Tasting counts

Are you a nibbler while you cook? Be careful, sampling adds calories too! If you sample the pasta to see if it's done or taste a piece of bread while you are preparing your plate, or licking the bowl and sucking icing off your fingers and wondering while you can't seem to shed any pounds then stop and take self inventory of what you are actually putting in your mouth. Even when the kids are done with their food and you are irritated because they claimed they were starving and yet left half their food untouched and you start in on what they left behind it still counts. Dump it, push it away, walk away! When you are cooking immediately put dishes in the sink or dishwasher so you won't be tempted to peel off the melted cheese left in the pan or keep a damp paper towel handy so no yummy goodness of what you are making makes it's way into you mouth! How do I know this? I have been guilty of it all and until you are 100% conscious of every bite that goes into your mouth you will never reach your desired weight. I can't tel you how many people have said to me "I eat right and I exercise but the scale isn't budging!" Maybe because they didn't think that donut at work counted just because someone offered it on a whim or the three forkfulls of someone elses entree they shoveled in their mouth at the new restaurant last night after they finished their own counted either. Hmmmm

Afraid to Commit?

Hey y'all, okay I know I haven't updated in a while but I'm back! Ready to roll! So I was watching Oprah the other day and I still wonder how a billionaire can be fat. She could pay somebody to slap the cookie out of her hand, to pick her up out of the bed for morning workouts and to make the most delicious low-calorie foods her money can buy. Well unfortunately for us we don't have her money but we do have the same resources available to us as she does. The information is there, that's all you see is the weight loss video adds and the low calorie food adds and this program and that program. Guess what? They all work! Unfortunately there are so many and this is such a multi-million dollar business because people want them to work over night, give up and move to the next fad. Well it simply doesn't work like that. You have to be committed to whatever program you choose and stick to it and I guarantee it will work for you. Give it time and don't give up, commit to make a lifestyle change. It's all I preach. Yeah we all have our weaknesses but remember you control your body. The mind part is the hardest of all. Think about how you feel about your body. Take a long look at yourself and set a goal zeroing in on a portion of your body. If your arms are flabby commit to toning those arms, if your thunder thighs are jiggly commit to taking off some inches. The good thing about doing this while you are trying so hard to focus on one area of your body surprising the rest of your body will follow and low and behold you are shedding inches and pounds in areas you hadn't paid any attention to! Sounds like a win-win to me. Now I love Oprah I'm so not knocking her because she has been so successful in the past and maintaining, which is indeed the hardest part of weight loss she just can't seem to manage. She had Bob Greene on recently with his new book something about looking 20 years younger. I felt a chill go down my spine when Oprah said Bob wrote in the book the one thing that you could not skip, with his plan was the exercise! It is such a must in weight loss and an absolute must when trying to maintain. I say that as I'm typing a whopping 7 pounds more than my original goal weight. Okay some of you say okay you are only 7 pounds more than you were when you met your goal over 4 years ago that's nothing but to me it's a big deal because once you get comfortable and say to yourself it's okay your as good as packing 30 pounds on your ass! Don't get comfortable, don't let yourself slack, stay focused always or those bad habits are waiting to seep back into your life. Commit to the thinner, healthier you!

The Results are in!!!!

Okay so I am sure you all recall the challenge I gave to my co-workers twelve weeks ago...well they followed my advice! Some more than others but they did it. They exercised they ate healthy and the pounds fell off. During this challenge I even got a promotion and was no longer in the same department with them but they continued to do well. The "Food Police" wasn't around as they called me but I still kept a close eye on them. Here are the results:

1st place Melanie 34 pounds or 15.89%
2nd place Johnnie 32 pounds or 14.07%
3rd place Cheryl 22.5 pounds or 12.64%
4th place Rick 29.5 pounds or 12.50%
5th place Lisa 13.5 pounds or 6.77%
6th place LaShawn 3 pounds or 2.08%
7th place James 2 pounds or 1%

They continue to inspire me and I love to pay it forward!

Spring Forward

As I sit here on the eve of turning my clock ahead one hour I'm feeling excited. When I say I love Spring and Summer, I LOVE Spring and summer. It's just something about a warn bright sunshiney day! If you are anything like me you want some variety in your life and when I say that I am referring to food and exercise so put those raised eyebrows back in place. I have got the hang of switching it up and challenging myself as far as exercise now I want to look for some really great recipes. I am not much of a cook. I mean I can and I definitely have my specialities but it seems so time consuming. My time is so valuable I just don't have enough time in my day so I am always looking for quick and easy but it has to healthy too and that's the hardest part! So if any of you have any light and healthy recipes to share please pass them to me!

Working on the mind too

Weight loss is hard. So often we concentrate on the physical aspects of weight loss and not realize how much we have to work on the mental aspect of it. Have you addressed what got you to the weight you are? For me it was a combination of things. For one I think I am a food addict. I love food and was a former greedy girl! Some people turn to food for emotional support in good times or bad or both. Your success in your weight loss journey is directly tied to your mental connection with food. Stop the mindless eating, stop eating just because the food is in front of you and it's free, stop eating because you are happy, stop eating because you are sad. Look at food as nourishment, as fuel. Remember you get out what you put in. If you you eat healthy nutritious foods your body will respond with energy, better sleep, better sexual sensation. Everything! You benefit 10 fold by fueling your body foods that that promote your health and well being. The next time you reach for a second scoop full, another slice or an extra helping just stop and ask yourself if you are hungry, if you really want it, if you really need it, more than likey the answer is no so turn around and walk away.

Summer goals!

With spring only 37 days away I can't wait! In a few weeks the birds will start chirping the days are already starting to get a little longer and well we all start thinking about our health and bodies more. I have already signed up for my first spring 5k for this year. The Bowie 5K on March 26th! I can't wait to get back outside running. It's just not the same on the treadmill even with my tunes. Nonetheless I always make do. So what are my goals this summer? I'm not really sure. Just to stay fit and feel great. I have been doing it for so long now if I were any other way I think I would be a wreck. I think I'm going to pull the bikinis out this weekend and make sure everything is in the same place as it was last year! Set your goals now. If they are the same ones you set last year and did not achieve that is more of a reason to set them again. It's never too late to get healthy and fit!

Paying It Forward?

I am truly inspired by the challenge several of the member of my office are taking on. They have put their money where their mouths are! They are doing a 12 week weight loss challenge that I asked them to try. To be honest I didn't think they would go for it. It's a scary venture and trust me several were on the fence and some still are. But you have to start somewhere. Even if you have failed time and time again. This time could be the "One" time you really get it together so you can't give up or you may never get that one time. Several of them have told me that I inspired them to pursue this and that just touches my heart. The crazy thing is they inspire me, they motivate me to keep it up. You can't let people down that look to you as an example. So far there are 7 1/2 people participating. LOL I say 7 1/2 because one claims he will start on Friday but it's all good! If I am able to see them through this journey and they change their lives to be healthier and fitter then they can pay it forward to someone else. It's a cycle I hope to inspire and keep going. I told them it's not about the money. In the end if they all lose weight then that's the reward right there but several hundreds of dollars can be a hell of a motivator! I will keep you posted on their journey. I have offered them tips, all of which I have shared on this blog before and the wealth of information that is on the internet alone is really all the tools that they need. There are no excuses and there are no secrets burn more calories than you consume and the weight will melt off period! Eat healthy! Eat several times throughout the day. YOU HAVE TO EAT TO LOSE! I preach it all the time. They joked and laughed about how they were gonna eat air sandwiches and that there were gonna bring in donuts to sabatage the others. They even snitched on one that had KFC for lunch. I told them I am not the food police! They know what to do it's all mind over matter, put your mind to it and nothing else matters!