Happy New Year!

Here we go...
Cliche to start something new on January 1, but motivation is high and the time is right.
Enough writing and talking about it.
It's time to Start. Eat. Move. Go. Inspire. Motivate. Change. Grow. Work. Succeed.

All the best to you this year. I hope 2013 is everything you want it to be!

So What's the Plan? part 2

Strength training, Tabatas, cardio (in that order)

First, some truths:

True!  The food will always win. You have to be smart about this one.  Who has a spare 3 or 4 hours a day to workout? Eating clean and balanced will make you so much more effective and efficient.

Yes!  That 30 minute stroll around the block does not mean that you get to eat cheesecake. That 30 minute Tabata session doesn't mean you get to have cheesecake either.  If you did it right, you won't be able to do much of anything, let alone eat!  Haha!

and my favorite reminder-

500 crunches a day will eventually give you a stronger core, but if you are layered in fat, who cares? No one will be able to see all your hard work!!  

So What's the Plan? part 1

Lean protein, green vegetables, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, berries, apples, grapefruit, greek yogurt, very limited cheese, seeds/nuts optional,olive oil, no refined sugar, no refined flour, nothing heavily processed, nothing fried

When I was losing weight before, this is how I did it. I was highly motivated (makes a HUGE difference) and  honestly, I didn't even want to eat crap.  I didn't 'cheat' because I was feeling so good about my progress and about the way I looked.   I wasn't feeling deprived either (makes a HUGE difference!)

I did learn a few things- I really have to limit my sugar intake, even when it comes to fruit.  I have to eat low glycemic fruits and those 1 a day (in the morning) or every other day.  

I also have to really limit my cheese intake, usually to once or twice a week.

mmmm, shrimp

Examples of some lower glycemic fruits:

Supplement

Supplements

I never really thought about adding supplements to my diet but the more I've seen and read it seems like most people who are serious about their health and nutrition use supplements in some form or other. The array can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start or know what your goals are. I found this video yesterday and thought she had some good suggestions about what to add to your daily routine.  These don't replace food, just enhance what you are eating now and making sure that you are getting a full store of everything your body needs to run well and efficiently.  

So I just started taking the 5-HPT based on her suggestions here.  A bottle of CVS brand was about $12 for 30 capsules. It recommends 2 capsules a day or 1 at bedtime since it can induce sleepiness!  I'll keep you all up to date on how this works.

In addition, I take 4000 iu a day of Vitamin D- strongly recommended for anyone living in areas with little sunshine for months on end.  Friends in NE Ohio, you know what I'm talking about!

I also take Omega 3 fish oil.  Most of the time.  Sometimes I forget to take it every day.

I drink green tea every day and try my best to have LOTS of water.  I can easily drink the recommended 8, 8oz servings a day when I'm at work but I struggle with it when I'm at home. I just got a big 1 gallon jug to keep in the fridge full of water so there's always some ready to go. I add lemon and lime slices to it.  Tasty!

This may change as my diet and program changes but for now, this is plan!  What do you take and why?  How has taking supplements improved your performance, endurance, strength etc.?

Biometrics

I got the results of my biometric testing today.  A passing score - 3/5 categories means a lower risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes, heart disease etc. It also means that contribution to health care in 2013 is reduced.
I didn't pass- I met 2/5 areas.  On the bright side, my blood pressure is great and my HDL levels are right where they should be.  I failed waist circumference, triglyceride levels and blood glucose.

So, here's yet another wake up call.  Fat on the outside and sick on the inside.  You are what you eat, right?
I have to create some changes NOW.

That's for sure. In 6 months from now it will be June- warm weather, shorts and t-shirts, cute sandals and dresses. So, it's time to decide now. Fit summer or fat summer? Oh look! another reminder....

Realize

25 years is a long time to be on a diet. Or more accurately, to be in a constant state of dieting. It's exhausting. I don't recommend it. I was the chubby kid, always in clothes bigger than my age and always in double digits once I became a teenager. I don't know what skinny looks like. All my friends were little. They were ballet lean and I was a chunk trying hard to fit in.
It took me a long time to realize that no matter how much I dieted, I would never be 5'10" and rail thin. Getting that image out of your head seems like the first step. If you can't imagine yourself as 'skinny' then how will you get there? Are you realistic about your end result? I was not and still struggle with it. I don't have anything to compare it to. I was never thin and I have a really hard time imagining what it would feel and look like. What's your ideal image? (Remember that all the pictures you see in magazines have been heavily airbrushed and photoshopped. You've seen the Dove Beauty ad, right? Check it out here.)

Now, who looks better in a bikini?
Now I know that I don't have to be rail thin.  My perception has changed to fit my own body type. I can be strong and fit and 5'5".
Welcome to the world of bodybuilding...

Sugar is eeeevil

I truly believe that sugar has highly addictive qualities. I'm hearing more about this theory and I am proof that it is true. Just like a drug addict or alcoholic, sugar addiction is no joke. I'm betting that there will be support groups popping up with 12 step agendas to help break the cycle. Hmmm.... maybe it's time to start a sugar addicts support group. Stay tuned. The only time I've lost weight is when I eliminated sugar from my diet. Also bread. But cutting it out takes a desire and motivation that I haven't been able to find in several years.

Doesn't that look tasty? Do you know what kind of damage that would cause? For me, it would create a sugar binge that would last for weeks. In the past 365 days, I had sugar (something made mostly of sugar or meant to be sweet like candy, chocolate, etc. not stuff like ketchup which also has a ton of sugar in it)on 359 of them. I just broke a 2 day streak by eating a crappy Hershey's bar with almonds because I was hungry and had not planned. Planning is a crucial part of diet success! What's that saying? Fail to plan, plan to fail. Yeah. That's pretty accurate.

Those who doubt always make some comment about needing to 'enjoy life' and being able to treat yourself. Ok, I get that but I'm pretty sure that I will enjoy life 60 lbs lighter than I am now, my skin will look better, my glucose levels will be normal, my insulin resistance will hopefully be diminished or be gone altogether. I'll let you know in about 7 months how that goes!

Quote of the Day

Discipline is simply choosing between what you want now and what you want most

Introduce

I always thought that I could write a book (or 2) with the dieting knowledge I've learned over the past 20 some years.  The truth is, I know practically everything there is to know about dieting but I'm hardly a poster child for diet success.

I want to try to put it all down into some sort of collection of ideas that will hopefully motivate me to try again and maybe inspire anyone who happens to find this blog.

Dieting really comes down to a series of verbs - eat, move, plan, prepare and at it's most basic it's just a formula; eat better + move = weight loss or calories in + more calories out = weight loss.  Easy but sooo deceptive.  Many things are easier said than done, right?  So what makes it so difficult for so many people, including me? I have some ideas.  More to come on that.

So here's what I'm not:
I'm not a doctor, dietician or nutritionist.
I'm not a personal trainer.


What I am:
I'm a Gen Xer who grew up in the age of supermodels
I'm still trying to figure all this out, despite reams of knowledge
I'm trying to make it simple, stop over thinking it all
I'm trying to make some permanent changes
I am really good at motivating and inspiring others... I just struggle to do the same thing for myself!


Note: it's called a diet but let's just call that shorthand for "lifestyle changes to food and behaviors"  When I say diet, that's what I mean

Also,  I will refer to wanting to be 'skinny'.  This is my quick way to say 'lean, strong and healthy'.   Lots of size 2 girls are not healthy!  Lots of smaller girls are both small and fat or, skinny fat. You know them.  Don't be envious of this. A pudgy size 6 is nothing to be jealous of.