Journal: Happy New Year 2012

Well, I have maintained my weight loss for another year. I did, however, weigh in over my leeway 4 times, but I always got it back off by the next week. I have to admit my exercise really hit a low this year. It's hard to find ways to stay motivated when you don't have to exercise.

I started back on my Couch 2 5K regiment last week. I have tried it a couple of times and by the 4th week or so my knees start to kill me. I am going to move up slower this time. I am going to try to do one set of regiments for an entire month instead of just a week. Maybe my body just needs more time to adjust.

I also ate horribly over the holidays, but I am already back on that track too. I am back to making sure I have a "free" vegetable every day with my meal and am choosing the healthier snack options for my sweet tooth.

I also gave up eating chocolate. It's not even for health reasons. It's because I found out that chocolate tends to come from cocoa farms that use child slavery. I looked and looked for a good fair trade chocolate option and couldn't find one, so instead, I gave up my most beloved food! I haven't gone without it completely, I will have an occasional chocolate treat if a friend makes one or it's at a fellowship dinner or something, but I won't buy it and don't eat it on a what used to be a daily basis. I had to say goodbye to the chocolate fat free pudding cups I loved so much, but it's been fun (though somewhat hard) to find a good alternative.

For now I get my sweet fix with fig bars. They are fat free and only 60 calories. That's a pretty sweet deal and cures my craving. If only didn't have to have something sweet with every meal!

I also DO eat breakfast now. My entire schedule has changed and I get up very early in the morning so waiting to eat until lunch was not very practical. I am glad to have found that I have incorporated it in without putting on the weight. Again, it's making healthy choices and giving up some of the evening snacking I always looked forward to. I haven't really missed those though because I adjusted the time of my other meals which means I eat dinner later and having gotten up early I am off to bed sooner so I don't need as many snacks late at night.

Well, that is my year in summary and my plan for now is to keep on exercising and keep this weight off for yet another year. I hope your weight loss, exercise and healthy living goals were met last year as well, and if they weren't, may they be this year! You can do it!

Chopped Steak Recipe

I tend to eats lots of chicken because you get so much more for the calories, however I do sometimes miss my beef. One day I wanted to make some chopped steak with gravy, something I just pretty much gave up, but I really missed. So, I searched for a healthier option and found this video. This was really delicious! It's still something I don't eat often, but when I am in the mood for beef and gravy, this hits the spot!

Chopped Steak Recipe

Journal: Still There!

I really got busy and have had trouble keeping up with all my blogs. Still, I wanted to let you know how things are going. So far I have maintained my goal weight! It's been more than a year and I have not been out of my leeway for TOPS yet, which only allows me to go 3 pounds over my goal. Well, I take that back, I have been over it twice, by 1/4 of a pound each time, but all in all, never being more than 3 1/4 pounds over my goal isn't too shabby!

Recently I have been hanging at that upper end though, so I am really trying to get my exercise routine back on track. It's really not that I have been eating more than I was, it's simply that I am not as active. It's really hard to keep motivated when it's 110 degrees outside, let me tell you! But I have AC so I have been working out indoors.

Well, it's good to be see you, hopefully I can keep this blog hopping a little more! How are you all doing?!

10 Tools For Weight Loss Success

These are the tools I used to help me reach and maintain my KOPS status.

1. Calculate Caloric Intake – In order to monitor your daily food intake you must first determine how many calories you need to eat in order to lose weight. To calculate that you can multiply 7 by each pound of weight. That will give you a good starting point. You should not, however, exceed over 2000 calories per day. I started my weight loss by simply subtracting 200 calories from the daily recommended allowance which started me at 1800. When I would stop having losses I would subtract another 200 calories. The lowest amount I ate was 1400-1500 per day.

2. Know Your Serving Size – When counting calories be sure you are eating the correct portion size. I read every label and measured everything. Each portion of meat, cereal, snacks and sides went on the scale or in a measuring cup. A 2 oz mistake can be a costly 150 calories!

3. Eat Lots of Fiber and Protein – These both make you feel fuller, longer. A bowl of cereal is about the same amount of calories as a bowl of Weight Control Oatmeal, but the significant amount of difference in the protein and fiber means that one will hold me over to lunch and the other will make me want to snack and end up eating more calories in the long run.

4. Make Each Calorie Count – When you are down to 1400 calories you really want to eat things that are not only satisfying but filling. This is when it must become a lifestyle change rather than a diet. If you simply deprive yourself to lose weight you won't sustain the weight loss. To make each calorie count make better choices. A 4 oz. Boneless, skinless, chicken breast is 132 calories where a 4 oz. Sirloin steak is 254 calories. For half the calories you can have the same amount of protein and less fat. I have found since losing weight that I really avoid red meat, pasta and pizza because I am just not willing to waste the calories on those foods. I eat much more chicken, lean ground meat or substitute ground turkey in things like chili and casseroles.

5. Prepare and Plan – It is almost impossible to lose weight if you eat out a lot. Preparing food at home is essential. When I crave a nice juicy cheese burger I avoid the drive-through and make it at home instead. If I use 95% lean ground meat, reduced fat cheese, FF may and lots of veggies I save myself about 200 calories and it actually tastes so much better. If you find that you must eat out plan ahead what you will do. You can look up nutritional information for every restaurant online and many calorie counting books will have some restaurant info as well. I usually order a grilled chicken sandwich with honey mustard rather than mayo when eating fast food.

6. Log Your Calories – Your food diary is your best friend. Think about it, if you can't remember to log your food when you are eating it do you really think you will remember how many calories you ate at the end of the day? You have to be sure you write down each food item and how many calories it contained. I would use check boxes to visually see my caloric intake for each day.

7. Allow for Treats and Snacks – We need to have some food we enjoy if want the weight loss to be sustainable. I allow myself a bowl of 94% FF popcorn when I watch my evening television show rather than snacking on a bottomless bag of chips. I also keep 80 calorie FF pudding on hand for a desert after a meal if I want something sweet. Find what low cal options work best for you. I found that the 100 calorie cupcakes were so good I ended up eating them more often. It's best to avoid tempting treats, even when they are low cal.

8. Eat Veggies – I try to eat a vegetable with every meal. I also do not count the non-starchy veggies such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, mushrooms, onions, etc. in my daily count. So when I was eating 1400 calories a day I was not counting any of the broccoli I had with my dinner or the green beans I ate with lunch. You do however have to count any butter, dressing or other stuff you eat on or with these veggies. I always count my starchier veggies such as potatoes, corn, peas, etc.

9. Drink Plenty of Water – It is essential to drink plenty of water for good health and weight loss. Drinking water before a meal and between meals can help ease some hunger pains and keep you from snacking.

10. Exercise – It is just as important to burn calories as it is to eat less of them. Whenever I started to reach a plateau I would know that it was time to increase my level of exercise. I made sure that I exercised 3-5 times per week for about 30-45 minutes a day, although when I first started I only lasted about 15-20 minutes per day. The trick is to find a way to keep it fun and motivating. I also found that if I exercised at the times I was more vulnerable to snacking I would end up snacking a lot less because I never felt like eating right after a good work out.

This may sound like a lot of stuff to remember, but it really is not that difficult and it made the world of difference for me. On May 10^th of this year I reached my goal and I have maintained it ever since! I have only been over goal once and only be a ½ pound and I have never been outside of my 10 pound leeway.

Once you reach your goal and can start adding calories back into your diet be sure to do it slowly and make good choices about what foods you add in. You want to make sure you don't get back into bad habits. I generally still limit my snacks and sweets and continue to eat lots of fruits and veggies and leaner meats. While I am now able to indulge myself from time to time I have learned that a treat tastes a whole lot better when it remains just that, a treat.

To sum it all up all you need to really do is eat the correct amount of calories each day and exercise. If you do that right you too will reach your weight loss goal. You may not get there in a hurry but you will be able to maintain it for a lifetime.

Couch to 5 K Running Plan

I was sharing with my friend that I had a desire to run a marathon, or at least a 5K and she shared this website with me. It's called Couch to 5K and is a great running plan from Cool Running to get the average person ready to handle a 5K run. I have just completed my first week and did it fairly easily though the first time really taxed me quite a bit. I am really excited to think that in 9 weeks I may be able to run 3 miles!
This plan is really nice for people, like myself, who have never really been much of a runner. They encourage you start slow and not get ahead. It is alright if you slow it down and take more than a week to move ahead, but they discourage you from moving ahead before the plan recommends that you do. If you try to do too much too fast you can actually hurt your body making it appear too daunting of a task. That seems to be why most people quit and give up.
In starting the program you only do a 20 minute circuit after a 5 minute warm up walk so it isn't any more difficult than any other workout you might do. If you have not given running a try, this may be a great starting place for you. Granted if you do not currently work out at all it may take you some time to build up to where you can complete week 1, but that is OK. Just keep going at your own pace until you can do it successfully. Whether you are starting from literally sitting on the couch or you are someone who does work out but you have never really tried running, I think this is a sensible place to start. I am hoping that I will be running my first 5K this fall!

Thinking of Running a Marathon

I am sorry it has been so long since I have blogged but I have to find time to exercise and it has to come from somewhere. I am just not online as much as I used to be. So far I am maintaining my goal weight just fine. TOPS gives me a 10 pound leeway (3 pounds over and 7 pounds under) and I have been in it each week. I have yet to go over my goal weight as I have been staying 1 to 2 pounds under each weigh in. I am really excited about it.
Well, I am thinking about training for a marathon. I don't know if I really want to do it. Every time I saw them do one on the Biggest Loser or anywhere else I would tell my husband, you know, running a marathon is not appealing to me at all. But now that I am walking about 3 to 4 miles I am thinking of giving it a try. I will start a with a 5 K this fall I think, but then I would like to train to run a half marathon next year. I am not really sure how to train for that, but I am thinking of doing it. Has anyone out there run a marathon, half marathon or anything like it? If so please share you experiences, training tips, etc. Let's see if you can give me that final shove to say yes, I will do it!

I reached my weight loss goal!!

I am excited to announce that at my last weigh in, I reached my weight loss goal! I am now what TOPS refers to as a KOP which stands for Kept Off Pounds Sensibly, and I intend to do just that. At 159.75 pounds and a height of 5'7" at the age of 42 I think I look and feel great. I really haven't felt this good in a very long time, both physically and emotionally.
I am proud to say that having lost the weight I did not celebrate at all with food. I ate my usual grilled chicken sandwich when we ate out that evening, instead of going ahead and getting a fatty burger. I am also still enjoying the fresh fruits and veggies with each meal. I am not changing how I eat, I will just increase my portions slightly to maintain my weight, rather than lose it. I must confess I did have one slice of dessert on Mother's Day, but I truly have learned that the "sometimes" foods are much more enjoyable when you only eat them "sometimes!"
I just realized that my picture was not taken the day I reached my goal, so I will hopefully have an "after" photo taken this coming Thursday.
I am sorry I have not been blogging lately, this time of year is really hectic for us, and I just haven't had the chance to keep up with much of anything online. I will continue to share my tips and tricks on both losing weight and how to maintain it as things around here slow down.