Challenge #14

Have you ever seen the documentary Super Size Me?

Truly disgusting.

However, what is more worrisome than fast food is the portion sizes we eat.  Whether it be fast food or not, American's eat TOO MUCH food.

How many times have we looked at a box of cereal and said, "Hey, only 130 calories!"  but we totally ignore the serving size that says 3/4 of a cup and instead we eat 3 bowls of it, all the while trying to convince ourselves that we've had somewhere around 130 calories.  

While you may be able to fool your mind, your body is smarter than that.

The challenge this week is to pay very close attention to serving sizes and don't eat more than a serving size of anything.  Measure things out and look at it closely so you can learn what it looks like.  Retrain your eyes and your brain and your stomach will fall in line.

If you go out to eat, ask your waiter for a box at the beginning of the meal so you can put whatever is more than your serving size in the box to take home.  If it's not on your plate you won't be nearly as tempted to eat it.  Most restaurant portions are 2-3 times bigger than a serving should be, so cutting it at least in 1/2 is a good rule of thumb.

Use this week to really learn what eating healthy LOOKS like.  

Again, what you eat matters, but HOW MUCH you eat matters a lot more.

If you're supersizing your meal you're supersizing your body--

--and I'm pretty sure we don't want that. :)

Challenge #13

The Challenge this week is for your to come up with your own challenge.

Challenge Yourself.

An important part of a healthy lifestyle is being able to analyze what you are doing and where you might need some changes.

Maybe it's a nutrition goal.

Maybe it's a training goal.

Maybe it's both.

There is a good chance that as you are reading this something is coming to your mind.

Do it.

If you don't know what you want to do then you need this challenge more than anyone.

Take the time to figure it out.

Get creative.

Then tell me what you are doing in the comments or an email.

I want to hear what everyone is doing this week for their challenge. (it can be a repeat of something we have done, but it'd be best if you came up with your own).

Ready, GO!

Challenge #12

Sorry for all my slackerliness.

I just got back in town yesterday and I've been playing catch-up.

Sooooo, onto the challenge.

This week the challenge is to buy and prepare 2 vegetables that you have never or rarely had before.

The produce isle is full of so much stuff that many of us walk right past because we don't know what to do with it.

Our diets remain boring and unchanged, especially in this area, and it's time to expand.

Whatever it is you decide to get I am certain you can find a recipe online telling you how to prepare it.

So go out, purchase a couple of unsuspecting vegetables and expand that palate of yours!

Challenge #11--Top Me Off!

We're going to do the water challenge one more time.

If your week went anything like mine you were really good the first 2 days, okay the next 2 days and less than stellar the last 2 days.

Let's try it again. 

The more we do it while thinking about it, the better we will become at it when we're not.  

Remember 96 0z is your baseline.  For all other details click here.

Thirsty anyone?

Challenge #10

Honestly, I think one of the biggest secrets to staying thin is water and lots of it.

Often people think they are drinking a lot of water but don't really have any idea of how much they are drinking.

I think you might be surprised to find out that you aren't drinking as much as you're supposed to.

So challenge #10 is drinking the right amount of water for your body.

How much is that, you ask me?  Well let me tell you.

Straight out of my NASM text here are the guidelines:

• On average an individual should consume about 96 oz (3 quarts) of water per day. **That is MORE than the 8 glasses a day that we have heard forever.
• Those in fat-loss programs should drink an additional 8 oz for every 25 pounds they carry above their ideal weight.
• Drink 20-40 oz of water for every hour of exercise.

When you are properly hydrated you body will function much more efficiently...in exercise and just in every day life.  Your body can adapt to many things, but it CANNOT adapt to dehydration.

So let that water bottle be attached to you hip.

Figure out exactly how much you need to drink every day and drink it from morning to night. (Please do not try to drink a ton all at once, that can be dangerous.  Spread it out through the day).

Mmmmmmm, water.

Drink up!

Challenge #9

I toyed with the idea of doing a vegetarian week, but I decided baby-steps would be best.

So challenge #9 is simply--No Beef.

No ground beef in your cassaroles, no shredded beef salads at Cafe Rio, and obviously, most of all, no fast food hamburgers.  (or homemade hamburgers for that matter).

I realize this may mean some tweeking of menus...tweek away!

Try to replace beef with healthier choices like chicken or fish or try to eat a vegetarian meal.

Just leave the cows out of this.

Have you ever cut beef out of your life for one week?

I wonder what it feels like.

We shall see....

Challenge #8

Double duty this week.

For challenge #8 we are going to re-visit eating to 80%.  

I know a lot of people had a hard time with this challenge because it's hard to tell exactly where you are at.  So let's practice it again.

Pay very close attention to how you feel while you are eating and slow down so your body has time to tell you.

The main idea is, never eat to the point of fullness.  If you feel full, you've gone too far.  If you feel sort of sick, you've gone WAY too far.

Always leave a few bites on your plate.  If you feel really hungry later you can always eat a little more.  Have some grapes or an apple.  But err on the side of hunger.

If you can master this one principle, weight loss will come easily to you.

ALSO....the 2nd part of the challenge is to do a 5 mile walk or run at some point this week.  

You CAN do it!  Prove to yourself that you can.  Even if it takes you 2 hours, just keep plugging away.

80% and 5 miles.  

Got it? :)

Challenge #7

Okay, you've known this challenge had to be coming....

Challenge #7 is no sugar for the week.

This doesn't mean anything that has sugar in it, just anything that would fall in the "sweets" category on the food guide pyramid. ie. cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, etc.

You know what I'm talking about.

Often when we are told we can't have something we sort of freak out and then we think we want it even more.

Many times food, particualarly food that is bad for us, has gotten a little out of whack in our minds.

If we can't have it we have a little panic attack.

We may even have this rush of fear go through us when we realize we "can't" have it.

Part of the exercise this week is to take control of that "fear". To make sure you aren't emotionally ruled by food.

When somebody offers you a cookie and you realize you "can't" have it, think about the way you feel.

Are you panicked?

Are you sad?

Are you frustrated?

Are you angry?

Whatever the feeling is, accept it for what it is and then put it in the appropriate place.

Realize you are making the choice because you want something else more than that cookie.

Suddenly you are empowered by your choice rather than victimized.

Remember, it is important to recognize the way you are feeling and allow the feeling, but then analyze it and give it an appropriate place.

Unless we are on the brink of starvation, which I'm pretty sure none of us are, we shouldn't really be feeling fear or panic if we can't have a cookie.

Take control emotionally and the physical control will follow.

No sugar.

One week.

Own your body.

Challenge #6

The challenge this week is to journal EVERYTHING you eat.

It is much easier to do as you go. It will be more accurate and less time consuming than trying to remember at the end of the day.

Just keep a little notebook in the kitchen or in your purse and write down everything you eat and drink.

Then at the end of the day total up your calories. You can use tools like http://www.calorieking.com/ that are very easy to use in finding your calorie counts.

When you know you only have a certain amount of calories each day hopefully you will make better choices as to where those calories come from.

We all want to be able to just "guesstimate" what we are eating, and you will be able to eventually, but you need to learn what a serving size looks like and how many calories are in the things you are eating. It is an educational process that we all need to go through before we can eat through a guesstimate process.

Remember that serving sizes are essential to pay attention to. You will need to measure out your food. Our society has serioulsy skewed our perception of what a serving size is. We have to retrain our brain to see food portions differently.

If you are shooting for weight loss try to keep your calories around 1200 a day. If you are exercising intensely you can up that to about 1500 calories a day.

Some tips to help with hunger and cravings are:

1. Drink more water.

2. Eat a piece of fruit like a banana or apple to stave off hunger.

3. Eat a handful of chocolate chips to curb your sweet tooth.

4. Allow yourself to eat a small serving of what it is you are craving, but get the serving size ready before you start to eat and then put the rest away.

5. Drink a glass of chocolate milk.

Remember to write down everything--food and drink.

Come on, it's only for one week.

You can do it. :)

Challenge #5

The Challenge this week is:

Eat only until you are 80% full. Then stop.

This theory comes from the Okinawans who were once the longest-lived people on earth. They practiced a principle they called “Hara Hachi Bu”: which means eat until you are 80 percent full.

Most of us are in the habit of eating until we are full or worse, making sure we finish everything on our plate and then we are past full.

Why would we eat until make ourselves sick?

Do you feel good when you do this?

When you eat until you are full or past full you feel sluggish and tired. If you will stop just before that you will feel light and energetic.

You will get to eat again...it's not the last meal of your life.

Start paying attention to your body and how it communicates with you. You will start to realize you've been ignoring some pretty important messages it's been trying to send you.

Don't eat out of obligation.

Don't eat so as not to "waste" food. How much more money will you spend in trying to get off the extra weight? Just save the food for later or throw it away. Your hips and your heart will thank you. :)

This New York Times article has a lot of really great information on nutritionism and how our Western Diet has come to be. It's long, but well worth the read if you get the chance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

80% full then stop.

It's time to listen to your body.

Challenge #3 & #4

Oops. Forgot to post the challenge last week.

No fear, the ladies have been doing it anyway.

The challenge for last week, that is continuing this week is:

#3--Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day. Try to eat them BEFORE each meal and inbetween.

The next challenge correlates and should make it easier to get in your 5-a-day. It is:

#4--eat ONLY fruits and vegetables between meals. (and no, fruit snacks do not count).

It is harder than you think.

Can you do it?

Challenge #2

Oops. I should have posted this yesterday.

Challenge #2 is: No eating after 7pm. Nothing at all. You can drink water.

Are you thinking, "I could totally do that if I wanted to. But it's dumb."

Yeah, you can't do it....but my ladies can.

And they will.

Are You Up?

So the triathlon training for my girls has officially begun. They are doing awesome.

I have also incorporated a weekly challenge and decided I shall post that weekly challenge on here so if any of you feel so inclined you can jump on the wagon.

Challenge for week #1: No soda...for at least a week, but preferably for the entire training period.

We have a couple addicts in the group...they are going to do it.

Can you do it?