CNN posted a very scary article this morning that said if the current obesity trends in our country continue, one in three adults will have Diabetes by the year 2050. That's 33% of all Americans having a disease that is (for the most part) avoidable through proper eating and exercise. How scary is that? (click here for the full CNN article).
I had a breakthrough success this week that made me remember the BIGGEST thing you need to know to lose weight.....losing weight is 100% mental because you are always given a choice. You can choose to eat healthier, you can choose to workout, you can choose when you go to bed and how much sleep you are going to get, you can choose to take some time for yourself, you can choose to live life to the fullest, and you can choose whether or not you live your life regretting each day or looking forward to it!
Just like any decision in life, choosing the "right" decision for yourself is not easy. Picture yourself sitting behind your desk around 2:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. It's gloomy outside, and that mid-afternoon craving begins. You know there is a candy bowl sitting at the front desk of your office (yes, the candy bowl in my office tortures me daily) for the ENTIRE month of October. So you think (or sometimes don't even think) about that piece of chocolate....
Now you have a choice to make.....If that piece of chocolate will truly make you feel better, and help you because you are not depriving yourself, go for it. However, if you are eating that piece of chocolate out of habit, frustration, or stress, perhaps you can make a better decision than eating it like going for a walk to get a glass of water
Here's the secret though.....
You DON'T need to be perfect every time to be successful. We all indulge once in a while, and that's okay. Not only is it okay, but it's preferable. Perfection does not equal success. Hard work, determination, motivation, and the right decision 95-99% of the times equals success. You always have a decision make, and just keep this in mind whenever that candy bar keeps calling your name.
So, what was my breakthrough? This past weekend was my Alumni reunion from college, which consisted of AWESOME parties with great friends, alcohol, and food that's bad for you. Before this weekend, I had resigned myself to the fact that I will be up this week. I'm ALWAYS up in weight the week after my friends are in town. That's how my body works.....I go crazy while they are here, throw everything away, and gain back more of those pounds that I worked soooo hard to get off. Since it always happens that way, that's what was supposed to happen this year......but, it didn't.
I made a choice. I decided that I would indulge on certain things....for example, I wasn't going to limit myself to how many beers I drank at the party. Instead, I made sure to watch what I was eating throughout the rest of the day to compensate. My friends and I went for a mid-afternoon walk to enjoy the beautiful weather outside. I also split a garbage plate (I have a blog post about this gluttonous dish coming soon) with my friend at 4:30 a.m. Not only did we split it, but we didn't even finish it!!!
What was the result of my choice to be healthier this weekend? I lost 0.4 this week. YES! DOWN 0.4. I couldn't believe the scale when I weighed in. This was the week I knew I was going to be up. No matter how hard I tried, the number on that scale was going to be up.....but my choices said otherwise.
The point is, we always have a choice to make. Choose wisely *most* of the time, and you will be successful plain and simple. Don't become part of that statistic with the obesity rate. You have a choice now, so get on with it.
By the way, as an aside.....I have 6 more pounds to lose to be at 50 pound weight loss on weight watchers! Stay posted to see when I reach that!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Losing weight 101: It's easy.....
I want to let you all in on a little secret that I heard the other day: Losing weight is easy.....didn't you know that? (Just in case this isn't coming across correctly....yes, I'm being sarcastic)
I want to change this saying... losing weight is easy if your ready and willing to put in the time and effort, determination to change your mindset, and most importantly changing your habits. Sounds easy, right?
Losing weight is not easy, but it is possible. I've learned that first hand over the years (yes, I've been a weight watcher member for nearly 4 years, and am well on my way to goal...). What does it take? For me lately, it took months of frustration and working my ass off (literally) to not get results on the scale. Ever since this summer finished, I've been working out hard....really hard.....with my trainer and by myself, and I was not really seeing results on the scale. That all changed this past week....
WHAT CHANGED?
I've been working out these past 6 weeks the hardest I've ever worked out. I can feel myself getting stronger, and I am starting to see results in my clothes. But why was all of this effort not showing up on the scale? Easy: it was the food I was eating. I was eating within my weight watchers points *most* days, although there were 3-4 day stretches where I wasn't tracking. THREE to FOUR days of NOT tracking...out of 7. That means that I only know I was within my points 42-57% of the time....not good enough. I went back to tracking. Nobody, including myself likes it, but it works. Plain and simple.
Also, protein has become my best friend. Simply put, I was eating too many useless points of empty carbs. They are the thing of the past. My snacks have turned into the following (in order from high protein, low carb to higher carb, lower protein):
cottage cheese (my go to)
cheese sticks
protein shakes with milk
yogurt with peanuts (an amazing combination that I highly recommend)
beef jerky
apples
bananas
pumpkin seeds (yes, they have carbs, but a little fills me a lot.....)
I have not cut out carbs completely. I just try to focus on protein first, and then if I have a little carbs later, its okay.....
THE RESULT?
DOWN 4 pounds this week (and I look good)! Since I went back to weight watchers after taking the month of August off (traveling around the world....only gaining 5 pounds), I have lost every week. I know this seems like success, but I wasn't losing enough for how hard I was working out. From August 21 to Sept 30, I lost 1.8 pounds TOTAL.....over a month. Not good enough.
This week, I tracked EVERYDAY (including my alcohol on the weekend), held myself accountable, went to the gym, and got results. I'm proud to say I'm finally back comfortably in the 230s, and well on my way to reaching my 20 pound weight loss goal by Christmas (might even get there by thanksgiving!)
MORAL OF THE STORY?
See above....losing weight is easy if your ready and willing to put in the time and effort, determination to change your mindset, and most importantly changing your habits.
If you think you're doing everything you need to, but not getting the results you want, check yourself. As my amazing WW leader, Angela, often says, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." If you're not getting the results you want, change something and see if it works. I tried it, and it is definitely working for me.
OTHER BIG NEWS
I was able to get 15 of my co-workers to join weight watchers with me!!! What does this mean? I have support around me ALL DAY (and my leader comes to the office, which is much more convenient).
This past week, EVERY SINGLE PERSON LOST (GO KSLN WWs!!!)! 16 people -- all down on the scale. Talk about motivation! I'm excited to see what we all look like at the firm holiday party in January. It's gonna be quite a sight!
Take care for now. I will try to post a little more frequently. Thanks for reading!
I want to change this saying... losing weight is easy if your ready and willing to put in the time and effort, determination to change your mindset, and most importantly changing your habits. Sounds easy, right?
Losing weight is not easy, but it is possible. I've learned that first hand over the years (yes, I've been a weight watcher member for nearly 4 years, and am well on my way to goal...). What does it take? For me lately, it took months of frustration and working my ass off (literally) to not get results on the scale. Ever since this summer finished, I've been working out hard....really hard.....with my trainer and by myself, and I was not really seeing results on the scale. That all changed this past week....
WHAT CHANGED?
I've been working out these past 6 weeks the hardest I've ever worked out. I can feel myself getting stronger, and I am starting to see results in my clothes. But why was all of this effort not showing up on the scale? Easy: it was the food I was eating. I was eating within my weight watchers points *most* days, although there were 3-4 day stretches where I wasn't tracking. THREE to FOUR days of NOT tracking...out of 7. That means that I only know I was within my points 42-57% of the time....not good enough. I went back to tracking. Nobody, including myself likes it, but it works. Plain and simple.
Also, protein has become my best friend. Simply put, I was eating too many useless points of empty carbs. They are the thing of the past. My snacks have turned into the following (in order from high protein, low carb to higher carb, lower protein):
cottage cheese (my go to)
cheese sticks
protein shakes with milk
yogurt with peanuts (an amazing combination that I highly recommend)
beef jerky
apples
bananas
pumpkin seeds (yes, they have carbs, but a little fills me a lot.....)
I have not cut out carbs completely. I just try to focus on protein first, and then if I have a little carbs later, its okay.....
THE RESULT?
DOWN 4 pounds this week (and I look good)! Since I went back to weight watchers after taking the month of August off (traveling around the world....only gaining 5 pounds), I have lost every week. I know this seems like success, but I wasn't losing enough for how hard I was working out. From August 21 to Sept 30, I lost 1.8 pounds TOTAL.....over a month. Not good enough.
This week, I tracked EVERYDAY (including my alcohol on the weekend), held myself accountable, went to the gym, and got results. I'm proud to say I'm finally back comfortably in the 230s, and well on my way to reaching my 20 pound weight loss goal by Christmas (might even get there by thanksgiving!)
MORAL OF THE STORY?
See above....losing weight is easy if your ready and willing to put in the time and effort, determination to change your mindset, and most importantly changing your habits.
If you think you're doing everything you need to, but not getting the results you want, check yourself. As my amazing WW leader, Angela, often says, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." If you're not getting the results you want, change something and see if it works. I tried it, and it is definitely working for me.
OTHER BIG NEWS
I was able to get 15 of my co-workers to join weight watchers with me!!! What does this mean? I have support around me ALL DAY (and my leader comes to the office, which is much more convenient).
This past week, EVERY SINGLE PERSON LOST (GO KSLN WWs!!!)! 16 people -- all down on the scale. Talk about motivation! I'm excited to see what we all look like at the firm holiday party in January. It's gonna be quite a sight!
Take care for now. I will try to post a little more frequently. Thanks for reading!
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