Tracking Calories Matters

A lot of times we come up with an incorrect hypothesis to why we're not losing weight. We see pet owners do this all the time. They tell us how this particular animal "only" eats a certain amounts of cups of their food a day (usually within the recommended amount). But what they're not counting is all the extra snack/treats the animal gets either by taking them from another animal in the house, food falling on the floor, from food handed to them from the table, food stolen from the counter, etc. etc.

The best way to avoid this is to count every single calorie you have. Whether in liquid or food form. This isn't always easy; since we sometimes have to guess portion sizes if we're away from home; but the more you measure out portions the better you'll be able to at least guess how much you're eating/drinking of something.

Even though I've counted calories off and on for years I still find a new smoking gun of some food that was "natural" so I underestimated how many calories was actually in it. Fruit's always a big one for people, large oranges come in at around 100 calories, and a large banana is approximately 120. For me, it was dates. Five dates come in at 330 calories. WHAT?!?! I could have had a candy bar and still eaten less calories.

Another common one people forget to add is the cream and/or sugar they add to their coffee. I've recently switched to milk which means I can have 4 tablespoons and come in at just 25 calories (I drink a bit of coffee in the morning). But 1 tablespoon of flavored creamer can vary from 30 to 35 calories. If I had 4 tablespoons of creamer that would be anywhere from 120 - 140 calories, just from creamer for my coffee. Honestly, I'd rather have an English Muffin for 120 calories than the creamer.

While we should strive to eat healthy for our overall health and to help lower our risk for disease; it looks like the biggest determination of whether or not you'll lose weight is to create a calorie deficit no matter what you're eating. I do remember starting to lose weight after having my first child and I was more concerned with sticking to my 1200 calories a day than eating a well-balanced diet. I was also working full time so convenience and time were huge factors for me as well. I did lose weight, and the thing I remember doing was sticking to 1200 calories a day. This man tried an experiment to create a caloric deficit eating primarily junk food to prove the point:



Again, I'm not recommending doing that because that's not healthy, but to show that more and more we're seeing that calorie deficit is the #1 factor in whether or not you will lose weight.

I also found this article online to be helpful. While at times this man can be a little harsh; he raises some good points of things we should at least look into first before we assume that we're not our own worst enemy.

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

Why is a Naturally Green Beverage Stranger to Me Than an Artificially Green Beverage?

I have no problem drinking a beverage that looks like that one. However, when I make a drink that is green by nature it weirds me out.

I can eat food that's naturally green. I have no problem with spinach, broccoli, zucchini, cilantro, etc. But when I mix some of these ingredients and make a beverage out of them; the color is one more obsticle in trying to make myself drink it.

I tried a different green detox smoothie today. While it would be a stretch to say I liked it; I would say I didn't hate it and it was definitely better than the last one I tried. But, I still had issues with the color. So I took a page out of my parenting 101 book and put it in a dark-colored cup with a lid and a straw. Remember, mind games with yourself and doing what it takes to get the job done.

Here's the link to the recipe if anyone's interested in trying this one. I think the cinnamon is what made it more bearable for me. I also used spinach instead of kale because we don't have any kale.

http://skinnyms.com/cleanse-detox-smoothie/

Earndit, Bulu Boxes, and Credit Oh My!

This story begins with Jeanne telling me about different (free) fitness websites I could join. One of these is "Earndit". With Earndit you "earn" credits when you work out that can go towards discounts on a variety of fitness and nutrition items. If anyone is interested in joining; here's my referral link and we both get credit when you sign up:

http://earnd.it/19kC4ty

A lot of the rewards are discounts on items I'm not sure I would purchase if there wasn't a discount. However, one month was a credit towards a free Bulu Box sample. I figured, hey, free dummy, and signed up for it.



The problem with the Bulu Box is that you get single samples of products that, for the most part, would take more than one use to determine whether or not they work. The only samples I received that I would not need more than one use of were the energy gel and the hummus and crackers sample. One was a creatine powder sample, one was a daily gummy vitamin, another was a bag of tea that promoted "better sleep, digestion, and sinus health", and a liquid fish oil supplement. Well, maybe that last one I would only need one sample of; but the idea of it grosses me out a bit, even if it is "mango peach" flavored.

The biggest waste of money in this box is the sample "focused notecard". It's to encourage you to write down your goals, which is fine, but I don't need to pay $19 for a 21-day set for what essentially is a motivational index card when plain ones cost about $3.50 for a set of 500.

Now, Bulu Box is not a bad deal if these are products you normally buy. You get coupons for some in your monthly box and by reviewing the products you can get $5 off any full-size product you buy in their online store. Every month the store has certain products available for free shipping as well. But I can't see it having enough value for me to keep a monthly subscription.

Yes, Your Mentality Plays a Big Part in Weight Loss... or Why I Play Numbers Games With Myself

I just got back from a 2-week trip I took with my mom, where there were no scales and plenty of food to eat and less walking than I anticipated.

I have a little rule about weighing myself when I get back from a trip/vacation... I DON'T DO IT.

I will eventually, but not the day I get back or even the first day after I get back. I give myself a couple of days to eat and drink like I should be doing everyday FIRST, before I get back on the scale. I notice that if I get on the scale first thing and it's a huge jump I'm likely to be bummed and less likely to start eating right and working out again. But if I give myself a few days to get back on track first, then get on the scale, yes it may be up 2-3 pounds, but it's much less devastating to me mentally and I tend to stay motivated to keep working to lose the weight I gained back.

I understand this mental trick may not work for everyone (maybe you need the shock value of how much weight you gained as motivation), but it's what works for me.



Another trick I do is I will not update my "weight tracker" until I am below the number it is currently. So what is up there right now is probably NOT my current weight. If I haven't weighed myself or worked out in several months or longer; I absolutely will update it, but if I'm only a few days or weeks off-track, I know I can get myself back down to that number in another few days/weeks.

I am all for mental tricks and games that lead you down the path to success; but don't cheat yourself! If it doesn't help you achieve your goals, then you need to look at another strategy.

I Hate It When the "Experts" are Right...

I know we've seen a lot of dieting "fads" over the past several decades. It seems like each week there's a new fad everyone's into or trying. So anytime some "new" health information comes out, I always take it with a grain of salt since many things we used to "know" have since been proven to be incorrect (eggs are bad for you anyone?). I'm a firm believer in moderation in all things. I don't think it's necessary to have an entirely vegan diet to be healthy anymore than I believe it's necessary to cut out all carbs and go the Atkins route. The biggest problem I've noticed (usually when I leave the country) is a lot of our processed food has a lot of extra crap that we don't need in it.

For example, I have a huge sweet tooth, but I try to limit the amount of sweets I eat because I know they're not good for you. When I travel out of the country I notice I go through sugar withdrawal the first few days. I've realized it probably has more to do with the amount of processed sugar in our regular foods and less to do with the amount of "sweets" I normally eat.

I've had a few days over the last week where I really limited the amount of sugar I ate. I noticed at the end of these days I didn't crave dessert or sweets like I normally do. So sugar may not only be bad for us, but addictive too?!?!



Though again, I can't see cutting out something completely from my diet, I can see where monitoring the amount of sugar I eat could also lead me to crave it less, and then I'll eat it less, thus ending a vicious cycle.

Stupid experts.