Healthy Habits: To Weigh Or Not To Weigh?

To weigh or not to weigh yourself everyday while working on a weight loss plan is an oft debated question.

Some say you should weigh no more than once a week. The school of thought is that you will get freaked out by the numbers. You may develop anxiety as your weight fluctuates each day due to water retention, exercise, etc. If you don't lose anything for several days depression can set in. Others say that when you weigh yourself every day you will become obsessed with the numbers and develop eating disorders. Also, it's hard to see progress on a daily basis. A weight loss of about two pounds a week is considered healthy but unless you have a scale that shows your weight in tenths of a pound, you won't see that progress showing up on a daily basis.

The flip side of the coin is that weighing every day helps keep you accountable to your food and exercise choices; it's a daily reminder to stay on your eating plan and remain committed to better health. Some feel daily weighing makes you more accountable to yourself and can show where you need minor adjustments. Some find it motivating to see the scale down a half of a pound, or when it stays the same three days in a row and then drops two pounds.

Personally, I weigh every day or two. I know when I have slacked on my exercise or eaten too many calories. At this point I can predict pretty accurately whether I will be up a pound or down a pound before I even step on the scale. But seeing it on the scale does keep me accountable to myself and it is easier to 'catch it' before a couple extra pounds become five or ten pounds.

Whether you prefer to weigh every day or once week, it is important that you understand and recognize things that can affect your weight by a few pounds on any given day, such as eating out (high sodium), not drinking enough water, not getting enough sleep, no exercise, or eating late at night. Whenever you weigh, be sure to do it the same time of day, in the same clothes (or no clothes). Weight will fluctuate during the day as we eat, sweat, etc, so if you get on the scale in the morning one day and then in the afternoon the next day, you may see a "false" weight gain.

Only you can decide what will work best for you. If you need a regular reminder of the goals you are striving for, you may want to weigh yourself daily.If you think you will get frustrated and give up if you see a day where your weight does not go down or where it temporarily rises, you should probably weigh yourself once a week, twice at the most.

No matter how frequently you choose to weigh, I recommend that you weigh yourself first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom, before eating or drinking anything.

What works for you? How often do you weigh yourself and why? Weigh in with your opinion!

Healthy Habits: Small Changes Cutting Big Calories

The fastest way to lose weight and/or live a healthier lifestyle is to go cold turkey: eat a clean diet and exercise every day. However, being the humans we are, few people are willing to make those kind of changes that they perceive as drastic. So, if you think that making small changes that you can integrate into your life creating new habits is something you are willing to do, here are a few small changes you can make that will reward you with greater energy and better health.

STOP EATING DESSERT FOR BREAKFAST: Let's face it, many 'breakfast' foods eaten at any other time would be considered dessert. Sugar coated cereals, pastries, muffins (muffins=cake), etc. You know when you eat it! You're only fooling yourself.
Choose instead to eat something that will fuel your body with energy (such as fresh fruit and whole grains) and leave you feeling satisfied instead of craving more sugar.

EAT SMALLER MEALS MORE FREQUENTLY: Eating smaller meals five or six times a day ensures that you will be giving your body fuel every time it needs it and when it needs it. Waiting until you are 'starving' causes you to eat more than you need, making you feel over full and dragging physically.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP: When we are tired, our bodies crave food because they are looking for energy. Pay special attention to how you feel the next time you have a regular day of activities after a short night of sleep. It is usually a struggle to not overeat on those days. The funny thing is, it is sleep that our bodies really need in order to feel energized...we give it food instead. Try taking a nap and see if you don't feel better. If napping doesn't work into your schedule (I know it doesn't for me) then it is extra important to plan to get enough sleep at night.

GET REGULAR EXERCISE: Strive for 30 minutes each day. Few people have a schedule that is so tight that they can't fit in 30 minutes of exercise. If you found 30 minutes to watch tv then you have 30 minutes to exercise, it's all a matter of priority. If you truly can't find 30 solid minutes, then split it into three 10-minute sessions (walk, stairs, weights, sit-ups, push-ups, etc). Three 10-minute workouts over the course of a day is not as good as doing one solid 30 minute workout. This is because you release metabolism boosting hormones over the duration of longer exercise. But, 10 minute bouts are better than no exercise at all!!

What small (or large) changes have you made in your life that are making a difference? What changes do you struggle with that you would like to make in order to live a healthier lifestyle?

What I discovered on a Friday Night Date

It was my turn to plan 'friday night date night'. I thought I'd surprise my honey by starting out with a late afternoon trip to the Sportsmans Expo in Glendale, Az. The arena was to be packed with fishing 'stuff'-demonstrations promising to make you an expert fly-fisher, boats that every fisherman would die for, campers and trailers so stocked with amenities that even the most 'anti-outdoors' wife would want to accompany you on your next fishing trip and excursions to every exotic place you could think of to hunt any wild and crazy animal you can imagine.

We walked up and down the aisles, looking at the goods and listening to the sales pitches; lures that guaranteed you'd catch bigger fish, trips that would be a 'once in a lifetime' experience, fire starters that looked fun to play with whether you were camping or not, jerky made out of every kind of animal that can be hunted and a camper/trailer that I would surely have purchased if I had found $21K randomly in the pocket of my jeans.

We thought we had seen about everything there was to see as we turned down the last isle. "We'll just walk down this isle and continue out the door", we said to each other. I scanned the booths before us, wondering if I could successfully avoid eye contact with the vendors as we walked by so we could leave and head downtown for the rest of date night. As I looked down the isle, something on the last booth caught my eye. Something I didn't expect to see at this venue, a pink ribbon representing breast cancer awareness. Now I was curious. I wondered how breast cancer awareness fit into this environment. 

I grabbed my honey's hand and urged him to hurry down the isle toward the pink ribbons. We stopped in front of the table, and as we read "Casting For Recovery" (http://castingforrecovery.org/ ) a cute little lady named Donna popped out from behind the poster with a big smile on her face, looked at me and asked if I was a Breast Cancer Survivor. I confirmed that I was and questioned what the name of the organization meant. With great enthusiasm she proceeded to tell us about this non-profit organization, "Casting For Recovery". 

Donna told us about a weekend retreat they offer (in many states) for Breast Cancer Survivors at any stage of recovery. At this weekend retreat, experts teach women about fly-fishing...everything from knot tying and equipment basics to fly casting and spending time on the water practicing catch and release fishing. Why fly-fishing? Fly-fishing techniques provide a gently exercise for joint and soft tissue mobility and the equipment is lightweight.

During this weekend retreat there are also opportunities for education through Physical Therapists, Nurses, Counselors, etc. And maybe most important, an opportunity to meet, talk with and form friendships and support systems with other women who understand the ups and downs that come with life after 'BC'.

After sharing our stories with one another, Donna explained that because of funds (or lack of), they were only able to take 14 women on the retreat. She told me that the deadline to apply was in 5 days and encouraged me to go online and submit my application. She told me that they literally took all of the applications and put them in a hat and drew out 14. She continued to explain that they also draw out 14 alternates, just in case one of the first drawn wasn't able to attend, even up to the last minute. I looked at my sweetheart and said, "I'm going to go learn to fly-fish" (He recently started to learn to fly-fish himself and I knew he would be real happy if I could fish with him).

The next morning I went online and submitted my application. I then waited, knowing the deadline was in five days. Since the deadline was a Saturday, I confidently stated that Monday morning I would have an email back telling me that I had been drawn...I was going to will it to happen with positive thinking.

The following Monday morning I DID have an email from CFR telling me that I had been chosen as an alternate. Hmmm....I fully expected to be planning my fishing weekend. Then I remembered that Donna had told me that she was drawn as an alternate and got to go because someone else wasn't able to. Since this is an opportunity I wish every woman dealing with breast cancer could experience, I had a hard time hoping that someone else wouldn't be able to go just so that I could. Another hmmm....if someone won a cruise at the last minute, that would be a really good reason for a spot to open up for me. That's what I'll go with!! I hope someone wins an awesome cruise that has to be taken the same weekend!

This is the story of 2010, the year I found out about 'Casting For Recovery'. A spot DIDN'T open up at the last minute and I DIDN'T get to attend. So, I applied again this year. Just a couple of days ago I was notified that I was one of the lucky ladies drawn to attend the 2011 retreat. I am super excited about this opportunity. If you are a Breast Cancer survivor in any stage of recovery, or if you have a sister, mother or friend who has battled Breast Cancer, I encourage you to check out  http://castingforrecovery.org/  to see if there is a retreat in your state. I am looking forward to an amazing experience!

Healthy Habits: Do You Know How Many Calories Your Body Needs?

Pretty much everyone is aware by now that the only way to lose weight is to "take in less calories than you put out". Or said another way, "expend more calories than you eat". Or said another way "intake < output".  

There are two ways to lose weight: 
1. Eat less than you burn (change what you eat or how you eat to consume less calories) 
2. Burn more calories than you eat (become more active)

So how do you know how many calories your body needs to maintain or to lose weight? Your body uses about 10 calories per pound just to function each day (sedentary lifestyle). If you weigh 180lbs then your body uses 1800 calories a day. In order to lose weight, you need to eat less calories than your body burns, forcing it to draw from fat stores to make up the difference. 

An aggressive but solid weight loss plan would be to take in 7 calories per lb. The same person weighing 180 lbs will then need 1260 calories per day, or 540 calories less than the body needs to function.

3500 calories = one pound. That means that if you eat 3500 less calories in the week you will lose a little over one pound a week. The 180 lb person cutting back 540 calories a day will lose one pound a week. 540 (calories cut back ea day) X 7 (days in wk) = 3780 (calories cut back in one week) which equates to 1.08 lbs lost per week. 

Note: It's not healthy to drop below 1000 calories a day for more than a couple of days. If 7 calories per pound equals less than 1000 calories for you, it is better to eat at least 1000 calories and increase your exercise to burn more calories.

The second way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you eat. Everything you do burns calories. If you keep your caloric intake the same while increasing your activity to burn 500 more calories a day, you will lose one pound a week. If you burn an extra 1000 calories a day you will lose 2 pounds a week from exercise alone.

Note: If you increase the amount of food you are eating it will offset that exercise and you won't lose weight. This alone is a great reason to keep a food journal. It is motivating at the end of the day to see your caloric intake and your calories burned.

What if you cut back by 500 calories a day and also burn 500 calories a day in extra activities? You will lose 2 pounds a week. However, if you stick to this religiously you may find that you have lost 10 lbs at the end of the month instead of just the 8 you expected. Regular exercise increases your metabolism and keeps your body burning calories at a higher rate for hours after you stop exercising.

There is a reason everyone in the fitness and weight loss industry keeps harping on keeping a food journal and recording EVERY SINGLE bite you put in your mouth. That is truly the only way to know exactly how many calories you are eating. If you also track your exercise you can know if you are burning more calories than you are eating.

There are several free websites that provide an excellent way to track both your food intake as well as calories burned through exercise. Each has different features. Try them out and see which you prefer. 

http://www.livestrong.com/   (will even give you calories for your favorite restaurant food)

http://sparkpeople.com/   (also tracks restaurant food)

http://fitday.com/    (has nice charts that can be motivating)

http://www.mytrainerbob.com/   (if you are a Bob Harper fan)

There are several APP's available for use on your smart phone as well.

You can also get the calorie count for food and exercise from websites or books and keep track  of it in a paper journal if you prefer.

It has been proven time and time again that individuals who keep a food journal (paper or online) repeatedly lose more weight and lose it faster than those who don't track their food intake. I don't like to admit this, but I have proven to myself that it is true. I don't like to admit it because I consider myself a fairly intelligent person who is knowledgeable about health and nutrition. I like to think that I can 'do it' without having to write every little thing down.

But I'm here to tell you that I did track every little thing I ate on an online program when I was losing 10-12 lbs a month. Every 7 calorie strawberry that went into my mouth was accounted for. I have tried to do it lately (working on the last lbs to lose) 'in my head'. IT'S NOT WORKING!

There is something about having to look at it on paper that makes you stop and think, "I don't want to write this down, so I won't eat it". Or, in figuring out how many calories to write down, you think "Wow, that's a lot of calories for that little thing...not worth it!" Something about having to face (written down in front of you) every bite of cookie or biscuit or peanut butter treat that holds you accountable to yourself.

Again, let me say that I hate that this is a fact of human nature...I want to be better than that! But I know from experience that I can maintain my weight with no problem but when I want to lose I must keep a food journal.

Have you tried keeping a food journal? If not, why not? If so, what is your experience? Would you willing to do it if you felt it would 'guarantee' weight loss?

Which online tracking tool is your favorite and why?








 

Healthy Habits: Supplements? What to take?

Questions about what supplements I take have come up multiple times recently in several off line conversations, so I thought I'd post what supplements I take on a daily basis as well as one of my favorite "drinkable meals". I can take this with me and drink it on the run (instead of getting fast food), or set it on my desk while I'm working through lunch. 


Let's start with the list of daily supplements:

Multi Vitamin - A multi vitamin is a good idea for everyone. Ideally we would be getting all the vitamins we need from the food we eat. But realistically, we are likely short on something every day.

Vit C - Boosts immune system, anti-aging and cell regenerating properties.

Vit D - Increases bone strength and proven to help prevent against disease. Important for women, especially over age 40 to help prevent bone thinning which leads to osteoporosis.

Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc - Essential nutrients that affect so many areas of the body including muscles (calcium helps with contraction, magnesium helps muscles to relax and avoid cramping), regulating heartbeat, vision, healthy bones, nerve impulses, fight off infection and build healthy bones. NOTE: Don't take calc/mag/zinc with iron supplements. Check with your Dr if you are taking iron.

Glucosamine & Chondroitin - Helps with joint function, strength and mobility (low back, knees, fingers, shoulders). 

The list above I take each day. If there is one pill in the dose I take it in the morning. If the dose includes more than one pill I divide them and take half in the morning and half in the evening. 

The next group of supplements I put into a green drink each day which is jam packed with nutrition, low in calories and serves as a meal. Following is the recipe for my green drink. Let me just say, if you don't have the green drink, just put the Benefiber into a cup of water or skim milk.

Fiber is SO important in your diet and most people do not get enough natural fiber in the foods they eat. Fiber is basically carbohydrates that cannot be absorbed by the body. So when you eat fiber, it works it's way through your body, scraping the waste away with it as it exits out the other end. Fiber helps rid your body of toxins which helps with weight loss. It also helps regulate and prevent many diseases.

In my next post we will address what foods are high in fiber, and how to choose and purchase high fiber foods. For now, I will just say that in addition to getting fiber in foods, it is extremely helpful to have a teaspoon of fiber each day. I like Benefiber because unlike some other brands that make this claim, Benefiber has NO taste. I mean you can stir it into a glass of cold water and drink it and you will NOT know it is there. No clumping, no thickening, no flavor...none!! I don't want to taste fiber when I'm drinking it.

This green drink is sweet because of the choice of fruit. It's definitely NOT the green drink your Mother used to make :).  It's also very high in anti-oxidents. It tastes best when drinking it on an empty stomach so you can truly appreciate the great flavors,


GREEN DRINK
Put water and supplements in blender first. Then add the remaining ingredients in the order listed.

20 OZ Water (I always have cold water in the fridge, I want my drink to be cold)
1 Tblsp Flax Seed (Omega 3's, Protein, Fiber-great cancer prevention)
1/2 Tblsp Hemp Seed (Omega 3's, Protein, Amino Acids)
1/4 Cup Protein Powder (I prefer a Whey Protein)
1 tsp Benefiber

1 C Fresh Kale (Pack it into a cup)
4 C Fresh Spinach (packed into cup) (may substitute 1 cup frozen spinach)
1/2 C Blueberries (may substitute other dark berries)(may try w/red berries-will change flavor)
1/2 Banana
1/2 C Pineapple (I freeze fresh. It you have to use canned make sure it has no added sugar)

I keep baggie's of Blueberries, Banana and Pineapple (measured together in the baggie) in the freezer ready to go.

By adding them in last, everything else is blended when they work their way to the bottom of the blender. Blend until everything is absolutely pureed...no chunks!

You will end up with about 40 oz of drink. The entire drink is 338 calories and super nutritious!







                                           

Healthy Habits

I was talking with a friend, sharing and learning ideas for weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. It is interesting to me how many aspects there are to being healthy; eating, sleeping, exercise, spiritual fulfillment, emotional fulfillment, interactions with friends and others that affect our emotional and mental well-being. As we talked about these different areas and trying to be aware of taking care of ourselves in all areas, I suggested that she start creating 'healthy habits'. Once something is a habit we just do it as a matter of course. Our mind has learned that 'this is what we do'. By creating 'healthy habits' we can train our mind and body to do certain things that we know are good for us. The more healthy habits we can develop the easier it is to get and stay healthy because we already know how we will respond and what we will do in certain situations. The goal is to not have to 'make decisions' when we feel weak, but to go on auto pilot because 'that's what we do'.

For example, when I get up in the morning I no longer think about what I 'want' to eat or drink. I walk to the fridge for a bottle of cold water. I have one beside me right now since I am writing early on a Saturday morning. I don't ask myself if I feel like having water. I have created a habit of drinking a bottle of water every morning before eating anything.
It was suggested that when blogging about any of these things, I title it "Healthy Habits". I will take that suggestion...Healthy Habits is born!
What healthy habits do you have? I'm always looking for ways to improve mine.
In what area(s) would you like to develop more healthy habits?

Healthy Habits: Favorite Breakfast Recipes Under 300 Calories

One of the most important tips I can give to help you along your weight loss journey is: DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST!! Eating within an hour of waking in the morning (ideally 30 min) jump starts your metabolism. This means you will burn more calories throughout the day. Not eating breakfast sends your body into starvation mode and your metabolism slows down in order to conserve energy. The key is to put something (fuel) in your body that can be converted to energy and metabolized slowly. Sugar will metabolize quickly giving you a burst of energy but won't last very long. The right kind of carbs, fat and protein will give you sustained energy over several hours.

Interesting thing about sugar. If you eat sugar, your body will crave sugar. Then it's an ongoing battle with yourself, trying not to eat the 'bad stuff'. If you don't believe me, try this experiment. Eat sugar early in the day and then pay close attention to what you 'want' to eat for the rest of the day. Then take a day and make one of the breakfast recipes below and see what your body is craving for the rest of the day. Obviously this doesn't mean that you won't want sugar any more. But you will find that if you can go for about three days without sugar your body stops craving it. Fresh, sweet fruit becomes sugar to you and you will truly notice the intense sweetness of things like fresh pineapple or oranges and grapefruits. You will start to crave the natural sugars in fruit for energy.
I always drink a 24 oz bottle of water first thing after waking in the morning. Then I eat about a cup of fresh fruit giving me carbs for energy and jump starting my metabolism. That's enough food to exercise on; you shouldn't exercise on an empty stomach, but definitely don't want a full stomach. After exercise I will make one of the breakfasts below.

These are three of my favorite breakfast recipes. All are under 300 calories!!


Fresh Banana Nut Oatmeal  (267 calories)
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Skim Milk
1/2 Cup Quaker Rolled Oats (NOT instant)
1/2 Ripe Banana
3 Walnut halves

Put water, milk and oats in small sauce pan on stove. Turn stove on low-med. Stir frequently as it heats, oats will cook (approx 3-4 min) and start to thicken. Do not turn on high, do not boil.

Meanwhile in cereal bowl, mash 1/2 banana with fork. Break walnut halves into small pieces on top of banana.

When oats are cooked pour into cereal bowl over banana. Mix with spoon.


Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie    (285 Calories)
1/2 Cup Skim Milk
1/2 Cup Cold Water
1 tsp Ground Flax Seed
1 Scoop Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
1/2 Ripe Banana
5 Large Frozen Strawberries

Put in Blender in order above and blend until smooth. If you like it thicker, add one or two more strawberries.(add 7 calories for each strawberry you add)



Protein Bowl    (234 Calories) 
This recipe makes 4 servings: 234 calories per serving
(This is a variation of Jillian Michael's Breakfast Bowl)
2 Cups Fat Free Plain Yogurt
2 Cups Fat Free Cottage Cheese
3 Tblsp Sliced Almonds
1/2 Cup Quaker Rolled Oats (NOT instant)
2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 Cup Fresh Blueberries OR Blackberries OR Strawberries (Can also use frozen berries-let thaw first)

Combine yogurt, cottage cheese, almonds, oats & vanilla in a bowl. Mix. Divide into four-1 cup servings in four storage bowls with seals. Put in fridge. Needs to sit overnight or at least four hours for oatmeal to "cook" as it absorbs moisture.

Put fruit on top of protein bowl at the time you are eating it.


There you go...three great breakfasts that are quick and easy or make ahead, super nutritious and great tasting! Enjoy!

When do you have the most difficulty creating a healthy meal; when fixing breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Are you most interested in changing your eating habits or your exercise habits right away? Or both?