So I've been stuck at the 30 pounds lost mark for a few months now. When I look at pictures of me now & last year, I'm still very proud of the progress I've made in leading a healthier lifestyle. However, I feel that I haven't been serious enough to get over the hump. That's why I've decided to kick my routine up a notch. This is what I plan to do...

As far as my eating's concerned, I have been eating a lot healthier than I ate last year. But I still splurge whenever I get the urge (not that I'm trying to rhyme or anything, lol). So I've committed to getting rid of all the little ways I tend to splurge on my eating. From here through the Christmas Holidays, I intend to cut out all desserts (cake, cookies, candy & such). I also LOVE to drink hot chocolate. In fact, I drink it a little bit too much sometimes. So I'm gonna try and avoid that too. And I'm also going to avoid drinking wine & cocktails. Normally, I don't feel that we should avoid foods that we love just because we're trying to lose weight. I feel that we should indulge sometimes because when we deny ourselves, we sometimes end up going on eating binges, which makes our situations worse. But since I've been stuck at this weight, I just want to take my routine up a notch for a while. What I will be eating are more veggies and more fiber-rich foods and drinking more water. Those little tweaks to my eating should help take me over that weight-loss plateau. As far as my exercising is concerned, I plan on doing more cardio. It's a little bit ambitious, but my goal is to start working out twice a day...once in the early morning and once in the afternoon or evening. I started yesterday and got in two really good workouts. I've already worked out once today, so I want to get in another workout after I finish blogging. I know working out twice a day is a little much since the body needs rest and healing time, but I just want to try between now and the Christmas Holidays. Along the way if I feel fatigued and that my body just can't take the extra activity, I'll definitely make adjustments and scale back. Right now though, I feel really good and have already noticed a difference in my body from the small changes I've made. Here's what I ate yesterday...

I had cereal for breakfast.

For lunch, I had turkey meatballs sauteed with veggies & tomato sauce over a bed of baby spinach.

For a snack, I ate herb turkey & aged Swiss cheese slices over fiber Wasa crackers. I actually couldn't eat all of it, so I saved half for work later that day. I also had yogurt at work.

For dinner, I had salmon with lentils and spinach. It was a successful healthy-eating day. Thanks for checking in with me. Be sure to keep checking back to find out how my new workout and eating patterns how working out for me now through Christmas. Hope you're well...

S

This weekend wasn't a total bust as far as my eating was concerned, but I definitely wasn't perfect. Example? Here's what I had for breakfast Saturday morning...

I just woke up craving pancakes. And of course, I slathered them with butter & syrup! Not the worst thing I could eat, but not the healthiest either. I went to dinner with a friend Saturday night and had chili and a cheeseburger. Oh...and a couple of glasses of white wine. It was all very yummy, so I don't regret eating it. However, I'll have to make up for it by being extra good with my eating this week. But I did do better for Sunday breakfast...

An omelette with tons of veggies, a small amount of chicken and shredded cheddar. Keep checking back this week to see how I'm doing with my eating and exercising. I'm gonna try and force myself to workout twice a day for the next week. Let's see if that happens, lol. Btw, I came across an article by Dr. Michelle May, debunking weight management myths. Check it out below, it may help you stop yo-yo dieting and improve the way you eat:

Diets are filled with dogma about when, what and how much to eat. Certainly "the rules" are usually based on observations that make sense, but unless you understand why you do certain things, you'll break the rules as soon as the temptation is greater than your motivation. Let's examine some of these myths, where they come from and how to make long-term changes that will work for you.

Myth #1: Don't Eat After 7 p.m.

Your metabolism doesn't shut off at 7:01 p.m., so why is this rule so common? It is based on the observation that a lot of people who struggle with their weight overeat in the evening. Most people have already eaten dinner, so they aren't snacking because they're hungry. They snack because of boredom, television, loneliness and other triggers.

Rather than creating a rule to address those habits, ask yourself, "Am I hungry?" whenever you feel like eating in the evening. If you truly are, eat, keeping in mind that your day is winding down so you won't need a huge meal. If you aren't, consider why you feel like eating and come up with a better way to address that need. Ken, a man in one of my workshops, realized he was just bored, so he started doing stained-glass projects in the evenings to entertain himself. Whatever works!

Myth #2: Eat Small Meals Every 3 Hours

This rule is based on the fact that many thin people tend to eat frequent small meals. However, most of the thin people I know don't check their watch to tell them it's time to eat--they eat when their body tells them to. They eat when they're hungry and stop when they're satisfied. Since that tends to be a small meal, they get hungry again in a few hours.

Instead of watching the clock, begin to tune into the physical signs of hunger to tell you when to eat. And remember, your stomach is only about the size of your fist, so it only holds a handful of food comfortably. By learning to listen to your body's signals, you are likely to follow a frequent small-meal pattern naturally.

Myth #3: Don't Let Yourself Get Hungry

This one is based on the belief that overweight people are incapable of controlling themselves when they are hungry. In my experience with hundreds of workshop participants, once they learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and "head hunger," the opposite is true.

Think about it. When you're hungry, food tastes better and is more satisfying. My grandmother used to say, "Hunger is the best seasoning." Besides, if you aren't hungry when you start eating, what's going to tell you to stop? Of course, you also need to learn to recognize hunger and make time to eat before you are too hungry, since it's harder to make great choices when you are starving!

Myth #4: Exercise More When You Cheat

I hate this one because it has caused millions of people to equate physical activity with punishment for eating. As a result, many people either hate to exercise or use exercise to earn the right to eat.

While it's true that your weight is determined by your overall calories in versus your calories out, exercise is only part of the equation and it has so many other important benefits. Instead of using exercise to pay penance, focus on how great you feel, how much more energy you have, how much better you sleep and how much healthier you are becoming. In the long run, you are more likely to do something because it feels good than because you are forced to.

Myth #5: Follow Your Diet Six Days a Week, Then You Can Have a Cheat Day

This is absurd! What if you were a harsh, overly strict parent six days a week, then completely ignored your kids every Saturday? How would this approach work for your marriage or managing your employees?

It just doesn't make sense to try to be perfect (whatever that is) Sunday through Friday while obsessing about everything you're going to eat on your day off. Then on Saturday you overeat just because you're allowed to, so you end up feeling miserable all day. Huh? Personally, I would rather enjoy eating the foods I love every day mindfully and in moderation. I call this being "in charge" instead of going back and forth between being in control and out of control.

Myth #6: Eat X Number of Calories (or X Number of Points) Every Day

Does it make sense that you would need exactly the same amount of fuel every day? Aren't there just days when you're hungrier than others, maybe because of your activity levels or hormonal cycles?

Rather than setting yourself up to "cheat" on those hungry days and forcing yourself to eat more food than you want on your less hungry days, allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your intake based on your actual needs rather than an arbitrary number. Important: For this to work long-term, you also need to learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and "head hunger."

Myth #7: Carbs Are Bad (or Fat Is Bad)

This "good food-bad food" thinking makes certain foods special. As a result, you may feel deprived and think about them even more than you did before. Worse yet, healthy foods become a four-letter word.

The truth is, all foods fit into a healthy diet. Since different foods have different nutritional qualities and calorie content, you can use the principles of balance, variety and moderation to guide you without trying to restrict yourself from eating an entire food group.

Truth: You Are In Charge

I assume the rule makers are well intentioned and don't realize that they've created a tightrope that most people will fall off of sooner or later. If your head hadn't already told you that all these rules are crazy, wasn't your heart saying there had to be a better way?

It's time to give yourself a wider path that you can stay on forever. Allow yourself the flexibility to make any decision as long as you consider the advantages and disadvantages of your choices and always keep self-care in mind.

I was watching Down Home With The Neely's on Food Network last weekend and learned a great way to flavor my turkey burgers. I'll share it with you in just a few. Right now though, take a look at what I ate today...

For breakfast, I had an egg white veggie omelette with home fries.

For a snack, I ate chocolate pudding & an organic cereal bar.

I had a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with raisins for lunch.

And for dinner, I had a turkey burger patty with lentils & baby spinach.

I had a package of ground turkey meat in the fridge that I was trying to figure out how to prepare. So when I saw them cooking turkey burgers on Down Home With The Neely's, I paid close attention to see if I could learn a unique way to prepare my turkey meat. I knew I wasn't gonna make a burger because I don't keep bread at home too often. But the way they seasoned the turkey meat really convinced me to try their method. And you know that turkey meat can be very dull and flavorless if not seasoned well. They seasoned it with salt & pepper 1st. Then they added in some dijon mustard and soy sauce! The soy sauce made all the difference and made the burger really yummy! Before I grilled the patty, I also added some peppers, onions & shredded cheddar cheese into the mixture. I'm tellin' ya, it was the best turkey patty I've ever had.

That does it for today. Be sure to check back tomorrow to follow me on my weight loss journey. Hope you're happy & healthy. Muah!

S