Shannan’s Journey

Day 6: Left taking care of the puppy in all her distress, this is what I was capable of eating today based on what I had in the house and what I felt like eating, and also what I could find the time to make as my puppy is 5 months old so keeping her still so I can eat is not exactly easy I am not working out much right now as I am glued to my injured pup non-stop but, my appetite is still there, so I am having to have some restraint only as I am not working very often hopefully just this week. 

7am Meal 1:  4 egg whites, 1 tablespoon peanut butter

10am Meal 2: 4 oz tuna, 10 cherry peppers, 8 asparagus spears

12:30pm Meal 3: 4 oz chicken, 20 cashews and almonds.

3:15pm Meal 4: HUGE Spinach salad with onions, tomato, cucumbers, balsamic vinaigrette dressing

5:30pm Meal 5: 7 oz flank steak, 10 strawberries

8:30pm Meal 6: 4 egg whites & 8 asparagus spears————————————-

I have not written a thing or been on bodyspace in a week now… I am being a dedicated mommy to my puppy Maui.

My 5 month old puppy got hurt pretty badly at the dog park on Sunday…  A bigger dog ran into her at full speed totally dislocating her elbow completely taking her out and flipping her.  I was devastated as the yelping and cryig out was someting I have never heard before.  It went on for about 6 minutes before calming a little. At that point all she could do was pant heavily.

I raced her to the vet and they sedated her so they could look at it and do some x-rays.  It was not broken thankfully… a bad dislocation that took 4 tries to get it in and to stay in place.  They did a splint/cast on the whole front leg that wraps around the upper body….  She is to have very limited movement for 2 weeks, only walking when she must go to the bathroom.

I’m on day 5 now and about to pull my hair out as I haven’t left the house since Monday morning when I picked her up from the vet.  I must be with her 24/7 so she doesn’t walk too much, jump or do anything that may move her back in her healing or, take us back to square one. 

Send my pup some good healing vibes… as mama needs to get back to her training !!!!  hahaha….  I’ll be back soon.

Shannan

Healthy body weight vs. those lovely numbers on the scale.

Do you often wonder how much you should weigh or if you should loose a few pounds. People say you you look great but you are not sure. Every time you get up in the moring and hop on the scale or, go to the doctors and get on that scale and your weight is not what the charts say is right for your height.

Weight is not a healthy perception of how lean you are. For example, I am considered either overweight or obese based soley on my scale numbers, and that is due to the amount of muscle I have.  Weight is one dimension of a multi-dimensional system. The best way to know if you need to change your body is to look in the mirror. There are so many times that the BMI (the body mass index says you are 20 lbs over weight and therefore obese. For my weight and height, I am definitely obese, according to the charts, although my body fat percentage is 13-15%).  Isn’t this interesting and make you wonder why we get so hooked on weight!!

There are so many variables, water, muscle, bones, sodium balance, organs, etc… The list goes on and on. Think about the days you step on the scale and it says you are 3 lbs down, don’t you have a good day…??  What if the next day you step on the scale and it is 5 lbs up, doesn’t your day start off badly !!  Why is this?  It is just a number, yet we allow it to control our minds, moods and how we run our day!!!  My suggestion…. ditch the scale and get over the numbers. It is more about how you feel, look in the mirrow and how your favorite pair of jeans fit!

If you are following a nutrition and exercise program to get rid of excess body fat, don’t think of it as "losing weight." Watching the scale on a daily basis will only discourage you as your weight fluctuates with fluid retention, food, and other reasons. The best way to measure your progress is look in the mirror, use a tape measure and keep a track of the inches you gain or lose, and use your clothes as a guide.

When you are eating healthy in order to become thinner, instead of stepping on the scale every day, take out an old outfit that is too small or buy an outfit that you want to fit into. Leave it out in your bedroom in a place where you will see it every day. Once a week (ONLY) try the garment on and notice how it fits. This will help you to stay on track much more than a scale. This is a much better indicator of how close you are to your goal. Visualization is the most important component to a healthy eating program. Visualize yourself fitting into that outfit, how you want to look and feel and your body will lead you to the right choices to get there.

Now, put your scale into the closet, and pull out that special pair of pants that has your best interest at heart! Remember, don’t ask, "How can I lose weight?" Always ask yourself, "How can I attain the body I want!  It isn’t always about losing weight… it’s about losing fat, replacing that fat with healthy calorie burning muscle and reshaping the body overall.

If you have to weigh yourself, only do it once a week, or twice split between days such as Wednesday and Saturday to give you a more accurate reading of what is really going on with your body.  If you are trying to monitor yourself or your coach is, that is one thing but you should not weigh yourself more than once a week!

Think about it… ditch that scale!! Your life will be so much better!!

Who says you can’t eat out if you’re on a diet?  It’s probably more of those infamous "they," who seem to know so much about everything and who create these myths that keep you from enjoying life.  Ordering from a menu just takes a little more scrutiny when you are cutting back calories, carbs/sugars or fat.  It’s actually quite hip to order dressing and sauces on the side these days or to even order something dry or plain. Nowadays, most restaurants offer grilled options for most of their entrees. Even desserts, when taken in small amounts or perhaps split among your fellow diners, will not destroy your diet.  A competition diet maybe, that is a whole other thing, but not just the basic diet.

Vegetarians often avoid eating out because there is so little they can choose from many menus. They will have a great big surprise when they visit a majority of restaurants in bigger towns and cities these days. Vegetarian choices abound in most places now. I mean seriously, even Burger King offers a veggie burger. Vegetarians are not limited to the chef’s pasta dish or a salad and plain baked potato anymore, but will find special sections on most menus dedicated to the non-carnivores.

A myth perpetrated by the diet industry is that fast food will not only make you fat, it will kill you. If you ate protein bars and health food shakes for every meal for a month, you might get sick too. Even with our so called health foods there are nutrients lacking.  The key to healthy living is balance.  Fast food, in moderation, and chosen properly, can provide a healthy alternative to the sit down, slow cooked and measured out meals. Most fast food joints even offer healthy alternatives, such as fruit instead of fries and all places carry diet sodas.  The trick is if you order the chicken sandwich, ask for it without mayo and don’t eat the bread, or better yet ask for it lettuce wrapped.  Most fast food places do that anyway now.

Everything you get in a restaurant is not full of fat, like some urban myths will have you believe. Besides, eating fat doesn’t make you fat. Being sedentary and taking in too many calories or, more calories than you burn makes you fat. Fine dining establishments especially make a point of using high quality olive oil in the place of other unhealthy oils and fats. All places except most fast food joints will adjust their cooking to suit a reasonable request, such as leaving off the butter when they grill a piece of fish or eliminating cheese from a ham sandwich. But really, you are all grown-ups now… you can peel off the cheese from your sandwich if you shouldn’t be eating it, now can’t you…???

How Do We Understand Emotional Eating..??Emotional eating is the act of substituting eating for a healthy expression of emotion. Identifying emotional eating patterns is the first step in stopping this often self sabotaging behavior. Emotional eaters are typically very conscientious individuals who are very attuned to their weight. However, they tend to displace their emotions into their eating habits, and it makes their self esteem and body image issues less than ideal.

Emotional vs. Physical Hunger-  Emotional eating is markedly different from physical hunger. Physical hunger typically manifests a sensation in the body such as a growling stomach, headaches, an openness to most foods, a deliberate choice of what to eat and a satisfaction from eating the food. Emotional hunger tends to manifest out of boredom, sadness, anger, anxiety, or any host of other emotions. Usually, the emotional eater believes that she or he must eat to allay the unwanted emotions exisitance, to keep the emotions at bay through tasty often junk food which is enjoyable.

Know Your Motivation.  Identifying emotional eating is about isolating the motivation behind the need to consume food. Often stopping before eating and asking oneself whether you are physically hungry, or whether you simply want to eat out of boredom or anxiety is important. Sounds simple and corny, but it is not. Talking to oneself about the things you are feeling is a good way to put the brakes on bad behaviors.  Self monitoring is a good way to identify emotional eating patterns and stop the vicious self defeating cycle. Stress can cause overeating to occur and tends to manifest in the need to eat carbohydrates or complex sugars.

Keep a Food Journal-  (So helpful)….  Recording your feelings is important in understanding the motivation to eat. Writing down when you feel hungry, or when you have the urge to eat, what you want to eat, and how much in quanity you want to eat is important in identifying the patterns of emotional eating. A food journal helps individuals get a more objective grasp of the issues surrounding their food choices and what causes the urge to eat when not physically hungry. Besides it just helps keep track of calories you are consuming and lets you actually see what you are eating in a days, weeks or months time.  Most people are horrified that their eating habits are so bad… Most people don’t think they eat all those "bad" foods until they write ti out for themselves.  Try it and change your life !!!

It’s the difference of Portions to Servings…

A portion is the amount of food you eat. A serving is a standardized measurement, just like a cup or a quart. Knowing the difference will greatly improve your effort to cut calories. A single serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards, while a portion may be 6 oz. for you or for me.  A single serving of a side dish like a vegetable or potato is the size of a tennis ball, or a portion may be a 1/2 cup or 1 cup.  A single serving of bread is just one slice. Practice eating portions of correct servings and you’re sure to see some weight loss.

All Things in Moderation, right???   Sure, you can purchase special portion control plates or tupperware that only hold small amounts of food. Or you can buy pre-packaged foods to eliminate the need to worry about portion control. That said, the simplest way to effectively control calories is to cut your current portions in half. Fix your plate as you normally would, then return half of what you’ve dished out for tomorrows meal.  Moderation is key to eating enough, but no more. 

When you go to a restaurant, order one meal and two plates. Most restaurants routinely serve double or even triple the amount of food recommended by nutrition experts. By sharing your food you share an intimate meal with your dining partner, and ensure you’re eating only what your body needs instead of what your brain wants. If you want your own entree, ask your server to box half of the meal up for you and bring it to the table with your plate. This way, you control your portion and get lunch for tomorrow.  I bring my own dressing to restaruants

Divide and Conquer…  Make a grocery list and stick to it. Plan meals that are healthy and well-balanced, then cook up just enough food to feed your family/friends the appropriate serving sizes. If your family is still hungry, offer fresh fruits and vegetables instead of second helpings of potatoes and gravy. Divide snacks into small portions using resealable plastic bags or containers. Finishing off a small snack-size bag of pretzels is a much better than munching through a gigantic bag before you even realize it.

More Complicated Than You May Think

While most people just view an appetite as our normal desire to eat, it is a truly complicated and scientific device. Originally, our appetite simply kept us alive but today it seems to be driving many Americans towards death. The appetite is difficult to understand because it’s not just a single system in our bodies. It involves many different factors including our senses, chemistry, biology, and psychology. Doctors around the world are studying how to control it, modify it, and satisfy it all at the same time.

The desire for more food than you normally eat can be either hyperphagia or polyphagia. Hyperphagia is associated with an abnormality in the hypothalamus and results in eating beyond normal limits, even to the point of vomiting. Polyphagia is medical term for simply overeating, though this may be the result of psychological and endocrine gland disorders. Some of the underlying reasons for overeating include anxiety, depression, diabetes mellitus, Graves’ disease, hyperthyroidism or hypoglycemia. Polyphagia is very common and does not always result in weight gain.

A number of different factors can contribute to the loss of appetite. A poor appetite may be the result of a common illness like a cold or the flu, stress, being emotionally upset or depression. Certain medications may diminish your appetite as well. Antibiotics, codeine, Demerol and chemotherapies are all medicines that can work as appetite suppressants. If you’ve lost your appetite for any of these reasons, be sure to eat high-calorie healthy foods when you do eat to help keep a base line of calories in your system. Try eating smaller meals more often throughout the day as well.

That Needy Feeling-

An imbalance of blood sugar is often the key element in creating cravings but there are often other factors at work as well. Some people crave certain foods, commonly called "comfort foods," because they provide emotional relief. Hormones can also cause us to crave specific foods, as is assumed when a premenstrual woman craves chocolate. Some pregnant women also develop unique cravings. The best ways to control cravings is to eat a well-balanced diet at regular times, avoid too much sugar or salt, and stay away from stimulant foods and drinks like caffeine and sweets.

Taking Control….  Whether you eat too much or too little, there are ways to control your appetite. The best behaviors to adopt are eating well-balanced healthy meals of reasonable portions. Eat plenty of proteins, vegetables and fruits while eating carbohydrates and sweets in small quantities. Take your time when eating to allow your body to realize it’s filling up. Include small healthy snacks to maintain a steady metabolism. Exercise moderately and try for daily activity to maintain a steady burning of, and need for fuel.

 Calorie OverloadBinge eating is a condition when you compulsively overeat. While most people eat 1,500 to 3,000 calories in a day, binge eaters gulp down 10,000 to 20,000 during a single binge. Unlike bulimia, people who binge eat don’t induce vomiting afterward. Thus, many of them are overweight. There are also several emotional and behavioral signs of binge eating. You often eat alone, hoard food, hide empty containers, feel out of control, anxious or depressed.

Admitting the Problem

Binge eating doesn’t usually get better on its own. It can actually get worse without medical care. Binge eating can take over your life. You may feel distracted about food, embarrassed to participate in outings with friends or you may miss work or school. It’s important to talk to your family doctor or a psychologist immediately for help overcoming binge eating. If you’re too embarrassed to do so, confide in a family member, friend or mentor. This is the first step toward getting treatment.

A Battery of Tests

Doctors use several tests to diagnose a binge eating disorder and eliminate other eating disorders. There is usually a physical exam, including body mass index, lab tests with a complete blood count and a psychological evaluation. The doctor will also do other tests to determine whether the binge eating has caused additional health complications.

Complications Galore

Binge eating can greatly reduce your quality of life, especially if someone alternates between yo-yo dieting and binge eating. People who binge eat don’t enjoy it. They’re upset and distressed. These feelings can lead to other psychological issues. In addition to anxiety and depression, complications of binge eating include panic attacks, heart disease, stroke, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, headache and joint pain.

Treating For Better Eating

Binge eating disorder treatment will help you stop the destructive behavior and improve your emotional well-being. You may even lose weight during the process. Psychotherapy helps you change your negative behaviors into positive ones and you get more control over your actions. It can also help you beat binge eating episodes by improving your self image. Once you beat your binge eating habit, your doctor may recommend you go to a doctor-supervised weight loss program.

Excess Belly Fat is SO DangerousOur bodies are designed to store extra fat in case of famine, but when the famine doesn’t happen and we aren’t active enough to lose the extra pounds, the body releases fat molecules into the blood stream at a higher rate. For some, men in particular, that extra weight stores itself in the belly. While the research isn’t entirely clear, excess belly fat has been shown to increase the risks of diseases such as breast cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, sleep apnea and a host of other illnesses.

Measure Your Tummy Fat

The quickest way to determine whether you have too much abdominal fat is by measuring your waist. Take a tape measure and place it around the area right above your hipbone if you’re a man and right around the navel if you’re a woman. Take a deep breath and exhale letting your stomach all the way out–no holding your belly in. If the measurement is over 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women, you have too much abdominal fat. In all honesty, men should be under 38 inches and women should be under 28 inches for over all great health and to look and feel your best.

Get Active to Lose Belly Fat

About 60 percent of adult Americans get no physical activity in their leisure time. The lack of physical activity is the perfect recipe for weight gain, not just in your abdominal area but everywhere else too. Moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day several times a week will keep you healthy, but to lose weight, 90 minutes a day is more in line with what you will need, 45-60 minutes of weight training and 30-40 of cardiovascular activities. Don’t fret. Losing the weight is harder than keeping it off. Once you reach your goal weight, you can reduce some of the time you spend exercising.

Sit-Ups Aren’t Enough

Many people believe if you do enough sit-ups, they can reduce belly fat. The reality is there aren’t spot-reducing exercises that are going to help you lose the actual fat you’re storing in your abdomen. While you are training the muscle beneath all the fat, all those crunches or leg rasies will NOT melt away the fat on top.  Sit-ups and other abdominal exercises will allow you to tone your belly and give the appearance of a slimmer waist, but only once you have lost some of the fat over it. You may be able to hold your stomach in better, but the fat will still be there.

Diet Your Way to a Flatter Belly

While exercise is an important component to losing the excess fat in your abdomen, it is only one part of the equation. There aren’t many people active enough to lose the weight without changing their diets. Lowering calories, carbs, and getting rid of trans fats while adding fiber to your diet, combined with exercise, are excellent ways to lose the extra fat around your midsection.