Carbs

I have written a lot about nutrition this month. Proper nutrition is key to losing weight or maintaining it. Every time I change a vitamin, or tweak my calories or macros around, I learn something new. I used to think carbohydrates are "bad." I was stupid. Really, I was.  For whatever reason, I continue to struggle with carbs.  I think this is a common issue.  My Facebook friends had some hilarious answers to my question:

When you hear or see the word "carbs" or "carbohydrates", what do you think?

I think, "Ice cream!"

What a completely AWESOME collection of responses!!!

This is part one of a two part series dedicated to carbs. What are they?  Why do you need them? What's good? What's better? What's best when consumed sparingly?  and WHY are they such a struggle?

What are carbohydrates? 

Carbs are the sugars, starches and fibers in food.  They are most often found in fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products. Carbohydrates can be classified as simple and complex, which is determined by how fast the body metabolizes them.  Simple carbs are most often found in fruits, some vegetables, dairy products, beer and anything made with refined sugar. Complex carbs are most often found in beans, peanuts, lentils, corn, potatoes and whole grains.  Because they take longer to digest, they provide more sustained energy and are better for your blood sugar levels (glycemic index).

Why do you need carbs? 

With so many different diet programs out there, carbs have become Enemy #1 to so many people. As a result, many of us are completely misinformed about them.   In the next post, I will share with you my story about the effect of carbohydrates and what happened to me when I didn't have enough of them.  

ENEMY #1

I swear, this is my most favorite ways to eat toast.
Smothered in melted butter and completely covered in mounds of cinnamon sugar.
The thought makes my mouth water.  Carbs...sinfully delicious!

You need carbohydrates!  Your body breaks carbohydrates into glucose which your body uses for energy.  Additionally, the neurotransmitters in your brain use glucose to synthesize information, helping with our ability to think, learn and remember.  Carbohydrates help your body to produce serotonin, which helps to stabilize your mood and to sleep properly.  Most carbohydrates are rich in fiber and vitamins, which you need to be healthy.  

When you consume carbohydrates, your body converts it to glucose.  Your pancreas releases insulin to help absorb glucose and lower blood sugar levels.  Insulin is a hormone which is needed for proper functioning of most major health systems in your body, including your hypothalamus, your thyroid, your immune system and women's reproductive system.  You need carbohydrates.

In the next post, I will discuss "good carbs," "better carbs," and "sometimes carbs."  Why do we struggle so much with carbohydrates?  And I will share a story with you about what can happen when you don't eat enough carbs.  Stay tuned!   Carbs 2 released!

Can I have some cinnamon toast for breakfast, please?

I've worked so hard...please, pretty please?

Here are links to other posts where I discuss nutrition.  They are worth a second (or first) view if you are serious about flexible dieting as an option.

Carbs 2:  The second part on this series on carbohydrates.

Nutrition Hot Topic:  Is it bad?:  Thinking about food choices.  What's good?  What's not?

Fabulous Fiber:  A brief discussion about the benefits of a high fiber diet.

Successful Secrets:  Two simple strategies I practice every day which helped me to lose weight and to now keep it off.

Successful Secrets: Part Two:  How planning my week's meals helps me to stay on track.  Menu and recipe ideas.

Nutrition 101, I talk about meal prep and provided you with several recipes and meal suggestions to get you started.  Check it out!

Flexible Dieting Basics:  A basic explanation of flexible dieting...how tracking calories and macronutrients has been the most successful way for me to lose weight and keep it off.

Tracking Calories with MFP:  Some features of MyFitnessPal (MFP) explained.  This post has some tricks of the trade.

Foods to Try:  These are foods I try to always keep on hand and a couple recipes too.

Cravings:  Some tips on how to stave off and handle cravings when they hit.  

Wonder Woman:  I explain how I got the nickname "Wonder Woman" by tracking all my calories and macronutrients.  I give a brief explanation of macros here.

A Calorie is Not a Calorie:  This post talks about the different effect foods have on you.

Questions for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

Any big plans this weekend?  What's your favorite carb?

Now:  Subscribe to new posts!  When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out.  I promise:  no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone.  Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.  

Follow me on Instagram:  @tracoleman99

Nutrition Hot Topic: Is it bad?

This month, I have written several posts dedicated to nutrition. I hope you've read them and gotten something from them.  If you haven't had a chance yet, the links are at the bottom of this post.

If you are overweight, if you have battled with the scale for most of your life, you have probably tried just about every diet under the sun.  I know I have.  Many diets tell you what you can eat and can't eat.  They tell you what is bad and what is good.  They recommend certain combinations of foods.  Eat an apple with a piece of chicken.  Eat beats with plain tuna fish.  Some fad diets have no scientific basis to even support their claims.  Others are completely impractical.  I follow flexible dieting because it allows  me to eat what I want, as long as I am within my daily calories and aim for my macro goals each day.  Let me repeat that.  I can eat what I want.  There are no restricted foods.

In Secrets to Success, I told you there are no bad foods. And this is true. However, in this post, I want to talk a little about foods to avoid or have very sparingly.  I will also share some wise substitutions for the ones you may normally favor.

One: to start with, you want to limit anything and severely restrict foods refined sugar.   

I love sugar and sugary sweet everything, but Sugar is Enemy #1.  If you turn on the news or any talk show, you're sure to hear about how bad it is and how much sugar Americans eat.  Before I started this journey, the news reported that sugar is an addiction.  I thought, "Yeah, I can see that, but sugar is in everything, so how do you live without it?"  I also thought, "Ok, it used to be that eggs were bad for you.  Then it was fat that was bad for you.  Now it's sugar."  How do you really know what's good and what's not?  How can you be sure?

What I found is this: if I eat something sweet or high in carbs, I crave more.  If I have a handful of peanut m&m's, it turns into two or three.  If I have one serving (1/2 cup)of Breyer's coffee ice cream (only 100 calories for 1/2 cup, but 12 grams sugar), I need MORE.  If I eat one oatmeal raisin cookie, I need a second or third.  The more sugar I have, the more I desire.  I recently read an article about this.  When you eat any carbohydrates, your pancreas sends out insulin to process the sugar.  If it releases too much insulin, it wants more and more.

If you are trying to lose weight, you obviously know you need to limit cookies, cake and candy.  But you want to be aware of the amount of sugar in everything you eat.  Look at the nutrition facts on your labels.  Read the ingredients.  If you drink 4 oz. orange juice, yes there is sugar in the OJ, but there isn't added sugar to the beverage (unless you buy something orange flavored).  But if you eat a 100 calorie granola bar, you're left hungry for more.  In the past, I bought Kirkland's granola bars.  The ingredients include molasses, sugar, fructose and liquid invert sugar.  The 100 calorie bar only has 6 grams of sugar, but that's enough to disrupt your blood sugar levels.  Watch the labels, read the ingredients.  Pay attention to not only the number of grams of sugar, but also the sugars it contains.  Anything that ends in "ose" is sugar:  dextrose, fructose, maltose.  Anything that says "syrup" contains sugar.  Look too at salad dressings, condiments and cereals.  One tablespoon of ketchup has 4 grams of sugar! When was the last time you had only 1 Tbsp. ketchup?  My raisin brand has 16 grams of sugar in one serving!

Two:  limit your starchy foods.  

Starchy foods are breads, pasta, rice, potatoes and corn.  Anything made with these ingredients would be considered starchy (crackers, cereal, and chips).  Starches are carbohydrates, but these particular ones tend to spike your blood sugar levels (glycemic index), unlike fruits, vegetables and legumes.  For the most part, I really don't eat bread or white potatoes at all.  If I do, it's rare.

From Healthy Eating:

If you are trying to lose weight, keeping your daily starch and sugar intake down can be beneficial to promote fat burning. Consuming too many carbohydrates, whether they come from starches or natural or added sugars, triggers the release of insulin from your pancreas, which inhibits fat burning and promotes fat storage. To lose weight, reduce your intake of starchy carbohydrates, including bread, rice and potatoes, to a minimum until you start losing weight at a healthy pace of 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Three:  cut back on processed meats.  

Last October, a panel of experts from the World Health Organization came to the conclusion that processed meats like ham, bacon and hot dogs cause colon cancer and that red meat probably does too.  You probably  heard about it.  It was all over the news.  I've read the reports and I don't know what the chances are of contracting cancer from bacon, but I do know that processed foods are best eaten sparingly.  We do love hot dogs in this house.  That's a hard one for us to give up.  But I can tell you, I eat very little of this kind of food.  It's not even so much that it's processed or that they think it might cause cancer, it's all the junk inside of them that makes me pause:  sodium nitrate and sugar (or corn syrup) are the two biggies.

While you might like your hot dogs or bacon and eggs, have it once in a while, not every day or even every week.  Limit your intake.  Instead of eating deli meat, make your sandwich with left over chicken breast.

Four:  Better options.

I'm a huge proponent of changing your nutrition to be healthy, but at the same time what you can live with for the distance.  That's why I like flexible dieting so much.  I have all but cut out certain foods (like pasta and gravy).  What I have done is substitute foods for others I used to favor.

Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes vs. Spuds (White potatoes)

London Broil, broccoli and sweet potatoes.  Delicious!

I have learned to love sweet potatoes.  Not only are they delicious, but they are easy to prepare and taste as good (or even better, IMHO) than regular spuds.  I have baked, mashed, roasted and served them as fries.  Regular spuds are not bad.  Really, they aren't.  It's just that I want butter and sour cream on my baked potatoes, whereas I can eat a baked sweet potato plain.  Just mash it up with my fork and viola!  Sweet potatoes are slightly better for your glycemic index, which is why I eat them over white spuds.  Both are rich in vitamins (albeit different ones).  It's really the toppings you have to watch out for.  So, if you have to have your baked potato (white), skip the butter and try topping it with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  Just make sure you add the yogurt to your calories (or points) for the day.

Pasta
Spaghetti vs. Squash 

I'll be honest.  I tried spaghetti squash.  I don't like it.  For me it was a pathetic substitute.  I got to thinking about it and I realized the spaghetti squash doesn't really tasted like spaghetti, the texture is weird and that is what threw me.  Since I really love Ratatouille (made with marinara sauce), I thought, "Why not try zucchini instead of spaghetti squash?"  I love it.  Now when I make Italian for dinner, the family has pasta and I have zucchini.  I don't bother to spiral cut the zucchini, I just thinly slice and steam it, serving the sauce over the squash.  I add a little parmesan cheese to it and am happy as can be.  If I make the sauce with ground turkey or make turkey meatballs, I will eat LOTS of this and even allow myself a piece of garlic bread.  We are having Italian on Tuesday for dinner and I can't wait.

Cereal
Raisin Bran vs. Oatmeal

Which one would YOU pick?

To be honest, I rarely eat cereal.  I have found that I need protein first thing in the morning or I don't function well for the rest of the day.  My breakfast is typically an egg frittata with vegetables (and possibly feta cheese) or a protein shake.  There are days when I want cereal, so I'll eat some Kashi Go Lean Crisp.  The sugar content in most cereals is too high for me.  If my blood sugar spikes in the morning, I struggle all day.  I do have cereal in the house for my family, but I don't eat it.

My morning protein shake.  I made this one with unsweetened pumpkin.  

I was eating instant oatmeal at night if I needed extra calories.  But the sugar...  I haven't quite gotten used to the idea of eating plain oatmeal, so I have never eaten that. I have a recipe with chia seeds, almond milk and a banana.  I'm going to try that this week and see how I like it.  If it goes well, I'll post a picture and put it up here.  I am always trying new things.

Oats and oatmeal are really good for you.  They are an excellent source of fiber and have a low glycemic index.  This magical combination promotes heart health and supports weight loss, just to name a couple benefits of oatmeal.  Since I'm a pretty wary of adding sugar, I've shied away from the oatmeal breakfast. I do substitute oats for white flour pretty consistently.  I just put the oats in my blender (or food processor) to make my own flour.  I also use oats in my protein pancakes and homemade granola (which I eat during cycling season).

Oatmeal wins hands down.

Bread

I don't eat bread.  I do eat bread, but hardly ever (occasionally garlic bread).   If I do eat bread, it's either double protein or double fiber or a sandwich thin.

I don't eat much bread because I want my carbs from other sources.  There is nothing wrong with bread.  Really, there's not.  But I want my carbs to come from fruits and vegetables.  Bread, like a bagel, leaves me feeling hungry within a short time and uses up most of my carbs for the entire day.  For lunch, I prefer eating a salad with LOTS of protein, leaving me feeling satisfied for hours.  If I feel like I need carbs, I eat a piece of fresh fruit.

When I am riding my bike, I need more carbs, especially simple ones my body can use right away.  It took me a LONG time to give in, but Dmitriy told me to eat a PBJ sandwich on white bread right before a ride.  White bread, really?  There is no nutritional value to white bread?  What the?  When I am riding, my body needs a lot of fuel, in the form of carbohydrates.  If I don't give it what it needs, I hit a wall.  So I listened.  It worked.  The first PBJ sandwich I had tasted like heaven.  Pure heaven.

So, if you are a runner, if you are doing a lot of cardio or are training hard, you can afford more carbs, in fact you need more carbs.  But if you are trying to lose weight, skip the bread as often as you can.

To close, I want to refer you to this fantastic article by BodyBuilding.com:  Eat More Food to Lose More Weight.  It is one of the best articles I have read about nutrition in a while.  It's worth the read.  Check it out!!


Here are links to other posts where I discuss nutrition.  They are worth a second (or first) view if you are serious about flexible dieting as an option.

Carbs:   The first in a two-part series dedicated to carbs.  What are they?  Why do we need them?

Carbs 2:  Part two.  WHY are carbs such a struggle?  What's good?  What's better?  What's best when consumed sparingly?

Fabulous Fiber:  A brief discussion about the benefits of a high fiber diet.

Successful Secrets:  Two simple strategies I practice every day which helped me to lose weight and to now keep it off.

'

Successful Secrets: Part Two:  How planning my week's meals helps me to stay on track.  Menu and recipe ideas.

Nutrition 101, I talk about meal prep and provided you with several recipes and meal suggestions to get you started.  Check it out!

Flexible Dieting Basics:  A basic explanation of flexible dieting...how tracking calories and macronutrients has been the most successful way for me to lose weight and keep it off.

Tracking Calories with MFP:  Some features of MyFitnessPal (MFP) explained.  This post has some tricks of the trade.

Foods to Try:  These are foods I try to always keep on hand and a couple recipes too.

Cravings:  Some tips on how to stave off and handle cravings when they hit.  

Wonder Woman:  I explain how I got the nickname "Wonder Woman" by tracking all my calories and macronutrients.  I give a brief explanation of macros here.

A Calorie is Not a Calorie:  This post talks about the different effect foods have on you.

Questions for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

How was your weekend?  What was the best thing you did or ate this weekend?

Now:  Subscribe to new posts!  When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out.  I promise:  no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone.  Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.  

Follow me on Instagram:  @tracoleman99

Fabulous Fiber

What is fiber?  Why care about it?  

What benefits are there from it?  

Does it even matter?

I never heard of fiber until 2003 when I joined Weight Watchers again. Their point system was partially determined by the number of fiber grams in a food item.  The higher the fiber, the more likely the points would be less.  I never really understood it and did not care about it until recently.

I want to be clear.  I am not a nutritionist, so I can only attest to what the research says and what I have seen to be true from my own experience.  (You can check my facts on your own to see if I am right.). What I know is that fiber is good.  It helps you to "go" (if you know what I mean).  With the increase in protein in my diet, constipation has become a perpetual problem.  There, I said it!  That's ANOTHER thing no one tells you about weight loss!  (I should write a Part Three to that series.)

So, what is fiber?  Fiber is the indigestible portion of plant foods.  There are two different types of fiber, both of which aid in digestion. A diet rich in fiber promotes heart health, healthy glucose levels (blood sugar), as well as multiple other health benefits.  According to the Institute of Medicine, the recommended daily intake (RDI) of fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men.  However, most studies show that American's get less than half that in their daily diet.

How do you know if you're getting in enough fiber?  Because I track my calories, I can see how much fiber I am getting each day with MyFitnessPal.  In addition to tracking calories and macros, it tracks all nutrients, I can also see how much fiber is included in my daily nutrition.  In looking back over the past week, I was at or over my RDI for fiber every day except one.   I meet my fiber goals without really thinking about it because I eat so much fiber rich food.

When you are grocery shopping and planning your meals, give some consideration to the fiber content in what you buy.  The fiber content of foods you buy is included on the nutritional information, so look at that when making your choices.  Here is a list of fiber rich foods you want to keep on hand:

Foods Rich In Fiber

Beans/ legumes: 

kidney beans, black beans, white beans, garbanzo beans (AKA chick peas), lentils
(Black beans are my favorite!)

Whole grains: 

barley, brown rice, oatmeal and whole wheat, including whole grain pastas, breads and cereals

Vegetables: 

broccoli, corn, edamame beans, artichoke, peas (especially split peas)

I LOVE artichokes, but I always thought they were "bad" because the ones I buy are canned.  220 mg of sodium is a lot.  But in looking at this label again, what a fantastic addition to my salad today!!!

Fruits: 

avocado, raspberries, apples and pears (with the skin on)

Nuts and Seeds:
almonds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seed

Other Fiber Rich Foods

Fiber One has a whole line of products with fiber, from cereals, bars, breads, and baked goods to pudding and cottage cheese.

Quest Bars are loaded with not only protein, but fiber as well.

Kashi makes an entire line of foods including cereals, waffles and frozen entrees.

Fiber Supplements
Despite a fiber rich diet, some people need to take supplements to help keep them regulated.  Products such as Benefiber and Metamucil are often recommended.

I have to take Metamucil every day even though I meet the RDI for fiber, I need this to help  keep me regulated.

As with all foods, you want to be aware of all the nutritional information.  How many calories does this food have?  How much fat?  Carbohydrates?  Protein?  Sugar?  A fiber rich diet will help you to manage hunger better, as it fills you up.  But if you are eating a bar in place of natural food, the sugar in the bar could actually make you hungry sooner.  I buy Fiber One bars for my husband because he likes a quick snack on the go.  But they leave me hungry and wanting more, so I avoid them.

You'll be surprised at the fiber content in foods you eat every day.  Foods you wouldn't even think have fiber...

I like Oikos Triple Zero, but I totally take for granted that it has 6 grams of fiber.  That's pretty fantastic!

Fiber is fantastic!!!!  It is fabulous!!!  Add some black beans (or chick peas) to your salad today!

Here are links to other posts where I discuss nutrition.  They are worth a second (or first) view if you are serious about flexible dieting as an option.

Carbs:   The first in a two-part series dedicated to carbs.  What are they?  Why do we need them?

Carbs 2:  Part two.  WHY are carbs such a struggle?  What's good?  What's better?  What's best when consumed sparingly?

Successful Secrets:  Two simple strategies I practice every day which helped me to lose weight and to now keep it off.

Successful Secrets: Part Two:  How planning my week's meals helps me to stay on track.  Menu and recipe ideas.

Nutrition 101, I talk about meal prep and provided you with several recipes and meal suggestions to get you started.  Check it out!

Flexible Dieting Basics:  A basic explanation of flexible dieting...how tracking calories and macronutrients has been the most successful way for me to lose weight and keep it off.

Tracking Calories with MFP:  Some features of MyFitnessPal (MFP) explained.  This post has some tricks of the trade.

Foods to Try:  These are foods I try to always keep on hand and a couple recipes too.

Cravings:  Some tips on how to stave off and handle cravings when they hit.  

Wonder Woman:  I explain how I got the nickname "Wonder Woman" by tracking all my calories and macronutrients.  I give a brief explanation of macros here.

A Calorie is Not a Calorie:  This post talks about the different effect foods have on you.

Questions for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

Do you read nutrition labels?  What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word fiber?

Now:  Subscribe to new posts!  When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out.  I promise:  no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone.  Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.  

Follow me on Instagram:  @tracoleman99

Riding For Her Life

The school district where I work published this article in the Springfield Educator.
It was released today.

The article is hard to read from this image.  Here is the body of the text:

By Cyrus Moulton

from The Winter 2015-16 Springfield Educator 

She initially thought completing a 100- mile plus bike ride was “a pipe dream.” But two years later, 80 pounds lighter and with support from students and staff at Springfield’s High School of Commerce, Tracey Coleman not only cycled 100-plus miles, but chronicled on a blog how she made that pipe dream come true in hopes of inspiring others. 

“The biggest thing preventing people from exercising, the thing that probably deters them the most, is they don’t see progress right away so they give up, or they have an obstacle that comes up, that prevents them with sticking to it, and give up,” said Coleman, a guidance counselor at Commerce. “So I write a lot about that— about nutrition and fitness, but mostly about motivation and sticking with your goals.” 

But it took a while for Coleman to see the rewards of sticking with her fitness goals. A self-professed bookworm growing up, Coleman “didn’t do sports in high school; I wasn’t good at them, didn’t like them, and as an adult I didn’t do them either.” 

She became heavy as an adult—or, as a student who recently saw an older picture of Coleman called it, “‘mad chubby”—and was bothered by arthritis that often crippled her with pain and prevented her from repetitive, high intensity activity, Coleman recalled. 

But in September 2013, Coleman’s husband Brian participated in the Springfield Police Department’s first Ride to Remember, a 106-mile bike trek from Springfield to Boston in memory of officers killed in the line of duty. 

That January, Coleman decided that this time—the heaviest she had ever been at 238 pounds—she was going to stick with her regular New Year’s Resolution of losing weight and eating healthier. So she began working out with a trainer. She did a Rugged Maniac obstacle course in September 2014 with her husband, and then thought that she might want to do the Ride to Remember. 

But that November, her trainer—a 24- year-old, healthy young man—suddenly got sick and died. 

“I was devastated,” Coleman said. “He was 24 when he died, and I was 45 and just wasn’t taking my life and health seriously.” 

So she kicked her training into high gear, working out six days a week with a new trainer and focusing on flexibility. It helped her deal with both the emotional pain from the loss and the physical pain of her arthritis. Her surgeon canceled an operation to help her arthritis and Coleman got a bike, joined training rides with a group from the local bike shop, and started pedaling to get ready for this September’s Ride To Remember. 

“It was threateningly scary to think ‘how am I going to do this, it’s going to be 100 miles, and really hilly,’” Coleman recalled. 

But she had support not just at the gym and bike shop, but at Commerce. 

Many kids participating in a dress-down day wore blue to support a fundraiser for the Ride to Remember. About a week before the ride, students made ribbons to sell, and helped Coleman sell t-shirts downtown to raise money for the event. The day before the ride, colleagues decorated Coleman’s office with messages of support, including many pictures of Wonder Woman in reference to Coleman’s nickname at the gym. 

And the pipe dream became reality. 

“It was really a proud moment to finish it and do it, and do it with my husband and show the support for the police department and the fallen officers,” Coleman said. “I was blessed by the outpouring of the love I got.” 

Plus, the reality wasn’t that scary. “It wasn’t too hard for me because I had done so much training,” Coleman admitted.

 So now it’s on to the next challenge: maintaining her weight and fitness (Coleman currently weighs 145 pounds) and inspiring and helping others by sharing her story through her blog “Tracey’s Getting Fit.” 

“We’ve all been trying to become healthier,” said Erica Lebel, a fellow guidance counselor at Commerce who credited Coleman with helped tone up her arms for her wedding. “We would make lunches for each other sometimes, we would go out to eat and make sure there were healthy things for her and us to eat.” 

Coleman said her fitness journey has also helped her be a better guidance counselor. She said she is able to relate better with students who worry about body image, she is more empathetic, and she is more willing to open up and share her feelings with students. 

“I can tell them at the least that I am human and that I have been through my own things,” said Coleman. “That I am a human, and I can persevere.” 

My thoughts???

Obviously I knew they were doing the article.  They interviewed me, I sent them some pictures for the article and they took my photo at school.  But seeing it in print really brings tears to my eyes.  This has been a long journey for me.  Thinking back on it is very emotional.  Thank you for  following my blog, for your encouragement.  I am blessed beyond words.

After the Ride to Remember, September 19, 2015 

Beautiful Day by  U2

It's a beautiful day.  

Sky falls, you feel like it's a beautiful day.  

Don't let it get away.  

You're on the road.  

But you've got not destination.  

It's a beautiful day.

Question for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

What one thing are you most proud of accomplishing?

Now:  Subscribe to new posts!  When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out.  I promise:  no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone.  Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.  

Follow me on Instagram:  @tracoleman99

Successful Secrets: Part two

Yesterday I wrote about the two most important things I learned to help me lose weight and keep it off in this entry:  Secret to Success.  Today I want to share with you the next most helpful strategy I have in both losing weight and keeping it off.  In two simple words:  Meal Prep!

What is meal prep?  Have you ever heard of the 21 Day Fix? It's a program you invest in that promotes meal prep, portion control and 30 minutes / day exercise. I know several people who follow their program and it works for them.  I don't do the 21 Day Fix, but I do plan my meals in advance and adhere strictly to portion control.  (If you read my blog, you know I workout all the time.)

So, why meal prep?
I am busy.  I don't like to cook. I mean, I have to, but I really don't like it.

I do like to try new recipes that are easy and healthy. If they taste good and my family likes them, they are a sure win for future use.  On the weekends, when I do my grocery shopping, I go with meal prep in mind.

Do I have enough cooked chicken breasts in the freezer? 

What will we eat with them? 

What did we have for dinner last week (so I don't repeat)?  

Do I have enough steam fresh veggies? 

How much Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and eggs do I have on hand?

I always stock up on salad greens or baby spinach, tomatoes and some fresh vegetables for earlier in the week.  I keep steam fresh veggies in the freezer for when the fresh are gone.  I buy any protein we might need: lean ground beef, chicken or ground turkey (if I'm running low), fish and occasionally pork chops or steak.

I wish my fridge was always this clean.  I try to keep it stocked with as much fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products as I think I need for the week.  

My thought process is to think out dinners for Sunday - Thursday.  This week, it's:

Sunday:  rotisserie chicken with quinoa and brown rice, salad and vegetables
Monday:  taco salad (with ground turkey)
Tuesday: a crockpot meal - I'm eyeing this recipe from SlenderKitchen.com:  Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy Chicken, to be served with brown rice, salad and vegetables
Wednesday:  Salmon with sweet potatoes, salad and vegetables
Thursday:  Burgers & Fries (I will have a turkey burger (no bun) with sweet potato fries) with salad
Friday and Saturday are always up in the air.  We might have left overs, take-out or I might grab something when I do my shopping.

For lunches, I usually have salad with grilled chicken breasts (which I always keep on hand) or cottage cheese.  Since I'm having taco salad on Monday, I will definitely be eating that on Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch.  Sometimes I'll make a pot of vegetable soup and have that with the chicken.  This week I am making taco soup and will eat that with the chicken (or maybe with a side of cottage cheese and tomatoes).  The recipe is below.  I'll post a picture after I make it.

Taco Soup, makes 8 servings
1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 (15.5 oz.) can white beans, rinsed & drained
1 (15.5 oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I buy Southwest style)
1 (14.5 oz.) can low sodium chicken broth
1 onion
1 C frozen corn
cooking spray
1 package taco seasoning

Sauté the onion with the cooking spray.  Pour all ingredients into the pot.  Simmer until flavors blend.  Serve hot.  This is the easiest thing I have ever made.  Ever.  And it's delicious!

Nutritional Value:
216 calories, 1 g fat, 41 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein (and 10 grams fiber - that's a LOT!)

That's my meal planning for the week.

Actual meal prep takes place on Sundays.  Today I will make the Taco Soup, brown the meat for the taco salad, hard boil eggs for my husband, cut celery into sticks and anything else I might need to prep for meals for the week.  If I need to cook up more chicken breasts, I do that on Sunday.  I might make chicken salad with any left overs from the rotisserie chicken, to be eaten for lunch on Monday or Tuesday.  On Monday night, I will put together the ingredients for Tuesday's crock pot meal.

Last weekend I baked chicken breasts as part of my meal prep.  I put a jar of salsa over two of the breasts and served them with brown rice.  My son doesn't like the salsa with the chicken, so the other chicken breast (with no salsa) was for him.  I used the left over chicken for my dinner on Monday night and for my lunches.  Split chicken breasts are so moist and delicious!

I always make my lunch and breakfast the night before, so getting ready in the morning means eating and putting my snacks and lunch into my bag.  I typically eat the same thing for breakfast, snacks and lunch, with very little variety.  Sometimes I have leftovers from the previous night's dinner for lunch the next day.

Meal planning / prep takes all the stress out of meals during the week.  It also means I eat, which is something I used to not do.  I mean, obviously I ate.  I was obese, bordering on morbidly obese.  But I often would go most of the day without food, come home starving and gorge myself on whatever I could find.  It was not uncommon for me to eat 1/2 a container of ice cream and then cook up fish sticks and macaroni and cheese for dinner with no vegetables, followed by the rest of the ice cream for dessert.  If we had soft chocolate chip cookies or soft oatmeal raisin cookies in the house, I would eat six or seven of them at once.  Today, I don't buy them and if I have access to them, I steer clear of them entirely.  It's not that I can't eat a chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookie.  It's that I can't stop at one.  I want another and another.  It's a trap I choose to avoid.

In my post, Nutrition 101, I talk about meal prep and provided you with several recipes and meal suggestions to get you started.  Check it out!

Here are links to other posts where I have discussed nutrition.  They are worth a second view if you are serious about flexible dieting as an option.

Carbs:   The first in a two-part series dedicated to carbs.  What are they?  Why do we need them?

Carbs 2:  Part two.  WHY are carbs such a struggle?  What's good?  What's better?  What's best when consumed sparingly?

Flexible Dieting Basics:  A basic explanation of flexible dieting...how tracking calories and macronutrients has been the most successful way for me to lose weight and keep it off.

Tracking Calories with MFP:  Some features of MyFitnessPal (MFP) explained.  This post has some tricks of the trade.

Foods to Try:  These are foods I try to always keep on hand and a couple recipes too.

Cravings:  Some tips on how to stave off and handle cravings when they hit.  

Wonder Woman:  I explain how I got the nickname "Wonder Woman" by tracking all my calories and macronutrients.  I give a brief explanation of macros here.

A Calorie is Not a Calorie:  This post talks about the different effect foods have on you.

Questions for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

What's your favorite crock pot meal?  Do you practice meal prep?  How successful is it for you?

Now:  Subscribe to new posts!  When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out.  I promise:  no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone.  Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.  

Follow me on Instagram:  @tracoleman99

Secret to Success

Our weight loss challenge at work is under way.  It's been a nice way to promote team work and collegiality.  I have been doing what I can to support my colleagues with information about nutrition and sharing my “secrets to success.”

People always ask me "What did you do?"  "Can you help me?"

The most important thing you can do to lose weight is to track your food.  I can’t begin to tell you the difference this has made for me.  If you are not currently tracking your food – through calories or Weight Watchers or another system, I strongly recommend you do that.  It’s the best way to see your eating trends and probably the only way someone can help you if you need it.  I track calories using MyFitnessPal.  I wrote about how to use MyFitnessPal here:   Flexible Dieting Basics and Tracking Calories with MFP.  

I know, however that not everyone is ready to track calories and can’t be bothered with Weight Watchers points.  Even if you are tracking calories, this post is for you!!!

The two most important things I have learned about nutrition:

ONE:  You MUST read nutrition labels! Look specifically at the following: calories, protein grams, fat grams and carbohydrates. (Fiber is good to look at too, but if you're just getting started, don't think too much about that just yet.)

When looking at the nutrition facts, consider if the food is worth the calories? Is it worth the fat grams? Is it worth the carbs?

For example, look at these two granola products:

Each one’s serving size contains 10 grams of protein, 3 grams fiber and a minor difference in fat grams (4.5 vs. 5).  However, the serving size of the Nature Valley granola is ½ cup, containing 210 calories and 32 grams of carbohydrates.  The serving size of Bear Naked granola is ¼ cup, with only 130 calories and 13 grams of carbohydrates.  Even if you double the serving size of the Bear Naked granola to make it equal, that doubles the fiber and protein, making it a Win / Win product.  I put granola in my yogurt, so ¼ cup is more than enough for me.

TWO:  PROTEIN!!!  You want to make sure you have enough protein in your diet.  Unless you have a kidney problem you should aim for at least 100 grams of protein per day.  I don’t eat a snack or a meal unless it has at least 15 grams of protein in it.  If it doesn't, think to yourself, "How can I get more protein into this meal (snack)?"   Protein helps to stabilize your blood sugar, promotes muscle growth, it helps to sustain your appetite longer.

My go-to sources of protein are:

Chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken

Ground turkey

Protein Powder (I use whey protein.  I buy it at Costco.)

Cottage cheese

Egg whites
Eggs

Feta cheese (I add ½ oz. to a salad or to an egg frittata)

Fish – salmon, haddock, tuna

Lean ground beef

Did I say chicken?

I buy 10 lbs. of chicken breasts from the local meat market.  I rinse and cut the chicken into portions, then marinade it in Italian dressing for 1 - 2 hours.  I cook all of the chicken on the grill (even in January).  When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, I take it inside, and wrap the chicken and then put it in a ziplock freezer bag.  I store the cooked chicken in my freezer.  I use it for lunches and dinner throughout the month.  It's a life saver!

Other protein sources include nuts, seeds and beans (legumes), but these also include a significant amount of fats (nuts) and Carbs (legumes), so you have to be mindful of those in consideration for the amount of protein these contain.

I wrote about protein on my blog here: Protein

There are several products which are supplemented with protein:  cereals, oatmeal, granola, and bread.  Anything that has 10 or more grams of protein in it is worth looking at.  Pay attention to the labels.  You want to be careful of anything that seems high in calories.   

Final thoughts:  

If you are trying to lose weight, start reading about nutrition, educate yourself. Many people have been overly and mis-educated about food from different nutritional programs they have followed.

We are told that certain foods are bad, or that you should only eat some foods in combination with other foods.  In my humble opinion, the only “bad” foods are white bread and things which are high in refined sugar.  White bread really has no nutritional value whatsoever, although I do eat garlic bread when we eat Italian.  During cycling season, I will eat a PB and Jelly Sandwich on white bread right before a long bike ride.  As far as sugar goes, it's in everything, so you need to read your labels and be aware of how much sugar you are consuming!

I recommend that you disregard what you think you know and start to read and learn more from reliable nutrition sources.  To further educate myself about nutrition, I subscribe to both BodyBuilding.com and MyFitnessPal for their weekly articles. They include helpful information about both exercise and nutrition. I've also picked up several recipe ideas from MyFitnessPal. 

If you hear or read something telling you to not eat an entire food group ... that you must buy their product for guaranteed weight loss .. if you have to write lengthy notes to remember what you're supposed to do ... or refer to a book to follow it, it’s probably not for you.  The reason I follow flexible dieting is because you really can eat what you want, as long as you stick to your calories and try to stay within your daily macros (carbohydrates, protein and fat).

It's practice. As you read labels and start thinking about how to get more protein into your diet, you will get better and better at it. You will start to become smart about what you eat and you will understand how your nutritional choices affect you.   Some foods affect me differently at different times of the day. For example, I can't eat a bagel for breakfast. It carb loads me too early and sets me into a tail spin of hunger that lasts all day.  But if I am out on the run, need lunch and don’t have time to sit down for a salad, I will grab a multi-grain bagel at Dunkin Donuts for lunch and eat a protein bar from my emergency stash.  In the late morning or afternoon, a bagel doesn’t disrupt my blood sugar the same way as in the morning,

So, read your labels and make sure you are getting enough protein!

Here are links to other posts where I have discussed nutrition.  They are worth a second view if you are serious about flexible dieting as an option.

Carbs:   The first in a two-part series dedicated to carbs.  What are they?  Why do we need them?

Carbs 2:  Part two.  WHY are carbs such a struggle?  What's good?  What's better?  What's best when consumed sparingly?

Nutrition 101:   I talk about meal prep and give examples of the food I eat on a daily basis.

Wonder Woman:  I explain how I got the nickname "Wonder Woman" by tracking all my calories and macronutrients.  I give a brief explanation of macros here.

A Calorie is Not a Calorie:  This post talks about the different effect foods have on you.

Question for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

What's on the menu for today?  Anything good?

Now:  Subscribe to new posts!  When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out.  I promise:  no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone.  Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.  

Follow me on Instagram:  @tracoleman99

When Doubt Creeps In

I am SOOOOOOOOO incredibly excited!!  We are having a "Biggest Loser" challenge at my school to start the New Year off. What is super fantastic is that 49 people signed up for the challenge!  Forty-nine staff!!!  The group ranges from teachers, paraprofessionals, clerks, custodians, school nurses, athletic trainers and even our school administration is involved!

Yahoo!!!!

Last week was Week One.  Today was the day of truth when everyone weighed in for the first time.  The nurses are doing the weigh-in's, so I only know what people report to me themselves.  I am encouraged.  I had some very positive feedback.

I want to share a story with you.

One lady needs to lose over 100 lbs. She told me, "Tracey, I lost 7 lbs."
My response:  "Awesome!  I'm so happy for you!  That's fantastic! Keep up the good work!"
And she answered, "I just need to believe because nobody else does - my husband, kids or relatives don't really think that I will one day lose all the weight...I still have big hope."

Awwwww!!!

This got me to thinking about my own journey...and yours...

The doubt and the judgement of others really plays a huge factor in our success or failure.  BUT, we can choose whether we want to listen to them or not.  We MUST develop our own mantra to keep us motivated, to keep us focused.  Because the moment we listen to the naysayers, when we give into our own fear of failure, we will surely fail.  To overcome this, we MUST maintain our focus on our goals.  We MUST believe in ourselves.  We MUST tell ourselves, "I can do this!"




This post is dedicated to my friend at work and to others like her, who have started the journey and need a whole lot of self-confidence and encouragement along the way.

You CAN do this!

Make this your mantra!

You must know that there will be setbacks along the way.  You will experience failure.  BUT these setbacks and failures do not make YOU a failure.  Consider each one a learning experience.  You can do this!!  Doubt will come in and take over if you allow it.

Couldn't say it better myself.

I think I can...I think I can...I can!  I know I can!

Two years ago I weighed 232 lbs.  I endeavored to lose weight and change my life.  It took me a while to find my path, to figure out what I needed to do to be successful.  But I did it!!!  When others doubt you, just ignore them, go out and accomplish your dreams.  You can do it!

July, 2013

Christmas, 2015

Question for you: 

(Answer in the comment section below.)

What do you tell yourself to keep yourself motivated?

Now:  Subscribe to new posts!  When a new post is added, you will receive an email notice so you can check it out.  I promise:  no SPAM and I won't share your email address with anyone.  Look at the top right side of the page to subscribe.  

Follow me on Instagram:  @tracoleman99