Shan

My name is Shannon, and I love food. The best kinds of food --- breads and burgers and chocolate, among other things.  BUT, growing up with a health conscious mother AND being a type 1 diabetic, I've always done my best to choose healthier options a good portion of the time. As far as exercise, I love to be active -- I have a gym membership and really like aerobic classes, but since having a baby eight months ago I've only been to the gym a handful of times. So really, I stay as active as my job, baby and body will allow. My job is spent behind a computer, chatting on the phone; tasty treats and snacks within arms reach. I could get up early while baby is still asleep and hit the gym but sleep trumps everything at this point, so baby and I take walks a few times a week to get the blood flowin'.  My body, well its not terrible....I've never been overweight and I've never been unhappy with my weight but I have some "problem areas" that I'd like to work on. Having a baby has certainly given me some excess flabbage.

I've never liked my stomach much. I've never had a nice stomach. I've always told myself, "Self, if only your boobs were bigger, your stomach wouldn't look so big." Of course the other option would be to work on getting a smaller stomach so that my boobs appear bigger. But that would involve me working out my stomach, which is no easy task and, let's face it, does anyone really enjoy crunches? I digress....

 I don't really have a lot of free time so it's going to be a challenge to "fit in" the bar method DVD and the extra walking. But I know it will be worth it and I'm excited to see and feel the changes. I've already started the diet, I've eaten more soup this last week than I ever have in my whole life. I've had some cheat moments here and there to bring up low blood sugar. I'm still working out my insulin levels since eating fewer carbs. Overall I hope to feel better, tone up all over, be healthier, have easier control of my sugars, have fun working out and get some encouragement and support from my gals here! :-)

STUCK!

Ok I'm stuck again, my weight won't change. I didn't lose any last week and this week isn't looking good either. I've read in several places you should weigh yourself daily even tho that seems obsessive lol! It does help to know if your doing something wrong before a week goes by. I got stuck about 5 pounds ago too and had to ramp up my activity to get things going again. Remember I'm at the age that my metabolism s like a snail unless I keep stoking the fire! Lol So I set a goal yesterday to do the DVD plus 15K steps Wed, thurs and Friday this week.  Haven't done that for awhile. Yesterday I did DVD and got 14K steps so fell short. Lets see how today goes! Gotta get so I can jump on the treadmill before work!  Have a great day! Keep moving!

About Me (Ruth)

Hello and Welcome! The purpose of this blog is to share information about getting healthier and encourage each other on that journey. I recently made some changes in my lifestyle that have resulted in weight loss and gaining strength and flexibility. My 3 wonderful adult daughters will be joining me and we will be posting our experience. I will be directing them to follow the steps I took that have been producing positive changes for me. You are welcome to join us or simply cheer us on!  Each of them will be sharing about themselves and offering tips as well as we work towards our goals to healthier bodies. I will start by sharing about myself. I am a 54 year old menopausal woman who feels very young at heart. I was always thin but had slowly put on weight over the last 15 years. Was I overweight? No. Was I happy with my body? No. I had become soft and saggy and of course the muffin top! Still working on it too! But I'm headed in the right direction now. I've tried for the last decade to lose 5 pounds. I use the word "tried" very loosely because I never really gave it TOO much effort.  I've often thought, "there's a better body underneath this layer of fat!"  The real eye opener came back in November when I got to care for my first grandchild. Wow what a blessing to be a grandparent! I was so excited to get to hold and feed her. By the end of the night I began to realize how out of shape I was. This little baby was causing my back and neck to hurt, my knees were creaking and I couldn't sit Indian style because my right hip was too tight! I thought to myself, "how the heck will I play with her when she gets a little bigger if I'm having trouble now and shes only 10 pounds!" I was on the treadmill one evening before I got serious about getting healthy and I had eaten a piece of chocolate cake. I had looked up the calorie content before getting on the treadmill. It was 350 calories. So I figured I would stay on the treadmill til I worked it off. Took me an hour! I thought  what if I had walked an hour and NOT eaten the cake!? I did all that work just to break even. When I got my pedometer I began to look at food in steps. That stinkin cake cost me 12,000 steps!!! I also found an exercise that I enjoy and have been doing it 4-5x  a week, its called the bar method. Its now 12 weeks later and I've lost 11 pounds and over 8 inches, I can sit indian style til the cows come home and can carry my now 16 pound grand daughter all I want! I haven't reached all my goals yet but Im feeling healthier and stronger then I ever have. I'm excited to have company as we push each other forward :)

My Goals as of 12/29/2012:

1. Firm up abs, thighs, butt and arms.
2. Gain flexibility in hips, shoulders.
3. Increase overall muscle while decreasing overall fat%
4. Lose 10-15 pounds
5. Shrink or eliminate muffin top when sitting down.

Foods To Eat

BREAKFAST

Plain non-fat yogurt 1 cup

fresh berries

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 english muffin with earth balance or other healthy substitute

Egg whites

Sliced tomatoes or salsa

1/2 english muffin

Egg White on toasted english muffin with sliced tomatoes or lettuce or alittle avocado or jelly or?

Smoothie:

1 cup almond drink

1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt

1/2 frozen sliced banana

1tsp vanilla flavoring or 1tsp cocoa
1tbsp ground flax seed

mix in a blender

LUNCH 

Salmon or chicken salad on thin bread with lots of lettuce

fruit or salad
*mixed wild salmon or lean chicken with minced onions, celery,pickles, apples any combo you like, add a little garlic powder and black pepper, mix in just enough mayo to combine. 

Garden burger (No morningsstar products no GMO foods!)

1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese

sliced tomatoes or salad

Mixed green salad with canned wild salmon or canned white chicken (1/2 can) on top with lowfat dressing

Balance Bar

If you have to buy fast food a couple options are:

jack in box- grilled ckn salad, comes with lowfat balsamic dressing  

OR

 6" veggie or turkey sandwich from subway

DINNER

Sauteed spinach and onions/mushrooms/garlic

Egg whites omelette (no cheese) veggies only

1/2 cup brown rice or 1/2 english muffin

large mixed green salad with salmon or ckn

grilled wild salmon (size of deck of cards)

1/2 baked potato

salad and or veggies

1 cup Kung Pao Chicken (add lots of veggies while cooking, broccoli, zucchini,mushrooms,onions)

1/2 cup brown rice

Free Soup

1 slice whole wheat bread to english muffin or small piece TJS corn bread

SNACKS

1/2 balance bar

1 cup Almond drink and any one of the following:

8 large pretzels

100 calorie snack pkg

1/2 cup rice crackers

1 english muffin with jelly

Tips for success

* Fruits and vegetables are allowed unlimited except for potatoes, corn, peas and bananas. You will want to limit your intake of these due to the carb content. You can eat 1/2 banana 3x weekly after the 2nd week.

*Avocados are a good source of healthy fat and even help us lose belly fat. But they are high in calories so for now limit your intake to 1/4 avocado 2-3 times a week.

*Find  lowfat salad dressing you like and stock up on it! Balsamic vinegar is a good one or try making your own. I really like honey-lime dressing. Its very easy to make and is fat free.

*Stock up on healthy real food and clear your cupboards of food you wont be eating right now.

*Plan ahead and pack your lunch for work the nite before. If you start really early your might pack your breakfast too!

*Remember once you reach your goal you will be adding other foods to your diet in moderation.

*Drink lots of water, sometimes we think we are hungry when were actually thristy!

*NO GMO foods, no morningstar or kashi products, they use GMO

*Watch out for creams in sauces, even in veggie dishes this can ruin your efforts.

*The menu is simple, stick with it pretty strictly at least for 2 weeks and see how you feel. You will be limiting your fat and carbs so you may feel hungry at first. Your body will get used to the change if you stick with it.

Free Soup Recipe

FREE SOUP

Vegetable Broth   32oz                                                           

Chicken broth 32oz

Lrg can diced tomatoes

minced garlic (1-2tbsp)

1-large potato diced with skin on

celery

cabbage

broccoli

carrots

zucchini

yellow squash

1 onion

1 bag organic baby spinach (add last)

tofu non-gmo, diced, medium texture

enough water to cover veggies (about 8 cups)

season with black pepper, basil, alittle cayenne pepper

Add broth and tomatoes to large pot. Turn heat on med high while cutting up and adding veggies (except spinach).  Once all veggies are in the pot add enough water to cover (about 8 cups) and add seasoning and garlic. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Cube half the container of tofu and simmer till all veggies are tender. Turn off burner and add the bag of spinach. Mix well. You can eat unlimited quantities of this soup. Feel free to add any combination of veggies you like including greenbeans and limited amounts of peas or corn. Enjoy!

Getting Started

Ok fellow health seekers, here's a list to get you started on the this journey.

1.  Decide you will succeed. Without determination and mindset you won't see a change.

2.  Obtain a good pedometer. I use the Omron from Walgreens for $30, It got great reviews and not only tracks your steps but also aerobic steps, calories burned and distance. Your going to be wearing it daily so it's worth the investment.

3. Start wearing the pedometer for at least 3 days without altering your normal routine. At least one of these days should be a working day and one a non working day. This will give you an idea of your average steps before changes. The Omron resets at midnight and keeps 7 days worth of info.

4. Start journaling your intake. Write down everything you eat and drink.

5. Obtain your weight. Measure your true waist (this is above your naval), your abdomen (below naval at the widest part), your hips and the largest part of your thigh while bearing weight. Also take some 'before' pictures as these make great motivators! It's best if your wearing clothing that is form fitting to show your shape. Get a profile of hips and abs as well as full body from front and even a rear shot!

6.  Set your goals. How much weight do you want to lose? Do you want to lose a certain number of inches? Fit into a smaller size? Tone up? Be able to walk or run a certain distance? Write down your goals and be specific.

7. Talk with your spouse or housemates about your goals to improve your health. Let them know you won't be eating certain foods for awhile and will have set exercise goals each day. Share how important their support will be to your success! :0)

8. Make a shopping list of all your allowed to eat. Shop and make the free soup. Plan ahead for your working days and make your lunch the nite before.

9. See what your steps are averaging. Set your goals to add at least 500 more steps each day to what your already doing. Then the next week shoot for even more! Exercise using the bar method (or your choice of exercise) at least 3-5x weekly.

10. Follow the diet and weigh yourself the same day each week. Measure yourself about every 3-4 weeks.