GETTING BACK ON TRACK!

Moving Forward!

 

I have seven months until my 50th birthday so I've set in motion my plan to get

my Healthy Habits & Weight Loss Plan back on track.

 

About a month ago God gave me the idea to add the following components to my plan:  spiritual diet and spiritual exercise. I presented the ideas to the other members of Healthy Habits and each of us have begun incorporating them into our Healthy Habits Plan (HH Plan). Although our approach to weight loss and healthy habits resemble in many ways we are wives and mothers at varying stages of life with different health issues and weight loss goals, therefore our HH Plan and the way inwhich we implement the spiritual diet and exercise components will vary. 

Over the next 12 months I look forward to blogging about how I implement the ideas I receive from God and my Healthy Habit friends.

Here's what I'm working on:
 
*finalizing ideas for what I believe will be a Healthy Habits & Weight Loss Plan most effective for helping me reach my goals which now includes a spiritual diet and spiritual exercise component 
 
*a recipe notebook - a 3 ring binder with printouts from the internet, copies of recipes from magazines (I love Cooking Light), etc that include calorie content along with other nutritional information (this idea is from HH member - Renee)
 
*3x5 file box with nutritional information of most frequently use foods and recipes written on index cards (this idea is from HH member - Patti)
 
*new format for my HH Journal
 
*an effective system for meal planning and preparation (the area of my plan where I struggle the most)
 
*well rounded exercise plan that includes cardio, strength training, balance and flexibility that can be done at home, at a gym or while on vacation

Having fun while on my way to accomplishing my goals!

Trina

 

100 Days of Weight Loss - Check in Day 10 - Patti

This is day 10 of our 100 Days of Weight Loss Challenge. 

Unless the scale is lying I've lost 4 pounds! Yeah!

I've identified 3 problem area that I've been working on and will continue to keep in check.

1. Late night eating. I tend to gravitate to the kitchen for a snack even though I'm not really hungry.
2. Allowing what other people eat influence my eating.
3.  I don't plan ahead for times when I'll be away from home. 

This is what I'm doing to change these behaviors:

1. After dinner I immediately go and brush and floss my teeth. I also have a healthy snack planned for the nights I just can't resist. (Fruit or a green drink works well)
2. This is most difficult for me. I'm practicing saying no (in a nice way) when others are eating or want to eat something that I don't want to eat or I shouldn't eat. I was very proud of myself for not giving in to a sausage biscuit the other morning since I'd already eaten my breakfast.:-)
3. I'm trying to take the time to fix a lunch or snack to take with me when I leave the house. Or I at least make a plan for where I'll be eating when I'm out and about. (Subway is probably the best for me although the other day when it was raining I ended up going to the drive through at Arbys because I didn't want to get wet:-( Gotta plan better!

I'm happy with this 100 Day Challenge. The lessons are short and really do make me think about what I'm doing and why. 

100 Days of Walking

I'm also walking everyday and posting over at Give It 100. Check it out and start your own 100 day project. If you follow me I'll follow you.

What can you accomplish in 100 days? Challenge yourself!

Patti 

Homemade Ginger Salad Dressing

When you eat a salad for lunch almost everyday you have to find new ways to dress it up. I was thumbing through an old issue of Redbook and came across several recipes for dressings and I thought I'd test them out.

This week I made a jar of Ginger dressing. The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of oil to be added at the end but I opted to use pineapple juice instead. I like the way it turned out. It reminds me of the dressing you get at the Japanese steak house. Easy to make and even though I didn't calculate the points or calories I think it should be pretty low.

Store the dressing in a jar in the fridge and use in 2 or 3 days.

Ginger Dressing
(This can be made in a food processor but I used a blender)

5 or 6 grated carrots (you'll need about 1 1/2 cups)
3 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar (use less if you don't like the tart flavor)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
2 teaspoon soy sauce
Pineapple juice, unsweetened (just enough to make dressing the consistency you want) I used about 1/2 cup

I grated the carrots and ginger on a hand grater and then placed them in a blender with the rest of the ingredients (except the juice) and ran it on grind setting for a minute. The mixture may be too thick to run the blender but you can add the juice to help it along. Continue to add juice and blend until smooth and you have the consistency that's pleasing to you.

Patti

Day 1 of the 100 Day Challenge - Money Jar

Motivation and Accountability

Motivation and accountability are two things that are vital to me in reaching my goals. 

Rewards - Pebbles and $$$

To keep me motivated during this 100 day challenge I've set up a reward system. On a calendar I'll keep record of my days and give myself a sticker depending on how well or not so well I did. 

Based on the sticker I give myself each day I'm going to reward myself with $$$$$ cash! If I do well with my eating and exercise each day for 100 days I'll end up with $100 to spend however I want.

But I have to watch out because if I do bad on a day then I lose some of the cash:-(

Side note: Some people may not find it helpful to take reward money away but I've had too many bad days that I've allowed to slip by. I'm serious this time! When I have a bad day I get punished with holding on to weight and failing health. Taking money away is just a visual reminder to me. 

Visual weight loss

Two jars. One with pebbles representing the pounds I need to lose the other jar is empty. As I lose a pound a pebble will be moved to the LOST jar. By day 100 I hope to have all the pebbles moved from the to lose jar to the lost jar. 

I have my calendar, money jars and weight loss jars set up on my side of the vanity in my bathroom. This is where I start and end my day so I can't forget about it. 

Accountability 

To keep me accountable I'll be meeting with Trina and Renee once a week. At these meetings we'll share what we learned from the daily devotional. We've agreed that we will be successful! It's helpful to know that other people are depending on me just as I depend on them. 

Two are better than one. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one what falls when there is not another to life him up. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9,10

I've also begun a 100 day project over at  Give It 100.

You can check out my 100 day project here. I'll be walking 150 miles in 100 days. Start your own project. If you follow me I'll follow you back.

Day one of a 100 day journey!

Patti

100 Day Challenge to Lose Weight

Starting Sunday, January 19, Trina, Renee and I will be participating in a 100 day challenge.

We'll be using this book by Linda Spangle as our guide.




100 Days of Weight Loss
A Daily Motivator
The secret to being successful on any diet plan




An excerpt from the book:

Each day you will complete one mini-lesson related to some aspect of managing your weight. Then with time, you'll learn how to slip these tools into your daily routines. Eventually, just like putting on your shores or brushing your teeth, your new skills will become second nature. And when they do, you'll have found the secret to long-term success!

This concept goes hand in hand with what we've been working on this past year. Developing healthy habits to lose weight and get fit.


You can check out Linda's website Weight Loss Joy for more information on this book and her other resources.

I am excited about starting this new challenge. It's the motivation I need as well as the accountability.

Have you ever used this book? What did you think?

Patti

MY HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PLAN -By Trina

My Healthy Lifestyle Plan

A number of resources were used to create this plan including - “Eat to Live, “The Conscious Cleanse”, Healthy Habits Meetings with friends Patti and Renee and various other books.

The Basics

• Eat whole foods that exist in nature
  
• Eat raw and living foods as much as possible
  
• Eat when hungry
  
• Eat foods you like and be flexible
  
• Keep it simple, and constantly experiment.
  

                                                   from The Conscious Cleanse

UNLIMITED (eat as much as you want):

All raw vegetables (goal: 1 lb. daily)

Cooked green and non-green nutrient-rich vegetables (goal: 1 lb. daily)

(non-green nutrient-rich vegetables are eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower)

Beans, legumes, bean sprouts, or *tofu (minimum 1 cup daily in total of these)

*Fresh fruit (at least 4 daily).

Spices and Herbs (except salt which can be used in limited amounts – see details below)

*Consume Vegetables and Fruits in a 3:1 ratio
*Beans should be eaten daily; tofu should be eaten less frequently or not at all.

 

LIMITED

Cooked starchy vegetables OR whole grains - soaked  

(not more than one serving or 1 cup):

(examples of starchy vegetables include butternut or acorn squash, winter squash, corn, white potatoes, sweet potato, brown rice, cooked carrots, water chestnuts, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips,yams, and pumpkins. Whole grains barley, buckwheat (kasha), millet, oats, quinoa, brown rice, and wild rice;  whole grain breads*, whole grain cereals*)

Raw nuts and seeds - soaked (1 oz. max. a day)

Avocado (2 oz. max. a day)

Dried fruit (2 Tbsp. max. per day)

Raw honey (up to 1 Tbsp. 1-2 times a week)

Ground flaxseed (1 – 2 Tbsp. a day)

Animal protein (up to 5 oz. day)

Oils and organic butter (up to 1 Tbsp. a day)

*Sea salt and Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Nut milk (up to 8 oz. a day)
Condiments: a little mustard and lower calorie, unsweetened ketchup is ok
*Avoid breads and cereals as much as possible
*Work on decreasing sea salt and Bragg's until minimal amounts are used)


OFF-LIMITS:

• dairy products
• fruit juice (except lemon and lime juice and small amounts of other juices to make salad dressings)
• sugar and artificial sweeteners

Healthy Habits:

1. Drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water (64 ounces) a day. This includes 16 oz. Dr. Berg Cranberry Drink. (“The 7 Principles of Fat Burning”)
2. Eat at least 1 lb. raw vegetables daily.
3. Make eat a conscious act/schedule eating times, and eat only when hungry,
4. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables - 14 different – during the course of a week  
   (I typically eat broccoli and/or green beans almost every evening and there are over 100 different kinds of vegetables and fruits so since vegetables and fruits will be a large portion of my diet I am pushing myself to try all that are available to me. I will try and eat vegetables and fruits from each of the following color groups on a weekly basis – red, purple/blue, orange/yellow, green, white/brown.)
   
5. Eat sitting at the table, not in front of the TV or in the car. God has given me enough time in a day to sit down and have at least 3 meals.
6. Have an eating cutoff time - 8:00 pm.
7. Make a commitment to exercise regularly! (At least 30 min. cardio or strength training days a week)
8. No TV unless I'm doing or have done my exercise.
9. Get enough sleep by going to bed by 10:20 pm nightly.
10. Eat breakfast every morning by 9:30 am

Feast Days – Day(s) when I will enjoyed food that may not be included as a part of my normal diet. (max. of 1 day a week except on special occasions then max of 2 days a week).
Guidelines:

1. Continue to drink designated amount of water and 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
   
2. Continue to eat vegetables (goal - 1 lb. of raw vegetables)
   
3. Have at least 2 fresh fruits
   
4. Journal everything I eat.
   

Thanks Patti for opening your home for our Healthy Habits meeting and all your wisdom. I love your Feast Day idea.

Thanks Renee for the laughter and all the interesting stories you bring to our meetings. Thanks for introducing me to "Eat to Live".

A list of other books I've read can be found here

Have fun now while you're on your way

to accomplishing your goals!

Trina 

A New Adventure in the Quest to Get and Stay Healthy

Middle Eastern Dance

More commonly referred to in the non Arab-Western world as

Belly Dancing!!!

Trina and I signed up for an 8 - week class at our local community school. This is a class that teaches the basic moves of the dance. 

No pictures to share right now:-) but I can tell you that I love this class!

I'm learning to move muscles I never even knew I had!

A big part of this dance is learning to isolate different muscles in the back, chest, stomach and butt. It also focuses a great deal on posture. 

We just finished our third class last night and as I sit here this morning I can really feel it in my stomach muscles!

Check out this link to see our teacher and to learn more about this type of dance...

Sahara Silk Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble

Last year at this time if someone had told me I'd be tying on a shimmy shake skirt and doing Zumba and belly dancing I'd have said they were crazy!

Out of the box and out of my comfort zone! 

I love it!