What to Do, How to Do it

Thank you to the people who have written me this week to join the challenge. As you continue to check in on this blog site, you'll learn a lot more about the tools and tips that make losing weight an attainable goal. I will talk a lot about weight loss but ultimately the concurrent goal is to achieve a better state of health. Type two diabetes, hypertension and acid reflux are just a few health issues that can be slowed or even eliminated with better health. Two main things to focus on:

1) WHAT TO DO: Basically don't consume more calories than you burn. For women, a general rule is about 1200 per day. For men, it's about 1600. Before watching my caloric intake, it wasn't uncommon for me to eat two to three times that amount. Exercise increases that number allowed by adding the number of calories you burn working out to the number of calories you are allowed. I have found www.myfitnesspal.com to be an invaluable tool for measuring these two things.

2) HOW TO DO IT: This is the part that will be a lifelong learning process, adjusted to fit your individual goals and lifestyle. It really means eating the kinds of foods that keep you full, provide the most nutrition and keep you from feeling deprived of the things you like to eat. Look back through other posts from this month to see what kinds of changes I've made and please be sure to leave a comment or email me if you have specific questions or challenges.

Here is the very basic guide I'm following. [I've lost 11 pounds since starting on January 1st and I feel much more energetic and am sleeping better.] Eliminate sugar, white flour, potatoes, white rice, pasta and alcohol. Don't panic! It's not forever, just until you get the ball rolling. Start your day with water, eggs, whole oats, Greek yogurt, fruit. I make a lot of omelets with one whole egg plus two egg whites, spinach and mushrooms. Keep fruits, veggies, yogurt, hummus, cheese and nuts close by for a morning snack and afternoon snack. (Cheese and nuts are high in calories but you don't need to eliminate them, just have smaller portions.) Lunch can be a salad loaded with veggies, or a turkey burger with lettuce and tomato. Honestly, I got really bored with salad after a couple of weeks so I have been using romaine leaves as bread in rolling up my favorite healthy filling -- grilled chicken with salsa, tuna, ground turkey. Black beans and white beans are taking the place of the ground beef I used to eat. You can make all kinds of tasty healthy soups with broth, beans and veggies. Also, colored bell peppers are a win-win -- high in flavor and vitamins, low in calories. Use spices like garlic, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, chili, cinnamon, oregano to flavor your veggies. Check out "Focus on What you Can Eat" from earlier this week. One last thing, don't throw in the towel if it feels hard the first several days. Days one through three are the hardest, but after the first week you'll start to feel like it's a normal way to eat and after a few weeks you will really see your cravings for junk food change. Really!