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General Weight Loss Tips

What Eating Less Really Means

I’m realizing that weight loss= eating less. I already knew that, and you probably did too. But, what does that actually look like? Tonight at dinner I gave myself a challenge. The challenge wasn’t to pick the healthiest thing of the menu, or to measure everything out, or to be concerned with the calories. The only challenge was to slow down and enjoy the meal, guilt free, and to stop eating when I was full.

What did it look like? I ordered chicken fajitas with my husband to share. I ate a few tortilla chips, slowly and mindfully while we waited on our order to come. I put the food on my plate and took a bite. Chewed. Put my fork down. Took a drink of water. Then I took another bite, chewed, put my fork down and drank water. I repeated this process until my brain said full. I looked down at my plate and realized that I had eaten about a fourth of what I normally do. And I was satisfied. I was full, but not stuffed and I asked for a to-go box.

I know all of this sounds incredibly elementary, but I just couldn’t believe it. Josh actually kind of looked at me to say “are you not feeling well?”.

I bring this up because sometimes I have moments when I realize how much I complicate weight loss. How much emphasis on what I’m eating rather than how much. It’s a nagging thought I’ve had for awhile, and one I’ve mentioned before. The realization that I’m capable of losing weight if I just listen to my body. That understanding that at my weight, eating less, being mindful and stopping when I’m full is more important than worrying if I’ve had enough vegetables in the day. I do believe in good nutrtion, but deep down, I know that that will work itself out eventually. Today, a success is not cleaning my plate and then wanting more. Success is not feeling shame when I eat and enjoy my dinner.

A friend said something to me today and was profoud. A friend who I would consider healthy and balanced with her diet and exercise. The same friend who loves corndogs. Despite the ingredients she realized that feeling guilty about loving corndogs places the wrong emotions on food. Of course she isn’t eating them everyday, but I truly believe that guilt and shame lead to overeating.

As much as I struggle with overeating in my life. I’m realizing that there are many times in the day where I’m not eating. I’m just in the moment with whatever I’m doing. I’m trying to notice those moments more, to feel good about them, even if they’re my normal. To use them at a catalyst for motivation when I do want to eat too much food. Instead of looking at the day as a whole, I look at it in moments. Realizing that there are moments in the day where I’m content without food.  Moments of strength, awareness and thoughtfulness.

I realized that I don’t have to make weight loss confusing or brutal. I’m already the person I need to be to lose weight. My body is equipped to help me eat less if I’m willing to listen.  I don’t need to read another diet book, or count another calorie (I will for now), or keep up with the latest studies on nutrition. I know what makes me feel good. I know what true hunger and thirst feels like. And I know when I’m full without being stuffed.

It’s comforting to realize this. To realize I have the ability to eat less at any given moment. To realize that ever meal has potential to make me hear what my body is saying. Even without a meal plan, weight goal or dream about a thinner body, I choose to simply eat less. I can have what I crave and desire, guilt free.

What does eating less look like for you?

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General Weight Loss Tips

Q & A

I get several emails a week about this and that and thought I’d answer some questions I get most often here.

How tall are you?

I’m right smack in the middle of average at 5’4.

What diet plan do you follow?

Right now I’m dabbling in a world without refined flours and sugars. Cutting back on dairy. Cutting back on grains. And cutting back on processed foods. I eat vegetables, meat/poultry/fish, fruit, nuts, some dairy and brown rice.

What kind of exercise do you participate in?

I do strength training once a week and for the past two weeks I’ve been doing Zumba three times a week and Jillian DVD’s the other days.

Have you met your goal weight?

Nope. Not yet.

What do you do for a living? What does an average day look like? How did you get started freelancing? What are your biggest career struggles?

I am a freelance designer and writer. I also make a small line of handmade jewelry and I blog. On a typical day I wake up around 6am, eat breakfast and check all my internet stuff (email, facebook, blog, twitter etc.), around 7am I start writing. Around 9am I take an hour break (food, stretching, fresh air, email). At 10am I’m back to writing until noon when I eat lunch. If I have design work to do I will go and do that after lunch (sometimes before lunch). After that I come home, eat dinner, do more work, exercise and then relax.

Most days look like this depending on what I have going on or if I have any deadlines.

I got started by making the decision to do it. Working for myself has been a goal of mine since college. Having an office job never felt like a long term solution for me. I like working with people rather than for them. Bosses tend to feel like they have ownership and control over you, and that’s a feeling I never got used to. If I want a raise, I work harder. In the office world, it’s up to the guy signing your check. It’s also nice not to have to check in, ask for days off, take time to go to an appointment or just have a “me” day. That will never ever get old.

Struggles with balance. Getting over fears. Setting limits with other people. Owning my time. And finding respect for what I do. A lot of people in my life have no idea what I do. Sometimes being at home is perceived as “doing nothing” or being unemployed, but I work harder than most people in office jobs. I pay for my own health insurance. Every dollar I make is important to me- I don’t take my work for granted. It’s also hard for people to see what I do as important or valuable because my title wasn’t handed to me through a job description. It’s important for me to share what I do with other people and let other people know that this lifestyle is possible for anyone if you’re willing to work hard and find focus. Also having a business name and website is beneficial for legitimacy.

What is your goal weight?

Honestly, I will skip down the street at 180. And wouldn’t sneeze at 190. And will praise the skies at 200, but for my height I should be under 140. That’s a long ways away though.

Do you have children? Do you want children?

No and yes. I’m in a place where I’m (we’re) not actively trying, but would be okay if it happened. Maybe when I’m 30 I’ll warm up to the idea. I have a lot of fears when it comes to having a child: loss of privacy, pain, vulnerability, unsolicited advice, expectations…I could go on  I’d also like to be in a better place physically (and mentally).

Who designed your blog?

I did with the help of my husband. I just created a header and the custom graphics. I’m using a wordpress template for the rest.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Firming Up a Flabby Tummy and Finding Those 6 Pack Abs




Do you have a decent body except for that middle roll of flab that just doesn’t seem to go away no matter how much you exercise or attempt to spot reduce that area? The truth is that the spare tire around your middle is fat ? and you’re not going to see the 6-pack abs buried beneath until you get rid of it.

The trick to reducing fat around your middle is to reduce your caloric intake and eat foods that are proven “fat burners” such as lean protein, salads and vegetables. Reduce your carbohydrate intake, especially in the evening hours when your body is slowing down. Adopt a low fat diet for your lifestyle to burn the unwanted fat and eventually reach the show-off abs you desire.

There is a difference between toning your abs and reducing the fat around your middle. Toning abdominal muscles can be achieved by exercising, but removing the fat must take place from the inside out. It won’t do you any good to try spot reduction exercises if you don’t get rid of the fat first.

There’s no such thing as an immediate “fix” for a flabby tummy. You can spend hundreds of dollars on pills and creams, but you’ll soon realize that the only way to 6-pack abs is to work at it.

While you’re concentrating on a low fat diet, you’ll want to tone and firm the abdominal muscles that lie beneath the fat with exercise. The key to exercising your abs is to do the exercises correctly. If you’re concentrating on tummy crunches to firm your abs and performing them incorrectly you’ll never see success.

So, before you exercise, learn how to do it properly. For example, if you’re doing crunches, learn the correct method of breathing as you’re exercising. A number of good online sites contain information about how to perform abdominal exercises.

Concentrate on resistance training when firming and toning your abs. Use a “fit ball” (sometimes called “exercise ball”) for support if you have problems with your lower back. And don’t overdo it. Three sessions a week is plenty when you’re exercising muscles that have lain dormant for awhile.

Cardio exercises (aerobic) designed to rev up your heart rate can help burn fat, so be sure to include them in your exercise regimen ? and include the ones that work both your upper and lower body. It’s best to do cardio exercises in the morning ? and always on an empty stomach.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see results as fast as you’d like. Remember, those 6-pack abs are buried somewhere beneath that fat roll. It’s your job to find them.
Good luck.