Shedding

I am down 2 more pounds!

I don't usually do this...but I think that deserves a

WOOT! WOOT!

I've started exercising again which apparently helps.

Huh.  Go figure.

Fitness Tip #8

Eat with your family

You don't have to eat different food than your family.  Just choose the protein and vegetables from your family meal.  You can leave off half the fun of the sloppy joe and skip the side of fries, or have a taco salad while they enjoy a flour taco.  You will find that you will prepare healthier meals this way, like making sure there is always a side of vegetables.  Everyone benefits, but it doesn't have to feel weird.  Remember, this is a lifestyle for you, and eating with the family is part of life.  Learn to do it healthily, stay within your portion size, and calorie limits.  Fill your plate with what you will eat, enjoy it, then clean your plate and put it away, to avoid second helpings. But, if you'd like to sit back at the table to chat with your family, you don't have a plate to tempt you.

p.s. every picture I found of a family sitting at the table eating were smiling...I don't think that's a coincidence.

Click on the picture to read a good article I found about the benefits of families eating together.

It's Just One Pound

I weighed in this morning and guess what! 
I am down 1 pound!

One pound?  That's lame, you're thinking.

Well guess what.  I was on vacation while I lost that one pound.

How many times have you lost instead of gained on vacation?

Me? NEVER!

So ya, I must be proud of that one pound.

"Only 1 Pound"

Hello, do you know me?
If you don't, you should.
I'm a pound of fat,
And I'm the happiest pound of fat that you would ever want to meet.
Want to know why?
It's because no one ever wants to lose me.
I'm only one pound, just a pound!
Everyone wants to lose three pounds,
five pounds, or fifteen pounds, but never only one.
So I just stick around and happily keep you fat.
Then I add to myself, ever so slyly,
so that you never seem to notice it.
That is, until I've grown to ten, twenty, thirty or even more pounds in weight.
Yes, it's fun being only one pound of fat, left to do as I please.
So, when you weigh in, keep right on saying,
"Oh, I only lost one pound," (as if that were such a terrible thing).
For you see, if you do this,
you'll encourage others to keep me around because they'll think I'm not worth losing.
And, I love being around you -
your arms, your legs,
your chin, your hips and every part of you.
Happy Days!
After all, I'm
only one pound of fat!

By the way...remember my tip last week.  I'm totally sticking to it.

See, this was my grocery cart this morning.

Pineapple+cantaloupe+apples+

peaches+bananas+grapes+tomatoes+lettuce+

peppers+cucumbers+zucchini=MMmmm

It seems that every time I go visit one of my sisters I always learn a new life lesson that I especially need at that moment.

This time it was how to prepare fruits and veggies:)

How appropriate.  I know!

So I have now washed, chopped, sliced, and placed in the forefront of my fridge (NOT in the crisper) all this deliciousness.

So go ahead.  Have a snack!

It Begins

I started Weight Watchers today and guess what!!

I feel GREAT!

I've done really well today with sticking to my points and I'm not even hungry:)

I was a little nervous that I would be starving all the time, but I feel comfortably satisfied which is funny because I haven't felt like that in a long time.

It's all mental really.

I think I really am going to be able to do this.

I'm excited to see what changes are to come and hopefully we'll see some soon!

Fitness Tip #7

Learn to love the produce department of your grocery store

Most produce will store at least 2 weeks in your refrigerator, fill it up!  Wash and prepare your fruits and vegetables after shopping and leave them out for your new convenient snack.  Put prepared produce in bowls instead of in the crisper, so you will see it and choose it.  Fresh fruit is great, but often high in calories due to the sugar content.  Settle for half the orange or apple it if is large, leaving the extra calories for your protein to complete the overall snack or meal.  Vegetables, on the other hand, are very low in carbohydrates and calories, but high in fiber.  These are a great way to fill in the gaps of adjusting your portion control.  Take less of the main course and more of the veggies!

I think I'm going to be able to catch on to this one.  Fruits and Veggies are FREE with the weight watchers point system so I'm going to be beefing up a lot more on my produce:)

Fitness Tip #6

Well, I have some big news about my weight loss endeavours.

I'm joining Weight Watchers.

Yup!

That's right!

I'm gonna be your next Jennifer Hudson

See how happy she is about it:)

I have not been very pleased with my own efforts and felt I needed an extra little kick in the behind so here's my next tip.

Fitness Tip #6

Do Something Different

If you are not happy with the results you have been getting with your workouts that you are already doing, seek out something different.  If you are not working out at all, start.  Choose something that you often avoid, a weakness you have to improve on, and your body will give you results.  If you hate getting your heart rate up, start to jog.  If you loathe weight lifting, then that is exactly what you need to do.  If you only focus on your strengths, then your weaknesses will always remain a weakness.  Your body responds (adapts, changes shape) to something different much better than the same old thing.

*An ideal fitness plan rotates days of resistance training with cardio sessions.

So this is my something different.  My diet is my biggest down fall and I have no one to turn to but myself.  I have never been a part of a weight loss group before so wish me luck!

Back in Business!

Did you know that I always spell business wrong?  Probably not news to you since I spell practically everything wrong.  But for some reason it looks like busyness to me and should be spelled like this, buisness, instead.  (Irrelevant to my post, by the way)

But speakin of being back in business.  I know you have all been very disappointed in me...right!!!!!  You haven't gotten a fitness tip from me in months and I have a very good reason for that...

....I stopped being fit.

My schedule changed and I let that get in the way of my goals.

Sad day!

And you were all supposed to keep me in line.

Shame on you!!

Well, I'm back to healthy foods and exercisin my buns off so wish me luck because I plan on lookin smokin hot this summer!
What about you?  Are you back in "buisness"?

Fitness Tip #5

This week was SO much better!

I'm in the "push" month with Chalean and man does she know how to kick your butt!

It makes you feel so good though when you can pick up a larger weight than you could the week before and conquer those reps:)

I'd like to thank Targhee for being so supportive of my workouts.

He knows how important this is to me so every morning he takes Leilani and entertains her for those 30 minutes.

Thank you so much honey!

After having a discussion with my mom about my frustrations with weight loss she helped me see that my family's bodies are made a little different than your regular person and that if we are really serious about losing weight we really need to cut back on our carbohydrates. 

Like I've said before, this is not a fad diet or short term fix it for me.  This is a way of life that I plan to be able to do for the rest of my life.  So completely eliminating things from my diet doesn't sound very realistic to me, and if you know me at all you know nobody's gonna take away my cereal!

Which brings us to our next tip.

Fitness Tip #5

Fight the White!

Products made of white flour are cheep, tasty and convenient, but your body doesn't have to work at all to get the energy from them.  Crackers, pretzels, cereals, breads, pastries, pasta, tortillas, crusts- these are staples to our culture, but are viewed as sugars to our body and go straight to our belly and hips.  Choose whole grain products instead, but use them in combination with lean proteins and your body will respond.  When you don't get the choice, eat half the bun; leave the pizza crust on your plate.  Remember, less is best.

My sister helped explain this to me so well.  The carbohydrates are the energy that your body needs to keep going, but carbs by themselves burn quickly and we are left feeling hungry.  When we eat protein along with our carbs, the protein helps stabilize our metabolism and carries out the energy across a longer period of time.  We should always try to have an equal amount (in grams) of "good" carbs (remember we're fighting the white) with protein.

Top 10 Whole Grains

1. 100% whole-wheat bread

2. whole-wheat spaghetti or pasta

3. brown rice

4. old-fashioned rolled oats (or instant regular oatmeal)

5. High fiber cereal (at least 5 grams of fiber per serving) 

Examples: All bran, Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, Grape Nuts, Kashi Go Lean

6. wild rice

7. bulgur (this is simply a cleaned, pre-cooked, dried, and ground form of whole wheat that can be used in place of rice; in stews, salads, casseroles, and baked goods; or as a breakfast cereal)

8. barley

9. Kashi Pilaf hot cereal (this is a great hot cereal that can be eaten at any meal; it contains healthy grains that we dont' often eat or know how to cook such as barley, triticale, buckwheat, whole rye, and whole hard red winter wheat)

10. Popcorn (not butter-coated movie popcorn, but plain old-fashioned popcorn) 

Fitness Tip #4

Yup

Definitely discouraged.

4 weeks = no weight loss

BUT

We did go bowling Saturday night and I bowled two games without my arm ever feeling sore!

I'm getting stronger.

I didn't exercise once last week. 

I know!

It kinda started off on the wrong foot with the whole ER thing and I never jumped back on.

But this week will be different.

I promise!

So here's my next tip for myself and you.

Fitness Tip #4

Drink lots of water!

It's about the only free thing left in this world: Calorie free, fat free, cholesterol free, and it comes straight from your tap!  Keep a water bottle* with you at all times and don't sip, guzzle.  Room temperature water is much easier to drink in large amounts than ice water.  Try it, it goes down better.  Women need at least 90 oz a day and men 125 oz a day, (that's approx. 11 cups and 16 cups respectively.)  Caffeinated beverages DO NOT count as part of your water intake.  Water regulates our body temperature, transports nutrients, acts as medium for metabolic reactions, carries away waste, and provides structure to our cells.  Even better, a body that is well hydrated feels less hungry!

*So a friend of mine just told me that she bought a new water bottle with a sippy straw (as shown above) and has fallen in love with it.  She drinks a TON of water because she loves carrying her new water bottle along with her and sipping up the straw:)  Hey, if that's the trick, go for it!!
p.s. I love the advertisement for these things
"Just bite and drink, no need to turn it upside down and squeeze anymore."
which is what totally sold my friend:)

Fitness Tip #3

So, I have to admit I'm a little bit more discouraged this week.

I don't think I've even lost any weight from when I started.

Those two pounds were iffy.

We haven't had a scale throughout our married life because I've always said I don't really care what my number is, I just care how I feel when I look at myself.

But since I was being serious about losing weight this year I decided to make the investment.

Ok, not really an investment, more like $7 at Walmart, which I think is part of the problem.

It's not digital.

I can't read the numbers when standing straight up, and if I try to lean over the weight changes.

*Sigh*

When I weighed in yesterday it said I had gained two pounds from my starting point.

I threw my hands up and said I give up.

Not for good.

Just for a second.

So here is my fitness tip for this week which I think is my biggest downfall.

Fitness Tip #3

Feed Yourself Lean

All the exercise in the world cannot compensate for poor eating habits.  Our bodies need regular, lean, and fiber rich meals.  Do not diet; rather eat small amounts, more often.  Rotate meals and snacks every 2 1/2 to 3 hours without fail, and your body will start metabolizing much more efficiently.  Skipping breakfast is not an option for you.*  Eating after dinner is not an option.  Stop 3 hours before bedtime for optimum calorie burn.  Meals and snacks should be an equal portion of lean protein and fiber rich carbohydrates.

*Skipping breakfast is how the sumo wrestlers train. Who here wants to look like a sumo wrestler?  Ha! Not me!  When we skip meals our body automatically stores what we do eat as fat because it thinks it needs to go into survival mode.  Eating small portions (200-250 calories) every few hours fuels our bodies and it actually burns what we eat faster.

We are going to do what fit people do, not what fat people do:)

Fitness Tip #2

I have to report that I didn't do as well as I did the week before.  I let other priorities get in the way of my exercise time.  I realized how unhealthy that is, but how much of a reality it is too.  If we don't put our health at the top of the priority list it will get pushed down to the bottom without any effort. 

But, I am down two pounds this week!!

Which means my current weight is 151

Fitness Tip #2

Fitness gets a non-negotiable 1/2 hour a day, 5-6 days a week  

Make time for it, and NEVER miss.  How many 1/2 hours have you wasted away gazing at the television or perusing the Internet?  It's only a 1/2 hour, whether you have to get up at 4:30 am to fit it in, or give up something less worthwhile, DO IT!

I might also add, if you do happen to miss, don't beat yourself up over it and think that you've ruined the rest of the day or week.  Everyone wants to be 100% at brushing their teeth right?  But, if you miss a night, do you call off the whole rest of the week too?  Of course not!  Brush em in the morning and start again:)

Fitness Tip #1

Well I weighed in today and I still weigh 153, but I'm not discouraged. 

This is a learning process and I feel I did the best I could with what I know so far.  I've exercised every day and eaten to the best of my knowledge.  It's only been 5 days.  This is a marathon, not a sprint. 

So since I'm learning as I go, I thought I might share some of the things I'm learning with you.  My sister who prepared herself to be a personal fitness coach gave me all sorts of material with helpful tips that I am going to share with you.

Tip #1

Commit to a lifestyle change

This is not a quick weight loss plan or a temporary goal, but a way of life that is healthy, practical, and doable.  All of the other steps will do you no good if you are not committed to change habits and make new ones.

Are you ready to commit?

Operation Get Fit has Commenced

Yup I know this sounds like a New Year's resolution but I assure you, it is not.

New Years resolutions are made and broken in a matter of days or weeks.

This is my life style change.

The new year just brings about new opportunities to achieve my goals.

A year ago I had a baby.

I got fat.

50lbs fat.

I lost most of it when the baby was born but have kept the rest the entire year of 2010.

My poor husband is sick of the words, "I am fat!"

So, I am going to change that.

Finally.

I'm kinda doing this Biggest Loser style where I show the entire world my discustingness and then work week by week to turn it into beautifulness.

I'm trying to find motivation here and having all of you to report to, whoever you are who read this, I'm hoping will give me the push I'm looking for.

Because you are all going to be extremely disappointed in me if I do not follow through with my goals, right! 

RIGHT!!

Goal:

Plan of Attack:

Wake up: 7:00am

Put on workout clothes.

Work out for 30 minutes

I'm going to be doing the Chalean Extreme workouts which has done wonders for my sisters so wish me luck.

Record my workouts and eating habits on My Fitness Pal.

My starting weight is: 153

It's not really the weight that I care about, it's how I feel about myself.  I guess the weight is just a way to measure progess.  This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time now and the circumstances are just right now for me not to have any excuses.  So here goes nothin!!