Too Many Carbs!

I am going to pay for this meal tomorrow! 

My brother in law works as a chef at Brick Oven here in Provo, Utah.  Delicious food - very high carb, though.  Pizza, pasta, and bread.  My body loves carbs - so much so that releasing them is a challenge. 

I wouldn't have gone there at all except Brick Oven really is delish, and my parents are in town visiting me and my sister Denise - and Cody gets a discount. 

So tomorrow, it's high protein and apples.  And salad. 

Perhaps the trick is not to scarf down everything in sight, but to remember that it's one meal and not a sign of poor willpower.  Eating is a very social activity, and it would have been impolite at best for me to squawk about the food choices for this one meal.  Now that the meal is over, I'm back on my eating plan.

Good Nutrition + Exercise is Vital to Weight Loss

One of my personal frustrations is the idea that one can lose weight, permanently and healthily, by dieting alone.  It ain't gonna happen. Good nutrition (not a strict calorie-restricted diet) and exercise go hand in hand for a great, healthy body.

I do work with the HCG protocol, yes.  And it's calorie-restricted.  Except....I don't really restrict calories on it.  I eat my protein servings (three a day, not two, since I work out hard), of chicken breast or steak, and then scarf down veggies like no tomorrow.  And I'm full all the time.  I avoid carbs when HCGing. 

And it works for me!

But again - I work out and so I require extra calories.  A protein bar or shake after exercise, and a larger portion of protein at meal time, an extra apple - that's not going to stall progress.  Better yet, since I do work out, I get better results - sometimes up to 2 pounds a day.

Don't shortchange your body.  Give it good exercise and high quality nutrition, and you'll lose weight in the long run.

It Just Feels Good!

I love eating right.  I had a wonderful dinner tonight of a fresh salad, pot roast, and an apple for dessert.  The simple things are so good!  It was absolutely delicious, as well.  I don't feel deprived at all!

The other day I was in emotional meltdown and inhaled every carb I could find.  I felt so sick afterwards.  It's amazing how different eating different foods make you feel. 

Sure, a cookie or two isn't going to derail a healthy eating plan.  But fresh fruit is so much more satisfying.  I'd forgotten how much I like apples or pears with cheese for a snack - or even a meal. 

Will you gain it back?

Possibly.  It depends on whether you choose to.  And it doesn't matter what diet or diet supplement you use.

Will you gain it back?

If you go back to your unhealthy eating habits, if you stop weighing in regularly, if you scarf down chips and dip? Yes. 

If you continue with a nutrition plan that works well for your body, and you eat lots of veggies, and keep your carbs down?  Not likely.

Will you gain it back?

Will you choose to?

So far, so good!

I've recommitted to releasing the last little bit of weight.  It's been too easy lately to eat a bunch of foods that I know are going to pack on pounds (ice cream sandwiches, chocolate eclairs, and Nilla wafers have been my comfort foods of choice lately). 

So I'm back on protocol, and much to my surprise I released 4 pounds the first day. 

I've printed out my low-carb menu from Saving Dinner's Menu Mailer, and I've chosen my veggies.  I'm heading to the grocery store tomorrow.

I'm getting cucumbers that I can salt well for a crispy treat instead of potato chips.  Apples - trying different varieties.  Honeycrisps are delicious!  And a terrific treat is an apple dusted with cinnamon, perhaps with a little stevia.

I'm stocked up on yerba mate and herbal teas.  They are delicious with stevia to sweeten them and help me relax before bed. 

And I'm doing the acupuncture and EFT to help me control my cravings. 

So far, so good - I just have to take things one day at a time.

Acupuncture for weight loss

I rather surprised myself today.  I decided to go get acupuncture for my weight issues.  You see, since Tim's hospital stay, I've been very stressed out (not his fault, I'm listening too much to my monkey mind) and have been eating more for comfort. 

This is not conducive to weight loss or maintenance. 

What I want to have is a healthy relationship with food.  Not longing for foods that will make me fat, not obsessed with being thin, but to be slender, active, healthy, and strong.  Let's face it.  I'm always going to have lush curves - I'll never be stick-thin and don't want to be - but I can be slimmer and healthier than I am now.  My goal weight is 130, which still leaves me with curves, but slims out my waist without being bony or emaciated.

So I am continuing my round, but with the additional support of acupuncture to get my mind off food and onto other things.  Like work, my kids, and Tim. 

How does it work?

Well, the practitioner put 2 needles in my ear for 20 minutes.  Then she put "ear seeds" in - tiny metal balls - that are held in place with tape and allow me to massage the pressure points if I feel cravings.  She put them on the Shenmen point, which is supposed to help me calm down when I'm stressed out and want to eat for comfort, the stomach point, which helps reduce the appetite, the gall bladder point, which helps with digestion and frustration, and the hungry/thirsty points.

I am very interested to see how things progress with the acupuncture. 

Pounds and Inches

I have 't lost any pounds lately, but I do feel (and look) slimmer.  I'm still fitting into my smaller clothing.  And I'm back to working out, which may mean a higher weight, but a smaller body.  I'm ok with that.

Something very interesting - my boyfriend told me back in November that he didn't think I should lose any more weight because he thought I looked wonderful the way I was.  I think that was the first time in my life I felt like I was almost TOO skinny.  (And I was not skinny - I'm still not - and I never will be. )

Kinda nice! 

Aching all over

My shoulder aches from yesterday's workout.  I feel like a rookie again, instead of a veteran of over a year!  I'm drinking a lot of water today, trying to keep the hungries at bay.  I've got a very solid goal on things, and looking forward to achieving it!

Returned to Boot Camp

Yes!  I'm back to boot camp after 3 weeks off.  (No, not the military type - Mat the Trainer is an amazing trainer - no one else around does what he does!)  It felt so good to be using my muscles again.  I'd been stressed to the limit with Tim's hospital stay just before Thanksgiving and trying to get all my clients caught up for the end of the year.

I am a firm believer in the importance of exercise.  I always feel better all over after I work out (even if I do squawk and complain before and during)!  I sleep better, the weight drops off faster, the little black cloud that follows me around lifts. 

My weight is up, largely from uncontrolled emotional eating.  Remember the stress I was telling you about?  Couple that with the holidays - and I ended up with a gain.  That's OK though - I can take it off!  I've already proven that to myself. 

I'm excited to be back to boot camp, and excited about the possibilities 2011 brings!

Starting the new year off right

It's important to create solid, measurable goals.  Something vague like "I want to lose weight" just won't really work.  "I want to lose 30 pounds, weigh 135, and have a 24 inch waistline" is solid and measurable.

It's so easy to become addicted to weight loss.  My goal is to achieve a healthy weight (for my height and frame, that's between 120 and 140).  I've set my goal at 135 so that I have "space" for backsliding and weight gain.  I understand that I'll work at maintaining a healthy weight for quite some time to come.

I intend to do this through both good nutrition and fitness. 

What are your goals for the new year?