And the Doctor says....

PERFECT!

I went this morning for my first physical since losing the weight. I had gone in ahead of time for lab work so that he would have all my blood work and results so we could go over it all.

Here is a run down of what he found:

Cholesterol - Ideal = <175 Mine = 163
Triglycerides - Ideal = <100 Mine = 69
LDL (bad cholesterol)- Ideal = <100 Mine = 75
Cholesterol/HDL ratio - Ideal = 1.0-5.0 Mine = 2.2
HDL (good cholesterol) - Ideal = 50< Mine = 74!


One thing he also told me is that having a high HDL like that can only come from a good diet and exercise! I do both!

I also asked about my current maintenance calorie level. He said that actually by eating at a level like I am of now on average 1400 calories a day... I am actually INCREASING my life span! Studies are now showing that actually someone maintaining a REDUCED calorie diet/maintenance program are INCREASING their chances for a longer life!

I think it can be agreed that eating the way I did on my loss program is not how I will be eating the rest of my life. Neither is drinking shakes twice a day or pre-packaged meals. No one will continue their WEIGHT LOSS way of eating their entire lives. What I do think though is that Kimkins taught me the fundamentals of good eating. I can eat and maintain a healthy Low Fat Low Carb lifestyle for my whole life! Kimkins prepared me for a future of good eating habits. I eat my protein now lean and properly proportioned. I can listen to my body and know when I've eaten enough. I can spread my calories throughout the day so that I never feel deprived or like I have to binge.

So without further fanfare - I give you another day in my life!

Today was a bit of a rush day with my doctor's appointment this morning. So I opted for a very light breakfast before I left and then another decent sized snack when I returned. I'd also like to note here that I have not included all that I drink in a day because well.... it would take too long! On average I drink around 60-80 oz of water (regular or flavored) in a day plus diet sodas or Crystal Light as an alternative. Not to mention my morning coffee ;)

Breakfast - Almond Breeze Milk Shake w/ Whey Protein

Morning Snack - Cottage Cheese and Strawberries w/ Almonds

Lunch - Peanut Curry Chicken, soy chips and Summer Salad (lettuce, strawberries, almonds, Low Fat Feta Cheese, and Pomegranate Hibiscus Dressing)

Afternoon snack - Drank a lot of water and a soda: see notes on dinner

Dinner - Tonight we are hosting our small group from church for a build your own Taco Salad and Ice Cream Sunday social! My plan for today was to really watch what I ate throughout the day so that I would not stress tonight about what I am eating. So dinner plan tonight:

Taco salad w/ guacamole salsa and queso, and a SMALL serving of homemade vanilla ice cream!

Calories today (excluding the ice cream): 1285 Carbs: 63g

A day in the life...

I get asked all the time to share what I am eating now on maintenance. In looking over my lists I realized something. Sometimes it is hard just looking at a food list or diary to know really how people are eating and what they are doing to make their plan work for them. I thought I'd take a minute and share with you what one of my days on average looks like.

**Please note: The recipes menu I will be sharing here is maintenance standard. But hopefully maybe for those following their own low carb plan or planning ahead for their own maintenance programs this will give you something to look forward too! :)

Today's menu:

Breakfast - Fiber One Berry Medley with Coffee

Mid-morning snack - 1/2 Almond Breeze peanut butter chocolate milk shake w/ whey protein, low fat cheese wedge

Lunch - Turkey and Swiss Lettuce wraps, dill pickle spears and Diet soda, 1 small purple plum, 1 Carb Smart Ice Cream bar for dessert

Afternoon snack - celery and southwest dip, turkey pepperoni chips, Diet Pepsi "float"

Dinner: Tamago Egg Sushi w/ sauteed mushrooms, Edamame, side salad.

Total cals: 1209 total carbs: 90g Total protein: 110g

I believe my carbs were a little higher than usual today because in the berry medley I added about 1/3 of a banana today and had the ice cream bar this afternoon. But all in all this is a very good representation I think of how I can eat now on a daily basis!

I wanted to share the recipe for the Fiber One Berry Medley because this has become such a staple of my maintenance diet now!

Fiber One Berry Medley:
1/4 cup Fiber One Cereal
1 tbls Almond Meal
1 tsp Flax Meal
1 scoop vanilla or berry flavored whey protein
2 tlbs Low Fat or Fat Free Cottage Cheese
1 (serving)cup of Carb Control Yogurt (strawberry or vanilla)
1/2 cup mixed berries (I love strawberries and blueberries)
Splenda to taste

Mix all together and enjoy this nutritious and filling breakfast!

I'll be posting more menus as time allows. Learning to eat healthy on maintenance has been such an exciting adventure. I can't wait to share more of my finds with you!

Maintenance Success!!! (so far so good!)

This last week was the 4 month maintenance anniversary of my 100lb weight loss. I have learned so much about myself / my eating habits / my mentality regarding weight loss over the last few months it makes my head spin. But, to celebrate and reward myself for 4 months successful maintenance, I finally did something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I CUT MY HAIR!!!! Not only that, but colored and highlighted too! Check out the new doo y'all -

Here it is straightened (btw, I'm w/ one of my best friends in the whole world here.. I've known this girl since I was 4 years old!!!):



Here it is curled! (taken this AM):



I am finding this to be an adventure that only parallels my weight loss journey. I am so excited to share what have learned every day with others knowing that they too can achieve permanent weight loss success just like I did. One of the other main questions that is repeatedly asked of me is about maintenance. So I wanted to share with you some things that I am learning.

Keeping the weight off is the mark of true accomplishment. By setting a structure around your personalized diet program and incorporating healthy eating habits, you can make your new slim self a permanent way of life. There will always be things around us that are tempting and desirous. When you learn how to deal with those issues before they arise you can succeed at permanent weight control. Honor your history and where you came from. Respect the fact that there will be those things that may need to be permanently omitted from your diet. For me, that includes all white breads/flours, white rice, white pasta, and refined sugars (for the staples on my diet, and now diet = WAY OF LIFE!). At the same time, THOROUGHLY ENJOY your new life and the things that you can partake in.

When you recognize that while you may not be able to have your favorite cake once a week anymore, you may find that if you set a specific occasion in which to enjoy 1 piece, and contain yourself to that 1 piece, you can find contentment and enjoyment in that moment. Learn to look forward to and anticipate those special occasions. Then, after the moment has passed, look back with delight and complete satisfaction that you DO NOT have to have more, but you can look forward to the next occasion with joy. When you approach food situations with a plan of attack already in place, you can with confidence and clarity enable yourself for success.

Know your triggers! Learn what foods are difficult for you to resist over-using and create healthier substitutes. While it may be difficult for you to resist containing yourself to just 1 cookie, you may be able to be completely satisfied with 1 small cup of Low Fat Low Carb yogurt with a sprinkle of cocoa added for a chocolate flavor or some fresh fruit. By substituting lower carb healthy alternatives you will not only feel better about yourself, but you will be content knowing that you are finally living the healthy lifestyle that you strive for.

So what am I eating now?? Well... my day consists of around 1400-1500 calories and on average 60-70g cbs which is what I am primarily watching still. I have 1-2 servings of a high fiber lower carb grain product (Ezekiel Bread, GG Scandinavian Crisp Bread, LC tortillas, Fiber One cereal, etc...) 1-2 servings of fruit (most of the time it's berries or melons because they have higher antioxidants and lower carb) or nuts, and the majority of my diet is made up though of as much of the LC green veggies I like and normal portions of lean proteins still. I still prefer egg substitute or egg whites to whole eggs. I still trim all the fat off of my meat before eating it (for the most part). I also enjoy normal portions of LC LF dairy products too; LF sour cream, LF cream cheese, LF cottage cheese, LF shredded cheeses, LC yogurts, and even the occasional LC Ice Cream (!!*gasp*!!).

You mean you can actually eat good and maintain that loss??? YEP!!! The key that I have learned is being VERY attentive to what my body is telling me. Learning that and to eat in moderation is one of the greatest things that I think I learned from my journey. The lesson that I have now been working on for the last month has been to eat "normal" without measuring and weighing everything and going by what I KNOW to be a correct portion size. As you can see from my pics.... doing good so far!!! :)

That about wraps it up for me for now! I am working on few projects that I hope to share with you all very soon... but for now... wish me luck in my endeavors! :)

Mentality of a Stall

I've been assisting people on their weight loss journeys now for several months since I lost 100lbs. One thing that I have seen on a regular recurring basis is the question about what to do when you hit a stall. People as me all the time... did you? What did you do? Let's face it. The reality is that we ALL will hit stalls in our journeys. Whether it is 1 day or 5 or 7. It happens. This is part of dieting that we have to accept. Our bodies have to take a break and re-adjust. The key is - what do you do when you stall? This is the question of the ages I guess. But probably one of the hardest that those who are actively dieting have the hardest time with.

In the past... if I would hit a stall I would eventually give up and quit my diet. But why? Did I feel it wasn't working for me anymore? If a stall is inevitable at one point or another then why did I give up? Handling a stall is really a 2 part process as far as I can see.

1) It is the opportunity to re-evaluate what I am doing. Have I changed anything in the last week that could be cause for upset within my losing process? Many times I would be able to look back over my food diary and pinpoint where I had changed things up which in turn caused my loss speed to slow down. This is how I learned some very important lessons about not messing with what works!

2) A choice has to be made between 2 REAL FACTS. I can do one of 2 things. That's it. No other options! I can either stick to my plan, or I can go off of it and give up. WHAT?! Give up is an option? It is the only other option. You either stick to your program or you don't. It's that simple. So then you have to determine what happens with each option.

As far as I can see that part is simple too. If you stick to your program you WILL lose again. You cannot sustain a low cal/carb/fat diet and NOT lose. It's simple math! If you need to maintain 3500 calories to maintain 1 lbs and you are consuming less than that, then you will lose! If you go off of your program.... you will gain. Period. End of story. Most people when they go off of plan due to a stall simply return to their previous eating habits. It was these eating habits that got us fat in the first place, so what is the point of returning to them?

We then complain that this plan or that one didn't work for us because WE made the choice to go off. This is the crucial time when really we need to buckle down, re-evaluate and if it truly is a stall, get tough. Show your body that you WILL NOT give in to it's pitiful cries for comfort foods. You know what is best for you.. not those fat cells that are withering away - screaming the whole time.... "I'm melting... I'm melting" OK Wicked Witch fat... it's your time... now scoot!