I believe it can happen to anyone. When you are going through a "low place", or a sad time in your life you can have thoughts of returning to your old way of coping with the feelings and emotions that you are dealing with.
I am no different. Honestly, I want to share with you a few insights into my thinking recently to show you that I am human and I have not "arrived" just because I have lost 55 lbs. On My Journey To A New Me.
During the last three weeks of losing two family members (Minnie Pearl & Anastasia "Annie"). I have been trying to deal with the sadness and grief over losing them and on more than one occasion I have found myself thinking about turning to my old friend, FOOD, for comfort. I drove by a Brusters Ice Cream shop and had to fight myself to keep from turning in. Not just on one occasion but possibly three or four during this time. Now is eating ice cream the worst thing that I could do? No! But did I account for the calories that it would cost me in my daily allowance of 1400? No! And it was after 8 pm and I had no extra calories to spare!
When I started out on this journey I made a hard and fast rule with myself that if I was tempted to eat something and NOT count it in my 1400 daily allowance, I would not eat it. I also told myself that if there was a time that I was going to eat something in between meals it would it be something that I would eat in front of my husband, parents, friends or family. If not, then I wouldn't eat it. Why? Well let me explain.
Most overweight people have a problem with binge eating. They have secret stashes of food, and love to sneak away and eat alone. In private we believe that no one can see us feeding our pie hole and stuffing it full of food until we are satisfied, or at least numb. Well the secret is out! I want to expose the secret to everyone reading this blog post. Everyone can SEE you eating all of that junk! No they might not be in the room, car, or other special place that you retreat when you secretly eat, but they can SEE you eat when you are finished eating. Why? Because they can see the end result or the affects of your guilty indulgence! All those snack cakes, Little Debbies, candy bars, cookies, ice cream, hot McDonalds French fries and Hot Apple Pies, did not just show up on my body, I put them INTO my body through a very small hole, my mouth.
So during my past few weeks of mourning the loss of my sweet pup-pups I have had a real chance to evaluate why I eat and when I eat. Here are some strategies that I utilize in my journey. Maybe they will work for you.
1. Now that I am on this journey I try to NEVER eat alone. I make a point to be in a public place when I am eating with people who know me around me This is just good accountability. (Now that is a fifty-cent word that you don't hear used too often!). I don't want to get back into the bad habit of eating in between meals and the wrong types of food
( high calorie foods, fried foods, greasy foods and food full of sugar)
2. Plan what you will eat and Know how many calories it will cost you. Don't guess, make sure to know before you consume the food so that the only surprise on the scale is a pleasant one.
3. Eat with friends and family when at all possible. Don't be a Lone Ranger, enjoy your meal and some good conversation at the same time.
4. If you should eat something that you did not plan to eat COUNT the calories any way! Then if you gain weight you will know why. Believe me, you will not gain a pound every time you go off the mark a little bit, but the longer you are off track the better your chances to gain and not get back in the right lane of losing wright!
I hope you find these thoughts and tips helpful. Remember even though you may think you are secretly eating those special snacks and/ or treats, you really aren't. Everyone can see your secret indulgence when you are through.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Good-Bye To Our Sweet Anastasia
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| Anastasia (Annie) & Minnie Pearl |
Last Thursday my husband and I had to make one of the hardest decisions of our lives. Our oldest miniature schnauzer, Anastasia, (shown in picture on the left) had been suffering for quite some time with a heart condition and seizures. In the past few weeks she was having more and more problems breathing and we made the decision that she would be better off being put to sleep. So last Thursday we said our good-byes and did what we had not been able to do on two other occassions and had her put to rest.
It is weird but in the two and a half weeks since Minnie Pearl passed away it was like watching our Annie going down a very steep hill. I believe she died of a broken heart from missing her "sister" of 12 1/2 years.
Anastasia was almost 14 years old and had lived a long life.
The sadness was settling over me when we walked into the house and she was not there to greet me. Why did they have to die so close together? All I wanted was for someone to stop the ride and let me get off. She was the smartest dog that I had ever owned. She could do neat tricks and she was a great companion. I will miss her so much. Our home is so much quieter now that there are only the two puppies to entertain us.
But the one thing that I am thankful for is that she is no longer suffering.
After losing Minnie Pearl I saw for myself that I was stronger than letting sadness or depression push me into emotional eating. You know the type of mindless eating that we all do when we are under stress, depressed, worried, or allowing other cares of this life get us down. I continued on My Journey To A New Me because I know that is what I have to do. I did not exceed my 1400 calories per day during any of this time and I do not believe that I will. I even exercised 4 times last week. Now THAT is a record for me!
So with a heart full of sadness, I say Good-Bye Annie & Minnie. You may be gone from our lives but you will never be gone from our hearts. We love you both and miss you so much! Now if we can just get the two new puppies to step into your shoes and learna trick or two!
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| Me and Allie (Brown) and Harley (black & Silver) Both are female Minature Schnauzers taken 3/12/2011 |
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A Little More "Life" In My Day!
Music speaks to me. I don't know about you, but songs have a way of speaking into my spirit. Today I heard a song that I had not heard in a while by a contemporary Christian group, Newsong. The song is entitled "A little more life in my day". The music is upbeat and catchy but the real hook for me is the title of the song that is sung throughout the chorus, "A little more life in my day".
This describes perfectly what is happening to me, right now, in my life! The more weight that I lose, the better I feel. The better I feel, the more energy I have. The more energy I have, the more I am able to move. The more I am able to more, the more that I WANT to move. Not just move but be active. Active to the point of exercise! Yes! Excercise!
For me this has been a piece of the puzzle that had not fully come into focus yet on My Journey To A New Me. I know how important it is. I talk about needing to do something, but I am more than a little slow when it comes to implementing it (excercise) into my life.
On Monday I took a ten minute break at work ( we get two of these per day but I am not one to indulge in these things) and I walked into our gym to walk on the treadmill. But what happened next surprised even me. I found myself having a conversation in my mind about which piece of equipment to get on. Before losing 54.8 lbs the only choice would have been the treadmill, but today I found my legs leading me over to the elliptical (did I spell that right?). You know that weird looking thing that causes you to move your arms and legs at the same time in an effort to make you look like some strange creature looking like your snow skiing or about to attack something? Well I got on it and told myself this is a test, this is only a test. No one is in here, let me see what I can so. I have to be honest, my husband and I purchased one of these nice pieces of equipment over four years ago and neither of us have reallly used it. I doubt it has two hours total on it. Any way, back to my adventure in my work gym.
I got on and I started off cautiously at first. Then I began to build my confidence and speed. When my ten minutes were up my legs were wobbly but my pride was sky high! I did it! I worked out for ten minutes on this crazy device. What a sense of accomplishment! I looked up my calories burned on www.myfitnesspal.com and found that this ten minutes equated to 208 calories! Wow! What a pay off!
Tuesday I did not make the time to excercise, but Wednesday I walked sixteen minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 mph! I have Never Ever done this before! Hey maybe I can jog? I wonder..
Then later that day I got back on my friend, the elliptical and took another spin for ten more minutes! This exercising may be addicting! I hope so! I am going to shoot for every other day, but if I happened to exercise on my "off" day, oh well. It can't hurt, can it?
So, the song that I was listening to spoke to me today. Every day that I am on this journey doing the right things, not just in my eating but in exercising also, I can put a little more life in my day! And this is a great feeling! If something feels good you want to keep doing it, especially if it is Good for you (me). So here's to spending more time with my new friend, Mr. Elliptical! Who knows, he may just have a positive effect on me!
This describes perfectly what is happening to me, right now, in my life! The more weight that I lose, the better I feel. The better I feel, the more energy I have. The more energy I have, the more I am able to move. The more I am able to more, the more that I WANT to move. Not just move but be active. Active to the point of exercise! Yes! Excercise!
For me this has been a piece of the puzzle that had not fully come into focus yet on My Journey To A New Me. I know how important it is. I talk about needing to do something, but I am more than a little slow when it comes to implementing it (excercise) into my life.
On Monday I took a ten minute break at work ( we get two of these per day but I am not one to indulge in these things) and I walked into our gym to walk on the treadmill. But what happened next surprised even me. I found myself having a conversation in my mind about which piece of equipment to get on. Before losing 54.8 lbs the only choice would have been the treadmill, but today I found my legs leading me over to the elliptical (did I spell that right?). You know that weird looking thing that causes you to move your arms and legs at the same time in an effort to make you look like some strange creature looking like your snow skiing or about to attack something? Well I got on it and told myself this is a test, this is only a test. No one is in here, let me see what I can so. I have to be honest, my husband and I purchased one of these nice pieces of equipment over four years ago and neither of us have reallly used it. I doubt it has two hours total on it. Any way, back to my adventure in my work gym.
I got on and I started off cautiously at first. Then I began to build my confidence and speed. When my ten minutes were up my legs were wobbly but my pride was sky high! I did it! I worked out for ten minutes on this crazy device. What a sense of accomplishment! I looked up my calories burned on www.myfitnesspal.com and found that this ten minutes equated to 208 calories! Wow! What a pay off!
Tuesday I did not make the time to excercise, but Wednesday I walked sixteen minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 mph! I have Never Ever done this before! Hey maybe I can jog? I wonder..
Then later that day I got back on my friend, the elliptical and took another spin for ten more minutes! This exercising may be addicting! I hope so! I am going to shoot for every other day, but if I happened to exercise on my "off" day, oh well. It can't hurt, can it?
So, the song that I was listening to spoke to me today. Every day that I am on this journey doing the right things, not just in my eating but in exercising also, I can put a little more life in my day! And this is a great feeling! If something feels good you want to keep doing it, especially if it is Good for you (me). So here's to spending more time with my new friend, Mr. Elliptical! Who knows, he may just have a positive effect on me!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
How Important Is 8 Hours Of Sleep?
I am a person who has never really required very much sleep at night. I am not a person who requires 8 hours of sleep per night. There may be days when I am sick or on vacation or "sleeping in" on a Saturday that I get a full 8 hours or more of sleep. But for the most part I am not a person who requires that much sleep. I feel just as refreshed with 4-6 hours as I do with the 8 hours of sleep.
I begin to wonder what is wrong with me? When people see me up late at night, with no appearance of being tired, they comment: "My you must be a night owl!" And I reply "Yes! as a matter of fact I am"! Then the following day they see me, and I am untired and quite chipper and they say "I thought you were a night owl, but now it looks like you are a early bird. What gives?" And I have never really been able to answer that question.
There have been many studies and research done on this subject and there has not been any definitive answer regarding the "Magic Number". But one thing is certain, your body has a series of "re-fueling" or maintenance functions that take place while you are sleeping and there is value to getting the correct amount of sleep for your body to do this properly.
I wonder if my lack of sleep over the years has some how caused my increased weight gain? Because of my ability to go with less than 8 hours of sleep per night, was I actually hurting myself in some way? Could my reduced sleep have kept my body functions from functioning at their fullest potential? I am writing this blog at a late hour, and I am now wondering if I have some how been innocently at fault for my obesity? I started not to post this blog because I don't want everyone to think that I am now going to start following the strict 8 hour per night rule that we were all told by our mothers that we needed. But I will share some interesting information that I found in my research on the subject.
What the Research Says About Sleep Duration
The first thing experts will tell you about sleep is that there is no "magic number." Not only do different age groups need different amounts of sleep, but sleep needs are also individual. Just like any other characteristics you are born with, the amount of sleep you need to function best may be different for you than for someone who is of the same age and gender. While you may be at your absolute best sleeping seven hours a night, someone else may clearly need nine hours to have a happy, productive life. In fact, a 2005 study confirmed the fact that sleep needs vary across populations, and the study calls for further research to identify traits within genes that may provide a "map" to explain how sleep needs differ among individuals.
Another reason there is "no magic number" for your sleep results from two different factors that researchers are learning about: a person’s basal sleep need – the amount of sleep our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal performance – and sleep debt, the accumulated sleep that is lost to poor sleep habits, sickness, awakenings due to environmental factors or other causes.
Two studies suggest that healthy adults have a basal sleep need of seven to eight hours every night, but where things get complicated is the interaction between the basal need and sleep debt. For instance, you might meet your basal sleep need on any single night or a few nights in a row, but still have an unresolved sleep debt that may make you feel more sleepy and less alert at times, particularly in conjunction with circadian dips, those times in the 24-hour cycle when we are biologically programmed to be more sleepy and less alert, such as overnight hours and mid-afternoon. You may feel overwhelmingly sleepy quite suddenly at these times, shortly before bedtime or feel sleepy upon awakening. The good news is that some research suggests that the accumulated sleep debt can be worked down or "paid off."
Two studies suggest that healthy adults have a basal sleep need of seven to eight hours every night, but where things get complicated is the interaction between the basal need and sleep debt. For instance, you might meet your basal sleep need on any single night or a few nights in a row, but still have an unresolved sleep debt that may make you feel more sleepy and less alert at times, particularly in conjunction with circadian dips, those times in the 24-hour cycle when we are biologically programmed to be more sleepy and less alert, such as overnight hours and mid-afternoon. You may feel overwhelmingly sleepy quite suddenly at these times, shortly before bedtime or feel sleepy upon awakening. The good news is that some research suggests that the accumulated sleep debt can be worked down or "paid off."
On the other hand, some research has found that long sleep durations (nine hours or more) are also associated with increased morbidity (illness, accidents) and mortality (death). Researchers describe this relationship as a "U-shaped" curve where both sleeping too little and sleeping too much may put you at risk. This research found that variables such as low socioeconomic status and depression were significantly associated with long sleep.
What Your Body is Saying About Your Sleep Needs
To determine how much sleep you need, it's important to assess not only where you fall on the "sleep needs spectrum," but also to examine what lifestyle factors are affecting the quality and quantity of your sleep such as work schedules and stress. To get the sleep you need, you must look at the big picture.
Though research cannot pinpoint an exact amount of sleep need by people at different ages, the following table identifies the "rule-of-thumb" amounts most experts have agreed upon. Nevertheless, it's important to pay attention to your own individual needs by assessing how you feel on different amounts of sleep. Are you productive, healthy and happy on seven hours of sleep? Or does it take you nine hours of quality ZZZs to get you into high gear? Do you have health issues such as being overweight? Are you at risk for any disease? Are you experiencing sleep problems? Do you depend on caffeine to get you through the day? Do you feel sleepy when driving? These are questions that must be asked before you can find the number that works for you.
I don't know about any of you, but all this talk of sleep is making me tired. I think I will take my own advise and get a few Zzzzzzzz's. After all I do not think that a good night sleep has ever hurt anyone.
It Is Not Easter Yet And I Am Still Losing!!!
Well as of Saturday morning, 4/16/2011, I can happily report that I am down 54.8 pounds since begining My Journey To A New Me!! And the farther that I go on this journey the more that I learn about myself.
Every day is an adventure. Sunday evening my husband and I along with my parents ate dinner at my all time favorite pizza place, Vinnys New York Style Pizza on Sugarloaf Parkway. It is always outstanding, but I must have really been hungry for pizza because it was super yummy!
I bet you are wondering why I ate pizza? Did I reward myself with food like I said that I was not going to do when I hit specific weight loss goals? Well the answer is simple. No, it was not a reward. We eat at this restuarant 2 to 3 times per month, and I always enjoy the same thing. Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza!! I love it because the crust is thinner than what you can get with Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Dominoes, and the other fast food pizza places. The pizza at Vinnys (the "real" Vinnys is on Sugarloaf Parkway, please don't mistake any of the other locations for this one, they are not the same. They do not use the same premium ingredients as Vinnys on Sugarloaf)
Any way, I was not "cheating" or going off My Journey. I always count 1400 calories per day and then STOP. Yes, you can eat this pizza as long as you don't over do it and as long as you have counted all your calories from your other meals and you have not exceeded whatever it is that you set as your daily intake limit. And what is working for me is 1400 calories per day. And I believe in the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
I love the journey to a new me that I am on because I do not feel deprived. I have never felt deprived. I can honestly eat Anything that I want as long as I do not go over my allocated calories per day. So next time I go to Vinnys to have me some of that New York Style delicious pizza, maybe I'll see you there!
Every day is an adventure. Sunday evening my husband and I along with my parents ate dinner at my all time favorite pizza place, Vinnys New York Style Pizza on Sugarloaf Parkway. It is always outstanding, but I must have really been hungry for pizza because it was super yummy!
Any way, I was not "cheating" or going off My Journey. I always count 1400 calories per day and then STOP. Yes, you can eat this pizza as long as you don't over do it and as long as you have counted all your calories from your other meals and you have not exceeded whatever it is that you set as your daily intake limit. And what is working for me is 1400 calories per day. And I believe in the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
I love the journey to a new me that I am on because I do not feel deprived. I have never felt deprived. I can honestly eat Anything that I want as long as I do not go over my allocated calories per day. So next time I go to Vinnys to have me some of that New York Style delicious pizza, maybe I'll see you there!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Character The Greatest Indicator Of The Real You
I confess, I no longer listen to commercial (advertising) radio. For all of my life I did listen to the commercial airwaves, but those days are fewer and farther between these days. My time spent in the car traveling to work in the morning and evenings needs to be a time of enjoyment and relaxation not ten commercials and one song. Then repeat the same cycle.
When I purchased my new vehicle last August it came with a six month free trial of Sirrus Satellite Radio. I had never really heard of it and when the sales person told me about this great feature I commented that I did not care about that feature and I would probably never listen to it any way. Boy was I wrong! And these people know what they are doing because I am hooked! I am able to listen and enjoy all types of music including my favorite, contemporary christian music. There is only an occasional comment from a DJ and the rest is song, after song to help me make my daily commute to and from the office.
Well the last few days I have heard a little "advertisement" you might say, but it really is not that at all. It is more of a "Golden Nugget" spoken across the airwaves in between song after song. And this is the statement:
"Character is Who you are when no one else is looking."
Well let me tell you that I agree with this statement 110%! If we knew how important character is we would teach our children at an early age about how important it is. That the character that is developed in a person begins at a very early age. A bully on the playground may grow up to be a bully in real (adult) life! A person who is Abusive to their spouse and children. Oh maybe not physically but both verbally and emotionally.
The definition of Character as shown on www.dictionary.com
A general set of terms associated with good character would be honesty, integrity, self discipline, interpersonal abilities, and a strong reputation. These skills are consciously developed over time by overcoming difficult situations with poise and intelligence. The keyword is consciously, because these skills won't happen accidentally. You must work at it."
Have you ever met someone and it seemed like you could really be friends with this person. You hit it off right away and you both seemed to have so much in common. But the more you got to know them the less you liked them? It did not happen all at once or overnight. I think that this could happen because the longer you know someone, the more you can see their true character. Maybe it was that the first impression that you got was the part that they wanted you to see. After we get comfortable with someone we begin to "let our guard down" as they say. We become less "Let me do or say something to make you like me" and more me, me, me. It's all about me!
Character is not something that you can turn on and off. We all have character. But not all of us have the same character. What our character is would be as different as our finger print. My husband always taught our children, that your character and reputation are so important. "It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation and character, and only one minute or one mistake to throw it all away.
I try hard to live my life to the glory of God. A person of good reputation and solid character. A person who will offer encouragement, kindness, trust, and goodwill to others. Have you checked your character lately? On My Journey To A New Me I see more opportunities to allow my character (which I pray is a reflection of Christ) to shine through as I encourage others to start their own journey. Maybe you don't need to lose weight like I do, maybe you need to stop smoking, or drinking, or doing other things that are harmful to your body. We all need to remember that our body is not our own, but is the temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. I personally like to take my character pulse on a regular basis. Do you?
When I purchased my new vehicle last August it came with a six month free trial of Sirrus Satellite Radio. I had never really heard of it and when the sales person told me about this great feature I commented that I did not care about that feature and I would probably never listen to it any way. Boy was I wrong! And these people know what they are doing because I am hooked! I am able to listen and enjoy all types of music including my favorite, contemporary christian music. There is only an occasional comment from a DJ and the rest is song, after song to help me make my daily commute to and from the office.
Well the last few days I have heard a little "advertisement" you might say, but it really is not that at all. It is more of a "Golden Nugget" spoken across the airwaves in between song after song. And this is the statement:
"Character is Who you are when no one else is looking."
Well let me tell you that I agree with this statement 110%! If we knew how important character is we would teach our children at an early age about how important it is. That the character that is developed in a person begins at a very early age. A bully on the playground may grow up to be a bully in real (adult) life! A person who is Abusive to their spouse and children. Oh maybe not physically but both verbally and emotionally.
The definition of Character as shown on www.dictionary.com
A general set of terms associated with good character would be honesty, integrity, self discipline, interpersonal abilities, and a strong reputation. These skills are consciously developed over time by overcoming difficult situations with poise and intelligence. The keyword is consciously, because these skills won't happen accidentally. You must work at it."
Have you ever met someone and it seemed like you could really be friends with this person. You hit it off right away and you both seemed to have so much in common. But the more you got to know them the less you liked them? It did not happen all at once or overnight. I think that this could happen because the longer you know someone, the more you can see their true character. Maybe it was that the first impression that you got was the part that they wanted you to see. After we get comfortable with someone we begin to "let our guard down" as they say. We become less "Let me do or say something to make you like me" and more me, me, me. It's all about me!
Character is not something that you can turn on and off. We all have character. But not all of us have the same character. What our character is would be as different as our finger print. My husband always taught our children, that your character and reputation are so important. "It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation and character, and only one minute or one mistake to throw it all away.
I try hard to live my life to the glory of God. A person of good reputation and solid character. A person who will offer encouragement, kindness, trust, and goodwill to others. Have you checked your character lately? On My Journey To A New Me I see more opportunities to allow my character (which I pray is a reflection of Christ) to shine through as I encourage others to start their own journey. Maybe you don't need to lose weight like I do, maybe you need to stop smoking, or drinking, or doing other things that are harmful to your body. We all need to remember that our body is not our own, but is the temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. I personally like to take my character pulse on a regular basis. Do you?
Friday, April 15, 2011
Time To Answer A Question That I Have Been Asked Before
I love to read the comments that I receive on my blog post every day. This week I received the below comment and question. ( It was in regards to my post about No Fat, Low Fat, No Carb, Low Carb ) I wanted to share this with everyone, and do my best to answer the question.
"Good post! I have struggled with these types of diets in the past as well. Right now I'm doing a very low sugar/low carb diet and I feel the same way, very deprived and wondering how long I can sustain. Question for you, how do you measure out a dinner that you cook? Like chicken casserole for instance. How do you know how many calories are in it?" Michelle
My Answer:
There are a few different ways to figure the calorie count for meals that you cook at home.
First you can make an educated guess, and by this I mean you get a good idea of how much of each item that you are eating and look up the calorie values for each item. You would then need to add everything up for a total calorie count for the portion you are eating. I would use my favorite tool in my bag of tricks and that is to log into http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Another way to figure the calorie count would be to prepare recipes that have the nutritional value and calories noted on them. Many recipes that you find in magazines and on the internet sites will show the calories, carbs, and fat per serving. The trick is to figure the serving or portion size. Not all serving sizes are equal. You could easily eat two or three servings in one sittng and not realize it.
But my favorite method for calculating the calories, carbs, fats, dietary fiber and other nutritional value in my meals that I prepare at home comes from using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Not only can you track your weight loss, your body measurements, and progress. You can also record My Recipes. Under the My Recipes tab you would list all of the ingredients that go into the casserole or other dish that you are preparing. You have to state how many servings that you will get from the finished product. A good rule of thumb would be to get a mental picture of what the 9" x 12" casserole pan looks like ( or whatever size of pan that you are using ).
Next get a mental picture of what the prepared food will look like in this pan. Instead of "spooning" it out and onto your plate, and guessing how much you have put on your plate,
think about cutting the casserole down the middle, length wise. Then determine how large is a portion size ? First, mentally cut down the center of the casserole dish on the width, and then repeating this until you can see the casserole cut into sections, sort of like you would brownies. You may end up with 6, 8, 10 or 12 servings depending on what it is that you have prepared. and the size of the casserole dish that you are usig.
When you enter the number of servings into the http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ program it will give you the calculation for how many calories are in each serving. If you think that the calories per serving is too high, adjust the number of servings that you can get from the casserole. If you were trying to cut it into 8 sections, try to increase it to 10 sections/servings therefore reducing the number of calories per serving.
Another side note would be to try this mental calculation for most items that you are eating. I was purchasing Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheeese in the 4-pack individual serving size, but it was not available in a lower fat version. I thought about what I could do to lower my calorie intake on this food choice, so I began buying the small tub of the 1/3 reduced fat Philadelphia Strawberry Cream cheese . I read the package and it stated that the container had 7 servings at 70 calories per serving. Well 7 servings is an odd amount, but once I opened the container, I used my knife to cut the cream cheese straight down the middle. I am cutting , from one side to the other. Then I split the two sections into four sections, and then I cut those into 8 sections so it looks like a pizza with 8 slices. Then every day I have a "controlled" portion of the lower fat cream cheese. And it is cheaper to do it this way too! And I am actually getting less than the recommended serving size than what is stated on the container. I get 8 servings at 61.25 calories per serving!! Wow!!! Way to use my math skills to count those calories!!
I hope you find this blog post helpful! It really is a little challenging when you first begin to keep track of the calories, fat, carbs, sugar, etc. but once you load your recipes, and other foods into the My favorites, or My Recipes, you will find it very easy to track.
There are many more short cuts and secrets that I am learning on My Journey To A New Me and I will be happy to share them with all of you. Remember it is Never too late to start your Journey. Please keep the comments and questions coming! I will do my best to answer them in a clear and hopefully encouraging manner. Sharpen your math skills today. Start counting and dividing today!
"Good post! I have struggled with these types of diets in the past as well. Right now I'm doing a very low sugar/low carb diet and I feel the same way, very deprived and wondering how long I can sustain. Question for you, how do you measure out a dinner that you cook? Like chicken casserole for instance. How do you know how many calories are in it?" Michelle
My Answer:
There are a few different ways to figure the calorie count for meals that you cook at home.
First you can make an educated guess, and by this I mean you get a good idea of how much of each item that you are eating and look up the calorie values for each item. You would then need to add everything up for a total calorie count for the portion you are eating. I would use my favorite tool in my bag of tricks and that is to log into http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Another way to figure the calorie count would be to prepare recipes that have the nutritional value and calories noted on them. Many recipes that you find in magazines and on the internet sites will show the calories, carbs, and fat per serving. The trick is to figure the serving or portion size. Not all serving sizes are equal. You could easily eat two or three servings in one sittng and not realize it.
But my favorite method for calculating the calories, carbs, fats, dietary fiber and other nutritional value in my meals that I prepare at home comes from using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Not only can you track your weight loss, your body measurements, and progress. You can also record My Recipes. Under the My Recipes tab you would list all of the ingredients that go into the casserole or other dish that you are preparing. You have to state how many servings that you will get from the finished product. A good rule of thumb would be to get a mental picture of what the 9" x 12" casserole pan looks like ( or whatever size of pan that you are using ).
Next get a mental picture of what the prepared food will look like in this pan. Instead of "spooning" it out and onto your plate, and guessing how much you have put on your plate,
think about cutting the casserole down the middle, length wise. Then determine how large is a portion size ? First, mentally cut down the center of the casserole dish on the width, and then repeating this until you can see the casserole cut into sections, sort of like you would brownies. You may end up with 6, 8, 10 or 12 servings depending on what it is that you have prepared. and the size of the casserole dish that you are usig.
When you enter the number of servings into the http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ program it will give you the calculation for how many calories are in each serving. If you think that the calories per serving is too high, adjust the number of servings that you can get from the casserole. If you were trying to cut it into 8 sections, try to increase it to 10 sections/servings therefore reducing the number of calories per serving.
Another side note would be to try this mental calculation for most items that you are eating. I was purchasing Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheeese in the 4-pack individual serving size, but it was not available in a lower fat version. I thought about what I could do to lower my calorie intake on this food choice, so I began buying the small tub of the 1/3 reduced fat Philadelphia Strawberry Cream cheese . I read the package and it stated that the container had 7 servings at 70 calories per serving. Well 7 servings is an odd amount, but once I opened the container, I used my knife to cut the cream cheese straight down the middle. I am cutting , from one side to the other. Then I split the two sections into four sections, and then I cut those into 8 sections so it looks like a pizza with 8 slices. Then every day I have a "controlled" portion of the lower fat cream cheese. And it is cheaper to do it this way too! And I am actually getting less than the recommended serving size than what is stated on the container. I get 8 servings at 61.25 calories per serving!! Wow!!! Way to use my math skills to count those calories!!
I hope you find this blog post helpful! It really is a little challenging when you first begin to keep track of the calories, fat, carbs, sugar, etc. but once you load your recipes, and other foods into the My favorites, or My Recipes, you will find it very easy to track.
There are many more short cuts and secrets that I am learning on My Journey To A New Me and I will be happy to share them with all of you. Remember it is Never too late to start your Journey. Please keep the comments and questions coming! I will do my best to answer them in a clear and hopefully encouraging manner. Sharpen your math skills today. Start counting and dividing today!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
People Say The Funniest Things
During the past four months on My Journey To A New Me I have heard some very encouraging words, kind words, uplifting remarks, and funny comments as well. I love to get feed back from my friends, family, and others who are reading along on My Journey.
People who see me every day at work will stop me in the aisle as I am walking to my desk and exclaim "OH My! I just noticed! You lost something!" and I said, "What?". as I look down and behind me for something I may have dropped in an attempt to throw them off. And they say: "A Ton of weight!". And then they ask me what I am doing. When I tell them they cant believe how simple my plan is. The daily goal for my calorie intake is 1400 per day. I eat 1400 calories of whatever I want but when I reach 1400 I cannot eat anything else that day!
Another comment comes from friends at church. I sing on the praise team at my church and it is my privilege to make a joyful noise unto the Lord! They will say something like, " There is a little less of you on the stage today!". And I smile and answer, Thank You! I was hoping you would notice.
But one remark that threw me off a little bit this week was when one friend was commenting on how much weight I had dropped and that I had really begun to show it on my body. The next words out of her mouth were "you make it look so easy!". To be quite honest I did not know how to respond so I simply said thank you and went about my day.
But for the rest of the day and evening that statement or comment lingered in my mind. Why would someone say that I made it look easy? Was it easy? No. Do I wake up every day and think about what I am going to eat that day? Yes!
The fact is I still think about food a lot. All the time on some days, and to hear the words that "I make this look easy" was probably one of the greatest compliments that I could ever receive. I guess I just did not realize it at the time. So to my friend who complimented me in such a great way earlier this week, if you are ready this blog, I say Thank You for noticing my efforts. And thank you for sharing your positive thoughts about how easy that I make this journey to a new me look.
I am not in 100% agreement that I make it look easy, but I thank you just the same. As for actually making it look easy, I guess when you set small goals of weight loss so that you can measure your success it helps keep you moving in the right direction. Before you begin a journey of your own I would first recommend a trip to the doctor to find out what your starting point is. Especially if you have pre-existing health conditions. I would weigh myself and take my body measurements so that you can track weight and inches lost. Using Myfitnesspal.com can help you record this information and track your progress.
Thank you for the encouragement everyone! We All Need It!
People who see me every day at work will stop me in the aisle as I am walking to my desk and exclaim "OH My! I just noticed! You lost something!" and I said, "What?". as I look down and behind me for something I may have dropped in an attempt to throw them off. And they say: "A Ton of weight!". And then they ask me what I am doing. When I tell them they cant believe how simple my plan is. The daily goal for my calorie intake is 1400 per day. I eat 1400 calories of whatever I want but when I reach 1400 I cannot eat anything else that day!
Another comment comes from friends at church. I sing on the praise team at my church and it is my privilege to make a joyful noise unto the Lord! They will say something like, " There is a little less of you on the stage today!". And I smile and answer, Thank You! I was hoping you would notice.
But one remark that threw me off a little bit this week was when one friend was commenting on how much weight I had dropped and that I had really begun to show it on my body. The next words out of her mouth were "you make it look so easy!". To be quite honest I did not know how to respond so I simply said thank you and went about my day.
But for the rest of the day and evening that statement or comment lingered in my mind. Why would someone say that I made it look easy? Was it easy? No. Do I wake up every day and think about what I am going to eat that day? Yes!
The fact is I still think about food a lot. All the time on some days, and to hear the words that "I make this look easy" was probably one of the greatest compliments that I could ever receive. I guess I just did not realize it at the time. So to my friend who complimented me in such a great way earlier this week, if you are ready this blog, I say Thank You for noticing my efforts. And thank you for sharing your positive thoughts about how easy that I make this journey to a new me look.
I am not in 100% agreement that I make it look easy, but I thank you just the same. As for actually making it look easy, I guess when you set small goals of weight loss so that you can measure your success it helps keep you moving in the right direction. Before you begin a journey of your own I would first recommend a trip to the doctor to find out what your starting point is. Especially if you have pre-existing health conditions. I would weigh myself and take my body measurements so that you can track weight and inches lost. Using Myfitnesspal.com can help you record this information and track your progress.
Thank you for the encouragement everyone! We All Need It!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
No Fat, Low Fat, Low Carb, No Carb... What's The Deal?
Let's cut to the chase with all these different diets out there. I have never had much success with any of them. I have tried them all, but after losing some weight with all of these methods, I found those "lost pounds" again, and then some of their friends!
So here is the "Skinny" on why the diets above do not work for me.
I checked Wikipedia for details regarding No Fat, Low Fat, Low Carb, No Carb diets. Both of these diets restrict the amount of fat or carbs that you are getting in your daily food intake. With the No Fat and Low Fat diet they stress that a no fat or low fat diet is not necessarily that you are not eating any foods that contain fat but that the food you are consuming has the right type of fat. By this they are referring to "healthy fat". (I don't know about you, but I did not know there was anything healthy about any type of fat!) The menu for this type of diet includes dairy products, lean meats, and heart-healthy oils but you must monitor the amount and type of fat in the item.
Low-carbohydrate diets - low carb diets are dietary programs that restrict the amount of carbohydrates that you consume. Most diabetics try to stay within a lower carb lifestyle to help maintain a healthy blood sugar ratio. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates would be breads, pastas, and Potatoes. The Atkins Diet is probably the most popular and well known diet of this type. Many people can lose large amounts of weight quickly on this type of diet because they are not taking in the foods that give you carbs.
The biggest problem that I have with both of these diet "choices" is that they are not sustainable for me. I get burned out eating only lean meat and veggies or salad. I can only go so long without bread, potatoes, or other starchy foods. I think that is because our bodies know best. It knows that we need carbohydrates for fuel. The question is what are the best options for this fuel. For me, the answer is not so simple. I like sweets, desserts and chocolate! I could eat my weight in those things, but they are not going to give me any real nutritional value. I would only feel satisfied for a short time and them I would want to eat more.
What I am finding in My Journey To A New Me is that if I try to eat more lean protein, vegetables, and salads and sprinkle in bread selectively, aka my bagel thin in the morning, my biscuit on Saturdays, then I don't use all my calories on the things that make me feel stuffed. Let's look at yesterday for example. My sales team in our Georgia office won a sales contest against our New York counterpart. The reward? You guessed it, Food! (the very thing that I try not to reward myself with on a personal level. HaHaHa
Any way they brought in lunch for us yesterday from Olive Garden. There were huge bowls of salad, lasagna and grilled chicken Alfredo pasta. Oh and don't forget the endless Basket full of Garlic Breadsticks! Any way as I was walking down the hallway I could smell the itallian feast before I reached the conference room where everything was prepared and waiting,
I had a decision to make, do I just skip over the wimpy salad and jump feet first into the lasagna and chicken Alfredo trays or do I load my plate with salad (minus the croutons and cheese that were luckily served ala carte) and take a small serving from the two pasta dishes?
I know the anticipation is getting you, but I did the right thing for me. I had a full plate of salad with very little dressing and a very small serving of each pasta dish. The result? I was satisfied, no actually I was full! When I got back to my desk my stomach felt more than full! The pasta must have begun to swell or something and it felt like I had eaten the whole pan of Both! Good thing I did not enjoy those tempting breadsticks too! I would have definitely been miserable! So the moral of this story? In my humble opinion, carbs and fat are not the bad guys that we make them out to be. You must eat some carbs and fat in your diet but it is just what type and how much that really matter! Here's to healthier food choices from the carb and fat catergories in your near future!
So here is the "Skinny" on why the diets above do not work for me.
I checked Wikipedia for details regarding No Fat, Low Fat, Low Carb, No Carb diets. Both of these diets restrict the amount of fat or carbs that you are getting in your daily food intake. With the No Fat and Low Fat diet they stress that a no fat or low fat diet is not necessarily that you are not eating any foods that contain fat but that the food you are consuming has the right type of fat. By this they are referring to "healthy fat". (I don't know about you, but I did not know there was anything healthy about any type of fat!) The menu for this type of diet includes dairy products, lean meats, and heart-healthy oils but you must monitor the amount and type of fat in the item.
Low-carbohydrate diets - low carb diets are dietary programs that restrict the amount of carbohydrates that you consume. Most diabetics try to stay within a lower carb lifestyle to help maintain a healthy blood sugar ratio. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates would be breads, pastas, and Potatoes. The Atkins Diet is probably the most popular and well known diet of this type. Many people can lose large amounts of weight quickly on this type of diet because they are not taking in the foods that give you carbs.
The biggest problem that I have with both of these diet "choices" is that they are not sustainable for me. I get burned out eating only lean meat and veggies or salad. I can only go so long without bread, potatoes, or other starchy foods. I think that is because our bodies know best. It knows that we need carbohydrates for fuel. The question is what are the best options for this fuel. For me, the answer is not so simple. I like sweets, desserts and chocolate! I could eat my weight in those things, but they are not going to give me any real nutritional value. I would only feel satisfied for a short time and them I would want to eat more.
What I am finding in My Journey To A New Me is that if I try to eat more lean protein, vegetables, and salads and sprinkle in bread selectively, aka my bagel thin in the morning, my biscuit on Saturdays, then I don't use all my calories on the things that make me feel stuffed. Let's look at yesterday for example. My sales team in our Georgia office won a sales contest against our New York counterpart. The reward? You guessed it, Food! (the very thing that I try not to reward myself with on a personal level. HaHaHa
Any way they brought in lunch for us yesterday from Olive Garden. There were huge bowls of salad, lasagna and grilled chicken Alfredo pasta. Oh and don't forget the endless Basket full of Garlic Breadsticks! Any way as I was walking down the hallway I could smell the itallian feast before I reached the conference room where everything was prepared and waiting,
I had a decision to make, do I just skip over the wimpy salad and jump feet first into the lasagna and chicken Alfredo trays or do I load my plate with salad (minus the croutons and cheese that were luckily served ala carte) and take a small serving from the two pasta dishes?
I know the anticipation is getting you, but I did the right thing for me. I had a full plate of salad with very little dressing and a very small serving of each pasta dish. The result? I was satisfied, no actually I was full! When I got back to my desk my stomach felt more than full! The pasta must have begun to swell or something and it felt like I had eaten the whole pan of Both! Good thing I did not enjoy those tempting breadsticks too! I would have definitely been miserable! So the moral of this story? In my humble opinion, carbs and fat are not the bad guys that we make them out to be. You must eat some carbs and fat in your diet but it is just what type and how much that really matter! Here's to healthier food choices from the carb and fat catergories in your near future!
Monday, April 11, 2011
My Husband Is One Of A Kind
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| Kevin & Kathy at son's wedding May '2008 |
When it comes to husbands, I must say that I have the Best One!!! We have been married for over 27 years and we have made it through all the good times and the bad. You could say that he has stuck with me through "Thick and Thin". (No pun intended - okay well maybe a little pun intended)
I have been every size under the sun, and some in between. While he has maintained his youthful 36" waist for the past twenty five years. (The first two years of our marriage he was a 32 and then a 34.) I guess being happily married affected his waistline a little bit too! But he is my soulmate and I love him just the way he is. I would not change anything about him. But some times I wonder if he thinks the same towards me.
I often ask myself what is it that has held this marriage together all these years? Is it because I am the easiest person to get along with? Let me answer that, No! Is it because of my charm and outer beauty? Again I will answer that, No!
It is because we said vows before God, family and friends to Love, Honor and Cherish til death do us part? YES! The answer is YES!! Because neither of us has died yet, so we are still keeping this covenant to each other. And the love we have for one anoher continues to grow stronger and stronger with each passing year.
Why is it that so many marriages today end in divorce? Studies show that over 50% of all marriages end in divorce. It is not just marriages of non-christians, but of all marriages combined. This is very troubling and confusing for me.
Does one spouse wake up one morning and decide that they no longer love their mate? Does one spouse look at their mate and decide that their spouse has "let themself go" and they no longer want to be married to that person because they no longer look like they did when they were first married? I can honestly say that if outer appearance were the criteria for my husband staying in our marriage he could have left a long time ago. The pictures posted on this blog post include some pictures of us during the past few years, and you can look look at us. Really look at us. You can see the love in our eyes! We don't just love one another, but we are "in-love" with each other.
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| My & My Hubby at church January 2009 |
My love for my sweetheart grows with every passing day. He is my best friend and Number One encourager. He has stayed with me because he loves me. His love for me is unconditional. That means everything to me.
I know that we will have so much more fun once I have taken off more of this weight. Already we are planning a fun vacation out west this summer full of tons of activities and things to see.
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| Me & My Best Friend and Husband at the World of Coke (Feb. '2011) |
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Hitting The Mark, Not Just 50 ..... Hello 51 !!!!!!!!
I was at home by myself and had no one to share my good news with so I called my parents. They were both very happy with this accomplishment. They knew how hard I had worked to get here. I invited my dad to breakfast at my new favorite breakfast spot, C.G.'s Restuarant in my hometown, Hoschton, GA.
Hoschton is one of those towns that's hard to pronounce unless someone who lives there teaches you how to say it properly. You can always tell when someone who is not familiar with our very small town tries to say our city name. It always comes out sounding like "Houston" but this ain't no Houston! This is Hoschton, pronounced Hush-ton. Like your "pushing" something.
Any way we met up for a great breakfast including my favorite thing, biscuits, that are home made and are often referred to as "cathead" biscuits, Because that is how big they are! Oh and don't forget the white gravy. (don't worry, I still get the gravy on the side and "dip" my pieces of biscuit into that white creamy delight). My dad had a ham and cheese omelet and I had two eggs scrambled with a little cheese. But the highlight of my meal was not the food necessarily but the quality time spent with my dad. It has been a very long time since he and I shared a meal together when it was just he and I. Now don't get me wrong, I love spending time with both of my parents and we thoroughly enjoy living three miles away from them, but time spent with your dad just talking and sharing. You just can't put a price tag on that!
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| This is Me at the beginning of My Journey To A New Me! Nov. 2010 |
So how does it feel to be 51 pounds lighter you ask? Like I am not carrying around 10 Five Pounds of Potatoes anymore! How do you think it feels? Absolutely Womderful! I have so much more enery and every day when my foot touches the floor as I awake in the morning, I say Thank You Lord for another great day! Another day to do the right things and eat what I want up to my 1400 calories that is!
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| I'm going for it!! 75 Pounds By 7/4/2011 or Bust !!! |
Friday, April 8, 2011
Fridays Are Fabulous!
I love Fridays! Fridays are my favorite day of the week. You work hard all week to make it to Friday and the possibilities for the weekend seem endless. So much to do and only two days to squeeze it all in!
This Friday is already much better than last Friday because last Friday I was feeling bad and had decided that if things were not improved on Saturday that I would have to go to the doctor and get some medicine to help me fight the allergy junk that always gets me this time of year. Now don't get me wrong, I love the flowers, and beautiful flowering trees, shrubs and bushes like everyone else, but my eyes, nose and throat have something else to say about it! For three days last week I "self-medicated" myself with things you can buy over the counter. Well guess what? That stuff just don't work on me. So off to the doctor to get real medicine.
As usual they prescribed Z-pack and rest. My afternoon was spent with my now deceased Minnie Pearl as she lived out her final day. By Sunday morning I was not much improved and decided not to try and croak out any singing on the praise team at church and gave myself a day of rest.
Well almost a day of rest, except for doing our taxes! Another one of my least fun things to do every spring. By 11:30 pm I was ready to call it a day and our taxes were done. Now time to rest up and face another reek full of work work, and more work.
Then Monday morning brought me nothing but surprises. In my eyes that is! I could not open my right eye and my left eye was very red and puffy. Yep, you guessed it "pink eye". After a trip to the doctors office , my second one in three days, it was determined that I had bacterial pink eye and I was highly contagious. The doctor said "no work for you until Wednesday!" What? I had to be out two day! Two days? That is a lot of time off for me who does not like to be out of work. When I am out I get so far behind, and the poor people trying to handle my desk, my calls and my customers are not too happy either!
Those were the two longest days I can remember. Boredom over took me. And like most people when your bored. You look for something to do or eat! Yes, I said eat! I was sitting in my house, minding my own business when the thought came to me. I wonder what there is to eat? I wonder if there is anything salty in the pantry, like Pringles or Munchos, or other chips? Maybe a handful of mixed nuts? Then my thoughts turned to sweets. I remembered that I had made a home made yellow cake and had cut up some fresh strawberries with sugar for my husband to enjoy strawberry shortcake in the evenings after a long hard day. And as I began to think about the food choices, my thoughts turned to " it's not what your are thinking about eating Kathy, it's how much you are thinking about eating!"
Wow! Talk about a eye-opening experience! I had a moment where I could almost hear someone else saying these things to me. It was not my imagination, bur an inner voice that said "it's okay to eat those things, any of them that you want, but you need to think about how much you are going to eat, and how many calories that would be.". Then I stopped! I quit thinking about the food. I don't know why exactly. Maybe because I did what Gods word says, I took every thought captive. ( We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). I then started doing other things instead, like my parents taxes! Aren't I a great daughter?
So Wednesday I was back at work and digging myself out. I don't remember much about Wednesday or Thursday for that matter but I knew this morning was Friday! My day to get up, get moving, and get it done! Finished! Time for the weekend to begin. Now if I just had something fum to do? But regardless I have made it through another week, my taxes are behind me, and a beautiful weekend is fast approaching. I will keep you posted about how the weekend is shaping up, but I can tell you this Fridays are Fabulous, and I love every one of them!
This Friday is already much better than last Friday because last Friday I was feeling bad and had decided that if things were not improved on Saturday that I would have to go to the doctor and get some medicine to help me fight the allergy junk that always gets me this time of year. Now don't get me wrong, I love the flowers, and beautiful flowering trees, shrubs and bushes like everyone else, but my eyes, nose and throat have something else to say about it! For three days last week I "self-medicated" myself with things you can buy over the counter. Well guess what? That stuff just don't work on me. So off to the doctor to get real medicine.
As usual they prescribed Z-pack and rest. My afternoon was spent with my now deceased Minnie Pearl as she lived out her final day. By Sunday morning I was not much improved and decided not to try and croak out any singing on the praise team at church and gave myself a day of rest.
Well almost a day of rest, except for doing our taxes! Another one of my least fun things to do every spring. By 11:30 pm I was ready to call it a day and our taxes were done. Now time to rest up and face another reek full of work work, and more work.
Then Monday morning brought me nothing but surprises. In my eyes that is! I could not open my right eye and my left eye was very red and puffy. Yep, you guessed it "pink eye". After a trip to the doctors office , my second one in three days, it was determined that I had bacterial pink eye and I was highly contagious. The doctor said "no work for you until Wednesday!" What? I had to be out two day! Two days? That is a lot of time off for me who does not like to be out of work. When I am out I get so far behind, and the poor people trying to handle my desk, my calls and my customers are not too happy either!
Those were the two longest days I can remember. Boredom over took me. And like most people when your bored. You look for something to do or eat! Yes, I said eat! I was sitting in my house, minding my own business when the thought came to me. I wonder what there is to eat? I wonder if there is anything salty in the pantry, like Pringles or Munchos, or other chips? Maybe a handful of mixed nuts? Then my thoughts turned to sweets. I remembered that I had made a home made yellow cake and had cut up some fresh strawberries with sugar for my husband to enjoy strawberry shortcake in the evenings after a long hard day. And as I began to think about the food choices, my thoughts turned to " it's not what your are thinking about eating Kathy, it's how much you are thinking about eating!"
Wow! Talk about a eye-opening experience! I had a moment where I could almost hear someone else saying these things to me. It was not my imagination, bur an inner voice that said "it's okay to eat those things, any of them that you want, but you need to think about how much you are going to eat, and how many calories that would be.". Then I stopped! I quit thinking about the food. I don't know why exactly. Maybe because I did what Gods word says, I took every thought captive. ( We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). I then started doing other things instead, like my parents taxes! Aren't I a great daughter?
So Wednesday I was back at work and digging myself out. I don't remember much about Wednesday or Thursday for that matter but I knew this morning was Friday! My day to get up, get moving, and get it done! Finished! Time for the weekend to begin. Now if I just had something fum to do? But regardless I have made it through another week, my taxes are behind me, and a beautiful weekend is fast approaching. I will keep you posted about how the weekend is shaping up, but I can tell you this Fridays are Fabulous, and I love every one of them!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Anticipation Is Killing Me!
Have you ever wanted something so bad that you could not hardly wait to get it? Similar to how children and most adults are at Christmas time! We anxiously await for the appointed time to open our presents in anticipation over what we will receive. Well that is my feeling today and for the past four days.
You see my trip to Mr. Scale had some very promising news a few days ago and I was so close to what I wanted to see that I kept holding off writing this blog post in the hopes that I would have some really fantastic news. But I guess I am a little like the kid who gets their mom a really cool present with the help of their dad, and I can't wait any longer to spill the beans!
For the past four days I have been "hovering" on a particular weight loss goal that I had set for my self at the very beginning of this Journey To A New Me! Fifty pounds is so close I can almost taste it. I am .6 pounds away from this mile marker on my journey! Thank you all for your encouraging words along the way. It helps me to stay on the right path and continue a little farther in the right direction each day.
I know any day I will visit Mr. Scale and he will have such happy news to report but until then I will keep on keeping on. I will continue to do all the right things that have helped me to get this far. Who knows the next time you hear from me I might have moved right on past the 50 marker on my way down to 75!
You see my trip to Mr. Scale had some very promising news a few days ago and I was so close to what I wanted to see that I kept holding off writing this blog post in the hopes that I would have some really fantastic news. But I guess I am a little like the kid who gets their mom a really cool present with the help of their dad, and I can't wait any longer to spill the beans!
For the past four days I have been "hovering" on a particular weight loss goal that I had set for my self at the very beginning of this Journey To A New Me! Fifty pounds is so close I can almost taste it. I am .6 pounds away from this mile marker on my journey! Thank you all for your encouraging words along the way. It helps me to stay on the right path and continue a little farther in the right direction each day.
I know any day I will visit Mr. Scale and he will have such happy news to report but until then I will keep on keeping on. I will continue to do all the right things that have helped me to get this far. Who knows the next time you hear from me I might have moved right on past the 50 marker on my way down to 75!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Saying Good-Bye To A Family Member Is Never Easy
I was not sure if I would be able to write this blog post today because of the great sadness that has been on me since yesterday afternoon. My smallest adult miniature schnauzer, Minnie Pearl, died yesterday at the age of 12.
What was so hard for us was that it was so unexpected. She was not really sick and had been eating well since she had her 10 teeth pulled back in December. She seemed to be thriving and getting along so well with our two new miniature schnauzer pupplies, Harley & Allie, that we just did not see this coming. But over the past few days we noticed she was not eating and drinking and she was having problems breathing. She was keeping to herself, and she seemed very unsettled. Our oldest dog, Anastasia, "Annie", could sense that something was very wrong, but even she did not know that Minnie Pearl was living her last day.
We had decided before Saturday arrived that if she did not improve that we were not going to take her to the vet and try to do some miracle that would prolong her life for a few extra days, but that we would allow her to pass at home. It was probably one of the hardest decisions that we ever had to make. To watch an animal that you love and has been part of your family for over 12 years pass was heart-breaking.
In the past when I felt this great a loss, and this much pain, I would turn to food for comfort. Not just any food, but sweets and junk food. I would not allow myself to feel the pain. I tried to numb myself against the pain with food. But now I realize that all this did was offer a pathetic excuse to eat what and how much I wanted to.
This experience has given me a chance to reflect on all the good times that I have had with my Minnie Pearl. I will miss her so much but I know that we did the right thing by letting her pass in her sleep while in the comfort of her own little bed. I am happy to say that I did not turn to food during this time of grief and have been able to continue doing the right things on my journey to a new me. We still have our two new puppies, and our Annie is still hanging in there for now. I know that things will be a little less hectic without four dogs to tend to, but we sure will miss our Minnie Pearl.
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| Minnie Pearl passed away Saturday 4/2/2011 |
I was not sure if I would be able to write this blog post today because of the great sadness that has been on me since yesterday afternoon. My smallest adult miniature schnauzer, Minnie Pearl, died yesterday at the age of 12.
What was so hard for us was that it was so unexpected. She was not really sick and had been eating well since she had her 10 teeth pulled back in December. She seemed to be thriving and getting along so well with our two new miniature schnauzer pupplies, Harley & Allie, that we just did not see this coming. But over the past few days we noticed she was not eating and drinking and she was having problems breathing. She was keeping to herself, and she seemed very unsettled. Our oldest dog, Anastasia, "Annie", could sense that something was very wrong, but even she did not know that Minnie Pearl was living her last day.
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| (Left to Right, Annie & Minnie Pearl) |
We had decided before Saturday arrived that if she did not improve that we were not going to take her to the vet and try to do some miracle that would prolong her life for a few extra days, but that we would allow her to pass at home. It was probably one of the hardest decisions that we ever had to make. To watch an animal that you love and has been part of your family for over 12 years pass was heart-breaking.
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| Chips & Salsa |
This experience has given me a chance to reflect on all the good times that I have had with my Minnie Pearl. I will miss her so much but I know that we did the right thing by letting her pass in her sleep while in the comfort of her own little bed. I am happy to say that I did not turn to food during this time of grief and have been able to continue doing the right things on my journey to a new me. We still have our two new puppies, and our Annie is still hanging in there for now. I know that things will be a little less hectic without four dogs to tend to, but we sure will miss our Minnie Pearl.
I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now !
I am a true believer in the old saying "Hind Sight Is 20/20.". Why? Because in my case it is true. I look back at my life, the past 47 years, and I can now see things more clearly than I could before. During the past twenty-seven years of marriage I have gained and lost so much more than weight.
Because of the choices that I have been making, particularly the food choices and the amount of food that I was consuming I have missed out on so many opportunities ( aka: activities ) because of my weight and size.
My husband loves me for me. He sees the "real me" the me that I am at the core. He fell in love with this Georgia born and bred girl who has always had a weight problem. I was not a small person when we began dating back in February 1981, and I was even heavier on our wedding day on December 10, 1983.
The first year of our marriage I was so blissfully in love and happy with my new life as a wife tthat I gained 50 pounds! The extra pounds just seemed to jump on me overnight! I was eating without thinking, and enjoying my life to the fullest. Or so it seemed. We would stop by his parents house on our way home from work, and enjoy a great home cooked meal, and any dessert that his mom would bake.
Now I look back at those early days of the marriage and a see a young 20 year girl who was out of control. I guess "Love is Blind" would be an applicable statement. I had started down a path that continued for the next 27 years! I really thought that I was happy and fulfilled with our life. But the farther that I go on this Journey To A New Me, the more that I can see that there were so many things that I missed out on along the way.
I can remember after we had adoped our children and we took them to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL the first summer that we had them living in our home. There was so much to see and do, but I was the overweight mom who had to sit by the sidelines many times because the ride was not made for someone of my size to enjoy. I remembered riding on Space Mountain earlier in my life and wanted to enjoy it with my children but because of my size, this was not possible.
The same thing happened a few years later at Six Flags Over Georgia. The new Superman ride came out and we promised to take our kids during Spring Break. We got to the ride and they had a empty ride seat out front for you to "try" before you waited in the extremely long line to make sure that you could fit and be comfortable. I could wedge my butt into the seat but the part that pulled down over your head and shoulders was no where near going to engage and lock. There was just too much of me in the way! So how embarassing for me to tell my kids again to go ride with their dad because I could not do it.
I made promises to myself on both of the occassions above to "Do Something About It"
(my weight) but I never did. Well I did do something about it, I gained even more weight. In more recent years I can remember going on vacations with my husband and my parents out west to the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Natural Bridges National Park, and other really cool places. But I can remember that the walk or hike to see some of the off the beaten path type sights were just too hard for me to do and my mom and my husband would take the little side trip to see some of the really cool stuff that I did not think that I could do. Today I am mad at myself because these are things that I missed out on!
One really enjoyable memory was when they talked me into walking the distance at Arches National Park to see the North and South Window. I can remember at first starting to argue
with them that I did not think that I could do it, and that I would just stay at the car with my
dad who struggles with his left leg. But something happened, and I decided to forget about how tired I was and to just do it. I set my own pace. I did not try to "keep up" with them, but let them go at their own pace ahead of me. Well I am happy to say that I accomplished it! We stayed there and enjoyed the view for quite some time. We watched as a huge storm approached from the south and we could see the rain and lightening as it moved across the desert.
I am learning more and more about myself and why I am the
way that I am with each passing day. I believe it is true "If I knew then what I know now" I would probably have enjoyed many more things with my husband, children and family. I know that I can't live in the past and I choose to live without any regrets. Every day is a new day for me full of experiences that I want to embrace because now that I am on this journey to a new me there is no telling how much "real living" is ahead of me. Who knows how many things that I will finally be able to do since I will no longer be too big or too heavy to live my life to the fullest! We are planning our next trip now and I can't wait to see how much that I am able to do and experience!!!!
 |
| Kathy & Kevin Wedding Day 12-10-83 |
I am a true believer in the old saying "Hind Sight Is 20/20.". Why? Because in my case it is true. I look back at my life, the past 47 years, and I can now see things more clearly than I could before. During the past twenty-seven years of marriage I have gained and lost so much more than weight.
Because of the choices that I have been making, particularly the food choices and the amount of food that I was consuming I have missed out on so many opportunities ( aka: activities ) because of my weight and size.
My husband loves me for me. He sees the "real me" the me that I am at the core. He fell in love with this Georgia born and bred girl who has always had a weight problem. I was not a small person when we began dating back in February 1981, and I was even heavier on our wedding day on December 10, 1983.
 |
| Hot Apple Dumpling like Kevin's Mom Used to Make!!! |
The first year of our marriage I was so blissfully in love and happy with my new life as a wife tthat I gained 50 pounds! The extra pounds just seemed to jump on me overnight! I was eating without thinking, and enjoying my life to the fullest. Or so it seemed. We would stop by his parents house on our way home from work, and enjoy a great home cooked meal, and any dessert that his mom would bake.
Now I look back at those early days of the marriage and a see a young 20 year girl who was out of control. I guess "Love is Blind" would be an applicable statement. I had started down a path that continued for the next 27 years! I really thought that I was happy and fulfilled with our life. But the farther that I go on this Journey To A New Me, the more that I can see that there were so many things that I missed out on along the way.
I made promises to myself on both of the occassions above to "Do Something About It"
 |
| Turret Arch at Arches National Park Moab, UT (9/2008) |
One really enjoyable memory was when they talked me into walking the distance at Arches National Park to see the North and South Window. I can remember at first starting to argue
 |
| Me in front of the South Window at Arches National Park (9/2008) |
dad who struggles with his left leg. But something happened, and I decided to forget about how tired I was and to just do it. I set my own pace. I did not try to "keep up" with them, but let them go at their own pace ahead of me. Well I am happy to say that I accomplished it! We stayed there and enjoyed the view for quite some time. We watched as a huge storm approached from the south and we could see the rain and lightening as it moved across the desert.
I am learning more and more about myself and why I am the
way that I am with each passing day. I believe it is true "If I knew then what I know now" I would probably have enjoyed many more things with my husband, children and family. I know that I can't live in the past and I choose to live without any regrets. Every day is a new day for me full of experiences that I want to embrace because now that I am on this journey to a new me there is no telling how much "real living" is ahead of me. Who knows how many things that I will finally be able to do since I will no longer be too big or too heavy to live my life to the fullest! We are planning our next trip now and I can't wait to see how much that I am able to do and experience!!!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Studies Show That Fat Cells Die And Are Replaced
I was wondering what happens to fat cells when you lose weight and I really did not know who to ask. So I asked Google Search. The funny thing is he knew the answer immediately! All types of answers came up but the one that really got my attention was one titled " Studies Show That Fat Cells Die And Are Replaced " it sounded interesting so I continued to read.
The article began by explaining that every year regardless of how fat, obese or thin a person is, whether you lose weight or gain weight that year, 10% of your fat cells die that year! WOW! This was just the news that I have been waiting for! But wait... There's more, and every year when those fat cells die they are replaced by new fat cells. ( reported by Swedish researchers). Wait! Hold on a minute! First you give us the good news that our fat cells die at a rate of 10% per year, then you hit us in the belly with the news that we gain new fat cells to replace those that die. What? So it ain't so! But it is! And guess what? Those new fat cells are hungry! They are new and improved fat cells and they want to make their mark in the fat cell world! They want to be the biggest and baddest fat cell out there!
The study continued to state that the number of fat cells that we have throughout adulthood remains the same year after year regardless of our weight loss or weight gain. Even when they studied people who had gastric bypass surgery and had lost 100 or more pounds! They still had the same number of fat cells in their body!
So the question is why? Obesity investigators say the study raises many questions.
1. What determines how many fat cells are in a persons body?
2. When is that number determined?
3. Is there a way to intervene so that the amount of fat cells could be reduced in adulthood?
4. Could obesity be treated by making fat cells die quicker than they are born?
The answer to all of these questions is they simply don't know. They can study and speculate but there is no concrete answers to these thought provoking questions. What they have stated is, Even if scientists knew how the fat cell system worked, it was not clear that it would be safe or effective to treat obesity by intervening. One of the hard lessons of the past couple of decades has been that the body has redundant controls to maintain weight. “I suspect that the body’s regulation of weight is so complex that if you intervene at this site, something else is going to happen to neutralize this intervention,” Dr. Salans said.
There was a time a few decades ago, before the current interest in how the brain regulates how much is eaten, when obesity researchers spent all their time studying and discussing fat cells. Investigators discovered that fat people had more fat cells than thin people and that fat cells shrank with weight loss and bulged with weight gain.
Dr. Jules Hirsch of New York, who did many of the initial studies with humans, said he started because he could not understand why people who lost weight regained. “They should have been cured,” Dr. Hirsch said. After all, he said, if you cut out a fatty tumor, the fat does not grow back. Why was fat lost from dieting different?
The result was the fat cell hypothesis, a notion that obsessed researchers. Fat cells, the hypothesis said, are laid down early in life and after that, they can change only in size, not in number. When people lose weight and their fat cells shrink, that creates a signal to fill the cells again, making people regain. “We didn’t know a lot about obesity, so that was what we talked about,” Dr. Flier said.
What I learned about fat cells reading this article is that no one, not the doctors, researchers, or the medical investigators can figure out the life span of a fat cell or why you can't just get rid of them. Regardless of how much weight you lose in your lifetime, or how many weight loss surgeries someone has, the bottom line is the same. But I do know that the God of this universe created me and all other living things and he uniquely designed each of us so that we can live, grow and thrive with fat cells. My goal is to just have more fat cells that aren't so fat any more. So, I will continue down this path on a journey to a new me and see if I can run into some skinny fat cells down the road!
The article began by explaining that every year regardless of how fat, obese or thin a person is, whether you lose weight or gain weight that year, 10% of your fat cells die that year! WOW! This was just the news that I have been waiting for! But wait... There's more, and every year when those fat cells die they are replaced by new fat cells. ( reported by Swedish researchers). Wait! Hold on a minute! First you give us the good news that our fat cells die at a rate of 10% per year, then you hit us in the belly with the news that we gain new fat cells to replace those that die. What? So it ain't so! But it is! And guess what? Those new fat cells are hungry! They are new and improved fat cells and they want to make their mark in the fat cell world! They want to be the biggest and baddest fat cell out there!
The study continued to state that the number of fat cells that we have throughout adulthood remains the same year after year regardless of our weight loss or weight gain. Even when they studied people who had gastric bypass surgery and had lost 100 or more pounds! They still had the same number of fat cells in their body!
So the question is why? Obesity investigators say the study raises many questions.
1. What determines how many fat cells are in a persons body?
2. When is that number determined?
3. Is there a way to intervene so that the amount of fat cells could be reduced in adulthood?
4. Could obesity be treated by making fat cells die quicker than they are born?
The answer to all of these questions is they simply don't know. They can study and speculate but there is no concrete answers to these thought provoking questions. What they have stated is, Even if scientists knew how the fat cell system worked, it was not clear that it would be safe or effective to treat obesity by intervening. One of the hard lessons of the past couple of decades has been that the body has redundant controls to maintain weight. “I suspect that the body’s regulation of weight is so complex that if you intervene at this site, something else is going to happen to neutralize this intervention,” Dr. Salans said.
There was a time a few decades ago, before the current interest in how the brain regulates how much is eaten, when obesity researchers spent all their time studying and discussing fat cells. Investigators discovered that fat people had more fat cells than thin people and that fat cells shrank with weight loss and bulged with weight gain.
Dr. Jules Hirsch of New York, who did many of the initial studies with humans, said he started because he could not understand why people who lost weight regained. “They should have been cured,” Dr. Hirsch said. After all, he said, if you cut out a fatty tumor, the fat does not grow back. Why was fat lost from dieting different?
The result was the fat cell hypothesis, a notion that obsessed researchers. Fat cells, the hypothesis said, are laid down early in life and after that, they can change only in size, not in number. When people lose weight and their fat cells shrink, that creates a signal to fill the cells again, making people regain. “We didn’t know a lot about obesity, so that was what we talked about,” Dr. Flier said.
What I learned about fat cells reading this article is that no one, not the doctors, researchers, or the medical investigators can figure out the life span of a fat cell or why you can't just get rid of them. Regardless of how much weight you lose in your lifetime, or how many weight loss surgeries someone has, the bottom line is the same. But I do know that the God of this universe created me and all other living things and he uniquely designed each of us so that we can live, grow and thrive with fat cells. My goal is to just have more fat cells that aren't so fat any more. So, I will continue down this path on a journey to a new me and see if I can run into some skinny fat cells down the road!
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