The End is Only The Beginning

            As my thirty day quest comes to an end, I must confess that my quest did not go as I had planned. I let my bad habits get the best of me, allowing myself to be lazy and procrastinate. Although it wasn’t a complete failure, I must reflect upon the things that I did wrong.

            First off, let’s talk about the actual quest itself. All started well, and I was off to a great start. I was eating healthy, and exercising regularly. Day after day, I watched the scale slowly go down, and I reached my peak weight loss at 8.5 pounds. After that day, it quickly went downhill. I started letting myself eat out again as a social thing, only eating out with friend on the weekend. But after that one weekend, it was bad news from there, and I allowed myself to pick up some dinner on the way home from work. There went my healthy eating patterns, and I was in a downward slope.

            The exercise didn’t last long after this either. I was doing great in the beginning with exercising because I had my best friend to work out with. But soon our schedules started to conflict, and we could no longer make time to work out together. I stuck to my routine a few days after this, but once I let myself skip one night, it became much easier to skip a second night. Well, you can see my pattern here, and after only two or so short weeks, my plan was gone and I was back to my old ways of eating out and not exercising.

            As I look back, I see all the things I should have done better, but I must admit, I am still proud of myself for what I did accomplish. I lost eight and a half pounds, which is pretty awesome! And even after my bad habits have returned, I have still kept off those pounds. I know now what it takes to succeed in weight loss, and I believe someday in the future I will actually manage to stick to my plan and get fit and healthy.

            So the next part of this quest was to blog regularly, and I must admit, I slacked on that a bit also. It was hard for me to think of things to write about, and to make the time to write. But towards the end of this quest, I really started getting into the blogging thing, and I found so many things to write about! I really do enjoy writing, and this is a great way to reach a new audience other than myself. I look forward to continuing my blog, and eventually telling my friends and family about it so they can follow my success story.

            I learned a lot through this journey, and I look forward to the rest of my journey because for me, the end of this quest is only the beginning of the next.

Eggs, Eggs, and More Eggs!

            One of my all time favorite, good for you foods, is eggs! They are so healthy and full of nutrients, while also being very versatile. I believe that everyone should be able to find a type of egg preparation they enjoy. But let’s start by learning why eggs are so good for you. In my search for knowledge, I decided to go to the best source I know, incredibleeegg.org, or better known as The Incredible, Edible Egg cite (please feel free to say the little ditty that goes along with this!). What I found out is that eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have high amounts of nutrients in comparison to their calorie content. One egg has a mere 70 calories, while packing in thirteen different essential nutrients, which include protein, choline, and riboflavin. Now I know we have all heard that if you are on a diet, it is better to eat the egg whites only, but most of the nutrients of eggs are found in the yolk! So I recommend not skipping the yolk because you will be missing out on your lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin D.

            I actually have some personal experience with lutein and zeaxanthin because the company I work for manufactures these vitamins from natural sources to allow them to be in different supplements. These two vitamins are very good for your sight, and they help prevent age related macular degeneration, which can cause blindness in older age. So they are very important!! If you are interested in what all the other 13 vitamins packed into eggs are good for, be sure to check out this awesome page provided by Incredible Edible Egg. http://www.incredibleegg.org/images/website/documents/health-and-nutrition/egg-nutrients/its-all-in-an%20egg_11-05-08_.pdf

            One of the other great things about eggs is their versatility. You can poach, fry, boil, bake, and cook them just about any way you can think of! They are great served with toast, on a salad, in a casserole, and in or on just about anything you can think of! There are so many great possibilities; even the pickiest of eaters should be able t o find a way to get eggs into their diet. Everybody needs to eat eggs because they are so darn good for you!

             Be sure to check out the site listed above for great recipes and interesting facts about eggs.

No Soda Update

As I posted earlier, I have decided to stop drinking soda. It has been just about a week so far, and my mission has been a success! I have yet to drink soda since vowing to abstain last week, although I must say, so far it has not been easy. As I mentioned before, I am a huge Coca-Cola drinker, especially when I am out to eat. I literally start craving it as soon as I sit down to eat.  I was face to face with failure while at Chili’s with my boyfriend, but him being the support he is, would not allow me to get soda, and even decided that he would drink water with me. This gave me the boost I needed to stick to my guns, and not order a Coke. After dinner, I felt so much better about myself! I had done what I had set out to do, and avoided drinking soda while I was out to eat. Week one, success!

Zumba®

I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for fun, new, interesting ways to exercise. Lately, many of my friends have started Zumba, so I thought I would take a look and see what it is all about.

            According to the Zumba Website, “The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away.” The goal of Zumba is to get people to want to work out by giving them a fun way to do it. The program is designed not only to help you burn fat, but also to sculpt your body at the same time. Zumba has been around since the mid nineties, and as of last month was being taught in over 90,000 locations in 110 countries.

            I have heard only good things from my friends about Zumba. They all talk about how energizing and invigorating the program is, and how they feel like the time just flies by while they are exercising. I am hoping to save up enough money to be able to join this class in the spring.

Check out the Video in the post below!

ZumbaFitness.com

Fish Oil

       Okay, so I am constantly hearing about fish oil, but I never really knew why it was so good for you, and if I should start taking it myself. So I decided I would finally check it out, and see what the deal was with fish oil. I stumbled upon a website that laid out the benefits pretty clearly, so I figured I would summarize them for you guys so that you too will no longer be mystified by fish oil. There are so many benefits, I picked only the ones I found most prevalent and useful.

       First on the list: Heart Problems. Fish oil can help reduce a certain type of blood fat, and increase good cholesterol. It also slightly thins blood, making it less likely that you will have a heart attack. It also helps prevent cardiac arrest and strokes, while also lowering blood pressure.

       Next up: Arthritis. Fish oil helps reduce inflammation as well as other symptoms of arthritis. There has been shown decreases in joint stiffness and tenderness. However, it takes long term use of fish oil to really notice results, so don’t expect to notice any immediate relief of arthritis.

       Fish oil not only has physical benefits, but it also mental health benefits. It helps prevent illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Fish oil helps maintain the proper functioning of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, which are what help us continue to feel good and happy. When used properly and combined with other drugs, fish oil has been shown to combat the mood disorders listed above.

       With all the benefits of fish oil, I will have to take fish oil pills into serious consideration.

Sweet Potato Fries

I absolutely LOVE sweet potato fries! Not only do they taste good, but they are super low in calories compared to regular fries, and have extra vitamins that you won’t get from the other kind. I thought I would share a recipe with you guys, and I highly recommend trying them! Add pretty much any seasoning you like that would go well with fries. They are delish!

Ingredients

      1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges

      2 teaspoons canola oil

      1/4 teaspoon salt

      Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss sweet potato wedges with oil, salt and pepper. Spread the wedges out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until browned and tender, turning once, about 20 minutes total.

Nutrition Per serving: 122 calories; 5 g fat (0 g sat, 3 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 3 g fiber; 323 mg sodium; 429 mg potassium.

Rant of the Day: Health or Money?

As much as I enjoy eating healthy, and trying to get into shape, it is starting to get hard on my pocketbook! Grocery shopping for healthy foods is much more expensive then shopping for junk food which seems somewhat backwards to me. When we have problems with childhood obesity, or obesity in general, it seems silly that we make junk food so accessible but jack up prices of healthy foods that could combat the problems we face.

This is a problem not only at the grocery store, but also with restaurants, and more specifically, fast food. You can’t exactly go to a healthy restaurant and get a healthy entrée for a mere dollar, yet you can go to McDonald’s or Burger King and find a plethora of unhealthy options for an extremely low price. If you are in a family struggling for money, it is hard to turn down such a cheap meal!

I think our country needs to work towards making healthy foods less expensive and more accessible. Everybody deserves a chance to be healthy and fit, not only people that have enough money to support this lifestyle. I realize junk food and fast food will always be around, but it would be much easier to turn down the $2 bag of chips if I was able to get and equivalent sized bowl of fruit for the same amount of money. I guess until then I will continue scraping my money together before a grocery store visit.

Soda Pop

      As I have mentioned before, I do not plan to end my quest to lose weight simply because the class challenge has ended. So in continuing with my healthy lifestyle, today has been the start of my mini quest to stop drinking soda! I don’t know about you, but I am a major pop addict, especially at work, or if I am out to eat. One of my best friends recently stopped drinking soda, and last night at dinner as I sipped my giant glass of Coca-Cola, while she happily drank the free water, I thought to myself, “why should I waste the $2 simply to drink liquid sugar that is terrible for my diet?”

      So I made the obvious decision to stop drinking soda! I know it is going to be very difficult for me because I am seriously addicted to Coca-Cola! I crave this decedant cola at every meal, but this shall soon end!

                            Today has been my first day without soda, 

                                 and so far so good. It was hard to resist temptation during my lunch break, because I always buy a soda from the vending machine in the cafeteria, but I resisted! I felt really good about myself for resisting, and I am looking forward to challenging myself for several months to come. Of course I am not naive, and I know I will probably relapse a time or two in the next few months, but either way, I know I can do this and make myself a healthier, happier person in the process!

Spinach Versus Romaine Salad

I am a big salad eater, so when I stumbled upon an article in Cooking Light Magazine that told the benefits of switching to spinach salad I quickly became interested. According to this article, they are both loaded with vitamin A, but after that spinach takes a clear lead. Spinach has higher levels of vitamin K, potassium, and iron. The darker the leaf, the better, so kale, chard, and arugula are also great choices. It is always good to get as many vitamins into your day as possible, so it sounds like I will need to make a switch to a darker leaved salad!

Seven Fat Fighting Foods

Wouldn’t it be great to eat foods that actually help to fight fat? Well health.com is helping us do just that! This article lists seven different foods that not only help us blast fat, but they also make us feel full longer so we will eat few calories over all. Sounds like a pretty good deal!

1.      Eggs: 78 Calories Each

Eggs are loaded with protein, which helps to satisfy our appetite. If you eat eggs for breakfast, it will help you eat, on average, 330 less calories throughout the day! I for one could definitely benefit from this, and eggs a relatively cheap food choice. They are easy to prepare, and pretty much anyone can do it. I think I will be adding eggs to my grocery list this week!

2.      Dark Chocolate: 170 Calories for 1 Ounce

According to research, of you indulge in a little chocolate at the end of a meal; you are more likely to eat less at your next meal. This is because compounds in chocolate digest more slowly, which make us feel full longer. Sounds like a great reason to eat some chocolate to me! Of course I will have to be careful to not over indulge, but self restraint is one of the key attributes I am working on. Perfect time for practice!

3.      Pine Nuts: 95 Calories for about 84 Nuts

Not only do these nuts produce heart-healthy fatty acids that boost satisfaction levels, they also keep belly fat at bay! Two for one! I have never just sat and ate pine nuts, but I enjoy them in food. I guess I will have to try them out because the benefits sound pretty good!

4.      Cheese: 76 Calories for 1 Ounce

Goat cheese or feta are the best choices because they contain conjugated linoleic acid, which help us to feel full and burn fat. I have no idea what that is, but if it helps me burn fat, it is always worth a try! I have always loved cheese, but many kinds of cheese are high in fat, making them unhealthy. I have recently taken a liking to feta cheese, so I am glad to know it is also a fat burner!

5.      Skim Milk: 86 Calories for 1 Cup

The proteins in milk can help you feel satisfied, and it also contains a compound that helps to fight fat. Make sure to stick with skim milk because the other types tend to have more fat content.

6.      Oranges: 59 Calories Each

Oranges are loaded with fiber, making them a great choice! Fiber fights fat, and people who eat more fiber tend to have less flab. I love oranges, and I had no idea they were so good for a diet! They are an easy snack or part of breakfast.

7.      Potatoes: 161 Calories Each

I was quite surprised to see this on the list, because I have always heard that potatoes are not good for a dieter. According to this article, they are three times more filling then a slice of bread and the starch in potatoes help our bodies’ burn fat. Sounds like a pretty good food to me!

I learned so many great tips from this article! I had no idea some of these foods would help to burn fat, and now I feel like I can make some better choices when I am making a meal. Once again, Health Magazine has come to my rescue! Be sure to check it out!

This Months Issue of Health Magazine

Yo-Yo Dieting

Today I found an article on fitnessmagazine.com that talks about why yo-yo dieting is bad. For those you that don’t know what yo-yo dieting is, it is when you lose weight, and gain it back, only to start dieting again. I, for one, am a constant yo-yo dieter. I can easily drop ten pounds, but I quickly fall off the wagon and gain it right back a couple months later.

            According to this article, I am not alone, and many people who lose weight will inevitably gain it back. This article also says a typical dieter will have to restart four times a year! That is just crazy! Clearly most of us need to work on or self restrain, and make our selves keep on track with our diets.

            The reason this article gives for so many failed diets is the fact that so many people do not put in the effort to make a lifestyle change. People want fast results, and they want to go right back to most of their regular habits after they have reached the weight they were aiming for.  A lifestyle change is a necessity if we want to avoid yo-yo dieting.

            We want to avoid yo-yo dieting because it is harmful to our bodies. According to Andrea Pennington, "Repeated crash dieting increases metabolic hormones, such as insulin, and elevates levels of sex hormones, including estrogen. These changes cause you to start putting on weight around your middle, which research has linked to insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease."

            Obviously no one wants to feel like they are constantly starting over on a diet. If you are able to change to a healthy lifestyle, your body will fallow suit and you will no longer be a victim of yo-yo dieting. I for one am going to make a better effort to change myself rather than simply “Diet.”