Staying Motivated!

CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH MEERSCHAERT - COMPETITION WINNER!

I feel like I was really lucky in this competition. Unlike most of the lovely ladies competing, I hadn’t been working out regularly or watching what I ate before we started our 10 weeks. While it was difficult changing my routine, I had lots of changes to make, and no where to go but down a few pounds.

I think part of my success was taking it in small increments. I didn’t go into this competition thinking I wanted to lose X pounds or Y amount of weight. I went in thinking that I wanted to be healthier and that a little peer pressure might be the jump start I needed. 

I didn’t begin with a weight loss goal; I began with behavioral changes. I told myself I wasn’t going to eat my favorite foods unless I made them from scratch as the healthiest versions I could (i.e. making my own pizza dough, pizza sauce, and loading it with toppings). I also replaced some indulgences with healthier options: I chose Special K Cracker Chips, fruit, or pretzels in place of the Baked Cheetos I usually munch on. 

After a week or two I added exercise into my routine: a few times a week I’d do 30-40 minutes of step aerobics. Later, I added 10 minutes of abdominal work to the end of that. 

As I moved forward and became more aware of my weight and what I was losing each week, I started to set goals. I set a lot of goals. I wanted to loose 5 pounds, 5%, 10 pounds, 10%, reach a “healthy” weight as calculated by the BMI…  Some goals I knew I might not make but as I reached each little goal I’d set another one that seemed achievable. Even into the last week I was re-adjusting my goals.

Into the last week I was adjusting my behavior too. I love salt, but this final week I stopped adding salt and soy sauce to my foods (something I might try again for Lent). I also stopped drinking diet soda for the last week (again, more about the salt content). I’d try little things here and there and see what required a lot of willpower to maintain, what was easy to change, what made a big difference in weight, and what made me feel healthy.

For me, staying motivated was about staying engaged. I was primarily focused on seeing what sort of healthy behaviors I could stick with, I was somewhat interested in how much weight I could lose, and lastly I was curious about if I could get into those skinny jeans. (The answer is no on that last one.) :p

As a last note, here are some quick tips I think helped make it fun:
-Pomegranate seeds; fun to play with, fun to eat, really good for you (and keep for a while in the fridge). Add them to yogurt or eat in place of chips/popcorn. They go great with a Fresca (all Fresca flavors have 0 calories)
-A grill pan; tofu, tempeh, veggies…everything tastes better grilled. You can put the pan right on your stove instead of having to go outside, and it dramatically cuts the amount of oil you need to use while still adding flavor.  (Try cauliflower with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary.)
-Choose a work out routine that’s fun. Honestly? I love “CherFitness: A New Attitude.” (I’ve lost everyone’s respect now, haven’t I?) It’s campy, silly, and the 90’s outfits are outrageous.  You can find the whole routine on YouTube if you don’t own the VHS. 
-Keep easy things around for when you’re lazy.  I always had some veggie burgers and a few Lean Cuisine meals stashed away for days when ordering a pizza seemed oh, so very tempting.
-Make your own food.  On weekends, cooking is a great way to make something healthy that has the ingredients you most enjoy, and cooking can be a good addition to your work out.  Making bread is hard work. Clean up after can be too. 
-In the last week I’ve been toying with MyNetDiary.com. Most of the features are free online or on your iPhone. I’ve never calorie counted before and this site has made it reasonably easy.  You can even use your phone to scan the barcode on your Lean Cuisine for the ultimate experience in lazy weight loss. 

I want to thank Jen for setting up this competition, and I want to thank all of you for participating in it.  All of you helped me find a motivation I didn’t even know I had. Cher says at the beginning of her work out: "Any woman who tries anything for her body, who tries to give herself that fit feeling, I have nothing but respect and love and admiration for.” I feel the same way about all of you!

Zucchini Bread

CONTRIBUTED BY JORDAN FREESE


Ingredients
5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 cup splenda
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg

Directions
Combine eggs, sugar, splenda, applesauce, and vanilla in a bowl. Add zucchini and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and add a little at a time, mixing as you go.

Pour into two loaf pans and bake at 325 F for an hour or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Makes 24 slices, 12 slices from each loaf. Freezes well.

Nutrition Information
Servings per recipe: 24
Amount per serving:
Calories: 87.3
Total Fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 167.8 mg
Total Carbs: 19.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
Protein: 2.3 g

Exercise Less, See More Results

CONTRIBUTED BY CHRISTINE SHELLER

Interesting article about the concept of interval training at high intensities being a more effective approach to weight loss.

http://wholelivingdaily.wholeliving.com/2011/07/challenge-of-the-day-exercise-less-see-more-results.html

A 'Vacation' from Healthy Eating

CONTRIBUTED BY JULIE TRIPSON

This is paleo-centered, but I think trying to get back into the swing of things after a few days “vacationing” from eating healthier is hard for everyone. I had a tough time this week for various reasons and this blog helped me to realize that it’s not just me and helped me to focus more on the fact that this is a lifestyle change versus a diet.

http://robbwolf.com/2011/06/29/getting-back-on-the-boat-%E2%80%93-how-to-recover-from-a-paleo-fall-out/

A Quote for the Day

CONTRIBUTED BY ROXANE 

"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down."

~ Mary Pickford

Exercise with Interval Training

CONTRIBUTED BY JORDAN FREESE

All of us hate exercising and doing cardio, although it certainly helps when trying to lose weight in addition to watching what you eat. One of the biggest things that I have found that works really well is interval training, which might be my big secret J

If you typically do 30 minutes of cardio, and find it gets kind of boring, switch it up by doing some interval training. This works really well if you train by running, biking, or with an elliptical. Go as hard as you can (or if you’re just starting out, about 80%) for 20-30 seconds, then recover for 2 minutes or so and do it again. This not only breaks up a 30 minute cardio workout (I find that time passes by much quicker), but also keeps changing your heart rate. I don’t typically do a full 30 minutes of interval training (15-20 minutes will do), but it’s a good way to burn a few extra calories and change things up with a workout.

Keep Your Body Guessing

CONTRIBUTED BY ROXANE SNIPE

Every week I try and make a small change to what I am doing to keep the body guessing... this week's goal was to leave a little on the plate.... it may have amounted to just a spoonful of something but I consciously tried NOT to clean my plate... Last week, I added an extra 20 minutes of cardio that I did not want to do... this week I think I am going to go for a hearty wieght training session some time this week.... just thought i would share.

More Work Lunch

I can't help taking pics of these pretty lunch salads! Salmon & goat cheese today = yum. Love that roasted eggplant and the new celery too.

SALAD DRESSING SECRET
White balsamic vinegar: 
10 calories per tbsp, 0 fat
(On 6 it is in a large squeeze bottle on the tray between the water and the packaged dressings)

A Note to Bread

Dear Bread,

I consistently feel less bloated and more energetic without you, but oh how I miss you!

Love,
Jen

Food Diary June 8

CONTRIBUTED BY JULIE TRIPSON

Here’s a typical day for me…I try to eat 5 times a day with a “meal” of a protein, fat and carb (only veggies and fruits though!). Eating all of these together helps to keep my body’s hormone levels even and allows me to get the most out of each food…or so I read! That being said I’m about to go on a crazy food binge tonight at Barbuzzo!

7:30 AM
2 cups steamed broccoli
3 hardboiled eggs
3 nuts
16 oz black coffee

10:30 AM
1 small apple
12 nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds)

12:30 PM
Salad
1 cup bell pepper
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup cucumbers
4 oz steak or chicken
2 eggs
2 tablespoon bacon
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

3:00PM
½ apple
3 nuts
Hardboiled egg

7:00PM
4 cups Kale chips (kale w/ covering of equal parts oil and apple cider vinegar baked at 350 for as long as it takes! Usually 20 min with a flip in between)
1 piece hot Italian sausage (5 inches) with ½ cup cooked green peppers and onions

Food Diary June 2nd

CONTRIBUTED BY ROXANNE SNIPE

Roxanne was kind enough to give us a window into a day of food for her. She is eating a really healthy balanced diet that is making me rethink what I'm doing!

BREAKFAST
1 slice of low-calorie bread
Scrambled Eggs (1 whole egg/ 2 egg whites)
W/ Tomatoes and Broccoli
½ grapefruit

SNACK
Apple
Almonds (about 10-15)

LUNCH
Tossed Salad with Chicken Breast
Lite Salad dressing
Dinner Roll

SNACK
Tea
2 Rice Cakes w/ Peanut Butter

DINNER
Brown Rice (about ½ cup)
Salmon
Green Beans
No Sugar Added Fudgsicle

Homemade "Skinny" Margarita

CONTRIBUTED BY KRISTIN PISANO

In a pint glass:
Squeeze juice from ¼ lime into glass
Add 1 oz. RealLime Brand lime juice – 0 calories
Fill the glass with ice
Add tequila (We use Patron at 69 calories per oz. – a shot is 1.5 oz. for 103 calories)
Fill glass to the top with Key Lime flavored seltzer water (Found so far at Wegman’s and Kmart) – 0 calories

Great tasting with or without salt!

Lunch & Dinner

I had to capture this photo and highlight another great salad day here at SIG. I was excited to have broccoli rabe and mahi mahi available to top it off!

I had dinner at Tinto on Friday for the first time and I highly recommend it! Places like that are great for our summer competition because all the food is served on small plates (tapas style), so nice small portions, lots of grilled seafood and veggie options, and you are sharing everything so it's easy to take just a bite of all the different things you want to try because you don't have much of a choice!

My recommendations from the Tinto dinner menu:  Olives, Prawns, Artichokes, Scallops, Wild Mushrooms (to die for), and the Mixto cheese plate (small and you will only get a few decadent pieces of toasted bread and cheese so it's worth it)

More Websites

CONTRIBUTED BY CHRISTINE SHELLER

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/ - The recipes link to SparkPeople, so you can add them to your meal planner

http://www.livestrong.com - They often have calories + nutrition info for recipes you’d find elsewhere on the interwebs

http://fatsecret.com - Same thing as Livestrong

Paleo Approach

GUEST POST BY JULIE TRIPSON

I just wanted to share what I have just recently started, and have heard some of my friends talk about for a while. It’s called Paleo and it is based on the way humans ate in the Paleolithic period. A lot of people might find it similar to a fad no-carb diet, but it is quite different. The basics are lean protein, tons of vegetables, healthy fats and some fruit. For some it is dairy free and for all gluten free and they say that sugar is the enemy and not fat. The science behind it makes sense to me. Currently I haven’t lost that much weight, but I feel significantly different – I’m more alert, less tired, have a better sense of taste and smell, and more energy to workout! I’ll admit it was hard for me to give up bread because I LOVE BREAD, but it is do-able for me most of the time (and some Paleo-ists recommend a cheat day!). 

I know tons of people who say that you shouldn’t cut things out of your diet, but when things like gluten and dairy are hard for humans to digest (I can attest to that) anyway, it is good in my book. Also, it seems to me that it is a long term solution rather than just a diet…so hopefully I can keep it up.

Here are some websites that I find helpful in understanding what Paleo is and why it is good, as well as paleo recipes:

http://robbwolf.com/faq/#overview
http://everydaypaleo.com/

Helpful Websites

I hope everyone is having a great first week! I had a wedding and three days at the beach this past weekend so it wasn't easy, but I am getting in a groove now. I thought I would start to share some websites that I use or that have been recommended by others.

www.sparkpeople.com - This site is fabulous and free! Christine swears by it and she has gotten me hooked. I have been tracking everything I eat within daily nutrition goals I set for myself. It is very intuitive and I think you will love it if you want to track your progress.

www.myfitnesspal.com - Bridget told me about this site. It is very similar to Spark People, and also free and fabulous from what I hear.

www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ - I used this today to calculate my BMI. It can be a little frightening but also is a pretty helpful gauge for setting your goal weight.

Please send me any great sites you go to so I can post them for all!

Work Lunch

I snapped this picture from Monday's pretty lunch. I love all the beautiful salad bar options that have become available every day here (thanks Monica). I think it has become easier to make good choices because we have tastier options.

WORK DAY SNACK TIP:
I drink a V8 low sodium around 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. almost every day here. If you like the taste of a bloody mary, you can make the non-alcoholic version by adding a packet or two of hot sauce, a packet of lemon juice (from the tea area) and a packet of pepper. It has 30 calories, 0g fat, 2g protein, and 10g carbs.

Week One

I thought maybe 10 or 15 girls would be interested in competing when I first sent out the contest email last week, but 25 of us have taken the challenge! I am so excited to have an extra push and to have so many women to share the fun with this summer.

I figured I would start this blog to give us a place to go to share any ideas throughout the competition. If you have food & exercise tips, tricks, treats, success stories, great websites you use, anything you think would be helpful to the group, please email me a post and I can add it to the blog for us.

Good luck this week!