Think It Through Thursdays - Face IT!

Let's face it, if we want to change our lifestyle whether it be to lose weight, be healthier or be happier, we have to "Face It".  "Face what?" I can hear you asking yourself.  Face the reason why you do what you do, and then change it accordingly.

I became anorexic during my very young teenage years.  This was a very dark, silent, private disease for me. I came from a family of 9 and I was stuck right in the middle at number 5.  I seemed to be the one that was overlooked, taken advantage of, the "right-hand-man" if you will.  My parents were VERY strict, leaving very little for me to be in control over anything in my life (or so I felt).  I resorted to starving myself.  This gave me a sense of power, accomplishment, attention and control.  I, of course, was self-sabotaging but this is not something that I could just turn on and off.  (Much like you will find with your own lifestyle battles.)  I had to take a look at my feelings of being overlooked and under appreciated and deal with them instead of covering them up with anorexia.  

Many of you who read this, may binge, purge, isolate yourself to eat, gorge at night, pick at food, skip meals and any other poor eating habit you have acquired.  The only way to get yourself out of it, is to find out how and why you got into it.  I'll liken it to hiking in a dark cave.  You go in blind, get in rather quickly, then you find yourself lost.  It takes much longer to find your way back than it did to get in.  The only way to get yourself out is by finding and retracing your steps back to the entrance.  There will be a lot of stumbling, setbacks, maybe some blood sweat and tears, but you can and will make it out of the cave and once you do you will not want to go back.

For today take some time, no GIVE yourself some time to think about the habits in your life that are self-sabotaging.  Recognize what got you there, and what steps you need to take to get out of there.
This step cannot be avoided.  As always, I am available for help, questions, or as a neutral person you can communicate to. loseweightwithmeforfree@gmail.com
You must make a permanent change in your lifestyle if you want a permanent change in your body!

-Diet DiVa

Workout Wednesday -Starting Out

You've got your menu planned for the week, you've had a day to practice your Tuesday's tip, now let's kick it into gear and start a workout.  Working out at home on your own can be challenging.  Watch for future Tuesday's tips for finding motivation to work out.  Our goal will eventually be to get in 1hr a day 5 days a week of exercise.  For now if all you are up for is 10 minutes, that's a great start.  As always, consult with your physician before beginning and exercise regimen.

To begin a workout, you don't necessarily need to stretch your muscles like you do at the end of a workout, but you do need to warm them up.  Once you have warmed up for about 5 minutes (marching in place, stepping side to side, hamstring curls, etc..) you are ready to begin a workout. 

Today's workout is going to be Cardiovascular Training.  This will be done by
varying the intensity during your "Cardio Workout".  Choose a type of cardio exercise you enjoy -running, walking, in-line skating, or biking. If you have access to equipment you can use a "Stair-stepper", an "Elliptical Trainer," "Treadmill," "Gazelle" etc.. Use intense intervals, taking about 1 minute to get from moderate speed to intense.

Do:
*30 seconds of the highest speed you can tolerate, then 30 seconds of normal speed.
*Then 30 seconds of the stiffest resistance you can handle, then 30 seconds of normal.
Keep moving back and forth between speed and resistance until you've completed 10 minutes.
*Resume normal speed for 10 minutes.

*Repeat from beginning. 

Beginners, do this cycle through once.  Intermediates, try going through the entire cycle twice and if you consider yourself advanced, repeat it 3 times to give yourself an hour of "fat burning metabolism boosting exercise".

Great job!  As always, if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or email me at loseweightwithmeforfree@gmail.com  I'd love to hear from you.

-Your Diet DiVa

Tuesday's Tip - Hold that thought!

I like food.  And if you find yourself reading this blog you probably like food too.  One of my problems with weight gain, I found, is that when I eat something that I REALLY like I want seconds, then thirds, etc. etc..  When I'm finished, I end up feeling really stuffed, uncomfortable, miserable and mad at myself for not stopping sooner.  This next tip is much easier said then done, but well worth the pay off if you can muster up the will power to try it at least once.

Tip: After eating one serving of a dish, wait 15 minutes before allowing yourself to have a second serving.  You will find that you have either forgotten about it by the time 15 minutes pass or you will no longer "crave" it.

Example:  Tonight I ate a bowl of Mud Pie ice cream.  This is my favorite; coffee flavored ice cream with chocolate cookie pieces in it swirled with fudge.  Once I had eaten my bowl my natural reaction was to scoop up some more because it is SOOOO good.  I made myself wait instead, then I got sidetracked helping my 9 year old boy with something, and now I realize I am full and DO NOT want that second bowl.    Had I have instantly gratified my crave, I would be sitting 500+ calories more, really stuffed, uncomfortable, miserable and mad at myself for not stopping sooner.

Push yourself this week and try this tip even if you are able to do it just once a day.  It will become easier and you will find that it will make a SIGNIFICANT change in your weight loss and life style.

You can do it!  - Diet DiVa

Menu Monday - Plan!

Planning, or lack there of, is going to be a big factor in your key to "weight loss".  If you're anything like me, you are susceptible to eating just about anything put in front of you if you don't have a meal plan. Also, if you don't have a meal planned for lunch or dinner, you will probably find yourself doing what is convenient, which is getting fast food which will get you fat fast!  So for this week, I want you to take a half an hour out of your schedule (more or less as needed) to plan your menus and snacks for the week.  Make sure this includes a small treat that you can indulge yourself in so you don't get cravings and binge later.  By small I mean no more than 200 calories; whether that be 3/4 cup of your favorite ice-cream or 3/4 of your favorite candy bar.

A great website I like to use for menu planning is http://www.dinnertool.com/.  Here you can not only plan your menus, but find great recipes that you can cater to your budget, time and diet.  You will also find great healthy food tips there as well.  You may not always need to plan your menus for the rest of your life, but believe me it is crucial in the beginning and will give you a great "jump start" to meet your goals and start living your "healthy lifestyle".

Happy meal planning! -Diet DiVa