I am happy and very sad at the same time

Sorry I have been a slacker with my posts, but here is a new one!

Since I have lost weight especially lately (I don't mean to sound conceited) but a lot of the opposite sex has been pay attention to me. Now why this make me happy and sad at the same time is, it has really showed me how you are treated sooooooooo differently when your fat and that really makes me sad and pissed off. Hello, I am the same person now as I was when I was fatter there is just less of me now. For people that don’t actually know me, and are just strictly going by looks, my face is still the same just more saggy skin now and less roundness, and for people that do know me, my personality is still the same, the body is just different.

I have had more men hold the doors open for me now then ever, when I was fat I actually had some people let the door go in my face, now these people could be rude assholes in general and it had nothing to do with my weight. Now it is like they go out of their way to hold the door for me or help me out in someway or another, and they look right at me smiling, before if the door was held for me they really were not looking at me. I was at Spirit Mountain Casino and I was standing there watching my mom win millions, no not really, she wasn’t really winning millions lol, but one of the workers walked past us and next thing I know he tapped me on the shoulder and he had a chair he had drug over and said here have a seat while you watch, I have NEVER had someone do that at Spirit Mt. (and we have been there plenty of times). When I was at the mall the guys that are trying to sell things down the middle of the mall, they kept trying to stop me to sell me their shit, again when I was fat none of them were aggressively trying to get my business, unless they were selling a food item lol.

Another one that really pisses me off, is we have a friend that has always been nice to me, but now he always gives me hugs when he see me, and I mean not just a hi how are ya quick hug, they are full body lengthy hugs (and no this person doesn’t read my blog so they wont know I am bitching about them). Again it just pisses me off that I am treated so differently now that I am thinner, I am the same person and it is very sad to me to see how differently fat people are treated, that just isn’t right!! I wasn’t a ugly dog before so it has to be the fact that I guess in a lot of peoples eyes being fat just isn’t attractive. Well those people don’t know what they are missing out on, there is a hell of a lot of wonderful, kind, and good looking people out there, that just happen to have some extra weight on them and those people wont give them the time of day and get to know them, well it is there loss, fuck them!!!

Now this has also gone the other way, some fat people are treating me badly now, making snide comments here and there to me, making jokes of how I have lost the weight, saying I am to skinny now, or making fun of what I eat or I should say what I don’t eat any longer. I guess it goes both ways. I often feel like I am in a no win situation, when I was fat some skinny people were discussed by me, and now that I am thinner some fat people are not happy with me either! I guess I just don’t need to let other opinions of me bother me whether I am fat or thinner. I have worked my ass off and am happy with who I am now and most importantly I feel better and that’s all that should count!!!

Foods to Calm You Down

(this is another article I found and really liked, again I copied it I didn't write it myself)

De-stress and lighten up with these smart choices.

Holiday to-do list expanding too fast? Work pressures got you tearing your hair out? No date for the season's festivities? Regardless of the cause, when we're stressed we often counter intuitively turn to diet-busting goodies for comfort. Instead of soothing our frayed nerves, many of them ultimately make us feel worse.

Take the classic, curling up with a pint of ice cream. It's a total backfire. Why? Sweets are insidious: After the initial rush, the body's insulin response kicks in, causing a sudden blood-sugar drop that triggers the release of stress hormones. Soon you're feeling more jangled than you were before you inhaled that whole container of Chunky Monkey. And alcohol, of course, is a wolfish stimulant in calm sheep's clothing.

But true comfort foods do exist.

Berries, any berries
Eat them one by one instead of M&Ms when the pressure's on. For those tough times when tension tightens your jaw, try rolling a frozen berry around in your mouth. And then another, and another. Since the carbs in berries turn to sugar very slowly, you won't have a blood-sugar crash. The bonus: They're a good source of vitamin C, which helps fight a jump in cortisol, a stress hormone.

Guacamole
If you're craving something creamy, look no further. Avocados are loaded with B vitamins, which stress quickly depletes and which your body needs in order to maintain nerves and brain cells. Plus, their creaminess comes from healthy fat. Scoop up the stuff with whole-grain baked chips -- crunching keeps you from gritting your teeth.

Mixed nuts
Just an ounce will do. Walnuts help replace those stress-depleted B vitamins, Brazil nuts give you a whopping amount of zinc (which is also drained by high anxiety), and almonds boost your E, which helps fight cellular damage linked to chronic stress. Buy nuts in the shell and think of it as multitasking: With every squeeze of the nutcracker, you're releasing a little tension.

Oranges
People who take 1,000 milligrams of C before giving a speech have lower levels of cortisol and lower blood pressures than those who don't. So lean back, take a deep breath, and concentrate on peeling a large orange. The 5-minute mindfulness break will ease your mind, and you'll get a bunch of C as well.

Asparagus
Each tender stalk is a source of folic acid, a natural mood lightener. Dip the spears in fat-free yogurt or sour cream for a hit of calcium with each bite.

Chai tea
A warm drink is a super soother, and curling up with a cup of aromatic decaf chai tea (Tazo makes ready-to-brew bags) can make the whole evil day go away.

Dark chocolate
Okay, there's nothing in it that relieves stress, but when only chocolate will do, reach for the dark, sultry kind that's at least 70% cocoa. You figure if the antioxidant flavonoids in it are potent enough to fight cancer and heart disease, they've got to be able to temper tension's effects.

Ok it's time to get myself self back in check and get my ass back in gear!!!!

I am embarrassed to say this but I have NOT exercised in about a month, (the word “about” probably means more like going on a month and a half) and my body is showing and feeling the effects of it already!!!! I am embarrassed because with all the posts I have done on “get out exercise at least walk for 30 minutes a day” and “how good even a little exercise is for you” now I must eat my words, and I will say they don’t taste to good. I stopped walked when it got too dark outside for me to feel comfortable walking at 5:45/6AM. I should know better then to use this as an excuse, as fat people we are kings and queens of the all mighty excuses, any and every excuse we can find to use to not be able to exercise or why we are fat or gaining weight we use it, it NEVER seems to be our fault!! Well that's just what I have been doing for “about” the last month or so. I have been making one excuse after another as to why I wasn’t exercising, first it was to dark, (well I could have been walking in the evenings before it got to dark, or better yet going to the gym), it's was raining, cold, or windy, (hello I live in Oregon, born and raised I am not the wicked witch of the I wont melt in the rain, the rain is something I should be use to, not using it as an excuse). Plain and simple I have said this a million times before I HATE to exercise!!!! So I found an excuse to not to have to do. One day turned into a week, one week turned into 2 and so on. So here I am, my back is starting to bother me again, I feel my skin on my stomach, legs, and ass are not as it was before, (which let me say why the F does it seem to take so long to get it toned up, but only takes a short amount of time to go back icky, what the hell that is just not right!!!) My weight is at a stale mate or worst some weeks fluctuating and not in the direction I would like. What I need now is to take this bull by the horns and get a handle on myself self again, before it gets to out of hand and I get completely out of control like before. I will take this experience and use it as a good tool for myself. This has just reminded me this is going to be a life long struggle for me, I will always have and need to learn keep in control of my life, the eating and exercising, it's not that I didn’t know this or forgot it, it just shows me how fricken easy it is to slip up and let yourself loose control, and I WILL NOT let myself go back to that place again! So with that said I am determined to make myself get back to the dreaded exercising, either going to the gym or walking in the dark & rain, I will do this!

Side note: when I drafted this blog it was earlier last week, so I am happy to say I have gotten my ass out there to start walking again, the first 2 day were hard, it is amazing how fast you body get out of shape in such a short amount of time, I only did half the miles I use to do. By the 3 day it actually felt good and I didn’t hate it as much (don’t be mislead by this last comment, I will NEVER like to exercise, but I guess some days it doesn’t seem as tough to make myself do it as others ha ha ha). For now I am only walking 2 & ¼ miles in 30 minutes, instead of 4 miles in 50 minutes like before, I will take it slow and for now just get my 30 minutes of exercise in each day.

What I have learned from this last month or so, is I should have not stopped exercising to begin with and this wont be an issue now!!! This is all still new to me, I'll take every down fall as a learning experience, so now I know and hopefully I wont do that again.

Second side note: One of the blogs I read, the lady is training to be a Wellness Coach and is looking for Volunteers, it is free to you and she will help coach you in these areas

1. Life Satisfaction, 2. Energy, 3. Mental & Emotional Fitness, 4. Exercise, 5. Nutrition, 6. Weight, 7. Health. Check out her blog to get more info at  

http://eatdrinkandbeaware.blogspot.com If you have been wanting to get control of your life in any of these areas, this just might be the thing that can help you get your life back and help you become the healthy person you want to be, it's worth taking a look at her blog.

Super-Size or Not to Super-Size your Meals?

This again is another article I found and it blew me away, so I wanted to pass it along:Super-Size or Not to Super-Size your Meals?
Nutritionists say the food industry is dishing out portions that are so big it’s almost impossible not to eat more calories than is in your daily allowance. Restaurants are giving customers what they want, more for their money. If a plate is put in front of you, the psychology behind it says you will eat it all because you paid for it. Just remember you’re not actually buying more food, you’re buying more calories, and in turn a unhealthy body!!!  That’s a real problem.
What does super-sizing your fast food meal really cost you in the end?
7-Eleven: Gulp to Double Gulp Coca-Cola Classic: 37 cents extra buys 450 more calories.
Cinnabon: Minibon to Classic Cinnabon: 48 more cents buys 370 more calories.
Movie theater: Small to medium unbuttered popcorn: 71 additional cents buys you 500 more calories.
Convenience store: Regular to “The Big One” Snickers: 33 more cents packs on 230 more calories.
McDonald’s: Quarter Pounder with Cheese to Medium Quarter Pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal: An additional $1.41 gets you 660 more calories.
Subway: 6-inch to 12-inch Tuna Sub: $1.53 more buys 420 more calories.
Wendy’s: Classic Double with Cheese to Classic Double with Cheese Old Fashioned Combo Meal: $1.57 extra buys you 600 more calories.
Baskin Robbins: Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Kids’ Scoop, to Double Scoop: For another $1.62, you’ve added 390 calories.
Do you realize for $8.00 more you’ve bought yourself an additional 3,620 calories. WOW! In other words by switching to a smaller size when ordering, not only will you save on calories you’ll save money too, and most importantly your life!!!
Side note, with the holidays fast approaching and I will have less free time, I am going to start to post my blogs every other week from now on, at least till the first of the year!   :)

Tips to help you around Halloween time:

My best advice is stay away from the candy aisles I use to love Halloween time just for all the wonderful yummy candy that was out at this time of year, every time I went to the store I would go down the candy aisle and pick up several bags of Halloween candy (no not to pass out to Halloweeniers it was for me to eat, hello now I see why I got so fat!!  LOL

Here are a couple different articles I found to be helpful, (I didn’t not write them I just thought they were good so I am passing them along to you all)

 12 tips on How to handle Halloween:

1. Buy the bare minimum of candy you think you'll need for trick-or-treaters.
2. Don't open the bags until the night of Oct 31st.
3. Buy candy you're not crazy about.
4. Offer trick-or-treaters small toys, stickers, pencils, erasers instead of candy.
5. Give out Healthier Treats - for example granola bars, sugar-free gum, and individually packaged portions of raisins.
6. Don't Ask Your Kids to Hide the Candy. Set a good example for your kids, model moderation, not deprivation.
7. Don't Get Too Hungry. It's much harder to resist candy when you're hungry.
8. Sip a Warm Beverage - Keep your hands and mouth busy while you hand out treats on Halloween night by sipping hot tea, decaf coffee, apple cider, or light hot cocoa.
9. Plan the Perfect Halloween Night Dinner - choosing a dinner that is high in fiber, and includes some lean protein and a bit of fat, so it will take some time to digest.
10. Avoid Boredom - People often end up munching mindlessly when they're bored. So keep busy Halloween night by making plans with family, friends, or neighbors.
11. Give away the leftovers the day after Halloween.
12. Make the Candy You Do Eat Last Longer, put a handful of your favorite candy bars in your freezer so that when you do enjoy a piece or two, it will last longer and you'll have the chance to truly savor the flavor. It takes twice as long to eat a frozen candy bar as one at room temperature.

Make wise choices. We've already established that you will probably not avoid all contact with candy this holiday, so know exactly what you are choosing when you reach into that jack-o'-lantern. One mini candy bar has around 80 calories in it, between 3 and 5 grams of fat, and is so small that just one would not satisfy 99 percent of the population. Some wiser choices, for around 50 calories, include:
Two Hershey's Kisses®
Two Dum-Dum® lollipops
Three Mini Tootsie Rolls®
One Nerds® mini box
Ten pieces of candy corn
Two small Laffy Taffys®
Two Jolly Ranchers®
One Junior Mints® mini box
One Mike-n-Ike® mini box
One small York® Peppermint Patty
We realize that the difference between 50 to 80 calories seems rather negligible, but as most of us might indulge in more than one serving over the holiday, those calories can really add up.
Some of the more popular Halloween candy has too many calories to be included in any healthy diet:
Twizzlers 1 treat size pkg.= 45 calories
Almond Joy 1 snack size bar = 90 calories
Milk Duds 1 treat size box = 40 calories
Butterfinger 1 snack size bar = 100 calories
Milky Way 1 snack size bar = 90 calories
SweetTarts 1 treat size pkg. = 50 calories
1 Tootsie Pop 1 pop = 60 calories
1 Tootsie Roll 1 small roll = 13 calories
Have a safe and low calorie Halloween

Some of the many excuses I have used over the years :

Some of the many excuses I have used over the years have been:

~~“this extra weight is my baby weight from giving birth to my kids“ (but when your kids are 14 and 20yrs old ya just cant justify it as being “baby weight” any more)

~~“oh I have water retention from my period, that’s why my pants don’t fit anymore”  (well NOT all month long, hello) 

~~“It’s the style of pants, they are just cut differently then they use to be, that’s why they are tighter on me now” 

~~ “I will never be a thin person because I am just big boned, it‘s the way I was made”

~~”It’s not my fault, no matter what I seem to eat I gain weight, weather it is a carrot stick or a piece of chocolate cake, nothing works for me”

~~” I must have a low metabolism, or a thyroid issue because I can just look at a piece of pie and gain 5 lbs”

~~“I like myself they way I am, I don’t need to loose weight, I am happy with who I am”

~~ “It’s in my family genes to have weight problems, so therefore it’s not my fault, and there is nothing I can do about it”

These were all just ways of fooling myself over the years and trying to make myself feel better about what I was doing to myself.  What I have found out now is the old saying is so true and all these excuses were and are just crap "Nothing taste as good as being healthier feels"  Roy and I both can attest to this statement!!!

Well I think I have finally gotten there, 17 months later!!! It's about ficking time!! LOL

I think I am at the place with my new healthy eating were I am comfortable enough with my addiction  to food that I can eat on  occasion some foods that don't fit into my daily healthy eating. A couple weeks ago we had my use to be favorite Krispy Kreme doughs (which by the way are 200 calories, 12g fat, 10g sugar, actually not as bad as I thought they would be)  a couple weekends ago, and I know I am fine to not fall off the wagon so to speak and go into a crazy binge.  I say my use to be favorite because they use to be my fav but since I haven’t had them in so long my taste buds have changed now.  The doughnuts were good   but not as wonderful as I had thought they would have been, and when in the past I could down 3 of them in one sitting, I could only make it through a half of one and had to put it down for a bit before I finished it, it was so sweet and rich.  This makes me happy because I know now I don’t need to Jones for them because they really were not as great as I had thought they were going to be, therefore it wont be something I wish I could eat often again.  We have also gone out to Red Robbin a burger place and I got a blue cheese burger with fries, again before if I ate something like that when I was “dieting” in the past I would have thought that would have thrown me off into the mind set of “well I screwed up so I mine as well eat what ever I want all weekend long” and then the way that use to go in the past is the weekend would turn into Monday, Tuesday, and hell by Wednesday, the week is half over by then so I mine as well restart the “diet” next Monday.  
It felt good going out to eat and having the doughnuts knowing I was in the right place in my life to NOT let it throw me off balance this time.  I feel like this shows me I am and can continue to do this forever!!!  Again this is another reason when I say I am not on a diet but I have changed my eating habits forever, because as said above if I was just dieting, I would fall into the mind set of “oh well I screwed up again I will restart a different day” and in the mean time would feel like I need to gorge myself with everything I could get my hands on.  When you actually go into the weight loss thing with the mind set of your plan is you want to change your eating habits forever  opposed to just going on a diet to just loose some weight, you just think differently about food in general.  You will learn over time you can eat some of the items that made you unhealthy and fat to begin with on OCCASION and be fine with it.  For me I feel my food addition was so great that’s why it took me 17 months to be at this place, that I felt safe enough to have a bit of these foods again.  You all know I have said many times before what worked for me was to completely stay away from these “trigger” foods till I knew I could handle them  without them throwing me into a life of hell all over again by spiraling out of control.  Again this shows me how strong I am.  It also showed me some of those foods I use to drool for really are not as good as I remembered they were, because my tastes have changed so much over the last 17months.   It's a good day!!!

Enjoy your BBQ's

Even though summer is almost over we can still talk about BBQ's, we BBQ all winter long at my house:

Having BBQ's are fun but they can pack on the calories, here are some tips to help have a healthier BBQ:

One of the biggest things you can do it watch your portions sizes
The second is making healthier choices, we forgo the regular hamburger now and as a tasty healthier alternative we eat turkey burgers (we get ours from Costco, Kirkland signature ones) they are a 1/3 lb, 200 calories, 6g fat, 35g protein, and gluten free. (you need to still be careful and read your labels not all turkey burger are the same, some are still pretty high in fat and calories, and don’t taste very good, we really like these Costco ones)  We now use Oroweat sandwich thins 100% whole wheat or multi grain for buns instead of regular buns, these are only 100 calories, opposed to around 200 calories or more for regular hamburger buns. (they are a great source of your daily fiber intake also)
We also love Morning Star chipotle black bean burger again we get these from Costco they are 1/4lb 210 calories, 7g fat, 17g protein, these are really good!  (regular ground beef hamburger can run 310 calories and a whooping 25g of fat   opposed to 6 to 7g of fat in either the turkey or black bean burgers!!!! 
If you want a hot dog for your bbq, again you can choose other healthier alternatives.  We now eat Yves meatless jumbo dogs  (these are not for everyone, Roy likes these more than I do but some people probably wont like them)  they are 110 calories 3g fat, 16g protein, again we dont use regular hot dog buns, we use sandwiches thins fill'ems they are hoagie style buns, for 100 calories opposed to a regular hoagies style bun at 200 or more calories, or a regular hot dog bun is 110 so that's not bad, same as the other we use but our jumbo dogs wont fit on reg hot dog buns, but the polish style hot dogs can range from 210 calories & 16g fat, to 360 calories & a whooping 33g fat.
Bone less skinless chicken breast is always a good BBQ option also
condiments you also have to watch, Roy uses light mayonnaise, I now forgo the mayonnaise and just use catchup & mustard, I also found a good flavored mustard at Wallmart (their brand) it's called southwest spicy mustard, there are different spices or different flavored mustard’s to perk up your foods for little extra calories, but watch out for the different flavored mayonnaise, mayonnaise has a butt load of calories, so again just read your labels.  I sometimes will use The laughing cow light spreadable cheese wedges for a condiments on sandwiches or burgers.  Make sure you are getting the light ones and they are only 35 calories per wedge (it's like cream cheese) they come in lots of good flavores.
Side dishes are always good at a BBQ,
Salads:
Potato salad:  I now make my potato salad with potatoes, 4 to 5 hard boiled eggs whites, (egg whites are only 17 calories per egg, opposed to the whole egg at 70 calories, & the whites are much better for you then the yoke)  and one whole hard boiled egg, I measure out  2T of light mayonnaise, (I don’t just take a spoon full & throw that in because you end up putting in way more than you think you are that way, so yes I use a measuring spoon) mustard, and then if you like it more wet I put some fat free Italian dressing on it, & then I add in pickles, garlic, salt, pepper, or whatever you like in your potato salad.  
Noodle salads:
I use whole wheat noodles, and or the tofu noodles I have talked about before.  I either will use a whole wheat elbow noodle and add some veggies, and a couple tablespoon of light mayonnaise, and fat free Italian dressing if you want it more moist. Or I make a noodle salad with the tofu noodles, top roman seasoning packets, only the seasoning NOT the noodles (yes I know this has a butt load of salt, but I love the flavor), carrots, green onion, skinless cooked chicken pieces, fat free Italian dressing and a splash of soya sauce, (again if you are on a salt restriction diet this may not be the best salad for you lol)
Fruit salads:  I just cut up into bite size pieces a bunch of fresh fruit,  no sauces at all, it is very good this way.
Baked beans, I just use canned ones, but you do have to be cautious these have a lot of sugar in them.
Potato chips, we only eat baked chips now, or  Sun chips ( you get more for less calories and much less fat)
Fresh veggies sticks, with out the fatty dips, unless you make a fat free dip.  I make a great ranch type vegetable dip with Tofu, it is delicious and low fat
Deserts:
there is some great no sugar added ice creams, Pillsbury makes a good 50% less sugar cakes mix and frosting, and we have just found they now make a sugar free cake mix and frosting, when I make these I use only egg whites, and I substitute  natural no sugar added apple sauce for the oil, if it calls for a ½ cup oil I just use ½ cup apple sauce instead, these are great and no one knows the difference .  Sherries and Marie Callender's both make good no sugar added pies.

If your eating out at a BBQ at someone else house where you didn’t cook the foods, your main thing will be to watch your serving sizes, you can eat foods that are not so healthy just be careful how much your eating. Even when your eating healthier food choice you still have to be careful not to eat the whole pie LOL.  I would assume when you out at someone else house at a BBQ you will not actually be  measuring out your food so a good rule of thumb is 3 oz of meat will look like a deck of card, or the size of 2 stacked Orbitz gum packs.  Salads or baked beans the serving size is usually ½ of a cup which isn’t much, so try to eye ball that, try it at home first so you have an idea when it should look like on your plate. 
Get out there and enjoy your BBQ and still be healthy about it

Another great reason to eat healthy and exercise

My mom was diagnosed with angina on Thursday (Sept 9th), she was scheduled for a Angiogram on Sept 14th, but her body had a different idea. My dad took her the hospital Saturday night at 2am (Sept 11th) because she thought she was having a heart attack. They did the Angiogram Sunday and ended up putting a stint at that time in her main artery of her heart because it was 95 to 99% blocked, the doctor said she was lucky because she was a heart beat away from a heart attack. She came home Monday & doing good now thank God!! That was so stressful!!
So with all this said, I want to stress again how important it is to eat healthy, my mom has never had a weight problem, she has always been relativity skinny, but she has not always eaten healthy foods, for her it clearly didn’t show up as fat on her body but what it was doing is what Dr. Oz refers to as silent killers, unbeknownst to her it was clogging her artery’s. I am not saying hers was solely caused my unhealthy eating, but she also dint have really any other than age of the other main causes for this. You can help prevent angina (Coronary Artery Disease) by not smoking, monitoring & controlling other health conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, eating a healthy diet, increasing your physical activity, with your doctor's OK, maintaining a healthy weight, & reducing your stress level.
This was a rude waking for all of us, especially my mom and dad, we all thought she was in very good health, none of us knew her arteries were 95 to 99% blocked, and in her doctors own words “she was a heart beat away from a heart attack”. That is my point you just don’t know what is going on inside your body because of the choices your making!! Luckily for my mom this was caught in the nick of time before something worst happened, and or things were not repairable. Again this is why it is soooooooooo important to start eating healthy foods and exercising, (whether you are over weight or not) as I have said many many times before just walking 30 minutes 5 days a week is a great for your health. If for some reason you don’t want to do this for yourself, then for God sakes do it for your family and friends that love you and will be left behind grieving if you die!!!

Are you addicted to sugar?

~~I found this article online, so again I did write it myself I just copied it~~
Addiction to sugar is stronger for some people than others, but the truth is sugar is a powerfully addictive substance. If you've overindulged in cookies, candy, cake, or ice cream and who hasn't, at some point you know its seductive pull.
THE DETAILS: Addiction to sugar is probably more common than you think. Americans consume an average of 20 to 30 teaspoons (about ½ cup!) daily of this substance, which has been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), attention and memory problems, hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression. Every month a new study comes out adding to the list of dangers posed by consuming sugar and its cousins, high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, and dextrose. Despite the risks, we continue to eat sugar because it is so addictive.

In fact, sugar meets all the criteria for an addictive substance:
It stimulates release of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine and serotonin, in a manner similar to alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs of abuse.
People eat it compulsively, despite negative consequences and the intention to stop.
With continued use, people develop a tolerance to its effects.
Heavy sugar consumers have trouble functioning without it.
When consumption ceases, withdrawal symptoms occur.
WHAT IT MEANS: Breaking free from a dependency on sugar is easier said than done. Because the roots of sugar addiction are both physical and emotional, you need a combination of physical and psychological approaches. The less you eat sugar, the less you will crave it. If you get withdrawal symptoms, know they will only last a few days and then you'll feel more balanced and energetic than ever.
These 10 recommendations will make it easier to get a sugar problem under control.
#1: Keep sugar and sugar products out of your house. This includes white and brown sugar, corn syrup, and maple syrup.

#2: Eat enough healthy food to satisfy your hunger. Eat healthy, whole food snacks like fruit, drink plenty of water. Once you have cleared sugar from your system, your taste buds will become more sensitive, and these whole natural foods will taste sweeter and more satisfying.

#3: Eat three regular meals each day that combine complex carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, and fruits), lean protein (poultry, fish, meat, dairy, tofu) and healthy fats (milk, cheese, omega-3's, olive oil and other cold-pressed oils).

#4: Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Chromium picolinate and l-glutamine help to reduce cravings for some people.

#5: When you go out, make sure you are not ravenously hungry, especially if sugary sweets will be the only food available. Bring your own healthy snacks with you, or eat before going out.

#6: Get regular exercise, plenty of sunlight, and adequate sleep to reduce sugar cravings.

#7: Learn to identify and manage cravings that are not a result of physical hunger, but instead are rooted in stress or anxiety.

#8: If you have turned to sugar to deal with uncomfortable feelings, learn to identify the specific feelings and respond appropriately to them. If you are tired, take a break or rest, if you are bored, find something stimulating to do.

#9: If you do overindulge in sugar, acknowledge that you slipped, and get back on track as soon as possible. Let go of the guilt and shame.

#10: Be kind to yourself. To end the struggle with sugar, learn to nourish your body well and respond compassionately to your own feelings. The best sugar substitute is genuine self-acceptance.

Side notes:  I have changed up my exercising again, it is to dark in the morning right now for me to feel comfortable to walk at 6am, so now I get up at 5:10am and have been going to the gym again. I do 30min on the cross trainer machine, then 30 minutes of weights, and if I have enough motivation in the evenings I will walk 2 miles.

Things I never though I would do or hear myself say since I have lost weight:

**I can't do that because  it may interfere with my exercising!!!
When I went to get my latest tattoo (as a reward to myself for all my hard work thus far) I was sitting in the tattoo parlor contemplating on what part of my body to get it, one thought was on the top of my foot, then I went to thinking oh hell no I cant get it there because it will hinder my exercising.  I wouldn’t be able to exercise for at least a week or two while the tattoo was healing, because I wouldn’t have been able to wear tennis shoes, so I nixed that spot idea right away.  It just made me laugh because if that had been a year and a half or so ago the word exercise wouldn’t have even crossed my lips, that word wasn’t in my vocabulary.

**I love my smaller boobs!!
I have always been bigger than “normal” in the boob area, now they have gotten considerable smaller for the first time in my life.  I had always thought I loved my big oll bobbies, and hated small ones, in the past I couldn’t imagine my life with them, I thought they were who I was.  Now I love love love the new smaller version of them.  I learned something about myself and my big boobs through this process.  For those of you who know me you know I use to wear low cut shirts that showed off a lot of my boobs. What I learned was I wasn’t doing this purposely, well yes I was  so to speak, I was the one picking out my clothing, but every time I put on a low cut shirt I wasn’t saying to myself oh make sure your boobs are hanging out so everyone can see them.  I have come to the conclusion that I think what was going on subconsciously in my head, is I knew I was fat and thought no one would look at me because I was fat and ugly, so if my boobs were hanging out I got more looks.  Sad I know but I really didn’t realize this at the time, but I see it now, because now I have realized I don’t feel I have to have my boob showing all the time.  Now I knew I wasn’t “ugly” before when I was fat, but I also knew men didn’t check me out either, except for when the girls were showing, see most men don’t care what the rest of the body looks like if they get to see some boob exposure.  Sometimes I will wear a shirt with some boob showing now, because sometimes it just happens, but not like I use to.  So what I am saying is I love my new smaller boobs, and I learned my boobs are not who I am!!!!

**I have had to admit I am not “big boned” LOL!!! 
I use to say this in the past  “oh I am just big boned, I will always look bigger no matter how much I weigh”  Well I have learned I am NOT big boned and I was fat plain and simple.

**Tofu isn’t to bad!!!
It actually is good when mixed with other things like with ground turkey burger, or use it in spinach or ranch dip. I have lots of good recipes of anyone is interested.

**I am a much more confident person!!
I now feel comfortable to walk with my head high and make eye contact with people.  I noticed once I started losing weight I started to walk with much confidence and with my head up and would actually make eye contact with people and smile, not just walk with my head down looking at the ground like there was something so interesting down there.  What I thought back then is I was just really shy that's why I did that. What I have learned is I was so self conscious about myself I didn’t want to look at anyone, because I was embarrassed about myself. This is really sad to me that I felt I needed to be like this, but that is how society treats fat people, they make you feel bad about yourself, I always felt that people were judging me, thinking they were looking at me saying to themselves how could you let yourself get so big, or your so lazy, or your just gross looking.  Now I have much more internal confidence in myself.

**I am a strong person!!!!
I have learned and proven to myself I am a much stronger person than I ever thought I was.  Maybe that is my motivating factor right now, because I have learned I CAN DO THIS.  I have always thought of myself as a week person, I would give up easily if something was to hard for me to do, I use to have the type of personality that I wouldn’t  push myself to try harder if something was to hard.  If I found resistance at all, I was done, I wasn’t a go getter type, there for I looked at myself as a weak person.  Why the hell would I want to push myself to do something hard especially if it wasn’t going to be enjoyable.  I guess what I didn’t know is sometimes you have to do hard work to get to an enjoyable ending, it may not be easy along the road but well worth it in the end!  I guess if you never push yourself you would never know this.  What I have learned also is stepping outside the box is a good thing, yes it is easier to just do what you know how to do, that is easy and comfortable for you, but if you don’t ever step outside the box you will never know what is there for you. I have proven to myself I am a stronger person than I ever thought I was and that feels better than any amount of weight I have lost, and is more enjoyable then the next doughnut I want to put in my mouth!!!!
(Let me make something clear about this last statement, when I say I thought I was a week person, lots of people that know me always say your not week, because of the issues I deal with on a daily basis because of having a son with special needs.  I agree with that statement I know I am not a weak person in that aspect, but the way I look at having a son with special needs is a much different type of strength I have.  To me it isn’t a choice, I am a mom and you do what you have to do for your kids no matter how hard it is at times, that's what moms do!!!  So I look at being a strong mom for my kids and being strong or week in other aspects of my life as two different areas strengths.) 
There are a lot of things that have changed in my life in the last 16 months, it has been a very eye opening experience for me, I have really learned a lot about myself.

**Side note:  I have increased my walking to 4 miles the 5 days a week it takes me about 52 minutes, I still dread getting my ass out of bed each morning and I surly don’t have much of a a spring to my step as I trek around my blocks that early in the morning, but I am doing it and that what counts!!

How to beat the 4 most common cravings!

**I wanted to share one of my latest “rewards”  to myself, it is only an hour old here, so a little swollen and a smidge of blood, & shinny with the ointment you have to put on it when it is new, the tattoo isn't as big as it looks here it is about an inch and a half tall and wide**
I found this article in one of my online groups, I found it very interesting, I didn’t write this I simply copied it.  So yes call me a copy cat ha ha ha

The Craving: Sweet
If visions of cookies and ice cream dance in your head, what you may be craving more than the sugar in these foods is the fat that provides their texture, taste and aroma, according several studies, they have shown that fat and sugar may release endorphins into the brain (neurotransmitters that can produce a feeling of pleasure or euphoria). This hypothesis may explain why people crave that sweet, creamy taste it produces a pleasurable feeling.
The Solution: Guess what? Good old-fashioned exercise also appears to boost levels of endorphins (they’re the same substances credited with the so-called “runner’s high”). So next time you feel like biting into a chocolate-covered ice cream bar, lace up those walking shoes or hop on your bike instead. You’ll get the same pleasing feeling and the benefits of doing something good for your body. If you’re on the job or unable to get immediate fitness gratification, you can still get the creamy taste and texture you yearn for from low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit.

The Craving: Salt
According to Somer, many women experience salt cravings related to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) since fluctuating levels of estrogen can interfere with the normal salt concentration in the body. Unfortunately, cravings for salt often result in the consumption of foods that are not only high in sodium dangerous for anyone with hypertension but also heavy in fat (think chips, French fries, pizza). Some studies have shown that people who are deficient in calcium crave salt more frequently than those who are not. And Somer suggests the desire for salty foods, such as chips or pretzels, may have more to do with the wish to crunch than the actual salt.
The Solution: Try upping your calcium intake (which will also benefit your bones) with low-fat dairy foods or leafy greens. And reach for crisp, fresh, munch-able foods, like baby carrots or bell pepper wedges they make great stand-ins for that pretzel or chip crunch. If you can’t forgo the salt, eat just one serving of low-fat, whole-grain pretzels.

The Craving: Carbs
Cravings for simple carbohydrates are most frequently associated with times of stress. The explanation behind this relationship? Carbohydrates found in such foods as crackers, breads, unsalted pretzels, and animal crackers have been shown to help boost levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, shown to produce a feeling of calm and well-being.
The Solution: Anything that relieves stress can help to inhibit these cravings. Try deep breathing techniques, yoga or simple exercise instead of resorting to the refrigerator. When you feel the need to feed, go for snacks of complex carbohydrates, such as yogurt or vegetables, which can help fend off cravings for simple carbs.

The Craving: Chocolate
They don’t call them chocoholics for nothing. While it could fit into the “sweet and creamy” category by most definitions, chocolate’s complexity and the fact that it is the most commonly craved food among Americans, according to Somer, earns it a class unto itself. Chocolate is the most difficult of foods to explain. According to researchers at the University of Arizona who last year conducted a review of the current research on chocolate cravings, the sensational combination of the fat, sugar, texture, aroma and several ingredients with addictive properties similar to those in psychoactive drugs, are most likely responsible for chocolate cravings. The researchers also suggest that these cravings can be a result of a magnesium deficiency.
The Solution: Uncompromising chocolate addicts may balk, but keeping other magnesium-rich foods, such as raw soybeans (a.k.a. edamame), on hand can be a quick fix. In cases where the longing is not due to magnesium deficiency, there’s not much else that will fulfill cravings for chocolate, Somer says. She suggests sipping a cup of warm, low-fat cocoa, or plunging fresh fruit, like whole strawberries, banana slices and melon wedges, into fat-free chocolate syrup both of these approaches will add up to a lot less fat and calories than your average chocolate bar.

 

More about walking

The GREAT benefits of walking:
I know I have talked about walking before but I found even more info on it and thought it was worth passing along.  It really is a very easy and enjoyable way to spend a mere 30 or more minutes a day.  With such positive benefits how could you not give it a try.  This is a little long but well worth reading all the surprising benefits of walking.
Side note: a couple weeks ago I had another first in my life, I actually wore out a pair of athletic shoes!!!  I never thought I would hear myself say that, but I did have to go buy a new pair of shoes to walk in, because the old ones were giving me blisters because they were wearing out in places and rubbing on my feet therefore causing blisters.
If you're looking for the ideal way to comfortably improve your health, walking is the nearly ideal exercise, from burning fat to rekindling romance.
It's more or less automatic, almost anyone can do it well, it takes a minimum amount of special equipment, and it's low impact. There are a wide variety of environments you can walk in even with the entire family, basically walking is low risk, and high reward.
It doesn't even take a whole lot of effort. The Center for Disease Control recommends just 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most and preferably all days of the week. This translates to walking 3-5 miles per hour, which most people can accomplish with relative ease. You would be surprised how far you really can go in 30 min. Walking translates into great health benefits.
Weight control: A half-hour of vigorous walking can burn 180-250 calories. Walking at a slower pace for longer periods of time may actually burn more fat, particularly if the walk is done early in the morning, before breakfast. At this time of day, with no ready caloric source in the digestive system, the body is more likely to tap into existing glycogen stores (body fat) to fuel extended exercise.
Heart attack: Walking more than an hour a week can cut the risk of a first heart attack by 73% as much as high intensity exercise. Three hours of brisk walking a week reduced heart disease by 30-40% in women.
Older men who walked two miles a day had half the risk of heart attack of those who walked only half a mile.
Breast cancer: Seven hours per week of moderate to vigorous exercise such as brisk walking can reduce breast cancer rates by 20%.
Disability: Adult aged 65 and older who demonstrated high levels of physical activity were almost twice as likely to die disability-free, compared with inactive counterparts.
Age-referenced mortality: average age of 69 found that those walking two or more miles a day were 40% less likely to die than those the same age who walked less than a mile.
Age and cognition: Sedentary men and women ages 60-75 who were enrolled in a progressive exercise program which culminated in walking 45 minutes per day, three times a week at a 16-minute per mile pace, improved cognitive abilities significantly.
Osteoporosis: All weight-bearing exercise including walking helps increase strength and bone density. Walking improves circulation, increases the supply of oxygen and lubrication to joints, ligaments are kept pliable and thicken through regular use.
Diabetes: one hour of brisk walking every day can cut a woman risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in half.
Cholesterol: An increase in good cholesterol has been associated with moderate exercise, including walking.
Stroke: Walking more than 20 kilometers a week was associated with significantly lower risk of brain attack.
Glaucoma: Sedentary people who walked 40 minutes three times a week experienced an average of a 9% reduction in interocular eye pressure, other studies found regular exercise lowered pressure by 20% in those at risk for the disease, and by 16% in those with glaucoma.
Depression: Walking decreases incidence of depression through the production of endorphins and the neurotransmitter serotonin.
So put on your shoes and get outside and do a little walking!!!

Roy's time to shine

Ok this is my time to brag on how well Roy is doing and how he is proof of how great losing weight is for your health!!
     When we started the new healthy eating lifestyle, Roy really didn’t have a clue on what this all entailed.  He didn’t know what a serving size was suppose to be, he probably never had read a food label before, he didn’t know how much was to much fat and sugar in foods, and before we started all this he really “didn’t care”.  He weighed in at just shy of 300lbs. He had been to the doctor and was put on pills for his very high blood sugar and high blood pressure.  His blood sugar was averaging  mid 200 to high 200, normal is suppose to be average of 120. His blood pressure was averaging 140 to mid 140's over 90's to 100, this is extremely high, he was approaching what they call Stage 2 hypertension,  Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to coronary heart disease, which can mean a heart attach or stroke.   These 2 health issues left untreated would have most certainly caused some very serious damage to Roy and possibly death if he had continued along the same path.
     He is now down 40lbs, his blood sugar is 112 and bp 125/78 he hasn’t taken his medication for a couple months so these numbers have dropped drastically because of his weight loss.  Just losing 40lbs he has been able to get off the medication for the high blood sugar and bp.  This is proof of how losing weight can turn around these numbers and make you a healthier person. 
     He has learned what foods are better for you and what foods are not worth eating because you will have to exercise more to work off the extra calories, or it will spike your blood sugar levels. 
We decided to try Tofu hot dogs since regular hot dogs and polish dogs are so bad for you and full of fat and really no nutritional value especially when you eat 3 to 4 in one sitting.  Anyway I am not really fond of the Tofu dogs but Roy likes them, anyone that knows Roy your probably picking your jaw off the floor right now reading that. In the past he has told me many times he is a “meat and potatoes kinda of guy” so the fact he is eating Tofu hot dogs now is a miracle in it self and the fact he likes them is not anything I ever thought I would heard come out of his mouth. 
    In the past when I would say oh your eating a lot or that certain food really isn’t good for you his standard response had been “I don’t care.”  He started to “care” when the doctor gave him the 2 diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, so I did research on these and I told him all the info I found on them and how dangerous it was.  I asked him to sit down and watch a hour long Dr. Oz special on diabetic and how dangerous that is for you.  Over the years he kept saying he “felt fine”  well that’s the problem with these two issues they are silent  killers,  you think you feel fine but it is killing you from the inside out.  A lot of people don’t even know they have either of them, all the while it is doing a lot of damage to your insides. I told him I wasn’t  ready to lose my husband, and his son wasn’t ready to lose his dad.  I told him if he “didn’t care” about himself, then to think of his son and myself, I told him “yeah you wont care when your dead, but it will be the ones that love you most effected when your no longer here.”
     Now that he has lost 40lbs so far and he now has learned he didn’t “feel fine” like he once thought when he weight almost 300lbs.  When you have been overweight for a long time you just get use to how you feel, all the little aches and pains you feel on a daily basic your back, knees, and feet, your stomach being icky a lot of the time, not sleeping well because the excessive snoring wakes you up all night long, all issues related to being overweight.  Roy has now said he “feels so good” a lot of the issues are subsiding and with the more weight he takes off he will completely feel like a new man more so than he already is experiencing. 
    Some of the guys harass Roy saying I am controlling him telling him what he can and can not eat.   I want to be clear on one thing, again those that know Roy well, you know you don’t tell him what he can and can not do.  I will say when he got the diagnoses of the type 2 diabetes and the high BP, it scared me and yes I did get a little bitchy as said above telling him if he didn’t care about him self he needs to not be selfish and think of the people that love and care about him and I helped him see how serious both of these issues are.  Mostly after that initial conversation, we learned together how to eat healthier.  I don’t nag him at all, frankly now I don’t even have the opportunity to do so even if I wanted to, he has learned that if he goes back to his old ways of eating, he will not feel as good physically, and will have to go back on all the meds which he doesn’t want to do.  As I have said myself all a long it is a choice we each have to make on our own, no one can make you eat the right foods and to exerciser on a regular basis, it is only something you can do for yourself. 
     I want to say how proud I am of my wonderful husband, he has done such a great job and is on track to living a long and healthy life!!!!

Rewards

When you have accomplished your goal and want to reward yourself it can be something that makes you happy, and not necessarily food.
    In the past when I use to “diet” I use to, use food as a reward for my accomplishments, but now I don’t really like to choose food items as my rewards.  For me if I did this and I choose the “good foods” I use to eat, that wouldn’t be to smart for a couple reasons.  The first being like I said before food is an addiction for me, so if I want to reward myself with a snickers candy bar it quite possible might set me off once I get a taste of that wonderful candy bar in my mouth I will crave it more and more.  Second reason is why would I want to eat something full of a ton of calories, with the knowledge of how much longer I should be exercising to work that amount of calories off.  I ask myself is it worth it to eat that Snickers to have to walk an extra 30 minutes to an hr on the treadmill, that answer always is the same “HELL NO IT’S NOT WORTH IT!!!”  (remember I hate the exercising part)  so that happy little party that could be happening in my mouth for all of what, 2 minutes that it took me to gobble up the candy bar is NOT worth it to me. 
Why would I do this to myself anyway, how is that any different than if I was an alcoholic and I had met my goal of being sober for a month, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to reward my sobriety with a drink of vodka.  If I had quite smoking cigarettes for a month I wouldn’t say oh just a couple celebratory puffs on a cig wont hurt, yes it would hello, it would make your cravings heightened all over again, and all your hard work just went out the window.  So for me I mostly choose non food items as rewards for myself, like buying new clothes, or some of my favorite crafty items, plus these kinds of items are around much longer for you to enjoy than food items you just shoved in your mouth, chewed up, and swallowed, and it gone in a couple minutes.  If I do choose food items I  may choose something I don’t usually eat on a daily basis, like a no sugar added pie from Sherries, or Marie Calendars, or I may make a 50% lower sugar cake from Pillsbury, so something that is a “treat” for me, but a better choice than a regular pie or cake.
Rewards are nice and you deserve them, but make sure your making the best choice for you as to not pick something that may possible send you in the wrong direction all over again, choose wisely.

Side note:

I have been following a blog that is really great if you want to check it out also, she is very inspirational, and funny  http://msbitchcakes.blogspot.com, if this link doesn’t work go to where it says who I follow and look for bitch cakes

Overwhelmed and not knowing how to start, start by making small changes:

Do you want to lose weight but are just overwhelmed at how to start, or think I cant do it so why even try. I use to do this all the time. I was overwhelmed with how to start and do it right this time, and then my thoughts would turn to when was I going to fail again, so why even bother.

 When I first started my new eating life style, I didn’t know where to start, I was afraid of failing yet again. I didn’t want to talk about it to everyone, because I thought they would be thinking to themselves “oh here she goes again on a diet, I wonder how long this one will last a day, week, maybe a month if she is lucky and does it right this time.”  So I just kept it to myself to see what was going to happen and if I was really going to be able to do it this time around.

If you have ever felt overwhelmed or not knowing how to get started, you can start slow and see what happens, then the more you see results the more excited and more encouraging it is to you, which helps tremendously to keep you going and do better and better. 

Exercising:
Start slow and make small changes to start with.  Like I have said I have been walking 2 ½ miles 5 days a week in an average of about 35 minutes.  If that seem like to much right now set your goal to walk for 15 minutes each day and as a week or 2 go by add 5 minutes to your retinue.  Or if you can do 30 minutes but 5 days seems like to much at first start at 2 or 3 times a week and increase that after a while.  I have also heard that you can do 15 minutes walks 2 times a day.  Find what will be easy for you to get you doing something and just keep increasing it over time. 

Food choices:
1.    start keeping tract of EVERYTHING you put in your mouth food or drinks for a week, and I mean everything, (don’t try to cheat and not jot something down, because your not fooling your waist line) even if you just take a bite of something write it down. Lots of times we just don’t realize how much food we consume each day.
2.    Don’t go for the second helping. 
3.    Start reading food labels so you have an idea what your actually eating (then you can plan on making healthier choices.) Also by reading the labels you will see what the serving size is suppose to be.
4.    Start weight and measuring the foods you eat, so you have a very clear idea of what your eating.
5.    Cut back on food with sugar in them.
6.    Cut back on processed foods (I know they are easy and convenient but horribly bad for you)
7.    change from eating white carbs, to eating whole grains/whole wheat (pastas, beads, rice, etc)
8.   
You can just choose one of these at a time to start slow as to not feel to overwhelmed, let yourself get use to one thing for a week or so and then add in another.
I was just reading on a web site this woman was starting what she is calling a  12 step (month) program. She is going to set a monthly exercise goal and a monthly food goal her. Her example for her 1st month 30 mins cardio 5 days a week, 20 mins toning 3 days a week. Food Goal: No pop. Then at the start of each new month she will continue with her 1st months goals but add a little more to them. She will be picking something new to try or something to cut back on each month. I think this is a good idea, it's a easy way to start slowly.

Trigger foods and what to do about them

As I have said in previous blogs, my own personal opinion is food is an addiction.  No different than a drug addict or an alcoholic.  Whether you believe this or not we all do have certain food that “trigger” us. This means if you are around it you possible cant stop yourself from eating this food, and or if you do give in and eat that particular food it can send you into a tail spin of overeating that food or worst other foods as well that you normally would stay away from.

For me the biggest trigger food are doughnuts and baked chips.  (It is getting easier to control my urge to overeat these food, except when my hormones are at full speed, if ya know what I mean) (it sucks to be a woman sometimes)

This is what happens when these foods are around me and my hormones are going strong, I seriously cant control my urges to eat the food, it’s like it calls or pulls me till it put the crap in my mouth, then you just go into a vicious cycle of anger, self hate, & being very disappointed in your self, sometimes it just leads to more over eating.

 Just last week I was making the kids some YUMMY Maple brown sugar swirl toast for snack, one slice is 120 calories, 2.5g fat, & 8g sugar, well as I was making this for the kids it smelled SOOOOOOOOOO good, just like a maple doughnut and that my friends is my biggest down fall, (keep in mind I was hormonal at this particular time) so what do you think happen next, I took just a “little bite” of a piece of toast, NOT SMART, I should have known better, that lead to me making myself TWO F-ing pieces of the toast, that I inhaled so fast.  As I was doing this I was thinking about 2 things, one, if I eat it so fast it wont really count, what????  (the crazy shit we try to tell ourselves)  Two, I was thinking to myself as I was downing the toast, slow down dumb ass and at least enjoy the food, but no it was so tasty I gobbled it up faster then fast, at a total 240 calories, then I was pissed at myself!

What I do and am obviously still working on from time to time, is I try to just not have these particular “trigger” foods in my house.  (I still have a couple loaves of the yummy bread I gave to the kids as a snack, well sorry kids but I am giving that bread away to someone else)  The baked chips are usually always in my house but I just make sure they are out of site, then most times if I don’t see them then I am fine. The chips are something I can have with dinner or lunch and measure out a serving size and I am fine with them, but I cant have it for a snack because then I seem to eat to many.  So I just know the baked chips are only for dinner or lunch meals.

My best advice is just don’t buy foods that you know are triggers for you, or if you have to have them for others in your home then keep them out of your site, don’t leave the bag of cookies right on the kitchen counter or in a cupboard you frequently get into, so it isn’t right in your face all day every day.  Better yet you can buy a healthier choice of most foods, (except the doughnuts, I haven’t found them in sugar free yet, look out when that day comes) but they have some good cookies in sugar free, they have really good baked chips, no sugar added ice cream, or candy.  You still need to be careful to not overeat the healthier choices, but at least they are better then the other. There also is no reason everyone in your home cant eat healthier food choices, just because they may not need to lose weight it is still healthier for everyone to cut down on sugar, fats, and the astronomical about of white carbs people eat, opposed to whole grains foods.

So in closing today, don’t buy the bad food your shouldn’t be eating and you wont eat them!!  LOL

P.S. I walked 2 1/2 miles each day, 5 days last week, I sure didn't want to get up at 5:45am and do it this morning, but I made myself, like I said it is only about a half an hour, I can drag my ass out of bed for about an half hour of walking, that's doable for me!!!

The speed or lack there of the weight comes off:

Re cap on my exercising, I did good this last week.  I start my work out week on Sundays, so I walked around my neighborhood at 6am for 2 miles (30 minutes) Sunday, Monday (and I went to the gym Monday evening with Roy) Tuesday, Wednesday I went to the gym at  5:30am, Thursday, & Friday I walked.  So much better then before I feel good about that.  I didn’t do any Saturday or Sunday, but this morning I did 2 ½ miles!  Now on to this weeks topic.

The speed or lack there of the weight comes off:

I have been fat most of my adult life, I have dieted and failed many many times, in my opinion “diets” don’t work, I know people hear this all the time “diets don’t work you need to change your life style”  I have learned now this really is true.  You can lose weight on any “diet” but the problem is keeping it off when you stop the ”diet”, that is why you just need to change the way your eating habits in general forever.
 Of course everyone myself included, wants a “quick fix” they want to lose the weight fast.  You have to remember it took years to put on the extra weight so you have to expect it to take a while to take it off, sometimes it seems like a LONG while.  You can find tons of diets or product that claim it will take off a lot of weight in a fast amount of time, you have to remember the old saying “if it sounds to good to be true then it probably is”  Yes these diets and products can take weight off, but in a healthy way?  Or permanently?  Most times no, they are nothing but quick fixes that most times don’t last long term.  The key is you will need to change your eating habits permanently.  This means less food in general, smaller portions, less fat and sugars, just eating healthier foods in general, and of course the dreaded exercise!!!!

     I haven’t set unrealistic goals for myself, because I know myself, if I set to high goals and they don’t get met then I will get mad and give up. Then the vicious cycle begins, I get all mad at myself wondering why I cant seem to do this and or stick to it, and then just give up AGAIN.  It took me 14 months to lose 70lbs so far, I personally feel that took me a long time, I have to keep reminding myself we are all different, remember that and don’t beat your self up if you don’t lose as fast as you would like.  My husband didn’t see the numbers move much on the actually scale for the first 4 to 5 months, but he dropped several clothing sizes,  he was working out more than I was and doing more weights lifting, so you could tell in how his clothes were fitting better but not on the scale at first. He got very discouraged at times but stuck with it and by 8mo he has lost 39lbs, but even better was a drastic difference in how he physically looks and better yet how much better he feels.  So everyone is different, I have also heard it depends on your age, the older you are the harder it is and longer it will take you to take it off, you might see results right at first, some people do and some don’t, just try not to  get discouraged and quit if you don’t. 

   Now if you have gone for month and months and still are not seeing much of any results either on the scale or how your clothing is fitting, I would take a hard look at what and how much your really eating.  It goes back to the last blog on portion control and keeping track of what your eating.  Sometimes we think we are not eating as much as we are, or that little bit/taste here and there don’t count, well yes they do count.  Being honest with yourself and keeping track of EVERYTHING you eat and drink is key.  Reading the labels and knowing how many calories are in each item you eat is knowledge you need to lose weight effectively. I know I was surprise how much I really was eating and how many calories things were when I actually started reading the labels and keeping better tract of what I was eating.  So if you are not seeing the results you want don’t get discouraged but start to change up what and how much your eating and add in more exercise. 

My battle with exercise

I HATE exercising, but I am committed to do this!!!! I have lost almost 70lbs now, but I just cant seem to get a handle on the exercising regularly part, I don’t like it, maybe because I am lazy, I don’t know, all I know is I really don’t enjoy it, and with that said it makes it soooooo easy to make excuses to not get off my ass and do it.  I love the results and I actually love the good feeling you get after your done exercising, for me it is just getting my butt in gear to DO IT!!  One of the motivating factors that is helping me get focused is I keep hearing how good exercising is for you whether you have extra weight to loose or not, they say everyone really should be exercising, it has been proven over and over again how good it is for your general health and helps you live a long healthy life.  Since I said previously one of the big motivating factors for me to loose weight was I wanted to be around for my kids, I want to live a long healthy life, and exercising from what I keep hearing is one of the key factors to this.  So it is time to kick it in gear and make myself do this and stick with it!!!!

We joined a gym in November 2009 (first time I have ever belonged to a gym) my goal was to go 4 days a week, I did good at first but the last 2 to 3 months I have slacked way off.  I have been having some hormone issues, because of the weight loss.  My dr said because of the amount of weight I have lost it messed up my hormone levels which has given me a number of horrible symptoms.   Two of the worst is shear exhaustion mid way through the day, and my body feeling like I have been hit by a semi truck, I am in the process of trying to get my body back to normal, so yes I have a excuse for not being able to exercise as much, but still there are probably sometimes I could have pushed myself to go, but it is just easier to sit on the couch and whine about how crappy I feel!!! I am slowly starting to feel somewhat better now, so I have been making it to the gym 1 to 2 days a week, and just this last week I started walking early in the AM.  I walk around my neighborhood for 2 miles, it takes 30 minutes.  30 minutes out of my day is so doable for me, and I will say I am actually kind of enjoying it.  At this point I can seem to MAKE myself do 30 minutes everyday, opposed to going to the gym for 1 ½ to 2 hours a day 4 days a week.  I know I am not getting nearly as good of a workout this way, but the way I am looking at it is at least I am doing something, and hopefully when my body gets back to normal (whatever that is, ha ha ha) I will have more energy to get back to the 3 to 4 days a week at the gym.  I must give kudos to Roy though, through all these months of me slacking at going to the gym he has continued to go by himself, which is wonderful, I am very proud of him!!  The only time he didn’t go regularly is when he was worked almost 240 hours in 19 straight days, that of course was during grad season and they were slammed at work, and he was working his ass off at work.
At this point I am trying to find a exercise program that works for me, my goal is to progressively push myself to do more and more.  As I said I guess I am just lazy, and I know myself if I push myself to hard I WILL not continue an exercise program, but I also know I need to push myself some or I wont get anywhere either, so I am in the process of trying to find a happy balance.  This is all a learning experience for me. 

I found all this info on the internet and thought it was worth passing along: 

    * Heart disease is twice as likely to develop in inactive people as in those who are more active.
    * Physically active women have a 60 to 75 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease than inactive women.
    * Physical activity helps maintain weight, blood pressure, and diabetes—all risk factors for heart disease.
    * One of the easiest ways to begin exercising is walking.
*No medicine is as powerful as physical activity.

Exercise is not just something that you do  it is something that you become. Whether you like to exercise or not isn't really an option, it is a choice, a choice that is dependent on you!!!  Nobody can do this for you no exercise program or trainer, no pill or supplement. It comes from deep within you. (this is what I am trying to tell my self)

Most people need at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days per week.

People don't want to hear about the patience aspect. They want instant gratification. But the cold, hard reality is if you want to lose weight and keep it off, it's work. No one loses weight and keeps it off without trying.
 
In closing exercising is great for everyone’s overall health, doing the walking for 30 minutes 5 days or more a week, is a wonderful start then you can start increasing your  amount of walking or start doing more cardiovascular exercises and weights. If you are doing nothing right now 30 minutes a day is a GREAT start, everyone can find 30 minutes a day to help yourself have a better quality of life, you and your families deserve it!!  So get movin  

Portion Control it is the key to weight loss

Portion control is the key to losing weight and keeping it off.  You have to learn what a “serving size” really is.
 I now know why I got so fat, for God sakes I was eating for 2 sometimes 3 people according to “serving sizes“. 
I was very resistant over the years to what I called “letting food consume and control my life”  well food was consuming my life, you don’t get up to 216lbs WITHOUT food being a controlling factor in your life, hello!
    I would listen to my skinny/healthy friend (Jenny) always talk about food and what was good for you and what wasn’t, reading labels on foods, & weighting and measuring everything.  I use to think that is WAY to much work, I have better things to do than keep track of what I’m eating each day.  I have now learned Jenny knew what she is doing (sorry I am so thick headed Jenny, clearly I should have listened to you over the years).  I just saw weighing, measuring, counting calories, planning in advance what your going to eat, and reading labels, as to much work, and not worth it.  Well I found that being lazy and stubborn about this isn’t worth it either.  All of these things are very very important to me now, and it has been the main factor of how I have lost the weight.  I learned it is a plain fact of life if you are going to lose weight you have to be conscious of everything you put in your mouth. 

You have to start reading labels, and find out what an acutely serving size is and more importantly what it looks like, (you will be shocked at how small a serving size really is, I know I was)

You will also be surprised how food can fool you, take a bagel or a bran muffin you may think these are good for you foods, (which they can be) but when they are big ones that is usually more than one serving size, which doubles the calories.  A lot of juices, or pop’s are more than one serving size per bottle/can.  Many foods are available in "single serving" size packages. You need to be careful because sometimes these are not just 1 single serving. Look on the package's nutrition label and find the "servings per package" or "servings per container" section.  If it says "1" then you do not need to measure or count the food out to know the your caloric intake will be, but sometimes it will say 1.5 serving or 2 servings per package, then you have just doubled your calories and didn’t even know it, so read your labels carefully.

I would assume everyone has measuring spoons and cups, but probably not everyone has a kitchen food scale, I would highly suggest purchasing one, it is well worth the money and will be so helpful for you.  The one I got cost a bit more than I normally would spend, but again worth it to me.  Mine is a digital one with a lot of bells and whistles, I got mine from the shopping channel QVC, but you can find them anywhere, Fred Meyers, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Wal-Mart, really most stores carry them.  I still for the most part weigh and measure everything, because it is to easy to falter.  I sometimes will sit down with my bag of baked chips and take out  a handful (which for my size hands I have found a normal handful not overly big of chips is “about” an ounce of chips which is a serving size)  BUT I will sit there and eat that serving and not even think about it and dive back in the bag for another handful, I sat there one day and did this THREE times, that was 3 serving of chips, NOT something I needed.  So now I try to make sure I weigh out ONE ounce of chips (1 serving size) and sit down and eat that, I don’t take the bag with me and eat directly out of the bag, because it is just to easy to over eat that way.  You just don’t realizes how much your eating unless you weigh/measure out each serving size. 
I would suggest if you are not familiar with what an actual serving size is and looks like, dish yourself up a regular meal like you normally would then read the label of what a serving size for that particular food is, and get out your measuring cups and scale and measure out everything you just severed up.  I did this with Roy when he started eating better, I had him serve up noodles for spaghetti, then I took it all out and measured it all, he had 5 to 6 serving of noodles, he had no idea what a serving size was or should look like. A bowl of cereal is another one I would over eat on.  Most cereals a serving size is ¾ to 1 cup, if you take your average bowl and dump cereal in it, it will be 2 to 3 serving of cereal.  
So start checking your labels to see what a serving size is suppose to be and weight and measure out your foods.  I like to use my fitness pal web site (there is a link for them on the right side of my page) there are many calorie counting web sites out there, you put in your current info, (weight, height, what you want to weight) and it will tell you how many calories you should be eating each day, and has an area you can keep track of what you eat each day, it’s a easy and free way to get you started to keeping track of what your putting in your mouth each day.

Food addiction

     For years I have said I believe that being fat and therefore being addicted to food is like being an alcoholic or drug addict, (not that I know what being an alcoholic or drug addict is like) but I think food is my “drug of choice“.  For people addicted to food I do feel it is a little harder because you cant just completely give up food, obviously we need food to live. You have to retrain yourself how to eat so to speak, you cant just give up the “addiction” all together.  Therefore making it very hard, to get a handle on this addiction.  My own opinion is that anyone that is fat is a food addict to some point, because if you weren’t addicted to food and wouldn’t be fat, it’s that simple.  None of us grew up saying oh I cant wait to be fat, I want to be fat, therefore if we weren’t “addicted” to food we not be fat right now. 

    I feel I am on my way to becoming a recovering food addict, and just like a drug or alcohol addict it will be a life long struggle for me, but I am preparing myself with the proper knowledge and tools to help me stay on the right track for the rest of my life, I know it wont always be easy but one I am prepared for and want to take!!  

I will explain how food is such a strong force in my life.
   I have always felt that people that have never had an issue with weight just don’t get it, (actually some fat people also I will explain about that in a different blog) frankly I have been embarrassed to sometimes talk with people that don’t have weight issues, because I feel they are just looking at me saying to themselves “just don’t eat it, it’s not that hard”  well for people addicted to food it is just that hard. 
     The first time I heard another fat person say “It’s like the food calls to me“, and they went on to say  “you get this overwhelming feeling you just cant fight,  knowing full well you shouldn’t be putting this piece of food in your mouth, but you just cant stop“.  When I  heard someone else say what I have felt, it made me feel good because I knew then others feel the same way I do, and it made me feel maybe I wasn’t so crazy, weak, stupid, and a horrible person because I couldn’t control this part of my life, if others felt the same way as I have. 

    I have heard now scientists are actually doing more and more studies on “food addictions”  they are truly finding that food addictions are very very similar to other addictions (alcohol, drugs, sex, or whatever your vice may be).  Not that we should use that as an excuse, we just have more information to help us understand that we are not weak, crazy or what ever you may feel when you just cant stop yourself from putting that doughnut in your mouth, when on one hand your brain is telling you don’t eat that because it isn’t good for you, and on the other hand you just cant stop yourself from eating it .  If you have ever felt like this just know your not alone.  Don’t feel bad about yourself or beat yourself up because you wonder why cant I just stop myself it shouldn’t be that hard to just say no, but clearly it is. You just need to find the right tools to help yourself control your food addiction. Not all things work for all people, the key is finding the right ones that work for you.  In future blogs I will write things that have worked for me and things others I have told me that work for them.

      Roy and I still struggle with the addiction part at times, it does get easier but there are times that it still can be overwhelming.  It is just a uncontrollable need/want to eat something knowing full well you shouldn’t be, and for me personally it’s never when I am actually “hungry“.  I am currently trying to pin point when this happens and I think for me it is when I am bored, mostly when I am home alone, just sitting around watching tv. Also for me now when this happens it is (sorry to all then men that are reading this) when I am around my period is when it happens the most. Most women understand the crazy and uncontrollable cravings related to their hormonal monthly issues, but that still isn’t an excuse to over eat, again the key is to finding tools that help you take control over it not let it control you. The only difference now is when I go on this I guess they call it a binge,  I use foods that are better for me, but that still doesn’t make it ok and hello those food still have calories and still will pack on the weight.  Yes I can say to myself it is better for me to eat baked chips opposed to regular chips, but like I said if you sit down and eat several handfuls, that is simply still to many, and not something I NEED.  When I get like that and find myself wanting to dive into a bag of the baked chips,  (that seems to be my “drug of choice” these days, I will put the bag out of site, and grab veggies.  I am getting better and better with being able to control this issue.  I keep talking to myself telling myself I have come to far and feel to good about myself self to throw it all away for a stupid chip, it’s not worth it!!!  The old saying is so true, NOTHING taste as good as being healthier feels!!!  (Well the actually saying goes nothing taste as good as thin feels) but first and foremost I love the way I feel better, physically, emotionally, and mentally, and secondly comes how I feel about the way I look.  So for me it’s not about being “thin” it’s about being healthier for life is what’s most important to me.  Loving they way I look now is just a great side effect per say of what I am doing, certainly not the only reason for doing this.