I know of people who have had weight loss surgery or have "tried everything" to lose weight and have not been able to lose weight or have not been able to keep it off. But the problem is, they're looking for a short term fix to a long term problem, which really needs a long term solution.
Like I said in my previous post, people are willing to make exercise a part of their "healthy lifestyle", but their not willing to TRUELY make FOOD a part of that healthy lifestyle. People want to come in the gym and exercise so that they can leave and eat whatever the heck they want! #1 Calories In vs Calories Out people. And it is RIDICULOUSLY EASY to eat 3000 calories in 1 day, it is RIDICULOUSLY HARD to burn 3000 calories in 1 day!! I could go into that, but not on this post.
But I think I know the problem. And it's a society thing. Our society is so spoiled and so lazy. Now, I used to think that drive-up ATM's were ridiculous. Just get out of your car and walk to the ATM! Then I had kids -3 to be exact - and I realized how convenient and helpful it was. But let me tell you, when my kid's are not with me...Oh, I still use the drive-up ATM, there's one on every corner and not very many you can walk up to any more. I could go off about the parking spaces that are for pregnant women (hello, they need their exercise, too. I was one - 3 times!) or the parking spaces for parents of little children. I love that because the way people drive I would rather be closer to the door with my kids. But it's the lazy-freakin' people who DON'T HAVE ANY KIDS WITH THEM who park there! Oh, that drives me nuts! I only park there when my kids are with me- my little kids - not my 12 yr old, she can walk. So many things that are modern day "conveniences" are making us spoiled and lazy!! Do everything from your computer/your phone/your ipod - you don't have to leave your house - great! More fat butts and hunched backs!
But seriously, the problem is that in order to truely eat healthy, you have to THINK about it. It takes work! It takes effort! It takes brain power! It takes Time. And I'll be honest with you. With 3 kids, I don't always have the brain power or the energy! But I certainly try my best and smetimes I have off days. But let me get into that later.
Just a little background story. I made somewhat healthy choices most of my life. (that's a whole 'nother story) But after my son was born, we found out, at 3months, that he was allergic to dairy. Well, wanting to be healthy and continue to breast feed, I had to cut dairy out of MY diet. This made me analyze everything I ate and what I realized was that I had dairy in almost every meal! Milk with my cereal, yogurt for snacks, cheese in my salad, butter already in sliced bread you get a the store, milk with my dinner. I mean, I literally didn't know what to eat. So my problem became, "Am I eating enough??" So I started diligently tracking my food. All the websites say, for safety reasons, if you are pregnant or nursing do not limit your calories. Well, that was not my problem. I made sure I was giving myself enough calories, but finding those calories that were not filled with dairy was a challenge. My point is #1 it took me wanting to take care of my child to actual track my calories!! (I had tracked my food before, but never my actual calories! I always though that was a bit much.)
And #2 It took me tracking my calories and doing it for an entire 9months, to realize what I was eating and to realize how many calories were IN the foods I was eating. I had no idea dairy was in almost everything I ate! And I had no idea how many calories I was eating my simply eating an apple, or a slice of bread with some honey on it! I've had friends track their calories and realize they eat fast food much more often than they realized.
You see we all have selective memory. We only want to remember the good things we've eaten. I did start writing down my food when I got married (before my dairy allergy son was born), but I wasn't logging my calories. I did realize that I was eating 3 desserts a day rather than just the 1 that I THOUGHT I had been eating. It was a habit/lifestyle to have a little something sweet after every meal! But it was only after my son when I logged my food & calories for 9months that I LEARNED how to eat. It was a lot of work!! It took a lot of time!! And even 5 years later I'm still learning and tweaking and falling off the wagon and getting back on. But for the most part, I make healthy choices-lots of veggies, lean meats, very little processed foods-lots of fresh foods that I have made myself!! I would not consider myself a health nut, even though I am very healthy. But I still have cookies and I still go on eating binges from time to time and I love a good burger. I'm not perfect. I get tired and I eat! I get stressed and I eat! But I know how to get myself back under control. And when I want something "unhealthy" like a burger or fries, I make my own!! I can control the calories, the fat, the grease, and I sneak veggies into my food (see next post). You see when you have a healthy LIFESTYLE, those off days, or simply that, OFF DAYS. They come and go. The goal is to make your regular habit of healthy foods and healthy choices outweight the days that you go a little nuts and have something way out of your calorie limit or totally processed or full of sugar or sodium, whatever your poison is. (mine is sugar!)
What's my Point??
DON'T BE LAZY!! If you want to lose weight it's gonna take work and not just in the gym!
USE YOUR BRAIN!! If you want to be healthy, you're gonna need to THINK about WHAT YOU EAT! Because a donut every sunday morning at church is NOT OK. Exercise during the week so that you can drink your margarita's or cases of beer or bottles of wine on the weekends is NOT OK. Feeding yourself and your kids burgers and fries and an orange SODA before their softball, soccer, volleyball or cheerleading practice is NOT do your grocery shopping. You have to pre-cut your veggies (or puree them like I do). You have to make healthy snacks for your kids when you're on the go (homemade granola bars or carrot/applesauce muffins). You have to take the time and the effort if you really want to be healthy.
And if you have no idea HOW to do it, ask for help!!! Us trainers, at least the ones I know at my Y, are more than willing to help. We will even show you our food diaries on myfitnesspal. (If you show me yours, I'll show you mine) Ask us questions, we'll give you our secrets and our recipes. It is totally do-able! Even for mom's who work full time! Not an excuse. You just have to put your priorities first and take the time and make the effort.
Like I said in my previous post, people are willing to make exercise a part of their "healthy lifestyle", but their not willing to TRUELY make FOOD a part of that healthy lifestyle. People want to come in the gym and exercise so that they can leave and eat whatever the heck they want! #1 Calories In vs Calories Out people. And it is RIDICULOUSLY EASY to eat 3000 calories in 1 day, it is RIDICULOUSLY HARD to burn 3000 calories in 1 day!! I could go into that, but not on this post.
But I think I know the problem. And it's a society thing. Our society is so spoiled and so lazy. Now, I used to think that drive-up ATM's were ridiculous. Just get out of your car and walk to the ATM! Then I had kids -3 to be exact - and I realized how convenient and helpful it was. But let me tell you, when my kid's are not with me...Oh, I still use the drive-up ATM, there's one on every corner and not very many you can walk up to any more. I could go off about the parking spaces that are for pregnant women (hello, they need their exercise, too. I was one - 3 times!) or the parking spaces for parents of little children. I love that because the way people drive I would rather be closer to the door with my kids. But it's the lazy-freakin' people who DON'T HAVE ANY KIDS WITH THEM who park there! Oh, that drives me nuts! I only park there when my kids are with me- my little kids - not my 12 yr old, she can walk. So many things that are modern day "conveniences" are making us spoiled and lazy!! Do everything from your computer/your phone/your ipod - you don't have to leave your house - great! More fat butts and hunched backs!
But seriously, the problem is that in order to truely eat healthy, you have to THINK about it. It takes work! It takes effort! It takes brain power! It takes Time. And I'll be honest with you. With 3 kids, I don't always have the brain power or the energy! But I certainly try my best and smetimes I have off days. But let me get into that later.
Just a little background story. I made somewhat healthy choices most of my life. (that's a whole 'nother story) But after my son was born, we found out, at 3months, that he was allergic to dairy. Well, wanting to be healthy and continue to breast feed, I had to cut dairy out of MY diet. This made me analyze everything I ate and what I realized was that I had dairy in almost every meal! Milk with my cereal, yogurt for snacks, cheese in my salad, butter already in sliced bread you get a the store, milk with my dinner. I mean, I literally didn't know what to eat. So my problem became, "Am I eating enough??" So I started diligently tracking my food. All the websites say, for safety reasons, if you are pregnant or nursing do not limit your calories. Well, that was not my problem. I made sure I was giving myself enough calories, but finding those calories that were not filled with dairy was a challenge. My point is #1 it took me wanting to take care of my child to actual track my calories!! (I had tracked my food before, but never my actual calories! I always though that was a bit much.)
And #2 It took me tracking my calories and doing it for an entire 9months, to realize what I was eating and to realize how many calories were IN the foods I was eating. I had no idea dairy was in almost everything I ate! And I had no idea how many calories I was eating my simply eating an apple, or a slice of bread with some honey on it! I've had friends track their calories and realize they eat fast food much more often than they realized.
You see we all have selective memory. We only want to remember the good things we've eaten. I did start writing down my food when I got married (before my dairy allergy son was born), but I wasn't logging my calories. I did realize that I was eating 3 desserts a day rather than just the 1 that I THOUGHT I had been eating. It was a habit/lifestyle to have a little something sweet after every meal! But it was only after my son when I logged my food & calories for 9months that I LEARNED how to eat. It was a lot of work!! It took a lot of time!! And even 5 years later I'm still learning and tweaking and falling off the wagon and getting back on. But for the most part, I make healthy choices-lots of veggies, lean meats, very little processed foods-lots of fresh foods that I have made myself!! I would not consider myself a health nut, even though I am very healthy. But I still have cookies and I still go on eating binges from time to time and I love a good burger. I'm not perfect. I get tired and I eat! I get stressed and I eat! But I know how to get myself back under control. And when I want something "unhealthy" like a burger or fries, I make my own!! I can control the calories, the fat, the grease, and I sneak veggies into my food (see next post). You see when you have a healthy LIFESTYLE, those off days, or simply that, OFF DAYS. They come and go. The goal is to make your regular habit of healthy foods and healthy choices outweight the days that you go a little nuts and have something way out of your calorie limit or totally processed or full of sugar or sodium, whatever your poison is. (mine is sugar!)
What's my Point??
DON'T BE LAZY!! If you want to lose weight it's gonna take work and not just in the gym!
USE YOUR BRAIN!! If you want to be healthy, you're gonna need to THINK about WHAT YOU EAT! Because a donut every sunday morning at church is NOT OK. Exercise during the week so that you can drink your margarita's or cases of beer or bottles of wine on the weekends is NOT OK. Feeding yourself and your kids burgers and fries and an orange SODA before their softball, soccer, volleyball or cheerleading practice is NOT do your grocery shopping. You have to pre-cut your veggies (or puree them like I do). You have to make healthy snacks for your kids when you're on the go (homemade granola bars or carrot/applesauce muffins). You have to take the time and the effort if you really want to be healthy.
And if you have no idea HOW to do it, ask for help!!! Us trainers, at least the ones I know at my Y, are more than willing to help. We will even show you our food diaries on myfitnesspal. (If you show me yours, I'll show you mine) Ask us questions, we'll give you our secrets and our recipes. It is totally do-able! Even for mom's who work full time! Not an excuse. You just have to put your priorities first and take the time and make the effort.
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