Now I know [...]]]> I am losing weight.  As of today, from my very heaviest, I have lost twenty pounds. For years I was desperate to lose. I honestly started a new diet every monday morning.  When I heard of someone succeeding in losing weight, I would search for their “secret” to weight loss success.

Now I know the secrets and I will share them with you.

1. Every single choice you make, matters. 

2. When you think you can’t do any more, try harder.

I often tell my kids, big choices matter but the constant little choices pave your destiny. So here is is: every bite you take matters. Every time you choose to exercise or not, matters. There is alot of power in this, so choose wisely.

I am on the South Beach Diet. It really doesn’t matter which eating program you try, what matters is that you stick to it with every single choice.  Losing weight is hard work.  I’ve been at this for months, and now I can honestly say it is much easier, but I still make every single choice count.

Secondly, exercise is critical so I concentrate on exercising every day I possibly can. Yesterday I swam. I was so tired. But I swam anyway. When I started swimming, the thought of swimming fifty laps was daunting. But I kept at it, lap by lap and eventually the fifty were finished.

When you think you can’t do any more, push a bit harder. I think of this when I do crunches, or push ups. Ten more, or five more, or even one more…do the little bit extra. Surprise yourself. You really can do this.

I have more to lose. It has been alot of work …alot of work.

But it has been worth it!

God Bless You on Your Weight Loss Journey!

One year later my weight [...]]]> When I lived in Norway we almost never ate fast food. When we moved back to the U.S  I was thrilled to discover the dollar menu at fast food restaurants. Fast, cheap, and easy! I ordered the chicken sandwich for the girls and for me…we were good to go.

One year later my weight was up by 15 lbs. During a nutrition class I discovered that my healthy chicken sandwich contained 376 calories. I am not proud to say I could eat one is about three bites.

I realized that I most often made poor eating choices because I wasn’t prepared. When I was hungry I‘d eat whatever was quick and cheap and there is an abundance of fast, unhealthy and cheap food around.  One quick run through a drive through can ruin a day of healthy eating. Our moods can also cause us to make poor eating choices. How often have found comfort in food when you’ve been stressed, frustrated, or bored.

So here is it. The best way to avoid bad eating is having good, healthy food at your fingertips. In other words, be prepared.

Keep high protein bars in your car but be sure to check the labels. Some protein bars are just candy bars in disguise. Look for high protein about 10 grams, and high fiber about 4 to 5 grams for around 200 calories.  Keep apples and carrots at work. Make them easy and ready to grab at home, at work, and in the car.

Count to ten, eat an apple and sip some water before you get into the fast food line. It is easy to mistake thirst for hunger. All of this gives you a moment to slow down and think. We don’t think as well when we are hungry or thirsty.

Eating something every two to three hours during the day has to benefit. First, you never get really hungry. Second, eating frequently keeps your metabolism charged up.

Ok, even with the best made plans there will be times you have to eat out or eat fast food.  But here it comes again….be prepared. Get familiarize yourself with the menus at fast food places so the best choices are at the tip of your tongue. When eating in a restaurant get the grilled meat option. Ask for a sweet potato over a baked potato (hold the butter and brown sugar), ask for low calorie salad dressing …on the side. Clear soups over cream soups, don’t let the waitress leave the bread basket. Choose fish as often as you can.

If you’ve armed yourself with healthy options before hunger hits you’ll most likely make better choices when you stomach starts growling!

Use the power of preparedness to keep your day of eating healthy. A pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure.

Amy!

Words of Wisdom

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go for

that. Because what the world needs is people whohave come alive.”

Harold Whitman Thurman