Monthly Archives: September 2014

I have a few tips and tricks I want to share with you. They might not be new tips to you but they might help someone who is just starting their weight loss journey.

1. Always eat Breakfast. I was so use to skipping meals and stuffing my face at night that this was hard. I would wake up in the morning and feel sick so I wouldn’t eat. To help me start eating breakfast I started with drinking smoothies. It didnt seem to make me feel like I was going to throw up and I could drink it slowly.

2. Do what works for you. Weather you are doing WW, Jenny craig, Paleo or low carb to name a few make sure it’s something you can do day in and out without having the mentality that it’s a diet. Which brings us to number 3

3. Keep in mind it’s a lifestyle not a diet. It’s not something you will start and stop this is how you will be living the rest of your life.

4. If you don’t like  vegetables hide them in everything. Hide them in your meatloaf, your smoothie, your pasta sauce cause the veggies will keep you full and satisfied.

5.Keep snacks in the car for when a craving for fast food hits

6. Make a meal plan it will trim your waist and your grocery budget since you will only buy what you need.

7. Track everything that goes into your mouth. Sometimes we just need to see it in writing to realize just how much we are eating.

8. Start moving. It doesn’t matter if you decide to join a gym, workout at home or start walking with a friend just start moving.

9. Try new things. People are always complaining that eating healthy food can be boring or workout out gets to be a chore. So try something new an exotic fruit or an exercise class that will push your limits.

10. Don’t compete with other people losing weight. You are losing weight for yourself not for others. Don’t compare their weight loss or strength to your own. Have a record of your best walk/run/swim etc and work at beating those goals.

I probably have some more tips and tricks that I can’t seem to put to paper right now but I hope this article helps you. Feel free to add your tips and tricks in the comments.

Isn’t it funny how we tend to play mind games with ourselves. This morning I was 110% convinced that I was going to have a huge weight gain . I was trying to talk  myself out of even going to the  weight in for the meeting.  After going thru the scenario of being disappointed about gaining weight I decided to face the music and deal with the consequences. I also decided before getting on the scale that I was going to plug my fitbit back in and  get back to tracking everything I do.

I think sometimes we cause so much anxiety over a number on the scale that we  fail ourselves. We play the well I already gained so I might as well game. You know the one that goes like this. I already gained weight so I might as well overeat today and just start all over tomorrow.  So next time I am feeling like I had a gain I will start a new game. The what if game. What if I take control of my emotions and not let them control me. What if I have a weight loss and I could buy some new clothing.  I would rather play the  what if game in a positive way then in a negative and destructive way.

Last night I was starving. My stomach was growling out of control and I kept thinking but you ate all your points. Then is dawned on me that yes I had eaten all my points but I ate crap all day. I ate highly processed foods that weren’t particularly filling. I am so happy that I am at a point in my journey where I can recognize what I did wrong and what I need to do to fix it. So tomorrow there will be lots of whole foods. I will up my water intake and make sure that I am making every point count. I really am a competitive person and when I eat over my points it tends to drive me crazy.

For all you men and women on WW how to you make sure you eat quality foods instead of getting caught up with the points?

I remember being at a TOPS meeting a few years ago and talking about mental hunger vs emotional hunger. I remember at that very moment in my life my eating was out of control. I wanted to be healthy and I wanted to eat all the right foods but I kept stuffing my face with processed foods and desserts. I remember feeling guilt every night and saying tomorrow I will do better. But during this particular meeting the words that came out of the leaders mouth spoke to me. She asked us to ask ourselves one question before eating. She asked us to say out loud and become aware of our habits by  asking Will an apple do? If you answered no an apple won’t do then you truly didn’t want food. Because if you are truly hungry you will not be picky about what to eat you will just eat whatever you have on hand.

So my question to you. Will an apple do?

As I have three kids I sometimes need to get creative with my workouts. To some this might be a pain  but to others it’s a great opportunity. I think when I am dancing around the living room doing Zumba or doing an elliptical workout I am showing my kids a variety of workouts that can be fun. Working out isn’t about going to the gym and spending time away from the family but it’s about incorporating the new generation to stay active. This summer was the first summer that we didn’t have to lug around a huge stroller and diaper bag and it was wonderful. As a family we got to experience Lynn Canyon. It was so much fun to see their faces when we crossed the suspension bridge and when we completed the trail. I think it call also be challenging when we go on nature hikes and we tend to get creative. For example we aren’t going on a hike we are on a nature walk looking for a specific tree or insect. We are chasing fairies, becoming princesses and knights. So it becomes a chance for us as adults to become children for a few hours and the kids to let their imaginations roam.  And when all else fails you can always run around the backyard or park playing tag. Which I have come to learn can take on many forms as well. I capture little boys and girls and it turns them into cats or I am a monster that captures the knights and the princess to lock them in a tower.

Sometimes playing a game of tag with the kids can be even more rewarding then spending an hour in the gym. Just remember that while you are on a journey to lose weight don’t get tunnel vision and only work on your weight loss.  Enjoy the moments you can’t get back with your kids or your spouses. You need to create some precious moments for your family.

With the kids being out of school for longer then normal it seems like September has flown by, as we approach October one thing comes to mind. It’s almost Halloween. And with Halloween comes a bunch of temptations. The mini chocolate barres are staring to show up on all the shelves as well as all the other candy. I use to think well a mini chocolate bar is nothing but its like the Pringles chips once you pop you just can’t stop. And I also love the molasse kisses that everyone seems to toss out I welcome them with open arms lol. However I can’t stand candy corn which works because it’s my husbands favorite. Since I am extremely dedicated this year to my weight loss journey I am going to be setting myself up with a plan. I am going to only keep the treats the kids really enjoy and after a week of having children that are on sugar highs I will be donating or throwing out the leftover candy. I can already here some of you saying donate your candy. If you do a google search there is tons of people from the Ronald Mcdonald house to centers that deal in addiction that will take your leftover candies off your hands and put them to good use. There’s even some dentists that will buy back your candy to send to the troops. And if I donate my leftovers I don’t have the guilt of throwing out “food”.

Also I plan to embrace other parts of halloween this year. Like the dressing up and acting like a child. Capturing the look on my kids faces when they see a haunted house or a carved pumpkin. I also want to decorate more and I have realized I can do that without breaking the bank. Dollar stores have come a really long  way in the decoration department. I actually have my eye on a scarecrow wreath.

I guess all this to say halloween doesn’t have to throw you off your weight loss journey you just need to get creative.

We talked about this at my WW meeting and I have started and stopped multiple times before but the thing that made me start this time. Was well time itself. How long do I have on this earth no one ever truly knows but I knew that I wanted to maximize whatever time I had. I didn’t want to live in fear any longer. I had started having this recurring dream that would scare the shit out of me. I had had a heart attack and did not make it and thru out my very vivid and realistic dream I would see my tree small children and husband at my funeral. Crying and having to deal with the rest of their life without a mother because I did not get healthy. And then as I lay in the coffin awake I started to realize everything I would miss. I would miss my baby going to preschool for the first time, my middle child going to kindergarten, my oldest learning to read and write. I would miss first crushes, first heartbreaks and first school dances, I would miss weddings and funerals and anniversaries. From that day I decided I was going to get my shit together if it was the last thing I did. I was going to show my children how to live life to the fullest and be the healthiest they can be. But as much as I wanted to do all these things I needed some guidance. As a person that researches pretty much everything under the moon I had so much knowledge on how to get healthy and lose weight that I could not find a starting point.  This is why I chose WW I needed the extra help and the extra motivation.

This week I received my 16 week charm and I couldn’t have been happier. For 16 weeks I have been the best mom and wife I could possibly be by educating myself and living a healthier lifestyle. Now I want this blog to be real so yes there was days when I had mcdonalds or quiznos or full out junk food binges. There are days when I feel defeated, depressed and like I will never get there. And then I remember being scared to go to sleep for fear I would never wake up again. I also take things one meal at a time, one day at a time, some days one minute at a time. Now I am still very very far from my goal weight but every day I am waking up and making my life better.

So today is a cloudy rainy day here in BC. It makes me want to curl up with a book, a blanket and some warm soup. With the rainy season on the verge of starting I am going to have to be creative when it comes to my eating and meal plans. All the fresh berries that we have been enjoying are coming to an end and our fruit will become a little more limited in selection. As this happens every year I am slowly adapting to how I can eat healthy in the winter months. I find I up my vegetables in the winter since we have such a great selection. The turnips, squash and potatoes are what I crave the most. There’s nothing like a fresh slice of bread and a stew on a cold day. So I am going to start exploring some yummy soups. A few of my favorites are curry sweet potato and mulligatawny. Desserts also seem to creep back into the house a lot more during the winter because I think we get bored. It’s not as nice out and we feel a little isolated and that’s nothing a warm apple crisp can’t help. But with the high sugar high fat baked goods come the unwanted pounds of the winter blues. I am going to attempt to keep busy in different ways then baking this year. I’m going to get more involved in the kids schools, start scrapbooking again now that I have time and curl up with some amazing books. Of but don’t worry I’ve found alternatives to my high fat desserts. I’ve discovered Davids Tea. They have everything pumpkin pie blends and other delicious treats as well. And since I’ve never been a huge tea drinker until recently I don’t have the habit of putting milk or sugar in my tea I just drink it.

My workouts also seem to change in the winter. In the summer I love lifting weights and running on the treadmill but in the summer I much prefer a hot yoga class over anything else. The warmth of the room the relaxation and feeling you have one you finish the class and walk out into the cool crisp air is something I enjoy.  One thing that I do miss about living in ontario is seeing the leaves change and walking on the fallen leaves and hearing that satisfying crunch beneath your feet. I will have to explore some BC trails and see if I can find that here.

What do you love about the fall and winter months?

There are tons and tons of different diet/lifestyles, shakes and pills out there. And what do I think of them well that doesn’t matter you know why cause I am worrying about my journey and myself. What works for me is doing WW. I have tried slim fast, LA Weight loss, and diet pills as well as eating a Paleo diet.  I can tell you my experiences with these programs and products but I can’t tell you how your journey will be with these products. I will however say if your considering diet pills please read the side effects and do your research some of them have really horrible side effects.

As a society we tend to be very judgemental and once we find something that works for us it’s our way or the highway. If we just stopped judging each other and encouraged each other the world would be a way better place to live.  That person drinking shakeology is doing what they think is best for them. That person eating a Paleo lifestyle also thinks that is what’s best for them. Same goes for the wraps, pill etc. And just like I think WW is what is working and fits my lifestyle.

How did I decide WW was for me? Well I decided that WW was for me when it was something I was willing to do for the rest of my life. Not a few weeks, not a quick fix, not jump start to my weight loss but my lifestyle. I can adapt it to my life. I can tell people I am on a weight loss journey or not since you can pretty much eat anything on WW as long as in your daily points. And those of us who have been doing the program for a while know that eating whatever you want is a perk but at the end of the day you should always chose fruits, veggies and lean meats over processed crap. Like I mentioned I did do the Paleo diet and for me it was not something I could sustain so I won’t be doing that lifestyle. Does it mean it’s horrible no does it mean I couldn’t do it yes.

So before you comment on a blog about how a person should lose weight or what program they should be following, remember they are only doing what they think is best for them 🙂

What if processed foods had never been invented.? What if frozen dinners weren’t an option? What if you had to learn basic cooking skills to feed your family?

It seems like everyday a new easy to cook/prepare food is hitting the market.  And less and less people are spending time in the kitchen. Some people don’t even have basic cooking skills since you can buy pre made everything now a days.  Everything from soup to a fancy meal can come from a can or the freezer isle. And I for one think it’s sad. It’s sad that younger generations don’t know what healthy eating is. I think it’s sad that in a world where there is an obesity epidemic a new fast food chain or processed food comes to the market. I think it’s sad that people would rather buy processed crap because it’s cheaper then to make a home made meal

I often wonder if all these chain restaurants and foods didn’t exist would we still be having an obesity epidemic?  I think with all the medical and other breakthroughs we have had ( hello flushing toilets lol). We have failed to teach people basic life skills.  I am sure back in the day of my grand parents and great grandparents that  if a recipe called for chicken broth they didn’t open a carton or can or dissolve a bouillon cube they made their chicken broth. If they wanted a pie or a cookie they made it from scratch and would never think of going to buy one at the store.

Now I’m not perfect I do use the perks of having ready made broth and I do buy some processed products . But I still think if all this junk wasn’t readily available to all of us we wouldn’t be in the epidemic we are currently facing. And I think our fast food if we would eat as if the processed stuff didn’t exist would be our fruits and vegetable. But this is just my food for thought today.