Sam: Salami chuck frankfurter fatback, jerky venison ham filet mignon pork chop beef.
George: Tenderloin pork belly short ribs burgdoggen strip steak, prosciutto brisket.
Sam: Jerky burgdoggen pastrami short loin doner meatloaf shank beef ribs flank kevin.
George: Short ribs kielbasa ball tip chuck bacon meatball meatloaf cow biltong pastrami filet mignon fatback. Read more
Strip steak shankle boudin sirloin shank, flank hamburger chicken cow kevin landjaeger pancetta pork loin. Andouille cupim rump, biltong cow corned beef porchetta meatloaf doner prosciutto salami boudin short ribs landjaeger leberkas. Kevin ribeye filet mignon shoulder prosciutto bresaola flank ball tip venison t-bone.
Read more
Diets are obsolete, right? We know that they just don’t work long-term. Yet, we continue to be fed messages that indicate that specially designed meal plans, diet phases, rules, and guidelines will get us results!
If you are one of millions that are trying to lose weight, trim up or reduce body fat, it’s natural for ears to perk when someone claims there is a plan that will get you where you want to go.
But, what will really yield success?
Most people aren’t looking for a ‘quick fix’ to fit into a wedding dress or slim down for a beach vacation. No, they want to know how to make this proverbial “healthy lifestyle” a true reality in their life. People want to know how to lose weight for the last time and actually keep it off. No more yo-yo weight, regret, guilt or shame. No more fear of the scale or talking about health with a doctor.
As a Registered Dietitian, I could share lots of success stories of individuals that decided to adopt or tweak their current lifestyle and were able to experience the results they longed for. And for many of these individuals, they received so much more than a slimmer waistline. BUT, the best way to share real habits of those that have lost weight and kept it off long-term, is to investigate the research.
The National Weight Control Registry was established in 1994 and is the longest ongoing investigative research study on long-term weight loss maintenance. Essentially, this study is dedicated to unveiling the characteristics and behaviors of those individuals that have lost weight and kept it off for at least 1 year. It regularly follows up with participants (more than 10,000) using detailed surveys and questionnaires to learn about how they are practicing this healthy lifestyle and what it looks like in real life.
Every study participant has lost at least 30# and maintained the loss of at least 30# for 1 year or more. While 80% of the participants are female, it is still interesting to find out what successful individuals are doing on a regular basis to walk out their own freedom.
What you may also find encouraging is that these individuals have lost from 30-300# and some individuals have maintained their loss for as many as 66 years! Nothing is too big a challenge and maintaining a healthy weight really is possible!
Also, remember that your journey is your own. No one else has to do it like you and you don’t need to follow anyone else’s formula. Some participants in this study took as long as 14 years to reach their goal. While you may never want to take that long to hit your target, individuals who decide NOT to give up and to persevere another day should be celebrated!
What habits do these individuals practice that helps them continue to walk out their victory? This is a glance at what their healthy lifestyle actually looks like…
According to this study, 78% of these successful ‘losers’ eat breakfast on a daily basis. Breakfast breaks your fast. Essentially, it is the first meal that tells your body to amp up your metabolism, spark your energy, and burn some calories. Who doesn’t want to signal their body to begin burning calories first thing in the morning?! Eating breakfast also gives the body critical nutrients for memory and focus.
According to Rush University, breakfast eaters:
Not only is consuming the meal important but the what you eat at the meal can set you up for successful food choices the rest of the day! Just like you would at lunch and dinner, aim to consume a little bit of each of these important nutrients:
Complex Carbs Rich in Fiber- whole grain/sprouted grain bread or toast, oatmeal/oat bran, fruit, or even sweet potato
Lean Protein- eggs, low-fat greek yogurt, lean chicken/turkey sausage, low-fat cottage cheese
Healthy Fat- avocado, olive oil, low-fat cheese, nut butters, nuts
Calcium Rich Foods- low-fat dairy, dark leafy greens, almonds/almond milk
For some easy and delicious breakfast recipes, check out these ideas:
Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats Recipe Blueprint
Overnight Oats Recipe Blueprint
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins
While some people have a love-hate relationship with the scale, 75% of those in the study weigh themselves at least 1 time per week.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists may vary on recommendations about whether the scale is a helpful or harmful tool in the area of weight management, but obviously, these participants have found it to be a useful tool in monitoring their status. This shows that they don’t reach a target and then neglect to check in with themselves. Instead, most of these individuals have found the scale to provide helpful, maybe even necessary accountability.
The word maintenance means “upkeep” or “to keep in an existing state.” Weight loss and changes in lifestyle must be maintained- an action. It is continual movement and motion to keep up what the individual has worked so hard to achieve. The NWCR participants lost dozens, if not hundreds of pounds! They identified a tool that could help them own their choices and stay accountable on a weekly basis.
As you determine what is appropriate for you, read my post How Often You Should Step On The Scale, to provide a bit more food for thought.
Interestingly, NWCR study individuals don’t binge on the latest tv shows. At least, 62% of them watch less than 10 hours of tv per week, that’s about 1.5 hours of tv per day. That’s not really that much…like the local news plus a 1-hour drama each day.
Not surprisingly, research has shown a link between hours of tv viewing and obesity along with several other diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and early death! The Nurses’ Health Study of 50,000 middle-aged women showed a 23% risk of becoming obese for every 2 hours of daily tv. And, other studies like this one, have confirmed these results.
While your favorite show will not pack on the pounds, the event of tv viewing is not an entirely harmless activity.
While exercise alone can’t make up for a poor diet, it is a tremendously useful tool for weight loss and maintenance- when combined with healthy food and lifestyle behaviors. These study individuals are not just meeting the minimum exercise requirement of 30 minutes daily, but they are going above and beyond.
It is critical to note as well that this is a behavior these individuals practice daily. It has been worked into their schedule, routines and all those crazy busy days! It is not just a good intention but a way of life and 90% of these study participants claim this behavior. According to the NWCR statistics, 94% of people increased their exercise from their previous status and the most reported form of exercise is walking.
For anyone choosing to lose weight or maintain weight loss, exercise appears to be a critical component. But, remember that it doesn’t have to be a dread! There are dozens of ways to get active and have fun doing it! Also encouraging is that doing higher-intensity forms of physical activity can burn just as many calories and improve your fitness level in less time! So, if 60 minutes of exercise seems like just another item to add to your already too full daily list, consider HIIT, walk-jog, kickboxing or other forms of higher intensity workouts.
Need more ideas to get active? Check out these articles:
The Best Exercise Workout for Awesome Results in Less Time
Beyond Resolutions- Making Exercise Habits Stick
Everyone’s story is different. Weight loss and healthy living looks different for each of us. Don’t try to claim or live someone else’s story. Be OK with walking out your own health journey. BUT…
Do learn from those who are a step or 2 ahead of you
Do observe behaviors in your own life that are halting your progress, swinging you back into negative cycles and essentially crippling your success.
Your personal achievement is possible. People don’t win because they intend to. People win when they learn from mistakes, strengthen weak areas, and position themselves, again and again, to go at it another day.
REFERENCES
National Weight Control Registry: http://nwcr.ws/default.htm
Rush University Medical Center, The Science Behind Breakfast: https://www.rush.edu/health-wellness/discover-health/why-you-should-eat-breakfast
Harvard, School of Public Health, Television Watching and Sit Time: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/television-and-sedentary-behavior-and-obesity/
CDC, Exercise Requirements for Adults: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/
Harris, Jennifer L.; Bargh, John A.; Brownell, Kelly D
Priming effects of television food advertising on eating behavior.
Health Psychology, Vol 28(4), Jul 2009, 404-413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0014399
Barr-Anderson DJ, Larson NI, Nelson MC, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M. Does television viewing predict dietary intake five years later in high school students and young adults? The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2009;6:7. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-6-7.
Hu FB, Li TY, Colditz GA, Willett WC, Manson JE. Television Watching and Other Sedentary Behaviors in Relation to Risk of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women. JAMA. 2003;289(14):1785-1791. doi:10.1001/jama.289.14.1785
Grøntved A, Hu FB. Television Viewing and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, and All-Cause Mortality A Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2011;305(23):2448-2455. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.812.
My family enjoys freedoms every day thanks to veterans and service men and women. These individuals accept risk with courage, believe in a cause greater than oneself and live with convictions of honor, duty and responsibility. We honor you today! Thank you.
Enjoy this sweet, tangy, crunchy and nutty spin on the traditional classic coleslaw for a light and fresh side that will impress! Citrus Asian Coleslaw is a bright and colorful recipe that is very simple to put together.
What are you taking to the Memorial Day BBQ?! It is estimated that 75% of us are going to be firing up our grills for a festive afternoon celebration with friends and family! Don’t get ‘stuck’ bringing the chips, a heavy side dish or just another pie to load up the already full dessert table. Instead, bring a dish you feel good about eating and sharing with the people you love!
Perfect for your picnic (or to pack in your lunch box!), this Citrus Asian Coleslaw gets better as it sits and has the perfect balance of sweet and tang!
This spin on traditional vinegar-based coleslaw will impress your taste buds and takes only a few minutes to make. Just make sure you toss it together a day in advance to allow the cabbage to get tender and the flavors to combine!
For more party worthy recipes, check out this round up of 23 Healthy & Flavorful Make-Ahead Picnic Recipes.
ENJOY!!
Sometimes gifts show up in unexpected packages.
An entire year…that’s 12 months… 365 days…That’s how long it took for me to lose every last pound of pregnancy weight. I had shed all but about 5 pounds, but those stubborn little guys clung to me like those little “hitch-hiker” seeds that used to cling to our socks. It was really very frustrating and in many ways made me question my self-discipline, knowledge, years of training and experience, motivation,…everything!
What I knew, coached, preached, lived… didn’t seem to be working.
Fad diets and severe calorie restriction wasn’t an option and in fact never even crossed my mind. At times I wondered if this is just the “mom bod” that ‘women’ accept, but don’t really talk about. I wondered if this is what I would have to “live with” but deep down, the most important thing to me was being content, satisfied, even proud of this body. I was absolutely determined to care for my body physically, respect it mentally, and cherish it emotionally.
It wasn’t until I completely discontinued breastfeeding that those last pounds melted off. I kept working out as diligently as I could changing up my routine several times to find a schedule that worked with my baby’s. I continued to choose whole foods most of the time with the occasional treat, and I maintained a meal plan of about 3 meals and 3 snacks per day. Imagine that- hormones playing a role in our weight and body fat!
To imply that I simply “waited it out” and allowed my body to return to my natural weight would be misleading. No, in fact, I shed many tears, questioned my food and exercise behaviors, and spoke some critical things over my body that were the opposite of lovely, kind and nurturing. But, during those 365+/- days of struggle, perseverance, adapting, developing new routines, and becoming a more authentic and beautiful woman, mom, lover, and friend, I learned some things.
It unveiled some insecurities I didn’t know were lurking deep in my soul. It revealed unspoken expectations I had for myself. It gave me a good ole’ dose of humility. And one of the most treasured gifts it gave me was compassion for moms- moms who are trying really hard to be an amazing wife and lover, an awesome mom and nurturer, a reliable and excellent employee, and a beautiful woman inside and out.
The truth was that this year of struggle, of wrestling with these few stubborn pounds, of dealing with these uncomfortable feelings related to body image, expectations, and attractiveness… It was actually a gift.
I didn’t know it at the time. I certainly never would have called it a ‘gift’ during the season. There were times when I felt so hypocritical and downright mad that this was one area I couldn’t control.
Sometimes gifts don’t look like gifts we envision. We imagine our freedom and deliverance from the obstacle to look one way, but it doesn’t always come in the package we expect. But, when we change the way we look at our challenge, maybe it’s a gift in disguise. Maybe there is beauty there but you aren’t seeing it?
The gift is there, but how deep are you looking?
Sometimes gifts we receive are like diamonds in the rough. They look quite unattractive and useless. They don’t appear to hold any value. Rough. Hard. But only through chipping away at layers, can the stunning beauty be revealed.
What gifts have you been given? What layers do you need to unpack to see a glimpse of something that not only changes you but impacts people?
Eventually, after a few pity parties and personal tantrums, I chose to look beyond the caked on sediment, to see what this gift actually was.
Through my trial…
All these revelations were wrapped up in a very unattractive package, one I would have given back if you had asked.
Do you have any ugly, hard, or trying ‘gifts’ in you life that might contain more value than you realize?
Maybe like me, there is something yet to be seen, revealed, discovered, excavated. Maybe there is remarkable beauty to be exposed but there is a process to do so. Process is aka, “hard work.” Likely, it will involve chipping away at the surface sediment/deposits, to eventually reach the treasure.
But, I bet it’s there. I bet that if you are willing to surrender to the process, that the treasure you find will not only excite you but actually bless every person that looks in.
“I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.” ― Ann Voskamp
To think that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17)”
They are good even when they don’t feel good. They are good when they aren’t wrapped up in pretty packages. But what good gifts of life, encouragement, and hope can be shared when we commit to the excavation process? Beauty can shine out of your trials and frustrations!
Sometimes gifts show up in unexpected packages.
Will you see it?
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