The Fight Againist Obesity

I am trying to get myself out of the obese BMI category. When I first heard that this was the category that I was in I thought, “Now wait a minute, I am not obese.” I consider people who are 500 pounds or more to be obese. I had never put myself in that category with them. Sadly, I am obese, but not for long! I am working my way out of this crazy obesity trap!

Stephanie Gray RD, from MGH came and spoke to the Great Weight off group. She highlighted the diseases that obese individuals are at a higher risk for which included hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. I loved when she showed us plates and bowls that were small enough to control our portion sizes. I went right home and announced to my family that I am now going to eat on a salad plate. Stephanie said we should eat off of plates that were smaller than the average dinner plate that we use today. She stated that less food looks like more on a smaller plate. Now this is a good mind trick!

Stephanie also talked about our salt intake. I really have a hard time with salt because I love salt! Processed foods, which Americans eat a lot of, contain high amounts of sodium. When you prepare your own meals, you control what goes in them. She pointed out that a lot of people are willing to wait in line for ten minutes to get breakfast in the morning before work, but the same people claim that they do not have the time to make their own meals. Why not take that time to make your own breakfast so you can control how healthy it is. Also, a lot of kids today think that cookies come from a tube and that mash potatoes are from a box and so on. A lot of kids do not know how to cook. We should get kids involved in making their own food. In the long run, parents are going to pay more in healthcare costs if we do not teach children the importance of healthy eating. I had the word guilty written over my face when she talked about this. I love to bake, but I was never the best at making meals for my family. I was always ordering fast food after ballgames. We can let life get in the way of healthy eating. I remember when my daughter was in 4-H, and she took baking. I told her to go in the house to flour the counter so she would be ready to cut the biscuits she was making by the time I came inside. As I walked in the house I saw she had floured the whole countertop! This goes to show you that we should not assume that our kids know how to make their own food. We need to teach them the steps today so that one day they can make healthy choices on their own instead of stopping by the drive through on the way home from work.

Stephanie really made me think when she spoke about obesity and how we have to change our lifestyles. We all complain about the cost of healthcare, but what are we doing to help keep our healthcare costs down? This is a hard pill to swallow, but it is what it is. I feel like humpty dumpty. I fell off the wall, and now I am putting myself back together again. We can reverse weight gain and start over the healthy way, and that is great news!

Thank you MGH for having Stephanie come and teach us that we can live healthier lives and win the war against obesity!

Julie

JTH9: Identifying and Overcoming Obesity Related Diseases with Stephanie Gray, RD

Did you know that the fat in one doughnut is equal to TEN bagels or that ½ cup of ice cream has the same amount of fat as four 8-ounce cups of low-fat vanilla yogurt? I like knowing that three slices of thin-crust veggie pizza is the equivalent of one slice of pan pizza with meat topping because veggie pizza is my favorite! Although the lower-fat foods outnumber the higher fat versions, it isn't a green light to eat mass quantities. Losing weight and getting healthy is about portion size as we discovered.

We learned a lot at our last Great Weight Off meeting about portion distortion thanks to Stephanie Gray, a Registered Dietitian with MGH. Did you know that the kid's size meal served in restaurants is actually an adult portion?! No wonder it's so hard to lose weight, we're all eating way more than we need and we don't even realize it. I don't know about you, but I'm a former member of the “clean-your-plate” club. I grew up knowing that I had to eat everything I was served in order to leave the table or get dessert. It took many years to overcome that childhood conditioning and it is still an automatic response sometimes, especially if stress is high. On top of that, everything is bargain priced if you “super-size” it. So, instead of the 12 oz can of soda, we're getting Polar pops which Stephanie said can contain the equivalent of 4-5 sodas. We get the jumbo size popcorn at the movies (that comes with free refills) which contains 1,650 calories and 93 grams of fat!

Stephanie brought some props to demonstrate accurate portion sizes. She said that what we call a salad plate is the size plate we should use for our meals because smaller plates make us think there is more food on it. She showed us a bowl and asked us how much cereal we would put in it. How much cereal do YOU put in your bowl? Of course, we fill it to the top! She showed us a serving size is ½ to ¾ full. Seriously, who fills their bowl only half-way up unless that's all the cereal left in the box! Stephanie's talk about portion size was very enlightening. I learned a lot that will help me on my wellness journey.

Stephanie also explained triglycerides (fat in the blood, bad news if it gets too high) and HDL (good cholesterol) and gave us several tips on how to lower the triglycerides and increase HDL (eat more fruits and veggies, choose good fats like walnuts, almonds, peanuts or peanut butter, and exercise). She also talked to us about nutrition, food labels, obesity related diseases, and the benefits of exercise.

Stephanie said she recommends that her patients use MyFitnessPal to log their food intake because it's convenient for most people who carry their smart phone everywhere. You can scan the bar code on the container of what you consume and it automatically calculates nutrition information. Tracking what you eat creates an awareness of how much you are consuming. I have used MyFitnessPal for a couple years and love it. In addition to your nutrition, you can track and see reports on your exercise, water intake, weight, measurements, etc. It also has a social feature where you can interact with your friends and encourage each other. Cost: FREE!

Stephanie's presentation was jammed-packed with a lot of helpful information. She took the time to answer our questions and we could tell that she truly cares about helping people get healthy.

Kathy

Special thanks to Stephanie Gray, RD for sharing her expertise about getting healthy! 

 This is one of the handouts Stephanie brought to show us the comparison of fat in food. 

Inspiring Women

Today is International Women's Day. I am grateful for all the women who have stood up for our rights for equality. This day makes me think about the women who have helped inspire positive change in my life. There are many, but if I had to choose just one, it would be Joyce Meyer. Louise Hay is close behind. Oprah Winfrey is the loop too. I admire these women because they have overcome immense obstacles in their life to help create positive change in people's lives. They have influenced my life in many ways including this journey I am currently on to live my healthiest, happiest life and help others along the way. I pray for the faith of Joyce Meyer, the confidence of Louise Hay, and the generous spirit of Oprah Winfrey. I love that they all have found the strength and courage to share their gifts with the world. I aspire to do the same thing in my own unique way as I travel this enlightened path.

We all have family members who inspire us. My grandmother inspired me to write, not by talking about it, but by doing it. She always had a notepad and pen nearby. My grandma also instilled her faith in God in me that has been the greatest source of strength in my life. My mother has inspired me to have a forgiving spirit. She forgives easily and has passed that gift on to me. Forgiveness enables growth. My daughter inspires me because she raises three children while working a full-time, physically demanding job. She is proof that each generation evolves. She is beautiful inside and out.

I am thankful for all the women who have helped me become the woman I am today, one who cares about the connection of mind, body and spirit and reminds me that we are all one.

Who inspires you?

Kathy

A Day In The Sun

I've never been diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but it wouldn't surprise me to learn I have it. When it's cold and dreary out I just want to hibernate and stress gets to me a lot quicker. The older I get, the colder and longer winter seems. That's why days like today feel like a godsend. It has been in the 50's with the sun shining all day which has energized me physically and spiritually. I've been going all day on solar power. I park far away from the store entrance and take my time soaking up the sun. I plan to get outside as much as I can the next few days while its warm to recharge my energy stores which should help me finish the Great Weight Off Challenge strong. 

I hope you are enjoying your days in the sun too! 

Kathy

BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED

BLOOM WHERE YOUR ARE PLANTED



Do you like your job? I had a job working as an aide at an elementary school for eleven years. I absolutely loved that job. I loved the people, and I loved the kids. I had to leave this job because I needed better insurance and more money to pay my bills. I cried for what seems like forever when I left. The children that I had helped for so many years kept asking me why I was leaving.  My heart was just broken.  I knew down deep inside that God was telling me it was time to move on. When I started my new job with great insurance, good benefits, and more pay I hated it. I cried everyday going to this job. I kept asking God why? Why am I here?  I missed my old coworkers and the children. This new job was so foreign to me.

As I look back, I understand why I had to leave the school. This new job needed me and I needed it. I was thrown into a job that I knew nothing about.  The people at this new job were from different backgrounds, and they all had different opinions from my own.

It has been four years now, and I feel I have acquired a new skill that I would have never knew that I had if I did not take this job. I love working with people, and I feel that even though my job entails some people getting angry at times, I enjoy making them feel that someone cares.

I also have found that since I have started exercising and eating right my outlook on my job has changed in so many ways. I look back, and I do not think my inability to let go was about my new job. Instead it was about me and how I felt about myself. Sure, everyone has days they really do not like their job. But I must be thankful that I have a job, and it is a job that offers insurance and time off.  If I never accepted this job I really do not think that I would have embarked on this new journey for the Great Weight Off.

So, today and every day I am thankful that I can get up and have a brighter outlook about my job and myself. Even though I miss my old job at times, I am thankful for new co-workers and the generous support they have given me on this journey.

Our ways are not always God’s ways in our journey of life. Look at what we would miss out on if we do not listen and follow God’s plan for our life.

Julie

The Banana Split Diet

There is a popular restaurant near me in Upland, Indiana called Ivanhoe's Ice Cream and Sandwich Shoppe. They are famous for their wide variety of ice cream flavors. I can't wait until they offer a banana split like this one, made completely of fruit. I've always loved ice cream, but after going to a plant-based diet a couple years ago and becoming lactose intolerant out of the blue, I stopped eating ice cream and missed it. I tried the plant-based ice cream in the health food stores, but I never found any that compared to the creamy texture of milk-based ice cream, until I discovered frozen bananas!  I like it so much I bought a Yonanas banana ice cream making machine that gives bananas an amazing creaminess that is so close to what we were used to that my family cannot tell the difference. Mixing frozen bananas up in the blender with a little coconut milk or coconut water works too!

In this video, Kristina mixes other fruits with the bananas to get different flavors, but just like the ever popular "vanilla" ice cream, I like plain frozen bananas and then top it with fruit like pineapples and strawberries. YUM. It's SO delicious.

I know it's still winter and we're not thinking a lot about cold treats, but it's supposed to get in the 60's in the next couple days and that will feel like summer after the long frigid winter we've had. A real banana, Banana Split sounds like the perfect way to celebrate spring to me (after I go for a hike at Mounds, of course)!

This Banana Split is so good for our body, we could have it every day. The Banana Split Diet? Now, that's a diet I could stick to!

Kathy

Tricks to Getting a Beach Body and Healthy

I love this video. In just a couple minutes so much information is shared in an entertaining way. I especially like Michelle Obama's reply when Will Ferrell asks her if there is one trick to having a great beach bod and getting healthy? She says, "It's not about tricks. Getting a good body is about dedication, consistency, and eating right." The First Lady and the kids also set Will straight about "cheat days" and diet cola. Great way to get us all engaged and talking healthy!

Let's Move!

Kathy