A Healthy Path

National Start! Walking Day

2008-04-17T20:39:00.004-04:00

My employer is participating in "National Start! Walking Day." This is sponsored by the American Heart Association, with the goal of getting America walking for 30 minutes a day. At work, they offered free pedometers to track our walking throughout this coming year. We have a web page where to sign in and log the number of steps we take each day and prizes for hitting certain number of step milestones. That's a very neat incentive. For me, being able to look back and see how I've done is always motivating.

So, even as I type, the pedometer is on my jean's waistband. The last two days, I've done about 4000 steps. Not a bad start. I'm hoping, by the end of the week, to average 10,000 steps a day. And, heaven knows I can use the stress relief from the exercise.

Struggles and Struggles

2008-04-14T08:10:00.004-04:00

Well, as you might guess from my total silence, the last two weeks have been an enormous struggle. Stress in life, especially at work, is taking a huge toll on me and seriously sabotaging my healthy path efforts.

I'm terribly frustrated right now. In no way do I want to give up and erase a year's hard work, but, making healthy choices has been so difficult. If you asked me to grab the world's sharpest knife by the blade as hard as I could, that's about how badly I'm avoiding my previous good habits. This week, I can at least begin to face things, although I did decide to avoid a weight in. Right now, I don't need any more negative in my life and I know that the scale will only bring me bad news.

The ironic thing is, when I eat foods that are supposed to comfort me, I end up feeling like crap, physically and emotionally. What a mess. You would think I would learn from this dynamic, but so far, I can't break the cycle of reaching for junk.

What's causing all this is my job. For the first time in my life, I have to cope with the daily challenge of spending 10 hours at the job that I've come to loathe. A negative psychic environment, nasty coworkers, ever changing demands, and unsympathetic management that constantly asks for overtime, are taking a huge toll. It's imperative that I find a new job. And, I have been looking. I'm an RN, but, unfortunately, health issues keep me from working in the acute care setting. This cuts down on the places where I can look for work. And, the economy is making this a tough time to even get hired. My better half, who is an IT professional, has been looking for a better position for over two years. Bleh!

I sure hope the tide turns soon.

Weigh In Monday # 31

2008-04-02T11:11:00.003-04:00

Happy Spring! After a short hiatus, I'm back. Life has been fairly nuts. I had an awful bout of the flu that started on Good Friday and continued for nearly a week. During that time, I didn't feel much like eating, and when I did, I only wanted something that tasted good. Last week, I was really down and didn't care a whit about eating healthy. I'm struggling with work issues again and the stress was getting to me.

However, the good news is, that when I stepped on the scale this week, I found my weight had stayed the same. That surprised the heck out of me. I would have sworn I'd gained 10 pounds. But there I was, standing on the scale, feeling like a healthy person who had maintained her weight through a challenging two weeks.

Last Wed., I even got in a mile walk. The amazing thing was, the next day, I wasn't the least bit sore. Looks like my short at-work walks are helping keep me limber. That's very encouraging. Now that the spring weather is here, I plan on getting out and walking with my greyhound more often. I find the air and all the energy from the budding plants and trees very healing. And, heaven knows, my body still has healing to do.

Weigh In Monday # 30

2008-03-18T19:08:00.004-04:00

I finally put a good week together and the scale rewarded me with a 5 pound loss. The interesting thing, as I was stepping on the scale, I didn't have an inkling of what the numbers would show. Would I lose? Would I gain? I was clueless. So, the 5 pounds was a lovely surprise. I'm very psyched, because with this loss, I've hit a new total pounds lost -- 71 lbs. Pretty exciting!

Through most of January and February, I struggled against discouragement and temptation. Looking back now, I think that emotional state was the effect of the winter blues. February, of all the winter months, has always been a tough emotional month. Fortunately, the slow fade of winter and daily signs of spring have lifted my spirits and helped me recommit to my healthy path.

Addiction and Morbid Obesity

2008-03-13T07:58:00.010-04:00

The March 2088 Newsweek features an engrossing piece about addiction and the current research seeking solutions, on biochemical levels, towards developing new medications and possibly a vaccine. I picked up the magazine waiting for an appointment, and, throughout this week, several points from the article have echoed in my brain. The piece stated that, addiction is a "biological, psychological, social and spiritual" disease. And, unless the individual working for recovery has support on all those levels, they probably won't succeed. It took a huge sea change in the medical community and society to stop perceiving alcoholism as a "moral failing" and recognize it as a disease that demanded more attention and resources. Isn't the same change needed towards morbid obesity?

While food doesn't act on brain receptors as strongly as heroin, I do think that addiction to food is a reality, and, that it contributes to the disease of morbid obesity. There is still a perception in society that being overweight is, like previous attitudes toward alcoholism, a moral failing or personal weakness. I couldn't begin to count the number of times my Dad told me that all I needed was a "little willpower" to lose weight. Oh, that losing weight was so simple. If there is an inner switch to flip, that permanently shuts off years of intertwining food and emotion, and erases the isolation and feeling of being terribly flawed being obese brings, I haven't found it.

Like substance addiction, morbid obesity is also a biological, psychological, social, and spiritual disease. Our biology can be impacted by genetic and metabolic differences that predispose us to gaining weight. Our society equates a thin body with beauty, putting tremendous pressure on individuals to attain a mostly impossible, arbitrary standard of beauty, leaving us alone to deal with the emotional fallout from not reaching that standard. Commercial weight loss programs focus on what not eat and only marginally touch on the psychological and emotional components of weight loss. The spiritual side, which the 12 Step world recognizes, is probably the most overlooked aspect in the dieting world.

When I look back on my healthy journey to date, I recognize, through no conscious choice, that I am working on all those aspects of the disease. Yes, food, portions and healthy choices are key. But, if I hadn't started seeing a therapist for depression, and, for the first time in my life began speaking aloud about a lifetime of fighting obesity, I wouldn't have lost 60 plus pounds, or, would never be here writing about the process to the world. And, rekindling my spiritual life has been a tremendous aid towards a healthy body. As far as social support, I suspect that if I hadn't met a man who loved me despite my size, I never would have begin working at all this. I met Sweetie when my hair was falling out from chemotherapy and was an emotional basket case from fighting breast cancer. I figured that any man who fell in love with me through all that was a keeper! Plus, I've found wonderful social support here, in the weight loss blogging community.

Only recently has the medical world begun to recognize obesity as a disease. Unfortunately, I don't think there will ever be a drug or miracle plan to heal it. But, the work and effort can be done by anyone. Finding physical, psychological, social and spiritual healing begins with recognizing the problem and seeking help for solutions. And, one step on the healthy path to get going.

Weigh In Monday # 29

2008-03-11T19:54:00.003-04:00

The sun was out in PA and the air had a tiny, tiny hint of softness. Perhaps we do have a chance of spring soon.

I did manage to get back on track this past week and shed 3 of the pounds I gained. I'm glad of that, though I must admit to being weary of treading water since January. I keep juggling the same 2 - 4 lbs. from the "gain" to the "lose" column! At least I am maintaining and not gaining. That in itself is an accomplishment for me.

This afternoon, around 4pm, I was getting hungry. And, my "tired of working" self whispered, "you've been good today, go get some chips and diet coke." Mmm, perfect to get through the last two hours of work. So, I went to the gift shop only to find a crowd around the snack food rack. I stood there for 5 minutes, trying to see around everyone, and finally figured out they only had jalapeno and salt & vinegar chips. Yuk! Then, I started chuckling. Surely, this was nature's way of telling me that I don't need chips. Instead, I went into the coffee shop, got that soda and a tossed salad!

Weigh In Monday # 28

2008-03-04T21:52:00.001-05:00

I've had a rocky time of it the past 14 days. I was so upset with myself last week, that I just couldn't deal with weighing myself. Life calmed down a bit over the weekend and I was able to pull things together and step on the scale. I gained 4 pounds. I was surprised at how small the weight gain was, since I felt I'd done nothing but overeat for two weeks.

What set things off was my annual mammogram. The results showed an "irregularity" which they felt was benign, but wanted a repeat in 4 months to make sure there was no change. Now, I'm a breast cancer survivor, going through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation on both of my breasts. So, hearing there was a problem brought so much anxiety, I couldn't deal with it all. To cope, I started eating and just couldn't stop. I was eating so much, I had severe stomach pain. I was so weirded out, I ate things I don't even like, simply because they were handy. I was a total mess!

This Monday, things are a bit better. My logical self has overcome the emotional landslide. Today, I managed to be totally on the healty path for the first time in two weeks. Whew! In times past, this experience would have caused me to give up totally on things and return to slowly killing myself with food. So, small blessings and small lessons learned.

Weigh In Monday #27

2008-02-19T20:40:00.005-05:00

My weigh in this week showed another pound down. I'll take that! That makes for a total of 67 pounds. I am so hoping I can hit 70 by the end of this month. Feb. is always a tough emotional month for me. The still dark days and the cold, cold weather we've been having here in central PA doesn't inspire me to do much except curl up under an afghan and eat comfort food. However, I am resisting the urge for the most part and hanging in there.

This time of year especially, I am a big fan of soup. I love the warmth and soothing comfort derived from a steaming bowl. And, broth based soups, for the most part, are healthy and great for meals and snacks. While I prefer to make my own, I don't always have the time or ingredients handy. Last weekend I had a coupon for Campbell's Select Soup. I got two Healthy Request Selects: Mexican Style Chickan Tortilla and Italian Style Wedding.

Per 1 cup serving, the Tortilla Soup has 130 calories, 2.5 gms fat and 480 mg. of sodium. It's made with rice, chicken, vegetables in a zesty broth. The Wedding Soup, which is nearly identical to the full calorie version has, per 1 cup serving, 130 calories, 2.5 gms fat and 480 mg. of sodium. Each can has two servings and all you do is heat and eat.

Weigh In Monday #26

2008-02-12T21:03:00.000-05:00

Monday morning weigh in and, unexpectedly, the number on the scale didn't change. I was the healthy path kid last week, so my body must be doing the plateau thing. It seems my "too too solid flesh" has, at times, a mind of it's own. I don't mind, at least I'm feeling more in control of my eating and have managed to be more aware of my reactions to stress and trying to seek out alternate remedies besides diving into the sour cream and onion dip.

My employer has started another healthy challenge, offering an eight week program, much like the "Maintain Don't Gain" program they had over the holidays. So, I joined up and weighed in. The goal of the program is for the health system's employees to lose 2008 pounds in 2008. (We have over 13,000 employees, system wide, so we sure should be able to lose that much in eight weeks.) Every Monday morning, I get an email from the dietician running the program with weight loss tips and health information. Her email is a wonderful positive reminder.

When I stepped on the scale at the first weigh in, I was amazed at how calm I was when they wrote my weight down. I have admitted my weight to few people in this world, and, have struggled with a huge amount of shame about it. So, having less of a negative feeling about my weight was encouraging. Maybe some day I'll actually admit my weight here.

But, not yet!

Postive Weight Loss Strategies

2008-02-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

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 then tried it on. Take one step at a time. Those single steps give the power to change a life.

Weigh In Monday #25

2008-02-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

I managed to undo most of my damage from last week. My weigh in showed a 4 pound loss. Hooray! So, I'm back up to 66 pounds lost. I'm wanting so bad to get past 70 pounds. Hopefully, I can meet that goal by the end of Feb.

This is getting to sound like a broken record, but I'm still waging an active war against stress/emotional eating. Recently, I often recognize why I'm headed for the refrigerator, but can't or don't avoid grabbing food. I keep telling myself that this is a 40 year habit that will not be broken easily. And, even though this is still a battle for me, I am still on the healthy path. That gives me hope.

Weigh In Monday #24

2008-01-30T14:46:00.000-05:00

This week was a tough one. I am struggling so much with emotional issues and the strain of that showed. I gained 4 pounds.

This isn't a surprise, since towards the end of last week, I went into "I Don't Care At All" mode. I pretty much ate all the high fat foods I could find. (That moan you hear was my battered stomach still groaning from the onslaught.)

Somehow, I managed to pull myself back on track yesterday. Doing so was an emotional effort that really took all day. Part of my brain kept telling me to just drop this whole thing. And, fortunately, the other half asked why I would undo months of hard work. I seesawed back and forth trying to settle on an answer. What a day!

This morning, here in central PA, the day began with winds gusting up 50 mph and rain blowing sideways. I tried to take our greyhound out for his morning perambulation and he just looked at me. The expression on his face clearly indicated that I was a silly human to think that he wanted to put one paw outside in that mess. But the wind is a blessing, it scuttled the clouds away in short order and now the sun is so bright, I had to close the window blinds to read the monitor. The warmth feels good, and the change to sun reminds me that no matter how tough the storm, calm will prevail.

I'm prevailing too.

Weigh In Monday #23

2008-01-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

I meant to post this on Tuesday, to get in sync with the Healthy You Challenge, and then never got online last night. So, Monday found me down another pound. Hooray! That makes 67pounds since 1/1/07. Those seeming small loses can seem insignificant. I'm here to tell you, they add up.

Unfortunately, the rest of this week has found me struggling with the whole stress/food issue. My work has kicked into Let's Really Drive RE Nuts This Week mode. The stress and resultant anxiety kicked my "Eat to Cope" response into high gear. I am so very discouraged that I still regress to this behavior. I do try non-food coping techniques. I do deep breathing, I meditate, I pray, I go for walks, I email my Sweetie and complain. (Not his favorite technique, I'm sure.) At work, we have a cafeteria, two snack bars, an outdoor grill in the summer, and two gift shops, that all sell food. The variety is good when making healthy choices, but bad for a stress eater. This afternoon, when I felt my nerves were about to dissolve, I dashed downstairs and grabbed an order of country fried steak and cheddar mashed potatoes.

"Do you want gravy on this?" the young lady behind the counter asked.

"Yes, please," I replied. Float it in gravy!

Even as I was ploughing my way through, I recognized that the food was a greasy band aid that wouldn't hold back the stress for long. And, even though my stomach complained about the quality and quantity of food, I kept eating. Bleh. Look like it's back to my therapist!

The Healthy You Challenge

2008-01-16T07:48:00.000-05:00

My friend, scalejunkie, has launched her 2008 Healthy You Challenge. In describing her challenge, she says this is " a challenge to become a healthier version of who you are right now. It doesn't matter if you need to lose a little or a lot or even if you just want to maintain and make a healthier version of who you are right now you've come to the right place."

This is a wonderful plan to connect the weight loss blogging community and give a motiviation boost as we all head into the new year.

Thanks, scalejunkie!

Weigh In Monday #22

2008-01-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

Today it's a crazy Monday for me. Whew! This morning, the scale showed 4 pounds down. Nothing like a bit of good news to help my survive a weird day. The past few days I've been considering what I have done differently, this time around, to have continued weight loss success. Look for that in a blog post this week.

Weigh In Monday #21

2008-01-09T07:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my living room. Please get comfy in an overstuffed chair, pour a steaming cup of tea, lean back, and relax. No harangues here, no preaching, no insisting that here is the only way to lose weight. Here find only friends, shared thoughts, and insights learned from hard won experience. If you are just starting on the healthy path, welcome. Together we can make good things happen.

Back to work! With the holidays officially over, I've stepped on the scale to find myself gaining one little pound. I did terrific through all the holiday feasting. While I indulged, I avoided overindulging. I took small amounts of foods that seemed a treat and never felt deprived. Just like a healthy person. How about that! The one pound gain, I have to chalk up to the past week, when we've had a roller coaster ride concerning my Sweetie's job future. The stress got to me and I responding by doing what I do best. I ate! However, since I only gained one pound, I seem to be eating less in response to stress. This remains a challenge for me. There are still times when the logical side of my brain whites-out. All I can think is that I don't care and hand me that cheese! I suspect this will a lifelong challenge for me. After all, I've had 51 years to perfect the art of stress eating.

I'm still incredibly psyched to have kept last year's healthy New Year's resolution. In fact, I'm very proud. Now, I've proven myself and am officially absolved from having to set any more New Year's resolutions! If I do make another, it will because I chose to, not because of pressure that I had to make a resolution.

If you have just started on your healthy path, and have over 100 pounds to lose, please consider joining my Healthy Path support group. I'd love to see you there.

Fulfill Those Resolutions

2008-01-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

This is the first new year since I can't remember when that I haven't approached with dread. Every year, guilty and ashamed about my weight, I made a resolution to diet, no matter my personal readiness or commitment. Today, I realized this is the first year of my entire life that I actually kept a New Year's resolution. Whew!! What a gift to have that burden gone. I'm so excited to pass this one year milestone of committing to a healthier me and look forward to more good things in 2008.

Last January first, quaking in my boots, I started, oh-so tentatively, on the healthy path. I believe one of the reasons that I've actually followed through, was that I started with very, very small steps. Last year, I did not vow to eat 1000 calories a day, lose 30 pounds a month, exercise everyday, and never eat fat or junk food again. I'd tried that method more times than I can count. The result of that plan was a return to old, bad habits by February. How many of us keep returning to old ideas and methods that never work, hoping that this time, they will succeed? For change to happen, you have to make changes in your life. The same-old, same-old just won't work.

At first, I kept my changes small. I started by planning. I researched the "hows" of losing weight and what seemed approachable. I thought long and hard about expectations and the self-defeating struggle to be a "perfect dieter." That meant lowering my expectations on how fast I would lose weight. I sought help from my Sweetie and medical experts to get me going. To work up to the change, I set a start date three months in advance. After I got on the path, to make connections with others who fought the same battle, I started this blog and my Yahoo group in July.

Amazingly enough, good things came of all the small steps. I wish you all the same kind of success 2008. You can fulfill those resolutions! Let me know if it's your time to change. I'm here to listen and cheer you on.

Wishing You a Happy, Healthy 2008

2008-01-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

Warm wishes to you all, my Friends, for a new year filled with blessings, motivation, and healthy steps! I'm looking forward to sharing more of my journey in 2008 and hope to hear about yours.

No weigh in Monday this week. It's a holiday gift to myself.

Weigh In Monday #20

2007-12-24T07:47:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve, my Friends! I hope today, amidst the busyness, you can find a free moment, and treat yourself to a bit of well-earned relaxation. My poor better half has to work today. Since I worked on Sat., I'm off today and looking forward to a quiet day with our greyhound, catching up on some writing and starting on food preparations for tomorrow.

This morning, I received an early present when I stepped on the scale. I'm down three pounds this week. That leaves one more pound to make my 10 pounds by the end of 2007 goal I set on December 5th. Even with Christmas tomorrow, I should be able to make that goal by next Monday.

Tomorrow, I'm going to fully enjoy the treats and special feast planned for us. I just want to enjoy without any sort of guilt or "You shouldn't eat thats" popping up in my head. The new truth is, however, that I will in no way be able to eat anything near the amounts I might have eaten last year. My stomach keeps on the healthy path even when I don't want to. On Friday at work, as a reward for a job well done, our boss treated my work group to pizza. Originally, I hadn't planned on eating any, but it smelled so good, that I ended up having 3 pieces of cheese pizza. About 30 minutes later, my stomach let me know this choice was a bad idea.

Did it ever hurt. In fact, my stomach ached, and I generally felt crummy until Sat. morning. These days, overindulging is always rewarded with negative physical feedback. So, tomorrow, I will be indulging in small amounts. That is the good lesson we all have to learn, that enjoying in moderation isn't a negative thing. Moderation keeps us feeling good and on the healthy path. Despite those pieces of pizza, a few cookies I snagged along the way, and the bowl of New England clam chowder that was my dinner Wed. night, I still had good results, because, the rest of the week, I focused on reasonable portions of fruit, veggies, and healthier proteins.

Holiday Nutrition Tips We Long to Read

2007-12-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

Finally, reasonable tips that make good sense to get through the holidays...

Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by: 'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'

Have a great holiday season!

(~~author unknown)

Weigh In Monday #19

2007-12-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

Even though it's icy, icy cold here in PA, life is still good. This morning, my scale registered a 4 pound loss. Hooray!! This past week, I felt more on an even keel and more in control of what and when I ate. That shows in the scale results.

With these four pounds I've reached another milestones. My total for 2007 is 60 lbs. lost. Dropping that much weight is very exciting. I won't kid anyone, getting to this point has been a tremendous amount of work. But, since the results are great, I'll that the emotional sweat and tears. And, if I can shed three more pounds by the stroke of midnight on Dec. 30th, then I will make my "10 pound before the end of the year" mini-goal.

That will be a bonus, however, since we are heading into the thick of the holidays and with it all the goodies and family feasts. I was reading through a few more holiday eating tips this morning. One that struck me was about keeping realistic expectations. Since the holidays are stressful enough without being unrealistic about food and eating, trying to keep an iron-clad diet plan is expecting too much of ourselves.

Here's more from our medical center "Maintain, Don't Gain" program:

"This is the time of year for baked goods. Cookies in every office, fruitcake and baked goods displayed at every location and sometimes you just have to indulge. You may usually have a good willpower but when confronted with all these tempting foods all the time-it is very hard to resist.

Some tips:

Forget about being perfect-don’t add that stress on to your life right now.
Make a list-keep journaling-it really hits home when you have to write down-6 rum balls, 2 butter cookies….
Savor the season-select small portions of foods you wish to try. Be picky and eat only the very best holiday treats that interest you.
Stuff the turkey-not yourself-pick 2 indulgences and stick to those.
Move along the buffet line or dessert table and move on. Remember it is rude to talk with food in your mouth-so talk to friends and co-workers at the holiday get-togethers with family, friends and co-workers."

Deprivation and Satisfaction

2007-12-16T21:11:00.001-05:00

We were out to lunch today. I wanted to eat reasonably healthy, so I decided on a soup and salad combo, a bowl of broccoli cheese soup and garden salad with dressing. (Approx. 500 calories.) For some reason, this was tough for me to order. I still fight the hangup, that, unless I have a complete meal, I'm going to be deprived.

This is entirely an emotional response to food for me. I have, for years, always ordered liberally at a restaurant. Many times, for lunch or dinner, I ordered an appetizer, soup, an entree and dessert. Breakfast was juice, eggs, meat, potatoes and toast. Meals like this are what made me feel satisfied, even if I kept eating long past being full. I needed to have a table overflowing with food. That was my contentment and security.

The connection between food and emotion makes weight loss so difficult, because weight loss isn't achieved by the simple equation of taking in fewer calories than you burn. Weight loss is far more complex than that. There are more ingredients in a plate of pasta and meatballs besides the obvious. The foods we choose are mixed in with emotions. When I face a meal, sneaky factors lurk in the background. I have to choose between the satisfaction and security of far too many calories, or, struggle not to see eating less as deprivation.

Where's the plug to pull on this connection?!

Monday Weigh in #18

2007-12-10T19:42:00.000-05:00

Whew, despite another challenging week, I still managed to drop another pound. With that pound, I'm two pounds closer to my goal of losing 10 pounds by the end of the year. I'm still struggling to stay on the healthy path. For the past two weeks, the struggle has been lapsing into taking second helpings and noshing on extra snacks. Unfortunately, calories still add up when you eat too much healthy food!

Our "Maintain Don't Gain" program at work, with a goal of helping folks avoid putting on weight over the holidays, has been emailing the participants tips every Monday morning. Here's a few tidbits from my in-box:

"Calories do count. It takes 3500 calories to equal one pound. Look at it this way-if you overeat every day by 500 extra calories-you will gain a pound! These extra calories are everywhere. What is very important to remember is that all foods can fit into your eating plan. Some are a better choice than others –it is not a good idea to live on eggnog and holiday cookies even if they taste good. Portion size is equally important-even a extra bite of this and 2 more bits of that do add up-sometimes to the tune of 500 extra calories a day. The key is moderation-Eating large portions of even healthy foods can prompt weight gain. Even an extra 150 calories per day -- the amount in a 12-ounce soda or a chocolate chip cookie -- can add up to a pound of extra weight in about three weeks. A few suggestions to help maintain:

Avoid fast food and set consistent meal times.
Don't starve all day before a big feast, and you'll be less likely to overeat.
Eat slowly, and wait a few minutes after one serving to see if you are full.
Socialize away from the buffet table, removing a temptation to overeat.
Bring a low-calorie dish to family feasts."

Weigh In Monday #17

2007-12-05T20:52:00.000-05:00

Whew, it was a struggle all week, but, somehow, I managed to lose a pound. This week, the process of staying on the healthy path required as much work as swimming upstream in frozen molasses. I struggled so much, I'm wondering if I will ever leave bad food choices behind. Monday, we had a party for my boss. My coworkers and I brought in snacks that sat on a table, beside my desk, all day. Cookies, brownies, party mix, egg salad sandwiches, taco dip, oatmeal raisin bars, cheddar cheese, crackers and herb-cheese spread... Do I need these temptations right next to me?

I ate waaay too much, and kept eating, even when I was furious with myself, all the while making myself sick. Man! I hate when I get in a food fugue state, when there is no reality but food. It's been a long time since I hit one, and it's so very frustrating. I felt like I was perched up on the ceiling, watching, with disgust, while my other self ate.

When I hit times like this, I can totally understand why people struggle so much with addiction. Because, at times, food can be just as much of an addiction. Or, maybe, it's a flare up of an eating disorder. Probably both!

I'm better now. We had dinner out tonight and I managed to only eat half of what they served. No matter what, I don't want to go back to BHP. ~grin~ (Before Healthy Path.)

For Tomato Soup Lovers

2007-12-02T20:47:00.002-05:00

If you are a tomato soup lover, this organic, ready to heat soup is delicious and healthy. I've always enjoyed that old standby, Campbell's Tomato Soup. But, lately, I've found it tasting a bit too sweet. (I'm guessing there is high fructose corn syrup in it.) Try switching to this Pacific Natural Foods product.

Their Creamy Tomato Soup is organic, Kosher, gluten free, wheat free, and low fat. What more can you ask?? Each serving has 100 calories and 2 grams of fat. Add a small salad and a whole wheat role and there's a satisfying and easy meal. I found it in the soup aisle of our local grocery store.