What IS Gluten anyway?

I thought I would explore the world of Gluten Intolerance today. I am not gluten intolerant, so this is all first hand knowledge that I am finding from the web. PLEASE, if you are gluten intolerant or know anything ELSE about it, please post a comment for others. More info is always helpful to others! So don't be selfish.....SHARE! 
I have included the links to where I got my info. You can go to these sites, or just read the "cliff note" versions I post.  

(MY COMMENTS ARE IN PARENTHESES AND IN BOLD WHERE APPLICABLE)


Gluten-free definition

Gluten-free diet

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as "dextrin". A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease,^[1] the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis,^[2] and wheat allergy.^[1]
Additionally, a gluten-free diet may exclude oats. Medical practitioners are divided on whether oats are an allergen to celiac disease sufferers^[3] or if they are cross-contaminated in milling facilities by other allergens.^[4]
The term gluten-free is generally used to indicate a supposed harmless level of gluten rather than a complete absence.^[5] The exact level at which gluten is harmless is uncertain and controversial. A recent systematic review tentatively concluded that consumption of less than 10 mg of gluten per day is unlikely to cause histological abnormalities, although it noted that few reliable studies had been done.^[5] Regulation of the label gluten-free varies widely by country. In the United States, the FDA issued regulations in 2007 limiting the use of "gluten-free" in food products to those with less than 20 ppm of gluten.^[6][7] The current international Codex Alimentarius standard allows for 20 ppm of gluten in so-called "gluten-free" foods.^[8]

 A gluten-free diet allows for fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and many dairy products. A gluten-free diets allows rice, corn, soy, potato, tapioca, beans, sorghum, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, arrowroot, amaranth, teff, Montina and nut flours. A gluten-free diet prohibits the ingestion of wheat, barley, rye and related components, including triticale, durum, graham, kamut, semolina, spelt, malt, malt flavouring or malt vinegar. (I have also discovered that one of the "indiciations/symptoms" of gluten-intolerance is Lactose Intolerance! If you are lactose intolerant, you may also be gluten intolerant!)

GF foods are raw foods including rice, potatoes, soybeans, maize, millet, buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa. The diet may be low in fiber, iron, folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, B-complex vitamins ( thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B12) (I hadn't considered this! GF (gluten-free diets can results in many vitamin deficiencies due to the lack of eating breads and whole grain foods where we would normally get these! If you go gluten-free make sure you check into this!)

6 Easy Ways to Eat Gluten-Free and Feel Better

Gluten is a generic name for the storage protein found in grains; in wheat, for instance, it's called gliadin. Gluten basically binds starches together; it's the stuff that makes dough doughy.

If you regularly feel uncomfortable after a gluten-rich meal (like pasta and bread), gluten could be the culprit. “Uncomfortable” can mean anything from feeling slightly bloated and gassy (mild gluten sensitivity) to much more severe symptoms like excruciating cramps, vomiting, migraines, dizziness, even loss of consciousness — signs that you may have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that is the most serious form of gluten intolerance. This post is not addressing Celiac Disease. I am trying to keep it simple. If you exhibit these symptoms, you may want to check into this. I feel like my husband is gluten intolerant, but he doesn't care. he isn't giving up his bread and pizza, so we haven't started looking into this. If and when he decides to investigate it or test himself, we will, but not until then.


1. Focus on “real” foods
(This is what I do except for I don't do organic yet. I simply eat and use fresh veggies, fruits, canned that are canned in their own natural juices with no sugar added, frozen fruits and veggies with no preservatives, and unprocessed rice (yes white rice IS processed).
The easiest and healthiest way to live gluten-free is to focus on fresh, organic, whole foods. “There are no labels to decipher on an apple; no wondering what the ingredients are in spinach. This way you don’t have to worry about being unintentionally exposed to gluten. Check glutenfreeforgood.com for unique recipes like Sweet Potato & Kale Soup and Ruby Red Beet Cupcakes.

2. Read labels
Food shopping can be frustrating and tiresome for those new to the diet.
With a few exceptions, if you don't see the words wheat, barley, rye, malt, or oats (unless labeled gluten free), the food most likely does not include any gluten-containing ingredients. But don’t just read labels on breads, pasta, cereal, crackers and cookies. These ingredients are also commonly found in many other processed foods, including soups, gravies, sauces, seasoned rice mixes, seasoned nuts, and many others, You must therefore read the ingredients list of all processed foods (or stay away from them, which is what I try to do as much as possible!) If the thought of all that label-reading gives you a headache that rivals your worst gluten-induced pain, browse a Web site that has already done the legwork for you. The Gluten Intolerance Group site has links to other sites where you can find gluten-free products and manufacturers, plus restaurants with gluten-free food, and gluten-free recipes you can whip up at home.

3. Get creative in the kitchen
Once you’re armed with only gluten-free ingredients, you’re ready to start playing with new recipes at home.
Living with family members who are able to eat gluten does pose a few problems. If your diet is so restrictive, others may not feel it's fair that they can't have the stuff you can't eat. It's good to make different things for the intolerant one with the tweaks to fit their diet vs making everyone eat the gluten free foods. (This could also save you money! If you buy gluten free pasta and only that one eats it, use the less expensive gluten laden pasta for those that can tolerate it! I use whole wheat pastas. Great Value has a whole line of whole grain pastas now!)

4. Go ahead — eat out!
Venturing into restaurants is usually the biggest challenge for those following gluten-free diets. Sauces are the biggest culprit here! (I have found that MSG is a gluten word that you need to avoid. Monosodium Glutamate...........notice that part of the word? This is also something that is used in many chinese buffets and soups and sauces. So once again, READ YOUR LABELS)
The Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program lets you search for restaurants using your zip code, though only a handful of restaurants, mostly national chains, are listed. You can also e-mail the corporate headquarters of your favorite restaurant and ask about their gluten-free menu items. In response to customer concerns, Chipotle, for instance, includes gluten in the allergen information on the "Special Diet" page of their Web site. Chipotle says that only the flour tortillas contain gluten; someone who is sensitive to distilled vinegar should also avoid the hottest salsa. They also allow you to bring your own gluten-free tortillas; just be aware of cross-contamination by the person preparing your food. (I didn't know this and that is so cool! Chris and I love to eat at Chipotle. When I was being 100% I would get the bowl or get the soft corn tortillas. I got the chicken fajita meat, black beans, fajita veggies, no cheese no rice, and pico salsa!)

5. Say “yes” to dinner invitations
When family and friends embrace your gluten-free lifestyle, it’s less stressful to eat in their homes. Many friends and family have been willing to try the new foods; some unfortunately get to eat the dirt-tasting muffins, while others rejoiced with me over the delicious pizza crust that are found. If it still makes you nervous, consider bringing your own food. (If in doubt or nervous, ask if you can bring a dish just in case there is nothing you can eat!)


6. Remember that you’re not alone 
Staying connected with others going through the same thing makes it easier. (Word of mouth can sometimes land you with a website, store, brand name, etc to what someone else has found as the "treasure" of edible gluten free bread!) Most of all, do whatever it takes to stick with it. (Isn't this the truth with anything? Healthier eating, exercise, quitting smoking, giving up caffeine, no longer being late everywhere you go, washing the dishes every night after dinner, making your bed everyday, etc. The key here is commitment! So commit and stick with it!

Hard work and clean diet!

I just watched an episode of "I used to be fat". The kid was 18 years old and weighed 315 lbs. After 110 days he weighed 198 lbs! The trainer said "I just trained a kid to lose 117 lbs in 110 days with ONLY a clean diet and hard work. The only reason it worked it because he didn't know it wasn't possible". That's absolutely true! That kid committed to his weight loss. The trainer had to talk to his younger brothers. They were teasing him and eating junk food in front of him. This is one thing I could relate to. I HATED when I would make good healthy choices only to hear "You HAVE to splurge every now and then." "You can't eat like that your whole life, so when you "go off" your diet, you'll gain it all back".  "That's not realistic, you can't eat like that all the time". "You have to have a "cheat day"." So with that said, here are my thoughts:

Diet....NO. LIFESTYLE CHANGES..........YES. Does that mean you can't ever have a piece of cake again? NO. Does that mean if you splurge one day, that's the end? NO. But if you do have a "cheat day" let's say every Saturday....... You wake up and have a big bowl of cereal, ice cream or pie for snack, pizza at lunch, beer with your dinner of barbque, potato salad, cole slaw with bread and baked beans. Then since you ate so bad all day, for snack that night you eat a bag of chips...........you can right since you ate clean all week right? You've EARNED it, so go ahead right? NO NO NO NO NO. Then on Sunday if you DID eat all that, you probably had a PRETTY LARGE weight gain................which sends you into that "diet depression" and you give up...............yep you know it's happened before, this "diet" is no different. Cheating on your diet, cheats you and you only. I once didn't cheat on my diet for 2 months. I went to a going away party and had fried chicken, a cookie, cake, soda, etc. I gained like 3 pounds!!!! I was super mad at myself, but I remembered that one day in 2 months wasn't the end of the world. So the next day I got with it and exercised really hard and ate especially clean! I was in maintenance at that time, so I didn't have to be extra good at eating, but since I had the gain I did anyway. I lost it in a few days without a problem. THEN I was also pregnant and had just found out the same day as the party! I spent 9 months on my diet. How? Because it wasn't/isn't a diet. I made healthy choices instead of poor choices and I got off my butt and exercised. I spent 5 1/2 months losing 36 pounds, got pregnant, then spent 9 months GAINING the same EXACT 36 pounds back, BUT I was growing a human being in my body! I didn't intend on it taking 11 months to lose that 36 pounds again. I figured 3 months tops. The first 6 months, I continued my healthy choices and some weight (about 16 pounds) came off. After our family reunion, I decided it was time to get back to work. I lost 5 pounds the first month, but the heat this summer was SO bad I couldn't get out and walk every day. Being a new mom and having a baby with all this baby stuff everywhere, I couldn't do my pilates. I pretty much lost weight with my food choices, not exercise. The next 3 months I got serious about my eating and lost 10 more pounds! I am finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight PLUS some! I am still not exercising and if I was............this would have happened sooner AND I'd be more toned! NONE of my clothes fit again! Soon I'll take myself shopping, but I am waiting at least another month. I want to see how far I can take this! We are moving soon and I'll have my room set up hopefully to do my pilates. We are moving to the neighborhood that I already walk in during my regular path!

Let's address "cheat days". This is what I do"

Hubby says "Let's do eat Cheddar's for dinner". That means margaritas.....OR Chicken strips (not both). We have an understood agreement in our house: If we are going to eat out, if must be announced early (if possible) so WE (yes he eats healthy also) can make good choices all day to compensate for the terrible dinner! So for breakfast we have coffee, 1 scrambled egg for me (2 for him), 1 piece of whole wheat toast (no peanut butter today since eating out) with sugar free preserves. For lunch, tuna fish made with egg whites, onions, light mayo, relish, and pickle juice on whole wheat toast (load up on the tuna fish instead of having 2 sandwiches!). NO SNACKS today.

At dinner I have 3 choices really:
1) Healthiest meal I can find there: Key West Chicken and Shrimp with NO bourbon sauce or seasoned rice, side of broccoli double steamed, and a salad with fat free ranch on the side, no croutons, and no croissant. Water with lemon (to counteract the sodium) to drink and a margarita with NO SALT! This is the best choice.
2) 2nd choice (but higher in sodium which will result in water weight retention more than likely): Pick 3 for lunch: since I am on maintenance I can choose Potato soup, 1/2 sandwich, salad with no croissant, ranch on the side, and no croutons. I get my water with lemon (EVERY meal I eat, especially when eating out) and a margarita with NO SALT.
3) Chicken strips, double steamed broccoli, and salad with no croutons or croissant with ranch on the side. Water with lemon and a margarita with NO SALT.

That's how I "cheat". When I can prepare for a bad meal or cheat time, I have to make sure that the rest of the day I eat EXTRA clean! Also, If we have pasta or a bad meal, we TRY to have it at lunch if at all possible, instead of at night when I might be tempted to go home and lay down and take a nap!

This is my meal plan for today: note, there are no snacks yet I don't plan my snacks ahead of  time necessarily, but I do know  what I can and can't have! Today  I will probably have a piece of  Double Layer Pumpkin Pie I made Ignore all the numbers, they are for fat, carbs, fiber, protein, calories but the column titles didn't transfer over to this blog. Sorry This is an almost perfect daily intake balanced with 42% carbs, 22% fat,  and 36% protein. The calories are  only 1153, but I'll get more with snacks   Total Calories: 1153

This is some of what I ate This is exactly what I ate

Fat(g) Carbs(g) Fiber(g) Net C(g) Prot(g) KCals 27.63 122.24 19.4 102.84 102.05 1153

Breakfast 2.95 59.86 4.7 55.16 15.04 330

1/4 serving big tex orange juice - 6.75 - 6.75 0.50 28

1/8 cup unthawed blueberries 0.12 2.26 0.5 1.76 0.08 9

2 servings Coffee - - - - - 4

2 servings great value creamer fat free - 4.00 - 4.00 - 20

1 cup cooked oatmeal 2.39 25.37 3.7 21.67 6.06 145

1 cup skim milk 0.44 11.98 - 11.98 8.40 86

2 servings splenda - 4.00 - 4.00 - 20

1/2 serving sugar free syrup - 5.50 0.5 5.00 - 18

Add Item

Lunch 11.60 29.08 8.2 20.88 57.76 456

2 servings Crockpot Chicken and Veggies 11.60 29.08 8.2 20.88 57.76 456

Add Item

Dinner 13.08 33.30 6.5 26.80 29.25 367

1 leaf inner green leaf lettuce 0.01 0.13 0.1 0.03 0.07 1

1/4 lb Jennie o ground turkey 9.37 - - - 19.80 169

1 serving orowheat whole wheat bun 3.50 32.00 6.0 26.00 9.00 190

1 medium slice tomato 0.04 0.78 0.2 0.58 0.18 4

1 tsp or 1 packet yellow mustard 0.16 0.39 0.2 0.19 0.20 3

Tips for the week

Dieting takes commitment if you are going to be successful!
Dieting isn't hard, if you prepare properly. Here are a few tips that I use:

Plan your meals for a whole week. Include breakfast, lunch, dinner (no more eating out unless you want to gain back what you lose or get frustrated due to lack of healthy choices at the restaurants) and at least 2 snacks a day. Prepare these snacks ahead of time or have something to grab quickly so that you don't grab a cookie or something bad for you while you are preparing dinner. When cooking, make a few meals at the same time. For example, when I make Crockpot Chicken and veggies, I debone the leftover chicken and use it to make Taco Minestrone. When I make Chicken and Salsa, I can use it to make Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken Chimichangas, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, or to have to a snack on a corn tortilla. When I make Rotel Roast, I use the meat for Rotel Roast served with a healthy veggie and a bean side, serve the shredded meat with a corn tortilla and salsa, or beef tips and rice made by mixing  the shredded meat with brown gravy and serve over brown rice. If you are interested in the recipes, go to the recipes tab above and if the recipe isn't there already, ask me for it and I'll post it.

I like to eat the same thing for breakfast everyday for a week (NO CEREAL UNLESS YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTION and add fresh fruit to it, choose low sugar high fiber cereal, and have as low of fat milk you can tolerate. I prefer skim milk. I started with 2% and worked my way down to skim as my tolerance and taste adjusted).

For snacks I like 30 grapes, an apple, an orange, tunafish sandwhich on whole wheat, 1 tsp (not a large spoonful lol) of peanut butter (preferably the natural peanut butter with less or no sugar added), low sodium turkey lunch meat (on whole wheat if you want), sugar free jello, sugar free pudding, smoothies (non fat yogurt, frozen berries and/or bananas, skim milk, and if you have this after exercise you can add protein powder for extra protein--plain protein powder not the flavored kind that comes with added sugar----avoid these!) Snacks should be high protein, low fat, and the carbs should be naturally occuring such as fresh fruit. Don't choose a prepackaged energy bar. They are full of sugars and that's what you are trying to avoid.

I just keep thinking this diet isn't that hard. Can someone please give me feedback? Is it too difficult, too confusing, takes too much commitment, most people don't like to cook like I do? I explain this diet and those that try it, even implementing SOME of the tips see results. I am available to help anyone, but I can't just "help" unless I know HOW to help you. For instance, my sister said "no chips, no salsa, no margaritas? I can't do that" so I was able to tell her (not that she listened) what she could eat on those days. But she also doesn't want to cook, so she didn't get far.

Most of this diet is dependent on your commitment to lifestyle changes to be healthier which will result in weight loss. How fast depends on how many of the changes you make. It took me a few weeks to piece this together to do this diet the right way quickly. It resulted in about 2 pounds a week weight loss. Sometimes 3, but the average was 2. So I am available to help ANYONE that wants help. I just need to know that you have read the info I provided and tell me what you need help with! Others could possibly benefit from the same information. I plan on adding menus and grocery shopping lists.

Please take time to read the info One Step at a Time to a Healthier You Challenge

Pork Loin! Watch for sales!

This week Kroger has boneless pork loins on sale for 1.99 a pound. I got one weighing a little over 3 pounds for about 7.00 (That's 3.50 a meal for our family!). I had the butcher cut it into 1/2" chops. I ended up with 2 trays of boneless pork chops. One had 7 and one had 6 chops. For the first tray, I sprinkled my favorite seasoning on them and grilled them on the George Foreman grill, served with some ranch style beans and BAM! Dinner was served! I can use the 2nd tray the same way, OR cook them in a pan with sauted onions and then smother them in salsa and mexican seasonings (Tex Mex Pork Chops-see recipe). Hubby has decided this week we'll have grilled pork chops twice, so that's our plan, but either way is healthy! Let me know what you think if you try it! I LOVE it when pork loins are on sale! I have several recipes for pork! It's another healthy option for low fat diets.

What I eat for breakfast

You need to eat breakfast everyday! I stick to my high protein, low fat, moderate carb (only healthy carbs) diet. Carbs give you energy and protein helps you to stay full longer.

Usually, I have 2 cups of coffee, 1 scrambled egg (egg white only if you REALLY wanna lose weight, but I am on maintenance) made with nonstick spray not butter, 1 piece of whole wheat toast with 1 tsp of peanut butter and sugar free strawberry preserves. (208 calories, 9 g fat, 21 g carbs, 11 g protein) the fat is a bit high, but this is about the only meal I eat with fat of any considerable amount.

In the winter, I like to make oatmeal with water, cinnamon, and sugar free syrup and have 2 cups of coffee!  (210 calories, 2.5 g fat, 40 g carbs, 6 g protein)

I steer away from cereal. If I eat cereal I eat something like fiber one or special K and add banans, strawberries, blueberries, etc and use skim milk. You will probably find that when you eat cereal, you will get hungry faster, become sleepy mid morning, get hungry before lunch, and crave carbs the rest of the day!

What to eat when eating out!

Every diet is different, keep that in mind. MY diet is low calorie, low carb, high protein, low fat, exercise, moderation, etc. So, my diet isn't necessarily "low sodium". These are just the foods I choose when eating out. I DON'T eat salads to lose weight! I do eat a salad when eating out, on the side, NOT AS A MEAL. I will be adding to this particular blog as I think of other places I have eaten at. If YOU have a question about a certain place, comment on this blog, email me, text me or facebook message me. I'll help if I can.

When eating out, I try to check online for a menu BEFORE we go so I can get an idea before I get there. Also, online they sometimes have the nutritional values available! If you decide on the fly and don't have time to look online, ask if they have a nutritional value guide (almost all fast food places have these available). Cheddar's is one place we can't get any info on, so I had to decipher the menu myself. Ask your server, but if they don't know what's healthy and what's not they aren't going to be much help.

Cheddar's: You can get the grilled catfish, any of the grilled chicken options,or  the pick 2 lunch special with baked potato (no cheese, no bacon) and salad ordered the way I lined out below! On the sides, you are limited to the salad, the baked potato (again, no cheese, no bacon), and steamed broccoli (I ask them to "extra steam" it because I like mine soft. This makes the broccoli less nutritious, but it's the only way I'll eat it! The carrots are cooked in sugar and butter, the green beans are cooked in butter, the broccoli rice casserole has rice and cheese, 2 no no's on this diet, the red beans and rice have rice and sausage, and the corn is a no no on this diet. I cran't remember all the other sides, but I eat there enough to know those are the only choices. I WISH they had sweet potatoes! For my meal I like to get the Key West Chicken and Shrimp (I think) without the seasoned rice and no bourbon sauce. It is a grilled chicken breast, 5 or 6 grilled shrimp (ask for no bourbon sauce) served over a bed of seasoned rice (ask for no seasoned rice) with a pineapple salsa on top! I get the salad (don't eat the croissant!) with dressing on the side, extra carrots and tomatoes and steamed broccoli, extra steamed!

Olive Garden and Johnny Carino's both have this! FYI, about the only option you have at either of those place is Whole wheat pasta at olive garden with marinara or meat sauce. Marinara will have the least calories and fat, but there's no protein. The meat sauce has italian sausage and that is gonna fatten it up a bit, but if you are gonna eat there, that's about the only choice you have. Johnny Carino's, the last time I checked did NOT have a whole wheat pasta yet, so stick with the marina or meat sauce and pick any of the pastas. They are basically the same, since pasta is pasta unless it's whole wheat!


Salads: NEVER order the Ceasar salad. That's THE most fattening salad out there. It is drowned in dressing. Order your salad with the dressing ON THE SIDE (preferably fat free or light option). Dip each bite gently into the salad, but don't DUNK it in the salad. Ask for no cheese, no croutons, and extra veggies (carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, etc). Drink your whole glass of water (with lemon and make sure you squeeze that lemon juice into your water!) BEFORE your meal comes! This way you are already on your way to "being full". If you do eat a salad as a meal, make healthy choices. Add some protein to the salad. Add GRILLED chicken or GRILLED shrimp. Do NOT add fried chicken tenders or friend shrimp. By adding protein, you will stay full longer, fending off the possibility of getting the munchies later! If you eat a salad for lunch with just veggies, you will be hungry very soon. Try adding some tuna fish to the salad, or have a tunafish sandwich along with your salad!

Pizza placed: NO BUFFETS! At pizza places, order ONE slice of pizza. If they have a "supreme" option, that's what you want, but ask for them to ONLY put Canadian Bacon on it as far as meats go. That's the leanest meat topping as far as pizza toppings go. This is true for breakfast meats as well. I choose canadian bacon over regular bacon, turkey bacon, or any kind of sausage. You can eat quite a few pieces of canadian bacon compared to ONE piece of anything else! You can't avoid cheese on a pizza, which is why I am limiting you to one slice. The goal is to get the one meat and load that sucker up with allllll the veggies you like! I get Canadian bacon with green bell peppers, onions, black olives, green olives, mushrooms, and jalapenos!

Mexican.......Mexican..............Mexican! My nemesis!
Ok, this gets tricky! If you want to eat 100% as well as you can at a mexican place:
   a. Ask if there are any "light" options on the menu
   b. Ask that NO CHIPS be brought to the table! Explain that you are dieting and don't need the temptation. Ask them to bring you soft corn tortillas (NO FLOUR TORTILLAS) instead. Limit yourself to 3 of these and dip them slowly into the salsa......NOT THE BUTTER!
   c. If there is a light option decide if it's good enough. Usually it's a piece of grilled chicken, small salad, and bean soup. If there is no option, ask specifically if they can make you a plate like that. Eat your meal and give yourself a pat on the back for being stellar! I did this for 2 months straight! I didn't even have a margarita!
   d. If they don't have light options, then you pretty much have to get the fajitas. CHICKEN or SHRIMP, not BEEF. Ask that it be served with more SOFT CORN tortillas instead of soft flour tortillas. You can have all the fajita veggies and the chicken so enjoy! Try not to eat more than 3 more tortillas. You can add salsa if you want or pico de gallo. Guacamole is a healthy fat, just don't eat the whole giant scoop. Just one little spoonful per fajita is all you need. NO SOUR CREAM NO CHEESE!

Karen Maxwell's Personal Diet

General Description: FREE (except you will have to buy food, but I don't use expensive ingredients) and you will have to cook, moderation, good healthy fats only, moderate carbs, and high protein. Nothing fried and no full sugar desserts or drinks.

Purposes
	Promotes long term weight loss A healthy living alternative Teaches sustainable weight loss skills Provides an energy boost Improves mood and outlook A roadmap for a healthier lifestyle

Tips

Make exercise a part of your daily life. I started out working out in the mornings since it got my metabolism going early in the day. I felt great and loved it. Then the time change occurred and I can't seem to find a perfect time to exercise! Still working on that. But the important things is to just do it! I started out walking for 30 minutes as fast as I could every other day. Then after a week I found myself wanting to walk EVERYDAY since I was seeing results. Then I upped it to 1 hour a day. As I built up my stamina, I started jogging with my walking. I would jog as long as I could, then walk, timing each so I could report it properly. I took along my cell and texted my hubby my progress so that I could add it all up later.

Drink water! Try to drink 64 oz of water each day. I started with drinking 1 glass while preparing my meals, then 1 glass with my meals. This worked out great. Then I drank a glass before my workout and then drank usually 2 glasses after my workout. This worked great for me. Also add lemon to your water when you can. This works as a natural diuretic and helps you fight the water retention.

Go to fatsecret everyday to record your foods and exercise. I preplan my meals everyday. I either do it the evening before or the morning of. (Now I preplan my meals a week at a time!) This way you know what you are getting into. If you enter it afterwards, you may end up way out of balance.

THIS TIP is for once you are comfortable with using fatsecret, not for those of you just starting out. Use fatsecret.com's pie chart at the bottom of the food diary. Aim for 20% or less fat, 50% or less carbs and 30% or more protein. Make sure you edit your RDI and answer the questions correctly.

If you aren't getting enough calories in your diet, you could sabbotage yourself and make your body think it is starving. Don't ever go below 1100 calories in a day. If you do, don't make it a habit.

Find friends or relatives to share your success with. I text my group every 5 pounds! They give me props and I feel encouraged to keep it up.

Take a pic of yourself in the most unflattering outfit when you start! You will wish you had after you loose 20 pounds. I hated having my pic taken, but now that I have lost 22 pounds, I wish I had that fat me pic! (update! I have lost 35 pounds for the second time in 2 years! My mother provided me with that dreaded pic of myself in an unflattering outfit. That's the before pic of me on this blog!)

Detailed Information

Description This diet is my personal diet. I have had a lot of people ask me how I have lost all this weight and I have been able to maintain the weight even at times when I may have been less than stellar. I feel more confident in my food choices. Also since diabetes runs in my family and I was borderline diabetic during my pregnancies I am predisposed to diabetes in the future. So I choose to learn how to eat properly and keep my weight down so that I can perhaps keep diabetes at bay, or learn how to cope with it now instead of when I HAVE to. About / History I have been on fatsecret.com for 5 months. It took me 12.5 weeks to figure out how dieting works. I still may not have it all firgured out, but I have managed to loose 33 pounds in that time. I was averaging 2 pounds a week up until week 8, where I hit a plateu and had to change things up a bit. But I beat that plateau and now know how to deal with them. Now I am back to loosing weight again, but about at my last goal, then I will go into maintenance mode. (this is old information here, I don't have to go to fatsecret anymore to log my foods since I KNOW what I can and can't eat!) How to Follow Read Read Read! Read all the information on this diet so that you can incorporate the information in your life. You will learn how to make wise choices when eating out or making choices for your own home.

Links to quickly access my info at fatsecret.com!

Karen Maxwell's Personal Diet Information

One Step at a Time to a Healthier You: Week 1 (here is week one)This was a "challenge" I designed to help others "get started" on the right track to living healthy. You can't follow the challenge as it ended a long time ago. But you can look at it and the info and try it yourself. It's designed to make changed each week and tweak things here and there instead of information overload all at once!



My Cookbook at fatsecret.com (if you are a member at fatsecret.com, otherwise you have to wait until I get the recipes entered on this blog)
Recipes here on Maxwellshack! (click here for recipes I have on here so far, if you don't want to join fatsecret.com)

This shows you me at my BIGGEST and me at my SMALLEST! Take pics of yourself during your journey! It's amazing how thin we feel when we are large (I had NO idea I was THAT big!), and how large we feel when we are thin (I always see my flabby tummy and didn't feel thin, even at 116!). A picture shows what you REALLY look like. It's easy to look good when your tummy is sucked in standing in front of a mirror only showing one side at a time! Have someone snap a pic of you while you are standing around going about your daily business. The pic of me at my largest..............was taken at my daughter's high school graduation.........and I thought I LOOKED GOOD! Uh NOPE!

A little about me!

The thing that people ask me about most usually pertains to weight loss recipes, tips, suggestions etc. For now that's what my blog is going to concentrate on.



First, a little about me and how I got to where I am today 117 lbs. I am 5 feet tall. In 2004 I went through a divorce, and after about a year I weighed 120-125. Within 6 of re-marital bliss I weighed 140! Then I got pregnant.........and gained another 30, weighing 170+ (didn't weigh much at the end of that). I knew that breastfeeding would burn calories and that weight would be gone in "no time". Within 6 weeks I weighed 150. 3 loooong years later, I weighed 150. I NEVER lost that last 10 pounds, much less the 20 I had found before!

Then came September 24,2009......152 pounds.......miserable.......depressed.......looking for daylight in my life.........I discovered walking. I started walking 3 days a week for 30 minutes. Back then I didn't have any idea how fast I was walking. I would estimate 2.5 mph, but I REALLY have no idea. As I started dropping weight, I was motivated to walk 5 days a week, then 7, then I increased my time to 1 hour but dropped the days back to 5, then I was up to 5 days a week for 1 hour walking 4 miles in 1 hour at 4 mph! So this was my exercise regimen. When the winter months came and walking was more difficult (unless I walked at lunch which wasn't always possible), I started looking into Pilates. I had been told by a personal trainer that if I wanted to get that tummy (front butt as I have always called it) toned, Pilates was the way to go. I tried a couple different ones, before settling on my favorite! I tried the resistance bands (ouch for my uncoordinated self), and promptly returned them to get my money back! I learned from Pilates how to strengthen my "core". I learned balance. I learned how to "feel the burn" so you are doing it right! The funny and my favorite thing about Pilates.......I feel like it's cheating! You don't really work up a sweat, but you burn sooooo many calories, it feels like you must have cheated! During the peak of my weight loss, I was also lifting weights to tone my arms, which looked fabulous by the way! They weren't "body builder" ugly, they were "hey look at my triceps" toned! I also had a nice nice hour glass figure going on which I had never had before. I was always pretty boxy. I gained weight from my face to my calves pretty evenly. I was VERY happy to see that pretty waistline! Ok so with all that said, I didn't need a gym membership or any money to exercise. I lifted arm weights while watching tv, instead of laying on the couch. I learned sitting burns more calories than laying down, standing burns more than sitting, walking burns more than standing, and walking really fast burns more and then of course, there is obviously jogging and running. The point here is, whatever you are doing, see if there is a way you could do more. While at work, I would sit while assisting, so I started standing instead. While dropping xrays, I would do calf raises! Now let's move onto the inner body.

I will have to get more info from my fatsecret account. I highly recommend using www.fatsecret.com to track your foods and calories. It DOES take effort to put your foods in the computer the first time, but eventually you will realize you are eating the same foods and you can just click to add them to your meals. THIS is where you begin to see where your calories are coming from. You will learn if you are a fat lover, carb lover, sweets lover, or are you sabotaging yourself with add-ons like mayo, butter, oil, crutons, dressing, jelly, syrup, sodas, etc. these are those "little" things that may not seem so bad, but after you see it totaled up at the end of the day and realize you could save many calories by cutting out the sodas! There is an Android app that links with facebook, but I didn't like it. It didn't do as much as the full site and I was committed to my weight loss and wanted full benefit and use of the site. LOG EVERYTHING THAT GOES IN YOUR MOUTH! I once ate 5 little snickers minis, once I ate a cup of mixed nuts, and each time I entered these things into my diet, I almost passed out! Nuts are healthy fats........but remember a portion is 1/4 cup, that's not much! Tracking your food also teaches you about portions and measuring. When you start watching your foods, makes sure you use an ACTUAL measuring cup and measuring spoon to learn proper portions. Load up with veggies, avoid starches and white carbs and fatty meats (corn, potatoes, white pasta, white bread, white rice, fatty ground beef, oils etc). Choose nice lean proteins like chicken breasts, pork loin, tuna fish, salmon, tilapia, ground turkey (I use instead of ground beef in EVERY meal), or extra lean ground beef.

Drinks......soda, diet soda, tea, sweet tea, juice, gatorade, water..........THERE IS NOTHING HEALTHY IN SODAS. Diet sodas, while they don't have the sugar, they still have the acid which can and will eat the enamel off your teeth. If your teeth are hard enough and aren't affected by the acid, your gums will probably bleed due to the high acid content! Tea just makes you thirsty, but if you are going to drink tea, drink unsweet tea or add a sugar substitute. Some people don't like artificial sweeteners, I like them. I prefer Splenda personally. I am not going to advise anyone to use any particular kind. I know there are studies out about aspartame being bad for you, so I would never advise that. What I DO advise is for everyone to drink what we are designed to drink which is water water water. I learned 5 years ago that lemon juice added to water acts as a natural diuretic! No need for fluid pills with this little trick! It can be bottle juice or fresh squeezed. At restaurants, I get water with lemon, get used to saying that! It also saves you about 2.00 off your bill! If a table of 4 does that, you just saved 8 bucks! Make sure when they refill your water that they give you more lemon. Most waiters/waitresses don't realize WHY you are drinking it with the lemon, therefore they neglect to refill the lemon as well. This usually lands you a nice bowl or plate of lemons lol.

Ah goodness, since it is so very late, I am going to sign off for now and continue more another day!