How Much Do You Want It?

This was a post I wrote on the #Nutrisystem Blogs not to long ago.  One I felt could be shared here even if your not on #Nutrisystem.  So many people talk the talk of weight loss, but they can't walk the walk.  Why?  Because it takes change and it takes the answer to my question "How much do you want it?"

The last few weeks I've heard so many people talk about losing weight and trying to get into shape that I tended to clam up and not say anything.  Why?  Because what I heard from most equaled defeat not a life long change, which is what it takes to survive in this weight loss world.

I've been doing this a long, long time and know enough that its a continual mental process of change that I must go through to succeed.

Our bodies change on a regular basis and we must stop and try different combinations of things to keep it burning and for me maintaining.

I must continue to stay motivated and in part of doing that is why I am here on the NS Community reading others successes and continuing in being honest with myself and where I am at today.  Taking a good hard look at my body and if I need to adjust.

Looking back on where I came from is huge for me.  Its like I don't even know that person anymore.  I have been skinny for over 4 ½ years and pretty healthy for a Type 1 diabetic.

Take a good hard look at why your here and what you think its going to take to be successful.  It isn't a short effort, its a life long effort and its best you keep that in mind now as you approach goal. 

Going back to the overweight Sheri and very, very sick one was and is not an option for me.  I do whatever it takes to stay on top of my weight daily and live by the NS plan even though I no longer eat their food.

Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.

How often should you eat?

Skipping meals might sound like an easy way to lose weight. But it rarely works because your body outsmarts your plan. ~ Linda Spangle 100 Days to Weight Loss

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I don't know how many times I tried starving myself to lose weight just to find out it backfired. The way it usually worked was I would skip breakfast and lunch and find myself starving at dinner and I would eat none stop junk for the rest of the night.

Not only did I consume more calories than if I would have eaten my breakfast and lunch it was all useless calories.

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Linda Spangle in this chapter teaches how important it is to eat frequently small meals and I 100% agree with her. I know #Nutrisystem teaches this too and as you know that is the tool I used to lose weight. I try to eat every 3 hours and everything I eat has nutrients, vitamins and great source of fiber nothing like the crap I use to eat. I apologize to my body often how I use to treat it. God gave me a perfect tool to live on this earth for however long that might be and I took advantage of that gift. NOT ANY MORE!

Its been 4 ½ years since I ate that way, and I love my life now. Eating such good food on a daily basis makes me feel good mentally and physically.

“Whenever you go long periods without fuel, your body protects itself by hoarding some of the calories for later use.”

“When you undereat during the day, your body believes it may not get enough food, so it conserves what does come in.”

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If you think your doing yourself justice by starving your body and eating a larger meal at night, your wrong. Linda insists our bodies will store those calories that we then do eat rather than burn them. I am not a scientist, but I do believe in what she is saying.

Eating a little bit every 3 to 4 hours is easy, once you get use to it you develop a pattern. You can do this, give yourself the love that you deserve and take care of your body while you have it.   

Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.

Bye Bye Google Reader - Hello Feedly!

This is not a typical post from me on Motivation for Health and Fitness, its a shout out for those of you who use Google Reader to read my posts.

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When I opened Google Reader last night to read some of my favorite blogs I instantly got a warning stating "Google Reader is being shut down on July 1st, 2013."  They didn't give us any assistance as in where do we go from here either, but I did some searching on the internet this morning and found a App Feedly.

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Feedly will use Google Reader API to transfer all your subscriptions to it and if you add new subscriptions to Google Reader before July 1st, it automatically syncs to Feedly.

Once Google Reader is shut down, Feedly will seamlessly take over and you won't know the difference.

It's important for me as a blogger, I want you sticking around!  Those of you that get my posts through email have no worries!

Go do it now before you forget and if your a blogger and do not want to lose a portion of your readers, I would suggest doing the same thing!



Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.

Fuel or Filler?

“Don't ask your body to run on junk” Linda Spangler 100 Days to Weight-loss

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Have you ever gone on a long trip and forgot to fill up your car with fuel along the way? Have you left your gas cards, cash or credit card at home knowing you'll need one of them to fuel the tank? I doubt it. Why do you think you plan and organize your trip before your trip? Because you want to be prepared, and not run out of gas and be stuck somewhere right?

Well Linda Spangle teaches this same thing here in Day 12 Fuel or Filler chapter, but for our bodies. We should plan ahead for all things including lunches out, flying on an airplane, going to work etc.

I take with me every day to work a Fuel source snack to eat at 10AM. It doesn't matter if I am in a meeting or at my desk, usually by 10AM my body is feeling hungry and its time to put some fuel in it. My snack is based off Nutrisystem stats that I learned during the program. It must contain over 4g of Protein and the calorie range is 80 – 120 calories. They also teach to eat a afternoon snack as well, some days I do not eat it because I am just not hungry.

Here are a few snack goodies I eat, I do not go beyond them usually. What works for me might not work for you.

1. Kashi Trail Mix bar
2. Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt
3. Honey Crisp Apple

Kashi Trail Mix bar has 10 calories higher than Nutrisystem 120, but I am okay with it because it works for me.

By eating fuel foods every day, has allowed me to keep my weight off and its also leveled out my blood sugar! I have heard numerous times from my Endocrinologist that he wished all his diabetic patients were as committed as I was to their health.

I guess they haven't lost the ability of their feet like I have yet, or what it feels like to live with chronic constipation because of the Autonomic Neuropathy, which by eating right I have overcome that obstacle as well (on most days).

Most people wait until disease strikes before getting committed to themselves. I sure wish I wouldn't have waited.

Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.

Self-Talk Make It Positive

"To increase your success with this program, skyrocket your self-talk and create a strong belief you can do this." ~ Linda Spangle 100 Days of Weightloss.

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One thing I have learned over 4 1/2 years on my weight loss journey is the importance of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude).  

Surprisingly after losing my initial 52 pounds I struggled living inside the new me.  I didn't understand all the emotions that I was going through.  I felt I was still fat when the mirror said I was thin as well as others.  I went through these strange emotions that needed worked out, and to work it out is to get rid of the negative self-talk.

Linda Spangle teaches here to "become your own cheerleader."  She is right!  Once you lose your weight and you become the thin person it will be normal to others.  You will no longer get the praise and encouragement that you once got during your weight loss.  DON'T let that get you down!  

You didn't lose your weight for those people, ask yourself why did I lose my weight or why do I want to lose weight?

Write your answers down and put them up on your refrigerator, so when you do get discouraged you can review them. 

This journey makes you have to dig deep inside yourself.  You have to be willing to find the answers that will help you.  Let others who have done it inspire you.  Take notes, ask questions that is another thing about #Nutrisystem I love.  We have an arsenal of SUCCESSFUL losers in the Community no matter what stage you might be in there is someone always there to help.

Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.

Protect Your Program at All Cost

"No one will ever care as much about your diet plan as YOU.  So it's YOUR job to prevent people or events from pulling you off track." ~ Linda Spangle 100 Days of Weight Loss

Her point:

Instead of depending on others to help you be successful with your diet, make a commitment that you will protect your program at all costs!

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All of us have been through a lot this time of year. Whether it be dinner parties, friends and get togethers, work treats being brought into the office. We've been tempted, we've been pressured or just down right scorned from not trying any of the food.

Linda Spangle in Day 6 recommends that the best way to brush off the "food pusher" is to say when someone asks you to eat "not right now, maybe later." I can see how that would work. She also says not to discuss your diet plan with anyone, in situations like get togethers and parties the last thing they want is to feel "guilty" for eating something so if you discuss your diet they might push pack and in the end you might feel beat down and discouraged and go ahead and partake with them.

For me I don't work that way. I am strong and will tell you "bug off its not worth the poison it gives" or "mind your own business". I can get out of situations with no problems now after 4 years of doing it. I run into problems when I go home and then I want to eat in secret.

....nothing is worth going off your program and she's right!

Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.

Disillusioned or Truth?

Over Christmas I went to my brother's house this year. It was a lot of fun! We only got to spend 24 hours there wish we had more time, but he had to work and there was a blizzard coming our way.

I was sitting with my sister-in-law, nephew and niece at the kitchen table talking and we got on the topic of me when I was younger. I think I mentioned how fat I always was even as a kid and my sister-in-law said “Sheri you were never fat when I knew you.” I challenged her, I said “oh yes I was, I had a few times during my childhood where I'd lose weight and gain it back again.”

I am #44 I am taller than the coach! 

Well, low and behold she went out and got all the high school yearbooks! LOL! I threw all of mine out long time ago. Anyways, we started looking in the books for me. It was a lot of fun! What shocked me was she was right, I was not fat! Every High School picture from Freshmen to Senior I was thin and not only that yours truly was on the girls Basketball team.

This is pretty scary for me to think of myself so fat, but in actuality I wasn't. Jill was right, it really started after high school. I do remember going to College and gaining about 20 pounds and then losing that weight working out real hard on the Firm workout. Remember that DVD? Best workout I remember, no way could I do it now though sadly.

If I am really honest with myself and look back it wasn't until I was on my own until my weight ballooned out of control. My Mom provided me with healthy meals every day for 18 years, I was a child that played in soccer, volleyball, basketball, kickball and ran all around the neighborhood. Yeah I had baby fat, but I was not fat.

Many times Mom caught me with sneaking cookies from the cupboard and got after me because she was cooking dinner. I had the “love of eating” back then that is for sure, but she helped control it.

I guess my point here is try not to be disillusioned with what you think you know verses the truth. Perhaps the simple truth is we all need that person in our lives that provide truth and love. For me it was my Mom that provided the healthy meals, portioned sized meals and helped control my snacking. She did it with love, not nagging or screaming. 

What would happen if our spouse would become that person? How would I handle it? Probably not so good, no one likes being told not to do something right? But if they did it in love and kindness perhaps that would be okay? Hmm, don't know, just thought I'd share it!   

Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.

Journaling

"Just because you think about a food doesn't mean you have to eat it." ~Linda Spangle 100 Days to Weight Loss

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That line has stuck with me for so many years! Every time I would reach for a food that was unplanned and I wasn't hungry or it was to eat it just because I felt like it; I repeated that line to myself. Sometimes it would actually work and I wouldn't eat the food "just because it was there", but other times I would shush away that inner voice and eat it because it was there.

This chapter is about writing your thoughts and foods into a journal daily. I have never been a writer kind of gal, but I love to blog. I love sharing my personal experiences with others and I love reading back on my experiences.

So I guess I do write in a notebook so to speak, but not literally. It doesn't magically take away my cravings or make every thing great, but it is nice to reflect on and learn from later.

Do you blog or journal?

Excerpts from The Motivational Girl are protected by copyright and used here by permission of The Motivational Girl, 2013.