the weight loss papers

Yesterday I mentioned that my plan includes some elements from a variety of resources that I’ve been studying and today I’d like to share that plan briefly with you.

My plan is broken down into a few categories - food, activity, supplements and mindset.

Let’s start with food.

I’ve learned that eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day helps control cravings and hunger. It also helps me to eat foods in the right proportions. I really like this way of eating and is in fact similar to how my mom always planned our family meals when I was growing up. Now, I must say - my mom is a nutrition expert and has never had an ounce of fat on her in her life. She’s in her 50’s and still weighs just about what she did when she was 18.

Eating on a particular schedule really helps as well. As such, here’s the plan I try to follow every day:

6:30 - 7:00 am - Breakfast (meal 1)

9:30 - 10:00 am - Brunch (meal 2)

12:30 - 1:00 pm - Lunch (meal 3)

3:30 - 4:00 pm - Snack (meal 4)

6:30 - 7:00 pm - Dinner (meal 5)

9:00 - 9:30 pm - Snack (meal 6) **IF** needed

You may have heard some health experts say not to eat after 6 pm and for many people who are eating 3 regular meals per day, that’s probably sound advice. However, when you’re eating 5 small meals per day, it’s not such a big issue really. The key for me here is to remember that each meal needs to only be roughly 250 - 280 calories. This way, I get about 1200 - 1400 calories per day which is what is recommended for a person of my height/weight following a weight loss plan.

The one rule that most health gurus advise that I do stick to, is no eating within 2-3 hours before bed. Since I go to bed between 11:30 and midnight most nights, it’s not a problem if I *do* need to have a small snack around 9 pm.

In addition to that, there are some other strategies I follow but I’ll post those later since this is just an overview.

Moving on to activity.

Working out in the morning is incredibly beneficial. I’ve found that when I work out first thing - and I do mean FIRST thing — before breakfast, before coffee even - it works. I feel better, have more energy and actually eat LESS. The best part is, it’s been scientifically proven (if I remember correctly, in the Journal of American Medicine was a study some time ago) that when you exercise first thing in the morning, your body actually burns an extra 300 + calories! It also helps boost your metabolism and keep it up all day.

I also walk 1.5 miles in the morning after breakfast taking the kids to school and another 1.5 miles in the afternoon when I pick them up. It’s a great way to get in some extra exercise and the kids enjoy it. Plus, it gets us out in the fresh air and allows our bodies to get the much needed Vitamin D from the sun.

Additionally, I do a stretching and toning routine in the evenings on occasion. This includes using the stability ball and hand weights. I’ve found it to be very relaxing and helpful to sleeping well. I try to do this around 8:00 pm or so. And I do try to be sure to get it in within 2-3 hours before bed as exercising too close to bedtime can cause insomnia.

There’s a little more to it, but that’s basically it. I’ll share my full routine in the coming days.

The next category is supplements.

Having a good vitamin supplement is essential. Our foods have become depleted of some of their base nutrients in recent years due to poor soil quality and over harvesting. Plus, many of us just don’t eat the right foods all the time. Getting enough vegetables and fruits to get ALL of the necessary vitamins our body requires on a daily basis is difficult. I use a handful of vitamins every day and space them out with my meals. They include:

• Fish Oil
• Calcium
• A multi vitamin
• CoQ 10
• A supplement with Spirulina and other trace minerals
• Yogurt with live cultures
• Flaxseed Oil

I also take a few supplements to help with various things like cholesterol and heart health, kidney health, etc such as read yeast rice, garlic and cranberry.

There’s not really much else to tell here. I do think it’s absolutely beneficial to take a quality multi vitamin if nothing else.

And we come to mindset.

Perhaps you’re wondering what mindset has to do with weight loss and that’s a good question.

For me, it’s about connecting with the Universe, learning to love myself, keeping stress in check as well as keeping motivated to stay with my plan. I don’ think one can truly lose weight and keep it off without some sort of mental balance.

I have a gratitude journal I write in daily as well as meditations I do throughout the day that help keep me mentally awake, balanced and joyful. It’s truly about a lifestyle change, not just losing weight.

This is definitely a subject I will continue to explore and write about on this blog.

So, that’s basically it! That’s my plan. And I’ll expand on these things later but I hope this gives a good overview of what I’m doing on this journey.

Thanks for reading!

~ Annie

Although I started — and stopped — this journey a few years ago (more than once, even), this year just feels different to me. I decided this WILL be the year I lose weight and get in shape. The journey begins here . . .

Now, we eat quite healthy - always have. So it’s not poor eating habits that caused my weight issues. Like I mentioned in the intro post, it’s the combination of pregnancies and a back injury. Due to the back injury, it’s been incredibly difficult - and at times painful - to do much exercise.

But this is where it ends. To hell with the back doctors who seem as though they’re trying to keep me stuck, not really helping me much.

Well, it’s finally my time.

And so I made a commitment to myself and to my family to make that change.

I used to use Isagenix products and although I think very highly of them, they just really don’t work for me. The good news is, I found something that does work well for me as well as an exercise program that I can handle. Since I know myself just about better than anyone else, I decided to create my own. It’s sort of a hybrid between several different programs I’ve read and researched in addition to how my family ate growing up.

So far, it’s working quite well and I’ve actually lost some weight (about 3-4 pounds) and gained energy. I feel like I have more stamina and I can definitely walk a lot faster than I’ve been able to for years. Usually the kids have to ask me to speed up because we’re walking slow. Lately though, the have to tell me to slow down!

The biggest change is that I’ve lost inches. My clothes are fitting differently, a little more roomy. I think I could even go down a size in pants. I know I can do a size in shirts. My shirts are getting so baggy, I could almost wear them for nightgowns!

I really hope you’ll stay with me on my journey and that perhaps I’ll inspire you enough to reach your dreams and goals, whether or not they include losing weight and getting fit.

Until next time . . .

~ Annie

Thanks for stopping by my new site - The Weight Loss Papers. I hope you enjoy your look around!

So - what is The Weight Loss Papers?

Simply my dialog on getting in shape, eating right, losing weight and creating the life of my dreams.

See, until I was pregnant with my first child, I was very healthy and in shape. And even though I’ve continued to eat healthy foods, I’ve gained weight as a result of having 4 children and a back injury.

I’ve tried to lose the weight for several years and have managed to drop a few pounds here and there. Still, I weigh more than I should and I’ve finally decided to hell with my back doctors! I’m going to do whatever I can to focus on making the changes that need to be occur. After all, it’s MY life and no one can tell me how to live it.

So - come along for the journey if you wish. I’ll be posting as often as possible (hopefully at least 4 times a week). You’ll see everything from my daily workouts, books I’m reading on health subjects, recipes and much more.

Again, thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!

~ Annie