How to Avoid the Holiday Food Fest

Halloween was a bust. Every street light on my road went dark the day before the big day and stayed out for three days. We had not one trick-or-treater. We did, however, have a huge bag of candy.  I froze it. Then I ate it frozen. Then I let it thaw out and continued to devour it. Somewhere around the 4000th calorie, I gathered up my resolve and threw it out. I also threw kitty litter on top of it so I wouldn’t be pawing through the trash to get at it.

Congratulations to me for having a tiny bit of self-control!

Now we are faced with seven weeks of eating festivities. The thing is, there are really only three or four days in that seven week period that are bona fide holidays. So I want you to think of this time between now and New Year’s in that way. It is not a continual food fest where you have permission to over indulge. It is instead, a few days of celebration when you can let your guard down. But only for those few days.

To help you, my book, “Win When You Lose: A Guide to Successful Dieting” is free on the Amazon lending library until January 29, 2014. Please check it out. You can locate my book by clicking on the link to the right of this post which says  “For More Win When You Lose”: click “Kindle version.” I hope it helps you all stay in control this holiday season. There’s nothing worse than starting out January 2nd with an extra five (or more) pounds to lose.

If all else fails, drop me a note and I will try to talk you down. Or Visit our Facebook page at Win When You Lose and tell me what is happening with you.

Happy Holidays to you all!

The Best Smoothie Ever

I am not a smoothie fan. But I might be converted by the following recipe for the best smoothie ever.

Fill your blender with Lifeway low-fat, plain Kefir. Kefir is a yogurt drink found next to the milk in your local grocery store. I had never tried Kefir before the other day. Why did I wait so long?

Throw in two packets of Splenda, or sugar if you are a purist. Add more or less to taste.

Throw in a handful of Dole “Wildly Nutritious” Frozen Mixed Berries. Blend and enjoy.

It is so good, so good for you, and low-calorie too. Kefir makes the best smoothie ever!

More is Not Better

Have you seen the television ad with the little girl saying, “Well, we just want More. Not less. We want MORE. We’re not getting enough so MORE is better and we just want MORE.” I think it’s an AT&T ad. And the quote is not verbatim, but the idea is the same. Not to argue with AT&T, but more is not better.

This “more is better” attitude is what has gotten us where we are…..the fattest nation in the world. You’ve heard that fifty years ago food portions were much less than they are now and people weighed considerably less. An 8- ounce Coke was standard. What’s standard now? At least 12 ounces. Back then, a meal at McDonald’s did not have a super- size anything. The Big Mac was huge by standards of the day.

Our standards have changed and more is what we want. More of this, more of that, more of everything. The thing to remember as you struggle to make do with less is that “more” is the problem. More is not your friend. We don’t need more. Someone once told me that one bite of something is tasting. Two to six bites is eating. Anything MORE is stuffing your face.

More is not what we need, unless it is more willpower, more determination, more inspiration, and more self-esteem. Those “mores” will get us where we need to be. Enjoy and slowly savor the normal portions of your food and leave the more for someone else. If you can keep the image of that whiny little girl in your head while you eat, so much the better. You can do this…..Win When You Lose can help.

There is No Good Time to Start Losing Weight

Many times people will tell me that “This just isn’t a good time to start my weight loss. I have a (fill in the blank with some special occasion) coming up.” It might be a shock, but there is no good time to start losing weight.

Think of it by the calendar. You start off with New Year’s Eve and then jump into a manic effort to get your eating under control. For me, my birthday comes next (I would like to change it to sometime in July), then an anniversary, and then Valentine’s Day. This triple-whammy is closely followed by St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. Memorial Day is right around the corner, with graduations and weddings thrown in for good measure before the 4th of July beckons with all of that good American celebration food. Summer cookouts and vacations blend into Labor Day. Soon is it Halloween and then, Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s an excuse to put off your weight loss attempt at every turn of the calendar page.

The thing to remember is that you will have to learn how to navigate these occasions and excuses for indulgence in the future. There are just too many special dates and they all seem to revolve around food.  There is no good time to start losing weight. You may as well start and do it now. Start! Just start right now. Today, with your very next meal. You can do it and I can help. I’ll give you tips to avoid overeating on those holidays in a future post. Or you can buy the Win When You Lose book at http://www.amazon.com/author/susanmcdaniel and get a jump-start on becoming the best you you can be. Keep the calendar view in your mind when you try to postpone your weight loss efforts. It will hopefully snap you back to reality.

You Cannot Eat What You Do Not Buy

This post continues with the theme, “what are you feeding yourself?”  Can you tell me:  What is the unasked question when you watch reality television segments about people so huge that they cannot get out of bed or leave their house?

Obviously, the question no one wants to verbalize is “Who is feeding this person?” Many times you see empty soda bottles, candy wrappers, and chip bags strewn about the room where these folks are held prisoner. So how did that junk food get in there if the person cannot move?

Someone is enabling (or disabling,  depending on how you look at it) these people. So who is enabling, or disabling, you? No doubt it is yourself. Who brings the junk food and the trigger foods that cause your overeating into your house? Nine times out of ten it is you. So why do you do this? Why do you sabotage yourself? Why do you test yourself?

Many times I hear the excuse, “Well I need to buy that stuff for the rest of the family. Why should they have to suffer because I have a weight problem?” That whole argument is bogus. No one “needs” empty calories and junk food. You are doing yourself and your family a favor by limiting the trash food your family has around them. If they “need” to eat that stuff they can do it away from your environment.

You cannot eat what you do not buy. DO NOT buy anything that tests your self control. Save the money and put it in a fund for yourself. Use the money for new clothes, a massage, any kind of non-food reward that pleases you. And remember the obese house-bound folks as you make your rounds in the grocery store. If you would not supply them with unhealthy food, then why would you feed it to yourself?

You’re on a Diet: What are you Feeding Yourself?

You’re trying to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. Congratulations! Now I have to ask you, “What are you feeding yourself?” I’m not asking what you are eating. I’m asking what is motivating you to succeed? What kinds of things are you feeding yourself? Your mind, not your body. What kind of diet are you supplying your mind?

The material you read, view, and generally surround yourself with can make or break your weight loss success. Are you on a steady diet of entertainment news where you constantly see unattainable body images? Are you watching a stream of doom and gloom news shows that depress your spirit and sap your energy?

Or are you reading encouraging, inspirational books and magazines that spur you on to greater things? Do you have copies of health and fitness related magazines strewn across your coffee table or bedside table? Are copies of inspirational books (like mine!) on your Kindle for easy access when you need a motivational boost? Are the movies and television shows you watch supporting your efforts or undermining them? (I’m not sure watching cooking shows and food-related channels would be the best choice for you at this point in time.)

What you put into your mind directly affects what you put into your body. You need to feed yourself the kind of material that helps you succeed, not the kind that holds you back from your goals. Splurge on some healthy cooking magazines like Cooking Light. Read up on nutrition with Nutrition Action Newsletter. Buy Men’s Health or Shape magazines instead of your usual US Weekly or People.

You’ll find that feeding your mind a diet of encouragement and motivation makes the weight loss road less intimidating and increases your chances of success. Watching and reading these types of media reinforces your goals and determination.

You can do it. I know you can. But you should give yourself the best odds of success possible. Think about the diet for your mind right now we’ll deal with the diet for your body in coming posts.

Win When You Lose:  Available on Kindle and coming later this week in paperback: www.amazon.com/author/susanmcdaniel

A Guide to Successful Dieting

Thoughts About Reverse Weight Discrimination

One of my guilty pleasures is reality TV. I admit it. It’s a disease. But sometimes something happens that makes you take notice. This happened during a recently aired “Reunion” show where an absurdly skinny and bodaciously endowed (implants) lady bemoaned a reverse weight discrimination situation.

They call her the “Persian Barbie” because she does have that Barbie-esque physique. Throughout the season, other cast members took aim at her figure and diet. Snide remarks, not the least of which was the “Barbie” tag, flew all around her.

Her point was that it was politically correct and acceptable for her weight and figure to be maligned. It was not politically correct or acceptable for her or anyone else to comment on the overweight cast members.

This is true. Underweight and naturally skinny people often suffer jokes and slander, just as overweight people are maliciously attacked. The lesson learned is that it is not acceptable to judge anyone based on their weight, nor is it anyone’s right to comment on it. Many naturally thin people exist at the mercy of their genetic makeup, just as do those of us that struggle with weight issues.

Tolerance, understanding, and acceptance are needed on all fronts. We can be jealous of those people who remain thin with no real effort, but we must not begrudge them their good fortune. We must treat others as we would like to be treated.

www.amazon.com/author/susanmcdaniel  Your copy of Win When You Lose awaits you here.

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Where is Your Motivation to Lose Weight Now?

Here it is, three days after Valentine’s Day. Are you surrounded by a heap of brown paper chocolate wrappers? Does the Whitman Sampler call to you from the kitchen counter? Is your motivation to lose weight as long gone as the Christmas wrapping paper from six weeks ago? Where is your motivation to lose the weight and keep it off now?

You aren’t alone. All of your good intentions from January 2nd may have waned a bit, but you are still capable of losing the weight you set out to lose in your New Year’s resolution. But you can’t let yourself get derailed now. Swimsuit season is right around the corner and you need to be ready.

What to do? How to get back the motivation that was raging six short weeks ago?

First, don’t beat yourself up about slipping up. It’s normal.

Second, go right back to writing down everything you are eating.

Third, rid your home and workplace of all of the goodies that have found their way into your world.

Fourth, find a picture of a slim person, in a swimsuit, maybe, to plaster on the front of your refrigerator. Put it front and center to remind yourself of your goals.

Fifth, read the motivation chapter in “Win When You Lose: A Guide to Successful Dieting,” and let me know how I can help you. Try http://www.amazon.com/author/susanmcdaniel

A Guide to Successful Dieting

Reach me here or on the Facebook page: Win When You Lose.

You can do this! I can help.