Why are WE so fat?

I went to out to dinner the other night.  As I looked down the rows of tables, I noticed obese person after obese person, then maybe a "just" overweight person and occasionally someone at a healthy weight.  Trust me I'm not judging, just noticing that I'm not the only one with a problem here.

So why are WE so fat?  I've been thinking about this question a lot lately.  I'm a firm believer (thanks to having an engineer for a husband) that if you don't know what's really broken, you can't fix it reliably. 

I know I've changed my diet and I work out now and I'm thrilled that I have lost so much weight.  But what made me so fat to start with??

Was I eating too much?  Was I eating the wrong things?  Was I just not getting enough exercise?? Why does this diet work, when NONE of the others did for me?  Is it possible that we've just been fed a lie and 10 or 20 years from now we'll look back at the experts and shake our fists at their ignorance of today?

Can you believe 50 years ago they didn't realize that smoking was dangerous??  Seriously what were they thinking, or not thinking??  So what is the thing now that we're doing NOW that's making us so fat? Will we figure it out and fix it??

As I think through my life I think it's a combination of factors.  Did I eat too much.  Yes!  Not a ton too much, but quite often more than I needed.  A little extra over a long period of time.

Did I exercise too little?  Exercise, what was that??  Guilty as charged.

Did I eat the wrong things??  Yes, apparently I did.  But isn't a calorie a just a calorie??  I don't think so.  I think the food we are eating today is so nutritionally defunct, but yet emotionally addictive that even though we eat more than any other generation in history, we're still starving nutritionally. 

I've been watching a lot of food related documentaries lately and reading a few book about eating, trying to figure out what it was that made me so fat (so I can be sure I don't ever go back there)!  They talk a lot about the combination of salt, fat and sugar and how addictive that combination is to us.  There is also a lot of discussion about diet pop and it's addictive qualities.  All along I was drinking diet thinking I was saving myself so many calories, now I learn it was doing just the opposite, that it was actually helping make me fat.  And it's sooooo addictive, I still haven't completely shaken its stronghold from my life ...not yet anyway!

I'm sorry this post has a lot more questions than answers.  That's kind of where I'm at right now.  I'm in the process of evaluating everything I used to believe about food and healthy eating.   I'm learning that a lot of what I used to believe is just wrong!  I'm convinced that if you eat the typical fast food American diet that unless you have incredible portion control or incredible genes, then you will be fat!

Oh, then add in all those other factors?!?!  Am I a stress eater (YES)?  Am I eating because something's eating me?   Am I eating to fill an emotional need or to make up for the fact that I never got the special toy I had asked Santa for??  Or was I eating too much to keep things away??  Or could I just be addicted to food??  YES - Absolutely YES.  I do love to eat and cook. 

I'm learning to love eat on my healthy weight loss plan and praying for strength to stay on the plan.  But I will admit while most people say "TGIF" for Friday, I say "TGICM" Thanking God its Cheat Meal time.   I get one cheat meal each week!

So why do you think we're so fat?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, because I do NOT have it all figured out, not by a long shot!

Also check out this article about obesity and restaurant eating!

Better than Bagged - Baked Corn Tortilla Chips!

One of the few carbs I'm allowed on my eating plan is corn tortillas.  I'm NOT allowed to have any bread (GASP - I know, how do I even survive!).  Ok, the problem is I don't like corn tortillas, they're gross and all rubbery....yuck!  But then one day I got the brilliant idea to bake them to see if they would turn into something resembling a chip??

So I got out my trusty baking sheet and using my pizza cutter (oh pizza, how I miss pizza!) and cut them into 6 wedges.

I generously spray them with non-stick cooking spray, flip, repeat on other side.  Place them on a single layer on your baking sheet.  Add favorite seasoning (try taco, garlic salt, buffalo chicken, Italian, etc).  Bake in a 400' pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.  Pull them out, flip them over and return to oven, watch and wait.  Seriously, this is important, they go from DONE to OOPS WELL DONE in a flash, so you need to watch them for a couple minutes and pull them out at the peek of lightly browned crispy perfection.  Wait too long and even your chickens won't eat them.

On my eating plan I can have these with hummus, beans or guacamole, not very many, but enough to satisfy my need for crunch!  However I encourage you to make a bunch of them they keep for several days in a plastic baggie....if your kids and spouse don't find them :(

This one of those foods I would make even if I wasn't trying to lose weight.  In fact we actually like them more than bagged tortilla chips and they're super cheap, you can get a huge stack of rubbery corn tortillas at the grocery store for $2 or less and turn them into tortilla chips in a jiffy.

Now if I could just find Doritos Nacho Cheese seasoning mix, I'd be in heaven!  Suggestions anyone?

Thankful for the little things!

This hasn't been the greatest week or two for weight loss (other than what I lost with the FLU!), but I have a lot to be thankful for and I'm really starting to notice some great little changes!

The Towel - we had gone to a resort over Thanksgiving week.  After a shower I had wrapped up in the hotel towel and was getting ready.  Then it hit me...I wrapped myself up in the hotel towel!  And it fit around my body!!!  Without parts playing peek-a-boo!  Woooo hooo!  Average hotel towels are usually 27 x 52", which didn't used to fit all the way around me.  But now, piece of cake!  Oh wait, I don't eat cake, well you get the idea! 

Tall Boots - It's been ages since I've been able to wear a pair of tall boots.  It's usually not worth the battle that pursues to get them over my "sturdy" calves.  I've even tried the "wide calf" boots in the past, but guess what, my calves were WIDER.  Not any more, I ordered a regular pair of brown leather tall boots and they look great.  Still a little tight, but after one wearing they adjusted nicely.

Weight really creeps up on you and you tend to forget what kind of things you have adjust or go without in your life because of your extra size.  As I'm losing weight and inches, I'm losing some baggage as well.  I'm appreciating the little things like towels and boots that fit the new me.  Especially enjoying shopping in the "regular" section of the clothing store!

Best wishes on your journey to health!

16 --Sweet--16

Still working on my meal plans and working my workouts!  We took some time out for Thanksgiving week for a VACATION!  Woot, woot!  I actually managed to lose 1 pound that week thanks to some awesome water aerobics offered each morning at the resort!

And even more exciting for me was fitting into a size 16 pair of jeans for the first time since...since...since... college maybe??

I'm not sure why a size 16 is so exciting for me??  Maybe because those jeans fit really well :)  Maybe because this really marks the beginning of being able to wear "regular" size clothing??

Technically in some stores, size 16 is in the plus section, but MOST regular stores carry up to size 16 on their racks!  So I'll take this little victory...oh yeah and I bought the jeans too (thank goodness they are sale!)  Just wanted to share that little victory with you - Happy Dance starting now!

Jenn's Turkey Muffins

Yeah, ok, they're not as luxurious as a Blueberry Muffin, but they are a staple on my diet and quite tasty even if you're not on a diet!

I love these because they have my protein, carb & veggies all in one convenient package and even taste yummy cold!

Pre-heat oven to 350'

Mix Ingredients -

1 package lean ground turkey - 14 to 16 oz
1 package Italian Dressing Seasoning Mix (make sure it is does not have hidden sugar in it)
2 stalks celery - chopped
1/2 onion - chopped
1 cup Mushrooms - chopped(optional)
1/4 c parsley (optional)
3 cups brown rice (good way to use up leftovers)
2 eggs

Mix up all ingredients in a bowl.  Spray 6 jumbo muffin cups with non-stick spray.  Divide mixture into 6 servings and put in muffin cups.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until temp reaches 160'   - Enjoy!

Each muffin includes -

Protein  - 2 to 3 oz of turkey + 1/3 egg
Carb - 1/2 c rice
Veggies - approx 1/2 cup cooked veggies

We did it - the First 50 Pounds

So excited to have made it to my first major weight loss goal....50 pounds thanks to the guidance of my weight loss coach Bryan Beaune!

For some reason I finally feel like I'm legitimately losing weight.  It's not like 48 pounds isn't good enough, but now that I've lost 50 pounds, I feel like I'm serious about this journey to health!  No turning back.

I'm planning to celebrate with a trip to Kalahari with my girls tomorrow!  I'm looking forward to chasing around a couple of  6 year olds and I'm sure that with 50 pounds less to lug around, I SHOULD be able to keep up!  Oh and my swimsuit looks a lot better too! 

How am I doing it?

Well thankfully I'm sticking with the weight loss plan better than I am with the blogging!  LOL.  Sorry about that!

I'm on the verge of 50 lbs lost, 47.5 to be exact.  It cracks me up because some people I've known for years don't recognize me now.  Seriously??  A lady came up to the Smile FM table and said to me, "I heard Jenn was going to be here tonight."  I said, "I am Jenn!"  She said somewhat startled, "Wow, you look a lot bigger on the radio!?!?"  Hahaha., good thing I have a sense of humor!

Since we're in a world where most of us are carrying around a few extra pounds, I get asked a lot, "HOW ARE YOU DOING IT?"

So here's the post to answer that question!

I have a Weight Loss Coach and I do what he tells me to do!  For the most part anyway.  I'm far from perfect on following the plan, but I'm doing the best I can given my crazy schedule and I'm seeing great results...and most importantly, I can live this way! 

Bryan Beaune, my weight loss coach, specializes in customized meal plans for his clients all over the country.  On my plan I get 5 to 6 mini-meals a day.  Each meal consists of a lean protein (eggs, chicken, turkey, pork, beef), a veggie and a carb such as potato, brown rice or corn tortilla. Just as important as what I'm eating is what I'm NOT eating!  That would include processed foods, extra fats such as oil or butter and anything that my body would easily turn into SUGAR.  I had no idea how much of what we eat that our bodies think is sugar!  Fruit, bread, flour, pastries, white rice, french fries, pretzels juice, diary, popcorn, chocolate...all processed the same as sugar. 

I'm on my fourth plan right now.  There is the initial "Get the junk out of your system detox plan" and then he moved me along to slightly different plans depending on how my body was responding.  Each time my weight loss would slow down or when I would whine that I needed more of a certain type of food, he'd adjust my plan to restart my weight loss.   Oh and the best part of my meal plan.....THE CHEAT MEAL.  Yes, one meal a week, I can have anything I want.  Not in unlimited quantity, but one meal of whatever I've been craving.  Trust me, I make a list during the week and save this meal for a special occasion or just for the weekend!

Bryan Beaune - Building Your Temple

My diet has done a complete 180!  We used to eat out a lot and they knew my order at the local pizza place!  I'm a pretty good cook too.  While the stuff I was making was probably healthier than eating out, not by much.  Now I'm working on making some yummy recipes with the foods on my meal plan.

I had asked Bryan what was more important to losing weight, diet or exercise?  He said he thinks its 70% what you eat and 30% exercise.  So yes, I am working out too!  But honestly, I put much more effort into making sure I follow the meal plan.  I work out with Bryan twice a week and on my own another two to three times a week.

I have gone from a BMI of 43.6 which is MORBIDLY OBESE  to a BMI of 36.6 which is still Obese, but JUST Obese.   I've lost 47.5 lbs in 17 weeks.   Trust me I won't be there for long, OVERWEIGHT and then HEALTHY WEIGHT, watch out, I'm coming for you!

So what are you waiting for??  Your turn to get healthier!  How are you going to do it??

Change How??

We were at the Big Ticket Festival and the Stand Strength Team was there.  Bryan Beaune, a part of the Stand team reminded me  that Ken from Anytime Fitness in Imlay City about putting together a package for our staff at Smile FM.  Bryan offered to work with me on a fitness and eating plan. 

Gyms have always intimidated me.  So many machines and except for the bike and treadmill, I have no idea what to do with them.  I've taken some classes in the past, which I've really enjoyed, but regular gym workouts, definitely something new to me.

After Big Ticket I set up a time to meet with Bryan and he explained his plan.  I was hoping it just involved working out and he wasn't going to mess with my precious pizza.  Yeah, I was wrong!  He said that he felt losing weight was 70% of eating right and 30% exercising right.  Rats!

"Oh great," I thought, "here comes some ridiculous eating plan with shakes and pre-packaged diet food!"  I was looking for any reason possible to write his idea off as another fad diet that wouldn't work for me.

Wrong again!  He laid out his plan, which he customizes for each client.  Real food, regular food, just the good stuff.  Ok, I can give this a try.

The best way to describe his eating plan is that it's 6 mini-meals a day that each have a serving of lean protein, healthy carb and vegetable. It's taken me a few days to get into the program, but I'm really loving the food.  It definitely takes some planning and pre-cooking.

 Oh and this is Bryan, my trainer.  Yes ladies he is available .... available to put together a eating and exercise plan for you too :-)  He creates a customized plan for each client based on their goals and needs.  He has clients with special dietary needs, those wanting to lose weight and even some wanting to gain weight (I know, what in the world!)  He also runs some intense boot camps and circuit training classes, which I guess I'm not ready for yet!  But I'll be there soon! 

Why Change?

"People change when they hurt enough that they have to, learn enough that they want to, or receive enough that they are able to" says one of my favorite authors John Maxwell.

Being overweight hurts, your body, your joints, your muscles and often your feelings.

I've read practically every diet book on the market, I've attended meetings, I've talked to others who have lost weight.  I understand how the concept works, eat less + move more = weight lost.  

"Receive enough that they're able to."  Meaning enough love, encouragement, information, inspiration.  I think I've got it.  Great family, amazing and supportive husband.  I know you ultimately have to be ready to lose weight for yourself and I do want that for myself, but honestly I want it so I can be a positive and healthy example for my kids...and so I can keep up with them. Having kids a little later in life means needing this body to last and function a little longer.

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you....So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20   I'm ready to rely on HIS strength to make this happen. 

 I'm ready to work, I'm ready to sacrifice, I'm ready to change.  How about you?

So who's tired of being Fat??

Ohhh, pick me, pick me!  I'm tired of being fat.

Really and I've tried everything, the twinkie diet, the ice cream diet, the snickerdoodle diet...oh wait, I think I see a problem here.  Seriously, I have tried a lot of different healthy eating plans and some of them have worked for a while, but then I get bored and go back to my old eating habits and my old size. 

Meet Me....size 24 me.

 I'm a Radio DJ and while most of the time I can hide my size 24 behind the microphone in my studio and let my charming personality shine through, quite often I have to make public appearances and then crazy fans take pictures of me and tag me on facebook.  Thanks friends, don't feel bad, it's inspiring me to make a change and change I will!

 I'm pretty active for a chubby girl, here's me hanging out at the trampoline place.  I do Zumba once in a while and love yoga once in a while.

I like this picture, Ronald has wider hips than I do :-)  Now, it's not that I blame the man....RONALD, but they do know me by name at the McD's Drive Thru in my town.  That's gonna to have to change.