Monday, February 27, 2012

"With A Little Help From You're Friends..."

Or " You need Friends..." never truer words said or should I say sang. To achieve yours goal whether it is weight loss or anything in life you need Motivation! If you are not motivated you can easily slip by the wayside. One way to help keep you motivated is ... you've got!  Friends!

Now Friends can come in all different shapes and sizes, but you are looking to find support from those who are on the same journey as yourself or who have been on the journey. Slimming Groups such as "Weight Watchers" or "Slimming world" are great for support. The classes will help you with nutritional and dietry advice but most important it is the support from the other members. You can share you're experiences and swap recipes or tips. Indeed as I understand that is how Weight Watchers was started. The founding member started with a group of her friends that regularly met for coffee mornings. They wished to lose weight and it started with them cutting out the biscuits they had with their coffees.....but they were there supporting each other along the way.  Although I reached my goal some 6 years ago now I still need support and help to stay motivated. One of the main reasons for my blog. If I can help others it will keep me motivated.

Personally I have been a member of different slimming groups over the years and I would say that I was successful with most of them. The ones where I was not successful .... I didn't have the motivation to be disciplined. That was in no way a reflection of the classes, but I was not very aware of my saboteurs. You know who they are those people in your life that despite wanting to support you can't help but sabotage your efforts. My Gran was one of my worst. She loved me heart and soul but SHE BAKED!!!! I saw her nearly every day in life while she was with us and every day I would be offered a scone or cake or biscuits or just Food in general. She would press and press " Go on just one wee one!" until I would cave, she always had this expression on her face when I said "No" that looked as if I had majorly offended her... so I would eat! No sooner was the scone or cake in my mouth then she would say " Ooh but you shouldn't really be eating that should you!" thus leading to feelings of guilt , in turn thoughts of okay well " I may as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb" In short... viscous cycle!!!

So how did I break this? With support from a great class I joined. Indeed it was "Weight Watchers" that time and I learned how to be able to say "No" to my gran's baking but I asked her to prepare a healthy alternative for me and of course she was delighted to do so. She just really wanted to do something for me. She was never happier than when she was feeding people and caring for them.

As I have said I have been a member of different groups over the years and the reason for that is for another blog - But what the groups have in common is the support of the members. Now in today's austere times most of us cannot afford to pay out weekly for classes, but that is the beauty of Social Media it can bring like minded people together and people can have access to many different groups all there to lend a supporting hand.

So if you need a little help...... "Ill be there!...".

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Have You Cake and Eat It - Oh AND LOSE WEIGHT!!!

This is the breaking news for diets - Eat Chocolate Cake for Breakfast and Lose Weight! Is it too good to be true?  Well of Course it is not actually advocating that you just eat Cake (more's the pity) but saying that a small about of cake each day will assist in the weight loss. So how could that be? The following is an article that explains the principles of the "unusual" diet plan. Again the plan is about good food combinations. There is an element of the Atkins about it - as in lots of protein but have a read and see what you think yourself. As you all know I maintain that we are all individuals and what works for some will not work for others. But hey if it works don't knock it!!

The Big Breakfast Diet Reviewed



Judging by the name, this plan sounds like the kind of diet we would all like to try. But what is it and does it really work? Well, let's find out.
The Big Breakfast Diet is the creation of a clinical professor from Virginia Commonwealth University named Daniela Jakubowicz. The diet culminated in a book entitled "The Big Breakfast Diet: Eat Big Before 9 a.m. and Lose Big for Life".
In this book, Jakubowicz promises her readers that they can eat practically any foods they want and still lose weight. The catch is that the eating has to be done before 9 a.m.
This plan originated from a clinical study that did a comparison of a low carbohydrate diet against a diet based on eating a big breakfast with an average amount of carbohydrates. The results showed that although the big breakfast diet group ate almost 200 calories a day more than the other group, the big breakfast group lost 21% of their total body weight as compared to 4.5% of the low carbohydrate group.
The good doctor claims that eating a large breakfast will act as an appetite suppressant and boost metabolism which will lead to weight loss.
So how does it work?
Well, you will begin each day with a very big breakfast which needs to be high in carbohydrates and protein and should equate to around 600 calories. In addition, you are supposed to eat something sweet everyday such as chocolate.
Some of the foods you will be eating on this plan include meats such as steak, bacon, and turkey; carbs such as cakes and cookies, and fruits and vegetables.
So it sounds great right?
Well eating early with plenty of protein will without a doubt reduce your cravings throughout the day. Also this plan will sound like a dream to most dieters. Lastly, there is a 28 day meal plan with recipes included with the book.
However, as with any diet, there are concerns with the The Big Breakfast Diet. First, there needs to be more research done before any definitive claims can be made. Secondly, the low calorie diet will be hard for many people to stick with.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5365925

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Follow the Girl Guide Motto BE PREPARED!!!

I have just had a particularly busy week between work and the children and I have suffered for it by not being prepared. I have been feeling sluggish for the past couple of days and my energy levels are low and as for resistance lets just say that the Borg Hive has been in my head the last couple of days "Resistance is Futile!!".

We all fall off the wagon sometimes and this week I am one of the fallen. But I am back on track today. Last night I sat down and thought back over what triggers there had been during the week that had me eating a chunky caramel kit kat and half a box of turkish delight about an hour after my evening meal? Yes that's right all after my evening meal!! And the worst of it is that was just last night! I have done something similar the past three nights.

Quite simply - I have been unprepared! It sounds so cliched but it is true. I did not shop in advance this week and I did not prepare or plan what meals that myself and the children were having. As a result I have not had homemade soup ready to have at lunchtime or when I come home from work. I have also not filled up on fruit and veg. My first consideration is normally what veg I am having with my meals. I really struggled this week as I did not have a great selection. Even although you are on a diet or a weight loss plan your food should NEVER BE BORING! There is such a ripe selection of great fruit and veg out there that help make a really satisfying tasty meal. It goes without saying of course that herbs and spices are great cooking accessories and should be used as much as possible in your cooking. They have medicinal qualities as well as helping food taste better. Garlic for circulation, tumeric to help prevent the formation of fatty tissue, etc etc. But this is for another blog!

So what happened this week when my diet lacked its usual choice of fruit and veg? I found myself standing staring into the cupboards or the fridge looking for something TASTY....because I had been bored by my meals so I snacked with gusto!

But it is not all a disaster I have been able to recognise very quickly where I have strayed off my plan so tonight I have sat down and written a food diary in advance of the meals that I am going to make for the next week.

I have listed all the veg and the fruit that I will need to help bulk out my meals and for my snacks. And I will be making soup as soon as I come home tomorrow. I plan to make a quick carrot and butterbean soup that will only take half an hour and it will be ready.

Quick Carrott and Butterbean soup

No need to measure or weigh -
3 or 4 carrots chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tin of butterbeans in water (drained)
1 chicken stock cube
seasoning
water.

put the chopped carrots and onions and garlic in a pan with the seasoning add enough water to just cover the veg by about a cm. bring to boil cover reduce heat and simmer for 25mins. then add the butterbeans for five minutes. take off heat and leave to stand for a few minutes then blitz with blender and there you go!

Enjoy!
And Remember BE PREPARED.