Doing it Right!

I have received a lot of support feedback & comments to my previous Big Loser post. Thank you so much for your support & encouragement! Some of you have said that you have had similar struggles & want to lose weight the healthy way. Many people that have never had weight issues don't realize that many of us that have don't know how to eat healthy or lose weight the healthy way. They are surprised when someone tells them that & they want to know why. Most of the time the answer is that they have never been taught. I grew up in a home with a mom who didn't like to cook & for the first few years on her own after my parent's divorce, meals consisted of cereal, bologna, & the A&W Drive In. If you aren't taught to eat healthy as a kid, chances are you are going to have unhealthy eating habits as an adult. I was 12 when my mom informed me that I was overweight & needed to lose weight. She was right but she didn't tell me how to do it so I did it on my own & then one thing led to another & the next thing I know I was anorexic. Please don't get me wrong...I'm not blaming my anorexia on my mom but it would have been helpful to have had some sound nutritional & exercise advice from someone instead of trying to figure it out on my own. I also "recovered" on my own & was still leaning on my own knowledge which still did not include healthy eating habits. So I went from "recovery" to being overweight again. I was so grateful when I had a nutrition class in college & finally had some good nutritional information.

If you have never lost weight the "right way"...which is the healthy way...I really encourage you to enlist help of a dietician or join a nutritionally sound program like Weight Watchers. If you are limited in the funds department & can't do that right now, try looking up information on the internet. One book that I highly recommend is "The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person" by Judith S. Beck. I-SBN-13:978-0-8487-3171-1. She basically covers all the things that Weight Watchers teaches but presents it in a fresh, down to earth way.

Some things to consider when trying to losing weight:
***Decrease or eliminate fatty, fast food. You can still eat out but you need to study your options & pick the healthy ones. In a pinch, Subway & Wendy's is a safe bet. Subway has several low fat options & at Wendy's you can skip a burger & fries & have a baked potato & salad instead. If you're going to a "sit down" restaurant, skip the bread or chips that many restaurants serve before your meal comes. If you have difficulty resisting them, simply tell the waiter or waitress "No thank you" when they say your bread or chips will be right out. Stick to entrees listed as low fat or heart healthy. Some places such as AppleBees actually have a Weight Watchers section on the menu.
***Make sure to eat at least 3 servings of lean or lower fat protein, 3 dairy, & 4-5 servings of fruits & veggies a day. Many people think if they skip the meat, cheese, & other higher calorie foods that they will lose more weight when in reality that isn't true. Your body needs protein, especially if you're working out & even more so if you're working out with weights.
Good sources of protein & dairy include: 3-4 oz. of lean chicken, turkey, fish or seafood. When eating beef, choose the leanest cuts. Fat free or low fat milk, cheese, yogurt, pudding, & ice cream, are good dairy sources. Also eat eggs or egg beaters,legumes & "healthier" nuts such as almonds & sunflower seeds.
I know they say eat fruit instead of drinking juice. I would encourage that if you can but if you're like me & are not much of a fruit eater, drink the juice if it helps get your fruit servings in. An easy way to get fruit in is to top it on oatmeal, high fiber cereal, or yogurt.
***Eat things you like. If you like salads more than cooked veggies, then eat salads. If you like cooked veggies & not salads, then eat the cooked.
***Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. If you don't like water, add crystal light to go to your bottle or glass. Dehydration can bring your metabolism to a stand still.
***Listen to your body. If you feel better eating several small meals a day then do it. If you feel better eating three squares & no snacks then do that. If you need three meals & one or two small snacks in between then do that. Every "body" is different. What may work for one person may not work for you.
***Exercise at least 4 times a week for 30 minutes each time. If you are "out of shape" & don't feel like you can do a strenous work out...start with walking & then increase time, frequency, & hills. Don't forget to stretch before AND after exercising.
***Weigh yourself once a week. Doing it more just frustrates you & gets you focused on the scale rather than healthy lifestyle changes. Not weighing yourself at all can fool yourself into believing you are losing weight when you may not be losing any weight or maybe gaining. Take body measurements once a month as well. You may not always be losing pounds but maybe losing inches instead.
***If you lack in motivation & accountability...get a "buddy" to check in with & to work out with.
***Do not "treat" yourself with food. If you have lost weight or have done something else that you think deserves a reward...buy a new outfit, get a pedicure or give yourself permission to take a 3 hour nap.
***Always talk with your doctor if you have any questions about starting a weight loss &/or exercise program.
***Get creative & have fun!!! :o)