Healthy You Challenge

When I read Chanda's post titled Be Kind To Your Daughters I thought I wouldn't be able to relate to this post because I don't have a daughter. Wow, was I wrong. This post is written for every woman, of all ages and every man who has ever loved a woman or ever hopes to love a woman. Her message speaks volumes and we all need to take action to set a better example...today!

Thank you Chanda for this excellent post!


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Be Kind to Your Daughters.

I cleaned out my laundry room this weekend, which in and of itself is no big deal, other than it was a total disaster and it needed to be done. No, what makes this random act of organization note worthy is what I found while cleaning. An old box filled with even older books. High School Yearbooks. The time and place I consider to be the epicenter of my issues with self, body, and food. I'm sure the seeds of discontent were planted far earlier, but there, during that time in my life, is where I know in my heart of hearts there was a disconnect between what I actually looked like, and what I saw in the mirror. And there is where I was somehow derailed.

I sat down with a cup of coffee and my Freshman yearbook 1981-82, and there within its time yellowed pages, I saw a slender, confident, happy girl smiling back at me in her cheer leading outfit. I re-read all the signatures and notes to the "wild girl", the "cool chick" "always smiling", "friends forever" that literally covered the blank pages left for those types of things.

Cute, huh? That's what I see now, what anybody would see looking at this picture. I wish that was how I felt at the time. I'm 15 in that picture, and by then I had already been on more diets than I can count. I had been sneaking food since I was in 2nd grade, and had been binging and purging since 8th grade. Iwas completely caught up in the idea that I was fat.

My Sophomore Year held a similar, but slightly different story. I was no longer a cheerleader, even though I had been one the year before. I had to try out again(we all did), but was found lacking. Nothing had changed, other than I had stopped carrying around bottles of Ipecac syrup in my purse and was no longer puking up most of my food. So yes, I had gained about 15 lbs over the summer. So I told myself I didn't want to be a clique-ish cheerleader, and my best friend and I became the Banner Carriers for our Marching Band. OK.. a step down in the social hierarchy that is high school, but still involved, still smiling, still popular enough.



As I perused the pages of my yearbook I began to notice something in each picture I found, something no one else would really be able to see. In all my pictures, both freshman and sophomore year, I noticed there was no trust in my eyes. There was wariness, and an expectation that an axe would fall, and it would be an axe of words; warnings from parents who insisted I would be fat one day if I wasn't careful,of thinly veiled insults from boys who teased about fat cheerleaders, and crushes who said no.

And my 40 year old self got pissed off. I sat in my living room looking at my thin legs and normal waist line and wondered how "they" found that somehow lacking. I can see now how wrong they were,how wrong I was to give them that much power over me.

Years of self destructive eating, a war I have yet to win, may never completely win, all started long before high school. It started when my mother(who still to this day looks at herself through a fun house mirror),caught up in her own self destructive eating disorder, placed her fears of being fat and unlovable with me. It started when, as a prepubescent girl of 12 or 13,I went on my first diet. A diet that restricted my caloric intake to 1000 calories a day. I'm sorry, that's just insane.

So I can't help but worry for the young girls today, watching as their mothers (many of them my age)obsess and worry over being heavy, count every calorie and point they put in their mouths, perpetuate the idea that to be healthy is to diet, to be happy is to be (insert goal weight here). Are we placing the fears we've learned on the shoulders of future women? Ive been to the Weight Watcher meetings where mothers bring daughters too young to actively participate, but not too young to "watch and learn".

What message are we sending these girls? Why aren't we teaching them that to be happy is to be true to ourselves, to be kind to others, and to value what's inside, not outside? Why are we not teaching them to fuel their bodies with natural foods? To trust their bodies to tell them when they are hungry and when they are full, that artificial sweeteners and processed foods are poison? And why, for the love of god, are we not impressing upon them that BRATZ dolls are not to be used as a fashion guideline,and that the models and teen queens they see on TV are not normal? Why are they watching that crap in the first place?

Ive seen little girls cringe as their fathers, the first male role model they have, the one on which they base all other male relationships, tell them they can't eat that, they don't need that, they've had quite enough Thank you, then worry about being fat. They're not even out of elementary school for Christ's Sake! I've heard both parents comment about a heavy woman or child in none too flattering terms in front of their children. This has to make an impact, I honestly don't see how it can't.

I can't help but be horrified as I watch the birth of another eating disorder.

Perhaps I'm being overly dramatic, it's been known to happen. But it's my gut reaction and I have to go with it. I have experienced first hand what happens when well meaning parents place too much importance on the wrong things. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is be kind to your daughters, to your nieces, to granddaughters for that matter. Give them strength of self, confidence in their inner beauty, and kindness and respect for others, regardless of outwardly differences.

It's time to stop destroying ourselves from the inside out.

I love watching Joy Bauer on the Today Show when she features the Joy Fit Club weight loss success stories but I didn't know she also wrote for Yahoo Health! Chubby Chick emailed an article she found from Joy Bauer titled 8 Foods that help you lose weight!

So what are those eight foods?

Fiber
Juicy Foods
Lean Protein
Foods that make you work
Sugarless Gum
Hot Beverages
Spicy Foods
Pre-portioned snacks

Ready to learn why these foods help you lose weight? Head on over to Yahoo and check out Joy's Healthy Bite and see for yourself why including some or all of these 8 foods in your life can help you reach your goals.

When I found out that Felicia from Life Happens had lost 240 pounds, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops because I was just so happy for her. She is now up to the 246 pounds lost mark and will be celebrating her 250 pounds lost very soon! I know you all know who Felicia is, she has left comments on all of your blogs and always has a kind word of support and a *huggles* for all of us.

She has graciously agreed to share her story with all of us here today. You can read it below or head over to Life Happens and check it out for yourself: Thank you Felicia for all of your support and for being a wonderful motivation and for inspiring us all.

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I always thought I was a chubby kid. I spent my High School years looking at the popular girls and wishing I was a slim as they were. My weight never really stopped me from doing anything though as I lettered in several sports and showed horses professionally for years. But in my mind I was never as thin as “those girls” therefore I was always “one of the guys”. I look back now and see how stupid that was. I graduated from High School a slim 145lbs. I was no where near chubby or even over weight. I found that as I sit today and try and figure out why I thought that I see that because my Mom was over weight and had issues with HER self about it that they flowed over to me. Don’t get me wrong my Mom never made me feel fat. At least when I was in those younger years of High School. It was more the influence on how she treated herself while being over weight then how she treated me. I really believe our lives are shaped on how our parents behaved towards themselves and not really even towards us that shape how we turn out. I do not “blame” my Mom for my weight gain. But I do hold her responsible for teaching me that food was comfort as that is where I learned it. If stressed, eat, you will feel better… Anyways thats something for another day.

After graduating from High School I went on to college for Equine Studies. I LOVED IT! College was one of the best times of my life. But that of course meant lots of fast food and beer *grin*. By the time I left college I had put on 30-40lbs. Not a huge weight gain but nothing good either. I went from college to living in California with my Grandparents. My Gram is( was) an AWESOME cook! OMG her food was amazing and there was always food to be eaten. Needless to say lol I put on more weight and by the time I headed back to Montana I was 190lbs or so. Mind you this is AFTER spending months before heading back doing diet after diet even signed up for Jenny Craig. After all I was only going home because of a “guy” ( insert STUPID move here). So I did manage to get back down to 190 lbs after I am sure making it well over 200lbs. Get home, guy thing fell apart, luckily landed new awesome guy and began my journey towards weighing 427lbs. Ok so it didn’t happen just that fast there was more collage in there for an automotive course and a few years of life but lol it seemed that fast.

After meeting Dale we started out early with what would be our entertainment. Not the movies, not long walks, nope… eating out. Between meeting Dale in 1995 and having Joshua in 2000 I had put on well over 100lbs. Sad part is I was one of those people that never saw the weight coming on. I had no full length mirror to look in. I had no scale to step on. And with out even knowing it we had slowly replaced furniture and vehicles that were to small with larger versions so there was never much of a moment of “ummm hellooo your getting HUGE”. I had Joshua in 2000. He was not planned but once here an amazing gift. He was born at 30 weeks at 2lbs 6oz. He was amazing. But of course once he was delivered there was no time to cook or start focusing on myself as I had a baby in NICU to think of ( really stupid thinking though as if I had stopped my gaining then I would not have ended up here). I am now 284lbs ( I had gained up to 342lbs while pregnant). I lost MOST of that the week after I delivered as that was how much I was retaining water. Being fat and pregnant does not get you the best of care at most hospitals. LOTS of things get brushed off as “shes just fat”. ALWAYS know when your gut tells you something’s wrong and insist on proper treatment. Anyways Joshua did great, we headed home and I managed to lose in the next 6 months down to 253lbs with the help of a VERY expensive Weight loss Doctor.

Then my Gram moved in with us. Life changed, badly. My Gram had sever Dementia. I still remember taking her to a doctors appointment before she moved in and telling her doctor of our plans. The Doctor begged us not to do this and I remember saying to her.. We know what we were doing. I had always had a special relationship with her and I was just sure I could take care of her. I was wrong and paid a high price for it. She was very violent both physically and emotionally. Over the next 3 years of trying to care for her and a baby, I fell basically apart. I had very little help from family caring for her and could rarely leave my house because you could not leave her alone. We went out basically for Dr. Appointment’s and that was it. Of course I learned later there are entire caregiver group things but I didn’t learn this in time to help us out any. By the time I had found a wonderful place for her to go to spend her remaining days I had gone from 253lbs to 400lbs. I had put on 147lbs in less than 3 years. I was also physically, emotionally and mentally ruined but I didn’t see this till much later.

I am leaving out a LARGE section of life here in regards my parents. Its just not something I can type about right now. Lets just say that years and years of ,not sure of the word that should go here, also attributed to my weight gain. There was a tremendous amount of stress in my life and pressure to say the least.

You can read more about my history here : Weight Loss History

After Gram moved out, Dale (who had put on a tremendous amount of weight also ) and I just knew we could do it now because we didn’t have the stress and pressure of caring for Gram weighing us down anymore. I had several moments after that, that were turning points besides her leaving. You can read more about the moments that turned me by reading here : Turning Points

I just knew I had to lose the weight. I couldn’t live like this anymore and so I went back to dieting. I can do it. Look at the motivation I had now. But alas it was not to be. I was no longer physically able to move well and by February 2006 I was unable to walk. I was crawling from room to room and having my poor little one have to wait on me and care for me instead of the other way around. I was giving it one last “college try” though and has lost down from 427lbs to the 390’s by April of that year. But then as always happens I fell off the wagon once again ( and again and again ) and I just knew I couldn’t lose the weight alone. I had resigned myself to being fat and eventually being one of those people who you see on TV dying of a obesity related problems and having to be cut out of their house. I had no more fight left in me. I had mentally given up and my body had physically had given up.

You can read more about how I looked at my fat : Me and My Fat

Then one day I saw a commercial on TV advertising the Weight Loss Clinic here in town and it was like someone smacked me with a DUH stick. For years I had said I would NEVER have WLS. “Who does that to themselves”. And here I was today looking at that commercial and seeing for the first time in so many years I couldn’t count, a way out of my hell.

The Day ( taken from my journal )
“May 23, 2006
Its official I have completely fallen off my weight loss program once again. Today I decided that I just can not do this alone. I promised myself on the first of the year that if this time failed I would do the weight loss surgery route. I have to much to lose. I put in a call to the Weight Loss Management Clinic to find out how I go about having Gastric Bypass Surgery. Its my last chance at being a healthy functioning Mom and Wife. I am going to die if I do not do something permanent about this weight loss. I can not just keep losing and gaining. Its worse then gaining it in the first place. I knew it was “the right time” for this decision when I was no longer scared of facing the ins and outs of this type of surgery. When I could sit down and compare the pros and cons of having surgery vs. the pros and cons of the life I am living today. Needless to say the surgery stood out loud and clear compared to the slow death I was living with out it. “

I believed when I made the decision to have WLS that I was such a failure. Still today I have issues with that thinking but for the most part I am mainly proud of myself. But it does come with failure issues. Why couldn’t I do it “on my own”. I knew when I made the call that I had to admit that I was never going to “do it myself”. That I had failed myself and this was the price. But the truth was that I realize now is that I DIDN’T fail myself by having WLS. I had finally stopped failing myself and did something FOR myself for the first time ever. That the diet roller coaster WAS the failing part and the decision that enough was enough and to go through with the WLS was the moment that I said “Felicia YOU are worth it”. I had one main reason for having WLS though and you can read more about that here : My Reason Why

There is so much more to this story that would take books worth of typing to write. You can read more about my weight loss surgery journey here : Pre-Surgery Journey but the long and short of it is that…

After that day I never looked back. Its been a whirl wind adventure since.Life After WLS has been wonderful. Many Goals/Milestones have come and gone. Basically over night I went from someone physically and emotionally stuck in her house to a normal every day person. On June 20, 2006 I had my first weight loss surgery appointment. I weighed 382lbs. Today, 20 months later, February 2008, I weigh 200lbs less at 181lbs. Over all my Weight Chart states I have lost 246lbs since my highest weight of 427lbs. (or at least it will once I update it lol) I can buy clothes ANYWHERE. I can fit ANYWHERE. I can go ANYWHERE. I am IN Photos now instead of just taking them. I am not longer the 400lbs elephant in the corner that everyone knows is there but pretends is not. I laugh now. I play now. I live now. My husband ( who has also lost over 70lbs and is still losing!!) has a wife again and my son has a Mom for the first time in his whole life. What I didn’t know then that I do know now is it was the key I needed to help unlock the door to the rest of my whole life. I do not know what is to come in the future. But I do know something. I have a future now and it is so bright “I gotta wear shades” LOLOL

Thank you for reading my story.

Welcome to week 8!!

I have a LOT of things to announce today!!

So Lets get started!!!

~*~ TIVO/DVR ALERT!!! ~*~

This THURSDAY, February 28, 2008, our very own LORA from Less Of Me is going to be a guest on the Oprah Show discussing events leading to a midlife identity crisis. Head over to her blog and check out her comments about her experience on the Oprah show, she's had three posts about it so far with more to come and be sure to watch on Thursday to see her on TV! She looks so warm and friendly in her photo, I can’t wait to see that photo come to life on TV!!

NEW!! Some of you wanted a smaller HYC button for your blog, here you go! I’ll revise more when I have time! Here is what it looks like, the code is below and I’ve added it to the Buttons and Badges link!

<a href="http://healthyyou.scalejunkie.com/" target="_blank"><img src=" http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/scalejunkie/HYC120x60.jpg " border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

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As you know on Wednesday I try to feature a success story or a motivational story, tomorrow I’ll be featuring one of our very own HYC team members who has reached a major milestone!! Be sure and check back tomorrow to read all about it!!

Please join me in welcoming our newest Healthy You Challenge Team Members!!

WELCOME!!

Loser Irene vs. The Fat Monster

~lose2live~

Losing CD

My Body For Life

One day at a time...

Bye Bye Baggage

Nicole's Weight Watchers Journey

Just Me

Looks Aren't Everything

RAWlicious

Scaling down

Stark Raving Flab

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An Update From Me!

A few weeks ago we realized that with the group growing in size we needed to revisit the “rules”. Just to make sure everyone is clear I am going to state it here once again.

If you are actively blogging and want to give and receive support, sign into Mister Linky on Tuesday’s.

If you sign into Mister Linky you will be considered “active” that week.

If you are active try to visit a few other blogs to give support

If you need support, please ask.

If you need a break, take one!! Don’t get derailed from your healthy life just to keep up with blogging or the challenge.

Don’t feel like you have to visit every blog in the blog roll, just visit a few of the people who’ve signed into Mister LInky in the current week. We said try to visit a few above your name and a few below your name, that seemed to work for most of you.

Don’t sacrifice things in your life for the challenge.

The challenge is and should always be about staying accountable and giving and receiving support.

I’ve edited the FAQ’s and other information as best as I could, I’m sure I missed a few places that said weekly check in is required; if you notice any errors kindly email me so I can correct them.

The bottom line is I want you to have fun. I want you to be healthy and work towards being the best YOU that you can be, with or without the challenge. This is meant to be a way to stay in touch with likeminded people who blog just like you do. We all have good weeks and bad weeks but sometimes we need to take a step back and look at things from a new light.

Lots of Love,

Diana

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Phew! That was a LOT for a Tuesday!

Everywhere you turn, people are talking about the importance of exercise. So often we think of it only as a tool to aid in weight loss but its benefits are far reaching.

Men and women who are even moderately bit have reduced stroke risk


Most can reach that fitness range by walking briskly 30 minutes 5 times a week


Much previous research on stroke and fitness has been on men


Stroke is nation's third-leading cause of death

Its always nice to hear words of encouragement from others and kind words from others but do you take their words to heart and say the same thing about yourself? Are you being kind to yourself?

Sometimes the voices in our head say some pretty unkind things about us and quite frankly, its time to stop listening to them....

Cammy had a beautiful post on just this topic, Where Kindness Matters Most and I think its something we have to all work very hard at until its second nature.

If you aren't being kind to yourself, now is a good time to start. You are WORTHY!!!

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Where Kindness Matters Most

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. ~Lao Tzu

Don't mind me, I'll just be here.

Waiting.

Patiently.

Our very own Swizzlepop aka I AM a size 6 again!! (formerly- I WILL be a size 6 again!)
is a woman of many talents.

She shared a recipe for Winter Harvest Stew back in January that I finally tried and all I can say is WOW, its simply delicious!

She has a blog where she shares all of her recipes its called Eat, Snack and be Healthy. There are some great ideas so stop by, bookmark it and enjoy!

Here is her recipe, be sure to stop by her blog and see the photo of it too

Winter Harvest Stew

Ingredients/tools:
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 medium butternut squash
1 C dried lentils
1/2 C uncooked Bulgar Wheat
3/4 can diced tomatoes (I use S&W garlic and basil)
7 C chicken or veggie broth or both
1 tsp dried Fennel
1.5 tsp dried thyme
3/4 chopped red onion

Seasonings to taste:
Lawry's Seasoning Salt

I got so excited when I saw that headline on CNN. I wonder how many of you saw it too? When I clicked on the story I immediately recognized the photos from the weight loss success show that aired in the fall on Oprah.

Lynn Bering was one of the guests. Maybe because she started off as a size 30/32, maybe because she dropped to a size 4/6, maybe because she lost over 167 or maybe because she did this in her 40's but I immediately felt a connection to this woman and her story.

I was thrilled to see her story featured on CNN today and learn more about her journey. It turns out, she is a blogger!!


This quote from Lynn's Weight Loss Tips on CNN really hit home...

I still write down everything I eat. I still ask myself, "How will I feel five minutes after I eat this?" If the answer is anything other than, "I will feel good having made this food choice," then I don't eat it. Or at least most of the time I don't. Sometimes that whiny voice wins. But the point is, I think about it. Am I eating because I want to or because I need to? Am I feeding some emotion I'm afraid to examine?

Welcome to week seven. I hope everyone has had a great on plan week filled with heart pumping exercise! Speaking of hearts, I know that Valentines Day had a few temptations but we are past that now and its time to get back on the healthy path!

We have a few new people joining us this week! Please give them your fabulous welcome!

Wearing the right shoe for your workout is critical. Not only is it important to cushion your feet but wearing the right shoe can prevent injury. So which shoe is right for you? Running? Walking? Cross Training?

What about pronaation?

What about your arch?

All things to consider and know about your feet before you search for the perfect shoe for you.


I've found a great article on Spark People that gives the low down on Finding the Perfect Workout Shoe for You, If The Shoe Fits, Wear It!

Enjoy your workouts!!

One of the things that I always stress about my journey is that I'm doing this for my health, not vanity, after all if we don't have our health, what do we have?

Pattie from Attitude Changes Everything is this week's featured blogger with her amazing post titled Be Good To Your Sweet Heart

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When your heart speaks, take good notes. ~ Judith Campbell

When I was a little girl and didn't want to eat breakfast my Dad would make oatmeal with milk and sprinkle in sugar and cocoa powder to make chocolately breakfast I couldn't resist. Sometimes he would add a teaspoon of peanut butter to my mixture for a bit of protein. Is it any wonder I grew up to love chocolate?

Twix found a great article from South Beach Daily Dish called Getting The Most Out Of Oats. Even if you aren't following South Beach, its worth reading because Oats are a great source of whole grain.

I love oatmeal on a cold morning like today, toasted with a few craisens, chopped walnut and a bit of splenda makes a delicious change from cold cereal in the morning. I make mine with milk instead of water so I can get another serving of low fat dairy.

There are so many articles and studies on the cholesterol lowering benefits and cancer reducing properties of oats, just do a search and see for yourself and I think you'll want to include oats in your diet.

Little changes make a big difference. When I started tracking calories in Sparkpeople, I realized I had been under estimating my calorie count. A few things here and there really add up. However just because you are cutting calories, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice everything. Small changes and portion size changes go a long way towards reaching our goals!

This article from Prevention lists 100 Ways To Cut 100 Calories, have a look and see where you can adjust your life to cut a few extra calories.

Hi everyone! I hope that you've all had a great week!! Time is just flying by and its hard to believe we've been together for six weeks already!


They say that in the 6 to 8 week mark, some people get discouraged because the scale slows down or they start to get bored with their plan. Don't let that happen to you!! Find ways to keep your plan interesting; try a new recipe, mix up your exercise routine (or start to exercise) or reread the information about your plan. Just keep hanging in there, you can do this!!



Carol over at Queen Sized Commentary found a great interactive calendar that she wanted to share with everyone. Head over to her post and check it out. At the top of her blog on the right side there is a link to her calendar where she tracks her days on plan with comments on how she did and her exercise!


We have a few new people joining us this week, please give them a wonderful welcome just like you always do!!

B's Battle of the Bulge

Extreme Fat Smash Diet – Andrea’s Journey

Anonymouse

Ready Maid on The BestLife Diet

If you are suffering from chronic pain anywhere in your body, you will find that making even the simplest movements can be such a torture. But here comes some scientific discoveries that indicate the role of exercise in effectively treating or managing most types of chronic pain. These findings may sound totally foolish and untrue. How can a person with chronic pain, who can't even get out of bed unassisted, be expected to do some exercises?

Before you convince yourself that chronic pain in your body and exercise just don't mix, consider what many pain rehabilitation experts have to say about the benefits of exercise. For many doctors, exercise should be an integral part of any systematic procedure for controlling chronic pain. The reasons are stated below.

Increased Oxygen Levels

Exercise allows you to breathe in more oxygen into your lungs. In effect, more oxygen gets into your muscles, this is essential for fighting off toxins in your cells that hamper your overall healing process. If the chronic pain is caused by damages in your muscles, exercise should be good for you.

Increased Muscular Stamina

Exercise will greatly improve the strength and endurance of your muscles against diseases, fatigue and other types of impairment. Improved muscle quality will definitely reduce the chances of you experiencing chronic muscle pains.

Increased Endorphin Levels

Whenever you are in pain, your brain produces a natural painkiller that is intended to help you in your most trying times. If you want more of this natural painkilling agent, all you have to do is exercise. Exercise provokes your brain to release more endorphins in your system.

Increased Level Of Weight Control

Everybody knows that exercise is the way to go if you want to eliminate unwanted pounds. Being overweight puts a lot of pressure not only on your muscles but on your joints as well. By burning off calories, exercise can help you maintain or attain the ideal weight that your body can carry without causing pain.

Now, you know how exercise can directly and positively affect your chronic pain treatment. But before you go on shopping for new garters and tights, you must first know which exercise routines can best help you attain your goals without aggravating your condition. Actually, the type of exercise that you choose will be largely dependent on the part of your body that experiences bouts of chronic pain. An exercise routine criterion that is solely based on what is pleasurable or not can be detrimental; there are exercises which you may enjoy that your body cannot perform due to the prolonged pain you are experiencing.

If you are having recurring pain in any part of your body, the best exercises may be the ones with very low intensity or resistance. People who continually suffer from pain in the muscles or skeletal structures are never intended to lift 400-pound barbells. In fact, only a minimal amount of weight can be allowed. Exercises for chronic pain management should also last for only a few minutes each day.

The whole idea is to provide chronic pain sufferers with the right kind of activity; it has never been a question about the intensity of a particular exercise. Always consult with your doctor or physical therapist before doing any exercise. Most importantly, be realistic about your goals and always remember that the reason you are doing any exercise is to reduce or help you control your pain and not to become the world champion in anything.

Courtesy of: Sharon Bell

Friday Featured Blogger – A Healthy Path

As part of taking control of my eating, I like to think of myself as the CEO of my life. I have a business plan outlining what I need to do to get the results I want, I’ve outlined goals and even outlined a few rewards along the way. Do you have a clear business plan for your journey? You wouldn’t jump in the car and try to drive to a new city without having a map or GPS would you? You have to know where you are going so you can get there. I’ve failed on countless diets because I failed to plan. Of course once you have the plan you have to actually follow the steps and take the action, you can’t spend weeks or months strategizing, you have to ACT!!

You are the CEO of your life, you don’t have to share it with anyone if you don’t want to but if you haven’t made your healthy path “business plan”, the time is now.

Here is a fantastic post by R.E outlining what she needs to do to be a success titled Positive Weight Loss Strategies.

Postive Weight Loss Strategies

When the new year rolled around, I reflected back on 2007 and the success I've had at maintaining my healthy path. And, I wondered, what was giving positive results? Over the years, I've made dozens of attempts to lose weight, with marginal success. What was different? Was I doing something different this time around that produced success? Sure enough, I can identify tools and behaviors that seem to have made a difference. Please note, I'm not saying these are definitive weight loss strategies for everyone. These are simply what seems to be working for me.

Keep It Simple

Life is busy, and often stressful enough, that I didn't want my diet plan to be time consuming or demanding. The plan was given to me by the professionals at my weight loss clinic. They only asked I lose 1 - 2 pounds a week, which was a huge relief to me. Hearing that took a huge pile of anticipatory guilt off my shoulders. Eat 1800 - 2200 calories a day, and, because I'm the queen of mayonnaise, cheese, and potato chips, try and cut down on high fat foods. That's the plan. Simple and followable.

If you Bite it, Write It

On my first clinic appointment, they handed me a blank food log, and my stomach sank with dread. During my many Weight Watchers attempts, I failed miserably at this, with a log that looked perfect and reflected little of the reality of what I ate. I had so much shame and guilt when I didn't eat healthy; how could I possible record the reality of what I ate? I had to get over it, and I did by actually keeping a realistic log. I record the food, the amount, and the calories and fat grams for meals and snacks. The more you do this, the easier it gets. My goal is to record every other day, just because life is busy. And, though part of me hates to admit this, when I regularly write down what I eat, I stay on track and lose more.

Weigh Once a Week, Even When You Gain

This was a very difficult strategy. I have buckets of fear and loathing about the scale anyway. But, if I wasn't faithful at doing this, if I didn't look reality in the face every week, how could I make a change? So, every Monday morning, I stepped on that scale, even when I knew I had gained. Doing so kept the times of struggle from sabotaging my effort and the scale became less of a bogey man. During the year, I saw a pattern developing, usually with three consecutive weeks of loss, followed by a week of plateau or gain. I realized this was the ebb and flow of my body and psyched adjusting to the change. The fluctuations were okay. I learned I don't have to be perfect.

Stock the Kitchen Healthy and Generous

When you need to eat, when you are starving, sometimes you just can't wait. Unfortunately, it's easier to grab fast food that's packed with calories, fat, and sodium. To combat this, I learned to keep plenty of healthy meal and snack options at home. I kept foods I liked to eat, that I could eat and then eat some more, when I needed to, that didn't end up piling on calories. For example, I love soup. Broth based soups are usually low in calories and high in comfort factor. So, several times a month, I'd simmer up a pot of vegetable soup. Making this effort gives me the opportunity to have satisfying and healthy food when I want it.

Eat Plenty of Carbohydrates and Fruit

On my initial return clinic visit, the dietician looked over my first food log, and said I needed to eat more carbohydrates. And, I thought, Huh??! Back when rocks were soft, and I first attended Weight Watchers, carbs and fruit were rather limited. There was no concept then of "healthy carbs." Plus, my mother had always pushed protein as the food you want to eat most. Hearing that I should eat more carbs seemed a contradiction to weight loss. I was surprised when I added the carbohydrates, that the weight loss continued. I also rediscovered fruit. Somewhere along the way, I'd nearly stopped eating it. Most days now, I have three or four servings of fruit and enjoy the refreshing taste and feeling it gives me.

Plan Healthy Menus & Go Food Shopping

I loathe grocery shopping. However, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, if I wanted to eat healthy on a regular basis, I needed to plan weekly menus in order to have the right ingredients on hand for fixing those healthy meals. Taking the time to plan and shop (sigh) in advance is key to sustaining things. Yes, I know life pulls us, and our time, in a hundred directions. But, don't we deserve that investment of time towards a healthy future?

Find Healthy Choices on the Menu

We eat out frequently. When out to dinner, I would feel deprived if I didn't have an appetizer, soup, an entree, and sometimes even dessert. But, even I recognized that I couldn't eat meat and potatoes with extra butter and sour cream every night forever. So, I've learned to order healthier entrees, choosing dishes that don't make me feel deprived. When the food is put in front of me, I study the plate before I eat and plan my serving size in advance. Most of the time I stick to it and take home leftovers. If I feel like another portion, I eat it without beating myself up about doing so.

Walk During Breaks

Exercise is a huge bugaboo for me. I totally understand all the benefits of exercise, yet many days, just erase the idea from my mind. However, I have been walking at least 3 times during the work week. Sometimes I even make 5 times. That walking break is 15 minutes more exercise than I would have previously got. I recognize this is an area where I need to make major improvement. But, I still seem to be in "not ready to consider it" mode right now.

Untangle Food & Emotion

During this past year, I finally admitted there was a huge emotional component contributing to my ongoing obesity. Admitting that was tough. Addressing it was, and often continues to be, excruciatingly difficult. In my heart of hearts, I recognize that working through these issues is key to keeping my weight loss permanent. That's the only way I'll ever break my connection/addiction to food. Understanding our relationship to food, and how it impacts on emotional health, is probably the biggest challenge for those of us who are morbidly obese.

As I was writing my list, I was surprised to discover just how many changes I had made and I worried that it might overwhelm someone trying to take a first step on the healthy path. But, I didn't start a single one of these strategies last Jan. 1st. These changes came in increments. As the weeks went by, I thought about a needed change, lived with the idea for a while, and then tried it on. Take one step at a time. Those single steps give the power to change a life.

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We all need a boost of energy and reaching for that cup of coffee always seems like a great way to get an energy boost....at least temporarily. But I'm not talking about caffeine laden drinks such as coffee, soda or the so called "energy drinks" on the market.

Last week when I injured my knee I happened to stumble on to this article that talks about sports injuries and nutrients your body needs to repair itself. Honestly, I had read all about super foods and I do try to incorporate them into my diet but this article goes a step further than saying, eat these foods, it actually explains why they are good for the body!

"A crack in the foundation requires raw materials to patch things back together. In the body, those raw materials come from what we eat."

That was the headline on CNN that caught my eye. Maybe I identified with this man because walking is my main form of exercise or maybe it was his starting weight...not so far from my current weight but after reading this mans story I knew I had to share it with you.

Read Phill Novak's story, the man who walked off half his weight on CNN

I've always known that walking was the best option for me at my size but reading his story renewed my faith in my walking regime.

Welcome to week 5 of the Healthy You Challenge!!

WOW what a week! I’ve read so many incredible posts but I’m sure I’ve missed quite a few too, between my knee injury and computer issues it’s been a very hectic week for me. I’m happy to say that both knee and computer are in running mode!! So how was your week? Did you stay on plan? Did you struggle? I read about quite a few NSV’s and a few super bowl parties!

Today is "Super Tuesday" here in the USA because a lot of states will be voting today. Its also Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day...whatever you call it, if you celebrate it, I'd like to wish you a happy one!

Last week I asked about the blog roll and more specifically about visiting all of the blogs and I think we all agree that it’s just too much to try to visit every blog in a week. Honestly when I started this group I thought it would be me and less than 10 other people all cheering each other on but what I’ve ended up with is so much more and its WONDERFUL!! I’m meeting so many new people from all over the world and making so many great new friends. Inspiration is never in short supply with this group!

When I wrote the rules, I was kind of strict about the support because I only wanted people who were sincere in their efforts to join. I wasn’t trying to just get a lot of people on a blog roll or people who just wanted a link on a blog roll, I wanted a like minded group working towards better health. But what I've found is that there are a LOT of like minded people out there and I welcome them all to ban together here for support.

However with that being said its time to change things just a bit. Honestly, I just don’t have the time to assign you to groups so what I’m going to ask you to do is to pick a few people and visit their blogs.

We all go on vacation, have a busy time at work or just don’t feel like blogging for a few weeks. I do understand that. I would recommend you pick from people who have signed into Mister Linky because when you sign in it means you are active that week. Someone made the suggestion of picking the two or three people who sign in before you and two or three who sign in after you so you get a good rotation of blogs. I think it’s a great idea and that’s what we will go with from now on. Some people you will click with, others you may not. Next week, pick a few more until you build a group of support that is manageable for you! Don’t feel like reading blogs has become your part time job!

It’s kind of like when you are flying and they are giving you directions on your oxygen mask thing that will fall from the overhead should you need it…put your own mask on first and then assist other passengers. Everyone on the blog roll has the same ultimate goal, not all of us have the same amount of free time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d rather you go out and exercise than read a blog. Your health and your goals are the reason why you joined this group, they need to come first, and supporting others comes second.

Welcome to our newest Challenge Team Members!!!

An Apple A Day

Trapped Under Something Heavy

Skinny Inside

Tea and Thee

The Incredible Shrinking Katschi

Shaping Up My Life

Finding Fergie

The Hungry Little Caterpillar

The Diet Book

The Queen Size Commentary

LMAO

Freshman 15

Life in Particular

Manuela

D's Health & Weight Loss Journey

please check your link in the blog roll for accuracy.


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Typically featured bloggers are on Friday but there were two great posts tied to fitness from our group that are worth reading again!

The first is from The Tippy Toe Diet who had a fabulous post about setting goals and exercise all rolled into a challenge….and a dare…not just a dare but a double dog dare. Do you dare? Check it out and set some exercise goals.

The second fabulous post was about Strength Training. I’ve posted about adding strength training to my workout and Go Workout Mom has written a wonderful post about the benefits of using your muscles and what your muscles can do for you! Not only that, she is writing several posts on the topic over the next few weeks. If you haven’t read this post yet, get over there and read it and stop back at her blog often for the updates! I for one can't wait to read them all!!