Walking to lose

No doubt, walking is a good starting point for a newbie to exercise.   It gets you moving, keeps your heart healthy, and it is easy on the joints.  But taking a stroll around the block after dinner isn’t going to cut it if you’re trying to lose weight.       

When you walk, try increasing your intensity.  Walk briskly,  fast enough that your heart rate increases.    Walk up hills.   Challenge yourself.   Time yourself walking around the neighborhood, and the next day try to beat that time.  The next day beat it again.   Get to the point where you can walk around the neighborhood twice in the time it originally took you to walk it just once.  Then try to make it three times!   That is exactly what I did when I first started exercising.   I was in a race against myself.  :) 

Next, start varying your steps.   Throw in some high knees (lifting your knee up to the waist) as you walk.    Try some kickbacks, lifting your heel up to your bottom with every step.   It sure looks funny, but you will be developing muscle and burning way more calories.  The neighbors will be wondering what has gotten into you!   

Additionally, try increasing the amount of steps that you take each day.  Buy a pedometer (you can find them for a couple of dollars), and put it on when you first get up in the morning, and wear it until you go to bed.   After a few days, you will get a baseline of how many steps you normally take during the day.    Increase that number every day.  Make it into a game, finding new and interesting ways to walk more.   Park further away in a parking lot.   Use the steps instead of the elevator.  Take an extra walk or two.    The goal is to slowly increase the number of steps you take every day until you reach around 10,000 steps.   It is harder then it seems!    

The key is to walk more, and walk briskly.   Doing one without the other won’t significantly help with weight loss.    Eventually, you will get fit enough that walking alone won’t produce the results that you want.    Walking is good for you, but it doesn’t burn very many calories, so when you get in better shape, start throwing in some other cardio/aerobic exercises and weight lifting.     More on this next time!

Smaller goals, Big Rewards

I know some people (I won’t name any names), who would leave Weight Watchers meetings and head straight for the nearest burger joint.    Yay!  I lost five pounds, so I deserve that cheeseburger, fries and milkshake!   Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?   Yet for a lot of us, rewarding ourselves with food has become a habit that is hard to break.

Rewards are very important, especially when it comes to losing weight.  There is no such thing as instant gratification when it comes to weight loss, and that can be discouraging.  Some weeks you may lose a pound but still feel disappointed because there so much left to lose.   If you go too long without seeing progress, you might want to throw in the towel all together.

There might not be much of a physical change after losing one or two pounds, but progress is being made.   Reaching goal weight takes a long time, so it is really, really important to set smaller goals and reward yourself for the progress that no one else can notice . . . yet.  Just don’t reward yourself with food!

I suggest doing something special for every five pounds you lose.   It doesn’t have to be anything big, just something to acknowledge the hard work you put in.    After losing five pounds I would go get a hot coffee and wander around the discount book store.    Just having time to peruse the books without interruption was a huge treat for this mommy!    

For every ten pounds, do something a little bigger.   I found that for about every ten pounds I lost, I went down a size in clothes.  I don’t particularly like shopping, but it was fun to try on smaller sizes and have them fit!    As I got closer to goal, it was truly a reward to go and pick out a new bra or new pair of jeans that didn’t hang on me, and actually fitting into smaller sizes was a tangible reflection of progress that I didn’t always notice in the mirror.   

There are endless possibilities when it comes to non-food rewards.   A new workout video, a new candle,  a manicure,  spending time with a friend . . .  think of what would be a treat for you.    Make a list of possible rewards, and make a plan of when you will get the reward.   That way, you will have something to look forward to!  

Healthy Snacking

Weight loss experts don’t seem to agree on the issue of snacking.   I’ve had a few trainers in the past insist that snacking is useless and may even be harmful to your body.  They claimed eating three balanced meals a day is enough.

That approach didn’t work for me.    After a few hours I was hungry, then I would get irritable and shaky, nearly passing out.    I had some blood tests done and was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, and the doctor said I needed to eat protein every few hours.

I was confused about how that would work with losing weight.   As I mentioned before, I even used it as an excuse not to even try.    But come to find out, you can still lose weight and snack every few hours, and from what I heard from other WW members, intentional snacking seemed to actually help them lose.   

If you choose to snack in between meals, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• ADJUST- You will need to adjust the amount you eat at meals to compensate for the calories you’ve eaten for snack.  There will be less on your dinner plate, but you shouldn’t be as hungry, so it all works out.   If you are extra hungry at meals, add extra fruit or raw veggies to your plate.

• PLAN-  Plan your snacks for the week just as you would plan your weekly dinner menu.  That way, you know what to get at the grocery store, and you have something to reference if you forget.   Planning is half the battle!

• PREPARE-  When you get home from the grocery store, take a few extra minutes to prep the snacks so they are easy for you to grab when you are hungry.   If you are                in a hurry or are under stress, you are going to go for what is easiest.  Make the healthy choice easy.   Divide the snacks into little baggies or small containers that you can throw into your purse or lunchbox.     

• PORTION-  Watch your portions!   Just because a snack is healthy, doesn’t mean you should eat a ton of it.   It doesn’t take much to curb your appetite.

Here are some of my favorite snack ideas:

*low-fat string cheese

*unsalted almonds (just a handful)

*hard-boiled eggs

*nonfat yogurt/greek yogurt with berries

* hummus with veggies to dip (this is easy to make at home)

*apples with a tablespoon of peanut butter (measure the peanut butter- it can be high in calories)

*bean dip (store-bought or prepared at home) with veggies instead of chips

* Laughing Cow cheese wedge rolled up inside a slice of turkey 

*whey protein shakes-- blend your choice frozen fruit, nonfat yogurt, and a scoop or two protein.  You can find whey protein at health food stores or Trader Joes.

*low-fat cottage cheese mixed with fruit or no-sugar applesauce

What are some of your favorite healthy snacks?

Planning Skinny Menus

I know women who have menu planning down to a science.   They expertly weave through weekly sale papers, finding the best deals, the coupons to stack, and develop an incredibly delicious itinerary for their week that is the perfect blend of nutrition, frugality, and flavors that all in the family will enjoy.

I’ve yet to achieve that kind of menu mastery.    I do my best to plan within my budget, trying to accommodate the extremely varying food tastes of my boys.  Though my cooking is halfway decent, rarely do I find something that meets all of the requirements of my picky-eating brood.   No wonder menu planning is stressful!   When you add making special low-calorie meals to the mix, forget about it!  That is enough to make a person give up.

The best tip I have for menu planning:   find new, healthy ways to make the same meals you are already eating.

Use what is familiar, the tastes you already enjoy, and modify both what you make and the amount that you eat.   Oh, and add more vegetables.  There is no need to go and buy weight loss cookbooks and magazines.   

If you’ve ever flipped through a cookbook marketed as a tool for weight loss, you’ll find recipes that have a hundreds of ingredients, take four hours to make, and end up tasting mediocre.   Okay, I might be exaggerating a little.   But really, when was the last time you complimented someone on a recipe and they told you they got it from a Weight Watchers cookbook?   It doesn’t happen!  

If you already have a list of meals you regularly prepare for your family half of your work is already done.

Look at your list for some easy substitutions.    Making meatloaf?   Use ground turkey instead of ground beef and add veggies in with the meat.   Brats?   Substitute spicy chicken sausages (there are some great flavors of chicken sausages out now, and they are really low in calories--  definitely worth checking out!).     Spaghetti and meatballs?   Use whole wheat pasta, turkey for your meatballs, and just a quick sprinkle of parmesan.  Instead of bacon, use turkey bacon, or Canadian bacon.    To grease your pan, start using nonstick spray instead of tablespoons of oil.     Need to use breadcrumbs?   Use ground oatmeal instead.  

One of the trickiest ingredients to work with is cheese.  It is high in calories, and its easy to go overboard with it in recipes.  Some people buy low-fat or nonfat cheese as a substitution, but to me, the taste difference doesn’t warrant the extra expense.   I use it sparingly in recipes.    Parmesan isn’t too high in calories, so you can use that.   Also, there are some amazing spreadable cheeses that taste great and are very low in calories that I’ve used in place of regular cheese in pasta dishes and omelets.   

Remember, you don’t have to make any substitutions at all.   You can lose weight making recipes the way you normally do, and just eating a lot less.   Its a game of checks and balances:   if you are hungrier, make the substitutions and you can eat more, or make it the usual way and eat less.  Your choice.   

Anybody have a favorite healthy substitution to share?     

Oops! Now what?

I blew it yesterday.   You see, I made those chicken wings, and only had a few, but there were delicious dips, chips and cake.   Oh, and that French bread I decided to make at the last minute to go with the spinach cheese spread.   It turned out so good!   Golden crispy crust on the outside, and soft and flavorful on the inside.    Bread, my weakness.   Oh, and the cake. . .  but I digress.

What’s a girl to do when she eats way too many calories all at once?    That is a very important question, more important then you might think.   That next step, the step she takes after completely blowing it (and at some time or another, everyone blows it), defines whether this losing weight thing is for real.   

Resiliency is the name of the game.   Everyone messes up, but a lot of people use it as an excuse to go back to old habits.   Don’t let that happen!    The very next meal you can make a change.   The very next thing you put in to your mouth can be a healthy choice.   

So, if you eat too much at breakfast, that doesn’t mean the whole day is a loss.  Don’t even take time to think about feeling guilty, because lunch is only a few hours away, and presents a new opportunity to make the right choices.     Later on, when the emotions are gone you can look back to that breakfast and use it as tool to prepare better for next time.  

If you hold on to that guilt of eating too much, what will happen?  If you are an emotional eater like me, you’ll be going to the pantry to look for some chocolate, thinking, “What’s the difference, I’ve blown it already!”     It’s the faulty thinking that gets us.   

If you mess up, admit it, accept it, and move on.   Then use the mistake to your advantage next time.

Next year for Superbowl, I’m cutting up a ton a veggies to go with those dips.    A little cake isn’t so bad, but baked fruit makes a yummy dessert too.   I think I’ll keep the bread, but I don’t mind trading in the chicken wings for a grilled chicken breast.     It’s all about choices.  And we can make the right ones, starting now.

Beware of the Wings!

We're coming up on Superbowl weekend, and everyone knows that all respectable Superbowl parties have chicken wings.   


Years back, our family found an easy way to cook chicken wings in the oven using just a little salt and pepper and a ton of Louisiana Hot Sauce.    It is an easy meal to make, and the results are incredible.   We've created many parties over the years as an excuse to eat these wings, and the Superbowl wouldn't be complete without them.


Wings are so tiny, and full of protein, so they have to be healthy, right?


Oh, how I wish!    Each wing is approximately 100 calories, and that is if they are cooked by themselves, without any butter, oil or sauce.    How many wings can you eat in one sitting?   Five?  Ten?  More?  


Ten wings plain wings without dipping sauce would be 1000 calories.   Yikes!  


I'm still making the wings this year,  and I'll still eat some too.   This time, though, I'll be going in knowing those little wings aren't as innocent as they seem.

Venturing Out, and Still Losing

At nearly every WW meeting, I remember hearing the words, “Eat at home as much as possible.   The biggest successes come from members who eat at home.”

I found that to be true.  At home you control exactly what goes into your food, but when you go out you never really know what is going in your mouth.  You have some idea, especially when you ask questions and give specifics as to how you want things to be prepared, but the reality is that your idea of “just a little” can look different then the cook’s.    

But hey, you can’t eat at home all the time.  Going out is fun, and sometimes unavoidable. Here are some tips for when you are eating out around town:

Before you leave:

*Some restaurants are more WW friendly than others.   Pick a restaurant that offers healthy options and will make substitutions (fruit instead of fries, for example).   If you are in a group,  speak up and suggest a couple of places that will work best for you.   

*Most chains have their menus and nutritional information available online.   If you know you are going to a particular restaurant,  do the research and decide what you will order before you get there.  

* Don’t skip other meals, but eat lighter the rest of the day.   Eat lower point, higher protein items that will keep you full longer.   

*Try eating a healthy snack before going, so you aren’t as hungry when you get there.   If you are starving going in, you are more apt to make impulsive choices.

When you get to the restaurant, have a plan in place.

* Salads are not always the best choice.   Sure, they look innocent, but are often higher in calories than a burger and fries!  To make your salad WW friendly, order it with no cheese, no croutons, and go for the vinaigrette dressing on the side.  Other traditional salad items like beans, corn and avocado may have a high point value, so don’t forget to factor them in when making your decision.

*Tell the waiter not to bring the bread and/or chips at the beginning of the meal.  You need to save your points for the protein in the meal, or you will be hungry later on.    If you are really hungry, try a broth-based soup as an appetizer instead.

*Ask for a to-go box as soon as your food comes, and package up half of the food right away.   You won’t be as tempted to overeat, and you will have lunch for tomorrow!

*Drink extra water.    Restaurant food always has a higher salt content then what you prepare at home, and that is not good for weight loss.

*Whatever you order, plan on adding on a couple of points to account for extra oil that the food was cooked in, or other ingredients that you don’t know about.

*Plan on exercising the day you go out, but don’t use it as an excuse to eat more.  The WW plan does offer extra points for exercise, but you will lose weight quicker if you do not use those points.

*On the other hand, if you’ve saved up Weekly Allowance Points, use them!   You can still lose weight and use your extra weekly points, so don’t feel guilty about using them.

One last tip:   Order something that you like.    Don’t just order the dry, baked chicken and plain vegetables because you are trying to lose weight.   That isn’t necessary, and not sustainable.    Find something new that actually sounds good, or order your old stand-by with some adjustments to fit your point allowance.   

Anybody have recommendations on restaurants that are weight-loss friendly?   I’d love to hear from you.  

Did I mention it was raining?

There were a lot of reasons why I didn’t want to do this run. 

We hadn’t run for a while, and by the time we found out about the race we only had three weeks to train.   January nights were really cold this year, and we had a lot going on, physically and emotionally.    There were many nights I’d rather be doing anything other than be out in the cold, every breath visible to the naked eye.   

Three days before race day I caught a cold, the kind that keeps you up all night coughing and spitting up gunk, but I forced myself to go out and run a full three miles, just to make sure my body was ready for the task.    Several times I was ready to throw in the towel and just go home, but I pushed through.   I was surprised at the end when I could actually breath better then before I started.  

Two days before the race, my voice was gone and the weather forecast predicted rain for Saturday morning.   What had I gotten myself into?   I’ve never run in the rain before, and the prospect sounded miserable.   I mean, who wants to stand in wet socks for a minute, let alone running in them for a half-hour?

Saturday morning came, as did the pouring rain.    Still, I got in the car at 6 am and drove downtown with my running shoes on.   I was on an adventure, doing something I thought I’d never do.  There was a moment before the race when I looked up at the dark clouds peeking between tall buildings, and thought there was no place I’d rather be.   The anticipation of the coming race,  the cold splash of rain on my cheeks, and adrenaline charging through the crowd worked together to make me feel truly alive.  

I’d like to say the running was a breeze, worth every step, and in the end I beat my personal record.   Didn’t happen.   The race was tough.   My jacket soaked through, and it felt like I was carrying an extra ten pounds on my shoulders.    I inadvertently stepped in a few puddles, so water was sloshing between my toes and each step was an effort.    I ran the entire race at a decent time (for me), but it took everything within me to keep going that last half-mile.

Why?   Why run in the pouring rain, sick as a dog?    There really is something in pushing yourself to do the impossible.    Last year I couldn’t run around the block.   I couldn’t run to the end of the street without hyperventilating.     It took pushing, going out of my comfort zone a little bit at a time, but now I’ve run several 5ks at times better then I ran in high school.    That feels good!   I’m not a super-athlete, but I don’t sell myself short anymore.    

Part of losing weight is self-discipline, saying no when you want to say yes, or visa-versa.   Saying no to the donut, yes to the veggies.   Foregoing the snooze button in exchange for an invigorating workout.    Strange as it sounds, denying yourself comfort becomes empowering.  You realize that you’re stronger then ever before, and find that you’re doing things you never imagined possible.   The food is not in control.  Your body is not in control.   You are the one that makes the decisions.   

I ran the race because I knew I could, and I decided I would, no matter what.   And some days, that is all it takes.  

A Sticky Plan

Have you ever seen the show Mad Men?   It’s a pretty popular show right now, full of drama, mystery and fashion.   The term Mad Men was actually coined back in the 1950’s to describe the advertising executives of Madison Avenue.   From what I understand, the executives created the term themselves, to promote the industry.

The Mad Men of today have hit the jackpot with the weight loss industry.  According to a research report published in October 2011, there are 24,303 companies in the weight loss industry, and all of them our competing for our money.   And guess what?   Business is booming!   Revenue is expected to rise 4.5% over the next five years, and reach 4.1 billion dollars in America alone.    

All of the products out there say they are the best, that you will be successful if you use their product.   So how do you know which one will work best for you?   The easy answer:   they will all work.    There is no secret to weight loss.   It's simple:   take in less calories than you burn and you will lose weight.    Every weight loss product on the market uses this same principle, no magic involved.   You can even do it yourself.

That being said, I still think its important to have a well-oiled plan in place before you jump into eating differently.  Limiting food choices can be stressful.   It might not seem so bad at first when you are gung-ho about starting the new plan.    Unfortunately, other life stresses start happening, and its tempting to go back to the comfort of eating whatever you want.    If you have a plan, you are more likely to stay on track.

When I started looking for a new plan this time around, I had specific requirements in mind.    

*REAL FOOD:   I like eating, and I like food.   I knew that I wouldn’t stay on a plan that had me eating diet food.  I believe food is a gift from God for our enjoyment as well as our nourishment, and that we should be able to eat anything in moderation.   

Along with that, I’m making a big effort to steer away from buying prepackaged foods, or anything with preservatives and chemicals.   I wanted to learn how to eat healthy, whole foods, things I could make from scratch that tasted wonderful, and still lose weight.

*Feel Satisfied:  I didn’t want to be starving all of the time.  That doesn’t work for me.   When I’m hungry I get angry and shaky (hypoglycemia), and its just not fun.    I wanted to lose weight, but not be in a state of constant hunger.      

*Support:   Even after you’ve learned the ins and outs of your weight loss plan, its helpful to have someone there to cheer you on.   Meetings were essential to me.   They held me accountable because I had to weigh-in every week.  More then that, I was reminded of my plan and goals every week.   The meeting leader provided encouragement, tips, and ways to avoid pitfalls.   Other members would give recommendations for different products at the grocery store or restaurants around town.  

I didn’t know anyone at my meeting, and didn’t talk much.   But it was nice to have a room full of people clap for your successes, even if they were strangers.   Weight loss is hard work, and everyone needs some affirmation along the way.

The first time I tried Weight Watchers (years ago) I hated it.   I had modest success, and then the amount of points I was allotted shrunk to the point that I was starving all of the time.   I resorted to eating a lot of prepackaged “diet” food with fake sugar in it so that I could eat a small amount every few hours (for the hypoglycemia).     I dropped out way before my goal, and thought I’d never go back.

I started hearing about the new Weight Watchers program around the same time that I had my "aha" moment.    I heard that there was a big push for eating whole foods, and that you could eat most fruit whenever you felt hungry.    I went to check it out,  and found that it was do-able.   WW was teaching people how to choose healthier foods that are more filling, so hunger was no longer a part of the equation.    No food is off limits in the plan-- eat what you love, but just have to watch portions.    The support was there.    It met all of my requirements, so I signed up.

I’m not endorsed by Weight Watchers, and I’m not necessarily trying to sell you on their plan.   I know it works, and it makes sense for me.   Like I mentioned before, there are thousands of plans out there, and they all will work.    When you choose your plan, think about sticking power, and think long-term.    You are making changes now that will continue on for the rest of your days.   

Evil Numbers, You Will Fall!

Numbers really are evil.   Well, okay, maybe I’m a little biased, seeing as I was an English major, but don’t we all dread numbers when it comes to losing weight?    Who really enjoys jumping on the scale and seeing those blinking digits pop up on the screen?

I dreaded the scale, that is, until I started trying to lose weight.   Then I started making excuses to go weigh myself several times a day to see if there was any change.   It became a game;  I’d get all amped up about the possibility of losing a pound in an hour, and bam, the numbers appeared and my mood would crash.   Oh, come on, I know some of you out there do the same thing.  :)

At WW meetings I learned that we often give numbers more power than they deserve.    Numbers have a place.  They tell us where we have been, and they help us make adjustments along the way.   The problem comes when we tie our emotions up in the numbers, and let them be the end-all,  be-all for our weight loss.   Remember, we aren’t fighting the number on the scale.   After all, the number has no control.   We are in control of the choices we make, and those numbers will eventually be forced to fall in to place if we make the right choices.

Here are a few problems with looking to the scale as our only barometer of success:

• Weight loss doesn’t always match the amount of work you put in.   You can do everything right, and for whatever reason your body might not respond that particular week.   Don’t give up hope!   If you stick with it, next week you will lose and then some.  

• Weight fluctuates daily based on water retention, hormone fluctuation, time of day, and what you eat.   You will always weigh less in the morning then you do at night, sometimes by a few pounds.   That’s a huge difference, especially if you are tempted to eat some chocolate if you see a higher number.    Did you eat something high in salt last night?    Your body will retain a lot of extra water which equals more weight.   Girls, time of the month always plays a role, too!  

• Sometimes we are making progress, even when the scale doesn’t move.   You might stay the same number-wise, but your clothes are fitting better because you are losing inches.   If you have more energy, your noticing faster recovery times during exercise, and you can start to feel some muscle under that flab, then rejoice!   Those numbers will come.    Those gains might be even better then a number some weeks!

If you look to numbers as your only affirmation,  I can almost guarantee that you will fall back into old habits and end up gaining again.   The scale is an important tool, one we must use in moderation.   WW says to weigh once a week only, at the same time of day each week.   That way, you will have an accurate record of progress, and you won’t see all of those daily fluctuations that can be depressing.

When you get your weekly result, try not to let your emotions get involved.   Use it as a means to examine the choices you made over the last week and whether or not you need to make any changes.    

I know, easier said then done.   Remember, its just one step at a time.  You will conquer that evil scale.   Its powerless against the new, healthy you.   

Excuses, Excuses

For a long time I was in denial about my weight.   Sure, I knew I wasn’t in fighting shape.  Clothes shopping was a cruel punishment, and my wardrobe had transformed from cute to comfortable-  a.k.a. frumpy mommy-wear.    Strange as it sounds, I didn’t see myself as horribly overweight when I looked in the mirror.   The extra pounds bothered me, but I figured they were a part of the package, the adult “me.”    

That was only one of the lies I was believing about myself in relation to my weight and body image.   In the past I used those lies as excuses--  reasons to not be serious about my weight loss because in the end, I didn’t believe it would ever really happen.   

Excuse #1:  The excess pounds were a result of my body settling in at it’s comfortable weight.    

I had tried dieting and exercising off and on, but my body never went below a certain number.   The message I told myself was that it wouldn’t ever get below that number, no matter what I tried.  That message was a lie.    The truth?   I really, really wanted to get below that number, but I didn’t have the tools in place to do it yet.     

The television show, “The Biggest Loser” was a reality check for me.    Every week, I would tune in and watch a group of morbidly obese people do the work it took to get to a healthy weight.   I wasn’t as big as the contestants on the show, but after I while I realized if those people could do it, with all that weight, some who were decades older than me with real medical issues, then what was my excuse?    The workouts on the show weren’t anything new to me-  there was no “magic” I could see to being on the ranch.   The thing those people had that I didn’t have was a plan for eating right and exercising, and they had encouragement from their trainers and peers.    I knew I couldn’t devote the amount of time they could to training,  but I could do something.   Watching that show was the first step in changing my mindset about my weight.

Excuse #2  I didn’t look that overweight in the mirror.   

I wasn’t looking in a full length mirror.   I never saw the whole picture, mainly because I didn’t want to.   I was always the one behind the camera, and for years I had very few pictures taken of myself.   When I finally saw a picture of myself at my biggest, there was no more denying the truth that I was overweight.   The picture was shock enough to spur me into motion.  

Excuse #3:   My hormones are out of whack, which is why I can’t lose weight.    

My hormones have always been wacky, and have caused medical issues over the years.    No doubt, hormones make it more difficult for some people to lose weight.   The key words there being more difficult, not impossible.    Hormones are not an excuse, like I bought into for a long time.   It may take longer for a person with something like PMDD or PCOS to lose weight, but it can happen.   I am living proof of that!

There are countless websites and books written by “experts” that claim the only way to balance your hormones and lose weight is to buy their special formula for a specific supplement, or to follow a very rigid eating plan tailored to your hormone issues that can only be found by buying their book or paying to access their website.  

I’m a researcher by heart and by training, so I’m weary of anyone with dubious credentials whose claims are not yet established by the medical community and not supported with ample scientific evidence.   I bought in to some of this, however, because I was desperate.  Losing weight was hard, and not quick.  Those "experts" seemed to get what I was going through, and I bought the books and followed a few different plans to the T.   Guess what?   It didn’t work.  I didn’t feel any different, and the weight didn’t come off.   Not following those plans, anyway!

Excuse #4:   I couldn’t afford the extra cost to lose weight.  

Yes, this was one of my excuses.   I’m a stay-at-home mom, and we are on a budget.  The thought of paying for a gym membership and changing my carefully calculated food budget sent me into overwhelm mode.   Add on to that the cost of Weight Watchers, and I thought there was no way we could make it work.

When I made the decision that I wanted to lose the weight,  my hubby and I agreed that the issue was important enough to spend the extra money.   In the long run, how could we afford not to?   The health risks, doctor visits, and lower quality of life would far out-cost the WW membership dues.  We moved some things around, made sacrifices in other areas to pay for Weight Watchers, knowing that it would not be a forever expense.   Did you know that once you reach your goal weight, you no longer have to pay for WW meetings?   That’s a great incentive!  

I quickly found that you don’t have to have a gym membership to exercise effectively, and I was able to find food solutions that still fit in our weekly budget.    I wouldn’t have known this if I didn’t just bite the bullet, and do it on faith.   

Excuse #4:   I don’t have time to exercise.    This is a big topic that I’ll explore another day.

  

I was not able to get serious about weight loss until I had debunked all of the excuses I once held as truth.   The excuses held me back, and gave me a reason to stay static.   Don’t let that happen to you!   What are the excuses you've started to believe?   

Losing Weight 3: Looking Ahead

Let’s face it:  everyone wants to lose weight.   Billions of dollars are spent each year by souls who sincerely hope for success, but our country is still plagued with what has been termed, “the obesity epidemic.”     Apparently, wanting is not enough.   

Think about a young lady who watches the runners during the summer Olympics.  She notices how the athletes are so strong and graceful, and being like them is all she can think about.   She watches race after race, studies the athletes, and thinks about becoming a runner every moment she’s awake.   When she finds out about a local marathon next weekend, she signs up.    She’s never been in a race before, and hasn’t had any preparation, but she really, really wants to do it.    What are the odds that she could run the 26 miles to finish the race?

No way!   Running for that distance takes more then desire.   It takes months of preparation, training, and focus.   Losing weight is the same way.   Thinking about being skinny, wanting desperately to be skinny-- that is not going to make you skinny.    Signing up for a weight loss program is a start, but what will get you through to the end?   What is going to set you apart from all those who want it, but don’t follow through?

Yesterday we talked about hitting bottom, and realizing the deep need for change.       Next you need to find a goal.   I’m not talking about a number.   Think deeper.  What do  you want from weight loss besides looking good?

Your answer will become your motivation, the well that will sustain you during this experience of losing weight.   That well needs to run deep.    There is nothing wrong with wanting to be thin, but its a shallow goal that will not hold up when you come home exhausted from a long, emotional day at work,  your pantry is empty,  and the double cheese pizza is calling your name.    

Other sources of motivation that won’t stand up over time:  losing weight because you think someone else wants you to (what happens when you find out that person doesn’t care after all?   Or, if in the future they aren’t a part of your life?),  for better opportunities, be it in your dating life, job or friend situation (there’s no guarantee that these areas will improve after you lose weight, and then what?),  or because you think it will fix all of your problems (there will always be problems).

A more substantial goal might focus on your health, and all of the possible diseases and conditions that you can avoid by being in a healthy weight range.   Think about the long term benefits, the quality of your life, all of the things that you could do without the limitations of extra weight.   Think about the energy you will have, the pains you have now that will no longer be an issue, about your emotional health.

The picture that stirred my “aha” moment surprised me because there was no escaping the fact that I had let things get out of control.    That moment is part of your motivation, so 

go ahead and print out the picture, or write out the situation that inspired you to change, and post it somewhere prominent.  It will be a reminder of where you have been.

But don’t neglect where you are headed.    Think about that goal, write it out, and post it on the fridge so when you get to the end of that long, emotional day at work,  you’ll remember exactly why you don’t really want that pizza after all.

Losing Weight 2- THE MOMENT

BEFORE: December 2010

At Weight Watchers meetings, there is a fairly big emphasis on identifying the moment you decided to make a change.   We needed to articulate the one thing that stopped us in our tracks, and made us realize that we couldn’t go another day without doing something about our weight.    

This “aha” moment might come after not being able to keep up with your kids, or from getting winded after climbing a small flight of stairs.   Maybe its when you had to ask for a seatbelt extension on an airplane, or being told you exceed the weight limit for a favorite ride at an amusement park.    For a lot of people, seeing a picture of yourself will do the trick.

Last year, my husband and I decided to take our boys to the zoo.   We took a lot of cute pictures of the kids with animals, and at one point we handed the camera to our 6 year old to take a picture of Mama and Daddy together.   When I got home and saw the shot, I was in shock.   I didn’t recognize myself.  The biggest difference was in my face, which was fully rounded compared to how I pictured myself.   All at once a myriad of thoughts hit me-- comments my kids had made about my fat stomach, an old acquaintance asking when my baby due when I wasn’t pregnant, being out of breath after carrying my three year old up the stairs, but most of all how I was depleted of energy and motivation to do anything productive.   I knew right then that things had to change.   I wanted to be a good Mama to my kids, to be active and most of all, healthy.   I signed up for Weight Watchers the next day.

There are so many people out there who complain about their weight and say they are going to start a new diet on Monday.   For years, I was one of those people.   Sure, I wanted to lose weight, but there is a huge difference between just saying you want to lose weight and hitting rock bottom and deciding enough is enough.   

You see, this “aha” moment isn’t just a time for realization; its a place that signifies an end and a beginning all at once, and it is HUGE for lasting weight loss.     At that moment there is a mental shift, and you can’t stand how things are any more.    You make a decision, once and for all, to end the unhealthy habits that have gotten you to that point.   At the same time, you vow to yourself to start to make the right decisions for your health, no matter how hard it gets.   You need this moment to draw motivation from when things start getting tough, and they will get tough.   But you can do this.   You will do this!

Have you had an aha moment yet?   Please share!

After:  January 2012