It's Just Too Hard!

I am always amazed at the people I talk to about losing weight that use the words "I can't do it! It's just too hard!" after making a comment to me about how great I'm looking and how did I do it? Did they think it was "easy"?! I mean, really!!!! I'm still not even CLOSE to where I want to be yet! If it were easy I'd be there 10 times over! It's NOT easy!!!! But it's worth it!

Here's a secret... IT'S HARD FOR EVERYONE TO EAT HEALTHY ALL THE TIME!!!!!!

It's not any easier for "skinny people" to eat healthy than it is for "fat people". Eating healthy in this country is simply put, nearly impossible without your desire to do so. On top of that, it's also something that once you get the knack of doing it you are STILL going to fall off the wagon on some days and eat things you simply know you really shouldn't! So if you think eating healthier foods is something that just suddenly happens to people and they magically lose weight you may as well just canter up to the dessert buffet and go nuts, die fat and happy & probably earlier than you planned. I'm sorry to be so blunt but I get SO tired of hearing others comment on how they simply CAN'T do it because it's too hard.

That being said, it's also not as hard as you might think it is to change your ways. Here are a few highlights on getting the job done:

1. Be Realistic - If you love sweets you probably are not going to realistically go without ever treating yourself to sweets again. The same for snack foods, etc. Set realistic goals and know what your trigger foods are, keeping those trigger foods out of reach and use them once in a while. For me, ice cream is a huge trigger food. My solution? I buy individual serving sized ice cream treats, rarely have entire half gallons around and when I want to truly indulge I go OUT for a big huge bowl/cup of ice cream to get it out of my system and move on.
   
   
2. Find Replacements - This is one of my best options. I know that I love sweets so instead of using high calorie, high fat, bad for me treats I've tried to find alternatives. Use yogurt for sweet treats. I love topping pancakes, Coco-Pops, a single cookie with frozen yogurt on it, etc. for my sweet treats. Using a quick squirt of a chocolate topping, a fat free caramel or other sweet items can quickly give me my sweets fix. Instead of frying, I have learned how to coat (using various low fat/high fiber items) and bake for a "just like friend" style treat. Find lower fat products on the market and put the extra money out if necessary. I love french fries and Alexia has created a wonderful potato alternative in so many different ways that you simply bake in the oven for a crunchy treat! Cheese is one of my favorite things and giving it up or using a totally fat free version is like torture to me! Instead, I purchase 2% cheeses to use on top of my burgers, chicken, etc. instead of the full fat versions. Find lower fat meats! One of my favorite replacements is a 95% Fat Free beef, easily found in most grocery markets (I buy mine at Wegmans) which comes out nearly fat free in the end as opposed to the cheaper 80% beef usually purchased. I use this low fat beef to re-create amazing burgers that mimic some of the "fast food" style burgers we crave!
   
   
3. Notice Portions - Portion control is key. You can truly have anything you'd like in moderation and paying attention to the portion size recommended on the package will keep you from over-indulging. You did not gain that extra weight from eating one candy bar or one cookie! You gained that weight by over indulging in portions, like most of America! A "portion" of a protein/meat is about the size of a deck of cards! A single portion of pasta is about 1/2 cup!

These top 3 tips are not exactly something that is unknown to us but sometimes we need to be reminded. It's not easy to eat healthy. We live in a world of fast food, high fat, low nutritional valued meals offered in a drive thru window! Even our sit down restaurants are clueless about portions or more than that, we have become so accustomed to over indulging that when we're served normal portion sizes we think we're being ripped off! YOU have to make the choice to change and understand that you are not perfect. YOU have to realize that changes are the only way you're going to get healthy and getting healthy means you will start to see results in numbers also. Your cholesterol levels will come down, your weight will come down, your dress/pants size will come down. You're going to start seeing things happen to your body that you thought were impossible; medications may start to be un-needed, blood pressures may start to come down and become "normal", diabetes may simply disappear on you and your doctor's going to either be very happy that you are getting healthier or very disappointed that he's not going to be seeing you as often! The pharmacy is going to really dislike you, you're not going to be one of their best clients at some point! Aren't these reasons enough to make the changes?

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.

Great Snack! Cocopop treats!

I am always excited to find a new snack item that is filled with lots of flavor plus low in calories, fat and points! I shop most days at a local grocery called Wegman's and they often have a lot of great, healthy options to choose from. This time they wowed me big time though with a new items called Coco Pop.

This delicious treat comes in at 0 points®! Yes, you read that correctly, ZERO! How can you beat this? Now remember, that's for a single serving so you can't eat the bag and call it zero points®, while to be honest with you an entire bag would probably come out at around 3 or so points® anyways!

Coco Pop snacks are a multi-grain, wafer crisp that is somewhat like a rice cake only with a lot more flavor and a lot more potential! They're made fresh, in the store too with no preservatives, no crazy chemicals and no ingredients you can't pronounce. They featured them in a set up near the meat and bread departments, giving out free samples and one taste told me they were well worth the $2.49 a bag price! While the package doesn't say how many are in a bag, I guessed that my bag had about 18 total. Each snack is 16 calories and about the size of a small tortilla. They taste air popped, with just a touch of almost buttery flavor. The best part is almost any type of "topping" can be added to kill whatever "craving" you're having. For example, when sweets are a need, a squirt of light chocolate syrup makes an amazing sweet treat. Top that with a dollop of fat free cool whip and you're still pulling in 1 point® or less, depending on the amount of toppings you use.
I love adding a some roasted red pepper hummus to my Coco Pop! Oh, what a delectable treat! The hummus is only 40 calories for 2 tablespoons and I barely use a teaspoon to lightly coat the snack! Keeping my points® at 0 for a wonderful burst of flavor and a little crunchiness!

Add a teaspoon or two of fresh salsa and if you're feeling crazy a dollop of fat free sour cream! Yummo! You have a little mexican treat that screams fiesta in your mouth!!! A little shredded fat free cheddar? Oh yeah!

I was feeling a sweet tooth coming on this morning (Thursday) so I used 1/2 a container of Yoplait "Red Velvet Cake" yogurt, spread along the top. DELISH! And 1 point® (what the yogurt counted as) for the treat/cake. Of course I finished the yogurt so it was a total of 2 points®. Added a banana, some tea and had a great sweet breakfast treat!

I topped mine with a dollop of unsweetened strawberry jam to kill a sweets craving and then realized the potential to use these babies as a base for any fresh fruits over the summer with a smidgeon of fat free topping or even some light chocolate syrup. Can't you just imagine some fresh berries, a dollup of whipped cream and a hint of chocolate over top! Oh yeah!!!

I hope this inspired you to run out and grab some Coco Pop snacks. Hopefully Wegman's isn't the only place you can get these wonderful babies! They're going to become a staple at my house!

AssistU has been the whole reason I've had
the best results following the
Weight Watchers® program...
changing 1 lb or less losses to
an average of 3 lbs most weeks!
Check out this ALL NATURAL HERBAL SUPPLEMENT!
Use DISCOUNT CODE 112BP to get the best price available!
Ask for a free sample!

Check out my Daily Menu Food Log for a quick glance at what I'm eating to get where I'm at, which is a healthier & therefore thinner ME! While I don't always keep it up to date.. I do give you some different ideas of what might help you change up your daily menu!


Don't forget to check out my newest Book Blog, where I give book reviews on recent books I've read. If you're a reader you'll want to check this out!

WE CAN DO THIS, TOGETHER
ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Like this article? Twit it to your followers!



Who Else Helps me get healthy?
These are just a few of the people online that inspire me along with AssistU....

1.
Check out the Fab Fatties - tons of ideas, comic relief & great give-aways!

2. Joe Gigantino - Fitness Trainer
This is the guy that really set me on the path to physical fitness - Sign up for his FREE newsletter!



3.

4. BWJEN - Another WW Buddy & A 'bookworm' too!?



5.

5.

6.Sean Anderson the formerly 500lb man!
Diary of A Winning Loser - Sean is an inspiration to anyone trying to get healthy!


*Note I am not affiliated nor endorsed by Weight Watchers® at all, in any way. I highly recommend their program and cannot say enough GOOD about it, but I also have decided that they were my "stepping stone" to making a change in my lifestyle. Any mention of Weight Watchers®, their program or their term of "points®" does not mean they have approved, seen, or endorsed anything on my blogs.

Also, if at any time Points® are mentioned it is always with the assumption that you will analyze the recipes, foods, ingredients and figure the points out specifically for your consumption of any product, as ingredients may vary by brand, size, etc. and Points® is a registered trademark of the Weight Watchers® company.