A little late in the day, but hey…I have a job and then some.

Eat Better: Choices
A healthy lifestyle is made up of lots of small choices. Below, we offer a few ideas — ways that you can improve your eating habits by choosing to do things just slightly differently.

If you normally………………………………………………..then try this instead!
use whole or 2% milk ………………………………………use fat free milk
drink soda………………………………………………………..drink diet soda or 100% juice
eat dessert……………………………………………………….eat fruit for dessert
have second helpings………………………………………..put the food away as soon as you serve
eat big portions…………………………………………………eat off a smaller plate
eat a lot of white bread or pasta………………………..go for a variety of whole-grain foods
use butter…………………………………………………………try oils low in saturated fats
eat fast food on the road……………………………………pack fruits and vegetables for car rides
eat red meat……………………………………………………..Prepare lean cuts of beef, pork, turkey or fish
snack on chips and junk food……………………………..keep fruits and veggies in the fridge instead
skip breakfast……………………………………………………try eating a healthy breakfast each day
fry your food……………………………………………………..grill or roast your food instead
eat out a lot……………………………………………………….plan ahead and shop-eat healthy at home

This is all stuff you’ve probably heard, but it never hurts to refresh.

By the way, don’t let yourself go too long without eating something. When you get too hungry is when the evil fat looks so good!

Set Realistic Goals

I hope you guys don’t think I’m going too far on this but I’m really having fun and am motivated!

Remember — don’t set unrealistic goals! Realistic goals allow you to make small changes in a relatively small amount of time, and then move onto the next goal.

REALISTIC GOAL: I will incorporate one additional fruit or vegetable into my daily diet, and avoid second helpings for one week.

Once you’ve met your realistic goal, you will find it much easier to move onto a new, and possibly more challenging goal. You’ve made progress!

My goal this week: Get up early and walk on the treadmill Tuesday and Thursday morning.

What’s yours?

Drink water before a meal.

Drinking water is always a big challenge for me becuase I really don’t enjoy it. Sometimes on occasion a nice cold glass of water is great. Sipping water all day is close to a punishment for me. And don’t give me that “put lemon in it” line. It’s still water. I’m trying though. I feel a determination I have not felt before.

This morning when I was making my breakfast I was so excited thinking of everyone else (Losers) out there trying, too. We are gonna get somewhere together. It is somehow helpful to know others are going through what you are going through, allbeit at varying levels.

So, today I will drink water. What are you doing?

“Watch Your Weight”

By Sue Martori
According to Dr. Susan B. Love, “a growing body of research indicates that there appears to be an association between weight gain and breast cancer in postmenopausal women. This also appears to be true for premenopausal women with a BRCA1 mutation. (Kotsopoulos J, Olopado O, Ghadirian P, et al. Changes in body weight and the risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Breast Cancer Research. 2005; 7: R833-R843.)

The link between breast cancer and weight gain is not fully understood. But we do know that postmenopausal women who are overweight have higher circulating estrogen levels-and as we’ve known for some time, estrogen fuels breast cancer growth. Obesity also appears to impact insulin, glucose and triglycerides levels, all of which may influence breast cancer risk, apart from the estrogen mechanism. In premenopausal women, whose ovaries make most of their estrogen, the connection between weight and circulating estrogen levels has not been seen.

There are factors that influence breast cancer risk that are beyond our control-such as whether a woman has a BRCA mutation. But trying to maintain a healthy weight through proper diet and exercise-and encouraging young women to do so-is a lifestyle choice that has many benefits, even if it doesn’t reduce breast cancer risk.” We couldn’t have said it better Susan!

For more info go to - www.susanlovemd.com

Hello fellow losers!

I found this website called “Small Step”. I will be posting the Step of the day each day to help encourage all of us to keep on track on our quest to lose!

Best of luck to everyone. I can’t wait to see what happens!

Hey if you haven’t weighed in…send me your weight by email!

Small step #1: Get the Facts
We are bombarded every day with conflicting information about our health. Is it better to eat a low-carb diet or a balanced diet? Should we be physically active three times a week or five times a week? And how can we be expected to follow any of these recommendations when we’re always so busy?

It’s no wonder that many of us throw up our hands and give up. But if we want to live long and fulfilling lives, it’s essential that we learn the real facts about health, nutrition, and physical activity.

Luckily, the real facts are pretty straightforward. All you really need to know about a healthy lifestyle is:

* Eat a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products — and be sure to
control portion sizes.

* Get physically active at least five times a week, for thirty minutes or more.

* Avoid tobacco and illegal drugs altogether.

Ok…I will bring the scale to the B today. That will solve all the problems of when and where. My nephew already weighed in at a stout 207. He tried to hold the baby on his back but we caught him. No funny stuff! See you at the scale!

Sunday January 15th at the Bangs’ house at 2:30 pm. Bring snacks if you want, but we won’t be doing lunch. Eat before you come.

Poker for interested parties after the weigh in.

We are investing in a new scale so we will provide the scale. Please bring cash for your $20 entry fee.

Hey! Who wants to lose weight and win some money? Join us on our own personal “biggest loser” competition. Entry fee:$20 Report your percentage weight loss each week on the “loser” blog and at the end of 8 weeks the winner reaps the benefit of the most weight loss, and the pot. (We will have a 2nd and 3rd if there are enough entries!) Comment here or email me if you want to participate.

I think I’ve decided resolutions and the idea around January 1st bugs me. Not that you really care, but…why is it that all of a sudden this day, which in all truth is not much different than any other day, do people decide “I was doing this wrong or crappy or differently than I should have, so today I’m gonna change. I like the “conversatio morem” thing that Greg brought up on Sunday. A”continual conversion”. The idea, or hopefully the desire and movement to change daily to become more in the image of Jesus. So, I resolve to press toward change everyday, a daily resolution, if you will. Hopefully for the better, always stretching to become more like Him.

bert

Originally uploaded by marthab30.

Bert