Losing Weight and Keeping it Off - Healthy Restaurant Choices

The truth for me is.... eating more vegetables in my diet which is leading to more fat being burned at workouts and me feeling fuller on less.  This picture illustrates it perfectly. 

After juicing on December 30th for a week and a half, and then going on vacation.  I managed to lose 10 lbs and keep it off by choosing more vegetables throughout my day and when going out to eat.  Going on vacation and not gaining 10 lbs was a huge accomplishment for me :)  I had some help by choosing restaurants that had healthy choices like calories posted on their menus.  IHOP, and Chevy's Fresh Mex were two I frequented regularly.  I would normally order a Burrito from Chevy's and when I saw how many calories it contained (almost a whole days worth for me) I changed my mind to a salad and better yet they had a half portion!!  Wish more restaurants would do this. 

This Omelet from IHOP was around 380 calories not bad for a 1300 calorie day.  It even had swiss cheese on it which was surprising because I find myself getting alot of things without cheese to save on calories and fat.  This was definitely a Healthy Restaurant Choice.

The half portion of this bottom salad was around 400 calories (dressing was extra) but they have a salsa vinagrette which was really good and only 50 calories.  Another Healthy Restaurant choice. 

So you can go out to eat on vacation without sacraficing all of your calories on one meal.  Just remember Vegetables are your friend.  For dinner try an entree with fish and fresh vegetables.  Try taking only a bite or two of carbs to satisfy that craving if your like me :)  It's best to just ask ahead of time to keep the Dinner Rolls in the back. 

My 30 Day Juice Fast Challenge - Day 5

So I have been MIA for awhile on this blog and was just really trying to figure out what was the best way to go about losing weight...I have tried just about everything, I feel anyway....

**Quick Update**

I was living in New Jersey last year, and my husband recently had a job change and we moved to South Carolina, living the beach life is wonderful!!  We almost immediately joined the gym here and Love it.  I even signed up with a personal trainer.  I felt great, was really starting to gain some muscle and I was tightening up a bit too.  Sounds great right, no....I was still maintaining my weight at about 185.   Not happy about that.  I know muscle weighs more than fat but I wanted to see the scale drop.  I was fitting into my size 12 pants (not quite the super skinny pants because my thigh muscles were still to big.)  So I couldn't complain a whole lot but I really wanted to see that nu,mber drop.

Which leads me to today.  I started a Juice Fast, after watching the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", on December 30, 2011 and am now 5 days in.  This is my log of events that led to today.  A 30 Day Juice Fast sounds easy right??

Day 5 in my 30 day juice fast.....Started at 189.7 lbs and am now at 182.2 lbs, I am down 7.5 lbs, can really see where I am losing the weight and I had a persistent headache for about two days, on the third day I gave in and drank a protein shake.  It relieved my headache almost instantly.  I have been working out burning around 300-500 calories each day as well.  Still trying to maintain a 1200-1500 calorie juice intake.  Last Night I crashed, I was so irritable after lunch yesterday until I closed my eyes.  I caved and ate a Chicken Patty for dinner with two slices of bread (absolutely disgusting) but went with my F U to this diet mood......anyway, today is another day and I am not giving up....woke up and juiced my breakfast going to the gym soon, and hopefully today will be better.  Not eating is alot harder than I thought. 

So today is another day Wish Me Luck!!

How Important is Sleep in Weight Loss?

Hungry Morning

I don't know about everyone else but for me no sleep = hungry!?!?  I don't know why but if I don't get enough sleep I feel like eating constantly the next day.  I wake up and just want to grab the nearest "Snack" in the cupboard.  We all know this is not a Healthy Way to lose weight so what causes it and what do you do about?  Blame it on leptin and ghrelin.  Leptin who, and Ghrelin what you ask? 

That is what I said.  I knew nothing about these Hormones.  I know, I said it "Hormones" the dreaded word for any woman.  I feel like I am constantly battling Hormones throughout the day and now come to find out I need to battle them while sleeping as well......I am no feminist but can't us woman ever get a break?

So I did some research to find out just what is going on and this is what I found at Web MD .

"Leptin and ghrelin work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness, explains Michael Breus, PhD, a faculty member of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and director of The Sleep Disorders Centers of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you are full.
So what's the connection to sleep? "When you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food," Breus tells WebMD.
The two combined, he says, can set the stage for overeating, which in turn may lead to weight gain."

O.k. so I need to get a better nights sleep, but how?

I found this great blog Awake and Living where she goes into exactly what will set you up for a lifetime of Good Zzzzzz's!  No magic pills here.  Just some good advice on getting into a good routine.  And only saving your bed for two S's.....even sneaking in a nap every now and again :)

Carbohydrates in Weight Loss, Healthy or Unhealthy?

So I have been doing some research to find out if eating carbohydrates while I am trying to lose weight is the best option for me or should I really try to cut down on my daily intake?  I found a great website (I am not promoting this at all just simply googling my questions and this is what I found) that explains how many carbohydrates per day you should take in during weight loss or just in general.  I mean after all giving up carbohydrates totally is really not my greatest idea for losing weight.  I just don't think it would be a realistic lifestyle change.  I have 3 kids who look forward to Friday's and "Pizza Night". 

Little did I know??  This is one thing I found.

Click here to read the Full Article on Daily Carb Intake, Good or Bad?
"300 or more grams/day - Danger Zone!
Easy to reach with the “normal” American diet (cereals, pasta, rice, bread, waffles, pancakes, muffins, soft drinks, packaged snacks, sweets, desserts). High risk of excess fat storage, inflammation, increased disease markers including Metabolic Syndrome or diabetes. Sharp reduction of grains and other processed carbs is critical unless you are on the “chronic cardio” treadmill (which has its own major drawbacks).

150-300 grams/day – Steady, Insidious Weight Gain
Continued higher insulin-stimulating effect prevents efficient fat burning and contributes to widespread chronic disease conditions. This range – irresponsibly recommended by the USDA and other diet authorities – can lead to the statistical US average gain of 1.5 pounds of fat per year for forty years.

100-150 grams/day – Primal Blueprint Maintenance Range
This range based on body weight and activity level. When combined with Primal exercises, allows for genetically optimal fat burning and muscle development. Range derived from Grok’s (ancestors’) example of enjoying abundant vegetables and fruits and avoiding grains and sugars.

50-100 grams/day – Primal Sweet Spot for Effortless Weight Loss
Minimizes insulin production and ramps up fat metabolism. By meeting average daily protein requirements (.7 – 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight formula), eating nutritious vegetables and fruits (easy to stay in 50-100 gram range, even with generous servings), and staying satisfied with delicious high fat foods (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds), you can lose one to two pounds of body fat per week and then keep it off forever by eating in the maintenance range.

0-50 grams/day – Ketosis and Accelerated Fat Burning
Acceptable for a day or two of Intermittent Fasting towards aggressive weight loss efforts, provided adequate protein, fat and supplements are consumed otherwise. May be ideal for many diabetics. Not necessarily recommended as a long-term practice for otherwise healthy people due to resultant deprivation of high nutrient value vegetables and fruits."

Information in Italics found at marksdailyapple.com

I think the 50-100 grams a day range is going to be a challenge for me.  I mean 8 oz. of Yoplait 99% Fat Free Original Yogurt has 42g of total carbohydrates.  I am almost there with one serving of yogurt.  I think this is the perfect example to show just how easily you can consume 300 or more grams per day.  I am definitely counting carbohydrates along with my calories from now on!  What do you think?

~Amy
Skinny Jeans Amy, Skinny Jeans.  Stay focused!

I think the part above sums my goal for success in weight loss.  "eating nutritious vegetables and fruits (easy to stay in 50-100 gram range, even with generous servings), and staying satisfied with delicious high fat foods (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds)"  After all, one Large Egg has 1g of Carbohydrates!  By eating 2 egg whites and only one whole egg I take in 3g carbs and save myself from 9 grams of fat as well.  That's Exciting news :)