Freezing for Weight Loss Success

No, I'm not talking about freezing your buns off as you walk in the morning...although walking is good, that kind of freezing isn't so much fun.

One of the "weighs" that I save money and time and have had weight loss success is by making extra portions and freezing them. Buying fresh fruits and veggies is awesome...but if you throw it in the garbage because you didn't eat it then you are just tossing your money out along with it.

Rather than buying already frozen produce I will often freeze my own...whether it is tomatoes I got as a great deal at the farmer's market or organic raspberries on sale at the grocery store...they all freeze well. Then, during the dark days of winter I can pop out a couple frozen berries and have a reminder of the glory days of summer!

I've long been a "freezer" as opposed to a "canner"...canning scares me. Perhaps irrationally, but the thought that if I do it wrong I could poison my friends and family has kept me from this past-time.

People often think that if you freeze something it will last forever. I had a roommate who ate her frozen fish 2 years after the catch. While it won't kill you, the taste and the nutritional value is just not the same.

So it is a good idea to date everything you put in the freezer and then rotate the contents so you use the oldest things first.

If you want specific tips on how to freeze items, check out this article from The More Conscious Consumer blog...but I definitely discourage you from adding sugar or sugar syrup to the items you are going to freeze. And the info I got this summer about freezing whole tomatoes was fantastic--so easy, no blanching required!

So stocking up makes sense...but as a general rule, plan to use the food in the next 2 months. See this quality chart from the Food Safety and Inspection Service for more details.

Remember...it won't hurt you to eat it if it has been frozen longer as long as it has been consistently kept cold. So you don't have to throw it away...but start to use up the old food and only add what you will reasonable use in a couple months.

Happiness vs Weight Loss and Fitness--Which Comes First?

Following up on yesterday's post about the link to happiness and weight loss success, I received a comment:

Being fit and attractive is a great benefit to your happiness.

While I don't exactly disagree with this...everything else being equal (which it isn't...but for the sake of argument...) of course we would be happier as fit and attractive people than if we are out of shape slobs...

The thing is, that being "fit and attractive" is no guarantee of happiness! Just ask the myriad of celebrities and models, considered to be among the most attractive how they feel. Being "attractive" is a completely subjective thing...and it doesn't really matter if other people find you attractive if you feel like you are anything but.

What I have learned is that when we are happy then we learn to love ourselves...all of us...include our limitations, "flaws", weaknesses, and yes, even our big noses and thighs and cellulite. When we can do that...scratch that...when we can BE that person...then we are attractive from the inside out. We take care of our bodies because we WANT to. We eat foods that nourish us, that give our bodies the energy, vitamins and minerals we need...AND the taste sensations that please us.

This creates a wonderful cycle...because by eating better and moving our bodies we set up a fantastic chemical reaction within our bodies and we feel better. We feel better so we care for our bodies. We care for our bodies and we feel better.

I've tried to use getting fit as my goal...saying that I would be happy when I lost "x" pounds (10 or 20 or 100...depending on where I was in my life.) But that never worked for me.

If you are not happy NOW the chances are you will not be happy "if/when." Instead IF you do lose the excess weight you will just find something else to be unhappy about.

If you decide to have a specific weight or size (or physical fitness level) be a requirement for you happiness then you are setting up yourself for a sad and sorry life. If you don't figure out why you are really unhappy you will just remain fat--as your safe excuse for being unhappy.

Instead of waiting for "xyz" event--make a choice to be happy now. Why miss out on the beautiful things life has to offer to you just because you aren't perfect? And why deprive the world of your light just because you don't see yourself as perfect?

My goal is to be the happy person first. I firmly believe that when I am happy and loving FIRST then I am healthy physically, mentally and emotionally. It doesn't mean that I never cry or get angry...it means that I accept myself as the imperfect human I am.

That acceptance of my imperfection is what, ironically, allows me to improve and become better each and every day. Or not!

And maybe, just maybe...by accepting myself right now I can help someone else in their journey to health and fitness and weight loss success!

Weight Loss Success and Happiness Linked

I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo back a few hundred years ago...and even then the city was a great place to live, work and study.

Today, SLO or "SLO Town" as we lovingly called it, is ranked the No. 1 city in the United States for overall emotional health. Not surprisingly, physical health also ranks high there as well, including low rates of obesity...some 9% points below the national average in fact!

Coincidence?

I think not.

Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, a book that teaches us how to live longer, healthier lives, long touted by Dr. Oz, has a new book soon to be published entitled, Thrive. You can preorder the book through Random House by using this link. The book isn't actually available until Oct. 19, 2010.

In Thrive, Dan connects happiness to our health and fitness...and what may surprise some folks, connects art with happiness!

Being a sculptor myself, I find this as no surprise. Art has a way of tapping into our emotions, often without our conscious awareness of it. Looking at a sculpture or painting can bring our feelings of joy or anger...and artists have long used that ability in order to engage audiences and patrons.

In the book, Dan mentions the former mayor of SLO, Ken Schwartz, and that he likes to quote a Persian proverb:

If you have but two coins, use one for bread to feed the body and the other for hyacinths to feed the soul.

Dan continues that art is like flowers, that both feed the soul and claims that,

Happy people usually have access to art--painting, film, sculpture, theater, music--and live in places that are attractive to the eye.

It is a natural extension then, that if we want to be happy, healthy and more slender that we should take time to appreciate things that nourish our soul. What nourishes your soul? Are you energized or calmed when looking at flowers (hyacinth or other blooms)...the mountains or the sea? The grasslands? Beautiful trees reaching for the skies? Cloud-filled vistas? Or paintings or sculpture?

Or are you touched by listening to music? Poetry? Watching a theatrical performance? Film? A dance?

Beauty is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder...but finding beauty around you and appreciating it is more than just a treat for the eye!

Just goes to prove my theory that weight loss is not just about what you put in your mouth, it is truly what you put into your mind and spirit.

Scary Time of Year

This has always been a scary time of year for me.

Is it because of ghosts, goblins and little witches that are appearing and will increase in numbers as the month progresses?

Only in part...

You see, it began with back-to-school and continued through Valentines...well, Easter actually if I'm being completely honest.

So what was this fear that consumed half my year?

Food. Specifically--candy!

Yes, candy scared me!!!

Because I felt I had no control over it. Instead, it seemed to control my life. I merely had to walk by the aisle in the supermarket...you know the ones...loaded with bags and bags of candy. The mere smell was enough to give me a sugar high. And the sight of chocolate instantly added 10 pounds to my already abundant thighs.

At least that is how it felt.

Fortunately now I AM in control. Candy no longer has this insane power over my life. It isn't that I don't eat candy...I do...just occasionally and in small quantities. And I have the power to control when, what and how much I eat. It is pretty amazing.

I am so grateful that I've experienced this change in my life...because not only has it allowed to drop 125 pounds, I am physically, mentally and emotionally so much more healthy.

Look, I still love a good piece of candy, but I'm free of the ghostly chains that had me consuming bag after bag that I bought "for the kids"...and I don't even have any!

If you want to know more about how I did it...be sure to visit my other site (conveniently named Refuse to Diet)...and read my book for the tools that I developed that helped me on my weight loss success journey!

It's OK to Refuse to Diet

I just read another blogger's post giving us permission to Refuse to Diet...since he was touting "my" line I of course had to read his take on it.

His site is more about exercise, but he admits that most people can't fit in an hour every day--a realist in that regard. He also mentions that counting calories isn't the answer...after all

let's be real, you won't be able to count calories for the rest of your life.

Yes, I agree moving your body is important for your health, and yes I agree you don't have to exercise an hour ever day, and yes I do not believe counting calories (or fat grams or carbs) is the answer. So while we are on the same page so far, that is where our paths start to diverge.

The answer from this guy is the typical mathematical equation...eat less and move more. Not bad advice, it just isn't really the answer. Real weight loss success (by that I mean the permanent kind...not just another roller coaster ride down a size and up two) is determined by our mindset, not the stuff we put in our mouths or what we do with our bodies. It starts with what we put in our minds!

This guy's solution?

be careful what you eat after 4 p.m. and don't overeat. Eat until you get comfortable and not until you get full.

Said like someone who has never had a weight or eating problem!

If you only have a couple pounds to lose, or if you have a temporary weight gain then losing weight can be a simple formula...but if you have carried excess weight most of your life despite your efforts at dieting...or if you weight a significant amount over a healthy amount...then "being careful" to not overeat is waaaaaaay too much of a simplification.

I will say I like this guy's low impact exercises, so go ahead and check him out at http://www.guampdn.com

Low impact exercises are so important when you are just starting out or if you have a lot of weight to lose. Face it, if you are carrying 40, 50, 100 or more extra pounds that is already a lot of impact. Definitely check out isometric and other low impact exercises but also be sure to just move in any way you can...whatever YOUR body will allow. Do it for your health, and yes, it will help you to lose weight too.

Yes, by all means, Refuse to Diet...but don't set arbitrary rules like be careful what you eat after 4pm or don't eat after 7pm unless you believe that is something you can keep up with 80% of the time for the rest of your life! I use 80% as my benchmark because I know there will always be exceptions (life happens, you know what I mean?) Besides, arbitrary rules are...well, arbitrary. They don't take into account YOUR life, your abilities and your lifestyle.

Start with your mind...figure out why you want to lose weight, recognize what may be holding you back...and become a conscious eater. Engage your mind and you WILL lose weight.

If you want specific tools to help you figure this out, check out my book, Refuse To Diet, available on Amazon. And if you have any questions about the worksheets that I developed to help me in my 125 pound weight loss journey let me know...I'd love to help!

Corn Sugar No Better for Weight Loss Success

Oh give me a break! The Corn Refiners Association is trying to pull one on the American public.

Apparently we have gotten smart about recognizing high-fructose corn syrup as bad for us and our weight loss efforts--and general health goals-- and they are feeling the heat.

But rather than make a healthier product (no that would cost them money) they have petitioned the FDA to change the name to "corn sugar"....

A rose by any other name would smell sweet...we're not talking about roses...but this sweet super simple carbohydrate will be just as toxic no matter what they call it.

Keep your eyes and ears out folks! And stay healthy.

How Long WIll I Use This Excuse to Overeat?

A few years ago the question I asked myself was this:

How long will I allow my father's death to be the latest excuse for being fat?

The answer that came back to me was NO LONGER.

That started my journey to become healthy in earnest...and I dropped 125 lbs...in about a year.


Today the question I am asking myself is:

How long will I allow my mother's LIFE to be my latest excuse to overeat?

While I'm not 125 pounds overweight any longer, I recognize that emotional eating is a large part of what got me there...and could get me right back there if I allow it.

It is completely up to me to decide if I want to remain healthy or not. And if I do, then I must reaffirm my goals of feeling good about myself and being a conscious eater.

My mother is having some health issues that are stressful for the family...and I want to help and yet when I found myself grabbing food and not really tasting it as it went down I had a deja vu kind of light bulb moment.

I must continue to make MY health the #1 priority in my life. After all, if I don't make it a priority then who will? I also have to accept that I don't have control over my mom...what she does, or does not choose to do regarding her health. I can offer help and then I have to let it go.

This is a big challenge that a lot of women face. Guys too of course, but generally speaking more women are in the caregiver role then men are...

You may be caring for a child, an aging parent, an ill spouse, a friend or sibling...or perhaps you are a caregiver by profession. No matter who you are caring for, it is so important that we remember our primary responsibility is to ourselves.

I know this sounds selfish. I was brought up that we put ourselves last...and I was brought up to be obese! No coincidence. We have to challenge that training and retrain ourselves to believe in our own worth.

So I'm reminding myself to give up the excuses...there is ALWAYS an excuse if you let there be one. I intend to remember to love myself...and that includes choosing ways other than eating to deal with my emotions most of the time...and to be gentle on myself on the occasions when I choose to overeat anyway!