Eating to a Healthier You!

Weight is a touchy subject with me.  I've always been thicker than my other friends, but pregnancy--while i LOVED that special bond with Kiah--really put the pounds on me.  Ignorantly I believed that once the baby was born, the weight just fell off too.  It SO did not happen like that..and when I saw 2 years later that I still weighed the same as I did when I was 9 months pregnant..I knew something had to be done.  Originally, I started going to the gym with a friend and I'd use the elliptical.  We would tend to get competitive and didn't want to be the first one to stop so we'd quickly go 2 to 3 miles before we knew it.  I also started counting my calories in my head.  I tried to stay under 500 calories per meal and only 1 soda a day.  I lost 25 pounds this way.  Then I got stuck...for a long time.  I knew I'd have to switch something up, so I started attending weight watchers with my pastor's wife and their daughter.  LOVED it.  Weigh-ins on Saturday mornings gave me something to work towards and with Saturday's being date night for Daniel and I, it was also a day I was a little more lax and "splurged" with Mexican for supper, and 2 sodas that day!  I SO LOVED SATURDAYS!

A total of 40 pounds lighter now than I was then (Originally lost 45 lbs, but 5 lbs have crept(?) creeped(?) back in the last couple of years) ... I now have several tips to share.  I still have a long way to go to get to my ideal weight, so this is as much for me as it is for my friends who want to lose a few pounds.

**Serving sizes are EVERYTHING!  Take the time to measure your food! 
*Invest in snack size ziplock bags.  Bag portion sizes. For example..if you love Doritos and don't want to give them up..12 chips equal 150(?) calories.  (If you know how to convert to points, feel free to..i did with weight watchers, but even just counting your calories makes a huge difference)  Bag 12 chips, and write the calories on the ziplock bag.  When you absentmindedly want to snack while watching tv, grab a baggie.  You won't overeat this way!
*When in a restaurant, portion sizes are usually HUGE.  Mentally split everything on your plate in half.  Eat half and pause.  Focus on how your stomach feels.  Are you comfortably full?  You don't want to wait until you feel like you're about to bust to stop..that's overeating!  Still hungry? Eat a little more.
*Eat slowly.  It takes 20 minutes after you're done eating to feel the full effect of what you just ate.  The slower you eat, the quicker you notice you feel full.  You can always get a to-go box so your money isn't wasted!
**Make smarter snack choices!  Thank the Lord I don't have a sweet tooth..this isn't something I struggled with, but I know a LOT of people who do.  Raw veggies and fruit are my snack choices to begin with, but if you struggle...
*Take red grapes, a box of (preferably) sugar free jello (red raspberry or black cherry) and a ziplock bag.  wash the grapes, add to baggie, sprinkle jello powder on top of grapes, shake baggie.  Stick in freezer.  Try them later...my friends with a sweet tooth say this is better than candy!  I'm weird about textures so I don't like my grapes nearly frozen on the outside like they do..but they do taste good really cold! 
*Opt for fat free or reduced fat dressings.  Ranch dressing is INSANELY high in points through weight watchers, but italian dressing is 0 points!
*Like pizza?  At 4 points a slice, it's definitely a splurge food.  I make mine this way, at only 1 point a piece:
Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (10 pack can) NOT GRANDS, OR FLAKY LAYERS
Ragu Pizza Sauce
Banana Peppers
Jalepeno Peppers
Onion
Green Peppers
Mushroom slices
(You can delete any of those you don't like, with the same 1 point value)
Flatten biscuits with your palm..pinching the edges to make the "crust"
Top with pizza sauce and your favorite veggie toppings.
Cook 8-10 minutes.
If you add cheese or anything like that, of course it would be more points. (3 pizzas=150 calories)

*As a caffeine and coca-cola addict, I am the FIRST person that recognizes diet drinks and artificial sweetners.  YUCK. HOWEVER...if you make Kool-Aid and replace regular sugar with Splenda sugar..you absolutely can BARELY if AT ALL tell the difference!  Drinking this is ZERO calories! Think of how many calories that leaves for your food!!!  this is HONESTLY the only reason I drink anything besides sodas!
*Invest in the small 12 oz. bottles of soda if you have to have them instead of the cans.  If you're like me, you feel like you have to drink the whole can while it's open and cold.  My opinion is, if  you stick them back in the fridge, even for just a few hours, they ARE NOT as good as when you first open them!  With the bottle, you can sip on it all day--making it last!  Just drink it with your meals.  When you're done eating, put it back in the fridge instead of finishing the rest off.  You'll be able to have it with your next meal!  (As you can see, this is my biggest weakness, so I've learned all the tricks to keep soda in my diet! haha!)

And most importantly, don't deprive yourself!  If this feels like a diet to you, that's exactly what it'll be and you'll gain it back! Be realistic, make it a lifestyle.  Have one "splurge" day a week..don't make your whole week of hard work a waste, but enjoy it in moderation!  It gives you something to look forward to all week, and it's a reward!  Life's too short not to enjoy it!  If you want dessert with supper, set the calories aside for it...work it in there!  That's why I still get my sodas!  Start off logging EVERYTHING you eat (when i stopped logging, I gained the 5 lbs back..I need to be accountable!)..you'd be surprised how many little things you just pop into your mouth while passing through the kitchen without realizing it! I was SHOCKED when I first did this! 

If you need help with tracking your calories and keeping count, there's a free website called myfitnesspal.com ... sign up..based on how much you weigh, what your goal weight is, and how many pounds you'd like to lose each week you are given a calorie-intake recommendation.  Mine is 1200 calories..and as you exercise, you get calories added back to what you can take in that day!  If you sign up, add me... tiffanykeaton is my username :) 

P.S.  I got feedback on the Chick-fil-A nugget recipe I added a few posts ago.. I was told that it didn't take like Chick-fil-A chicken, but it was definitely good and easy to make!  Thanks Rhonda!