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February 25, 2012

Boobs! (an Update Entry)

I have been noticing that my weight loss had seemingly slowed, but today I had a happy surprise. I’ve lost about six inches of bust! I’ve been wondering why I’ve had absolutely ZERO back problems recently. I am so happy! My doctor said that if I didn’t lose weight up there along with the rest of my body, I’d need surgery, but now it looks like I might not need anything done!

Also, I only have about 50 pounds left to go I think. I haven’t formerly weighed myself, but I have dropped a little more than 4 pant sizes since June! I went from being almost a 24 to a 16! I am so freaking happy. My back is flattening out, which means the fat is dropping a bit to my belly, but with a little extra work on that target area, I should be able to reach my ultimate goal weight by the end of the summer, I’m hoping.

Guys, never give up on yourselves. It took me almost 6 years to fully commit to losing weight and getting in shape. I have even faltered a bit this year since starting my routines and lifestyle habits. These aren’t small changes like sticking to a new flavour gum or not paying for coffee in the mornings. Losing weight and/or getting in shape is a full blown lifestyle change. It’s freaking hard, but every step is worth the work. I’m sorry for my lack of activity lately, but I had been feeling down over not seeing the results I wanted, but after today, I realised that the results we want aren’t always what we get at first, but it should fuel us to push even harder to obtain them. <3

I will be taking some photos of myself soon for updates, but I leave this super long catch-up session with a photo of a woman to whom I look for inspiration when I feel like giving up. Dale Evans!

Dale Evans

Tags: weight loss fitness health diet exercise pant 16 24 food lifestyle advice boobs beauty determination dream

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August 15, 2011
7 notes
If you see this right now, get off your computer and exercise.

If you see this right now, get off your computer and exercise.

Tags: motivation fitness active lifestyle weight loss inspiration

Text
August 14, 2011
30 notes

Are You Consuming too Much Sodium?

The average American consumes 3,500-5,000 milligrams of sodium per day, which is more than double the reccommended average. Did you know that sea salt is not healthier or better for you than regular salt?

Here are some tips to improve your diet and lower your sodium intake:

  • Use lemon juice, wine, herbs, and spices as seasonings.
  • Try to cut out processed, packaged, and canned foods.
  • Cook more meals at home!
  • Eat as many fresh foods as possible.
  • Don’t prepare or cook meat using salt.

Cutting sodium by just a little will help you lose weight, decrease your risk for heart attack and stroke and allow you to taste the natural goodness of foods!

Here are some ways sodium gets hidden in your diet:

Food or dish/Amount of sodium

6 ounces of chicken/120 mg

2 cups of milk/215 mg

3 slices of whole-grain bread/450 mg

Double Quarter Pounder® withCheese from McDonald’s/1,350 mg

Panda Express Two-Entrée Meal with Orange Chicken/2,340 mg

Chicken Caesar Salad at Costco food court/2,680 mg

(Source: )

Tags: diet salt weight loss health food lifestyle fitness stroke heart attack

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July 17, 2011
19 notes

Lifestyles

For some people, being “fat” or “skinny” is seen as a lifestyle choice, like deciding to get a tattoo or a piercing. Sure, many people are overweight because of America’s dependence on sugar and sodium-rich diets coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, but for some being overweight truly is the byproduct of a medical condition, an eating disorder or a psychological disturbance. The same can be said for the social impact caused by a society which idolises and worships models and celebrities.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to throw everyone into tiny groups or classify each and every individual. I’m merely suggesting that it’s harmful to view weight as a lifestyle. If we accept someone for who they are and never reach out and say, “Look Girl or Guy, I really think you might want to talk to someone about your weight,” it sometimes does more harm than good. I said in a recent post that to love oneself is the greatest step toward happiness, but there is a difference between love, acceptance and ignoring an issue.

If you know that someone might be hurting and that they are taking out their frustrations on themselves by starving or binge eating, the best thing you could do for that person is tell them that you care and want to see them happy. I’m not a psychologist and chances are you aren’t either, but people rarely seek help on their own. You don’t have to stage a full blown intervention and you don’t have to try and analyse their problems to try and figure out a solution. All you need to do is offer a hug and a friendly ear. Listen to what they have to say and suggest that it might be a good idea to find someone who will analyse and who will be able to present any possible solutions.

After all, you hopefully wouldn’t ignore a friend cutting themselves or threatening suicide and issues like these are quite similar and just as serious.

Tags: ed ana eating disorders help advice health fitness weight loss food diet lifestyle suicide

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June 20, 2011
6 notes
5 Ways to Keep Your Metabolism Up &#8220;When our metabolisms slow down isn&#8217;t just age-related,&#8221; explains Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. &#8220;Body composition, which is determined by genetics, diet and activity, also plays a major role.&#8221;Read on for five ways to keep your fat-burning furnace humming.1. Build muscle. Since fat is burned in your muscle, you want to activate as many muscle fibers as possible. Weight training increases lean muscle mass, which raises the amount of calories your body uses, even when you&#8217;re at rest. What&#8217;s more, since there&#8217;s less fat in your body (and your muscles), blood moves better so you have more energy &#8212; without eating more food. So if you haven&#8217;t been incorporating strength training into your fitness routine, now is the time to start!2. Start eating! &#8221;Your body is a &#8216;refuel as it goes machine,&#8217; which simply means it needs to be consistently fed to provide energy to live,&#8221; explains Mark MacDonald, author of the bestselling book Body Confidence. &#8220;This type of consistent feeding stabilizes your blood sugar levels and creates internal hormonal balance&#8221; &#8212; and that keeps you from packing on the pounds. His advice: Eat within an hour of waking to kick-start your metabolism. Then keep eating every three to four hours ending an hour before bedtime.3. Nosh on protein at every meal and snack. Protein has a greater metabolic boost than fat or carbohydrates. Biting, chewing, swallowing and digesting food takes energy &#8212; it&#8217;s known as the thermic effect of food and it can burn up to 30 percent of the calories on your plate. The more complex the food (think steak, legumes and fibrous vegetables), the more calories you burn as it travels through the digestive tract. Protein also contains leucine, an amino acid that prevents muscle loss when you&#8217;re dieting. A simple strategy: For a quick and easy snack, keep peanuts in your pocketbook, trail mix in your desk drawer and hard-boiled eggs in the fridge.4. Get moving. Interval training with bursts of high intensity cardio will stoke your metabolic rate and keep it humming for hours. So instead of logging in your regular half-hour on the treadmill at a steady 4.5 mph pace, try the interval option or hit the road and take advantage of changes in the terrain. Run in the sand or up hills and use landmarks to signify a change of pace. And squeeze in extra calorie burning whenever you get the chance, advises Gerbstadt.5. Drink water. Studies show that people who drink 8-ounce glasses of water eight to 12 times a day have higher metabolic rates than those who drink four. Want to lose an extra 6.6 pounds a year? Drink half a liter of water before breakfast. According to researchers at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., people who downed water before their first meal of the day consumed an average of 75 fewer calories at breakfast than those who didn&#8217;t drink up first.

5 Ways to Keep Your Metabolism Up

“When our metabolisms slow down isn’t just age-related,” explains Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Body composition, which is determined by genetics, diet and activity, also plays a major role.”

Read on for five ways to keep your fat-burning furnace humming.

1. Build muscle. Since fat is burned in your muscle, you want to activate as many muscle fibers as possible. Weight training increases lean muscle mass, which raises the amount of calories your body uses, even when you’re at rest. What’s more, since there’s less fat in your body (and your muscles), blood moves better so you have more energy — without eating more food. So if you haven’t been incorporating strength training into your fitness routine, now is the time to start!

2. Start eating! ”Your body is a ‘refuel as it goes machine,’ which simply means it needs to be consistently fed to provide energy to live,” explains Mark MacDonald, author of the bestselling book Body Confidence. “This type of consistent feeding stabilizes your blood sugar levels and creates internal hormonal balance” — and that keeps you from packing on the pounds. His advice: Eat within an hour of waking to kick-start your metabolism. Then keep eating every three to four hours ending an hour before bedtime.

3. Nosh on protein at every meal and snack. Protein has a greater metabolic boost than fat or carbohydrates. Biting, chewing, swallowing and digesting food takes energy — it’s known as the thermic effect of food and it can burn up to 30 percent of the calories on your plate. The more complex the food (think steak, legumes and fibrous vegetables), the more calories you burn as it travels through the digestive tract. Protein also contains leucine, an amino acid that prevents muscle loss when you’re dieting. A simple strategy: For a quick and easy snack, keep peanuts in your pocketbook, trail mix in your desk drawer and hard-boiled eggs in the fridge.

4. Get moving. Interval training with bursts of high intensity cardio will stoke your metabolic rate and keep it humming for hours. So instead of logging in your regular half-hour on the treadmill at a steady 4.5 mph pace, try the interval option or hit the road and take advantage of changes in the terrain. Run in the sand or up hills and use landmarks to signify a change of pace. And squeeze in extra calorie burning whenever you get the chance, advises Gerbstadt.

5. Drink water. Studies show that people who drink 8-ounce glasses of water eight to 12 times a day have higher metabolic rates than those who drink four. Want to lose an extra 6.6 pounds a year? Drink half a liter of water before breakfast. According to researchers at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., people who downed water before their first meal of the day consumed an average of 75 fewer calories at breakfast than those who didn’t drink up first.

Tags: metabolism diet exercise weight loss health protein lifestyle