Eating Out! What About Choices!

I am short blogging today.


Saturday night I went out to one of my favorite places to eat. I focused much more on the atmosphere and the fun I was having than rather on the food I ate. I had a great meal, a healthy choice. In our fast paced lives we tend to grab and go and our choices are not necessarily wise. I have set up 2 links from here just to help guide through what is a good choice while dining out.


http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/abs-health/healthy-chinese-food


http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm


Remember: (one of my favorite quotes)


Success is not a race, be patient.
Success leads to success.
Success is always a work in progress.
Success doesn't come to you--you go to it.
Success is a journey, not a destination. Focus on the process.
Some people dream about success... while others wake up and work hard at it.
Success is achieved and maintained by those who try-and keep trying.
Everyday is a good day to SUCCEED!
If at first you don't succeed-try, try again

Over Doing It: The Biggest Motivation Killer of all Time

I have done this so many times in the past: Ready for a change, to the lose weight. "I will walk everyday if I have to, and I will eat nothing but fruit and vegetables". "I will starve myself by skipping breakfast and lunch". "I will join the gym and make myself go every single day". I would do just that, for about one week, I would be sore and sick of eating nothing my body was craving. Then, I would go eat a whole pizza and forget the whole thing.  I was back to trying to rationalize my lack of motivation, or so I thought, never figuring out that I was taking on a major change and that it was overwhelming my mind and my body.

  I have always been a gradual change person, let's face it, sudden change hurts in any sort of fashion whether it’s losing a loved one or losing a job. Life in general is complicated enough and full of things that are difficult to deal with or even face sometimes. Why in the world would we want to put something else on ourselves? A sudden diet change and then adding an exercise routine designed for a triathlete, all at once? This is really when the motivation dies and those workout clothes go back in the closet. I tell anyone I meet, and anyone I train, give yourself 2 to 4 weeks to adjust to a few changes in your life, you will see and feel the difference, and will be ready for more. Begin a cardio routine, 30 minutes of walking for example, for at least 3 days a week. Also, begin a weight lifting routine, 15 to 20 min, as many times a week. Make sure to stretch before and after your exercise routine.  A beginner’s workout should never be no more than an hour a day, even if you feel like doing more. Your body is now allowed to build up the stamina it needs to support your new lifestyle.

 Drink plenty of water, avoid soda and sugary drinks.  A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats is always a good choice, but don't beat yourself up if you stray. We all stray at some point or another; the crucial thing to remember is you can continue your health plan in the next meal. Better to cure the craving in a small portion right then, than to let it continue, haunt you and turn into something you will regret because you lost control. 

 Please remember we all have to learn to crawl before we walk. A lifestyle change is probably something you have tried before, and then probably failed at; the difference between success and failure is always in the approach.

    

How's the Diet Going? It's Going Healthy...

Another question I am frequently asked, "How's the diet going?" "It's going well", I say. It's always going well, not because I eat diet food, it’s because I eat healthy. I do not have any problems with diet plans, diet pills in moderation, or weight loss surgeries. All those things are fine, I do not judge a person's methods for trying to control their weight, I just know what has worked and continue to works for me. I do not eat special diet food, nor have I ever followed a diet plan, such as weight watchers, etc. I do very few things to alter my diet, being a former diabetic of course; I continue to always stay with carbohydrate controlled meals and snacks. I do not leave carbs completely out of the equation; I simply choose the right types of complex carbs. Examples of complex carbs are whole grain bread, fruits, beans, some vegetables, and brown rice. Beans, by the way, are also a good source of protein as well.

    Over the years, I have eliminated high fat meats; I do not eat pork, except the occasional cold cut sandwich. I rarely eat red meats, with the exception of a nice dinner out or my mother's cooking (ha-ha). I get protein from beans (as listed above), eggs, nuts, fish, and poultry. I choose "healthy" foods, in controlled portions; I never skip meals or snacks. Most people assume I have practically starved myself to lose the weight I have lost. No, our bodies are designed to move, to burn excess calories, to use vitamins and minerals, if we treat them correctly. Once we achieve a certain amount of habitual fitness and make healthier choices in what we eat, our bodies become like a well oiled machine, becoming stronger and more efficient and excess weight will cease to exist.

Step by Step: One Day at a Time

  The more people I share my story with, the more I get asked, "Well, how did you do it", I usually answer that shortly, "I altered my diet and I exercise." That isn't always the best response I don't always have the time to go into detail, but when I do, it’s hard to actually stop talking. I want to make a point without negativity and intimidation sometimes that get across in a correct way I feel, sometimes it doesn't. In effort to encourage instead of tear down I think sharing here is the best delivery system.

  A little background information about me, I was always overweight, even as a child. I had four grandparents with type 2 diabetes. I do not remember a time not seeing insulin and syringes when I visited them. I suppose I was conditioned to it, I don't blame anyone for it; it’s just the way it was. By the time I was 27 years old, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, by the time I was 31, and I was on insulin myself. By then, I had resolved to my fate. I was destined to be 330lbs to 350lbs, on insulin, and essentially miserable. Yes, I had plenty of people tell me, doctors, etc., "You need to lose weight, do this, this, and this", it came across as "blah, blah, blah", I heard what they said but I did not take in it. I had fertility problems in the middle of it all, I was told losing weight was the best chance of a successful pregnancy and then with careful monitoring I could have a baby. In 2002, I had lost enough weight to get pregnant with the use of fertility drugs. In 2003 after a high risk diabetic pregnancy I had my first son; he was healthy, and delivered by c-section. I had a lot of problems healing afterwards due to my diabetes and my 320lb frame. All in all, I did okay, but I was still miserable and still didn't grasp the idea why.

    Two years later, my weight had crept up to 348lbs, I had ignored my diabetes, my health, and my body, like they didn’t exist, thinking, oh I am young, it will be ok. I ended up breaking my ankle and did not feel it. A few weeks later I noticed a lot of pain in my leg so I went to the doctor and he said, "You have an ankle fracture that has healed incorrectly, physical therapy will help, but we also checked your blood glucose levels, we have to talk". I was shocked; I had levels so high, that I was very fortunate that I was not in a coma. Immediately, I was put back on insulin shots, ordered once again to diet and exercise. I decided I should begin something; I got some advice from co-workers suggesting what gym I should use. By November of 2005, I was determined, so I joined that gym, and I went, twice. Yes, twice, I jumped on a treadmill, because I knew I could walk... and I could, but no longer than 10 minutes without giving out and I felt so intimidated, so huge, and so out of place. I quit going. 

      Into 2006, after a little dieting and walking outside, I had lost about 20 lbs. I felt pretty good about it; I ended up joining a Curves gym. I felt less intimidated there and felt the workouts, although challenging, were more on my level. I did that for a few months, during this time, it finally sunk in, hey, and I can do this. My internal motivation was changing, the more I worked out, the more I wanted to. The slow change from my terrible eating habits to a healthier approach to meals was working to. I noticed by this time, I had lost a little over 50lbs, I wanted to do more. I set small goals little by little. This was working, and I wasn't about to overwhelm myself by looking too far ahead. It was and always has been a step by step process.

     Several months in my membership at Curves, I wanted to do more. I took a leaping step of faith, I rejoined that gym I had quit, and needless to say, I have not left. I have worked off 170lbs of the person I was. I am also no longer a diabetic. I truly know what it is like to be on the end of hopelessness, and knowing I want change and not sure how to get there.  Little by little I have reached my small goals and changed my old habits.  I don’t plan on going back to the old person I was. I can say with all enthusiasm and full certainty that it is attainable, and most importantly, by anyone.