The Savage Girl Challenge

I have chosen TODAY the 21st day of July 2013 to reevaluate my healthy living goals, create a new game plan and challenge myself more in order to take off the last 25 pounds off so I can meet my goal weight.

To be 100% honest here lately I've been slacking in the department of physical activity, drinking more water, and portion control! We are at the peak of the summer and the humidity & heat are killers to my will power. I've used the excuses of having the lack of time and the extreme weather when in reality I've had a lack of will power A LOT here lately. This has become a road block in my weight loss success and today this has to STOP. So I'm challenging myself to reevaluate and set a few new goals for myself! My Weight the Reality Series (Take 2) program at work starts on Tuesday and I expect my participants to help hold me accountable to my goals and I will do the same for you...If you want to join my program the information is located in the post called "Upcoming program the Savage Girl is hosting through work...WTRS!"

So here are my new goals:

1. Measure my portion sizes. 
2. Start tracking my daily food intake (again) including my water intake. 
3. Aim for 4 to 5 days of 30-60 minutes of exercise a week. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are my best days to achieve this because of my schedule at work...so if you see me out and about on one of these days please ASK me if I've moved yet!
4. Get back in the habit of packing a healthy lunch and snacks to work.
5. No food after 8 p.m. in the Savage Girl household. 

So you now know my new goals. I will keep you posted on my success, challenges, and failures on this blog, so stay tuned. I will try to reevaluate each week and keep you posted...

Is there anyone out there in the blogging world having the same problem as me? Or am I am the lone ranger out there with these challenges? Well join the Savage Girl Challenge and set a few new healthy living goals and game plan for yourself. If you want to join The Savage Girl Challenge "like" the post, leave me a comment, or send me a message...please tell me (and other readers of the blog) what your new goals are. I'll help keep you accountable if you replicate for me! If it takes a village to raise a child it is going to take an entire online virtual community of family and friends to help the Savage Girl meet her goal weight.

Keep in mind I am not on a diet. I'm trying to live a healthy lifestyle for a healthier body in order to prevent the onset of a family history of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. So far I've done pretty well except for the roadblock I've recently experienced. I've lost 50 pounds thus far and would love to shave 25 more pounds off. Losing 10% of your body weight can help reduce your risk factors associated the disease and hopefully delay and or indefinitely postpone the onset of the disease. Let me know if you have any questions...      

Overweight VS. Skinny

Is being healthy and overweight better than being skinny and unhealthy? This question was recently posed to me. I am no health expert by any means, but I do have a degree in Human Ecology with an emphasis in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics. I have a good general knowledge of the human body and what has worked for me personally during my lifestyle changing journey this past year. So here is an attempt to answer the question about being overweight versus skinny and who is healthier...if an individual is making healthy choices with the foods they eat, they exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, and have a healthy blood pressure, blood glucose & cholesterol reading from their doctor then I believe they are being as healthy as they can be. These are some of the essential things that help create healthy bodies. An individuals weight might not be ideal, but an overweight person who is trying to be healthy are at a "healthy state" for their individual body. Doing something and being proactive to better than doing nothing at all!  God made us all different and unique in all shapes and sizes. If you are concerned about being healthy then as individuals all that we can do is try to be the healthiest that we possibly can be at whatever size we currently are at. The skinny person who is not trying at all to be healthy by the choices they make might actually be worse off than the overweight healthy person, because they do not care and are not concerned about their health. So yes, I believe you can be skinny and unhealthy!

Over the course of the last eighteen months I have learned that your weight is not everything. The media world has helped to give us a false view of body image and what is overweight & skinny and healthy & unhealthy. Love your body at whatever weight you currently are at. You are beautiful/or handsome and made in the image of God! If you love your body then the eating healthy, exercise, sleep, and blood pressure, blood glucose, & cholesterol readings will somehow find a way within a healthy range when you are psychologically ready. You have to have the desire to be healthy and want to change for yourself and no one else but yourself. That's when you are psychologically ready and then I believe you can begin to get physically ready by making wiser choices within your life. This might mean admitting to yourself that you need help from professionals or a support system. Anyways, LOVE the skin you are in first, then everything else will fall into place. Being healthy will work its way into your new lifestyle when you are ready.

If you still find yourself confused or need more encouragement then create a support system to surround yourself around. Talk to your health care provider because they might have some really great tips and pointers for you from a professionals standpoint. Find people around you that will help encourage you to reach your goals if you want to get healthier. Your support system could be made up of your family and friends, maybe a group of individuals who are trying to achieve the same goals as you (like my Weight the Reality Series group), or it could even be a group of fellow Christians who could be your cheerleaders. Your co-workers need to be involved also because more than likely you are around them as much as you are your family and friends. Join a fitness center and the people you meet there will become part of your accountability and encouragement team. Last but not least involve the most import person who helped create you...God. Pray about your health and ask for His support in your journey. And...my door is always open if you need my encouragement...because I know that I need yours daily! 

Small Changes

My personal “get Lara healthy” and “weight loss” challenge has been stalled for the last little bit. I have been stuck, so when I started the Weight the Reality Series program at work for my community a few ago I decided that I was going to make a few small changes with what I was doing to hopefully change things up a bit and to jump start my loss again. Guess what? It worked! ( And YES I am going to blog about a work program on my personal blog again!)

These are the changes I made 2 weeks ago when I kicked off my program at work:

1. I bought a new water bottle and I started carrying it with me every day. Every day when I make my breakfast, I have tried to fill my bottle up with ice and fresh water for the day. I also try to refill it a few times throughout the day. I know that I do not get enough fluids. I am not a drinker! I sometimes can go almost an entire day without consuming anything besides my cup of coffee in the morning…, which is not very healthy! Drinking water instead of sugary drinks is one of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Drinking more water is a proven behavior of successful losers. Sometimes I make it a little more exciting by adding lemon, lime, or strawberries and I have tried flavored sparkling water. Choose foods and drinks with little or no added sugars. There are about 10 packets of sugar in a 12-ounce can of soda. Choose 100% fruit juice instead of fruit-flavored drinks.   
2. I also started to add more fiber to my diet. I was already consuming 100% whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, and pasta, and lots of fruits and vegetables, but I knew that I needed more. Therefore, I changed up my breakfast routine and started adding a slice of whole grain bread in addition to my morning cereal and fruit routine (cold cereal or oatmeal). In addition to my usual fruit as a snack, occasionally l will add a fiber packed cereal and grain bar.
3. I also tried to stick to my physical activity routine by exercising 4-5 times per week for 30-60 minutes no matter where I was whether I was traveling for work or at home in my normal routine. Normally when I travel I just ignore my physical activity for a few days and then pick back up when I get back home, but not last week! I purposely decided to stay in the conference hotel where I would have to walk the furthest to get to my meetings and I got up early to squeeze in a little exercise before the activities of the day consumed me. Maybe you need to add this to your routine. Pick a few physical activities that you like and start by doing what you can, at least 10 minutes at a time. Every bit adds up, and the health benefits increase as you spend more time being active.

I am currently 17 pounds from my goal weight. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! My goal for the next month is to keep making small changes so I can meet my goal weight. My challenge to you is make a few small changes in your routine and you might see a difference like me!

If you need motivation from a group or someone to be accountable to then contact me at work and join my Weight the Reality Series group we meet Tuesday nights in Tompkinsville. Weigh in is from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and our program is at 5:30 p.m.  

...some of my biggest cheerleaders! My mom Leah and my sister Anna.
They joined me in my WTRS group & collectively we three have lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks!

 

Breakfast 101

Well this morning my electricity was off when I woke up so I let a local restaurant prepare my coffee and breakfast this morning. I have not ate breakfast out in quite some time so I was a little shocked whenever I had to fork over $4.89 for a semi healthy breakfast at McDonald's and it did not even taste all that great! I have chosen not to eat breakfast out for two reasons.

My health. I realized I was eating out way to much last year and when I decided to get on my new "get Lara healthier campaign" I cut breakfast out of my plan. (Keep in mind I still eat out my fair share at other meal times!) I want to be healthier and also “practice what I preach to others” so to speak.

I feel that part of being a family and consumer science county agent’s duty is to encourage others to make healthy lifestyle choices for themselves and their families. I want to be a living breathing example to the people I serve in Monroe County. I feel that others will value my advice and information if they know I have tried it myself and have been in their shoes before.

Trust me making this new lifestyle change was not easy! These restaurants make it look so convenient, easy, and tasty with their big flashy advertisements. Pulling through a drive thru is so much easier than having to get up earlier and prepare a quick bite to eat at home…or so I thought before. It does not take long to brew my own coffee at home and grab my yogurt and fruit out of the fridge or prepare a quick bowl of cereal & milk or oatmeal. In the same amount of time in the line at drive thru window I can have my breakfast prepared at home and enjoy it while I’m watching the news!  

Cost. $4.89 here and $4.89 there adds up over time. I save around $150.00 each month on my "eating out" spending plan by eating my breakfast at home. What I prepare myself at home cost pennies compared to the $4.89 breakfast I had this morning! Plus what I prepare at home fits into my new healthy eating routine.

I can count on my had the number of times that I have had a biscuit within the last fifteen months and the majority of time those biscuits were homemade because I could not resist my mother’s home cooking around the holidays or a special occasion! It has been a while since I ate out of the morning so I was a little in sticker shock whenever I had to fork almost $5.00 for breakfast. Oh well...life...right??? Everything cost money and everyone wants to try to make a buck or two when they can.  

So let’s compare my usual breakfast versus the breakfast I had this morning.

 

$1.00 to $1.50 depending on the "season" for my fruit & what exactly I have to eat.

$4.89 on 3/12/2013 in Tompkinsville, KY. Even if I had of ate a yogurt parfait and coffee from the same restaurant I still would have had to pay over $2.50 for my breakfast. I guess I  splurged a little this morning in more than one way!

 

This is something for you to think about tomorrow morning whenever you are hungry and thinking about food. Which option will you choose...the drive thru or an "at-home special"?   

My Plateau is looking a Little Brighter!

Yesterday I celebrated Valentine’s Day along with millions of other Americans. I am thankful my sweetie sent me flowers instead of chocolates for me to overindulge in…although I was not that nice to him because I sent him his favorite combination peanut butter and chocolate…sorry sweetie! I will admit that I could not resist a slice of homemade fresh apple cake with caramel icing after dinner with my sweet family yesterday. My justification was that it was Valentine’s Day and it was just one slice. Who was I kidding…sometimes I need more willpower! 

Flowers from my sweetie...I love the orange ones best...he said "yuck & that explains why they were so cheap"...Gotta love lines from a true UK fan to his TN born and raised girlfriend. LOL!

Reality hit today when I was reminded that is was “weigh-in day” via the automatic reminder set up by the weight loss app I use on my tablet. So, I stepped onto the scales this morning to check in on my weight loss success…actually the success has been nonexistent for the last little bit. I have been at a “plateau” for the last three months. My scales told me that yet again, I stayed the same for another week, but I thought I needed more motivation…so I got out the measuring tape to check on the “inch” progress since I had not done this “check-in” since October. So today, I am celebrating 3.5 inches lost in my waist, 2 inches in my hips, ½ inch in my arms, 1 dress size, 2 pants sizes, and 1 inch in my thighs. My fitness routine is still paying off! YAY! My plateau is looking a little brighter now!

In order to continue the weight loss success maybe I need to avoid those overindulging moments of eating sweets that I have a weakness for sometimes! I am still hoping to reach my goal in order to get these remaining 26 pounds off. I want to note that I have been able to drop my BMI 7.1 points since I started this journey January 2011. I have 3.5 points until I am at a healthy normal BMI putting me out of the overweight & obese range that currently make me at a higher risk for the chronic conditions of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. It is not all about the weight loss for me as it is for the “health” aspect of being healthier. I want to live an active productive life. I have many health risks that run in my family like health disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. In order to help prevent them for occurring at a young age within my life I decided last January to be healthier so that’s why I started on this journey. I hope that these last few pounds, inches, and BMI points will keep melting off.

Check out these publications from my employer the “University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service” if you want to understand weight loss, BMI, how to build a healthy plate, or how we should be eating to live instead of living to eat.  

http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/factshts/HEEL-LR-908.pdf

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/FCS3/FCS3562/FCS3562.pdf

http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/factshts/FN-SSB-154.pdf

Until my next reminiscing blog post comes to me please help me celebrate a little of my sweet plateau success. Thanks!



Most recent photo of me and my new self made this week :)