CrazyBusy Mama! (Dot Calm)

By Deanna Adler

“It’s a lifestyle not a diet.”

Have you heard those words before? Actually, have you heard them so many times that they don’t even mean much anymore? I know; me, too. When I struggled with a weight problem, I heard this so often that eventually, I just tuned it out. I had failed at “making it a lifestyle” so many times that I didn’t even give it a second thought. It hadn’t worked for me and I wasn’t listening.

Have you ever heard a familiar song on the radio and suddenly realized that you had never really heard the words before? Maybe it meant something totally different than what you had thought? That’s what happened to me with this phrase. I finally tuned in to “It’s a lifestyle, not a diet,” and it’s my hope that slowing down and breaking it down will allow you to apply it to your own life, too.

When it finally made sense, here’s what it allowed me to do:

1) Stop my “DIET” thinking and find a healthy way of eating that I could maintain forever.

• No more drastic measures like cutting whole food groups or following ridiculous food plans. Have you done the cabbage soup or grapefruit diets? Wow! I was left either insatiably craving the villain foods or being so sick of allowable foods that I couldn’t endure anymore. Those plans set me up for failure.
• No more concoctions of pills or other remedies that were just downright unhealthy.

2) Make peace with the fact that I needed to be on food defense forever. Just as an alcoholic needs to have rules around alcohol, I needed rules around food. At first, I didn’t like that one bit. I wanted to eat what everyone else ate and not think about it, but the reality was that I had an unhealthy relationship with food. When I came face to face with what was going on, my obsessive thoughts about food weren’t normal in any way. I had to come to a place of acceptance that my behaviors weren’t just going to go away and I needed to deal with them on an ongoing basis.

3) Get to the bottom of why food was so satisfying and comforting to me in the first place. I can assure you, if you have a weight problem like I had, you’re not there simply because you like food. The problem is that you get too much pleasure from food. Period. You must figure this out and change it.

Writing these things here may sound simplistic but I assure you, they will require time, effort and persistence to resolve.

If you are someone who struggles with extra weight, I encourage you to read this old catchphrase again, “It’s a lifestyle, not a diet.” Slow down and ask yourself what that means to you. Do you believe it? Can it work for you? What does it look like in your life?

Becoming healthy is a complicated effort and I hope you’ll get in touch with me if you have questions, ideas, or a need for support. You can email me at deanna@deannaadler.com.

Remember, the only limit to what is possible is what you choose to believe.

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Deanna Adler is a weight loss coach and motivational speaker who works with women all across the country to battle the weight issues that so many of us face. With a wonderful husband, three great kids and a personal 125 pound weight loss story, she has one hand clutching God and the other wading through the trials of life. Deanna can offer you encouragement, Godly perspective and insight that can help you become free of the chains that have bound you for too long. Visit her website at www.deannaadler.com to read her personal weight loss story and more information about coaching/speaking.

I always love hearing about family members and friends who’ve made the decision to change their lives for the better. But every now and then, someone will give up on their journey and go back to their old way of living…the way of living that got them in the mess they wanted so badly to get out of in the first place. They get discouraged again and again and convince themselves that becoming healthy is just “too hard.”

Why does this happen? Simple: They were expecting big changes right away and weren’t celebrating the small victories.

Folks, real life isn’t like “The Biggest Loser” (not putting down the show — any show that encourages and motivates milllions of people to change their lives and bodies is all right by me). Real change in your body, especially if you have a lot to lose, takes time. And sometimes it takes a lot longer than the three months allotted to contestants on TBL.

For normal people (i.e., people who don’t have access to a gym, or dieticians and trainers telling them what to eat and how to exercise on a daily basis), it can take quite a while to lose those extra pounds. Even if you’re almost to your goal, discouragement can be your constant companion: the last five pounds can be tough to get rid of, the cellulite on your thighs can seem as permanent as the spackle on your walls, and your craving for carbs can easily overwhelm your willpower — especially on a bad day.

Don’t give these things (or whatever is defeating you at the moment) more power in your life than they deserve. The only thing they should be able to do to you is remind you that life is full of choices, and that next time you’ll know to make the right choice.

No matter how you think you’ve failed in your quest to get healthy — or to get your family healthy — there are also small victories that you should be celebrating. If you’ve been focusing on the negative, you may have to actively search for the positive. Here are a few of the small victories I’ve been celebrating lately:

• My husband, who’s never been a label reader, will come home from the store now and proudly point out that this item has no MSG, this one has no high fructose corn syrup, that one is low-fat, etc. I don’t lord it over him at all — I’m just so glad to see him making good choices at the grocery store!
• At a recent visit to the doctor last month, the nurse told me I was seven pounds lighter than when they saw me last (seven months earlier). I shot my fist up and said, “Woo hoo!” I’m almost to my goal weight and that’s good news, especially since I’ve been under a lot of stress and haven’t gotten to workout as much as I’d like to.
• All three of my teens exercise on their own without me telling them to. They’re building good habits that will last a lifetime, and that’s awesome. I like to think I’ve been somewhat of a good example.

You know something? I feel better just remembering that little list of victories. Give it a try yourself. The next time you feel down about your progress being slow (or even if you’ve backslid and fell back into some bad health habits), remember the small victories and give yourself a pat on the back.

So what are your little victories? Maybe you just ran your first mile without stopping (heck, maybe you even just walked your first mile without stopping). Perhaps you lost two pounds this week. Or maybe you made it through your first tough workout on Exercise TV. Could be you’re seeing definition in your arms and shoulders…for the first time in your life. These are all terrific achievements and you should be proud!

Getting healthy is a journey with twists, turns, and setbacks, yes, but also victories big and small. Remind yourself — on a daily basis, if necessary — that at this time next month, and even this time next year, you’re going to be a whole lot healthier and way more fit than you are now. Don’t give up!

©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.

By Guest Blogger John Gatens

Carbohydrates have been given a bad reputation in recent years.

If you believe everything suggested by the diet industry and the media, the only way to lose weight is to never touch a piece of fruit, a slice of bread, or a bowl of pasta again! Not only is this way of thinking inconvenient, it could also be harmful.

The human body is designed to function optimally when it receives certain types of food. Carbohydrates are one of the kinds of food the body needs. Let’s examine the types of carbohydrates, and how they contribute to a healthy weight loss diet.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates are the “bad carbs” that you’ve been hearing about. Their molecular structure is very small, so the body easily absorbs them. Your body quickly converts simple carbohydrates into simple sugars. This makes carbohydrates taste good, as well as leading your body to store the excess as fat. Simple carbs consist of foods like white bread, cake, cookies, and white flour pasta. These foods should be limited or avoided if you are attempting to lose weight.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are essential for proper nutrition. They provide quick energy, as well as essential nutrients and fiber. The fiber they contain makes them stick around your body a little longer, while still allowing them to convert to much needed energy fast. Limit your servings to a few a day, and you should be fine. A good guideline is to aim for 30-45 grams of carbohydrates per day, with 15-20 grams per serving.

Fiber

The amount of fiber in a carbohydrate needs to be taken into consideration. As you choose your daily carbohydrates, you can deduct the fiber grams from the carbohydrate grams. For example, if a cereal contains 25 grams of carbohydrates per serving, but also contains 5 grams of fiber – those 5 grams don’t count toward your daily total! Adding fiber to your diet is a quick way to aid weight loss – choose foods like whole grain breads, fruits, and vegetables.

When you begin a weight loss plan, it is easy to assume that you must cut out carbohydrates. However, complex carbohydrates can be included in your weight loss diet. Choose whole grain foods such as brown rice, multi-grain bread, and whole wheat pasta. Be sure to include fruits and vegetables, and you’re on your way to a weight loss plan that includes carbohydrates.

There you have it – the truth about carbs!

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Find out the real Truth About Carbs. Did you know you can eat foods you like and watch the pounds melt off? This Fat Loss Program teaches you how.

Article Source: Ezine Articles: Expert John Gaten