Monday, April 26, 2010

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?




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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!



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


Foodbuzz




1. Weight Loss With  The Fabulous Fatties
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. HK Weighs In

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


5.Get Fit After 40

5.Green Lite Bites

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

*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.