The Skinny on Getting Skinny

Let's be honest - that title is a little misleading because nobody really wants to "get skinny" these days, but "The Healthy on Getting Healthy" just didn't quite have the same ring to it.  In my previous post regarding my Herbalife results, I mentioned that I would share what worked for me in reaching my health and fitness goals, so here are 10 of my "Weapons for Weight Loss".

1.  Herbalife nutrition.
This is at the top of my list because it made the biggest difference for me.  I know that you don't have to have this in your plan to lose weight, but it made my life so much easier and my results came quickly.  I'm a PICKY eater, so having two and a half meals a day (out of five) already planned was a big plus for me.  Not only was using Herbalife EASY for me, it was delicious.  I have yet to try a shake I didn't like, and the Bev Mix/tea drink is seriously my favorite part of the day (nutrition wise).

I love it when my cabinet is full of GREEN!

2.  Plan ahead.
One of the best things you can do for your weight loss is to plan ahead.  I like to look at a week at a time and plan my meals for each day (building around my Herbalife nutrition plan).  This allowed me to get the groceries I would need, and I was ready each day.  The days/weeks I didn't plan were the days I "ran to Sonic for a quick burger...and fries...and soda."  This also meant planning for the meals I would be eating out.  I would take a look at the restaurant online to know what to order before hand.  Staying on track with your nutrition goals is imperative in meeting your weight loss and fitness goals.

3.  Log your nutrition.
Along the lines of planning, I would say one of my best weapons for weight loss was logging Every. Single. Bite. into MyFitnessPal Every. Single. Day.  It might seem a little obsessive, monotonous, or even tedious, but it was so worth it.  You can scan most of the foods you eat (including your fruits...) or enter in the nutrition information of your most used foods and even recipes the first time you are using them.  After those first few days, it is much easier and becomes part of your new healthy lifestyle.  Logging the information lets you know where you are for the day, will help you plan those extra meals, and gives you accountability to keep the junk out of your mouth.  {If I'm logging every bite that goes in to my mouth, I don't want to SEE the sugar or carbs go through the roof...so I just don't eat it!!}

One of the best things I did was enter a typical day for myself (pre-herbalife) to see just how bad I had been eating.  The results were shocking (and disgusting).  A year later, I can still see that information in my mind, and it encourages me to make better decisions.

I'll just point out here, that is almost TWO day's worth of EXCESS calories, almost 500 carbs, 250 grams of sugar (Oh. My. GOSH.), and about HALF of Vitamin A and C, calcium, and iron that is needed for my body.  No wonder I felt so awful ALL THE TIME.

4.  Hydrate your body.
I think it goes without saying how important it is to drink water, but since it was a huge part of my weight loss, I'm going to go ahead and add it to the list.  I could write an entire blog on all the things I've learned about hydration, but I will just say that the goal is to drink at least HALF of your body weight in ounces each day.  That amount will only replenish what your body is using.  That does not account for what you are sweating out during your workouts, or what you need to really hydrate your body.  That is why you will hear people say to drink a gallon of water each day.  (The age-old suggestion of 8 glasses a day doesn't come close for some people and their needs.  That comes out to 64 ounces a day, the amount recommended for someone that weighs 128 pounds.)

5.  Set your goals.
You have to have something to work towards.  Knowing what you want to achieve before you even gets started allows for you to measure how close you are to your goals, and it gives you the opportunity to celebrate those victories!  (Celebrating the victories should be a weapon all its own, but I'll just make a note here to plan for some rewards, whether it is a dollar a pound or various prizes as you lose different amounts, those "prizes" will give you great incentive to keep going!)  I found that when I randomly changed my goals in the middle of working to achieve one (ie. getting greedy and going for "a little bit more", almost always resulted in very unsuccessful days/weeks/months.)  Set a goal, achieve it, then go for the next one.

6.  Measure yourself.
It's not ALL about the numbers.  There are certainly non-scale victories every day in my house (NOT choosing to go get ice cream after a crazy-toddler day is definitely one of those victories), but knowing where you are starting will let you know how far you have come.  It will be obvious in pictures and the way your clothes fit, but when you hit that "plateau" and you feel like you aren't making any progress, you can break out the measuring tape and SEE that you really are moving forward!

7.  Eat protein.
Two things: Know how much you need, and eat it at every meal/snack.  I think the one thing I learned the most about over the past year is PROTEIN.  One of the first things I was taught was that in order to lose FAT, you want to keep your muscle (DUH.), which you do so by eating plenty of protein.  You'll want to reevaluate your protein needs throughout your weightless to make sure you are eating for your current body and not where you started.  Knowing your protein needs will also help in your meal planning, you'll want to be sure and spread out your protein between all five/six meals of your day.  (My beginning protein factor was 112 grams, but it is currently down to 102.)

8.  Know your No's.
For me, I shoot for No soda, no fast/fried foods, no bread, no sweets...  The best suggestion I have for this weapon is to not go too far too soon!  You {probably} can't successfully give up a lot of different things at the same time that have been an addiction or a habit for a long period of time.  Also, by phasing them out, you'll be able to tell a difference about what each item does to your body.  Some of these things you might want to give up permanently (sodas) and others you might want to enjoy in moderation (breads...I mean, I'm not about to give up the occasional bread indulgence from my favorite Italian restaurants...and yes, there is more than one).

9.  Have a reason.
It's not about being skinny.  It's not about a specific number on the scale or the tag of your shorts.  It's about so much more than that.  For some people, this weapon might cause the biggest bang of all.  Your "Why?" can be very motivating!  For me, I wanted to get healthy first for myself, so that I could feel better all around (both physically and in my self-confidence).  Second, I wanted to get healthy for my family, bot present and future.  My husband and my daughter deserve the very best of me, full of energy and life.  I want to be able to be active with my daughter for years to come, and I want to feel well enough to serve my family as they need me.

10.  Enjoy the treats.
I don't call these "cheat" meals.  You can wreck a week's worth of work with one cheat meal, and there are just certain things you don't need in your body, ever, cheating or not.  That's cheating yourself.  Now TREATING yourself, that's another story.  Find things that you love, but that you really only need in moderation:  maybe it's pancakes for breakfast, or s'mores for dessert, or some Fro Yo with your family.  You don't have to go overboard, and you don't have to wake up the next morning mad at yourself.  (You could use the "treats" with your "prizes" I mentioned in number 5.  Set your goal of 5 pounds and take yourself out for some frozen yogurt once you hit that milestone!  I can assure you that yogurt will taste better than you ever remembered.)

And a bonus weapon for you - Know your body.  It's important to know what works for you and what doesn't (I always GAINED weight when I added running, but lost when I added walking).  Know what causes "issues" for you.  I have certain foods that trigger some tummy troubles and knowing what those foods are (and eliminating them) definitely helps me feel better...and feeling better keeps me on track!  I also have triggers that lead me towards "falling off the wagon," so I try and just avoid those all together. (Can we talk about the fact that I can't just eat one Reeses?? They are NOT satisfying.)  And maybe more important than anything is to know what special things you have that affect weight loss, for me it's PCOS, and knowing that I have it changes my daily nutrition goals.

Sloppy Joes - An Armstrong Staple

One of my 2014 goals is to create a Meal Plan for my family and STICK TO IT (hence my 2014 word being endurance)!  A meal plan can help with our health goals, eliminating those fast food runs and large restaurant portions, as well as our financial goals, by really limiting the amount of money we are spending monthly on food.

I've got a pretty good start for our Meal Plan, and I do plan on posting how we'll be using that plan once it's complete (and I have time to get the post written up...after all, life is about to change a bit).  But as a teaser, it includes 2 separate 4-week plans (so we'll have 2 complete months planned out at a time), 4 Pinterest boards (1 for each 2-week period, based on our shopping schedule - I look up and cook all recipes from my Pinterest boards, even if I have them in a cookbook), and a set of index cards (this is what will take the longest - each card will have the ingredients and some basic information to use for our bi-weekly grocery shopping trips). 

On that note, I wanted to share one of my very favorite (and EASIEST) recipes that I grew up eating with my family, and now eat with my sweet hubby.  It's definitely one of his favorites too!  I think I could eat it once (or twice) a week and not tire of it!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground meat
1 cup catsup
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

You'll want to start by browning your pound of ground meat and then drain the grease.  You can rinse out the pot you are using and return in to the stove.  At this time, you'll want to turn the heat down to a low heat setting.

 

Once you have drained the grease, you can pour the meat back in to the pot and add the mixture of the remaining ingredients.  I usually add all of the ingredients (catsup, water, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce) to one measuring cup, stir it up, and then add the mixture to your browned meat.

 

 

Once you have stirred your mixture in with the meat, you'll reduce the heat to simmer and cover for about 15 minutes.

We always eat our Sloppy Joes on large buns, but ever since I was a little girl, my brother and I both eaten a few spoonfuls by itself as well.  (Like I've said...we LOVE Sloppy Joes!)  I will add that my brother and sister-in-law also add a slice of cheese to their sandwiches.

On the Side:

There are lots of options for side dishes with this meal, but we ALWAYS eat ours with Broccoli Cheese and Rice.  There have also been times we've had it with chips and cheese dip or baked beans as well.