It’s that time again. Grab a drink, put up your feet , and join me, for what I hope is another time of finding the information and inspiration you need to begin or stay on the journey : the journey to health and wellness. If I have any new readers here today I extend my warmest welcome, and to all my loyal readers , I hope and pray that I am helping you in all the ways you need. My picture today is another casual outfit in one of my favorite colors. Whenever I wear any shade of purple it makes me feel happy. Of course Amythyst is my birthstone , maybe that’s why I’ve always loved anything purple. Gotta show you this picture of my newest FitBit band I just received today. I love accessories and wearing a black band all the time just didn’t cut it for me. I go to Amazon, and am able to get all these great color bands from China. Think I got 5 or 6 today. Waiting for a couple more. There are a ton of colors and combos you can get. Here’s the one that is totally awesome with this outfit.
So what I thought I would do today, would be to try and do a segment that might be good for people who are at the beginning of their journey, or thinking of making changes. We’re going to talk more about what weight loss plans and types of workouts that might be the most beneficial; and since everyone is different, or has different needs, looking at various things seems to be the way to go. We’re going to start with something from a website; family doctor.org. There are many valuable links to pursue once you’re there. I see links to many different diet plans. But we’re going to take information from the section entitled ” Choosing The Right Diet To Lose Weight”. It starts by asking questions. The first one is, ” What kind of diet will help me lose weight” ? The answer they give is excellent. Everyone is different, and there is no “universal” diet that will help you lose weight . The second part of their answer is also great. When you say ” going on a diet”, it implies you will eventually be going off of it, and will return to your old eating habits, thus leading to up and down weight loss, which is bad for your health. The best way to lose weight and keep it off, is to make lifestyle changes that involve healthy eating and exercise habits. They next ask another question many people ask, ” Why Am I Overweight”? There could be many many answers to this. Sometimes weight issues run in families, but more times than not, at least in my own experience, it just comes from overeating, and usually for extended periods of time. In my own case , I just let it happen, and continued to let things go, till I thought I was too old to try and change things. That is till I got a wakeup call, which happened to be a blessing in disguise. Once I made the decision to get rid of my excess weight, I just set about doing it and made it happen. Until it’s cemented in your brain, you will probably find excuses why you can’t do it. Some of the most common reasons for overeating are emotional ones: you’re sad, stressed or lonely. You have to be aware if these are your triggers, and have a plan to guard against using food to cope with these stresses. Sometimes, but not the norm, would be medical issues like low metabolism or hormonal problems . This is where a consult with your medical doctor would be in order. If stress or emotional issues are the cause of your overeating, a new diet won’t help you, unless you develop strategies to deal with what is causing your weight gain in the first place. This may mean finding new ways to deal with the things that trigger overeating. Just being aware of what they are, is the first step toward conquering your demons in this regard. The next question posed by almost everyone is, ” What Kind Of Diet Should I follow”? The first rule of thumb, should be to find a healthy diet you will like and stick to. It should contain the following elements: 1. Should be low in fats( especially saturated and trans fats) 2. Be low in sugars and 3.Be high in fiber and protein. This section has a link that you can click on to learn more about healthy food choices. Your doctor or nutritionist can also help you with this. After that you need to work on portion control. It doesn’t matter what kind of a food plan you follow if your portion size is way out of whack. They show a couple rules of thumb to follow in this regard. A healthy portion of meat is roughly the size of a deck of cards. A healthy portion of rice or pasta is about the size of your fist. I think this could be a very good visual aid. Watch your portions in restaurants, because they tend to double or triple it. Another really good thing to do , and extremely eye opening is to read labels. If you don’t understand food labels ask your doctor or nutritionist to explain them to you. Take care when it somes to sugar sweetened drinks and juices. They can add lots of calories and sugar to your diet and thwart your weight loss efforts . Some people don’t take this into account and wonder why no weight loss shows up at the scale. But you still need to stay hydrated. Substitute water, zero flavored water( my drink of choice is Polar Ice), non-fat or reduced-fat milk, unsweetened tea, or diet soda, in place of sugar sweetened drinks. You will have to decide what are the best choices for you. The last question people ask is this one,” Will it be hard to change my diet”? It may be hard and it may take time. But what things in life worthwhile are necessarily easy? And most things in life worth persueing take time to accomplish, don’t they? So don’t let this stop you from doing what could be one of the most important things you could do for your life and your health . Your efforts will be rewarded . Here are a few suggestions to help you change your eating habits. 1. Make small slow changes which will be easier to make part of your every day life. 2. Keep a food diary. There is another link to help you in doing just that. This will help you to see if you need to eat more from another food group , or see if you just aren’t making good choices. Sometimes you just aren’t aware of how much you are really consuming. This is a very good tool, especially in the beginning of if the scale just doesn’t seem to be moving. 3. Ask for help from your family doctor or nutritionist, especially if there are medical conditions to consider. I think we will have to end here for now, but I guess I am going to have to make this into another series of sorts. Once I start searching, I seem to be able to find an endless stream of valuable information and resources. Remember to go to the two links within the article. Also to the left, are links to various diets and other useful information. Avail yourself of it. Find the things you can use and run with it. Here is where this information can be found and more. http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/food-nutrition/weight-loss/choosing-the-right-diet-to-lose-weight.html. I hope that you found today’s information to be worthwhile in your quest to be the best you can be. You owe it to yourself and the ones you love, and who love you, to start or continue on the journey that will lead you towards good health and wellness. And just as important is how you feel about yourself. When you feel good about yourself , everything else changes. I want you all to experience the joy and wonder that comes with liking what you see, when you see the new you looking back at you in the mirror. 2015 can be the year you make all of this and more happen. Whether you’re at the beginning, the middle , or near the finish line of your journey , OWN IT. Do everything you know how,to make 2015 the best year of your life. I know you can do it, have the faith and belief in yourself that you can. Till next time, God Bless.
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Carol's Corner 
This is my fifteenth day on this journey and I can’t believe how good I am feeling. Exercising and eating right are getting so much easier and even enjoyable. I have lost 5 pounds. When I saw my doctor last May and talked about the fact that I want to lose weight, I came away discouraged. He said at my age it would be very difficult to do. Well, that only makes me more determined! I hope to show him a thing or two when I go back this year.
As I told you before, seeing your success really encouraged me. I don’t know if it’s true with everyone, but when I start exercising I gain weight at first. I read that this is due to a chemical change in the muscles. In the past I have been very discouraged when this happened….but not this time! Now I know it’s a good sign.
Also thanks to you, I have a fitbit. It’s a wonderful tool!
Thanks for all your good info….I love reading it every morning.
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That Dr should never said that to you and it’s not true in the first place. I am living truth of what is possible. I am glad I can inspire you to keep on the journey.
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So glad you covered juice as a sugary drink. So many people see it as healthy for themselves AND their kids, but it’s not! Fruit is hugher in fiber, retains nore nutrients, and keeps you fuller longer.
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You are a wealth of information.. I look forward to purchasing new clothes. I am tired of frumpy.. I will come back Carol to read this as I have been online to long already. Tomorrow is Zumba..Yay! I am also terrible about drinking water..
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Just followed your blog
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