Hello everyone!


Today I start Meta Abcentric, and this morning I took measurements and weight. (look to the right!)


The only exercise I really did was walk daily and stretch, and since May 23 (about 2 weeks ago?) I lost 4.75 inches and 11.1 pounds!


*Yay!* 


I knew I was feeling smaller, but I thought it was just in my head.




Ok, off to work and do my workouts, and I will check back in tonight!!!




Have a great Monday!

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow I am going to once again begin my Metamorphosis journey.

I am also going to start doing what I did before- drinking a shake in the morning. I still have my Tracy shakes and Clean shakes left, along with some frozen blackberries and a myriad of fresh blueberries and strawberries in the fridge.  I also have 5 think thin peanut butter bars and a box of dark chocolate on the way. (I heard they are to die for).  I figured I might as well use these, I WAS losing weight eating/drinking them and it would be a horrible waste of money to let it go.

I also need to really crack down on gluten. I am always reading up on gluten sensitivity and obesity.  Here is what I read this evening:

"In order for your metabolic rate to be normal and burn the calories you take in, adequate nutrition needs to come into the body and be absorbed by your cells. In our country, where food is very available, consumption isn’t usually the problem. Absorption however can often be. Here’s how:

Remember that gluten sensitivity causes malabsorption due to the damage it creates in the small intestine.

If the food goes into your mouth but never adequately arrives at your cells; your cells are essentially starving.

When the cells are inadequately fed they tell the body to lower its metabolic rate.

This results in a person who while not overeating continues to gain weight. Their body just doesn’t efficiently burn what it consumes but instead “holds on” to it.

The stress of the cells being “starved” causes this decreased metabolic rate and is one of the reasons those suffering from gluten sensitivity suffer from obesity.

The good news is that the situation is resolvable. Properly identifying gluten sensitivity and removing gluten from the diet allows the small intestine to heal. Once healed, nutrients again begin to be absorbed properly and the cells, now receiving adequate nutrition, increase the metabolic rate and weight loss ensues."

So for me, calories in, calories out is not enough.  I may eat enough calories but my body may not be absorbing what I need.  I really do not eat much for an obese person.  I eat normal portions most of the time but they usually are not gluten free. 

So, I will be hopefully starting off on the right foot tomorrow. Wake up, drink my shake, do my Meta, go to work, eat lunch, come home, dinner. 

Have a great night everyone and I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Grilling Without Getting Fat

Hello everyone!




It's summer, which is grill season.  A big fear a lot of dieters have when it comes to going to barbecues is that eating at one will make them gain weight and hinder their weight loss efforts. 


I found an article that gives 10 tips on how to grill healthier. 

"Healthy Grilling Tip #1: Don't fear red meat

In 2010 a study in the New England Journal of medicine found that the most effective diet to lose weight is a diet that is high in protein and low in carbs.  Another plus about protein is that since your body takes longer to digest it, you stay fuller longer than if you were to have eaten carbs.  When grilling, choose leaner cuts of beef like flank or other lean cuts. 

Healthy Grilling Tip  #2: Switch to whole grain buns

3A study in 2008 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that diets high in whole grains result in lower body fat than diets high in refined grain.  

Healthy Grilling Tip #3: Add spice

For fat loss, the best spices are chili and cayenne pepper. In 2011, the Journal of Food Science and Nutrition found that capsaicin (what gives peppers their spice) helped weight loss in overweight rats.   It has also been seen to reduce appetite, raise metabolism and reduce inflammation.

Healthy Grilling Tip #4: Upgrade your barbecue sauce

Americans on average eat way too much sugar- on average, 22 teaspoons a day. When it comes to your barbecue sauce, be careful.  Kraft original gets 80% of its calories from sugar.  Look for sauces with no added sugar, or one that does not have sugar as one of its first ingredients.  A lower sugar option- Stubb's Original. 

Healthy Grilling Tip  #5: Toss fish on the grill

A 2011 Turkish study found that grilled fish has the highest levels of protein compared to fried, baked, or microwaved fish.  Avoid the fish that is already wrapped and go to the fish counter.  The fish will be fresher and better tasting.

Healthy Grilling Tip #6: Read meat nutrition labels

Until recently, it was not required to show nutrition information on meat.  Recently, the USDA made a law requiring grocers to show nutrition information on 40 common meat cuts, including poultry and ground meats.  Before choosing meat for grilling, give the labels a look to see if they're something you want to be eating.

Healthy Grilling Tip #7: Marinate

If you don't use spices, use marinades. They make cheaper, tougher meats more tender and allow them to be more flavorful like more expensive meats.  Also, research from the Food Science Institute of Kansas State University found that the polyphenols in marinades reduced cancer causing levels in grilled food by 88 percent.

Healthy Grilling Tip #8: Trim fat

By trimming even a little fat off of steak, you can get rid of 100 calories and 16 grams of fat.  Also, your risk of cancer will decrease.  Carcinogens get on the food when excess fat drips into the coals and makes the black smoke that contains them.

Healthy Grilling Tip #9: Fire up your produce

It's well known that higher fruit and vegetable intake usually results in healthier weight, but most people think grilling is for meat only.  Try grilling veggies like asparagus, eggplant, and Brussels sprouts.  Leafy greens can also be grilled.

Healthy Grilling Tip #10: Give your fast-food favorites a healthy makeover

Get creative.  If you have a fast food burger that you like, try making a healthier version at home.  Here's the article's author's example. :

Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger
740 calories
34 g fat (14 g saturated)
1,500 mg sodium

And now, our version:

Grill This, Not That! Cowboy Burger
460 calories
22 g fat (11 g saturated)
850 mg sodium

This burger saves calories right off the bat by switching from traditional fast-food beef to lean ground sirloin or bison, and to kick up the flavor, we rub it down with coffee and chili powder. Instead of onion rings we used fried onions, and that allows us to keep the cheese and bacon while still cutting nearly 300 calories. Trust me, it's way better than anything that comes from a drive-thru window."

So if you are trying to lose weight, don't fear the grill!

For the full article, click here: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/20-fat-burning-secrets-grill?page=1

Hello everyone!


I have again decided to go back to Metamorphosis this week. After reading previous posts and a message from a reader, she had some points.  I never ever made it past bootcamp level 1. I have, however, made it to level 5 of Meta.


All in all I think Meta is better for me, so I will start again this coming week. 

A man loses 370 pounds with Zumba!

Hello everyone!


I came across an article about a 44 year old Neil Burns,  who once weighed 680 pounds and within 2 years, lost 370 of it.  


Did he get surgery? Did he take some other drastic, crazy measure?


No. Good old diet and exercise.


He went from eating 10,000 calories per day in fast food to 1,800 calories per day in healthier choices.  The slowly began exercising, eventually getting into a Zumba class- and he eventually became a Zumba instructor!


He works out twice a day- Weights in the morning and cardio at night.  Together, these burn about 1,000 calories a day.  


However, the journey wasn't easy.  He had some tips:


1. Get a workout buddy to keep accountable. 


2. When you cheat, admit it.


He also has a "skinny list" for motivation- things he has been able to do since losing weight. 

NEIL BURNS' SKINNY LIST

1. be able to sit in a chair with arms

2. fit into a airplane seat with no seat belt extension's

3. walk up and down stairs like everyone else

4. pick something up off the car floor without having to get out of the car

5. lay down flat in bed and not feel like lungs aren't going to collapse

6. fit through a turnstile

7. buy clothes off the rack

8. not being the big fat guy in a group on guys night out

9. not having to stretch out shirts so they will fit

10. knees - ankles - feet not hurting

11. Not hearing "wow" you're big from little kids

12. have a watch that fits without extensions

13. fit into a sports car

14. fit into a booth at a restaurant

15. bending over to pick stuff off the ground

16. being able to see my feet

17. not breaking chairs

18. going to the pool and not wearing a shirt

19. quit being lapped by 80 year old mall walkers

20. being able to tie my shoes when there on my feet

21. doing spin class and not feeling like I got violated

22. go horseback riding

23. fitting into a public rest room

24. walking on the beach at sun set

25. being able to play sports with my son

26. brushing my teeth without losing my breath

27 walking into Walmart

28. walking to mail box

29. not being stared at

30. being able to look at myself in the mirror

31. feel worthy of love

32. using a vacuum cleaner

33. being able to do laundry standing up

34. being able to unload and load the dish washer standing

35. going hiking

36. not having strangers taking pictures of me  (Really?  People can really be cruel!!!) 

37. being able to walk thru a door way without going sideways

On a day where I needed motivation, this was a good article for me to read. 


If you want to read it too, click here: http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/man-loses-370-pounds-old-fashioned-way-reclaims-100129123--abc-news-health.html

Bleh.

Hello everyone!




Today I really am feeling totally frickin blah. It's been raining, cold and dreary for the past 2 days, and all I've been wanting to do is lay in bed all day.




Not guaranteeing a workout today but I would try to at least do something, I don't know. I also have not been sleeping well and as I type this I want to close my eyes and put my head on the desk. Also my right foot is bothering me again. No bueno.


How do you get over the blah days when they are REALLY blah like this one?

Losing the weight not enough?

Hello everyone!




As most of us already know, society does not look kindly upon obese women in general. How about when the obese women lose the weight? Do they get treated any better?


An article I read says "not really."


According to the article, a study was done where young men and women were asked to read about different women- some who have lost 70 pounds, some who were thin their whole lives, some who were at an average weight, and those who are currently obese. 


They then asked the subjects their opinions on the women in various aspects, including their attractiveness.  


"We were surprised to find that currently thin women were viewed differently depending on their weight history,"  Janet Latner of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said. "Those who had been obese in the past were perceived as less attractive than those who had always been thin, despite having identical height and weight."


Women who had lost weight in general also were looked down  upon compared to women who had stable weights, even if the stable-weighted woman was currently obese. 


So this goes to show how strong the anti-obesity attitude is, even toward people who did something about it.  I think it's terrible, as if once you gain weight, you're labeled for life even if you make changes.




What do you think about this article? How do you feel about people who were once obese?


Source: http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/once-obese-women-still-face-stigma-study-finds