DOING A HAPPY DANCE AND I LEARNED MY LESSON!

Are you wondering why I'm doing the Happy Dance? Well let me tell you...

I lost .4 lbs this week. Yes, yes, I know that is not a lot of weight and most people would be upset with such a low amount. But, not me! I'm thrilled.

First of all, it's a loss. A loss in weight is ALWAYS better then a gain. However, that is not the real reason I'm happy.

This is what my past week was like... Pizza, chips, cookies, candy, pretzels and cheese sauce at the movies and even cake. Hardly any veggies at all.

So you can see that eating all this would not make one think they had a weight loss at all. In fact, I was so sure I had gained and was worried about going to weigh in at Weight Watchers today.

I thought, what the heck! I might as well go and face the music. I would get back on track and put this week behind me.

So when I got on the scale and the lady told me I had a .4 lb weight loss I was thrilled! That's like two sticks of butter!

She laughed and told me she had not seen anyone so happy over a .4 lb weight loss before. Then I explained why I was happy and she laughed and said "I would be doing the happy dance too!".

I learned my lesson though. No more slacking. Nothing I ate last week was even that great. Not worth a whole week of working hard. This week I'm back on track, will be writting down everything I eat and making sure my healthy food is eaten so I won't get hungry and eat stuff just to be eating it.

I'm thrilled that weigh in is over and I'm looking forward to next weeks.

So here I am at 12 weeks and down 26.4 lbs. Thankfully, I'v emade it 3 months with a loss each week...no matter how small that loss may be.

DRINKING FOR A BETTER ME

I'm so proud of all you wonderful ladies who are checking in week after week. Most of the time I'm getting great reports of a loss after loss each week.

However, I really love when I see you still checking in after a slight gain. I'm thrilled that you are not giving up when you do gain or don't have a loss. Rather you are getting back on track and then reporting a loss the next week. Way to go!

This week I thought we would talk about what we are drinking durning the week.

We all know our bodies are made up of mostly water. So it only stands to reason we all need to keep our bodies hydrated in order to make sure everything is working properly.

Having plenty of fluids helps to flush out toxins and waste products from our bodies.

So what are you drinking? Are you making the best choices for your body? Let's take a look.

If you are like me, you love fruit smoothies. With summer just around the corner and all the great fresh fruits coming out, fruit smoothies can be very healthy for you.

Toss some fresh fruit, juice and ice or even a bit of frozen yogurt in the blender and you have a great drink. You get lots of vitamins, it's low in fat and comes up to about 200-250 calories depending on what you put in there.

We have all seen the stores that sell fruit smoothies. While they taste good they are not the same as making your own smoothie at home. Depending on what kind you get, you could be having 500-900 calories per drink! YIKES!

I'm not a big alcohol drinker but when I do have a drink I like the fruity foo foo drinks. You know the blended colorful ones that you can't even tell has alcohol in them.

Well ladies, you can be having tons of empty calories with those type of drinks. They are loaded with sugar. No wonder they taste so good.

Plus alcohol is a diuretic and rather then hydrating your body you are actually going to become dehydrated.

So while they may look pretty and taste good, you may want to stay away from these type of drinks. No...the fruit or juice does not counter act the fact that these are not good for you.

How many of you drink the sport drinks like Red Bull? I've tried them before but I can't say I drink them really. I didn't like the effect it had on me.

Most taste like a punch. The bad thing is they are 110 empty calories which means there is no real value to your body. Plus they are loaded with caffeine which is not good for your heart. The flavor comes mostly from sugar.

So are these worth it to drink while you are trying to get healthy and/or lose weight? My thoughts would be no. You could find much better things to drink. But, if you like them then by all means enjoy them.

Just please be careful and don't have to many of these.

Now I know most of you are coffee drinkers! I'm one of the rare people who never did like coffee. Nope, not even the fancy ones from places like Starbucks.

Everyone knows there is caffeine in coffee. In fact, that's why most people drink it. To get a little pick me up.

But, did you know that some of the fancy coffee drinks can have up to 500 or more calories! Wow! That's a whole meals worth of calories.

Plus, other then the pick me up, you are not really getting anything good for your body when you drink a cup of coffee.

If you must have your coffee try to have it black or with just a touch of milk in there. Also, limit your intake to only a cup or two a day.

Fruit and vegetable juices are not only good tasting but are also good for you.

If you don't eat enough fruits or vegetables then juice may be a wonderful way for you to get your daily requirements in.

An 8 oz glass of juice has about 100 calories for juices such as orange, apple or grapefruit. It can have up to 170 for juices like grape or prune.

Since you don't get all the fiber and vitamins in your juice, like you would if you ate the actual fruit or vegetable, it's recommend that you only substitute up to two of your fruit or vegetable servings with fruit a day.

OK, here is my down fall. Diet sodas. These drinks are really not good for you at all. They are loaded with chemicals and caffeine. Nothing else really.

So I'm going to ask you to do as say and not what I do here. Don't drink diet sodas!

If you must then at least cut down how many you have. Try to not have more then one a day.

So is non diet sodas better for you? Well, that depends on who you talk to. It also has chemicals and empty calories of around 150 per serving. The calories come from the sugar.

So, it's still a debate. Is real or diet soda better for you.

To play it safe we should cut all sodas out of our diet. Yet, for most people, that won't happen.

I'm going to leave this one up to you. You can decide if you want a real or diet soda but again, try to cut down the amount you drink and don't have more then one a day. We have already talked about mixed alcohol drinks. But what about wine?

Studies have shown that a glass of red wine a day is good for your heart. However, since one can be good that does not mean that more would be better.

Wine has 120-270 calories per 6 oz serving.

If it's worth it to you to use those calories then by all means, have a glass. Just remember that one glass of wine a day will add up to 3360-7560 calories per month.

It is only 3500 calories to either gain or lose a pound. So is it worth it to you to have that glass of wine? You could be losing 1-2 pounds a month just by not having your glass of wine a day.

Same goes for a 1 oz shot of straight alcohol. You will have 90-110 calories of empty calories per shot.

Is it worth it to you? Maybe, but not to me. I would rather eat something for those calories.

Beer will give you 150 calories for a 12 oz glass. Again, the diuretic effect comes into play here. Plus you are more likely to eat as your will power seems to go out the door with the more beers you have.

I believe beer is another drink to stay away from while trying to lose weight or get healthy. Some people prefer to switch to low calorie beer.

Tea seems to be a pretty good choice of drink. It's low in calorie and while it does have some caffeine it's no where near the amount as in coffee.

You can always have herbal tea which comes in a variety of flavors and has no caffeine.

Of course, water is the best thing for you to drink. It's what our bodies are made up of and what we need to replace in order to be in the best health possible.

No calories, no caffeine just pure water. If you don't like water because it taste so bland then add a slice of lemon, orange or cucumber to it.

So before you drink something, think about it. Are you drinking the best thing for you. Is it worth the calories? Is there a better choice for you?

I'm not here to tell you to drink or not drink something. That's up to each of you. Life is about choices. The better choices we make when it comes to what we put into our bodies the more we can look at our self in the mirror and say "now that's A BETTER ME".

If there is a topic you would like to have me discuss for next weeks A BETTER ME please let me know. I'm open for any and all sugestions.

EATING BEANS FOR A BETTER ME

I know every Wed I always say that I can't believe another week has flown by but it's true! It seems like just yesterday I wrote the last post on A BETTER ME and here we are again!

Well, how did your challenge go? Were you able to get in the three days of exercise? I have to admit I only did two days! I know, I know! I'm here writting these posts and trying to help you all stay motivated and on track and then I don't even do it myself.

What's that saying? Do as I say and not as I do. Ya, that's it! So do as I say and not what I do.

I'll try to be better next week.

This week I thought I would talk about beans. Don't ask me why. I'm not sure. Except that I eat tons of beans. Remember I'm a vegetarian and don't eat meat so a lot of my protein comes from eating beans. Plus I love them.

If you are someone who does not like ask beans I have to ask, have you tried all of them? There are so many different kinds. Even I don't like all of them.

There are black beans, fava beans, navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, soy beans and lima beans. There may even be more but that is all I can think of right now.

Beans come canned, dry, frozen or fresh. Though I have to admit I don't think I've ever had fresh beans or even frozen ones. I have either canned or dried ones.

They can be eaten alone or added to salads, soups, stews, casseroles, side dishes, pastas or rice. You can make hummus or dips and spreads out beans.

Beans are good for you. They are low in fat and high in protein. They help to lower your cholesterol. There are lots of nutrients such as iron, foliate and other B vitamins. They provide you with great soluble fibers too.

Beans are also a low glycemic index food. That means they won't spike your blood glucose levels.

Eating lots of beans has been linked to decreases in ones risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers.

One serving of beans is 1/4 of a cup of cooked or dried beans. One serving of beans equals eating one oz. of meat for your protein. We only need 5-6 oz. of meat or beans a day to stay healthy.

Below is a recipe I got out of one of my Vegetarian cook books called Perfect Vegetarian. I bought it from TJ Maxx. I hope you give it a try. Sorry for the photo quality. Looks like my scanner is acting up.




SPICY FRAGRANT BLACK BEAN CHILI

14 oz or 2 1/4 cups dried black beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2-1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp. chili powder
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
14 oz. fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper

Soak beans over night and drain. Place in a pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 mins, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain well, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring so as not to burn. Cook until onion is softened.

Stir in the cumin and chili power. Continue to cook for a minute or two. Add the red bell pepper, carrot and tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 of the cilantro, beans and the reserved liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30-45 mins or until very flavorful and thickened.

Stir in the remaining cilantro and serve.


I hope you enjoy this Chili and will find ways to add more beans to your diet.

EXERCISE FOR A BETTER ME

Well here we are at Wed. again. How is everyone doing on your program of A BETTER ME?

I have to admit that I did pretty good for the first few weeks and have lost 12 lbs. Then I got off track. Thankfully I have not gained any of it back. But, sadly I have not lost any more.

I know my eating isn't what is keeping me from losing weight. It's the fact that I don't exercise. I don't move much at all. I'll walk around from room to room as I go sit on the computer or go sit to watch TV. But, if I don't leave the house I really don't move much at all.

I am the best excuse maker as to why I don't exercise. I'm to tired, my body hurts or I don't have the time... then I saw this

Yes, it's funny and I did laugh but, then I couldn't get it out of my head. I know I need to exercise and I need to start now. No more excuses.

It seems through out the years people have always looked for the easiest and most lazy way to exercise.

Remember these machines? You would just stand there and the machine would shake you silly. I never could understand how that was going to make you lose weight.

To bad though because they made you laugh a lot. Plus, wouldn't it be great if you could just stand there, let the machine do all the work and look and feel super.

Oh this was a good one too. You could sit on it, lean up against it or just place your arm on it. The machine would roll around and again, without any effort, you were told you would lose weight and inches.

The truth was, these machine hurt!

I think the only thing anyone ever got from these machines were a bunch of bruises. Maybe that's why they are no longer around?

Now this little number required a bit more effort on your part. But not much. You would lay on the machine, either on your back, tummy or side. Then you would let the machine fold up and down.

I guess it's meant to be sort of like sit ups.

The truth is you just can't be lazy and get your exercise in. It's not going to work no matter how much you want it to. You must move, move, move.

I still think walking is the best way to lose weight. Go walking with a friend, a dog or even alone. You can go day or night. It's cheap and can be done anywhere.

I figure since I'm having trouble with getting on an exercise program, I'm most likely not the only one. Am I right?

So here is what I want to. I want to make a commitment to all of you that I will exercise at least 3 times this week. I don't know if I'll finally make it to the gym, do a work out tape or go for walks. But, whatever it is I will do it.

I also want to challenge you to do the same. We can start out slow. Make it for at least 1/2 hour and do it at least 3 times this week. You can even break up the time into 10 or 15 mins. a few times a day.

What do you say? Are you up to the challenge? Let me know if you are.

Come on! You can do this. We can do this together. Can I count on you to join me?

MOTHER NATURE GIVES US CLUES

Welcome to A BETTER ME! I have to say I am so proud of all of you who are doing so well at eating better and getting your exercise.

This week we had a total of 11.4 lbs that have been removed from our group. We are getting smaller and smaller and that's what we like!

Today I thought I would share with you something I have seen before but then I forgot all about it...until I got an email the other day about it.

Mother Nature is so wonderful. Not only does she provide us with so much beauty in this world but she also has given us clues in our food about what to eat for what parts of our body.

You may have seen this before but I think it's really interesting and worth posting for those who have never seen this.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

So the next time you are eating your fruit and vegetables take a better look at them and see what Mother Nature is telling you they are good for.

Until next Wed. remember to be nice to yourself and if you start to get down just look in the mirror and what you will see is a you looking back saying you are doing great on becoming A BETTER ME!

DIET DO'S

Can you believe another week has flown by already? I can't. I just don't know what it is going on. I wake up, get out of bed and before I know it the day is over and it's time to hit the sack again. Every time I turn around it's a new day. Where do the days go to?

I wanted to say congrats to all you ladies out there. Every one seems to be doing great on A BETTER ME. There has been a total of 14 1/2 lbs lost this week.

Today, I thought I would talk about some of the diet do's. When I use the word "diet" I am not just talking about a weight loss diet (even though most of us are on one of those right now) I'm actually talking about your daily eating habits.

Yes, you already know everything I'm going to say but, sometimes a little reminder is needed for those of us who seem to have a hard week now and then and are not getting the weight loss we had hoped for that week.

Also, it's for those of us who need a reminder on what to do in order to be as healthy as possible.
The first diet do is, to eat a wide variety of food. Don't exclude any of the food groups. Your body needs the nutrients from each one of those food groups and when you exclude even one your body will be lacking in something it needs.

There are many fad diets out there that will exclude some of the food groups and yes, you will lose weight on them, but, chances are, you will just end up gaining all your weight back once you add that excluded food group back to your diet.

I am a vegetarian and don't eat any meat. However, that does not mean I have excluded a food group. Since the food group for meat also includes beans, nuts and legumes I can eat those items and still be getting the protein and other nutrients my body needs from the meat group.

Same for those of you who don't like to drink milk. Dairy also has yogurt, cheese and ice cream. So you can have those items rather then drinking a glass of milk. Or you can get your calcium by getting orange juice with it added and drink that.

Just make sure you have the recommended amounts from all the different food groups and you will you be OK.

Also, when we exclude any of the food groups we most likely won't stay with that eating program for long anyway as we start to feel deprived and then we crave food from the group we are excluding.

Another Diet Do is to measure your portions. We all think we know what a cup of cereal looks like but studies have shown most of us estimate way to much for a cup.

So, we think we are being good and eating right yet the pounds pack on us. It's most likely because we are eating way to much food.

For the next week, try to measure everything you eat. Get those measuring cups and spoons out and also your kitchen scale. You may just be surprised at how much or how little you are really eating.

Even if you are good judge it's always a good idea to "test" yourself now and then to make sure you are still on the right track.


A big Diet Do is to eat at every meal and even have snacks in between.

When we skip a meal we often think we are doing good by saving on the calories. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.

When you skip a mea,l you end up slowing down your metabolism as your body thinks you are starving it. So it slows everything down and then when you do eat again, you don't burn off the calories as efficiently as you should.

Skipping meals also makes you more hungry so you have a tendency to over eat at the next meal.

Having a healthy snack in between your meals helps to keep your blood sugar in check so you don't get those peaks and dips which cause you to lose your energy and throw your body chemistry out of whack.

It doesn't have to be a big snack. In fact, it shouldn't be. Have a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or a slice of cheese. Not a big candy bar or bag of chips.


This next Diet Do is one that many of us find hard to do. It is to keep realistic goals for yourself.

How many times have you heard or even said yourself "this weight is coming off to slow". Or "I wish I could lose 30 pounds in a month?"

If your plan right now is to lose weight please don't be in a rush. If you are, you will either end up eating unhealthy or you will give up.

So, plan on losing a pound a week. I know that sounds like such a low amount but that is a healthy amount and isn't that what we are all after, getting healthy?

Learn to enjoy your new way of eating. After all you are on a life style change and not just a temporary fix.


Of course we all know the Diet Do that most of us dread...exercise.

Now I know I'm the biggest offender when it comes to this Diet Do. I HATE to exercise! So no matter what excuse you come up with on why you don't exercise I can relate to you.

I know people who tell me that they "used" to hate exercise and now they love it. Well, I'm not saying they are not telling the truth. I'm just saying that will never be me!

Plus when you are over weight it is just hard to exercise. I love to see fit people when they strap on a big amount of weight and then try to run, ride a bike or even walk. The extra weight makes it much harder to do and when it's that much work most of those exercise lovers really don't enjoy it anymore.

The truth of the matter is we still need to do it. The good news is we don't have to ever love it. We just have to do, get it over with and move on.

So get your body moving any way you want, just move more. One good way to see how you are doing is to use a pedometer to keep track of how many steps you take a day or in my case, how many steps I didn't take.

OK, enough on exercise. Just talking about it makes me stress out so just DO it.

Oh no! I just deleted the picture that was going to go here. So take a minute and close your eyes and picture a nice group of pasta, rice and bread. Got it? OK then read on.

Do eat more fiber. You can do that by switching to whole wheat breads and pastas. If you don't like the whole wheat and you would never give up your white breads and pasta then try adding some fiber to your meals as you cook. When it's mixed in with most foods you don't even know it's there and things taste just as good.

Do eat lots of different colors. The more colors you can get on your plate throughout the day the better you will be. Each color of food has different vitamins and nutrients in them.

Plus it makes your meal prettier.

Do eat more fruits every day. If you do, the natural sugar will help take away your cravings for refined sugar. You know, the white sugar we find in candy, cookies and cakes.

Do try to cut out refined sugar. It's empty calories, meaning you don't get any good nutrients or vitamins from it. Plus, the sneaky thing about sugar is, the more you eat it the more you crave it.

Once you stop eating it, you will find in time you won't crave it any more.

Be sure your diet includes some fat every day. FAT! What in the world? Haven't be been told for years that fat is bad for our bodies?

Well, yes and no. There are bad fats that we need to cut out of our diets. Those are the ones that clog up your arteries.

But, the good fats, like olive oil, actually are needed for our bodies to be as healthy as possible. It's also good for your skin and hair.

You don't need a lot. Just a little bit is all you need. But don't go without it.

The last Diet Do for this week is to drink water. We have already talked about all the great things water does for your body so I won't go into all that again.

I just wanted to remind you to drink that water.

Keep up all your good work everyone. Also, don't forget that each meal is another chance to get back on the right track if you fall off. Don't wait until the next week, next day or give up completely just because you had a binge here or there.

Just get back to eating healthy on your next meal. Whatever you do, if you do have something you shouldn't have, don't skip the next meal or wait until the next day to eat. Just eat healthy at your next meal at it's normal time.

Until next week, take care of yourself, know you deserve to be as healthy as you can be and be proud of yourself as you look in the mirror and say "I see A BETTER ME!"

THEY SAY THE ECONOMY AND LOVE IS MAKING US FAT

So how is everyone doing on this lovely Wednesday? This is our weekly post of A BETTER ME where we talk about all things having to do with losing weight, exercise, proper eating and all topics of staying healthy and becoming a better YOU.

We have all felt the pinch of this tight economy lately. People are being laid off of jobs, business after business is closing, house values dropping and even the cost of eating healthy has gone sky high.

They say this bad economy has even had a tole on our bodies. Why you ask?

Well, because the fact of the matter is, it's cheaper, easier and more comforting to eat junk food.

When money is tight we tend to get depressed and that of course is a big reason why many of us turn to food. For comfort. For a fast feel good fix.

Also, with the cost of the groceries getting so high it's become more and more hard to afford fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy. So we tend to by prepackaged items that are loaded with sugar, fats and calories. Or do a quick drive through the nearest fast food resturant.

While fresh food may be more costly don't forget that there are still good buys on frozen fruits and vegetables. These are tasty and just as healthy as fresh.

If you are going to stretch your meal dollars by eating more pasta go with the whole wheat pasta. It's better for you and fills you up for the same cost.

Use your meats in stews, soups and sauces that are full of vegetables. You don't really need to eat that much meat to get your days worth of protein. In fact, you don't need to eat meat at all to get your daily protein.

You can eat beans, lentils and nuts which are all much less costly then meat.

Just be more aware of what you buy, stay away from the fast food joints and plan. Plan your menus ahead of time. Use the weekly store adds to find the best buys for the week and plan your meals around the adds and what is on sale.

Stock up on frozen and canned fruits and veggies.

Even plan your own vegetables and fruit in your garden this year to help cut cost the costs and stay lean and healthy.

Oh being in love...it's the best thing in life right. Wrong! It can make you fat!

Well, love itself won't make you pack on the pounds but when you are in love or in a happy relationship you tend to feel more comfortable with your loved one and well, how do I say this? Let yourself go.

We also tend to eat more when we are in love. We are happy and want to celebrate and the easiest way is with food. Going out to eat, cooking that special dessert, eating that sweet gift of candy.

Well, don't fall for it ladies! Watch what you eat if you are in love or not. When you cook for your special other, do so with love. Think about their health and your own. Cook healthy so you will both be around for a long time.

Go for long walks, hand in hand. Take care of yourself.

So you can see, even in this bad economy and even if you are in love or single you can still be OK. Just plan, watch what you eat, get your exercise and don't forget to tell yourself every day "I'm going to be A BETTER ME".