Tuesday Weigh-In: A Mixed Bag

Yesterday afternoon, I made it a point to watch Oprah's interview with six people who accepted the 2008 BestLife Challenge.

"Everyone had different results from a weight loss standpoint. But I think across the board, everyone here had a revelation inside and made some changes," trainer Bob Greene said. "It's more about inside. If you start to [think], 'Oh, I'll be happy when I'm this weight,' that's when problems start because one of two outcomes: You never reach that weight and you're not happy, or you reach that weight and realize it had nothing to do with your happiness." Good advice.

Well, my own computer trainer is red-faced this morning because I didn’t meet my exercise goals for the week. I admit: bad planning on my part.

Although I walked the neighborhood regularly, I shaved extra minutes from my schedule by not going to the gym every day. Not a very good excuse, actually, when I promised to make exercise a daily priority. And after doing a little clothes shopping earlier this week, I can see why I need to keep exercise a daily priority!

The good news is we’re still celebrating a three-pound and 1.75-inch loss this week (go figure!) bringing the Healthy You Challenge totals since January 15 to 47 pounds and 39.75 inches.

BMI: Start 33.9 /Current 26.3 /Goal 23.4 or less
(D-a-n-g, this thing goes down slowly!)

Waist-to-hip ratio: Start .94 /Current .83 /Goal .80 or less
(At least we’re still making progress!)

Beginning Friday, I’ll be on the road again - for nearly two months! Back to the hotel fitness centers!

Bob Greene's Cure for Emotional Eating

Fitness expert Bob Greene acknowledges emotional eating is a common way we sabotage our efforts to keep off the weight we have worked so hard to lose. Here's his remedy:

"Draw a large circle on a blank sheet of paper," he says. "Divide the circle into several sections so it resembles a sliced pie. Each section represents an area you feel is an integral part of a fulfilled life, such as career, family, health, fitness, friendship, romance, finance, relationships, etc. Aim for at least six categories and write them in each pie slice.

"Next, ask yourself how everything is going in that area — and be brutally honest. Going well, write a positive sign; not so well, make a negative sign. Examine the slices with a negative sign. How could you improve that area? What is something you can do every day to stimulate positive change? Write at least one item in each section that you can do right now to improve that category, and then commit yourself to it...

"People who struggle with weight gain often want instant gratification," he concludes. "But if you're patient and take small steps every day, the results can be powerful. If you can consistently do at least one thing daily to change a negative to a positive, I promise that powerful change will occur in your life after one year. If you can do three things daily you won't recognize your former life. The philosophy is similar to losing weight. If you eat healthy and exercise, you don't feel any change on a day-to-day basis. Yet, you can look back a year later and see a profound transformation. You'll also discover that since you addressed negative feelings about a relationship or money worries, your emotional eating episodes have vanished."

Making random lists, then prioritizing daily tasks keeps my mind out of the fridge and on productive action. Whenever I feel disorganized, I recognize my tendency to pick up food. Instead, I pick up a pencil and a pad of paper.

What works for you?

HYC Weigh-In

Without the Bestlife program and the support of my Healthy You Challenge blogger-buddies, I would have been mortified to run into a high school classmate, as I did Thursday night. That's when I learned our 35th class reunion is scheduled only 10 days from today!!

Right now, I'm only 20 pounds heavier than my high school weight, and hardly anyone at the reunion will know the details below, which have transpired since January 15:

* Total weight lost: 44 pounds (two pounds this week)
* Total inches lost: 38 inches (one inch this week)
* BMI: Starting 33.9 / Current 26.8 / Goal 23.4 or less
* Waist-to-hip Ratio: Starting .94 / Current .84 / Goal .80 or less

The good part is that this time, I didn't lose the weight to prepare for an event. I changed my lifestyle because I wanted to, because I needed to, and because I was ready. And that feels a whole lot different than trying to impress someone else.

Chickens, Choices and Chance Meetings

The first day of the north Louisiana culinary trail presented a few challenges - mostly because of limited food choices.

Our first stop was for lunch at Big Mama's, an off-the-beaten-path restaurant where southern-style soul food is served in portions big enough for two grown men! Salads? None. Fried food, gravies, starches and desserts? Plenty!

After carefully peeling off my fried chicken skin, other folks at the table gobbled it up like hungry baby birds in a nest. My two sides of baby limas plus okra and tomatoes were the healthiest choices on the cafeteria buffet. But talk about good!!

By mid-afternoon, we were sampling fresh strawberries at the West Monroe Farmer's Market. Just across the street, Daily Harvest Bakery features huge freshly-ground whole grain cookies, all naturally sweetened, and none with more than 200 calories.

Last night, we were guests at the local university for Wine Over Water, a fundraising event where guests stroll a bridge spanning a bayou while sampling wine and hors d'oeuvres from local restaurants.

Luckily, I found a tray of fresh fruit at one station. Not far away, Dilla's restaurant - dubbed a fresh Mexican grill - handed out samples of chicken tortilla soup, made with whole wheat, lard-free and trans fat-free ingredients.

But the biggest surprise of all came when a former high school classmate said, "Has anybody gotten in touch with you about our 35th class reunion on June 6? Last I heard, nobody knew your new last name or where you moved."

I didn't attend my 10-year reunion because I was in the hospital having a baby. By the 20th, I was just going through a divorce. By the 30th, I was too fat to be comfortable. But NOW?! You betcha!
I called DH last night, and we're ON!



Here's me before Healthy You Challenge. (You'll notice nearly every picture of the less-healthy me has nearly half of me hidden!) Check out that chin!

Evangelists and Ambassadors

As a young mother, I homeschooled my son - an only child - as well as six other preschoolers. When the other children grew into kindergarten age, they left and were replaced by new preschoolers; however, we continued to homeschool Wayne until the sixth grade.

As teaching parents, one of the first lessons we learned was how much a child's behavior is influenced by the early training he receives at home. We found that most parents innocently waited too late to begin disciplining their precious ones - thinking that "until they can understand words," the process is premature.

Can I brag for a minute? Having had our 14-month old grandson in the house all week for his first stay-alone visit, we could tell within the first few hours how well he has already been trained by his parents, Lauren and Wayne. One quiet command, "Hands off, please," and Trey obeys, period. Each time he finishes eating, he makes sounds (not words) similar to the inflection of 'thank you.' When it's to go to sleep, he lies down without a fuss. Every time.

My housekeeper was truly amazed, saying, "I can't wait to tell my daughter about this. She's been hesitant to have children because the only ones she's ever been around are curtain climbers."

How spectacular will it be when we see a generation of children who are not obese, but are genuinely healthy because parents and educators cooperate to train young children to prefer wholesome foods over fast food, and who prefer to be active over sitting around watching television?!

We who were once couch potato converts are now evangelists for active lifestyles, ambassadors for healthy living. Who is watching you?

6th Wedding Anniversary Dinner

Yesterday we talked about how developing an attitude of gratitude is the first step to expressing thanks.

Last night, DH and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary at home with romantic music and dinner by candlelight. Our healthy meal consisted of a baby spinach salad with fresh strawberries and slivered almonds, then drizzled with light Asian sesame dressing, followed by a six-ounce beef tenderloin filet accompanied with baby lima beans, julienned sweet potatoes sauteed in a balsamic reduction sauce, and iced tea. (As part of the centerpiece, I used the figurines from our wedding cake. Notice the golf club at the feet of the groom in the picture above.)

Want to share the moment? Here's a short video of me reading the card from DH, followed by a video of DH reading the card from me. (Nope, he is not lying down at the table. I had the camera turned the wrong way!)

Talk about grateful! I do love my DH and am SO proud of his losing 22 pounds since January 15. Please remember us this afternoon when we visit a surgeon to discuss options to having DH's gall bladder removed.

$25 Restaurant Gift Certificate for $5

Everybody likes a good deal, especially if you don't have to cook it!

Go to this website , check out participating restaurants in your area, then use the discount code VOTE to get your $25 restaurant gift certificate for $5.

I just bought one for Cajun Boilers,
a local restaurant that features
boiled shrimp, blackened fish and other
BestLife-approved entrees.

Ahhhh....sweet inspiration!

Fruit and Veggie Guru

One of the best ways to create a sense of well being is to put top-grade fuel in your tank each day. After all, you are what you eat. Proper nutrition not only keeps you raring to go, it also helps to fight off diseases.

DH's idea of eating more vegetables would stack up on a plate like this: beans and rice, corn on the cob and potato salad.

If you need a little help figuring out creative ways to package healthy fruits and veggies for your family, try the Fruit and Veggie Guru.

Develop Right Thinking: Conscious I.D.

Strangled by a case of laryngitis today, I am more conscious of the conversations romping through my brain.

In Chapter Four of
The Ultimate Weight Solution:
The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom,Dr. Phil recommends we filter all interal dialogue
through these four questions:

1. Is the internal dialogue

TRUE?

2. Does your internal dialogue

SERVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS?

3. Does your internal dialogue

PROTECT AND ADVANCE YOUR HEALTH?

4. Is your internal dialogue

HELPING YOU ACHIEVE YOUR
WEIGHT-MANAGEMENT GOALS?

Good medicine for everyday use.

How to Figure Your Jean Size

Our speaker at Rotary yesterday said, "Unless you can measure it, you can't monitor it." Although she was suggesting ways to improve our "green" architecture, I related her comment to how to improve your body's architecture from a BestLife article archive: "Write what you bite."

(By the way, my pedometer and food scale arrived yesterday!)

Over at Blog Fabulous, Tracee introduces a relatively painless non-numerical measuring tool to help you find the brand of jeans that will fit you best using the online tool, Zafu.com.

Did it work as well for you as it did for Tracee and me?