Tracking What you Eat

One of the key steps to losing weight is tracking what you eat. You know you need to do it, but here are some important reasons WHY and some suggestions on HOW you can do it.

Tracking What you Eat

                                                    

Five Key Reasons for Keeping a Food Journal / Diary

• Stay Accountable: 

Recording what you eat gives you personal accountability. You ate it, you record it. It raises your awareness of how much you are eating in the way of calories, and it also helps with portion control. We usually eat much more than we think we do. 

• Stay Aware: 

Tracking food helps you stay under a calorie limit. You will begin to make healthier choices if you know where the calories you are consuming are coming from. Foods with lower caloric values suddenly become much more attractive because you can eat more food for less calories!

• Stay Focused: 

Getting into the habit of tracking what you eat keeps you focused on your small and big goals. If you start gaining weight or losing weight too quickly, you can read your food diary and easily look into the reasons this might be happening. 

• Stay in Control: 

Knowing what you have consumed makes it easier to balance food intake with how much exercise you are getting. You need to fuel the fire if you're working out a lot, and transversely, on days when you're not working out, you won't need to eat as much. 

• Stay Informed: 

Keeping a long term record of the food you are eating makes it possible to compare your weight loss and / or gains with the food you have eaten in a particular week. This way, you can gauge what foods are helping you reach your goals and which foods are not. 

... some great reasons to do this, but how?

There are some excellent ways to keep a record of what you have eaten. None of them need to be difficult, and it all depends on what works for you. 

My personal preference is My Fitness Pal. 

My Fitness Pal: Tracking food is easy with MFP. Food can be added online, or via the app. It has an extensive data base of foods and will calculate the calories for you. One of its best features is that you can add your own recipes or meals and the next time you eat one, it remembers how many calories in all of the ingredients and you don't need to work them out each time. Brilliant. 

This app / website doesn't only allow you to calculate calories and track food, it also works out your daily allowance, subtracts food from your allowance as you consume it, and adds calories when you add cardio workouts. Once you get used to using it, it is a great tool. 

The picture above is a screen shot of my profile from the website, but I use the app every single day.

Another way of tracking food is keeping a food journal or diary. Write down everything you eat for each meal. There are other tools like calorie counters that would be great for this. As long as you are tracking food, it really doesn't matter how it's done.

One method that I have used in the past is Weight Watchers. While the other ways are free, and you do have to pay to attend WW meetings or use the online tools, this is another great way to track your food, using the patented WW 'points' system. Attending meetings also gives you the added bonus of a support network of people. 

Whatever you decide to do, keep a track of what you eat, every time you eat it. You will soon start to become much more aware of how many calories you are consuming and how many you should be having to lose weight. 

I recommend My Fitness Pal because 1. It does everything for you and 2. It doesn't cost a thing, but if pen and paper, using a calorie counter or attending WW meetings works for you, then go for it. The are heaps of other ways to do this. At the end of the day, if works for you, just do it! 

Happy Tracking! 

                                                                    

Before and After ~ Then and Now

                                    

Before and After ~ Then and Now

                                                                            

This is me. I was fifty kilograms heavier than I am now. 
I like looking at my "Before and After" photos because they remind me of how far I have come, how much I have changed and how I never want to return to the way I was before. 
Lots of things have changed, but not all of them are so obvious. The main thing that has changed that you can't see at first glance is the way I think. This is me, then and now.

Then and Now

These differences were the turning point for me. I'm not claiming to be the world's greatest expert on this subject, but there is one thing I do know. Diets don't work. You have to change the way you think and change the things you do before you can change the way you look. This is not a diet, this is life.

    

                                                           

Find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anything-is-Possible/166432330197796

Goal Setting

No matter what it is that you want to achieve, you are going to have a better chance of achieving it by setting goals. Whenever I help students with their goals, I talk to them about the best way to go about it. These simple rules have helped hundreds of students I have taught over the years. 

They really work! I hope you find them useful. 

Six Simple Rules for Setting Goals

Rule 1: Keep it Real

Choose goals that reflect something that YOU actually WANT to achieve. Key words here: "YOU" and "WANT" If you are trying to lose weight because someone else told you that you need to, but your heart's not in it, there's a good chance the goals won't mean anything to you personally, and they will be just words on a page or thoughts in your head. You have to make the decision for yourself. If you can honestly say to yourself "this is what I want", the goals will be meaningful and purposeful, and ultimately, positive results will be much more likely. 

Rule 2: Set SMART goals

S - Specific

M- Measurable

A- Achievable

R - Realistic

T - Time specific

Goals should be as SPECIFIC as possible. Avoid vague generalisations like "I want to get fitter" or "I want to lose some weight soon" Use specific amounts in time and units of weight. e.g. " I want to lose twenty-five kilos by March next year" or "I want to bench press 10 kilos in free weights with three sets of ten reps."

Goals need to be MEASURABLE. The words "some" and "soon" can hardly be measured. The more specific the goal, the easier it will be to measure.

You need to make your goals reflect something that you are capable of achieving. It must be ACHIEVABLE. Don't focus on your limitations too much, but be sensible. I know for a fact that I will never be a size 6 jeans and I'm not going to set that as a goal. It just isn't achievable for me. I did have a goal to fit into a size 10 and I made it. Felt great too. 

Goals should be REALISTIC. I would love to be entered in to the Female Body Building Championships later in the year, but this is not going to happen. Not realistic for me! This may, however be a realistic goal for you and if it is, congratulations! One goal I do intend to achieve is to run in the annual Round the Bays fun run next summer. Can't wait.

Having a TIME SPECIFIC goal will keep you on track much better than having a vague, "I will lose some weight soon" type focus. Make your time limits realistic too. Rome wasn't built in a day, and losing weight too quickly just isn't that healthy. A good rule of thumb is around half a pound or 500 grams per week and there will be weeks where you don't lose or you might even gain. Give it time.

Rule 3: Break it Down

So you have decided to lose some weight. You have decided on a specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time specific goal. Mine was to "lose fifty kilos by the time I was fifty" This is a pretty big goal and I had given myself a long time to achieve it. In order to avoid losing sight of what I wanted to achieve, I broke my goal down into smaller, more manageable chunks. These became my small goals. It was great to have my next small goal in my mind the whole time and not have to wait all year to achieve the big one. My first small goal was to lose five kilos. I have included all my small goals at the end of the blog. These include weight loss, exercise and size fitting goals. It was a lot of fun to tick them all off one by one.

Rule 4: Write it Down / Plan it Out

You should also have a plan. This will determine HOW you intend to achieve the goals. Goals are just ideas without action, so include specific actions that you will take to achieve your goals. Some actions include: Menu planning, gym timetable, walking times, weights, strength routines and so many more. Use a calendar, diary or log book to plan what you are going to eat, or when you intend to work out and stick to it!

Writing your goals and plans down will also make them seem more real. This is a great way to make sure you don't lose sight of what you want to achieve too. Write down your big goals and your small goals and leave them somewhere that you will see them often. Stay positive and keep reminding yourself on how far you have come and how much you have done so far. Every small achievement is worth celebrating!

Rule 5: Share

Telling your friends and family about your goals makes you so much more accountable for them. You just know that your friends are going to ask you how you are doing with achieving those goals and you will want to tell them you're doing well. It works! Share them.

Rule 6: Revisit

Every now and then, you should revisit your goals list. Make sure they are still achievable and realistic. Have you given yourself enough time to achieve them, or perhaps too much time? Are the small goals small enough or do they need to be broken down some more? Is your big goal still what you want to achieve or are you happy with the weight you have reached? Reevaluating goals often will make them more tailored to what you actually want.

My goals

I set myself these goals along the way and revisited them often. Even the big one changed after I reached it!

The big one: Lose fifty kilos before I turn fifty years old.

The small ones:

• Lose 5 kilos
• Lose 5% of my total body weight
• Run for five minutes on the treadmill
• Lose 10 kilos
• Run for two minutes on the road * not as easy as it sounds!
• Lose 10% of my total body weight
• Wear size 18 jeans
• Lose 15 kilos
• Run for ten minutes on the treadmill
• Lose 20 kilos
• Get down to double digits (99 kilos) * very happy moment!
• Run for five minutes on the road
• Lose 20% of my total body weight
• Lose 25 kilos (half way mark)
• Wear size 16 jeans
• Run for 15 minutes on the treadmill
• Lose 30 kilos
• Run for 10 minutes on the road
• Do a proper push up
• Lose 35 kilos
• Run for 20 minutes on the treadmill
• Lose 30% of my total body weight
• Wear size 14 jeans
• Lose 40 kilos
• Run for 15 minutes on the road
• Lose 45 kilos
• Run for 25 minutes on the treadmill
• Wear size 12 jeans
• Run for 20 minutes on the road
• Lose 40% of my total body weight
• Wear size 10 jeans
• Run for 30 minutes on the treadmill
• Lose 50 kilos

... and I am happy to report that I achieved them all. I've actually lost 60 kilos now and am able to run for over an hour on the road. I set new goals all the time and am constantly reevaluating my progress. I need to know where I am going to make it easier to get there!
Without goals, we are just aiming at nothing.

I hope you have found these rules useful. Please let me know how you're doing by commenting below or on the "Anything is Possible" Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/liz.ross.collier/aip

Happy Goal Setting!

6 Simple Steps to Losing Weight

I've often heard people say that "you should be happy with yourself just the way you are" I think this is a wonderful sentiment but just suppose for a moment that you're not. What do you want to change and how do you intend to do it? Do you want to get fit, eat clean, lose weight, gain weight, build muscle? It's all good to say "just do it" but how? 

No matter what you want to achieve, these six simple steps will help. My goal was to lose weight, and I wanted to makes changes that would stick, so the steps below relate to that aim. Before you even begin it is important to know: this is not a diet. This is you making changes that are going to last forever. No going back. This is it. 

Six Simple Steps to Losing Weight

Step 1. Set goals. 

Say exactly what you want to achieve and how long you intend it to take. My goal was "50 by 50". I wanted to lose fifty kilos by the time I was fifty years old. I made it and I'm still 49 for a while yet! Goals should also be broken down into small, achievable chunks. My first goal was to lose 5 kilos. Others that followed were: lose 5% of my weight, lose 10 kilos, wear a smaller size in jeans, jog on the treadmill for 5 minutes and so on. (For a full list of my goals, have a look at my blog called 'goal setting'. Each time I reached a small goal I was rewarded with a sense of achievement, without having to hold out for the big one at the end. Doing this kept me on track and focused, constantly working toward the next goal. 

Step 2: Plan what you are going to eat.

This doesn't have to be a difficult task. When you go shopping, choose healthy options. Stick with food you love or you won't be able to sustain this. Fresh meat, fruits, vegetables, breads that are high in fibre, cereals, grains. Keep it clean and keep it natural and you can't go wrong. This is not a diet. This is the new life. You need to eat a good breakfast and then eat often enough during the day that you don't start to feel empty or hungry. Keep healthy snacks handy in case you do feel a bit peckish. I'm not talking about celery sticks and lettuce leaves here. Choose food that you like. This is the sustainable option. There are heaps of magazines out there just filled with healthy recipes. We are spoiled for choice! You are more likely to stay on track if you're enjoying what you eat. Drink plenty  of water and don't forget to track what you're eating and drinking by writing it in a food diary or in the "My Fitness Pal" app/website. (See Step Three)

Step 3: Track what you eat.

There are lots of ways to do this. Keeping a food diary is a popular one. First you need to establish how many calories you need to be eating each day in order to lose weight. There are lots of ways to do this too. I chose My Fitness Pal because it is just so easy to use. It can be downloaded as an app for your phone or alternatively, you can use the website. All you need to do is enter your current weight, your goal weight and how much weight you want to lose each week (don't go overboard here. A realistic, safe amount is around one pound or 500 grams a week.) Then you add your personal details; age, gender, height etc and the app or website will calculate your daily calorie allowance. Every time you have something to eat or drink, add it to the food diary and it will deduct this amount of calories from your daily limit and let you know how many you have left. If you do exercise that day, you can add that to your diary too and you can earn extra calories! This only works for the cardio sets, but it is still worth it. 
There are plenty of other ways to track your food. Weight Watchers have the 'Points' system and most foods' nutritional panels will tell you the caloric amounts in them. It's up to you how you track what you eat but it is an important part of losing weight. My personal preference and the one I highly recommend is "My Fitness Pal". 

Step 4. Keep records. 

At the beginning of your journey, record your weight and body measurements in a diary or log book. Other things you might want to record are your fat percentage and BMI. Results don't always show on the scales so it's a good idea to keep a record of your measurements too. I take these once a month. More often than that and you're not likely to see significant changes. Weight should be recorded once a week. It is up to you how often you jump on the scales but lots of experts recommend weekly. You're not likely to see results change on a daily basis and weight is bound to fluctuate. Each weigh in should be at the same time of the day too for consistency. The "My Fitness Pal" app/website has a place to enter these details too and it will graph the information automatically. 

Step 5. Exercise.

Every good weight transformation plan comes with exercise. Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, lose fat, build muscle, fit smaller clothes, you are going to have to move to achieve it. Just like your food options, you should choose activities that you enjoy. There are so many options! Walk, jog, run, play tennis, touch, squash, cycle, swim, whatever makes you happy! I get at least 30 minutes of cardio at least four days a week. As well as cardio, shaping your new body is going to need some resistance. I do light weights and alternate days between working on my legs and arms. I also joined the gym. It's completely up to you. Set exercise goals too. It feels great when you reach each small goal. One step at a time. My initial goal was to jog on the treadmill for five minutes. When I first started I could barely do two! Now I run for half an hour! Keep goals achievable, measurable and sensible. It takes time, but you will get there if you keep going and stick with it!

Step 6: Mind Management: 

I think that this is the most important step. You are going to have to manage the way your mind works to stay motivated and stay on track. I am forty-nine years old and I have been on every diet out there. I have been to Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers (so many times I have lost count!), I've followed a myriad of 'fad' (rhymes with bad) diets. It is only now that I have finally realised that I need to do something that I can sustain. The way I eat, the way I move, the way I think, all have to be long term. 
The simple fact is: Diets don't work. In essence, a diet is something that you go on for a while, give up this food and that food and then stop. Then the weight goes back on. This is where they fail! You need to make changes that are sustainable, long term, for life. 
The second thing is you need to do is abandon the notion of the 'quick fix'. It took years to put the weight on so it will take time to lose it. Be patient.
Last, but certainly not least, be positive. Never lose sight of your next goal. This is not going to happen quickly and you are going to have to work for it but it WILL happen. Telling yourself that you can and will do it is most of the battle won. There are going to be days that are really tough and you might want to give up. There are going to be other days where the rewards are so great you won't stop smiling for hours. There will be a day when someone you haven't seen for ages says those four magic words "have you lost weight?" It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. You deserve it and you can do it. If I can do it, anybody can. Anything is possible. 

Now ... what are you waiting for?