The 6 week diet transformation is complete.
Now take some time off and don't think about dieting. Have your eating habits changed? Most likely they have. You may find that your body feels transformed and that you've shed some fat! More importantly, because you have gradually changed your lifestyle, your body is likely to maintain this change, without a lot of effort on your part.
You should now know enough about yourself to tweak the next 6-week plan to suit you. However, keep the cheating days. They are important, and not just because they allow you to have fun. Whenever you are restricting your caloric intake, your metabolism wants to slow down because it thinks that you are starving. By "cheating" a couple of days a week, you actually trick your metabolism to stay higher, so you lose more fat.
I didn't do as well as I'd have liked to have done with the 6 week challenge, but I am proud of myself for trying. I have definatley learned how certain foods make me feel and that I'm much better without them. I do like the cheat days so I don't feel like I'm restricting myself all the time. I will continue to use some of these tips in my daily eating.
I hope you found this information helpful as well.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Week 6 of Diet Transformation
We have just completed week 5 of our diet transformation!
How did you do?I didn't do so well with the issue that came up with my tooth. I'm not letting it get me down. I'm just going to forget last week and start with a new week this week.
Are you going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity?Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to see where I'm making mistakes or why the scale may be up.
Are you ready for week 6 of the challenge? This is the final week.
Here's what we'll do this week:
Eat healthy. Eat whatever you want, following the general rules we've followed for the last five weeks. You may be surprised to find yourself craving something healthy instead of a candy bar or pint of Ben & Jerry's. You should now be better at listening to your body because it will tell you what it needs to eat, as opposed to what you're used to eating - especially if you're working out. Keep a couple of cheating days, allowing yourself to give in to occasional indulgences. Just try not to overdo it.
Don' t forget to throw in some excercise this week as well. I
'm also going to stay off the scale for awhile. I think I've been letting it "rule" me. I'm going to shoot for a week, maybe longer... if I can handle it. This is a tough one for me. I'm used to weighing daily... but I do notice it really getting in the way of my progress. This will truely be my challenge this week.
Are you up for this week's challenge?
Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you.
We can do this!I'll check in with you within the next week. Good luck!
How did you do?I didn't do so well with the issue that came up with my tooth. I'm not letting it get me down. I'm just going to forget last week and start with a new week this week.
Are you going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity?Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to see where I'm making mistakes or why the scale may be up.
Are you ready for week 6 of the challenge? This is the final week.
Here's what we'll do this week:
Eat healthy. Eat whatever you want, following the general rules we've followed for the last five weeks. You may be surprised to find yourself craving something healthy instead of a candy bar or pint of Ben & Jerry's. You should now be better at listening to your body because it will tell you what it needs to eat, as opposed to what you're used to eating - especially if you're working out. Keep a couple of cheating days, allowing yourself to give in to occasional indulgences. Just try not to overdo it.
Don' t forget to throw in some excercise this week as well. I
'm also going to stay off the scale for awhile. I think I've been letting it "rule" me. I'm going to shoot for a week, maybe longer... if I can handle it. This is a tough one for me. I'm used to weighing daily... but I do notice it really getting in the way of my progress. This will truely be my challenge this week.
Are you up for this week's challenge?
Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you.
We can do this!I'll check in with you within the next week. Good luck!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Change in plans this week!!
There has been a change this week with my plans to eat whole foods.
For one thing... it's just not as easy as it sounds.
For another.... I chipped a peice of my tooth off over the weekend and my tongue is all scraped up and hurting. I've stuck to soft foods all week. I get it fixed later today. Finally!
I'll try to focus on the whole foods next week, although... it's not very easy.... so many foods are processed and NOT whole foods!! I'm so limited with fruits and veggies with my IBS... so that really cuts out most of the foods that I should be eating.
I'm not looking at this as failure... I'm looking at it as life happening and me having to make "adjustments" to deal with what comes my way. I will give it another try at another time though.
I won't give up.
I'll be checking back in soon.
For one thing... it's just not as easy as it sounds.
For another.... I chipped a peice of my tooth off over the weekend and my tongue is all scraped up and hurting. I've stuck to soft foods all week. I get it fixed later today. Finally!
I'll try to focus on the whole foods next week, although... it's not very easy.... so many foods are processed and NOT whole foods!! I'm so limited with fruits and veggies with my IBS... so that really cuts out most of the foods that I should be eating.
I'm not looking at this as failure... I'm looking at it as life happening and me having to make "adjustments" to deal with what comes my way. I will give it another try at another time though.
I won't give up.
I'll be checking back in soon.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Week 5 of Diet Transformation
We have just completed week 4 of our diet transformation.!
How did you do?I didn't do so well. I'm really struggling with trying to stay focused and on track . It was fine most of the week, but I did struggle and did give in too many times this week. We camped over the weekend and that is the hardest time I have with eating. I am hoping to stay more focused this week.
Are you going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity?Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to stay on track and to see where I'm making mistakes or why the scale may be up.
Are you ready for week 5 of the challenge?
Here's what we'll do this week:
Week 5Eat whole foods. This means that you eliminate any processed foods from your diet, such as bread, most salad dressings, almost all cereal, luncheon meats, cheese, anything with preservatives, and most everything served in restaurants. What you can eat are whole foods such as fruit, raw or steamed vegetables, meat (sans any type of sauce), natural grain rice, poached eggs, etc. It shouldn't be terribly hard since your eating habits have been slowly changing. Still, it's a hard week because it will feel like dieting. Try not to cheat, but you may if you find yourself getting ravenous - just keep your blowout to a minimum.
This week will probably be the hardest for most of us. Processed foods are everywhere and those preservatives and high fructose corn syrup is in everything it seems. So, DO YOUR BEST, FORGET THE REST!!!!!!!
This will definatley be the hardest week for me. I will NOT be able to stick to this 100% due to some of the food choices I do have to make with my IBS... but I will try my best to eat as clean as I can.
I do know that we have 2 events over the weekend where my eating will be challenged and I will not be able to stick to this, but I will still try my best. We continue to build off the other weeks and are only cheating one day with treats/eating out/drinking. Don' t forget to throw in some excercise this week as well.
Are you up for this week's challenge? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 1 cheat day.I plan to really try hard this week! We can do this!
I'll check in with you within the next week. Good luck!
How did you do?I didn't do so well. I'm really struggling with trying to stay focused and on track . It was fine most of the week, but I did struggle and did give in too many times this week. We camped over the weekend and that is the hardest time I have with eating. I am hoping to stay more focused this week.
Are you going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity?Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to stay on track and to see where I'm making mistakes or why the scale may be up.
Are you ready for week 5 of the challenge?
Here's what we'll do this week:
Week 5Eat whole foods. This means that you eliminate any processed foods from your diet, such as bread, most salad dressings, almost all cereal, luncheon meats, cheese, anything with preservatives, and most everything served in restaurants. What you can eat are whole foods such as fruit, raw or steamed vegetables, meat (sans any type of sauce), natural grain rice, poached eggs, etc. It shouldn't be terribly hard since your eating habits have been slowly changing. Still, it's a hard week because it will feel like dieting. Try not to cheat, but you may if you find yourself getting ravenous - just keep your blowout to a minimum.
This week will probably be the hardest for most of us. Processed foods are everywhere and those preservatives and high fructose corn syrup is in everything it seems. So, DO YOUR BEST, FORGET THE REST!!!!!!!
This will definatley be the hardest week for me. I will NOT be able to stick to this 100% due to some of the food choices I do have to make with my IBS... but I will try my best to eat as clean as I can.
I do know that we have 2 events over the weekend where my eating will be challenged and I will not be able to stick to this, but I will still try my best. We continue to build off the other weeks and are only cheating one day with treats/eating out/drinking. Don' t forget to throw in some excercise this week as well.
Are you up for this week's challenge? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 1 cheat day.I plan to really try hard this week! We can do this!
I'll check in with you within the next week. Good luck!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Week 4 of Diet Transformation
We have just completed week 3 of our diet transformation.! How did you do?
I did better and only took my 2 "cheat days". I'm really struggling with trying to stay focused and on track with that for this week. I did miss one day of eating within 3 hours of bedtime, but I did pretty good with eating my 5 to 6 small meals. I am finding that eating the 5-6 small meals keeps me from getting too hungry. That is when I overeat or eat junk!! I'm finding that I'm able to think before I eat, or make adjustments in my day to fit within my calorie range. This has really been good for me.
I did get stressed out this week when we were going out to dinner with friends. The scale was up from the weekend and I didn't want it to go back up... so I ended up ordering a taco salad and only eating half. I saved the other half for lunch the next day. I wasn't up at all the next day and I was very happy about that! I also had lunch for the next day and that was cool too!
I did have a higher salt intake for some reason last week so I'm really going to watch that this week. I was very proud of myself though, on one of my cheat days I took my boys out for icecream and all I got was a small vanilla ice cream cone. I would've liked a sundae.... but I stuck with the cone and was very satisfied with that. I'm getting better at planning those "cheat days" or meals, and I'm finding that I'm not willing to cheat all that much.
How did you do last week? Did you find this week to be easy? Did you struggle? Are you making sure you are going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity? It really helps to log it daily and see if you are meeting your goals. Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to stay on track and to see where I'm making mistakes or why the scale may be up.
Are you noticing any changes??? Do your clothes fit better? Has the scale moved? I have to admit that I was frustrated with the scale thinking it wasn't moving near as fast as I thought it should be. Then I took my measurements this morning. We're halfway through this eating transformation, so I wanted to see how I was doing. Not only have I lost 3.8 pounds, but I have lost 7.5 inches! That made me realize that what I am doing is working!!!
Are you ready for week 4 of the challenge?
Here's what you'll do this week:
Week 4Eliminate fast food and alcohol. This can be hard for many of us because we now have to plan our meals, but hey, it's only for a couple weeks. People tend to forget that alcohol has calories, and it also slows your metabolism. Cheat ONLY ONE DAY this week.
Ok, this is going to be a tough one for me. I'm not much of a drinker... only 1-2x a month, if that, but of course... the next 2 weeks we have quite a few get togethers and parties. I'm just going to focus on the number of drinks and making sure I have Calories available to have those drinks on those occassions. I'll work hard during the rest of the week to stay on track.
We are still keeping with the changes we've made over the past 3 weeks.... no junk, no eating 3 hours before bed, and having 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Are you up for this one.? This one will be a challenge for me, but I'm going to really give it a shot.
Don't forget to get to get those workouts in!! You need to get moving and get the blood flowing and those calories burning. If you can't fit excercise in, just move around more. Go for a walk, or a bike ride. Put on some music and dance around the house, chase your kids outside, throw the frisbee, play some basketball, throw in some pushups or situps during those commercials. Just move to burn those calories.
Are you up for this week's challenge? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 1 cheat day.I plan to really try hard this week! We can do this!
I'll check in with you within the next week. Good luck!
I did better and only took my 2 "cheat days". I'm really struggling with trying to stay focused and on track with that for this week. I did miss one day of eating within 3 hours of bedtime, but I did pretty good with eating my 5 to 6 small meals. I am finding that eating the 5-6 small meals keeps me from getting too hungry. That is when I overeat or eat junk!! I'm finding that I'm able to think before I eat, or make adjustments in my day to fit within my calorie range. This has really been good for me.
I did get stressed out this week when we were going out to dinner with friends. The scale was up from the weekend and I didn't want it to go back up... so I ended up ordering a taco salad and only eating half. I saved the other half for lunch the next day. I wasn't up at all the next day and I was very happy about that! I also had lunch for the next day and that was cool too!
I did have a higher salt intake for some reason last week so I'm really going to watch that this week. I was very proud of myself though, on one of my cheat days I took my boys out for icecream and all I got was a small vanilla ice cream cone. I would've liked a sundae.... but I stuck with the cone and was very satisfied with that. I'm getting better at planning those "cheat days" or meals, and I'm finding that I'm not willing to cheat all that much.
How did you do last week? Did you find this week to be easy? Did you struggle? Are you making sure you are going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity? It really helps to log it daily and see if you are meeting your goals. Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to stay on track and to see where I'm making mistakes or why the scale may be up.
Are you noticing any changes??? Do your clothes fit better? Has the scale moved? I have to admit that I was frustrated with the scale thinking it wasn't moving near as fast as I thought it should be. Then I took my measurements this morning. We're halfway through this eating transformation, so I wanted to see how I was doing. Not only have I lost 3.8 pounds, but I have lost 7.5 inches! That made me realize that what I am doing is working!!!
Are you ready for week 4 of the challenge?
Here's what you'll do this week:
Week 4Eliminate fast food and alcohol. This can be hard for many of us because we now have to plan our meals, but hey, it's only for a couple weeks. People tend to forget that alcohol has calories, and it also slows your metabolism. Cheat ONLY ONE DAY this week.
Ok, this is going to be a tough one for me. I'm not much of a drinker... only 1-2x a month, if that, but of course... the next 2 weeks we have quite a few get togethers and parties. I'm just going to focus on the number of drinks and making sure I have Calories available to have those drinks on those occassions. I'll work hard during the rest of the week to stay on track.
We are still keeping with the changes we've made over the past 3 weeks.... no junk, no eating 3 hours before bed, and having 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Are you up for this one.? This one will be a challenge for me, but I'm going to really give it a shot.
Don't forget to get to get those workouts in!! You need to get moving and get the blood flowing and those calories burning. If you can't fit excercise in, just move around more. Go for a walk, or a bike ride. Put on some music and dance around the house, chase your kids outside, throw the frisbee, play some basketball, throw in some pushups or situps during those commercials. Just move to burn those calories.
Are you up for this week's challenge? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 1 cheat day.I plan to really try hard this week! We can do this!
I'll check in with you within the next week. Good luck!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Week 3 of Diet Transformation
Well, we have just completed week 2 of our diet transformation. How did you do?
I had 3 "cheat days" again, so I'm really struggling with trying to stay focused and on track with that for this week. I did miss one day of eating within 3 hours of bedtime. I am finding that focusing on these things is helping me to stop and think before I eat though. The eating before bed happened last night and may have played a part in the scale being up today. I will try harder this week.
I will not beat myself up for this. We are always a work in progress and I feel as though the other 4 days that I stayed on track were successes and should be treated as such. I'm getting better and finding that even on my "cheat days", I'm not willing to cheat all that much.
I wonder how you did last week. Did you find it to be easy? Did you struggle? Are you making sure you are going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity? It really helps to log it daily and see if you are meeting your goals. Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to stay on track. I do know that the site was down for a few days for some maintenance, so if you had trouble with it, just log on today and enter last week's information.
Are you ready for week 3 of the challenge?
Here's what you'll do this week:
WEEK 3
Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. If you make yourself do this, the size will control itself because you won't ever get ravenously hungry. Try to keep each meal balanced as close to 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% fat as you can - and try and eat for what you will be doing for the next three hours (If you're working out, eat more, sitting at a desk, eat less)... Still no junk food, and still no eating three hours before bedtime. You may cheat on two days.
Ok, things are stepping up a little this week. Still no junk, no eating 3 hours before bed.
Are you up for this one. This one will be a challenge for me. Sometimes I think I get so busy I forget to stop and eat until I realize I'm starving... but I'm not scared. I'm going to really give it a shot.
Don't forget to get moving and get the blood flowing and the calories burning. If you can't fit excercise in, just move more. Put on some music and dance around the house, chase your kids outside, ride your bike, throw in some pushups or situps during those commercials. Just move to burn those calories.
I made myself a workout rotation that mixes up all of my workout dvds and I started it this morning. It'll go through my birthday the beginning of October... so that means 2 months for me to lose this weight once and for all! I plan to give myself the ultimate birthday gift of being at my goal weight and having great health!! No one else can give that to me... so I have to work hard to get it. I'm so ready though.
Are you up for this week's challenge? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 2 cheat days. I know we have a dinner date planned with friends but I plan to really try hard this week! We can do this!
Let the Olympics be an inspiration for you. Think about all the hard work that those athletes have put in to be where they are. They are all winners whether or not they take home a medal! Let that be us this week!
I'll check in with you within the next week.
I had 3 "cheat days" again, so I'm really struggling with trying to stay focused and on track with that for this week. I did miss one day of eating within 3 hours of bedtime. I am finding that focusing on these things is helping me to stop and think before I eat though. The eating before bed happened last night and may have played a part in the scale being up today. I will try harder this week.
I will not beat myself up for this. We are always a work in progress and I feel as though the other 4 days that I stayed on track were successes and should be treated as such. I'm getting better and finding that even on my "cheat days", I'm not willing to cheat all that much.
I wonder how you did last week. Did you find it to be easy? Did you struggle? Are you making sure you are going to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity? It really helps to log it daily and see if you are meeting your goals. Keeping a journal and logging my information on the fitness tracker is helping me to stay on track. I do know that the site was down for a few days for some maintenance, so if you had trouble with it, just log on today and enter last week's information.
Are you ready for week 3 of the challenge?
Here's what you'll do this week:
WEEK 3
Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. If you make yourself do this, the size will control itself because you won't ever get ravenously hungry. Try to keep each meal balanced as close to 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% fat as you can - and try and eat for what you will be doing for the next three hours (If you're working out, eat more, sitting at a desk, eat less)... Still no junk food, and still no eating three hours before bedtime. You may cheat on two days.
Ok, things are stepping up a little this week. Still no junk, no eating 3 hours before bed.
Are you up for this one. This one will be a challenge for me. Sometimes I think I get so busy I forget to stop and eat until I realize I'm starving... but I'm not scared. I'm going to really give it a shot.
Don't forget to get moving and get the blood flowing and the calories burning. If you can't fit excercise in, just move more. Put on some music and dance around the house, chase your kids outside, ride your bike, throw in some pushups or situps during those commercials. Just move to burn those calories.
I made myself a workout rotation that mixes up all of my workout dvds and I started it this morning. It'll go through my birthday the beginning of October... so that means 2 months for me to lose this weight once and for all! I plan to give myself the ultimate birthday gift of being at my goal weight and having great health!! No one else can give that to me... so I have to work hard to get it. I'm so ready though.
Are you up for this week's challenge? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 2 cheat days. I know we have a dinner date planned with friends but I plan to really try hard this week! We can do this!
Let the Olympics be an inspiration for you. Think about all the hard work that those athletes have put in to be where they are. They are all winners whether or not they take home a medal! Let that be us this week!
I'll check in with you within the next week.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Week 2 of Diet Transformation
Well, week 1 of my diet transition is complete and I can say I did pretty well. I did have 3 "cheat" days instead of 2, but I did not cheat all day. I cheated on an extra snack when we were at a sporting event last night. I shared an order of cheese curds with my husband and my son.... so it was much better than if I had eaten the whole thing myself. I think that the key to staying on track is moderation and "allowing" yourself to make those choices. I may have gone for just blowing it a week ago for the 2 cheat days and ate EVERYTHING and ANYTHING I wanted... but instead, I chose 1 or 2 things for the entire day that I was cheating on and it paid off! I was down 3.8 pounds today!!
I'm not going to beat myself up for NOT meeting my goal of only 2 cheat days. I will just try harder for next week. The thing is... I still succeeded.
How are you doing with this challenge? Did you struggle this week or did you find it easier than you thought it would be? Are you remembering to go to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity? It really helps to log it daily and see if you are meeting your goals. I'm finding that between this and keeping a journal it is helping me to stay on track.
Are you ready to start week 2 of this diet transition?
Here's what you will do this week:
Week 2
No eating for 3-hours before you go to bed. That way your body can go to sleep in fat-burning mode, rather than in calorie-storing mode.
Plus each week carries over, so you still cannot have junk, except for the 2 days when you may cheat and eat whenever and whatever you like.
Don't forget to get moving and get the blood flowing and the calories burning.There really is no easy way to lose weight. You just have to eat less, eat healthier and exercise more. If you can't fit excercise in, just move more. Dance when cleaning, throw in some squats when you are doing your laundry, chase your kids around, go for a walk, a bike ride or even roller blading! Just move to burn those calories.
I just bought myself some roller blades 2 weeks ago and have been giving that a try. It's fun and you don't feel like you are working out, but let me tell you.... those legs feel it afterwards! It's fun so it's easier to do when you have fun while doing it.
Are you up for it? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 2 cheat days.
I'll check in with you within the next week.
Hugs,
Marsha
I'm not going to beat myself up for NOT meeting my goal of only 2 cheat days. I will just try harder for next week. The thing is... I still succeeded.
How are you doing with this challenge? Did you struggle this week or did you find it easier than you thought it would be? Are you remembering to go to http://www.womenshealth.gov/activity/, to log your daily activity? It really helps to log it daily and see if you are meeting your goals. I'm finding that between this and keeping a journal it is helping me to stay on track.
Are you ready to start week 2 of this diet transition?
Here's what you will do this week:
Week 2
No eating for 3-hours before you go to bed. That way your body can go to sleep in fat-burning mode, rather than in calorie-storing mode.
Plus each week carries over, so you still cannot have junk, except for the 2 days when you may cheat and eat whenever and whatever you like.
Don't forget to get moving and get the blood flowing and the calories burning.There really is no easy way to lose weight. You just have to eat less, eat healthier and exercise more. If you can't fit excercise in, just move more. Dance when cleaning, throw in some squats when you are doing your laundry, chase your kids around, go for a walk, a bike ride or even roller blading! Just move to burn those calories.
I just bought myself some roller blades 2 weeks ago and have been giving that a try. It's fun and you don't feel like you are working out, but let me tell you.... those legs feel it afterwards! It's fun so it's easier to do when you have fun while doing it.
Are you up for it? Please join me and feel free to post comments or about your successes or struggles. I would love to help you. I'm going to really try hard this week and try for only the 2 cheat days.
I'll check in with you within the next week.
Hugs,
Marsha
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