Here’s why I chose not to weigh in:

• I haven’t been eating great. That doesn’t mean I’ve been eating bad on purpose…just that with the hectic holiday season, I haven’t made the time to think about the healthiness of what I’ve been buying, making, and eating.

• I needed the emotional break from worrying about my weight. Obsessing over the scale can only lead to further eating disorders…and yes, overeating IS an eating disorder. More about that some other time.

• I was sick. I found out that it’s not a good idea to go through a bottle of Rolaids each week while waiting for the appointment with the tummy doc to roll around. You’ll end up paying for it with a nasty kidney stone. It was my first, and it was not enjoyable. Not one bit.

What reasons have you used in the past to avoid the scale? Bloated? Cheated on your diet?

Let me know in the comments!

Post from: Blisstree

I Skipped My Weekly Weigh In

As I look out my window and see snow falling upon piles of snow, I lose all my motivation to exercise. I am not a warm-weather runner (or a runner at all!) but I do need the sun to feel perky. I realize however that not everyone is like me, and some of you would rather be out enjoying the winter weather rather than bumming it on the couch in front of the fire with a book. I can’t be the only couch potato in this world, can I?

For those of you who do enjoy being out in the winter snow, congratulations! You’re burning lots of calories by moving your body.

Here are a few popular winter activities, and the calories you can burn by participating in them. Keep in mind these are estimated for a 30-year-old woman of about 180 pounds (yes, that’s me). If you weigh more, you will usually burn more calories, because your body is working harder to do the same amount of exercise.

Skiing: 500 calories/hour

Ice Skating: 500 calories/hour

Sledding: 500 calories/hour

Snow Shoeing: 600 calories/hour

Basically, if you’re on a winter holiday in Tahoe or Reno, you’re burning way more than you’re taking in via the occasional hot chocolate or evening cocktail. Don’t let that be an excuse to indulge though – you want to burn more calories than you consume, not break even!

For those of you who prefer to stay indoors during the cold weather, here are a few activities for you:

Treadmill Walking at 3mph: 240 calories/hour

Climb Stairs: 500 calories/hour

Bowling: 220 calories/hour

Jogging at 5mph: 600 calories/hour

So…whether you’re an “innie” or an “outie,” get up and move, and work off that Starbuck’s Latte that I know you’re sneaking in each day.

Post from: Blisstree

Burn Calories in the Winter Snow

Why’d I give up? Time — lack of it, really. No time to count my points, no time to cook healthy meals or plan ahead for lunch at work. I know that WW has a new Core program, which allows you to eat healthy without counting points — as long as you stay with a specific list of food. I have been a little skeptical of the Core program, for me at least, knowing that making the right food choices and using moderation are two of my biggest hurdles.

Well…as we get ready to head into a New Year, I’m thinking about trying out WW’s Core program as part of a “new me” resolution. Week after week I see that people find this blog by doing searches for the printable weight loss journals. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t even know what those are. It also makes me think there are WAY more people currently on Weight Watchers than I realized.

I do know that WW is most often recommended by doctors, and for good reason. Weight Watchers is based on sound nutrition, gradual addition of exercise into your lifestyle, and their program even attacks the psychological side of things. I’m not really in a position where I want to pay for meetings when I know literally NOBODY in this town (not to mention that I’m moving in February), but I do have all the WW materials up until Week 4.

What do you think? Should I give it a go? Are you on Weight Watchers…or on their maintenance plan? Would you follow this blog more often if I joined a program like WW and tracked my progress?

 I really want to hear your thoughts!

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Watchers: Are You With the Program?

Well, I definitely let stress get to me this week. If I go into any further detail, you’ll learn way more about me then you probably bargained for, so let’s just leave it at that today. My favorite stress reduction technique is writing, but the kind of writing I need to do right now is the kind that belongs in a three-ring notebook away from the public’s eye.

This week’s progress:

Starting Weight: 182

Current Weight: 184

So tell me, what’s your favorite stress reduction technique?

Post from: Blisstree

Weight Progress 12/13: A Bad Week

Liz over at Healthbolt has a DVD and Book giveaway for moms who want to get their body back into shape after having a baby.

Hurry, the Be-Fit Mom gift pack contest ends December 19th!

Post from: Blisstree

Exercise After Pregnancy: A Giveaway

So…on to the good news….

I used the Integer Generator from Random.org, and came up with:

16

Timestamp: 2008-12-10 18:22:59 UTC

That means that keyalus is our big winner of the Sansa slotMusic Don’t Quit! fitness bundle, and her chosen album, “Doll Domination” by The Pussycat Dolls! She has 48 hours to respond to my email…so if I don’t hear from her, I’ll pick another winner.

For those of you who didn’t win, you can find Sansa slotMusic at BestBuy.com or Walmart.com. Both online retailers allow you to purchase online and pick up in the store nearest you – so tell your loved ones you’d like slotMusic player this Christmas!**

P.S. For those of you who wanted the ABBA album (there were a lot of you!!), there is also a slotMusic ABBA Gold bundle available — the player itself has the ABBA design on it! I’m a fan myself…just ask my kids who have been putting up with me listening to the “Mamma Mia” soundtrack for weeks now.

**I love my slotMusic player so much, I had to give Sansa a little extra PR love. Did I mention the entire music player is about the size of a very small cell phone?

Post from: Blisstree

We Have a Winner!

If your pain or illness is chronic, you may have a very chaotic schedule of eating properly and exercising. After all, it’s hard to plan in advance because you never know if your day is going to be good or bad. If you’re dealing with acute pain, it’s usually easier to know that you should take a few days off and rest until you feel better. Sometimes though, it’s hard to know when to keep with it and when to take a break.

Here are some general guidelines I follow when I’m not feeling quite myself:

Illness and Exercise

Most experts agree upon an “above-the-neck” rule. If you have a headache, head cold, or sinus pain, you’re usually safe to continue with your exercise. Now, obviously if you have a migraine you aren’t going to feel like exercising, and that’s understandable. But if you are up to it, you should be okay. On the other hand, if you are having trouble with back pain, gastrointestinal issues, or joint pain in your extremities, you’ll want to take it easy. Ask your doctor’s advice if this is a chronic issue with you, otherwise it would be wise to just skip the workout for now. In my case, I find that walking actually eases my back pain, but it exacerbates my gastric symptoms.

Illness and Eating Healthy

Our bodies are pretty wonderful machines. When you’re ill, your body will usually tell you whether you should eat or not, and which foods would be good for your situation. If you have a cold or the flu, you’ll find that you may need to skip a meal or two — or substitute one with a cup of hot chicken broth. When my inflammatory bowel disease flares up, I have to avoid fresh vegetables, dairy of any kind, and caffeine. In these cases, non-dairy meal replacement drinks are helpful, because otherwise my energy would dip quite quickly.

Illness and Weight Loss Supplements

Depending on what body system is acting up (cardio, gastro, etc.) you will want to pay attention to the supplements you take. The only supplement I use is caffeine, in the form of sugar-free energy drinks, tea, and the occasional latte. When ill, I recommend skipping all but the tea — the excess vitamins in energy drinks, and the coffee and milk in lattes will only further any gastric distress. If you’re having cardiac issues, you will also want to cut out the extra caffeine and most stimulant-type supplements, for the safety of your heart.

Pay Attention to Your Personal Needs

Above all, when you’re not feeling well, listen to your body and your intuition. Don’t let anyone force you to push yourself when you shouldn’t. If you have to “ruin” your diet or exercise plan for a day or two — or even a week — it’s worth taking the time to heal as opposed to making yourself feel worse. When you’re feeling like yourself again, even if it’s a rare day, commit to eating well and getting in some extra movement. It just may give you the “oomph” you need to get through the next few days of not feeling so well…

Do you have any other tips for those trying to lose weight while dealing with illness?

Please share with us in the comments below.

photo courtesy of stock.xchng

Post from: Blisstree

Trying to Lose Weight While Sick

• Kelly at Grounded Fitness wants to talk about cellulite on Pop Quiz: The C Word
• Peggy at Lively Women has Holiday Eating Tips to Avoid Gastric Distress
• Michelle at Veggic Chic has a Quick and Easy Pasta With Spinach recipe to share, and she talks about how to Go Vegetarian for the Flat Belly Diet
• Jody at A Hearty Life shares information on Brazil Nuts for Heart Health and Heart Healthy Dark Chocolate
• Scott at Health and Men offers a review of the Pro-Fit Iron Gym

and, I saved the most intriguing for last….

• Liz at Healthbolt wants to interest you in The 30 Sugar Free Days Challenge

I just may have to try that!!

Post from: Blisstree

Cellulite, Dark Chocolate, and a Challenge

It’s hard to admit when we slip, isn’t it? I don’t feel guilty though. No, I am going easy on myself, and you should too if you fall off the wagon. The proverbial “wagon” is easy to hop back on — easier than you think.

This week’s progress:

Starting Weight: 182

Current Weight: 182

This week’s slips:

Besides not accomplishing my goals to start on Slim-Fast and exercise more, I also had not one, not two, but three chocolate candy bars. Ack! I can’t believe I just admitted that. Yes, I know…but it’s that time of month I need chocolate and well, the Snickers bars were 3 for a $1. Thank goodness both the bars and the cravings for them are gone.

This week’s successes:

I’ll be totally honest in saying I feel like a total failure for this week. So, other than the usual “drinking enough water” response, there are no successes for me to report.

Goals for next week:

I’m still determined to set goals each week, even if I know some weeks I will not attain them. I’m dying to see the 170’s again, but I’m not going to let myself get discouraged along the way.

Therefore, since I didn’t accomplish much this week, my goals for next are going to be small baby steps.

1. I will walk 2 miles on the treadmill on Tues., Thurs., and Friday.

2. I will remember to take one dose of fiber each day before dinner.

3. There will be no more candy bars!

4. I will drink a huge glass of water before each meal.

What are your goals for this week, and how do you plan on reaching them? Please share with us in the comments.

Post from: Blisstree

Weekly Weight Progress, 12/6

While I was waiting for our order, I noticed a little container of pamphlets about Taco Bell’s Fresco menu. Sure, I had heard of it — though to be honest, I tend to forget this restaurant chain has attempted to cater to those of us with weight issues. I imagine this is because they’re too busy advertising the latest gooey, cheesy, crunchity taco concoctions to be bothered with mentioning they have cheese-free burritos.

So here’s the deal. If you order any item that normally comes with sauce and/or cheese, it will instead be replaced with 5-calorie Fiesta Salsa. Taco Bell claims you can order 15 items under 10 grams of fat, and that most items ordered “fresco-style” will be 25% less calories than ordered standard. Below I’ve listed a few items from the menu and their nutritional value, before and after the removal of the best part of any Mexican food cheese and/or sauce.

Beef Crunchy Taco – 170 cal/10g fat to 150 cal/7g fat 

Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco – 270 cal/14g fat to 170 cal/4g fat

Grilled Steak Taco – 280 cal/17g fat to 170 cal/5g fat

Baja Beef Gordita – 350 cal/19g fat to 250 cal/9g fat

Bean Burrito – 370 cal/10g fat to 350 cal/8g fat

Chicken Fiesta Burrito – 370 cal/11g fat to 340 cal/8g fat

So, you can see that some items are a better option than others. I think the soft tacos are probably a good choice, especially if you need 2 for a meal. However, if a gordita is enough to fill you up for lunch, you really can’t go wrong with 250 calories — if you watch your fat intake for the balance of the day.

Also, keep in mind these nutritional values are based on standard serving sizes. If the worker behind the counter slops in more beans or ground beef than is required for the item, your calories are going to be higher.

You can view the entire Fresco menu on Taco Bell’s website, or use their nutritional calculator to find any menu item’s nutritional value.

Post from: Blisstree

Taco Bell’s Fresco Menu