Weight loss Archives - A Weight Loss Adventure

Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals?

April 29, 2020 No Comments

You know, how you start planning out your weight loss even before you start? On April 1st I will begin my weight loss. By May 31st I will have lost my first 10 lbs. By July 31st I will have lost another 10 lbs. If you have ever wanted to lose weight you have started making these calculations in your head even before you have figured out, how or when to start. Goals are an essential part of weight loss but are you setting realistic weight loss goals?

In this blog post, I want to address the fundamental of goal setting during weight loss. Especially, long duration weight loss. If, like me, you have a long road before your journey is complete, you need a lot of smaller goals to keep you motivated. Goals are key to success, whether it is a number on the scale, a different size or simply fitting back into your old pants.

Below I am walking through, how I am using goals for big picture, during day to day or simply when I am struggling. There are different tips and tricks for it all.

Use the Numbers On the Scale

For some reason, the scale has become taboo. I do acknowledge that fixating on the number on a scale can lead to unhealthy behavior but it does not have to, if you keep yourself to a schedule.

Big picture, I use the number on the scale to know where I am reaching to and where I started. I was in the “extremely obese” category when I started my journey but I just wanted to be “normal” or at a “healthy weight”. As I wrote in a prior blog post, I want to be within a healthy BMI range. I have normal bone density, I am not a body builder and I am very normally proportionate, so this strategy works for me.

Honestly, it is, also, really satisfying to see the numbers starting to disappear on the scale. Having to limit your cravings and controlling everything you ingest, it is a nice reward to see that all the work you are putting in is paying of.

For the most part, I would recommend, weighing yourself once each week, preferably in the morning (after your morning bathroom visit).

As for how you can use the numbers to create goals for yourself. In the beginning you will lose your weight much faster than when you have been at it for a while. So make sure you are setting larger goals in the beginning. My first goal was to lose 20 lbs (out of my 100 lbs) and I wanted to lose these within the first 3-4 months. After that I set 15lbs goals twice. Once I hit 50lbs weight loss, I started changing it to 10lbs. I am very close to my 70lbs goal weight (3 lbs away). Once I have reached that, I will go after each 5lbs.

The main thing to take away, is that you set smaller goals that are achievable. This will keep you motivated for the long haul. Have rather too many goals, than too few.

Use Time as a Goal

Notice, how I dropped the time frame after the first 20lbs? I quickly realized that I could not set a hard deadline for when I should be reaching my goals. I don’t function under time constraints, so it simply stresses me out and makes me less motivated. You might be motivated by a time frame and if that is the case, definitely make use of it.

If you want to go through it quicker so you can move on from the constraints a weight loss journey might create. Setting goals within a time frame is key and can be highly motivating.

My only recommendation if you do use time, is to learn how exercise can help expedite the weight loss as you will have times where you will be struggling to meet the deadlines.

Clothing Size

This is by far my most favorite goal. Every clothing size difference has been a goal of mine and you will be able to see photos of me trying on new sizes on my Instagram.

When I first stepped into a size 12, I won’t lie. I cried. It was such a huge victory and had a much larger impact on how I felt about my journey than any number on the scale have had. I am currently a size 8/10 depending on the brand. I tried on an H&M size 8 both top and bottom and it fit but for other brands, my bottom still needed a size 10.

If you don’t want to use the scale as your bigger picture goal, I highly recommend using clothing size as the substitute. Go into the store you think you would like to buy clothing from in the future. Select a size you would like to see yourself in. Use that size as your end goal. Before you reach your end goal, you can use each size as smaller goals. That way, you feel progress in your journey. Either try a new size as you feel your clothing get loser or if you are measuring yourself, try a new size each time to you have lost an inch for each measurement you have chosen to record.

This leads me to my next goal.

Using Measurements As A Goal

I use measurements all the time. I can only say, use measurements as you will need it when the scale stops moving.

Before I started, I had a clothing size in mind that I wanted to reach. Size 8, if not a size 6. I, then, went to a few online clothing stores and checked out which measurements they used for the sizes I had in mind. I then had a tape-measure where I marked the sizes I was going for. When I hit my size 8 goal, I could not believe my own eyes. I had been dreaming of this day for so long. Years! I still can’t always recognize myself when I look in the mirror and I am not even done yet.

These are not ALL goals out there. Make your own if these are not enough. Some use tracking of how frequent you are on/off track and set a goal each month of only being “off track” 3 or 4 times in a month. Other’s simply use before and after pictures. Make sure you take pictures of yourself before you start this journey and during. You will love your “transformation” pictures. I wish, I had taken more images of myself beforehand. It is so satisfying to see the difference after all the work I have put in. Just make sure you set a lot of smaller goals throughout your journey as they will keep you motivated.

We have been setting all of these goals, now what?

Reaching the goals are rewarding in themselves. They are such a great victory but I do have added incentivizing ‘treats” for when I reach my goals. When I hit my 20lbs lost, I allowed myself going out for dinner and having as many desserts I wanted. When I reached 30lbs weight loss, I allowed myself to buy some more clothes and so on. Once I reach my next goal of 176lbs, I will buy some new underwear – yes, some more sexy underwear as I feel much more confident in my own skin now.

However, you want to reward yourself, make sure to celebrate every single win. Both the small and the big. It is so important that you show yourself pride and allow yourself to feel the joy of doing the hard work. You are working hard and kicking … Celebrate!

We are all different and what motivates us can be different. Make sure you start figuring out what motivates you. What makes you go for the next lb?

Recipes

Keto-friendly Danish Meatballs

April 25, 2020 No Comments

Almost, all countries have a meatball recipe. Denmark is no different. Super easy to make and healthy too. So thought, I would share my recipe for Keto-friendly Danish Meatballs

Ingredients:

1lb Ground Pork or Turkey
1 Yellow Onion
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp Salt
Ground Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cut Yellow onions into small pieces.

Add ground meat, onions, egg, salt and pepper to bowl. Mix well.

Use a non-stick pan. Put pan on stove top and turn on heat to medium-high.

Once hot, set temperature to medium.

Use Pam if you don’t have a non-stick pan.

Create small 2” radius balls and add to hot pan. Mixture will create 8 meatballs.

Cook roughly 10 minutes on each side.

All done and ready to be eaten.

1 turkey meatball is 94 calories, 1 gram carbs, 4.5 grams fat and 12.3 grams protein.

1 pork meatball is 158 calories, 1.5 grams carbs, 12 grams fat and 10.7 grams protein

I love these meatballs. They are a staple in my house. Easy to make and goes with anything. Great for lunch, dinner or a protein packed snack. Perfect for a post-workout snack.

Psst… The Keto-friendly Danish Meatballs go in the freezer too!

Weight loss

Wondering How To Lose Weight?

April 19, 2020 No Comments

I have been struggling with my weight for so long, I have forgotten when it all began. Spending hours researching, how I should be losing weight so thought I would pass along the knowledge. I have come to realize that a lot of people don’t know how to lose weight. So thought, I would give a bit of a quick overview of where to start.

When To Lose Weight

I know, a lot of you who have googled “How To Lose Weight” might not be over weight but are looking to lose 5 -10lbs more. Could you do me a favor? Look in the mirror… really look at yourself. Smile back and tell yourself: “I am beautiful”.

We are all beautiful, no matter what body we have.

If you are overweight, obese or extremely obese, it is very likely you should lose weight. First and foremost, go to your doctor, to ensure s/he agrees with your assessment and get a doctor to support your efforts. This is, also, to ensure you don’t have any underlying issues you need to take into consideration before starting.

I am not a doctor, nutritionist or weight loss specialist. I am simply someone who has lost 70 lbs herself, and have 30 lbs to go. Honestly, I still learn something new every day.

Where To Start

You technically, already, started. You started by googling “How To Lose Weight”. Now you need to understand the basics: Where are you currently and where should you be heading. For some of you, the now to where you should be headed might be far away. It can be scary and a bit disheartening to see the distance. What I want to say to all of you, before you even embark on this journey, don’t be scared. You will feel like you fail many times but as long as you keep getting back up, you are winning.

Losing weight is a mind set change and lifestyle change but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your dessert… So keep reading and learn the basics so you can start your own weight loss adventure.

BMI

You will and have already heard the term BMI. It is not a final definition, but it is a good rule of thumb to figure out where you are starting.

“Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. A high BMI can be an indicator of high body fatness. BMI can be used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems but it is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual.”
CDC

I use a BMI calculator online as it is a much easier way to both calculate your BMI and to understand which category you fall within. Check out the calculator I use here.

Have you calculated your BMI?

Now you want to understand where you are going. I used the below chart to estimate what is considered “healthy”.

Now find your height on the left hand side and move your sight horizontally across towards the right. Anything in the green is considered a healthy weight. As an example, I am 5 Feet 5 Inch (165 CM for those of you that are European). I, now, move across and see the numbers 19-24 that are in green. These are the BMI number that tells me if I am “healthy”. Now look up to see what the weight is. For me it is between 115lbs and 149lbs.

What are yourhealthy BMI numbers?

So How Do you Lose Weight?

Now that you understand where you are and where you are going, you need to actually start the work. You need to lose weight. To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit.

You might be wondering what a calorie deficit means. How you can find out what a calorie deficit is to you. I got ya’…

A calorie deficit means that you eat less in a day than what your body needs to maintain its weight.

To find out what your calorie deficit you have two options. You can either ask your doctor or you can use this calculator that I use here.

Best tip is to be as honest as possible. This will give you the best results.

This calculator is something you want to keep handy. You will will need to use it regularly as you lose the weight. The smaller you get, the less your body needs to keep you going. Therefore, you will be burning less compared to when you were bigger.

To give you an example. When I started, I was 246lbs and at 5 feel and 5 inches. 37 years of age, and I did not exercise regularly so added in “sedentary” to my calculations. When I started my maintaining calorie intake needed to be 2,162 Calories. Now if I added in my new weight, keeping the rest of the metrics the same, I will need to only eat 1,797 calories to maintain my weight.

Calories

You now know where you are, where you are headed and how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. Now what?

Now you need to understand how you can most easily calculate your daily caloric intake. Googling and reading all of the nutritional information of all ingredients you are using in a day and adding together the numbers manually is too much. I use an app to help me out. There are many different apps out there. Simply go to your app store and search for “calorie counter” and you will get countless options.

My favorite app is MyFitnessPal. It gives you the basics for free. The basics are all you need, unless you start getting into the details of what you are eating.

You can scan your foods, search for them easily and even create your won recipes. It will take about a month to get up and running. You need to get used to the app and adding your recipes take a bit of work. Once the majority is in there, it will be very easy to use.

My favorite feature is that you can set your calorie intake. This means, you decide how you want to kick off your journey or even change it as you lose the weight.

Now what?

You now have the basics you need to get going.

There is more knowledge, I can pass along but I don’t want to overwhelm you. I will continue to write blog posts to build on this one. To give you more information, teach you about macros and micros. How these play a role in weight loss and your overall health. Teach you about exercise and how that fits into a weight loss journey.. or not.

Being overwhelmed from the get go can be discouraging so I will end the blog post now. Once you are ready, I am sure I will have more posts up that will give you more details. Details you might need, as you get more and more excited about your new life.

I would love to hear from you and how your journey is going. Do you need more information Was something not particularly helpful? I want to pass along my knowledge and pay it forward.

My Journey, Weight loss

Weight Loss Transformation – A Process

February 10, 2020 No Comments

Weight loss transformation is a process. I am in the middle of my weight loss transformation. Daily, I struggle to keep myself motivated but I know it is a process. I needed to discover why I struggle and how I can get through my struggles. This helps me succeed in weight loss.

Going Through the Process

Some days, I am filled with motivation and the scale moves. Other days, I struggle and I want to eat everything in site. It is about finding a balance where you have more days where you are in a calorie deficit and then sometimes allow yourself to simply enjoy. There are days, I still struggle to find that balance. I am not gonna lie. However, I have so far been able to learn why I struggle those days. As long as I know why, I can start working on eliminating the ways or get to the root of the why so I can react to it differently.

I know this sounds all theoretical. So let me give you a few examples of how I keep my motivation, work out why I struggle and what I do to minimize my struggles.

Struggle

Usually, week days are my easiest days. I am kept busy during work. I go to the gym and I then head home to make dinner. Once I have eaten, I am so tired, I can’t think about food. The gym keeps me busy but they are rough. I am, usually, more hungry and if I forget a snack, I struggle. I might eat the blueberry pancakes my husband keeps in the fridge (yes, he is spoiled, I make these every weekend). The cheese, I have portioned out for the week, is incredibly tempting or the nuts on the shelf are devoured by the handful.

When foods are available for you to eat, that is when I need to dig deep. Remind myself why I am loosing the weight. I remind myself of any of these lines or sparks of motivation:

I am doing this for my health so I can live longer
Traveling without physically struggling is a win
“I love myself and I am worth it!” – Yes, I sing it with the melody from Divinyls “I touch myself“
I have felt my confidence soar with my weight loss, I want to keep going.

These are just a few of the lines I might use but they are the most used. Everyone has their reason for loosing weight and I urge you to find these sparks of motivation to help you when you struggle. Write them down somewhere, so you don’t forget.

Why Do I Struggle?

Everyone struggles, some struggle for different reasons but it is important to find out why you struggle. When I first started out wanting to loose weight, I had no idea why I could not control my eating. It was infuriating! As I got older, I started reflecting about my life and somethings started making sense.

I was sexually abused as a child but I had never acknowledged that was what had happened to me. I had just buried it. Growing up, my family struggled so there was not space for me to address my sadness and pain. Others were in pain and I did not want to add to others pain. Now, we can all agree, I should have spoken up but I was 6 years old (up until the age of 10) so what did I know?

When I started approaching the subject I was in my 20s. However, once I had gone through the process of confronting my pain, talking with my family about what had happened, I should have been fixed, right? Not the case. I was still binge eating. I still could not control my eating. Something else, was at play.

I could track my behavior all the way back to when I was 6 years and would come home and eat in front of the TV. When I binge eat today, I do the exact same thing. I buy food, go home and watch TV. I don’t binge like this anymore. It has been well over a year since I last binged and before then, I binged maybe 3 times in a year for several years. What changed, you might ask?

It all started with my pain as a child but it all developed into habits. My binging was made into a habit every time I was in an emotional fragile state. Had I not confronted my pain, I could not have addressed my habits in the right manor and learned how to work around them.

Resolving the Why

Once I realized why I was binging, what my habits were. I could now look at what triggered my behavior. These triggers are the exact same, when I struggle with my food today. When I stressed, when I drink too little water or when I am in an emotionally fragile place. A fragile place, can come from many places but it is most commonly when my insecurities come up.

Now I know why, I know what triggers my behavior, so how do I go about solving it? As you can tell, weight loss transformation is a process. I need to make sure I get enough water, I need to address my insecurities and I need to be mindful of my stress levels.

Honestly, water is easy. I used “MyFitnessPal” to make sure I got my daily 8 glasses for a few months and now I am in a good routine. I use my husband as a sounding board when my insecurities pop up. This helps a lot! However, making sure I am not stressed, is not as simple. I have a tendency to keep pushing myself, expecting more from myself than what is reasonable. It is part of my DNA and who I am.

Acknowledging The Process

To lose weight, I know I need to address my stress levels. That is my focus right now. I keep building upon my habits to better myself and to make sure I minimize the risk of stress. It is all a process.

The process for me, started 15 years ago. I didn’t know that what I started 15 years ago would lead me to now a 65lb weight loss (and counting) but I am glad that I can now see where what I started so long ago, is what has helped me get this far. I can now enjoy the process and understand what I need to do and how I will get there.

Everyone has their journey. I had mine, you will have a different journey. But what we have in common, is that we will have to go through the same process. Why do we struggle? How do we get beyond the struggles? It is being honest with yourself and looking at the ugly sides of yourself (we all have it) and acknowledging the ugly. You are worth being acknowledged for who you are. You are awesome, no matter what flaws might surface.

All you need to know and trust is weight loss transformation is a process. It will take time and that is okay.

Recipes

Are you on the keto diet?

July 15, 2019 3 Comments

I get the question a lot: Are you on the keto diet? I will start with explaining what the keto diet is. Benefits of keto and ketosis? And lastly, what are the side effect and how I differ from the diet.

What is the Keto Diet?

The keto diet is mainly based on a no carb theory. We have all heard of the weight-loss ideas of: “if you cut out carbs you will lose weight quicker” or “it will make you less bloated if you cut out carbs”. There was a time, this became unpopular as a diet option due to the fact that it is hard to maintain a strict keto diet. However, with a bit more research behind it, it is now back in the media and it is more popular than ever. It turns out that it has several health benefits. I love this part!

Ketosis, is what?

The diet is based on the research that if you drastically cut out carbs from your diet your body will start converting your body fat into energy. This is done in the liver, where your liver creates ketones out of your body fat that then provides you with long lasting energy. This metabolic state is called ketosis.

Ketosis happens when there is limited access to glucose which is mainly found in carbs. To go into ketosis, you would need to eat less than 50 grams of carbs per day. It can be lower depending on your daily caloric intake. Rule of thumb is 5%.

When eating a very low-carb diet, levels of the hormone insulin go down and fatty acids are released from body fat stores in large amounts. Many of these fatty acids are transferred to the liver, where they are oxidized and turned into ketones. These molecules can provide energy for the body. Unlike fatty acids, ketones can cross the blood-brain barrier and provide energy for the brain in the absence of glucose.

You don’t need to overthink the diet even though above seems very technical. Above is simply to give you insights to what happens with your body when you go on a keto diet. All you need to know is you should be cutting out as many carbs as possible such as bread, rice, potatoes, legumes, etc. Try and eat lean meats but overall fats are good for you, so enjoy!

Benefits to the Keto Diet

There are many benefits to the keto diet. A lot of it has good research behind it and some is still being researched. Below I have listed the benefits I have come across:

Keeps you feeling full for longer, due to the amount of fat and protein you eat, which has been proven that both makes you feel full longer compared with carbohydrates. Checkout the research here.
The protein heavy diet helps your cravings. Yes, you read that right. Protein has up to 60% reduction in cravings (or obsessions as the research calls it). Check our the article here.
Due to the ketosis state, the diet burns your stored fat more so than any other diet. Check the research here.
Keto is said to have a stronger weight loss impact than any other diet. Check out the research here.
Ketosis has a positive impact on your cholestorol and thereby reduces the risk factors for heart related diseases. Check out the research here.
It has a long list of benefits which you can read more about here.

Side-effect from the Keto Diet

Although, the diet has a strong of benefits it does come with a few side effects but those certainly fades in comparison to the benefits.

I certainly experienced some of them when I first changed my diet. My husband kept telling me, I had bad breath. It baffled me. I was eating well and I had just had my teeth cleaned. Later on, when I started learning more about keto and ketosis, I learned that bad breath is a side effect. It disappears though so hang in there.

My brain at some point just stopped working, I could not process thoughts the same way as I normally would but this only lasted a couple of weeks. 2 weeks is a longer stretch than most but knowing how dependent I was on carbs, I am not surprised. I have listed some of the side effects below so there are no surprises if you choose to jump into it with me.

Headaches
Fatigue
Constipation
Bad breath

Me on Keto

How I am differing from the keto diet is that I allow myself fruit once per day. I don’t limit myself to a particular fruit and if I have a craving, I might end up eating 2 fruits in a day. I am not particularly diverting from the keto diet but I do get more carbs than the 5% that is recommended. However, I have still been able to get into ketosis state, hence my bad breath.

If you have any questions or things you think I should add to this quick run-through, feel free to leave it in the comments below.

My Journey

Weight Loss: Doctor’s Orders

April 15, 2019 1 Comment

Was at the doctors for my yearly check-up. Verdict was, loose weight or get on 4-6 different medications. I chose weight loss. Therefore, Weight Loss: Doctor’s Orders. Therefore, I am going to give this blog another try. I thought I was ready last year but I still had fears and honestly with 80-100 hour work weeks, I just did not have the energy.

Getting Past The Fear

My fears have always been the fear of failure, however, I have failed more times than I can count so just another bad excuse. I think, I need to learn that as long as I am being true to myself and can stand by my actions, failure is simply part of the process.

Weight loss has ups and downs but mine has been more downs than ups. I kept telling myself, that it was ok if I did not loose the weight as long as I worked out. However, I went to the doctor as I had been feeling awful lately. My body was aching, I felt a burning painful feeling on my chest (right between my breasts) and my energy was less than 0. I had days where getting out of bed in the morning was a struggle. Not because of depression but simply because my body was tired. I had been feeling like this for a while but I kept pushing off going to the doctor. I kept telling myself: “I was just being a wimp” or “I am just overworked, it will get better”.

Working With My Doctor

One day, I was headed home from work with my husband. We were walking up the stairs and he asked “why are you weezing and breathing so heavily?”. I thought to myself “gosh, have I become this overweight that I am out of breath just walking up the stairs?”. I thought it strange as I was still working out several times each week so my overall cardio should still be the same. Then the burning sensation started, it got worse and worse to which point I finally went to see the doctor. This was over a 3 month period.

It turns out my weezing was not from my weight but that my asthma had come back. Doctor thought it might have been triggered by stress. The burning sensation was from too much gastric acid, most likely due to both the food I was eating and stress. We did a bit more tests as I had not gone to a doctor in years. I still had high cholesterol and it was even higher. My blood pressure was on the cusp of being too high and my vitamin D levels were at a record low for me. All 3 signs of me being overweight taking its toll on me.

Another Option

I am not a fan of medication, if I can avoid it I will, but I accept if there are no other option. I had gotten my asthma medication and my medication for my gastric acid. Both were helping. However, when the doctor started talking about more medication for my cholesterol and my heart, I immediately said, no there has to be other options. The doctor of course candidly told me I needed to lose the weight and cut out as many carbs as I could. I agreed that I would do this and come back 3 months later. So weight loss, doctor’s orders.

My appointment is June 18th. I am now roughly a month in. I have lost 13.2lb (6kg), I have cut all carbs except for fruit. So I am not doing a full Keto diet (only berries allowed), but I am weighing everything, turning my squash into my alternative spaghetti option and eating only lean protein.

Right now it is 1 day at a time but I am ok with that.

Xoxo

My Journey

I Am Back!

January 17, 2018 2 Comments

It has been a while. I apologize for my absence.

My intentions were to roll back my focus on the blog but instead devote my time to my new business. Plans did not turn out that way. My business had to wait. Family suddenly had to take focus and things are not quieting down but simply intensifying.

However, that did make me more determined to get back into weight-loss and focus on my health. I technically started my focus mid-December but then even more stuff happened so I thought, once things quieted down I would get going. It did not. Obviously. When does it ever?

But no more excuses. I have now made my schedule so I recommend you start following my Instagram and Facebook accounts as they will start being more active. If you are following my Instagram you know I have posted regularly for a while now and it will be even more going forward. Great things to come. I am so excited to get going again.

I decided to do a 3×30 Day Challenge within the next 2 months. It is really keeping me engaged, dedicated and it gives a full body work out. The App is called 30 Day Fit Challenge. It is free to download from your app store, however there can be in-app purchases if you want more advanced training programs. I have not needed them… yet.

I changed my diet slightly. I took out snacking and daily desserts, so I should only have 1 dessert per week and no snacking unless I get home late. Although, with my VERY emotional week last week and my birthday, I did eat more than I probably should have. I am not going to be too hard on myself. I know my mistakes and I did allow myself a bit more since it was my birthday.

I will keep you posted on my progress. For now I am at 245lb (111kg), so I am essentially starting over but hey, at least I am not giving up.

Stay tuned as more great things are to come.

XOXO

My Journey

Where do we find inspiration to keep going?

July 22, 2017 No Comments

More often than not, I have to remind myself why I am not eating the cookie I want or why I should not just stop logging all that touches my tongue. Always thinking about what I eat, weighing whether or not I should eat it. Did I do enough to eat this amount of calories, what is my carb, fat, protein ratio, have I had enough calories to eat, have I enough calories left over for a spoonful of ice cream? All questions I ask myself on a daily basis and honestly, sometimes it gets tiring always have to weigh the options, calculate the intake and the list continues. When I am getting too fed up, that is when I dig into my arsenal of inspirations.

I believe I mentioned inspiration a few months ago as I was recommitting myself to loosing the weight. But I wanted to bring back the subject as it is more important than we think to have small things that keep us going on a regular basis, especially if you end up like me, needing several weeks to see any progress on the scale.

Last night I wanted to stuff my face with anything that had sugar and fat. A really strong urge. One of those where you can’t help but be proud of yourself if you end up not giving in. I had 1/2 a cup of ice cream and well within my calories. I was proud. But one thing I reminded myself of was how uncomfortable I am on planes due to my size. Weird, I know. But when you have a large butt it limits your ability to move in your seat to be comfortable. There is not enough space to put your feet under you or just scoot to one side to shift the weight as you are already taking up all of the space you have available to you. Not to mention the feeling of being in the way because people you sit next to feel comfortable enough to take both armrests and not give it up at any point. So you squeeze your shoulders together to make yourself as small as possible. If you for a moment could try and sit like that in your chair amd then ask yourself. How comfortable would you be after 8 hours on a plane? Not very. I know plane rides are never comfortable but most would have a couple of inches to move around in or even be small enough to have their heels be on the edge of their seat so they can shift their position. Imagine not even being able to do that… frustrating. And I am on planes often enough that one of the things that keep me motivated is the fact that I might just be a bit more comfortable. Odd I know, but whatever gets you through the urges of binging.

Another inspiration is the hope that one day I will not be sweating profusely when I go down in the subway during summertime. I know it is hot down there but I literally have to bring a wash cloth to help me not look like I just ran a marathon. I hate the subway in summertime.

Then there is the usual, want to fit into clothes better without seeing that extra bump or two in the side or the front for that matter. Or just not look twice as large as anyone else in a picture. Or simply when you see a piece of art where you see the most perfectly shaped woman and you use that as your ideal to reach.

My husband and I had a conversation about me being overweight and he was trying to understand why and if there was anything he could do to help. Have I said just how much I love him? He asked me, why do you overeat. What is the psychological need to do that? My reply was along the lines of: It started out with me wanting to hide and be small. After my reply he looked dumbfounded and simply blurded out: You do realize that overeating does the EXACT opposite, right?

Although, I know that is the case, I never really thought of it like that and that conversation to this day is a huge inspiration to me. Eating whatever I want is counter intuitive to what I really want and need. So it is something I think about several times each week.
I follow bloggers and influencers, who inspire me and share the same struggle. They sometimes have insights, good ideas, recipes etcetera. But most of all, it is the sense of not being alone in your struggles and having a sense of community where it is not odd that you want to be comfortable in your seat, not hate how your tire sticks to yourself when you workout or that you constantly check if you are in the way because you are that much bigger and really uncomfortable in your own skin.

There are so many ways to find your inspiration, what keeps you going both small and big. My biggest inspiration is my husband. I know it is cliche but that is the truth. He is next to me and hates it when he is not. He loves me even when I am imperfect. And he is my biggest supporter. Pushes me when I really don’t want to be pushed but need it. Supports me when I just want to stuff my face and puts things in perspective and rallies around me when I have triumphs. He is the person with the biggest heart that I know and that is something to beat as most of my friends are up there when it comes to their love, support and acceptance during both good and bad times. Am I the luckiest woman on the planet or what???

It’s a good day!

Xoxo,

Recipes

Fat vs Sugar

July 9, 2017 No Comments

It has been rumored that sugar is the culprit for the average weight gain in the western world and not fat. And I have been doing my fair bit of research on this. Why? You might ask. Well, trying to loose weight, I feel it is important that I focus on what is fact and what is yet another guess (as there has been a fair bit of that when it comes to weight gain).

Why is it that researchers are now so focused on sugar being the culprit? The reason is because of statistics. Statistics show a direct correlation between amount of people with type 2 diabetes, having high blood pressure and obesity with the increasing amount of sugar consumption.

It used to be that fat was the culprit. Now it is sugar. Why is this? The history is long and complex but I will try and shorten it for you.

In the 1050’s when we had a bit more time on our hands and did not have to deal with a world war, we noticed that there was an increase in deaths related to heart diseases compared to just 50 years earlier. Scientists of course curious (that is their job after all) started investigating and found that fatty arteries were the culprit and a man, Ancel Keys, in particular fought for the idea that there was a correlation between fats and heart diseases. His research has been scrutinized A LOT and I am not going into this debate as that is a post on its own, so I will stick to facts and what is still usable and that is in particular his influence on the “Anti-fats” campaign. It is true that there is a correlation between eating high amounts of fats that then clings to our arteries and heart disease but where it goes wrong is the relevance on weight gain and loss. For some reason scientists made a direct correlation between fat intake and weight gain but luckily we have gotten wiser.

So why is Sugar now the focus? The reason is related to Ancel Keys history. When doctors found out the impact that fats had on the heart and its related diseases, they started recommending a low fat diet. Ideal would have been to then increase the protein amount in foods but that was not that easy and it was expensive, so they recommended higher carb diets instead to make sure people were eating enough calories.

So why is the higher carb diet part of the story? Two reasons. Sugar is a carb and it is cheap and carbs converts itself into sugar (which then eventually becomes fats if we eat too much). The food industry started seeing a surge in the need for a “low fat” foods and sugar was the easiest replacement. It tasted good and it increased the flavors and was a great way to replace fats.

Interestingly, the increase in sugar in our diets now showed a correlation between obesity since the end of the 1950’s. Interesting, huh?

So this is where the research has ended. Sugar is now the bad guy. However, one thing, I believe is missing in all of this data is the industrialization of our western world. We move A LOT less than our ancestors and one thing we are build to do is to move. Us standing up and our long legs are due to the need to move around.

My opinion is, there is nothing wrong with sugar, there is nothing wrong with fats. All in moderation and simply make sure to exercise enough to keep your body healthy and strong. Fats does not cause obesity and truth be told, sugar does not cause obesity. Obesity is simple math. If you eat more than you burn off, you will gain weight. It is that simple.

New, very interesting, research is starting to establish the importance of full fat products and studies and science are showing something interesting. Studies are showing that people that eat and drink full fat dairy products tends to weigh less and even lose more weight than those that eat low fat or non fat dairy. Scientists have found a couple of possible and very likely reasons for this. 1. Full fats makes us feel full longer and 2. they have found acids in the full fat dairy products, similar to probiotics, that you can’t find in low or non fat products that are improving your bacteria in your intestines which in turn curbs your sugar cravings. These two facts is what has kept the research group that ate full fat dairy products stay thinner and even lose weight. They ate less and had a lower craving for sugars.

This in particular, I have found interesting and I feel there is enough research behind it already (thousands of people have been in these studies around the world) so I am willing to test it out on myself. I have started changing my milk from skim to whole, yogurts from low/non fat to full and my cottage cheese from non to full fat (not that my yogurts or cottage cheeses are high in fats even if they are “full fat” products). I will keep you posted on any changes I might experience.

When it comes to food and diets. Stay vigilant and do your research it is worth your while.

Xoxo,

Recipes

This Is The Tough Part

June 25, 2017 No Comments

Going through the 4th week is usually my tough time. The time, where I simply want to give up. Drop out of the gym and not count every single calorie.

And true enough. It has been a tough week. I have counted my calories, I have gone to the gym but boy, have I not wanted to. At this point I am just trying to distract myself from giving up. I am constantly trying to tell myself, I will get past these next couple of weeks.

It is a constant battle where I keep trying to rationalize my bad choices but I know they are simply excuses. Excuses, excuses, excuses. I have lots of them but none of them are really okay.

If I eat this ice cream I can just skip dinner. If I eat this chocolate, I could just eat a little less for dinner. I am so tired and my muscles are so soar, I am sure it will be just fine if I skip the gym today. I have been cleaning all day, that should count for something. I can already see my weightloss in the mirror so I can take a break, no?

You get the point. I have a LOT of excuses. They are never ending. Being aware of my rationalizing is simply excuses, I have been good at ignoring the urges to eat what I should not eat or not go to the gym and I have been cognizant of choosing what I need to choose and not what I want to choose.

Need vs want. That is a good call out for weightloss. I NEED to loose weight and I WANT to loose weight (most of the time) but the want is more wavering than the need. Which is how, I know what to choose when I am debating with myself. I, always, have to choose the need and not what I want. If I chose what I want rather than the need, I would sit with a tub of ice cream this very moment.

It is, also, that time of the month where you just want to eat everything in site and you simply feel like crap no matter what. Yes, if you are a woman, you know what I am talking about. My period has come along and cravings become 10 fold around this time.

This is the time, I am asking for your help. Your help to motivate me and check up on my and make sure I have gone to the gym and that I have been calculating my calories. I promise to be honest and open about my experience if you keep at it with me.

At the moment I am cooking my lunch for the week. A great way to stay out of the fridge and not eating food. It helps me stay organized for the week and it makes it easier to count my calories to have my food prepped for the week. It, also, saves time so I have time and energy to go to the gym during the week.

The menu for the week is Mexican inspired wraps with low fat ground meet, low fat refried black beans and coarse tomato salsa. I, also, bought a watermelon as my lunch dessert. I should be all set with a roughly 550 calorie lunch. Once I am done cooking, I am off to the gym. Anyone want to join me?

XoXo

1 2 Next »