Dieting - What's Normal, What's Not?

When it comes to dieting, "normal" may not be the best way to be.  
Most people want to lose weight at some time in their lives, and want it to be fast and easy.  The truth about dieting is harder to swallow.  

What's "Normal"

"Who Doesn't Love a Shortcut?"

All those diets that sound too good to be true promise that:  

• You'll get an immediate sense of control.  
• Everyone will tell you how great you look. 
• You'll feel better about your body.
• You'll like yourself better.

The diet business takes advantage of people's desire for a "quick fix" to sell $40 billion worth of diet products a year.

What's TRUE

It Takes Time to Lose Weight  

People who lose weight for good do it a little at a time, over a long period.  They:

• Decide they want to change the ways they eat and move.  This is different from deciding to "lose weight".  
• Set Realistic goals.  Adding 10 minutes of activity a day is more possible than setting an unreachable weight goal.
• Reward themselves.  Appreciating small changes can be a key to make change last.
• Lose a reasonable amount (5 or 10 pounds).  Then maintain their new weight for a few months before trying to lose more.   

I, personally, decided to make a lifetime commitment.   I know it's cliche, but I am not on a diet, I changed my lifestyle altogether.  This time, I lost 65 pounds over a year by eating clean and exercising daily (I also follow a macronutrient ratio of 35% protein, 25% carbs and 40% fat because I'm a endomorph).  The best part is...it's not over.  I'm never going back to the way I ate before so hopefully, I'll be able to maintain this healthier lifestyle. 

 

What's "Normal"

"The Right Diet Is Out There"

The first diet book was published in 1864 by an English casket maker who claimed that low carbohydrates and daily alcohol were the way to shed unwanted pounds.  

Since then, fad diets have come and gone with great regularity.  Their inventors are experts at packaging.  They make it easy to believe that this time, this particular diet will really work.  

 

What's TRUE

The Diet Dilemma

Most people try to lose weight by limiting their calories, eating only one type of food, or following a rigid food plan.  They almost always gain it back because: 

• Keeping weight off takes different skills than taking it off.  
• Diets make you cranky, tired, moody, and more likely to get sick.  So people are eager to get off a diet.  
• After a diet, most people go back to the eating and activity patterns they had before. 

Trust me, I've done ALL of the fad diets.  Take a wild guess what happened when I stopped the "diet" and went back to eating "normal".  YEP!  I gained it all back and then some.  It doesn't work, never will.  You have to change your lifestyle. 

What's "Normal"

"Is Food More Trouble Than It's Worth?"

Diets can cause a love/hate relationship with food.  Eat this...don't eat that...eat less...eat more...blah, blah, blah.  But food can be a very useful tool.  

 

What's TRUE

Food Is  Friend, Not a Foe

What you eat affects how you look, function and feel.  You'll do best eating foods that contain a lot of nutrients in relation to their calories.  

 

• Eat richly colored fruits and vegetables.  They offer lots of essential nutrients and satisfy your hunger.  It's a 2 for 1 deal!
• Eat whole-grain breads, rice, cereals, and pastas.  They contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals than refined products.  
• Try nutritious food.  Add 1 or 2 new foods at a time, until you have plenty of choices as part of a healthy diet.  
• Use hunger to help you gauge when and how much to eat.  Stop eating when you're satisfied, before you feel full. 

This was the hardest part for me, but I have been able to find new, delicious foods that I LOVE by following this advice! 

 

60%

of the calories the average American 

consumes are "nutritionally empty".  

This means they come from sugar and

nonessential fats.  This leaves only

40% of total calories to supply all

the essential nutrients. 

What's "Normal"

"But Exercise Is Such a Pain"

Many fad diets don't even mention physical activity.  But using the calories you consume is an important part of managing your weight.    

 

What's TRUE

Your Body Loves to Move and Stretch

You don't have to join a gym, learn a sport or spend all your spare time working out to get the activity you need.  

•  Walk, dance, bike, swim, or do some other activity you enjoy for 30 minutes on most days of the week.  It works to go for 10 minutes, 3 times a day too!
• All activity counts.  (According to one study, even fidgeting helps!)  Walk when you talk on the phone.  Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.  Choose the farthest parking space.   
• Notice the feel of your body moving.  Enjoy the great sensations!   
• Have fun while you're moving.   If you like moving, chances are you will (and vice versa).  

Bonus Points!

Besides helping you lose weight and keep

it off, physical activity relieves common

causes of overeating.  It can lower

stress, boost mood, enhance

self-esteem and lift depression.  

Fortunately, exercising has never really been a problem for me.  I truly enjoy working out.  I also LOVE that sore feeling from working out.  To me, that's the best feeling in the world!  I've never been one to take the elevator (I trained myself to feel guilty for taking an elevator or escalator).  And, it's true when they say that exercise lowers stress and releases endorphins!

 

What's "Normal"

"I Have No Willpower"

Fad diets that don't work undermine people's confidence after a while.  People who try to lose weight this way, and fail again and again, start to think it's their fault they can't do it.   

What's TRUE

It's Possible to Feel Confident 

and Empowered About Food 

Knowing why you eat, how you eat, and what you eat can be helpful if you want to change your weight.    

• Why?  Being bored, sad, stressed or wanting to celebrate can lead to unconscious eating.  Knowing why you're eating gives you more choices.
• How?  Do you eat standing up?  Quickly?  While studying or watching TV?  Eating slowly or in smaller meals can make it easier to pay attention to what you eat. 
  
• What?  Most people who succeed in losing weight keep track of how much they eat.  You can watch serving sizes, say no to second helpings, count fat grams or calories, or stop eating when you're satisfied but before you're full.  

 

Fat Is Not a No-No

 

In the right quantities, fat is helpful, not harmful.  In fact, fat: 

• Makes you feel full longer
• Helps you absorb the nutrients in fruits and vegetables.  For example, a salad with a little oil helps you absorb more of the nutrients in the veggies.  
• Strengthens your immune system.  

Remember to: 

• Choose monounsaturated fats (Found in olives, nuts and avocados).  These fats raise HDL (the "good" cholesterol) levels and are heart healthy.  
• Limit saturated fats (Found in cheese and meat).  
• Don't overdo.  The official recommendation is for fat calories to be 305 of the total number of calories you eat each day.  
• Watch out for extra sugar and calories in "low-fat" and "nonfat" snacks.  

 

I hope this is helpful for at least ONE person.  I know this was helpful for me in the beginning and it continues to aid me in my weight loss. 

 

XOXO

TMIF - August, September and October 2014

I know, I know...I was MIA yet again.  What is my damn problem?  LOL  I WILL get better at this.  I now have a Blog Planner that I made all by mythelf.  I hope this helps because I am a TRUE PROCRASTINATOR!  

But, anyway, here's my Fitness Plan for the months of August, September and October. 

I am going back to the P90X Lean Program again (I get the most results from this program).  I actually plan on starting Monday, August 4.  And, since the program is 90 days long, I won't have to do a separate TMIF for September and October. 

Here's the P90X Lean Schedule: 

 
And, in the calorie counting arena, as you may have read in my last post, I'll be using the My Fitness Pal app to log my meals/calories for August.  

I will post my preference on September 1, 2014 and that's what I will use from that point on.  

Comment if you are doing or have done P90X because I can definitely commiserate with you...it's BRU.TAL!  LOL 

XOXO

Noom Weight Loss Coach App vs. My Fitness Pal App Part I

I like to post about Health & Fitness because there is a direct link between health and the way you look.  So, my next couple posts will about dieting and my fitness plans. 

Of course I work out, but I firmly believe that 90% of losing weight has to do with what you eat.  Do you realize that it takes a helluva lot of exercise to burn 400 calories (or one meal)?  Did you know that you have to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat?  Not to mention, you can't really pay attention to the scale since you'll be gaining so much muscle from working out that much. 

Plus, exercising that much will quickly lead to burnout.  Therefore, my answer is to watch calories.  I don't pay attention to fat, carbs or anything else for that matter...just calories.  With that being said, I do pay attention to other nutritional data on foods including sugar and sodium intake.  Anyway, I stay within 1200 calories everyday and the only way I can do that successfully is with a calorie counting meal log.  For the month of July, I used Noom Weight Loss Coach which is similar to My Fitness Pal.  My plan is to use My Fitness Pal for the month of August to determine which one I like better.  I have tried My Fitness Pal in the past, but I wasn't as serious about my calories then.  Shoot, I wasn't real serious about anything back then, LOL. 

Today I will review the Noom Weight Loss Coach app for Android (the free version). 

Noom Review: 

First, this is what the app looks like on my phone - Samsung Galaxy S4.

 

Coaching

Second, I really like this app and the main reason for that is that it's more of a coach than a calorie counting app.  I really love that aspect.  "Daily tasks help you understand what to do each day to lose weight". 

And, let me tell you, if you like a challenge you'll love this app.  And, if you like to accomplish goals (who doesn't?), you'll love it even more!  Noom gives you small tasks to complete everyday which kept me coming back. I'm OCD about completing tasks, accomplishing goals and getting points!  Yes, you get points for completing tasks and those points advance you through levels.  I haven't quite figured out what you get for higher levels or why there are even points and levels for that matter, but I just like advancing, LOL.  

Con - In order to get more coaching, they want you to pay for the Pro Subscription.  It states that you can lose weight 2x faster with Pro.   It's $9.99 per month, $19.99 for 3 months or $49.99 for a year. 

Meal Logging/Calorie Counting

Noom makes meal logging pretty simple.  You can either scan the UPC on your food packaging or you can use the Noom search engine.  And, the foods you eat are saved.

Also, the app has all foods color coded using the stop light method - green, yellow and red foods.  "Color-coded logging teaches you which foods are really healthy - and which foods aren't".  You want most of your calories to come from green foods which are foods you can eat in abundance.  You'll want to be cautious with yellow foods and your red foods are to be treated as indulgences.  This is one of the main reasons I check into my app everyday because, to me, it's fun to see how many green foods I eat.  It's also eye opening - in the beginning I was eating mostly red foods that I thought were green or, at least, yellow.  I didn't even know how unhealthy I was eating until Noom told me.  .  

Con - The app is a little touchy when adding new foods, there are a few glitches including being unable to change the number of calories for new foods from 200 (it's locked at 200).

Pedometer

Noom also has a built-in pedometer feature.  The only problem I have with it is that I don't have my phone on my person at all times, so it doesn't catch every step I take.  In addition, with the pedometer being on my phone it seems to be a bit more touchy than a regular pedometer.  Sometimes, it'll count a step every time you hit a bump in the car or it'll log steps from just moving around in your handbag.  I don't really pay attention to the pedometer feature.  But, you can disable the pedometer by setting your daily step goal to 0.  

Weigh In

Of course you are asked to weigh in every week and you see a chart of your progress, but that's about it with that feature. 

Unfortunately, this is about as far as I've gotten with Noom in one month.  With the free portion, you can also view your logbook (your meals, exercise and weight log) and your history (meals you've logged each day, your weigh ins and how many goals you accomplished each day).  If you opt to go Pro, you can also join groups to motivate each other, log measurements and view recipes.  

At this point, from what I remember about My Fitness Pal, they're pretty similar.  But, I know My Fitness Pal doesn't have goals to accomplish each day and I love that about Noom.  So, I think I'd recommend Noom over My Fitness Pal. But...keep looking for my review of My Fitness Pal next month.  I can make my final call then. 

If you've tried Noom, let me know what you think in the comment section.  

XOXO