Back in the Saddle Again

Once upon a time I was 18 and I lost 30+ pounds in about six months. I had slowly gained that weight, beginning in my Senior year of high school with too many Fry's-cookie-and-Sprite-runs and then landing me at BYU with the freshman 15? 30? Who knows. I will post a 'fat' picture here - just to show what I think was the heaviest time of my life.

I am writing this today because I've decided it's time to get serious again. Except this time it's not about the # of pounds on the scale - it's because my body is falling apart! Since I quit being pregnant and nursing I've been rebelling nutrition-wise. Orange Fanta, no-bake cookies, breakfast rice, cheese, Coke, cookie dough, and all-in-all JUNK have been my staples for almost 12 months now. And I'm paying for it in energy level, joint problems, muscle problems, and on and on. You get the picture. So I'm writing out for myself what worked so well back then in an attempt to psych myself up. So in case any of you want what I think are great tips, read on.

Alaina's Sensible Approach to Being Healthy:

1. Focus on What You Are Eating, and nothing else for that moment. Sit down and really look at, smell, taste, inhale, and overall enjoy the experience of your food. No TV, No movies, No computer, No conversation or distracting music. Focus on the entire experience of your food. Get the picture? You will eat far less and feel far more satisfied. Notice texture, flavor, etc.

2. That being said, Eat What You Want - carefully. If you are absolutely craving something, have a little bit. Sitting and dwelling on what you can't have only makes it worse. Eat 1/4 piece of cake, or 5 perfect bites of ice cream, or one heavenly piece of cheese. Whatever you want in the smallest portion you can be satisfied with.

3. Plan Ahead. If you know you'll be eating unhealthy that night, eat like a health-nut to prepare. I once ate an apple and a banana for breakfast, and 2 cups of steamed broccoli & cauliflower for lunch, so I could go to Grandma's that night and eat all the roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy I wanted without feeling oober guilty. Get in your fruits & veggies in the healthiest way possible to prepare ahead for eating what you want (restaurant? family party? date?) later that night.

4. Exercise as Long as Possible. My magical combination that year was 20 minutes of cardio (jogging, in my case) followed by as long as plausible of keeping my heart rate up after that. For example, I'd go for a 20-minute jog (and I do mean "jog" - it was like a 12-min/mile pace) followed by Weights Class, which lasted 50 minutes of my heart rate staying moderate while I did reps, situps, etc. My other secret trick was to jog for 20 and then walk the track while I studied notes. No joke, there I was on the indoor track with my spiral notebook, walking at a good pace in the outer lanes while I memorized and studied for tests - sometimes for an hour or more. In my 2008 plan after a good treadmill run I plan to read my novel or watch movies from walking on the treadmill or riding the stationary bike. And finish my workouts with 10 min or so of situps & other muscle work.

5. That being said, Any Exercise is better than No Exercise. If I got to the gym and hated it, I'd put in my ten minutes and vow to try the next day. No sense in making yourself hate it. Avoid all-or-nothing thinking.

6. Pay attention to Portion Sizes. It's amazing how 1/2 cup of cereal can really fill you up - that 1.5 cups you're used to pouring out is actually 3 whole servings sometimes! You can survive on FAR LESS FOOD than you're used to. This is not some anorexic attempt to get you to starve yourself - just realize what portion sizes are and start training your body to thrive on that.

7. FIBER, FIBER, FIBER. Don't even worry about counting calories or fat grams (so long as you're sensible) - if you try to get 20 or 25 grams of fiber a day, you're good to go. This should be #1 on my list, actually - healthy foods usually have fiber, and for some reason when you eat 20 grams of fiber a day your body works SO WELL and helps you digest (and eliminate) so much more food and fat. If I was craving a candy bar, I would choose one with fiber (Mounds). If I was craving dessert, I'd make something with oatmeal (cookie dough, no-bakes) for more fiber. Seriously, little tricks like this help!

8. Drink, Drink, Drink. Drink all you can stand of low-calorie/no-calories drinks like watered-down Gatorade, Crystal Light. This not only helps your body function/digest well, but helps my energy level more than almost anything else. When I am well hydrated I don't get those middle-of-the-day nap attacks.

9. Fruits and Vegetables. I feel like a hypocrite writing this one because I have been so rotten lately, BUT eat 5-6+ servings of fruits and vegetables. Especially non-starchy ones (so potatoes don't count). And the more raw, the better. Since I am not a big fan of these, remember that portion sizes are actually pretty small - so it's easier than you think to fit them all in. AND, they help that fiber count for the day go up!

10. Slim Fast. Most mornings for me would start with a slim fast. Chocolate Royale or Milk Chocolate flavor. I do this as a quick and filling breakfast even when I'm not trying to be especially healthy. Stir up a cup of milk with a scoop of Slim Fast, put it in a plastic cup and it's a great breakfast on the run. Plus, it starts you out with 5 grams of fiber for minimal calories - 25% of the way there!

This about finishes the list. I could go on, but these are the major helpers. If you're really trying to lose weight, what I did at that time was write down everything I ate and roughly count calories, shooting for 1200-1500/day. I'm not worrying about that this time around, just the overall feel of being healthy.

Good luck to any of you who have been motivated to be healthier and might be joining me in this endeavor!