Slim People in Progress

2010 is my year to get back on track with my weight loss goals

I know it's a cliche -- the number one New Year's resolution is to lose weight -- but I've got get back on track this year. 2009 wasn't so great for me in terms of keeping my weight off. In fact I put about 15 pounds on due to poor eating habits and not so much working out.

Though I continue to run and go to a Pilates class once a week, it's just not enough. It's been proven over and over that exercise alone will not help you lose weight. Got to cut the calories too.

So, I'm thinking about going back to Weight Watchers. It's the one system that actually worked for me. Not sure if I want to go to meetings. I may join the online version instead because I like the tracking tools. I know what works and I've got to get back in the habit and do it...

...portion control

...more whole grains

...less sweet stuff

...measuring my portions

...writing everything down

....move more

Not so hard, right?

I also am committing to run more frequently. Currently I get a run in on Sundays with friends and sometimes I do a group run at the local Nike store. I need to get at least a third day in every week in order to maintain decent endurance. I'm running a half marathon on January 10 and I have to confess that I'm not that well prepared.

OK, that's it for me. What about you? What will you do to improve your health and fitness in 2010?

Get the Skinny and Keep Your Wallet Fat: Weight Watchers

Get the Skinny and Keep Your Wallet Fat:  Weight Watchers
by Guest Author Nadia Crum

Seeing your family in a few short weeks? Wanting to look your best for this upcoming holiday season?  When the reality of the holidays gatherings kick in, many of us search for a quick fix diet that will help us shed a few pounds in time for reunions with family and friends we may have not seen for quite some time. 

So many questions are raised:  What diet should I choose?  What types of eating programs will help me lose weight quickly—without having to eat crazy weird foods?  And with my ever growing holiday gift list, how on earth will I manage to afford some fancy diet plan?  In this series of articles, I will be reviewing some of the most popular diet programs available to you today and providing you with hints and tips to cut your healthy-eating grocery bill and make losing weight more effective and affordable.

The Skinny:  Weight Watchers

The basics behind Weight Watchers are simple:  every food and drink under the sun are assigned a points-value based on a complex equation of their caloric and fat values as well as their dietary fiber content.  Then, based upon another complex equation of your age, gender, activity level and a few other factors, you are assigned a daily target points value—that is, an allotted amount of daily points to “spend” on food however you choose.  The program is available both in brick and mortar buildings in the form of weekly support meetings, or entirely online using interactive tools and calculators with the support of a very active set of forums; you can also utilize a combination of both.

Vitalicious Banana Nut Vita Top Featured on WeightWatchers.com

You know I'm a big fan of Vitalicous Vita Tops so it caught my eye when they announced that Vita Tops were featured in an article on WeightWatchers.com.

According to Elly Trickett McNerney, managing editor of weightwatchers.com, "Vitalicious has a huge array of muffins, muffin tops and other baked goods." Banana Nut VitaTops are, "a highly valuable product. For just 1 POINTS value you can stay full for a while, and really bridge the afternoon snack gap."

To celebrate the story, Vitalicious is offering 6 free Deep Chocolate or Banana Nut VitaTops when you order their special 24 pack...

Banana Nut VitaTops (24 Muffin Tops)*

Use Coupon Code ESF58Z9. Expires on 5/8/09. I'm all over this deal. My fave are just about all the chocolate varieties. They help me manage my sweet tooth.

Weight Loss Progress Report #8

Not a lot to report today. Went to Weight Watchers meeting. Lost .6 lbs for a total loss of 6 pounds. A relief since I was only sporadically following the plan this week and worked out less than usual. Missed my Wednesday run.

At one point during the meeting, Flora pulled out a 10" plate that has the portion controls defined for you. I've never seen this before. Half the plate should be veggies, quarter is lean meat and quarter is whole grains.

So if you're not disciplined about your portions, you can use this plate to serve up your food and do it right. The site, Portion Doctor, has a lot of other stuff to help you manage your portions.

The topic of the day was monitoring: measuring and weighing your food; counting your steps; writing in your food journal or using etools; controlled portion products.

Flora also emphasized that we typically underestimate how much food we eat and overestimate how much exercise we get. I know I'm guilty of that! On the food, when in doubt, round up; on the exercise, round down.

Calories In, Calories Out

I read an interesting post by Jeff Hopeck called The Numbers Behind "SLIM" on his Healthy Habits blog.

Hopeck details the exact number of calories required to add a pound of fat to your body and how easy it is for the pounds to add up (don't we know it).

One pound of fat = 3,500 calories.

If you need to consume 2,500 calories to maintain a healthy weight and you are consistently eating 2,000 or more excess calories per day, you can see how fast the pounds stack up.

Of course you can counter act that with exercise. And we know it takes a hell of a lot of exercise to burn calories. When I do a 30 minute run at a 12 min/mile pace, I typically burn about 260 calories. If I turn around and eat a Big Mac for lunch, I'm consuming 560 calories on that alone (not that I know anyone who would do that!!!). I've just eliminated any benefit I got from the run. Especially when you add 380 calories for medium fries and 210 calories for a medium Coke. (All calorie counts from Dotti's Weight Loss Zone)

OK, I'm being extreme. But you get the point.

In Weight Watchers, they calculate that one point = approximately 50 calories. Right now, for weight loss, I'm supposed to confine my self to 19 points/day. That's 950 calories! If I went to McDonald's for lunch just once during the week, I'd be so far over my daily points just for one meal, I definitely would not be losing any weight.

Just keep in mind, it's easy to consume calories. It's harder to burn them. Watch (and count) what you eat.