Diet Motivation

Motivation is different for everyone.

Originally, mine was to lower my cholesterol
and Triglycerides.

Once the first 10 pounds came off, I was
still motivated by the fact that I had
some serious health issues related to
being overweight.

As my heart rate, blood pressure, glucose
levels and cholesterol and Triglyceride
levels started to normalize, I got excited!
That became an even bigger motivation, I
could get healthy with diet and exercise.

Now I've lost 57 pounds with 36 to go.

My clothes hang on me. My seat belt seems
much longer than it used to. Even my
shoes are a little loose on me! Who would
have thought my feet had fat on them?

And when people see me who haven't seen
me in a while, the look on their faces
is priceless.

I had begun thinking that I would never
lose the weight. It's a shame it took
health problems to motivate me.

But now it's the "I know I can do this"
that keeps me going.

What motivates you?

Irresponsible Article by Time Magazine Outrages Fitness Industry

Recently Time Magazine published an
article by writer John Cloud that
has the Fitness Industry up in arms.

And for good reason I might ad.

Basically the article stated that
exercise makes him hungry, can make
YOU hungry, therefore exercising will
keep you from losing weight, perhaps
even gain a few pounds.

This was in TIME Magazine!?!

This is an insane and irresponsible
article in the face of an ongoing
Obesity Crisis here in the United
States as well as many other parts of
the world.

You can read that article HERE

Exercise is the best way to burn
calories! And if you do get hungry,
THEN EAT RESPONSIBLY! It's a good
idea to eat something after a good
workout. Have a piece of fruit, or
a protein shake or perhaps some lean
protein like fish or chicken.

John Cloud, you can't stuff your face
with cookies and donuts after a workout
and expect to lose weight! Just because
you choose to exercise UNhealthy habits
after a workout doesn't mean that
the rest of the world is full of morons
like you! Think about what you're doing
and then give a little thought to what
you're going to write.

Word is that Time Magazine has been
bombarded with rebuttals from the
Fitness Industry since the article
appeared. I'm hoping to see him
recant the whole thing.

BTW: At this writing I am down 54 pounds!

Time Away from the Diet - Fruit Salad Recipe

I took a month to not diet quite
so hard and just maintain my loss.

Generally, I stick like glue to the
diet, but I was feeling burned out.
I was missing foods that I love!

So for the past month, I mainly just
kept to calorie counting and not
eating as healthfully as I should.

I ended up losing 3 pounds anyway.

But a recent knee injury and shoulder
injury kept me down for about a week
and preparing good food was just not
a viable option.

The result? I gained 4 pounds!

I was down 45 pounds from where I
started, and now I'm only down 41.

Not to be discouraged, I am hopping
back on the healthier choices.

So, I'm about to make this amazing
Fruit Salad. It's great, give it a
try. Very easy to prepare. And fruits
are abundant right now.

Simply chop the following
Fresh Fruits:


Pineapple

Banana

Apple

Peach

Strawberries

Orange or Tangerine

Grapes (I prefer the red seedless)

Just chop these into a size
that suits you and place in
a large container. A plastic
container with a lid works best
for storing.

Now, you can squeeze a little lime
juice in the mix to keep the
bananas from turning brown. Or,
if you and your family are going
to eat it all now, put in a container
of Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt!

Chill before serving for a
cool Summer treat that beats
the heat!

THIS IS SO YUMMY!

And it's good for you.

If you're going to need to store
some of it a day or two, just go
with the lime juice and add the
yogurt when you're ready to eat.

You can add just about any fruit
you like. I have made it with
mangoes, green grapes, kiwi, pears,
and a few others. Just add what you
like in the way of fresh fruit.

You can also use Mandarin Oranges
if you can find them. Even the
canned ones are good as long as
they are packed in JUICE only.
No syrup.

I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Summertime Fare

Well, it's hot here in SE Texas
and it certainly feels like summer
when you're out in the scorching sun.

Hot weather just screams Potato Salad!

But when you're watching calories and
fat?

Here's a great Potato Salad Recipe
that won't undo all that you've
worked so hard to do.

Ingredients

* 2 pounds potato(es), new (tiny)
* 1 cup(s) dressing, low-fat mayonnaise-based
* 2 stalk(s) celery
* 1 large onion(s), chopped
* 1/3 cup(s) pickles, sweet, (or dill) chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper, black ground
* 2 egg(s), hard boiled, chopped
* 1 1/2 tablespoon milk, fat-free
* pepper, black ground, to taste


Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, combine potatoes
and enough water to cover potatoes. Bring
to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer
for 15 to 20 minutes or just until tender.
Drain well; cool potatoes. Cut potatoes into
quarters.

2. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise
dressing, celery, onion, pickles, the 1/2
teaspoon salt, and the 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Add the potatoes and egg, gently tossing to
coat. Cover and chill for 6 to 24 hours.

3. To serve, stir enough of the milk into
salad to reach desired consistency. Season
to taste with additional pepper.

Nutritional Info (Per serving):

Calories: 86, Saturated Fat: 1g,
Sodium: 254mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g,
Total Fat: 3g, Carbs: 14g, Cholesterol: 27mg,
Protein: 2g

Exchanges: Starch: 1,
Fat: 0.5
Carb Choices: 1

And The Biggest Loser Is...

Helen!

Yep, Helen lost over half her body
weight and is the New Biggest Loser!

Is that women 3 seasons in a row now?

Haven't been able to post for several
weeks due to a computer virus, but
I'm baaaaack!

To recap, I lost 10 pounds which was
my first goal so that I might lower
my blood sugar.

Then I hit the 25 pound mark which
really put my blood sugar back in the
right range and lowered my resting
heart rate.

When I had hit 36 pounds a trip to
the doc revealed that I had cut my
triglycerides in half but still need
to keep lowering them. The weird thing
is that my cholesterol was up slightly
and I really don't get that.

Now at -40 and counting, I'm really
getting psyched. Even if my pants
(which were two sizes smaller) did
fall off when I was cooking dinner
the other night.

It was funny and gave me a good laugh.

What Sparks YOU to Get Fit?

If you're like me (and most other people)
you've got some health or fitness goals
that you'd like to achieve. That's why
I wanted to tell you about the SparkAmerica
Challenge over at SparkPeople.com, a FREE
website for people looking to improve
their health and fitness levels.

SparkAmerica is a yearlong fitness challenge
designed to motivate Americans to improve
their health by consistently taking small,
positive action steps. The focus of this
campaign is a 1 billion fitness minute
challenge that makes fitness fun, keeps
you motivated and helps you reach your goals.

By Joining SparkPeople You Get:

- Calorie Counter & Meal Plans: Take the
guesswork out of what to eat with these
powerful customizable tools.

- Personalized Fitness Plan & Exercise Demos:
Burn calories and tone your muscles with routines
you can do at home or at the gym, plus online
exercise videos.

- Active Support Message Boards: Get help from
thousands of other people like you who are
losing weight with SparkPeople.

- Advice From Our Experts: Our programs are
designed by registered dieticians and personal
trainers, who are also there to answer your questions.

- Member Created Goal Teams: Find others with similar
goals and work towards success together.

- Recipes, Articles, Tips and More: Thousands
of articles and over 60,000 recipes to learn
more about eating right, staying active, and
sticking to your program.

Join SparkPeople Now For Free!
www.sparkpeople.com
Please use CowgirlBlues as your referral.