Top Ten Weight Loss Tips

Happy New Year everyone- I have a great feeling about 2010 and I hope it's a great year for all of us! I am re-posting my top ten weight loss tips- I feel that a lot of people could benefit from this info:

Top ten things I do each day to keep over 100 pounds off:

I haven't mentioned this in my blog until today- I used to weigh 250 pounds and I am now maintaining a healthy weight range of 142-147 (I'm 5'8"). If I was still obese I am almost certain that my health problems would be have been ten times worse because of it.

1. Eat six times a day- healthy meals with protein, veggies, starchy veggies, some fruit, some oil. I also eat organic as much as possible, and I limit eating out to a couple of times per week.

2. Exercise- I try and walk (sometimes moderately hike) everyday, and I do my best to practice a healing form of Chi Gong two to three times per week. It has done wonders for my body, my mind, and my overall health.

3. Pray- I keep as connected to my Higher Power as possible. If I don't remember that I am not in charge and I try and control things, then my food and my life get completely out of hand.

4. Journaling- I try and write every morning about what is on my mind, especially if something is troubling me. I find that this helps to keep me emotionally grounded and I no longer need to turn to food to cope with my feelings.

5. Drink plenty of water and stay away from soft drinks, coffee, and blended drinks of any kind. I usually drink different flavors of iced tea, and I brew several different kinds at home most days. As a side note: I no longer use artificial sweeteners- I prefer liquid stevia for all of my sweetening needs.

6. Don't eat processed foods- the amount of chemicals and additives in processed foods are nothing that my body needs. They don't give me the nutrition I need (usually they are empty calories), I feel like crap after I eat them, and in my personal experience most of them cause me to crave more food after I eat them. They simply aren't worth the trouble. If I need a quick snack I can have a piece of fruit and some nuts to get me by.

7. Prepare meals/food ahead of time- I try and cook a lot of my food in advance. I will buy five or six days of protein and either bake it in the oven or BBQ it. That way I always have healthy foods available when I come home to eat. Same goes with my veggies- I make several days worth at a time so that I am always prepared for my next meal without having to think about it (sometimes that can get me into trouble!).

8. Limit fruits- personally I have problems with my blood sugar and I find that when I eat a lot of fruit it not only goes straight to my stomach (the pooch), but it causes my blood sugar to drop about an hour after I have eaten. This is a big set up for a binge and I avoid eating fruit by itself as much as possible. If I do have fruit, I combine it with a protein to keep my body stable. I used to only eat fruit twice a week; now I eat it every other day instead.

9. Support group- I regularly attend a support group for people with eating problems. If I wasn't open to a group I would either see a therapist that was familiar with weight issues (I do that also) or I would find a buddy who would exercise with me and we could support each other in our weight loss.

10. Acceptance- I know that this is a hard concept for people, but it has worked wonders for me in all areas of my life. I had to accept that I was overweight and I needed help. While I was loosing the weight, my focus had to be on getting my insides better instead of obsessing about the extra weight I was carrying. Once I accepted myself as I was, and felt gratitude for the fact that I was doing something to improve the situation, the weight began to come off easily. I have also found that self- love is extremely important and telling myself that I love myself in the mirror everyday has become part of my routine.


Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my routine or the support group I attend- I am more than happy to help.

Sharing the Recipe for Two of My Favorite Dishes

As a lot of you know, I don't eat sugar or sugar free items, so I have to get my kicks from somewhere! The following two recipes are for winter squashes that I eat on a daily basis- I look forward to them and what's even better is that they are healthfully prepared and good for you too:

1. Butternut squash: preheat oven 400,spray a non stick pan with cooking spray or coat with oil, cut butternut squash into cubes and place in pan, then sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, cover with foil. I usually cook it for about 20-25 min with the foil on, then I take a spatula and flip the cubes over and let them finish cooking with the foil left off. If it happens to get too dry then add a bit of water and cover again. You can also use this on Acorn and other similar squashes but they are more delicate and cook much faster.

2. Kambocha: preheat to 350, put some water in the bottom of a non stick pan, cut squash into pieces and sprinkle with the same seasonings as the butternut squash. Cover with foil and after about 25 min check it to see how far it has progressed. This squash is a little trickier- if you cook it too much it dries out or even becomes like shoe leather. I have also found that when you buy the squash its best to get one that looks older and is not a vibrant green- when they are a vibrant green they aren't quite ripe and the don't turn out very well.


Let me know how it goes!!

Toxins In Your Skin Care

I just want to put it out there for those of you who may not be aware: there are many, many toxins in most of our beauty products, cleaning aids, laundry detergents, deodorants, and last but not least, processed foods. One area in particular that I would like to lean more about is skin care- from what I have taken in so far, most of these items contain parabens which are small amounts of toxic chemicals found in almost every beauty product on the market today. They have been shown to effect changes in estrogen levels, linked to breast cancer, and harmful to those with chemical sensitivities. This doesn't really sound like something that I want to be putting on my body and face everyday- what about you?
I have tried several natural alternatives,and so far I have been rather disappointed. Do I have to sacrifice my health in order to look good? I do intend to look into this further because I feel that it's quite important for my health and my return to wellness. I have stopped using deodorant (don't need it actually), I clean my house and wash my clothes in natural detergents, and I eat organically as much as possible. I really feel that the next step on my path to total wellness is to get rid of the chemicals that I use in the name of beauty each day- there must be some great alternatives out there- if you know of any good brands please let me know!