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General Weight Loss Tips

Self Plan

self april 2012 carrie underwood Self Plan

I do love magazines, I’m not gonna lie. I know the models are airbrushed and unrealistic, the information is regurgitated, but that doesn’t stop me from picking them up on occasion as a treat. I haven’t read Self in a really long time, and in a fit of needing inspiration I bought this, Health and Fitness when I was in WV the weekend before last.

I do find inspiration in them, just having them around the house, in the bathroom (haha I know) or the coffee table, it’s like a reminder of what I’m doing. Where I want to be.

Anyhow, the point of this is to share with you that the April issue of Self has (in my opinion) a really good and realistic weight loss plan.  I’ve tried a lot of diets in my pre and post blog. Some that require counting calories or restricting carbs and they all work, it’s just about consistency and for me, the more down to earth it is, the more likely I am to stick with it. As soon as I decide I can’t have something for the sake of weight loss, that’s all I want. Even if I don’t really want it.

The Drop 10 (and more, they talk about losing more weight) is pretty straightforward: 1,600 calories a day, with a 200 calorie treat a day that can be carried over to other days when you may need them more (like plus points with weight watchers), the only catch is that you can only stack 800 together at a time. So say, you are planning to go out for a celebration this coming weekend you can use up to 2,400 at one time and still lose weight.

They also provide a daily exercise plan, recipes and a check off list to keep track of your progress. And for those wondering, I wasn’t paid or asked to promote this magazine or plan, I just really liked how simple and doable it is. I think having structure with the principles of Brain Over Binge (breaking bad habits) will be a winning combination.

I’m traveling to WV again this weekend for a baby shower and plan to save some of my extra calories this week for that.

Today’s breakfast:

One Ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffin with less than 1 T butter, 1 T cacao (cacao!) bliss and a cup of strawberries: 367 calories

4 16 12breakfast Self Plan

 

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Finding Peace With Food

raspberry noosa Finding Peace With Food

The day started very very early (so early, it was dark) with my last serving of raspberry noosa and a few almond slivers on top.

pb and j banana soft serve Finding Peace With Food

For late breakfast I had a bowl of peanut butter and jelly banana soft serve.

pizza Finding Peace With Food

For first lunch I had a bowl of vegetable soup (photo on yesterday’s post) and then a couple of hours later I shared some thin crust pizza with Josh.

tomato soup and grilled cheese Finding Peace With Food

For dinner I made a big batch of tomato soup with sour cream and grilled cheese paninis. I was out of regular broth so I had to use a pho starter broth which gave the soup a more citrusy sort of taste. It was really good and so easy to make! Just two large cans of diced tomatoes, 1 onlion + 7 cloves of garlic sauteed in olive oil, 4 Cups of broth, salt to taste and then about 1/4 c. sour cream. I used my immersion blender to make it smooth and creamy.

Yesterday was a food-heavy (dairy heavy!) day for me, but it wasn’t out of control. I’m finding a nice place where I’m never really full or really hungry and this prevents 95% of my urges to overeat or binge. I’m also eating frequent, smaller meals, throughout the day, which is something I never thought would work for me, but it is.  I’m learning to get over my food fears and stop worrying so much. And everyday I remind myself that being consistent will get me there and to trust the process. I’m trusting that I don’t have to starve myself, or eat foods that I don’t like to lose weight. I just need a lot less of it.

I did a lot of strength and resistance-band work yesterday and followed with some much needed deep cleaning. I’m in the process of totally cleaning the house inside and out and it’s turning into a nice workout.

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Why It’s Personal

beetjuice Why Its Personal

Good morning! Can you tell beets made a special appearance in my juice today? I love the bright red color! Last night I did something that I always intend to do, but never actually do. I prepped all the vegetables so they would be ready for easy eating or cooking. I even prepared several sandwiches and boiled some eggs. I’m also working on a whole chicken and a big batch of brown rice and quinoa to eat on during the week. Why have I not done this before?

beetjuiceingredients Why Its Personal

I put everything for my juice in a plastic salad container last night so that this morning all I had to do was pull it out of the refrigerator, cut the apples, peel the lemon and start juice. I had juice and the juicer cleaned in less than five minutes. Why do these simple things in life make me feel so accomplished? I’ll never know.

I had this big(ish) post planned for today, that would go into the details of how things are going and what I’m doing and how I’m doing, but then I realized what better way to show than tell? I’m not the best at articulating things that seem abstract in my head.

But, to sum it up. After reading Brain Over Binge, I emailed the author, Kathryn Hansen. I’ve never emailed an author and wasn’t expecting a response, but sure enough, not long after my first email she replied. And then she replied again to another email filled with questions.

And while I was forming the questions and reading her response, I realized something totally and completely obvious: The process is personal.

Katheryn talks in-depth about her life post-binge. A life that is very similar to her normal eating patterns before she ever began dieting in her early teens which lead to anorexia and then bulimia (binge eating with extreme exercise). Kathryn knew about normal eating, she knew what it felt like and could call upon those feelings. Those feelings helped her to tell the difference between a binge urge and just a normal human urge to eat a little more, seconds or dessert. For her, snacking, eating without hunger and occasionally overeating are all normal. She’s also never been overweight or obese. Needing to lose weight complicates the process more for people like me.

And this is where my journey branches off.

I don’t know what it feels like to eat normally as a default. I know what it looks like and can identify what an acceptable portions is. I can recall hiding food at a very young age and because of this, I don’t have a lot of experience to draw upon to tell the difference between binge eating and “normal” eating. For me, eating without hunger, while normal on occasion for someone like Kathryn, signals to my brain that I’m in overeating mode. Eating seconds, eating between meals, and most importantly eating without hunger, all indicate that I’m off track. This thought process leads to overeating or binge eating.

For Kathryn, she has a hard time telling the difference between true hunger and urges. I don’t. I’m very aware of the difference between eating for true hunger and not. Eating without that true feeling of hunger, for me, is following my “lower voice”. That’s not to say this always isn’t the case or that there aren’t exceptions, but it’s just something I’m avoiding using Kathryn’s methods.

Occasionally people will say to me that I need to eat xyz or not eat xyz or that I need to eat several times throughout the day. And all I can say it, this is why it’s so important for me not to put what works for me onto other people. For me, eating a handful of cherries while making dinner is okay. Eating a handful of potato chips is not. Eating six meals a day because someone tells me a should, even though I’m not hungry, is not okay to me, only because it signals an urge to continue eating. Eating without hunger is like telling myself “you blew it! eat more!” And that’s my pattern.

Kathryn’s Response:

This is one of the reasons why I mentioned in my book that some people may want to use meal plans (and possibly consult a nutritionist) at first, if they truly feel like they don’t know how to eat normally without binge eating.  I didn’t give much advice directly to the reader (I primarily explained my own story and ideas) in the book because I’m not in a position to give specific medical advice, but that’s one thing I felt was important to include. You have to do what you think will be best for you, and if that includes no unplanned eating and/or no extra servings and/or no small snacks of less-than-healthy food; I think that makes sense. I referred to something similar to this in the last chapter of the book under the subheading “Bridge to Addiction Therapy,” saying that someone could get rid of all problematic foods for a while, then gradually add them back if they want them in their diet.  For you, you could avoid all non-hungry eating for a while, and then – when you feel more confident – gradually start giving yourself some more flexibility.

In my past, another slice of cake always signaled that I was out of control, or would soon be. Even if it was just another portion of something, I’ve always used that as an excuse to eat more. It seems that for me, when I eat when I’m not hungry, I’m giving myself a free pass to binge or to eat too much. This sort of black and white thinking is my pattern.

I’m in a place where I want to eat well because I’m trying to get a lot done. If food weighs me down or makes me feel bad, I become foggy and start putting things off.

Yesterday for example, was a good day of eating :

Woke up slight hungry so I ate a green apple and drank some coffee. I rarely drink coffee, but I followed the craving. A few hours later I ate a spinach salad with salsa, a couple of homemade corn chips crumbled on top, a little shredded turkey and a few cherry tomatoes.

I felt good, satisfied and full.

Around dinner time Josh took me out to Mexican where I had a few corn chips and we shared the chicken fajita dinner for one. I ate a small plate of the salad, guacamole, chicken and vegetables. I was full and satisfied.

And that’s one day, each day is different, but it was successful for me (emphasis one me) because 1) I didn’t overeat 2) I didn’t eat when I wasn’t truly hungry 3) I ate what my body wanted 4) I ate until satisfied and because of this I felt 1) clean 2) productive 3) healthy 4) satisfied.

Everyday is different. Some mornings I may wake up and just want a raw juice, while others nothing else will satisfy me like whole wheat toast, eggs and bacon. Other lunches may be a giant salad, or a burger or Indian food. Dinner may be sushi, or steamed vegetables, or a couple of slices of pizza. All of these decisions are okay with me. I feel good as long as I’m not eating too much.

For me, at this stage, eating without hunger, overeating and binge eating are all one in the same. They may look slightly different, but the root is very much the same. It’s how I can tell if the urge is a habit or a true need.

I want my food choices to be because they make me feel good. Raw juice and a turkey sandwich for breakfast this morning fuels me and makes me feel good. It’s not perfect. I’m not going to eat six meals a day just because it’s suggested or because it works for someone else.

The other balance is cooking and preparing food when I’m not actually hungry, in anticipation. I’m planning meals and having things ready to eat. I have a clear idea of what I want to eat and making it easily accessible is key.

So I’m curious, how is your journey different from mine? Does anything trigger old or bad habits for you?

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