“So maybe tomorrow. I’ll find my way home…” ~Stereophonics
Four years ago I was a superfit 119 pounds (down from my original 200 pounds). At one point during the summer of 2005, I was down to 114 pounds – too thin by my standards (I am only 5 feet tall). Today – well, today I have no idea how much I weigh. I am going to guess about 128, judging from the fact that I can’t button most of my pants, or when I do, I have a terrible muffin top. (As an aside – I no longer weigh myself because I refuse to focus on a number.)
I way fell off the superfit weight loss wagon about three years ago when the stress of being a single mom with limited income drove me to eat too much chocolate and too many Ritz Crackers.
I still exercised and taught Spinning classes, but the calories I was snacking on were overtaking the calories I was expending.
Continue reading ‘How I Am Getting My Pants to Fit Better Again’
“I hate myself for loving you…”~Joan Jett
If you’re like me, sometimes you eat things you don’t even like.
Take Cheetos, for instance. I don’t like them. They taste like styrofoam and they make me puffy. And yet…when I am tired or stressed, I sometimes discover that my fingers are orange from eating my daughter’s Cheetos (Puffs).
The bummer with eating foods we don’t really like is that we waste calories on things that have nothing to do with pleasure or fun. If I am going to eat something fattening and pretty much useless, wouldn’t it be better to eat some expensive, delicious melt-in-my-mouth Belgian chocolate rather than Hershey’s (wax) chocolate?
In all reality, when I am “stress eating,” I am eating not for flavor or fun but to relieve some pressure in an overbooked and fatigued day.
I want salt, sugar, salt, sugar…and it doesn’t matter what form those ingredients come in. Just bring it.
I think the trick is for us to find other ways to relieve our stress and fatigue. In the past I have used exercise as a stress release and it works most excellently. Sleep is oftentimes out of the question, but what about yoga? Or reading a book, or watching a movie? Maybe snuggling with your child or significant other? Do these things really work, or are they poor substitutes for some good, old-fashioned carbs?
What do you think?
Onward….
~Helen
Photo Flickr ©vkareh
“I see a red door and I want it painted black, no colors anymore I want them to turn black.” ~Rolling Stones
I remember those days of ugly PMS clearly.
I was angry, tired, aggressive, my breasts hurt horribly and I was bloated.
The world was black, my life felt bleak, and it was nearly two weeks of hell.
Pre-menstrual syndrome might not seem like a topic for a weight loss blog, but this is more than a weight loss blog. It is a blog about improving your weight, your health and your life.
PMS doesn’t improve anyone’s life.
Continue reading ‘The Best Way to Manage PMS’
“Where did you come from, baby? How did you know I needed you? ~You Sexy Thing/Hot Chocolate
Better heart health. Anti-aging properties. Decreased risk of stroke. Better sex. All from one little magic bean.
Admit it. You knew it was coming…
…the day I would write about the benefits of chocolate. Seeing that this is February, with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it seems that an ode to chocolate is quite fitting.
If I could snort raw cocoa powder, I would. If I could have chocolate syrup delivered via IV, I’d have a drip running in 24/7.
If I could fall into that lovely chocolate river so exquisitely flowing in the original “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” movie, I’d drown a happy woman
Continue reading ‘Benefits of Chocolate – Happiness, More Sex and Heart Health’
Little quinoas everywhere.
I’ve never had quinoa before, which is surprising considering I’ve been a vegetarian for exactly 30 years. I decided to try it today for lunch. (And let’s face it – I haven’t been shopping and was running low on food options that don’t involve ice cream or crackers.)
Red quinoa has 2 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein per serving – it’s gluten free, too. I microwaved it with a bit of vegetable broth (well, too much vegetable broth apparently because it was a too strong), and used it as a bed for my salad.
So what did it taste like?
Continue reading ‘What’s for Lunch? Red Quinoa’
You wake up feeling sick: Head hurting, stomach squirrely, very tired, and thirsty. You know you shouldn’t have done it but you did anyway. You pop some pain killers, drink a gallon of water, eat some carrots and swear you won’t ever do it again. But you will – in less than a month. And once more you will feel awful. What did you do? Overindulge with food – and suffering the proverbial “binge hangover.”
Continue reading ‘Eat with Control This Holiday Season’
The answer is no, at least according to a Time Magazine article published last week, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. In fact, it is their thought that exercise might even make it harder for you to lose that excess weight.
Could this possibly be true?
As someone who has lost 80 pounds and gone from a size 20 to a size 4 by exercising and making moderate changes to her diet, I can confidently state “not very likely.”
Why would Time Magazine makes those claims if they are not accurate? Because study results are always open to interpretation – and because we are talking about that very article right now. Buzz is good for business. That’s why.
Continue reading ‘Will Exercise Help You Get Thin?’
The electronic version of my “Living the Fit Life” is here. >Download your copy now. It’s free! (Courtesy of LA’s the Place.com.)
Post any comments you might have about it. I’d love to hear your feedback.
{Seven years ago I was so overweight I could not fit into a ride at Legoland. I had a bad back, sore feet, constant fatigue and no dreams. Since then I have LOST 80 POUNDS, become a certified personal trainer, Spinning® instructor and writer.
So…how did I do it? By taking simple, consistent steps to improve myself. Follow this blog, sign up for my free e-zine. Learn more at about.me. And I’d love to hear your comments about posts, or questions you might have (connect through my Facebook page, too). Carry on – today really is the first day in the rest of your life Read on….}
