by Sheila | Feb 10, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss
Spring break is fast approaching. That doesn’t mean that you should break with smart eating habits, especially if you’ve lost weight to fit into that swimming suit.
Keep the weight off, and keep having fun, with these ten tips:
- Find out where you’ll be eating. You’ve done a ton of research to book your vacation spot. Now find out about the eating choices at or near where you’ll be staying. Scour their menus. Do they have healthy choices for you and your family? Pre-select your meals before you go out (so you’re not tempted).
- Back-off the buffet. Okay, all-inclusive doesn’t mean you should put everything from the buffet line on your plate. Fill up on protein and veggies first, then sit down and eat. On your next pass, hit the salad bar. Then eat. Go slow, and give your food time to settle so you feel full. Don’t go back for seconds on protein – just veggies.
- It’s not all-you-can eat desserts. Treat yourself to 3 small bites from the dessert bar. Hey, you’re on vacation. You’ve got to live. Just make sure you live a little, not a lot. Go easy – 3 dainty bites, not Cookie Monster bites.
- Get active. It’s fun to lounge on the beach, but make sure you pack in activities to get the metabolism going. Take in an early workout for yourself, and then plan some sort of family activity for the afternoon. Fun and fitness, all rolled into one.
- Be prepared for the binge backlash. If you’ve been eating right, and you can’t wait for spring break to go “off the wagon,” prepare yourself. Your body isn’t used to decadent living. You’re going to feel sluggish, gassy, and have low energy. Is that how you want to spend your vacation?
- BYOS – Bring your own snacks. Be prepared to bring your own healthy snacks. All-inclusive doesn’t always mean your resort includes healthy eating. If you’re not staying at a resort, this can be a great way to save money.
- Smoothie operator. Instead of snacking on chips and pretzels, make healthy smoothies out of fruit, protein powders and nano greens. A great smoothie can be mighty refreshing in a warm place!
- Make your goals public. If you’re getting too old for peer pressure, how about peer support? Let your friends and family know that you’re trying to eat right on vacation. When they’re in on your plans, they won’t tend to inadvertently tempt you with a margarita (or two.)
- Bring a reminder. You’ve shaved off pounds to look good on vacation. All that effort has been worth it to fit into a swimming suit. So why stop there? Bring along a “before” picture of yourself. It will serve as a good reminder of the consequences of eating poorly and not exercising.
- Reward yourself. Take some relaxation time out for yourself, and get a rejuvenating facial. You’ve worked hard to look great, so why not feel great?
Follow these tips, and not only will you enjoy yourself on vacation, you’ll enjoy how you look when you return home.
![We did it! Amazing holiday weight loss results]()
by Sheila | Jan 20, 2010 | Areas of Weight Loss Resistance, Natural Weight Loss
When I learned that 75% of my Optimal Body Balance clients had lost weight and 19% maintained their weight during the holidays, I had two thoughts.
The first is how proud I am of these people.
The second is that I’m not surprised.
Not surprised? Isn’t it a given that every man, woman and child straps on a feedbag during the holidays and bloats up?
Not in the OBB program, I’m happy to say.
You see, when my clients and I headed into the holidays, we were excited for all the festivities and good time. But we also know that we were in for a heckuva fight. All the sweets. All the eats. All the merry, merry drinks.
We had our work cut out for us, but we took the same tact that we do every day with OBB. We planned. We strategized. And then we celebrated the results.
Here are some of the highlights of how we achieved those amazing numbers:
- Support: We’ve got your back (and your belly)
It all starts with the planning. People joined the program before the holiday season, knowing full well the challenge that lay ahead. They knew going into the holidays that they’d have the support necessary from the OBB program to persevere.
The OBB program was there for them, reviewing their progress every week, and offering the encouragement they needed.
- Strategy: What’s on the menu at Grandma’s house?
So much of eating healthy involves proper food planning. It’s like raising kids: If you put them in a position to fail, often they will. So we made sure no one was in a position to fail.
That meant preplanning when you’d be eating. For example, that would include knowing when you’d be making long trips in the car, and having plenty to eat for the trip (avoiding a lunchtime stop at Culver’s in the process).
- Accountability: The buck stops with you.
We can support and strategize until we’re blue in the face, but ultimately it all comes back to you. By making you accountable, and holding you to it, that 94% record is achievable.
Support, strategy, accountability. It sounds so simple, yet it yields such amazing results.
Seeing my clients hit that 94% mark was one of the greatest holiday gifts I’ve ever received. It’s proof positive that OBB works – even under the most grueling conditions.
Next year, we’ll be shooting for even higher marks and more clients. In particular, I’ve got my eye on a certain gift-bearing fella with a rather pronounced case of gut dysbiosis.
Congratulations to all my clients!
![We did it! Amazing holiday weight loss results]()
by Sheila | Jan 13, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss, Stress and Weight Loss
One hour and seven minutes. That is how long I walked around the house today with no pants on and no socks on. (ok, ok, ok. that maybe too much information, I know, but I promise you there is a point.) AND our house is COLD! It’s 10 degrees here in Wisconsin and our house in the morning is about 62 degrees…so it is NOT plesant to be bare in there. Brrrr.
Well – I woke up and hit the ground runnin’. My son woke up, our new puppy woke up and everyone needed help RIGHT NOW! I just thought to myself – I won’t slip back into my jammies and slippers – I’ll just get the day going and get dressed! Up an at’ em, right?
One thing lead to another and another and another and another. Max wanted a snuggle and the puppy wanted out. Max needed to get changed. So find his clothes, go potty, get the reward for the potty, play the REALLY fun game of ‘Chase Me Momma While We Get Dressed’ and then breakfast for him. The puppy then wanted to eat. Then Max spilled something. Now the puppy needs to ‘really’ go out. At that point I slipped on my snow pants and boots and took the puppy out. We went to the barn to collect our eggs. When we got back Max wanted to watch ‘toons – got him all set up. At this point I’m freezing and looking for my clothes for the day. Well, they are wrinkled so throw them into the dryer to freshen them up. Then after breakfast I get him all dressed. (underwear, long underwear, coat, boots, etc. ) Then because we are potty training we have a ‘CRAP-tastrophe’ and have to clean him and do it all over again. And on and on and on. An hour and seven minutes later I’m still cold and don’t have on socks or pants because I’m running after what everybody else needs. Sound familiar (OK, the busy part…..not the bare/cold/crap-tastrophe- part.)
My point is that I’m busy. We ALL are busy and sometimes it is difficult to take care of yourself.
The number one concern that my weight loss clients have is that they don’t have much time and that staying on track takes energy, time and preperation. Here are a few things that I talk with my clients about doing every week to keep them on track and to make eating on the fly easier. I am really grateful that I also follow these basic rules, too. Otherwise today would have been an eating disaster, for sure. Now I’m not saying I’m perfect all the time but these basic steps really saved today. We’ll go over some of the basic tips and then I’ll show how they worked out for me today.
Here are some basic tips:
Pre-plan meals and recipes for the week. Then post on your fridge what you have ingredients for. How many times have you gone shopping, dumped it into the fridge and then when dinner time comes you have no idea what to make or why the heck you have a head of cabbage, limes and black beans.
Shop and Chop. When ever you grocery shop – do the ‘Shop and Chop’ method. Bring all your foods home, clean your fruits & veggies, spin your salad greens, organize your fridge, get rid of junk and prep out some of the basic food that you use day in and day out. It takes longer on the day you shop but it saves you so much time and energy during the week.
Have Veggies Ready To Go. Not really a brilliant tip – but, hey, if they are chopped and transportable you are much more likely to eat them.
Pre-Load Snacks. Have emergency snacks that won’t go bad. A favorite of mine is 10 almonds with 3 dried apricots. I usually make up 15 snack baggies of them and leave some at home, work and one or two in my purse.
Double Down. When you cook – double the recipe. Either freeze some in take along containers or just pack them for lunch the next day.
Pack your lunch EVERY night. It feels so good to wake up and know that you have a game plan for the day.
Hydro-Load. Everynight before I close down the kitchen I fill up my 32oz water bottle with filtered water and stick it in the fridge.
Set up back up. Prepare your space. If you spend a lot of time at work – leave items that you can use and eat there.
Here is how all of those steps fell into place for me today.
I meant to make lovely farm fresh eggs with fruit this morning but due to the chain of events – I ran out of time. So, I grabbed one of my snack packs of 10 almonds and 3 dried apricots and took my bottle of water. I grabbed my pre-packed lunch and hit the road.
I had the snack and water in the car on the way to work. One hour after arriving at work I made a smoothie – I stash everything that I need at work (blender, protien powder, frozen fruit, nano greens, rice milk and large cup)
Then for lunch I packed left overs from dinner the night before. I had made chicken saytay, peanut sauce, lots of broccoli and brown basmatti rice. The meal only took 30 minutes to make for supper and then only took 5 minutes to warm up while at work. It is a beautiful and yummy lunch – which is important. If my lunch is boring – I’m much more likely to run out and get a ‘better’ lunch. (that recipe is from the Ultra Metabolism Cookbook. Very Yummy and easy)
I also grabbed some sliced cucumbers from my stash from ‘shopping and chopping’. I have hot herbal teas at work for the afternoon and then supper is already 1/2 prepped out for tonight.
So, not perfect but pretty good. AND I was able to do it even with a crazy morning because of all the pre-planning.
Best of luck – I hope some of these tips help you & get you out of the house on time and with pants on. (uh. I mean with a good lunch)
![We did it! Amazing holiday weight loss results]()
by Sheila | Dec 23, 2009 | Areas of Weight Loss Resistance, Natural Weight Loss
Happy Christmas!
I wanted to take a moment to wish you all the best this holiday season! It’s a tough time of the year when it comes to weight loss — temptations are at work, school, church, home and food pushers are EVEYWHERE!
I’m so grateful that I work in a place that isn’t loaded down with cheese balls, popcorn balls, rum balls, crab balls, bourbon balls, pineapple-pecan-holiday balls, mini balls and ….well….more.
My clients are doing so great with the temptations – I’m so proud of them and the choices that they are making!
Food is fun and festive. Period space space. Just be aware of what you are eating and MAKE A CHOICE. Be aware of the mindless munching and ‘what the heck’ drinking. Choose, Enjoy, Celebrate. You can always fall back on the 3 bite rule. If there is a decadent treat that you really want have 3 polite bites of it and then move on.
And — this is important — if you choose to eat something off plan or overeat, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just get back on plan as soon as possible.
Remember, you’re only one meal and one workout away from getting back on track!
Have a wonderful holiday! Yours in health, Sheila
![We did it! Amazing holiday weight loss results]()
by Sheila | Oct 21, 2009 | Natural Weight Loss
50 Pounds. Now, that’s a lotta pumpkin!
Today I’ve hit my 50 pounds lost mark! I was pretty sure it was going to happen this week and then wham-o! What a great way to start the day!
I’m not writing this for the kudos (although…I’ll take them) or for the attention (although I love attention – have you ‘met’ me yet??)
I’m writing to give hope. There are reasons that prevent a person from losing weight. A year ago I was very frustrated. A year ago I was ready to give up hope. A year ago I could not see myself hitting this goal.
Through the years – I have struggled with my weight. I was always the chubby one…the one with the ‘great personality’… You know that when people say you have a great personality – it usually means that you are chubby. Even though I remained active through the years – activity was not the only answer for me. I have completed 5 sprint tri-athalons, I love swing dancing, I love to hike and rock climb – activity has always been easy for me. There has always been issues with food and finding the right balance and being able to maintain it. I had tried vegetarian for 9 years….but really …..I was a sugar-atarian. I didn’t eat meat ….but I also struggled with my addiction to SUGAR….I really tried everything through out the years. But in recent years I really had my weight under control. I had been very active – maintaining a healthy weight. I even maintained a healthy weight during my pregnancy and right after the birth of my son I dropped the weight. BUT THEN things went dramatically wrong. Many of the areas of weight loss resistance started to go wrong for me. My thyroid stopped working, I was missing hours and hours of sleep. I was under GREAT stress, I was diagnosed with Poly Cyctic Ovarian Syndrom. (PCOS) so my hormones were off and my Insulin Resistance was kicking in. I also had toxic burden from the Emergency C-Section that I had. During this time I WAS doing everything right! I was walking 2 miles every day – I was watching my food intake I was doing a ‘points’ system. Remember = I was a weight loss counselor PRIOR to this time frame for 4 years. I KNOW all the tricks – I KNOW about motivation, determination, good choices and portion control. Something was really really wrong and the pound came piling on. Does anyone know that feeling? The utter frustration that you KNOW that you are doing the right things for your body and the weight is going in the wrong direction. Has anyone else gone to their doctor only to be looked at like you are a liar? If you are in that position right now – KNOW THIS – It is NOT your fault. There are reasons that your body is not able to lose the fat and that there are solutions to those areas of weight loss resistance. I PROMISE YOU!
Now remember – I was still doing ‘all the right things’ during this time. I was not over indulging – I was exercising – I was on a professional weight loss program (because I know the importance of having accountability & support) but it was not working. I felt terrible – especially since I knew only a short time ago that I was much smaller and had more energy. It came on so fast and was taking forever to lose. I really just wanted to give up. I wanted a pill to fix everything. I had fantasies about winning the lottery and having lap band surgery. I was starting to lose ….but very slowly – with AMAZING diligence – but it was still very very slow. I’ve known Dr. Chad since 2003 and had been a client previously. He and I talked about his Optimal Body Balance program and the areas of weight loss resistance. It started to make sense it – started to fall into place – I came on board to help run the weight loss program for the Natural Path Health Center. Since January – when I came on full time – the weight really started to come off. I’m proud to say that …..I hit my 50 pound mark!!!!!! It feels SO great! I’m so happy that my body is in getting in balance and I’m getting healthy. I heard a saying that goes….You don’t become healthy by becoming thin….you become thin by becoming healthy….I feel that I’m going in the right direction!
I’m still on my journey – but I feel my history, my back ground, my ‘growing’ pains really allows me to be compassionate, empathetic and able to connect with clients. I feel that I’m so passionate about what I do because I have felt the desperation and I also know that there is an answer.
I promise that change can happen for you.
Now, How many ‘Pumpkins’ do you want to lose?
