I am excited to update you on all the moments of success I had yesterday! First thing in the morning when I came into the church, one of the ladies following my blog called me over and gave me a tip. She said that she lost 40 some odd pounds by not eating after 4pm. She said that's the only thing she changed about her eating habits. So, I decided to add that piece of interesting advice to my bag of tricks. After talking with her, I managed to get through a whole wedding shower complete with delicious cake and heavy hors d'oeuvres with only one bite of cake and one sandwich! I did end up eating my big dinner at 3:00 and then at youth group I sat there and watch the kids chow down on left over cake and potato chips - yep, that's right folks, not ONE bite! I'm a rock star!!! And finally, as my grand finale, one of my youth invited me to go to a Mexican Restaurant with her and her grandmother after youth group. So I went, I drank my water with lime and I, once again, watched her chow down on chips, salsa and cheese dip without taking even one little heavenly taste. I'm not just a rock star, I'm a SUPER HERO!
Now, the trick is to do it all again today. ;-D
As I reflect on all of the amazing advice and tips people have been sending me, I am amazed at how much information about weight loss is out there. I am also equally interested in how much of the information contradicts all of the other info. In the same way that I don't believe all democrats are evil and all republicans are idiots, I don't believe the tips I've gotten are all a bunch of malarkey. The fact is, the reason someone passed on the tip is because it worked for them! So, I figure that the trick to weight loss is finding the right combination of tricks, tips, advice, and information that works for you, your personality, your body, and your lifestyle. No small task, fer sher!
So, let me lay out my weight loss process, as it stands today (because I guarantee it'll evolve throughout this year). I will do my best to eat at home the majority of the meals each week - which may not seem like such a big deal to you, but I assure you, it is to me! I will cut down on my caloric intake each day. I will not deprive myself of something I really want - I will just have a taste or two instead of the whole enchilada! Mmmmm, an enchilada sounds pretty good right now... Anyway... I will not eat after 4:00 if I can help it - my schedule can be unpredictable so I kind of have to go with the flow sometimes. And, I have decided to take the advice of the medical health guru, Dr. Oz, and start taking African Mango supplements. I figure that if Oprah trusts the man, he MUST be legit, right? In addition to all of this, I will begin my Zumba exercises tonight! Do you hear me people? I said I would start them tonight! I will NOT come home from work and sit down in my recliner for another TV marathon! Instead I will dance my heart out to the energizing beat of my ZUMBA Total Body Workout DVDs. Tomorrow I will update you all on how that turns out.
In the meantime, keep me in your prayers, keep the awesome and diverse advice coming and I will be back again tomorrow!
Peace in the Home Land,
Laura
Not sure about the not eating after 4pm thing. Unless you go to bed at 7, I think you're setting yourself up for failure, and it's not really necessary for weight-loss. Not a good idea to let yourself get ravenously hungry--could lead to a food binge to compensate. How about not eating after 8pm? Be realistic.
ReplyDeleteTwo books you should read:
"Half-Assed: A weight-loss memoir" by Jeannette Fulda. Like you, Fulda started a blog to document her weight loss and then turned it into a book. She's very funny. Info on the book at http://halfassedbook.com/. You can also get to her blog from there.
"Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink, Ph.D. about all the cues that have nothing to do with hunger that cause us to overeat and how to recognize and get around them. Well-written and eye-opening.
Hang in there!
Love, Janie
I agree with Janie. The not-eating-after-4pm would make sense if you're going to bed around 8pm. Even diabetics who follow their diet plan don't have a guideline saying don't ear after 4pm. Just be sure to eat something healthy (a small amount of complex carbs + a little protein). Forget about all the miracle cleansers, cabbage soup, maple syrup, etc... :) I will post more later. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Guys! In regards to the not eating after 4:00, don't worry about me too much. The reality is, I don't get off from work until 5:00 anyway so It's probably going to work out to be DON'T EAT ANYTHING AFTER 6PM. I do stay up really late at night so I think that will still be a good time for me.
ReplyDeleteHi Laura,
ReplyDeleteWow! Such courage. I'm inspired. . . maybe this will help motivate me a little. I get lazy all to often and eat when stressed (which never happens in the ministry right?) Anyway, I love Zumba. I find it is a lot of fun and different. Since you are taking advice right now, I will tell you what worked for me, when I was first very serious about my weight loss (lost 60 pounds in a year, I've gained back 25, but still kept the 35 off 6 years later. I signed up for a Curves Gym (which now has Zumba classes too!) and I did Weight Watchers at home. (I am not a going to a meeting person and this blog is great accountability.) But Curves is great because you get a good, full body workout in 30 minutes. I still do it today and it is what helps me maintain. (Like you, I am not a morning person, but I've found that a morning work out is better than evening because I am exhausted by the time I am home and it is easier with the schedule of ministry. Only time that is is hard to fit it in is the early surgeries). Weight Watchers at home with the point system helped me get a handle on portion size. I still could eat what I wanted, I just had to be smart about it. (So, no 1/2 pizza, but I can eat a slice or two and a salad. . . ) It helped me figure out how many calories you do need each day. Anyway, good luck and God's blessings. Remember: every day is a new day. Love!
Laura, this is the first day that I got to read your blog. I am very proud of you. I am behind you all the way. I look forward to reading your blog every day. I love you dearly and my prayers are with you.
ReplyDeleteI sure do love my sissy!!! Keep it up, girly! Could not be more proud of you!
ReplyDeletegood for you Laura! you'll kick butt. my boyfriend lost 80 pounds year before we started dating and he has a couple of hints that hes expressed. one- count your calories religiously. know how many you should have in a day based on weight, age, gender, and exercise level. remember that just one fun-sized candy counts. two- remember that diet is 80% of the battle but the 20% of exercise level matters too. and third- do it for your lifestyle and for yourself. don't do for the right reasons of wanting to be healthy. when i talk about losing weight he reminds me that i'm beautiful and that its about my health and not the media. so know your beautiful and just try to be healthy! Godspeed, my friend.
ReplyDeleteHi Laura (again)! What memagelli refers to your calories "based on weight, age, gender, and exercise level" is the BMR. Get that number so you can have a feel for what you can do every day! Keep on posting... I'm always here to read and annoy. ;)
ReplyDeleteZumba rocks! I love it, but I'm not sure I could keep doing it if I was trying to do it at home on my own. Maybe that will work for you, but if it doesn't try a class. There is a lot more motivation to do it that way. Your video could be back-up for when you have to miss class (my biggest problem). I'm actually looking into another place, so that I have scheduling options. I agree that 6:00 is much more reasonable as a pastor. If I could do 8, it would help, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the superstardom!
Hi Laura - I'm a friend of Molly, Beth, and Emily. What works for me is healthy eating and exercise. Here in FL we have Brighthouse cable which has a channel called Excercise TV on demand. I love it! The options are endless and include Yoga, Pilates, Jillian Michael's workouts, walking, dancing... It's great because it's on your time and you can vary the routine without getting bored.
ReplyDeleteI quit smoking one year ago and managed to lose almost 10 pounds using Exercise TV on demand.
Give it a try if your cable company offers it:)
Best of luck,
Laura