A Call For Help

A Call For Help

Hello again to all. Well, today was another successful day, but old habits die-hard. It is so automatic to reach for food. I am hearing from some that they too are facing the habit of “distracted eating” and are unconsciously reaching for food. The good news is that I am also hearing that you are staying with this no matter what and retraining those old lifestyle patterns.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!   Keep up the great work! You are all awesome!

Also want to put the word out. One of our faithful followers is in need of help, so I am reaching out to all of you and asking for assistance. There is a little dog that she has rescued, and is in need of medical / surgical help. I know without a doubt that this follower is not in a position to afford anything, but is doing what she can and more than what she can to help this little dog. I had given her the name of a veterinary clinic, and she took little Chloe there.  Here are the results: 

Ottewell Animal Clinic

6120 90 Ave

Phone:  780-466-1826

Chloe has had her exams, xrays…her 2 front paws are broken, her 2 back knees are dislocated as well. I paid for her xrays, UTDS on shots, painkillers and deworming today. That came to around 300 bucks I didn’t have but she needs her first operation Monday morning on her two front paws. That will be over 300.00. Plus she gets her teeth examined then too.
 
Her second operation is in the thousands and has to be done by a surgeon in the city here.
She needs to be spayed to never be bred out again by backyard breeders.
 
When I gave Chloe her painkiller the first time today..( she has not had one since her paws were broken)) she sat up and smiled at me!!! I said your welcome little girl…that is the smallest I could do..relieve you of much needed pain!!
 
IF anyone can help pay her first operation off on Monday..over the 300 dollar mark..please ask them to go down to the Ottewell Animal Clinic at 6120-90ave..put money down on credit for her!! This little girl never once complained..she cannot walk properly ever again until she gets it!!
 
Chloe never barks, never growls,,never complains!! I wonder what monsters can do this to her..I don’t know!! Right now,…if you could tell others to please help this little girl..she could really use it right now!!
 
She will be adopted out to a 4ever home once her health is officially cleared and she is fixed as well! This little girl has many years of love and affection to give to a lucky family out there!!                  Pls put the word out!!

100 Day Challenge – Day 1 Video

  Hey Everyone,

Check out the first video blog post.

Day 2

Hello everyone. Hope you were all able to stay on track again today. If you slipped a little, be sure to hold on. Tomorrow is another day, and holds the promise of success.

Today was a bit of a tough day with challenging situations, but I managed to hold on and stay on track. When every ounce of me was feeling the pressure to grab onto some food to comfort and calm the day, I stopped what I was doing, thought about what was triggering the push to eat, and accepted that I could not change some things in that very moment. I told myself, “in this very moment, I am OK and can keep going forward. I do not need to eat as a crutch to hold me strong.”

The feeling passed and I got on with what was calling to my attention at that moment. It was an empowering experience, but may take many of these before a real confidence is established. That’s OK. I can do this, and so can you.

I even made sure to walk my dog. The fresh air and exercise was invigorating and helped clear my mind.  Tomorrow is day 3 and I am going to hang in there and stay on track.

Day 1 – A Good Start

OFF AND RUNNING

I made it through the first day quite well, surprisingly. I had forgotten that I had made plans to have lunch at a restaurant with a friend. I wasn’t sure how that was going to turn out. We went in and looked at the menu and found a House Salad. I asked what dressings they had and found out they have Italian Light dressing. And, they put the Parmesan cheese in a side container for me to measure. It turned out wonderfully, and I stayed on track. We did a little video on the treadmill and took my puppy for a walk. And, I’ve received some good emails, and it sounds like some of you are doing awesome. Keep up the good work!

I found a few more articles that said one of the key components to losing weight is writing down every morsel of food you eat. It is so easy to consume substantial calories without realizing it. It’s amazing how much food you can eat when choosing wisely. 

I once heard someone say, “Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better”.

Well there certainly are some here that are on the right track. Your struggles will turn into blessings. Keep up the good work and keep going forward. 

Remember to dream and believe that you are connected to and have the power to make your dreams come true. Even if someone has a day where they fall down, getting up and trying is again is empowerment 

Tomorrow is day 2 of the first 10 days. I know that we will succeed and will stay on the plan tomorrow too.

Day 1

Launch!

Today is the big day, the first day of “100 Days of Encouragement”.  This is day one of the first 10 ten-day segment. 

As hessgirl said in her comment yesterday:

“I am truly excited about tomorrow and although today is busy and full, I feel prepared and ready to go! I see this as a journey–and I literally can’t imagine where I will be 100 days from now, but I only have to focus on the work of 10 days anyway, and I can do that.”   She says it well.

Let’s imagine the feeling of success. That feeling starts today. Picture a reward you would like for yourself after completing the first 10 days. And that great feeling is only the beginning. Whatever the journey is like, the victory is worth it.

Sit back, close your eyes, and just imagine how rewarding it will be to go shopping for clothes in 100 days from now. Imagine how you will feel about yourself. Picture the energy you will have and the activities you will participate in. Your family and friends will be happy for you. The joy will be unlimited.

Let’s Get Started – Go Team!

 These meal plans are only suggestions. You can use some of the suggested foods, create your own, or mix and match. It is important to plan your meals ahead and be prepared for each day.

As promised, here are the menu suggestions for March 29 – April 4, 2010

Be sure to drink a minimum of  8 (8oz) glasses of water each day

Men can add an extra protein, starch and dairy

I have prepared  seven days of  meal plans as a base guideline to help each of you. You can open the meal plans by clicking on the link below. This link will take you to a download page. Click on the line that says, “Click here” To Open the PDF.

100 Days of Encouragement – 7 Day Meal Plan PDF – Click Here to Download

Tips -  Use some of the 0 calorie products

-          I can’t Believe It’s Not Butter – Spray

-          Becel – Topping & Cooking Spray (different brand from above)

-          Mrs. Dash – Herb & Garlic Seasoning (salt free)

-          Pam Cooking Spray

- 40 or 45 calorie (0% fat) yogurt cups = ½ a serving of dairy

- Quaker100 calorie chocolate dipped granola bars = 1 starch

- You do not have to limit serving size of  lettuce, cucumber, broccoli etc

- Nestle “Skinny Cow” 50 calorie frozen  mini fudge bars  = 2/3 dairy serving

  It’s like having a fudgesicle that is 98% fat free

You can also consume 2 optional condiments per day

1 tbsp coffee flavouring

1 tbsp ketchup

½ cup salsa

1 tbsp no-fat dressing,  2 tbsp no fat Italian dressing

mustard – unlimited

1 tbsp BBQ Sauce

Be sure to consume all portions in each category every day, otherwise your body may feel deprived of food. I am not a certified dietician. I have tried many programs and am sharing what I have learned.

We can all do this and will be successful. Just imagine how rewarding it will be to go shopping for clothes in 100 days from now. Imagine how you will feel about yourself. Picture the energy and activity you will participate in.The joy will be unlimited. It is called “delaying gratification”. We delay gratifying our immediate emotional hunger, grow from the experience, follow a healthy eating and exercise program,  and come out of it happier than we can currently  imagine.

Menu for Monday, March 29, 2010

Day 1 of the First 10 Days

 Let’s Get Started -  Go Team!

This is the food menu I have planned for Monday. You can choose whatever types of food you prefer. The key is to write down everything that you eat, measure your food for the correct size portions, and eat the correct amount of each food from each category. 

The number of servings per food category for women is:

3 fruit

4 vegetables

4 starches (grains, popcorn, and starch based food)

2 Dairy

3 Proteins

2 Fats

Men can add an extra protein, starch and dairy

Be sure to Drink a minimum of 8 (8oz) glasses of water per day

Breakfast

½ cup bran cereal ———–1 starch

1 cup skim milk—————1 dairy

1 small banana—————-1 fruit

1 boiled egg ——————-1/2  protein     

A.M. Snack

1 cup fresh grape tomatoes  —————-1 vegetable

Lunch 

2 (1oz) slices of whole grain bread — 2 starch

3 oz low fat cheddar  ——————–  1  protein

2 small cucumbers ———————-   1 vegetable

1 large orange —————————–  2 fruit

1 boiled egg ——————-1/2  protein     

Bread is toasted and cheese melted in microwave to make a sandwich

Afternoon Snack

8 oz yogurt ——————————– 1 dairy

100 calorie granola dip bar ———  1 starch

Dinner  

4oz of roast chicken (white meat)—————————- 1 protein

Salad with lettuce, tomato,

cucumber, celery and spinach ——————————- 2 vegetables

2 tbsp of fresh avocado—————————————– 1 fat

1 tbsp  low fat Italian dressing ——————————-  1 fat

2 cups of spaghetti squash + ½ cup tomato sauce—-  1 vegetable

Evening  

100 calorie microwave popcorn ————- 1 starch

That concludes the first day. The next 6 days of menu plans will be posted in the next post.

Please be sure to share your journey with others. Remember to send encouragement and ask for encouragement or support if you need it.

Not asking for support leads to isolation and suppressed emotions.

Lets win this struggle.

I’M SO GLAD I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS!

The correct way to weigh yourself…

Had a very long day, but received an email from someone on the Encouragement 100 team and also came across this picture in my emails. It cheered me up so I decided to pass the good cheer on to you.

Do you think we should try weighing ourselves like this? It has to be the fastest way to lose weight.

I will sit down tomorrow evening and put together my meal plans for next week and will post the correct portions. You can follow along or choose your own meal plans. Keeping the Monday, March 29, 2010 starts the first 10 days of the 10 segments of 100 Days of Encouragement.

Are all of you ready? I would love to hear from you.

Tasty Recipe

Hello to everyone. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I am putting up a quick and easy recipe that allows you to eat more of.

Many of you may have tried this, but I like spaghetti squash. Regular pasta does taste wonderful, but a ½ cup is one serving on the menu diary.

Two cups of spaghetti squash is equivalent to the ½ cup of pasta and does not have the carbs of pasta.  It is inexpensive and can stretch into a few meals or serve the family.  It is yellow and the size of a small, oblong watermelon. 

Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Simply cut the spaghetti squash in half and clean out the centre and the seeds as you would a pumpkin.  I like to sprinkle a little Hy’s Seasoning Salt on it before cooking. Place tin foil on a cookie sheet and spray it with a little non-stick cooking spray. Place each half of the spaghetti squash upside down and cook at 350 degrees for around 40 minutes. Remove from oven and flip with spatula. You can use a spoon or fork to scoop out the contents.

Topping Options

There are many options available to top the spaghetti squash

-Can top with your favourite spaghetti sauce

-A little bit of grated cheese (3 oz of low fat cheese =1 protein) (2oz= 1 Dairy)

-Low Fat Parmesan

-1 tbsp of sliced black olives = 20 calories

-Sautéed onions in a little vegetable or olive oil

-Cooked spinach

-4 oz of cooked chicken (white meat) or 3 0z of cooked beef = 1 protein

-Your suggestions welcome  

As you can see, the options are many.  If you have any recipes that you would like to share, please send them in.    

We will persevere and succeed. We can do this! Please be sure to send in encouragement and ask for support when needed. Too often we so want to be independent and don’t ask for encouragement. This is a 100-Day Journey into a better lifestyle that helps us feel good about ourselves.

Reasons For Eating

1)  Physical Hunger                               2) Emotional Hunger

Everyone knows that they can lose weight if they follow an eating plan and exercise. If it were just this simple, weight loss would not be an issue.

In this busy and demanding world, long-term weight loss will mean getting honest with yourself and being accountable. I’m hearing from people that ask what they need to do to follow this program.

I can offer a food plan, exercise plan, and a lot of advice. These are the technical components of losing weight. Emotion is the other component. Becoming aware of the emotions you are feeling and why those emotions are there is key.

 Am I physically hungry or am I emotionally hungry? Can I wait to eat or do I need it instantly? Can I delay gratification and learn from the moment. Are my emotions so demanding that I cannot delay the gratification? Am I feeling out of control of my life? What can I do in this very moment to take appropriate control of my life?

Physical hunger happens slowly. Emotional hunger demands immediate gratification. It’s like a screaming child that wants something now and sooner than now. To console the child, you give them something. There needs to be a safe holding space for you to step back and ask yourself some questions and tell yourself you are safe to be in the moment and experience the emotions you are feeling. That space of time delays the gratification and gives you the opportunity to try to figure out what it is the emotion is asking for (hope, security, fellowship, support, etc…) .

Emotions also want to be shared, so you can feel accepted and supported through your difficult time. We typically eat to suppress and hide the struggles we have.

Becoming part of this support and encouragement group is the first step. You are not asked to provide details of your struggle; rather, you can reach out and ask for some encouragement. If it is in your beliefs or values to ask for prayer, please feel free to do so.

Also, be sure to offer encouragement and share your success to help inspire others.

This all sounds easy in theory on paper; but the achieving this is the work that is necessary to get there. This is the task that we are working on together, and I know that it is a challenge.

Knowledge is the beginning of wisdom. Experience is applying the knowledge you have learned. It means getting into your body and into the moment. Change is a process that challenges us to grow to the next level.

I will get a few easy recipes up tomorrow and will get some menu ideas together on Thursday, March 25^th. We all know what foods are healthy for us. The discipline that is needed is portion control and developing that holding space to work through the issues as they surface. This takes time. 100 days is the beginning of the rest of your life or lifestyle change.

Are you ready?

If anyone does not have a menu diary, please contact me and I will email it to you.

*The purpose is the 100 Day Challenge is to establish a long term life style change. If there are deep emotional issues that surface, you are advised to consult with a professional councillor.