These are more for me today, than anybody else.  I don't know HOW MANY times I've started a "diet" and just messed around with it and suddenly I'm 3 months into it still "getting ready to get serious."  SO FRUSTRATING all the time wasted on diets.   YOU are worth the best RIGHT NOW.  There is no reason to wait to take care of yourself.  There is no reason to wait until tomorrow to eat the fruit you bought yesterday.  There is no reason to take another day to think about what you're going to do.   Picture it in your mind, believe it in your heart, and do it with your body.  Life will be nothing but better from here.  START RIGHT NOW.

Food IS NOT your problem

We've not blogged in awhile and for those of you who are avid readers of this blog, I apologize and for those of you who aren't...well, you've obviously found better things to do with your time! However, you've missed out on a good time here at "All About The Journey"!

While the blogs have been stalled, the thoughts haven't. We're still battling our weight...well, more so, battling the scale. The weight really isn't as much of an issue, as much as the outward projection of the weight, that of which we see as number on a scale. What I mean to say is, weight isn't an issue until it is. Until you hit rock bottom, until you can't fit into those summer shorts, until you top out at a number you never thought you'd see, until you have to increase one medication to deal with another medication that is dealing with a different body function and so forth and so on, until what has literally been happening on the INSIDE shows its ugly face on the OUTSIDE. THAT'S when weight is an issue. Until that happens, we are all perfectly content with eating whatever we want and exercising when it is convenient, rather than when it is necessary, and living our lives as if each day is a prize at the bottom of the Fruity Pebbles Box and well, why the hell not eat all the Fruity Pebbles while we are at it, too, right?

But in my reflections I've discovered that our weight demons have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD. 


Stop blaming the carbs. Stop blaming the dish of candy. Stop blaming the bowl of ice cream. They are innocent victims in this war, NOT the cause!

Imagine your body as a house. If your house catches on fire, are you going to chase after the arsonist (food), or are you first going to put out the fire? You've got to get to the bottom of what is sending you out of control with your food habits. What emotion, time of the day, ritual, whatever it is --- what is it that gives you the green light to make unhealthy decisions in your life. If you tackle THAT, your issues with food will also be resolved.

Now, it's your turn to reflect......

A word from Jillian....

Weight loss tip - So many people come up to me and tell me they can’t lose weight and yet, I haven’t ever met a person I can’t take weight off. You're not counting calories. Forget all the fad diets for a moment and just focus on the basics. Weight loss will always require burning more calories than you take in. Calories in versus calories out. If you're trying to lose weight I recommend 1200 cals a day for a woman & 1400 cals a day for a man. Only exception is green veggies. Eat as many greens as you want, but make sure they aren’t cooked in a fattening sauce. Don’t get hamstrung by fads like avoiding carbs or grains, going raw, and so on. It’s perfectly healthy to eat carbs, fat, and protein as long as they are not overly processed and loaded with chemicals like trans fats, artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors, hfcs, and so on. Eat real food with calorie control and you can’t go wrong.

It's all in your head.....

Binge Eating

Today in one of my weight loss support groups somebody asked for advice on how to stop binge eating.   This isn't something I've talked about a whole lot on this blog, and I thought it would be worth sharing some of the responses....

The best thing I can tell you for that is to not deprive yourself on a normal day. I still have trouble with binge eating myself - but I know when I'm counting calories and I ALLOW myself to have a treat, whatever that may be, and I count it in to my daily calories, most of the time I end up not bingeing and just eating that one treat. It's honestly a minute by minute process. Celebrate the times that you overcome a binge. And find somebody you can talk to about it to help you be accountable. It feels good to be able to tell somebody "I almost bought a bag of cookies today. I picked them up and put them down 4 different times - but in the end I left without them."




And try as much as you can to take the emotion out of food - because that's what binge eating is. I also know that is easier said than done. And do your best to stay away from situations that might make you binge. Don't have the food in the house. Make it difficult for yourself to have access to any of your binge food. It also might help to find something to replace that binge feeling or need. It could be a workout. Maybe a positive phrase that you can repeat to yourself over and over. Meditation, possibly. Tell yourself that you can have that binge, all you have to do is take a walk for 10 minutes or meditate for 10 minutes beforehand. And say those positive power phrases over and over in your head. "I am in control." "I am the creator of my destiny." "My emotions will not control my body." "I believe I will succeed." And then after your 10 minutes if you still want whatever it is, then have it. But start small. Start with one piece of whatever it is. Eat it on a plate with a fork. IT'S OK. It's truly ok to eat. When we can lose that "all or none" mentality, we can gain a lot of control over our bingeing behavior. YOU CAN DO THIS. Let go of the guilt.

These are a couple of the responses so far.  I will add to this as more come in.  If any of you have ever dealt with this problem, I'd love to see your response in the comments section, as well.  

Peace, Love, Health and Happiness to you!!!!

4 Reasons You Shouldn't Undereat

These days there are so many different weight loss supplements available that sound so tempting.  Promises that you can lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time just by taking the supplement.   What they don't tell you in their advertising is that along with taking their supplement  you also need to severely restrict your calories.  I know one program cuts the calories down to 500 a day - which is MUCH TOO LOW to be healthy.   Of course you're going to lose weight on that diet - that's the end result of starvation is that your body wastes away.    

Here are just a few reasons that we shouldn't severely restrict calories when we're trying to lose weight.  And always remember that the REAL goal of a healthy eating plan is to lose the bad fat and become healthy - not just watch the number on the scale get lower.  :-)

Reason 1: Eating too few calories can cause you to lose muscle. With muscle loss there is also water loss, which makes you think you're doing great when you get on the scale. As you lose muscle, your metabolism creeps downward, making weight loss more difficult week after week.

Reason 2: Eating too few calories can sabotage your exercise program. Not getting enough fuel can make you feel more tired and less likely to exercise as much or as hard. You will be more successful by burning more calories through consistent exercise and strength training three times a week to maintain and build muscle.

Reason 3: Eating too few calories can feel like punishment and create feelings of hunger and deprivation, leading to rebound eating - overeating, that is. This is where the term "yo-yo dieting" comes from.

Reason 4: Eating too few calories can make your body slow down its metabolism by as much as 20% to prevent starvation. This is when and how your body resists weight loss. The goal is to keep your metabolism happy by eating enough - a happy metabolism is your best weight-loss friend!

- "L" Massey, RD, The Biggest Loser Club nutrition expert

It's a piece of metal......

That one number on any given day does NOT define you.  Don't let it get in your head and try to take control. YOU have the power.

Are you ready????

Ohhhhhhhhh, this one hits me right where it hurts!!!  Right smack dab in the middle of the closet.    I am horrible about closet eating, and that's something I've been working on overcoming for the past four years.  I still have my moments where I feel the need to hide and eat, but I have come A LONG way.   But just like this poster says, we can't truly hide from reality.  


Make the decision to change.  It doesn't have to be big changes, just start with little changes.   Next time you sit down to eat, leave two bites on your plate.  That's not a difficult change, but over time, it will make difference. (That doesn't mean you can add two extra bites to what you normally eat now, though! :-)    I've done a lot of reading about mindful eating and it always makes such great sense to me when I'm reading about it.  I don't always put it to practice, but I've definitely become better about paying attention to what I'm eating and really enjoying the food.   Here are a few ideas that you can try if you want to: 


1.   After you have fixed your plate, set the kitchen time for 25 minutes.   Use only that 25 minutes to eat what is on your plate.  It will force you to slow down in your eating.     If you finish before the timer goes off, sit at the table and drink water for the remainder of the time.  If you are still hungry when the timer goes off then go back for half the amount of food you had the first time.    If the timer goes off before you finish eating what's on your plate, throw the rest of your food away because you've already eaten enough to sustain yourself. 


2.  No matter what you're eating, whether it's a meal or a snack, sit down at the table and eat it as though it's a gourmet meal. 


3.  Use a salad plate for your dinner instead of a dinner plate.  We tend to be more satisfied with our meal if we can fill our plates - and filling a salad plate will be far less calories than filling a dinner plate.


4.  If you're craving something and really want it, go ahead and eat it.  But refer back to number 2.  Let's say you really want a donut.   Put the donut on a plate, get a fork and a knife and go sit at the table.  Cut your donut into tiny pieces - I'd say at least 12 pieces.  Eat the donut with the fork, one bite at a time.  Use all of your senses to eat it - smell it, let it linger on your tongue so you feel the texture, roll it around in your mouth so all of your taste buds get to experience it.  


You might feel ridiculous doing some of these things at first, but they really do work.  Eventually you naturally slow down in your eating and your start being satisfied with much less food.   There will even be days when you take 6 bites of that 12 bite donut and decide you're satisfied with just half.   So what do you think - are you ready?

A Passing Thought

For YEARS we've been approached by different people with different diet plans that "we've just GOT to try". 

As early as the third grade I was involved with the local "Taking Off Pounds Sensibly" (TOPS) organization, because at that time, that is what was offered (I was only involved for about 2 months...which for that age is a pretty descent attention span, I think). Then later the Fen/Phen craze hit the Midwest.  Fen/phen contained the combination of two drugs called fenfluramine and phentermine. While one drug suppressed the appetite, the other drug prevented drowsiness. Fen/Phen worked! I took it in 1996 and lost quite a bit of weight. I also experienced chest pains, freaked out, quit taking it and now I take daily medicine to treat what, according to doctors, may or may not have been a pre-existing condition prior to taking the drug. Anyway, long story short, it worked, it hurt many people and even killed desperate people who just tried to make themselves healthier.

Slim Fast promoted shakes and now there are a slug of shakes and supplements that promote a healthier lifestyle. Body by Vi, Herbalife, Advocare, Smoothie King, and more....they all are tasty and serve purposes with studies to back them up. I'm not going to get into the differences between the products, if you find a representative for the items, they can do that for you. That's not my intention with this blog. Just pointing out that they are there.

Some folks have had weight management surgeries. Some folks have had amazing results! Some folks still struggled with the mental issues that put them in the position to have the surgeries while some were able to overcome them. All very valid methods.

There are also some well reputed weight loss/management support plans out there. Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, locally I believe there is a physician's office providing one right now. Again, all very valid methods. Some even offer meals to take the thinking out of the diet game. Which, could be a very valuable tool!

Just walking in Target, Walgreens or Walmart, there is an entire wall dedicated to weight loss products. Business Week states that American's spend $40 billion dollars a year on weight loss products. 

But here's there deal folks ------

A DIET ONLY WORKS 

AS HARD AS YOU DO.

That's it. That's the meat, the potatoes, the side salad, the roll, and the glass of iced tea. The end. It doesn't matter WHAT you do...if you don't DO it, it's not going to work. You can throw as much money at a plan or idea as you want, but if you don't literally put your MOUTH where your MONEY is, it is a waste of your waist. 

Read this again:

A DIET ONLY WORKS 

AS HARD AS YOU DO.

If you don't like the word "diet" (like me)....change it up. 

A PLAN only works as hard as you do. 

A WORKOUT only works as hard as you do. 

A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE only works as hard has you do.

A TREADMILL only works as hard as you do.

A PAIR OF RUNNING SHOES only work as hard as you do.

At some point in your journey, you need to realize...this is on YOU. Don't freak out, if you are reading this then you know you have Andrea and I in your corners and probably countless other people. But, what Andrea and I do in OUR workouts, has absolutely NOTHING to do with what YOU do in YOUR workout. It is up to you. And you CAN do this. You CAN master your body. And, let's face it, if you EARN the body you get, you will appreciate it that much more. (Just like when we were kids and we had to earn our allowance.) Earn it and LOVE it!

Staying on the Journey

Over the few weeks, post-Biggest Loser, we've had struggles. On top of dealing with some sickness, some busy schedules, some "oh my goodness I can finally have a cookie"-itis...you know all the things that come with life, we've also been facing the scale. So far, it hasn't been BAD but we've definitely stalled on our weight-loss and it is clearly time to refocus and recommit. What about YOU? Are YOU ready to lace up your shoes and continue this journey?

 Here's the key:

Fast, slow, it doesn't matter. JUST KEEP MOVING! It is way easier to pick up the pace as you make your way down the road than it is to start all over after you've come to a complete stand still.

I love that quote in the picture above "when faced with obstacles, it's important to keep moving". Maybe your obstacle is physical and you need to take your time...just keep moving. Maybe your obstacle is mental and you feel fat, ugly and unworthy....just keep moving (and you are wrong about that, by the way). Maybe your obstacle is emotional....just keep moving. Exercise is shown to help boost those "feel good" chemicals in your body.

Last weekend we recommitted to a stronger fitness routine by taking part in a 10K charity run/walk in Wichita. We're not new to these races...Andrea has completed 10 half marathon events; I've completed 7. We've both been involved in several small races (2 miles, 5K, 10K) and were even teammates with a friend for the Salty Dog Tri in Hutchinson. Basically, we've paid a lot of money for miles and miles of torture!

Through our marathons and races we've also seen our weight go up and down and up and up, and initially we thought, "That's okay, we're out to prove that even chubby girls can do a 1/2 marathon." But since then, I believe we've changed our mindset to proving to ourselves that we aren't those "chubby" girls. We've evolved, we've pushed, and we've kept moving even when other said we should just stand on the sidelines. (That last one is almost a direct quote from an EMT, but we'll save that story for another day.) That's more than "chubby girls in motion". That's the motivation we need to remember and tune-in when we find ourselves lacking the urge to go to the gym or put on the walking shoes.

If you have ever done a race -- of any distance -- you know how hard it can be. Through our 1/2 marathons we've experienced many trials. We've had miles and miles of hills to climb, we've been passed by strollers and elderly runners, we've dealt with blisters and blackened toenails, and we've lost good friends...well, our friends didn't DIE, we literally just LOST them somewhere on the course. A race of any distance is a test of endurance and emotional sanity.

Below are photos from some our races through the years. I've posted them more for ME as we continue training for our upcoming 1/2 marathon, which will be the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon at the end of April. I can't seem to find photos from the 2008 OKC Marathon...apparently I wasn't clever enough to carry a camera.

 Omaha Nebraska (our 2nd 1/2 marathon together)

2008

(Pretty sure we didn't mean to look like we were wearing a uniform there) - A

 Oklahoma City 1/2 Marathon

2009

 An American Cancer Society fundraiser 5K

Derby, KS

(I THINK this was also 2009. Time flies when you are trying to avoid puking.)

It was SOOOO hot and humid that day!!! - A

Salty Dog Tri 2009

Hutchinson, KS

Who doesn't look like a badass with numbers written on their arm?  I think I will make it a habit to do that everytime I wear a tank from now on.  :-)  - A

Madison 1/2 Marathon, Madison, Wisc.

2010

Remember when the guy on the bike was riding the marathon course advising everybody to stop running because they were ending the race due to the extreme heat advisory and we decided we would finish anyway?   - A

 Susan Komen Race for a Cure 2010

Wichita, KS 

Allll those hot firemen who were there....... - A

 Prairie Fire 1/2 Marathon 2010

Wichita, KS

This photo doesn't even tell the story - but I can say that I have learned of many of my fashion faux paus by looking at race pictures after the fact...... - A

 

Oklahoma City 1/2 Marathon 2010

Oklahoma City 1/2 Marathon 2011

Can you say "drowned rat"?   The only race I've ever truly been willing to skip......but there's always one of us who says we have to do it. - A

4th of July Freedom Run

Wendover, Nevada 2011

Who knew Nevada had mountains?  And why WOULDN'T we expect to have to climb mountains when we decide to do a 4-mile "hike"?  - A

St. Pat's Dave Hammer Memorial Run 2012

(Okay, really, NO ONE looks good in this much green but Leprechauns!)

Come on, admit it, you've done crazier things for free beer, right? - A

 LATEST RUN

Easter Sun Run 10K, Wichita, KS 2012

Sometimes the last minute decisions turn out to be the best.  - A 

Our goal for the upcoming marathon is to have the most fun we've ever had, be fitter than we've ever been, and motivate as many people along the way as we can!

Taking part in charity runs and walks are great ways to benefit your community AND get in a great workout day in and out as you prepare for your event. BUT, you don't have to pin on a bib in order to take that first step towards a healthier lifestyle. Start with a walk down the driveway, then around the block, then to the post office....keep adding more distance and before you know it, you are there -- geographically, emotionally, and physically. You just need to keep moving!