How Did You Do?

I know it's been a few weeks since I came back with some fresh posts. The Christmas season is always a bit hectic. But I hope that you were able to complete the challenge, and kept yourself moving during the past few weeks. If you would like to let the rest of the group know your status and how you did, feel free to post a comment and let us know!

I will get us started by letting you all know that Christmas kept me VERY busy, and I was able to keep myself moving throughout the past few weeks. Since I was up and moving more frequently, I have lost 4 lbs. in the past couple of weeks. I was very excited with the first showing of weightloss, and even more so when I stepped on the scale this past Sunday (yes, the Sunday AFTER Christmas week!!) and saw that I was down another 2 lbs!! It was very exciting!

I hope that you were all able to keep yourself moving and had just as much luck as I did! Keep up the great work! Here's to a year full of being Healthy, Fit, and Fabulous!

The New Year is Upon Us!

Are you ready? Are you done with all the eating that usually comes with the holiday season? If not, now is a good time to start.

Many people make the New Year's resolution to lose weight. But how many people actually stick to it? Years ago, I decided that instead of setting what seemed to be reasonable goals of weightloss for the coming year (you know, like 25-50 lbs. or more?) I would start off simple and easy. I had many years where I got all geared up and wanted to lose a significant amount of weight, I think the first year I was wanting to lose 30 lbs. Low and behold, by the time the end of the year came around, I found myself disappointed that I had only lost 20, 15, and sometimes even just 5 lbs. These numbers were way below my initial goal, and I would beat myself up for not having done better throughout the year to achieve something that I wanted so badly.

A few years ago, I decided to set a more reasonable goal to begin with. The first year I did this, I set my goal at losing 5 lbs. that year. That was it! Only 5 lbs.!! I know what you're thinking, "I want to lose WAY more than 5 lbs. this coming year!!" So did I. But with a number I was sure to hit as my goal, and did within the first couple of weeks, I was even more excited each week as I weighed in to see my progress. It eventually became a game, where I tried to see how far I could surpass my measly little goal of 5lbs. Do you want to know how much weight I lost that first year? 25 lbs!!

So many times, our eyes see more than what we are immediately able to handle. It is great to have huge goals for ourselves. It is even greater when we are able to surpass those goals and continue on to achieve higher levels of greatness. But sometimes, when we set goals that seem like they are so easy to reach, we are disappointed when we don't see the results quick enough. Many years I had a goal of losing at least 25 lbs. in the coming year. NEVER did I reach that goal for the many years that I set it. NEVER! NOT ONCE! But the one year that I decided to start off small, I achieved the greatest goal....I lost more! Once I saw myself hit the 5 lbs. loss mark, I was on a roll! And the weeks that I may have splurged a little, and put back another pound or so wasn't as disappointing, because I had already surpassed my goal of 5 lbs. The rest of the weightloss was extra, something to add on to my goal.

We are all capable of achieving the greatness that we are pursuing. Even if you don't want to start with saying that you only want to lose 5 lbs., start with 10 lbs. It's really just a mind trick, you see. Because losing 5 lbs. is going to happen a lot quicker than losing 25 lbs. And if you aren't losing the weight fast enough, you tend to get discouraged. Being discouraged leads back to binge eating. Binge eating will lead back to gaining weight. Gaining weight will lead you back to wanting to lose weight and being disappointed that you are not doing so. Don't beat yourself into this cycle. Break the cycle this New Year! I look forward to hearing your success stories!

As always,

Good Luck!

Fix Your Metabolism!

You've tried many diets in the past, right? You start off strong and then you plateau, right? This is a common effect when your body starts to understand what it is that you are trying to do to it. When you stick to a diet for a long period of time, your body starts off not really knowing what is going on, so it with the more mini meals that you try to eat (a common trait of diets), the quicker your body catches on and knows when it will get its next meal. As soon as your body catches on, it knows just how much it needs to work to get to that next meal that you will provide. This is where the plateauing starts. If your body knows that it only has to work hard enough to last you a couple of hours, guess where all that leftover energy and fat is going from the meal you just ate? YEP! That's right! To the hips!

So in an effort to help boost our metabolism, here's a small trick to try, provided by the October 26, 2009 issue of First For Women magazine.

Drink 6 oz. of water mixed with the juice of half a lemon or lime two or three times daily. And add a little rind and pith (the white spongy tissue) to each cup. The fruit's nomilin (which is in the juice but is super concentrated in the rind and pith) ups liver-cell turnover so the organ is better able to burn fat. Nomilin also boosts activity of the liver's detoxifying enzyme glutathion S-transferase and increases output of fat-dissolving bile. After two weeks (the minimum time the liver needs to recover) of drinking the mixture, the weight will fall off at a faster rate - up to 6 pounds a week. Then you can reduce your citrus-water dose to one glass daily, preferably in the morning to get the liver primed to burn fat all day.

I do not pass on things that I do not try myself. In this instance, because I don't particularly care for lemon or lime in my water, I had my husband try it. He had reached the plateauing stage with his diet. Instead of the fresh lemon or lime, he actually added about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice to 6 oz. of water. Within the first week, he started dropping weight again like he had in the beginning of his diet. After the first week of drinking this concoction, he lost 7 lbs!!!!

So I have seen this work! My husband continues to drink this mix at least once a day, and he continues to keep his weightloss moving in the downward direction. Give it a try for at least two weeks, and see how your body takes it. I know you will see rapid results. Of course, what will help you the most is to continue to get your exercise and to continue to watch what you are eating.

Well? What are you waiting for? Go mix yourself a glass of lemon/lime water and get started with your day! :)

Good luck!

It's Been a While!

I know, it's been quite some time since my last post. I won't bore you with why I fell behind, but please know that I am making a conscious effort to be more active in posting. Starting today. :)

6 Exercising Tips

Okay, so these tips were meant for diabetics. But you know, when you are overweight, and you haven't exercised in a long time, it's always better to start off with something a bit easier, rather than jumping in head over feet and biting off more than you can chew. So, here are 6 Tips for Exercising, as published by WebMD. Remember, the more we get out and do little things, the more we'll have the energy and the desire to do more. :)

Tip 1. Go for Low-Impact Exercise
Knowing you're doing something safe -- especially if you have painful neuropathy or loss of sensation removes one barrier to exercise: fear. Change to something that would be low-impact or even non-weight-bearing, says Trence, such as aerobic classes where you're sitting in a chair or using an exercise ball. Other options:

• Swimming. Water supports your muscles, bones, and joints as you swim, especially helpful if you're overweight or have diabetic nerve pain in your feet. A longtime favorite of exercise experts over the years, swimming avoids the pounding on your feet, knees, and hips from a high-impact sport like jogging.
• Yoga. "I think yoga is underutilized in people with diabetes," says Trence. "It's a wonderful exercise, particularly for people who need to be more controlled in their movements and not be pounding the pavement."
• Cycling. Biking is safely low-impact - as long as you stay safely aboard - and you can ride outside for a change of scenery, or ride with a friend on stationary bikes in a health club.

Tip 2. Shoot for 30 Minutes, 5 Days a Week.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) advises being active for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. The good news? Vigorous yard work like raking leaves and housework like vacuuming count as "activity."

• Start with a short warm up period to help prepare your muscles, heart and lungs. Gentle stretches for five to 20 minutes help reduce injury.
• Build slowly over time, so you keep feeling successful and having fun.
• Don't worry if, some days, you can't do a full 30 minutes all at once. You can meet your daily goal of 30 minutes with 10 minutes of yard work in the morning, 10 minutes of vacuuming after lunch, and a brisk 10-minute walk after dinner.
• Start with simple things, says Trence, like parking farther from the door or using the stairs when you can.

Tip 3. You Don't Have to Sweat.
All exercise isn't alike. Aerobic exercise raises your heart rate, helps you lose weight, and does make you sweat. But all your exercise doesn't have to be so hard that you need to sweat to reap the benefits. Try strength training, like lifting weights, and working on your flexibility by stretching or taking a yoga class.

• Mix it up. Try a combo of activities that build your aerobic fitness, strength, and flexibility. You'll get more benefits - and be less prone to injury and boredom.
• Modification is the key. If you can't do a regular push-up, for instance, you can do a few push-ups against a wall, so it's a lot less work for your arms and shoulders. Go for a sense of success: if you feel successful, you're more likely to stay with it.
• You don't have to spend money for club dues. With so many exercise videos and DVDs out now, says Trence, people can exercise at home and try new things.

Tip 4. Make It Fun.
Choose activities you enjoy - or at least enjoy some aspects of. Otherwise, it's a cinch you'll back out when your commitment flags. So don't join the dance workout at the Y just because your wife loves it - though if you're a music lover, a dance class could be just your style. Bowling might be right up your alley. But if you've never had any hand-eye coordination or "ball sense," then taking up tennis or volleyball may not be your thing.

• Think back to high school or college: what did you love to do back then? Were you a great softball player, golfer - or love to shoot hoops? Look for a club, gym, or community center where you can join a pick-up league.
• Find people at your fitness level, so you won't feel overly frustrated.
• Fun is unique to each person. For you, something may be fun because it's new. For others, pleasure is something familiar and comfortable. Know thyself, and trust thyself.

Tip 5. Make It Social.
Behavioral medicine experts all agree: social support helps keep you going when the going gets tough. And what's tougher than trying to make lifestyle changes?

• Make regular weekly dates with a friend, neighbor, or family member to walk or exercise with you. You may be more likely to stay committed since you won't want to let the other person down.
• Consider joining a local walking or hiking club, so you get outside, get some fresh air, and meet new people. You may find it's easier to exercise when you let others do the planning.
• Check out groups like a softball team, volleyball team, or cycling club. Your local Y might have a swim team for adults. Or a local school may need a volunteer coach.

Tip 6. Try Something New
In the wake of the fitness boom, you have more choices than ever for new forms of exercise. Avoid boredom or feeling like exercise is a chore by trying something new.

• Try a water aerobics class or other swim class at your local pool.
• Take a class in a new sport or activity, like golf, badminton, kayaking, or ballroom dancing.
• Try yoga, tai chi, and other exercise that enhances your mind/body connection, encourages relaxation, and brings on a sense of well-being.

The bottom line? The more fun you have with it, the more likely you'll create a healthy, active lifestyle that invigorates you and helps you manage diabetes for a lifetime.

Weigh In - Week 8

Well? How did you do this week? Did your weight go down? Did your body fat go up? What difficulties did you have during this week that might have hindered your progress? Were you more stressed than you usually are?

Check in here to let us know how you did this last week. We'll gather all of the numbers and put them in our tally next week.

GOOD LUCK on this week's challenge and weight loss goals! We know you can do it!

Challenge Check In

Alright, how did you do with last week's challenge? Were you able to reward yourself because you accomplished your goal? GOOD!!

Let us know here, just how good you did, if you had problems at certain times, or any other concerns with the challenge that you had for this week.

We are excited that you are doing so well, and look forward to hearing about your achievements!

Keeping Focus on the Obliques

I know you are starting to get excited because you are probably seeing a difference now. And with the workouts that you are including besides just walking, you are probably starting to see more shape in your body. So here's another exercise that can be done with a resistance band, free weights, or nothing at all but yourself.

Seated Oblique Workout

Have a seat on the floor. With your legs bent, place your feet about a foot apart. Hold the resistance band in your hands with no more than 8-10 inches of band between your hands. Keep the band taught during the exercise, but DO NOT stretch the band as we have done in other resistance band exercises. The band in this exercise is used to keep your hands steady and at approximately the same level throughout the exercise.

Start by placing your hands on your knees, then lower your upper body a few inches toward the ground, which will bring your hands off your knees, and they will be in the air. Start by bringing your hands to the right side of your body, as if you were to place something to the right of you, then bring them back to the starting position and to the left side. Repeat this exercise for 2 minutes to start. This will not only strengthen your abs, but the swinging of your arms from side to side will work your obliques, presenting a body with some good curves. :)

When you use free weights for this exercise, hold the weights in your hands and in your starting position, make sure that your palms face each other. Keep your palms facing each other throughout the exercise.

When you are not using a resistance band or free weights, clasp your hands together, making a point, and keep your hands clasped together throughout the exercise.

So give this a try this week with the other exercises that you have learned from here. Soon, we will have our own little 30 minute workout from all of these exercises that work your entire body in one workout. Pretty cool, right? That's the point. :)

GOOD LUCK!!

Making Feng Shui Work For YOU!!

I am sure that you have heard of Feng Shui, the art of decorating your home, office, workspace, etc. to produce a happier, healthier, wealthier YOU. Well, now we are taking it a step further. Beyond all of the use of positive colors and better room layouts. We are taking it to where our food spends most of its time.

The Kitchen.

In an article in May's Woman's World, they explained just how to make this happen. In feng shui, the kitchen represents family togetherness (since it's considered the heart of the home), health and prosperity. And placing a big bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen table is said to create harmony and success - oranges, in particular, are seen as bringing good luck!

According to research, the sight of fruit makes people more likely to eat healthy and skip junk food. And in another study, it was found that eating healthy as a family is the strongest predictor of a child's academic achievement, self-esteem and even future success! Bonus: Nutrients in fruit - like vitamin C and folic acid - improve energy, mood, mental functioning and even our response to stress.

So the lesson here? Go to the store at the beginning of the week and place fruit in a medium or large bowl in the middle of the table, or somewhere it will be seen frequently, and subconsciously you will find yourself craving what is in sight. Pretty neat trick, right?

Give it a try this week.

GOOD LUCK!

Weigh In - Week Seven

Okay, so last week we really didn't have anything going on. But how did you do on your own? Did you maintain the better way of eating? Were you able to keep moving? I hope so!

Check in here to let us know how you did last week. Did you gain a little weight? Did you lose a lot of weight? Is there something that you would like to see us focus on for the next week? Let us know!

I know you all did great! Here's to another great week ahead of us!

GOOD LUCK!!

Challenge Check In

Okay, so you had a week off for the challenge, I hope you're refreshed! No need to check in this week, but GOOD LUCK on completing this week's challenge!

Work Those Obliques!

So you're doing good with those arms and legs workouts, right? Cool! So you should have very shapely arms and legs for the summer! But what about that midsection that we all know and have very little love for? You may be doing crunches to help your abs out a bit, heck, you may even be doing reverse crunches to work the lower abs! But what about those extra tires that hang on to your sides for dear life? Here's a great resistance band workout, just for those obliques!

Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, and sitting up straight with your shoulders back. Place your resistance band around the bottoms of your feet, wrapping the resistance band around each of your hands. Make sure that the resistance band is taught so that there is effort in working with the band during the exercise. In the starting position, you should be sitting up straight, legs straight, and your arms only slightly bent at the elbow.

Starting with your right side, pull the resistance band back, bending your arm, and twisting your body in a rowing motion. Once you return to the starting position, move to the left side. Start by doing this for at least two minutes, alternating sides during the workout.

I assure you, after a week of doing these at least five times a week, for at least 6 minutes each time, you will start to see and feel a difference. You will be working the obliques of your body, perhaps muscles that you have never worked before. When all is said and done, your body will be sexy in all the right ways!

GOOD LUCK!!

It's a Joint Effort!

If you look within your own family, I bet you would be able to find at least a handful of family members that have arthritis. And if you dig deeper, you could probably find another handful that will be or are prone to developing arthritis in their later years. But there's nothing you can do about it as far as you're concerned, right? WRONG!!

First, let's see where you stand. Take a piece of plain paper, and wet the bottom of your foot - you can wet it with water, paint, ink - but make sure that it covers the whole foot without being excessive. Next, stand on the piece of paper. When you lift your foot off the paper, do you notice that there is a space for your arch? Or is the space where your arch should be completely filled in? If there is no space where your arch should be, you are flat-footed, and have a one in three chance of eventually developing arthritis. That type of foot causes wear and tear inside ankle, knee, and hip joints. How can you protect yourself? Fitting in 30 minutes of walking or yoga daily will make your joints 30% more flexible and strong, cut the risk of further tissue damage by 43% and trim excess weight lowering stress on your knees and ankles.

And you thought it was hopeless! Try to keep yourself moving and flexible, and you've got better odds at beating arthritis before it can beat you!

Weigh In - Week Six

Check in here to let us know how much you gained, lost, or if you stayed the same.

Also, if there are certain things that you would like to see more information on in this blog, let us know so that we can gear some of our topics to things that will help you reach your goals.

GOOD LUCK for Week 6!

Challenge Check In

Alright, how did you do for last week's challenge? Were you able to stick to it? Did you reach your goal for the entire week, or just a couple of days?

Check in here and let us know. We are aiming for reaching certain goals, like building our stamina, exercising more, drinking more water, increasing healthy ways of eating, etc. These challenges are geared toward helping you to reach these goals, so let us know if you were able to accomplish every aspect of the challenge or not.

And GOOD LUCK on this week's challenge!

Tired of Flabby Legs?

Okay, I know, we all worry about the leg wiggles. Nobody likes them. Whether your legs are wiggling on the inner thighs, or right around the hips, it's not pretty, and we want to do something about it! Well, here's your chance!

These exercises can be done with or without the resistance band. Of course, adding resistance puts a little more muscle into the workout and will help to show a quicker improvement. And, as with all leg exercises, remember...WHAT YOU DO TO ONE LEG YOU MUST DO THE SAME TO THE OTHER LEG! If you don't, the end results will scare you!

Inner Thigh Workout

Lay on your back, knees bent, and arms to your sides, palm down. Start with your knees together. Keeping your feet flat on the ground, spread your knees apart 12-18 inches, and return to the start position. When using a resistance band, wrap the band around your thighs, approximately 2-3 inches above the knees, and tie the band ends together. Wrap the band tight enough to give you good resistance, but not so tight that it is virtually impossible to spread your legs.

For starters, time yourself doing this exercise. Do the exercise for 2 minutes, rest for 1 minute, and repeat for another 2 minutes. After a week of this, you'll feel and SEE the difference!

Upper Thigh/Hip Workout

Start by laying on your right side, propping yourself up on your right arm. Bring your left arm around the front of your body, and place your hand, palm down, in front of your chest. Lift your left leg in the air 12-18 inches and return to the starting position. Continue in this same manner for the duration of this exercise. When using the resistance band, wrap the band around your ankles and tie it so the band provides resistance. Wrap the band tight enough that there is good resistance, but loose enough that you are able to raise your leg high enough in the air.

Start by doing this exercise for two minutes on each side.

There you go! A couple more exercises to help you get the defined body that you want!

GOOD LUCK!

5 Lessons From Oprah

So I picked up this great little magazine, that is about the same size as one of those Reader Digest magazines, or one of those smaller magazines with all of the recipes for appetizers, etc. Inside, there was this great article, of which I will paraphrase, on ways that we can better our dieting efforts. So, from Oprah's mouth, to this magazine's pages, to our blog, here are 5 extra little tips on helping you stick to your guns and keep that weight rolling off!

Tip #1 ~ PLAN FOR SUCCESS!

Weight maintenance requires vigilant mental engagement, just like weight loss. Autopilot is not going to work! Start by reserving, in ink, time for exercise (walking, yoga, gym workouts, etc.) for five days a week. Next, make a meal plan. While doing your meal plan, think about ways to eat healthier all of the time. For example, how are you going to come by a healthy lunch at work? Is your fridge and freezer stocked in a way that makes it easy to put healthy meals together in a snap? Do whatever you need to block out eight hours for sleep. Sleep deprivation actually alters your hormones to make you hungrier. The less you sleep, the more you eat. Until you shape your lifestyle to accommodate the habits that will help you keep the pounds off, you run the risk of putting them back on.

Tip #2 ~ ASK YOURSELF: "WHAT AM I REALLY HUNGRY FOR?"

Stress often makes people feel as though they have no control, which prompts them to regulate or "self-medicate" their emotions through eating. Stress hormones also boost fat storage in your belly, making weight loss even harder. To sidestep this spiral, ask yourself: "What am I really hungry for?" If it's honestly not food, opt to chew on whatever you're feeling...over a walk. The endorphins you'll generate may just satisfy your craving as well as your jones for control.

Tip #3 ~ SWEAT CONSISTENTLY

There's no way around it: You simply must exercise in order to lose weight and keep it off. Increasing your activity in order to lose weight, will create a habit for you and help you to continue to be active once you have lost all of the weight that you would like. Here's a key part to understanding the need for exercise...Strength training builds muscle, which takes up less space in your body than fat. The result: Your wardrobe fits better. :) Muscle tissue also requires more calories to sustain it than fat tissue does. For example, if you have more muscle than fat, when you take in calories through eating, more of your calories will go to maintaining your muscle tissue when you are exercising. If you are not exercising, then when you intake calories, the calories are merely sitting in your body, turning into fat, and making those cute outfits feel not so cute. Bottom line? The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you'll burn.

Tip #4 ~ SHARE YOUR GOAL WITH OTHERS

You've made the first step in achieving this goal. You are here. Sharing your weight loss or weight maintenance goals and checking in regularly with supporters has been shown to greatly boost the chances of maintainin a significant weight loss. Break up your large weight loss goals into weekly goals, write your goals down and post them on the fridge, put a picture of you at your heaviest on the fridge to help motivate you and remind you what you are working toward. If you are able to, buddy up on exercising, but DON'T BAIL OUT ON YOUR BUDDY! If you seek a workout buddy, find a workout buddy, then take it seriously. It does you no good to bail on your workouts, and you never know what kind of motivation, or lack thereof, you can be to someone else.

Tip #5 ~ FIND THE JOY

Being joyful reduces the circulation of the stress hormone cortisol, thereby decreasing appetite and promoting weight loss. Are you being fulfilled? Are you meeting your emotional needs? If you are not, your body may seek fulfillment from food. Ask yourself at the beginning of each day, am I looking forward to the hours ahead? If your answer is no, do something about it. Vow to wipe out at least one source of stress in your life and to embrace at least one new source of pleasure.

So there it is folks! Five helpful tips to boost your motivation to keep you on track to losing the weight that you want to lose. So keep at it, and does lose hope now!

GOOD LUCK!!

Weigh In - Week Five

Well? How did you do last week? Were you up? Were you down? Did you stay the same?

Check in here and let us know! We'll be adding more recipes and workouts to help get you Healthy, Fit, and Fabulous faster!

Challenge Check In

Okay, so how did you do for Week Four's Challenge? Were you able to accomplish it? Did you find it a little difficult or way too easy?

Check in here and let us know how you did. Let us know if it was hard or easy, if you were able to accomplish the challenge on every day or just three. We want to know how you did so that we can keep the challenges challenging, but not so challenging that they are discouraging, so your input matters!

And HEY! GOOD LUCK on this week's challenge!

Cool Resistance Band Arm Workout!

Okay, let's face it, we all know about the arm jiggle. Where it came from, we can never pin, but the fact of the matter is that IT'S THERE! I am sure that just like me, you are sick of it! Wish it would just go away! Here are a couple of easy workouts that you can do to help jiggle that arm away!

WITH a Resistance Band...

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Wrap part of the resistance band around your right hand to start, and place the other end under both feet to ensure that the band does not come free during your workout. Put your right arm out, as if you were making a "T" with your arm, slightly bending the arm at the elbow. Make sure that the resistance band is tight so that you have some resistance for the exercise. Place your left hand on your hip, and slowly raise your right arm over your head. Bring your arm back to the starting position, and repeat. Continue this exercise for a number of minutes, or a certain number of reps. A great starting place would be 2 minutes, or 25 reps.

When you are done on the right side, move it over to the left side. Be sure to do the same number of reps or minutes on the left side that you did on the right! We don't want uneven arms! :)

WITHOUT a Resistance Band...

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Bring both of your arms out to make a "T" with your arms bent slightly at the elbow. Raise your arms above your head, clapping when they meet at the top. Return to starting position and repeat.

Obviously, the exercise works with or without a resistance band. Having a resistance band will add "weight" to the exercise, helping to define those fabulous arms just that much quicker. You can find resistance bands for about $10 or less from Target, Wal-Mart, etc. There's no need to spend more than that. No need for extra things, just the resistance band.

Have fun with this one! We'll put up more exercises on the blog that you can use the resistance band for, so it will definitely be worth the small investment!

GOOD LUCK!

Weigh In - Week Four

Well, how did you do? Were you able to stay on top of your exercising and healthy eating? Was it easier this week than it was last week? Were you proud of the numbers that you saw on the scale when you jumped on it yesterday?

I sure hope so!

Check in here and let us know how much weight you lost, if you had a little difficulty, or if there is anything else that we can help you with to help you reach your goals. That is what we're here for afterall!

GOOD LUCK during Week Four!

Challenge Check In

So how did you do with your Week Three Challenge? Were you able to be active in regular daily activities for at least 30 minutes every day? Did you find it easier to get up and move around? Were you motivated a little more this past week to get up and move around?

I hope so!

Let us know how you did this last week with the challenge. Check in here and share your success.

One Pound Equals What?

I'm sure you've been wondering, what does it take to lose one pound a week? Well, I'm here to tell you. First, I want you to go to your fridge, and get one pound of butter or margarine. If you don't have that in your fridge, make a little trip to the store, and find a one pound tub of butter or margarine. What you will find, is that four sticks of butter or margarine is equal to one pound. That's our goal, at minimum, each week....to lose one pound, or four sticks of butter, each week. Think of that pound of butter as a pound of fat, which it is really. Pretty gross, huh? Does it help to motivate you to lose it a little more? I know it did for me. :)

Okay, so now that you're totally grossed out, let's get down to the mathematics of it all. According to Fitness magazine, to lose one pound each week, you need to lose 3500 calories somewhere throughout your week through diet and exercise. What Fitness magazine suggests, is to aim to eat 300 calories less (300 x 7 = 2,100) while burning 300 calories from exercise five times a week (300 x 5 = 1,500).  Since we've already learned how many calories we need to take in to maintain weight, we've already deducted at least 500 calories from that in order to lose weight. So if your daily calorie intake is 5,000 calories to maintain your weight, you should be taking in 4,500 calories in order to try to lose weight. While that alone is enough to lose the 3,500 calories, or one pound a week, we have also learned that the optimum combo to lose weight is watching what you eat, and exercising, too.

Last week, charts were put up to show us how many calories are burned per minute depending on what type of exercise you do, and at what intensity you do it at. So take a variety of exercises that you enjoy doing, whether it be walking, swimming, running, etc., and see how long you need to do each exercise in order to burn at least 300 calories per day. If it helps, split up the time that it takes. For example, if it takes 1 hour of swimming to burn 300 calories, do two 30 minute sessions in a day to burn the 300 calories.

Good luck on your goals this week, and remember, YOU CAN DO THIS!

Weigh In - Week Three

So we're starting our third week, how are you doing? Are you keeping up with your goals? Are you continuing to lose weight? If not, where are you finding you struggle the most?

Check in here with your weightloss for week two as we head in to week three. If you're having some difficulties keeping pace, let us know where we can help, and where you are having problems. We are here to help and are anxious to do so. 

GOOD LUCK for the week ahead of us all!

Challenge Check In

Okay, so our challenge for week two was to try and eat a fruit or veggie with every meal and snack every day. I know, it was a bit of a tough one. But it only had to be a serving, which is merely adding banana slices to your morning oatmeal, putting lettuce on your sandwich at lunch, having fruit slices with cottage cheese or low/no fat yogurt for dessert. That's not too hard now that you think of it, is it?

So how did you do? Check in here and let us know how you did with week two's challenge.

How Many Calories DO YOU BURN?

So you've exercised for the day, you've eaten for the day, now what? How do you know if how you've exercised will properly counteract how you've eaten? Well, since you are keeping track of your caloric intake in the foods that you are eating all day, and you know how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight, you also know how many calories you need to burn a day through your activity to lose weight. Yes, decreasing the amount of calories that you eat will work, too, but remember, we are here to have healthy bodies, and healthy bodies require activity. :)

With so many places on the internet telling us how many calories are in what, and doing so much of this activity will burn this amount of calories, there really needs to be a standard for us. So, I have purchased the Biggest Loser Calorie Counting book, which lists millions of foods prepared different ways, and even those great places that we love to eat out at, too. So if you are stuck for finding out how many calories are in a serving of something that you just ate, email us at HealthyFitandFabulous@cox.net and let us know what the food was and how it was prepared and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Emails are now being checked regularly throughout each and every day to help better serve its members.

So that just leaves the question of how many calories did I burn? Well, here's what our standard will be.....

For Low Intensity Workouts like:

Gardening (raking leaves, pulling weeds, light shoveling, etc.)

Housework (vacuuming, sweeping/mopping, cleaning windows, etc.)

Walking (like while running errands, parking car a little further out in the parking lot, etc.)

Painting

Washing the car

If you weigh ____ lbs. then you burn ____ calories per minute....

100-125...1

126-150...1

151-200...2

201-250...2

251-300...3

301-400...4

Over 400...5

For Medium Intensity Workouts like:

Brisk walking

Bicycling

Sports (tennis, basketball, swimming, etc.)

Dancing (square dancing, salsa, swing, etc.)

Hiking

100-125...3

126-150...5

151-200...7

201-250...8

251-300...9

301-400...10

Over 400...11

For High Intensity Workouts like:

Running

Briskly climbing stairs

High-level aerobics class

Spinning

Jumping rope

Strength/Weight Training

100-125...7

126-150...9

151-200...12

201-250...14

251-300...16

301-400...20

Over 400...22

So if you were to go swimming for an hour, and you weighed 215 pounds, you would burn 480 calories for those 60 minutes of exercise. That's pretty good, right? I can tell you right now that an hour of swimming for me at my weight burns off all of the calories of my lunch and dinner. Pretty amazing, right? So obviously, the more intense your workout, the more calories you are going to burn.

What are you waiting for? Armed with this information, you are set to make the best of your exercise and healthy way of eating!

GOOD LUCK in our third week!

Meet Becky!

Name: Becky

Birthday: March 26, 1973

Location: Chicago Ridge, IL

Why do you want to lose weight?

To live longer for my son, Maverick, and to help "cure" the little health problems that are starting to creep up on me.

How much weight do you want to lose?

To be what the experts say is my ideal weight, I need to lose over 200 pounds. What I want to lose as my big goal is 100 pounds, then work from there.

What is your favorite motivational, get you moving, workout song?

Any upbeat country song or 80's rock song. I love Poison's song Fallen Angel.

What else do you want to tell us about you?

I am 36, married for 10 years, son Maverick who will be 6 in just a couple of weeks, currently stay at home mom that would love to find a job outside the home...after 6 years, it's time!

Weigh In - Week Two

Okay, so let's weigh in here for our second week. How did you do? Did you notice a difference in the way you were eating? Did you feel more energized and alert because of the foods you were eating? How did you do on controlling your portions? Did you see where you were over eating? Were you able to catch yourself and change your over eating habits?

These, and many more things, are things that we are here to work on TOGETHER. Are you having a hard time getting through some of these trials? Let us know! We can all help each other, and that is what we are here for.

So let's weigh in, and GOOD LUCK for Week Two!

Challenge Check In

So how did you do? Our first week's challenge was to participate in daily activity for at least 30 minutes for at least 3 days this week. Were you able to accomplish that goal? Did you only make it for 2 days? Were you only able to make it for 1 day?

Whatever you were able to accomplish, we can now push you further, and expect to see you doing at least that much daily activity each week, gradually increasing your activity until you reach the 6 days a week. Our goal here is to easily progress through making these things a habit. Many diets that are out there will want you to drastically change everything right from the start. Getting in shape and changing your eating habits is something that cannot be changed overnight. Much like quitting smoking, or quitting drinking, it takes a bit of effort, and the will. Slow and steady will win the race. You will get there, and we will help you. Just don't move too quickly. That is often the driving force to quitting, because it overwhelms you and you begin to think that you just cannot do it.

So check in here and let us know how you did with our first week's challenge. Tell us if you were able to accomplish the goal, and if you weren't, let us know how many days you made it.

GOOD LUCK for Week Two's challenge!

Walk It Off!

As we all know, walking is a great way to relieve some tension, AND to lose weight. :)

I know, it's not the most exciting way sometimes, but it's exercise, and that is what is important! But when you've decided to go for that walk, have you prepared yourself? Have you motivated yourself? Are you totally geared up for it? Here are some ways to help you out with preparing yourself for that walk.

1. Know How Far You Are Walking ~

You make a couple of trips around your housing or apartment complex, but do you know how far you are walking? If you don't, how do you know how many calories you are burning? When I was a teenager and got my first job, I had to start buying the things that I wanted. My mother had taught me to look at the things that I wanted in terms of how long I would have to "work" to get it. So if I made $10 an hour, and whatever I wanted was $40, I had to work 4 hours just to earn that one thing. Was it worth 4 hours of my time? Did I want it that badly?

Diet and exercise works the same way. It's fine if you want to indulge one day a week in a small 500 calorie piece of double chocolate cake and some ice cream on the side. But make sure that you burn off 500 calories so that it doesn't effect The Plan. How much walking would it take to burn 500 calories? Well, if you walk a mile in 20 minutes and you weigh 200lbs, then you will burn 105 calories in that walk. So you would have to walk 5 miles, or 1 hour and 40 minutes, just to burn off that piece of cake and ice cream. And that's on top of any exercise that you are already doing. Is that cake worth it? 

You might be surprised to find that one trip around your complex is a 1/2 mile. That's what I found when I jumped in my car and drove my walking path around my condo complex. So two trips around my complex, which is what I regularly walk, is a mile! How amazing is that?! So it's worth it to track your exercise.

2. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch!

It is very important to keep yourself in prime exercise condition. This is not as heavy as it sounds. It just means to keep yourself well stretched before you exercise. Allow yourself a 10 minute stretch to slowly stretch every part of your body before you do your exercise. Allow for about 2-3 minutes worth of a slower walk to warm you up before you hit the pavement hard and start that brisk walk.

In the same respect, allow yourself a 2-3 minute cool down walk before just stopping. It will allow your heart to slow down at a calmer pace, rather than just stopping the exercise. Then, after your cool down, stretch yourself again to keep the muscles from just tightening up. Diet and exercise is not the only way to take care of your body. Protect your muscles by properly stretching before you exercise.

3. Turn It Up!

Do you have an iPod? A walkman? Don't underestimate the power of music! Download some really motivating music to keep you pumped as you're walking. Music that motivates might get you walking a little faster, too, so that's an added benefit. What kind of music moves you? Maybe it's country, maybe it's rock, maybe it's heavy metal. Whatever it is, download it and download it alot! Make a workout track with the music that keeps you pumping. It will help you more than you know. :)

Take these tips and incorporate them into your exercise, regardless of whether it is walking, going to the gym, even swimming (but don't wear an iPod or walkman! DUH!). Taking care of your body is important. We're here to help. :)

Now go take a walk! GOOD LUCK!

First Weigh In!

Okay, so here it is! Our first weigh in! Are you totally excited?! Are you ready to make life changes?! I am!!!

So, for our first weigh in, you need to leave a comment saying your name (first name only!), how much you weighed in at this morning, and how much weight you want to lose.

I'll go first!! 

It's the beginning of something wonderful! I can just feel it!

Welcome!

Hi! Thanks for joining us here on Healthy, Fit, and Fabulous! You've taken the first step to a new you, and we are so glad that you are here! We are people from all walks of life, and from all over the world, banding together to help motivate one another to accomplish our goals of a thinner, newer, healthier you! I will briefly go over the little things, but first thing's first.

In order to get you all of the start up materials that you need, you need to email us at: HealthyFitandFabulous@cox.net with your name and email address so that we can send you the Welcome Packet. Inside the Welcome Packet, you will find much more in depth information than what we are about to share with you. Now, on to the good stuff. :)

Every Sunday, there will be a Weigh In post here at the blog. Everyone participating in The Plan will need to come to the blog every Sunday and post their pounds lost for that week. There is no need to tell everyone how much you weigh every week, a simple, "I lost 3 pounds this week!!" will suffice. :) Each week, after Sunday is over and everyone has posted their weight loss for the week, the numbers will be tallied, and we will keep a Pounds Lost tracker in the top right corner of the blog so that we can always see how much weight we have collectively lost. Obviously we want that number to be as large as possible, so we will all want to do our best to feed the meter! What is the most important is that we are honest in our weigh ins every week. It does us no good to merely wish away the pounds and report false numbers.

Every week, there will be a different challenge posted off to the right hand side. This is a challenge to help keep us on our toes in being more active throughout the week. Each week, they will get progressively more difficult. The challenge could be anything from "Try to add an extra ten minute walk in this week on at least two days" or "Try to eat more 4-Star foods this week." The challenge could be exercise related, food related, or a challenge with a reward attached to it. Whatever it is, it is not mandatory that you participate. Nothing on this site is mandatory at all. It is just a way of keeping people motivated. In your Welcome Packet, there is a Weekly Challenge Log, where you can write down (or fill in using Word) the challenge for the week, and then check off the days that you accomplish that challenge. On Sunday, there will be a Challenge Check In to see how we did in accomplishing the weekly challenge.

Along with the weekly challenge being posted off to the right hand side, there will be a poll for everyone to participate in each week. It will just be a random question for everyone to answer, and the answers are anonymous. It will be a fun way to break up all of the serious talk on here. :)

A key factor to losing weight is knowing where you are starting. The Welcome Packet will walk you through finding out your BMI, how many calories you should intake in order to lose weight, how to weigh and measure yourself, as well as give you charts for you to mark your starting points and check in points along the way. We have done our best to come up with the simplest charts and logs to use, but, again, if you find that you do not like them and you have an easier way of keeping track of your progress, these are not mandatory forms that you need to keep.

Each week, we will try to share a new healthy recipe with everyone, or another day's worth of meals to help keep your meals fresh. If there is every anything that you would like to share with us, whether it be one of your day's worth of food or a new recipe that you tried and loved, you can always e-mail us and we will review it and then share it on the blog. If you are sharing a recipe, try to have the nutritional facts included at the end of the recipe so that we can pass these numbers along as well. However, don't let it stop you from sharing the recipe. We can always do investigative work to find out the numbers. :)

The Welcome Pack has a Personal Bio sheet included. We are asking that everyone fill it out and e-mail it back to us along with a current photo of you. Each week, we will feature a different member participating in The Plan so that we can all get to know each other.

Losing weight can be difficult. Especially when you go at it alone. It is always easier to have a group of people who are trying to achieve the same goal as you are who will stand by your side and help to push you to be a better you. That is what we are trying to do. We are here to keep you motivated to reach your goals. Share with us your success stories, your dreams, your fears. Let us help your to be the Healthy, Fit, and Fabulous person we know you are!

Our First Bio!

Hello! I'll be the first bio this week, just to kick things off! 

Name: Coree

Birthday: June 6, 1978

Location: San Diego, California

Why do you want to lose weight?

I want to lose weight because I am diabetic and I want to be around for a long time. I need to have my blood sugars under control in order for my husband and I to be able to try to have children, as being diabetic carrying a child is a tough challenge since many things can go wrong.

How much weight do you want to lose?

I want to lose at least 75 pounds, but if I get that far and I could stand to lose another 5-10 pounds, then I'll do it!

What is your favorite motivational, get you moving, workout song?

I love Christina Aguilera's Stripped album! It is very upbeat and gives me something to move to. My favorite song off that album is Fighter. That's like my life theme song!

What else do you want to tell us about you?

I've tried a million diets. You name it, I've most likely done it or a version thereof.  Nine years ago, I had a surgery to remove a cyst that had made me gain so much weight, that I was near 300 lbs. It took me forever to get down to 250. Last year, I saw myself climbing up the scale again, and I said, "NO MORE!!" I started dieting, watching what I ate, which being a diabetic I really should have been doing all along, and I started to try to be a little more active in my daily activities. At the year's end, I had lost 45 pounds! This is nothing that I cannot do. It is nothing that we, together, cannot do. Anything is possible. I have my goals, and I am out to set them, and will not be stopped. I'm tired of being overweight, and I'm on a mission!