#Tempting Tuesday: Fighting the urge not to stuff my face

Most of you know I lost a ton of weight over the winter. If not, you can read about that here. Keeping the weight off is a lifelong commitment, and since Grace is now in kindergarten, not eating everything in sight has become increasingly difficult. My sweet tooth fights for control every day.

The house is quieter, I miss her, I get bored. Yes, I know I should be writing. And I am. When I'm writing, I fall into a zone and forget to eat. But at other times, I still feel as though something is missing, and if I'm not careful, I'll turn to food. Ramping up my exercise has helped, but it's so easy to fall into the mindset that exercise means more calories to eat. I gain weight just looking at most foods, so that's not good for me.

But every day I win the battle. I look at the before picture and remind myself of all the awesome new clothes I've bought. I've also taken to looking for new recipes that aren't loaded with carbs and fat. Eating Well has some great ones.

What do you do to fight the munchies? What kinds of snacks do you reach for that satisfy without putting on the flab?

Eating Healthy on Vacation and Avoiding the Car Munchies

Eating healthy is a lifetime challenge. It’s hard enough to stay on track when we’re at home, in familiar surroundings and in total control of our meals, but it’s another when we’re on vacation. The temptation of new foods, alcohol, and snacks are strong. Everyone deserves a break, and it’s okay to broaden your eating horizons on vacation.

But how can we avoid letting the perpetually hungry monster inside of ran rampant?

Everyone has a different trick, but here are some great ways to keep the monster from eating you into a new size.

For the road-trippers like me, pack a cooler full of water and healthy snacks. They’re better for your body and your wallet. Make sure they’re low-cal and high in protein like an apple of Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is extremely high in protein and much better than regular yogurt. I’ve tried all the brands my local stores carry, and my favorites are Fage and Chobaini. Chobaini’s honey Greek yogurt is fantastic!

Snack often. Having a healthy snack midmorning and mid afternoon is really important in keeping our appetites under control. Protein bars are great for this. Many are low in calories and high in protein, and they come in all different flavors, including chocolate. Mmmm. Special K has some great ones, as well as EAS. They’re high in protein and really low on carbs.

Drink lots water. The staple of any healthy diet! Keeps us full and is great for the skin.

Keep your bread choices to whole grain when possible.

If you’re going to be camping like me, (we spend a week fishing and staying at cabins. My family has gone to the same place since my dad was a kid) stock up on lean meats like fish and chicken. Get turkey-dogs instead of beef. You can also make a great veggie plate to go with this: simply chop up your favorites—I like red and green peppers, onions, asparagus, squash, and zucchini. Toss them in a ziplock bag, add some olive oil, real salt (sea salt), pepper, and basil. Shake ‘em up and toss on the grill. Tastes yummy and will keep you from gorging on dessert.

Last but not least… the alcohol. I know we all look forward to relaxing and embibing more than we do at home, but remember the wasted calories. Limit yourself to one extra drink, two at the most. Your waistline and hangover-free body will thank you later!

What are some of your tips for eating healthy eating on vacation?

Keeping the weight off is harder than losing it

As most of you know, I recently completed my weight loss journey, losing sixty-five pounds and going down five sized. The post A Fat Girl No More covers the experience.

I’ve been on the maintenance phase since May 27th, and I’ve managed to maintain within three to five pounds. But it hasn’t been easy. The maintenance phase is essentially healthy eating, and when you’re turned loose after six months of being monitored, the temptations start to creep up again.

My sweet tooth is growing back nicely, but so far I’m still in control. If I do crave the evil demon known as sugar, I reach for an apple or berries. If I’m feeling hungry (something I’ve noticed since I’ve been eating more), then I have half a protein bar and a big glass of water. I’m exercising regularly too, a first for me.

And yet, every day, I want to eat more, more, more. Now that I can have bread at night, I want two pieces. Cheesecake for desert? Bring it on. After all, I’ve lost so much weight, a little cheating now and then can’t hurt, right?

Wrong. My plan allows for one cheat day a week. The rest need to be spent eating responsibly, because it’s very easy to gain one or two pounds a week and before you know it, you’ve put on thirty.

I won’t let that happen again. My friend says I worry too much about food, that I know I can go back on the diet or work hard with exercise to lose five or ten pounds if I need to. I don’t want to do that. I want to be able to have willpower and maintain what I’ve worked so hard for.

So I say no to that second piece of bread and pass on desert. Then I complain for a while. How it’s not fair some people can eat anything they want, that I thought I wouldn’t be this structured after I hit my goal, yada, yada, yada.

That’s when my ‘before’ picture pops into my mind and I vow never to go back. Life’s not fair. I gain weight easily and have a slow metabolism. If I want to look and feel good, I have to accept that and do whatever I need to in order to stay healthy.

Low carb, low fat, low calories. Lots of fruit and veggies. Vitamins and calcium. Daily exercise. We all know the drill. The problem is that it’s easier said than done.

On the days you want to binge or say to hell with it, just remember how much better it feels to be at a healthy weight. Remember what it’s like to feel like the slug in the crowd, how no jeans fit right because your stomach blobbed over them, and how miserable you were. No one is happy being overweight. It affects the mind as much as it does the body. Think about how your mental state is now compared to when you were heavier and consider the differences in your life.

And then ask yourself, “is it really worth it? Is having that extra piece of bread or chocolate bar really worth sending myself back down that slippery slope?”

It’s not, I promise.

Maintaining is hard as hell. Arm yourself with healthy snacks, and if you can’t control the chocolate craving, (trust me, I understand this pain), get a Special K protein bar. I love their Chocolatey Chip and Peanut Butter Chocolate. And then have a couple of bites. Save the rest for later. You’ll answer the craving and won’t have the guilt that usually comes with it.

Keeping our weight down is going to be a lifetime battle. We’ve got to arm ourselves with everything we can to win, and most importantly, remember you’re not alone. We’re in this together.

Good luck!

A Fat Girl No More: The story of my 64 lb weight loss.

Being fat is miserable.

Trust me, I know. For as long as I can remember I’ve been the chubby kid, the heavy sister, the fat friend. I blame genetics. Kind of.

When I was a kid (I’m thirty-four), parents didn’t know as much as we do now about the effects of sugar, fatty foods, etc. And if they did, my parents didn’t pay attention. Dad was a steak and potatoes kind of guy (still is), and we never ate a lot of veggies. Pepsi was the drink of choice, and I can remember way too many trips to Mickey D’s.

My poor childhood eating habits set the stage for my lifelong struggle with food.

I never felt comfortable in my own skin, mostly because there was too much of it. One of my worst memories is from my freshman year of high school during a JV basketball game. I was probably twenty pounds heavier than the rest of the team, and they didn’t have shorts to fit me. The pair coach gave me were so tight they rode up my legs until they resembled two sausages trying to escape from their waxy membrane. I spent the game huffing up and down the court and constantly tugging down my shorts. The opposing team had a field day, of course. The experience was beyond mortifying.

Still, I couldn’t lose the weight. I had no discipline, no willpower. Chocolate and pizza were my best friends and worst enemies. Finally, the summer between my junior and senior year, I literally worked my butt off and dropped about thirty pounds, getting down to a size seven, the smallest I’ve ever been.

That lasted until my freshman year of college when I began packing on the dreaded freshman fifteen. By the time I graduated, I was a size eighteen. I spent the next decade struggling with various diets and failed exercise plans, never getting lower than a sixteen.

I felt unworthy of my husband’s affection and could no longer stand to look in the mirror. When my eighteen’s starting getting tight, I’d finally had enough.

On December 31st, 2010, I weighed 218 pounds (I’m about 5’ 4”), and my body fat was 44%. My mother suffers from Type 2 Diabetes, and I was well on my way to joining her.

The next day I began a program through my doctor called Ideal Protein. Originally created for diabetics and modified for the general public, it’s a strict protein and veggie diet. Your carbs and calories are severely restricted. A list of food choices is provided, and if you go off that list, the food must be ZERO carbs, calories, and fat. The diet essentially retrains your pancreas to properly process insulin, slowly filtering out the gunk and never-ending cravings that come with a carb-filled diet.

Ideal Protein is strict: green veggie only, none of the good kind like carrots and green beans. The “yucky” kind like asparagus, zucchini, kale, cauliflower, spinach … you get the picture. Only certain cuts of beef, pork, and chicken, and only five ounces at night. I didn’t think I could do it. I’ve never been a veggie eater, and when I did, they were coated in butter and sugar.

Your main source of protein is purchased from the selection provided by Ideal Protein, and I won’t lie, it’s expensive. But the protein packets are key to burning the fat and making you feel full.

Ideal Protein’s offerings are surprisingly good; most are in the form of shakes, but there are crepes, omelets, puddings, chili, etc. There’s a lot more variety than I expected.

Best thing? No exercise needed. I know it sounds whacky, but just listen. Working up a sweat actually causes your body to produce more insulin and lactic acid, which then turns into sugar. So you can’t work out. Light toning is fine, but that’s it.

So there I was in January bulging out of my size eighteens and feeling genuinely miserable. I didn’t know if I could do it or not. But all I could see when I looked in the mirror was my mother, so I was determined to give it all I could.

As of today, May 24th, 2011, I weigh 154 pounds and am a size ten. I haven’t been this small since I was seventeen, and I’m actually only nine pounds heavier than I was exactly half a lifetime ago. Not bad after being so heavy and giving birth.

I don’t want to sound like an infomercial, but Ideal Protein isn’t a diet. It’s a change of life. For the first time, I’m eating healthy. And what’s more, I LIKE IT. There are so many foods out there I’d never tried, so many ways to cook I was clueless about. I eat the right sized portions, and I’m full. There’s no digging through the cabinets forty-five minutes after a meal.

It wasn’t easy. There were days I wanted to scream and cry at the idea of taking another bite of celery or broccoli, or watching my family eat pasta when I couldn’t. I would literally salivate over chocolate and didn’t think I could go another second. And then I would step on the scale or try on something I hadn’t been able to wear in years and it would not only fit but be too big! Weekly success gave me the willpower to push forward.

The diet officially ends this Thursday after two weeks of slowly introducing healthy carbs back into my system. After that, I’ll be on what’s called the ‘maintenance phase,’ which is simply eating smart while enjoying one cheat day a week. I’ve been able to start exercising, and the difference in my physical ability is amazing with sixty-four pounds gone.

Everything about my life has been affected by losing weight. I’m happier, more content. I feel more attractive. I have more energy. My writing has increased, and my overall attitude about life is better. I’m no longer the fat wife or chubby friend. I’m Stacy, the person I’ve always wanted to be.

And for the first time, I feel in control of my life and health. I finally have the tools to keep the weight off.

Staying thin will always be a work in progress. But the accomplishment of such a big goal is one I am very proud of, and the knowledge that I could see the diet through until the end is extremely empowering.

If I can do that, I can do anything.