Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Who wants to trade links?

If you have a blog that is related to weight loss issues or health in general and are up for trading links then just leave me a comment here and I will add you under my favorite blog friends list!

Friday, March 23, 2007

Have a sweet tooth?

There are a few small things you can do to fight off the sweet tooth cravings without having to worry about packing on the extra calories. Here are a few tricks that I, myself try:

*Sugar Free Pudding with Fat Free whipped topping. There are all kinds of different flavors. If you want to change things around a little, find some sugar free angel food cake, break it up and stir it in with the pudding. Yummy!

*Sugar Free Jello with F.F. whipped topping. You can also add in some fruit to the jello to make it even healthier!

*Any kind of fruit with F.F. whipped topping.

*100 calorie Hershey Candy Bars or mini's (the mini's are usually less than 100 calories)

*100 calorie cookie packs (they have different varities)

*Frozen Yogurt, instead of ice cream

*Cake! Yes, I just found an awesome new way to make cake! First, pick a good cake flavor and add 12 ozs of diet pop (flavor of your choice, I chose orange) and put it with the cake mix and mix together and bake! Then top with F.F. whipped topping! Very yummy and a lot healthier than regular cake!

There are many ways to get around your sweet cravings, you just have to be creative with it and watch your portions!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Update for the week of March 5

Ok, so I haven't been so great about updating my own weight loss progress. I just need more hours in the day! If I had the time, I would write in all of my blogs every single day!

Well, last week wasn't so great as I didn't lose anything, but I also didn't gain anything. I was a bit disappointed but I've come to realize not to depend on the scales for everything! There are other ways to see your progress such as your clothes getting bigger and people complimenting you on your weight loss!

This past weekend I decided to go to Walmart and just try on some jeans because I really wasn't sure what size I would fit into now since I have lost weight. I took 2 pant sizes to the fitting room. One was a size smaller than my normal size and the other one was two sizes smaller. I thought the ones that were 2 sizes smaller were just a waist of time (ok, pun intended, lol), but I tried them on first and they FIT! I was so excited!

I also have a tank top that I bought last summer but when I brought it home I decided I wouldn't wear it out in public because it was too tight and showed all of my disgusting fat rolls. Well, now this tank top fits nicely and actually makes me look like I have a shape (a shape besides just ROUND)! So, I'm hoping by the time the warmer weather gets here I will be comfortable enough to wear it out.

These small things just keep motivating me to keep pushing. Even though the scales doesn't always show a loss, that doesn't mean that you aren't losing inches and that is what counts!

Thursday, March 8, 2007

A few easy meal ideas

Eating healthy can be a little confusing at first if you have been used to eating greasy and fried foods for most of your life. I'm going to give you a few ideas that I personally use. Most of them are easy to make and are low in calories and fat! Remember to measure out your portions so that you know exactly how much you are getting. Once you measure your food out a few times you will begin to be able to eye ball it without having to measure it exactly forever!

Most people think that salads are boring and you are right, they can get boring if you eat them every day or if you don't add a little bit of variation to them here and there! I love to make a nice big salad with lots of cut up veggies and cheese and then add some grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts with fat free ranch dressing on top! It ends up being very filling and you get your meat and veggies in there, too!

I also love taco salad, done in a simple way. It's basically lettuce, sliced veggies of your choosing, salsa (which is very healthy), a few crunched up baked tortilla shells, a little bit of taco meat, shredded cheese and you can even top it all off with some fat free sour cream! Just like the above salad, it ends up being very filling and you are getting your healthy veggies in there! As long as you don't go overboard on the taco meat and cheese it will be low in calories, also!

Eating healthier doesn't mean that you have to cut out all of the good tasting foods completely. You can still have spaghetti. You can still have macaroni and cheese, you can still even have french fries (bake them in the oven, don't deepfry). The main thing to be careful of is your portions. Make sure you measure them out so you know exactly how many calories you are consuming and make sure to fill your plate with vegetables and fruits to keep you full!

Next, I will be talking about a few good dessert choices that I love!

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Easy, yummy snack ideas!

Once you are mentally ready for your new lifestyle change, then you need to sit down and write out a plan.

Plan out your meals for every day. Make sure that you are making healthy choices. Lots of fruits and vegetables, high protein, low fat and low carb is the route I'm taking. Do your research online for great recipes to help you with some ideas.

It's said that eating 3 meals a day and 2 in between light "snacks" is the best way to keep your metablism going. It can be sometimes hard to come up with healthy low fat snacks but here are a few ideas that I use:

Granola bars/Yogurt bars (great for fiber)
low fat Yogurt
Crisp veggies dipped in fat free ranch dressing
100 calorie popcorn packs (you can get the flavor seasonings to sprinkle on it for taste. Popcorn is healthy and keeps you feeling full!)
Fruit
Small serving size bags of baked chips (they now have baked Doritos, Cheetos and many others!)
A "mini" candy bar (like the ones given out for trick or treat..low in calories and a great way to get through the chocolate cravings without going overboard)
Nachos - using baked tortilla chips, a little bit of cheese and veggies

I have always loved pizza and it is definitely one of my biggest weaknesses. To get me through I have found a couple of things that help. One I call a pizza "burrito". Basically, it's a multi-grain tortilla shell with light pizza sauce, light cheese and a few veggie toppings (like onions, green peppers, tomatos) microwaved for a few minutes to melt and you have a great yummy snack!

I also like to make pita pizzas which is almost the same thing, but using wheat pita bread with sauce, cheese and toppings put in the oven for a few minutes and can also be filling but healthier than regular pizza.

Remember, losing weight doesn't mean you have to live on salads and celery for the rest of your life! The way I look at it is that thin people eat fast food, they eat pizza and they eat chocolate! They just don't binge on it every day like a lot of people do! The key is to watch your portions and don't over do it.

My next post will give you some dinner and dessert ideas!