Another pound down!
We've been having a heat wave here in the lovely San Francisco Bay Area, which reminded me to talk about water.
You remember water, right? Water consumption is essential to weight loss, and most people in the United States are dehydrated. Yep, that means you are probably dehydrated. When I was eating Optifast only, I was drinking a gallon of water a day, and my blood tests still showed me to be slightly dehydrated.
So, what are some signs of dehydration?
1. Thirst. If you feel slightly thirsty, your body REALLY needs water!
2. Hunger. If you feel hungry, even though you have eaten in the last three hours, you are probably thirsty. The sensors in your brain for hunger and thirst are right next to each other and overlap.
3. This one is gross, so beware. Yellow pee. That's right! Your pee should be almost clear. If your pee is anything other than pale yellow, you don't drink enough water.
4. Dry skin. Your skin should not be flaky, unless you have a skin condition like eczema.
5. Really loose skin. Your skin should plump up a little, unless you are above the age of 90. Even people in their 70's and 80's should have some basic elasticity in their skin.
The rule of thumb is 8-8 ounces of water a day...if your BMI is in the normal range. Be careful, caffeinated drinks have a diuretic effect--so limit caffeine. For those of us who are in the high normal, overweight, or obese categories, you should drink an extra 8 ounces of water for every 25 pounds you are overweight. So, at 230 pounds, I needed to drink 5 extra glasses of water a day. Now, I need to drink 10 glasses of water a day.
You should also eat your water. Fresh fruits and veggies have water in them, so munch away--especially if you are getting hunger signals. Sometimes water rich food can stop both hunger and thirst signals.
The numbers:
Starting weight: 224
Current weight: 166
Goal weight: 140
The goals:
Outer goal--I want to wear a size 8.
Inner goal--to stay strong and focused during my hernia surgery!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Vacation...blessing or curse?
While on vacation in Seattle with my Mom, I lost 2.5 pounds. That's right, 2.5 pounds!
For many of us, trips or simple "stay-cations" are rife with pitfalls for any serious dieter. You eat out all the time, plus you cannot really stay on your normal sleep, water, and exercise routine. I had the same problems, but I made two goals for myself for my vacation. Exercise every single day. Not just walk around, do something that actually raised my heart rate (which is actually really hard for me now, since my resting heart rate is 41!). My other goal was to stick to 1200 calories a day. Here's how I did it.
Exercise: Before my folks got up in the morning, I woke up and walked two miles. Granted, I wasn't jogging most of the time, but I was taking a path that had inclines and required some effort. The hardest part about this aspect wasn't getting up, since my parents don't wake up very early. The hardest part was packing. I was the girl who went to Europe for a week with a school backpack--yeah--I am the lightest packer I know. This was the first trip I took where I had a difficult time fitting everything into a carry on bag! In part, I wanted to bring more fabulous clothes, since I am looking better. However, I needed to bring at least enough clothes to workout in as well. However, it seemed worth it to take a larger bag and check it, so I could have a good chance at meeting my goals on my trip.
Why (you may ask) didn't I just wash my workout clothes at my Mom's? Good question! Fitness asked successful, long term exercisers some of their tricks, and one of them was to have clean exercise clothes available to you AT ALL TIMES. I didn't want to have the excuse of not having clean clothes. In actuality, a few extra tee shirts and leggings didn't take up much room anyway. It was really worth it! What was funny, is that I didn't actually end up packing enough, so my Mom was nice enough to take me to Kohl's to pick up a few extra shirts. It's all a learning process!
1200 Calories: Staying on track with this goal was the hardest. Not because we were eating out a lot (which we were), but because my parents have ONE, one cup measuring cup! Thank God they had a food scale!!! Making food at their house was challenging. I am so grateful to my mother, who took me to the grocery store after she picked me up from the airport (we didn't even go home first!), so I was able to get a lot of pre-measured things (like yogurt and English muffins).
Actually, my family's support was invaluable, as they did not bat an eyelash when I asked for the 57 millionth time whether or not a restaurant had their nutritional information available. It must have been strange eating food with a person who takes five minutes to order dinner ("All dressing and sauces on the side"..."I am sorry are those vegetables steamed or sauteed?" yadda, yadda, yadda). I actually talked to three people (two of whom were managers) about the exact way they prepared their "spa chicken." Some servers will just tell you want they think you want to hear, not give you the truth about how the food is made. Persistence and big tips are key to make sure your food is prepared the way you want it.
When a restaurant does not offer their nutritional information, here is what I do to ensure success:
1. I do not order anything with "crispy" in the description.
2. I do not order any "entree sized" salad. Salads are loaded with extra calories. I order side or green salads only.
3. I will order food that is identifiable--no stews, curries, or sauces. Why? So, I can estimate how much of what I am eating.
4. I always assume that there is 100 calories of hidden fats in any restaurant meal, unless I have good reason not to.
5. I order things dry cooked and steamed. Yes, it's not as tasty as your companion's food, but you will lose weight.
6. Order a la carte if possible--that way, if you just want to eat one egg and English muffin, you are not tempted by the rest of the food in a regular sized breakfast. This technique is harder at dinner time, but still possible.
7. Order the appetizer size of something.
8. Look up the nutritional information of the restaurant before you order--when the server sees the calorie book in your hand, he or she know you are serious.
9. Don't be chintzy--a lot of people don't realize this, but servers often get paid less than minimum wage and live off tips (yep it's legal). If you order something that is off the menu or complicated, tip 20%. Or, in the case of you Optifast folks, leave a the tip you would have left, had you not brought your own food.
10. If you think the server is uninformed or lying to you, just confirm your needs. "Are you sure that fish is cooked without butter? It's really important to me to make sure. I will have to send it back if there is butter on there." The server doesn't want the hassle of you sending back food, so he or she will make sure to talk to the kitchen.
To wrap up, my vacation was a blessing, since I got to hang with my folks and challenge myself in new ways!
Anyway, here are the numbers!
Starting weight: 224
Current weight: 167
Goal weight: 140
Outer Goal: Right now, I am looking pretty good, like a chunky Christie Brinkley with glasses--so I perhaps....Elle McPherson on the cover of Sports Illustrated?
Inner Goal: To make sure I treat myself, because I achieved two major goals this week and...say it with me...WORLD PEACE!
For many of us, trips or simple "stay-cations" are rife with pitfalls for any serious dieter. You eat out all the time, plus you cannot really stay on your normal sleep, water, and exercise routine. I had the same problems, but I made two goals for myself for my vacation. Exercise every single day. Not just walk around, do something that actually raised my heart rate (which is actually really hard for me now, since my resting heart rate is 41!). My other goal was to stick to 1200 calories a day. Here's how I did it.
Exercise: Before my folks got up in the morning, I woke up and walked two miles. Granted, I wasn't jogging most of the time, but I was taking a path that had inclines and required some effort. The hardest part about this aspect wasn't getting up, since my parents don't wake up very early. The hardest part was packing. I was the girl who went to Europe for a week with a school backpack--yeah--I am the lightest packer I know. This was the first trip I took where I had a difficult time fitting everything into a carry on bag! In part, I wanted to bring more fabulous clothes, since I am looking better. However, I needed to bring at least enough clothes to workout in as well. However, it seemed worth it to take a larger bag and check it, so I could have a good chance at meeting my goals on my trip.
Why (you may ask) didn't I just wash my workout clothes at my Mom's? Good question! Fitness asked successful, long term exercisers some of their tricks, and one of them was to have clean exercise clothes available to you AT ALL TIMES. I didn't want to have the excuse of not having clean clothes. In actuality, a few extra tee shirts and leggings didn't take up much room anyway. It was really worth it! What was funny, is that I didn't actually end up packing enough, so my Mom was nice enough to take me to Kohl's to pick up a few extra shirts. It's all a learning process!
1200 Calories: Staying on track with this goal was the hardest. Not because we were eating out a lot (which we were), but because my parents have ONE, one cup measuring cup! Thank God they had a food scale!!! Making food at their house was challenging. I am so grateful to my mother, who took me to the grocery store after she picked me up from the airport (we didn't even go home first!), so I was able to get a lot of pre-measured things (like yogurt and English muffins).
Actually, my family's support was invaluable, as they did not bat an eyelash when I asked for the 57 millionth time whether or not a restaurant had their nutritional information available. It must have been strange eating food with a person who takes five minutes to order dinner ("All dressing and sauces on the side"..."I am sorry are those vegetables steamed or sauteed?" yadda, yadda, yadda). I actually talked to three people (two of whom were managers) about the exact way they prepared their "spa chicken." Some servers will just tell you want they think you want to hear, not give you the truth about how the food is made. Persistence and big tips are key to make sure your food is prepared the way you want it.
When a restaurant does not offer their nutritional information, here is what I do to ensure success:
1. I do not order anything with "crispy" in the description.
2. I do not order any "entree sized" salad. Salads are loaded with extra calories. I order side or green salads only.
3. I will order food that is identifiable--no stews, curries, or sauces. Why? So, I can estimate how much of what I am eating.
4. I always assume that there is 100 calories of hidden fats in any restaurant meal, unless I have good reason not to.
5. I order things dry cooked and steamed. Yes, it's not as tasty as your companion's food, but you will lose weight.
6. Order a la carte if possible--that way, if you just want to eat one egg and English muffin, you are not tempted by the rest of the food in a regular sized breakfast. This technique is harder at dinner time, but still possible.
7. Order the appetizer size of something.
8. Look up the nutritional information of the restaurant before you order--when the server sees the calorie book in your hand, he or she know you are serious.
9. Don't be chintzy--a lot of people don't realize this, but servers often get paid less than minimum wage and live off tips (yep it's legal). If you order something that is off the menu or complicated, tip 20%. Or, in the case of you Optifast folks, leave a the tip you would have left, had you not brought your own food.
10. If you think the server is uninformed or lying to you, just confirm your needs. "Are you sure that fish is cooked without butter? It's really important to me to make sure. I will have to send it back if there is butter on there." The server doesn't want the hassle of you sending back food, so he or she will make sure to talk to the kitchen.
To wrap up, my vacation was a blessing, since I got to hang with my folks and challenge myself in new ways!
Anyway, here are the numbers!
Starting weight: 224
Current weight: 167
Goal weight: 140
Outer Goal: Right now, I am looking pretty good, like a chunky Christie Brinkley with glasses--so I perhaps....Elle McPherson on the cover of Sports Illustrated?
Inner Goal: To make sure I treat myself, because I achieved two major goals this week and...say it with me...WORLD PEACE!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Another Pound Bites the Dust!
Did she or didn't she? Yes she did!!! I FINALLY broke the elusive 170 barrier! I weighed in early this week, due to my trip to Seattle. I was worried, but the result I wanted happened!
It's official...I am in the 160's! So I was thinking of what was going on the last time I was under 170 pounds. Here is my list:
1. The Berlin Wall came down.
2. I paid to see Cinderella in concert.
3. Cell phones were the size of large bricks.
4. I honestly thought that I would die alone surrounded by cats due to my strange addiction to Mojo Nixon.
5. A schoolmate of mine, Randall, did a report on something called "compact discs," and I thought he was crazy that ANYTHING could replace my trusty cassettes.
6. I had to go into the bank to make a deposit to my account.
Please post the lists of what was going on in your life the last time you were at or near or goal weight; I would love to read them!
On a separate note, this was my first week eating zero Optifast. Obviously, it went well as I lost two pounds of fat. I think the hardest part is weighing and measuring everything that goes into my mouth. However, I did relax a bit for my anniversary and I ate almost 1600 calories that day. It was the first time EVER I went over calories, plus I had a glass of wine (which wasn't very good, actually). Other than the wine, my calories were from excellent, nutritious food--so no guilt allowed. For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out the cafe at the De Young Museum (it's part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco). They have a lot of delicious and healthy food there that is locally sourced. Their coffee is divine!
A tip for those of you out and about on restricted diets: I started asking about vegan options (not vegetarian, which are often loaded with fats) for snacks and treats. Vegan food does not have any animal fats, which often makes it lower in calories. Like many vegetarian foods, some packaged vegan stuff has a lot of sugar, but no egg or butter. For example, a typical vegan cupcake has 150-200 calories, whereas a regular cupcake has 450-600 calories. Vegan food is surprisingly yummy (and I love me some meat, so I was expecting tasteless cardboard). In fact, I go vegetarian 3-4 days a week right now, as it helps me stay on my 1200 calories a day yet still eat abundantly.
Another tip for those of us on transition or maintenance... it turns out Subway does have numerous healthy options for a wide variety of diets (they pushed Subway RELENTLESSLY on the Biggest Loser, so it was sort of a turn off for me). However, while there, my poor hubby fell into the "healthy" menu trap, when he failed to notice that the calorie counts did not include all that makes a sandwich so yummy (like mayo). What's great about Subway is that they will make your food how you tell them. Yes, I paid a 4 bucks for what amounted to two cups of lettuce, a tomato, and one ounce of roast beef BUT I stayed on my plan;and that made the four bucks worth it.
Here are the numbers:
Starting Weight: 224
Current Weight: 169.5
Goal Weight: 140
Here are my goals:
Outer Goal: I want to run the 5K I signed up for the entire time....NO WALKING (and look like a young Elle McPherson while doing it...sigh... I can dream!)
Inner Goal: I need to feel my success and not dwell on my failures....and of course...world peace!
Peace out to you all and post some comments!
It's official...I am in the 160's! So I was thinking of what was going on the last time I was under 170 pounds. Here is my list:
1. The Berlin Wall came down.
2. I paid to see Cinderella in concert.
3. Cell phones were the size of large bricks.
4. I honestly thought that I would die alone surrounded by cats due to my strange addiction to Mojo Nixon.
5. A schoolmate of mine, Randall, did a report on something called "compact discs," and I thought he was crazy that ANYTHING could replace my trusty cassettes.
6. I had to go into the bank to make a deposit to my account.
Please post the lists of what was going on in your life the last time you were at or near or goal weight; I would love to read them!
On a separate note, this was my first week eating zero Optifast. Obviously, it went well as I lost two pounds of fat. I think the hardest part is weighing and measuring everything that goes into my mouth. However, I did relax a bit for my anniversary and I ate almost 1600 calories that day. It was the first time EVER I went over calories, plus I had a glass of wine (which wasn't very good, actually). Other than the wine, my calories were from excellent, nutritious food--so no guilt allowed. For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out the cafe at the De Young Museum (it's part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco). They have a lot of delicious and healthy food there that is locally sourced. Their coffee is divine!
A tip for those of you out and about on restricted diets: I started asking about vegan options (not vegetarian, which are often loaded with fats) for snacks and treats. Vegan food does not have any animal fats, which often makes it lower in calories. Like many vegetarian foods, some packaged vegan stuff has a lot of sugar, but no egg or butter. For example, a typical vegan cupcake has 150-200 calories, whereas a regular cupcake has 450-600 calories. Vegan food is surprisingly yummy (and I love me some meat, so I was expecting tasteless cardboard). In fact, I go vegetarian 3-4 days a week right now, as it helps me stay on my 1200 calories a day yet still eat abundantly.
Another tip for those of us on transition or maintenance... it turns out Subway does have numerous healthy options for a wide variety of diets (they pushed Subway RELENTLESSLY on the Biggest Loser, so it was sort of a turn off for me). However, while there, my poor hubby fell into the "healthy" menu trap, when he failed to notice that the calorie counts did not include all that makes a sandwich so yummy (like mayo). What's great about Subway is that they will make your food how you tell them. Yes, I paid a 4 bucks for what amounted to two cups of lettuce, a tomato, and one ounce of roast beef BUT I stayed on my plan;and that made the four bucks worth it.
Here are the numbers:
Starting Weight: 224
Current Weight: 169.5
Goal Weight: 140
Here are my goals:
Outer Goal: I want to run the 5K I signed up for the entire time....NO WALKING (and look like a young Elle McPherson while doing it...sigh... I can dream!)
Inner Goal: I need to feel my success and not dwell on my failures....and of course...world peace!
Peace out to you all and post some comments!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
I think I can...I think I can...
Remember "The Little Engine That Could"? It was one of my favorite stories as a child. It's about a little engine trying to get up a BIG mountain. For many of us, weight loss feels like a really big mountain sometimes. It definitely feels that way to me right now.
For the last three weeks, my weight loss has been really slow--don't get me wrong--I am grateful that I am losing weight. This week's was a whopping .5 pounds. However, it's hard to adjust to the sudden snail's pace that things are going. I keep reminding myself that I look and feel good--that's what's important.
My friends in my MWL class are experiencing the same thing and even gaining weight. So, I did as Anne (our dietitian) suggested and looked at my food journal. Lo! Even though my calories were on point and the exercise was there, I noticed I was drinking less water and eating more processed foods (mainly sugar-free chocolate pudding). So, this week I am rigorously monitoring my water intake and limiting my processed treats to one a day (as opposed to more than one--okay I was having two or three a day, I admit it!). I am also trying to get more calories in before 1 PM. I was sort of calorie loading at the end of the day--not a good thing.
I guess what they say is true! Food journaling really does help you figure out where you are going wrong!
Okay time for the numbers:
Starting weight: 224
Current weight 170.5
Goal weight: 140
Outer Goal: Size 10 jeans
Inner Goal: feeling like I deserve good things...and world peace!
For the last three weeks, my weight loss has been really slow--don't get me wrong--I am grateful that I am losing weight. This week's was a whopping .5 pounds. However, it's hard to adjust to the sudden snail's pace that things are going. I keep reminding myself that I look and feel good--that's what's important.
My friends in my MWL class are experiencing the same thing and even gaining weight. So, I did as Anne (our dietitian) suggested and looked at my food journal. Lo! Even though my calories were on point and the exercise was there, I noticed I was drinking less water and eating more processed foods (mainly sugar-free chocolate pudding). So, this week I am rigorously monitoring my water intake and limiting my processed treats to one a day (as opposed to more than one--okay I was having two or three a day, I admit it!). I am also trying to get more calories in before 1 PM. I was sort of calorie loading at the end of the day--not a good thing.
I guess what they say is true! Food journaling really does help you figure out where you are going wrong!
Okay time for the numbers:
Starting weight: 224
Current weight 170.5
Goal weight: 140
Outer Goal: Size 10 jeans
Inner Goal: feeling like I deserve good things...and world peace!
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