50 Days

It's been 50 days since I started this journey! I have lost 14 lbs! I am at 183lbs

Waist : 38"

Butt : 42"

Calf :16.5"

Arm:12.5"

Thigh: 23"

Now to be impressed we have to see where I started so from week one weigh in....

197.4lbs

Waist: 41.5"

Butt: 44"

Arm: 13.5"

Thigh: 24.5"

Calf: 16.5"

When I started I was attempting to run but had kind of given up. I was biking sometimes, and hiking, and walking. But now I bike almost every weekend. I have signed up for the Venus de Miles bike race in the Fall for a 28 mile ride, and I am training like crazy. I started running again and I am now up to 5 miles a day, and I went from a  12.5 min mile to an 11 min mile. My activity level has dramatically increased and I feel amazing. 

But I'm not done yet. It's so amazing what you can accomplish in just 50 days, and honestly it doesn't even feel like it has been that long. I feel stronger and more confident. I am so glad I started when I did. 

Eating out

As promised I am posting about what I eat when I go out. I do believe your "diet" (lifestyle change) needs to include the ability to eat out, especially if you are used to going out. I don't think a diet will actually work if you have to completely change everything about your life and eradicate everything convenient. We are bust people with lots to do and sometimes we may have to break down and go out for lunch or dinner, and it shouldn't be the end of the world. And it doesn't need to be a guilt filed experience.

My favorite places to go are Chick fil A, Qdoba, Panera, Subway, Modmarket, and California Pizza Kitchen. These places all offer nutrition information so you can make healthy choices when you do eat out.

I'm not gonna lie, readjusting you eating out habits is hard. I love waffle fries and chick fil a sauce, but that's not something I indulge in anymore. (unless I worked out really hard). So a meal for me at Chick fil A is either a grilled chicken sandwich with a fruit cup, or chicken nuggets (fried or grilled) with a fruit cup or side salad. You can find their nutrition calculator here http://www.chick-fil-a.com/food/meal

One note: beware of salads. They are deceptively full of calories! They put some many delicious toppings on salad that before you know it you have a 700 calories salad. So know before go. Don't assume a salad is a safe choice.

At Qdoba I love to get either the tacos, a naked burrito, or a salad. My tacos are soft with chicken, sour cream, cheese, pico, and lettuce. Naked burrito bowl is chicken, rice (no beans), queso, pico and guacamole. Salad is lettuce in a regular bowl, no dressing, chicken, fajita veggies, cheese, guacamole, and pico. You can build your own meals here http://www.qdoba.com/menu-nutrition

Panera is fabulous, I always end up getting a salad because their sandwiches are pretty calorie filled. I love the chopped chicken cobb with avocado it's just 580 calories and delicious. You can see Panera nutrition info here http://www.panerabread.com/pdf/nutr-guide.pdf

Modmarket is amazing as well. They serve only organic made to order foods. Its fresh and delicious. Their nutrition info is listed on their menu and on your receipt. I like to build my own salad with romaine, chicken, peppers, onions, cucumbers, avocado, buttermilk ranch dressing, and edamame. They also have a super yummy BBQ chicken pizza, you can order just the half size to reduce your calorie intake, or get the whole pizza and split it with a friend.

Remember eating out is sometimes unavoidable;e, but it does;t need to be an excuse to ruin your hard work. You can keep a healthy active lifestyle and still enjoy outings with friends and family. Just do the research before you go out. Or use your smart phone to do a last minute look up. Lots of places also have their nutrition info available on site if you ask.

Excuses Excuses....

Come on people, lets here them. I know you have them. You have a million excuse about why you just can't lose weight, or why you can't eat healthy, or why you can't work out. I think in my lifetime I have used every freaking excuse in the book (seriously I  have). "But I have kids, I work, I don't like vegetables, it's too hot to work out, it's too cold to work out, I don't have a gym membership, I was on vacation, it's a holiday, it was someones birthday, my kids won't eat that stuff, I was up late, I'm too tired today" etc. etc. etc. Seriously the list goes on and on.

I teach my children that they are responsible of their choices. I hate when they make excuses for their bad behavior. I want them to understand that we all have choices in life and our actions and consequences are a reflection of those choices. We choose to be mad, we choose to not work out, we choose to watch TV all day, we choose to have children, we choose to eat crappy food, we choose to eat the entire pan of brownies (oh yeah, I have totally done that more than once).

No one is making the choices for you, and so there is no to blame for your bad choices but yourself.

So why do we make all these elaborate excuses? Well number one, we are lazy plain and simple. We don't want to put in the effort that day, or week, or month or year. We feel justified in our excuses. I mean come on, having kids does make working out a challenge, it's true... and working makes it hard to find the time to fit in a work out. When something is hard we have learned to make up reasons why it simply will not work.

We also love to give other people excuses for why it will work for them but not us. Well she has a nanny so of course she has time to work out, well her husband makes plenty of money so she doesn't have to work of course she has time to look amazing. Well she isn't single having a spouse makes it all easier (which is total BS not all spouses are supportive or available). She obviously has a faster metabolism than I do, I bet she has never been fat in her life. She has more time, money, resources bla bla bla.

And then to top that off we find negative comments to make about people who are being active "look at that over achiever, oh brother," or "look at super mom over there making us all look bad" or "what does she spend her life at the gym? I 'm sorry I would rather spend quality time with my children than being selfish." She's too skinny, she needs to eat a sandwich, she must be high maintainince, she obviously cares too much about her appearance. We minimize others efforts and find ways to make them negative so we feel better about our choice not to be like them.

But here's the thing... you are responsible for your choices. YOU are making the choice every day to eat crap, to not work out, to not care. YOU make the choice to eat cake, to eat McDonalds, to sit on your butt. YOU are choosing to be fat. No one makes that choice for you and YOU are perfectly capable of making a different choice. I know it's hard to hear, but sometimes the truth hurts. You are choosing to make excuses.

So today choose not to make excuses. Make the choice to change.

Emotional Eating

I feel like this is a super important topic, and I want to share my own personal story in the hopes that it will motivate you assess your own eating habits and make changes.

I have struggled with depression and anxiety my whole life, since I was a little girl. I used food as an escape. Food was good, it didn't judge me. I fed my anxiety with food, which led to more anxiety over being overweight. I fed my depression with food, which led to more depression over being fat. It was vicious cycle that I think many of us fall into.

At some point I decided I was tired of being fat and I took things to extremes. I didn't actually resolve any of my issues, I simply used my dysfunction in the opposite direction. I starved myself thin. I exercised obsessively. I lost about between 60-70 lbs in one year. I was convinced all my problems were caused by being overweight, and if I was just skinny I could be happy. Being thin was the answer. But it wasn't.

All my insecurities and anxieties still existed. I hadn't actually worked through any of it. I hadn't faced any of my problems. I had starved them hoping they would disappear.

Looking back now I only have about 5 photos of that time in my life where I was my thinnest. The sick part was that I still felt fat.

The point of all this is that we all have issues, some of us more than others, and for whatever reason we have turned to food to comfort us, to reward ourselves, to mask the pain of whatever we are afraid to face. Maybe what we are afraid to face is simply the fear that we can't lose weight. The fear of failure. Or maybe our problems lie much deeper. Food addiction is a real thing. And it is powerful. People use food all the time to self medicate just like alcoholics do.

The hard part is that an alcoholic can avoid alcohol if they want to quit, but we have to eat every day to survive. We have to face our addiction a minimum of three times a day, and that is hard.

The first thing you have to do is admit to yourself that you have been using food as a crutch, that you have been using food as a comfort, as a therapist, as a friend, a lover. But food is none of those things. Then you have to realize being skinny is not going to fix your insecurities. It is not the answer. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat healthy and lose weight, it just means you need to resolve your issues as well. It's a process, it's a journey. There is no quick answer. Alcoholics have to go to AA. It's a 12 step process and then a life time of making the choice every day. So a food addiction is going to have steps. It's going to be a battle. It's going to be hard, and it's going to hurt. As silly as it sounds you may cry, you may be angry and resentful. But it's all part of the process. 

For those of you have seen the Biggest Loser, you have witnessed the emotional breakdowns. The process brings all those emotions and deep issues to the surface. Taking away the food opens up pandoras box. You have to be brave! Don't be afraid to let it go. 

The only way to over come problems is to face them head on. Face your fears, face your sadness. Write it all out, write them down problem by problem, and look at what you have written down. Decide what you can fix and what you can't. Some of the reasons we eat are things that we can't change. If you can change something, do it. If you can't, then change your mind about it. Sometimes this cannot be done alone. Sometimes you need help and there is no shame in that. See therapist. It helps!

Once you have faced it and accepted it you have to find new ways to cope. Find other things that make you happy. Maybe working out can be one of the things that can make you happy. Listen to your favorite music, read your favorite book, start meditating, start yoga, watch your favorite movie, take a relaxing bath, call a friend, go out. Maybe you just need to have a good cry and let it go. Finding other ways to cope is huge. If you don't you will go right back to food.

Food never really fixed anything. Food made you feel better for a second, but then made you feel worse. Remember that. Remind yourself every time you open your cabinet hoping a sweet treat will fix your bad day. Paste your new skills in the cabinet so when you open it you see alternatives.

It kills me to see people who so desperately want to lose weight keep struggling because they just can't move past their food issues. They come up with one excuse after the other (and believe me I have too). Be stronger than your excuses. Be stronger than food. Don't let food control you. You are in control of you. Make changes today. You are so much stronger than you know. Stronger than you believe.

What I eat: Breakfast

Since I started running I eat a lot of Option 1 and 3. They give me a great crab boost for running. 

Option 1

Oatmeal (I like Active Lifestyles Maple Pecan)

Coffee*

Natural Bliss Creamer*

Option 2 

Egg white

Whole wheat bagel thin

2% cheese reduced fat Kraft single

Option 3 

Banana cut in half

1 TBs of Almond Butter

2 TBS of Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal

Option 4 

2 scrambled eggs

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries

Option 5

Kashi Go Lean Crunch

Skim milk

Option 4 

1 piece of whole wheat toast

1TBS almond butter 

1/2 banana sliced 

Option 5 

Turkey Sausage

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries

Option 6

1 Thomas mini whole wheat bagel 

1 TBS cream cheese

1 banana

*I have coffee with every breakfast

What I eat: Dinner

This one is hard, I have always fed the kids pretty healthy but we have also had a few nights where we ordered pizza, or stopped by some fast food chain. The kids are used to seeing vegetables on their plate and couscous and quinoa, but that does't mean they love them. My lift girl is super picky and she has been the hardest to convince. She has been required to try every veggie I put in froth of her, and over time the more she sees them the more she accepts that she has to eat them , and some she has even come to love.

Changing your whole families diet is a challenge, it helps if your partner is on board, but you may need to get used to the idea that your children are NOT going to be as excited about the healthy new lifestyle as you are. Don't give up, just keep at it and eventually they will get used to it. If they don't like it they can choose not to eat. It's not the end of the world. Eventually they will realize if they want to eat they have to eat what you serve. You are not a short order cook.

Meal 1

1 cup chicken breast pan grilled with seasoning (no olive oil)
Near East flavored Couscous 1/2 cup- 1 cup
1 1/2 cups of broccoli (no salt or butter)

Meal 2

3oz of Talapia oven baked with seasoning (no olive oil)
Near East or Zataran's flavored rice 1- 1/2 cup
Salad with 1 TBs of Light Ranch Dressing

Meal 3

4oz of Salmon
1 cup of steamed yellow squash and zucchini
Near East Quinoa blend 1-1/2 cup

Meal 3

Salad
Boiled egg
cherry tomatoes
bell pepper
cucumber
diced, cubed ham 1/2
2 TBS of Light Ranch dressing

or
Mixed greens
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 of an avocado
light goat cheese crumbles
poppyseed dressing 2 TBS

Meal 4

Turkey Burgers
1 slice of 2% kraft cheese
Whole Wheat Bun (you can skip the bun if you want)
Avocado 1/2
side salad with 1 TBS of light ranch dressing or watermelon

Meal 5

Zataran's Jumbalya Rice mix 1 cup
Turkey Sausage 1 link
Green Beans 1 cup

Meal 6

11 shrimp
1 cup Pasta Roni Garlic and Olive Oil Vermicelli
Asparagus

Meal 7

Turkey or chicken sausage grilled on the grill 2 links
Whole wheat bun (or skip the bun)
Fruit salad

Other side veggies:

sautéed fresh spinach and mushrooms
cucumber mixed with light italian dressing
sautéed kale (this one may be a acquired taste)


Again we eat lots of the same things, with just a tad variation. And yes we have ordered pizza. Once. We do eat out as well, I check calories before I go out so I know what to order. I eat at Chick fil A, Qudoba, Panera, Jimmy Johns, Subway, ModMarket, California Pizza Kitchen. Most places have their information available online. I will do another post about healthy choices when eating out another day.


*photos are not mine- taken from google search*

How I eat: Lunch

I feel like just explaining the calorie intake isn't super helpful because it's not just about the calories, it's also about the kinds of food you eat, and I think we all get a little stuck on what we should be eating to lose weight. So I am going to share my menu. Starting with lunches.

Lunches look like this:

Option 1

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin
1/3 less fat Cream Cheese 1 TBS
1/4 cut and peeled cumber
2 oz Hillshire Farms Smoked Turkey Breast

I love this sandwich. Its delicious! I add blueberries or strawberries as a side, or baby carrots.


Option 2 (this is my staple, I tend to eat this most days. I like the veggies and light lunch)

Mini Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel
1/4 a bell pepper
1/2 peeled cut cucumber
6 cherry tomatoes
6-8 baby carrots
2 TBS of Kraft light Ranch dressing or 2 TBS of Athenos Hummus
1/2 cup of diced cubed ham (Kroger brand) Or 2 oz Hillshire Farms Smoked Turkey Breast

Option 3

Two Carb Balance Mission Tortillas
1/2 an Avocado
1/4 cut peeled cucumber
3 oz Hillshire Farms Smoked Turkey Breast

add cantaloupe or strawberries as a side

Option 4

One Blue Corn and Flax Artisan Mission Tortilla
2 oz of Turkey Breast
TBS of 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese or 1/4 cup Fat Free Kraft Shredded Cheese

add strawberries or blue berries or maybe an apple

Remember it might be a little boring, but food is fuel. It's not about fun. It's not your best friend or your therapist. You are fueling your body and trying to stay healthy. I tend to eat the same thing all the time and mix in the other options when I get bored, or my body says we need something new. I try hard to listen to my body and cravings. Your body really does know what it needs.

**Also I know lots of people like organic, so you will need to adjust these options to fit your lifestyle, and count calories accordingly.**