Friday, July 29, 2011

mama-vation: my "diet" philosophy.

you said you liked it the last time i talked about what's been workin for me.  so here's some more.  my "mama-vational" spcheal for the day!


i definitely have some room for improvement, but overall i am pretty satisfied with where i'm at fitness & health-wise.  and you guys, i'm no expert.  but i have reached my post-baby weight goal & i wanna share what's worked for me.  but this is also pretty much the way i've lived the last five years & i'm pretty sure it's what i'll be doing for the rest of my life.

which brings me to philosophy number one:


repeat after me:  there is NO quick fix or one-week diet that is gonna get you healthy & make you lose gobs of weight.  throw away the diet pills, keep eating those {healthy} carbs, & step away from the cabbage soup.  sure there are some de-tox methods that might give you a little boost, if that's what you're looking for, but overall it's all about learning how to eat on a daily basis that you're gonna be able to manage for the rest of your life.

no, seriously.  if you think you're gonna use some drastic diet until you lose the 30 pounds you need to, & then go back to all your regular eating habits, you're gonna find yourself right where you started.  thirty pounds overweight, or maybe even more.

a good diet isn't a "diet".  it's a lifestyle.  the weight will come off slowly & gradually, but it will stay off because you are doing it for life.  it might mean making some hard changes like giving up your daily can of dr. pepper or a nightly bowl of ice cream, but just remember those things are what got you in this mess in the first place.


on most days, i use a calorie tracker on my iPhone to track my food & exercise stuff & make sure i'm where i need to be.  this probably isn't something you need to do every single day for the rest of your life but if you've never done it before i highly recommend doing it for a little while.  maybe just a week.  you might be surprised at how much you're eating when you grab a handful of cinnamon toast crunch every time you walk in the kitchen, or when you finish off those uneaten bites of pb&j from your kid's lunch.

for the most part i track what i eat almost everyday just because it keeps me accountable.  that doesn't mean i never go over my daily allowance, it just means that when i do, i know i did.  oops.


there are so many little changes you can make in your daily diet that will make huge differences in your daily caloric intake.  switch from 1% or 2% milk to fat free.  give it some time & i promise you'll be able to stomach the difference.  sam & i have been drinking skim milk for years & when we drink anything more it kinda grosses us out.  ew, who wants to drink fatty milk anyway?

other little changes that make big differences:

-use fat free sour cream & fat free mayo.  you really can't tell much of a difference & it's totally still satisfying.

-use ground turkey in spaghetti/taco/casserole/other meat dishes rather than ground beef.  don't start off with the 99% fat free stuff or else you'll notice a big difference.  start moderately & i bet your husband/kids/neighbor won't even know they're not eating red meat.

-buy slow churned ice cream.  i get dreyer's brand & it's got like 1/3 the fat & half the calories or something.  and it still tastes dang good.  buy it, & then use some portion control.

-cook using small amounts of extra virgin olive oil.  the monounsaturated fats in it are actually good for you & will keep your heart healthy.  want an even lower calorie option?  cook stuff using water.  you'd be surprised how you don't even need cooking oil when you fill up that skillet with some good ol' fashioned water instead.


this might sound counter-intuitive but every now & then i think it's healthy to fall off the wagon.  this is real life.  and every now & then i fall off.  hard.  but i'm not trying to walk the victoria's secret runway anytime soon & for me, a life without pizza or ice cream just isn't worth living.

and you know what?  having the occasional burger & splitting a milkshake with your husband on a friday night is fine.  going out to fast food & eating french fries & milkshakes for dinner regularly because you don't want to cook, isn't.  save the "bad" meals for special occasions.  it may feel like two steps forward & one step back, but that's ok.  this is life & it's your lifestyle.  it's not a sprint, it's a marathon!

just so long as you're consistently being "good" more than you're being bad, i think it's ok.  at least that's what i tell myself!


when you do fall off the wagon?  hurry up & get back on.  don't let it get you down & make sure you just keep on goin'.  sometimes when i find myself out with girlfriends eating potato skins & nachos at 10:30 pm {like last night!} i don't sweat it too much because i know tomorrow i'll be up gettin my work out on & eating healthy again.  i know i'm healthy more often than i'm not & i make sure of it.  so that way i can allow some wiggle room from time to time.

also, be nice to yourself.  recognize good decisions & give yourself a pat on the back for it.  it'll make you feel good.  when you do decide to forgo that blizzard on your way home from grocery shopping say to yourself, "hey, i made a good choice back there... way to go me."  then you start to realize you're doing these things just out of habit & the decisions will become easier.  

or at least that's what i've found!

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and now i'm realizing there is a LOT more than just these five things to a healthy lifestyle.  like, a lot.  i could write about this stuff all day you guys, but sometimes i have to change diapers & play with a certain little man {and parker too} so i can't.  i guess that just leaves more for later!

so what's working for you?  

two clicks for good eats!
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41 comments:

  1. This is a fantastic post for being realistic about weight loss..,thanks a ton! I'm going to make sure i keep these in mind when I'm feeling desperate!!!

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  2. I love that you're wearing a spaghetti-o's shirt for this post ;) Wonderful sensible advice!

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  3. Ha I see you finally flipped the pics. looked like you were wearing your ring on your right hand. idiot

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  4. great ideas! I don''t drink cow's milk at all anymore besides a bowl of cereal once a month or so. and when I do drink it, its 1% organic.
    I think I need to keep a food journal again. I lose track of all the snacks I eat during the day.
    I know you do stroller strides, and it looks so much fun, so I looked it up for around here and the closest one is 30 mins away :(
    Anyway, Great Post!!

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  5. This is awesome! I think I'll link my readers on my fitness/health blog over here today!

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  6. I have no idea if I've ever commented on your blog (knowing me, probably not) but I agree 110% with this whole post -- it's pretty much what I do myself and write on my blog whenever people ask me (ME!?) for healthy eating tips! Although I have no kids so I'm not trying to get to a post-baby weight or anything, but still.
    Anywho, just wanted to say hi! Love your blog! Your little family is so cute and kind of what I envision for myself in about 5 years!

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  7. Great advice. I'm on a no salt diet for a week til my 20 yr reunion and I gotta say- hats off to anyone who diets regularly.

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  8. Great tips! I always think you look super cute. Also, you always put such a creative twist on pictures, with the letters on the side and the colors. I'm still hoping I can figure out how to do that some day! Love it all.

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  9. what a great post and I just love your how realistic and wonderful your advice is! plus... you look amazing! :)

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  10. awesome post! I love it - all of the advice is so true. and when it boils down - be nice to yourself! don't be too hard on yourself, but sometimes a body needs a little tough love (i.e. exercise and veggies)!

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  11. Great post! I love your "diet" approach because it means we can still go out together and eat junk every once in a while! Deprivation is the enemy...I've learned that the hard way. I pretty much follow everything you wrote here except for with the dairy...I've recently converted to the saturated-fat-in-dairy-products-is-good-for-you camp.

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  12. These are the exact tips I follow as well! I use MyFitnessPal (online since I don't have a fancy-shmancy smart phone) and that's REALLY helped keep my accountable for my eating. It is truly a lifestyle and not some fad diet that works. I've also started doing Couch to 5k and have seen awesome results with that as well! :)

    And sometimes (shhh) I save calories so I can have a dish of vanilla ice cream with honey!

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  13. Wonderful tips and great reminders for me right now. I try to keep water as my main beverage and make activity a goal, but try to keep it fun. I agree that it's about it being a lifestyle.

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  14. Great advise. I'm not much of a dieter. But I like that you call it a "lifestyle". Makes it more reasonable to think about. I also agree that it's okay to fall off the wagon, and in fact, you should. No diet or lifestyle in the world could keep me away from the occasional coke or big fat juicy burger. :) Now.. I just need to make those things occasional. Ha ha.

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  15. I was wondering what calorie tracker you use? :) I couldn't agree more that it's a lifestyle, not a quick diet.

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  16. Love this! haha great pics and love the shirt. Great info.

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  17. Great post today! :)

    http://hisbabybluesandmine.blogspot.com/

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  18. Great post!! haha. It made me totally laugh so true! My dad never let us drink anything but skim growing up.. BUT I don't like it so I don't drink it now anywayss. BUT we used to joke that drinking skim milk was like drinking "udder sweat" I know thats gross. EW. I totally agree with this post:) Have a great weekend!

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  19. I agree with your falling off the wagon "rule." I think that's what gets people in trouble after healthy eating for so long. They're afraid to eat anything that isn't "good" for them. We're human. And a Cheeseburger every now and then isn't gonna kill anyone.

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  20. I agree with everything! Especially the idea that it isn't a diet, but a lifestyle. Oh and keeping track of what you ate. Before I got pregnant I lost 30 pounds doing that. I haven't been as successful losing the baby weight, but that has more to do with motivation. I need some advice about that.

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  21. Oh I LOVED reading this!!! I noticed a lot of things I already do so I gave myself a pat on the back. :) I switched to fat free/skim milk when I was pregnant. I couldn't eat the fattier milk otherwise my morning sickness would flair up. You're so right about the ground turkey too. Our neighbors introduced that to us and we love cooking with it. We don't notice a difference and it makes us feel better about our food intake. I'm going to read the other post now because I missed it somehow. You should do another one if you have more tips! I would love to hear more!

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  22. You, my dear, are so freakin' adorable! I have big plans to change what I'm putting in my mouth. #1 because it is effecting my health negatively and #2 because it is effecting my bank account negatively!

    I actually think I have a food allergy and if I do it will constitute HUGE changes to my diet and a lot of willpower. Wish me luck :)

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  23. you're so inspiring. printing this post off and to the fridge it goes :) thanks!

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  24. Great timing! I needed a little push/reminder! :)

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  25. LOVED THIS! I reposted it on my blog fb page ;) my favorite comment I get is- youre thin you can eat whatever you want and why do you need to exercise. Well if I did that I wouldnt be. It IS a lifestyle not something you do for a few weeks or a few months. I am glad you put it in writing! You are awesome.

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  26. One thing that has really helped me as I lost 30 pounds, was reversing the ratio in desserts. Rather than sprinkling berries on a bowl of ice cream, I get a big bowl of berries and put maybe a quarter cup of ice cream or cool whip on top.

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  27. amen to all of this! i have made a healthy life style for myself and my thyroid is getting closer to being under control and i am SO excited to start seeing results for all my hard work! patients is key for my life right now haha.

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  28. soooooo....um, I'm a blog stalker turning myself in. But I just have to for this post! (I met you once years ago...we were camping with Korry and Taffee and you, Sam, Jody and Jason came and hung out for a bit.)

    ANYWAY.

    I've been changing my 'diet'/'eating lifestyle' for the last eight weeks, pretty much how you just outlined it and I've seen amazing results. Also, it's obvious you're super fit (something I'm definitely striving for) and so to know that I'm on the right track to looking as good as you is encouraging!

    Thanks for letting me spill.

    Aaaand I just may be your newest (public) follower!

    http://tkhymas.blogspot.com if ya wanna visit.

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  29. ive always been a fat free milk girl but since ive been pregnant ive been obsessed with 2%. no idea where it came from or how the 2% even got in my fridge in the first place. ive convinced myself its ok while im preggy but man its going to be hard to go off it after the babe comes. ah!

    love all of these tips and that you are so realistic! i totally agree... a life without ice cream and pizza is not a life worth living. haha

    ill be kickin it into gear after baby. til then, i will eat and eat. :]

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  30. Great advice! Definitely my best realization was that to lose weight and keep it off, you have to change your life style, not go on a diet! And just remember how much better I FEEL when I am in shape, because sometimes looks don't matter enough to give me real motivation. I'd say everyone needs to find their own motivation, whatever really works for them, and keep it in mind every day. =)

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  31. I love this post! Everything you've said, i've been doing and it really does work. At first it was kind of hard to get used to but now it feels natural. I stay away from anything that has high fructose corn syrup, and your right I do fall off the healthy wagon from time to time but I know since i'm running and working out it gives me some wiggle room (like you said) to intake a few more calories.

    Glad to hear it's been working for you as well! Thanks for the tips!!

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  32. I'm so embarrassed that every time you guys come over you feel sick drinking my 1% milk. Sorry to ruin you life.

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  33. Great post!! You are so right... there is NO quick fix, Not only for getting in shape physically but also health wise. Once you screw up your body, you are in for a long haul getting better. I know this from experience.

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  34. Thank you for this post.
    I follow these rules but need to add way more exercise into my life. I need to just do it! Stop making excuses and do it!

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  35. I totally needed this today! I have been falling off the wagon HARD the last few weeks and have been really hard on myself about it. Reading this just gave me the motivation and inspiration I needed, thank you!!!

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  36. Love this! Thanks for sharing!

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  37. I love that you are wearing a spaghetti o's t-shirt in this post!! Oh and the potato skins were pretty awesome.

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  38. When going on a self-designed weight loss program, make sure to have it first checked and approved by a doctor or a certified physician. You can't go wrong with things like these because it's your health on the line.

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  39. Those food look really enticing. Sure people go on a diet, but everyone has their cheat day too.

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