My Christmas Plan

I have pretty well reached and exceeded my origional goal of weight loss, and am now maintaining what I have lost. For christmas, we are doing something different. Insead of a ham, we though we would do something like a party tray. Less cooking for me, more time burning calories opening presents (haha, just kidding!)

I bought some low fat bread and roast beef along with some swiss cheese and lettuce and am going to be making sandwiches, in which I will then cut into little triangles and stick a party favor knife pick in the center of each one to make it look cute :)

I will be limiting my portions, and drinking lots of water (as usual). Also I notice I look so much better when I am well hydrated.

I will not be denying myself any special holiday drinks, although I will not give in to refills! :)

I won't deny myself anything this holiday, the important thing is just to remember portion control.

So, what's your holiday plan?

We have to change this!

Habits are the hardest thing, believe me, I know! Well I have had this one particular habit since I was a teenager of comparing myself to movie stars as lots of us do. For inspiration, or just to hate someone, either way in the end we loose because we are constantly comparing to someone else. Something that is either airbrushed or altered (look at the tabloids compared to the fresh faced covers of magazines and you should get my point). Anyone can look good when there are personnel there to create it.

You can even get in trouble comparing to YOURSELF! That's right, the "old you". I do it all the time, and I have gotten so many eye rolls from my husband I fear his eyes may fall out!

:) It is a constant battle, but we must be willing to fight! Don't give up, don't give in! You are just as good as everyone else!I am happy at my new weight (in case you didn't know I'm at (122), but I have recently taken steps to change my own way of thinking.

First, I stopped going to gossip sites. I don't read the latest on Britney Spears anymore. I feel she is a terrible influence on me and I want all bad ifluences out of my life.

My hotmail account used to open up to the latest news and gossip about the "hottest stars", well there is an option to change it where it automatically opens to your inbox when you log in, so I did this as well.

It has been a week since I started going cold turkey on all rediculous media and who's fat, and whos not gossip and I can tell you that it's working great for me! Up until I decided to write this post, I hadn't even thought about my weight, or anyone elses image for that matter.

Bottom line, I have discovered way more important things that need my attention, and everything else is a hinderance and waste of time.

Slowly but Surely...

I find myself holding steady at 122 pounds. I am still eating healthy, and try never to skip out on my raisin bran, eating it sometimes twice a day. Why do I eat so much raisin bran? my question to you would be, "Why stop something when it's working so well?" Granted, I am not losing 5 pounds a week anymore, but if I did, I would wither away to bones, and that is NOT my goal.

Really, I have already reached and surpassed my goal, and I couldn't be more happy with 122 pounds reading on the scale.

When I started my diet, I was at my highest weight (without being pregnant) at 141 pounds. So if I did the math correctly, I have so far lost 19 pounds. Woohooo!

So, make sure you read my past blog posts where I have listed everything I did to lose this stubborn weight, and good luck to you!

Oh, and by the way, another goal of mine has been reached... I weigh less than my 17 year old sister. :)

Six Pack Abs - 3 Mistakes That Will Keep You Flabby

Author: Tom Gifford

Article:
If you are training for six pack abs then there are a few things
you need to be aware of that will be absolutely vital to your
success.

First, you should understand the differences between developing
six pack abs and losing body fat. Getting six pack abs is a all
about having extremely low levels of body fat. For men, the
optimal body fat percentage is around 8% and for women it is
around 15%. Training and eating to get body fat levels this low
is much different than someone who just starts a diet and wants
to lose 20-30lbs.

If you are just trying to lose a lot of weight, then making
small changes to your diet will help you make a lot of progress
very fast. For example, if you were to only drink water,
unsweetened iced tea, and green tea, then you will not be
consuming any calories from beverages. For someone who just
wants to lose weight, a small modification such as this can make
a big difference.

For someone who wants to get six pack abs, the process is much
more detailed. These are two common mistakes that people make
when trying to developing six pack abs.

Six Pack Abs Mistake #1: They try to do too many crunches and ab
exercises.

While crunches and other ab exercises will help to build a
stronger core, they will not help you get down to a low level of
body fat. Trying to use endless reps of ab exercises simply does
not build enough muscle or work your body hard enough to burn
significant calories.

The myth of "spot" reduction is where a lot of people get caught
up. The concept of spot reduction basically states that if you
want to lose fat in a certain part of the body you should work
the muscle underneath it. Our bodies do not store fat in one
specific place, therefore you cannot lose fat in one specific
place either.

You simply will never see a person with a ripped six pack and
flabby love handles. If spot reduction actually worked this is
what would happen. In the real world however, you need to
concentrate on losing fat all over your body in order to develop
a toned and sexy six pack.

Six Pack Abs Mistake #2: Trying to use infomercial ab gimmicks

When you see an advertisement for an "miracle" piece of ab
equipment, the people who are using them usually have great
bodies, low body fat, and a great six pack. However I can
guarantee you one thing, and that is they did not get that way
to using one single piece of abdominal exercise equipment.

Like we just talked about with why lots of crunches do not help
you get six pack abs, the same holds true for any ab crunch
machine or anything else you see on an advertisement.

This all goes back to the false concept that working the abs
with lots of exercises will directly lead to a six pack. All the
people with the best abs got them by training their whole body
and making very smart food choices. Not by using some ab crunch
gimmick for "two easy payments of $29.95." Six Pack Abs Mistake
#3: Eating too many calories.

Sounds overly simplistic doesn't it?

This is one of the most important core concepts that is crucial
to understanding how to lose body fat and develop six pack abs.
So many people try to eat healthy and still have trouble losing
weight. Sometimes they think they have something physiologically
wrong with them and their bodies simply cannot lose weight.

Before you fall into this trap and start seeking "miracle" quick
fixes, you need to know that not being able to lose body fat is
simply a matter of taking in too many calories. If you try
keeping a food journal for a week and counting the calories you
consume you will be amazed at the insight it will give you.

Even if you eat 400 extra calories a day from little snacks here
and there (which is not difficult at all), you will be taking in
an extra 2,800 calories per week. For some people, taking in an
extra 500-1000 calories per day can easily come from foods that
are extremely calorie dense but do not help you feel full. Such
foods include bagels, donuts, muffins, potato chips, soda, any
kind of fast food, and more.

So before you think that getting six pack abs or simply losing
body fat is impossible for you, try taking a few days to really
track what you are eating. You will be surprised that losing
weight can really be as simple as cutting out small calories
dense foods from your diet.

A wise man once said that having sexy six pack abs feels better
than the best tasting food in the world. Remember this concept
and start taking action today. Good luck!

About the author:
Interested in learning more? If so, there is good news for you.
My name it Tom Gifford, Certified Personal Trainer, and I would
like to extend to you a personal invitation to stop by my
website at http://www.TheGreatCardioMyth.com and check out the
first two chapters of my brand new book! You will get lots of
great tips you can start implementing today. Looking forward to
seeing you there!

The absolute easiest way to tone your tummy!

I just completed a 2 week program, and didn't even realize it. See, for the past 2 weeks I have been sick with a cold, coughing a terrible cough, having coughing fits, all that wonderful stuff. But I couldn't be happier. Why? Because with all that coughing, I lost another 1 pound and toned my tummy! All without realizing that would be the outcome, and all without effort on my part.

My stomach muscles hurt because of all the coughing, but I would go through it all again to look more toned! And hey, I lost a pound. I am now at 122 and am now inspired as of TODAY to start working out again and cutting back my caleries. I had allowed myself a break, but now its time! Let's get these love handles evened out, shall we? I am up for the challenge!

LOPSIDED!

Have you ever heard of this happening? I lost a lot of weight (for my build), and a few months later, I look in the mirror, and notice, that I am lopsided! This is so weird! Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

True, I lost weight, but even at my new weight of 123 I had my leftover lovehandles, however much smaller than they were before. A couple of days ago I got to looking in the mirror and noticed that one side looked smaller than the other.

This is what I notice: On one side, you can see my hip bone sticking out and on the other side, all you see is my spare tire! No hip bone! I even asked my husband to check it out too just in case I was imagining things and he had me stand every which way, thinking maybe I was standing funny, or somehow making it appear that way, but he came to the same conclusion as me... There is a definite difference in the sizes of my right and left side areas!

I do have a theory. I have been watching "The biggest Loser" on TV which has been a great motivation for me to get toned up now that I have lost my weight. Well, one night they talked about situps, and said that the most effective and fastest way to tone up everything in your midsection is to lay on your back on the floor and bicycle your legs, at the same time you are leaning up to a situp and touching your elbows to your knees, alternating back and forth. Well, I have been doing this faithfully for some time now. It feels really good and you can tell its working. I am right handed, so I figure that when I am pulling up, I may be favoring my right side, therefore my right side has become tighter.

So what am I doing to remedy my lopsidedness? I am consciously trying to focus on the left side as I do my situps and other exercises in a bid to even myself out.

I don't completely look at this as a bad thing because at least this way, hey, I can at least tell that somethings working being able to compare it to my other side. How many people can say that? and have you heard of such a thing happening. If so, please leave me your comments and thanks for reading.

The Incredible Secret of Mind Control and Motivation to Achieve

Author: B.M. Garrett

Article:
I ask you to keep an open mind and try to accept some ideas I'm
going to give to you today. If you can understand and soak in
these ideas, this will be the most powerful secret you've ever
discovered for attaining the exact body that you desire.

Basically, I'm going to use some concepts from the hit movie
"The Secret" and show you how to apply it towards achieving your
fitness goals.

Understand that this "ultimate secret" has nothing to do with
our normal discussions of reps and sets. It does not have
anything to do with calories or fat or protein. Nor with cardio
training or abdominal exercises. But once you realize the
"Secret", you will be on your way to the body you have dreamed
of, or any other goals that you have in your life, for that
matter.

Elite athletes have practiced the "Secret". Champion
bodybuilders have practiced the "Secret". Virtually all of the
most influential, powerful, wealthiest, and happiest people
throughout history have either knowingly or not, practiced the
"Secret". Some didn't even realize that they knew the "Secret",
but applying its power is the sole reason for their happiness
and success. So today's discussion, I will simply be putting a
little twist on this "Secret" and applying it to your fitness
goals. But don't forget that it works for any of your goals and
desires in life.

Before I reveal the "Secret", I want to ask you a some questions
and I want you to answer the questions that are relevant to your
goals. Make sure you are honest with yourself. If you discover
that you have not accomplished your goals related to these
questions, pay close attention, because I'm going to reveal to
you how you can change this immediately and be on the path to
achieving whatever it is that you want in life.

Do you currently have the body that you want?

Do you feel full of energy every single day?

Do you feel strong, confident, and proud of your body?

Do you feel that you have no physical limitation to be able to
do whatever you want to do in life?

Do you want to be thinner?

Do you want more muscle?

Do you want sexy flat abs or a tighter butt?

Of course the answers to these questions will be different for
each person. Not everyone wants the same things. Not everyone
has the same goals.

But the most important thing to understand is that ANY of your
goals can be achieved, no matter who you are, if you understand
and APPLY the "Secret". Alright, enough of the build-up. What
exactly is the "Secret"?

The "Secret" lies within your mind and revolves around the
powerful "Law of Attraction". What you focus on becomes your
reality. A wise man once put this another way, "When calm as a
lake, an image will appear." What does that mean? I'll give you
a minute and try to figure it out.

Ok, time is up. Ever looked into water and seen your reflection?
Imagine you are looking at the surface of a lake. If the water
is raging, turbulent or rippling, then your image will be
distorted or even non existent. But if the water's surface is
perfectly calm and clear, you'd be able to see your reflection.
The same goes for the mind. If your mind is raging with stress,
fear, uncertainty, lack of knowledge or distracted, then your
focus is basically non existent. But if your mind is calm and
clear of negative thoughts like meditation, then your focus is
strong and intact.

In other words, if all you ever focus on is how frustrated you
are that you can never lose weight or get rid of that belly fat,
then you are doomed to a flabby body forever, because you are
actually creating that reality. On the other hand, if you focus
on your successes with every ounce of your being, every single
day, and continually feel in your mind what your dream body is
going to be like, you will create that reality. The key point is
that your thoughts and feelings must revolve around already
having the body that you want. You must actually imagine daily
that you are already living in your new body.

If you're closed-minded, at this point in reading this article,
you will probably say something like, "what is all of this mumbo
jumbo this idiot is talking about". And then you will click away
to another site, go back to your daily life, and continue to be
frustrated by failing to achieve the body you want for the rest
of your life.

On the other hand, if you're open minded, and truly want to
succeed, you will continue to read, absorb, and start to apply
the "Secret", and watch your body slowly become exactly what you
want it to become. You don't just accidentally stumble onto a
great body. You earn it by knowing exactly what you want and
getting the results you want.

I've only recently discovered the "Secret" and how to apply this
towards my other goals in life aside from fitness.

However, I also realized that the reason I've been successful
with my fitness goals is that I've been unintentionally applying
the "Secret" towards my fitness goals for plenty of years now. I
have always pictured exactly how I wanted my body to look, how
energized I wanted to feel everyday, how strong and confident I
wanted to be. These visualizations led me on a steady mission to
take substantial daily ACTION towards exactly what I wanted.

So what does it take to get the body you want? The first thing I
want you to realize is that how you feel today and the body that
you see in the mirror today is actually a collective result of
how you have lived your life in the past. It's a combination of
all the habits, thoughts, and actions that you have taken
throughout every single day that has preceded today. If your
past has not given you the body you want today, the energy you
want, the powerful feeling of health that you want, then you
need to change your mindset and start taking immediate action
towards exactly what you want.

You should visualize yourself living in that desired lean,
strong body and feel the energy, vitality, and strength running
through every part of your being. Imagine the confidence you
feel. If you want it bad enough, you WILL achieve it, but it
takes a BURNING DESIRE to be successful.

You need to keep running through this imagining process, and
actually capture this "feeling" every single day, until the day
comes that you realize that you have achieved your goals. When
you practice this enough, you will attract into your life
exactly what you want. Again, if all you focus on is your
failures, and continue to think negatively, you will only
attract more failures and negativity into your life.

Amazing things and amazing people have been coming into my life
ever since I discovered the "Secret". If you have an open mind
and focus your entire being on what you want, it WILL come into
your life. It starts with the mindset, and your journey towards
your goals continues from there with massive action taken on a
daily basis toward your goals. Once you get this process right,
you CAN'T fail.

I will leave you with one more powerful quote that has totally
transformed the way I think about what I can achieve in life:

"Whether you THINK that you can or can't do something, either
way, you are right".

Read that one again, and believe it! It is a powerful shift in
mindset that will change your life.

I want you to do me a favor and read this entire article over
again and really start thinking about how you can apply it
towards your goals. They don't even have to be fitness goals. It
can really be anything that you want to achieve.

Once you've got your mind in the right place, you are now ready
to take massive action towards your goals starting now! Getting
back to your fitness goals... If your goals revolve at all
around losing body fat, tightening up your entire body, and
creating an energy filled lifestyle, then a great place to get
all of the information you need to achieve this and start taking
action is in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book.

By the way, this book does not simply revolve around abs
exercises. To be honest, the abs exercises are the LEAST
important part of the book. The most important parts of the book
are carrying out the nutritional program and compiling all of
the training information into a full body training program to
stimulate your metabolism and create the right hormonal
environment in your body that removes body fat consistently.

Combining a fool-proof training and nutrition program such as
this with the proper mindset and application of the "Secret",
will give you a very powerful solution to the lean-body that you
desire.

The solution is here - www.BellyFatLossSecret.com

All that stands now between you and your goals is getting your
mindset right, and taking action!

I hope this article has given you some things to think about. I
urge you to have an open mind and allow yourself to attract what
you want into your life.

Please feel free to copy/paste and email the link to this page
to any of your friends and family that you think will enjoy it.

About the author:
If you're interested in taking your fat-loss efforts to an
entirely new level, go to the following site and grab a f-ree
fat loss report which details 27 unique methods for boosting
your metabolism and losing belly fat -

http://www.bellyfatlosssecret.com

http://www.perfecthealthandfitness.com

Fast Weight Loss Tips to Accelerate Your Dieting Results

Author: Melinda Grossman

Article:
Having a few fast weight loss tips on hand will jump-start your
diet. You can also use them in a short-term diet for an event
coming up soon. And of course, everything you learn can be
carried through for regular long-term eating habits.

Some diet proponents who offer fast weight loss tips suggest you
start your quest to lose weight with detoxification. The
theory is your body works more efficiently if you give it a few
cleansing foods. These include cherries and berries. Citrus
fruits, apricots, and prunes are also used. Oh, and fiber is
important too.

Other weight loss tips involve drinking water. First of
all, you should drink at least 8 ten-ounce glasses a day. Yeah,
yeah. I know you've heard this tip before but that's because
it works!

And remember to drink ice water whenever you can. The coldness
of the water forces the body to burn extra energy to bring your
temperature back to a normal level. There's some debate over the
validity of whether cold water actually makes much difference or
not, but it definitely doesn't undermine your efforts.

Water has many benefits linked to rapid weight loss. One of the
main uses of water by the body is to flush the kidneys. This
gets rid of waste. If there isn't enough water to flush the
waste from the kidneys, the liver steps in to help. Since the
liver is busy doing extra work flushing waste it slows down its
action of metabolizing fats.

So, one of the key fast weight loss tips for you to take
advantage of is drink 80-ounces or more of water
everyday!

Green tea is a marvelous way to boost your metabolism. It
helps you burn calories and lose weight faster than you would
otherwise. Just remember it does contain some caffeine in its
herbal makeup. A good tip for faster weight loss is to drink 5
to 6 cups of green tea per day while dieting.

Foods that contain capsaicin will help increase your
metabolism for a couple of hours after eating. Capsaicin can be
found in hot foods like mustard and chili sauce - it comes from
chilies. Essentially it's a thermogenic agent that increases
your overall metabolic activity, thus helping your body burn
calories and fat.

Therefore, eat more foods that contain capsaicin. The added
"kick" will help you lose weight faster.

There has been a lot of news lately about the importance of
milk in weight loss programs. Indeed it's true that drinking
milk can have a profound effect during your weight loss process.
Low fat milk products will make fat burning in the stomach area
increase. The calcium in the milk stimulates the release of fat
out of the cells. It also inhibits fats from being stored.

Another tip for faster weight loss is to eat fiber-rich
foods. These make you feel full, for one thing. They do this
by slowing the movement of food through the digestive tract. Not
only that but fiber-rich food help keep your body cleansed and
have a lower glycemic index. This is good for your blood sugar.

Knowing some fast weight loss tips is valuable. You'll see
better results from your diet right away. This naturally
motivates you to lose more. Even if your long-term weight loss
plan is complex, you'll get off to a good start with plenty of
weight loss tips at your fingertips.

About the author:
Ready for tips on how to choose among the href="http://www.weightlossanswersonline.com/weight-loss-programs
/">best weight loss programs to find the one right for you?
Want to create your own href="http://www.weightlossanswersonline.com/menus-recipes/free_w
eight_loss_meal_plans.html">healthy weight loss diet plan?
You'll find all this plus a lot more at
http://www.WeightLossAnswersOnline.com.

The Truth About Fat Burning Cardio

Author: Craig Ballantyne

Article:
So many people have asked me if they should split up their
cardio workouts, because that's what some "labcoat researcher"
said...

Find out why I don't think much of this study, or the
conclusions drawn by the researchers. Needless to say, I'm still
unconvinced that long cardio should be a part of your fat loss
program.

Anyways, here is the study.

Researchers compared... The subjects did an hour bike ride and
then rested for an hour. In another case, subjects did a half
hour bike, rested for twenty, and then another half hour, before
resting for an hour. (both rides at 60% max effort).

The results showed...

i) The total calories burned between the workouts did not differ.

ii) more fat was burned during the recovery for the split
workout (77% vs 56%).

What does this mean?

Jack squat. Nothing.

Intervals work better than any cardio program you can think of?

I don't know anyone who has the time to do this?

Third, look at the actual numbers of fat calories burned...at
most, it could be 50 extra calories.

Again, useless in all practical terms. But... Look for health
clubs to be full of people sitting around for 20 minutes between
cardio bouts...Next thing you know, people will be taking 4
hours just to do a single workout.

Why am I so hard on cardio? Because its a waste of time... and
now these researchers and the authors of these "news reports"
want to waste even MORE of your life...

As I wrote recently... A recent study published by the North
American Association for the Study of Obesity, subjects aged 40
to 75 were instructed to do 60 minutes of aerobic exercise per
day for 6 days per week for an entire year.

(Reference... Obesity 15:1496-1512 (2007). Exercise Effect on
Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women. Anne McTiernan*, et al.)

Given the amount of exercise, you'd expect weight losses of 20,
30 pounds, or more, right?

Well, the surprise findings showed the average fat loss for
female subjects was was only 4 pounds for the entire year, while
men lost 6.6 pounds of fat over the year.

That's over 300 hours of aerobic exercise just to lose a measly
6 pounds of blubber. Not time well spent, in my opinion.

If you want to lose a lot of fat, just do short burst workouts.6
pounds of fat...trust me on that.

Heck, give me 300 hours a year and I could probably turn you
into a Ninja, commercial airline pilot, and accomplished mime,
and still help you burn more fat than you would with 300 hours
of cardio.

Here's the best advice I can give you... Forget about what these
researchers say from their ivory towers. Make them get out and
train someone in the real world. I keep my ear to the ground and
I promise you, if there is a breakthrough in fat loss, you'll be
among the first to know.

About the author:
Download the free report, "The Dark Side of Cardio" from
http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com and learn the truth about
cardio and intervals for fat loss.

Weight Loss PlanS - Creating One That Works For You

Author: Karina Amerson

Article:
Looking through a book store, or online you will find a number
of weight loss plan options, the question becomes how to decide
which on is right for you or if any of them are. Finding the
right weight loss plan for you is essential to making a diet or
weight loss goal possible. The first place to start is your
doctor or primary care provider's office. Let them know what you
are planning on doing and get their advice of places to check
and plans to look at that may provide you with the best options.

If you have access to a nutritionist these individuals are a
great resource to creating a weight loss plan that works well
for you. Researching the web can also provide you with a wealth
of information. If you want, checking out various plans and then
checking with your doctor or health care specialist can provide
a greater number of options. Weight loss plans also include
exercise so make sure that you clear any new program before
starting out on it. If you have any medical conditions this is
especially important to make sure your weight loss plan does not
create more problems than it is trying to solve.

There are a number of weight loss programs out there, some work,
some don't the important thing is to take the time to research
and find a weight loss plan that works for you or create one
that meets not just your body's need but also meets the budget
you have to work with and the time you have available. These are
important keys to making sure that your weight loss plan works
for you without them you will ultimately end up having a
difficult time succeeding.

About the author:
Written by Karina Amerson. Find the latest information on href="http://www.the-weight-loss-hub.com">Weight Loss as
well as a href="http://www.the-weight-loss-hub.com/weight-loss-plan/">weigh
t loss plan

My New Love

I found last week the greated friend site that I have seen. They pay you for blogging and talking to your friends. It is very similar to myspace, except you get paid.

It is free to join and so far, I am having a blast and making tons of new friends. Everyone I have met so far on this site is so sweet! And in between replying to my friends, I am doing push ups and sit ups and toning up my belly more. :) Everyone is really helpful and will do everything they can to help you earn more money. I love it. It is my new obsession. If you would like to join me, I am on almost 24/7 and will help you out any way that I can, just ask. Don't worry, it won't take you long to set up either, you could be making new friends in a matter of minutes. Come be friends with me here: http://r.yuwie.com/sunnysky

Healthy Grocery Shopping

Author: Gary Gresham

Article:
target="_blank">Veriuni Store Wellness The Shopping Channel
Discover how good health lays the foundation for good living.

Healthy grocery shopping is a critical part of eating healthy to
lose weight. Choosing healthy foods to eat instead of high fat
foods can benefit you in so more ways than just losing weight.

Eating healthy can affect the way you look and feel every minute
of every day.

When you shop for healthy foods to eat, there are a few basic
things that can make it a little easier. Here are a few healthy
grocery shopping tips.

1. Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. It's obvious
that all food looks better when you are hungry. But you can make
better choices if you don't shop when you are hungry. Another
benefit to this is you will spend less.

2. Select canned fruits and tuna that are packed in water, not
oil or syrup. Anything packed in water including fruit in its
own juice is a much healthier choice.

3. Look at the labels for the words "hydrogenated" or "partially
hydrogenated". The earlier you see them appear on the label
list, the higher the amount of unhealthy trans fatty acids the
food will contain.

4. Don't buy turkey or chicken with the skin on it. If you are
eating healthy to lose weight, breast or white meat is a much
healthier food to eat. The skin is really all fat and not very
healthy food to eat.

5. When you select frozen dinners, select those that are not
only low in fat, but low in sodium and cholesterol as well. Salt
makes you retain water and can increase your blood pressure.

6. If you aren't consuming enough dairy products or they don't
agree with you, buy calcium fortified orange juice instead.
Getting enough calcium is an important part of eating healthy.

7. Buy whole grain breads, cereals, and rolls. Healthy breads
are whole wheat, pumpernickel or seven-grain. Healthy cereal
choices are All-Bran, Bran Buds, 100% Bran and Raisin Bran.

8. You may want to give cantaloupe a try. With just 95 calories,
half of the melon will provide more than a day's supply of
Vitamin C and cancer-fighting beta carotene.

9. Don't be tricked into buying yogurt covered by nuts or
raisins, on top because they are normally loaded with sugar and
partially hydrogenated oils. If you are eating healthy to lose
weight, this could make the difference of you losing weight for
the week or not.

10. Buy low fat snacks and treats, such as pretzels, ginger
snaps, and angel food cake. Make sure you can grab these low fat
snacks when you get the need to munch on something.

There are many different healthy foods you can buy at the
grocery store, and all it takes is making the right choices to
put in your cart.

Healthy grocery shopping can quickly be learned and become a way
of life with you. The reward is huge because taking weight off
and keeping it off now becomes easy.

Copyright © 2006 Fat-Burning-Secret.com All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Gary Gresham is the author of "Fat Burning Secrets" at:
http://www.fat-burning-secret.com where you can discover simple
yet powerful changes that can have a major effect on your weight
loss results. Get a free report at:
http://www.fat-burning-secret.com/fat-burning-report.html

Raising Bran All Day

Some will say "why? your crazy" but all yesterday, the only thing I ate was raisin bran. I had it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... It's just easy I guess. You just pour the milk and you are done you know?

I was talking to my sister yesterday about it. I had sent her some new pictures of me. She has not seen me in person for a year or so, so when she saw how skinny I am now, she was really shocked. She kept asking me how I did that. And I said well, I need to write a novel because that is how long it would take me to tell you everything. Maybe I should someday, but for now, I will stick to blogging.

I weigh as much as she does now. She says I look skinnier than her. She is 16. Yeah! I weigh as much as a 16 year old! Im happy! I feel like the old me again, but no, not the old me, a new me that I didn't know would exist. I always compared myself to how I was in high school like... was it 10 years ago? ... I think it was 9 years ago, and anyway I weighed 125 then and I was cute, but I think I look even better now. I would think that is hard to do for a 27 year old to look better than they looked in high school. Is that possible?

Nevertheless, my whole family thinks I look great and they are constantly asking me what worked and are actually surprised about some of the things that I say.

So if you haven't read it already, go to my post "I lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks my own way" and learn all of my secrets.

100 calorie popcorn!

My husband came home one day with a great invention, 100 calorie popcorn bags. They can be found in the popcorn section of your grocery store. They are cute little microwavable bags of yummy goodness, and they are only 100 calories. It is great because you don't have to measure anything. It is just the right amount for you.

I am in love. The 100 calorie pack idea is kinda getting to be a big craze right now. There is just about a 100 calorie everything these days. I would advise that you still read your labels though. Sometimes there are actually less calories in your regular everyday product. Keep in mind that sometimes they will advertise "only 100 calories" or "low fat" just to get people who are watching their weight to buy it even though, in actuality, you could buy a cheaper, yummier product that has the same amount of calories and sometimes LESS. So be careful, but I do like the 100 calorie packs of popcorn. Convenient, cute and they do taste delicious.

Re: How-To Tuesdays: Macramé Jewelry

A New Hobby

Well, now that my weight is finally off of my mind, I can think about more important things... although being a stay at home mom I couldn't think of any (ha ha). Nevertheless, I want to do things that I feel that can contribute to society so I make blogs now, and I have taken up macrame jewelry making (also known as hemp jewelry).

my first project










It wasn't easy at first. I bought a kit from Michaels (the craft superstore) and tried to read their instructions... it took me several days and a couple failed attempts, and then I finally turned to You Tube and found a really good macrame teacher. I have included the video here so she can help you too.

I made this choker (picture above) with 2 strands of solid black hemp and 2 strands of the tan hemp. When you weave them together in a square knot, it comes out really pretty like this. I picked out a cross charm and just slid it in to two of the strands as I was weaving. You can use whatever you like. If you enjoy shopping online, you can get hemp jewelry stuff by clicking here.

Healthy Butter

I have been in love with this butter ever since it came out. Thank God this came out.

I am a butterholic, at least I used to be. I have since changed a lot of my bad habits. We all used to joke about the fact that my potatos were bright yellow, all runny because there was so much butter in it. Yummy! But I also started having problems.

I have had heart flutters since I was at least 16. Noticed them the first time while running in gym class. I also had asthma at the time. I told my mom and she said that I was too young to have that kind of problem, so she basically ignored me. As the years went on, they got more frequent, and more frequent, until they happened a couple times every day with shortness of breath. I got really concerned. I heard that caffeine can cause this, so I eased up on the caffeine. I didn't have them as often, but I was still having them weekly.

So I found out about this new butter that is supposed to be good for your heart. I even heard Paul Harvey talk about it on the radio and thought I would try it. Why not? It's not even expensive. I buy 2 small tubs of smart balance for 1.97 at my store. Anyway, I must have done something right because I have virtually have no heart flutters at all now. I'm not even sure what heart flutters even mean and I have never taken medication for it, but if I needed it before, I don't seem to need it now. So, It doesn't hurt to try it, even if you aren't having any chest problems like me. Seems to be good for you. You can find it at Wal-Mart, Commissary's, and probably about any other major chain. I will never buy regular butter again.

Still the New Me

I am letting everyone hold me accountable, so that I do not gain back the weight I worked so hard to lose. I think everyone needs that to be successful, so here is a picture I took yesterday.

What is Good Eating, and is it Good For You?

Author: Graham Fitton

Article:
Good eating does not mean bad tasting, but it also mean that you
shouldn't indulge yourself with everything that tastes good.
Truly good eating is about finding a balance and being
conservative so that you can have that occasional calorie-loaded
treat.

Good eating habits doesn't mean that you have to deprive
yourself of anything that tastes good again or that everything
you eat has to fit the textbook definition of healthy. However,
good eating does mean that you monitor how much food you eat and
what kinds of foods you eat most of the time.

Everyone at some point experiences food cravings, although the
hunger is indiscriminate, meaning that what they eat is not as
important as eating something. Various diet plans will ask you
to ignore nutrition and good diet habits and avoid all
carbohydrates, or say that fruits contain too much sugar to help
you, but these diets are designed to work rapidly on a system
that is out of balance. True good diet guidelines consider good
diet habits and are balanced and can be maintained. When hunger
strikes, you need to quell your hunger with a meal that is
healthy overall and follows good diet guidelines. This allows
you to have the occasional greasy hamburger or sugar-loaded
desert while being reasonable about what you eat.

Good diet guidelines are one way to keep things in balance and
you can practice by making some healthy homemade meals. Although
making a meal at home sounds like a lot of work, it can be very
rewarding and taste far better and provide better nutrition and
good diet food than what you can get at a fast food restaurant.
One cooking tool that has enabled many people to easily prepare
healthy meals is the George Foreman Grill. The Foreman Grill
makes it easy to cook things evenly since it is heated from two
sides, and it is healthy because the excess grease is allowed to
run off into a drip tray, removing it from your food.

If you are having troubles controlling your appetite, then you
may find exercise a good alternative. When you exercise
regularly and get into better shape, your metabolism increases
and burns energy more quickly. A faster metabolism means that
you can eat more without gaining weight. Fast metabolisms are
what allow some people to eat everything in sight, but remain
thin. A fast metabolism is also one way that farmers are able to
eat a diet primarily composed of meat, potatoes, eggs, and whole
milk without becoming obese.

A good eating regime doesn't mean the end of good food. It
doesn't mean that you have to write down everything you eat
either. Good eating means that you have to think about what you
are eating and how this food is going to affect you.

Cheap Healthy
Living shows you ways to become healthier and live life with
more vitality.

About the author:
Hi, my name is Graham and I believe in living life in a healthy
and happy way.

A few more before and afters :)

Now, I know these are just headshots, but I think you can tell just from my face that I have lost weight. I think the weight loss makes me look younger too. What do you think? Please leave your comments!


Before: (me at 141 pounds)





AFTER: (me at 123 pounds)

A nice surprise!

Whoa. Ok. My husband went to weigh himself yesterday and he was like "oh my gosh, is that right?" I said it should be. He said that he lost a few pounds (not that he wants to or is trying) So he said "you get on and let me see if this scale is right" ummm.."no, no thanks!" I said.

Truthfully, I was scared because I haven't weighed myself in about a week and I am used to weighing in every day, so I would have like died if I got on the scale and it said I weighed 200 pounds or something (slight exageration).

So when he gave up on me and went upstairs, I sneaked over to the scale and took a peek at my pounds. To my surprise, I lost another couple pounds! And that is eating what I want now (in moderation and responsibility)

There are a few things that I haven't changed and wont change as long as they are working for me. Like, Raisin bran is a God-send so I am still eating that. I drink more water than anything else, other than that, I eat what I want without over indulging and I am still losing!

Ok ok, so you are curious how much I weigh, right? I weigh 123 now. Yea! I'm so proud of myself. And now I am encorporating exercise into my new lifestyle since now I got the pounds off I have the energy, and just from jogging and walking a couple times this week, I can see that I have toned up a bit and only anticipate greater results as I keep at it.

The days are finally gone that I am embarassed to wear something, or that it makes me look fat. I am not fat anymore, and I will continue to keep you updated. It helps me stay in check and makes me feel like I am being accountable to someone.

Thanks for reading and good luck on your dieting journey!

Check this out! ha ha

%1

Here it goes!

Ok... I know you are probably wondering why there are no pictures of the new me... well I have been reluctant because my before picture is pretty bad, but here it goes. I will show you some before and afters. Can you tell the difference?

Before:




After:

2 months later

It has been 2 months and thought I should update you. I weight 125 pounds still... all in all I have lost 16 pounds. Not bad. And I have gone to a more regular eating schedule and have not gained any of it back, which is great.

I am still eating raisin bran every day and other than that I have been eating what I want in moderation. Now I have enough energy I have been exercising, but the only thing I seem to want to do is run. But, that is at least good for you. It feels good to be able to run, and pick up my 3 year old without the pain I had just a few months ago.

I told my doctor what I did and he laughed and said that was great, of course. If I hadn't lost the weight, they would be doing more tests on me. Isn't it amazing that a lot of problems we have can be resolved just by losing a couple of pounds. You might be surprised at how much strain it puts on your spine to carry that extra weight, apparently, even just a little too much.

And remember that the longer you stay over weight, the harder it will be to get it off. Our body's start to think the extra weight is needed for survival if we leave it there for too long, and if you are not careful, when you do try to diet your body is going to scream NO! Im not going anywhere! How dare you starve me!

So start now. I waited 3 years and I was still able to lose the bulk of my weight in 2 weeks, so chances are its not too late for you.

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