June 30, 2008

Don't step on it..It makes you cry!

Don't step on it

I wish I had this warning when I was younger!  Oh that scale!

I never had a weight problem when I was younger but after going through menopause I packed on about 20 pounds and then again packed on more after I stopped smoking.  Well, the good part to that is I’m rid of the nasty addiction even though I still need that fake cigarette in my hand to do that hand to mouth thing!  Hey, it works for me!

Woman shooting scaleNow, to deal with getting these pounds off!  At first, the extra pounds were a cosmetic concern for me but now as I'm getting much older, I’m terrified of the increase risks and a host of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

From my own experience, the hardest obstacle to overcome when incorporating any diet is to give up eating bread!  Since grain bread is very high in carbs (about 20 g per slice), it is impossible for me to try and lose weight if I continue to eat bread.

 

A friend of mine just lost a lot of weight and I asked her what her secret was and she said “Cutting Calories” is usually a lot easier than you might think.  Her advice was to cut 500 of calories per day from your diet. For example, that daily tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories. Since a pound of flab (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a pound a week.

 

Other easy cuts include salad dressing (salad dressing is the number one source of fat in the average American woman's diet)  soda pop,  ice cream,  candy, and  butter.  You don't need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods you'll  lose weight faster. She said to also stop using olive oil when sautéing….use Pam instead.  Reducing 500 calories per day from the calories you eat to maintain your weight can help you lose a pound of fat per week.  I did notice a cut in calories by purchasing the squirt dressing instead of pouring dressing over your salad.

My friend obtained all this useful information from a Diet Program that she joined and paid a lot of money for this information and diet program.  Thank goodness my shorthand came in handy jotting down all these notes.  My friend lost 40 pounds in a short length of time.  She told me if I handle this calorie problem with the same vigor I did with “stop smoking”…..she said it will be a “piece of cake”…..no pun intended!  LOL


I do have to learn “Portion Control”.  She told me to never to supersize your food portions -- unless you want to supersize your clothes.  Damn, I have already jumped two dress sizes and I’m totally depressed over it.

My biggest problem is eating breakfast.  Normally, just coffee is enough for me unless I’m joining a group of people, then I will have something to eat.  I guess all those years of hitting the snooze button to my alarm clock too many times never allowed me to have time to eat breakfast.  They say if you eat a big breakfast it helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

She told me of a few tricks that I have noticed her doing while we gals are out having dinner together. 

Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage and dessert.  She will request a take home container before the food even arrives to the table.  She cuts the meal in half and saves it for the following day for lunch. 

 

 

Sleepwalking Well, with my nocturnal eating while sleepwalking…that may not work for me.  Cutting the meal in half would not be a problem, it is putting it in my refrigerator for the next day would be a challenge!  LOL

She also said they were taught to plate their food instead of eating out of a jar or a bag.  This must be a visual thing I guess.

We all know to switch from whole milk to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you'll lose 5 lbs in a year.  Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.  She said she dilutes her juice with water.

She also said they all had to keep a food journal. It really works wonders.  That I knew already, I use a great online site that my daughter introduced to me called Sparkpeople.  I keep track of everything I eat and also what exercise I have done during the day.  It truly helps me.  You must jot down every morsel of food you intake…………the total amount of calories will shock you.

 

http://sparkpeople.com/myspark/loginpage.asp?whereFrom=nutrition.asp

 

Click on the above site and join….it is free.  Yes, you need a username and password………..people panic when they have to take a few more extra steps online to join a free program!


I have been using Mustard instead of Mayo and believe it or not….I like it.  I have been eating more soup….being Italian, mine is homemade of course, just stay way from the creamy ones.

One girlfriend of mine lost 30 pounds by just stop drinking sodas… and she was drinking diet drinks!  Amazing.

Limit alcohol to weekends.  Now, this one I may have a struggle with.  I love my wine with my dinners and that is every night!!!!!!!

 

I just got on my scale!  The doctor told me that if I just lost 20 pounds alone, my cholesterol will go down drastically and will also help my blood pressure.

 

Since my friend shared these great tips with me, I decided to pass it along to you......my dear Internet Friends.  If you have some other great tips...please let me know.  I wish I had all this knowledge 20-30 years ago!

 

Well, I’m going to try harder, how about you?

15 comments:

  1. What great suggestions!  Thanks.  And i love the cute graphics too.
    Good luck with it all...

    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  2. I find it hard to stay away from bread.  Bread's my down fall.
    Missie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for all the weight loss advice. I need to lose about 120 pounds to get where I need to be. I am so frustrated!! I like the idea of the food journal. The advice about eating breakfast makes sense. I dont eat breakfast that much. I need to start. My main problem is eating at night. I guess I am weak. I will defenetly visit the site you shared...hugs, Christine

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have always been a big girl and finally many years ago, made peace with it. I have however, changed my diet instead of going on one. Right now I cannot workout due to the fact I am still in a back brace, but I drinking more water, and adapting to an Mediettrian diet, both my husband and I have lost a great deal of weigh.
    We don't still have a ways to go. But our secret: don't go on a diet-change it.
    Laini

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great tips! For me portion control has always been key. That way I don't feel like I'm going without anything and can still enjoy eating normally. I tend to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables anyway. For cereal in the morning use fresh blueberries or strawberries, bananas instead of sugar. It naturally sweetens your cereal. I use Soy milk, simply because I'm limited to how much dairy my body can take...(Hugs)Indigo

    ReplyDelete
  6. As a nurse I met a little old lady who was quite slim.  She said the secret was to cut your portions in half and go for a walk every day.  Sounds good in theory.

    Claudia

    ReplyDelete
  7. oooooh, i can SO relate!!  i really don't do the portion thing very well, tho i have become more mindful of it these last few months.  thanks for the visit, grins, debra

    ReplyDelete
  8. oooooh, i can SO relate!!  i really don't do the portion thing very well, tho i have become more mindful of it these last few months.  thanks for the visit, grins, debra

    ReplyDelete
  9. well I have no tips at all, LOL  But I will take yours.  I have to lose 20 lbs in 6 weeks (for a wedding!!!) and tonight I had beans and brown rice for dinner and honestly it was not boring with salsa on it.   But boring food has never been the problem, my problem is eating at night!!!!  So I keep trying different strategies.  My favorite diet dressing is salad dressing sprays, the ones by Paul Newman!  My fave is the balsamic one, its pretty good!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Quitting smoking was easy for me, even after a pack and a half a day for ten years. Well maybe not 'easy' but nowhere near as hard as trying to lose weight in any one of the 24 years I've been obese. I lost 100 pounds in '95 and kept that off, lost some more and put it back on, lost 50 in '06 and gained back 75#, etc.

    Ugh. Good ideas in your post, but the hard part is living them.

    Glad to see you have so many commenters nowadays :)

    Dan

    ReplyDelete
  11. Here's a tip for the salad dressing.  Put your salad in a container with a cover, add no more than 1 tablespoon of dressing, cover and shake the salad really well.  Once you get used to less dressing, you won't be able to stand the amount restaurants put on salads and you'll start asking for your dressing on the side!
    Great journal, Rose.

    ReplyDelete
  12. cute entry! and good luck!
    natalie

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Rose! I came here through your Guest Editor link at Magic Smoke. Congratulations, BTW, for being chosen to do Guest Editor... so I browsed a bit in your journal, and will probably browse a bit more after I leave this comment. I am trying to get into a healthier shape through cutting calories and exercising as well. Being in one's mid-fifties shouldn't equate having a broader mid-section, so I'm trying to lean up. For the same reason you mentioned: health risks increase for this age group tremendously. I've gained slowly over the years, and even though I've learned to dress better to accommodate the bulk, and even hide it a bit, that's not going to help me live a healthier quality of life. I love bread, my favorite food. I think cutting out butter has been my hardest sacrifice regarding the food issue: I love the sweet taste, it's smooth texture, and especially love it when it is cold on a piece of hard Italian or French bread. I also love chocolate near the end of the day. I could give up 500 calories a day, I suppose. Also, I joined a gym and I'm working out about four days a week. I don't write too much about that in my journal... but I do write about lots of other things that are important to me. I am going to browse your pages now... come see me anytime.
    bea

    ReplyDelete
  14. I feel your pain - i'm about to try to drop the LBs I gained when I moved and got married and let life take over instead of me taking over my life. One suggestion I'd give you is to not take too many suggestions from others - many people do the diet thing wrong. it's al ifestyle change and you need to do it the way your body needs it, not the way my body or someone else's body needs it. Be safe, be healthy and be true to yourself. you'll be great!

    ReplyDelete