Well, its day 123 here on the Medi-Weightloss program and Ive already experienced the phantom smell of lemon pound cake in my office today so I figured I should probably find some motivation to update my blog with the weekends weigh-in results for week 17 while Im attempting to eat tuna salad without thinking about pound cakes of any sort.

Saturday morning I had my usual weigh-in at the clinic.  Im down another 1.2 lbs for a total loss to date of 49.7 lbs!  I was a bit disappointed in myself that I couldnt get down that other 1/3 of a pound to reach the 50 lb mark BUT Im glad I lost and really happy that 36.5 lbs of my total loss has been FAT!

This week is special because tomorrow is my 2nd wedding anniversary.  My hubby and I plan on going to our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate.  Italian food may not sound like a good idea for someone following Medi-Weightloss but there are some days that are more important to me than others when it comes to enjoying a nice meal and my anniversary is one of those occasions.  Ive actually already reviewed the menu online and found a fairly healthy seafood dish that sounds wonderful (pan seared scallops drizzled in a balsamic reduction) and the nutrition information on the site puts the full dish at under 400 calories.  Chances of me being able to eat the entire meal?  Very slim!

So instead of making a bad choice tomorrow, Ive already made my choice so that I can enjoy my anniversary dinner guilt-free and without any "I hate this diet" meltdowns.

All thats left to do now, is figure out what to wear!

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Oops, I missed a few days here of posts, so here I go. 

Today, the hubby and I were off of work for my daughters dance competition.  The day worked out pretty nice - after breakfast my sister came over and we did the P90X yoga video.  I then made up snacks for us to have during the competition and we literally ate lunch right before walking out the door.  After the competition and awards, we stopped at Panera and Subway for salads and subs for the kiddos.  While the diet may seem very labor intensive with having to make food at home most of the time, it is nice to stop and have it prepared by someone else.  And I love that Panera uses antibiotic free chicken and has really tasty balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

I think the best quote Ive heard while on this diet was from my son about the avocado quesadillas - "mom, these are the best thing Ive ever ate!  Well, except for chocolate because that is my favorite!"  Love that kid!

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 152.2 lbs
Anthony: 244.2 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 7:30am:
Eggs benedict

Snack @ 10:30am:
Carrots and hummus

Lunch @ 1:30pm:
Avocado quesadilla

Snack @ 4:30pm:
Carrots and raw sunflower seeds

Dinner @ 7:30pm:
Panera salad

Workout:
P90X Yoga DVD

Notes on Food:
I made eggs benedict for the first time in my life and I think it turned out pretty good.  I received the recipe from the Haylie Pomroys email subscription.  I didnt care for the taste of the hollandaise sauce so I omitted it.  It was the first time I had poached in egg (I found a wonderful tutorial online) and they turned out great.  I used a brown rice english muffin (shh...were not supposed to have brown rice today - oops!), turkey bacon, steamed spinach and the poached egg.  Very good!

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Dr. Moreno, a Kaiser Permanente family medicine doctor from San Diego, says that his diet is different because it doesn’t deprive dieters or restrict calories. Instead, he says, it changes the types of foods that you eat allowing for your body to process foods in a new way. “Its like getting a cleanup for your car,” explains Dr. Moreno.

The diet plan is arranged around four 17-day cycles in which different types of foods are paired together in order to stimulate the bodys metabolism for weight loss. The dieter switches cycles every 17 days in order to prevent the development of a routine, similar to the strategy of weight lifters who change their workouts frequently in order to get their bodies to preform more efficiently. “It takes 21 days for the body and the mind to start to doing things without putting much effort into it,” explains Dr. Moreno to GMA special correspondent Cameron Mathinson. “In 17 days, just about when your mind wants to develop a habit, we switch things.”

The Diet Plan

The first 17 days cycle is the hardest and when the majority of the weight comes off. This cycle is called “Accelerate” and completely eliminates unhealthy carbs and bad eating habits. According to Dr. Moreno this phase both cleanses and hydrates your body. The second cycle of the diet, called “Activate”, stimulates fat burning. The third cycle, “Achieve” is when the weight loss begins to slow down and the dieter incorporates more healthy foods. The final cycle is “Arrive” is the maintenance phase of the program and allows for occasional splurges.

The diet is completely void of sugar and other unhealthy foods such as fried or processed items. Dieters are allowed to eat unlimited amounts of lean protein and vegetables. Dr. Moreno encourages substituting certain foods, such as fruit and nectars instead of sugar and mustard instead of mayonnaise. Certain spices and foods, such as garlic, cinnamon and Greek yogurt are also incorporated to help the body metabolize and process nutrients in a healthy way. The 17 Day Diet also has one rule: no fruit or starchy carbohydrates after 2pm.

In addition to diet changes, the plan requires 17 minutes of power walking and the use of a 17-minute workout DVD provided with the purchase of the book.

The website for the diet book, www.The17DayDiet.com provides dieters with an additional bonus: recipes that can be sent directly to your email, including the recipe for the popular breakfast “Power Cookie”. This healthy cookie contains whey, flax seed, almond paste, cherries, and nectar along with other healthy ingredients.

“I think that another thing that separates this diet from all the others is that Dr. Moreno emphasizes the power of the mind, really truly visualizing who you want to be in order to allow it manifest. Stay mindful, really mindful, throughout the day; not allowing yourself to get too hungry because then you are more likely to binge and loose control.” says Mathinson.

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And, we are at a stand still!  Seriously WTH - so frustrating, but Im going to stay on the positive side of this.  We are learning how to eat healthy foods, made at home and without processed ingredients.  Im starting to plan for whats next and it definitely includes incorporating what weve learned from the book into our day to day lives, specifically clean eating and making a lot of our meals ourselves.  And, it includes a ton more working out!  Im ready to get back into either a cycle of P90X or perhaps a P90X/Insanity/TurboFire Hybrid!!

Morning Weigh In:
Kiana: 153.6 lbs
Anthony: 245.0 lbs

Menu:
Breakfast @ 6:45am:
Egg whites with red and green peppers and a slice of turkey bacon

Snack @ 9:45am:
Beef filet and cucumber

Lunch @ 12:45pm:
Panera salad with balsamic vinageratte

Snack @ 3:45pm:
Deli chicken slices and celery

Dinner @ 7:15pm:
Grilled chicken and asparagus

Workout:
P90X Shoulders and Arms

Notes on Food:
I went to Panera to have a salad for lunch - Yum!  I was THAT girl that changed the entire salad up, but hey, I got the veggies that I was able to have today and the lady was really nice - although she did look at me funny when I said that I didnt want a side (bread, apple or chips), but just a pickle spear would be fine.

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#52weeksofRoarke

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Our little football! Happy Halloween!

#52weeksofRoarke

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Trying to lose weight by adopting a low fat diet? You may be making the biggest mistake of your weight loss regime, say fitness experts. Celebrity trainer James Duigan, whose clients include model Elle Macpherson, says, "Its not fat that makes you fat, its sugar and carbohydrates."

Most fitness experts agree. Says sports nutritionist Deepshikha Agarwal, "If you really want toned abs, you need to concentrate on abdominal exercises and team with that with a balanced diet." She suggests fish, chicken and meat, vegetables, berries and nuts, rather than a low-fat diet. "You need a diet rich in anti-oxidants that raises your metabolic rate," she says. "You cant be on a low-fat diet all your life. Thats too much deprivation. It might also lead to stress and bingeing," says nutritionist Dr Nupur Krishnan.

Here are some tips one can follow for a flat stomach and toned abs:

Dont overcook your food - youll kill off or reduce the nutrient content. Try to make sure around 50% of the food on your plate is raw. If you can stomach it, eat all your vegetables raw.

Dont buy cheap meat - Organic meat is more expensive, but it also contains less toxic junk such as antibiotics. If you can afford only one organic thing, make sure its meat.

Dont eat foods that weaken your abdominal wall, as this will make it slack and lead to a protruding stomach. Foods that can weaken your abdominal wall often contain gluten.

Dr Krishnan debunks the theory that sugar, in all its forms, is bad as it fattens your mid-section. She says, "One tsp. sugar gives you 20 calories, and zero gram fat. So two-four tsp every day is okay."

Make sure you have enough fiber. Lack of fiber will lead to inflammation in the bowels. Have plenty of vegetables (ideally raw) and drink at least two liters of still, room temperature water every day.

Experts suggest having the occasional cheat meal, so you can have cake or a brownie and actually help your weight loss. "Feed your soul; you cant live your whole life in denial. And it can actually boost your metabolism and get you leaner the next day. The key is to keep it to one meal," says Duigan.

By Saadia S Dhailey(TOI)

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Diets and exercise sometimes invoke all sorts of negative emotions especially pressure and guilt. You might have tried to diet and you know you should exercise.  A couple of simple shifts in your thinking could help you lose weight and keep it off. It really doesn’t have to be hard.

The basic measure of weight gain or weight loss isn’t actually pounds or kilograms. It is calories. If we put in more calories than we burn off we gain weight. If it’s the other way around we lose weight.

Calories refer to the food you eat. Stop thinking about what you cannot eat, or shouldn’t eat. Just think about what you can eat. Did you know that eating one less cookie, one less dinner roll or one less glass of milk a day you would lose 1 pound every three weeks. Over a year that’s 17 pounds.

To lose weight by concentrating on the calories in side of the scale you just need to think of simple ways to eat foods with a little less calorie content (a little less energy). Eat more whole meal bread instead of white bread. Eat more chicken instead of red meat. Drink more water instead of fruit juice. That sort of thing. There are also some simple things you can stop doing to reduce your calorie intake. Stop supersizing your takeaway food. Stop eating a second plate of dessert. That’s all it takes.

To increase your energy output and improve your performance on the other side of the scale you just need to do a little more activity in your daily life. Take your dog for a walk instead or go to the park with your kids and fly a kite. These activities are burning calories and they are fun.

Household activities like Cleaning house, washing your car, vacuuming, doing laundry, scrubbing bath tub, doing dishes, mopping floor washing windows, gardening, lawn mowing all these activities burn calories. Park your car far end of shopping mall or work place so youll walk more to reach the place and when you return again youll walk to come back to your car. Take a cart and walk in Grocery no need to buy anything just walk through each aisle and if youve something in Grocery list shop. Walking in Malls and Grocery is a mood booster and safest way to do walking during winter season otherwise nothing can beat Out door walking. Put your favorite dance music and dance like there is no tomorrow. Music and Dance are Good mood boosters.

Maintain a Journal to keep track of whole days food intake as we forget to count Licks, Bite and Taste i.e. (BLT) calories. Yes even BLT adds up in calories.

Losing weight by learning to balance your calorie intake with your output is much easier and more fun than dieting and exercise and if you just take some simple steps every day, week or month you’ll be healthy, fit and happy in no time. Try switching to low fat milk or diet sodas. Help out an elderly neighbor by offering to walk their dog. Go to a class and learn a sport you’ve always wanted to play. There are a lot of things you can do to start living a healthy lifestyle today.

www.Healthfitnessexpert.com

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