When You Fall Off Your Diet

Losing weight, as I said last week, is a long term prospect when you are more than 20 or so pounds overweight, and you also need to rethink some common dieting paradigms when you are trying to take off (And keep off) a serious chunk of weight. Last week's weight loss post seemed to resonate with quite a few people...they were even tweeting about it on twitter, and I had more than one person email me to tell me that they are climbing their stairs more. That brought up a related topic from a question from a reader of last week's post:

Do you ever fall off your diet? What do you do about it? How do you restart when you've failed?

That's a good question, and really it is related to what I was saying last week. This whole idea of being on a diet, in terms of being really restrictive with what we are eating, and behaving in such a way as we are trying to take this off as fast as is possible (and if you are more than 40 over, it is not possible in a healthy way). I think that "dieting" mentality sets us up for failure, because what do you do when you fail on your diet? Do you...

• Repent quickly and eat an apple? (probably not)
• Take extra diet pills? (please don't. it's a bad idea for many reasons)
• Go to McDonalds and scarf down a suped up hamburger with enough calories in it to feed a family of 4 for 3 days?
• Buy a box of Twinkies and eat them all in the parking lot?
• Eat a batch of cookie dough?
• Inhale a bag of chips without coming up for air until only crumbs are left
• Stop off at 7-11 for a 44 ounce slurpee (which has a day's worth of calories, by the way)<---this would also be me, if we had a 7-11 nearby
• Make up one of those Lipton Noodles and Sauce side dishes and eat the whole thing?(<--this would be me)

The point is, most of us wouldn't run straight to healthy food. We would feel bad about our failure and then think, "Well, I already blew it", and so we run to whatever it was we were feeling deprived of. This is actually worse for you than not dieting in the first place.

A better solution is to not think in terms of dieting at all, or being in an overly restrictive diet, as I pointed out to you last week. By having a healthier lifestyle, one that is manageable, with smaller, healthier choices may not make you go from 300 pounds down to 110 before summer like the fad diets promise, but it will last longer and be more do-able.

Oh no, you ate a piece of chocolate! Oh well, but it doesn't mean you have to eat the whole package! Enjoy that one piece of chocolate. Nothing tastes good when you binge on it, right? You didn't exercise today! Don't try to do double tomorrow (if you could do twice what you do right now, you'd be doing it already). Just press forward....slow and steady wins the race.

The Bible says it this way: "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again..."(Proverbs 24:16) The key to dieting success (and success in any other area of life) is not in not failing, but in getting back up again when we fall.

Does Exercise Make a Difference?

Do you find it amusing to read all of these crazy studies they do, coming up with contradictory information at times? I sure do! I find it both sad and funny at the same time to watch everyone react and jump on this bandwagon or that one.

Here's a new study I was just reading about in yahoo news. Newsflash! Exercise doesn't make a difference in weight loss. Yippee for you if you don't like going to the gym, right?

With a headline declaring tidings such as these, I just had to read it.

I'm again no statistician, but they were studying rural women living in Nigeria, and urban women from the greater Chicago area, stating that both groups got equal amounts of exercise each week. No, really? Are you telling me that a woman living in RURAL Nigeria, possibly walking for miles for supplies, lugging water from wells, and so forth gets the same amount of physical activity as your typical McDonald's Munching urban Chicago resident who rides the L to work? Come on, people, apples to oranges.

Exercise, I have found from personal experience, makes all the difference in the world, but only if you are also eating right, obviously. You can't eat double cheeseburgers and expect that a few minutes at the gym is going to fix your waistline. :-) I hope that part is obvious.

I try to move myself a few times a day, for a grand total of nearly an hour a day each day in concentrated bursts, and if time is not a factor, I also try to do things the "hard way" whenever possible...running up and down the stairs with laundry, hanging out my laundry to dry, parking in the furthest parking space at the store, and so forth. I also usually do some light weight training but have put that on hiatus until I find out more about my shoulder surgery that I may be needing in a few weeks to months.

Don't let this study be your excuse to revert to sofa-spud-dom as long as you eat well. Admit it, you feel better when you move anyway, don't you?

Want to lose weight? Eat sensibly and move your body as much as you can in a day. Lose weight with me this year! By the end of the year, my goal is to have the word "obesity" stricken from my medical records, how about you? Let's do it!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Six Principles for Weigh Loss

I have been over 100 pounds overweight. Right now, I would like to lose 75 lbs. As I said last week, my goal is to lose 52 pounds this year (my ideal is 1 pound per week on average). The stupid charts say I should weigh 135 (yeah, right...in the 6th grade, maybe). I want to weigh between 150-160, as that is what I weighed when I got married, and frankly I looked pretty good then! I'm tall, and large framed, and so I'm never going to be in petite clothes.

In the past, I've always struggled with 10-20 pounds throughout most of my teen and adult years. My mom is very short, very skinny, and very petite, and has never struggled with her weight. She had a lot of trouble understanding my struggle. She can eat 2x the amount I can eat and never gain weight, which is very frustrating! She saved me her wedding dress....a size 2...What leg was I supposed to put that on?

When you have more than just 20 or so pounds to reach, there are a few principles that I have found helpful in not being discouraged in this endeavor.

1. Think marathon not sprint

You have to take all of those ladies magazine dieting tips, and wash them your mind. Those "get fit by summer" type of articles simply do not work for the obese. Your metabolism is likely messed up for whatever reason, possibly even functioning poorly because of your obesity, and so these "lose the pounds by such and such a date" diets just are going to make you discouraged.

2. Think lifestyle not diet

To be sure, I hate the word diet because it brings to mind eating grapefruit and drinking apple cider vinegar while popping dexatrim for a week before prom to fit into your too-small dress.

Scratch the idea of "dieting" off of your mind.

If your whole thought is, "I can't wait to lose this weight so that i can start eating ____ again" then guess what is going to be back (with a vengeance) as soon as you go off your "diet"? This is even worse for you than not losing the weight in the first place.

Think lifestyle changes. Smaller portions. Healthier choices, reading the labels, enjoying an OCCASIONAL indulgence, moving your bod more often than you do now, not skipping breakfast or living for days on coffee alone. Small changes work better for long term weight loss.

3. Think eating balanced not overly restrictive

Don't obsess over specific kinds of diets (lo-carb, lo fat, low this, low that)
I suppose this goes with point two, but also dives into some of the long term diets that people advertise. I find it just as absurd for people to freak out over eating a slice of whole wheat bread or brown rice (eeek! carbs!) while putting bacon or hot dogs into their body on a regular basis, as I do those who are afraid of meat but eating fat free, sugar-and-sodium laden salad dressing on their salads.

We need to eat a balanced diet, as healthy as we can, eating a diet that can be sustained over the long term. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, eat whole grains, eat lean meats. Restrict (or better yet, eliminate) fast food, junk food, desserts, and sugary drinks.

4. Think regular meals instead of starvation

My personal opinion, based on my own experiences and on the experiences of friends I know well, is that most people who are just this side of obese (40-70 lbs overweight) usually have a habit of skipping meals and not eating regularly. Everything I have read (and experienced in my journey of weight loss) indicates that this is the worst thing we can do for our metabolism.

The assumption that in order to be obese, you have to be constantly stuffing your face with food, is not necessarily so.

I think a lot of people assume this, if they have never been overweight. As I said, I've always had a struggle within 20 pounds. I could take if off if I worked at it, cut out the ice cream, and that sort of thing. However, when I saw obese people, I thought, "what is wrong with them? Just diet!" or "How do you let yourself go that way?" Even in the church, many times people assume you are a glutton if you are overweight or obese. And yet, have you ever observed the skinny person feeding frenzy at most church functions? The skinny girls have WAY more on their plate than us fat girls. (One of the many unfairnesses in this fallen world.)

If you have to, set a timer to remind you to eat at regular intervals. Start your day with a strong breakfast, and eat a moderate amount at regular intervals. This tells your body that you are not in a famine, and there is no reason to store extra fat in case the crops fail again.

5. Think Moving More through the day instead of Exercise

If you are seriously overweight, then going to the gym is not going to fix you the way it helps a slightly overweight person who wants to get in shape.

Let me put it another way: if you are sucking wind when you climb the stairs (such that you avoid it as much as possible), you need to climb the stairs a few times a day, not join a gym. Save your money. You won't last a minute on the stairmaster if you can't climb your own stairs.

I think some of this is logical, but we don't always think rationally. The paradigm of "lose weight this year" usually includes the "join a gym" step.

When we are obese (again, based on experiences of mine and obese friends), we slowly stop doing things that are hard to do. The more overweight, the harder it is to climb the stairs, the more we avoid the stairs, the more we gain weight, and so it goes.

We need to think about more practical means of getting exercise into our day. Simple things like parking as far out at the grocery store as possible. At my grocery store, I can get in a quarter mile just walking to and from my car. In nice weather, hang out your laundry. Do it once a week. Run up and down your stairs a few times a day. Go outside and shoot some hoops with your son. Turn on some music and dance with your kids, even if it's the hokey pokey. The point is, just move.

Share your Struggle with Someone

The best part of things like Weight Watchers and Tops is the accountability factor. Weighing yourself in front of others keeps you motivated if nothing else. That's why, once a month, I am going to do a weigh in on the blog. I decided to give myself a month before I start that. :-)

This principle works on a smaller scale too. Find a friend who also wants to lose weight, or who has done it before. Someone who understands. Keep each other accountable.

Happy weight loss!

Beginning with Breakfasts, Part Three: Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs are so simple to make, even an older child can do it!

Start with a non-stick pan sprayed with cooking spray (or lightly greased in some other way). Whisk 2-3 eggs in a mug, with a touch of milk, salt, and other seasonings you want (I like parsley). Heat up your pan and pour on the eggs.

Using a wooden/bamboo spatula, or some other tool safe for use on non-stick surfaces, stir your eggs around continuously until they are set.

Serve!

Again, as with yesterday's omelet recipe, you may want to heat your plate up in a warm oven for a few minutes on a cold morning. Cold eggs, and eggs that go cold fast on a cold plate, are not so great. :-) A warmed plate makes your eggs taste better for longer.

Our cook today is Isobel, age 9, who is helping me as I woke up, again, with a very sore shoulder...still waiting to see the surgeon.

Beginning with Breakfasts, Part Two: Omelets

My favorite breakfast (eaten normally at 2 am after being awake working on my computer, if I must confess! One new year's resolution is to eat breakfast daily) is an omelet. I've actually gotten pretty good at making these just the way I like them,and my two oldest children also do an awesome job at omelet making.

Start of course with the right tools.

The French have something called a crepe pan, and that is what 3 of my cookbooks say to use (do you have a crepe pan? no? Me neither!). Instead, I have an affordably priced (under $10 from Walmart) Lodge Cast Iron Tortilla skillet like this one here:


It also is ideal for baking pizza dough, but I am getting ahead of myself. I use the cast iron tortilla skillet because it makes my omelet just the way I like it...the right size, and that slightly browned finish on the outside. Cast iron also absorbs heat nicely, so I feel it cooks the omelets more evenly and they don't stick with that pan (as much).

Chop up any veggies you will be adding to your omelet ahead of time. I use about 1/8th of my favorite vegetable (besides romaine lettuce): a red bell pepper. I also use about 1/4 of a medium onion, a scant bit of garlic (1 clove or so), and today I had 1 slice of turkey breast, which I cut small.


Next, take your eggs (in this case, I am using 3 eggs, but I am splitting this omelet in half with my daughter :-)). Mix them well in a cup with a fork or a whisk. Add a small dash of salt and pepper. Sometimes I'll add parsley too. Also add about 1T of milk. Because of concerns about cholesterol, I used 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites. I have found that making an omelet of just egg whites is a little more difficult as it falls apart easier and also lacks that pretty golden color :-)



Heat a lightly oiled, well seasoned skilled (I used a cooking spray) over medium heat. Add the eggs to the skillet and swirl them around by tilting the skillet this way and that to get the eggs to coat the pan.

Your eggs should start to set up pretty fast, and evenly. Carefully lift the edges, as needed, to let the runny eggs flow down to the skillet surface.

When the egg is softly set (not runny but not dry either), add your fillings in a line following the handle of the pan. I find this makes it easier to flip the egg onto the plate. If you are using cheese, put that down first.

Turn off the heat. Lift half of the omelet, and flip it over 1/3 of the way, parallel with the pan handle/fillings.

Grab a plate (tip: warm your plate in the oven for a few minutes. Cold eggs, or eggs that get cold too fast, are not so appetizing), and carefully fold your omelet onto the plate by holding your pan, folded side up, and sliding it off of the pan, onto the plate, and allowing the folded side to flop over the rest of the omelet, and onto the plate. If you hold the pan right, it will probably land like this by default.

Enjoy!

Beginning with Breakfasts, Part One

When it comes to hard to follow weight loss advice, which is the hardest for me to follow? Is it avoiding soda pop, or not eating chocolate? Na. It's the imperative to eat breakfast. The truth? I do not wake up hungry, and I almost never have an appetite before noon or later.

I've been like this for most of my life, but most especially in the last 16 years. Maybe it is a throwback to all of that morning sickness and toilet hugging that I did while pregnant. I feel sick at the thought of breakfast.

However, one of my so-called "new years resolutions" is to eat a healthy breakfast every morning. I'm shooting for eating a protein packed breakfast most mornings so that I can really up my metabolism.

It's not easy!

Basically I have discovered that if you force yourself to eat breakfast every day for a week or two, eventually you will wake up sort of wanting breakfast. Maybe after a month of this, I'll be hungry for real. :-)

So, for the next few days, I'll be showing you some simple-ish breakfasts to make, with recipes.

That Annual Dieting Resolution...

Did you make a "resolution" to lose weight this year? ~smiles~

I did. Maybe it wasn't so much a resolution as it was a goal to finish what I started a while ago, to lose these extra pounds and get into better shape. Part if it is my impending 40th birthday (in October), and part of it is a new-found excitement stirred by my husband's dieting and weight loss (I'm so proud of him! He lost 42 pounds!!).

I have been trying to take off this extra weight for some time now. I will lose some then gain it back when illness or injury strikes. Most of my weight is in my middle. I have actually quite skinny legs compared to the rest of me, resulting in a good many sprained ankles. Someone asked me via email why it seems like I have posted on the blog about sprained ankles more than most people should get...the reason is that my shapely ankles and calves are not able to support the rest of me healthily! (grin). Unlike many obese people (and even some skinny folk) I am even able to wear zip up boots that go to my knee or higher. Most of my overweight friends marvel at that.

This past November, I fell on my front steps, grabbed the handrail, and twisted my arm all the way behind my back. It really did hurt as badly as it sounds! (ouch!). I finally went to the doctor a few days later, and he took one look at my x-rays and said, "Wow, you must have a high tolerance for pain." (this is not something you want to hear when someone is looking at your x-rays!). An MRI later, we discovered the rotator cuff is not torn, but the bones and joints and all that are in bad shape, so I am meeting with a surgeon at the end of this month to see what that prognosis is. I'm hoping I won't need surgery, but the doctor is pretty sure I will.

All that to say, panic struck my heart in regards to my diet. Maybe that sounds silly, but I was worried what all of this will mean for my weight loss progress. I loathe losing 40 lbs over the course of a year, only to gain it back when I Am struck with pneumonia, bronchitis, a sprained ankle, or something else that keeps me from working out. I want to stay on track this time. I want to do it.

So, at the start of December, shortly having something injected in my shoulder to help with the pain (something which says "May cause weight gain" ---ah, super! just what I need!), I started to be even more strict with my dieting, and exercising in a way that didn't involve my shoulder. I also started researching anything about upping your metabolism online. I've lost 12 pounds through the holidays, which to me is a miracle. \o/

I finally had my new prescription filled only to read the package insert, "May cause unexplained weight gain." (banging head against the wall. this is how someone who doesn't eat McDonalds and loves salad becomes 75 lbs overweight!!!). So I haven't taken anything above extra strength Ibuprofen for the pain and swelling...and most days, with the help of hot rice socks, hot showers, and laying on several soft pillows, I haven't felt like I needed anything.

My goal is to lose about a pound a week on average, for a weight loss of 52 lbs by the end of the year. I think if I can meet that goal, I will at least no longer be "obese" by clinical standards, and I will be well on my way to losing even more next year, and hitting my target weight.

Scholarly video on Obesity and Metabolism

I found this video on You Tube (thanks Kathy for the link). This is very long, and about as exciting as health class ;) but full of great, scholarly information regarding obesity.

Family Fitness Thursdays 6/5/2008

We were having the most fascinating conversation around the lunch table today.

We were eating some yummy romaine lettuce, with grated carrot, some green onions, a few thinly sliced basil leaves, a handful of a few other fresh herbs (like parsley, chives, rosemary leaves, and nasturtium flowers), and some grilled chicken breasts. While we were eating, we of course had a few bottles of salad dressing on the table (it would be easier if everyone liked the same thing...but alas...).

I've always been a label reader when it comes to foods, and today the label on a bottle of Caesar dressing (which I bought by accident...meaning to grab something in a bottle that looks nearly identical by the same company while rushing through my shopping last week) caught my eye, and I said out loud, "WHAT? 700 mg of SODIUM and 5 mg of cholesterol?!?"

This resulted in a discussion around the lunch table about sodium, good fats, bad fats, avoiding trans fats, and reading labels.

Now, everyone was reading their salad dressing labels, and seeing who had the best sodium per serving, followed by whose dressing was the best as far as sugars, calories, fats, trans fats (what a shocker--the Caesar was the only one with trans fats too...no more of that for me!), and so on.

That caused my son to notice what a serving actually is versus what we were all pouring on our salad. I think that is the biggest weight-related issue Americans have ("what is a portion, really?"). Hint: a portion isn't whatever fills your plate. A portion isn't as much dressing it takes to thoroughly coat your salad either. As I found myself explaining to the kids (and to myself on more than one occasion), a portion is not what you eat in one sitting, but rather a specific measurement that you should be eating.

That brought up the question, Who puts only 2 TBS of dressing on their salad? Do people actually measure?

Hmmmm. Maybe I should. I wonder how much sodium and cholesterol I did actually ingest today while eating my "healthy" salad?

Stumble It!

Family Fitness Thursdays 1/3/2008

One of the most common new year's resolutions falls under the category of weight loss and fitness and all that. Maybe you have one too?

I think part of it is after all of the eating that happens around the holidays, and the fact that our schedules are all "off", we long for some normalcy, to get back on track with things, to eat healthier.

This week, I was trying to get back to exercising more consistently again. It's so cold and this old body of mine doesn't like to move much when it is cold...but once I get moving I am surprisingly nimble and warmed up. I find that exercise is one of those things that takes a virtual act of God for most of us to start, but once we do it (unless we over do it), we rarely regret it.

Just as I rarely get up from some fruitful time in the Word of God and say, "What a waste of time!" I very rarely, after a good workout, "I sure wish I hadn't done that today!" I always feel better.

I focus more on fitness overall than "weight loss" and low cal stuff. I try to eat healthy, and in moderation. I make lower fat, and lower calorie choices overall, but you won't find me eating lean cuisine either. Most nights, we have a little bit of "hot food" and a whole lotta salad. Most of the time, when you see me making some sort of soup or stew for dinner, I have one bowl of that, and a heaping bowl of salad full of fresh veggies. That's a habit which we have started to form, and which works for us for a few reasons.

One is that I am cooking for more than just me...we have 7 in the family plus frequent dinner guests as we open our home to hospitality. I quit my job as a short order cook back in college! LOL I find that if I make mostly healthful food that everyone will eat, and also a big salad, I can enjoy a little bit of the main course and a whole lot of the salad, and everyone can choose their portions. My husband and teen daughter would rather have salad every day ;)

But this is also another reason to exercise...I find the more I work out (that is consistently--not sitting on my seat doing nothing for a few months and then working out for 3 hours every few months--that is very bad for you! ;)), I desire healthier foods. My appetite is normalized. I want salad. I want yogurt. I want to drink more water and less coffee.

Family Fitness Thursdays: 12/27/2007

This looks to be my last Family Fitness Thursday for the year.

After the way I enjoyed Christmas goodies this year, I am feeling guilty writing this LOL. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, pumpkin pie, and Christmas treats...how am I supposed to write about fitness?

No, I didn't do a whole lotta situps this week ;)

I had several people bring me food related gifts, which was sweet, thoughtful, and damaging to my diet (~smile~) One friend brought over a bag of chocolate covered Espresso Beans (heaven help my heart!).

Another brought me a box of Turkish Delight, which we enjoyed eating while watching Narnia on Christmas Eve.

Still another bought me a liter each of Italian Imported Olive Oil with Roasted Garlic Oil and Olive Oil with Oil of Basil infused, knowing how much I love food gifts. That one will last longer than the Turkish delight or the Espresso Beans (which I am trying to keep away from the kids!), but I did use a flavor injector to inject garlic infused Olive oil into my Christmas turkey. It was really good. I consoled myself with the thought that it was actually olive oil and not bacon grease like a friend of mine has used in his turkey before (Hey, I think I pinpointed the cause of your high cholesterol!)

But, onto fitness, right?

Part of being successful with weight loss and fitness I have found comes from also living a life of balance. In the Bible there are feast days and there are fasting days, but there is also every day in between. In our western culture, rich foods tend to be the norm for many people, and thus the increase in diseases that stem from nutrional excesses, as well as obesity. We can't survive daily "feasts" any more than we can survive daily fasts.

Those holiday cookies that someone brought over are just fine...just don't eat the whole plate. Eat one or two.

This coming year, I plan to work out more consistently (it's been sporadic since the weather has turned and with me having this horrible chest congestion thing that I can't seem to shake), and to continue to strive towards healthier eating habits. My big thing is eating breakfast...I have really backslid on that point. I feel better and lose more weight if I eat breakfast. The other area that needs work is drinking more water instead of just drinking coffee and tea (when it's cold I tend to only drink hot stuff). I find it's easier to drink my 8 glasses of water a day when it is not below zero! :-)

I am excited that I am still apparently losing weight, though when I look in the mirror, I don't usually notice. The other day my workout pants were sliding off so much I felt like most of the pilates video was spent trying to hike up my sweats. I am hoping to lose enough weight by next year to have a whole new wardrobe under the tree...Wouldn't that be cool?

My girlfriend Toni, who has lost over 80 lbs, just brought over some more of her fat clothes for me, and most of them fit. I no longer get depressed when my best friend's fat clothes are too small for me. LOL Two super cute dresses though are still a little small. They fit fine below the waist but the top is way too small, which is the case of most dresses lately. Some days I feel like I either have to wear a "tent" or wear things that pull in all the wrong places but are loose in the waist. Most of the time though I just wear skirts and shirts, instead of trying to do a dress. It is a goal of mine to lose enough to wear a dress and have it actually fit right!

I am hoping that with continued diet and exercise I will be able to squeeze myself into those dresses Toni by this time next year, or maybe sooner.

The weight I have lost seems to come off in batches. I will suddenly drop 10 lbs, and then nothing for a long time, and then 10 more, and sometimes I gain a little bit back, even without changing what I have eaten. However, I have lost 1.5 inches on my waist and another inch on my hips since September! Woo hoo.

Out for a Stroll

One of the benefits of not having a working vehicle right now is all of the walking I am doing. I wish I could walk to grocery shopping but with the nearest grocery store some 17 miles away that would not be practical. However, I do walk to the post office and to the bank, giving me some added fitness opportunities. I think normally in such cold weather I'd have driven the van if I had that option ;)

It's funny though to see reactions of people when you are out walking when it is snowing. I wasn't about to walk when we had the ice storm of course (BRRRR) but when we had a nice heavy snow with little wind, I had about 3 orders to mail, and I walked up to the post office in it. the weather was actually quite pretty, and I was enjoying a leisurely walk, being careful of each step due to the previous ice storm we had just had. At least 5 different acquaintences, mostly from church or the library, stopped off to ask me if I needed a ride, and persist with "Are you SURE?"

"no, no, I'm good. It's good exercise. Thanks, though"

"Well....ok. be careful".

I even had 3 total strangers inquire "why are you walking?" "Are you ok?" "Where is your car broken down?"
"Do you need to use my cell phone?"

and then a state trooper rolled his window down and asked if I was having vehicle trouble. Well, yes I am, but the van is safely in my driveway waiting for us to have enough cash to fix it, and I am out enjoying the peaceful winter wonderland on a stroll through the neighborhood. He laughed and said, "Ok. I wanted to make sure." I thanked him for his concern and asked if if it was so odd to see someone walking with their arms loaded up like Mr. Tumnus. "Um...yeah, actually we don't see people out walking much, especially not when it is cold out. You looked like you must have broken down somewhere." I thanked him again, wished him a merry Christmas, and went on my way.

Maybe if I got some snow shoes or cross country skis I'd look like I am out in the snow deliberately?

It felt good to get fresh air and exercise. I haven't done that as much since I've been a little congested and then also busy with Christmas program rehearsals, piano practice for a concert, as well as other little things. I don't want to undo my hard work during this busy season when I don't have as much time to exercise but everyone is bringing me baked goods as gifts. The generous boxes of Christmas cookies are a double edged sword. LOL

Family Fitness Thursday 11/15/07

I haven't posted too many of these in a while, because we have all had flu type things going on at our house...and I've had a seriously stuffy nose, which has made it hard to just work out as much as I had been. I am still moving a little bit, and still losing some weight. My sweat pants that I sleep in no longer stay up without really tugging at the draw string and seriously tying them.

In fact, I just went to the local thrift store a week and a half ago, because they had $1 bags of clothes---all you could stuff in for a buck, and I took that occasion not only to get my son some much needed dress slacks, but to get me two skirts with smaller waists. ;) woo hoo. My son, who is 12, is getting taller by the minute. He came down stairs for church the other Sunday, and I realized they were about 5 inches too short, so I was grateful for finding some nice courderoys and slacks.

One of the exercises we have enjoyed doing this fall is raking leaves. It doesn't look like it at all in our yard of course ;) but we have raked many piles and jumped in mountains of leaves. Lots of great outdoor exercises.

Family Fitness Thursday! 10/18

The teens are taking a digital photography class in the area with a homeschool mom, which has afforded them much exercise--walking around with a camera is still walking, and it is exercise without realizing it. Anything that gets you outside and moving! Maybe I'll post some of their photos soon.

As for the rest of us, we are continuing with our program of walking, light weight training and stretching. We were able to add some reps and sets to the weight training and stretching because it was getting "too easy". Everything I've read about exercise indicates that doing reps and sets while exercising, instead of just doing some round number like "20" is better for you. For example, when we do arm curls with the 3lb weights (the little one uses a 1lb weight), I do five with one arm, then five with the other arm, and I do that 4 times. So...4 sets of 5 reps. It gives you some rest between. Check it out online for more information.

As for progress...I'm a total boot freak...I love wearing boots! However, when you are a "Certain weight" it is not possible to wear (and zip up) tall boots (which I love to wear with skirts/dresses in the winter). Well, progress: I can wear boots that go to my knees--and zip them up all the way. to be fair, my calves weren't huge as I've seen others--most of my weight is in the middle and my legs looked actually skinny compared to the rest of me...but now they have apparently gotten much toner. Yippie.

I'd love to say it's the potato soup, but I think it would be more accurate to say it is IN SPITE OF the potato soup. LOL

Exercise doesn't have to be perfect!

Continuing on with Family Fitness Thursdays! Woo hoo. My waistband is getting to be almost TOO loose for a belt, how 'bout you?

I'm glad I am still losing. I was worried for a little while there. This month we tried Angel Food Ministries, and I have decided that while the $25 box of food was nice, it had too many of my culinary temptations in it for me to justify buying it again. I am not in the least someone who will go ga-ga for a candy bar (yuck) but I have very little self control when I have a 10 pound box of frozen popcorn chicken in my freezer. Good thing I'm working out LOL.

Another Email!

I got this email from a reader:

I only get through the warmup part of a workout video before I am too tired to do any more. I'm very out of shape. It doesn't seem like enough exercise though. I read you have to do exercise for at least 20 minutes before you read the spot when you are burning calories. How can I burn enough to make a difference?

Any exercise is better than no exercise at all. (and by any exercise, I mean quantity--make sure you are doing the moves correctly, however slowly you are doing them---moving properly is more important than moving for an hour!

Personally, and keep in mind I am not a doctor, exercise guru (LOL), or fitness expert--just a mom who is taking on the challenge of getting the family moving more----personally I think if all you are doing now is sitting on your behind, then doing just the warmup (and cooldown) parts of an exercise DVD is probably a great place to start...you have to build up to it.

I read a little while ago some article where they decided (after some study) that exercise doesn't burn enough calories to lose weight. I think that is ridiculous, and obviously they never interviewed me LOL.

My own experience (and that of several severely overweight friends who have taken off at least 50 or more pounds) is that you need to both eat well and move your body daily.

Again, I don't have a permanent head damage degree (PhD) in exercise or anything like that, but I have found that it doesn't seem to matter about focusing on how many calories you are burning when you do such and such an exercise. I think it is all pretty relative. The act of being "in oxygen" (aerobically working out--not to be confused with complicated choreography and scantilly clad workout instructors with impossible moves) and of working your muscles (light weight training) seems to do your body good, even if "the charts" (which are not infallible) say I only burned enough to cancel out my fat free salad dressing.

I'm sure you can look this up more on the internet somewhere to have all of the scientific details, but working out (especially weight training) benefits you more when you are resting afterwards than when you are doing it...the results don't just end when your workout does. And, if you are building muscle, it affects how you burn calories. If you are exercising, the hormonal changes that go on as a result of what happens on a biochemical level also contribute to a more efficient (or maybe even a properly functioning) metabolism.

On the other hand...if you are only able to make it through the warm up before you are seriously sucking wind, you are better off stopping there (maybe doing the cool down portion of the workout though!), than forcing yourself to do what some 20 year old fitness guru can do, if you are an out of shape, overweight, 30-something mom of 9. All that I have read on the science of exercise seems to indicate that over exertion can do lots of damage, and undermine your efforts. Again, I'm not someone who has a degree in all of this stuff--I just read a lot. :-)

Bottom line--if you are waiting until you can do the entire 60 minute Tae-bo tape you bought on a daily basis, you should know that the longer you wait the less likely it is that you will even be able to do the warmup itself ,girl!

Frugal Health Food

My family's fitness adventures continue....

Walking and stretching and walking and stretching....we are able to do a mile (a brisk walk around town) in about 10-15 minutes consistently, which is awesome.

I was recently emailed this question:

It seems like healthy food costs more. We are on a very tight budget right now and can't afford to spend more at the grocers. Others have written that it will save money at the doctors, but truth be told we haven't been to the doctors in 5 years either. Do you have any frugal healthy eating tips?

I relate because I've been there and done that. Saving money at the doctors is a mute point when you can't afford the co-pay at the doctors, and therefore don't go unless you are dying. It's been a long time since I've seen a doctor.My kids, praise God, are also very healthy and so we haven't had the need to see the doctor at all in a few years, though we go to the chiropractor occasionally, and we see the dentist.

Healthy food is more expensive if you are already forgoing the pre-packaged junk food aisles and are cooking and eating from scratch to save money. Let's face it--carbs are cheap eats. It's cheaper to buy a bag of potatoes and some boxes of pasta because they can be stretched further, especially if you have a big family. A bag of apples may stretch a whole week for a married couple, but if you have five kids, that is an afternoon's worth of snacks. To buy bananas for the week, we need about 10 lbs of them, and pray that they last that long. I actually buy 7 bags containing 3 heads of romaine each (When there is none left in the garden), and sometimes they last until the next shopping day. Today I was going to have salad, only to find that there was enough lettuce for two bites left. I guess I can rest in the knowledge that my kids prefer salad and fruit to candybars. :-)

However, there are some healthy things that you can buy that are not so expensive.

One of the staples in our diet has always been the cheapest cut of ground beef--it stretches far and is versatile. Well, it is also high in fat and cholesterol too! I was reading online that ground turkey is better for you all around, so I decided to price some out. To my delighted surprise, ground turkey is about 20 cents cheaper than the ground beef (or the same price), and it has a nice taste too.

Real butter, while costing more than margarine, is better for you as it is more natural, though you shouldn't eat too much. Buying that keeps us from using too much of it. If you are buying "generic veggie spread" at 50 cents a pound, you will likely buy more, and use more than buying butter at 1.66 a pound, right?

Buying bags of romaine hearts is also a pretty good value on a healthy salad. Iceberg lettuce, while very low in calories, is also very low in nutrients. Romain has a lot of good things in it as a dark leafy green, and the hearts have a mild flavor. This week, three of those were just $2.38 (regular price), and sometimes they drop down to $1.99 or lower. I find they also keep well.

With other vegetables, I try to see what is on sale or seasonal, as those are usually the best prices. Some weeks we buy a few bags of apples. This may sound silly but we use removable labels, put the kids' names on them, and divide them up evenly so that one child is not eating all of the apples (or other produce). Whatever is on sale--bags of apples, boxes of clementine tangerines, bags of oranges and grapefruit, bananas, pears, plums, and so forth--we buy 2 different sorts of fruit each week for snacks and breakfast.

Cold cereal is very expensive, but some sorts of cereal (Such as no-brand bran flakes) can be relatively inexpensive--$1.50 a box where I shop. I mostly make my own granola, and we often enjoy hot oatmeal in the mornings. Oatmeal fills you up and is good for you. I make it plain and add a slight sprinkling of either cinnamon sugar (emphasis on slight!!!), or maple syrup at the table. Adding sweetner at the table means using less, as the flavor is stronger when it is on the surface.

the other big thing I've found is portion control. When you buy a box of granola bars, sometimes 1 granola bar is the whole portion, not the two or three that are in the individual package (though this varies by package!). When you dish out spaghetti sauce, usually a scant ladle full is a whole portion--not 2 or 3. I find portion control harder when you are cooking for what feels like an army--it's hard to guage when you make a huge amount of food at once. However, if you start measuring at the table you will soon be able to eyeball it better. It really is eye opening.

Family Fitness Thursdays 9/27/2007

So, how we doing on the fitness thing?

We've been up early most days doing some moving and then walking. It's been harder this week as we all have sinus problems with the changing weather--seems to happen each season change!

It's funny how when you're getting up earlier and earlier suddenly 9 am seems like the middle of the day instead of "First thing in the morning" LOL. This is especially helpful to us since we have co-op every other week bright and early at 9 am, and I no longer fear sleeping in on that day and missing the first session.

I found that moving in the morning, before doing anything else, wakes me up out of that fog.

Exercise is one of those things that the majority of us really don't wake up wanting to do (I think anyway) but it is something that most of us get into once we start moving. I never wake up saying...."I want to stretch and lift weights!" but by the time I am midway through my workout I feel better and enjoy it.

By the way, to join Family Fitness Thursdays on your blog, just click on the link below, and fill in the information on the next page.

The President's Active Lifestyle Award

I'm making progress losing weight. I'm down 23 lbs, just from working out more. Recently, I found a great resource I wanted to share with all of you mommas, because it can not only help YOU and give YOU a goal to work towards, but also give your children a goal to work towards as well. It's called the The President's Active Lifestyle Award. Anyone remember doing the President's physical fitness award in elementary school gym class? Or, in my case, getting laughed at while failing miserably at getting the PPFA? Well, that is still around too (and open to homeschoolers!!!) but this one is much more practical as it helps to build the habit of an active lifestyle into our young ones.Our homeschooling co-op is working towards the PPFA and the PALA for our gym class.

After reading about it, I went to the website to find out if moms could also try for the active lifestyle award, since I am helping my kids get in the activity for their logs. I found out that we can register online (as can families!) and keep track of our activity from their website.

Today is day one for me registering, and my 30 minutes of activity (kids have to do 60 minutes) was going through a light callisthetic, stretching, and weight training routine with my kids using 1.5 lb hand weights. It's based on my weight loss pilates DVD that I bought at Walmart, but the DVD has proven difficult for a few reasons, not the least of which is the immodest clothing and cleavage which my son doesn't need to ponder. We also found the choreography harder for the kids, so I am doing the same exercises, plus some work with free weights, and of course situps and push ups to practice for the PPFA.

On another topic that is somewhat related, my husband and my kids were talking about how he is always tired, and he said to them that they should try to get up at 4:30 am every day...they'd be tired too. Well they said, "Sure, wake us up" (Thanks, honey and kids, I really didn't want to get up at 4:30...).Anyway, for the last few days we've been up at that dreadful hour, which has given the added blessing of giving us time to work out. Starting tomorrow, we're going to go marching around town at 6:00am for a walk. The PALA requires kids do either 60 minutes of working out or 11,000 steps for girls and 13,000 steps for boys (that's roughly 3-4 miles) 5 days out of 7 for 13 continuous weeks. Once around our neighborhood is exactly 1 mile, so if we go two times, plus do our callesthetics, we should be good....and I'll go beyond what is required of me as I only have to do 30 minutes of working out...but with my, um, large size, it won't kill me to do a hour with the kids.

So, who else is in? What other families are going to go for the PALA? Who's done it already?

dieting woes

weight gain and loss is a frustrating thing, especially when physically there are other health issues at work that are working against weight loss.

For me, I have some issues with my pituitary gland resulting from a bad reaction to a drug I took for my fibromyalgia...and from some other meds I've been given every now and then both for fibromyalgia and for the chronic bronchitis that I suffer from. I am to the point now to where I don't take anything unless I research it thoroughly on the internet, and find out all side effects. The drug I took several years ago that caused my initial 100 lb weight gain also caused my friend Toni to gain 80 lbs and her sister gained 75...and lets just say that the weight doesn't come off too easily after you take this drug even if you stop taking it. When I went to the doctor a year ago for severe fibro flareups, I was given another drug that turns out to be related, chemically, to this first drug...I'm now worried I may be back to square one. I have resigned myself to dealing with whatever pain I am in so long as I don't take any more fat-making drugs. The doctors continue to insist these drugs don't affect metabolism (baloney), though even the drugs' website says that is a possible side effect.

I've always been the sort of person who could lose that extra 10 or 20 lbs just by stopping to eat ice cream...lol...those were the days. I miss ice cream.

Now, if I eat more than 1500 calories a day and don't work out like a fiend, I am gaining weight again. I hate that.

I had pretty much given up in frustration at the end of last summer when a few weeks with a sprained ankle (and no 3 mile walks) left me 20 lbs heavier, even with eating salads.

I went to a doctor about weight loss, only to be sent to a workshop at the hospital that told us such ground breaking revelation like, "If you want to lose weight, make sure you don't eat out at fast food restaurants more than 1x a week". GEE, I wish! If only!! I don't recall the last time I ate at a fast food restaurant...but on the rare occasion that I have to eat on the road, it usually is subway or I get a salad at one of the burger places.

When I gave up last year, I finally stopped obsessing about food. I think I posted before that I have a tendency to starve myself and get so hyper controlling about food that I don't eat. Before I got saved, I was bulimic most of the time so as to control my figure....and since becoming "obese" I have to remind myself that weight isn't everything. I know I eat well. I know my cholesterol and sugars are good for now....blood pressure is ok...

I knew I'd gain weight...but my dh, trying to help me chill out some, threw out my scale.

Well, we bought a scale this past week...and I have been very disappointed in what I found there.

I gained ALL of my weight back. ALL of it.

Of course, since I do work out, you don't really notice it as much on me. I do look heavy, but I always win at those "guess my weight" things...as those carnival guys can never get my weight correct....they usually undershoot my weight by at least 50 lbs. Most of my friends guess my weight at 80-90 lbs less than what it really is...that is the blessing of being tall and well proportioned I guess.

So...I am back to trying to lose weight, without being obsessive hopefully.

my weight loss

You will note the ticker above, near the top of the page, under the verse. This is something I saw on someone else's blog, and decided to get too.

Last summer I had lost 58 pounds total, but over the winter I put some of it on again...I partly blame late night snacks with my hubby as he came home from working some crazy shift...why is it that calories seem to count as double at 2am?? Thankfully he's not working that any more, and so I am not frying up bacon and eggs in the middle of the night nor scooping out Cappuccino Fudge Blitz ice cream with hot fudge topping for us as we discuss the day LOL...I've already lost a few pounds. I have to actually go and get a better scale so as to more accurately weigh in as I only guessed based on my last weigh in at the chiropractor. I think I lost about 10 pounds over the weekend in the garden as everything is very loose again...so I'm probably going to update the ticker on Thursday after shopping when I get a scale.

What am I doing to lose weight?? I'm eating a sensible, lower calorie and lower fat, healthful diet (as opposed to "dieting" which only works when you need to lose a quick ten pounds to squeeze into a dress on a special occasion it seems)...and I am walking a lot as well as working in the garden, and doing some pilates a few times a week.

I've learned a lot about weight loss over the last several years. I've gotten a new respect for anyone who battles severe overweight.

I've never been fat before...relatively speaking. I've needed to lose a few pounds before...20 at the most...and I grew up in a family where everyone was dieting or watching weight or watching my weight ;)....and if anything I had a bad image of my body at a young age to where I would do whatever it took to lose weight (including bulimic things....and diet pills..and so on). After I got saved, the Lord really did a healing work in my heart about all of that body image stuff, and I praise Him for it. It's not good to be obsessing about every bite that goes in your mouth any more than it is good to be scarfing down ice cream at 2 am.

Anyway...when I put on all of this weight 6-7 years ago, it was totally freaky...but God has also taught me a lot through it. In some ways it has been something where I've had to deal with all of those emotions regarding body image again...such as overcoming the temptation NOT to fall back on those very unhealthy methods for losing weight...which would probably not work for losing 100 pounds the same way they work for losing 10 or 20 anyway! Still, it's been a battle in my own mind some days concerning accepting where I'm at, and taking things slow and steady and in a very healthful way, especially since I'm losing this for my health not to win a beauty pageant, amen?

So...I decided if i was doing this rather publicly it would be good for accountability.