Measuring Success

Have you ever noticed how great you feel at check in time when you've been doing well? That feeling is important! It takes you back to the days of getting a gold star from the teacher, a pat on the back from a co-worker, or kudos from the boss.  Feeling good about working hard and making progress is a big deal.

So in the world of a healthy lifestyle of eating well and moving more, what does a successful check in look like?  What does it consist of? Everyone's benchmarks will look completely different and that's A-okay.  It's important that you identify what a successful, week/day/hour looks like for you. If you aren't sure how to measure your success, here are a couple ideas.

• Your head is happy with your choices for food.
• Your body is happy with your movement choices.
• Your stomach is content - not too full, not hungry, just comfy and satisfied.
• If you are following a plan you know you stuck to the plan at least 90% of the time. Don't beat yourself up over the % - there is room for interpretation there depending on your history.
• The scale has dropped.
• Your clothes fit better, are getting loose, need to be down-sized.
• You stuck to your plan for the whole week/day/hour. (Again this all depends on your history.)
• Your hair is shinier.
• Your skin is glowing.
• Your finger nails are strong.
• Your self confidence is growing.
• You planned the meals for the week.  Then shopped, prepared and enjoyed them. 

What does success look like for you?  Remember if you're just starting - baby steps are key.  You can't change everything all at once.  One thing at a time and when that feels comfortable, then change another thing - before you know it you'll have made many healthy changes!  

Don't forget to watch for success and give yourself a pat on the back or that gold star!

My check in report after three days of renewing my focus?  So far terrific!  Happy with food choices, movement not too bad, tummy is satisfied, percent on plan is high.  It's too early to tell on the scale or in the fit of my clothes, but the confidence is growing. 

How are you doing?  What other ways do you use to measure success?   

Greetings friends after a VERY long hiatus!
I have been slowly traveling a slippery slope.  To be transparent and honest with you, I've been able to stay at/under/near goal for 8 years. Last year I was 5 pounds over and this year I'm 10 over.  It's time to pay serious attention!   So went back to review my old posts to help propel me to a good frame of mind regarding healthy eating.  I came upon this post from 2008 and thought it was a good place to start. After revisiting this post I've prepared a shopping list and am heading to the grocery store this afternoon with renewed purpose. 

Anyone want to join me?  
We can do this together!
Hugs,
Patti
    

Sunday, October 19, 2008
They said the day would come...
They said the day would come that staying at goal weight would become a challenge. I am sad to say my friends that after 2 years at goal that day has come. I am officially 2.4 pounds over my goal. I am 10 pounds heavier than I was a year ago. This is not good and does not make me feel good.

I was thinking about it this afternoon and I came to the conclusion that I can do as I've done in the past and just ignore it and see what happens OR I can set my mind to doing something to make a change.

Option #1 - Ignore it and see what happens - hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm experience has proven time and again that when I just ignore it, "IT" does not go away. The problem gets worse and I become very unhappy with myself.

Option #2 - Set my mind to doing something to make a change - Not the easy route by any means; but the best route nonetheless. This has to be my choice. In fact, there is no choice in my mind. I also listened when they said to give away all my larger clothes. I cannot change size or I'll have nothing to wear.

The tough part...how to put my plan into action. Here's what I decided to do:
Get back to following the CORE food plan with a fervor.
Go grocery shopping and buy healthy food that supports my efforts. I allowed NOTHING in my cart that would compromise my efforts. (Ask Thorsten, he tried really hard and even tried "pouting" but I would not give in!)
Cook up a big pot of beef barley and veggie soup. This will give me plenty of easy, healthy lunches or fast suppers this week so I don't fall into the "I'm tired, hurried, etc. trap"
Cook up a pot of homemade chili. (reference above)
Prep veggies - clean and cut them for easy munching.
Make sure I get my water in each day.
I decided these were the items I will focus on this week. I will exercise, but it won't be in the written plan until next week.

As a friend/family how can you best support me in my efforts?
Ask me how it's going - it's okay to acknowledge this is a time of struggle for me.
Don't suggest or ask if I'd like to have a cookie, ice cream or pizza. I'm weak right now and if I give in I will regret it later. Trust me.
Ask if I'd like to go for a walk or do something that gets me out and moving.
Ask if I'd like to see a movie.
Celebrate with me when I succeed! Without food :)

They told me this day would come.

A New Day

Today is a new day.

It doesn't matter that in June I told myself, "It's time for a new start.  I can do this."  .... and then I did very little.  I guess I wasn't ready to make the changes necessary.

Today is a new day.

Yesterday I decided it was time to make necessary changes.  Yesterday went very well.  Today has been going really well.

I don't have to change everything at once.  Just one thing at a time.  My bad habits didn't all come back at once.  They edged back into my life slowly...one at a time.

Today is a new day.  Are you ready? 

Do Something!

How do you know when the time is right to break out and start moving more?  The flat out answer is RIGHT NOW!  Now is the best time to do SOMETHING.  After I started losing weight I knew I'd eventually need (want?) to start exercising.  When I was younger I was quite active and enjoyed running but at 50 pounds heavier I was really not doing much of anything.  So when I decided it was time to start moving I figured that ANYTHING was better than the NOTHING that I had been doing.

If you haven't been exercising you'll want to check with your doctor first and when you have a green light from the doc start slow.  Where you start depends on your fitness level.  Do what is right for you whether that is a simple walk around the block or lifting Progresso soup cans for dumbbells.  You'll want to test the waters with something reasonable and be careful to NOT overdo it on the first day.  Many people have been known to go all out on the first day and then be injured or too sore to do something again the next day.

Our goal is to work up to 30 minutes of movement on most days.

You'll find that as you get used to it you'll enjoy it and will naturally want to increase the time and/or intensity.

I started by mowing the lawn.  Then I started walking.  I went further and I went faster until finally I was moving at a pretty good clip.  From walking I moved to the elliptical and from the elliptical I started running and that's another whole topic in itself.  (Click here to read about when I ran a marathon.)

Although still very useful for other
"stuff" running shoes need to be
replaced every 500 miles or so

The important thing is to do SOMETHING because anything is better than nothing my friends.

BONUS:  When you start moving more by walking, running or playing badminton you get to wear really awesome and colorful shoes!  Check out my nice little collection of lightning fast Kinvaras made by Saucony.  These little babies are SWEET!   

It's OKAY

Before every flight takes off the flight attendant goes through all the safety information.  The exits are located here, this is how you fasten your seatbelt, if you need oxygen put your mask on before helping others who need assistance...

Wait.  Stop.  Take care of ME first?

It is ingrained in our very nature to put others first, to put the needs of our children and family before our own so why would we possible put our own mask on first?  Because if you pass out due to lack of oxygen then you are not able to assist anyone else.  You are rendered helpless and then neither of you are in a good place.

So, you ask, what does that have to do with weight loss and healthy lifestyle?

It's the same principle my friends.  If you are constantly putting others first and neglecting yourself and your own needs at some point you will not be healthy.  You will not be in a good place.  You will not be able to do the things for your family that you'd like to.  Self-care is important and if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anything else.

It's OKAY to say no to them sometimes.
It's OKAY to schedule your work out time and let them go to plan B.
It's OKAY to fix a healthy meal for the WHOLE family and not eat chicken nuggets because that's what the kids would prefer.
It's OKAY to put everyone to bed early so you can get your rest.
It's OKAY to say no to a stop at Dairy Queen
It's OKAY to say no to a candy bar at the gas station or grocery store if it threatens your willpower and resolve
It's OKAY to take everyone for a walk instead of playing video games
It's OKAY to make sure you have what you need so you can be healthy and feel good.

Trust me.
It's OKAY.   

Pay Attention Girlfriend!

It's time to revisit some very basic and yet very important tips that can be key in a healthy lifestyle.  Over the upcoming weeks thats the plan and today we start with....

Pay attention!  Pay attention!  Pay attention!

Pay attention to the act of eating.  It is so appealing and so very easy to eat while watching TV, reading a book, working on the computer or doing something else but DON'T DO IT!  I find that if I am distracted while eating I don't taste it, don't enjoy it and sometimes don't even remember eating it.  This is just not acceptable.  Every bite should be tasted, enjoyed and not rushed.  If you do this you'll find that you appreciate the flavors and will eat a lot less.

Personal check in:  I am home alone most days and usually eat both breakfast and lunch by myself.  I realize that I have fallen into a habit of reading or working on the computer while I eat and thus I've been eating more.  It stops today!  From now on I plan to taste and enjoy every bite.    

Let's Start At The Very Beginning....

 As I type I can hear Julie Andrew's voice starting the famous song from the Sound of Music.  "Let's start at the very beginning.  It's a very good place to start."  Oh my, how very true those words are when it comes to healthy eating and weight loss as well!  If you haven't been living a particularly healthy lifestyle and want to make some changes to get on track it can be a very daunting and scary task.  So let's look at a couple small changes that will make a big difference in the long run.

Step One
Figure out what you are currently eating.  Are you eating junk?  Are you eating fruits and vegetables?  Are you eating items loaded with sugar?  High in calorie content?  High in fat?  Take a look at the labels and find out what you are putting in your body.  You won't know if you don't look.

Know what a
serving size looks like.

Read the labels!

Step Two
Look at the PORTION size for those items.  To keep it simple, if it's fresh fruits or vegetables use a piece (ie: a banana, an apple, a potato) as a single portion or use 1 cup for leafy items and a 1/2 cup for the others as good guideline.  If it's a packaged food it will say on the label what the portion size is and you'll be quite surprised to find out what a single serving of cereal or chips actually looks like when it's measured out.  Some items will pleasantly surprise you and others will NOT bring a smile to your face.  Trust me on this.

Step Three
Keep track and write it all down.  All. Of. It.  Every bite, lick and taste.   The only way to really do that is to write it down or track it using an online tool.  (There are a couple online trackers I've used and was pleased with both for different reasons.  One is Weight Watcher's online tracker (which has a fee involved) and the other is a free product from Livestrong.)  Weight Watchers tracks using the Points Plus Values and Livestrong tracks calories.  Both are good tools for our current purpose.

Knowledge is power and right now our goal is to get educated on WHAT and HOW MUCH we are eating.  Being aware, learning portions and journaling is a great place to start.

Do, rey, mi.  The first three notes just happen to be....

Being In Control

I think feeling that we are "in control" of what we are eating is a big deal to most of us.  I know it is to me and this past week I am feeling much more in control of what I put in my mouth.  I'm remembering to ask myself, "Are you hungry?" and I'm doing MUCH better about not eating for the sake of eating in the evenings.  I actually went to bed feeling a smidge hungry the other night!  Haven't done THAT in a long time.

Oddly enough when I'm in control of what I eat, I also feel in better control of other areas of my life.  So which comes first - control in life or control in eating?  The chicken or the egg?  Perhaps it's just an overall mindset and general feeling, kind of like an internal compass.

I'll have to ponder that one for awhile.  Thoughts anyone?

Be Prepared!

I am extremely busy this week and see my good and wonderful eating habits falling to the wayside.  What's with that!?!  Reminder to self:

My body needs excellent fuel and adequate rest right now in order to perform in the manner I need it to.


Okay - I've been reminded.  Now I'm off to eat a healthy breakfast and pack a nutritional lunch so I can do the things efficiently that I need to do.

Bacher out.

Wrong side of the bed?!

Last night I slept on the other side of the bed and it felt very "wrong".  It wasn't right or wrong obviously, but it felt awkward.  So I've been pondering why it felt "awkward".   If I sleep in a hotel bed or at my mother's house or somewhere else and I'm on the other side of the bed, it doesn't feel awkward.  So I've come to the conclusion that it is simply that we are creatures of habit and breaking outside of our habits feels awkward.   And in some cases it can be downright hard.

Take eating and exercising habits for instance.  We get into patterns - whether good or bad - and then it's awkward to break the cycle.  This is a good thing with the good habits, but when we have bad habits that we are trying to break it can be very difficult.  Although sometimes uncontrollable forces have a very definite impact on our habits and can throw them off kilter before we realize it has become a problem.

The change in seasons has done that to me.  I was really enjoying my exercising and running outside through the spring and summer.  Now the weather has turned rainy (cold isn't so bad...but it just seems like it's raining all the time) and I'm finding myself not exercising nearly as much as I used to.   And suddenly it feels awkward - and I don't like it.

I'm going to have to weigh the options and decide a new course of action.  Last year I used my elliptical almost daily.  It was convenient and I really enjoyed it.  This year it doesn't sound quite as appealing, and I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with the social aspect that I've come to enjoy when I run or bike with friends.  My initial thoughts are to join the YMCA, another gym, or to use the work out room where I live.  In the past I've been quick to join but then find that I don't use the membership and the $$ goes to waste, so I don't want to just jump into that course of action without a strong commitment that I'll go and use it.

I think half the battle is REALIZING that a habit is heading in a "not so good" direction so that corrective action can be taken before a new "bad" habit has been created and accepted.

I'll let you know what I decide.  In the meantime I'm going to go put on my workout clothes, get on my elliptical and contemplate which side of the bed to sleep on tonight.

Faith vs Fear....Positive vs Negative

Great conversations this week on positive thought versus negative thought. Think you can or think you can't....either way you're right! (thanks Henry Ford) It's one of those head things that is crucial to your success on many levels. Weight Watchers considers it a Helpful Habit and I consider it key to my mental well being! I saw the following and really like it so thought I'd share....


THE CHOICE IS YOURS

Do you know what Fear and Faith have in common? A future that hasn’t happened yet. Fear believes in a negative future. Faith believes in a positive future. Both believe in something that has not yet happened. So I ask you, if neither the positive or negative future has happened yet then why not choose to believe in the positive future? What do you have to lose but the fear that is sabotaging your joy and success?

I believe during these challenging times we have a choice between two roads. The positive road and the negative road. And our bus can’t be on two roads at the same time. So we have to make a choice and this choice determines our belief about the future and the attitude and actions we bring to the present…

Your faith and belief in a positive future leads to powerful actions today. The future has not happened yet and you have a say in what it looks like by the way you think and act. Fear or Faith. The choice is yours. - Jon Gordon


Another thing in life that is a choice.....

It Really Comes Down to Choices

Everything in life comes down to choices... from the attitude you choose for the day to the food you eat. Take a look at the following comparison.

1 individual Little Debbie Cake is EQUAL to all of the following foods combined:

1 apple, 1 banana, 1 orange, 5 cups light popcorn, 2 slices light bread, 1 cup grapes, and 1 container of unsweetened apple sauce.

That totally amazes me.

Personally, I choose to have a great attitude each day and I choose to eat foods that will fill me up without a bojillion calories. (Most of the time anyway!)

Always consider your choices.

The Eight Traits of Emotional Hunger

Emotional and physical hunger can feel identical, unless you’ve learned to identify their distinguishing characteristics.
The next time you feel voraciously hungry, look for these signals that your appetite may be based on emotions
rather than true physical need. This awareness may head off an emotional overeating episode.

Source: Virtue, Doreen. Constant Craving A-Z. (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 1999).

Emotional Hunger

1. Is sudden. One minute you’re not thinking about
food, the next minute you’re starving. Your hunger
goes from 0-60 within a short period of time.

2. Is for a specific food. Your cravings are for one
specific type of food, such as chocolate, pasta, or a
cheeseburger. With emotional eating, you feel you
need to eat that particular food. No substitute will do!

3. Is "above the neck." An emotionally based
craving begins in the mouth and mind. Your mouth
wants to taste that pizza or chocolate doughnut. Your
mind whirls with thoughts about your desired food.

4. Is urgent. Emotional hunger urges you to eat
NOW to instantly ease emotional pain with food.

5. Is paired with an upsetting emotion. Your
boss yelled at you. Your child is in trouble at school.
Your spouse is in a bad mood. Emotional hunger
occurs in conjunction with an upsetting situation.

6. Involves automatic or absent-minded eating.
Emotional eating can feel as if someone else’s hand is
scooping up the ice cream and putting it into your
mouth ("automatic eating"). You may not notice that
you’ve eaten a bag of cookies (absent-mined eating).

7. Does not notice or stop eating, in response
to fullness. Emotional overeating stems from a
desire to cover up painful feelings. The person stuffs
herself to deaden her troubling emotions and will eat
second and third helpings, even though her stomach
may hurt from over-fullness.

8. Feels guilty about eating. The paradox of
emotional over eating is that the person eats to feel
better and ends up berating herself for eating
cookies, cakes, or cheeseburgers. She promises
atonements to herself ("I'll start my diet tomorrow.")


Physical Hunger

1. Is gradual. Your stomach rumbles. One hour later, it
growls. Physical hunger gives you steadily progressive clues
that it’s time to eat.

2. Is open to different foods. With physical hunger, you
may have food preferences, but they are flexible. You are
open to alternative choices.

3. Is based in the stomach. Physical hunger is
recognizable by stomach sensations. You feel gnawing,
rumbling, emptiness, and even pain in your stomach with
physical hunger.

4. Is patient. Physical hunger would prefer that you ate
soon, but doesn’t command you to eat at that instant.

5. Occurs out of physical need. Physical hunger occurs
because it has been four or five hours since your last meal.
You may experience light-headedness or low energy if overly
hungry.

6. Involves deliberate choices and awareness of the
eating. With physical hunger, you are aware of the food on
your fork, in your mouth, and in your stomach. You
consciously choose whether to eat half your sandwich or the
whole thing.

7. Stops when full. Physical hunger stems from a desire to
fuel and nourish the body. As soon as that intention is
fulfilled, the person stops eating.

8. Realizes eating is necessary. When the intent behind
eating is based in physical hunger, there¹s no guilt or shame.
The person realizes that eating, like breathing oxygen, is a
necessary behavior.

Can I Buy Just HALF A Cookie?

We were in a new "goodie" shop where I was oogling the peanut butter cookies ...and in my opinion nothing beats a REALLY good peanut butter cookie! My friend and I laughed after I asked the high school clerk if it was possible to buy only half the cookie; but I was totally serious. Sometimes I only want a bite. Just a taste is enough.

On that same note - my daughter dragged me into the Godiva chocolate store in Minneapolis last weekend. Her plan was simple... they have "samples" - you take one small piece, get a yummy taste and walk out the door. We saved "a mint" (haha) in both cash and calories with this technique. And just a taste was plenty.

Many of you may be tired of hearing about my "3 bite" rule; but I need to say it occasionally if for no other reason than to remind myself of it. Three bites of a "rare sweet" are plenty and here's why: The first bite tastes like you've died and gone to heaven. The second bite is still very, very good. Bite number three is still quite yummy. But by bite number 4 the taste has diminished significantly and it only goes down hill from there. The first 3 bites are the best - so stop after that and you'll have had the best part!

BTW - I came across a blog I've been enjoying and want to share with you also. This guy puts it out there in a way that makes me think and I like that. It also seems that he has the same mindset as I in our approach to food and exercise. Check it out sometime when you get a chance...Rich DiGirolamo's Hey Skinny

Trigger Toning!

I liked this article from Weight Watchers. Check it out!


Although they don't give you a workout in the same way as aerobic activity, this type of exercise is vital if you want to firm up while losing weight.

Trigger Happy
The trick is to use specific moments during the day as triggers to remind you to do toning exercises. These need only take out a minute or two of your time and, at the end of the day, you'll be amazed at the amount of toning time you squeezed in.

Even small moves help keep you and your joints flexible, as well as burning off energy. And we all know that every little bit helps.

Trigger: Getting Out of Bed
First thing in the morning, stretch to the ceiling on tiptoes and then, feet firmly flat on the floor and legs straight, gently bend forward as far as you can. Don't worry if you can only reach your knees or shins, within weeks you'll find yourself much more flexible.

Trigger: While Cleaning Your Teeth
Lift yourself up and down on your toes as you brush. Calf raises are great for flabby calves and a good pre-ski exercise.

Trigger: Waiting for a Bus or Train
As many buttock clenches as you can manage.

Trigger: Watching TV
At the beginning of the show and during each commercial break, get on the floor and do 10 sit-ups or push ups (start off doing push ups on your knees.

Trigger: When the Telephone Rings
Breathe out and hold stomach muscles in for a count of 20.

Trigger: Waiting for Coffee to Brew or the Kettle to Boil
Standing press-ups against the wall or 10 squats.

What triggers do you have throughout the day that you could use? You can use anything from checking your email to emptying the cat food bowl as your trigger. Be creative and consistent with your "reminders" and activities.

CHOICES!

I have been know to say that (over and over) that this is all about a lifestyle choice. Everything is a choice. Just how MUCH do you really want __________ (fill in the blank)? (ie: to wear your skinny jeans, to breathe easier after a flight of steps, to eat that ooey, gooey, goodness bar?)

Let's take a Little Debbie Cake for example. Yes, you can have one.... if you want to. But did you know the following:

One Little Debbie Cake EQUALS
(and when I say EQUALS I mean all the following items totalled together!)
1 apple, 1 banana, 1 orange, 5 cups light popcorn, 2 slices light bread, 1 cup grapes, AND 1 container unsweetened applesauce

So - you can have one Little Debbie Cake OR you can choose to have ALL those other things.

Everything is a choice - how hungry are you?

Lose Weight and Save Money!

Here's just a teaser....

Replace 1 - 20 oz. regular soda with water five days a week and you'll save
(drum roll please....)

65,000 calories and $390.00! (Holy catfish Batman!)

So check out this link for the whole dealio. It's kinda interesting I thought.
Joy Bauer's Article on msnbc.com

Low Energy Density Eating

The following article is from Mayo Clinic - the source reference is at the bottom for full credit....

Energy density and weight loss: Feel full on fewer calories

Choosing foods that are less concentrated with calories — meaning you get a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories — can help you lose weight and control your hunger.

Feel full on fewer calories. It sounds like a diet gimmick. But in reality, the concept of energy density can indeed help you feel satisfied with fewer calories. By consuming fewer calories, you can lose weight over time and keep it off long term.

All foods have a certain number of calories within a given amount (volume). Some foods, such as desserts, candies and processed foods, are high in energy density. This means that a small volume of that food has a large number of calories.

Alternatively, some foods — such as vegetables and fruits — have low energy density. These foods provide a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories.

Two factors play an important role in what makes food less calorie packed and more filling:

• Water. Many fruits and vegetables are high in water, which provides volume but not calories. Grapefruit, for example, is about 90 percent water and has just 39 calories in a half-fruit serving. Carrots are about 88 percent water and have only 52 calories in 1 cup.

· Fiber. High-fiber foods — such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains — not only provide volume, but also take longer to digest, making you feel full longer.

Energy density: Volume versus calories

Butter is high in energy density and provides just a small portion for those calories. Grapes and strawberries, on the other hand, are low in energy density. These foods have large volumes in relation to their calorie content.

Your best food choices

Changing lifestyle habits is never easy, and creating an eating plan using this concept is no exception. The first step is knowing which foods are best.

• Vegetables. Most vegetables — salad greens, asparagus, green beans, broccoli and zucchini, for example — are low in calories but high in volume. Each vegetable serving is about 25 calories, and typical serving sizes are 1 cup raw, a half-cup cooked or 2 cups leafy vegetables. Some vegetables are starchy — such as corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes and winter squash — and contain more calories, about 70 calories in a half-cup serving.
• Fruits. Practically all types of fruit fit into a healthy diet. But some fruits are better choices than others are. Whole fresh, frozen and canned fruits without added sugar have about 60 calories a serving. Limit fruit juices and dried fruits, as they're concentrated sources of natural sugar and therefore have a higher calorie content.
• Carbohydrates. Most foods in this group are either grains or made from grains, such as cereal, rice, bread and pasta. The best type is whole grains because they're higher in fiber and other important nutrients. Examples include whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal, brown rice and whole-grain cereal.
• Protein/dairy. This includes foods from both plant and animal sources. The best choices are those that are high in protein but low in fat and calories, such as legumes — beans, peas and lentils, which are also good sources of fiber — fish, skinned white-meat poultry, fat-free dairy products and egg whites.

Eat sweets and high-fat foods in moderation since many of these foods are high in calories but low in volume.

Make it work for you

Starting a healthy diet that emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains makes room in your diet for some of your favorite foods in small quantities: a piece of chocolate cake or a small scoop of ice cream, for example. When you're not feeling desperately hungry and deprived, as you might on some diets, you can enjoy a small portion of dessert without guilt.

Here are ideas to make this eating plan work for you:

• Increase the ratio of fruits and vegetables in your meals. For example, add blueberries to your cereal in the morning. Or top your pasta with sauteed vegetables and tomato sauce. Decrease the meat portion on your plate and increase the serving size of vegetables.
• Experiment with new foods and combinations. Try mango or peach slices on whole-wheat toast with a little peanut butter and honey. Toss some mandarin orange and peach slices into a salad. You may find some new tastes you love that fit within your eating plan.
• Start with soup or salad. Begin lunch or dinner with a broth-based, vegetable-filled soup or a large salad with a small amount of low-fat or fat-free dressing. These foods take longer to eat and curb your hunger. Next, serve whole grains, an extra portion or two of vegetables and a small serving of lean protein for your main course.

By eating larger portions of foods less packed with calories, you squelch those hunger pangs, take in fewer calories and feel better about your meal, which contributes to how satisfied you feel overall.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/NU00195

Choose your hard

A friend sent me today's post and I thought it's a great one!

"Being fat is hard. Maintaining is hard. Choose your hard."

Isn’t that great? Let’s have our “hard” be maintaining well. Have a great week.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

At times we can be so creative with excuses for not following program.

It's cold outside.
It's hot outside.
I forget to follow plan.
It's too difficult with a family.
It's too difficult because it's just me.
I eat when I'm upset.
I eat when I'm happy.
I eat when I'm sad.
I eat to celebrate.
I eat to drown my sorrows.
I can track in my head.
I don't have to measure - I know what a portion size is.
I don't like vegetables.
I don't like fruit.
No matter what I do; I can't lose weight.
I can't because....

We can think of any excuse. However, to be successful in this journey, we MUST set our mind to it and decide it's what we want and know that we CAN succeed. We can't be afraid to just do it. It's a mindset and perseverance is key. Set your mind to it. Follow program. One day at a time. Step by step. Before you know it you'll be heading down the path to success and then it gets easier.