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Jul 10, 2012

The Last Two Pounds – Going Back To What Works

July 10, 2012 By

How many times have I heard that the last five pounds are the hardest to lose? I’d argue it’s really the last two pounds. I’ve been hovering around 160 for weeks now, and it’s so frustrating.

Two pounds from my goal weight. More than 80 pounds lost since my highest weight. There’s no question I’m glad to be on this end of the journey, but I’m ready to blow the party horns and declare victory. Why must my body resist me so much at this point?

Due to finances being tight, we had originally planned to scrap any plans at a summer vacation. And then I won four tickets to Cedar Point. Well then…vacation is back on! The kids are asking that we visit the beach, too, which means putting on a bathing suit again. I still don’t know why this sends me into a panic, but it does.

Add on BlogHer ’12 being only a few weeks away, and I’m ready to pull out all the stops to lose these last few pounds and shape up so I can look and feel my best. I know a few pounds doesn’t really show in clothing – it’s a mental barrier for me. As I’ve lost weight, I’ve gained self-esteem. And I wouldn’t mind a little more muscle tone under my skin, either.

Luckily, I’m working with Slim-Fast again for their Slim-Fast Summer Slim-down Challenge! They helped me lose several of these last stubborn pounds, and so I’m turning to them again to help me lose the very last few. It’s not a hard plan to follow with shakes and meal bars that are so delicious and convenient.

The plan is simple: two shakes or meal bars during the day, three 100-calorie snacks, and one balanced dinner.

Mornings are always a frantic, hurried time for my family, and a Slim-Fast shake is a much better option for me than many of the other breakfast grab-and-go choices I could have. The 10 grams of protein help me feel full and keep me going all morning long. And the Rich Chocolate Royale shake tastes like I’m having dessert for breakfast!

Lunch is usually a toss-up. If I’m really busy and don’t have time to make something, I’ll grab a meal bar – the Chocolate Cookie Dough one has always been my favorite. If it’s the weekend, I often want to eat with the kids, so I’m more likely to make a 200-300 calorie lunch for myself instead.

Snacks for me usually involve 100 calories worth of nuts in the morning, a Slim-Fast snack bar in the afternoon, and either a piece of fruit or a cheese stick later in the day. It’s a flexible program, and once you learn the basics of portion control it’s easier to plan meals and snack. Still, I can’t beat the convenience of a shake or bar, and the meal and snack bars are easy to toss in my purse for on-the-go meals.

Dinner is always family time, and both Aaron and I want to create a healthier meal time for our kids. We’re working more salads and veggies into our meals, using leaner meats, and reducing our portion sizes. Honestly, I feel so much better when I haven’t been eating large amounts of sugar and carbs all day.

I’m also pulling out my “best of the best” workouts for the next two months, too. There’s a 5K through Central Park at BlogHer, and I’m planning to run as much of it as possible. There’s no way I can train up to running the entire thing by the beginning of August, but I can make it a goal to run more than I walk. Combine that with a few workout videos I love, and hopefully I’ll get a little more muscle definition on me before it’s time to put on that swimsuit.

Anyone else trying to shape up just a little before BlogHer, or before some other big end-of-summer event? We can do this, right?

Full disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast® Summer Slim-Down Challenge. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

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Jul 8, 2011

Conference Time Pressure

July 8, 2011 By


It’s that time again: BlogHer. I originally started a weight loss blog back in 2009 for the sole purpose of motivating myself to get in better shape to look good at that year’s BlogHer conference. Hot by BlogHer was simply about losing weight so that I could rock a little black dress at the conference cocktail parties.

Then last year I decided that it wasn’t just about looking good at conferences – I really did want to be healthier, too – and so I switched to Losing My Hind, which has more of a year-round, broader focus on weight loss, health and fitness.

Conference season always brings out the vain side of me, though. And so with less than a month to go until I’m hanging with some of my favorite bloggers in San Diego, I’m suddenly feeling more pressure to step it up and stay the hell on track.

Generally I’m a jeans and t-shirt type of gal. No make-up, no accessories. It’s not that I don’t like nicer clothing, make-up and jewelry, because I really do like it. Years of being heavy, along with teased for being different, taught me to draw as little attention to myself as possible. So most of the time I keep to my comfortable and plain uniform of jeans and t-shirt, blending into the background and happy for it.

But for conferences I love playing dress up. I have no idea why, but at blog conferences I feel like I can open up more and show off. Maybe because these people have already seen me vulnerable on my blog? Whatever the reason, a blog conference is an excuse for me to show off. I’ve already purchased one dress for BlogHer, and I’ve got my eye out for more. I’m prepping my feet to wear heels again, and applying sunscreen dutifully to avoid t-shirt tan lines. I’ve got plenty of shapewear to go under my outfits, but I would also prefer to not work that shapewear as hard as I have in the past.

Since attending my first BlogHer back in 2006, I’ve been getting progressively lighter and healthier each year. And each year, a few people will see me and remark on how I look so much smaller than the year before. Yes, I usually make some throw away remark about their foggy memories and then thank them for the compliment, but truthfully? I eat it up. I cherish every single positive comment and wrap myself in those kind words.

I know I am far more than just my outward appearance, but damn it feels nice for people to like the outside as well as the inside. It’s a sad truth that for those with self-esteem issues, it takes several positive comments to make someone believe she’s pretty, yet only one negative to undo it all.

So with the conference approaching quickly, I’m evaluating myself and feel pretty good about this year. I’m 10-15 pounds lighter than last year (depends on the day and the kindness of the scale) and down one size in clothing. I don’t expect to lose more than a few pounds between now and then, so I’m instead focusing on healthy foods and strength training versus dieting.

I can’t make drastic changes in 25 days. (OK, I did make drastic changes like that once, but it wouldn’t be as easy now.) But I am using BlogHer as a little extra motivation to avoid laziness. Choosing between junk food and a more natural snack is easy when you plan to be on display in less than a month. And feeling good about your appearance makes dress shopping a lot more fun!

Filed Under: motivation Tagged With: ,


Oct 20, 2010

Better for BlogHer – Three Months Later

October 20, 2010 By

Three months ago I took on the Better for BlogHer challenge by Healthy Choice. I was asked to replace one meal a day with a Healthy Choice meal for three months to see if it would aid in my goals of losing weight and getting healthier. I already liked Healthy Choice meals, so I gladly accepted this challenge.

Now, at the end of three months, I can report my success. Since starting the Better for BlogHer challenge, I’ve lost 10 pounds. This was after being stuck at 187 pounds for more than 2 months prior to the challenge. Sure, it’s not a tremendous amount of weight, but it is 10 pounds that I no longer have to deal with.

What’s really impressive is that I continued slowly losing weight throughout a three month period that was filled with stress and temptation at every turn, especially during the last month. I’ve had to put in a lot of extra time at work during the past month, and all of that extra work has often meant convenience foods and practically no exercise whatsoever. And then I went to Las Vegas a week ago for BlogWorld Expo, and after indulging in some of the excess of Vegas, still managed to come home without gaining any weight.

I don’t have to tell all of you what stress can do to a body. It makes me want to eat nonstop, and it makes my body store every calorie it takes in. Yet during this past month I lost 3 pounds. While I fully pat myself on the back for this accomplishment, I also give a lot of credit to Healthy Choice for this loss for a couple of reasons.

First, the frozen meals are quick and easy to prepare without skimping on taste. When I needed to eat fast, I could toss one into the microwave and have a healthy, complete, portion-controlled meal in under 5 minutes. (And still get other things done while it was cooking!) It was so simple to toss one in my bag as I was walking out the door to go to work and know I didn’t need to spend more time thinking about what to eat for lunch.

Second, each Healthy Choice meal helped me learn about portion control. The meals are filling and tasty, but at the same time not too much food. One tip Tara Gidus taught me was to eat only enough to get you through until your next meal, and Healthy Choice meals are the perfect size to provide enough food to feel satisfied without feeling overly full. When I did go to BlogWorld in Vegas, it was far easier for me to enjoy all of the delicious foods there and stop eating when I was satisfied, rather than keep eating until I felt stuffed. I feel like I better understand what a meal portion should be now.

Overall, the Better for BlogHer challenge has been an extremely positive experience. I’ve enjoyed trying new varieties of Healthy Choice meals – including their new Steaming Entrees – and finding so many delicious flavors to add to my list of favorites. Eating one Healthy Choice meal a day was probably the easiest challenge I’ve ever accepted, and that one small change did help me lose the weight, along with making sure I got more veggies, fruit and whole grains into my diet.

Even though the challenge is coming to an end, I have no intention of stopping my new habits. Working third shift, my lunch choices are often limited, and in choosing between late-night takeout pizza or bringing a Healthy Choice frozen meal, I know the latter option is the one I will turn to most of the time. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and I know it’s better for my body and my health goals.

I certainly wasn’t perfect through the whole challenge. I had days where fast food won out, or office parties filled with pizza and cake, and of course the entire past month I’ve had no time to exercise. It’s possible I could have lost more weight had I stuck to the plan closely, but let’s be honest – I’m not a saint, and life is going to get in the way of the best plans.

I’m thrilled that despite my slip-ups and mistakes, I’m still 10 pounds lighter than where I started. It came off slowly and I have every intention of keeping it off for good. If you saw me dancing at BlogWorld on Friday night, then you know I’m loving my new weight and feeling more comfortable in my own skin.

I’ve learned that small changes can have a big impact. If you’re starting this journey of losing weight, and you’re worried about failing, start with small changes that can become permanent lifestyle changes. It’s so much easier to commit to one small change, master that change, and then make another small change.

Thank you, Healthy Choice, for the Better for BlogHer challenge! I’m grateful for your support in helping me lose weight and explore healthier eating habits, and I think the lessons of the past three months will continue on as permanent lifestyle changes.

Full disclosure: I was selected to participate in the Healthy Choice Better for BlogHer challenge, and as a participant I was provided with compensation for my time as well as coupons for free Healthy Choice meals. All opinions of Healthy Choice and the challenge are my genuine and honest opinions, and are most definitely influenced by my losing 10 pounds over the past three months.

Filed Under: food, success, weigh-in Tagged With:


Sep 10, 2010

Review: Healthy Choice’s New Steaming Entrees

September 10, 2010 By

Many of you know that in July I agreed to take on the Healthy Choice Better for BlogHer Challenge, replacing one meal a day with a Healthy Choice entree. (Which has been an incredible success – I feel great, I’m looking better and better, and I’ve lost 7 pounds!) While I was at BlogHer, I was given the opportunity to have lunch with Healthy Choice representatives and learn more about the new steaming entrees that were just introduced last month. It wasn’t until I got home, though, that I really had the chance to try them out.

The new steaming entrees utilize a special steam film that creates a simple and fast way to cook a delicious, fresh-tasting meal. The steaming process locks in the steam to create an ideal amount of pressure while cooking, and does not require poking any holes in the film or stirring halfway through. Cooking time is about four minutes for most meals, making it an easy choice for a quick lunch – take it out of the box, toss it in the microwave, and a few minutes later enjoy a yummy meal. The less work I have to do, the better!

While the steaming process is cool, what I really like is the food itself. The vegetables are large and vibrant in color, looking like they were just picked yesterday. These aren’t your old frozen meals where the veggies are chopped so small you can’t be sure what they are. These are big cuts of vegetables, like whole cherry tomatoes and big stalks of asparagus. The meats are equally large, with whole shrimp and generous chunks of chicken. There’s also no filler – just healthy, simple ingredients. It’s total truth in advertising – what you see on the package photo is what you get.

There are eight new steaming meals, and I’ve tried five of them so far. I’ve loved all but one of them – and the one I didn’t like was simply because the flavor wasn’t bold enough for me (and I like strong flavors). My favorite has to be the Honey Balsamic Chicken – if you only try one, make it this one! The meat is tender, the vegetables are crisp, and the flavor of the sauce is fantastic. I bring this one to work with me at least twice a week.

All of the meals have a suggested retail price range of $2.00-2.79. The meals also range from 170-320 calories each, all with no more than 600mg (25% daily recommended value) of sodium. They’re also certified by the American Heart Association.

Want to try them for yourself?

I have a coupon for a free Healthy Choice frozen meal to give to three lucky readers! To enter, just take a look at the eight new steaming entrees and then leave a comment below telling me which one you’d like to try first. Comments will be open until 11:59pm eastern time on September 17, 2010. Don’t forget to leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. One entry per person.

Three winners will be selected at random after the giveaway ends. US residents only. (Sorry, Canada!) Good luck!

Full disclosure: Healthy Choice provided me with samples of the new steaming entrees to facilitate my review as well as the three coupons for the giveaway. I am also participating in their Better for BlogHer Challenge where I was provided with free meals and compensation for my time. All reviews are my honest opinions, and I never lie where food is concerned.

Filed Under: food, reviews Tagged With:


Aug 16, 2010

My Lunch With Healthy Choice & Tara Gidus

August 16, 2010 By

As part of the Healthy Choice Better for BlogHer Challenge, I had the opportunity to have lunch with representatives of Healthy Choice and the Diet Diva, Tara Gidus, while at BlogHer.

During lunch, we got a sneak peak at all of the new Healthy Choice meals that will be hitting the grocery very soon. Just like their Cafe Steamers, these new entrees are designed to be steam cooked, locking in the flavor and nutrition of each ingredient. They pulled a few of the entrees out of their boxes, and you could see how brightly colored the vegetables were. It screamed FRESH!

While we ate our Hilton-provided box lunches, they passed around boxes of the new entrees, and suddenly my turkey sandwich and chips didn’t look so appetizing. I mean, which would you rather have – turkey on wheat and some generic salty chips, or Garlic Herb Shrimp, with big pieces of dark green asparagus and whole grain pasta. I started to wonder if the microwave in the corner of the room was functional, because I wanted to ditch the boxed lunch and warm up a Healthy Choice meal.

After lunch we each were given a private consultation with Tara. We had filled out health surveys ahead of time so she could customize her advice for each of us, and I wondered what advice she would have for me. I mean, she’s a dietitian and I’m a registered nurse – we’re essentially professional colleagues who both understand the challenges of staying healthy and the consequences of ignoring our health.

But my talk with Tara still provided me with useful information and insight. (After all, I spend all night worrying about the health of others – it’s too easy to overlook my own health.) She started by applauding my efforts so far, both in diet and in fitness. Losing nearly 30 pounds in a year and a half IS a big accomplishment, and a trend I want to continue. We then got down to the business of studying where I could make improvements.

Tara focused on my insane third shift schedule. Because I work while most people sleep, my scheduled meal times need a little adjusting. Tara pointed out that it’s best to eat something – even something small – within one hour of waking up, and then schedule my eating so that I’m never going longer than 2-4 hours without food. That way my hunger is kept at bay, preventing me from binging in a hungry frenzy or letting my blood sugar fall too low so that my energy levels drop and I get shaky.

Here’s my schedule: I wake around 4:30pm. I then usually eat dinner with my family between 5:30-6:30pm. Around 10 or 11pm, I usually have a small snack. Then I eat “lunch” at 1:30am. My other break is scheduled at 4am, when I usually have another small snack, and then I eat a little more when I get home at 8am, right before I go to bed for the day.

The emphasis here is on feeling satisfied. She pointed out that each meal should be just enough food to get you through until you eat again, not enough to create a “full” feeling. I believe her exact words were “Eat until satisfied, not until full.” Eating small, frequent meals and snacks keeps your body from reaching those extreme peaks and troughs with blood sugar and instead creates a more stable system, giving you more energy and helping your metabolism work better.

My goal, of course, is to continue losing weight. I’m no longer in the “obese” BMI range, but I still have a long way to go before exiting the “overweight” BMI range. Still, thanks to the Healthy Choice Better for BlogHer challenge as well as my own determination, I’ve finally broken through my plateau, and I plan to continue eating Healthy Choice meals to help me reach that goal. They’re simple to make for someone like me with no time to spare and each meal is so full of flavor – I’m loving how easy this is!

And the results so far? I’m going to brag a little and say I looked pretty good at BlogHer:

Size 10, baby!
(Although none of my other clothing is size 10 yet. Still.)

Full disclosure: I’m participating in Healthy Choice’s Better for BlogHer challenge, and as a participant I have been provided compensation as well as coupons for many Healthy Choice meals. All opinions I express about Healthy Choice are my own and are genuine. Also, the scale doesn’t lie, even when I wish it would.

Filed Under: success Tagged With: ,