Ice Cream Cravings

It’s that time again… the heat is on! We all start getting warmed up and craving ice cream. Unless you are like me and crave ice cream regardless of the weather.  Either way, there are times you crave ice cream and that can be very tough when you are trying to eat healthy.

I’m not saying don’t indulge in ice cream on occasion.  I never say to cut out indulgences 100%. I will say that there are times to have these heavy-duty, high calorie, sugar laden desserts… like birthdays, weddings, family reunions, etc.  The problem I see is when you have these delicious melt-in-your-mouth treats multiple times a week.  If you are like me, this is a true problem. I crave ice cream constantly in the summer heat.  Winter time I’m all about the hot chocolate, fall is for pumpkin lattes, spring and summer are times for ice cream.

Post-run frozen treat? Yes, please!

I’ve recently turned to fro-yo shops to help me curb my cravings.  It’s not the best option but I do like how I can control the portions.  It’s also theoretically better for you. Theoretically. I haven’t done a lot of research on that fact so I won’t defend it.  I do think it’s lighter on the stomach than ice cream and you can easily control your toppings.  For someone watching their food, it’s helpful.

My personal choice…

Here’s a new trick I’m trying out.  Last summer I tried making my own homemade fro-yo… with mixed results. It also took more effort than going to a fro-yo shop.  When you need to curb a craving with a better option, you have to make that option equally convenient.  If you don’t, let’s be honest, you will go with the convenient craving you are trying to curb.

So here it is… freeze yogurts.  Go pick up some delicious flavors of greek yogurt cups and stock up your freezer. I’ve just tried one and it curbed my craving.  It’s frosty, creamy, delicious and healthy!  You’ll have a serving size determined for you and it’ll even last longer than a soft serve fro-yo.  Better yet, it’ll add much needed protein to your diet!  You can always add some toppings if you’d like. Maybe some fruit or granola?

Enjoy your summer and don’t feel guilty about your pleasures!

Perfect!

Five Simple Rules for Weightloss

Let’s be honest with each other here… five years ago I was 250 pounds and had no idea how where I had gone wrong.  I’m sure that’s not a unique feeling. I also had no idea what to change.  The good news was I didn’t have to start changing much, I just had to start changing something.

Over the past five years I’ve lost weight and kept it off. I’ve fluctuated 5 or 10 pounds when I got lax and didn’t want to do what I knew I needed to keep doing. I think this happens to everyone.  That’s when you need to step back and develop some simple rules you can live by and that will help you get where you need to go.

2015 me on the left and 2011 me on the right.  I look a bit different one might say.

So here’s my 5 Simple Rules for Weightloss (or weight maintenance).

1. Every time you want pasta, have a vegetable.  That could mean having a snack of vegetables to pass a craving or substituting vegetables into your dish to replace pasta.  Either way you are getting more healthy fiber and minerals and nixing at least some of the low quality carbs that plague most peoples diets.
2. Never add sugar or salt to your meal. This may be controversial. If you baked bread or something, that’s different. Do not season or flavor anything with sugar. For starters, you are already getting enough in your normal food. In the case of sugar, you probably get too much already. So if you drink coffee, stop adding sugar to it. If you make eggs, do not salt them.  There are plenty of other spices and seasonings with more flavor and less unpleasant side effects to your health.
3. Make 7-8 hours of sleep a priority.  I know life is busy and sometimes we can get too caught up to pull ourselves away to get a decent amount of sleep every night.  The problem is I know you have time to sleep. I know you can prioritize your life and activities to fit in enough sleep, I’ve done it myself.  You have to make sacrifices and stop going to late movies or playing video games till 3 am. That’s the thing, you HAVE to. Don’t make it something you know you should do because you honestly HAVE to.  Not getting enough sleep actually heightens your stress hormones and makes you hold onto weight.
4. Always choose water.  At one point I didn’t much like the taste of water and guess what? I got over it.  Every time I go out to eat I don’t even look at the beverage list. I’m having water. It saves money and calories!  I may have a coffee if I really need it and that’s rare.  I carry water bottles with me everywhere so I do not get thirsty and go for vending machines.  The bottom shelf on the door of my fridge is reserved for water bottles so I always have one ready. Before I go to bed there is a bottle on my nightstand AND one on my bathroom sink.  The goal is to avoid getting thirsty and to always have water.
5. Cook 95% of your meals at home from real ingredients.  I’m not talking soup out of a can or hamburger helper.  5% is reserved for special occasions, dates, meetings, etc.  The rest of your meals should be made by you with ingredients you know are real.  Just cooking at home makes you more mindful of what you are eating.  If you are busy, hard boil a dozen eggs on the weekend and put them on salads on weeknights.  Have oatmeal when you are in a real rush.  When you are not rushed make my turkey fried brown rice meal I posted last year. It’s not as hard as we make it out to be.

The reality of these rules is that you simply have to make yourself do them.  It’s not hard to make meals at home and they do not have to be fancy at all. In fact the less fancy they are can make them way better.  It takes more work to drink soda (buying it, carrying it, disposing of the bottle, etc) than it does to drink water.  And water really isn’t disgusting. I cannot believe I used to hate the taste… who the hell doesn’t like the taste of water!? That’s literally what the rest of the animal world drinks all the time.  It’s more than a little weird that so many people don’t anymore.

These are the basic guidelines that helped me lose weight and keep it off. And trust me when I say these took some time to get down.  About five years to be exact.  It takes patience, devotion and some sacrifice.  I almost don’t miss Sonic’s cheddar peppers anymore… almost.

 

How to make a New Years Resolution

It’s that time of year again and we’ve all been there. The time where you set out on a new year, a new you, a new path!  You may be hung-over right now, you may be taking down your holiday decorations and you may even be traveling to see family to congratulate each other for living to see the new year happen.  All the while you are probably thinking about making New Years Resolutions.

I am positive you’ve made many, many resolutions in your life. And I am positive you’ve ‘broken’ about 90% over the year you made them.  It’s so normal that this happens that we all see the pop-culture references about it constantly at this time. We’ll all see our gym overflow with new enthusiastic members and then come March it’ll be back to the usual group.  It doesn’t have to be that way and it’s actually really, really easy to keep your resolutions.  You just need to know the secret formula.

One part: The Right Motivation. We all have motivation to lose weight, eat right, etc.  You need the right motivation. If your major reason for wanting to lose weight, generally made obvious by the fact you want to try a “diet” and not a lifestyle change, is to look good in your swimsuit… then you do not have the right motivation. Superficial motivation built on seeking to have what others have will not give you the fortitude to stick with it. It can be PART of the reason but you will need more.

Factor in: The Right Goal. Obviously your resolution is a fancy term for a 365 day long goal. And that’s a very long term goal, so it’s best to make it reasonable and achievable.  Let’s say you want to lose weight, I have been there.  You usually make a resolution to the tune of “I will no longer drink beer, eat fries or have any sweets!” and do you know what happens? You fail, usually record fast.  Why is that? Simply put, you are focusing restrictions and they are unrealistic. Instead make resolutions on achievements you can DO. For instance “I will try to have a serving of vegetables at every meal” or “I will order water every time we go to a restaurant”.    Yes, these sound like small ideals but they will have a bigger impact on your waistline and you’ll be able to keep them easier. They may also influence your choices on other things.

Add a pinch of: Realism. Now you have your goal and a good motivation, What you need is a level head on your expectations. You are not going to drop 10 pounds in a week, or at least you shouldn’t if you are doing it right (and it’s more likely to stay off if you are doing it right).  If and when you do lose weight or stop feeling sore at the gym or drink 10 glasses of water a day, etc… you probably won’t see that much change in your looks. This is where the right motivation should kick in.

Finish off with: Measurable Achievements. If your goal is overall health, you will be able to measure these effects easier. Your looks are not measurable and the truth is you’ll probably never be 100% happy with it every day of your life. It’s a fact of living in a looks conscious world and you just need to move past it. Find a sport you want to get good at. Guess what, if your resolution is to be able to run a 5k by the end of the year then you’ll know when you succeed. Then you can bask in the success. You’ll have a clear end line to shoot for and that will help with your motivation.  If you want to get back into your high school jeans that’s great too. Let me tell you though, that was my goal for a long time.  When I finally got there I wondered why the hell I even wanted to get back into them.  At least in the weight goal it’s measurable and you’ll know when you get there. Don’t make a resolution like “I am going to work to get a body like Kim Kardashian” because I have news for you. You are not her, probably not related to her and so will probably never get there without huge plastic surgery bills. A better goal would be “I’m going to build a better me” or maybe even “I’m going to fall in love with my body”. I’ll support that vanity goal, I’ve done it myself.

Those are my tips and I hope they help you make resolutions you can keep and brag about.  I’ve made mine, I usually try to keep the list short so I can remember them.

Good Luck in 2016

Surviving the Holiday Food Festival

It’s that time of year again. The time where we are surrounded by treats and sweets. It can feel like it never ends and it’s like it’s impossible to keep to your healthy lifestyle. Do not fret, my friend! This is a season to enjoy, not feel guilty. Let me share some pointers I’ve picked up for handling the delicious onslaught.

1. It’s okay to fall off the wagon.  There, I said it. Everyone falls off of the wagon. Some of us practically throw ourselves off of it (that would be me). It’s important to remember that it’s natural and not necessarily a big deal. If you over indulge on Thanksgiving or Christmas is does not ruin your healthy lifestyle forever. Just focus on why you started and get back on the wagon.
2. Don’t burn down your wagon.  Not to confuse you here but there is a difference between falling off of your wagon and completely burning it down.  I want to stress that while it’s okay to stray you need to keep track of your goals and get back to working on them. Taking a break for a day or two means you’ve stalled your progress. Taking a break and deciding you’ve ruined your progress, you might as well go hog wild till you can start your New Years resolution, is completely giving up on your progress.  Think of it this way, one cheesecake won’t make you fat just like one salad won’t make you lose weight.
3. Keep moving. If you are going to give in to the treats, and lets be honest you probably will, you might as well continue to focus on keeping active.  Getting your daily exercise in will help curb cravings by keeping your natural endorphin’s at a satisfying level.  You should also feel less guilty for having that cookie if you basically burned off the extra sugar anyways, right?
4. Load up on vegetables. This is more helpful when you are at the actual dinner/feast tables. Or if you are preparing the feast for everyone else.  We all know you end up sampling so much you are full when it comes time to eat! So when you have so much to chose from, fill half you plate with vegetables or all you snacking. Vegetables are low calorie to high fiber content, with added water which is great in general for staying healthy and hydrated. The fiber will help keep your stomach feeling full. Add a little turkey and you’ve added the protein necessary to get through the clean-up!
5. Moderation. We are going to eat those cookies. We may find ourselves sitting next to an amazing plate of fudge and having a hard time controlling ourselves. As I said before, live a little and indulge a bit since this is the season to celebrate the hard work of a year well lived.  Just don’t eat that entire plate of fudge.  Do not loiter at the snack tables and do not drink too much alcohol.  Instead, get a small snack plate and pick out the best items you feel you cannot live without. Think about how somethings are not worth the calories. For instance if I had to pick between cake and cookies, I’d chose cake. Play that game when you look at the table… “If I can only have one dessert…” and then grab a small glass of red wine. Red wine has been shown to have health benefits in moderation and is strong enough to give you a pleasant buzz.  Here’s the key, once you have your select treats, walk away from the table and do not look back. Mingle, tell jokes, network, whatever you are doing to enjoy the event you are at.  Sip your wine slowly, drink water here and then and snack on your treats slowly.  This is the real key, staying away from the table.

These are all very basic pointers that we probably all already know. The key is keeping it all together and not loosing sight of your goals.  Don’t get bogged down by guilt by indulging, keep active, eat mostly vegetables and remember to keep the treats in moderation.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy yourself and be thankful for everything you’ve accomplished this year.

Where Do I Start?

I’ve recently fallen off my exercise horse… I’ve had a minor surgery on my arm that required me to take a week off from all activity that could cause my blood to pump extra fast. Seriously, doctors orders. I thought I could at least run, it was my arm so you’d think. But no… doctor said no. It was this last week in which I discovered I’d finally made exercise a habit that I WANTED to do. It’s taken me years to achieve that goal. And in a week of sitting on the couch taking it easy it’s hard to get motivated to get back out there. What helps is remembering where I started.

What else helps is whenever someone finds out that I’ve lost 50 pounds. They generally only find it out when I mention it, honestly. No one else hears about how I box twice a week, run three times a week and lift another three times a week and assumes there was a time that I didn’t. I think most people, me included, assume that kind of lifestyle is something that person has always done. Because when you don’t do the same you cannot imaging getting to that point, ever. I know… because there was a time I was 250 pounds and had no idea how to become that person.

Recently I was talking to someone who doesn’t know where to start but knows they need to lose some weight. To be real with you, they have already gotten to the starting line when they realize they need to do something. I’m not a physical trainer, therapist or nutritionist so please do not take my words for that level of professional advice. What I am is someone who made a life changing decision and got where I wanted to be. I’ve stayed there. And if nothing else I say stays with you, just remember that I’m not one special. I don’t have a naturally high metabolism, I’m not part of the 10% of the population with genetics giving me a model figure… I’m a regular person. Think about that… if I can do it there is no reason you cannot.  So let me tell you where you can start.

1. Anywhere. Literally. Once you know what you need to do it can get overwhelming. I know when I set out to lose 65 pounds originally, the number itself scared me. It took years to pile that weight on and I had to come to terms with the fact it would take years to get it back off. I just had to start. So let go of the overwhelmed sensation, embrace that this will take work and set yourself a course. Either start by increasing your physical activity or improving your diet.
2. It’s OK to get help. Some people need a professional to give them a plan. That’s why you can hire physical trainers or go to a gym and take boxing lessons. You are not alone, there are people who exist with the sole purpose of helping improve your living condition physically. I was broke, so I went home from my doctor and called my brother. My brother used to be a physical trainer so I asked his advice. I’ll never forget what he told me. He said I just needed to get on a treadmill and walk on a ‘hike’ setting for half an hour, and that every time I wanted pasta I had to eat a vegetable. That sounds simple… but you don’t know my love of pasta.
3. Make sacrifices. Like pasta. Or beer… or sleeping in on the weekends. If you set yourself a course and you have the desire to follow it, you will have to make sacrifices.  I gave up mayonnaise on my sandwiches, fries and beer on my nights out, my lazy after work routine… it has to change. You know this… you’ve seen that you need to make a change, now you must be ready to do it. If it was easy everyone would be able to sit where I am telling you this. It’s not but remember… if I can do it, you can do it.
4. Take a hard look at your fridge. As I mentioned above, you’re going to have to make sacrifices. You’re going to need to re-evaluate how and what you eat… and when.  Aim for more small meals, more often. It helps keep you from gorging in one sitting and keeps your metabolism up. At first, it will feel like you’re starving. That was the hardest part for me but it made me realize what my problem was. You see, I was not lazy. I walked 20 minutes to my college classes and back, in the Alaskan winter. I just had a serious food problem.  There are plenty of resources online that can help you retrain yourself to eat better. I like baking and cooking, which is perfect because you will have to cook for yourself A LOT more than you think. Throw out the Campbell’s and get some chicken to bake instead. Toss out all the salt and stick with a little pepper for kick. Get rid of the ranch and use oil and vinegar. When you need a condiment on a sandwich pick an avocado instead of mayonnaise… Everything adds up.
5. Keep track. Log your workouts, log your food and keep a progress journal. My sister who was with me every step of the way logs here information on paper. She tracked her measurements and I tracked my weight.  I used a very helpful app called MyFitnessPal. It’s completely free and chock full of dietary information. You can log your weight, your workouts and your food in one place. It’s as easy as scanning bar codes. It’ll put your calories burned into your calorie budget for the day and deduct the calories from the food you log. It’s simple and I probably would not have lost the first 30 pounds without it. It also has the menus from several major restaurants in it so you can look up what to get for yourself and you’ll be sure you’re not blowing your calorie goal each day.

Overall, the message is the same. Once you know you need to start you’ve got the first part down. You just need the confidence to know you can make it and the strength to get through to the end.  It took me 2 years to lose my weight. I got down to 6 pounds away from my goal weight. My goal weight was arbitrarily set at my high school weight so I adjusted. After 2 years I stopped logging on MyFitnessPal and decided to try it out for my own. It’s been 2+ years since then and I’m holding steady at 200 pounds. It’s not my BMI (which is not a good goal to be honest) and it’s not my original weight but it is my happy weight. Your happy weight is where your weight stops swinging and you are stable without trying, basically.  I don’t think I’m fat… I run 5k every week and I eat pretty much what ever I want. I think that makes me the perfect happy weight! You can find yours too, you just have to start!

The Road is Long

I’m going to go over something we all encounter when meeting a challenge head-on.  Everyone trying to overcome anything will eventually, at one point or another, come across the demon of losing motivation.  Because it happens to everyone, it’s something we should all know how to recognize and surmount.

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I have lost about 50 pounds a couple of years back. I don’t think I went into too much detail of the process at the time. I want to expand upon that now.  What I did was simple, I changed my habits and I decided to lose weight the only real way at that point. No fad dieting, pills, or late night tv contraptions.  All I had to do was change what I ate, how much and I had to get myself up and moving.  To some that may not sound like much, and it really isn’t. Unless you are 250 pounds and possibly addicted to food.

For starters, when you decide to do something drastic (such as lose 50+ pounds or stop smoking or whatever), you generally start out with a lot of drive and motivation. This is great but it usually short-term.  What you need instead is sheer determination.  For something like losing a serious amount of weight you need to recognize that the road to success is very, very long. I’m talking years.  People seem to think that body change on that scale can be drastic and fast. The truth is that the healthy way, the not surgical way, is journey that will take longer than you can imagine. For me it literally took years. I think it took 2 or so to be honest. It was such a slow transformation that I never really noticed it happening and it took awhile for my brain to come to terms with the new me.

When the road is so long, the journey is exhausting. When your motivation is centered on an ideal look or you have the goal in mind, you can feel very driven. The problem is this eventually runs low or for some completely out. If you don’t see immediate improvements, a person is bound to become restless and lose sight of the goal.

Never lose sight of your goal. Always remember that the goal is worth it and that your life is not to be lived as a race.  If you change your eating and exercise habits little by little and maintain the determination to see your new lifestyle through day-in and day-out, you will get there. Try not to see your new lifestyle and habits as holding you back. Do not beat yourself up emotionally for indulging every once in a while. You are only human and life is for living. Having a piece of cake on your birthday will not make you fat. And neither will having one salad make you skinny.

Keep in mind that what you are going for is worth it. That is why you started. Remember where you were and why you started at all times, and you will be more focused on where your going. Do not compare yourself to anyone else.  The grass is not greener in someone else’s lawn, it’s greener where you water it. Feed your drive and do not lose focus by looking at someone else’s results. The only person you are responsible for, that will make you happy and get your results is YOU. Focus on you, where you have been and where you are going. Everyone else is on their own path and it has nothing to do with yours.

I lost 50 pounds over 24+ months. That’s roughly 1 pound every 2 or so weeks.  That’s reality. I would weigh myself every weekend at first and I dropped pounds fast, and I would celebrate with a cupcake. That seems to happen when you go from overindulging and not getting any cardio to hiking and eating more vegetables.  I started small. I got on a treadmill and did some inclines for half an hour. I ate vegetables whenever I craved pasta.  Eventually I started running and swapping avocado for mayo.  My goal was very loosely set.  I wanted to get healthier. I’m still working towards this goal.

My last message is this. Keep your head up, your eyes forward and never give up. You are the only one who can get you to your goals. Be strong, be there for yourself.  Keep the old you in mind and don’t disappoint her/him.

As the saying goes, “If you started when you first thought about it, you’d be done by now”