A Pound is a Pound is a Pound

I went to the grocery store today and when I was carrying my groceries into the house I thought, these sacks are so heavy, I was carrying three at a time ( I am lazy) and they weighed about forty pounds total. After I put my haul away, I started thinking about weight, and how I am carrying around three grocery bags of extra weight around daily, no wonder I am tired. (Actually, truth is I am carrying about 5 fully packed grocery bags of extra weight around daily.) So that lead me to ponder some more about what a pound feels like, about what three pounds feels like and what five pounds feels like.

The jar of sauce above weighs one pound. I picked it up and thought, that is not something I would want to carry around all day. Try it yourself, pick out something in your pantry that weighs a pound and hold it. A pound is pretty substantial when you pick it up and hold it for a few minutes, so why do I get so angry with myself when all I lose is a pound in a week?

This innocent looking carton of chicken broth weighs three pounds and it will get your attention if you drop it on your foot, don't ask how I know that, but anyway, I lost three pounds last week and I was angry about it! Funny, when I just think about weight as numbers and not actual "weight" it seems like three pounds is nothing, but it is SOMETHING, just ask my foot!

Five pounds of flour, it's just five pounds, but I can't even tell you how heavy that sucker is when you hold it for five minutes. If I strapped that on my body right now and had to wear it all day I would know it was there, but losing "just" five pounds never sounded like much to me especially when I have much more than five pounds to lose, but I realize now after holding the flour that a pound is a pound is a pound and they all matter.

Next time you are lugging in the groceries, pulling a heavy suitcase through an airport or grabbing a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator, think about how heavy they were and ask yourself if you would want to carry them around all day, all week or for years? My answer is no!

Three Things to Ask Yourself Before You Start a Diet

 Oprah's trainer Bob Greene, says you should answer these questions before you start any weight loss journey.

1. Why are you overweight?
The real answer to this question is not simply: I like food—it goes much deeper, he says. "Are you in a toxic relationship? Do you hate what you do for a living? What is it about your life you would change?" Bob asks. "That answer is different for everyone. Get in touch with that."

2. Why do you want to lose weight?
The answer to this question will help you determine if you're beginning your weight loss journey with the right mindset, Bob says. "So many people [say], 'Oh, I have my reunion coming up,' or 'I get pressure from people at the workplace or my friends.' Those might get you going, but they'll never be long-term solutions," he explains. "The [best] answer to this question is, 'I want a better life for myself.'"

3. Why haven't you been successful to date?
If you have tried to lose weight in the past, Bob says it is important to explore the obstacles that have stood in your way to maintaining your goal weight. "It's about identifying what is going to trip you up, because the same things will trip you up if you haven't resolved the heart of the issue," he says

A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback

I have been kind of down lately because my bathroom scale keeps going up and down, and it is the same three pounds over and over again. It has been three weeks since I have actually lost any weight and it is getting to me.

My eating has been really good, for the most part. I don't keep anything in the house that would even temp me to go off of my plan, and when I eat out, I am making good choices. So I guess the answer is I have to move more.

I knew the answer before I even wrote it, but I am having a really hard time getting motivated to exercise. We have a fully equipped exercise room where I live, but I am still  not at a weight that I feel comfortable working out with "those" people. You know who they are; the ones who are in tip top shape, that look at people who are not, like we have two heads? I take walks with my dog everyday but I really have to commit to some kind of cardio. Blah!!

Yesterday, I saw this saying  "A setback is a setup for a comeback" and it struck me! I guess it is time for my big comeback! Then a friend of mine posted this video of an amazing comeback!
 

I guess it was the Universe lining up, trying to tell me to get my act together! 

The bottom line is to never give up, even during setback experiences, because everything has a purpose in helping us obtain our goals. It is about the journey, not the destination!

Friend Makin Monday!

I stepped away from my blog for a bit to work on the inner me, rather than concentrate on the outer me. I read some great books, which I plan to write about later this week, but I was inspired to step back into blogging after I stumbled upon a blog called  All the Weigh . The gal that writes this blog has lost over 100 pounds and is still on her weight loss journey. She has an activity called Friend Makin Monday, and I am all about making new friends, and I decided to give it a whirl! So here we go!

Its Monday again folks and that means Friend Makin’ Mondays with Kenz from All the Weigh. If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at All the Weigh so we can all see your FMM answers. By linking back there, everyone will have an opportunity to be equally heard. This week’s question is…

FMM: If you could meet someone famous today, who would it be? And why?

This is a tough question, because I have several, but if I had to choose just one, it would be Oprah. 

 

I admire the way she has used her fame to try to make a difference in the world. She has a work ethic second to none and she is a broadcast journalist who started out more than 25 years ago in an industry where being black and a woman was very difficult. 

Several times over the years I tried to get tickets to her show, with no luck, but I have watched her show faithfully for 25 years and I will miss my 4 p.m. date with her Monday through Friday when she retires the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Over the years, I have also commiserated with her about her weight loss and weight gain. The only difference is, I did not have to deal with a global audience watching my scale go up and down. Talk about pressure!!!

Oprah, I am going to miss you, but you deserve a rest. I hope you will travel and enjoy the riches you have earned, but if you get bored, I will faithfully watch any show you decide to do on the Oprah Winfrey Network!!

P.S. I would also LOVE to meet Ellen DeGeneres and since she is not retiring in the near future, I might be able to score some tickets to see her show someday!!!

 

Food Addiction vs Drug Addiction

 A recent study suggests that food addiction and drug addiction have a very similar brain response. Well, I didn't have to spend a ton of money on research to tell you that! Addiction is addiction, but my real question is how does a food addict give up food when we need it to sustain life?  An alcoholic or drug addict can choose to never drink or use again, not so with food addiction. Food addiction is much harder to conquer and stay clean, because you still have to use your "drug" every day. That is why so many people go up and down the scale all of their lives, because you can be under control and lose weight for long periods of time and all it takes is one weak moment or several to send you back up the scale and into full blown relapse. I admire people who can lose large amounts of weight and keep it off for long periods of time because the amount of self control that takes is mind blowing.

It always amazes me to hear people who have never had a weight problem talk about over weight people like we are just lazy or stupid. I doubt they would say the same nasty things about people with other substance abuse issues, we just happen to wear our addiction on our bodies for everyone to see.

I really hope this study will open up some discussion about new ways to treat obesity. People with severe substance abuse problems enter in-patient treatment, well maybe that is something to consider for severe food addiction as well.

Kirstie and Maks Take a Great Fall

I was watching Dancing with the Stars tonight and the unthinkable happened, Kirstie and Maks fell! I could not believe my eyes, but they got right back up and performed beautifully.

After watching it back about 8 times, Maks clearly had an issue with his hip and it gave out and they went down. He was in pain during the rest of the performance, but they both continued on like the professionals they are. Later in the evening, after the show, Kirstie wrote on her Twitter  @MaksimC.,,I salute you...U r a gladiator...A champion...I'm honored to be your partner. Maks responded with  "To all of the fans...I'm sorry! It will never happen again and I will never 'fail'! To @kirstiealley you were ..FLAWLESS! In more ways than one!"  Awe, so sweet!

The problem is, there are people out there that are going to blame this on her weight. They were just waiting for this to happen and it did. I know she is still a big girl, and I am not naive to the fact that her weight could have contributed to the fall, but Maks is a professional dancer, they had practiced this move many times before, and he survived. It was an accident on live television and I fear Kirstie is going to get persecuted for it.

I am probably more sensitive than most people about this subject, because I was teased and ridiculed all of my life due to my weight issues. Kirstie put herself out there and did this show for people like me, to show the public that big girls can dance and look good doing it. You have bullies like George Lopez, trying to destroy all of the good that Kirstie was achieving on the show by comparing her to a pig, but thank God that backfired on him. I just hope this unfortunate fall did not open the door for other bullies to have a reason to ridicule her, just for trying to better herself and lose weight and have fun doing it.

Kirstie really does get the last laugh however, because she is the one who gets to dance with a hot guy like Maks every week. She even got a kiss and that ain't too shabby.

"Winning"! Take That Charlie Sheen

Everyone seems to being using "winning" since Charlie Sheen had his meltdown and made it the popular thing to say. I am using it because, well I feel pretty good about my eating the last week, and since it is only Monday, I hope this week will be just as good.

My husband is in San Diego on a business trip, so I only have to feed myself and the dog for the next few days. The dog is pretty easy to keep happy as long as her bowl is full, and I decided to keep it simple with  my food choices as well.

I bought some Amy's Organic frozen dinners. I had this one tonight.

It was very good and only 250 calories. The fat content was low, but there was a bit more sodium in it than I would have liked, that is the problem with most frozen entrees. I had a strawberry and spinach salad for lunch because strawberries are fresh here this time of year. It was so good I ate it before I remembered to take a picture of it! I am still doing my Lean Shakes for breakfast and I will have a shake every other day for lunch.

I am leaving Friday for a conference in Nashville, and I want to make good food choices while I am there, even though I know it will be hard eating out for three days. I will keep using all of my Xyngular products on the trip, and that won't be difficult, since it is a Xyngular conference! I hope to come back with a ton of great new information about the products and how to use them.

Here is to a great new week and all of us being "winners"!!

Life's a Beach

I have been busy living life and my blog took a backseat for a bit.

My step daughter's came to visit for my husband's 60th birthday and we went to the beach.

 This is what 60 looks like. 

My diet also took a backseat for three days because we ate out and I did not really choose my meals as well as I could have. It was a conscious choice on my part and I am not upset by my decision. My step daughter's have never been to the deep south before and I wanted them to sample some of the southern delicacies, so we ate out a lot.  Fried green tomatoes and beignets are not diet food to say the least, neither is a Muffaletta sandwich, but I ate them and enjoyed every bite! My husband and I don't eat out very often so I took full advantage of it and I did pay the price on the scale but I am back on track.

Yup, life's a beach sometimes!

I Went to The Olive Garden for Dinner and "CHEATED"

The day after my husband and I finished our first 8 day Ignite Burning Diet we went to Olive Garden for dinner. I am sure you are thinking to yourself, well a lot of good those 8 days on that program did for you, but the program encourages you to eat on day 9 to let  your body know it is not in a starvation mode. It is also the carrot dangling at the end of the stick, because you know after 8 days of pretty strict dieting you get a splurge day and it is built into the program so you feel no guilt. Yup, I said NO GUILT!!! I ate at Olive Garden and I loved every single bite of the cheese filled Soffatelli's with chicken in a garlic cream sauce.

I ate the one on the left, the one on the right is the same dish but it is beef instead of chicken. I also had 2 bread sticks and their wonderful salad. Because my stomach has shrunk, I could only finish about half of it, and I have no idea how many calories I ate. I did not care, because I earned this meal. I even prepared for it by just having steamed broccoli and cauliflower for lunch.

I don't plan to eat like this every day, I have tried that before and it did not work too well for me, but I think a splurge every 9-10 days or so is not a bad thing. I want to lose weight and keep it off this time and I know from experience the all or nothing diet does not work for me, because I am not perfect and as soon as would eat a meal like I did at the Olive Garden I would say, "well that ruined all of my  hard work" and just give up again.  I also have a secret weapon now that I never had before. 

Meet my secret weapon! CHEAT is an all natural fiber product from a Japanese root called Konnyaku. You sprinkle Cheat on your food and when it hits your stomach it expands and creates a viscous-gel that  literally traps 25% of the food you just ate eliminating it without your body actually ever absorbing the calories. I think of it like a credit card that gives me a 25% discount on every thing I buy. Cheat is tasteless and odorless and all you need is about 4-5 shakes of the sprinkles per portion. You don't sprinkle as much on wet foods like soup or cereal with milk. It also comes in little packets, so it is easy to take out to dinner with  you.

I use it on everything I eat. I put it on my Olive Garden dinner and no one even noticed, and even if they had I would not have cared. Cheat allows me to splurge and not feel bad about it and it helps me eliminate calories from all of the foods I eat, good or bad.

If you have any questions about the Ignite Program or any of the products I use feel free to send me a message. My contact information is at the top of the blog. Also, if you write a blog and would like me to give you a shout out leave me a message. I am all about supporting my fellow bloggers.

I Love You Kirstie Alley

It was really exciting to see Kirstie Alley on the premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" Monday night because I have followed her career since the early 80's and  have also followed her battle with weight loss and gain.

I can relate to this woman because she is funny, honest about her weight issues and fairly close to my age. She was one of the first celebrity spokespersons for Jenny Craig and she lost 70 lbs. and gained it all back. Kirstie is one of the few actresses who did not hide her weight gain, but used it to her advantage to not only inspire others to lose weight, but also let the public understand how difficult weight loss can be. Her commercials for Jenny Craig were always laced with humor and warmth. The fact that she is a Scientologist does not bother me at all, I just hope that me being raised Catholic won't offend her. :-)

When I first heard she was paired with Maksim Chmrekovskiy I was a little jealous and very worried. Maks is to me, is one of the  hottest men on the planet, and I kind of like his bad boy image, but I could not see him dancing with a 60 year old, overweight chick! I know he gets paid to teach the "has been" star that he is paired with that season to dance, but Maks does not hide his feelings well, if at all, and if he does not like you or dancing with you it would show. After watching them interact and dance together I was really amazed! They really "get" each other. My respect and hotness meter went way up for Maks, and the fact that Kirstie said bring it on boy and don't hold back because I am 60 and out of shape inspired me! It is going to push me to walk farther, diet harder and stop using the excuse that  I am over 50 and can't work out like younger women!

Kirstie Alley did more for fat girls Monday night than she ever did during her Jenny Craig days. She showed those malnourished, skinny chicks that danced before her, how it is done and she did it with class, humor and  talent. Her best line of the night was "If someone asked me to haul ass, it would take two trips". Amen Sister!

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and daydream about doing the Cha Cha with Maks.

The Last Four Days of Xyngular Ignite Program and What I Know for Sure

I haven't posted for a few days because I didn't want to bore anyone with all of the details of my diet plan. After the first few days it repeats it self, like washing your hair, wash, rinse, repeat. The protein only days did get easier and easier as the week went on, and my cravings were for strange things like broccoli, celery, tuna and I really wanted V8 juice. The best news is that I lost 9 lbs. in 8 days and my husband lost 10!!!!

During the week I tried some new foods that I thought other people might find interesting.
I discovered something called "Shirataki Noodles. They can be found in wet or dry forms in Asian Markets and some supermarkets. I found the wet variety at my Publix grocery store.

They are very low calorie, low carbohydrate, low calorie, and not bad tasting. The word "shirataki" means "white waterfall", describing the spaghetti like appearance of the noodle. They are traditional in Japan and made from the konjac plant and are largely composed of water and water-soluble dietary fiber called glucomannan. They really have very little flavor on their own but they will absorb what ever sauce you pair them with. The reason I decided to try them is that my husband is a spaghetti crazed man, and I would not let him eat that many carbs this week on the Ignite Program. So I did this:

I boiled up some Shirataki Noodles, they really do look just like spaghetti, then I added some Quorn Meatballs to some low carb marinara sauce.

I have talked about Quorn products before on the blog, Some New Things I think are Worth Talking About, but for a quick review; Quorn is the brand name of a premium line of all natural meat-free frozen food. The main ingredient in Quorn is mycoprotein, which is a fungus, like truffles or mushrooms. It is high in protein. very low fat and zero cholesterol. So my new "spaghetti" dish was very healthy for us and my pasta loving husband was a happy man. The noodles are more chewy than regular pasta, but it tasted really good.

One of my other favorite meals of the week was this:

For lunch I had a Quorn breaded chicken pattie on a whole grain bun and V8 juice. It tasted just like a chicken sandwich you would have eaten at a fast food restaurant except it had a 1/4 of the calories, carbs and fats. That meal was right around 250 calories and it was wonderful. I made one for my picky husband and did not tell him what kind of "chicken" he was eating and he loved it.

What I learned this week about myself and what I know for sure are:

1. Changing your eating habits is a tough thing to do.
2. I am stronger than I thought I was.
3. That stupid saying, well I thought it was stupid at one time, "Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels" is really true.
4. Xyngular products work. They make it easy to lose weight and they keep you motivated to want to keep going and lose more.
5. I lost 9 lbs. in 8 days and to me that is a miracle.
6. I surprise myself every day by how great I am feeling.
7. Going to Old Navy today and buying an XL top instead of XXL top felt awesome.
8. It really is true, you are what you eat and I don't want to be a greasy, high carb, high fat hamburger anymore.
9. If I can do this anyone can.
10. It is never too late to start your life over one pound at a time.

Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a comment or a question.

Ignite System Day 3 and 4. I am Losing it ! (Weight That Is)

This week has as been one of ups and downs. I have been mourning the loss of my good friends, carbohydrates and sugar, but I have been bonding heavily with my bathroom scale. Dieting is really all about mindset, and if you're not ready to give up your "old friends" and bond with new ones it is not going to work.

The reason why conventional diets don't work for me is because I need to see fast results and progress right away or I get frustrated and give up and give in. I will not lie, the first two days of Ignite were HARD. I was hungry, and I kept finding myself wanting to reach for a snack out of habit. I hung tough and I am glad I did, because my new "friend" the bathroom scale, told  me I had lost 7 lbs. Now I know some of that is water weight, but my brain saw 7 lbs. and it does not care what kind of weight it is, the numbers went down!

The third day on Ignite you get to eat 2  meals and here is what I had for lunch.

It is a pecan crusted filet of Tilapia fish and a cup of Quinoa (a high protein grain) and apple pilaf. It was right around 500 calories. I still had a Lean shake in the morning for breakfast and for dinner we had a 6oz. filet of Salmon and a small salad with vinegar and oil dressing. A few days ago I would have turned my nose up at these meals, but they tasted so good and I was stuffed after eating them.

When I got up this morning I weighed myself again and I was down another pound. That does not sound like much but they say on Day Four it is not unusual to gain a pound or two back, because of eating the day before and adding some water weight back. So, 8 lbs. in four days, I will take it!!!!

Day Four Ignite is just like the first and second day, protein only, so I had 4 oz. of  Tuna for my morning meal. I added something called Vegenaise to the Tuna. It tastes just like Mayonnaise but it does not have any dairy products in it. 

Vegenaise was invented for people following a strict Vegan diet. The ingredients are Canola Oil, Brown Rice Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Soy Protein, Sea Salt, Mustard Flour and Lemon Juice Concentrate. It has Zero carbs., sugar and cholesterol but does have some fat from the Canola Oil. It tasted just like Mayo, I swear it did, and I plan on using Vegenaise in place of mayo from now on. I found it at our Publix Grocery Store in the dairy section, so I don't think it is too hard to find, unless you live in rural area. You might have to check at a Health Food Store if your grocery store does not have it. It was so good I am having tuna again for dinner!

As I mentioned in some earlier posts, my Husband is on the Ignite Program too and he has lost 7 lbs. He is so excited he wants to do another 8 day program when this one ends. I never thought I would see the day!!!!!

For those of you who might be worried about Genie, the Queen Schnauzer Dog of the house, she is eating just fine. No Lean shakes for her, she is not willing to give up her nightly snack either.

Leave me your comments and/or questions. Feedback is always welcome and helpful.

Xyngular Ignite Fat Burning System Day 2

Day two on Ignite is exactly the same food plan as Day One. I am still in the deep cleanse, detox phase of the program, eating protein only and drinking three Lean shakes a day.  I have not been as hungry today as I was yesterday, but  I am looking forward to Day 3 , because it is an eating day!

By eating day, I mean that you can eat two meals of 500 to 600 hundred calories instead of drinking the Lean shakes. Ignite is an eight day program, and after the first two days you rotate eating days and protein only days. You MUST also add in some carbs on eating days so that the body will not feel threatened, go into starvation mode and not want to give up the stored fat, because it thinks it has to save it for energy.Your evening meal however, should be protein only, because whatever carbs are in your system when you go to bed will more than likely be stored as fat!

I am glad that day one and two are behind me, but they were not as hard as I thought they would be. If I can do this anyone can!

Recap of Day One on Xyngular Ignite Program

Yesterday's post, Ignite Fat Burning System Day 1, gave you the run down on the the products that I am using and what I am eating during the deep cleanse, detox portion of the program. I have to admit the first day of the cleanse I was hungry. It was not an uncomfortable hunger, but I knew my stomach was talking to me. It actually felt good in a sick way, because I knew my body was using stored fat and I know that my stomach is shrinking. The one thing I did that I would highly recommend is getting rid of any "red light" foods that might lead you to go off the program, because if they had been in the house, I probably would have caved in and cheated a little. I also drank a lot of water, especially when I felt hungry.

One thing that I found interesting last night, when my husband and I were discussing and comparing how hungry we were during the day, we both started naming foods that would taste good at the moment and none of the foods were high fat, high carb, junk food. I am a carb addict and I am craving things like cauliflower and nuts. My husband is a REAL picky eater and he was craving celery sticks and grapes, which is something he would NEVER EVER ask for before.  It is funny when you listen to your body what it might tell you!

I will post about Day 2 later this evening.

Leave me your comment or questions. I would love to hear from you!

Xyngular Ignite Fat Burning System: Day 1

I started the Xyngular Iginite 8 day Fat Burning Program today. Day one is a protein only day, which forces your body into a fat burning mode by not eating any carbohydrates and depleting all of the the sugar stored in the blood and muscles.

The first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was to take 1 Xyng capsule on an empty stomach. Xyng gives you an energy boost and is a natural appetite suppressant. It also stabilizes your blood sugar, and gets your body into fat burning mode.

30 mins. after taking Xyng, I drank a Lean shake (Lean is a vanilla flavored protein powder). I added one packet of Super Global Fruit Blend powder which gives me the nutrients of 22 super fruits with only 22 added calories. While on the Ignite Program using the Global Fruit Blend is better than real fruit in the shake because actual fruit has a lot of natural sugar in it, which would be like drinking a regular Coke for breakfast. Not a good idea for anyone.

Mid morning I had a snack of 6 oz. of roast turkey. I went to Publix Deli and got some really good Boar's Head sliced meat, but you could roast your own turkey, chicken or even steak, as long as it is only 6 oz. and very lean.

At noon for lunch I had another Lean shake, this time without the Super Fruit Global Blend.

Around 1p.m. I took 2 Accelerate capsules. These capsules contain green tea and other components that elevate your metabolism and cause your body to burn fat.

At 3 p.m. I had another  6 oz. of  roast turkey. I also took another Xyng capsule to give me some more energy.

At 6:00 p.m. I had another plain Lean shake.

Before bedtime, I took 2 Flush capsules with a cup of warm tea. Flush is an all organic product that gets rid of all of the toxins in your system and cleanses the colon wall. Also, if you have problems with regular bowel movements, this product will work magic!

All during the day it is important to drink water;  1/2 your body weight in ounces per day, so if you weigh 150 lbs., drink 75 ounces of water per day. * I have to drink MUCH more than that a day.

Some New Things I Think Are Worth Talking About

My husband got me a new gadget for my birthday that I think even Oprah would choose as a favorite thing! It is called Soda Stream. This is what mine looks like

You fill the plastic bottle on the right with tap or bottled water and screw it into the black unit in the middle, press the silver button on the top three times and viola! You have carbonated water!! The three little bottles on the left are different flavors for the water, orange, lemon and berry. They also have several other flavors that taste just like your favorite soda pop. The carbonation comes from a CO2 cartridge that is hidden in the tall black back of the unit and it does not use any electricity. I have never been able to find a way to drink enough water every day and this has solved that problem. I have used it non stop since I got it and my husband makes diet cola and root beer for himself. I LOVE IT!
Side Note: I bought mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond, but I understand they are also available at Kohl's. I do NOT sell these and am not paid to endorse them in any way! I just really like the product.

The next new thing I have found is this:

Quorn or as it is called in Vegan circles, wheat meat. Now I am not Vegan, but I am trying to eat healthier and a friend told me about them.
I pan fried two of the cutlets in a tablespoon of grape seed oil

Placed one in a left over dinner roll

And lunch was made! It tasted like a chicken breast and it was only 75 calories for the sandwich. I also sprinkled it with Cheat, from the Xyngular Company, and that reduced the total calories by 25%. It was a really good tasting, filling lunch! You could add tomato, lettuce or low fat mayo, but I liked it just the way it was.
I am still not ready to give up pizza and steak, but I have to say this was really good!
I found this product in our local heath food store, but I think many grocery stores have them in the Vegan section of the frozen food dept.
Leave a comment and let me know if you have ever tried any Vegan products and if you liked them.