Weightloss Wednesday week 7

*** Sorry girls, I forgot the assignment for this week, I have added it  - thx Beckie! ***

Weightloss Wednesday has arrived!

Wow, can you believe that next week will mark 2 months of weightloss!  So how did you go this week? How much success did you have? Even a small success is a step in the right direction!

Last week we enjoyed the company of some newbies and their first week so we can't wait to hear from you all again! How did you go this week. Before you know it, you'll be celebrating your first month of weightloss - it comes around very quickly.... and it feels GREAT!

OK, so leave your link below and lets catch up.  Leaving a comment on other's blogs can be very encouraging too.

This week assignment:
Go and visit at least 2 other blogs from this site and give some encouragement.

Remember:

weight loss tip #16

BULK UP ON FIBRE RICH FOODS

When you choose "big" foods like fruits, vegetables, salads and soups, which are bulked up by fiber and water, you're eating a lot of food that fills you up, but not a lot of calories.

"Little" foods are foods packed with lots of calories , but are usually small, unsatisfying portions, these would include cheeses, sugar-rich snacks like chocolate and lollies, and dry foods like crackers, chips and biscuits. They are small in size but BIG in calories.

Studies show that hunger tends to be satisfied by a certain volume of food, about 2.2 kilos per day, for the average person. And it doesn't matter how many calories are packed into each kilo, once we're full, we stop eating. So the higher the calories in each gram of food, the more calories you will need to consume before you body says 'thats enough'.

Choose your foods wisely :)

Weight loss tip #15

TIP: CONTROL YOUR PORTION SIZES


With the introduction of "super-size" meals at fast food places, and increasingly huge portions at restaurants, our concept of normal serving sizes is fast becoming a distant memory. I even think that plates and bowls seem to have doubled in size over the last few years. Sticking to these few simple rules will avoid you unconciously eating far more than your body needs.

1.Be mindful of the amounts of food you are eating in one sitting.
2.When you are eating out, divide your food in half and ask for a take home bag.
3.When you are at home, use a smaller sized plate, a bread and butter plate is a great serving size
for people trying to limit their calorie intake.
4. Dont get in the habit of finishing everything on you plate.
5.Eat slowly and pay attention to your hunger levels, and stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.

Weightloss tip 14

TODAY'S TIP

TIP: Don't starve yourself !

WHY?

1. Slows your metabolism - take calories too low and the body will respond by slowing down to conserve energy.

2.  You'll lose in lean muscle mass  which is your calorie burning engine.

3.   It will intensify your obsession with food (Think about it - you're already thinking about food and you'll cave in and then over-eat).

We should be eating no less then 10 times our body weight in calories. Go here to work out your ideal calorie intake.

Weightloss tip 13

TODAY'S TIP

OK, so we are all working hard to trim down but let's face it - it can be hard work some days.  We need to remember that in real life, pretty much everybody needs a treat now and then.

TIP: Choose a low calorie treat and use it as a reward for your hard work.

I have discovered a little treat this week that I didn't know about before. Nestle Diet lite chocolate mousse (available at Woolworths). It has 60 calories, so it isn't too bad as an occasional treat. What little treats have you discovered?  The healthier, the better of course. Mine isn't healthy really, but it doesn't have much sugar (so even I can have it) and its YUM! especially when others around me are having their dessert.

Ok, so leave us a comment and tell us about your little treat.

Weightloss Wednesday - week 6

ITS WEIGHTLOSS WEDNESDAY AGAIN!

Woohoo - here's your chance to show us your stuff - how much have you lost this week?  Come on, impress us (LOL).  If not, how has your week been? Good, bad or, like mine, indifferent?

On your blog today, tell us how your mini challenge went for the week and if you achieved it, and maybe are setting a new one?

Here's a little 'funny' for those of you who need it this week.

You know the deal....leave a link to your post below so we can come and visit and check out how your going.

What Karen did to lose 50 kg's

Hi fellow weight loss friends :) I posted this at the very beginning of our weight loss challenge, but since then I have had alot of people ask me what I did to lose 50kg's, so I thought I would post it again for those who have just recently joined us.

To begin with though, I really feel I need to mention that I am in NO WAY a weight loss professional, The diet I chose to follow isn't entirely what the 'professionals' would recommend, so if you decide to follow what I did, you need to be aware of that., and in some cases, even speak with your doctor prior to starting, which is reccomended with any weight loss programme.

I chose to lose the weight the fastest way possible. I was 50 kg's overweight, and I didn't want my weight to take 2 years to come off, I wanted it FAST. So I set myself a calorie limit of around 900 calories a day ( again, be aware that this is less than the weight loss professionals recommend) I bought a calorie counter book, and went from there. Please note, that because I am eating such limited calories, I also take a multivitamin, and a calcium tablet daily.

I have been on just about every diet known to man, and then some, so I took bits and pieces from each, and kind of formulated my own plan... One really good diet I was on once upon a time was 'ultra lite' It was a very low calorie, low carb diet, and I started my weight loss by following along with their plan to a degree. Then as the months went on, I changed things around to suit me.

I have chosen to avoid most carbs, especially pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, and most cereals other than porridge, and light cruskit biscuits.

A typical day for me would go something like this:

Breakfast: 4 cruskit biscuits ( the light, lower fat ones) topped with low fat packaged turkey breast and about 100 grams of flavoured cottage cheese. ( I like the chive and onion one, and the gherkin one isn't too bad either) I would love to say i don't drink coffee, but, umm, I do have 1 cup in the morning, with saccharine, and skim milk. If I'm still hungry, some days I will have a low fat fruit yoghurt too. ( I buy the nestle diet brand)

or:I will sometimes have porridge for breakfast as a change, about 1 cup, cooked, with skim milk. But do prefer the cottage cheese and cruskits, as its a good source of protein. sometimes I will have 2 eggs for a change also. Just remember not to have the toast with them :) but you can have a small amount of trimmed bacon ( fat cut off LOL)


Lunch: about 100 g of a low fat protein source. Chicken breast, turkey, fish, tuna, prawns, egg.....I try to avoid processed deli meat as much as possible ( other than my turkey slices) I have that with a salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, mushrooms, carrot. (any salad veggies are OK) I dont use salad dressing as most of them are full of fat, but sometimes will have a tiny bit of 97% fat free mayonaise. balsamic vinegar is a good dressing when trying to lose weight, but I dont like it :)

Dinner: again, I would have about 100g serve of protein. steak, fish, etc, with around 100-150 g veggies, or salad. again remembering to avoid the high carb ones such as potato
(pumpkin, peas and corn are also quite high in carbs) I also try to avoid sauces and gravies, as these are high in calories.

Snacks: I try to keep these to a minimum. But if I really want something, or am feeling like my blood glucose is a bit low, I will have a little tub of weight watchers fruit, of a tub of yoghurt. Another favorite is stewed apple, I don't add sugar when cooking it, I use 'sprite' DIET lemonade ( make sure its the diet one) too cook my apple in. It give me the sweetness I sometimes crave, without any of the calories. yum !! and for an extra treat, I will have a little bit of 'nestle' diet yoghurt on the top....

If I am out, I usually take some cruskits and a little tin of tuna with me ( make sure its not in oil) but if Im stuck, and have nothing with me I will have a "Subway" wrap, with one of the 6g of fat or less fillings, with lots of salad. yum !!!

Drink: usually I just drink water. ( I try to have 2.5 ltrs per day) But sometimes, I will have a 'coke zero' as a bit of a treat. Oh, and my coffee in the morning :)

Ok, thats enough info for now... Hopefully I have answered some of your questions. There's nothing magical about this diet, unfortunately, I wish there was. Some days its hard not eating the foods I love. Some days I get so tired of fish and salad :) But, I want to be thin, and healthy, and finally realised, this is the only way I can do that. My heath is more important to me than a chocolate bar, or an icecream :)

I will be back in the next little while to share some of my recipes with you all. Take care my friends,

Karen

Weightloss tip 12

LIST OF SYMPTOMS:

Sorry girls if you have trouble reading that last chart. Here's a list of the symptoms:

• Extreme thirst
• Hunger (insatiable)
• Headache/migraine
• Going to the bathroom frequently
• Blurred vision
• Dry skin
• Feeling sick in the stomach
• Weakness or drowsiness

Weightloss tip 12

TODAY'S TIP.

Do you have bad blood sugar?

Do you suffer some or all of these symptoms?

I myself have HYPOglaecemia. (This is not to be confused with HYPERglaecemia - Type 2 diabetes). Mine was caused from eating too much sugar & white flour as a teen.  Fortunately, with the help of a good nutritionist, diabetes was avoided before it was too late. I have to keep my blood sugar stable by eating regular meals, wholewheat & low sugar products, or suffer the consequences (including weight gain). 

TIP: Lower your sugar intake by swapping something sugary for a lower-sugar alternative.

You don't have to go without, just choose another brand or use honey instead. I cook all my children's birthday cakes & muffins with honey instead of sugar - you just replace the sugar with it. You can also use Stevia - a natural sweetener, available from Health food stores.

What can you swap this week?

Weightloss tip 11

TODAY'S TIP

Sugar - where is it hiding?

Ok, so now we've established  in last week's tips that white flour is hidden in mnay breads and wholemeal crackers.  So is it the same with sugar?

The answer is a resounding YES!

TIP: Cut back on your sugar intake.

Anything that ends in the letters  'in', 'one' 'ol' or 'ose' is just another name for sugar. You are probably familiar with some of the more common ones like Fructose and sucrose, sorbitol.  Just as with bread, the trickery is there.  Many packages will say 'sugar-free' but are they really.  You need to check if you want your diet to be truly healthy.

Watch out for is Palm sugar & corn syrup - also two of the very worst kinds.

Remember:

Sugars and syrups, regardless of how they are named, raise your blood sugar to a rapid spike that is followed by a rapid drop. This is what I call the “roller coaster effect” and it will cause you to gain weight and wear your pancreas out!

If you're interested, you might like to take this sugar detox challenge by Dr. Oz.

Weightloss tip 10

TODAY'S TIP

So yesterday we explored the idea that maybe the snacks you're eating aren't as healthy as you thought because they contains weight-gain promoting white flour.

So how about bread?

We have also learned that wholemeal bread is the way to go and white bread is about as good for you as slowly poisoning yourself.  I'm sorry to tell you that exactly the same applies with breads as crackers.  Not all wholemeal breads are good for you.  Many contain WHITE FLOUR.

TIP: CHECK YOUR BREAD INGREDIENTS.

* * * * *

The best brands are:

Bakers Delight wholemeal (now 100% wholemeal)

Brumby's wholemeal

Moores

Holsoms wholemeal

Mountain bread rice wraps

Bills organic stoneground bread

Not so good: (all contain wheat flour and less than 50% wholemeal)

Abbotts village

Sunblest

Tip Top

Coles

Woolworths

Homebrand

(most generic brands)

(Helgas? - the jury is still out. They used to be wholemeal but I have heard they are changing possibly??? If anyone knows, please leave a comment).

Sure, if you have trouble changing over after being on white for so long, then some of these brands are OK for a while until you get used to 100%, but I highly recommend Bakers Delight or Brumby's - they do bread rolls too and a yummy cape-seed loaf which is a great snack.

And remember, wholemeal bread will keep you feeling full for longer because its more slowly digested.

Stay tuned for Monday's tip...its a sweet one.

Weightloss tip 9

Today's Tip:

So....what am I REALLY eating and it is REALLY healthy?

Have you really looks at what you are eating? Do you know what was in your dinner last night? What I am really asking is....did any part of it come out of a packet? 

If you answered yes, then chances are, you don't really know what you ate? Lets take Vitaweat biscuits...better yet...wholemeal vitaweats.....it says so on the front of the packet.

OK, only 520 kilojoules per 4 crackers...great - a good snack right?  WRONG!

Look at the ingredients (and companies are required by law to list them in order of most down to least).

1st ingredient...wheat flour (WHAT!? - that's white flour!)

2nd ingredient - wholemeal flour

hmmm...... feeling a little ripped off?

My Mum likes to coat her chicken in some Country-style crumbs.  When I read the back of the packet....hmmm..... not healthy at all, in fact I wouldn't eat it nor give it to my family. She THINKS her pantry contents are healthy but when I visit, I have trouble finding something to eat.

TIP: Check the ingredients

Its possible that you are unknowingly eating things you think are 'healthy' that are actually adding weight, and fast.

Some better alternatives:

Arnotts Cruskits - RYE
Sakata Plain rice crackers
Sun rice - rice rounds
Real Foods Corn thins - plain
Eskal gluten-free crackers

There are others too. Each time you go shopping, just take a minute try and discover a new healthy food and drop a not-so-healthy one from your diet.

Weightloss wednesday week 5

Weightloss Wednesday

OK, where's all the slackers? (LOL).

We are down to just 6 lovely ladies reporting in last week.  Who needs help? Remember, we are in this together.

Many of your tips last week were about having goals.  So in your post this week, besides and fabulous weightloss you have to report, we ask you to think of a MINI GOAL for this next week that you can aim to achieve for next week.

 Remember these suggestions:

• Eat at least 2 pieces of fruit per day
• Cut down on sugar - no cookies for morning tea (have a piece of fruit instead)
• Don't eat after 8pm
• Take the stairs instead of the lift
• Discover a new salad recipe & add it to your weekly meal plan
• Cut white bread & try wholemeal
• Take advantage of frozen packet meals such as Healthy Choice
• Discover & use a new soup recipe
• Drink water instead of juice.

You might like one of these or maybe have your own?

OK, so, leave your mini goal below in comments & leave your link to this week's post.

Weightloss tip 8

TODAYS TIP:

OK, so you know now that white 'refined' flour is just like sugar to your pancreas, which produces insulin and eventaully wears it out.....diabetes results.

What's this got to do with me losing weight, you say?

 Here's your next tip:

Insulin promotes the storage of fat, making way for rapid weight gain.

Yep, that's right....if you are eating sugar and/or white flour, you are paving the way for weight gain and will find it much harder to lose weight if you don't make some changes to your shopping list.

So what to do next....

See Thursdays tip.

Weightloss tip 7

TODAYS TIP:

This one is a beauty so make sure you read it all!

This week we are getting a little more serious.....about your health.  We want to remind you WHY you are trying to lose weight.

On Saturday my Mum was issued with an Accucheck blood sugar monitor...yes, it looks like she has been diagnosed with diabetes. On the same day, my father walked into the doctors reception area to find her passed out and surrounded by onlookers and helpers.

What happened....... & how did she get it?

She is, and always has been slim.  She eats more than 1 cup of veges everyday, plus fresh fruit, salads, a 'good' breakfast and rarely indulges. Her digestive system has a very low tolerance of fat so she avoids junk food.  She walks and has always been quite active. In her eyes, she eats very well & makes healthy choices for every meal.

SO...what went wrong?

The answer may shock you................. IGNORANCE.

That's right! She doesn't know how her body works or how to care for it. She lacks any understanding of what sugar does to the body over time. And when I say sugar, this includes anything that the pancreas, (the major organ in the body that controls your blood sugar), sees as sugar.

And what makes it worse....she doesn't WANT to know.

WHY?   Its all too hard.

Well life just became a whole lot harder for her and I'm afraid she has no-one but herself to blame. (Now, I'm not trying to be mean here, I love my Mum, but sometimes the truth hurts).

This week, I hope to give you some tips that will spell out what it is that your body needs to be fit and healthy.  Diabetes is at epidemic levels and it no use saying "I won't get it" because that's what my Mum, and indeed my Dad, other friends and family of mine have said in the past ....then its too late. Now you already know sugar is bad for you, don't you? So lets move on.....

So here is your first tip for this week:

 WHITE FLOUR (which is processed) is exactly the same to your pancreas as sugar. Eat 100% wholemeal.

It is 'refined' - yes, pretty, soft and white - it looks good, but it is BAD.  The more refined food you eat, the more insulin your pancreas must generate to manage it.  IT WILL WEAR YOUR PANCREAS OUT and sooner or later, cause diabetes.

* * * * * *

Tomorrow's tip will reveal even more about sugar...stayed tuned! It may even solve many of your weight problems....

Weightloss tip

TIP OF THE DAY:
A few girls have reported no weight loss this week, so perhaps today's tip may help?

TIP: Keep a food journal every day for a week. Review the results daily and see where you are eating foods that are keeping you from losing weight.

Here is an easy-reference calorie counter - you might like to just make sure that what you are eating really does add up to the right amount for you. 

Remember:

You must eat less kilojoules than you use in energy in order to lose weight.

Weightloss tip 5

TIP OF THE DAY:

We've been talking about goal setting this week and how to achieve them. This means making some changes but doing it at an achievable pace.

TIP: When making changes towards your weightloss goals, don't become overwhelmed by trying to do too many new things at once.  Make a new change every 7 days & give complete focus to that.  This way you will be compiling a new healthier lifestyle that will become 2nd nature over the long-term.

So, here's a few suggestions but remember, just one at a time:

• Eat at least 2 pieces of fruit per day
• Cut down on sugar - no cookies for morning tea (have a piece of fruit instead)
• Don't eat after 8pm
• Take the stairs instead of the lift
• Discover a new salad recipe & add it to your weekly meal plan
• Cut white bread & try wholemeal
• Take advantage of frozen packet meals such as Healthy Choice
• Discover & use a new soup recipe
• Drink water instead of juice.

Can you come up with any others? Leave us your suggestion.

Weightloss Wednesday

ITS A CELEBRATION!

OK, its Weightloss Wednesday again and did you realise that it is one whole month since we started this journey together?

How much have you lost all together over the 4 weeks?

When you look back, you should be proud that you've started the new you....but you don't want to ever return to the old you now, do you? So this week, we have a little assigment for you:

ASSIGNMENT:

PRINT OUT A PHOTO of the 'old you' and stick it on your fridge to remind you of what you don't want to be and how hard you've worked to get this far

OR

you can print out a photo of what you would like to look like so it reminds you of what you are working towards.

Remember this:

 and this....

Can you believe its the same woman!? It could be you too! So....

HOW DID YOU GET OVERWEIGHT?

To help you avoid gaining weight again, you need to analyse how you got that way in the first place....so in your blog post, tell us, how did you get overweight? What factors contributed? I know for me it was having children and a slow change in our eating habits - it got too easy to get take-away and to throw chips in the oven. I also got hungrier whilst breastfeeding a baby so it was quick to grab a glass of full fat milk (even in the middle of the night). There were other factors too which I will share in my post this week.

Leave your link back to your blog post below and tell us 'WHY' you got overweight? (Oh... and how much weight you've lost to date!) 

Let's celebrate!

Oh, we'd also like to hear from some of our followers. We know Julie Winks has lost some weight just from following along. 

Add you comments & link below:

Weightloss tip 4

TIP OF THE DAY:

This tip is a good one to followon from yesterday's about having a long term plan.

TIP: Set small achievable goals that build momentum. While long term goals are important, short term goals give you mini successes throughout your journey to get in shape.

SO...what mini goal can you set yourself?  Maybe join a tennis group & play once a week, or buy yourself a pedometer and set a goal of walking 5000 steps per day, or even to lose 500gms in a week. And don't forget to reward yourself - this is important too with a massage or a new hairstyle maybe - it doesn't have to be food.  If you're not sure what goal to set - ask someone for help or to set it for you (making sure its realistic).

REMEMBER:

A journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.

Have a healthy day!

Weightloss tip 3

TIP OF THE DAY:
Sorry you didn't get your tips over the weekend girls - computer troubles again ..... but here's today's tip sent off bright and early.  It's a good one to start the new week off.

Quote from The Biggest Loser trainer: "If you fail to plan, you pretty much plan to fail....."
TIP: Have a long-term plan.  Don't tell yourself, I must do this today and I must do that this week... Get real!..... Plan your menu, write a shopping list each week so you have healthy snacks on hand in case the hungries hit, and get moving...walk, vacuum (LOL), run to the letter box 10 times & get the letters one at a time - anything but sit in that computer chair. Start a new habit that gets you moving every day.

Have some fun with it!

If you have any tips, leave us a comment here on the blog & remember, this week we are celebrating one month of the new you - make it a good one!

ANNOUNCEMENT

WE HAVE A WINNER!

A big congratulations to:

* * *  LG Belarmino * * *

LG has lost a total of 6.3 kilos in just over 3 weeks - WOW! Read her story here.

LG your Prima "MADELINE' prize pack will be on its way. Enjoy! You've earned it.

Now, don't be dismayed girls, there are 2 more fabulous prizes up for grabs. Don't give up now!

A little inspiration

I was wandering the internet a while back, and stumbled on some really great inspirational quotes that have helped me along my weight loss journey. I wanted to share a couple with you today.

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
Thomas A Eddison

**********

Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip.
Arnold H. Glasgow

**********

"The greatest thing you have is the 24 hours in front
of you.
The past is gone; the future is distant.
Today you CAN succeed.
Set a goal you can achieve in the next 24 hours."

**********

I wake up every day with the realization that this is it, that there's only one shot at this life and I can either enjoy the ride and live it to its fullest and to my highest potential or I can stay the way I am.

**********

I hope these help some of you like they have me along the way.

To encourage you....

TODAYS TIP

Each day, we will post a weightloss tip here to encourage you along the way with your weightloss journey.  Here's our first tip for you.

TIP:

Don't think of you failing yourself if you eat something you shouldn't have. Remember, you've already lost some weight, and if you stick with your long-term goals, you will lose more...so don't beat yourself up over 1 slip-up. Keep that image of the new slim you in your head.

Now, off you go...get up out of that chair and get active!

Weightloss Wednesday - week 3

ITS ALL ABOUT MODIFICATIONS REALLY....

Ok, girls...yes its Weightloss Wednesday.

This is the third week of our challenge, so that means next week will be ONE MONTH - woohoo! One month of the newer, better healthier you. So lets give it a really big effort this next week so we can celebrate that one month milestone together.

I was reading some weightloss tips this week and one of them struck me as quite good because its not so restrictive but rather about modifications.  The tip was....

 "Don't feel you have to miss out on some of your favourite foods just because you're trying to lose weight - just modify them to a healthier - light weight version".

So...this weeks assignment is, what is one of your absolute favourite foods and how can you modify it to make it lower in calories?

I know mine is take-away Pizza (and we did indulge this week) but when I rang up to order it, I ordered the gluten-free base which is made of rice & potato flour and other better ingredients then your average white flour-fatty-drippy pizza base. I also asked for Vegetarian and half the usual cheese. I also ordered a smaller size.

I got to indulge but felt much better about it.

Leave the link to your post below and tell us any weight you've lost plus one of your favourite foods and how you could MODIFY it?

And remember:

* * This week we'll be sending you a daily tip to help you put in a big effort this week. * *