Podcasts & Realizations

Preface: Since working I have gained a TINY bit of weight. Which saddens me because really I want to lose another 5-10lbs. I haven’t been super strict on my diet but I AM FINALLY settling into a workout schedule!

Since I have been working my ‘free’ time has become very limited. I had hoped to read JM’s Master Your Metabolism & Unlimited (which I did start and can’t wait to get back to). I also had several other books on nutrition and diet that I wanted to get to and I have missed reading my weekly articles from various websites. Anyway needless to say I am not keeping up on my ‘studies’ as much as I would like. So the other day I decided to start listening to more of JM’s podcasts. And I have learned a lot--some about nutrition, some about exercise, but mostly about myself. Here is what I have learned from the last couple of podcasts I’ve listened to. (WARNING: Some of this may appear to be glaringly obvious (meaning you know it and have read it before) but let me tell you until you really internalize it you won’t ‘get it’.)

#1 DO IT FOR YOURSELF: Jillian took a call from a listener who had lost something like 100lbs. She claimed to have hit a plateau and couldn’t push through. Jillian dove into why she had gained the weight in the first place. Well this gal’s father was a PE teacher and all of her brothers and sisters were runners. As the conversation went on the girl basically said ‘I’m losing the weight to prove to them or to make them proud’. Jillian stopped her and said something to the effect of you have to do it for yourself!

#2 BEING THIN DOESN’T EQUAL CONFIDENCE OR SELF WORTH

Again Jillian took a call from a woman who was 4’11 and used to weight 165lbs. She now weighs 117lbs. The woman was calling for two reasons 1-she looks in the mirror and doesn’t know how to respond to her reflection and 2-she is also feeling awkward about the way others are treating her. The first sounds to me like losing the weight was a band aid to help with self confidence issues. The second is VERY easy for me (and I am sure others who have lost weight) to relate to. Others were ALWAYS watching her eat and criticizing her choices. They were also messing with her emotions—telling her husband that they thought she’d leave him now that she was thin, etc.

Both of these things hit me like a TON OF BRICKS! The whole time I have been losing weight I have wanted to be healthier but in the forefront of my mind it was to be an example to my siblings, to make sure my daughter has a mother around for as long as possible, and to try to keep up with my ULTRA SEXY husband. I was doing it for myself but the other reasons were my main push. I specifically remember working out and keeping Kaci nearby so I could look at her and push myself through the workout. I am not saying that being an example is a bad reason to get healthy but what happens when you have the knowledge , lose most of the weight and people see you as an example… then what? Do you stop losing and just sit stagnant? Do you gain it all back? What motivation do you have to lose those ‘vanity pounds’? The answer my friends is NONE! Unless YOU are the reason you are getting healthy then you can forget it! My initial reasons got me to make a change in my life and they are still reasons that I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle but I have realized now that the rest of my journey has to be for ME.

The other thing that hit me was still looking in the mirror and seeing the ‘chubby girl’ or to take it one step further as say to eat like the ‘chubby girl’. I still have these issues that I have to work out. At first when I was losing the weight it was easy to see it. I SAW the pounds come off and new muscles reveal themselves --it becomes VERY exciting. But once I got to a certain point (ie a healthy weight) all I see is what is left. Why do I still have flab here? Why isn’t the saddle bag gone yet? Etc. etc. etc. It is very difficult to get a grip on that. Then there is the eating like a ‘chubby girl’ part. I grew up in a family of social eaters. We ate when we were happy and we ate when we were sad. We rewarded ourselves with food. Eating was funny too—‘look at how short and little I am and how much I can eat’. IN FACT I still to this day will make comments when I eat like ‘I’m a good eater’ or I will tell Kaci ‘You eat like your momma’. Why do I still think like this?

Anyway I know this is a LONG post and if you’ve stuck with me to the end I thank you. I just had several realizations this week due to fabulous podcasts. Now I am not saying I agree with everything JM says for example today I completely disagreed with what she was saying to the point that I had to fast forward through a particular segment.

THE TAKE AWAY:

I am going to look for the good in the mirror and congratulate myself for my accomplishments more.

I am going work on my attitude toward food and be careful about the way I talk about food.

I am recommitted to my calorie count.

I am no longer eating after 7PM.

I am going to work on drinking less Diet Coke.

In the future I will keep better track of which podcast I've listened to. If you want you can download JM's Podcasts HERE.

Again sorry for the long post! Have a wonderful day!

Interesting info

So the other day at work my friend and I were craving butter mints. You know the fluffy little pillow like mints! Love them. Anyway I was googling the nutrition info to how many calories there are. I found the following information on Livestrong.org

Overview

A bowl of butter mints is not an uncommon sight at weddings and on buffets. Known for their light pastel colors and silky-smooth texture, butter mints are low in calories if you limit yourself to one or two.

Calories

One butter mint provides seven calories and can last a few minutes as you savor it after a meal. Grab a handful of seven or eight butter mints, however, and you'll be eating more than 50 calories.

Sweetener Myths and Facts Sweeteners & Your Dietary Health: Learn the Dietary Facts Here. www.SweetSurprise.com/

Sponsored Links

Basic Nutrition

The calories in butter mint come from carbohydrates, which in turn, are derived from the sugar that butter mints are made of. Each butter mint has 2 g of carbohydrates and no protein, fat or fiber, although some homemade butter mints may contain butter, and thus fat. Butter mints are not a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Warning

While eating an occasional butter mint won't add too many extra calories to your daily intake, eating a handful on a regular basis will add too many refined carbohydrates to your diet. Refined carbohydrates, such as those in butter mints, can promote obesity, heart disease and diabetes, according to The Harvard School of Public Health.

I LOVED The warning part. My friend and I chatted for a bit and wondered if all sweets contained that warning would we eat as much as we do? I mean didn't a law just pass that all cigarette cartons must have a graphic warning label? So why doesn't the sugary, high sodium, food that is killing our country have to provide a graphic warning label? Interesting...

PS I have been LOVING my Eat This Not That books! More to come on those!!

Eat This Not That

Okay so I failed to order Jillian Michaels Master Your Metabolism but I am kind of okay with it because I really don't have a ton of time to read these days. I did however just order the above books and am STOKED!!!!
Why did I decide to order these? Well the other day I went to Barnes and Noble to browse the cookbooks and ran across Cook This Not That. One it has a ton of pictures! I LOVE cookbooks with pictures! I like to see what it is supposed to look like. What really caught my eye was the 'Who Blew Up Food' page. It basically had a table that compared restaurant food, store bought food, & home cooked food. It BLEW ME AWAY!! I put the book back on the shelf and ran home to order it (yep I'm cheap--thank you Amazon)!
While ordering I came across the MANY other This Not That Books--Eat This Not That-Restaurant Survival Guide, Cook This Not That -Supermarket Survival Guide, etc. etc. Anyway I saw the Eat This Not That-For Kids!!! Kaci is eating real foods and has been for a while now I am pretty cautious with what I feed her but I really think this could be helpful.
Both of these books are supposed to be great books to just sit down and read but are meant to be flipped through and read in sections too. Which is great for me because let's face it I don't have time to sit down and read much right now.
They should arrive by Aug 22nd! WOO HOO! I will let you know what I really think when I get them and put them to use!

Healthy Snacking

Hey everyone! I so I have been back at work for about a month now and I have gained about 3 lbs. I KNOW that isn't alot of weight but I don't want it to be the beginning of a trend. I have been trying so hard to get on a schedule and to make sure that Kaci and Aaron are taken care of. That I kind of have neglected/given up on myself. Well after 3 weeks of 'adjusting' I'm done. My workout schedule starting to get more consistent now I just need to work on my eating. Here are some of the things that I am going to be snacking on at work:

Celery Stick & Carrots w/Ranch-- Yes, I said ranch. All things in moderation

Rice Cakes--Yep I love em

Chobani Yogurt I can't eat it plain way too thick but add a little fruit and it's magic!

Cheese and Crackers I've fallen for Laughing Cow cheese

Fruit

My friend at work came across an article with GREAT suggestions for last minute breakfast & snack ideas. Check these out:

Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop Popcorn 100 Calories a bag

Hummus: Tribe All Natural Hummus Snackers 50 Calories per container

Nuts : Blue Diamond Almond Bag to Go 100 Calories

Dried Fruit

Thanks for reading and sharing Kristy!

Balancing Act

Okay let's take a look at a typical day now...

4:30 AM

Wake up (if I haven't already woken up with Kaci Lu--who is currently teething her molars)

4:30-5 AM
Work Out (I'm lucky if I get a 1/2 hour workout in which makes me sad)
5-6 AM
Shower & get ready for work
6-6:30 AM
Pick up the house a little and make sure meals are ready for family & me
6:30-7 AM
Commute
7-3PM
Work at the MOST fabulous job (other than being a mommy that is)
3-3:30 PM
Commute
3:30-8:30 PM
Play Play Play
Make dinner
Bath time & Bedtime
8:30-10:30PM
Hangout with Hubby & watch the Yankees game of the day :)
10:30 PM -4:30 AM
SLEEP!!!

Now I understand that people have WAY more difficult lives and I feel HONORED to have my life and have the opportunity to do the things I do. Let me make it VERY CLEAR I am NOT complaining. I LOVE my life. But WOWZA!

Finding time to workout (because let's face it sometimes I hit the snooze button unconsciously) is VERY difficult! Eating well is hard too. There is a cafeteria (I am a sucker for cafeteria food-weird right?) where I work and sometimes my 'cold lunch' doesn't always sound as good and the soup of the day or amazing magic bar that is calling out to me! Then for some reason when I get home I'm in MAJOR snack mode!

Needless to say I have a bit more adjusting to do. :) If you have any tips for me lay em on me!

PS I need some good ON-THE-GO breakfast ideas.

Healthy Relationships

I know A LOT of people who try to keep their dieting & work out a secret, like they are embarrassed that they are trying to lose weight. They think that if they keep it a secret that it will be easier and less emotional. WRONG! I read the following on JillianMichaels.com and I could not agree more!

"From now on, I want you to surround yourself with supportive family and friends. Take the time to share your goals and aspirations with them, as well as the details about how you're going to lose weight. Give the people who are closest to you the lowdown on the types of foods you're eating and your workout schedule. Tell them how you feel about your efforts and how important it is to you that they understand your changing needs and continue to support you in this new lifestyle.

Now think of people outside your immediate circle of family and friends. People you encounter every day — whether they have a personal relationship with you or not — can help you stay on track. Your doctor can help you maintain your health while you lose weight. Your co-workers can refrain from pushing unhealthy office food. Think of everyone you regularly encounter in a day, from the guy who sells you coffee to your pals online. They are — whether they know it or not — your co-conspirators in creating a healthy new life for yourself.

If you patiently and consistently communicate what others can do to support you, you will build a network of strength that you can lean on when you feel discouraged or in need of reassurance."

And it made me think just how true this really is! Support is a KEY to changing your lifestyle. This is true in everything! Say a smoker is trying to quit but all of his friends that smoke don't support them--so they smoke around them or even offer it to them. It's the same with changing our eating and work out habits. If your friends and family know how excited and determined you are to change they are just going to want to help in anyway possible (that is if they love you)!

Start today! Share your excitement about your new journey! Yeah it may annoy them at first but who knows you might inspire someone else!

Our Country is Sick and it's SAD!

Our country is growing more and more ill by the day. It makes me sad to look around and see how unhealthy we are making ourselves. Fast food (and I'm not just talking drive thrus) seems easier now but really it causes you problems in the long run and eventually takes it's toll. Not only are adults feeling these growing pains but our children are too. I read this article this morning regarding Type 2 Diabetes in children. It gives the statistic that 17% of pediatric patients are overweight! That is nearly a quarter of of our countries children! We need to do better than this! I know it seems hard to take on. Where do we start? We start with ourselves! Make a change in the way you eat be and example to those around you ESPECIALLY your children! I challenge you to learn something new about what you are eating today and share it with someone else!