Avoiding Relapse By Taking It Easy

This week I decided it didn't make much sense to put myself at risk for a relapse so I am keeping my workout to the gym (outside is too cold right now) and monitoring my eating more closely to make sure I maintain my weight.  I weighed myself the other day and was closer to 110 lbs than to 115 lbs despite not exercising as much.  I must be unconsciously monitoring my calorie intake, because I am not focusing on it.  I also have a dental procedure scheduled for next week and want to be fully recovered otherwise I risk complications or need to reschedule.  It is difficult, but because I have been consistent with my workout and nutrition I can recover from this setback much more quickly, so I don't feel guilt or pressure.

Simple Adjustment for Weight Loss #10 - Weigh yourself daily

The best way to keep focused on weight loss/maintenance is by keeping in your sight daily. Not only does weigh daily keep you aware but also signals you when weight is creeping on so that you can take immediate action. Remember, your body will fluctuate daily and your goal is to monitor the trend - up, down, level. Check this by looking at a 7-10 day pattern; it will be obvious what you need to do with your eating management by using this tool to collect objective data.

Simple Adjustment for Weight Loss # 9 - Find encouragement daily

According to Judith S. Beck, PhD it helps to look for "worth it" moments that motivate you to continue to maintain your healthy habits. Whether it's sneaking in a workout, avoiding the office birthday cake, or sharing a dessert with friends versus having your own--these all provide you proof that your efforts are successful--keep it up!

Slight Changes in HIIT

This week I have moved into the next level of HIIT—30/60 second intervals, for 8 rounds.  So I will be doing about an 8:12 mile for 30 seconds followed by a 9:30 mile as a recovery.  This first week I will do 8 rounds for a total of 15 minutes after each of my metabolic resistance training sessions.  On my off days, I am doing a lower level HIIT with 5 minute high intensity followed by a 3 minute recovery on the stair climber machine; totaling 45 minutes.  I haven’t been doing walks or any other cardio other than my yoga each afternoon.  I am concentrating on eating six meals a day with a balance of protein, carb, and fats at each as well as maintaining a high level protein.  Right now, I am maintaining my weight at about 114 and I will try to bring that down to a consistent 110 by the end of the year—with much more muscle—I need to find my baseline (which last year was around 22%) and would like to bring that below 20%.

Technorati Tags: Building Lean Muscle Mass

Simple Adjustment for Weight Loss #8 - Don't be so hard on yourself

Anyone who has maintained their weight over a significant period of time knows that there are "slip-ups". The moment where you overeat, binge, gain that extra pound and it wasn't what you planned. Don't waste time beating yourself up - focus on getting back on track before a significant amount shows on the scale!

Simple Adjustment for Weight Loss #7 - Go slowly at meals

You have heard this time and time again--your body doesn't register "fullness" for about 20 minutes. So wolfing down your meal sets you up for overeating. Make sure you sit down at a table (not your desk, car, or kitchen counter) and take each bite with intention. This will help you feel full and satisfied and not reaching for the after meal sweet.

Simple Adjustment for Weight Loss #5 - Cut out refined grains and sugar

According to Men's Health, 96% of their Belly Off! participants used this strategy to lose weight. They eliminated empty-calorie junk foods from their diet (think of Twinkies, Cheetos, white bread, candy, soda, etc.). These all have high sugar or fast-absorbing carbs that raise your blood sugar quickly--this cycle eventually leads to hunger which sabotages your healthy eating efforts. Consider any "packaged" goods suspect and use the strategy of "steps" away from the actual food. Fruits, vegetables, nuts are all direct. Potato chips are at least 2-3 steps away from the actual potato -- better to have it baked than fried. Cheetos don't even have an originating food group! Use your best judgment in any situation you find yourself and you will be on your way to successful weight management.

Fat Loss Nutrition

Regarding nutrition, I am following my resistance training with a protein shake (extra calories) and changing my breakfast to increase the protein balance.  I am working on balancing all meals to the 40/30/30 (carb/proteins/fats) with extra protein on resistance days.  The trick is getting in the amount of protein (1 gram per weight) without going over the calorie requirements.  Based on the calculations (from the book), I am allotted about 1700 calories on “off” and close to 2000 calories on “on” days.  Since weight loss isn’t my main goal, I am tending to stay with the higher calories and will re-evaluate this at the end of the first two weeks.  If I start to see a pattern of weight creeping up, I will lower my calorie intake.  I will try and get use of the “fat %” calculator at my gym – electronic resonance – and do a baseline.  Right now, my weight is in the 112-115 range and if I recall correctly, my % fat was in the high teens—wishful thinking?  I’ll get back to you with the numbers as soon as they are available.  Next up, Workout B.

Technorati Tags: Weight Loss,Lean Muscle,Fat Percentage

Simple Adjustment for Weight Loss #3 - Add more protein

Putting protein into every meal helps build and maintain lean muscle mass and as we have mentioned in previous posts, lean muscle burns more calories than fat does. Overall, research has continued to support the idea that a balance at each meal (40% carb, 30% protein, and 30% fat) not only facilitates increased metabolism but also maintain blood sugar balance throughout the day--meaning you won't be as tempted by cravings. There are easy ways to add protein to any meal (non-fat dairy products, eggs, lean meats, legumes, and nuts), so start packing it on!

Weight Loss Simple Adjustment #2 Eat Breakfast

New research indicates that skipping breakfast may trick your brain into craving higher-calorie foods (Sept/Oct Weight Watchers Magazine, page 20). So, regardless of your excuse (not enough time, not hungry, don't like breakfast) you need to eat something! Make time for breakfast by planning ahead and having breakfast food at your work desk; cereals, breads, and fruits can all be stashed in your cubicle. If you are not hungry, choose something light and nutritious such as yogurt and fruit. If breakfast food isn't your thing--eat leftovers from the night before. If you keep on top of breakfast the rest of the day will be easier.

Use Technology for Easier Fitness

There are so many gadgets out there to help you maintain your fitness that it boggles the mind. Not only does the Internet have tons of useful information but now cell phones, laptops, and desktop computers all can help in your efforts to build or maintain your fitness. Calorie Count Mobile will provide calorie information and nutritional breakdown just by texting the name of the food item. Mydigitallist.com provides a grocery list you can access by phone. Log in your workouts and meals in Fit-ify! Exercise and Health Tracker application or sign up for the Yoga Journal Pose of the day and get 3 moves delivered to your email each day. Want to know the distance you ran this morning? Use the MapMyRun program. If you are resourceful, you can find a site or program specifically geared toward your issues. Good luck!

Need to Keep it Fresh

My audio post has me lamenting over my lack of progress. After reviewing my situation more closely, I am feeling more positive. Yes, I did lose about 5 lbs on vacation as a result of restricted calorie intake. Coming home and gaining the weight over the course of another 2 weeks was disappointing but understandable as I did increase my activity level but increase my caloric intake more. There probably is a balance there that I need to explore -- eating an appropriate amount of calories for my activity level. Just like portion distortion, you can overestimate the impact of your workouts as it relates to calorie expenditure. My guess is I can probably reduce my calorie intake and increase my workout intensity by small increments until I start seeing the weight go down again. My dilemma is trying to determine a realistic weight goal that would still allow for a good proportion of muscle/fat. As I work on that challenge, I will continue the same workout this week but plan to make some changes based on my next 30-minute workout challenge.

Mid-Way--How's the Weather?

Weekly Review September 13th

Keeping Sound Nutrition

Most people use vacation as an opportunity to overeat -- you want to do whatever you feel like doing. I have found that my healthy lifestyle goes with me wherever I go. Camping puts you in the position of doing your own cooking which decreases your likelihood of overeating. Yes, it means we have to stop at the store more often but that doesn't take much more time than sitting down for a fast food meal or going into a restaurant. This doesn't mean I don't indulge in the local cuisine, it means I am going to wait for the best options. Since this trip is in the US, there won't be too many exotic foods or items specific to the area. So, I continue to eat salad (packaged varieties plus pre-cut veggies), stay away from too many sweets, and usually the option of having ice cream is limited (doesn't stay well in a cooler!).

First Week of Trip

Weekly Review September 6th

On The Road

Well, I should be at my friend's in Indiana and hopefully no snafus. Visiting friends is fun but can also pose obstacles to healthy eating. I try to be accommodating to my hosts tastes but I won't go too far away from what I normally eat. If necessary, I can always have a small portion of the local cuisine, even if it is fried. Again, knowing ahead of time what to expect is helpful and the meals for the day before and after can be altered to offset any splurges. You can't expect not to forgo the local flavors when on a trip but you can always control the portions.

Nothing New in Food Matters

I have been reading Mark Bitman's book Food Matters and it doesn't really provide any new information about healthy eating. As usual, someone who hasn't been eating correctly becomes unhealthy and "rediscovers" how to eat to combat their previous misbehavior. He then goes on to bash the Food Pyramid and of course all the businesses that produce the abundance of food we currently have available. Sure, big business hypes all the bad foods we eat but ultimately, we are responsible for the choices we make. Mr. Bitman would like you to believe that you are motivated by helping the planet - but really, it's about the ever growing obesity in developed nations. Americans (as well as any other somewhat democratic/capitalistic societies) overindulge, because we can. Individuals use poor judgment despite the presence of information indicating health issues (we still have smokers, don't we?). So, let's put the blame where it belongs -- on the individual -- take responsibility for your actions (be accountable) -- then the big businesses will cater to "healthy" living products. Businesses don't exist in a vacuum - we, as consumers can make a decision whether they remain in business by either buying (or not) their products. Mr. Bitman makes this clear but highlights just a few businesses (such as meat producers) but not all businesses (what about soda companies, cigarette companies, artificial sweeteners, alcoholic beverages, etc.). I agree with his "sane eating" premise, but the rest of his thesis is not well thought out.

Working on Nutrition is Hard

I have been struggling over the past few weeks with how to improve my nutrition. I have mentioned before my issue with saturated fats (beef, half-and-half, ice cream) and with some sodium (pretzels, chips). So over the next couple of weeks I am going to try eating clean and minimize the following: beef (keep it to lean cuts but eat more chicken, fish, beans), alcohol (keep alcohol consumption to 1 drink maximum on Fri-Sun), no chips, pretzels, or salted nuts, keep ice cream to 2x week (mid-week and Sundays). Many people dislike structuring their eating but I have found if I plan my eating ahead of time, I do a better job of maintaining my goals. Planned eating times and specific foods really do make a difference for me. This doesn't mean I can't make changes but it keeps me on track better if I have certain expectations for my eating behaviors. Try this and see if it doesn't work for you (this is a strategy from Judith Beck, PhD): Write down everything you are going to eat for the day (when you will eat them, too) and then mark them off as you eat them or indicate you didn't eat them and what you ate instead. Also add the items that aren't on your schedule that you spontaneously decided to eat. At the end of the day, review your actions. You will be surprised at what you did and didn't eat and when. Use the information to help you structure you eating plan to ensure success.

Low Sodium/Low Cholesterol

Well--I reviewed some of the foods I normally eat that I may need to find another choice because of their sodium and fat:

• Salted Peanuts and Peanut Butter (go with different nuts, change to low-sodium peanut butter or minimize servings)
• Stay away from pickles and olives
• Ready-made salad dressings
• Red meat (eat more chicken, beans, etc.)
• Chips -- go with whole wheat crackers/pita
• Ice Cream -- lower amount weekly
• Canned items (primarily tomatoes or pasta sauce) or processed food items (pretzels, cookies) -- replace with fresh vegetables/fruits as much as possible.
  

Although there are many other high sodium/high fat items, I don't tend to eat them but I do the ones above. So, for the next few weeks I will log in the sodium content of the foods I am eating and work on staying below 2000 mg.

Strength Tip # 4 Lift Three Days a Week

As I have gotten older and tried many different workouts, it still seems that 3 strength training sessions a week promote the most results. This doesn't mean strength training once or twice a week isn't enough (research shows it is enough for maintenance) but if you are trying to meet fitness goals, you can't get away from 3 sessions a week. So, I have become creative and even if I do a full body workout 3 days a week, I will rotate exercises or alternate intensity, otherwise I can't recovery enough to get the full benefits of the 3 days. Since I am usually trying to reach a cardio goal as well, rotating through intensities for both workouts and synchronizing them to work together for best results. Because I do tend to work hard, I need to be more aware of my hydration, nutrition, and sleep. I recently found out my pulse is pretty low (my cardio is working) but my blood pressure is up. Now, I need to focus on nutrition these next 2 weeks as my workouts will be taking a back seat in my schedule. I will be going online to check out diets to lower both cholesterol and high blood pressure.