The Truth About Calories

The Truth About Calories

wanted to share this cool article on "the truth about calories." it offers great perspective on how our body needs and uses fuel that comes from food, and how not all calories are created equal.

it also helps to explain why weight watchers changed their weight loss plan (points plus), and why it may actually be more effective if you use it properly.

two big things i got out of this article (though there are several really great new ideas/tips!):

1. foods high in fiber can help to block calories from being absorbed by your body.

2. increasing activity throughout the day actually can help you to burn more calories than exercising for 30-60 minutes one time during the day. (ie - don't go to the gym and be a couch potato at the same time).

This is really cool advice for the summer, since a.) I'm trying to get out more to enjoy what DC/Baltimore have to offer, and b.)fresh fruits and vegetables are great summer meal ideas anyway!

off the blog, but not off the wagon

I haven't posted in almost a month...and with good reason! Actually, I have no valid excuse at all, so let me jump right in and i promise I'll try to keep up with my 5 fans :):

Right after my last post, I gained 2 lbs. Yes, this is a rollercoaster so I expect not to be perfect every week, but when you think about how weight loss works (3500 calories = 1 lb), its actually pretty ridiculous that I gained 2 lbs in one week. that means I consumed 7000 more calories than I should have. YIKES! actually its more than that...because i could've maintained without those 7000 calories, but not lost. I sort of know where I fell off (damn work birthday party + calzone + slippery slope).

Then - amazingly, I lost those 2 lbs the next week and then lost ANOTHER 2 lbs the week after that!! I am amazingly impressed because 1.) I went out of town (rest stop food = NOT healthy; mom's house = NOT healthier!) and 2.) I didn't exercise much (I did dance with my Wii!).

This week though, I maintained. I guess its not bad....and I certainly know WHY it happened (6 cans of POP - I KNOW! in 2 days...plus another day that my memory has apparently blocked out - I just remember it was bad). Nonetheless, I'm committed to this process so I'll continue to be mindful of what I am putting in and doing to my body.

My goal is to lose 10 lbs in the next 5 weeks. Totally doable, I think. Why 5 weeks? I'm trying to be 174 by the 4th of July. I'm going home to Detroit, and would LOVE to show my parents and weight loss challenge partner my amazing transformation.

YAY to progress, even with its setbacks...

What new goal have you set? I encourage you to push yourself!! Test those limits!

move your body!

Inspired by my step 2, and my love for beyonce...i wanted to share her latest video, move your body. its a remixed version of one of my favorite B songs, get me bodied.

the video and the song are a GREAT message on so many levels:

- its patriotic (wave the american flag!)

- it encourages kids to get up and MOVE - as an obese society, we need to get our kids up and active

- dancing is fun and a great way to stay active

- i love teach me how to dougie and beyonce dougie's in the video

- healthy eating - she's in a school cafeteria eating an APPLE!

- michelle obama has seen it (there's a video somewhere out there showing FLOTUS doing the moves!)

ENJOY! http://youtu.be/mYP4MgxDV2U

get up (and running)

Step 2 in my journey toward fitness is exercise - specifically running. I ran track in high school, but wasn't very good. I am determined to become a runner, or at the very least, a person who can jog as a workout. I'd like to start running for two main reasons:

1. I think it'd be cool to run a race for a cause (or even just the accomplishment!).
2. All the people I know who started running were able to lose weight quickly.

That being said, I'm sure you've heard of the Couch Potato to 5K running plan. If you haven't, it's fairly simple. Slowly increase your jogging/running ability through interval training for 8 weeks. I tried it about a year or two ago, but was clearly unsuccessful. Based on my current strategy for fitness combined with the fact that I ran a bit today(!), I think I can be successful.

Here's the link to the Couch Potato to 5K running plan. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

They have a download that you can use to track your progress online, but I don't want to pay for it. So I'll try to do it on my own...I'm looking for 5K's online that are around the 4th of July. Here's a cool website to help find races all around the country: http://www.runningintheusa.com/Default.aspx

one step at a time....

First things first: I just lost another two lbs! I am officially on the get right path! At 186lbs, I am close to where I was when I first moved out to DC. I've been losing about 1 lb per week, which is fantastic because I abhor diets. I don't believe in going on diets or doing temporary fixes for two main reasons:

1. Once you start to eat "regular" again, you gain the weight back!

2. I refuse to deprive myself and be hungry.

I am living proof that there is another way. I have a few friends who are losing weight (or wanting to), and while I'm not AT my goal, I can confidently share that my experience is no accident. I have been deliberately changing the way I think about food.

My secret? One step at a time. I am not trying to stop eating fried food, exercise 5 times a week, no carbs, lean meats, no sweets, etc. I have to live and enjoy my life.

Step 1: WATER. With [very] few exceptions, that's all I drink. I didn't have my first non-water drink for 6 weeks, and since then have only had limited interaction with those carbonated or juice alternatives. A friend of mine doesn't like water...so here are some tips to transition to it:

- crystal light (or some other target/walmart/store sugar free drink mix brand): its not kool-aid, but can definitely be helpful when weaning yourself off of pop or juice. overtime, you won't even need to "juice it up"

- lemons, limes, oranges, cucumbers, etc. no one said that water had to be boring. i'm not talking about flavored water, but throwing a few pieces of citrus fruit (or spa veggies!) in the water can help give it a bit of flavor. i promise it'll taste delish! find the thing that works for you!

What doesn't work? Vitamin Water. If you actually check the sugar and calorie content, its not much better than pop. If you're gonna drink it, you might as well enjoy a Pepsi (maybe that's just me :) ).

Step 2: Gotta step up my gym game...I'll check in to share how that goes. I have to get to the gym at least 3 times per week. I started off strong and have been slacking off since my big Convention 4 weeks ago. I'm back on it. Hopefully I'll lose at a rate of 1.5 to 2 lbs. I can't wait to get out of the 180's. The 190's went by so quickly.

That's it. I'm not going to go crazy on anything else...YET.

8 Best Supermarket Sweets

I know first-hand how much sugar can impact your diet and overall health. Since removing pop and juice from my 'diet' (among other healthier lifestyle choices), I have been able to drop 13 lbs. I once watched an episode of Thintervention (does that still come on?) and the trainer talked about limiting foods that had more than 15grams of sugar per serving. This article talks about the same thing...it suggests that 25 grams of sugar per day is advisable for women, and 37.5 for men.

Even if you can't get that low immediately, reducing your sugar intake can drastically change your life. Here's a way to still indulge while thinking smarter. While some of the items on this list are not my personal cup of tea (what does Gluten Free cake taste like?), it definitely provides some perspective. 8 Best Supermarket Sweets

A great "eat this, not that" article.

men versus women

i'm progressing well. better than i ever have. i've lost approximately 13 lbs in the last 11 weeks. while to some, this may not seem extraordinary, let me share a key fact: i have NEVER lost weight. (well, technically i lost baby weight shortly after my now 3yo daughter, but that was due to breast feeding and simply not being pregnant. oh - and i gained it right back.) i also had never seriously decided to lose weight. i wanted to lose weight, but hadn't committed any time or energy into thinking differently about food, exercise, and my overall health.

i'm sharing this wonderful, exciting news about losing 13 lbs because i was a bit envious (read: INSANELY JEALOUS) that my husband called me from the gym and informed me that he had lost another 10 lbs. ANOTHER TEN POUNDS. aside from the fact that he doesn't weigh himself each week like i do, it seems unfair that he gets to lose weight so quickly. he's also larger than i am and therefore has more weight to lose. i also understand that it can be easier for men to lose weight. while i am completely happy and excited about his progress - i can't help but think how unfair it is for the universe to make weight loss more difficult for women.

i've come to realize that some of it is our own fault. men and women have different eating and different weight loss habits. i read an article once on this, and found some really interesting ideas. you can read the article for all of the habits, but these really resonated with me.

1. have a one track mind - essentially this describes how women try to do it all when trying to lose weight. men decide to drink less beer or hit the gym hard. women try to do 50 different things...i learned in business that its better to do a few (or one) thing amazingly well than to do a bunch of things mediocre. so pick one thing (no pop/juice) and give it a go...you can always add things later. don't try to do it all at once.
2. grunt, groan, and sweat - to me this one and number 4 (see below) are seriously indicative of what i see at the gym AND what i used to do. we don't push ourselves. in my last post, i talked about how i pretend like i have a personal trainer. in my old days of non-weight loss, i would moderately walk and complain about why i wasn't losing weight. clinical studies show that increased intensity (even with less time) exercises were more effective in overall fitness. get that heart rate up and make your own bootcamp!
3. ditch the dinner drama - simply put, don't trip when you are tempted. sometimes you'll be tempted by foods that are delicious. that's life. you can't live in a bubble. if you could, we'd all be on slim fast, jenny craig, and nutrisystem forever and weigh 120 lbs. men don't obsess over that pizza they shouldn't have eaten or that amazing steak that will give them thunder thighs. instead, they eat the pizza and realize that they have to work it off later. emotional eating will make you lose every time. think like a man, if the food is good, eat it, but don't let it be defined by your mood...
4. pump iron - before my husband hurt his knee, we had gotten into a groove where we worked out together - and it was nice. he got to see how strong i was, and i got to do a man's workout. between russian deadlifts (or whatever its called), squats, and other weights i had never really lifted before, i was working things i hadn't. in my nice women's gym, i used to pick up 8 lb dumbells and do a few leg machines. now, i'm stronger and leaner for it. i lift what's appropriate for me, but realizing how important strength training is really helped me up my fitness game. technically muscle weighs more than fat, but you'll burn off the fat too, if you are doing it right. you don't see fat body builders - do you?

http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2010/11/lose-weight-like-a-guy

bottom line, i'm happy for his weight loss, and will try to think more like a man, when it comes to my own health and fitness goals.