Tidbits, Tips and Tricks

There are so many little things that can make a big difference when it comes to weight loss success.  Here are few things that I have learned:

·         Be Prepared – It is difficult to eat well and lose weight if your house is not well stocked with the things you need.  Take some time to think about what you enjoy eating.  Search the internet for healthier versions of those foods.  Shop often, buy fresh whole foods and make sure that your refrigerator and pantry are always full of the healthy food/snack options that you enjoy.

·         Cook Your Own Food – While most of us eat out from time to time, restaurant food is generally full of unnecessary fat, sugar, sodium and other things that are not good for us.  Also, it is almost impossible to know exactly what is in restaurant food.  By preparing your own food you control portion size as well as your food’s taste, quality and nutritional content.

·         Find Some Go To Recipes – No matter your particular taste, you can build a set of simple, versatile, recipes that you can use regularly.   For example, I love guacamole and citrus black beans.  Guacamole can be eaten separately as a snack, used as a filling for hard boiled eggs, or added to a salad, wrap or sandwich.  Black beans can be made in large quantities and eaten in many ways - by themselves, with rice, in an omelet, or in a burrito.  Hummus is another great dish that can be used as a snack with some whole grain crackers/flatbreads or added to a vegetable wrap.  Finally try marinating and grilling chicken.  Make plenty of extra so you can use it throughout the week – as a snack, for chicken salad, in a burrito/wrap or as a hearty addition to a garden salad.  How about a black bean and chicken burrito with some fresh guacamole and a dab of Greek yogurt – yummy!  Add some fresh salsa for another healthy and flavorful touch.  Save the extra salsa for a flavorful snack.

·         Eat A Salad and Drink A Glass of Water Before Dinner – Not only are salad and water good for you, they are filling and will help you avoid overeating.  Whether at home or in a restaurant, these are both good habits to develop.

·         Eating At Restaurants – Most of us eat out from time to time. The myfitnesspal.com app is a great tool for dining out.  I downloaded it to my smart phone so I always have it with me.  If I know where I am going to eat I use myfitnesspal to decide what I am going to eat in advance.  This way I can look forward to eating my meal and not be tempted by the many less healthy options on the menu.  If I can’t select my meal in advance I can still use myfitnesspal to evaluate the nutritional content of various menu items at a given restaurant.

·         Portion Control – A Health Magazine article discusses the importance of portion control and provides some great tips for learning how to cut calories by controlling portions.  Beyond normal approaches to portion control, in my experience, a little bit can go a long way.  At the height of my calorie cut down I still craved things like pizza, pancakes and ice cream.  Even though none of those foods were on my personal menu, my family continued to eat them.  Over time I discovered that stealing a couple bites from my wife or daughters almost always left me feeling satisfied.  To this day, I usually skip dessert and steal a bit or two from my girls.  This is an unconventional, but satisfying and effective way to help control portions.

Sometimes it can be the odds and ends that make all the difference.  Don’t forget to do many of the little things that will improve your chances for weight loss success! 

 

Being Healthier is Always Going to Be A Climb

When I was at my heaviest it felt like almost everyone around me maintained a reasonable weight.   Most of these people also seemed to lead active lives and consciously made healthy food choices.  At times I was jealous.  I frequently wondered why exercise and healthy eating came so easily to them, but was such a struggle for me.

After losing one hundred pounds I came to an important realization.  Just because something looks easy doesn’t mean that it is easy.  Eating a healthier diet and exercising regularly is not easy.  Our fast food, super-sized, extra-cheese, convenience oriented world presents daily obstacles for everyone.  

While losing a lot of weight and running a half-marathon were great accomplishments, they didn’t represent the end of my journey.  In many ways, they were just the beginning.

Many years ago Miley Cyrus released a hit song - “The Climb.”  Shortly after it came out, my daughters would often blare it from their bedroom.  Over time the song grew on me and I used to sing it with them in the car.  The chorus is: 

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Truer words were never spoken.  People often tell me that I appear to have won the battle with my weight.  I am winning, but the battle is not over and it is never easy, but it is easier now than it has ever been.  I have learned a lot, but there is still more to learn.  There are always obstacles that need to be overcome.

After I started running and eventually gained a reasonable fitness level, I was surprised at how hard running continued to be for me.  In the beginning I couldn’t run a tenth of a mile.   It was hard work.  Eventually, I was running over ten miles, but it was still hard work.  Like most people, once I accomplished one goal, I moved to another.  I always wanted to run faster and further; both of these things represent more mountains.  As long as you are pushing yourself, training will always be hard.  A year ago I ran a 14 minute mile.  Today, I can run an 11 minute mile.  That 11 minute mile feels every bit as challenging as that 14 minute mile once did.  A ten minute mile is my next mountain.

Getting healthy and staying healthy is a lifelong journey.  It will be filled with successes and failures.  Embrace them both.  Celebrate the successes.  View your failures as opportunities for future success.  There will be times, for whatever reason, that you gain some weight – summer eating, a vacation, the holidays, etc.  Sometimes life will get in the way and you will get out of your exercise routine – maybe for a few weeks at a time.  It happens to almost everyone.  There will always be another mountain.

When you are faced with a mountain, commit to moving it. Your journey will be filled with challenges.  Sometimes you are going to fail.  That is all part of the process.  Recognize it.  Accept it.  Improvise.  Adapt.  Overcome.  Get back on track and celebrate your success for doing so!!!

The Scale Should Not Weigh You Down!

Even if weight loss is the primary goal, don’t let the scale be the only tool you use to measure success.  Weight loss can be a mysterious and complicated thing.  Sometimes weight seems to come off easily from week to week.  Other times, even if you are eating well and working out progress can slow or even stop.  And even under ideal circumstance, people’s weight fluctuates from day to day.  So if you use the scale as your only way to measure success, you will be disappointed a lot. 

Losing weight and living a healthier more active lifestyle is tough enough without having to deal with a disappointing weigh-in.  It is too easy to see yourself as a failure, to lose motivation, become demoralized and abandon your weight loss efforts.

One of the best ways to see progress, stay motivated and feel confident is to understand that the scale is only one measure.  Identify multiple success measures.  Some measures might include:  (1) how you feel; (2) nutritional goals; (3) exercise/fitness progress; (3) vital signs and body measurements; and (5) how you feel in your clothes.

·         How Are You Feeling? - While losing weight is the ultimate goal, being healthy and feeling good, and more energetic, is also important.  As you get healthier, you will notice that you feel better.  Perhaps you less depressed or you have more energy throughout the day.  Being more efficient at work, getting more chores done at home and having more energy to spend quality time with family are all signs of progress. 

·         Are You Reaching Your Nutritional Goals – If you are keeping a food journal, particularly if you are using an app, it is easier than ever to monitor your nutrition.  You can record your daily/weekly calorie count as well protein, fat, carbohydrate and sodium intake – among other things.  If you are consistently meeting your daily and weekly goals in all key nutritional areas, that is an important sign of progress.

·         Is Your Fitness Improving – If you do not already, it is a great idea to keep a fitness journal.  Many nutritional apps also allow you to record fitness activities.  In my case I was always trying to walk further, walker faster, add running, run, run further and run faster.  It is so gratifying to track your improvement from week to week and month to month.  As you look back, you will be impressed with your progress.

·         Measure Your Body and Vital Signs – It is a good idea to measure your neck, chest, waist hips, thighs and arms every week.  During one phase of my weight loss I actually lost a full pants size without losing more than a couple of pounds – amazing!  Before I started exercising my resting pulse rate was 78; within a few months of walking my resting pulse rate dropped more than 15 beats per minute; my blood pressure also dropped significantly.

·         Check Out Your Closet – Pay attention to the way that your clothes fit.  You will start to notice that your clothes feel better.  Take a tour of your closet.  My guess is you will slowly start to wear some things you have not worn, or even seen, in a long time.  Enjoy the new wardrobe!

Feeling better, eating better, exercise, improved vital signs and better fitting clothes are all signs of progress no matter what the scale might say during any given week or month.  Celebrate progress in its many forms!

 

 

 

More Really Can Be Less

Aside from giving up soda, cutting things from my diet was more the exception than the rule.  Most people I know who are trying to lose weight spend the majority of their time trying to figure out what not to eat.  My weight loss journey took me down a very different road.  Instead of cutting lots of things from my diet, I actually started adding things.

An interesting Forbes article discusses nine habits that make people fat.  One of those habits is skipping meals.  Like a lot of heavy people, I never ate breakfast.  In fact, very often dinner was my first meal of the day.  Not eating regularly throughout the day depresses your metabolism and can increase overeating later in the day.  Also, most of us are least active at the end of the day after dinner.  As your metabolism slows down at the end of the day, your body has very little time to burn the calories you consume later in the day.

After conquering my sugary drink habit and incorporating regular exercise, the next thing I did was add meals to my diet.  I ate three meals and three small snacks every day.  Once eating six times per day became a habit, I started to pay closer attention to what I was eating.  My food journal helped me accomplish this.  Initially I added more fresh fruits and vegetables to my diet.  The goal was to eat at least three servings of fresh fruit and five servings of fresh vegetables per day.   

The next thing I did was to add water to my diet; the goal was eight glasses per day.  Water maintains our hydration and helps to keep us feeling full.   Drinking plenty of water has other advantages as well.  Caloriesperhour.com details many ways that water consumption supports weight loss.  If you don’t like water, you can try the myriad flavored waters on the market.  A fresh slice of lemon or lime in your water or sparkling might also do the trick.  Also, see Redbook for other good alternatives to water. 

After adding exercise, meals, snacks, fruits, vegetables and water to my diet an interesting thing happened.  I started to feel better - both physically and mentally.  The more good things that I added to my diet and exercise regiment, the more weight I lost and the more committed I became to a healthier lifestyle. Suddenly, and with very little effort, I was more motivated than ever to take control of my diet.  I was making better choices.  I was not perfect, but I was better.

Almost by accident, I discovered that when it came to weight loss, more really can be less.