February 11, 2010

So, What’s the Deal?

Posted by japaist under Lose Weight, Weight Loss, Weight Watchers | Tags: , , , , , |
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You might wonder why I chose to write about pigging out in my last blog Janet Eats.  Too Much.

It just struck me that to stay true to my “mission” here on JanetEats, my ‘how I lost 50 pounds’ – I need to be open to all the nuances and challenges of that task.  It would be important to share the whole experience, not just the heady “whoo-hoo look-at-me I’m-losing-weight experience.  And, this blog is not just about losing weight through Weight Watchers, though it is clear that I swear by that program.  Why?  Simple.  It’s the “less in, more out” school of eating that leads to successful weight loss.  Weight University, I often call it.  It is a good time to learn whaddup with the overeating experience.

We do have our ups and downs.  We’ve seen that dramatically with Oprah.

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February 6, 2010

Janet Eats. Too Much.

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Shovel It InReality bites!

I am happy to say that I not only lost 50 pounds, I reached my weight-loss goal at the end of January.  In total, I lost 51 pounds.

This does not mean my life as a watcher of weight is over.  I continue to exercise my “eat properly” muscles.  With that, comes indulgences on occasion.   I realized when I reached my goal what an awesome challenge I would be facing with Maintenance.  I know how to lose weight.  I know how to gain it.  Keeping myself at a steady weight, now that is something I need to learn to do.

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January 14, 2010

The Mighty Avocado

Posted by japaist under Healthful, Lose Weight, Weight Watchers | Tags: , , , |
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avocado

My Saving Grace

Hail, the mighty avocado.  This one fruit singlehandedly saved me on my weight loss journey.  Did you know that it is 7000 years old?  Cultivated in Central America and brought to the New World in the 19th Century.

From WebMd:

It’s true that avocados are high in fat — one reason they’ve earned the nickname “butter pear.” A medium-sized avocado contains 30 grams of fat, as much as a quarter-pound burger. That’s why diet experts have long urged Americans to go easy on avocados in favor of less fatty fruits and vegetables. But now nutritionists are taking another look. They’re finding that most of the fat in an avocado is monounsaturated — the “good” kind that actually lowers cholesterol levels. Thanks to this new understanding, the U.S. government recently revised its official nutrition guidelines to urge Americans to eat more avocados.

I almost started a riot at my Weight Watchers® meeting when I discussed my very own “avocado diet.”

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January 10, 2010

Keepin’ it Slow

Posted by japaist under Cooking, Recipes, Weight Watchers | Tags: , , , |
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My Favorite Stew

Lamb Stew in the Slow Cooker

On cold, frigid days like the one we’re experiencing right now in New York City, what a perfect day to stay inside, keep warm and cook up something in the trusty ol’ crock pot.  They’ve modernized the name these days to slow cooker — maybe crock pot is just too Betty Crocker® for the manufacturers.

I have been using my slow cooker for quite awhile to prepare meals on a weekend.  No effort, and they last me throughout the week.  And, not necessarily just in these cold months.  It works any time of the year.

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January 4, 2010

Who Knew?

Posted by japaist under Weight Gain | Tags: , , |
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Me in BlanketWho knew, indeed?  Turns out the truism that we gain about 5-10 pounds at holiday time is flawed.  In fact, the average person gains about a pound.  what we gain is about one pound.

weightwatchers.com writes:

According to the most reliable to-date study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the average weight gain was a little less than one pound. The study participants who did have a major holiday weight gain, defined as 5 pounds or more, were more likely to be overweight than people who gained less.

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January 3, 2010

Lest I Repeat Myself…

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Kids eatingOne of my Weight Watchers® leaders, Michael, always uses the phrase “a close relationship with chicken, tuna and cottage cheese“.  Of course, that is just a clever way of pointing out a common peril of DIET mentality.  That you have to eat diet food.  Only.  All the time.  Same time, same chicken/tuna/or cottage cheese.

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January 2, 2010

I Can’t Believe I Ate that Whole Thing!

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gluttonySo you made that resolution and the first day of your DIET – January 1st, year 2010 (010110) went swimmingly.  The resolve of the resolution was strong.

Next day, or make that next night, Saturday night, you’re wondering “what the heck was I thinking?”  And, then reality bites.  You get hit with the NIGHT MUNCHIES!!

There are many theories of how to deal with that time at night, when you’ve pretty much eaten what you’ve determined would be a reasonable amount of food.  Yet, you really want to eat that (fill in the blank).

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December 30, 2009

If You Must

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If you just can’t help yourself and simply feel you must make a resolution to lose weight this next year, here are some quick tips from Weight Watchers®

1. Make your resolutions public
Share them with one or more people so they can help you stay on track. If you let your friends and family in on your dream, you can use their support to help you make it a reality.

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December 28, 2009

Yoga and Yogurt

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A great way to begin any day — the calm and meditative strengthening of yoga.  I try to get at least two sessions in a week.  I think of it as covert exercise. You are so focussed on the moves and the breathing and the “moment”, it is easy to forget that you are doing wonderful things for your body.

Afterwards, I have what has become my regular breakfast — yogurt with a sprinkle of nuts. 

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December 27, 2009

The Challenge Challenge

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Lest Janet Eats be all golden, light,”ain’t I wonderful, I’m so perfect” — let’s be honest here.  I’ve got my own set of challenges on this journey.  You know, like every other human!  And, one of them is to motivate myself to exercise.  Or, as Weight Watchers cleverly dubs it:  ‘move more’.  Good strategy to take the dreaded E-word out of the equation:   I suppose I could just go outside and take a walk.

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December 26, 2009

Ah, Nuts!

Posted by japaist under Atkins Diet, Low Carb Diet, Weight Loss, Weight Watchers | Tags: , , , |
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A Handful of Almonds

One Serving of Almonds

Singing the praise of the humble almond!  Even if it isn’t really a nut, but the pit of an almond fruit.

I will certainly write more details and minutia of how I lost my 50 pounds.  It is the theme of Janet Eats, after all.   Nuts, the almond in particular, played a very important role in my weight-loss journey.  Bottom line: I started to lose weight because I cut my carbs.  We’re not talking the Atkins Diet here.

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December 24, 2009

My First Entry

Posted by japaist under Fifty Pounds, Lose Weight, Weight Loss, Weight Watchers | Tags: , |
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As you get closer to the New Year, you probably know the number one resolution people make:  Lose Weight.   Just google top New Years resolutions and you’ll find all kinds of advice on how to reach your goals.  Like this one from someone who calls himself Goals Guy.

Physical activity builds physical vitality. With every year of your life, you have more to gain from being physically active; as your age-related risks of chronic disease increase, regular exercise generally slows or reverses that trend.

In fact, you’re even more likely to notice the benefits of regular exercise if you already have a chronic condition.

Are you ever going to be fit again as long as you live? The answer is unless you make a resolution to get fit – you’re never going to be fit – ever. The choice is yours; it begins by opting for the stairs instead of the elevator, fruit in place of chocolate, and active rather than sedentary activities.

Wow, doesn’t that sound simple.  Reads simple enough.  But like so much in our lives, it is a proved thing: simple is always complicated.  I mean, really – do you want to spend the rest of your life picking fruit instead of chocolate?

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