Overeating used to be a daily experience in my life. I would eat until I was so stuffed I could barely move. I know I developed my habit as a young kid when I had to finish everything I put on my plate, and as I got older I felt guilty leaving uneaten food because I was taught it was bad. I also have the worst habit of picking at food if it is out in front of me, whether it's an appetizer spread or my leftovers on my plate, if it is in front of my face, I just can't help but to eat it or feel tempted.
I have since learned tricks which help with my bad habits. To avoid Overeating I take a smaller portion and wait a little bit before I get up for seconds. Often I would still be hungry and reach for seconds, and after a few bites be full and because I felt the necessity to eat the food I had taken I would finish my plate and be overly stuffed. Now, by giving my stomach enough time to register that it is full,, and waiting to get seconds I either only get seconds if I am still hungry and get a smaller portion, but often I am satisfied by my fist portion size of food.
Getting the food out of my face. At first I didn't have enough self discipline to remove the food myself, so I gave my husband the job of taking away my plate when he could tell that I was just eating to eat and not because I was hungry. He began moving my plate to the other side of the table. Most of the time my hunger had been satisfied and since I was picking I was glad he had taken it away, but other times I was still not full and he felt I had eaten more than enough so he would take the food and if I tried to get it back he would toss it in the trash or cover it in salt. And soon enough after this had happened a few times I realized what it was like to finish a meal and feel comfortable and not like I was going to pop.
NOW!- I move my own plate out of my face. I have grown to know when to stop and to enjoy that comfortable satisfied feeling and not bloated and over stuffed which I had none for so long i thought it was normal.
Now that I know it is not normal, I hate feeling overly full! We would go to all you can eat sushi and I would have an excuse to eat as much as possible and because I was used to always being overly full it never really bothered me, but after going to all you can sushi last night and eating until I was overly stuffed was not enjoyable. I loved the food it was great but after not over eating for so long, I didn't feel well after and decided I would rather spend the extra money to eat regular sushi so I would only eat until I was comfortable because of how my stomach felt after
Last night was not worth it.
It is so satisfying to see these results within myself. And although my weightless hasn't made significant bounds yet it is so satisfying to know that I am slowly conquering my mental battle that I used to have with food, because I love to cook and be in the kitchen I was afraid that one day I would balloon to unimaginable sizes and to know that I have made changes that allow food to be my friend and not the enemy is so satisfying.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Mind Over Matter!
It's all mind over matter.
I have broke through a few mental blocks when it's comes to food. I am making healthy choices, I have stopped over eating, I don't hesitate to move away from temptations in order to prevent myself from giving in.
My next hurtle which I need to jump is the wall which stands between me and fitness. As soon as it gets hard I get the urge to quit, slow down, or do something easier. I feel if could push through I truly will be able to meet my goal with flying colors and truly be successful.
An indulgent snack :)) Skinny Cow Chocolate Fudge IceCream! It's 4 points for the mini IceCream container and every last bite is chocolateeeee and delicious!!!
I have broke through a few mental blocks when it's comes to food. I am making healthy choices, I have stopped over eating, I don't hesitate to move away from temptations in order to prevent myself from giving in.
My next hurtle which I need to jump is the wall which stands between me and fitness. As soon as it gets hard I get the urge to quit, slow down, or do something easier. I feel if could push through I truly will be able to meet my goal with flying colors and truly be successful.
An indulgent snack :)) Skinny Cow Chocolate Fudge IceCream! It's 4 points for the mini IceCream container and every last bite is chocolateeeee and delicious!!!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
My bet!
My husband understands my competitive drive and that I work a little better when there is a bet involved, so to encourage me to stay on track and lose weight we set a goal and date to meet that goal as well as a prize for when I cross the finish line :)
Goal: to weight 120 by our anniversary trip
Date: 5.6.12
Prize: Super cute bikini which can be more expensive than I typically spend :))
That gives me 74 days to lose 27 pounds. That is .37 pounds per day.
I CAN DO IT!!
Goal: to weight 120 by our anniversary trip
Date: 5.6.12
Prize: Super cute bikini which can be more expensive than I typically spend :))
That gives me 74 days to lose 27 pounds. That is .37 pounds per day.
I CAN DO IT!!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tracking
The most important part of weight watchers is tracking so you can see what your eating. Usually when I do weight watchers I track for a couple days, forget here or there and end up not tracking at all and going way off track, but with the weight watchers mobile app, I find it super easy to constantly track what I am eating. Since I always have my phone with me, I try to make sure that I am always tracking what i am eating or calculating points. When I buy new things at the store I calculate them to ensure that I am not purchasing something that is super unhealthy which is going to take me off track, it may take me twice as long some visits at the store but the extra effort is well worth the results I received.
I have been able to for the most part stay on track with my diet while not having to give up some of my favorite things. I am learning to balance what I want with what I can have.
Last week I accomplished a huge mile stone. We decided to go out to Denny's for a late night snack with a friend after i got off work and I was craving a juicy cheese burger. So I started my meal with a salad, with lite dressing, but most importantly i automatically cut my burger in half and scooted half to the side of my plate. I ALWAYS eat every last drop of food of my plate, but I gave myself the chance to get full off half of the serving instead of inhaling the whole thing. I was able to stay within my points because I didn't eat as much a most importantly i was satisfied. It seems silly, but when you constantly over eat and pick at your food because it is in front of you...having the ability to move it away and control a habit which is one of your worst is so satisfying. Even though after the going over my weekly points a little caused me not to lose any weight this week a mental roadblock which has been a constant contributing factor to my demise has been conquered :))
I used to not track when I would eat bad because I was disappointed in myself that I ate that many points or that I went off track, but now I track to hold myself accountable and use the shame it makes me feel to motivate me to not let it happen again, to prevent history from repeating itself.
I took baby steps and now I am a full time tracker and so excited to have conquered a few of my mental weaknesses to food!!
I have been able to for the most part stay on track with my diet while not having to give up some of my favorite things. I am learning to balance what I want with what I can have.
Last week I accomplished a huge mile stone. We decided to go out to Denny's for a late night snack with a friend after i got off work and I was craving a juicy cheese burger. So I started my meal with a salad, with lite dressing, but most importantly i automatically cut my burger in half and scooted half to the side of my plate. I ALWAYS eat every last drop of food of my plate, but I gave myself the chance to get full off half of the serving instead of inhaling the whole thing. I was able to stay within my points because I didn't eat as much a most importantly i was satisfied. It seems silly, but when you constantly over eat and pick at your food because it is in front of you...having the ability to move it away and control a habit which is one of your worst is so satisfying. Even though after the going over my weekly points a little caused me not to lose any weight this week a mental roadblock which has been a constant contributing factor to my demise has been conquered :))
I used to not track when I would eat bad because I was disappointed in myself that I ate that many points or that I went off track, but now I track to hold myself accountable and use the shame it makes me feel to motivate me to not let it happen again, to prevent history from repeating itself.
I took baby steps and now I am a full time tracker and so excited to have conquered a few of my mental weaknesses to food!!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Lesson Learned
A few great things I have learned from weight watchers is to pre plan your food and what you want to before walking into a restaurant, this helps to curve those crazies temptations and allows you to be conscious of what you are putting in your mouth. I have a major weakness when it comes to Mexican food, first because it is so delicious I just want to eat and eat and eat, second because i crave greasy foods, which are extremely prevalent in Mexican cuisine.
Today I was craving tacos so I had planned to go in order 2 beef tacos togo and be on my way with my cravings satisfied and then I see the SPECIALS BOARD!! Before
I know it, I have been over taken by my weakness for fried foods and a good deal. I leave the restaurant with a beef taco and 3 beef flautas. I am starving because after being gone all morning I didn't pack snacks and my breakfast has worn off long ago. As I'm driving home eat my delicious fried goodness i realize I have forgotten to track my food to see how many points I was eating... I go to track my lunch and 1 flauta is 12 points :( and I have scarfed down all 3 equaling 36 points :(
Lesson learned = always check points before ordering
It's not the end of the world because what great about weight watchers is it gives you extra points every week in order to keep you on track. These extra points allow you to splurge with in reason so you can satisfy cravings or have a glass of wine and still stay on a positive track toward losing weight. I had a safety net to catch me from my mistake which is good but now I have to be extra careful until Monday to make sure I don't make the same mistake again so I stay on target to lose more weight this week.
T- taking
R- responsible
A- actions to
C- carefully
K- keep
Y- yourself
I- in sight of your
N- nutrition
G- goals
Today I was craving tacos so I had planned to go in order 2 beef tacos togo and be on my way with my cravings satisfied and then I see the SPECIALS BOARD!! Before
I know it, I have been over taken by my weakness for fried foods and a good deal. I leave the restaurant with a beef taco and 3 beef flautas. I am starving because after being gone all morning I didn't pack snacks and my breakfast has worn off long ago. As I'm driving home eat my delicious fried goodness i realize I have forgotten to track my food to see how many points I was eating... I go to track my lunch and 1 flauta is 12 points :( and I have scarfed down all 3 equaling 36 points :(
Lesson learned = always check points before ordering
It's not the end of the world because what great about weight watchers is it gives you extra points every week in order to keep you on track. These extra points allow you to splurge with in reason so you can satisfy cravings or have a glass of wine and still stay on a positive track toward losing weight. I had a safety net to catch me from my mistake which is good but now I have to be extra careful until Monday to make sure I don't make the same mistake again so I stay on target to lose more weight this week.
T- taking
R- responsible
A- actions to
C- carefully
K- keep
Y- yourself
I- in sight of your
N- nutrition
G- goals
Monday, February 6, 2012
Butter! Butter! Butter!
Butter! When I think of butter, I think of that golden yellow substance one puts on their corn, Paula Deen, and Kramer from Seinfeld.
Paula Deen is a butter fanatic she puts that BUTTER in everything, and doubles the amount. She is all about BUTTER! BUTTER! BUTTER!
Kramer makes me laugh at the thought of butter. This is because of an episode on Seinfeld where Kramer decides it’s a great idea to use butter as lotion. It makes his skin extra soft and but when he falls asleep outside he becomes toasted, a rich deep brown because the butter makes his skin tan too quickly. He soon realizes butter probably isn't the best lotion choice.
But, what is actually in the BUTTER?
Butter is created by churning fresh cream or milk. It is most commonly made from cow milk but could be created from a large array of animals.
It is a good source of Vitamin A, but I wouldn’t exactly use this fact to count it as healthy because butter consists of 63% saturated fat and contains some cholesterol. For these reasons butter is considered by some to be a contributor to health problems, especially heart disease, because saturated fats are known to elevate your bad cholesterol levels. Margarine was recommended as a substitute, since it is higher in unsaturated fat and contains little or no cholesterol, but in recent years, it has been shown that the Trans fats contained in partially hydrogenated oils used in typical margarine's are worse than the saturated fats in the butter they were replacing.
So, to keep a healthy diet, it is good to moderate your butter intake. The “I can’t believe it’s not butter“ products can be a good substitute for butter. These products are made with vegetable oils such as soybean and canola, which allows them to create butter with No Trans Fats, 70% less saturated fat, and fewer calories. I am not marketing for the product, but currently it seems to be one of the best alternatives on the market. Their butter sprays are great. They contain 0g fat, 0g Trans fat, and 0 calories. This is because the portion size is so small. With just a few sprays you can get the satisfying butter taste on your foods without all the bad butter brings.
Which butter may not seem significant but if you are craving a a baked potato the butter spray will allow you to get enough butter to add flavor without adding any points, while if you choose to put one serving of “I can’t believe it’s not butter“ spread it would be 2 points, which doesn't seem like a lot but it is the difference between having butter and sour cream or butter and cheese.
One of my favorite semi quick healthy lunches is a baked potato, a few sprays of butter, top your baked potato with steamed broccoli, a serving of cheese and if you have some leftover, 1oz of cooked chicken breast. This lunch is about 8pts depending on the size and type of your potato. Which may seem a little high on points, but the broccoli and potato are so filling after eating it I am full for several hours, which will even out because if I eat something that isn't filling, I begin to go hunting for snacks which will usually add the few points on anyway.
And FYI when I am full off a small-medium serving size..be AMAZED, because I eat like a pig.. I swear I can never get full and if I do I am hungry an hour later. I am almost always eating. Along with his great looks, I inherited my dad's appetite, unfortuantely I eat like a BOY which makes staying with in my points everyday a MISSION!!
Paula Deen is a butter fanatic she puts that BUTTER in everything, and doubles the amount. She is all about BUTTER! BUTTER! BUTTER!
Kramer makes me laugh at the thought of butter. This is because of an episode on Seinfeld where Kramer decides it’s a great idea to use butter as lotion. It makes his skin extra soft and but when he falls asleep outside he becomes toasted, a rich deep brown because the butter makes his skin tan too quickly. He soon realizes butter probably isn't the best lotion choice.
But, what is actually in the BUTTER?
Butter is created by churning fresh cream or milk. It is most commonly made from cow milk but could be created from a large array of animals.
It is a good source of Vitamin A, but I wouldn’t exactly use this fact to count it as healthy because butter consists of 63% saturated fat and contains some cholesterol. For these reasons butter is considered by some to be a contributor to health problems, especially heart disease, because saturated fats are known to elevate your bad cholesterol levels. Margarine was recommended as a substitute, since it is higher in unsaturated fat and contains little or no cholesterol, but in recent years, it has been shown that the Trans fats contained in partially hydrogenated oils used in typical margarine's are worse than the saturated fats in the butter they were replacing.
So, to keep a healthy diet, it is good to moderate your butter intake. The “I can’t believe it’s not butter“ products can be a good substitute for butter. These products are made with vegetable oils such as soybean and canola, which allows them to create butter with No Trans Fats, 70% less saturated fat, and fewer calories. I am not marketing for the product, but currently it seems to be one of the best alternatives on the market. Their butter sprays are great. They contain 0g fat, 0g Trans fat, and 0 calories. This is because the portion size is so small. With just a few sprays you can get the satisfying butter taste on your foods without all the bad butter brings.
Which butter may not seem significant but if you are craving a a baked potato the butter spray will allow you to get enough butter to add flavor without adding any points, while if you choose to put one serving of “I can’t believe it’s not butter“ spread it would be 2 points, which doesn't seem like a lot but it is the difference between having butter and sour cream or butter and cheese.
One of my favorite semi quick healthy lunches is a baked potato, a few sprays of butter, top your baked potato with steamed broccoli, a serving of cheese and if you have some leftover, 1oz of cooked chicken breast. This lunch is about 8pts depending on the size and type of your potato. Which may seem a little high on points, but the broccoli and potato are so filling after eating it I am full for several hours, which will even out because if I eat something that isn't filling, I begin to go hunting for snacks which will usually add the few points on anyway.
And FYI when I am full off a small-medium serving size..be AMAZED, because I eat like a pig.. I swear I can never get full and if I do I am hungry an hour later. I am almost always eating. Along with his great looks, I inherited my dad's appetite, unfortuantely I eat like a BOY which makes staying with in my points everyday a MISSION!!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Magical shoes
It sounds silly but I got new running shoes earlier last month with my Christmas money, and let me tell you these light weight shoes make me feel like I am walking on a cloud they are so comfortable. My husband makes fun of me because he says I wear them every chance I get and I always have them on, and the truth is I do.
They make me want to get up and walk around, stroll up and down a few more lanes at the grocery store or walk to the park.
I am not a super active person so getting this feeling from a pair of shoes is super exciting for me :))
They make me want to get up and walk around, stroll up and down a few more lanes at the grocery store or walk to the park.
I am not a super active person so getting this feeling from a pair of shoes is super exciting for me :))
So far so good
This is week three of me eating right and so far I am satisfied with my progress and determination to stay on track. My first week didn't show any results, I stayed the same as I was trying to tune my eating habits from horrible to better. But, my second week showed that if I make an effort to stick to my plan, I will succeed. I lost 3.6 pounds! And now that I am in week three, I am determine to continue making that scale go down. I don't want to waste the time and effort I have placed into tracking my food, preparing many meals full of fresh veggies and fruit. I must say, I eating healthier has in itself made me happier because I don't feel bad about what I ate or feel gross after eating unhealthy foods :)
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Reality Check
To shed the pounds i have gained, i began Weight Watchers. I had done it in the past when I initally lost weight with my parents and as long as you follow their path they have created, it will lead you to wear you want to go. This is Week 2 of heavily tracking my foods and making a concious effort to drink more water, etc etc. What a reality check these couple of weeks have been.
part of why weight watchers is so successful is because they have you track everything that you eat or drink. And it is amazing how quickly you have eaten or drank away your alloted points for the day. To put in perspective, a person my size and weight gets 26 points a day and an extra 49 points per week. You can divide out the 49 points per day and have an extra 7pts a day or save them for a special event or something that you cant live without that is high in points.
My first day starting I decided to eat regular and see just how many points i was eatting a day
Morning: ~~~~ Lunch:
3pts- 8oz glass of orange juice ~~~~ 6pts- 8oz glass of sprite
2pts- fried egg ~~~~ 18pts- 2 slices of pizza
4pts- 3 slices of Bacon ~~~~ ------------
1pts- piece of toast ~~~~ 24 pts for lunch
-----------
10 pts for Breakfast
Snack: ~~~~ Dinner:
2pts- cheese stick ~~~~ 12pts- 9oz serving of steak
3pts- pretzels ~~~~ 4pts- baked potato
--------------- ~~~~ 1pts- sour cream
5 pts for a snack ~~~~ 1pts- butter
0pts- steamed broccoli
--------------
18pts for dinner
57pts Thats 31pts more than I should be eatting a day. And this was happening everyday..YIKES no wonder my pants don't fit...
part of why weight watchers is so successful is because they have you track everything that you eat or drink. And it is amazing how quickly you have eaten or drank away your alloted points for the day. To put in perspective, a person my size and weight gets 26 points a day and an extra 49 points per week. You can divide out the 49 points per day and have an extra 7pts a day or save them for a special event or something that you cant live without that is high in points.
My first day starting I decided to eat regular and see just how many points i was eatting a day
Morning: ~~~~ Lunch:
3pts- 8oz glass of orange juice ~~~~ 6pts- 8oz glass of sprite
2pts- fried egg ~~~~ 18pts- 2 slices of pizza
4pts- 3 slices of Bacon ~~~~ ------------
1pts- piece of toast ~~~~ 24 pts for lunch
-----------
10 pts for Breakfast
Snack: ~~~~ Dinner:
2pts- cheese stick ~~~~ 12pts- 9oz serving of steak
3pts- pretzels ~~~~ 4pts- baked potato
--------------- ~~~~ 1pts- sour cream
5 pts for a snack ~~~~ 1pts- butter
0pts- steamed broccoli
--------------
18pts for dinner
57pts Thats 31pts more than I should be eatting a day. And this was happening everyday..YIKES no wonder my pants don't fit...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Stretching Pants
Everyone deals with loss differently. I have always been food addict, I love to eat, I love to cook, I love to bake, go to the store, try new recipes, over indulge and stuff my self full. This has led me to be the fat little girl in middle school and the chubby girl in high school. For the most part, I did enough activity to balance out my eating which prevented me from becoming extremely over weight, but lets just say I have never exactly looked cute in a swimsuit. After I had graduated from high school and my weekly dance classes and cheer practices stopped I began to but on a few pounds, definitely gained the freshman 10. So my mom, my dad, and I began weight watchers. We became conscious of what we eating and made a strong effort eat right, and I was able to lose about 12 pounds, and I felt more comfortable with my body with this weight loss than I have since I began worrying about my body image.
But, my problem with food is it is a comfort. When I feel sad, cooking or baking relaxes me and eating makes me happy (spoken like a true fat kid at heart). After my dad passed, I turned to food as my comfort, I would temporarily let food fill the void which was left in my heart. Which would have been fine if I ate healthy, but when i am sad or upset healthy is not what I crave, unfortunately, I crave greasy tacos or carne asada nachos which are piled high...juicy cheese burgers, pasta, and pretty much everything that is bad but so delicious.
Until recently, I have been "eating my feelings" which then turns and eats at me. And that is all GOING TO STOP.
I am determined to change my habits, change my mindset which will in turn change my body. One step at a time.
I am creating this blog to
1. hold myself accountable
2. hopefully inspire someone who is in similar circumstances to do the same
3. Share my progress
4. Share my new recipes
5. And finally share my successes and disasters
But, my problem with food is it is a comfort. When I feel sad, cooking or baking relaxes me and eating makes me happy (spoken like a true fat kid at heart). After my dad passed, I turned to food as my comfort, I would temporarily let food fill the void which was left in my heart. Which would have been fine if I ate healthy, but when i am sad or upset healthy is not what I crave, unfortunately, I crave greasy tacos or carne asada nachos which are piled high...juicy cheese burgers, pasta, and pretty much everything that is bad but so delicious.
Until recently, I have been "eating my feelings" which then turns and eats at me. And that is all GOING TO STOP.
I am determined to change my habits, change my mindset which will in turn change my body. One step at a time.
I am creating this blog to
1. hold myself accountable
2. hopefully inspire someone who is in similar circumstances to do the same
3. Share my progress
4. Share my new recipes
5. And finally share my successes and disasters
How it all started
It all began on a late November night. My father had recently had a stroke and he began to turn for the worst. I woke to a phone call from my aunt saying she booked me a plane ticket to North Carolina and I needed to be in San Diego by 5:00 to get on a flight. As I stumbled through papers and clothes I managed to pack a suite case which was missing more that half of the stuff I needed. I crawled into the passenger seat of my car as we drove an hour and half down the freeway to catch what will become the worlds longest flight.
Non-stop to North Carolina is nearly 5 hours, so imagine adding a couple stops and some traffic once we landed combined with utter exhaustion from lack of sleep and over worrying. I finally make it to my destination, my fathers bedside, where reality begins to sink in. I starts to sink in that he won't be with us much longer and all the things we had planned would never become a reality.
Within 4 days of my dad having a stroke he left our sides here on earth and became an angel in heaven watching over all of us. the first 2 months without him were without a doubt the hardest. I would find myself waiting for his call or wanting to talk to him. A song would come on the radio and I would instantly fall into tears. The pain of loosing one of your parents/ best friends is truly unexplainable, and unless you have someone, it is hard to understand.
As soon as i began to realize that my dad was gone, and wasn't coming back, my mind began to swell with the wish I would have's, the maybe I could have's, the things he was going to miss, and the things we would never share. And they fill my my mind until I burst with warm salty tears....and for the longest time these feelings are hard to shake and hard to control.
And this is where my habits began to turn...
Non-stop to North Carolina is nearly 5 hours, so imagine adding a couple stops and some traffic once we landed combined with utter exhaustion from lack of sleep and over worrying. I finally make it to my destination, my fathers bedside, where reality begins to sink in. I starts to sink in that he won't be with us much longer and all the things we had planned would never become a reality.
Within 4 days of my dad having a stroke he left our sides here on earth and became an angel in heaven watching over all of us. the first 2 months without him were without a doubt the hardest. I would find myself waiting for his call or wanting to talk to him. A song would come on the radio and I would instantly fall into tears. The pain of loosing one of your parents/ best friends is truly unexplainable, and unless you have someone, it is hard to understand.
As soon as i began to realize that my dad was gone, and wasn't coming back, my mind began to swell with the wish I would have's, the maybe I could have's, the things he was going to miss, and the things we would never share. And they fill my my mind until I burst with warm salty tears....and for the longest time these feelings are hard to shake and hard to control.
And this is where my habits began to turn...
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