New Blog Updated: My Fave "Dieter's Inspiration" Post This Weekend

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My Fave "Dieter's Inspiration" Post This Weekend

New Blog Updated: Motivation Mojo: Looking to those who've done it already...and "Refuse to Regain"!

Read the new entry at the new blog:

Motivation Mojo: Looking to those who've done it already...and "Refuse to Regain"!

 

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Have a slimming Saturday!

TBL's ALI VINCENT--How She's Keeping the Weight Off, Advice To Those Starting Weight Loss Journey

There's an interesting interview with THE BIGGEST LOSER'S female winner Ali Vincent over at That's Fit dot com that's worth visiting to read in its entirety.

Here are two Q/A snippets that I found of special interest.

The first tells us how Ali is keeping off her huge weight loss--and it's not easy, not for lazybones, shows focus and strength of will:

TF: What was your daily calories in/calories out goal on the road to winning Season 5 compared to today? (Ali was initially voted off, but did win a spot to return to the ranch.) In your book you share you still keep a food journal, but do you still strap on a bodybugg?

AV: I've got it on my arm right now. Yeah I do, I love it, love it, love it. People are like, "Do you still have to wear that?" I don't have to wear the bodybugg, but for me, it's the best tool I've found to track the calories I've burned every day. For me it's liberating. As long as I burned it, I can eat it. Now I'll stay on about 2,000 calories and I'll just make sure I burn 2,000 calories. It was hard for me to do before, but now I have an active lifestyle. I never go more than three days. On that third day, if I haven't done a workout, then I go.

When we first went to the ranch, my calories [in] were 1,200, but they didn't use the bodybugg [for the burn] like they do it now. On Biggest Loser we had one day of rest with higher calories, so I added 800 calories on my rest day for a 2,000 calorie day. [After being voted off the show] I stayed on a 1,200 calorie budget and I had to burn 3,750 a day to get me in a 50 percent [weight] loss range at the finale. When I returned to the ranch, Jillian asks me, "What in the hell are you doing?" I told her, "I go to bed when my bodybugg tells me to go." I relied on a mathematical equation. When you win the Biggest Loser, you live and die by the bodybugg. There's other tools out there, the bodybugg was the tool that I was given and that I use.

The second is advice for those starting a journey to lose fat and gain fitness:

TF: What do you tell people who are obese/overweight and don't know where to start?

AV: A, you gotta tell the truth of what you are. I didn't even know I weighed 234 lbs. You have to know where point A is before you can get to point B. Then think about what point B looks like. How much weight do you want to lose? Get clear on what your goal is going to be, then break it down in between. Start journaling everything that you do throughout the day. Go online, get support groups, get a trainer or a friend. If you want to be healthy, find the healthiest person you know and start hanging around them. Start watching them. You have to take action.

It never gets easy. Not the start, not the middle, and obviously not the finish--which is no such thing. It's just the ongoing....

Ali's Book, BELIEVE IT, BE IT releases tomorrow. Previous TBL winner Matt Hoover also published a book. I'd like to see Kai Hibbard write a tell-all, frankly, of the manipulations behind the scenes and how the pressure of TBL seems to lead some pretty close to eating disorders, exercise addiction, and dangerous diet behaviors for the moolah.Wonder if they invited her for the "Where Are They Now" type of show coming up soon?

Prolly not?

Ali, Matt and Suzy, and Eric Chopin (who has regained, btw) will be in it.

Anyway, the special airs November 25.

Mopey Weigh-In, My Birthday Moccamaster, a Maharani's Feast, Meal Calorie Calculations, and the LHJ Model

Today was a tough weigh-in. I had avoided the scales for, what, just over a week, but it was time to face up to the damage done. (Cue classic Neil Young, one of my fave hippie-era songs, only the Princess version would be "The Eating and the Damage Done.")

279.6

That's the highest I've been since October of 2007! A huge step backward, really.

It is just too damn easy to regain, people. Look upon my weigh-in and be very afraid if you are thinking of slacking off even a little. Don't!

Ah, well. At least I felt calmer today. Not worse. And I didn't have crazy cravings. For breakfast I used 9 points, about 450 calories as follows:

~2 lowfat blueberry pancakes from Diet-To-Go (found them stuffed in my freezer from late last year) with one soy sausage.
~I made some sugarless compote from some blueberries hubby bought me Monday, because the berries were super-gritty and not fun to eat. The compote was passable. Start with a not-great berry, get not-great compote. But, hey, it was fruit and a pretty juiciness on the pancakes.
~I also had 1 organic, free-roaming, vegetarian egg, fried in Pam, with 1 slice Horizon organic American cheese. Just the egg and cheese was 4 points, but I wanted the extra protein/calcium.
~The highlight of my breakfast was using--for the first time--my birthday gift from hubby: a hand-made Technivorm Moccamaster coffeemaker with the gourmet coffee I ordered with it. Yum. Best cup of coffee I ever had.

What a wonderful coffeemaker. But not cheap. But hey, I'm turning 49. I need the consolation of superior cuppa joes.


So, breakfast went okay.

For lunch (which I just had, so it's more like dunch or linner), I decided to go vegetarian with spicy Indian food, so I could maybe feel comfortable with lots of flavor without having to eat a bingey 2000 or 2500 calories. I had half a cup of dal and half a cup of matar panir with a cup of rice and a very small piece of nan (about 3 inches by 2 inches) with a tablespoon of onion chutney, and one veggie samosa with a tablespoon of tamarind chutney. I had water and another cup of coffee, too.

I have no idea what the calories are (have to look it up), but my guess is that it's gonna be something like the following in points(respectively) 3 + 5 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 1. That's 19 points. About 950 cals.

Total Points: 28 so far, about 1400 cals.

And I still need to get more fruit and maybe a small salad before bed, so I get my produce in.

Now, on that Model Thing: I was browsing the March 2009 issue of Ladies Home Journal, and I noticed the model in one of the fashion/style spreads was a regular at my Pilates studio. If you want to take a look, go HERE and it's the model in the green dress, smiling. If you click the back arrow at the top left, you go to a previous page with her looking to the right out a window. Though I've only chatted with her a few times in passing, she's very amiable. (If you own the magazine, she's on page 51, 52, 54, and 56).


Updated: Thanks, Lyn. I have no idea why I wrote Neil Diamond. That's weird. :)

On the Needfulness of Starting With Love and THE BIG SKINNY by Carol Lay

I've had a tough few days, breathing-wise, and as a consequence, eating wise. I've been wanting salt, and I have slacked off mywater, so I'm bloated as a result. (Time to guzzle water and coconut water.) Bleh.

But I decided not to get into that negative mindset that goes into attack mode: Why didn't you eat more potassium-rich foods, dummy? Why did you have to have that salty soup, idiot?

No, none of that.

Here's why:

Yes, I weighed myself this morning, and got bummed over the bloat-weight. BUT...

I was listening to the radio while getting ready to go to Pilates (my first class since over three weeks ago, when I stopped going due to my breathing issues.) I am still not completely well. I'm still congested. But instead of feeling like someone was sitting on my chest and strangling me, it feels like they got off my chest and just have their hands around my throat and pressing a bit. It's improvement, though hardly wonderful. But I figured if all I could do was stretch, then that's what we'd do. I felt all stiff from sitting/lying around for 3.5 weeks. So, I needed, NEEDED, to get some exercise/stretching.

So, back to my morning moment: I was listening to the radio show in the bathroom, one on a local Christian station, and a lady who got up to 350 pounds was talking about her personal journey. And she said that the thing that clicked, that got her to begin to shed the weight was realizing and accepting how very much she was loved. That even at 350 pounds, her husband loved her, and God loved her. Being fat or skinny has no effect on true love. It shouldn't.

Hearing that reminded me that even I don't have a right to hate myself. It's counterproductive.

I turned my thoughts toward the loving and positive. I asked God to help me through the day, and I prayed for a few other folks,too. I decided NOT to berate myself, but love myself TODAY. I refused to get on the self-insulting bandwagon.

Pilates went better than I expected. It was very hard--some positions didn't let me breathe, so we couldn't do some stuff. But my wonderful trainer is a pro at finding how to make stuff work, no matter the obstacle. I didn't get as tough as workout as when I'm well, and yet I got to the point of some muscles burning and trembling. And I got props for keeping my abdominals engaged. Tough when oxygen is at a premium and I had to use mouth-inbreathing (which is normally a no-no in Pilates).

Next, I come home and I put on Oprah. The show (just finished) was a follow-up to the Best Life week of shows. And Oprah, talking about her own weight loss journey of today, says, "It begins with love."

So that's two women with weight issues who both say this: START WITH LOVE.

Accept love--from God, from others, FROM YOURSELF. Give love, especially when you are hating yourself for whatever slip or bad choice. Don't ever hate on yourself (much less others). That doesn't help.

And love the body you have now, as Oprah said, because it's the body that God is blessing you in..now..today.

So, with that said, on to a book review:

Yesterday, I got myself a new "weight loss" book as a bit of motivation. I actually do find it motivating. It preempted a possible binge this pm (I was still insufficiently hydrated, and that thirst sensation was about to spur on some bad eating mojo.) But THE BIG SKINNY put a brake on it. (thank you, Carol Lay) It's a charming, amusing, practical, inspiring, friendly, useful book. It's done in comics strip/book style--all illustrated with writing in the panels--and it's just too cool. The author is honest about what worked for her, about the pitfalls, the saboteurs, exercise, whole foods, calorie counting, etc. She has a list of common foods and their calories, easy ways to eyeball measurements, shows the exercises she does, and displays in visual form how she fights off temptation.

I did a review for it for amazon just now.

If you like comic strips or comic books, I would really recommend this. Such fun. And so smartly done.

You know what, I recommend it even if you never have read a comic book in your life. Honestly.

Now, please be kind to yourself today. Be grateful for your body, yes that one. No matter how imperfect. It's the one in and through which you are blessed in so many ways. That's the body that lets you hug loved ones, the one that carried your kids (if you have 'em), the one that lets you swim or dance or make love or see the sky or smell the ocean or sing a song or savor a delicious cup of coffee. Your body is amazing, even if it's fat and mushy. Even if, like mine, it's medically defective. Yes, I can still do so much. And it can become BETTER, every day.

Love yourself, and go do something happy and healthful or that miracle-body of yours.

QUEENLY QUOTES: How to Lose Weight in Simple Terms

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

--Michael Pollan, author of IN DEFENSE OF FOOD.

~

Focus on FIVE: The Power of FIVE--in current and upcoming books for dieters

~~The 5 Factor Diet

~~The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight

~~~The Complete Beck Diet for Life: The Five-Stage Program for Permanent Weight Loss

~~Never Say Diet: Make Five Decisions and Break the Fat Habit for Good

~~The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss






~~

Once Upon A Diet A-Store

I've set up a Once Upon A Diet A-Store, for those who like shopping at amazon.com.

Enjoy browsing and, maybe, buying.

~

12 Week Goal-Setting?

Well, I had my lengthy bit of a reality check in my last post, onto something a bit more concrete:

Diana at Scale Junkie has left Denial, FL. She's headed toward a series of 12-week blocks of time during which she makes plans and, at the end of each 12-week block, takes measurements and is bloggily accountable.

Twelve weeks. About 3 months. A quarter-year.

It's a good block of time for short-term, achievable goals. Short enough to focus. Long enough to establish a good habit, or more than one.

If you don't believe me, check out these books that use the 12-week block for changing one's body and life:




More HERE.

I'm gonna sit down with a note pad and see if I can shape up something of a 12-week plan. If I get to it and complete it, and if I decide I want to go with it, I'll post it and, like Diana, become accountable.

Anyone else like the idea of a 12-week goal-setting, weight-tracking, measurements-taking, accountability blogging challenge? :)

And check in at amazon.com for some great deals on weight loss tomes in the Bargain Books section.

Going Red For Women...and their Hearts

My hubby wore red to work today. Why? Cause he's married to a woman at high risk for heart disease (ie morbidly obese with Metabolic Syndrome). Today is Go Red For Women Day, and my man went red. And looks hot in it, too.

I haven't showered or dressed yet, but I have red lipstick and a red tee ready to go. And red shoes.

I love wearing red--on lips, on toes, in jewelry. RED ROCKS! And I recently bought the most comfortable loafers..and they come in red. Heh. Red cheers me up. (The image is of a tunic I bought last year that I wore for Christmas. And it's great for a Ren Faire.)

Why is awareness-raising necessary? Behold:

Statistics indicate women's risk of breast cancer is trivial compared to their risk of heart disease. Forty-three percent of deaths in American women are due to cardiovascular disease, leaving women six times more likely to die of a heart attack than breast cancer. And a 2003 study by the American Heart Association found only 13 percent of women felt heart disease was their biggest health threat.

If you plan to go shopping today--hurry, time's running out--wear red and you get 15% off at MACY'S. But before you head out, take the Go Red Heart Check-Up.

Here's some heart-healthy reading:



And for the very young woman-to-be in your family (or for the collector, or just for plain fun):



(She also comes in a blond version.)

And if you want to read an interesting book that is contrarian to the common guidelines, get a copy of this dense tome. I found it really intriguing, and if nothing else, it points to the need for a helluva lot more research on what is ultimately the best, heart-healthiest way of eating:

Motivation From The Pages

My eyes have been healing beautifully. I do need reading glasses now, so I've been experimenting with strengths (one of the lenses poked out of each pair). I have upped the font on the computer screen to 20, too. It's one of the compensations one makes for having presbyopia, even after LASIK.

I'm reading to motivate myself not to stray from the healthy eating plan. (I do need to go shopping for produce, as not having enough tempting veggies and fruits means I end up having too much processed stuff like canned foods and breads and cheese.)

Last month, I took advantage of some specials amazon.com had on magazines to subscribe to Women's Health & Fitness. I also have a sub to Fitness. My WW magazine sub expired, and I may or may not renew. The resources online are pretty nice, and I belong to WW online already, so I may skip the mag altogether. Really, in an age trying to go green, most mags need to offer an online version so we can skip the paper waste.

Two books I'm ordering sometime in the next few days from amazon.com are these:



Diet Blog recommended the first and Pasta Queen the second.

The following is greatly reduced, and I recommend it:



Yes, that's bargain price right now at amazon (6.99) and is a limited time sale. So, that's a great book at a really cheap price. Get it!

I figure I might invest in one book a month for motivational purposes. Between blogs, online mag sites (like Fitness and Self's and Shape's, etc), my online WW site, the free forums, and the books and mags I already get, I think I have more than enough to read if motivation lags.

And, inspired by Chubby Chick's determination to love herself more (and we already know what a nice gal she is), here's a little book--also an amazon bargain book now--with very short, even repetitive meditations to keep us motivated in the direction of kindness (to self and others):


Here's one of meditations:

Celebrate early
Celebrate often
There is plenty of sadness
There is plenty of disappointment
Celebrate
Celebrate
Celebrate

And let's celebrate with healthful foods, while we're at it, right?

Happy weekend, my fatfighting allies!

Book the Princess Wants...

Kimkins, Meet Kevin. Kevin, meet Kimkins.

Birds of a dangerous diet feather, those two. (Except Kevin actually isn't lying about being thin.)

I already warned you about the horrors of the Kimkins Diet and the scandalous and unethical goings-on at the Kimkins site. You know to run, not walk , away from this alleged (very alleged, many times alleged, rather convincingly alleged) scammer.

Now, meet Kevin Trudeau. He and Kimkins should date or something. They could honeymoon abroad, where Kevin could get those injections needed to follow his dietary protocol. And, hey, maybe an extradition-unfriendly, drug-dispensing lax nation.

Get the mini-scoop at The Diet Blog:

The weight loss cure (called "the protocol") requires HGH injections, colon cleansing, a complex dietary regime, and a rigid exercise prescription.

Besides the injections, this phase also requires a 500 calorie/day diet for 21 to 45 days, and the consumer cannot use any medicines, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs, most cosmetics, and no creams, lotions, or moisturizers.

Trudeau's infomercial claims "And when you’re done with the protocol, eat whatever you want and you don’t gain the weight back." Trouble is, the protocol is actually lifelong - it never ends.

Trudeau has been a longtime fraud - appearing regularly in FTC news feeds from 1998 onwards. He has been caught fraudulently advertising everything from hair growth products, coral calcium supreme, pain relief products, and weight loss products. Like unwanted body hair, he just keeps on coming back.

The timing is great.

Yesterday, I talked on the phone to a personal trainer. While she sounded nice, personable, all that, she mentioned that she also has a diet plan on which she places her heavier clients. And, yes, she mentioned Kevin Trudeau and his whack plan, and burbled about how very effective it is.

Yeah. Sure. Starving is effective for weight loss.

Anyone who pushes a diet by a marketing money-grubber, well, I don't want that person training me. Nope.

I find that scary.

Glad the dork is getting sued. He'll just find some other quack product to peddle and keep the money rolling in. Suckers abound. (And hey, I'm able to be suckered, so it's not like I'm on a high horse.

We can cut down the episodes by knowing the equation that leads to bad decisions:

(Desperation x a Great Desire) + A Convincing Pitch + Outlandish Promises - Sufficient Research and Forethought = High Probability of Geting Sucked Into Something Bad.

Don't I know it. This is why I say get informed. Research. Don't go just with emotions. Use your mind. If it sounds too good to be true....you know the drill: It's not true or there's a catch.)


Meanwhile, he and Heidi Diaz (aka Kimmer) can make beautiful crazy-diet music together while having romantic suppers with fewer than 200 calories, preferably overseas and without internet connection or access to the media.

~

No-Noshing Knight Tactic: Keeping Hands Busy

So, here's our intreped knight, standing before the castle door, making sure no unwanted calories sneak in, barge in, push in, or otherwise gain entrance into the Princess Dieter's mouth.

Today's tactic: Decluttering my magazine collection while watching tv.

Yes. TV watching is one of the main trouble areas for dieters. So much so, that some weight loss specialists advice cutting back to no more than one to two hours a day and never, ever eating in front of it.

Well, we use trays. Our dining room table is our pantry, sort of. We have a teeny, tiny kitchen, so my fruits and non-refrigerated stuff goes on the table. Right now, it's overflowing with produce from a grocery run. Crackers and sweeteners and condiments and some mail is there, too. We haven't eaten on this table in years. (And I know, I know, I need to declutter THAT soon.)

So, we have a pair of very nice, shiny, wood tray tables and we eat in the living room together, he on his table, me at mine, watching something on the telly.

Today, anytime I was there other than eating, I was ripping through my enormous collection of magazines--some I found were from 1990, and the last time I purged my collection was about then, so it makes sense.

I got file folders in different colors, and I tore out any article that had to do with:

1. healthful recipes
2. weight loss makeovers
3. health and dieting reports
4. art and literature
5. getting organized
6. exercise and fitness

I ended up filling three big paper shopping bags from the grocery store of discarded magazine bits. I ended up filling the folders, most of them, so now I have a handy set of files to go to when I need a recipe, some motivational tips, a look at before and afters, some decluttering advice and systems, and some work-out routines.

Plus, tearing magazines has gotta burn a few more calories than sitting like a lump, huh?

That was my tactic for today. And, given how many magazines I still have left to go through, may keep my hands busy for a few more days or the rest of the week when I'm watching one of our fave shows on the boob tube.

What's your tactic for not snacking/noshing/bingeing in front of the TV?

~