4 Components of Weight Loss

            It is never too early or late to lose weight if you are overweight or obese. Even if you became obese at a young age, you can change habits now and lose weight! It takes determination, discipline and hard work, but the rewards are countless! One of the biggest benefits of weight loss is having less pain, including back pain. Moreover, it is easier to prevent obesity than to treat it. So if you have found yourself 10 or 20 lbs overweight, start working to reverse the trend. Otherwise that could turn to 50 or 100 excess pounds that you never expected to have.

4 Components of Weight Loss  

1. Change in mindset. Admit that food controls you and recognize why you overeat. Until you know what your problem is, you cannot fix it. 

2. Change in activity level. You must increase your daily amount of activity and exercise in order to lose weight. No pill or diet by itself can replace the benefits of regular exercise. 

3. Change in eating habits. You cannot eat the same amount or kinds of foods that you have been eating and lose weight. Look at your eating habits and start to modify them. 

4. Perseverance over time. There is no easy way to lose a lot of weight, no matter what the ads may say. It takes time and hard work. Do not give up! Keep working at it and you will succeed. Find the help you need, whether it is an exercise partner, a weight loss group, a gym membership or an appointment with a nutritionist or dietitian. 

Most importantly, do not leave out any of these four components or you are less likely to get the weight off and keep it off.  Do not forget to consult your physician about your weight, in case it is related to a medical problem.

Additional reading on WEIGHT LOSS:

http://thinklikeapt.blogspot.com/2012/04/weight-loss-perseverance.html

Eggplant Ricotta Bites on the Food Network

Eggplant Ricotta Bites on the Food Network

Weight Loss Perseverance

If you are in the process of losing weight, the single most important thing to remember is to persevere! Do not give up when you fail or cheat or gain a pound or go two weeks without exercising. Just start fresh right now (don't wait until tomorrow)! Review the weight loss program you are supposed to be on, and see how you may have fallen off track. Modify the areas you have not been consistent with, and maintain the ones you are doing well!

Don't forget that losing weight and keeping it off requires long-term healthy decisions, starting now and continuing after you have met your weight loss goals. A healthy lifestyle is not one you will ever give up because you will love the results: look amazing, feel even better, have more energy, sleep well, decrease the need for some medicines, do the activities you enjoy, and the list goes on!

It is never too late to start new, healthy habits! What are your bad habits that keep your weight above where you want it? If you do not have the willpower to eat less, then start with replacements. Replace your high-calorie, high-fat, high-grease, high-sugar foods with healthier ones. And for those here in the South, replace your sweet tea with ice water! You will not lose the weight you want without such replacements.

At some point you will grow tired of making excuses. Stop blaming other people/things, and take responsibility for your own body, your own weight and your own health! No matter how you became overweight, you are the only one who can lose the weight and keep it off. That is the choice before you today! Don't look at the past, your childhood, your family, your difficult circumstances, your prior failures, your successes, your previous diets, etc. Simply make the decision to be healthier starting now and to not give up on weight loss. If you persevere long-term, you will achieve weight loss and all your healthy goals! You will be able to do much more than you can imagine!


"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:13

Staying Motivated With A Healthy Lifestyle Change

If you have ever begun to eat healthier, lose weight, start to exercise or stop smoking, you have likely found that it is easy to stay motivated at first but it gets progressively harder to stay on track. And if you do not know how to stick to your new lifestyle change, you will fall back into old habits. So how do you persevere with the lifestyle after a few weeks or months?

First, you need support (A LOT OF SUPPORT)! You need someone calling you daily to ask how you are doing with the change and to offer moral support. You need people cheering you on, including family, friends, co-workers, facebook friends, etc. You cannot make a drastic lifestyle change without people pushing you, challenging you, helping you, motivating you, guiding you and praying for you. And I propose that the most successful lifestyle change happens when you do it together with someone else.

Second, you may need to change who you spend time with. For example, if all your friends smoke, it will be nearly impossible for you to quit smoking. Surround yourself with positive influences, who demonstrate the lifestyle that you seek.

Third, you need a plan that is very specific. Just saying that you want to lose weight will get you nowhere unless you plan the steps of your weight loss program. Be sure to have a short-term plan and a long-term plan with specific goals. You may do a diet for 2 months, but how will you maintain the weight loss afterward? Plan how you will respond the next time you are in a tempting situation.

Fourth, you must choose to say no! Once you start the change, do not turn back and do not begin to cheat. A little cheating will turn into continual cheating. For example, if you decide to become a vegetarian, you simply say no to every meat item on the menu. Or if you are giving up desserts, you simply say no to any dessert placed before you (even on special occasions). Do not give yourself the opportunity to cheat; just know that the choice is always no, whether it is January or June.


Here are a few examples that I have seen.
1. An individual wants to stop drinking, stop smoking and go back to college. So he moves to a new town, starts going to church/Bible studies and enrolls in a community college. Soon he has a Bachelor's degree and has been clean for 4 years.
2. An individual modifies eating so as to have a healthy breakfast, protein bar for lunch and healthy supper every day (with no additional snacks). Soon she is down to ideal weight and runs marathons. She has stuck to the plan for years now.


A true healthy change will become part of your lifestyle. Don't you admire people who have the willpower to say no? We all say it in January, but who says it the rest of the year? The ones who do are the ones who get the results. What has helped to motivate you to maintain your new lifestyle?

Practical Tips To Avoid Overeating

1. Try to avoid eating by yourself. Most of us do not binge in front of other people in fear of embarrassment.

2. Chew sugar-free gum. It keeps your mouth occupied without inhaling calories.

3. Keep yourself busy, and spend less time watching TV. When was the last time you watched TV without munching?

4. Drink more water than you think you should. If you feel like eating for no reason, then drink a glass of water.

5. Eat more fruits and veggies. If you want to eat more, then eat what has the least calories and the most nutrients! For example, you finished your supper (1 meat, 1 vegetable and 1 healthy starch), but you want something else. So have another serving of the vegetable.

6. Icy Pops. I lived on these in grad school (when I lost 20-25 pounds). If you tend to snack a lot, then this is one of the lowest calorie snacks I can think of. You could eat 10 of them and not feel guilty.

7. Keep your weakness foods out of the house! Whether it is chips, ice cream, candy or donuts, DO NOT KEEP THEM IN YOUR HOME! Do not flirt with temptation; chocolate wins every time. If you have a craving, go out for dessert and order 1 serving (small or kids size).

8. Eat slowly at mealtimes. Try to finish your meal when everyone else does. Otherwise, you may want to go back for seconds.

9. Stick to an eating schedule of 3 small meals and 2-3 small snacks per day. Try not to eat unless it is one of these times.

10. Exercise more. It will motivate you to eat well. What is the point of working out so hard if you are going to consume the same or more calories that you just burned?

11. Keep healthy options at hand. Be sure you always have fresh fruits, nuts, healthy granola bars, yogurt, etc. in your refrigerator/pantry. Take a healthy snack wherever you go so you are prepared for your between-mealtimes snack.

12. Avoid staying up too late. Late-night snacking is detrimental to your weight loss goals.

Top 10 Healthy Eating Components

If you are trying to lose weight, there are several components of eating that must be modified. Now is the time to learn them, so the good habits will last long after your weight loss is complete.


1. Healthy drinking. This means avoiding sugar-filled drinks most of the time. On occasion, indulge yourself in your favorite soda or latte, but in general drink mostly water. Skim milk, plain coffee and unsweet tea are fine. 1 serving of 100% juice is fine to have once per day. The more water you drink, the fewer calories you will likely eat/drink.

2. Healthy grains. You cannot avoid carbs for the rest of your life, so find the healthy ones! 100% whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oats, etc. are the best options. Don't be fooled when you see "whole grain" on the box; check the ingredients. Be prepared; healthy grains typically cost more than the bleached versions.

3. Healthy meats. Start the habit of eating less beef/pork and more chicken/turkey/fish. Vegetarian foods are also great choices for protein. Skinless, boneless chicken breasts are easy to cook in a variety of ways. Fish also can be quickly seasoned and broiled. Simply move your meat from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you plan to cook it, so it will be thawed and ready to prepare for supper.

4. Fruits/vegetables. Eat a variety of these very frequently. Try to have at least 2-3 fruits and 2-3 vegetables each day. Count up your servings so that you have at least 5 every day! Fresh salads and soups are great options for variety. Also, consider using vegetables or tomato sauces with your meats and/or healthy carbs.

5. Healthy dairy. Dairy is an important part of your diet, so choose low-fat varieties when possible. Do not avoid fat altogether, but make changes where you can (for example: light sour cream).

6. Desserts. Try to replace desserts with healthier options like yogurt, fruit or jello. But indulge yourself in a serving of your favorite dessert on occasion.

7. Snacks. Try to replace junk food snacks with things like granola bars, nuts, whole grain crackers (Triscuits), fresh veggies, etc.

8. Fats/oils. Minimize the use of butter; replace it with olive oil. Avoid fried foods and using bacon fat or other animal fats for cooking.

9. Eating out. Do it less if you can or choose healthy options. Avoid fast food and fried foods. Be careful of your portion sizes. Skip the appetizer or dessert. Order a side salad.

10. Processed food. Minimize pre-prepared, pre-processed foods and frozen meals if possible. They are full of salt and preservatives. Plain, frozen vegetables are fine to cook with because they do not usually have any added salt.

NEW YEAR'S DIET

So you have decided to lose weight this year, but you have no idea how to get started. You have tried many diets in the past, but they do not work for you. Or you have trouble sticking to them. So here are some suggestions. These are also great tips for those who want to have a healthier lifestyle, regardless of their weight.

1. Cut out fried foods. If you have a habit of eating them more than 1-2x/week, that is too much! Either cut them out completely or decrease them significantly (maybe to 1x/week or less).
2. Add more fish to your diet. At least 1-2x/week have 6 oz of fish (salmon fillet is my fish of choice).
3. Snack on nuts instead of carbs. Just be careful to check the serving sizes of nuts. Almonds are a great choice!
4. Eat a garden salad at the start of every dinner (and check the serving size of the salad dressing).
5. Cook from scratch so that you control and know the ingredients in your meals. Eat out less, and eat fewer frozen or processed foods.
6. Make sauces from vegetables instead of cream/gravy (basil pesto, marinara sauce, salsa, or my favorite: green tomatilla salsa).
7. Calculate how much you spend weekly on different kinds of groceries and modify the problem areas. Work toward 20% on fruits/vegetables, 15% on lean dairy, 25% on lean meat, 20% on whole grains, 10% on boxed/canned goods and <10% on snacks.
8. Start a regular EXERCISE routine! If you join a gym, plan ahead the days/times you will regularly go.
9. Wear a pedometer and try to increase your steps by >25%. 10,000 steps/per day should be your minimum.
10. Don't get obsessed with weight loss and weighing yourself. Just weigh in 1x/week.

A HEALTHY New Year!

Happy New Year! As you think about your resolutions for this year, I hope they include some healthy ones! Even if you do not need to lose weight, there are other areas of health that you could consider improving. Mine is to run the Cooper River Bridge 10K race in Charleston, SC this year. Some family members told me they were doing it, so of course I jumped on board!

I already exercise several times per week, so I am just going to modify my workouts to train for the race. I typically do the treadmill and/or bike for cardio, machine weights/free weights for strengthening, and a little flexibility at the end of each workout. I can already run 3 miles, so now I will work up to 4, 5 and 6 miles in the next 8-10 weeks. My average pace has been 6.8 mph, so my goal is to increase that to 7.5 mph. If I run at that pace for 6.2 miles, I will finish the race in under 51 minutes (which is my goal).

To make healthy changes in your life, you need specific, realistic goals! Here are some good examples.

1. To lose 1 lb. per week for 10 weeks by joining a weight loss program.
2. To walk my dog 30 minutes/day, 5x/week.
3. To decrease my ice cream intake to 2x/week.
4. To join a gym for 1 month and go there >3x/week.
5. To replace 1 soda per day with water.

How I gained and lost 25 lbs

For those of you trying to lose weight, here is my story.

I have always been slender, and I weighed 125 lbs. when I finished high school. But when I got to college, I started gaining weight. Freshman 15 turned into more for me. My eating, sleeping and snacking habits totally changed. I lived on campus at a small college, so I had free reign of the dining hall and snack bars. At mealtimes, I did not overeat, but between meals and at night I constantly snacked. Our hangout was Perkins, and we usually went around midnight. There was a cafe in the student center, so my friends and I always met there for milkshakes.

So there is no doubt as to why I gained weight. I went from 125 lbs to around 150 lbs (at my highest). I kept exercising as usual because it has always been a hobby for me. But I became much more self-conscious about my body since I was 25 lbs heavier than I had ever been in my life. I got stretch marks, so I even stopped wearing shorts for several years. Another thing that changed was I stayed up much later and woke up much later. I usually woke up around 10 AM and went to bed around 2 AM.

So how did I lose the weight? When I got to graduate school, my sleeping and eating habits returned to normal. I woke up around 6:30 AM and went to bed around 11 PM. I ate 3 meals a day and small, healthy snacks in between. I ate salads and healthy sandwiches daily. At night, my only snack was Icy Pops. I did not keep any other snack foods in the house. I ate tons of fruits and vegetables and always drank water.

So by the time I got married (last year of grad school), I was back down to 125!

How to PREVENT PAIN when relaxing

If you are like my husband, you like to sit back and chill when you get the chance. Of course, with two babies, he doesn't get that chance very often... (I am the opposite; when the kids are asleep, I start cooking, cleaning and blogging).

So while you are watching your favorite team or holiday movie, here are some tips for future PAIN PREVENTION.

1. What position are you sitting in when you watch TV? Instead of slumping, try sitting up with a small pillow behind your low back. Or lie on your side for awhile. Or lie on your tummy on the floor.
2. What are you snacking on? If you start bad eating habits when you are younger (when your metabolism is higher), they are hard to break later in life (when your metabolism slows).
3. Make a healthy eating rule for yourself. No junk food until you have had 5 servings of fruits or vegetables that day. So at 10 pm if you want to snack, you may need 3 cups of berries.
4. What are you drinking? Make a healthy drinking rule. No calorie-filled drinks until you have had 6-8 glasses of water that day.
5. Enjoy your relaxation time, but try to add more activity. Exercise is a great form of stress relief! And it helps you to sleep better.

How to be healthier this Thanksgiving

Here are some ideas about how to not consume 10,000 calories this Thanksgiving...

1. Enjoy just 1 plateful of your favorite Thanksgiving foods. Pass on the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
2. Don't get every food option just because it is there. If you do not like the food that much, don't just eat it. (example don't get turkey and ham if you really prefer turkey).
3. Choose to eat only 1 or 2 starches instead of 4 (is there one that you can live without--maybe bread?).
4. Use low or non-fat creams for cooking or condiments (light sour cream, low fat milk, margarine, fat free whipped toppping).
5. Make one of your veggies outside of a casserole (steamed green beans or corn).
6. Choose only 1 slice of pie or a couple of mini-slices.
7. Save calories by drinking water instead of soda or tea.
8. Go for a walk or play ball outside on Thanksgiving afternoon.
9. Stop eating when you are full. Do not wait an hour and then fill up again. Wait until the next mealtime.
10. Be thankful for your body/health and think of how to improve it!