Life Now Phat
I was staring at myself in the mirror thinking, “I really can’t believe I lost myself again!”
The last 2 years have been extremely hard. From getting laid off from a job I had for 6 years to searching for another one and now being very underemployed. From being in the spotlight appearing on national radio, magazines, and being booked for speaking gigs to having no one around at all. From kids graduating from high school to going through the ups and down of getting kids through college. From seeing my last elementary school child graduating to realizing I don’t have anymore young children and life marches on. From losing people in my life to making new friends. Every step through the affects of life, I took half a step back from putting me first and being who I know I am.
To say the least, it has been very hard. From losing 165 pounds and thinking I have now reached a life I can sustain to gaining 70 pounds back from daily stressors that would break the strongest of people.
Does that mean I am totally out of the game of living the life I want?
Absolutely not! The great thing about life is whatever direction you are going in, you can always change it! And I now am going to change it!!
Going through the journey of weight loss, I know it so very well. All it takes is consistency, goals – small and big- and slowing down and enjoying every minute of life – instead of flying through everything. Can I do that? O YES!! I know I will have to go through breaking walls down again, the same walls that got me there the first time around. But I can do it. And I will do it!
So, watch out!! I am BACK in the game!! I will be 50 pounds down by Christmas and back to the “self” I love and know and by February of next year!!
The Game! IT IS ON!! Join me! 
Before
After
Over the last 3 or 4 months, I have been really busy helping people achieve success in their weight loss goals and promoting healthy living either by special appearances on radio or TV, or doing seminars. Unfortunately, old cycles like to return if you give them an inch, and I started to do as I have always done with family, friends, and work and I started to put myself on the backburner taking care of others instead of myself and neglecting the important 3 Simple Rules To Success.
I knew [it] was happening but I figured a day of eating healthy here and a day of exercise there would keep me where I like to be; feeling sexy, fit, confident and on top of the world.
A few months ago, I found out I was to attend a very fancy Ball November 13th. This was an event that I have heard about for many years but never got to go. I was ecstatic when I found out I was invited! I spent hours daydreaming about how the night was going to go. I exercised here and I watched what I ate there knowing that I had gained a few pounds from where I like to be, but figured I would be okay since I totally didn’t ditch all my efforts and it would just take me buckling down a few days to get back there.
As the days hurriedly approached, I realized that my exercise habits were not what they were before and I was only getting a workout once or twice a week, which isn’t even enough to maintain weight loss when you lead a sedentary lifestyle. More than that, I realized my eating had become sloppy – as in I was eating anything anyone put in front of me and any TIME of the day too.
November 12th came and it was time to figure out what I was going to wear. The last time I was in my closet for this amount of time, I was going through it to get rid of clothes that were too big for me – and I did a very thorough job of that. As I pulled out my prized dresses that I was elated to wear once upon a time not too long ago, the thoughts of when I first put them on were running through my head. I remember when I first put on my size 12 Isaac Mizrahi with room left over – the most exciting day of my adult life almost!
As I took the sexy black dress out that I chose to wear to the Ball and I put it to my feet to pull it up, it stopped thigh high…… not wanting to move up anymore. And there I stood crushed that I have let myself down again. Not moving for a few minutes staring at myself in the mirror, the first thoughts that came to my mind was plan and action!
I went to the Ball wearing a bigger than I like size that I had to go shopping for that day, which I have returned – as I vowed never to have over a size 12 in my closet ever again – and my size 12 Isaac Mizrahi is now hanging in my doorway of my bathroom knowing that ACTION is what will get it back on!
As the holiday season approaches, I will live by the 3 Simple Rules To Success that I teach my clients that I have ever so slightly brushed under my own personal rug that is now back in front:
1. Five small healthy meals – breakfast being the biggest!
2. At least 3 liters of water a day!
3. No less than 30 minutes of cardio! (60 to lose weight)
By 2010 Near Year’s Eve Ball I will be back in my size 12 Isaac Mizrahi because I will be following my own rules.
Be Healthy Every Day, You Are Worth It
There is a consensus that frozen meals are nutritious. Some can be nutritious but they are not all equal. If you really want to dig down into what you are eating, check the nutrition Facts labels. To narrow down your choices quickly, the first thing you want to look at is the sodium content.
When I am working with a new client, getting the facts lined up with their daily nutrition is a must.
That phrase “we are what we eat” is somewhat true.
The recommended daily allowance for sodium is 2300-2400. As recommended by the American Heart Association recommended daily allowance is 1500 mg of sodium a day. If you are truly into changing the direction of your health, you really have to look at this fact. If you are eating more than your share of frozen dinners, I will be happy to introduce you back into eating real food. The leading cause of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and even obesity, is sodium.
Now don’t get me wrong, it kind of looks to me that I am attacking frozen dinners – and for the most part I am. I like my sodium enriched, sodium-laced comfort frozen food every once in a while too, but I had came to realize how important it was to know what I was eating. Knowledge is very powerful – why do you think they try to keep the facts from us? If you are a chronic frozen dinner eater, think about maybe sticking a few raw veggies in with it (you know like real broccoli and carrots) – or even cooked ones. You can even add real fruit, which tastes much better than the little square of hot sugar crusted piece of apple you get. You could even add in some yogurt or some milk.
I think that in our fast paced, instant gratification society somewhere down the path, we ventured off from what our bodies need, which is not chemically produced and preserved foods. You will find that when you start eating the real stuff, losing weight is a bi-product of doing your body good and it is effortless.
Be Healthy Every Day, You Are Worth It
Flossie Alexander
Nutrition And Fitness Enthusiast/Motivational Speaker
Founder of You Can Now! Coaching Nutrition And Fitness
When I got up this morning and signed into Facebook, I seen that someone put on my page an invite to a “Size is Sexy Party.” I had seen another one come out a couple of days ago for another invite to a different size acceptance party that had music set to it that wasn’t so flattering, at least to me. The music on the video this morning was awesome and very flattering. With the body acceptance movement in full force, I ask, being a BBW myself, what does body acceptance mean to me.
Having been an overweight girl most of my life, I always thought I was that way because my grandmother always told me I was “big boned.” I thought that was the reason why I was overweight. Even until up to 5 or 6 years ago I accepted that was why I looked the way I did, even though all the signs were there that it wasn’t, truth I was ignoring.
Having grown up in a very poor family, the way we looked, felt, the way we treated our bodies was far from what we were concerned about. We were more worried about where our food was coming from every day and not about how much cardio we put in or weights we lifted. I actually thought gyms were just for rich people. I took that attitude into my adult years because I was conditioned to think that way.
I was on a conference call a while back for a book that is coming out for “Big Boned Women” and a lady made the comment, “before I was a big boned woman,” and it stopped me for a moment.
What does that mean to her? What is being big boned? What does body acceptance really mean? Why are we the way we are? Are we making the choices because of survival? Because we don’t know any better? Or because we take that road because it is easy and that choice is there. For me, all of these questions apply to me and I think of them every day.
After my doctor told me at the age of 33 that my blood work showed that I was pre-diabetic, I would have double knee replacements before the age of 40, my cardiac enzymes were elevated and at risk for a heart attack, the truth could be ignored no longer. I had to start making choices to do what is right for me no matter how hard it was if I didn’t want to fall apart before I was 40. If I didn’t, where would I be at 60?
Over the last few years I have been searching the meaning of “body acceptance” and searching for that confidence I was meant to have. Not through books or TV talk shows but through real people. What I do know is, to me, body acceptance is loving me for who I am yesterday, today, and tomorrow and treating me the best way I know how with the knowledge I have at the moment that is forever changing.
For me, body acceptance is coming out of the survival mode, slowing life down, and doing what I didn’t know to do in my younger years and that is taking care of me and my health from knowing good nutrition to hitting the stairs at the college because I need to get my “cardio” in for the day!
Body acceptance is to me, doing what is right for my body and not taking the easy way out because that choice is there.
Body acceptance, to me, is after doing all the right things and knowing I will never be smaller than a size 12 because I am big boned and petite was never meant for me.
Body acceptance for me is after doing all the right things knowing I have a bigger rear than the girl next to me because that is how my body was meant to be.
Body acceptance to me is loving me for who I am with the knowledge I have and doing all the right things for me physically, mentally, and spiritually. What does it mean to you?
Be Healthy Every Day, You Are Worth It.
A common pitfall of dieting is to not eat enough calories. Have you been on a low-calorie diet before? As long as you can stick with eating too few calories you will see the scale move downward and sometimes rapidly. But then at some point, your progress stalls.
Here are four reasons under eating doesn’t work:
Reason #1: Eating TOO FEW calories causes you to lose muscle. With muscle loss there is water loss which makes you think you are doing great when you get on the scale. As you lose muscle, your metabolism becomes slower because you have lost muscle mass. You now slower metabolism will make it easier to re-gain the weight you have lost.
Reason #2: Eating TOO FEW calories sabotages your exercise program. Not getting enough fuel makes you feel more tired and less likely to exercise as much or as hard. When you feel sluggish, you also burn fewer calories in “daily living” activities because you just don’t have the energy. You will be more successful by focusing on “moving more” during the day, burning more calories through consistent exercise and strength training 3x week to maintain/build muscle.
Reason #3: Eating TOO FEW calories creates feelings of hunger and deprivation. Low-calorie diets feel like punishment and are a short-term approach. When they are over, rebound eating usually follows. This is where the term “yo-yo dieting” comes from. You just made yourself miserable for nothing!
Reason #4: Eating TOO FEW calories makes your body slow down its metabolism to prevent starvation. Your body is facing starvation and will resist weight loss. The goal is to keep your metabolism happy by eating enough. Imagine your metabolism as a fire. To keep it roaring you must constantly supply it with fuel. Food is the fuel your metabolism needs to function properly.
So, remember to eat enough calories during the day spread out between your five meals and you should begin seeing results that are constant and permanent!
I was working with my client last week. She has struggled with emotional eating for years. When she’s upset, had a rough day or even excited, she reaches for food.
Emotion eating is a challenge for many people. The feelings of sadness, loneliness, anxiety, overwhelm and even joy can become a trigger to overeat. Many of my clients describe the feelings as “bubbling up” and when they really stop to “feel” the feelings they can see that they’re using food to suppress feelings that are uncomfortable. Eating has become a coping skill – using food to “push down” the emotions.
As she and I were talking about her challenge with emotional eating, I asked her to describe the experience. She started telling me that she either walks in the door and heads for the kitchen, or she’ll be watching TV and suddenly be craving food when she’s not even hungry. When she heard herself talking about this she realized that there were really only two times that she really struggled with this habit and in her mind it seemed much more manageable.
I asked her what she could do instead of reaching for food at these moments.
She had a brilliant idea! She decided to make a 5-minute list.
You know all the little chores around the kitchen and the house? Little things like wiping-out the silverware drawer, sorting the mail on the kitchen counter and sifting through the mess in the junk-drawer take about 5 minutes. We started a 5-minute list and she committed to doing at least one thing from her 5-minute list before she reached for the food.
I suspect my client is having a great week. The feeling of accomplishment from one of these little chores will keep her on-track to her goals!
How do you change? even on the road!? It all comes down to guiding your feet to the right place!!! All my clients, please cover your eyes!! This is going to hurt!!It has been like 2 p.m. since I have eaten which is a no no being that it is 10 p.m. now and I am STARVING!! So instead of driving into the McDonalds just RIGHT over there ***pointing***, I took my little feet into the convienient store and got a protien bar, and an apple! right at the front of the store! Difference – about 900 calories 50 grams of fat and 1800 mg of sodium!!
I SURE would have liked a Big Mac and some FREAKIN’ FRENCH FRIES!!
(you hear the hungry coming out?) IN THE INSTANT OF THE MOMENT!! But this will make me feel much better!! That is what I get for not being prepared!! Even I am still learning old lessons! But have learned to make the right choices!
Getting On Track
So many of us struggle to get on track with healthy eating and taking solid steps towards improving our health. I have heard many people describe feeling stuck and powerless to make a change.
I have noticed that most of us hold a belief that there is an ideal diet and exercise formula. Often times it’s a program that worked well for us in the past – or maybe we’re still searching. We read recommendations and become paralyzed by the amount of change that is required. We just can’t do it!
How could you shift your thinking to consider your idea of the ideal program your destination?
This week how could you take one step towards this ideal program? Maybe you could start with eating a healthier lunch, a healthier snack, or a healthier dinner? Maybe you could take a gentle walk after dinner? Once you’re successful with this change then you can adopt another small change.
Do you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? It’s more important to know where you’re going than to get there fast!
Just One Pound
Hi there! You probably already know me, but let me introduce myself. I’m a pound of fat and I’m very, very happy. You might be wondering, “Why is this pound of fat so happy?”
Well, I’m happy because nobody ever wants to lose me – you see, I’m only one-pound. Everybody wants to lose five-pounds, ten-pounds or twenty-pounds. It seems like nobody wants to lose one-pound! So, I’m safe. I hang around your tummy, your arms and your chin just enjoying life.
I’m very clever too. When you’re not really watching, I get some of my other one-pound friends to move in with me. They move in slowly, a little here and a little there. You never even notice until ten, twenty or even more pounds are keeping me company and you can’t button your jeans.
I just love it when people look at the scale and say, “I only lost a pound all week!” (They think that one pound is nothing, but the truth is that I’m about the size of a large grapefruit.) They’re so discouraged all day and are telling their friends how they only lost one-pound. I’m just chuckling as other people start to believe that I’m not worth losing too.
Yep! Being a pound of fat is a good life. Nobody ever wants to lose one-pound!
What You Resist Will Persist
There’s a saying, “What you resist will persist.” This saying is true in many areas of life and can seem especially true when we are attempting to create new habits and behaviors.
As we focus on creating a health change our attention and energy is often directed to resisting our old habits, tempting foods and even our own laziness.
When faced with an unwanted thing or behavior our first reaction is to resist the temptation and tell ourselves “no”. The act of resistance feels as if we are pushing something away. As we focus our attention and energy on resisting the object of our desire, the temptation actually grows.
Consider this, “The things you embrace tend to erase”. When I work with clients on techniques to shift behaviors we often focus on ways to embrace the old behaviors and temptations. Discovering ways to embrace our “old ways” while we create new behaviors will clear our path to lasting change.
When I work with clients, we really focus in these areas. As a first step, this week make it a point to notice what you’re resisting. Does resistance feel like you are pushing something away? Do the things you are resisting tend to persist? How could you embrace these things and transform them into tools that will help you achieve your goals?
