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Monday, October 26, 2009

Fifteen.



I got a few inquiries as to how I lost some of my tubbiness and I would like to share with you what worked for me.

First off, finding a weight loss strategy seems to be like trying to find the perfect man. We see and we know what has worked for others but meh it just isn't what we want so we move on. I mean I see that some celebrities like to get colonics and they are thin, but that doesn't mean I want that tube shoved up my bum. We see some people who are vegan and thin, but no way I am giving up my protein. I see people who have done the cabbage soup diet, the Atkins diet, the grapefruit diet, etc. But ladies, we all know waiting for the perfect man goes kinda like this:                                      


And thats kinda how waiting for the perfect weight loss plan goes sometimes too. We wait and wait and gain and gain until we find THE ONE. The one that you go, oh okay I can do that, thats easy! And there are a lot of plans out there that you see people connecting with so it's so frusterating when they rave about it and you are just like, bleh. It's okay if there isn't something out there for you, if there was something for everyone America would not have any fat people anywhere! So GET OVER IT, its okay.

But anyways, I am not going to give the basics you already know like: Drink lots of water! Exercise! Eat veggies and fruits! Eat lean meats! I think by now you know that.

Instead I am  going to tell you what I did in times I felt like this:


You all know this feeling. When you get that crazy look in your eyes and you are going to devour everything and anything in sight. It's your oopsy I will just start over tomorrow day, but then of course, you don't.

I actually came across the Southbeach Diet book in a thrift store and it was only $1.25 so I got it because when I was about 18 I had half-assed this diet and from what I remembered it wasn't too bad so I figured hey the only damage it's causing is a dollar if it don't like it anyways! So the Southbeach Diet is what I did but only for about 3 weeks because I wanted to jump start my weight loss and expediate the process just a tad.  There's a lot of great websites for the SB diet my favorite being Kalyn's Kitchen. After I did the diet for a few weeks I just crossed over into the eating right and exercising realm because saying you are "on a diet" will eventually make you lose your sanity.

During the diet I was also doing about 25mins of cardio about 4 times a week. I haven't yet gone back to weights but I must!

I also discovered a lot of my weaknesses and how to address them.

Here are some things that were hard for me to give up:


Sugary sweets: chocolate, gummies, icecream.
Sugary drinks: Juice, sometimes soda, chai fraps from Starbucks
Carb heavy foods: Italian food, yummy breaded cheesy goey things!

In order to address these cravings I had to find a substitute for each one. One that would be similarly satisfying in texture and taste.

Replacements:

Sugary sweets:  Russell Stover's sugar free chocolates, they have a great variety at Walmart. Low Fat Fudgsicles, these puppies only have 40 calories (sometimes I would eat like 3 of these in a day : X) and I always get the ones that say "No sugar added." Yoplait Light Yogurts have a TON of variety and even though I am not even a big fan of yogurt I force myself to eat one but they would actually scratch my craving itch pretty good.
Sugary drinks: I would keep a pitcher of Lemonade Crystal Light in the fridge and I also loved having these Crystal Light On-The-Go Packets because they always saved me when I was in a pinch. That is the ONLY flavor of Crystal Light I can drink, the rest have this horrible chemically after taste I can't tolerate. You can find them at Target for pretty cheap. I also started drinking diet coke, water and splenda sweetened iced-tea. But of course water is numero uno.
Carbs: In the Southbeach Diet you have to restrict your carbs but not as dramatically as with the Atkins diet. I actually found out I didn't really miss carbs, they just happen to be incorporated into almost everything we eat.  When I omitted them I didn't have withdrawls : D.  I would make my self a naked chicken parmigiana dish sometimes and that wasn't too bad.

Other tips:

Don't carb load right before bed, unused carbs turn into fatty times!

Include yourself. Last week my love was craving pumpkin pie so I made him one and then I made a healthier version for myself that was crustless and had splenda instead of sugar. Hey I am not saying it is the same as what he was eating but its better than sitting there looking sorry then turning green with envy and having a pig out moment. It made me sing a little song that went something like this "Hey you has pie, I has pie, we all has pie!"  By the way I am patenting that so don't even try to steal it. : P

Fast Food. Okay now you really must think everything I've said is a bunch of crap if I got fast food on here eh? Well no HOLD ON...Let me explain. Sometimes fast food is inevitable when you are hungry and on a short time schedule. But honestly, it has been the place where I have built a lot of my strength and will power to say no. See these days the fast food places offer healthier options, and sometimes when I drove my little self through there I would think Do I really want to order a salad or something grilled? NO. Of course thats not what I want. I want the fried crispy yummy things. My heart rate would escalate because the good vs. evil voices would go crazy in my head. Get it get it get it  say the evil ones. Don't do it, no no no... say the good ones. And all the while I gotta hurry up and make up my mind because the little lady inside the speaker box is pressing me for an answer. So what do I say? I'll take the asian chicken salad with the light dressing and a medium diet coke. DING DING DING. Very good. I must admit there have been times I haven't been good and some how I had the bad case of word vomit. Fast food joints are so naughty  because they provide you with instant gratification and not much judgement is passed upon you since you're in and out. Kinda like a one night stand right? I kid I kid.


Ideally you would want to pre-pack a lunch so you don't even have resort to fast food. I rarely frequent them but when I do I get the healthiest option I can. If you can say no in the heat of temptation and easy gratification then you will be A-Okay when tempted at other places.

So folks thats all I got for now if I remember something else I will be sure to share.



10 comments:

  1. thanks for the tips! self discipline really is key and that's something i need to work on! and i will do it TODAY. :)

    leethroughthelens.blogspot.com

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  2. Have you heard "hungry girl" the website is www.hungry_girl.com she has recipes that are just as good and sub for what you want. She has a couple cookbooks.. I have the 200 under 200 cookbook. It's 200 recipes under 200 calories. It has a whole chapter on cupcakes! There is a vanilla latte recipe, "pasta" recipes, Mexican, Chinese, ect I use it OFTEN! Good luck on your journey. I am trying to loose about 15 myself. You can do it... you have done great so far! ~Angela

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  3. I used the website FatSecret.com and would do 2 hours a day at the gym. I was a maniac, but I was also laid off at the time.

    I find now my biggest issues are time management, which then leads to bad food choices and overall laziness.

    I gotta snap out of it. ;-)

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  4. great tips! Im thinking about incorporating health and nutrition into my blog as well! Great blog! Please check out my fashion and lifestyle blog www.andeelayne.blogspot.com . Follow mine as I will yours xo

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  5. Whew, definitely great tips!! And in such a readable format!! I love being able to completely relate to someone's blog! :)

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  6. Thank you guys for providing such great links, compliments, and leaving the linky's to your blogs!

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  7. Great tips! I just reached the 20lb mark last week, and it is an amazing feeling! I love the Hungrygirl website and cookbook someone above me recommended. I make her recipes all the time, especially her chocolate lava cake :)

    http://kirstygarrison.blogspot.com/

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  8. These are great. I have been trying to get back on the weight loss wagon. I lost 10 pounds earlier in the year, was running at least 3 times a week, but then I got lazy and I'm back to not being able to wear ANYTHING. Unfortunately carbs are my best friend. Pasta, rice, OH MY GOD CHEESY BREAD. I cannot deal. Of course, I'm sure my body wouldn't miss it if I just stopped but it's almost impossible! Loving your blog and so glad I found it :)

    http://itsblogworthy.blogspot.com

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  9. I find that making little changes here and there really keeps me the same size consistently (Ive only gone up 1 dress size since high school-5-6 years ago). Examples: running up the escalator or walking instead of standing; running up the stairs in your house (or having a house with stairs); forgetting stuff around your house also helps, lol; eating salad first before every meal- and drinking water before too (makes you feel much more full so you eat less of the fatty stuff); having no 'no' food- ie- I can eat anything I want, I don't have to say no, but I have to eat reasonably when I do; throwing away a small part of whats on your plate when you first start- that way you can't possibly eat all of it; eating everything in moderation- like, if you're gonna have chipotle, have the bowl, not the burrito- and have the sour cream, but not the cheese (or the other way around- you lose about 300 calories that way), and if you eat chipotle for lunch, eat something healthy for dinner; if you're hungry, snack on a fruit not chips; DON'T BUY CHIPS; don't have very unhealthy food in your house

    Sorry, I kind of went on there...a lot....

    thepoliticrat.blogspot.com

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  10. Tatyana thanks for the great tips. I actually went to chipotle the other day but I didn't get anything because my tummy was in knots. But the bf devoured a ginormous burrito. Next time I go I will think of you and your suggestions because I am firm believer in trimming the calories anywhere I can : )

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