Create Your Habits

So, we have been analyzing what we eat for just over two weeks now. We are paying better attention to what servings sizes are in the portions we are giving ourselves with each meal and snack we consume.

Up to this point we have made absolutely no changes. We have just looked at our diet as it currently is consumed. Hopefully we were able to hold back judgement from this look into our current eating habits. However I recognize that some of you may have already cringed at some things, stopped journaling altogether, or have already started making changes.

It is all okay. Wherever you are at, whatever you are doing, is all okay.

No, seriously it truly is all okay.

It took me 12 years to get to a point where I was able to maintain a consistent weight for over a year.

During this time span I stopped and started making changes several times. I tried this fad diet and that fad exercise program. I got to points where I hated women without curves as much as I hated the fact I had so many of them, too many of them. I tried finding memes and articles that would instill in me a confidence that how I looked didn't matter as much as what is inside.

That statement is true, how you look really does not equate to how beautiful a total person you are. However, even knowing this truth, screaming it from the top of my lungs, sharing it with all my close friends and fat loss buddies, writing articles and leading rituals with this theme, the mirror never seemed to care about this truth.

Knowing the truth did not turn off my desire for fat loss, tone, strength, and some semblance of looking in that mirror with a bit of confidence in the outward beauties reflection of me.

In fact, having the truth did not suddenly change the logic my brain and body worked within either. Sometimes that truth just made it worse. Leading to imperfections on the inside, the core of who I am, that would shine through regardless of my body size and physical perception of beauty.

Not being able to take control of the situation and have some success with it was as big of a black mark on the beauty inside of me as it was an obvious mark on that physical beauty standard I desired.

Fat loss and gaining health in your life is not something that you can just flip a switch and suddenly be magically successful at doing. There are rare cases of people with this kind of discipline and will power, yet most success stories you will be exposed to are riddled with imperfect attempts.

So DO NOT beat yourself up. Just keep trying. That really is enough. Eventually the changes you are making to your "norm" will allow you to be successful in creating health habits that lead to fat loss and an overall physical and mental beauty you can come to appreciate in yourself - regardless of any external stimuli or judgement.

Let's Make Some Habit Changes!

So now comes the real challenging part - making changes.

First off I want you to remind yourself repeatedly and often that is takes 21 days to make a habit and, as you might expect, that means it takes 21 days to break a habit.

Slip up on day 6? What do you do now? Simple!
Move on to day 7 and make or break your habit!

So, whatever changes you apply you HAVE to give yourself at least a month of continually doing them, before you can easily let them go or easily incorporate them into your life.

As I mentioned already, do not beat yourself up if you fail one day. That is never going to get you anywhere. So many people will say, "well I slipped up once, might as well keep on doing it."

Don't be that person.

Instead be the person who says, "shoot, I did not mean to do that. Well, this one slip up isn't throwing me off track!!" Then don't wait to reset and go back to building your new habit, (or letting go of that old one). Instead just jump right back in like nothing ever happened!

BEATING YOURSELF UP IS NEVER THE ANSWER.

It is okay to give in. It is okay to fail. Just don't let it stop you from pushing forward and making the changes you want, or maybe even need, to be healthier!

What Kind of Changes Should I Start With?

Well, here is the part that may be harder for everyone because you are going to have to decide this on your own. Which is why we have been journaling our food consumption, times we eat, and how we feel when eating this past couple weeks.

This journaling of your current diet is now your tool for change!

What you need to do now is review that food journal and find within it habits you want to change. Be they adding something new or getting rid of something old. Look over your journal and see what types of changes you should be making. Some of these will be more obvious than others, for example, if you are not very activate your first goal may be to add 30 minutes of activity to your daily routine. Or, if you do not want to add activity you may realize that because of the low amount of activity you do your carb intake really has to be lessened.

I do have some recommendations I can make on some general changes I believe everyone should make for a healthier self. Changes and new habits that have helped me so much!

Also, if you would like to share your food journal with me and have me offer some suggestions I would be willing to do that no problem. With the understanding that I am not a certified professional anything, I am just offering help based on my personal experiences.

My Healthy Habit Forming Recommendations

Let's start with:

I own this set of WW's
portion sized serving spoons.
They are so helpful!

1. Portion control - We discussed this in last weeks blog-post in which I provided information on how to best estimate the serving sizes within your meal and snack portions.
   
   For a lot of us how much we eat is much more of a significant impact on our overall health than what we eat. Take the time to get serious about being portion aware and not eating more than a serving of any one item you are going to put on your plate.
   
   This will mean creating a habit of weighing and measuring all your meal items. Invest in a cheap scale as well as some pre-measured serving utensils. Weight Watchers has quite a few of them - as do many other places I am sure. It is truly worth it to invest in these tools while you are learning what a real serving of your foods actually looks like.
   
   If you are eating anything from boxes or packages be sure to portion out an actual suggested serving of that item. You will be truly amazed how little food you actually get from these items when you portion yourself out a serving.
   
   Which leads to my next suggestion ...
    
2. Cut out all unnecessarily processed and all packaged foods - Not only will this eliminate tons of unnecessary carbs, sodium, and unnatural ingredients, it also allows you to fully know and understand exactly what is in the food that you are putting into your body.
   
   Sometimes you cannot avoid buying something packaged for example condiments. Yet almost everything else you can avoid being packaged. Personally there are a few items I buy processed and/or packaged still such as whole grain bread, saltine crackers, greek yogurt, cheese, lunch-meat, coffee creamer, 1% milk, fat-free sour cream, and whole grain low carb tortillas.
   
   When I really think about my cupboards these really are the only packaged items they hold anymore. Everything else is bought in bulk bins - flour, wild rice, beans, sugar, grains, dried fruits, etc. or fresh, meats, veggies, and fruits.
   
   As well, if there is an item you really need but it is out of season fresh, such as a particular fruit, always go for frozen first and then canned. Frozen fruits and veggies retain almost the same levels of vitamins and nutrients as fresh. This is because of the very adept flash freezing technology that really keeps the whole fruit in tact during processing.
   
   As well, stay away from any additives to these frozen or canned items. For example the Green Giant varieties of frozen veggies with flavorings added. Just get the frozen without added crap and make your own sauce! Most of the time the sauce you create will be ten times tastier and have 1/3 to 1/2 the fat, carbs, and sodium that you find in those packaged items.
3. Pre-plan Your Monthly Meals (at least dinners) - Doing this really helps you be successful with items 1 & 2 as you are able to know what portions you will be looking at for each meal and then shop for the ingredients you need for the month - meaning you can now evaluate how many packaged or processed items you will truly be exposed to all month!
   
   It is also really great on your budget as you can purchase meat and bulk items in quantities that will last you the entire month. Storing or freezing them until you need them. I separate my meats out into meal servings that equate to enough for the recipe or enough for two, put them in ziploc freezer bags, and pull them out to defrost that morning before work.
   
   This means that once a month I purchase bulk items (meat, bulk) and once a week I purchase the perishable items that cannot be purchased in bulk (veggies and fruit). As well, most items from the bulk section, (flour, rice, beans), last for months in storage and are cheap to purchase in large quantities. Meaning I also only shop for a larger amount of items about once every quarter.
   
   Planning a monthly menu is truly not that hard to do nor does it require an over-analyzed and well documented daily plan, I promise! For example, I know that twice a week I can take some chicken and some rice or tortillas and make some sort of meal. So twice a week I write down something like "chicken crap bowl" or "chicken wraps" and then that week I decide what veggie I would like to add to them. I also know I want to have fish once a week, so I pick a day of the week to have fish with rice or tortilla, mark down, "fish tacos" or "fish bake", and, like with the chicken, I pick a veggie to go with it to purchase that week.
   
   I also like to have items that can have leftovers for a day or two. So I pick crock-pot meals, or turkey breasts, or some other type of item to cook that I enjoy eating lots of leftovers from.
4. Cut Your Carbs - Mind you I am not saying eliminate them entirely. Just learn the good ones and choose to only eat those kinds of carbs instead. Taking on item 2 will do this part for your naturally as well.
   
   Carbs are not bad for you, however they are the nutrient that produces fat in our body and are the first to get cut in every diet plan you will find. Especially when your physician needs you to lose fat quickly for a procedure you may need to have done.
   
   The truth about carbs is this, most of us are NOT that active and carbs are like premium gasoline - they are made for a car that works really hard pushing it's limits and straining itself regularly. The carbs are turned into energy for hard working bodies and for those of us whom sometimes do not even do the bare minimum of 30 minutes a day, well, the carbs are turned into fat. Weee!!!
5. Quit Consuming Alcohol, Soda, Fancy Lattes, or any Suagary Beverage - This goes with that whole carb thing. With these items you are drinking huge portions of sugary carbs that, in one serving, typically go well over any daily recommended serving of a "good" carb you could get. It is like ordering a burrito from Baja Fresh and then realizing that burrito accounts for your total recommended daily calories ... just one freaking burrito!
   
   These liquid carbs can, and most often do, ruin any efforts you have made all week in just two servings. It is ridiculous how bad these are for you in more ways than just trying to lose some fat.
   
   Which leads to my last, and what I feel might be, most obvious suggestion ...
        
   
6. Stop Eating Fast Food - If it has a drive through or can be delivered to your couch stop eating it. I don't know that I really have to explain the reasons for this one, yet there are many. If you would like to see a blog post about the horrors of fast food I am sure Google Search can offer a bajillion!
   
   
   Just stop eating it ... it is so, so, so, ridiculously, horribly, bad for you. 

These are just a few things I have made a habit of that really work for me.

Don't Do Them All At Once!

I am not suggesting that you do every single one of these in one sitting. Nor am I suggesting you have to do any of them. It is up to you to evaluate your food journal, review your current diet, and decide for yourself what changes should be made.
 
Only you can truly tell what adjustments are going to benefit you.

I just provide this list for ideas of ways you can build new habits in your life that will create a healthier situation overall. Ways I have applied to my own life and have found much success with. Ways in which I still sometimes slip up or give in, (I do love me some Starbucks every now and then!), yet ways I know to be successful even if I slip up ever so often.

When Should I Start?

Whew! This post seems to contain LOTS of information.

What will your one habit change be?

I suggest we start on November 1st, just two days from now. Then we can check back in 21 days, right before thanksgiving. Giving us some time to prepare for glutinous feast day. So we can work out our plans to enjoy all the deliciousness we will be exposed too!!!

~TigressSky~

Serving Yourself

So you have been journaling your diet for a week now and, as we start week two, I want you to really pay attention to the piece you are doing in acknowledging your serving size amounts in the portions you are consuming.

I find that my biggest issue with fat loss comes from overestimating the serving size of my snacks and meals. Although I admit that sometimes I purposefully choose to eat way more than a serving. Why would I do this? Well, for one, I love food!

I am a fresh off the boat third generation Italian girl. My love of food has been taught to me throughout my youth. I love the way food tastes, smells, looks, and feels! I especially love the adventure of cooking food - taking some ingredients and making a delicious and beautiful concoction out of them makes me so happy!

Then there are those times when I have not ate anything for awhile, I feel so incredibly hungry, so I load my plate up to full and, because I love food, I eat every last bite! Even though I am typically feeling satiated and full way before I get to the end of the plate.

These are hard habits to break. More importantly they are even harder habits to discover and admit too. Especially when I find myself slipping right back into them from time to time.

Yet, as classic G.I. Joe cartoons will tell you, "knowing is half the battle!"

It truly is, being aware helps me to curb these habits. I can tell myself, "don't load your plate, you are just feeling hungry RIGHT NOW, but if you put ALL of this on your plate you are going to regret it and feel stuffed in just a few."

This is the point where understanding what serving size your portions actually equate to helps! Knowing what a serving is truly aids me in filling my plate correctly and helps me to enjoy eating what I want without worrying about the habits that got me into trouble taking over again.

What is a Serving

A serving is the amount of food "experts" recommend you eat of a particular food type. Whereas a portion is the amount of food you actually eat.

For example I love avocados! When I eat an avocado I can't help but eat the WHOLE thing! So my portion is one whole avocado, however, the recommended serving is 1/4 of an avocado. That means I am eating 4 servings of avocado in one portion.

Learning what the recommended serving size is can be so much easier when you can equate it to physical objects you are familiar with. Below are a few charts I found on SparkPeople.com that I thought might help others in analyzing their portions as well.

Fruits and Veggies: 

Meats, Legumes, and Proteins: 

Grains: 

Dairy: 

Fats & Oils: 

Now, I listed what the recommended serving sizes are but I did not give you the recommended daily servings. You may be wondering why, and no, it is not because I am opposed to those "expert" recommended guidelines like so many other fat loss guru's seem to be.

I did not share them simply because they are not necessarily right for each person. Finding out what is right for you is exactly what we are trying to do here. There is no "average" here. Just you, discovering how you can eat the way you like and get healthier, leaner, and, (for so many of us), more confident with who you are and how you care for yourself!

The first step in doing this is working on getting your portions under control. Eventually we will try making our portions equate to a serving of whatever items we are having for our meals and snacks. Getting this part down is way harder than it sounds and, as we will learn, does not always equate to failure if you go under or over those "expert" recommendations.

For now though, just keep writing what you eat - but this time with more accuracy as to WHAT servings are in the portions you are eating. Do not try adjusting anything just yet. This is still just a learning process, go with it and find your bottom line before you try and adjust how your bottom looks!

Examining Me

Speaking of bottom lines ... here it is, as promised, my Food Journal for week one.

On average I have about 5 "meals" a day. Of these 5 meals I go over in my servings about 2 times per day and under maybe 2 times a week.

When you look at your portions and the servings within them do not let your overages scare you too much yet. We are still in that learning phase. Still trying to figure out what our diet is and right now, we are just trying to become familar with our typical portions and what a serving looks like within them.

Next week we will start trying to make some adjustments to our diets and most likely see just how hard it really is to change these habits we have formed!

WE CAN DO IT THOUGH!

~TigressSky~

Learn Your Diet

Last post I discussed the difference between a diet and dieting. Now that we have that concept down comes the hard part ...

Dissecting and Understanding Our Own Diet

So here is where the hard part comes - analyzing yourself.

Step one to being successful in making changes and creating lifelong habits that lead to easily maintainable fat loss is to start where you currently stand and really see it.

What kind of Confucius styled rhetoric am I spouting here? Let me try and break it down with a even stranger story ...

Did You Check Your Oil?
In my youth I knew this older woman whose solution to everything that went wrong with an automobile was to "check the oil."

"My car won't start, turn the key and nothing!"

"Did you check the oil?"

"Shoot I have a flat!"

"Did you check the oil?"

"I ran out of gas."

"Did you check the oil?"

It did not matter how obvious it was that the alternator was out, the tire had a nail in it, and the gas tank was empty - all solutions to car troubles were fixed by checking the oil.  In her mind there was never a need to stop and look at the condition of the car to discover any clues as to WHY the car had an issue - the solution of checking the oil, (which at some point in her life must have solved many a car problem or been taught to her?), was always the place to start.

I have discovered the exact same concept of focusing on the solution to be true when it comes to dealing with fat loss. We look in the mirror and say:

"Ugh, I'm so fat!"

And for some reason we hear the mirror respond with,

"Have you tried dieting?"

So it is we jump on the dieting bandwagon, maybe even rushing into some sort of work-out program, never taking a moment to truly SEE the condition of our "car" (body) to discover the clues as to WHY we have an issue.

This is a truly serious problem as for many this can lead to the exact opposite of being over fat; by instead becoming underweight - sometimes to a degree that is so unhealthy we could die. Anorexia and bulimia are the extreme form of always "checking the oil" and never truly seeing the condition of the "car" we live in and are responsible for.

We are not automobiles, yet in a way our body is much like an automobile.

VVVRRROOMM! VVVRRROOOMMM!!!

We are the drivers of our own body vehicle.

What we often forget is that not only are we the driver but we are also the mechanic. In order to be able to drive such a great machine we have to be great mechanics. In order to be great mechanics we have to understand how our car operates. The first step in understanding our car is to understand our fuel. The food we put in our body is the fuel that allows it to continue to thrive and operate under the demands we command of it and that is the first place we will be focusing as mechanics: HOW WE FUEL OUR BODY.

The Challenge

For two full weeks the only thing we will focus on is journaling our current fuel intake.

Many will be tempted to eat all the right things in all the right portions during the next two weeks. Don't.

Many will be tempted to not account for and leave out of their journaling any of the indiscretions they make in food choices on a regular basis. Such as ordering take out pizza twice in one week, eating a full pint of ice cream in one sitting, or snacking on half a bag of their favorite Halloween candy. Don't.

Many will beat themselves up with every item they write down. Don't.

JUST WRITE IT.

All of it.

Don't be ashamed. Don't hide anything. Don't make changes.

JUST WRITE IT. 

This is a very simple format you can follow that will
aid in track everything you need for the next
couple of weeks!

Remember we are NOT fixing anything in our car right now, we are not changing any oil, we are just observing our car, the fuel we put in it, and how it reacts to the types of fuel we give it.

How you write this is up to you. There are however things you MUST be responsible for writing down:

1. What you ate.
2. What time you ate it.
3. How you felt before you ate.
4. How you felt 20 minutes after you ate.
5. How much you ate. Don't over think this one, just jot down if you think you ate a normal portion, more than, or even less than.

At the end of week one I will share my first weeks journaling with you all. Others can share if they would like, but do not feel like you have to.

As well, if you would like to share your journal entries with me privately I am up for that. I can be a secondary set of "mechanics eyes", one that may be a little more familiar with the effects the type of fuel you intake has on the body. However, in the long run it will be you whom take on the ultimate understanding of your bodies fueling needs.

That level of analysis comes later; for now, JUST WRITE!

There are many free and pay sites that allow you to track your food. Feel free to journal there if you would like however DO NOT use their tools and review everything with a fine toothed comb. The goal is to get it down so you can review it later and understand better what fuel you are feeding your body.

Excuses?

You will come up with so many of them as to why you just could not journal that day: "I was so busy" or even "my dog ate my journal." They will all be valid reasons and here is the thing, I don't care. This is for you and about you and NO ONE is going to reprimand you for not doing this, except yourself.

Remember that part - YOU are doing this. YOU are the mechanic. The only person whom you have to explain not doing this to is YOU.

I will however state that I know, like me, many of you have already put in plenty of time, effort, and expense to lose fat. Even if it only lasted a few weeks, you made the effort. The effort asked for here is to write, to use a piece of paper and pen and write. It's perhaps the least amount of effort you have ever made in your fat loss journey. So be diligent with it. Give yourself this chance to really make it all happen!

~TigressSky~

Diet vs Dieting. Is there a difference?

Diet vs Dieting. Is there a difference?

As simple as it is to explain, it seems to be one of the hardest concepts to "get" when starting down a path to fat loss. My own journey began more than 13 years ago and it wasn't until the past few years that I truly "got it". What I am talking about here is the difference between diet and dieting.

Is this something you eat regularly? Then this is part of your diet.

A Diet is what you eat on a regular basis.

Dieting is making a sudden and sometimes drastic change to what you eat regularly in order to aid in fat loss.

Okay simple right? 

Actually, it isn't that simple. Especially if you want to ensure that your fat loss efforts will be something permanent and easy to maintain.

Permanent and Easy to Maintain You Say?

We all pretty much understand the difference between Diet and Dieting what we do not seem to understand is that changing your diet does not mean nor equate to dieting.

Wait, what? Do the definitions not show that in order to affect my fat loss I need to change my diet which requires dieting?

Technically, it looks like that is in fact the case. Everything we read and are exposed to also makes these same pleas to us of using this pre-defined nomenclature in order to achieve any success. Dieting companies, authors, and reality television shows all push this same agenda of dieting upon us, each focusing on their particular fool-proof plan!

You can burn calories just reading all the rhetoric!!!

Plans such as: "Eat these pre-packaged meals," and/or, "eliminate these types of foods" and "take these supplements that come in boxes of rhetoric for you!" As well as the more simpler plans of: "eat this many calories," and/or, "eat this many meals a day within this caloric range." Plans that are really not maintainable in the long run, so much so that I would beg to call them Dieting Fads not plans.

Almost all of these dieting fads come with a type of work out program focused on getting you into the "best shape of your life!"

(There is a reason the dieting industry is one of the most profitable and it isn't because of their success rates.)

I guarantee you that if you spend the time, effort, and dollars needed on any of these dieting programs you will lose weight and you will see results. I also guarantee you that as soon as you stop following them you will gain some back, most likely all of it will come back; with the very typical added bonus of a few extra pounds joining you anew! 

Truth is, if we want "this" to work then we have to change our diet altogether 

and that change is not helped but instead hindered by dieting.

What is "This"?

This is successfully changing our diet to ensure healthy fat loss that is so easy to maintain we barely have to think about it!

This is something we can all do.

This takes time and will typically not produce nor cause immediate results.

The first step of this is to recognize that we are NOT dieting!!!

It is truly that simple. The first step is to STOP DIETING!

The next steps come in simply understanding our own diets; through such understanding we will discover how to make the individual changes to them we need without the dieting fads we don't.

~TigressSky~

Lift Someone Up, Especially If It Is Yourself!!!

There is a phenomenon in the United States that really bugs me when it comes to our issues with body image. We tend to forget there is no perfect form - thin, fat or somewhere in between, all of these shapes hold a beautiful human being inside.

My shape has ranged all along the scale of fat to thin. I sit now at a weight that the medical community deems obese - yet my community of friends, family, and coworkers deems fit. I have been called many things throughout my life - skinny minney, boney butt, beached whale, tub o' lard, and even squealed at like a pig.

When I was heavy people made fun of me. The worst was walking by high school boys and having them say, "hear piggy, piggy" and then squeal at me mimicking a pig. Oh and the time I went into Victoria Secrets to purchase a gift card for a friends wedding and while I was looking around the sales lady said, "umm I don't think we carry anything that fits you here." The other sales people smirked at me, one even giggled.

When I was thin people made fun of me. The worst was when a very close friend of mine pointed at the fact my ribs were now visible above my chest and stated, "that looks gross, you should eat something, your ribs shouldn't show like that." Another time I had the right of way and was walking across the street when a car with two obese women pulled up and yelled, "get out of the fucking street stupid skinny bitch, thin doesn't get you privileges it just makes it easier to run you over!" They laughed heartily and zoomed off.

I watch this ugly monster of hatred in regards to ALL shapes and sizes run rampant on social media sites as well. Mostly women, but some men too, search for, create, and readily come across images, quotes, and articles to share that support the size and shape they are. Sometimes in doing so they end up alienating others with posts that are filled with hurtful comments against those who are not that shape and size.

Most of the time these images and quotes attack thin women with sayings like, "real men prefer meat not bones" or "curvy is beautiful who wants a stick?" Even going so far as to take images of beautifully fit women, who have obviously worked their butts off to get into such great shape, and saying things like, "bitch needs a sandwich" and "this man is doing really bad in drag."

We get so wrapped up in wanting to be okay with our bodies, compounded by the fact we just simple are not okay with them, that we end up searching for some kind of recognition outside of us that our size really is okay. Online we find this validation of our size and shape in a image, quote, or article that alleviates some of the negativity we thrust upon ourself. In doing so, I think we forget, or perhaps we truly are completely unaware, that everyone around us is doing the exact same thing - dealing with negative body image of themselves in some form.

When we do come across these pieces of validation we get lost in a moment of great excitement because FINALLY, "someone else has been here too! Look they designed this image, quoted this quote, wrote this article! I must share it right away and be as proud as they are of who I am and how I look!" Getting so wrapped up in the small moment of positive we are finally feeling about ourselves that we miss entirely the overall negative the message presents to those who are not like us. We do not realize what friends we may be hurting or what person struggling with their own body image issues might just be torn apart by the that same moment that offered us some glue.

It is a sad and sickening cycle how cruel we are, not only to ourselves, but also to others in regards to the size and shape our being is held within. Some of us are thin. Some of us are fat. Some of us sit in between. Yet all of us hate something about our body - some more than others.

We all strive to reach a point where we can sit comfortable in our own skin. Try and remember this the next time you find yourself wanting to label someone "fat" or "thin" - that person you are labeling is uncomfortable about their body too. Also try and remember that you see yourself in a light that is much worse than others, even those making fun. The next time you look in the mirror stop looking for the bad and strive to find one new thing about yourself that is good.

In fact, make that every time! Every time you look in the mirror stop looking for the bad and strive to find one new thing about yourself that is good. Eventually you may find, as most others do, the good outweighs the bad and you are beautiful no matter what shape or size your being is carried within.

~TigressSky~

P.S.

Don't believe me? Watch this experiment.

"Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see."

Brevity

Well, where have I been lately?

Vacation and a bit depressed.

Due to my current financial hardships I had to cancel my gym membership. Which I was miserable about for quite some time.

I took a week vacation however and managed to lose all sense of time. Which proved to be very beneficial as it allowed me a week of stress free reflection.

Now I am back and no longer sad about the loss of my gym membership! I have plenty of opportunities to workout and help train a few people this summer. So I will get my time in. Maybe this is just the motivation I need to start taking on more personal responsibility when it comes to learning about health and fitness.

In the meantime our Tigress Fitness Do Life challenge was a success! We started with five participants and ended with 3 completing the 11-week challenge. Between these 3 people 28 pounds was lost in total! WOW!

I created an award certificate for the person who had the most success - Jamie. She is truly an inspiration to us all. Her journey has added challenges due to some health issues and she just keeps pushing through everything and exceeding all of her goals. I'm thrilled to be able to follow along.

I begin the Couch to 5k program all over again starting next week. I'll be helping a couple of people train as well. This means the updates should start coming again as I find myself finally back on track!

~TigressSky~

The Grocery Store

This post is somewhat of a guest blogger post.

Remy Maguire is a NASM certified personal trainer working at Northwest Women's Fitness here in Portland Oregon. Every year she provides a 9-week-fat-loss class at the gym. The second one she ever held happened during a point where I had reached a plateau in my own fat loss goals, so of course I signed up. It was such a great experience and when my finances are back in order I plan on taking it again! There was so much useful information and great motivation to aid in reaching your goals.

In one of the class days we met and talked about grocery shopping. She provided us some great information on paper about how to shop and plan to ensure you return home with healthful items. She then proceeded to walk us across the street to the grocery store to live demo what she was talking about!

The following is the information provided to us on that sheet. Sorry I can't provide the live demo here!

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Getting in and out of the grocery store can be a real hastle, whetherr you are running in for just one thing, or stocking up to feed the family for a week. Here are some tips and guidelines to consider next time you get ready to make the trip.

WHAT TO BUY?

Produce: 
Spend the most time in the produce section, the first area you encounter in most grocery stores (and usually the largest). Choose a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables. The colors reflect the different vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient content of each fruit or vegetable.

Meat, Fish, and Poultry: 
The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish a week. Salmon is a great choice, it's widely available, affordable, not too fishy, and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Be sure to choose lean cuts of meat (like round, top sirloin, and tenderloin), opt for skinless poultry, and watch your portion sizes.

Breads, Cereals, and Pasta:
Choose the least processed foods that are made from whole grains. For example, regular oatmeal is preferable to instant oatmeal. But even instant oatmeal is a whole grain, and a good choice.

When choosing whole-grain cereals, aim for at least 4 grams of fiber per serving, and the less sugar, the better. Keep in mind that 1 level teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams and let this guide your selections. Cereal and grains -- those with added sugar -- make great vehicles for milk, yogurt, and/or fruit. Avoid granolas, even the low-fat variety; they tend to have more fat and sugar than other cereals.

Bread, pasta, rice, and grains offer more opportunities to work whole grains into your diet. Choose whole-wheat bread and pastas, brown rice, grain mixes, quinoa, bulgur, and barley. To help your family get used to whole grains, you can start out with whole-wheat blends and slowly transition to 100% whole-wheat pasta and breads.

Dairy:
Dairy foods are an excellent source of bone-building calcium and vitamin D. There are plenty of low-fat and nonfat options to help you get three servings a day, including drinkable and single-serve tube yogurts, and pre-portioned cheeses. If you enjoy higher-fat cheeses, no problem -- just keep your portions small.

Frozen Foods:
Frozen fruits and vegetables (without sauce) are a convenient way to help fill in the produce gap, especially in winter. Try adding frozen veggies to bulk up microwave meals, sauces, stirfrys and soups.

Canned and Dried Foods: 

Keep a variety of canned vegetables, fruits, and beans on hand to toss into soups, salads, pasta, or rice dishes. Whenever possible, choose vegetables without added salt, and fruit packed in juice. Tuna packed in water, low-fat soups, nut butters, olive and canola oils, and assorted vinegars should be in every healthy pantry.

HOW TO PLAN AND MAKE A LIST

1. How many people are you shopping for this week?

Without knowing this piece of information it’s very easy to “overpurchase” and therefore overeat during the week. For example, if it’s just you this week and your significant other is out of town, you can likely cut your grocery items in half. If you typically grab 6 apples, then 3 will do for this week. If you normally buy 2 bags of spinach, buy just one this week and so on…

2. What is your planned activity/exercise level this week?

The recommended amount of exercise is 5 hours/week. If your exercise includes the suggested variety of high intensity, weights and steady state exercise then you’ll want to consider your nutrient timing rule: post workout carbohydrate intake. Be sure to select whole grain, natural carb selections (eg. quinoa, whole grain pasta, Ezekiel wraps, long grain wild rice etc.).

If you’re not exercising much that week — maybe it’s a “recovery week” — you won’t need nearly as many carbohydrate rich foods.

3. What is your work environment this week?

There is a significant difference between a sedentary career and laborious or active career when it comes to calorie expenditure.For example, a physical education teacher will be expending energy all day long compared to a senior analyst who will only leave their desk chair for meetings in another desk chair. These two careers will lead to a different nutritional regimen.

If your work-based activity is sedentary to moderate, keep the carbohydrate and natural sugar intake to a minimum and select a variety of vegetable, healthy fat and protein sources.

If you’re moving around, and on your feet all day, include a few carbohydrate and natural sugar options such as fruits, wraps, and whole grain bread.

4. Will you be entertaining or dining out this week?

This is an important question to answer and plan ahead. If you’re eating out with friends, that is an entire meal you don’t need to have in your fridge. If those extra foods are there it’s quite likely that you’ll be tempted to indulge. Rather than relying on willpower, just don’t have that temptation there. Purchase less food when you grocery shop that week.

On the other hand, if you are hosting a dinner party or gathering at your place this week, be sure to have the ingredients you’ll need on your list so you don’t have to revisit the grocery store later that week. Plan ahead, make one trip per week to the grocery store, and avoid the temptation to pick up “extras”.

IMPORTANT TIPS

1. Shop with a list.

2. Shop mostly along the perimeter, where the produce, dairy, and meat aisles are. Avoid the inner aisles such as the frozen or processed food aisles. Stay away from the junk food aisle!

3. If you must enter an inner aisle, enter and exit at the same end. There is rarely a reason to wander the entire aisle. Get in, get what you need and gracefully exit.

4. Be aware that grocers stock sale items at the end of the aisles. Sometimes these are good — e.g. cans of tuna — but mostly they’re not.

5. Never fill your cart, unless you’re feeding a big family or stocking up on pumpkins and giant fluffy bunches of kale. (See above about buying for your actual household needs.)

Complete your entire grocery outing in 45 mins or less. Don’t linger.

BONUS

Allowing yourself to feel hunger pains is a sure way to eating unwanted foods. Rather, eat small frequent meals every 2-3 hrs and you’ll be sure to make healthy nutritional choices.

Avoid situations that you know are going to be unhealthy. For example, if you are getting together with friends pick a restaurant that offers delicious, nutritionally appropriate meals. Avoid the wings and beer places!

Always be prepared. Never leave home without a little stash of mixed nuts, chopped veggies, and snap peas in your bag or car. Should you end up in a situation where you are hungry and the food choices around you are minimal or unhealthy, you are prepared with the foods you have brought with you.

A protein bar or nutritious smoothie will also help you avoid any undesirable nutritional situations such as this.

Season your meals with things like spices, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon, etc. Then take the time to taste the delicious variety of flavors. In other words, become aware of what is in your mouth. Tune in to your taste buds! Eating healthy doesn’t mean having to eat bland, tasteless food. It’s quite the opposite, actually.

Stop and take a sip of your water in between bites. This will help to make you feel full and potentially answer the question: are you still hungry or are you thirsty?

And last, eat slowly. So what if it takes you 15-20 mins to eat? Is that a crime? What is the rush after all? Give yourself that time. Allow yourself to really enjoy the meal that you’ve created. There is no reason to rush through your meals.

If you find yourself finishing off your plate in less than 5 minutes, ask yourself: Did I enjoy that meal? The answer will be no, because you hardly tasted it. Let all the senses in your body indulge in the experience we call dining.
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You can take this next week to think about how to apply these tips to your upcoming month! The more tools you can cultivate in your health and fitness "tool bag" the more successful you will be. This really is something you can cultivate and learn to be successful at - YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

~TigressSky~

P.S. You can follow Remy on here very own blog - Manifest the Best