are probably struggling with Mr. Scale. Your trips onto Mr. scale are not met with excitement but with heartache and discouragement. The reason? Because if you continue to eat this high a count of calories per day without burning some of them off with exercise you are going to gain weight.
So without counting the calories what would be a quick and easy way to get rid of 500 calories per day? Here is my free advice. Try eating everything that you would normally eat. If you eat salad with non low-fat ranch dressing, cheese, croutons, and the works, eat it but only Half the portion that you would have normally eaten. You enjoy Wendys Double Cheeseburgers? Order one and cut it in half! Don't save the other half for the trip home in your car. Throw it away! I promise you won't miss it! You like to order a large fries and shake? Dump half the fries into the waste bin "Before" sitting down to consume your meal. Oh and the same with that chocolate shake. Go ahead and pour out half of it or give away half of it before you take the first slurp.
I know this sounds funny and extreme but believe me it works! Way back when we first adopted our children I remember losing quite a bit of weight without really trying. And when I thought about it during my trip down Memory Lane and looking at those pictures, I realized it was because I would order whatever I wanted to eat and I would Split my food with my daughter, Pam. We would share the entire meal so I was only getting Half of what I would have normally eaten.
So why don't you take this challenge? For the next three days, or maybe week, try eating Half of the food that you would have normally put in your pie hole (mouth). It goes without saying that by the weeks end you will have a favorable visit with Mr. Scale and if you continue to do this he will wait on you to come back again later so that he can tell you some more good news! If your up for the challenge I ask that you weigh yourself in Before you start so that you can see for youraelf if this excercise worked for you. Oh go ahead! The only thing you have to lose is a few calories, which means pounds, and a few french fries!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Where Are You In The Family Photo?
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| The Lindberg Family - Christmas '2007 |
When I decided to start adding pictures to my blog, and wanted to include pictures of myself, I realized just how few pictures there are of me in my collection after collection of photos. And the pictures that I found were of me with other people, as many other people as I could find so that I could "hide" behind them. Not my whole self but my body. Even if it was a picture being made of me and my husband I would find a way to stand."behind him, and do one of those Olan Mills classic poses with my arm or hand on his shoulder and as he is sitting down in a chair I could lean over so that our faces were on the same level. I have picture after picture of this pose.
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| My hubby & I in the famous pose (Hubby block my body pose) |
Then we adopted our children after 11 years of marriage and the poses changed. Now I had a 12 year old son, and seven year old very petite daughter that I could have stand in front of me to help " block out" my body from the shot.
My husband and I have been empty-nesters for the past three years. My son is now all grown up and has a beautiful wife and two precious children. Now I find that I am using my grandchildren to block my body from the picture.
Think about it. When taking a family photo of yourself and your spouse and children, or you and your grandkids where do you place yourself in the picture?
Are you "front & center" or "where's Waldo" hiding in the background? I can look back at my pictures and see that I am trying to hide the elephant in the room (picture), me!
Another thing that I am coming to realize is that if I knew the picture was being taken, when someone sent me a copy of the picture I would visualize that I looked a lot better (thinner) than the picture actually showed. But it is the pictures that are taken of me that I am unaware of that catch me unaware and when I see the picture later I am appalled at my true self and what I look like. It's not just the hair and make-up but the me that I can finally see. I would always try to make excuses as to why the picture did not turn out better than it did. When in reality it was the best wake up call that I could have ever asked for.
My biggest critic is myself. I am learning a little more every day to love and accept myself, for myself. That mental picture of myself as been thinner and healthier is going to one day be a reality as I continue on My Journey To A New Me! So, where are you in your family photos? Are you hidden in the background, or are you hidden behind the camera taking all the shots? Don't miss out on opportunities to create memories that last forever. Long after you and I are gone, our loved ones, children and grandchildren will have the pictures to remember us by. Don't put it off, take a picture of yourself today. Smile & Say Cheese!
Friday, March 25, 2011
45 Down .. 5 Pounds To Go By Easter!
Yes! I am at the "5 Pounds To Go" marker before hitting my 50 pound goal by Easter. It looks great on Mr. Scale to! I have a confession to make. I weigh for two or three days to just "make sure" the numbers on the scale stay the same before bringing you this report. I wouldn't want to make such a big announcement one day and the next day due to water weight or something have gained that one pound back. Would you?
Well thinking of this last 5 pounds of unwanted fat, I decided to break it down. Five pounds is approximately one pound to lose per week between now and Easter. How could i "guarantee" myself success in reachimg this goal? I could try one of the latest fad diets out there and drop that five pounds in a couple of weeks. You know the ones that they advertise on TV and in the magazines. Or I could do it with the latest exercise piece of equipment that Suzanne Sommers is pushing on her latest info commercial. You know the one that for Six Easy Payments of $39.95, but wait there's more. If you act now we will double your order for no additiional charge except for shipping and handling! WOW what a deal! Or maybe I could fast for a week and only drink carrot or celery juice and try to drop those five pounds. But wait I forgot about the cabbage soup diet. That's a good way to shed a few pounds. You eat the soup and then take up residence in the bathroom!
If this all sounds a little silly to you, let me tell you how ridiculous it sounds to me! After starting this Journey To A New Me and un-brainwashing myself from all the crazy thinking out there about how to lose weight and get healthy, you can bet your last dollar that I wouldn't go back down ANY of those roads of Weight Loss Failure.
There are some roads in life that you go down and you look around at your surroundings and you say to yourself "Hey this is a nice area, I wouldn't mind living here.". And then there are other roads you go down and you find yourself locking all your car doors and putting up your windows, and slumping down in your seat a little bit and getting out of there as fast as you got there. You know what I am talking about. Those scary places you ride into by accident and you pray that you can find your way out without getting shot, or your car being vandalized.
Well folks those fad diets and get fit quick schemes are just as scary to me. And now that I have seen the light I won't be driving down those roads ever again! I will continue doing what I have been doing since December 11,2010. And when Easter comes in four short weeks I know that I will have a happy surprise waiting for me in my Easter Basket, and that is a goal of 50 pounds accomplished. Then I can begin my next step on my journey to hit 75 by Labor Day!
So if your asking me, I guess there are no chocolate Easter bunnies in my future, or maybe I can just bite off one of his ears! Happy Spring Everyone!
Well thinking of this last 5 pounds of unwanted fat, I decided to break it down. Five pounds is approximately one pound to lose per week between now and Easter. How could i "guarantee" myself success in reachimg this goal? I could try one of the latest fad diets out there and drop that five pounds in a couple of weeks. You know the ones that they advertise on TV and in the magazines. Or I could do it with the latest exercise piece of equipment that Suzanne Sommers is pushing on her latest info commercial. You know the one that for Six Easy Payments of $39.95, but wait there's more. If you act now we will double your order for no additiional charge except for shipping and handling! WOW what a deal! Or maybe I could fast for a week and only drink carrot or celery juice and try to drop those five pounds. But wait I forgot about the cabbage soup diet. That's a good way to shed a few pounds. You eat the soup and then take up residence in the bathroom!
If this all sounds a little silly to you, let me tell you how ridiculous it sounds to me! After starting this Journey To A New Me and un-brainwashing myself from all the crazy thinking out there about how to lose weight and get healthy, you can bet your last dollar that I wouldn't go back down ANY of those roads of Weight Loss Failure.
There are some roads in life that you go down and you look around at your surroundings and you say to yourself "Hey this is a nice area, I wouldn't mind living here.". And then there are other roads you go down and you find yourself locking all your car doors and putting up your windows, and slumping down in your seat a little bit and getting out of there as fast as you got there. You know what I am talking about. Those scary places you ride into by accident and you pray that you can find your way out without getting shot, or your car being vandalized.
Well folks those fad diets and get fit quick schemes are just as scary to me. And now that I have seen the light I won't be driving down those roads ever again! I will continue doing what I have been doing since December 11,2010. And when Easter comes in four short weeks I know that I will have a happy surprise waiting for me in my Easter Basket, and that is a goal of 50 pounds accomplished. Then I can begin my next step on my journey to hit 75 by Labor Day!
So if your asking me, I guess there are no chocolate Easter bunnies in my future, or maybe I can just bite off one of his ears! Happy Spring Everyone!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring Has Sprung - Take Time To Smell The Flowers
Have you ever heard the expression "Spring Has Sprung"?" I have heard this expressions all of my life, The Daylight Savings Time always marks a new season for me. With it we get longer days that allow you to get more done, and to be outdoors more.
I love to watch the daffodils come up and then the tulips. All the trees are blooming, first the Bradford pears and next the red buds and cherry blossoms. The azaleas will take their turn in the spotlight and then sthe Easter season, and finally summer will be upon us. With the passing of each day I can see eveything waking up and becoming alive again.!
Remember when I wrote a week ago about My Big Sweet Tooth and in part II I talked about my mother joining Weight Watchers and encouraging me to go with her. My mother in all her wisdom was determined that we could take the weight off and become healthier in the process. She did everything within her power to get us on the right track and to keep us there. She would only buy foods that were on the approved list of foods that we could eat, but more importantly she would drive us to the weekly meetings. And my mother was not just taking us there to "weigh-in" as so many do, but we were there for the full hour to hour and a half. We sat through the leaders talk, and the question and answer time at the end.
Oh how I dreaded those weekly meetings that always came on Monday. Monday of all days!! I asked her why we couldn't go on a Thursday or something, and she told me on more than one occassion that by going on Monday evenings it would keep us from going off "The Program" during the weekend because we would know that we had to face that scale on Monday night.
I can tell you that there was not a Monday that went by that I ate anything during those months of attending those Weight Watchers meetings. I was always afraid that any little thing that I may have eaten during the weekend may cause the scales to "tip" the wrong direction. And I figured a Monday full of "fasting" and not eating anything could surely tip the scale back in my favor.
We would ride in almost silence over to the church where the meetings were being held. My mom was not the best at getting us there on time, and we would have to wait in a long line with a lot of other people who were trying to do the same thing that we were, "Go to the Monday meeting and it will help you to stay on track during the weekend before." I didn't like the weighing in part, not because I was not losing weight or because I felt like I had cheated and had not lost any weight that week, but because I was embarassed by how much I weighed. It was very uncomfortable for me, a 16 year old to "weigh in" and have someone else keep track of my weight loss progress. Back then, we are talking 1980, they were writing down your current weight and subtracting or adding in some cases the weight loss / gain in the margin. And they kept everyones profile with your weekly weigh-in weights in a metal box with all the other participants and their cards. So when I was not there, who had access to my profile card with my weight recordings on it? Who else knew how much I really weighed? Not my mother! I made her promise that if I did this with her that she would not make me show her my weight progress card.
I remember my very first week of attending and my first week's weight loss was 6 pounds!!! I was so happy with that 6 pounds that I thought that I had arrived! I forgot all about the half of can of tuna fish and 5 crackers that I had made myself eat for lunch every day the previous week to get there. I was proud of my weight loss success! I continued with Weight Watchers until I had lost 35 or so pounds and by then I had met the new love of my life and with this new found love, my focus became less on the weight loss and more on my relationship with him. But I can honestly say that that was not a bad decision because this new love became my boyfriend for 2-1/2 years, and then my fiance for 6 months, and now my husband for over 27 years!!!! So I may not have become a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, but I did become a lifetime wife and partner to the best gift that God has ever given me. I love my husband with all my heart, and if I had to do it all over again, I would pick him again.
Do I regret turning away from WW? No, I know that many good things came from my WW experience. Did I learn everything that I needed to learn to be a healthier me? No. Did I continue on to become a Life Time Member? No. Did I keep the 35 pounds off that I had lost? No. But I did learn something about myself. It was during my time at WW that I discovered that I can do anything that I set my mind to. You see, I have control over what I think, but more importantly what I believe. And this 40 plus year old woman has done a lot of thinking, and now I am believing that My Journey To A New Me is not just about losing weight, but enjoying myself along the way and learning how to eat to live a longer and healthier life. And if I can encourage someone along my way that is ok with me. So here's to bright and sunny days ahead!
Remember: "Spring has just sprung, and Summers on her way!"
Celebrating My 50th Blog Post! A Look Back At How I Got Started
It is with great excitement that I write this blog entry today. Today marks my 50th entry in My Journey To ANew Me! So many have asked when did you start this? How are you losing the weight? What do you eat? And the questions just continue until it has been hard to answer everyone. So instead of asking you to go all the way back into my achieves of blog post, I thought that I would bring my first post forward. If you have not read some of my earlier blog post you may want to put it in reverse to see if you can catch yourself up. And if you have read my previous post, I have been going back and adding pictures along the way.
So enjoy the beginning of My Journey To A New Me and I will be back later with some more good news!
Original post to my Blog January 22,2011
I am new to the world of blogging. Actually I have never even read a blog before. I know you probably don't believe that, but it is true. I watched a move today, Julie & Julia, and discovered blogging. So, I decided to blog "My Journey To A New Me" because that is exactly what I have begun.
My adventure began with a doctor's visit on December 11, 2010. It was during this visit to the doctor I was given some advice from my physician. I told him that I was sick and tired of being overweight. Well, not just overweight, but obese. I know that the excess weight that I am carrying is sending me to an early grave. I was diagnosed with diabetes Type II over six years ago, and have successfully managed the disease with medication, but have not been successful in losing the excess weight that helped to bring me to the disease in the first place. Not to mention almost everyone in my dad's family has or had diabetes. So yes it is genetic but I do have to bear some of the blame for the shape that I have gotten myself in.
Now back to my doctor visit. The answer I received from the doctor was not what I was eating, but the amount of calories that I was consuming. I thought that was a strange thing to say. Then he continued....
"If I told you to eat only 1200 calories per day, you could chose to eat 1200 calories of ice cream, or cake, or whatever, but only 1200 calories per day." I asked what would that do? And he continued, "It is guaranteed that you would lose weight because you would be eating less calories than you would burn."
I then proceeded to explain to him that 1200 calories per day was simply not enough, and he replied "Well what if I said 1400? What if I gave you a 1400 calorie per day allowance?"
This sounded crazy to me! What doctor would tell an obese diabetic woman in her mid forties that she could lose weight by simply counting her calories? As a person who had tried ALL the diet plans out there, this sounded to good to be true. Not that I would build all my meals around ice cream & cake but I was anxious to see if the doc knew what he was talking about.
My first step was to figure out a way to count those calories. I thought about his statements all the way home and pondered just how hard it would be to actually do this. It would take information that I did not have, and I was not about to go and buy another book on weight loss or fitness to try and figure out what every piece of food that I put in my mouth was going to cost me.
But it just so happens that other people must be doing this to because I located a website to do just that. It not only has calorie and nutritional information about thousands of foods, it also had favorite foods from restaurants and fast food places. Check out http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ for more information. You can download an app to your iphone, which I did, and you can even keep track of your water intake and excercise. With the app downloaded onto my iphone I begin to think that this was possible.
With this weapon added to my arsenal I was now ready to tackle the challenge of 1400 calories per day. And what I found is that it was much easier than I had originally anticipated. What started out as a "I don't think this doctor knows what he is talking about and I am going to prove him wrong" became a reality for me.
As of today, Janurary 22, 2011, I am down 32 pounds and feel better than I have in years! I have more energy and more "Get Up and Go" than I can remember ever having. And I am not even excercising yet! "i have maybe excercised on a eliptical for 10 minutes and walked on a treadmill 30 minutes this entire time!
It's not that all I eat is meat, protein and veggies because I don't! I enjoy many of the things that I always ate, but in smaller quantities and not always during the same meal.
The statement "Fiber Fills You Up" is so true. If I eat a wholewheat Thomas Bagel Thin in the morning (only 110 calories) with 2 Tablespoons of Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheese that is 1/3 less fat (70 calories) This 180 calorie meal fills me up, and I do not get hungry until lunch some five hours later. Why you say? It's the fiber!! That is a magic weapon in my new arsenal of learning to eat and be healthier. When the fiber goes into your body it tells everything that you are twice as full as you actually are. I am not a doctor or a scientist but I know what my body feels like. And if something is working for you, why change it? Especially if it improves your lifestyle?
I'll be back later to record my journey, but until then... remember Fiber Is Your Friend!!!!
So enjoy the beginning of My Journey To A New Me and I will be back later with some more good news!
Original post to my Blog January 22,2011
I am new to the world of blogging. Actually I have never even read a blog before. I know you probably don't believe that, but it is true. I watched a move today, Julie & Julia, and discovered blogging. So, I decided to blog "My Journey To A New Me" because that is exactly what I have begun.
My adventure began with a doctor's visit on December 11, 2010. It was during this visit to the doctor I was given some advice from my physician. I told him that I was sick and tired of being overweight. Well, not just overweight, but obese. I know that the excess weight that I am carrying is sending me to an early grave. I was diagnosed with diabetes Type II over six years ago, and have successfully managed the disease with medication, but have not been successful in losing the excess weight that helped to bring me to the disease in the first place. Not to mention almost everyone in my dad's family has or had diabetes. So yes it is genetic but I do have to bear some of the blame for the shape that I have gotten myself in.
Now back to my doctor visit. The answer I received from the doctor was not what I was eating, but the amount of calories that I was consuming. I thought that was a strange thing to say. Then he continued....
"If I told you to eat only 1200 calories per day, you could chose to eat 1200 calories of ice cream, or cake, or whatever, but only 1200 calories per day." I asked what would that do? And he continued, "It is guaranteed that you would lose weight because you would be eating less calories than you would burn."
I then proceeded to explain to him that 1200 calories per day was simply not enough, and he replied "Well what if I said 1400? What if I gave you a 1400 calorie per day allowance?"
This sounded crazy to me! What doctor would tell an obese diabetic woman in her mid forties that she could lose weight by simply counting her calories? As a person who had tried ALL the diet plans out there, this sounded to good to be true. Not that I would build all my meals around ice cream & cake but I was anxious to see if the doc knew what he was talking about.
My first step was to figure out a way to count those calories. I thought about his statements all the way home and pondered just how hard it would be to actually do this. It would take information that I did not have, and I was not about to go and buy another book on weight loss or fitness to try and figure out what every piece of food that I put in my mouth was going to cost me.
But it just so happens that other people must be doing this to because I located a website to do just that. It not only has calorie and nutritional information about thousands of foods, it also had favorite foods from restaurants and fast food places. Check out http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ for more information. You can download an app to your iphone, which I did, and you can even keep track of your water intake and excercise. With the app downloaded onto my iphone I begin to think that this was possible.
With this weapon added to my arsenal I was now ready to tackle the challenge of 1400 calories per day. And what I found is that it was much easier than I had originally anticipated. What started out as a "I don't think this doctor knows what he is talking about and I am going to prove him wrong" became a reality for me.
As of today, Janurary 22, 2011, I am down 32 pounds and feel better than I have in years! I have more energy and more "Get Up and Go" than I can remember ever having. And I am not even excercising yet! "i have maybe excercised on a eliptical for 10 minutes and walked on a treadmill 30 minutes this entire time!
It's not that all I eat is meat, protein and veggies because I don't! I enjoy many of the things that I always ate, but in smaller quantities and not always during the same meal.
The statement "Fiber Fills You Up" is so true. If I eat a wholewheat Thomas Bagel Thin in the morning (only 110 calories) with 2 Tablespoons of Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheese that is 1/3 less fat (70 calories) This 180 calorie meal fills me up, and I do not get hungry until lunch some five hours later. Why you say? It's the fiber!! That is a magic weapon in my new arsenal of learning to eat and be healthier. When the fiber goes into your body it tells everything that you are twice as full as you actually are. I am not a doctor or a scientist but I know what my body feels like. And if something is working for you, why change it? Especially if it improves your lifestyle?
I'll be back later to record my journey, but until then... remember Fiber Is Your Friend!!!!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Thank You For Your Words of Encouragement... It Goes A Long Way!
A Sign To Say A Special Thank You !!!
There is POWER in the spoken word, but it is "magnified" when it is used as Words of Affirmation (Encouragement). My husband and I are still leading a Small Group at our church on the 5 Love Languages, and if you have never read this book by Dr. Gary Chapman you should definitely check it out. This simple book holds the "keys" to unlock your love language and the love language of your spouse, children and family.
In this book he discusses the Five Primary Love Languages that fuel our "emotional love tank".
What is our emotional love tank you say? Well let me try to explain. Deep inside each of us is a desire to be loved. From the moment we are born we have the human need to feel loved. Our primary love "Givers" when we are infants and children are our parents and family members who are raising us. They demonstrate love to us in many ways and we begin to seek out the love that comes from the ones taking care of us. We learn what love is and how to give it to others. We learn through The 5 Love Languages (Physical Touch, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts and finally, Words of Affirmation (Encouragement).
All children love to receive gifts but not all children grow into adulthood with Receiving Gifts as their "primary" love language. Dr. Chapman explains that men tend to see Physical Touch as their primary love language where women are more emotional in nature and would probably prefer one of the other five, and Words of Affirmation and Quality Time usually tip the scale.
Why am I bringing out this lesson on the 5 Love Languages today? Because a couple of weeks ago during one of our discussions, my daughter-in-law mentioned to the group that she believes that my primary or maybe close secondary love language is Words of Affirmation, and I was not quite so sure. You see I grew up with two loving parents in a Christian home. Both of my parents worked, and worked multiple jobs at that, to provide for my sister and I. And in our home Christmas time and other holidays were always done up right! My parents would go to great lengths to get the newest this or that for us. We were never disappointed. So basically I grew up with a great set of parents who I believe showed me love through the Love Language "Receiving Gifts".
Even after I got married that was the primary way in which I wanted my husband to show his love for me. So when my daughter-in-law made her statement I wasn't sure if I agreed, until I started blogging and started receiving so much positive feedback and Words of Affirmation and encouragement. I tell you the truth, there is POWER in the tongue! We can build someone up or we can choose to tear someone down with the words that we speak. So I challenge you to Build Someone Up Today! Tell someone how special they are to you and how happy you are to have them in your life. Who knows it could be your words of affirmation that help someone to see things a little brighter on the road ahead.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Biggest Loser Is Not Reality To Me But Reality TV
The two newest trainers to arrive at the Biggest Lose Ranch this season
Why do I say this? Well it was a real eye-openner for me when I went with my BFF to hear the 1st Runner Up contestant from Season 4 of The Biggest Loser, Julie Hadden. She is an amazing woman! And I loved her story. To hear her experiences while on the show, and even before she was selected to join the cast really gave me some great insight to what it takes to become a contestant and what people go through to be accepted as contestants.
The amazing thing to me is that this season there were two very large contestants who had to lose 100 pounds each before they were allowed to make the cast of the show. One of the contestants has already been voted off, Arthur, and he still has 200 pounds or more to lose. (He lost 100 pounds before joining the show, and another 100 pounds while on the show) But he left an extremely obese person.
The other contestant is one of the youngest contestants to ever be on the show, and this week she is trying to hit the 200 pounds weight loss mark. She has the most positive attitude and even weeks when she loses 4 or 5 pounds she is happy and upbeat about it.
Yes, you heard me right, her lowest week of weight loss on the show so far this season has been 4 or 5 pounds for one week, and she has been losing weight for over a year. This show promotes weight loss, and it is accomplished by controlling the contestants food aka: calorie intake and excercise.
But the biggest component is EXCERCISE. The contestants work out 8 to 10 hours per day with their professional trainers. Many of them do additional work outs on their own, or with the loved one who they came to the Biggest Loser Ranch with.
Does this sound like Reality to you? Who do you know that has an extra 8 or 10 hours per day to work out? I don't know anyone who does this. I guess that is the reason that when you see previous contestants come back on the show a year or two later, they have often times started the journey back up the scale.
So if this is not Reality, what is it? I know what it is.... Reality TV. It is entertainment just like Dancing With The Stars, American Idol, Survivor, The Apprentice, The Bachelor, and America's Got Talent. The biggest difference is that the contestants on this show, The Biggest Loser, all have issues that need to be dealt with in order for them to find a healthier person hidden inside of their obese bodies.
I enjoy tuning in each week to check on their progress and to see the drama that is created, more by the producers of the show than the contestants themselves. And I root for my favorites.
Do I believe that their journey is my journey? No. Because not everyone takes the same road to reach their final destination. But I know for me the journey that I am on is sustainable for me, and I have no desire to detour from my path any time soon. I am learning that for me, it is not how "fast" I can get to my destination but that I make it to my destination. I am living more and enjoying myself more than I have in years.
In conclusion I would like to share a statement that is printed in large letters on one of the walls of the Biggest Loser Ranch. "It's Not About Winning A Game It's About Fixing What's Broken!"
I agree with this statement, and am learning more about myself and what's broken inside of me with each step that I take on my journey!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Shop 'Til You Drop.... 3 Sizes That Is !!!!
I had the very Best shopping experience yesterday! Sundays are always so busy and yesterday was no different. After church I had lunch with my husband and some good friends from church and then I had to drive to meet some other friends to pick up some decorations that they had borrowed. On my way home I decided to stop at my favorite womens clothing store and check out the sale rack.
My purpose was to see if there were any pants that would fit me better than the extra baggy trousers that I have been wearing. I took a couple of pair of slacks into a dressing room and they were one size smaller than what I had been wearing. When the sales clerk came to my dressing room door to see how everything was going, I answered "They seem a little lose." She told me to give her the pants and she would go and find the next size down.
She returned a few minutes later and I tried on the next pair of pants. To my astonishment they were also too big! She gently knocked on the door and asked again how everything was going, and I replied again "Everything is fine, but these seem baggy also."
She said that she would go and look for the next size down. But as I sat in the dressing room waiting for her return I began to worry that they would not fit. What if they were too small. What would I do? Buy the larger size and continue to wear all my shirts tucked in to help fill up the space.
She returned and handed me the hangers of slacks. I said a silent prayer that this was not just wishful thinking, but that they would really fit. I stepped into one leg, and then the other. I pulled up the waist band
and reached for the button. And to my utter amazement they fit perfectly! Wow! I have not been this size in almost 8 years! I was beyond relieved, I was overjoyed!
When she came back to check on me and asked again how everything was going, I almost sang my answer
"They fit perfectly, I'll take every color you have, please!"
And I left the store with 6 new pair of slacks, and a HUGE smile on my face that would not go away for
a very long time.
Picture taken of me in my new 3-sizes Smaller Pants !!
3-21-2011
My purpose was to see if there were any pants that would fit me better than the extra baggy trousers that I have been wearing. I took a couple of pair of slacks into a dressing room and they were one size smaller than what I had been wearing. When the sales clerk came to my dressing room door to see how everything was going, I answered "They seem a little lose." She told me to give her the pants and she would go and find the next size down.
She returned a few minutes later and I tried on the next pair of pants. To my astonishment they were also too big! She gently knocked on the door and asked again how everything was going, and I replied again "Everything is fine, but these seem baggy also."
She said that she would go and look for the next size down. But as I sat in the dressing room waiting for her return I began to worry that they would not fit. What if they were too small. What would I do? Buy the larger size and continue to wear all my shirts tucked in to help fill up the space.
She returned and handed me the hangers of slacks. I said a silent prayer that this was not just wishful thinking, but that they would really fit. I stepped into one leg, and then the other. I pulled up the waist band
and reached for the button. And to my utter amazement they fit perfectly! Wow! I have not been this size in almost 8 years! I was beyond relieved, I was overjoyed!
When she came back to check on me and asked again how everything was going, I almost sang my answer
"They fit perfectly, I'll take every color you have, please!"
And I left the store with 6 new pair of slacks, and a HUGE smile on my face that would not go away for
a very long time.
Picture taken of me with my "Way To Baggy Pants"
3/20/2011
Picture taken of me in my new 3-sizes Smaller Pants !!
3-21-2011
Learning To Add Pictures To My Blog
This is ME in November '2010
"before" I began the Journey to a New Me !
(I was out of the office 1 Day and this is just a few of my "post it notes" of phone calls to return!)
My hubby and Me on our way to
Cumberland Island via ferry off the Georgia
coast (May '2010)
(Left to Right) My friend & I enjoyed a 3D movie
while touring the World of Coke 3/06/2011
My face is changing, and I like it :)
A picture really can say a thousand words! Looking at these pictures, I can see that I'm not there yet, but I am well on my way. I am down 44 pounds and I am only 6 pounds away from my Easter goal. I spoke to a good friend today and told her that I know that I can meet this goal, but what will my next goal be? I know that I want to lose 100 pounds in ONE year, but what could be my intermediate goal? She suggested 75 pounds by Labor Day. That gives me until September, I think I can do that! So after I hit the mile marker "50" I am setting my sights on the next stop along my journey. To lose 75 pounds by Labor Day, now that's a challenge I am up for!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Say "Pass" On The Bread Basket, Please!
Every place that we enjoy eating out has that one thing that can be so hard to resist. You go to O'Charlies and have every intention of being good and ordering the California Grilled Chicken Salad and the server brings over those hot buttery yeast rolls. What do you do? Or you meet friends at the Olive Garden and its all you can eat salad and with their hot garlic breaksticks or go to Provinos Italian Restaurant and they bring out bowls of hot buttery garlic rolls. Let's face it, with all this bread in front of you who needs to order any food?
When I visit the Cracker Barrell for my quick lunch of grilled chicken tenders and veggies I have been asking my server to hold up on the biscuits and cornbread. Not that I am a huge cornbread fan or anything but if the bread is there, the temptation is there and in the past I have caved in.
So is it any wonder that over 50% of our adult population in America is obese and over 25% of our children are over weight? We need to wake up and say "Thank you, but Please don't pass me that bread basket!". I would guess that the average person could easily consume 800-1000 calories in just bread alone before they eat their main course.
I have been making a conscious effort to ask my server to not bring any bread to my table. I figure if it is not there it can't be as big of a temptation to me. And as of today I am down 44 pounds! And I can honestly say it feels better to be 44 pounds lighter than it does to sink my teeth into a hot buttery garlic roll any day!
Friday, March 18, 2011
My Big Sweet Tooth (Part 2)
So, as I grew older and a little more independent I decided that I did have a sweet tooth and it must be fed. I began self medicating myself on candy. It was small and easy to "hide". I would walk to the convenience store and buy some candy almost every day after school. Until one day when my mom pulled her car into the parking lot as I was walking home with my friend. We ran like crazy through the woods and the adjoining neighborhood to try and get home and hide my "stash" of candy before she got home. Looking back now, that was probably the funniest thing to see, this over-weight girl running for her life and her wonderfully in-shape friend huffing it down the street and into the woods.
I thought my secret was safe, until later that evening when my mom and dad called me into the formal living room. They were standing there next to the piano stool with their arms folded looking like they were very upset with me, their youngest. I walked into the room and very quietly said "yes, ma'am did you need me?". And without raising her voice she unveiled the secret stash of candy that was hidden in the piano stool. I remember the feeling of "Oh no Kathy, now what are you going to do?"
I immediately went into my denial speech. I told them I didn't know who that candy belonged to. Did they ask my sister? After all this was her piano, and her stool, maybe she left it there. And my mother smiled, as only mothers can when they know they "got you". And she said "No we didn't ask your sister if it was hers, because I know that it is yours. You see I saw you for myself today walking, and then running home from the convenience store."
Oh that feeling of "Now what am I going to do? I've been caught red handed and there is no getting out of it.". I took the discipline that they served up and made a mental note to never try to out smart my mother when it came to sweets. She definitely had my best interest at heart and my junior year she joined Weight Watchers and took me with her. It was there that I lost 35 pounds. Although I never hit my "goal weight", it was the closest that I have ever been to it my entire adult life!
So what happened next to get me so far off the course? You will have to stay tuned to find out more. But for now let me say that "Sweets" in any form are NOT my friend, sweet tooth or Not!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
My Big Sweet Tooth
At the earliest age I can remember going to my Nana and Grandaddys house and visiting with them on Sunday after church with my family. Both of them were coffee drinkers and I can remember them even allowing me to "taste" the coffee from their cup. I didn't like the taste and told my grandad that it tasted bitter on my tongue and he would say "Well look up in that cabinet and reach up and get some of those Fig Newtons, that will fix your sweet tooth!" I must have been 4 or 5 years old. And I remember from then on every time I would visit he would tell me to get those Fig Newtons down.
Now, I know what you are thinking, Fig Newtons? That does not sound like something a young girl would eat, but it was something that I would eat when I was at their house. My other two sets of grandparents lived in Mobile Alabama and we did not get to see them as often, but sweets were always a big part of what went on during our visits to their house as well. My Granny Brown could make the best pound cake that you have ever put in your mouth, and my Maw Maw could win a contest at the County Fair with her Chocolate pie!
Yes, those are memories that I will never forget, and neither will my belly, hips and thighs! I believe those "sweets" that I ate as a very young girl set something in motion that I have been fighting for 40-plus years.
When I was a young girl I remember my family would eat lunch after church at places like S&S Cafeteria or The Piccadilly. You know the types of places that are now filled with Senior citizens with white hair and walkers. Well come to think of it, they had the same clientele way back then. But my point is, I LOVED these types of places. Not because the mashed potatoes were so great but because they had items that would feed my sweet tooth! There were so many cakes, pies, cobblers and other sweet delights that It would take me the longest time to decide what I would have.
You see my mother knew better. She grew up the chubby girl. She knew how hard it was to live around sweet temptations and not eat them, so at our house she would not bring anything sweet into the house...
(To Be Continued...)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
It's The "little" Things That Make Me Happy!
The youngest one, Harley, is black with silver markings. She can be very feisty and she loves to "rough house" with the other puppy, Allie. They entertain me with their playfulness and spunk. Where do they get such energy? Have you ever seen a puppy, any puppy, that didn't have boundless energy? I can't say that I have ever seen a puppy who wasn't running on 440 volts. And to try and keep up with them is impossible!
So how do puppies or kittens for that matter "know" to be lively and full of energy? I believe that this is how God created them to be. He designed them to live and move. But wait, didn't he do the same for us? We are much higher up on the food chain. Shouldn't we be wired the same way? Lively and full of energy? I believe we have become victims of our own environment. Everything we do now allows us to "sit down". For many of us, our jobs require that we sit in front of a computer for 8 hours per day. Then we go home to relax and unwind and we "sit" in front of a computer or a TV. Well with this in mind, I decided to leave work at a decent time and go live and move.
I went to a park near my house and walked for 45 minutes. I made it around the track 4 complete times. Before getting out of my car I set my iphone to my pedometer app and placed it in my pocket. (iphones are so handy to have). I then walked down the hill and approached the track.
My husband met me there and we begin our walk. He is in much better shape than I, and at 6'2" his stride is much longer than mine. It was not the easiest thing to do, not the walking, but the "keeping" up to him. He set a very quick pace for my shorter legs and after the first time around I checked the pedometer and it read 3.0 mph. Now I don't know about any of you, but I have walked on the treadmill for years and I have never been able to keep up a consistent 3.0 mph for any length of time.
We took a 60 second breather and began around the track again. It was harder to catch my breath but easier to move my legs. I know that sounds weird but that is what it felt like.
After the second time around I checked my iPhone and the 3.0 mph was still the average speed in which we were walking. It was then that I told my husband that I could not do it. I could not keep up that pace. It was too fast for me and I didn't want to make this so hard on myself that I couldn't or should I say wouldn't do it. He then left the park and left me to make up my own mind about whether to continue my walking or come home.
In that moment I was not a happy camper. Why did I have to say anything? Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut and he would still be here walking with me? I was at a cross roads and only I could make this decision. So I began to walk again around the track for my third lap. At the end I checked my iPhone and it read 3.0 mph. What? How could that be? How is it that I walked around the track for the third time, Without my husband and his longer stride and I had averaged 3.0 mph? I didn't know but I set out around the track for my fourth and final lap and when I came to the end I again saw that my average speed was 3.0 mph!
I checked my www.myfitnesspal.com app on my iPhone and input my length of time exercising, which was 45 minutes and my speed of 3.0 and it gave me a total calorie burn of 358 calories!
Now that is what I am talking about! This is them kind of results that make me want to continue on my journey to a new me. I want to try to walk on that track at least three days per week and eventually build up to five days. I would say I could go up to 7 days per week, but let's not get crazy! So here's to my new speed of 3.0!!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Whirlwind of A Weekend
This reminded me of my thoughts on not wasting time driving around the shopping center parking lot, but to park in a distant space and getting some exercise when walking to the entrance of the store. Could you imagine the pilot stopping the aircraft after landing and announcing over the loud speaker, " I'm sorry folks, but it appears that the terminals are all full and we think it would be in your best interest to exit the airplane here and walk to the concourse and over to baggage claim.". Have you ever been to the Atlanta airport? Can you imagine how far away that would be and how much walking would be requrired. Those passengers would certainly be able to work off those excess calories from their miniature bag of peanuts or their pack of crackers.
When my friend arrived we greeted her and since all she had was one piece of carry on luggage we were off. It was almost 9 pm and none of us had eaten dinner so we stopped into Felini's in downtown Atlanta and shared a large pizza between the three of us. I ate one slice and a half slice and I was quite satisfied. In my old days I could have finished half of that large pie without giving it a second thought.
By the time we got home it was almost midnight and we had a full weekend of activities planned. The next morning we had breakfast and drove down to the AAA office to buy tickets for the tourist attractions that we wanted to do. We purchased discounted tickets to The Georgia Aquarium, The World of Coke and Medieval Times.
We toured the GA Aquarium and the World of Coke on Friday. I had never been to either place and boy was I impressed. The aquarium was so much larger and nicer than I had expected, and The World of Coke was really quite impressive. Both venues are great representations of Atlanta and all that she has to offer.
But I guess what impressed me more than anything was me. I was up and on my feet for over 10 hours on hard concrete floors. This may not sound like much to many of you, but I do not get that much activity, or should I say, exercise, on a daily basis and it was a lot of exercise.
My back, legs and feet were very sore by the time we arrived home.
I then remembered something that my doctor had told me a week earlier. (I can't believe it has only been a week since I had that great doctor visit.) It was at this doctor visit that we discussed my weight loss and my desire to do more activities and exercise. I told him that i had tried walking on the treadmill and using my elliptical machine. He explained that walking, even on a treadmill was probably not my best option. He felt that i would be putting too much strain on my knees but he had a great idea.
He told me that he would like for me to consider swimming. I said swimming? For how lomg? How much time wiuld i need to swim? I, like most over-weight people, have a tendency to "float" more than swim. And he proceeded to tell me that he would think 35-45 minutes a few times per week would be a good start. Well I can swim, but I told him that I did not think that I could swim for that length of time. Well just like he did when I had told him on my original doctor visit on December 11,2010 that 1200 calories was not enough, and he bumped it up to 1400 calories per day, he suggested that I rotate by swimming laps across the shallow end until I get tired and then "walk" the distance across the width of the pool and use my arms in a swimming motion. He said that I would burn a tremendous amount of calories and the water would actually take the pressure off of my knees entirely. I haven't given this much thought until now. I think that I will pursue the swimming / walking in the pool. I was impressed with my ability to do so much walking and activitY at the aquarium and the World of Coke but it was not without great pain at the end of the day. But what is that old saying? "no pain, no glory?" Well I know this was a good pain if ever there was one. I am happy to be improving my health and lifestyle. I know that I would not have been able to enjoy these experiences half as much as I did if I had not lost the weight and I am looking forward to being able to do even more in my future! My next mission should be to find a pool to swim a few laps. Anyone have any ideas?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
If It "Feels" Like A Diet I Won't Stick With It
I don't know about you, but on this journey to a new me I am discovering more and more about myself. The statement in my title above is 100% true. For me, If it feels like a diet I won't stick with it. How do I know this? Well let me tell you.
During the past almost 90 days I have traveled down memory lane. I have studied pictures of myself. I have watched as I would lose weight just to gain it back and then some. I remembered the diet that I was on at a particular time and how much weight I was able to lose.sometimes I lost weight on the current weight watchers program, sometimes I did a low-carb diet, other times I tried the low/no fat diet. I would go from one extreme to the other trying to find a healthier way to live. But then in the next set of photos I would have gained back the weight that I had lost and then some.
I never knew the reasons behind the weight gain but as the pounds continued to pack back on it was obvious that something went wrong. The "Diet of the Day" was not sustainable. It was not a new way of eating that I wanted to do forever. Aka: the rest of my life! So what was the problem? Me! I was the problem. I never looked at any of the diets as a new way of eating and living. I looked at them as "diets" and to me a Diet is something that restricts what you are able to eat and how much. Therefore I was always looking for ways to cheat. To go off my diet, to take the weekend off, to enjoy myself just this once and to start my "diet" over on Monday morning.
I know that I can't be the only person out there who thinks this way. But there is hope. I can make improvements in my stinking thinking every day. There is an old saying that I never agreed with until now, "You ARE what you eat.". I agree with this now because I realize the message is, You can eat all types of foods. It is meaning How Much of those foods that you are is the important issue. One cookie or one brownie is not going to make me gain back my forty pounds. But if I decide to eat that brownie or cookie I need to add it to my daily food intake on myfitnesspal.com and record the calories. If the cookie is 50 calories for one then that comes right out of my daily food intake calorie "bank".
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out. But it sure is nice to know that this old dog can learn a few new tricks! I tell myself daily that I am Not on a diet but a journey to a new me because after all doesn't it sound nicer to be on a journey somewhere nice and pleasant instead of being miserable and on a diet?
During the past almost 90 days I have traveled down memory lane. I have studied pictures of myself. I have watched as I would lose weight just to gain it back and then some. I remembered the diet that I was on at a particular time and how much weight I was able to lose.sometimes I lost weight on the current weight watchers program, sometimes I did a low-carb diet, other times I tried the low/no fat diet. I would go from one extreme to the other trying to find a healthier way to live. But then in the next set of photos I would have gained back the weight that I had lost and then some.
I never knew the reasons behind the weight gain but as the pounds continued to pack back on it was obvious that something went wrong. The "Diet of the Day" was not sustainable. It was not a new way of eating that I wanted to do forever. Aka: the rest of my life! So what was the problem? Me! I was the problem. I never looked at any of the diets as a new way of eating and living. I looked at them as "diets" and to me a Diet is something that restricts what you are able to eat and how much. Therefore I was always looking for ways to cheat. To go off my diet, to take the weekend off, to enjoy myself just this once and to start my "diet" over on Monday morning.
I know that I can't be the only person out there who thinks this way. But there is hope. I can make improvements in my stinking thinking every day. There is an old saying that I never agreed with until now, "You ARE what you eat.". I agree with this now because I realize the message is, You can eat all types of foods. It is meaning How Much of those foods that you are is the important issue. One cookie or one brownie is not going to make me gain back my forty pounds. But if I decide to eat that brownie or cookie I need to add it to my daily food intake on myfitnesspal.com and record the calories. If the cookie is 50 calories for one then that comes right out of my daily food intake calorie "bank".
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out. But it sure is nice to know that this old dog can learn a few new tricks! I tell myself daily that I am Not on a diet but a journey to a new me because after all doesn't it sound nicer to be on a journey somewhere nice and pleasant instead of being miserable and on a diet?
How Much Is that $1.00 Menu Item REALLY Costing You?
Wow the choices just keep going and going! There are so many delicious items to choose from, and the best part... They are only $1.00! So how do you decide? Do you think, "Well since it is only $1.00 it shouldn't have many calories?". No... Wrong Answer! Did you know that some of the most unhealthy items are being made available to you and your children for only a buck?
Just the Large Sweet Tea that you can get for $1.00 is 280 calories of what? Sugar! The number one ingredient after the water is not tea, it is sugar. I guess that is why it tastes so good. I guess that's why the first thing we say when we go to any restaurant is " I'll have a sweet tea ". And let's be honest here. How many of us would just stop at one glass? Not me. Once I have tasted that sweet, cold and refreshing tea, I just got to have more!
Now back to my $1.00 Menu items findings. Upon searching on www.myfitnesspal.com I found many of the Mcdonalds items listed. I found a Double Cheeseburger "Value" meal for only 820 calories! Are you kidding me? I can think of a lot more satisfying things to eat for 820 calories. But lets continue.....a cheeseburger double is 440 calories ( and this does not include your seet tea or fries). If you say "I got to have my double hamburger, why not order it without the cheese? That is only 330 calories and if you ate it "topless" (minus the top of the bun, you could shave off another 55 calories. Then your calories for this one item alone would be 275.
But you say "I always eat healthy at Mcdonalds, I only order the chicken.". Well do you know what your getting? The Crispy Chicken Sandwich on the Dollar Menu is 360 calories. But if you cut the mayo you would be at 310, cut out half the bun and you would be at 255. Not to bad but I have a better idea, that may just be more filling.
You could order the McChicken sandwich plain without the bun for 160 calories and add a side salad from the dollar menu for 20 calories and the light dressing for about 40 calories. That would give you a little fried chicken "taste" for low calories and the salad will help to fill you up. So this option would be the healthiest way to order off the Dollar Menu.
Please don't think that I am just bashing McDonalds. All fast food Dollar Menu items are high in calories, and many of the regular menu items are as well. At Wendys Hamburgers, if you order the Spicy Chicken Sandwich you are using 460 calories if you eat it the way it is served. And the medium fried are 420 calories.
So the lesson here is just because it only cost a $1.00 doesn't make it good for you. But also just because it only cost a $1.00 doesn't mean you can't make a healthier food choice either. If you are unsure about how many calories are in the food you are ordering, just ask for a nutritional guide. Most restaurants have them and are happy to provide one to you. And remember not all value menus are created equal!
How Much Is That Dollar Menu Item REALLY Costing You?
If you are like me, you rush around trying to get from here to there and sometimes don't think about what you are going to eat until you so hungry you feel like you could eat a horse! What to do, what to do? As you drive past the third set of "Golden Arches" (Mcdonalds) you think to yourself, " I'll just go thru the drive thru and get something real quick off the "Dollar Menu".
Wow the choices just keep going and going! There are so many delicious items to choose from, and the best part... They are only $1.00! So how do you decide? Do you think, "Well since it is only $1.00 it shouldn't have many calories?". No... Wrong Answer! Did you know that some of the most unhealthy items are being made available to you and your children for only a buck?
Just the Large Sweet Tea that you can get for $1.00 is 280 calories of what? Sugar! The number one ingredient after the water is not tea, it is sugar. I guess that is why it tastes so good. I guess that's why the first thing we say when we go to any restaurant is " I'll have a sweet tea ". And let's be honest here. How many of us would just stop at one glass? Not me. Once I have tasted that sweet, cold and refreshing tea, I just got to have more!
Now back to my $1.00 Menu items findings. Upon searching on www.myfitnesspal.com I found many of the Mcdonalds items listed. I found a Double Cheeseburger "Value" meal for only 820 calories! Are you kidding me? I can think of a lot more satisfying things to eat for 820 calories. But lets continue.....a cheeseburger double is 440 calories ( and this does not include your seet tea or fries). If you say "I got to have my double hamburger, why not order it without the cheese? That is only 330 calories and if you ate it "topless" (minus the top of the bun, you could shave off another 55 calories. Then your calories for this one item alone would be 275.
But you say "I always eat healthy at Mcdonalds, I only order the chicken.". Well do you know what your getting? The Crispy Chicken Sandwich on the Dollar Menu is 360 calories. But if you cut the mayo you would be at 310, cut out half the bun and you would be at 255. Not to bad but I have a better idea, that may just be more filling.
You could order the McChicken sandwich plain without the bun for 160 calories and add a side salad from the dollar menu for 20 calories and the light dressing for about 40 calories. That would give you a little fried chicken "taste" for low calories and the salad will help to fill you up. So this option would be the healthiest way to order off the Dollar Menu.
Please don't think that I am just bashing McDonalds. All fast food Dollar Menu items are high in calories, and many of the regular menu items are as well. At Wendys Hamburgers, if you order the Spicy Chicken Sandwich you are using 460 calories if you eat it the way it is served. And the medium fried are 420 calories.
So the lesson here is just because it only cost a $1.00 doesn't make it good for you. But also just because it only cost a $1.00 doesn't mean you can't make a healthier food choice either. If you are unsure about how many calories are in the food you are ordering, just ask for a nutritional guide. Most restaurants have them and are happy to provide one to you. And remember not all value menus are created equal!
Wow the choices just keep going and going! There are so many delicious items to choose from, and the best part... They are only $1.00! So how do you decide? Do you think, "Well since it is only $1.00 it shouldn't have many calories?". No... Wrong Answer! Did you know that some of the most unhealthy items are being made available to you and your children for only a buck?
Just the Large Sweet Tea that you can get for $1.00 is 280 calories of what? Sugar! The number one ingredient after the water is not tea, it is sugar. I guess that is why it tastes so good. I guess that's why the first thing we say when we go to any restaurant is " I'll have a sweet tea ". And let's be honest here. How many of us would just stop at one glass? Not me. Once I have tasted that sweet, cold and refreshing tea, I just got to have more!
Now back to my $1.00 Menu items findings. Upon searching on www.myfitnesspal.com I found many of the Mcdonalds items listed. I found a Double Cheeseburger "Value" meal for only 820 calories! Are you kidding me? I can think of a lot more satisfying things to eat for 820 calories. But lets continue.....a cheeseburger double is 440 calories ( and this does not include your seet tea or fries). If you say "I got to have my double hamburger, why not order it without the cheese? That is only 330 calories and if you ate it "topless" (minus the top of the bun, you could shave off another 55 calories. Then your calories for this one item alone would be 275.
But you say "I always eat healthy at Mcdonalds, I only order the chicken.". Well do you know what your getting? The Crispy Chicken Sandwich on the Dollar Menu is 360 calories. But if you cut the mayo you would be at 310, cut out half the bun and you would be at 255. Not to bad but I have a better idea, that may just be more filling.
You could order the McChicken sandwich plain without the bun for 160 calories and add a side salad from the dollar menu for 20 calories and the light dressing for about 40 calories. That would give you a little fried chicken "taste" for low calories and the salad will help to fill you up. So this option would be the healthiest way to order off the Dollar Menu.
Please don't think that I am just bashing McDonalds. All fast food Dollar Menu items are high in calories, and many of the regular menu items are as well. At Wendys Hamburgers, if you order the Spicy Chicken Sandwich you are using 460 calories if you eat it the way it is served. And the medium fried are 420 calories.
So the lesson here is just because it only cost a $1.00 doesn't make it good for you. But also just because it only cost a $1.00 doesn't mean you can't make a healthier food choice either. If you are unsure about how many calories are in the food you are ordering, just ask for a nutritional guide. Most restaurants have them and are happy to provide one to you. And remember not all value menus are created equal!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A Calorie Is A Calorie Is A Calorie
Who said all calories are not created equal? Who has ever said "Dont eat that because it's wasted calories"? Well I had a long talk with my doctor last Friday and it was during this talk that I learned a few things.
Just like gasoline is offered in multiple octanes (87 being the lowest, and the really supreme topping out at 93 octane) your vehicle regardless of the year, make and model will run on the lowest grade or octane out there. The only problem is when you use the lowest grade for a vehicle that is designed for the highest octane you are likely to gets some pings while riding down the road. Or your sitting at a red light and your car is making all kinds of interesting noises and you want to slide under your seat for buying the cheapest gas you could find!
The same is true with your body. You can eat anything you want or desire as log as you count the calories. Your body does not know the difference between a piece of candy that is say 150 calories per bite, or a grilled chicken breast for the same calories. But after you have eaten either of the above items it is how you have "fueled" your body that begins to tell the tale.
If you ate the chicken you would feel sustained like you ate something of substance, after all it is protein. But if you ate the candy for the first moment you would probably enjoy it a whole lot more than that chicken. To taste the sweetness of it. To savor the flavor of the chocolate. But once that little piece of candy has traveled down into the fuel tank inside of us it would be like going to buy gas and putting in .50 worth of gas. We would not get very far!
So the moral of the story is not all calories provide the same energy or fuel that we need to live and move and have our being, but all calories are created Equal!
Just like gasoline is offered in multiple octanes (87 being the lowest, and the really supreme topping out at 93 octane) your vehicle regardless of the year, make and model will run on the lowest grade or octane out there. The only problem is when you use the lowest grade for a vehicle that is designed for the highest octane you are likely to gets some pings while riding down the road. Or your sitting at a red light and your car is making all kinds of interesting noises and you want to slide under your seat for buying the cheapest gas you could find!
The same is true with your body. You can eat anything you want or desire as log as you count the calories. Your body does not know the difference between a piece of candy that is say 150 calories per bite, or a grilled chicken breast for the same calories. But after you have eaten either of the above items it is how you have "fueled" your body that begins to tell the tale.
If you ate the chicken you would feel sustained like you ate something of substance, after all it is protein. But if you ate the candy for the first moment you would probably enjoy it a whole lot more than that chicken. To taste the sweetness of it. To savor the flavor of the chocolate. But once that little piece of candy has traveled down into the fuel tank inside of us it would be like going to buy gas and putting in .50 worth of gas. We would not get very far!
So the moral of the story is not all calories provide the same energy or fuel that we need to live and move and have our being, but all calories are created Equal!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Did You Take My Three Day Challenge?
Ok your three days are up! Who out there took my Three Day Challenge to Go Topless? Yes, that's correct. I didn't forget about my challenge. Did anyone have success with reducing their daily calorie intake by removing the "top" from their sandwich, hamburger, chicken sandwich, biscuit, or breakfast croissant or egg mcmuffin? Well today I did!
After coming home from three days away I realized half way to work this morning that I had left my breakast of champions ( Thomas Bagel Thins and Reduced fat strawberry cream cheese) at home. What to do? My only choice was to go thru the drive thru of some fast food joint and do my best.
Well I went to Chickfila and ordered the following, " I'd like a Spicy Chickfila Biscuit on a bun please, and hold the butter.". ( you know they always butter that bun, don't you?)
And a large unsweetened tea.
This was the first time I had turned into a Chickfila parking lot since I began my journey to a new me. What used to be my every day "detour" before was now a necessity. Yes, a necessity. I had to get something fast so that I would not be late to work. So without giving it much thought I found myself pulling into the drive thru lane. As I approached the ordering station and the young girl greeted me I ordered without hesitation.
Before taking the first bite I quickly removed the "top" of the sandwich. Next I searched on myfitnesspal.com to obtain the calorie count. I thought that there would be a chicken biscuit from Chick-fila but I didn't expect to find a chicken biscuit, chicken Only listing. Guess how many calories are in the chicken only for the breakfast portion? Only 160 calories! That is so awesome! The full blown chicken biscuit on a buttered biscuit was 440 calories so I knew this was a good food choice. I had to count the bottom of my bun and this added 55 calories making my total calories for breakfast 215! (the full bun has 110 calories)
Later that afternoon I called my doctors office to get my blood work lab results. I was a little anxious to hear what my A1C rating was. It had been more than six months since I had last had it checked. Well the news was Great! My A1C. Is usually in the high 6 low 7 range. They really want you to maintain a rating of 7 or lower. The lowest mine had ever been was 6.5. Well the results today were even better... 5.9 !!!!! They doctor wants me to stop taking one of my medicines and in ninety days when I do the test again i may be able to stop taking the medicine all together!
Wow! This was great and the news got even better! My cholesterol was down to 216 and he told me to keep up the good work of diet and exercise. I can't believe the improvements in my physical health after just ninety days. He said everything was looking good and to keep doing what I was doing.
So let me ask you. Do you know your numbers? Have you been to the doctor to see how well you are taking care of yourself, your body? You are the only person who can take care of your physical health. I encourage you today to get the facts about your health. If you have decided to do something to improve your lifestyle, start with a visit to your doctor. I know it sure helped me to get started on this journey to a new me!
After coming home from three days away I realized half way to work this morning that I had left my breakast of champions ( Thomas Bagel Thins and Reduced fat strawberry cream cheese) at home. What to do? My only choice was to go thru the drive thru of some fast food joint and do my best.
Well I went to Chickfila and ordered the following, " I'd like a Spicy Chickfila Biscuit on a bun please, and hold the butter.". ( you know they always butter that bun, don't you?)
And a large unsweetened tea.
This was the first time I had turned into a Chickfila parking lot since I began my journey to a new me. What used to be my every day "detour" before was now a necessity. Yes, a necessity. I had to get something fast so that I would not be late to work. So without giving it much thought I found myself pulling into the drive thru lane. As I approached the ordering station and the young girl greeted me I ordered without hesitation.
Before taking the first bite I quickly removed the "top" of the sandwich. Next I searched on myfitnesspal.com to obtain the calorie count. I thought that there would be a chicken biscuit from Chick-fila but I didn't expect to find a chicken biscuit, chicken Only listing. Guess how many calories are in the chicken only for the breakfast portion? Only 160 calories! That is so awesome! The full blown chicken biscuit on a buttered biscuit was 440 calories so I knew this was a good food choice. I had to count the bottom of my bun and this added 55 calories making my total calories for breakfast 215! (the full bun has 110 calories)
Later that afternoon I called my doctors office to get my blood work lab results. I was a little anxious to hear what my A1C rating was. It had been more than six months since I had last had it checked. Well the news was Great! My A1C. Is usually in the high 6 low 7 range. They really want you to maintain a rating of 7 or lower. The lowest mine had ever been was 6.5. Well the results today were even better... 5.9 !!!!! They doctor wants me to stop taking one of my medicines and in ninety days when I do the test again i may be able to stop taking the medicine all together!
Wow! This was great and the news got even better! My cholesterol was down to 216 and he told me to keep up the good work of diet and exercise. I can't believe the improvements in my physical health after just ninety days. He said everything was looking good and to keep doing what I was doing.
So let me ask you. Do you know your numbers? Have you been to the doctor to see how well you are taking care of yourself, your body? You are the only person who can take care of your physical health. I encourage you today to get the facts about your health. If you have decided to do something to improve your lifestyle, start with a visit to your doctor. I know it sure helped me to get started on this journey to a new me!
The Food Was Not Fantastic, But That's A Good Thing!
My weekend away was like so many other retreats that we have all been on before, minus the scrapboooking part. There are always fun times, laughter, catching up with friends and making new ones. But the other common denominator on a retreat of any sort is all the food that you will be exposed to.
Well this retreat was no different. The Facility that we stayed at had three meals per day. The first day we had dinner as a group and they had us go through a self serve line. It was similar to Ryans or Golden Corral exclding the ice cream and dessert bar.
Not really knowing what the main course would be, I piled my plate sky high with a salad (with my dressing on the side of course!) and continued on down the line. I put a scoop of seasoned green beans on my plates and skipped past the scalloped potatoes. There were some unidentifiable items, along with a thinly sliced roast beef in it's own juice and a Sea bass roll. I had never even tried Sea bass before much less had it on a roll. But not knowing which was the less of two evils, I took a small serving of each.
After helping myself to an unsweetened iced tea and a glass of ice water, I took a seat next to my mom near a window overlooking a small but beautiful lake. The salad was the easiest place to start and before I knew it I had eaten the whole thing. Next I needed to decide on what to try first, the Sea bass roll or the thinly sliced roast beef.
After a couple of bites of the beef I decided to try the sea bass and I was pleasantly surprised. I then figured out why they called it a sea bass roll. It was a filet of sea bass baked around a roll of mystery ingredients. Similar to stuffed crab but minus the crab. I opted for the baked fish and left the "roll filling" on my plate.
There were a few different desserts but as each person went up to the dessert area and brought back their treasure, I realized that none of it looked appealing to me. Had I gone completely delusional? Since when did desserts and sweets Not appeal to me? Hurry quick take my temperature, I must be sick. But I wasn't sick I was just learning to "listen" to the signals that my body was giving me and that was that I was satisfied and really didn't want or need anything else.
Walking back up the hill to begin our next round of scrap booking I realized that I wasn't tired, fatigued, or winded from our little walk. It felt good to be able to eat healthy and get a little exercise. I am finally getting to a place where it is not the constant struggle to eat right and be good. It is starting to become more of who I am. And that is someone I am enjoying getting to know.
Well this retreat was no different. The Facility that we stayed at had three meals per day. The first day we had dinner as a group and they had us go through a self serve line. It was similar to Ryans or Golden Corral exclding the ice cream and dessert bar.
Not really knowing what the main course would be, I piled my plate sky high with a salad (with my dressing on the side of course!) and continued on down the line. I put a scoop of seasoned green beans on my plates and skipped past the scalloped potatoes. There were some unidentifiable items, along with a thinly sliced roast beef in it's own juice and a Sea bass roll. I had never even tried Sea bass before much less had it on a roll. But not knowing which was the less of two evils, I took a small serving of each.
After helping myself to an unsweetened iced tea and a glass of ice water, I took a seat next to my mom near a window overlooking a small but beautiful lake. The salad was the easiest place to start and before I knew it I had eaten the whole thing. Next I needed to decide on what to try first, the Sea bass roll or the thinly sliced roast beef.
After a couple of bites of the beef I decided to try the sea bass and I was pleasantly surprised. I then figured out why they called it a sea bass roll. It was a filet of sea bass baked around a roll of mystery ingredients. Similar to stuffed crab but minus the crab. I opted for the baked fish and left the "roll filling" on my plate.
There were a few different desserts but as each person went up to the dessert area and brought back their treasure, I realized that none of it looked appealing to me. Had I gone completely delusional? Since when did desserts and sweets Not appeal to me? Hurry quick take my temperature, I must be sick. But I wasn't sick I was just learning to "listen" to the signals that my body was giving me and that was that I was satisfied and really didn't want or need anything else.
Walking back up the hill to begin our next round of scrap booking I realized that I wasn't tired, fatigued, or winded from our little walk. It felt good to be able to eat healthy and get a little exercise. I am finally getting to a place where it is not the constant struggle to eat right and be good. It is starting to become more of who I am. And that is someone I am enjoying getting to know.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
It's A Brand New Day!
Today is my last day on this fantastic "Trip Down Memory Lane". We have laughed, and cried, talked and had long spans of silence while we designed, created and scrapped our pictures. My first day was a whirlwind of getting set up and getting started. But yesterday was very different.
I had time to reflect on all the good times with my husband, children, family, and friends. Some times when looking at a picture it was like a lightening bolt would immediately transport me back to that very moment when the picture was being taken or when I had taken the picture.
I was once again in the place where I could almost smell the air or hear the sounds around me.
Pictures are a very important part of our lives. They help to record times and events. Important to the person being photographed as well as to the one playing photographer. I had pictures of people that I had not seen in years. People that at one time in my life were very close to me and who i shared many fun times. But then circumstances change and people move out of your life Even if the picture never makes it into the family photo album or a scrapbook, you can be sure that the memories will fade long after the picture does.
I had time to reflect on all the good times with my husband, children, family, and friends. Some times when looking at a picture it was like a lightening bolt would immediately transport me back to that very moment when the picture was being taken or when I had taken the picture.
I was once again in the place where I could almost smell the air or hear the sounds around me.
Pictures are a very important part of our lives. They help to record times and events. Important to the person being photographed as well as to the one playing photographer. I had pictures of people that I had not seen in years. People that at one time in my life were very close to me and who i shared many fun times. But then circumstances change and people move out of your life Even if the picture never makes it into the family photo album or a scrapbook, you can be sure that the memories will fade long after the picture does.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A Trip Down "Memory Lane"
The weekend is now in full swing and we have just begun to scrap till we drop. Yesterday we arrived a few minutes after 3 pm and the conference room was already full of 20 other women who were already sitting at their own personal six foot table with piles and piles of pictures, Cricut cutting machines with their cutting cartridges, scrapbook paper, scissors, embellishments, and every tool under the sun to help them turn all of their mess into a final work of art.
Now when we arrived we didn't do anything differently. We unloaded our "everything we brought but the kitchen sink" filled to the brim boxes, bags, and totes with all of our pictures, paper and supplies. It took at least an hour to sort through all the items and get some sense of organization before we could even get started.
But that was my biggest decision of the day so far. Where to start? I had brought a great variety of pictues with me to scrap all sorts of seasons, events, people and places, but when I started going through all the pictures that I had brought, I had a chance to take a walk down "Memory Lane".
I found picture after picture of my husband and I at Christmas, on vacations, with our family, with our grandchildren, having fun with our kids, and spending time with my grandparents and his relatives too. In every picture I stopped and really concentrated on one specific person in the the picture and that was Me!
There were a great many changes that had happened to me over the years. Clothing styles had changed, hairstyles had changed, the way I wore my make-up had changed but the biggest change was in my appearance, my size to be exact. I can't remember seeing any pictures where I looked thin, you know a person of normal healthy weight. In every picture I had the same bright and shiny face. I had a positive attitude and an outgoing personality and it showed in the pictures. But what I saw that made me sad was that there were times that I had yo-yoed from being "On the right track" to "Falling off the wagon and eating everything in sight".
There is no one to blame but myself. It was my inability to really understand why I was "Living to Eat" instead of "Eating to Live and enjoy a healthier lifestyle". With my new found commitment to myself, I will continue to eat my 1400 calories per day and increase my activity.
I am learning more about myself every day. I, like many others, have a mental block when it comes to excercise. Well I believe the Lord is showing me that my seditary job and lifestyle have contributed to my weight. It is not just in excersing that I can lose weight but by becoming a more "active" person in general. Parking my car in the fartherest (Is that a word?) parking space and walking to my destination would help me burn more calories than mindlessly driving around the parking lot for twenty minutes waiting on someone to leave in a close up parking spot. In all of the diet and exercise books that I have bought in my lifetime, I have never seen a calorie burn recorded for driving around a parking lot looking for the closest space to park.
This weekend has given me so much to think about. And one thing is for sure, I never want to see pictures of me with the 40 pounds that I have lost in them. To the "40 Pounds" I say; "Good-Bye and Good Ridence".
Now when we arrived we didn't do anything differently. We unloaded our "everything we brought but the kitchen sink" filled to the brim boxes, bags, and totes with all of our pictures, paper and supplies. It took at least an hour to sort through all the items and get some sense of organization before we could even get started.
But that was my biggest decision of the day so far. Where to start? I had brought a great variety of pictues with me to scrap all sorts of seasons, events, people and places, but when I started going through all the pictures that I had brought, I had a chance to take a walk down "Memory Lane".
I found picture after picture of my husband and I at Christmas, on vacations, with our family, with our grandchildren, having fun with our kids, and spending time with my grandparents and his relatives too. In every picture I stopped and really concentrated on one specific person in the the picture and that was Me!
There were a great many changes that had happened to me over the years. Clothing styles had changed, hairstyles had changed, the way I wore my make-up had changed but the biggest change was in my appearance, my size to be exact. I can't remember seeing any pictures where I looked thin, you know a person of normal healthy weight. In every picture I had the same bright and shiny face. I had a positive attitude and an outgoing personality and it showed in the pictures. But what I saw that made me sad was that there were times that I had yo-yoed from being "On the right track" to "Falling off the wagon and eating everything in sight".
There is no one to blame but myself. It was my inability to really understand why I was "Living to Eat" instead of "Eating to Live and enjoy a healthier lifestyle". With my new found commitment to myself, I will continue to eat my 1400 calories per day and increase my activity.
I am learning more about myself every day. I, like many others, have a mental block when it comes to excercise. Well I believe the Lord is showing me that my seditary job and lifestyle have contributed to my weight. It is not just in excersing that I can lose weight but by becoming a more "active" person in general. Parking my car in the fartherest (Is that a word?) parking space and walking to my destination would help me burn more calories than mindlessly driving around the parking lot for twenty minutes waiting on someone to leave in a close up parking spot. In all of the diet and exercise books that I have bought in my lifetime, I have never seen a calorie burn recorded for driving around a parking lot looking for the closest space to park.
This weekend has given me so much to think about. And one thing is for sure, I never want to see pictures of me with the 40 pounds that I have lost in them. To the "40 Pounds" I say; "Good-Bye and Good Ridence".
Friday, March 4, 2011
Catching Up With The Doctor Before My Weekend Begins
I decided to take a quick trip down to my doctors office this morning before beginning on my weekend retreat with my mom. The doctor who got me started on My Journey To A New Me is in the Dacula office today so I figured why not go and have my A1C blood work done, and see what the good old doctor has to say about my progress.
As a Type 2 diabetic I am supposed to have this blood work done at least every 90 days. I believe it has been a longer stretch since I have though. I need to do a better job taking care of myself but when I test my sugar every day, sometimes twice a day, I am pretty happy with the results. I have a small confession, I actually stopped taking my meds four days ago because I had a little scare.
I was busy at work on Monday morning and my morning just seemed to fly by. By lunch time I was hungry and had a nice lunch with my husband at the Cracker Barrell ( my favorite meal, grilled chicken tenderloins, green beans and pinto beans). But about an hour and a half later I was sitting at my desk and I started feeling kind of funny. Sort of weak and light headed. I had my diabetes tester with me and decided to see what my sugar was. Well I hit an all-time low! My sugar was 51 !!!!!!!!! My sugar has never gotten down to 51 !!!!!!!
I quietly asked my co-worker sitting next to me if she would please go get me some orange juice. Her head popped up suddenly and with a concerned look on her face she asked me if I was alright. I told her that I wasn't feeling well and that my sugar was down to 51 !!! Well she like many of you probably don't know why this is considered low. But before I could explain she was rushing off to get me some orange juice. As I drank the full bottle of OJ I saw that my hand and lip were quivering. I am glad that I did not wait until I passed out to test my sugar! Just like people who are having heart attacks will often say " well I didn't know that I was having a heart attack because I was waiting for my arm to hurt or go numb". Well I have never had a heart attack but my dad has, and you don't really want to wait until you have that " arm hurting kind of feeling" before you do something about it.
I am so thankful that my friend was able to quickly respond to my emergency, and I am glad that the OJ worked so quickly. I did not take any more of my medicine this week because I was afraid that it would drop my sugar down to the basement again. As a diabetic i should maintain a blood test of 80-120 max. Maybe while on my journey to a new me I can drop off more than just the weight, but some of the medication that I have been taking since becoming a diabetic over six years ago. I see less meds in my future and thats a Good Thing! I can't wait until that day!
As a Type 2 diabetic I am supposed to have this blood work done at least every 90 days. I believe it has been a longer stretch since I have though. I need to do a better job taking care of myself but when I test my sugar every day, sometimes twice a day, I am pretty happy with the results. I have a small confession, I actually stopped taking my meds four days ago because I had a little scare.
I was busy at work on Monday morning and my morning just seemed to fly by. By lunch time I was hungry and had a nice lunch with my husband at the Cracker Barrell ( my favorite meal, grilled chicken tenderloins, green beans and pinto beans). But about an hour and a half later I was sitting at my desk and I started feeling kind of funny. Sort of weak and light headed. I had my diabetes tester with me and decided to see what my sugar was. Well I hit an all-time low! My sugar was 51 !!!!!!!!! My sugar has never gotten down to 51 !!!!!!!
I quietly asked my co-worker sitting next to me if she would please go get me some orange juice. Her head popped up suddenly and with a concerned look on her face she asked me if I was alright. I told her that I wasn't feeling well and that my sugar was down to 51 !!! Well she like many of you probably don't know why this is considered low. But before I could explain she was rushing off to get me some orange juice. As I drank the full bottle of OJ I saw that my hand and lip were quivering. I am glad that I did not wait until I passed out to test my sugar! Just like people who are having heart attacks will often say " well I didn't know that I was having a heart attack because I was waiting for my arm to hurt or go numb". Well I have never had a heart attack but my dad has, and you don't really want to wait until you have that " arm hurting kind of feeling" before you do something about it.
I am so thankful that my friend was able to quickly respond to my emergency, and I am glad that the OJ worked so quickly. I did not take any more of my medicine this week because I was afraid that it would drop my sugar down to the basement again. As a diabetic i should maintain a blood test of 80-120 max. Maybe while on my journey to a new me I can drop off more than just the weight, but some of the medication that I have been taking since becoming a diabetic over six years ago. I see less meds in my future and thats a Good Thing! I can't wait until that day!
Big Weekend - Big Plans With My Mom
Have you ever had something that you had planned for a while? Something you were looking forward to doing? Maybe a trip that had been planned for a while. You were so looking forward to the special thing or event that you couldn't hardly contain your excitement. But then as the day arrives you realize that you aren't ready? You don't have all your loose ends tied up? You don't have all your "ducks in a row"? You aren't packed, and you are wondering what all you should bring. Will it be warm or should I carry sweaters and jackets? You are running short on time and the clock just keeps ticking. Well my friends that crazy sounding person is me today
I am the person who made a commitment to go with my mother to a ladies retreat. I took the day off of work so that I could have some good quality time with my mother. I really don't know the other women who will be attending but I am sure that I will have a nice time getting to know them but the person that I am doing this for is me, and my mom.
We only live three or four miles a part and we see each often times once or twice a week. We often talk on the phone every day, but In our every day, often busy and hectic lives we don't spend time connecting with one another. I can't remember the last time we had a "lets have fun" kind of weekend. Well this is the weekend that we are going to do just that.
The problem is I just have so much to do before we can get started. Where do I begin? I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. I will pack all kinds of clothes, some healthy snacks, and all the scrapbooking stuff that I can fit into my car. Oh yes, did I fail to mention that this is a Scrapbooking Retreat! For three days we will be doing nothing but creating beautiful memories of our family and loved ones. And I can't wait to start recording my journey to a new me in pictures. Who knows maybe I will post a few on my blog so that you can all see my progress. I'll keep you posted!
I am the person who made a commitment to go with my mother to a ladies retreat. I took the day off of work so that I could have some good quality time with my mother. I really don't know the other women who will be attending but I am sure that I will have a nice time getting to know them but the person that I am doing this for is me, and my mom.
We only live three or four miles a part and we see each often times once or twice a week. We often talk on the phone every day, but In our every day, often busy and hectic lives we don't spend time connecting with one another. I can't remember the last time we had a "lets have fun" kind of weekend. Well this is the weekend that we are going to do just that.
The problem is I just have so much to do before we can get started. Where do I begin? I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. I will pack all kinds of clothes, some healthy snacks, and all the scrapbooking stuff that I can fit into my car. Oh yes, did I fail to mention that this is a Scrapbooking Retreat! For three days we will be doing nothing but creating beautiful memories of our family and loved ones. And I can't wait to start recording my journey to a new me in pictures. Who knows maybe I will post a few on my blog so that you can all see my progress. I'll keep you posted!
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