No Junk January Weight Loss Challenge: So what ARE we going to eat??

 

Hiya friends! Day one of my No Junk January weight loss challenge commences. And in preparation, I've discussed what I'm not going to eat: junk food, sweet and salty snacks and fatty, fried and fast foods. But then, queried my  husband, what ARE you going to eat? Like, just sticks and twigs?? (He's not usually such a food Philistine). He's been down this long and winding road to overweight, obesity and weight loss with me. His support was a big help in how I lost 100 pounds. And he's generally a pretty healthy eater and doesn't need to lose weight himself (he makes the exception for sausage. There will always be sausage, sigh). However, with age even "he can eat anything and not gain weight" is finding that it's harder to  keep the tummy trim than in years past. Welcome to my world. 

So he does pose a cogent question. Having identified triggers and purged everything that will lead us into temptation (see previous No Junk January weight loss posts) what are we eating? We can't just remove foods to lose weight. We can't just eat a 1200 calorie diet of the same problem foods. We have to replace with better options that still satisfy hunger. 

So just a bunch of "sticks and twigs" (see also rabbit food, etc)?? Well, yes. Or maybe to be more precise, leaves and seeds and stems (make of that what you will). I'll be eating as close to my ancient forebears hunter gatherer diet as possible. Aka paleo-ish. 

When writing about how I lost 100 pounds and beat obesity, without gastric bypass, some foods that frequently "crop up" (pun) are of course fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts. Also lean meat. I  used calorie restricting on the 1200 calorie diet, said calories consisting primarily of foods that fed our hunter gatherers. Yeah, most are produced now, but, are much closer to the source than processed junk. 

So my calorie restricting diet, (honey, here's your answer) will in fact be: seeds (pumpkin, chia, celery, poppy, sesame, and berry fruits: pomegranate, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. High fiber fruits like apples, lemons and grapefruit. Nuts: almonds and peanuts (and some nut butter), leaves (lettuce, kale, spinach, collard greens, cabbage red and green) and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower). Some nightshades like mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes. Plant protein powder shakes. Lean meat: chicken and beef mostly. I make a mean beef jerky that is crazy satisfying. And spicy bone broth, pho and other nourishing broths. A lot of these are considered "superfood". I'll blog more about broths as a diet. 

After the crazy that was Christmas I literally need to detox from the cookies, candy, ham, cheese, etc. I'm excited to start No Junk January weight loss challenge. Even if I don't lose weight, I feel better already. For more ideas, keep your dial set on this "how I lost 100 pounds" blog. 

No Junk January Weight Loss Challenge: Identify Triggers and Traps

 Hello my dear friends! Happy New Year, 2023! I've been blogging since 2013 about how I lost 100 pounds (happy weight loss decade-aversary to me 💋!) Needless to say, in order to maintain weight loss, I have to keep at it. But I also have to mix it up occasionally, using different strategies, diets and eating plans. My initial method was calorie restricting with a 1200 calorie diet (actually 7 calories X goal weight, so about 1150). I've used intermittent fasting, keto, cleanses and diet supplements as well. 

A big part of how I lost 100 pounds in the first place was not just calorie restricting but completely revamping how I ate. So, to both mix it up and revamp eating habits, I've decided to challenge myself to a No Junk January as an anniversary present to myself. Since the blowout that Christmas usually is, I've been purging the house of junk food, empty calories, sweets, baked goodies, salty snacks, fatty, fried and fast foods. I wrote about that a few days ago, but as per my MO, I neglected an important first step: identifying trigger foods. 

But maybe it's not out of order to purge first and determine triggers next. If I have access to other junk food, even if I don't like it as well as my favorites, I know myself and I'll eat the other stuff in desperation. 😏 Obesity stems from a variety of factors but I can pinpoint certain foods that helped me become overweight. My triggers were the three Cs and one W: chips, chocolate candy, cheese and wine. 

For No Junk January weight loss, I'm going to evict those troublemakers from my cupboards. Cheese, I'll still keep around because it's a good protein source and bedtime snack and because I'm better at portion control now, with cheese. But I'm also getting rid of all salty snacks and sweet foods so I don't sublimate with say, pretzels or tortilla chips instead. 

Oh, also, I'm cutting down on salt, sodium and salty foods in general. The DASH diet identified salt as one of the biggest, but also least addressed obesity causatives. when calorie restricting on a 1200 calorie diet I found that salty foods made me hungrier and also dehydrated.  

If you'd like to join this No Junk January weight loss challenge, begin today by figuring out what foods are your kryptonite. I can't promise weight loss but it's a pretty fair bet that eating healthier will have a positive net result.  And even if you don't need to lose weight, nixing junk, especially sugary, salty stuff will aid with pain management as both cause uncomfortable inflammation. And better diet is definitely a mood lifter! 

Here's to health! I pray your 2023 is all you need it to be. Love, mar

#howIlost100pounds 

No Junk January weight loss challenge pro tip: purge and cleanse

 Hello friends! In this blog, I've been exploring how I lost 100 pounds and keep it off. One of my weight loss and weight maintenance techniques is to do occasional diet revamps such as this one I started called No Junk January weight loss challenges. I'm cleaning up my eating habits by deleting all junk food, fast, fried and fatty foods and sweets. I promised pro tips in case you'd like to join me. I can't promise that we'll all lose weight but I can say from experience that I feel better overall when I eat smarter. 

Today's tip for No Junk January is to purge and cleanse. I'm not talking about using a liver cleanse per se, though it will have the effect of a system cleanse, certainly. No Junk January begins in December with a purge of junk food around the house and in my diet. By Jan 1, I'm going to have all Christmas goodies, chips, salty snacks, fatty and fried foods gone. I'm stocking up on fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, lean meat, keto bread, whole milk yogurt and plant protein powder. 

To achieve weight loss, I need those temptations gone. Part of how I lost 100 pounds 8 years ago, was to pare down food choices to healthy diet-friendly options. So I'm doing a cupboard cleanse of chips, salty snacks, Christmas candy and cookies, baked goods, pie, cake, muffins and fatty processed meat like bacon, ham, sausage, salami and summer sausage ( big favorites around here). I'll replace these with frozen salmon pieces, chicken breast, lemons and grapefruit, berries and leafy vegetables, cut veggies for snacks, nuts and seeds and keto bread. 

You might be thinking, great, but what about non-dieting family members? Won't they get upset if I get rid of their treats? Good point that I'll cover tomorrow. In fact this  method was how I lost 100 pounds in the first place. Oh, and I promised a system cleanse from the cupboard cleanse. With less liver blocking and artery clogging junk food and more leafy greens, berries, seeds, MUFA and PUFA foods, that system cleanse will happen, just you wait! 

Methods like these are part of my Mind Over Platter weight loss method to not only beat obesity but keep it away for good. I'm excited about No Junk January and look forward to hearing from you if you join in! 

Who's up for weight loss with No Junk January?

 Hey friends, the New Year is  just around the corner. Are you up for a weight loss challenge?  I've found that my eating habits have strayed off the path (actually, down the verge into the ditch up and are hurtling down the cliff. So I'm starting a personal No Junk January eating plan (diet). For 31 days, I'm purging sweets, salty snacks, fast, fatty and fried foods. If I lose weight, bonus. If I just get healthier, that's great too. 

If you're like me, you make resolutions and forget them by February (or January 3 lol). That's okay, though because this is just for one month. Losing weight, like any other, personal growth initiative has to be done in increments. Like Alanon says, planning on doing something forever is so daunting that failure is certain. So let's do this weight loss challenge one day at a time. We won't think about the end of January just yet. We'll just take the first step, and then the next, one at a time. 

Every few days, I'll try to provide ideas, tips and updates. For today, my first step is identifying triggers. Tomorrow I'll post more about my triggers. For now, I'm losing the tortilla chips, candy, cookies, baked goods, chips and dip. If you want to join me, in this No Junk January weight loss challenge, start by listing your diet kryptonite. More tomorrow! 

How I lost 100 pounds without exercising (unclench the pearls!)

So yanno how there's this big debate about exercise or diet to lose weight? I'm going to share how I lost 100 pounds without exercising, with calorie restricting on a 1200 calorie diet. Now before you get the vapors, diehard fitnessfolks, unclench the pearls and hear me out. Weight loss wasn't laying on the couch. I just didn't exercise in the traditional sense. I worked out by working and that, with calorie restricting helped me lose weight. 

Weight loss by calorie restricting alone, AKA sans a gym, personal trainer, etc, wasn't exactly a choice. And it may not have even been an ideal method. I have extensive structural issues that make garden variety exercise (calisthenics, aerobics, weight training, jogging and running) insanely, cripplingly painful. It's not a matter of getting used to it. It's literally impossible for me to do this things routinely with doing further damage. 

Yes, I've been told, "no pain no gain." And for a long time, I bought that erroneous thinking. It was said that I didn't know the difference between soreness from stretched muscles and devastating, relentless agony. I finally realized that at 58 years old, I do. And I can make a decision to do what's best for me. 

Now clearly, doing nothing isn't what's best. That's going to cause pain too. If we've learned anything from "My 600-lb Life" and shows about morbid obesity, it's that sedentary lifestyles cause, increase and exacerbate chronic pain issues. "My 600-lb Life" shows people bedridden, by choice, constantly complaining of aches and pain. 

So movement is essential, to health, pain management and weight loss. My solution is to keep active, doing physical labor. Don't get me wrong. This causes pain too. But not the wracking pain of jarring exercise like jogging. There are some exercises I can do that are very beneficial: yoga, limited bike riding and swimming. I have to moderate, and know when to slow down. Ice and Epsom salt baths help too. 

Part of how I lost 100 pounds was by recognizing physical limitations, working around them and doing all I can within them for the betterment of my health. Exercise vs. diet is not mutually exclusive. And neither are one size fits all. Like "My 600-lb Life" shows,  if I am to overcome obesity, I have to work my program and not sit back and wait for someone else to fix u. 
 

When self-confidence plummets, HALT

So I know I come across pretty confident in this blog on how I lost 100 pounds. But a lot of that is me faking it till I make it. I can be going along just fine and then, whump, my self-confidence plummets. And low self-esteem, rushes in, accompanied by her friends anxiety, self-loathing, depression and paranoia. And it doesn't matter a jot what I've accomplished, I just suddenly feel like a fat, ugly, stupid loser. Anybody else experience this? Yeah, I thought, unfortunately, I wasn't alone in this. But maybe it's not so unfortunate that others can relate. Maybe we can help each other. 

So what do you do when those unwanted guests arrive? I am learning to HALT. To stop and use the Al-Anon acronym HALT to determine if I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. I add another, Sick. If I'm any one of those, I'm not at my best. And those uninvited guests may be (probably are) just manifestations of my struggling brain.  But what if none of those apply? 

Clearly something is off. Al-Anon refers to nagging self-doubt as a "monkey on my back." The  monkey doesn't shout. He whispers in a nasty, pernicious voice that only I can hear. He knows just what to say to make me miserable. He taunts that I'm a failure, ugly, loser, etc. When I try to confront him head-on, he gaslights me and drives me crazy. 

I actually have nightmares in which people are shaming and mocking me. I've had dreams like this as long as I can remember. There will definitely be another post on that and maybe a series. So what do I do when the monkey is live? I'm learning to use the yoga tool of coming back to center. I rid myself of distractions, esp digital ones and bring it in and close. I breathe deeply and focus on channeling positive energy, till I get my balance back. It doesn't have to be for a long time. Just a few moments usually gets me on track and shuts the monkey up. 

How I lost 100 pounds with Popeye

 

Hiya friends! If you follow this blog on how I lost 100 pounds, you know that I like to write enigmatic titles to provoke your curiosity. Today we're looking at weight loss with Popeye. Not, alas, the famous Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen. I wish!! But Popeye the sailor man. (Whom my grandson Moses used to call Potpie, which makes me laugh to remember, and ponder how the baby grands are growing so quickly, but I digress...)

Anyway, Popeye says he's "strong to the finish cuz I eats me spinach." And that's great for weight loss too. One cup of spinach has $5% RDA vitamin A, 20% vitamin C, gobs of Vitamin K, Vitamin B and 10% potassium (the most difficult-to-get-enough-of of the electrolytes, as I learned by getting seriously dehydrated during Covid 19.) 

But how does spinach help lose weight? Popeye demonstrates when he eats a can, he gets super strong. That is a genuine benefit of spinach. Because it contains such high quantities of vitamins and electrolytes (calcium, magnesium) it boosts metabolism and energy. Metabolism boosters help food digest more efficiently, improve circulation and even enhance mood. Speedier metabolism gets the most bang for your food buck. 

You'll notice on shows like "My 600-lb Life" that most gastric bypass patients never eat a green vegetable unless it's saturated in butter or drowned in salad dressing. It's true that green leafy vegetables like spinach require some fat to digest. But it should be something high in MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) or PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids), low in saturated fats (unless avocado or coconut oil) and free of transfats. 

Dr. Now, gastric bypass physician on "My 600-lb Life" uses a 1200 calorie diet to help patients lose weight before and after surgery. This 1200 calorie diet is vegetable forward and features spinach and other green leafy vegetables prominently. These not only help with metabolism, they help cleanse and flush stored fat and end obesity. 

Another green leafy veggie that is great for weight loss is kale. However I find that kale has a stronger and more bitter flavor whereas I can hide spinach in most anything and not taste it. My favorite way to eat spinach is in a salad or breakfast smoothie. Add a few handfuls to your protein shake, with half a grapefruit, pea protein powder and blueberries or raspberries and drink your way to weight loss!