Month: July 2015

Water Water and more Water

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imageIn order to have the best weight loss results you should drink 64 oz’s of water a day.  That seems daunting but here is the reason why.  Drinking Water Revs Up Your Metabolism.  Dehydration is your body’s enemy.  It slows bodily functions and metabolism.  As a mater of fact, your metabolism will slow to conserve energy when you haven’t had enough water to drink as your organs can’t and won’t function efficiently.  Scientifically speaking, drinking water has been proven to contribute to your body’s ability to burn calories more efficiently.  Dehydration prohibits the fat burning process.

Buy yourself a 16 oz water bottle and first thing in the morning drink that entire bottle of water. Cold water is even better because your body will have to warm up the water entering your system which increases your metabolism.  Have another 16 oz bottle around lunch time, that will help fill you up also.  Have another 16 oz bottle around 3:00 in the afternoon, that will also increase energy for that afternoon slump and a final 16 oz before dinner.  There you have it, your 64 oz’s for the day.  Drink Up!

The Love/Hate Relationship with the Scale

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image

The Scale!  How I’ve always hated the scale.  Probably because when I first became a Flight Attendant back in the late 1970’s the Airlines were really hung up on the scale.  Your job hinged on it.  Thank God discrimination laws have changed all that.  As Flight Attendants we had “Weight Check”.  Can you believe that.  Having to be weighed for your job.  Barbaric!  Your supervisor could weigh you at any time without any notice and decide if you should be on Weight Check.  This meant you were given a certain amount of time to lose that weight or you would lose your job.  The Pressure!  For my height 5’2″ I could weigh between 105 and 112 pounds.  Sure that’s fairly easy when you’re young and haven’t had children.  If I weighed that weight now my friends and family would think I had a serious illness.  Which would be true.  It would be called Starvation and Malnutrition.  Those days are long gone thank goodness now Flight Attendants can be weighed by their job performance not their weight.  So that’s why I have avoided the scale for years, hence the weight gain but now I am not afraid of the scale.  We need that beast to use as a gauge to see if our weight lose plan is working.  Don’t become obsessed with it and weigh yourself several times a day or every day.  And you know you are out there.  But instead use it once a week.  First thing in the morning, no water, no clothes, right it down and then let it go.  LET IT GO.

Bye Bye First 5 Pounds

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imageWhen I first started this blog I had been on this program for one week.  Today was my first weigh in.  As soon as I got up, before a drink of water I got on the scale buck naked of course and lost 5 lbs!  So excited!  I even made it through 4th of July weekend with all that food around.  I admit, I even had a cocktail to celebrate this wonderful day.  I made sure it was a low calorie cocktail.  Vodka, club soda and lime.  With a red, white and blue straw.  I didn’t go crazy, I only allowed myself one, OK maybe 2.  When everyone was munching on chips and dips I was enjoying my Parmesan Cheese Puffs.  For dinner I was able to eat a steak like everyone else and instead of the potato salad I had myself the green salad.  I truly did not feel deprived that day.  The first few days were the hardest of course but after that it got easier and easier.  Now that I saw results and lost 5 lbs, I think it will make this coming up week even easier.

My Mantra Last Week:  “I’m not missing anything I’ve eaten before.  I know what all those foods taste like.  I will be able to eat them again”.

Lean and Green Spinach and Mushroom Chicken Breast

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chicken

6 oz bag raw spinach leaves

2 oz cream cheese softened

2 tsp crushed garlic

8 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tsp ground thyme

4 chicken breast

1/2 grated low fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray large saute pan with cooking spray.  I use Pam.  Place over med heat and saute chicken breast about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In saute pan add spinach, mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper and thyme and saute for about 10 minutes or until spinach mixure is wilted.  Add cream cheese and incorporate well into the mixture and looks creamy.  Remove from heat and pour spinach mixture over chicken breast.  Top with cheese and bake 30 minutes.  Enjoy.