This weekend was hard on me and my attempts at healthy eating. I don't know if I was bored or what. All I know is that I wanted to eat. I wanted to eat everything in sight! I was HUNGRY! Nothing seemed to satisfy my hunger. I wanted food and a lot of it. I don't especially like pizza, but I wanted an ENTIRE PIZZA!
I was busy enough this weekend, so I am not sure if boredom was the culprit or not. All I know is that it was very difficult to not pig-out. I didn't do it, but I sure wanted to.
When I quit smoking I went through periods when I really wanted and was sure I NEEDED a cigarette. I would have even smoked a cigar I was feeling so desperate. I didn't fall to the desire to smoke and for that I am glad. I know that if I even snuck one drag I would start smoking again. Sometimes I do miss it. I don't miss how it made me feel as far as my breathing goes, but ...
Anyway, I didn't pig-out and I didn't make an unhealthy eating choice. I stuck with my vegetables and lean meat including fish for lunch, but I really wanted that pizza!
I continued to be hungry well into the the afternoon and evening on Sunday. I wanted something more!
I finally chose an apple and a couple of dill pickles. I wanted a huge buttery and salty bowl of popcorn!
My accountability partner has been really helping me. She sends me daily encouragement! I, on the other hand, am not so good at encouraging her in return. I am trying, but like Yoda said, "Do or do not. There is no try." (Rough quotation.)
Watch for my walking video to start soon. In the meantime, keep active and eat healthy!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Day 18: It's not always easy
As I write this blog this evening I can tell you that today, or actually, this evening was difficult for me. I was hungry! Finally I broke down and had about 10 radishes!
Well, I guess at the very least I went for the better alternative!
It was a busy day today and tomorrow looks like it will be just as busy if not busier. It is on days that are busy that we have to especially watch how we eat. It would be so easy to just grab a bag of chips or something quick like that and chow down on that. Easier, but not healthier.
Our goal in becoming healthier always needs to be at the forefront of our thinking. It was having that in my mind that prevented me from sneaking a candy bar or other not so good for me thing and choosing the radishes and herbal tea instead.
Now I am having a snack of a cucumber. I am liking the cucumbers and other veggies, more than I did before anyway.
Looking at them as a way of not only getting my weight under control, but also my diabetes, I am more excited about them than I have been in the past. I know veggies alone won't take care of the problem with my weight, but they are a start.
Well, I guess at the very least I went for the better alternative!
It was a busy day today and tomorrow looks like it will be just as busy if not busier. It is on days that are busy that we have to especially watch how we eat. It would be so easy to just grab a bag of chips or something quick like that and chow down on that. Easier, but not healthier.
Our goal in becoming healthier always needs to be at the forefront of our thinking. It was having that in my mind that prevented me from sneaking a candy bar or other not so good for me thing and choosing the radishes and herbal tea instead.
Now I am having a snack of a cucumber. I am liking the cucumbers and other veggies, more than I did before anyway.
Looking at them as a way of not only getting my weight under control, but also my diabetes, I am more excited about them than I have been in the past. I know veggies alone won't take care of the problem with my weight, but they are a start.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Day 11-17: Weigh-In Results are online
Hi Everyone!
I still have not returned to regular blogging as you may have noticed if you are following my blog. I am trying to be more faithful to writing it. It isn't that I don't have anything to say, it is just that I am finding it hard to take the time to write it.
It is kind of like exercising. I can come up with a lot of excuses for why I can't exercise. Even if one little thing is wrong, I don't do any exercising. If my toe hurts (which is has for a week now), I don't go walking because of that. But a hurting toe shouldn't keep me from doing anything. I could ride my stationary bike. I could stretch out or do modified sit-ups. I could do a whole host of things, but instead I do nothing because... "my toe hurts."
Well, I could give a whole list of excuses as to why I am not writing this blog daily, but it would just boil down to... Well... laziness.
Writing this blog takes work. Even though I have something to say, it doesn't necessarily mean it is easy to come up with the right words to say it.
It is the same way with exercising. Just because I know it will do me good, doesn't mean I want to do it.
Last week I was on a fruit and vegetable cleanse diet. I didn't especially like it, but I did find that I could eat vegetables in abundance and not gain tons of weight. I also used a product called NutriClean from Market America. It did make me feel better—the cleanse, that is. I also cut out coffee (caffeine) and have not had a soda pop in two weeks.
This week I began the Transitions Lifestyle System, also through Market America. If you want to know more about these things you can send me an e-mail and I will connect you with Tia (she was at our first weigh-in) and she can tell you more about them.
What I know so far from doing these things is that I am learning a lot. So much of it makes perfect sense and I wish I had known it years ago.
One thing I have learned is that I can eat a meal and push away from the table feeling satisfied and full and not have eaten a bunch of junk that will pack pounds on my . . . body. LOL! This was a great thing to learn. I love food and since most "diets" tell you to cut this and don't eat that at all, I just could not envision another "diet." This is not a diet, it is a way of life that I am learning and I hope learning well.
I will share more with you as we go.
Weigh-in Results
I have posted the weigh-in results from the initial weigh-in and now after our first non-mandatory weigh-in. I was so happy to see that everyone who weighed-in either lost weight or maintained. It was encouraging to me to see that.
I was especially happy to see that I had lost 7.6 pounds. This is almost as much as I lost the first time we did Be A Loser With Karin. I believe that first year I lost 9 pounds. I know it is more than I lost last year because last year I actually gained weight. So I was very encouraged by my own personal weight loss.
As my goal is to lose 25 pounds by the end of the contest, I am excited that I have less than 20 pounds to go now!
Today, I want to encourage all of you to remember one thing...
We all get heavier as we get older,
because there's a lot more information in our heads.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I still have not returned to regular blogging as you may have noticed if you are following my blog. I am trying to be more faithful to writing it. It isn't that I don't have anything to say, it is just that I am finding it hard to take the time to write it.
It is kind of like exercising. I can come up with a lot of excuses for why I can't exercise. Even if one little thing is wrong, I don't do any exercising. If my toe hurts (which is has for a week now), I don't go walking because of that. But a hurting toe shouldn't keep me from doing anything. I could ride my stationary bike. I could stretch out or do modified sit-ups. I could do a whole host of things, but instead I do nothing because... "my toe hurts."
Well, I could give a whole list of excuses as to why I am not writing this blog daily, but it would just boil down to... Well... laziness.
Writing this blog takes work. Even though I have something to say, it doesn't necessarily mean it is easy to come up with the right words to say it.
It is the same way with exercising. Just because I know it will do me good, doesn't mean I want to do it.
Last week I was on a fruit and vegetable cleanse diet. I didn't especially like it, but I did find that I could eat vegetables in abundance and not gain tons of weight. I also used a product called NutriClean from Market America. It did make me feel better—the cleanse, that is. I also cut out coffee (caffeine) and have not had a soda pop in two weeks.
This week I began the Transitions Lifestyle System, also through Market America. If you want to know more about these things you can send me an e-mail and I will connect you with Tia (she was at our first weigh-in) and she can tell you more about them.
What I know so far from doing these things is that I am learning a lot. So much of it makes perfect sense and I wish I had known it years ago.
One thing I have learned is that I can eat a meal and push away from the table feeling satisfied and full and not have eaten a bunch of junk that will pack pounds on my . . . body. LOL! This was a great thing to learn. I love food and since most "diets" tell you to cut this and don't eat that at all, I just could not envision another "diet." This is not a diet, it is a way of life that I am learning and I hope learning well.
I will share more with you as we go.
Weigh-in Results
I have posted the weigh-in results from the initial weigh-in and now after our first non-mandatory weigh-in. I was so happy to see that everyone who weighed-in either lost weight or maintained. It was encouraging to me to see that.
I was especially happy to see that I had lost 7.6 pounds. This is almost as much as I lost the first time we did Be A Loser With Karin. I believe that first year I lost 9 pounds. I know it is more than I lost last year because last year I actually gained weight. So I was very encouraged by my own personal weight loss.
As my goal is to lose 25 pounds by the end of the contest, I am excited that I have less than 20 pounds to go now!
Today, I want to encourage all of you to remember one thing...
We all get heavier as we get older,
because there's a lot more information in our heads.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Be A Loser With Karin: Week Three—Starting a new lifestyle
From the Independent News Herald
by Karin L. Nauber
karin@inhnews.com
http://bealoserwithkarin2010.blogspot.com
Eating right isn’t always easy, especially if you have a history of unhealthy eating habits.
For the past week I have been eating a lot of vegetables. It has made me feel better, I have to admit, but I don’t plan on becoming a vegetarian anytime soon.
For me, vegetables and fruits can become a part of a healthier diet as they should. In the past, my version of vegetables was a bag of potato chips and French fries. Just the thought of them makes me hungry!
But I found out that I really like raw cauliflower and steamed broccoli. I have always liked asparagus. This week we steamed it instead of boiling it and it was great. We also made a vegetable soup that was very tasty. So vegetables aren’t all bad!
I also took on a new found affection for fruits which I hadn’t had since I was a child. Growing up my mom almost always served us a fruit of some sort for dessert. When people talk about dessert, I don’t usually think of cake or ice cream, I think of peaches or plums or fruit cocktail.
A lot of us have gone for the fast and easy foods which have lead, in part, to our overweight lifestyle.
It is a lifestyle, you know, being overweight. It changes who we are, how we think, how we dress and how we behave around others.
Fortunately, we have the power to change things.
Part of this contest is obviously to win the prizes, but another more important part is to hopefully teach you some lifestyle changes that will benefit you for the rest of your life.
Eating more fresh vegetables is part of a healthier lifestyle. This summer you might want to think about planting a garden to have a supply of fresh vegetables. It is also a great way to be physically active being out there weeding and tending your garden.
Have a healthy week. This week I am starting a low glycemic index diet, or as my accountability partner would call it—my transformation.
I am still working on getting into the hang of writing my blog daily. I do have some posts on there. You can check it out at: http://bealoserwithkarin2010.blogspot.com.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Be a Loser With Karin: Week Two—A New Approach
Be A Loser With Karin: Week Two
A new approach
from the Independent News Heraldby Karin L. Nauber
karin@inhnews.com
bealoserwithkarin2010.blogspot.com
Albert Einstein came up with the perfect answer to what does insanity mean? He said that “Insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
As a scientist, I would wager that Einstein did a lot of the same things over and over again expecting different results.
I think Einstein might agree (if he were still alive) that sometimes you have to stop doing the same thing over and over when you find out that it just does not produce different results.
My many tries at weight loss have all been largely unsuccessful because I have tried the same basic things each time. I may have added something different, but the basic premise was always the same.
So this year I am trying a new approach. In fact, I am trying several different approaches along with some things that have worked for me in previous years.
First off, I have teamed up with an accountability partner. I will tell you more about this as we develop our plans more fully on how we will support and hold each other accountable.
Secondly, I am working with someone on a lifestyle change that includes not only changing the way I eat, but changing the way I think about food and exercise.
I will be blogging about these changes, as well.
Also, I will be adding things to my routine that I know worked when I stuck with them.
The first is that I have cut out soda pop from my daily intake. That doesn’t mean I won’t ever drink pop again. It’s just that I know when I deleted the pop, I felt better and lost some weight.
The second is that I will be walking again. I fell into a lazy mode and haven’t walked at all for several months now.
I know that walking helped make me feel better, too. When I walked regularly, even if I didn’t carefully watch what I ate, I still managed to lose weight.
Now the most difficult part for me will be to stick with it when it gets tough and I get lazy.
Make sure to check out my daily (or almost daily) blog at: bealoserwithkarin2010.blogspot.com. I will have much of my day to day travel on this weight loss journey listed there along with what I hope will be valuable information and encouragement.
As promised, I am sharing my beginning measurements with you: bust: 54.5, waist: 53 and hips: 51.5.
Watch for my “Take a walk with Karin” videos beginning soon!
“Be A Loser” Prize Winners
Our “Be A Loser With Karin” contest kicked off on Monday, March 1 with 37 participants signing up. The following participants won door prizes: Jon’s Family Foods $25 gift certificate, Gwen Greenwaldt of Eagle Bend; potted plant from Mary’s Etc. Shop and Floral, Rhonda Leagjeld of Long Prairie; Everybody’s Market $10 gift certificate, Vicky Arvidson of Eagle Bend; first aid kit, Audrey Blashack of Bertha.
The next weigh-in is optional and it will be held on Tuesday, March 16 at the Eagle Valley Clinic in Eagle Bend.
We want this to be a fun program for everyone as well as making us all a little more aware of our eating and exercising habits and our health in general. Good luck to each of you!
Day 1-10: It is hard to write a daily blog
Friends,
As you can probably see from the lack of posts, it is hard to write a daily blog.
First, you have to think of something to write...every day. Not that I really have a problem doing that. I can come up with something several times a day if ... and this is key ... if I don't have to.
Second, you don't want to just have a bunch of blather that doesn't really help anyone accomplish anything. You want it to have at least a little substance.
Third, you have to make time to do it. This requires motivation of which I sorely lack.
Speaking of motivation, I could really use some to get me out there walking again. Now I have a good excuse, my toe hurts. It doesn't hurt just a little, it hurts a lot. Enough so that I am almost tempted to go to the doctor. Almost... Right now I am just using it as an excuse to not walk.
I have been talking with a new friend and accountability partner. She has come up with a different word for us to use instead of dieting and exercising. She calls it "transformation" because that is really what we are doing—transforming our lives through better eating habits and physical fitness.
I like the idea of transformation. It makes me think of a butterfly emerging from the cocoon. It starts out one way and becomes—transforms—into something else. I don't want to say into something "beautiful" because I think the caterpillar and even the cocoon have beauty—they just "transform" into something different.
I would like my transformation to be into something better, maybe not more beautiful, but certainly more healthy.
Let me know what you think.
And I will make this blog daily. I want to be accountable to all of you.
What I am doing this week:
This week I am doing a detox or cleanse. I have been eating a lot of vegetables and fruits. Herbal tea, lemon juice and water have become my friends—or if not friends, certainly constant companions.
I am not eating any grains or things like rice and potatoes or meat—three of my favorite food groups!—and I am HUNGRY! I will be doing this for a week.
I don't just recommend, but insist that if you choose to do a cleanse that you consult your doctor prior to starting especially if you are on medication or have a medical condition like diabetes.
Next week I will be starting the Transitions Lifestyle. I will tell you more about that later. For now, I am cleansing and getting to like a lot of different vegetables.
With that, I will leave you with this thought on walking.
I have to walk early in the morning,
before my brain figures out what I'm doing.
Have a great day and watch for more tomorrow.
Karin
As you can probably see from the lack of posts, it is hard to write a daily blog.
First, you have to think of something to write...every day. Not that I really have a problem doing that. I can come up with something several times a day if ... and this is key ... if I don't have to.
Second, you don't want to just have a bunch of blather that doesn't really help anyone accomplish anything. You want it to have at least a little substance.
Third, you have to make time to do it. This requires motivation of which I sorely lack.
Speaking of motivation, I could really use some to get me out there walking again. Now I have a good excuse, my toe hurts. It doesn't hurt just a little, it hurts a lot. Enough so that I am almost tempted to go to the doctor. Almost... Right now I am just using it as an excuse to not walk.
I have been talking with a new friend and accountability partner. She has come up with a different word for us to use instead of dieting and exercising. She calls it "transformation" because that is really what we are doing—transforming our lives through better eating habits and physical fitness.
I like the idea of transformation. It makes me think of a butterfly emerging from the cocoon. It starts out one way and becomes—transforms—into something else. I don't want to say into something "beautiful" because I think the caterpillar and even the cocoon have beauty—they just "transform" into something different.
I would like my transformation to be into something better, maybe not more beautiful, but certainly more healthy.
Let me know what you think.
And I will make this blog daily. I want to be accountable to all of you.
What I am doing this week:
This week I am doing a detox or cleanse. I have been eating a lot of vegetables and fruits. Herbal tea, lemon juice and water have become my friends—or if not friends, certainly constant companions.
I am not eating any grains or things like rice and potatoes or meat—three of my favorite food groups!—and I am HUNGRY! I will be doing this for a week.
I don't just recommend, but insist that if you choose to do a cleanse that you consult your doctor prior to starting especially if you are on medication or have a medical condition like diabetes.
Next week I will be starting the Transitions Lifestyle. I will tell you more about that later. For now, I am cleansing and getting to like a lot of different vegetables.
With that, I will leave you with this thought on walking.
I have to walk early in the morning,
before my brain figures out what I'm doing.
Have a great day and watch for more tomorrow.
Karin
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Week one: Starting strong (From the Independent News Herald)
by Karin L. Nauber
karin@inhnews.com
bealoserwithkarin2010.blogspot.com
By the time you read this we will already be underway with the 2010 Be A Loser With Karin weight loss challenge.
The initial weigh-in took place on Monday, March 1 with 38 signing up and getting weighed, measured and having their blood sugar and BMIs calculated.
As promised, my starting weight is 273.8. At the end of the 2009 loser contest I weighed 264.6. It seems I have gained a bit. Nah, let’s be realistic. I gained a lot.
As we begin the challenge this year, I think it would be a very true statement to say that no one can make me feel as bad about myself as I can.
The internal critic that resides inside of all of us, is typically our worst enemy.
This critic tells us we are not any good. It tells us we are unworthy. It tells us a lot of things that just are not true.
The worst part of this critic is that it never gives us ways to “fix” the “problems” as the critic sees them.
If my critic says I am “fat,” it might tell me to “lose weight,” but it offers no useful or practical ways on how to do that.
This year I made a promise to myself to start strong with my resolve to lose weight. Part of that resolve is silencing the internal critic or at least trying to change the negative things into positives.
That won’t be easy, but it is something we can all strive to do. Let’s turn being losers into something positive!
My goal during the next 12 weeks is to lose 25 pounds.
That is a “hefty” goal, but one that I think I can do.
My original goal was to lose 40 pounds, but I have some good friends who tell me that I need to be more realistic, so 25 it is.
I challenge you all to set a realistic goal with some good, healthy ways to achieve the goal.
I intend to again count my carbs. I am laying off the soda and will be attempting to eat portion sizes that are more suitable for one person than for three.
I am also planning to have an accountability partner. This is a person who is also involved in the challenge who will be relying on me to keep her accountable and vice versa. I have never tried anything like this before, so I am looking forward to it.
As you know, too, I am starting my daily (or just about daily) blog. I hope you will enjoy the insights, links and quotes that I put on there.
Let’s start strong and more importantly, let’s finish strong!
I leave you with this thought for the week: Most people are worried about what they eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas when they should be worried about what they eat between Christmas and Thanksgiving!
Have a productive, weight-losing week!
karin@inhnews.com
bealoserwithkarin2010.blogspot.com
By the time you read this we will already be underway with the 2010 Be A Loser With Karin weight loss challenge.
The initial weigh-in took place on Monday, March 1 with 38 signing up and getting weighed, measured and having their blood sugar and BMIs calculated.
As promised, my starting weight is 273.8. At the end of the 2009 loser contest I weighed 264.6. It seems I have gained a bit. Nah, let’s be realistic. I gained a lot.
As we begin the challenge this year, I think it would be a very true statement to say that no one can make me feel as bad about myself as I can.
The internal critic that resides inside of all of us, is typically our worst enemy.
This critic tells us we are not any good. It tells us we are unworthy. It tells us a lot of things that just are not true.
The worst part of this critic is that it never gives us ways to “fix” the “problems” as the critic sees them.
If my critic says I am “fat,” it might tell me to “lose weight,” but it offers no useful or practical ways on how to do that.
This year I made a promise to myself to start strong with my resolve to lose weight. Part of that resolve is silencing the internal critic or at least trying to change the negative things into positives.
That won’t be easy, but it is something we can all strive to do. Let’s turn being losers into something positive!
My goal during the next 12 weeks is to lose 25 pounds.
That is a “hefty” goal, but one that I think I can do.
My original goal was to lose 40 pounds, but I have some good friends who tell me that I need to be more realistic, so 25 it is.
I challenge you all to set a realistic goal with some good, healthy ways to achieve the goal.
I intend to again count my carbs. I am laying off the soda and will be attempting to eat portion sizes that are more suitable for one person than for three.
I am also planning to have an accountability partner. This is a person who is also involved in the challenge who will be relying on me to keep her accountable and vice versa. I have never tried anything like this before, so I am looking forward to it.
As you know, too, I am starting my daily (or just about daily) blog. I hope you will enjoy the insights, links and quotes that I put on there.
Let’s start strong and more importantly, let’s finish strong!
I leave you with this thought for the week: Most people are worried about what they eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas when they should be worried about what they eat between Christmas and Thanksgiving!
Have a productive, weight-losing week!
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