Are Salads Really Diet Food?

Are salads really diet food?...

I'm addressing the misconception that just because something is called a "salad", it must be good for weight loss.

It comes down to common sense. If you order something with "salad" in the name at a restaurant and your plate arrives containing cheese, egg, and processed ham along with some lettuce, it's more than likely going to sabotage your diet efforts.

On the other hand, if it truly is light and low cal (greens & veggies with no dressing), it can't be ALL that you eat or your metabolism will shut down.

Two of my own friends have complained in the past about being unable to lose weight even though they "eat mostly salads". I wonder if they were focusing on the name and not content (what was IN those salads), or if they were not seeing the big picture (what else were they eating). In any case, the whole salad thing warrants a closer look...






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Renewed Weight Loss Efforts

Ok, I think I'm ready to try again. The thing that tipped the scales (pun intended ;) was when I sat down at the table last night and my tummy bumped the table. Um, sigh. Not what I want for myself.

I managed to NOT eat ice cream before bed last night, which is a really good sign. Normally my ice cream cravings completely override any good sense I may have left at the end of the day, but not last night! I kept thinking about that annoying tummy bump.

bump

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The Upside and the Downside

Upside: I'm down ten pounds from mid-March :)
Downside: I've gained five of them back :(

I hopped off the calorie counting wagon (as you can tell by my record on the right hand column), so now is the time I need to put on the brakes to my current snacking before I gain all TEN back. I need to take the five pounds I'm down, pat myself on the back, and make this my new "maximum".

OK! Here's to a fresh start, and renewed optimism :)

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4 Ways To Curb Late Night Snacking

I am once again struggling with late night snacking. Yesterday, for example, I inhaled about 600 calories worth of crap after midnight (toyed with the idea of adding it to today's calorie count, then thought the better of it ;)

If it's late enough at night, my resolve weakens and I simply don't care. I want the bleepin' cookies, and nothing will stop me from eating them! So there ;) Last night it was Oreos, as well as a couple of chewy chocolate covered caramel granola bars (blissful sigh).

Ahhhhhhh!!!

Ok. Here's what I need to do:

1) Go to bed earlier, before the madness has a chance to start.

2) Hide the crap. DH buys it for the kids as treats, but telling me to keep my hands off it is like telling him he can't smoke, and leaving a pack with a lighter on the counter in plain view. Ya right.

3) Brush my teeth earlier (like, when I'm finished eating dinner, as opposed to right before bed).

4) Chew more gum. Gum gum gum. Gum.

That might help. Tonight I think I'll start with #1 (yaaaawn :)

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Caught Me A Bug

I'm soooo dedicated that I even counted my calories in the midst of illness. Ha ha.

I've caught some kind of intestinal bug, complete with fever and headache and an intense dislike of anything edible!! (This is not how you want to lose weight, but hey, let me have my silver lining ;) I'm still not 100% better, but hopefully I'll feel normal again soon.

I have even challenged myself to a cup of coffee today (my favourite thing in the WHOLE WILD WORLD), but so far haven't had the nerve to grind the beans. The thought of the smell kind of scares me a bit.

This is also the first time I've gone near my laptop in about 72 hours - that alone speaks volumes about how crappy I've felt. Even now as I type, my fingers feel kind of strange.

I did a Wii Fit body test this morning (I felt like I could stand up long enough ;) and while I won't tell you how much weight I've lost 'cause "illness weight loss" doesn't count, I will say that my Wii Fit age was 12 years less than my actual age! Too funny. I should get sick more often ;)



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The Cookies Chased Me

They did!!! I ran as fast as I could, but they trapped me in the kitchen.

Lesson: put them away somewhere where they're harder to reach.

Last night I was ending the day at about 1,900 calories, when I dozed off on the couch. I woke up half asleep and wandered through the kitchen, and you guessed it - found the cookies (600 calories may be a bit more than what I actually ate - these were homemade cookies and I had four or five, but they had almond slices, so who knows).

I could say that I was half asleep so my resolve was not there, but that would just be an excuse. I'm the one who put the cookies on an easy to reach pantry shelf. I could put them up high so that I need a chair to get them, or I could put them in the basement, or... you get the idea.

Bottom line is, if you have moments when will power alone will not suffice, changing your environment can work.

On a good note - I lost another pound! That's 2 pounds in just shy of 2 weeks, and that's with an average of about 2,200 calories per day. I'll take that :)

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6 Pounds Down!

I haven't been weighing myself regularly because my scale is a little unreliable for small changes. However when I stepped on it several times this morning and each time it showed my weight to be just shy of 140 (as opposed to lingering around 145 a short while ago), it seems pretty clear that some weight has legitimately come off.

YAY!!!

Must keep going... 15 more to go!

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What's Wrong With My Scale, Anyway

Have you ever tried weighing a child, or a pet, by first stepping on the scale alone and taking note of the weight, then stepping on it again with the child/pet in your arms and calculating the difference?

For example (drum roll).

Let's say I weigh 120 lbs.

(I'm pausing here to allow sufficient time for the laughter to fade, and for all involved to recompose ourselves.)

No seriously, let's just say. (Why not?) One hundred and twenty pounds (grin). If I step on the scale holding my cat, and the scale says I now weight 135 pounds, that means my cat weighs 15 pounds.

I did said exercise with each of my kids. I then had each child step on the scale by themselves. What I discovered was interesting:

The weights they were, while being held in my arms, were about 5 pounds MORE than the weights they were when they stood on the scale alone.

I didn't think much of it, until my husband mentioned it later: "That scale is junk. The more you weigh, the more pounds it adds on."

(what?) ....Ah HA!

I can see you all now, shaking your heads. "Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne. The number on the scale is SO not important."

(Yes but... but... imagine!!! Finding out, all of a sudden, that you actually weigh five pounds less!!)

I'll take it any way I can ;)
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8 Ways To NOT Lose Ten Pounds

1) Make lasagna. Extra Mozza. Mmmmm....

2) Eat the chocolate your husband brings home for the kids (I am a good parent, darn it! That stuff is not good for them).

3) Don't include the kids' leftovers in your calorie count, and eat it. (leftovers, not calorie count).

4) Eat ice cream while watching Oprah episode about obese teens.

5) Put chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, and peanut butter on your ice cream.

6) Wine and Baileys (whaaat?)

7) Hang towels on the exercise bike.

8) Sit at your computer writing blog posts and using Twitter (instead of taking the towels off the exercise bike and using it ;)
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My Crazy Scale

I didn't count any calories yesterday, 'cause I kinda, uh, indulged in some treats (lasagna, ice cream, Bailey's in my coffee, etc.). I'm going to call it my own "Canadian party for the US inauguration" and just leave it at that (and congrats, Mr. President! What an historic day that was :-)

I'm pretty sure I've lost a couple of pounds though. Pretty sure. Not entirely sure, because my scale changes by about 3-4 pounds depending on where you stand. To say that this is a little frustrating is the understatement of the century.

However, being an optimistic person, I choose to see the upside. For example, this morning, after yesterdays binge fest, I can stand a little farther up (towards the numbers dial) to make my weight lower. Hmmm.

This might be my favourite scale, now that I think about it...
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The Best Weight Loss Program

A friend of mine's Nan, who's 86, lives by the "KISS" principle - i.e. "keep it simple stupid".

We were talking about weight loss help the other day, and her response was one that few can argue with. She said:

"The best way to lose weight is to eat less and move more."

LOL, you're so right, Nan!
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Oolong Tea For Weight Loss?

I have read conflicting reports as to which tea metabolizes fat better, green or oolong, but here's an interesting article that sides with oolong.

As stated in the article, all tea comes from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) - it's the processing that differentiates it in the end. Supposedly the drying process of the tea leaves which results in oolong creates a greater metabolism stimulating effect.

Green tea: is treated immediately after picking so that it does not oxidize and it retains its natural colour.

Oolong tea: the leaves are sun wilted, bruised, and only partially oxidized.

Black tea: is left to oxidize the most after being picked.

This may be old news to some, but I had no idea all three came from the same plant, so I find this particularly interesting. I've drank (and enjoyed!) lots of black and green teas, so I think on my next trip to the grocery store I'm going to buy some oolong.

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Can A Good Breakfast Help You Lose Weight?

Is it true? Can eating breakfast really help you lose weight?

Somehow, mysteriously, I've lost 2 more pounds.

I say mysteriously because I haven't been actively trying to lose weight. I've been kind of "cruising", waiting until "New Year's Resolution" time (a.k.a. making excuses to not diet today).

If I look back over the past couple of weeks, the one change I've made is that I've been making sure I eat some kind of breakfast every morning. I used to have only my coffee before heading out for the day, but now when I make the kids their breakfast, I fix myself something simple as well, such as one slice of multigrain bread with peanut butter and honey.

Voila - two pounds gone! I think I'll keep eating breakfast :-)
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Ha! Lost Two Pounds :-)

I've changed my focus.

Instead of looking at the total amount I need/want to lose (about 15 lbs), I've broken it down into small categories. It's soooooo much easier when it's a small amount.

So at this point, I've achieved 2 pounds out of my 5 pound goal. Wahooo!!! Once I lose the next three, then I'll set a new goal...

Me, Today...

I know how to lose these ten pounds; I know exactly what will work. It's worked for me in the past and it will work again as soon as I am ready to get down to business.

It's simple: keep a food diary, log everything that goes into my mouth, and stick to 1,500 calories per day.

(Like I told my Mom, losing weight is not hard, it's just not enjoyable ;-)

Meanwhile, my current "at least I'm doing something until I'm ready to get serious" strategy is this: I'm not eating anything past 7:00 pm.

Hey!! It's 5:31 at the moment... gotta go ;-)

1 Reason I Couldn't Be On "The Biggest Loser"

... those contestants lose as much in ONE week as it took me in SIX (before I regained 75% of it and started this blog, lol).

Sheesh. If all it took to lose ten pounds was one week, I wouldn't have time to blog ;-)

I watched an episode last night (new? repeat? dunno) and a contestant had lost 17 pounds at the weigh in. When Caroline Rhea said "this week" in reference to his weight loss, I nearly fell off my chair. Mind you, these contestants are a lot bigger than I am, but still!! Holy cow - 17 pounds in one week. That's nuts. (If only it was that quick ;-)

3 Hurdles To My Weight Loss

1) Lack of motivation.

I haven't gained any more weight, and I really don't have that much to lose. This is probably my problem. If I was overweight enough to suffer health risks, then I might have more motivation. (On the other hand, someone with more than ten pounds to lose might feel too overwhelmed to even try.)

2) All or nothing mentality

This is kind of an OCD-like quality of mine. If I have one, harmless 20 calorie candy, I flip into "oh who cares, I've blown it now - I'll start tomorrow" mentality. Gets me every time (or should I say, every day ;-)

3) I love food.

Dang it. Not sure what to do about that one...

Yogurt and Weight Loss

This is interesting... the theory that probiotics can help you lose weight. Supposedly the bacteria in your intestines can affect how many calories you actually take in, so if you eat yogurt to add the right kind of bacteria, you'll be more successful in your weight loss efforts. (I knew I liked yogurt for a reason!)

What's even more interesting is that according to this article, yogurt seems to target abdominal fat (although in this case they cite the calcium as being the factor as opposed to the probiotics).

Supposedly eating yogurt three times a day is more beneficial than once, and the type of yogurt matters - as in, you want to read the label and consider the amount of sugar that is present. Greek style yogurt is recommended because it has more protein and fewer additives.

Sounds good to me. I like yogurt, and adding more of something healthy to my diet can't hurt. Too bad all of this wasn't true about ice cream as well ;-)

Eight Things I Did To Lose 18 Pounds

This worked for me a year ago. I've gained about nine of it back, which is why I started this blog. I thought I'd look back and review what has worked for me in the past.


1) Counting calories. It may be a pain, but it truly works.


2) Writing down everything I eat (and drink, and chew... did you know that Double Bubble gum is 10 calories per stick??)


3) Measuring stuff. Like, the cream in my coffee (30 calories per tbsp), the cereal in my bowl, etc.


4) Categorizing food. When I simply count calories I end up eating too many calories. However if I require that a certain amount of calories be protein, veggies, fruit, carbs, etc., I end up eating fewer. The reason for this is that protein fills you up longer than carbs, and I don't tend to reach for the protein unless I'm consciously thinking about it (I'm a carbaholic!!).


5) Not eating the leftover food on my kids' plates. Tough habit to break, but it all accumulates....


6) Walking, instead of driving. Walk walk walk (oh yeah, and then walk some more).


7) Eating small amounts frequently, and avoiding large meals.


8) Avoiding "fillers". For example I could still treat myself to bacon and eggs, but have only 2 or 3 strips of bacon, and skip the toast.



Anyway, you get the idea. It's all about food and exercise consciousness - there is no easy shortcut. When you're ready to get serious, it works!