Hey Friends!

I hope this finds you well. This is a long post but I just thought I’d share…

Did you watch this week, The Biggest Loser make over week? Wow, the contestants look great. I did not realize Liz was not even 50 until her make over I though like 60, now she looks younger then 50! Keep going Liz! I did feel Danny and Rudy had a too ‘boyish’ look but they still looked amazing. Rudy… grow your beard back. I bawled when Danny’s Daughter said she can’t wait to get on her journey and she says I never had a skinny dad! Our obesity has an enormous effect on our kids. When Allen cried so did I. I think I cried more then any other episode. Amanda… 9 pounds! WOW!! Geez… I wish I had their opportunity! I have a hard time when the contestants pass my weight.

All my efforts have brought me no where when it comes to my weight issues. My best efforts have not been good enough. I have been seriously considering trying out for a new weight loss show. They would come to my house, not Jillian’s but another show that is now casting. I have been in contact with one of the recruiters, funny, he said I am on the thinner side, but send him my video any way. ME on the thinner side for a weight loss show… how pathetic am I? Do I really have to go that far? Are there not people out in this world willing to show compassion to help people like me with out breaking the bank? Have I sunk so low in my emotional obese self that I can not dig out of it? I really want to go to the Biggest Loser Resort to deal with my issues within myself with out distractions. I do not know how deep these pounds of pain go. I need to be removed from my environment and forced to deal with issues that I have buried so deep that I myself do not know what those issues are! But financially this is not possible right now. So…

I started writing out my application and thought I would share some of it with you.

Hi. My name is Camille Gibson. I am 41 years old,  5’9” and weigh about 275 lbs. I am married with three wonderful daughters; we reside in a suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I believe my obesity journey started as a baby to a single young mother. It was easier to shove a bottle in my mouth or set me in front of a TV with cookies then to deal being a young single mother. My mom did marry my dad and I have two sisters and a brother.

I was a fat baby, a fat child, a fat teen, I graduated fat, got married fat, had three daughters fat and am still fat. I even resorted to having my stomach stapled at the age of 20 when my highest weight of 347 became so desperate I did not want to live. As a last resort I had the surgery. I got to my lowest weight of 245 and with life and kids I have remained at the 265 to 275ish mark for over 20 years now.

Most my relatives are over weight to morbidly obese. My mother is over weight; her mother was over 400 pounds and her grandmother, I was told, was over 500 pounds. I want the obesity cycle to stop. I am about to send my almost 17 year old daughter off to college next year with my habits. She does not know to make eating healthy important or to make time for daily exercise. I have not taught her, I am her example. How do I teach her these things when I have never experienced them? I have never been thin I can not share that with my wonderful daughter who is entering young adult hood. I need help.

I am tired. All my life I gave my all to everyone who asked or seemed to need my help. I have given so much of me there is nothing left to give. I want for the first time in my life to be about me. In all that giving… I lost myself. I do not know who I am any more. I am 41 years old. It is not WHERE will I be in the next 25 years, its WILL I still be alive? I want that answer to be yes! Alive, healthy, sassy, hanging off my husband’s arm proudly; me happy and he proud to have such a beautiful wife by his side.

The application talks about how my weight affects family. My husband is 20 pounds over weight and has high cholesterol. We have a good relationship. Every year my husband’s office has a Christmas party and every year I say “Next year I will not be this fat” and every year I am this fat. My husband will not dance with me. I know it’s because I am 100 pounds more then him. I would not want to be embarrassed by me either. I want to dance with my husband. My daughter Sue almost 17 is 30 pounds over weight. Fun girl, VERY smart, I am proud of her. I don’t want to send her out in the world with my health lessons. We need help not just for me. Sarah is 10 she is my athletic girl, very smart, very out spoken, popular and a fun kid as well. I want to keep it that way. I don’t want her to lose herself in food like I did. I don’t know how to teacher her not to. Then Staci, 9, is my most compassionate girl, she is very smart and sees things that most of us would not see. She loves animals, people and the earth. She says, “Mommy you’re not fat, you’re just fluffy”. I don’t want her to lose that compassion for life. I don’t want someone to crush her by calling her fat. The only way to stop that is to keep her healthy and prevent her from becoming over weight in the first place. I do not know how to do that. I always think I do only to fail.

Seven years ago we bought our kids a trampoline. Every day the girls would beg, “come on mommy, come jump with us” they did that for about three years and the asking dwindled down to never asking. I would make all the excuses and promise all the tomorrows but the real reason was I was over the weight limit to jump on the trampoline. Now my kids have almost out grown jumping on the ‘tramp’ and I never got that opportunity to share that fun with them. When we go to amusement parks I sit and wait on the benches for my kids and husband to wait in line to ride the rides. I do not want to get up to the ride and find I do not fit in the seat. I would jump to my death if that happened so I choose not to even try.

Medically, obviously, I am over weight. I suffer from acid reflux and go through about a bottle of Tums a week. I have venous insufficiency mostly in my left leg which causes severe swelling in my legs and ankles. I need to lose weight to improve maybe even cure this condition so I do not end up in a wheel chair at the age of 50. I am not on any medication, blood pressure is ok and cholesterol is normal so basically I am fat.

OK friends, that’s what I have written so far. What do you think? Should I send it in?

I recently bought Jillian Michael’s Winning by Losing book. I think this is her best book. I will share some interesting things I have read in a future post. Maybe I will share some of my book I started a while back about looking in the mirror. It’s a pretty deep self image book but not finished because the last chapter I am saving for when I am at the weight I should be at.

Hey, I made a new drink recipe. Try it!

Raspberry Mocha Pick Me Up in the Afternoon Drink

10-12 oz cold coffee ( I use my left over hazelnut from the morning)
1 scoop raspberry biggest loser power
1/2 scoop vanilla bean biggest loser power
1/2 scoop chocolate biggest loser powder

A bunch of ice, mix well and enjoy!

Helps curb that afternoon wanna-snack-now craving!

90 cals
12 grams protein

Alright Friends, Take Care.

Camille

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Phase Fifteen of “appropriate behavior at the gym: the do’s and don’ts, according to a guy with an opinion about anything and everything.”

There is no real do or don’t on this one, it more of a personal inquiry that I felt needed to be thrown out there and established. No matter how I say this it is going to come out wrong so please bear with me. I am having a hard time understanding why personal trainers at various gyms (and even in personal resident gyms) are not in shape themselves. I am by no means talking down to people that are not in shape, unless you are out of shape and are a personal trainer at the gym. This is an anomaly to me. When you are supposed to be teaching others how to become fit and practice a healthy lifestyle, you yourself should be an exemplary model for your pupil to follow suite.

Now, I understand that this trainer might have a degree in physiology, kinesiology, have been through several trainings and/or courses to qulify them as a trainer (or maybe none of the above) and they do in fact know what you are talking about, so their expertise can theoretically be trusted. But things that are theoretically sound do not always apply to real life practice and pursuit. We can lay out an efficiently sound plan to re-build our economy that looks great on the bill but it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily going to work when applied to the economy and its fiscal droughts. It is hard to get motivated by someone and trust them with your personal conditioning and well being when they themselves are not physically fit.

I guess the thing that makes me the most frustrated is that if I am going to choose a profession, I would want to be the best at it or at least at the top of my game. And with a job like personal trainer, where your physical appearance does have quite an impact, I would think that it would be a motivator for you yourself, as a trainer, to get into shape. You are actively trying to change some.

Like I said before I may be completely off basis with this one. I guess I can see two main counter arguments to this. One being: it doesn’t really matter what the person looks like as long as they know what they are talking about and I can trust them with my body’s well being. And I do pretty much agree with that in a logical sense, just not in a practical one – but once again that is just personal preference. The other counter to my argument that I could see as being somewhat relevant is that it might be beneficial to have an out of shape trainer in the sense that it boosts your morale. For example if I am out of shape and so is my trainer, it is going to boost my moral if on a daily, weekly and monthly basis I can see that my overall physical fitness level is exceeding that of my trainer’s. This would boost confidence levels and might increases personal drives and performances.

Both of these counter examples are purely based out of speculation. I have no idea as to what people think on this subject. And seeing how I am noticing this more and more these days I wanted some outside perspective on it. That is why I wrote this specific entry. I want to hear what you all have to say about this. What do you think about personal trainers who are out of shape? You all know my opinion on the matter, do you agree, disagree or put simply you could care less? Once again this is simply my opinion, take it or leave it.

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Hey Friends!

Hope this all finds you on your whey and doing healthy things for yourself. It’s getting cold here in Michigan the fall colors are getting close to peek already; time sure passes fast.

Well, as you all know I am a huge Biggest Loser fan. I am facebook friends with a lot of the players past and present. It’s exciting reading the contestants postings, seeing their success and challenges. Oh, this Saturday Helen Philips season 7 winner will be in my town! I am going to try and get to meet her maybe even lucky enough to get my picture with her. She lives in Michigan about 2 hours away from me.

I like to write down good things people say while watching the show and like to share with my fans. Words have powerful healing truths in them and you never know what you say may change another persons life.

Make it conscious; why you do the things you do. If you are not aware you can not fix it.

The only failure is not trying.

When losing: eat berries for your fruit, no cheese, use cauliflower for a mash potato fix, steam or roast your veggies, avoid sautéed or pan fried foods

Bring your calorie counter where ever you go

When going out to eat look at the restaurants online menu and pick out your food before you go. Don’t be afraid to ask how the food is prepare and don’t be afraid to put in a special request

Control your environment

Choices have to have a purpose behind them

How about those beans, friends. Something to think about.

Oh my gosh…Biggest Loser has a resort where anyone can go! Look it up biggest loser resort. What a dream that would be to go. Unfortunately unless we win the lotto or someone pays for me it just does not seem possible at this time. If I did get the chance, I think I would have to go for 8 weeks, because I have never been thin. I do not even know what it feels like. I was a fat baby, a fat child a fat teen, a fat adult. I was fat all through my pregnancies; I got married fat and am still fat. Granted, I did lose 30 pounds this pass year using Designer Whey great protein powders. I generally stick with the weight control powders and the biggest loser powders which are all great and have really helped me. But it’s not enough for me. I have to learn how to be a thin and healthy person because I have never been there. My best efforts have not been good enough. No matter the effort I end back where I started. It’s frustrating. I am 41 and have never jumped on a trampoline with my kids…and they have asked since they were little munchkins. I have to say no…because I am over the weight limit for the trampoline. I am seriously thinking about trying out for season 10…we shall see.

One thing the trainers keep saying is to control your environment. I have never been in a “controlled” environment when it comes to health. My parents owned a restaurant, my grand parents owned a party store; I never saw my parents exercising. Food and junk were always around me and no one taught me healthy ways. Sure I can read about it, I can watch videos on it, I even can blog about it but I have never lived it. I need to live in a controlled environment to experience how to live and keep my environment “controlled”. The Biggest Loser show or resort has that controlled environment. Having a controlled environment is not easy. You can not even go to a gas station or grocery store, to the movies or restaurant and be in a controlled environment or could you… I was discussing this subject with my Chiropractor and said; about the “I can’t even go to a gas station and have a controlled environment. There is candy, chips, sodas, junk every where in a gas station”. He said…pay at the pump! HA! Something as simple as that. Now why didn’t I think of that?

Have blessed day friends! Can’t wait for next weeks show!

Camille

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Hey Friends,

I know you are as happy as I am that the kiddies are back in school! Oh the last few weeks I was ready for them to go back to school. The kids were sick of each other and I was on my last nerve. I love my kids with my whole heart but sometimes us moms just need a break.

Hey, next week is all of our favorite inspirational show! Yep, that is right September 15th is coming up soon. I am excited to watch and see my favorite Designer Whey drinks help people just like me, people who could afford to lose a few or 2 or 3 pounds…lol. Hope you watch The Biggest Loser along with me!

Guess what the weight loss fairy delivered to my house??? My protein water! I will rate according to my tastes. In 4th place is the Orange Mango… I thought too intense orange taste. Maybe like the taste of baby aspirin or very strong tang.  Which I am not so fond of. But for you, you may love it. Probably those of us over 40 can not handle such intense flavor. To me, it was OK but not my favorite flavor of the protein water. In 3rd place is the Cranapple…the only reason it’s not my favorite is I am not an apple juice person. I do enjoy cranberry so for me it was tolerable. In 2nd place is the Pomegranate flavored Protein Water…I very much enjoyed the light fruitful flavor. Camille’s #1 pick is the Blue Raspberry… to me it is perfect! Light, yet flavorful, not too sweet and is very refreshing. My only problem is my 16 year old daughter DRANK all of my Blue Raspberry and Pomegranate Protein Water! UGH! I went to take a bottle with me to work and ALL GONE! Luckily, I found some at our local grocery store.

I have to apologize to all my friends reading this blog. Anyone who reads this blog is my friend! I promise to blog more often, summer is hectic with kids home and watching my friends’ children as well, plus my cleaning jobs. By the time I sat down I was spent. But now that school is back in session and The Biggest Loser Show will be on, I can get back into routine. When you are trying to lose weight routine is essential. I share that with you so I can share things I am doing to get back in the flow of losing weight.

One thing I do now is to always keep a 2-quart pitcher filled with my favorite Biggest Loser Protein Powder both the Red Raspberry and the Blue Blueberry. They only have 40 calories, great flavor and fiber to take the edge off when you are looking for something sweet to have. I put 6 scoops in a 2-quart pitcher and keep in the fridge, ready when I need it. Sometimes, I mix the two flavors for a different twist. Enjoy a cup before dinner and you will eat less, try it! I also

The Biggest Loser Protein Powder Vanilla Bean

LOVE the Biggest Loser Vanilla Bean Flavored Powder. I like to make a creamy shake when the ice cream man is trying to stop by! The chocolate is a great treat, as well, and makes a great meal supplement.  I enjoy adding the vanilla bean to cold coffee; add ice and you have a great low calorie, delicious, ice coffee! Some of those ice coffees can have 400 calories or more! Compared to 50 calories with the Biggest Loser Powders there is no comparison and they are YUMMY! Don’t forget to put a case of bottled water in your car (please recycle or refill) along with a bunch of 2GO packets, they really take the edge off when you are temped to stop by a drive thru, when you know you should not eat fast food.

You can enjoy any of Designer Whey’s Protein Powders. Whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight or building muscle, it’s all good! It works too! I lost 30 pounds in a year. Not a huge change like the Biggest Loser Show but progress; and we need to accept any progress as good! Make your kids a healthy shake after school instead of cookies and milk! I know my kids act a lot better after a Designer Whey Protein shake instead of climbing the walls after cookies. Calmer kids equal calmer parents; and that my friend is a happier home. How about starting their day with a shake at breakfast! They will think you flipped making them a shake for breakfast! But studies show good protein in the morning gets their brain ready for thinking. Kids who have a good breakfast do better in school!

Alright Friends,

I think about you and hope you are healthier today then you were the day before. Drink you whey every day!

Your friend,

Camille

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Fix Your Goals

Not reaching your fitness goals? The problem may not be with what you’re doing — it may be with the goals themselves.

The fitness goals you set need to be SMART: Specific, Motivating, Achievable, Relevant and Trackable.

Specific: What exactly do you hope to achieve? Instead of making the mushy goal “I want to get healthy,” say “I want to lose five pounds, drop an inch from my waist, be able to run five miles, and eat five servings of fruits and veggies per day.

Motivating: You need to be excited about what you want to achieve! If the idea of walking regularly on the treadmill makes you want to snooze, even if it’s a goal for a lot of fitness buffs, maybe it’s not the right goal for you right now.

Achievable: Nothing is more discouraging than a goal that’s too difficult to achieve. No one can lose 20 pounds (healthfully) in a month or be ripped in a week. Give yourself a break!

Relevant: The goal needs to make sense for you. If you choose some pie-in-the-sky goal because it looks good on paper, chances are you’ll ditch it within a month.

Trackable: If you can’t measure or track your goal, how will you know when you’ve achieved it? We’re talking numbers here! Instead of setting a goal to get fit, resolve to lose a certain amount of weight by the end of the year.

More on the Motivating goals: The reason we don’t reach our goals may be that they’re not exciting enough to motivate us. If this is the case for you, heed my life coach, who recommends setting big, audacious goals. For example, instead of making a resolution to walk three times per week, how about vowing to train for a triathlon? Instead of losing five pounds, why not resolve to enter — and win — a fitness competition? And rather than making the vague goal to nosh on more veggies, why not promise (as I’ve been doing for the last month or so) to eat a big salad every day of the week.

A quick note: I’m taking a hiatus from the Designer Way blog due to other commitments. I hope to see you — and motivate you — again soon!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Eating Out Without Piling on Pounds

I love to eat at restaurants. But being a nutrition writer, I know that what typically makes restaurant food taste so good is lots of fat (and bloat-inducing salt). Even that healthy-looking grilled fish is likely topped with a good-sized smear of butter. But who wants to cook every night? We all deserve to dine out once in a while. I’m at a healthy weight even though my family eats out a lot — so here are my tips for dining out without gaining weight.

Share. There’s a dessert at Longhorn that’s delicious — but it consists of two full-sized pieces of chocolate cake surrounded by several scoops of vanilla ice cream. (Oh yes, and whipped cream.) While we rarely order dessert, if we do we always split it among three or even four people. Another way to use this tactic: Order one fewer dishes than there are people at the table and share. For example, if there are four of you at a Chinese restaurant, you can order three (healthy!) dishes so you each get to taste everything without going overboard.

Watch out for watch words. No matter what the cuisine, words like crispy, smothered, fried and golden brown signal lots of fat and should make you head the other way.

Order sides. At one restaurant we frequent, I used to order the salmon — which included a salmon fillet and a salad anda baked potato and rice. I would eat until I was stuffed, and there would still be food left over. Then, one day, a friend said to me, “Why don’t you just order side dishes?” So now I typically order a salad and a baked potato and that’s plenty to fill me up. (When I’m feeling especially virtuous, I get the baked potato dry instead of with sour cream.)

Instead of sides, you could also order two appetizers; many restaurants now offer boiled pot-stickers with a dipping sauce, shrimp skewers, or other healthier apps.

By the way, this tip is perfect for vegetarians who go out to eat with non-veg friends. So many restaurants have a sorry selection of meat-free meals, but you can almost always put together a nice meal out of sides and appetizers.

Box it up. I mentioned this tip in my post Sneaking Health Into Your Day : When you order a meal, ask the server to box up half of it before bringing it to you. That way you’re not tempted by the mounds of food on your overflowing plate even after you feel full. Bring home the other half and you’ll have dinner tomorrow too!

Skip the soda. There are 155 calories in one 12-ounce serving of Coke, and something like 12 teaspoons of sugar. If you’re eating out, why not treat yourself to some wine, which has heart-healthy benefits, plus fewer calories and less sugar than soda? One serving of Sauvignon Blanc has 119 calories .

Just ask. I once went out to a restaurant with a fitness model-slash-personal trainer. Even though it wasn’t on the menu, she asked the server for grilled chicken breast with no added fat, plain steamed broccoli, and a dry baked potato. The chef was happy to oblige. You’ll never know if you can get healthy options unless you ask — and if enough people ask, more restaurants will start to offer them. Try asking for meats cooked without added fats, salads served with dressing on the side, crudité plates with fresh veggies, smaller servings (even if you have to pay full price), and veggies that are steamed instead of fried.

Okay, now you have the tools to get a healthy restaurant meal that won’t wreck your weight-loss efforts. Try them the next time you go out!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Stretch It Out

For many people, stretching is a chore. Touch my toes? Do a yoga pose? Forget it, you say — I’m tired after my gym workout and just want to head home. But stretching can reduce your recovery time after a workout, promote healthy joints, increase flexibility, and decrease muscle tightness. Remember, if you feel good after a workout, you’re more likely to head back to the gym again!

Staying flexible can help keep a bounce in your step as you age. There was a woman in my yoga class who was 60 years old (as she liked to let everyone know), but she had the body and attitude of a 30-year-old. I like to think it was because of her faithful yoga practice, which incorporates stretching.

Want to get started? Try these options:

Yoga class.  You’ll get a good full-body stretch in each yoga class. In the yoga class I used to take, the instructor would ask the students where they felt tight that day, and would customize the session to target those muscles. Yoga Finder can help you locate a class near you.

Online instruction.  About.com: Physical Therapy offers instructions and photos for dozens of stretches, including sports-specific stretches.

Tai chi. This is a calming martial arts workout that can help improve flexibility. Tai Chi Central lists some schools, and you can also find martial arts schools in your local Yellow Pages.

Videos.  There are several free stretching videos on YouTube, such as this 5 Minute Stretch Routine.

 You can also find stretching videos for rent or purchase on Amazon.com. Besides stretching, look for keywords like Tai Chi and Chi Kung (an ancient Chinese health care system that includes physical postures and breathing techniques — also spelled qigong).

Books.  Amazon.com and the sports section of your local bookstore offer books on stretching and flexibility. Try The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Stretching.

Whatever kind of stretching you opt for, follow these three easy tips to get the most out of it:

• Stretch warm. I used to take a karate class where we’d do extreme stretches before the main workout. Ouch! Stretching cold muscles can cause injuries, so be sure to save your stretching for afteryour workout. If you’re doing stretching exercises from a book or video at home, warm up with some light cardio first.
• No bouncing! Use a steady pressure.
•  No pain, all gain.  A slight discomfort is fine, but pain is a red flag.
• Hold it.  Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds.

I’m lucky that I love stretching, but even if it’s not your thing, you should give it a try. You probably didn’t like cardio or weight training when you first started, either, but you kept them up because you know they’re key for a healthy lifestyle. Add some stretching to your day, and your body will thank you.

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Hello Friends,
I hope this finds you well and happy. It’s a great day just because it is. I try to have a positive out look every day.

Lots going on; school shopping, summer activities, my oldest is a very smart chick and is doing dual enrollment. Dual enrollment is where seniors in high school can enroll in college and have it be credit towards their high school diploma and earn college credit as well. Best of all the college credits are paid by the high school. Free college credits…yeah baby!

One of my difficulties is being able to stay in routine with my diet. I get enough movement but my weight does not budge. I know it’s my eating. I do well when I use my free diet plan from Designer Whey  but I am also a rebel not submitting to what works. That part of me is difficult for me to understand. I try to analyze myself to figure it out. Someone said I just don’t value myself enough to be the best I can to myself. I am the best I can be to everyone around me. My family has no idea how well I take care of them because they have never been with out my care.

I saw an ad the ‘The Biggest Loser’ is casting again. What a dream, though they are looking for couples at the moment and I really don’t know anyone close that is as big as me or bigger to see if we could get on the show. I think going away and totally working on me and putting myself first, valuing myself for the time that the contestant are away would change my life. Last season my husband jokingly commented “Why don’t you get on that show”, that hurt a bit and when my kids said “Yea, mom you should go on The Biggest Loser show”…OUCH!!!! It makes me wonder what my family really things of me.

Maybe Designer Whey will bring me to them and teach me the ways of health…lol. Did you know Designer Whey is on FaceBook??? I found out recently. Let me tell you, the people behind this product look amazing! They are beautiful people and really stand behind their products and rightfully so. Ok, I have to put a plug in for Andy because he is my Designer Whey buddy and support. OMGsh Andy, I had no idea you were such a cutie patutie! Whey to Go, keep your health and looks dude.

I will be glad when school starts so I can get back to routine. I need to start my day right now with my breakfast of a wonderful Designer Whey Shake, some fruit and a piece of whole wheat toast. I will get back to what works starting with breakfast. I have been skipping that part for a while now…not good. I need to start right to keep right. I need to carry my 2GO packs in the car like I did before. It’s too easy to stop at a drive-thru when you’re hungry. I need to carry my snacks in the car when I am working instead of a quick stop at a gas station to grab something that is not the best choice.

I have to value myself.

Take Care,
Camille

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Adding and Subtracting for Health

Getting healthy — and staying motivated to get healthy  – requires the right balance of adding and subtracting things from your life.

For example, my life coach, Kristin Taliaferro, is big on eliminating energy drains from your life. Taliaferro recommends deleting what the coaching world calls “tolerations” — those little annoyances that make you feel resentful and demotivated, such as “The dog keeps jumping on the bed,” “I hate the way my phone rings,” and “My nails look terrible.”

Make a list of 100 of your tolerations (and believe me, it’s easier than it sounds), then pick three to get rid of this week. You’ll find that many of your tolerations have very easy solutions! When you start clearing out your tolerations, you’ll start to feel lighter, more energetic, and more motivated — the perfect state for living healthy. I did this in February and then stupidly let it lapse until just now. I deep-sixed a dozen or so tolerations and felt incredibly energetic. This week, I revamped my list and plan to remove three more tolerations.

You can also subtract activities that suck your time and your energy. If you watched one hour less of TV every night, what else could you be doing — maybe exercising? If you surfed the web one less hour a day, you’d have time to prepare healthy meals. Find out what’s holding you back and bringing you down — and subtract it.

Then there’s adding. One thing I’ve learned in my nutrition writing is that if you want to eat more healthfully without feeling deprived, concentrate on adding good foods to your diet instead of subtracting bad ones. For instance, make a deal with yourself to eat one salad a day for the next week (something I’m doing right now). And make it delicious, with grilled chicken, dried cranberries, nuts, whatever it will take for you to love your salad! Just by adding a daily delicious salad, you’re automatically eating less junk. Salad for lunch means no fast food fries, no cookies-for-lunch, no nachos loaded with sour cream and cheese.

What foods would you like to add to your diet? More water automatically means less Coke, and you can add lemon or a splash of juice to make it tastier. More healthy fats means you dip your bread in olive oil instead of slathering it with butter, that you add nuts to your salad instead of bacon bits, and that you layer avocado on your sandwich in place of mayo. And you don’t feel deprived because you’re adding yummy foods to your diet.

So: What things can you add to or subtract from your life to get healthier?

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Push Yourself!

I’m in New York City, and tonight I’ll be participating in an especially rigorous martial arts class with a woman I’m profiling for a business magazine. I’ve stepped up my weight training and cardio in the last month and a half, doing weights four to five times per week and interval training on the treadmill three times per week. Hopefully I can make it through this class, but I’m not confident…my endurance is still low.

I’ve realized that I have a lot of trouble pushing myself when I work out. A couple of days last week, I just did a moderate walk on the treadmill instead of interval training, and I didn’t weight train as much as I had been due to scheduling conflicts between my trainer and me. Of course, I could have picked up my handy dumbbells at home, but with no one pushing me, I dissed that idea.

I think that in order to lose weight and get fit, we need to push ourselves more than we think. Many magazine articles tell you that being active just a half-hour per day is fine, and you can even split up your activity into three 10-minute sessions, such as walks after meals. But when you read the profiles of people who have lost weight and kept it off — and who look great — they don’t just meander around for half an hour every day. They work hard! For example, some of them do an hour of cardio every day, and weight training three to five times per week on top of that. They watch their calories. They’re dedicated to being healthy.

I have a friend who would like to lose a lot of weight. But when he tells me about his workout, I realize that he’s just walking slowly on a treadmill at 0% incline for half an hour, then lifting weights that even I, who am in no way a trainer, can tell are way too light. He can go on forever without reaching failure! Then he gets demotivated because he isn’t losing any weight.

In contrast, the person I’m profiling has a fit body. She does vigorous martial arts for one to two hours a day, weight trains with heavy weights, and runs. And when we went out to lunch, I noticed that she ate only a half slice of bread from her open-faced tuna sandwich. (I ate all my bread.)

Me, I’m somewhere in the middle — I usually push myself, especially with weights (I lift heavy enough that I can do only eight to 12 reps), and I take care not to eat a crazy amount of food. And my results are…well, middling. I’m not overweight, but I’d like to look and feel fitter, and to fit into the jeans I wore in graduate school. The woman I’m profiling has inspired me: I think when I get back to New Hampshire, I’ll feel a renewed commitment to push myself harder during exercise.

How about you? Do you push it, or are you a slacker? What kinds of results are you seeing? I’d love to know…please post your experiences in the Comments section below.

Stay healthy,

Linda

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