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Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Three D's On My Journey

It is time to catch you all up on my progress over the last three months. It really is very simple.  During the last three months I have gained and lost the same pound over and over.  It is so strange that what has worked for the previous 12 months while on my journey to a new me now seems to be uneffective.

To say that I am not discouraged and disappointed would be a lie. I can see in pictures the progress that I have made. I can feel it in my clothes. But when the scale just sits there on the same number day after day it gets to be more than a little annoying.

Last night my husband told me to "get up and don't be down" and he reminded me to remember just how far I have come. So with that little pep talk I am going to start fresh and new. Beginning today I am going to begin blogging on a more regular basis than I had been. It may not make since to some, but just like some people need Weight Watchers and their weekly "weigh-in" and meetings, I need to blog. I need the accountability that it provides. When I blog, the good the bad and the ugly, I am holding myself accountable.

So I am saying "Good-Bye" to the black cloud of disappointment, discouragement and despair over my lack luster weight loss results thus far in '2012. Today is a new day. Today is the "new" beginning on my journey to a new me. I believe in myself and I know that I can still achieve my goal to lose 50 pounds in '2012!

So let me ask you. How many of you are discouraged in your own journey? Why don't you join me in a renewed effort to do it! Find a friend or family member to become accountability partners with, or reach out to me. We can do it! We can overcome this and reach our destination before you know it!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

More Great Advise From The Experts

I posted yesterday some great pointers from an health and fitness article that I read on msn.com and I realized that there were more ideas that my readers may find helpful.  Please check out these points and see if you agree.

Practice Patience

"Rome wasn't built in a day"—that’s the mentality that should follow healthy weight loss, says Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. You didn’t gain the weight in a single week, so don’t expect it to fly off in seven days either. Successfully slimming down requires small, gradual changes and developing healthy behaviors that will last a lifetime, notes Gans. “The winner in weight loss is not the person who loses weight the fastest, but rather the person who keeps it off the longest,” she says.

Leave Liquid Calories Behind

Sure, the bubbles make you feel full at first, but sugary sodas and other calorie-laden drinks won’t keep hunger at bay past the time you toss the empty bottle in the recycling bin. Save your calories for food and opt for beverages that contain 5 calories or less, suggests Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson Angela Ginn, RD. She also advises making water your thirst quencher 80% of the time. “Hydration is important to metabolism and giving you an extra boost to burn calories,” she says.

Don’t Make Dieting About Deprivation

“Eat more to lose weight”—it’s exactly the opposite of what you’d expect to hear from a dietician. But eating small meals more frequently and adding healthy foods, like fruits and veggies, to your diet can produce lasting weight loss, says Jason Machowsky, RD, CSCS, owner of JM Wellness. Machowsky prefers to use this strategy with his clients opposed to rattling off a list of what they cannot enjoy.

Snack, Don’t Graze

A well-timed snack can do wonders for appetite control and prevent you from going overboard at your next meal. “The trouble is we've become a nation of grazers, eating all day long so we never really know if we're hungry or not,” says Karen Ansel, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and co-author of The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life. Eating every three to four hours is enough to control blood sugar and keep hunger at bay, she says. One to two 150-calorie snacks per day should be all you need.

Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

“Weight loss is a journey and each of us has our own story to tell,” says Heather Mangieri, RD, founder of Nutrition CheckUp, LLC and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Adopting an “all or nothing” attitude, comparing ourselves to others, and focusing on eating a perfect diet are habits that set us up to fail, she says. “Learning to accept our downfalls, and then being able to get back on track is a very important part of the journey.”

WOW!!  Now those are some really great insights on how to lose weight and get healthy that you can take to the bank!   I love the "Focus on Progress, Not Perfection'.  That is exactly what I have been trying to do while on my journey to a new me.  I started my own journey to a new me over fourteen months ago and even though I have hit a road block, I have seen physical results that are very encouraging.  I will tell you about some of them in my next post!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Great Weight Loss Advice From The Experts

Today I read some very interesting information in the  msn.com health section.  You may find some of these ideas interesting as well.  Check it out for yourself, and try a few of them if you dare.

Begin with Breakfast

Overhauling your eating habits can be overwhelming, but if you’re serious about it, you have to start somewhere. “If a client is at a loss for where to start a weight loss plan, I encourage them to think about breakfast first,” says Sarah Krieger, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Krieger advises clients to fill up on foods packed with protein and fiber. “If they typically eat nothing for breakfast, I encourage them to start by having a piece of fruit and nonfat latte.”

Follow the 15-Minute Rule

It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to realize that your belly’s full, says Erin Palinski, RD, CPT, author of the forthcoming Belly Fat Diet for Dummies. After polishing off a plate of food, Palinksi tells clients to step away for 15 minutes and distract themselves by drinking water, going for a walk—anything that takes their minds off of food. “If you are still truly hungry, it’s okay to go back for a bit more, but most of the time you will find that you actually are satisfied,” she says.

Dine in a Distraction-Free Zone

“When it comes to weight loss, the biggest mistake my clients make is eating while working, driving, watching TV, and so on,” says Alyse Levine, RD, of the Los Angeles-based nutrition practice Nutritionbite. Multitasking at mealtime encourages you to chow down when you’re not hungry or munch more than you need to feel full, she explains. Have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks at a table without a screen in sight.

Put Quality Food Before Calorie-Counting

Eating fewer calories is the key to losing weight. And while you could technically munch your way to a smaller waistline by nibbling 100-calorie packs of cookies and crackers all day, eating more of the right foods is an essential part of staying on track, says Marjorie Nolan, RD, CPT, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson. She teaches clients to harness the hunger hormone ghrelin by combining items from each food group in ways that cut cravings between meals. For example, mix fiber and protein at breakfast or protein and carbohydrates postworkout.

Split Your Lunch

No, we don’t mean pack enough for a coworker, too. Share your lunch with yourself. “Eat just half your sandwich or salad, and save the other half for that inevitable 2:30 energy slump or potential vending machine raid,” suggests Marisa Moore, RD, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson. If you do need an afternoon snack, go for pistachios in the shell. “Not only are pistachios a crunchy source of fiber, protein, and heart-healthy fats, the process of shelling the nuts slows down the eating process and gives your body more time to register the feeling of fullness,” Moore says.

These are only a few of the ideas shared in the article from msn.com.  But I must admit that I really liked them, and especially the last one about splitting your lunch.  I think that it is time that I used some of these idea to help me get around my road block.  I am never giving up, and neither should you!  We deserve to be the best and healthiest that we can be.