From Flab to Fab

We started a Biggest Loser Competition at work again this month.  It's a fun thing to do together as a collective - to all be on the same page with health and wellness as our common goal.

My focus right now is on building endurance and strength, so I'm not trying to lose weight.  We have quite a few new people in our school who didn't know me "before."  So they are surprised to hear that I lost a lot of weight.  The question of the week has been, "Tracey, can you help me?"

This post is for you!  I'm going to share the key things I did and continue to do to keep the weight off.  So, how do you get started?  What do you do?  Can you take control over your yo-yo dieting?  Well, the last one is up to you, because you do have to get started first, but the yo-yo dieting stopped for me when I started doing these things.

TRACK YOUR FOOD!

As I have shared before, I track all of my food in MyFitnessPal.  Everything - good and bad.  If I'm trying to lose weight, or burn fat, I adjust my daily macros and caloric intake.  (Macros is short for macronutrients:  protein, carbohydrates and fat.) If for whatever reason, you can't do that or aren't ready just yet, start by writing down everything you eat.  Use a notebook (even try the one in your phone) or something more structured like this food journal I found below:

The reason you want to keep track of what you eat is so you can see trends.  When you eat really light one day, are you super hungry later at night or the next day?  If so, adjust your daily food intake.

DRINK MORE WATER

This is something I still struggle with the most, maybe that and my sweet tooth.  But getting enough water is so important.  If you keep water by your side all the time and sip it throughout the day, you will be less likely to want to eat when you're not really hungry.  How much should you drink?  Everyone has a different answer.  I've read to drink one ounce for every pound you are, 8 glasses per day, or at least a gallon of water per day.  I've even read several times that your coffee and the liquid in your food count towards your daily water intake.  (This I don't believe at all!)  I think there is a fine line.  Drink enough so your urine isn't yellow and your mouth isn't dry.  Just DRINK!

INCREASE VEGGIES and LEAN PROTEIN

One of the people who asked me for help told me that she eats salad for lunch and dinner when she's trying to lose weight.  I don't mind salad, but I don't eat it every day.  In fact, I can't remember the last time I had salad.  Every day I eat plenty of steamed vegetables, veggie omelets, soups with lots of veggies or fresh cut veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers and raw zucchini.   I ALWAYS include protein with my vegetables.  For dinner the other night, I had left over sirloin steak with steamed green beans, steamed asparagus and some cut up tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.  It was very satisfying and tasted great.  I couldn't even eat all the veggies because I was so full.

If you want to eat salad every day, there is no harm in that, but try to spice it up a little.  Try different dressings and proteins with your salads.  One of my favorite salads is shredded carrots, cabbage, and chopped broccoli with left over teriyaki chicken thighs cooked in the crock pot.  I use Ken's Light Asian salad dressing and sprinkle a few sesame seeds over the top.  Try spinach, tomatoes and shrimp or make your own taco salad.  There is a lot you can do to change things up  with your salads.

Make sure you eat PLENTY of protein ALL day.  I recommend at least 25 grams of protein for every meal and a protein rich snack in the morning and again in the afternoon.

For breakfast, try something like this:
2 large eggs, scrambled (12 g protein)
1/2 cup of egg whites (10 g protein)
One slice of whole grain toast (4 g protein).

For lunch, think PROTEIN:
3 1/2 oz. chicken breast (30 g protein)
with home made Vegetable Soup or
make your own salad (hold the cheese, please)

For dinner, think PROTEIN!  Try one of these recipes...
One-Pain Beef Enchiladas  (41 g protein)
Shrimp Burrito Bowl (34 g protein)
Chicken Salad  (34 g protein)
Caprese Chicken and Roasted Broccoli (26 g protein)
Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables (29 g protein)

Protein rich snacks:
Protein Smoothie (*protein depends on your brand of protein)
Protein bars (with at least 20 g protein)
Greek yogurt with two tbsp. granola (12-18 g protein)
3/4 cup Cottage cheese with tomatoes  (20 g protein)
1/2 cup Oatmeal (5 g protein) with protein* added
2 hard boiled eggs (12 g protein)
1 scoop protein powder* (your favorite flavor), with 1 Tbsp. peanut (or nut) butter and a few drops of water (Mix together until it makes a thick pudding type texture.  The peanut butter makes this extra yummy.)

Note, there are a lot of other healthy snack options, I'm just brain storming the ones that are protein rich.

These are just a few ideas to get you started.

CUT OUT (or SEVERELY BACK) on SUGARY SWEETS

This is much harder said than done, I understand.  But for those of us with a sweet tooth, this is our demise.  By increasing your daily protein and healthy fats, you can stave off hunger better.  I keep Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches in my freezer in the basement for the times when I really need something sweet.

MOVE

You need to increase your metabolism so it burns the calories you eat.  To do that, you need to eat, but you also need to move your body.  Pick up a new hobby for this year...try riding your bike, hiking, or swimming.  If you are stuck inside with poor weather right now like I am, just figure out a way to move your body.  Walk around your office every hour, go up and down the stairs as many times as you can.  Make a point to increase your movement.  Using a fitness tracker, such as the one on your phone or a FitBit makes it easier.

Your goal should be to include 1 hour of exercise every day.  I know that seems like a LOT and probably completely out of reach if you are relatively sedentary.  But that's the end goal.  You don't have to start out that way.  I tell people to increase their movement by 10% each week.  So if you're averaging 5,000 steps per day, that's an extra 500 steps each day for next week.  You want to make the most of the time and space you do have. Check out my post 10 Minutes for some suggestions.

Lift Weights

To increase your metabolism, you want to improve your body composition, by decreasing your fat and increasing your muscle mass.  To do that, add resistance training into your routine.

If you don't know how to lift free weights, try the machines at your gym.  A lot of gyms have them set up like a circuit, where you move from one machine to the next.  If you're not sure how to use the machine, ASK someone.  Before you move from one machine to the next, complete 3 sets of 10 repetitions each machine.  That means you would do one exercise for 10 times on the same machine.  Give yourself 30 seconds to two minutes to recover and repeat that two more times, for 3 total sets.   Then go onto the next machine.  Keep in mind, you want to start by keeping the weight LIGHT.  You want to do the exercise with good form or you will not benefit from the exercise and can hurt yourself.  Gradually add weight each week so you can complete the 3 sets.

If you want to learn how to lift free weights properly, try some classes your gym offers or work with a trainer.

Can you do it?  Of course you can!  Come up with a plan.  How will you do it?  What's your strategy?  Then follow through.  You GOT this!  Start by downloading the MyFitnessPal app or use a notebook to keep track of your food.  Then go shopping and load up on all the colors - lots of fruit, vegetables and lean protein options.  Finally, look at your schedule and plan your workouts.  If one day looks busy to you, plan to move your body for at least 10 minutes in the morning, again at lunch and later in the day.  Last but not least, keep your water bottle filled and drink, drink, drink.

Stop the getaway car and take hold of your health today!  You got this!  You do!

I posted this a couple weeks ago.  When I started this journey on January 1, 2014, I weighed 232 lbs. 
I've kept the weight off too. You just have to stick with it!

Tune for your play list:  

Getaway Car by Taylor Swift

Questions for you:  (Answer in the comment section below.)
Are you trying to lose weight?  Have you been on one yo-yo diet after another?  What's different this time?

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