Month: December 2021

Weight Loss Secrets, how to get on track

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

Other people find success in weight loss so HOW do you find success too? This article I will share my secrets to getting yourself back on track and into that weight loss state of mind!

Weight loss takes an exceptionally long time, so part of why you hear the words lifestyle change so much is because often you will be doing this for a long time. Find a weight loss program that works well for you. What exactly does that mean? Anytime you eat at a calorie deficit you will lose weight. If you choose to do NOOM, weight watchers, or KETO it does not matter! Because you should enjoy the process, be able to maintain it, and like what you are eating. The reason low-calorie high-volume works for me is because I feel like I am getting a good portion, yet it is low calories.

So back to it, to get on track you need to be ready.

  • Prepare meal ideas and food
  • Also prepare by doing things to keep yourself motivated. For me, those things are:
    • daily weigh-ins
    • calorie tracking
    • weekly measurements

Whenever I stop doing these things, my interests in weight loss start to fade (every single time). For some people stepping on the scale every day is a negative thing. Please do what works best for you. The reason weighing myself everyday helps me when I am actively trying to lose weight is because:

  1. I can see how foods interact with my body, it is all scientific and data analysis
  2. It keeps me focused and reminds me of what I am doing at the start of every day

In closing, give yourself a break. You got this and will find the focus. Weight loss is not a sprint but a lifelong process. Please take enjoyment in how you live, while treating your body well.

No New Year’s Resolutions Needed!

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

What are your thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions? You know, NEW YEAR, NEW ME? For me, it is just a change in the calendar, and making life changes do not need a special holiday. Just prepare and make that change.

Call me crazy but I am most successful with life changes if I do them on the 27th or the 28th of the month! The last two times I lost weight it started in that period, and when I quit smoking 25 years ago on the 27th of October. Everyone is different, so starting something new on January 1 may works well for you? Either way love yourself or take small steps to change. Know in your heart that this is best for you and your body.

Do you have a New Year’s Resolution? Any goals for 2022? I have two goals, to lose the remainder of the weight I started to lose and to work out regularly. Wait, I have three goals to find a new job that is a better fit as well.

Do you FITNESS?

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

I am 46 years old. In my 20s I walked, ran, and did step aerobics. I considered myself to be fit! Which has been interesting since when I was younger, I was a smoker (from age 13-21), and I was not athletic. In my early 30s I had my daughter and I struggled to find myself again. I was not one of those mothers who was great at balance and doing things for my family and myself. I was lost and struggled to find balance for years!

It was not until my daughter was around 8 that I started working out again. I did this thing where I decided to commit to fitness to battle off depression and it worked! But then my mother moved in in 2017 and I fell apart. Life had taken an unexpected turn and I did not love it. Fastforward to now, I am still floundering. I have decided that I am going to refocus my efforts on fitness because I am getting old and want to be strong and fit. Do not get me wrong, I still manage to walk a few miles a couple of days a week, but I want to work out more than that. I would like to get back to jogging.

So, I was contemplating buying a treadmill. I had one many years ago and used it all the time and loved it. But will I still enjoy it? I like being outside more than on the treadmill. It is a huge financial investment, and the part that bugs me the most about treadmills is they weigh a ton!

I also love step aerobics. I am a huge fan of Jenny Ford Fitness. I also love lifting weights. So, I am kind of up in the air. I also am a mother of a daughter who is 12 going on 13 and she needs exercise too. I have been contemplating just getting a treadmill for here and going to classes twice a week with her for kickboxing. It would be a fun way for her and me to get fit and get out of the house.

I decided to write this down because it has been on my mind, and I have yet to commit to anything other than simple walks. What do you do for fitness? What do you recommend?

Returning to reality 12 POUNDS till goal

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

After a week of indulgence and Christmastide celebrations I am back. Okay, I would not say celebrations but me just eating whatever including chocolate, dessert, and chips I am weighing in at 157 lbs. It amazes me that unhealthy food choice packs the weight on so quickly. This is proof that balance is needed, and these foods are items that should be only eaten on special occasions, not for a week. Go figure, in my head I was feeling totally stressed and like this was acceptable to allow myself to fall off the wagon and just eat whatever. Today I am back to refocusing my efforts. Letting go of the stressful and negative attitude I have been feeling. Time to look ahead to the future and want positivity and love for myself and my family.

For breakfast today I am making a smoothie. It is not low in calories, but it is a wonderful way to refocus my efforts and detox. I have also been contemplating fitness options which will be my next post.

Salty Chips

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

I desperately want to leave my current job and I have been searching for a new opportunity. Looking everywhere, but because it is the holiday season and the end of the year people have been slow to get back to me. At least that is what I hope? Anyway, I have been stressed with this, that, and the other! You know how I feel. I am happy 2021 is ending and my goal is to move on to a new opportunity as soon as possible.

We had real potato chips here due to the upcoming holiday. I have had them three times since they have been here and every single time, I feel bloated. It makes me wonder what is really in those potato chips? It cannot be just potatoes and salt. I did some research and what I found was those foods high in sodium cause bloating in general. As I go into phase two of losing the rest of the weight that I started to try to lose back in June 2021, I am going to pay special attention to sodium. Do you wonder if highly addictive foods like this put other stuff in their foods that they do not list?

During the holidays

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

Somehow during the holidays also equates to right now, a few days before, I am surrounded by extra good eats. My plan is just trying to maintain and backing away from weight loss until after Christmas where I plan to go back into weight loss mode. I think that said in order to stick with this I need to be really to still log on my calories! Which I have not because I have that mindset if I am not all in then why bother then I snowball into being all out! So my goal and plan is to be honest with myself and allow myself the Christmas goodies and just being in maintenance mode. I’ll let you know how it’s going! My return weight loss mode is 12/27. For some odd reason 27 and 28 are days that always seem to work well for me in terms of starting anew.

With that said this is not a get out fat free card. My goal is to still eat low calorie eats but allow for that Christmas snack IF it appears. Not to go out and find them. I don’t need extra calories as my body does not use them!

To anyone reading this please have a wonderful holiday whatever you celebrate. Happy New Year! And be kind to yourself.

Sugar and Alcohol Tie??

/ Rachel H. / 2 Comments

Yesterday I returned to logging calories. So this is interesting to me. Apparently I have been eating more sugar because last night I was craving alcohol even though I haven’t been drinking but 1 day every week or two. The way that my body reacts when I do these changes and the correlation with alcohol is fascinating! So perhaps my craving for alcohol is tied to a craving of sugar more than being buzzed? You realize how much your diet lapses and how quickly.

I was not perfect yesterday but I did record and ate ok for most of the day. I had a couple of extra things but this is the step in the right direction. I am proud of myself for making these changes.

Todays goals:

  • record food
  • drink 5 glasses of water
  • exercise
  • eat veggies

Weighed in the morning at: 156.4 lbs.

Short term goal: 150 lbs.

Long term goal: 140 lbs.

A great start to a better me

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

I semi fell off the wagon but, I have not forgotten the changes or how to get there. I feel 150% back. Drinking water, and having some grapes. Eating better is truly about weights and balances. You cannot have junk food every single day because its garbage in – garbage out. Your body will pay the price! These past three months have been a mental challenge / drain. I am happy to feel on a better path to take care of me. Please join me to take the steps to give yourself better and take care of you. We can do this.

Weight Loss Measures

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

I am the type of person who stays on track and more focused if I have an see data! Here is what I need to stay focused:

  1. Daily calorie count (no lies)
  2. Daily weigh in
  3. Weekly measurements with photos

I noticed when I started to lose focus was around when I cut back on doing the weekly measurements. Instead of wanted to do them every other week hoping to see more dramatic results. Then it turned into once a month. Then it turned into not at all. Then you have a bad food day and say no I don’t want to see the scale. At least this is me. I know that other people feel like the scale screws them over but it helps me to garner focus to achieve my goals.

Weight loss secret

/ Rachel H. / Leave a comment

The secret truly is not a secret. No matter what you do when you want to lose weight, no matter what the diet is, the true secret to weight loss is being a calorie deficit of what your body requires. So if you go to: https://tdeecalculator.net it will tell your range and what your BMI is. So this gal is still in the overweight range.

So yes I have been posting articles about how I need to get back on the wagon and I am still hovering over being not totally on but today I woke up with the calorie deficit in my head and realized I needed to get back to that place. The only way to achieve this is by logging calories, using the scale, working out, and for me (I love high volume low carlorie eats).

So I’m back. I am NOT giving up. FOUR things I will do today:

  1. Log calories
  2. Drink lots of water
  3. Exercise
  4. Eat at a calorie deficit