Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Finding a Weigh Out of Fat: Volume II

This has not been a good week for me with my weight loss! I guess all the traveling and eating out has finally caught up with me. I think I've actually gained a couple of pounds and I am not happy about it. But. To dwell on that is just too frustrating so I'm going to put this down to experience and do my best to learn from it. (She said with tears in her eyes and teeth gritted tight. lol).
Last week I asked for any tips you guys wanted to share with everyone else. You left some pretty good ones. Lynne over at Lynne's Little Corner of the World gave what could arguably be the most important tip to remember: Don't expect miracles! So often, we'll start a weight loss plan and if we don't see dramatic results right away, we get discouraged and quit. The irony of that sort of thinking is, if you're losing more than 2 pounds a week, odds are you're doing something unhealthy anyway and you're probably going to gain all your lost weight back as soon as you stop whatever "diet" it is that you're on. Keep in mind, people: It took a bit of time for your arse to get to its current size...give yourself a break and understand that it's going to take time to get that chunky butt back to the size it ought to be. (I know, I know...I speak so eloquently about the human body, eh? lol). Lynne also suggested that we drink plenty of water, get in our daily recommended amount of calcium and that we write down everything we eat (you'd be surprised at how much you actually eat in a day). Also, it's important to not deprive ourselves of something we really, really want. The key is to learn to eat that special treat in moderation! (That means no diving head first into that vat of ice cream! Use a spoon, not a shovel!) Finally Lynne says we should exercise (even just a little bit every day) and that we should forgive ourselves when we slip up (I'm working on that one this week myself) and that we should be accountable to someone. Good advice, every single bit of it. Donna over at Cottage Days and Journeys also recommends exercise. I know! It sounds like so much work when you say those words, huh? But it's necessary, it truly is. You've got to get your body moving more, that's all there is to it. Take a walk in the evenings or early mornings. Park further from the door when you go to the store. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. You've all heard these things before and there's a reason people keep saying them - in order to lose weight once you reach a certain age, you not only have to eat right, you have to move more, too. And vice-versa. Exercise alone won't shrink that butt of yours. You've got to watch what you're eating, too. (I came to that realization the hard way. lol) Donna also shared a favorite saying of hers: Success is a decision. Think about that for a minute. All of us reading this and interacting with one another have made a decision to do better for our own good. Just taking this first step means we've achieved one level of success. One step at a time, people. One step at a time. And every step forward is a success. Jodie at Mommy of a Princess has changed up a lot of the foods she brings into her house. She's switched to whole grain pasta, brown rice, etc, and she only buys the snacks that are 100 calories or less (Speaking of which, have you tried the Nabisco Itty Bitty Nilla Wafer packs? OMG - I love Nilla Wafers. These packs are only 80 calories - 2 points for Weight Watchers. You just can't beat 'em!). Anywho, Jodie is also exercising more and she's also recognizing the fact that you shouldn't deprive yourself of something if you've really got a craving for it. Again, just eat that "something" in moderation. I think it's important for all of us to understand that we shouldn't be doing "diets". We should be doing "lifestyle changes". That means we need to learn the fine art of portion control - you can eat any darn thing you want, as long as you exercise portion control. Well - you shouldn't be having something outrageous for every meal, but you get the idea, right? Kathy at Remembering the Moments recommends Leslie Sansone's DVDs. She says that you can do these DVD's in your home and don't have to worry about bad weather, etc., and that's why she enjoys them so. That and she likes Leslie's personality. I, personally, haven't ever seen one of these, but they might just be worth looking into. Especially with winter headed our way (I can dream about cold weather, can't I? lol) Kathy says that the most important thing we can do for exercise, is to find something we really enjoy doing, be it walking, dancing, belly dancing, hula hooping or whatever! That's actually a great point. If you enjoy the activity, you're much more likely to keep at it. Good advice, Kathy! Mary at Book Fan-Mary exercises five days a week (Go Mary! You're my hero! lol) and she also journals. I know it seems like everyone is recommending pretty much the same thing over and over, but that's because these are tried and true methods that work. Exercise and journal. Exercise and journal. And cheat a little bit so you'll know you're human. (As do most of us, I believe the best weight loss plan must include a little wiggle room for the occasional cheat. Nobody can be happy if they're constantly feeling deprived. Just don't cheat too much or you wiggle will fast become a wobble!) Joan from Joan's Journeys left a little recipe for some Pita chips using butter flavored Pam. She also puts it on her no-fat popcorn. Cool, huh? Which sort of brings me to Robin @ Thrifty Miss Priss who suggested that we do a recipe thing in the future (seems like maybe she and Joan were on the same wave length there). What a great idea! How about we do that for next week? Any of you have a good recipe that works for losing weight, either post it in my comment section or e-mail it to me. I'll compile them for next week's Finding a Weigh Out of Fat post, that way you can print them all out at once if you want to. This shouldn't be too difficult to compile - heck, there's only about eight of us involved in this at this point. So you might could even send more than 1 recipe, if you've got them. I have a recipe for chicken that is out of this world. You'll love it. Randey's gotten to where he asks for it 2 and 3 nights a week. I've also got a pretty good dessert recipe, too. And I'd really like to have some recipes for vegetables. That's the hardest part of fixing dinner for me now that I'm trying to cook healthier. I'm from the South, you see. Most of my vegetable recipes call for tons of butter or bacon grease. lol We eat a lot of salad around here, but it'd be nice if I could serve something a little different every now and then. So send me your favorite low-cal or WW or whatever works for you kind of recipe! Can't wait to try them!
I'll close this post with the best tip I received last week. I think you guys will all love it as I do. Robin @ Thrifty Miss Priss said that the one thing that keeps her going is "fitting into smaller clothes because nothing tastes as good as THIN FEELS"! LOLOLOL I love that! I'm thinking of etching it onto to my refrigerator door. :)
P.S. Vee @ A Haven for Vee asked me last week what was I doing for exercise. To honest, I've been a real slacker lately. All that traveling kind of got me out of the habit. Bad Kari. Bad, bad Kari. But before my slump (a temporary one, I'm sure) Randey and I were walking around our neighborhood for about 20 minutes in the evenings. We usually went out about 4 nights a week. And tonight I rode my bike for the very first time. Yeah. I need a little more practice with the bike before I venture too far from home. lol Oh, and I wanted to tell you guys that another of our blogging friends, Sandy over at Dream, Create, Inspire, has started a blog with her 2 sisters, Linda and Debbie, about losing weight. They've named their blog Three Hotties Trapped in Fat Bodies (gotta love that name!). Go on over and check them out if you get the chance!

24 comments:

  1. You've got more gumption in your little toe than I have in my whole body, way to to Kari!

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  2. I loved all the suggestions. Especially Donna's saying - Success is a decision. So true!

    I think posting recipes is a great idea. I'll have to think of some that I use.

    I haven't been walking this past week, but I have been painting rooms (up and down the ladder a zillion times), moving heavy furniture, vacuuming, steam cleaning the carpets, building furniture - so I guess that takes the place of walking! I love the Leslie Sansone DVD's and have done them a lot. I need to get back into that habit. Plus bowling twice a week.

    I've now lost 8 pounds off my top weight. Still have a way to go.

    I think it's great that we have our own little "group" here to keep us accountable.

    RAH! RAH! RAH!

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  3. I'm in the middle of a pity party right now. Despite my exercise I had a big gain this week. I haven't had TOM for 2 months (NO chance I'm pregnant) but I haven't lost the carb cravings (which I fed apparently too well) at the usual time - habit? Maybe. I'm aiming for a much better week. What's done is done and it's a new day. Kari, I'll find a recipe or two and post them later. Great idea. Thanks for letting me whine, everyone. I'm finished and I feel better :~)

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  4. It is a lifestyle change isn't it. I actually had calories to spare today (I am trying to stay under a certain amount), so that was pretty cool. I will do my first weigh in on Tuesday. I hope it makes me happy. That's good you rode your bike. After a while you will probably look forward to it. I love the name of your friends' new blogsite. Too funny. I went and checked it out. Did you see the recipe on there? Looks good I am going to copy it and try it. YUM! I hope this week's meeting is good for you. Talk to you later.

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  5. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT???
    Don't expect miracles????
    I expect a miracle everytime my feet hit the scale. LOL. I think, surely that whole birthday cake I ate in 22 hours didn't stick with me and the fact that my cousin (aka time of the month) is here and I'm swollen shouldn't really impact my weight!!! Then I weigh. BAM! IT's all there! The cake, the water weight... ugh! I'm a porker. Seriously. Today is a new day and I'm back on track. The birthday is officially over. OVER!

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  6. Here's a recipe the whole fam loves. Probably better in cooler weather but, hey, I'd eat it any time!
    I found it on Sparkpeople.com but ran it through the WW recipe thingy.


    Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
    4 svgs
    8pts/svg

    4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    1 cup salsa
    1 pkg reduced sodium taco seasoning
    1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
    1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

    Add chicken to slow cooker (sprayed with PAM)
    Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken
    Pour salsa and soup over chicken
    Cook on low 6-8 hrs
    Remove from heat and stir in sour cream

    Serve with rice or baked potato (add pts for this)

    Notes:
    I don't use the whole pkg of taco seasoning
    Soup is right from can, not mixed with anything
    I use it with brown rice
    You could use fat free ingredients and that might lower the pts value/svg

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  7. I am soooo picky aobut my body and my weight. I overheard one of my trainers say, "Fat girls don't get blue ribbons!" ..I am obviously talking about my Saddleseat riding instructor. I did not like it that she said that ...but guess what. When I paid close attention - I could see that better horses were being given lower ribbons if their rider was not in good physical shape...and then I heard something else - it is not just the horse - but the whole picture of horse and rider. Wow - that is so true!

    Anyway - back to the subject... I am not a big exercise fan either - but I love to garden, ride, take riding lessons, and do other things that take up just as much energy and get something done at the same time! Find something to do - maybe something totally new to you, where you cannot eat and do it at the same time!

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  8. I've been struggling for awhile. I have been walking everyday this week if not for the weight benefit it also has the added benefit of making me feel better when the menopause stuff hits me. I want your bike though. I seen a couple on the walking trail with matching bikes. They were so cute. I told Mike we need to get matching ones and ride our bikes. But I don't think he'll ride a pink one. Vanilla wafers huh, oh my I might have to go out and get me some. Don't get discouraged, everyone has those moments and you've had more good weigh ins then not so good. Sometimes that only makes you more determine.

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  9. Great post! Get a schedule going for your exercise program! hup, two, thre, four - LOL. Seriously, you need to exercise for your heart and bones. Losing weight doesn't necessarily make you healthy.

    I am still overweight and have a LOT more weight to get off. But the exercise has given me more endurance and I am stronger.

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  10. ARGH! I had a long post all typed out and Blogger decided it didn't like me today!

    Anywho!

    First off! I know it's really hard, but PLEASE don't let the extra pounds get you down. Just think about how FAR you have come. You are doing GREAT!

    I sure wish I could be telling everyone I have lost 30 pounds.

    Hopefully, soon I will be able to, because I started back on the WW wagon today. I am not EVEN going to mention what my current weight is! LOL!

    I will probably wait until next week to start up the exercise, because I pulled something in my leg the other day, when the cats were fighting. I also like to let myself get "somewhat" used the eating changes first.

    I will have to look for recipes. I have several WW cookbooks, but honestly have not tried any of the recipes yet.

    Usually, when I start dieting, I turn to the prepared meals. I know they aren't the best thing for me, but it makes everything easier. I do plan to pull out those cookbooks and start making better meals for us.

    I also eat a lot of turkey sandwiches. LOL! I take two pieces of bread, two slices of 2% sharp cheddar cheese, and Oscar Mayer mesquite turkey breast. If you take the bread, put the cheese on it, and then pop it into the oven until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, it's really YUMMY! I don't even miss the mayonnaise not being on the sandwich. I also load it up with lots of tomato. Depending on how much turkey you use, the point value is only 5 or 6 points. It's GREAT because I feel like I am cheating, (having this humongous sandwich) when I'm really not.

    Thanks so much for starting our little (for now) support group! I can use all the motivation I can get! LOL!

    FUN name for Sandy, Linda, & Debbie's new website. I am going to check it out.

    We should come up with a fun name for our little group!

    GO US!

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  11. Kari, yes, please post the chicken parmesan recipe!!

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  12. Until recently, before having the stent implant, I haven't had too much of a problem. But, now I can already tell by eating very low sodium foods, and by quitting smoking, I'm in for it. I will anxiously watch for the recipes!

    Kari, I use canola oil when doing the southern cooking. But, I have to tell you, my grandmother lived to 104 1/2 and cooked with pure HOG LARD!! :)

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  13. Sorry, I meant to say now I'm wanting to eat everything in sight!

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  14. So you gained two pounds, you'll take it off again...eating healthy is what its all about and since you already love veggies, you're half way home! Good going, you really look great!
    hugs
    Aunt Sandi

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  15. Hey Kari,
    Thanks for the shout out! I've had a terrible week as well and will be up at my in-laws farm this weekend and that always revolves around food.
    Have a great weekend.
    Blessings,
    Sandy

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  16. Hey Kari!
    Just dropped by a day late as usual and happy to see all the ideas! I'll have to dig around and find a recipe...and I WISH I'd made up that clever quote..."nothing tastes as good as thin feels.." but I didn't! Just don't want to take the credit for it! I heard it, read it or something several years ago...and I have to repeat it to myself over and over when the Lays bag is calling my name!

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  17. Sissy, go to http://curlyscorner-sandy.blogspot.com/ for a beautiful tribute to our guys at war...it's so good, I know you will love it!
    hugs
    Aunt Sandi

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  18. Hi Kari

    I've enjoyed "catching up" with you tonight. My Mom and Aunt left this morning, so I'm working hard to visit all of my blogging friends.

    Don't get discouraged...you've done so well and look so good. A few pounds after being away from home isn't too bad actually. I'm so glad you're biking. George and I really really enjoy ours.

    Now that the girls have gone, I need to get back to my healthy eating again. I plan to start tomorrow.

    I heard someone say today that they would rather see sweets at the store than on their hips. I'm gonna remember that when I'm tempted to bring something home with me 'cause once I do, I'll be wearing in on my hips and tummy.

    Keep up the good work posting about ways to help "fight the good fight". Together we can help each other.

    BTW...today is my blog's 3rd birthday! Amazing! Thanks for being such a sweet blogging friend!

    Hugs!
    Kat

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  19. Girl, if I only had known.

    I am a fat chick trying to lose weight, too. I have another blog, http://itsalosingbattle.blogspot.com/ that chronicles my "battle".

    I am glad you posted this! I knew everything you said, but I never have put it into practice. Well, now I am so big that my family is making plans every weekend without me because they know I can't keep up.

    I'll be checking in on you and bookmarking your site. See you soon!

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  20. You know it's bad when none of your recipes are healthy. I am gonna have to dig for one. YIKES! I tried to call the other night, guess you weren't up yet? I am just glad I didn't wake you...I am gonna post on Kara's appointment today go check it out. Love ya!

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  21. You know it's bad when none of your recipes are healthy. I am gonna have to dig for one. YIKES! I tried to call the other night, guess you weren't up yet? I am just glad I didn't wake you...I am gonna post on Kara's appointment today go check it out. Love ya!

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  22. oh, I missed the post to share ideas, but when has that ever stopped me from talking? My thought is: DRINK DRINK DRINK (water, silly). It really makes a difference. So I eat chocolate with a water chaser. :-)

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  23. I still make Apple Cheese Danish an old-time WW recipe circa 1969. It's great stuff! (I try to walk every good day...lucky for me the weather has been awful until recently.)

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