Journaling

I have been wanting to write about this for a very long time, as it has been key to my success. Journaling is a word that a lot of people cringe at, for many different reasons. Some of the reasons that people have given me are: 1. Afraid to see what they are eating. Here's the beauty, weather or not you are aware of what you are putting in your body, not writing it down does not take it away. If you ate it you ate it. 2. It takes too much time. Losing weight takes a lot of time too, perhaps if I had journaled when my doctors told me to 20 years ago, I would not have a need for a "my journey" blog. 3. I just don't see how it would help. Seeing what you put in your body creates both an awareness, and accountability factor.

When I first began my journey, I was not journaling, and not aware of what I was still putting in my body even though I had cut out a lot of things. For instance, liquid... The silent diet killer. Many of us do not think of liquid calories because we are not eating them. I was definitely in this category, I had cut out most junk food but was hanging on to my soda. I did not think about the calories in this because I was only focused on food. Another silent diet killer, spices & condiments. There are a lot of spices and condiments that do contain calories, fat, sodium, and other things we don't normally think about. It wasn't until I began journaling that I became aware of this. I was finally able to see something that I could not deny or justify, it was what it was. Now that I could see what exactly I was doing to myself it made it easier to see where I needed to adjust. To this day it still helps, because lets face it... sometimes we think things are a good idea, until hind sight smacks us in the face. That is ok, because once we've been smacked  we usually won't make the same mistake twice, at least I hope.

I am a firm believer that journaling is essential in any lifestyle, not just for those trying to lose weight. I think that weather you are trying to lose, gain, maintain, or just be healthy, you should know what you are eating. I will probably journal until the day I die. Now lets not be ridiculous, there are times when journaling is not really feasible, i.e. parties, buffet's, etc... it is nearly impossible in these situations because you don't know exactly what went into a dish or how it was prepared. Sometimes and I stress sometimes ,it is ok to have a day when you don't log (vacation), one day did not make anyone fat or unhealthy, it is ok to live a little.

I keep my food journal on the computer at Calorie Count, I like using this form of journaling because it has other tools to further help me determine the quality of my nutrition. It gives the lows and highs of foods, and also helps me know if I am consuming enough or too much of a certain nutrient.  In addition it helps me to find info on certain foods that may not come with a nutrition label (produce, and meat). There have been times when I could not get to the computer and a piece of paper did just fine. My grandmother for instance, does all of hers in a notebook. She says it is fun to her, kind of like a little game. I have to agree with her, I spend my calories like I spend money, I want the most bang for my buck! Contrary to what people think, journaling does not have to be torturous or boring.

These are just my thoughts and feelings on the subject, I would never want to derail anything that may be working for someone else. I do feel that no matter what diet you are on or what lifestyle changes you are making, that journaling is just another essential piece of the puzzle. Awareness is power in this battle. Good luck to all of you, no matter what your journey may be, or the method you choose, anything is possible.

In closing, I have another recipe for you all... have a great week & ENJOY!

Greek Beef & Orzo

289.4 - Weekly Report

     Oh my... Surprise, surprise... I weighed in this morning at 289.4, much to my surprise losing 2.8 pounds this week. I really didn't think that much would come off after last weekend. I couldn't be happier about this!
     This all being said, I do think some calorie adjustments are in order. My BMR is currentyly 2,092 calories. This is the amount of calories I would burn if I stayed in bed ALL day. Obviously I do not stay in bed all day so that number is probably greater. Right now my Daily Calorie Target is 1,784 (this is also if I am sedentary, meaning if I stayed in bed all day). Now, I have eaten under this nearly the whole time (my beginning calorie target was over 2,000). Under the advice of my doctor I was consuming 1,500 calories a day, allowing for maximum SAFE weight loss. When everything slowed down I figured that because the 1,500 was given to me at still over 400 pounds that I could safely move that number down to 1,400 and be ok. My body is telling me otherwise. I have never felt so hungry during this journey. My stomach talks to me (growls) nearly all day, and I find that I am craving things I normally wouldn't. I never would have thought that 100 calories would make such a difference. I will be moving back to 1,500 where I felt satisfied. Yes this means that weight loss may be slower, but a growling tummy all the time means I am potentially doing more harm than good. For once in my life I think I can trust my body.

Today I am 170 pounds lighter than I was 10 months ago, I am 29.4 pounds away from losing 200 pounds, 39.4 pounds away from my next goal, and only 89.4 pounds away from my final goal. Today, I am happy!

         An average car tire weighs 20 pounds
        I have lost 8 1/2 car tires!



Handy Tools I Can't Live Without

     Ok, so I am not sure what made me feel like I needed to share this, but I do, so here I am. My weight loss has not been without the help of some very handy tools, and honestly I could not do it without them.

    First, I take you to the kitchen. Now here we have all of my measuring tools. Calorie counting is impossible without them. I HIGHLY suggest a digital scale, it has been by far the most accurate way to measure my food. I tried to use a non digital one first as they are cheaper, but I noticed that it was not very accurate when weighing really light things (think pasta, and salad). Anyway, a good digital scale will give you weight in many formats (ounces, grams, pounds, etc.) It is however, not the most convenient tool if you are not at home, or if you are measuring loose things like spices. Therefore I have the liquid and dry measuring cups (no heaping cups are not a sign of accurate measuring :) ). You may be wondering why I have so many measuring cups and only 1 measuring spoon, if not, I am going to tell you anyway LOL... Well that is because I use this for condiments, most condiment serving sizes are done by the TBSP. I recommend a few sets of these because you go through them quickly. (I don't like washing dishes all day and learned that real fast)

Here we have some of my favorite kitchen gadgets (some are not pictured because they would have been a big hassle to get out, don't worry, I'll fill you in). I could not live without my air popper... I absolutely love me some pop corn but the microwave variety is so high in calories and doesn't taste near as good. You don't get as much for the calories either. There are sprays and such that you can buy that are low or no calorie to put on it making it a great treat, high in fiber too. For me, I splurge on the topping and use Popping and Topping Oil from Orville Redenbacher. It is a little high in calories, but so worth it, and still less than microwave pop corn. Moving on, the cutting board and knife are pretty self explanatory, when you are calorie restricted you eat a lot of fresh food from produce to meat, you need to be able to cut them. The apple corer is fantastic, it slices and cores those yummy apples. Now for the not pictured items... George Foreman grill & BBQ grill. This is the healthiest way to cook most meats. I use the foreman on days that I can't grill outside. Did you know that with beef especially, you can almost double the calories by cooking it in the pan. When you grill it, a lot of the fat drips off of it, saving calories. I almost fell on the floor when I learned this. My rice cooker is another fav go to, I can perfectly cook a batch of rice and steam my veggies all at the same time. It comes out perfect every time, I will never eat minute rice again.

     Last but not least my other devices I could not live without... First my scale, for my weekly weigh in of course! A good trusty measuring tape. I wish I had used this all along so I could say exactly how many inches I had lost, but last month was the first time that I had any desire to do so (doing monthly from now on). The next 4 items kind of go together Zumba DVDs (not pictured because I don't need any trouble with the folks over at Zumba), my Zumba toning sticks, jazz shoes (this makes doing the workout so much easier, it is hard to move the way they want me to on carpet without them), and lastly... water, it is absolutely essential to good health and hydration. Your body will thank you for it, mine does! It has also been proven that, often times thirst is mistaken for hunger. I didn't really buy that when I heard it, so I tried it. It is true as far as I can tell. Next time you are feeling hungry and don't really have a reason to be (i.e. you just ate not too long ago) try it and see how it works for you.

     I hope at least some of this information helps, I will try to get it on to a separate page soon for quick reference. I hope you all have a fabulous week!