Lose Weight Find Life

I enjoy watching the “Biggest Loser” show.  I respect and appreciate the dedication and commitment the contestants show in changing their lives.  Granted, it is in a controlled environment and not in their real lives, however, I love watching them triumph and overcome their physical and emotional challenges they face.

I also love the theme lead-in song of “Proud” by Heather Small.  I have practically worn out the entire CD by Heather Small because it is full of inspirational and motivating sings.  I share the lyrics with you as I believe it reflects questions and statements we all can apply to ourselves.  When I pick up my children from school, I ask them what they have done that day they are proud of.  What have you done today that YOU are proud of?

All the best,
Cathy

PROUD by Heather Small (Theme Song to Biggest Loser) 

I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I’ve left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can’t stop me now
And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It’s never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

Still so many answers I don’t know
Realize that to question is how we grow
So I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can’t stop me now
And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It’s never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?

We need a change
Do it today
I can feel my spirit rising
We need a change
So do it today
‘Cause I can see a clear horizon

What have you done today to make you feel proud?
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
‘Cause you could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today
You could be so many people?
Just make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?

Have you ever heard the song by Gloria Estefan that includes the lyrics “Get on our feet…..You can make it happen”?  It is one of those songs when you hear it you want to get up and move.  So for our healthy lifestyle habits, let’s get off the couch or comfy chair, get on your feet and make it happen!!

Here’s five tips to get you moving:

1.  Get up.  The mere act of getting up from a stationary position can be the hardest but they are the most important.  Once you make the decision and get up, you’re more than halfway there.  We can come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid the act of getting up.  Once we’re up - we’re on our way to making it happen.  Also applies to working out in the morning - get up?  Get up out of this comfortable bed and get moving before my day has to start?  Yes!  Absolutely.  Again, once you’re up, you’re in the positive momentum to make it happen for yourself and your day.  Make up your mind that your health is as big of a priority as sleeping in or watching mindless television.  Instead of grabbing a bag of chips or cookie, grab the door handle!

2.  Start slow.  Fitness doesn’t happen overnight.  You don’t go from being inactive to becoming Lance Armstrong on a bicycle or running a marathon.  Start out with a short walk, add intensity and distance gradually.  You’ll enjoy it more, stay with it longer, and build a healthy foundation for a habit of fitness.

3.  Make it your daily routine.  Do you brush your teeth?  Do you have to think about it or is it just something you do?  Brushing your teeth is a given as part of your routine.  You can make exercise the same way.  Brushing your teeth makes your mouth feel great.  Think of exercise in the same way.  Exercise makes your body and mood feel great.

4.  Make activity fun and make a game of it.  Rather than have the family look for the closest parking space, cheer when they find the farthest parking space.  By taking the stairs rather than the elevator, get to the floor that you need and cheer at the top of the accomplished staircase.  Enjoy the outdoors by taking a nature walk and give family members a disposable camera to record things they see on their outing.  It is fun to review and relive what each family member found to be meaningful to capture by a photograph.  Children are more productive and are shown to do better in school when they are active.  Do you want to know what is going on in your spouse’s life or the lives of your children?  Get away from the distraction of television and video games by participating in an activity together.  Family members open up when spending time together in an activity. 

5.  Mix it up.  Go for a walk one day, go swimming the next, shoot hoops, play miniature golf, etc.  Variety keeps boredom away.  Participating in different activities is better for your body.  It will help you use different muscles in ways you wouldn’t in another activity.  Learn from your kids - if it isn’t fun, you’re not going to do it.  Kids love to play.  Adults need to learn the same love of play.

Do you remember what show you watched last month during the evening of the second Thursday?  What lasting benefit did you obtain from watching it?  As an alternative, if you’d spent that same time being active with your family, you’d receive the benefit of losing or maintaining weight plus good times shared with family.  The biggest step of all in being active is the first one in getting up and making it happen.  Once you’re up, you’ll be glad you did. 

All the best,
Cathy

Happy Halloween to my clients and subscribers!  Here’s a Happy Halloween tip for you and your children:

When your children come home with their packed trick-or-treat bags filled with those brightly wrapped sugar bombs, try something new.  Allow them to pick out a few (very few) of their favorites for themselves.  For the rest of the candy, you don’t need it around the house and they don’t need the sugar, fat, and empty nutrition/calorie laden packages. 

Start a new health program in your house of Cash for Candy.  Offer to buy your children’s Halloween candy from them.  You can price it by piece, by the brand or by the pound.  However you want to implement your Cash for Candy make it fun.  Your children will be able to turn around and purchase something for themselves they want. 

After you’ve made your candy purchases from your children - get rid of it.  Bye-bye.  You’ll feel great by giving your children something of true value, and getting rid of it and giving yourself the gift of no additional calories, sugar, fat, or compromise of health.  Now, that’s definitely a Happy Halloween!!

All the best,
Cathy

Life is busy.  When we get home from work, school, or an entire day with a full list of things to do, we are tired.  By the time we’re home, we need to eat dinner, homework, baths, laundry, dishes, and then a workout?  Who has the time for exercise?  All of us if we make our health a priority in our lives and for our families.  We lead busy lives so it is difficult to find the time to work out, however, it is a choice we make.  It can be challenging to motivate ourselves to drive to the park, or even get up from a comfortable chair to go outside.  Make activity a habit and it becomes just part of your daily routine.  It is hard to find the energy to work out, however, funny thing - working out increases your energy. 

Workouts don’t necessarily mean going to the gym and taking time away from your family.  Make it a family activity.  Take walks together, ride bikes, jump on the trampoline, go to the nearest community center and shoot hoops, or any activity and movement counts.  Not only are you improving your health and increasing your energy level, you are a role model for your children. 

Combine activity and family time for a win/win in all ways.  Make it fun.  Your body will get stronger and your family bonds will too.

All the best,
Cathy

I’m sick today.  I have a cold, sore throat, headache, you name it.  I don’t like being sick.  No one does.   Being drained of energy, tired, and just generally lethargic makes me feel vulnerable.  I don’t know what it is about getting a cold but it makes me want to eat.  It may be that I’m wanting to feel better and comforted so I turn to my favorite comfort foods rather than the appropriate cold relief medication.  I know the things that I need are hot tea, water, and plenty of rest.  This is the time to practice self-nurturing habits rather than self-destructive habits of eating emotionally for comfort. 

I’m off to take a shower, drink some hot tea, and take a nap.  I’m listening to what my body needs rather than what my head hunger wants.  That’s truly the best of health I can give to myself.

All the best,
Cathy

I learned about this study on a new procedure currently in clinical trials - Incisionless Treatment for Patients With Inadequate Weight Loss Following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

FYI -

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00394212;jsessionid=
A035BAE9ED22F0619279104620B12702?order=2

All the best,
Cathy

Recently, I coached a client that was experiencing weight regain after having reached her weight loss goal and maintained it for almost one year.  With her permission, I will share her question and my response as her weight loss coach.

Dear Cathy,  At our next coaching session, I would like to talk about how I can stop regaining weight.  I don’t understand why I’ve been able to keep my weight stable and now I am struggling so much.  I’ve regained seven pounds.  Am I doing the yo-yo thing again?

Talk to you next week,
Lisa

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for sharing your goal for us to discuss during our coaching call next week.  Before our appointment, I wanted to share some thoughts with you in the interim to hopefully provide some reassurance.

A slight weight regain after a substantial weight loss is common.  The positive step you have taken is to be proactive and stop the trend you’re in of regaining.  It is much easier to lose seven pounds than 20 pounds or more.  Even though you have successfully maintained your weight for almost a year, you have stayed aware.  You have a healthy fear of regaining all of the 89 pounds you’ve lost.  A small amount of fear keeps us aware and consistently working on holding on to our weight loss success. 

In our coaching call, we can also discuss any old habits you’ve possibly tested or picked up again resulting in a weight regain.  We will create a strategy and plan for addressing your weight regain.  This is one of the many benefits from our coaching partnership.

No, you aren’t yo-yo dieting.  Yo-yo dieting is when you lose and go back up again to your old weight, plus add on a few additional pounds.   You have reached out early to regain control of your weight and lose again.

You deserve to feel very proud that you took back control and are already on your way to losing those seven pounds.  Congratulations.  In our appointment, we’ll discuss in further detail and create a new plan with some adjustments to maximize your weight loss to return to maintenance of your goal weight.

All the best,
Cathy

Take a deep breath, count to ten, and tackle each task one step at a time.  –Linda Shalaway

Let’s face it, life can be overwhelming.  For many of us that struggle with emotional eating, feeling overwhelmed can be a trigger to find a food escape.  There was a commercial a few years ago for bath salts by Calgon.  Their angle in the commercial was “Calgon, take me away” and showed a woman overwhelmed and stressed out slipping into a luxurious bath with Calgon.   When we become overwhelmed, food can be our own personal Calgon.   For us, “___________ (you fill in the blank with your food choice), take me away.”  For a very short, temporary time, food does allow the escape and to be taken away.

A strategy to overcome the overwhelm of a day is to break it down into something more manageable.  Whether the cause is a range of feelings and an increasing feeling of overwhelm, break it down.  “I feel ______________ (anger, sad, scared, anxious, etc.)” and take one at a time.  Many times if we can identify what we are feeling, it is more manageable and not larger than life.  If you have a full day of projects or things to do, break it down into smaller tasks.  Sometimes the bigger picture is too big.  Breaking down feelings or situations allows us to be able to feel in control and empowered rather than a victim of being overwhelmed.

When you feel overwhelmed, find the ultimate escape you are looking for inside of yourself.  Don’t allow your overwhem to control you.  Take control of your overwhelm through the strategy of breaking it down.  You will overcome overwhelm!!

All the best,
Cathy

I have started to journal.  This is the first time in my life that I have consistently journaled.  My thoughts are usually running marathons in my head while my hand has just started to warm up to write.  I get impatient that my hand doesn’t keep up with my head.  I’ve tried to journal in the past but found it frustrating and didn’t continue.  I’ve heard from so many different people (for example, Oprah has journaled since a child), articles, and other sources how important it is to journal.  Journaling helps us get out our feelings and thoughts, and allow self-discovery to take place.  Thanks, but no thanks…..until now.

When I started my coach training program, it is strongly suggested to students to keep a journal.  Since I’ve wanted to be the best coach that I can be for my clients and myself, I decided to commit myself to whatever I needed to do.  I went to local bookstores and checked out various journals on line to see if anything pulled at my heart to want to journal.  No luck.  There are beautiful journals with gorgeous papers, meaningful quotes, and pretty pens.  Nice, but not enough to tug at my hands to begin writing. 

Do you remember the television show from years ago “Doogie Howser?”  Doogie would write his diary on his computer.  Nothing fancy but would summarize his day oin a word processor.  I thought that was a good idea.  That idea was the closest I ever came to journaling.  Until now….. I would only recommend a practice to my clients that I followed myself so I set out to journal.  Journaling is an excellent tool to assist in the journey of weight loss and maintenance.  I found “Life Journal” software journaling program.  I LOVE it.  It is software that is password protected and has features to allow me to journal my inner thoughts and feelings, along with quotations and prompts to assist in self-discovery and self-growth. 

Whatever method you prefer whether journaling by hand on a tablet, binder, or fancy bound journal; keeping a diary like the Doogie Howser character; or, a computer software journaling program, I highly recommend journaling.  I rejected it for many years.  I would love to have a record of my thoughts, feelings, experiences, and memories of years past.  I have a journal in my heart of these personal things that I treasure.  I’m grateful that I’ve given myself the tool of journaling.  Already I have looked back at my progression in my journaling.  I’ve learned so much about myself, realize and appreciate things about myself that otherwise I might not have taken notice of.  Journaling is a gift that I give to myself every day.  Give yourself the gift of you. 

All the best,
Cathy

With the holidays right around the corner, many of us have our holiday comfort foods that we enjoy.  Comfort foods allow us to recall the memories, experiences, and feelings spent at the holidays with those we love.  I found this article that I thought was timely and helpful so I’m sharing with you.  Enjoy!

All the best, Cathy

MAKE YOUR COMFORT FOOD HEALTHY

Many people think that real comfort foods must be high-fat, high-calorie and bad for your health. A new study, however, which adds to other research from the last few years, suggests that a food becomes a comfort food for physical and psychological reasons. You can take steps to improve the healthfulness of a favorite food or choose an alternative to warm your heart.

The term comfort food refers to specific foods people eat for psychological comfort. They often have moist, creamy textures and other fatty characteristics. Yet research now suggests that calling a food a comfort food has less to do with its qualities than with its ability to trigger happy memories and feelings. Consequently, the foods that people choose as comfort foods vary depending on their age, cultural background and gender.

Studies show that men are most apt to want comfort foods as part of a celebration or a reward. They often like warm, hearty foods, like soups, casseroles, steak, pizza, or pasta. These foods tend to be main-dish entrées their mothers prepared for them.

Women, in contrast, often crave comfort foods when they are unhappy. Their choices are less likely to require cooking. Ice cream (which is a top choice for men, too, in some studies), chocolate and cookies are frequent favorites. More often than men, women express guilt over their comfort food choices.

Some research suggests that our decision to eat comfort foods has a physical basis. Chronic stress can set off a cascade of hormones. One result is that our pleasure in eating foods high in fat or sugar increases. Because those excess calories tend to be deposited around the waist, another chain of hormonal events occurs that turns off the original chain of stress hormones. Although rats exposed to chronic stress usually lose weight, the same hormonal changes often lead people to eat so much more they gain weight. However, people can also eat less under stress and lose weight.

Since many main-dish comfort foods like chili come from a time when we knew less about food’s relation to health and people were more active, they can cause a weight problem today, unless you alter them. For example, add or increase the amount of vegetables in soups, stews, casseroles and chilies you love. Or try replacing some of the meat in these dishes with beans. You can reduce the fat in sauces and soups and retain a thick, creamy texture by using evaporated nonfat milk or puréed vegetables like potatoes instead of heavy cream. Although main dishes like pizza can be made healthier by adding vegetables, a better addition is a green salad or vegetable side dish to avoid overeating your comfort food.

Cookies and other bakery items can be made more healthful by reducing the amounts of fat and sugar, but studies suggest that women who crave these comfort foods are unlikely to prepare healthier versions. A more practical plan is to focus on portion control. For example, try eating small wrapped pieces of chocolate, or place a few cookies on a plate instead of holding the entire package.

Some researchers contend that after about four bites of a food your brain reaches its maximum ability to savor and remember it. Since four bites may be enough to satisfy your craving, don’t eat your comfort food while doing something that distracts you from fully savoring it. By turning to another activity after eating a small amount, you may get the comfort you want without the guilt, extra calories, or fat.

Besides explaining why we want comfort foods, research on stress hormones suggests that there are alternative ways to deal with stress. Exercise, yoga, meditation and even a relaxing bath can all bring stress relief to the brain. It makes more sense to choose one of these healthier alternatives instead of one that can hurt our physical health.

Source: Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN, American Institute for Cancer Research