Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Laura,

Hi, very interesting website…I have been a ww member for 25 years. Lifetime, but I do keep repeating the program. I am looking forward to the momentum, something new…a little challenge, at least or 4 weeks, when you really get to know the program.

my question, are you affiliated or sponsor’d by WW

thanks,
Elie

Elie,

No, I do not work for Weight Watchers and they do not sponsor my site. I attend weekly meetings just like a normal person. In fact, I came back from my last meeting of the year yesterday (the Utah WW affiliate closes between Christmas and New Year’s). I lost 1.8 pounds this week. I love to be able to keep losing AND enjoy the holiday.

Best,
Laura

I found this advertisement for LaCoste clothing in the November In Style magazine. I thought it was the perfect inspiration for staying on program during the holiday months.

I never think of winter as a very motivating time to stay on program, but looking at these models being active makes me want to go outside and play in the snow.

While I was scouring old Seventeen Magazines for cool things, I found this workout routine in the May 1983 edition. It features one of their models, a pre-diva Whitney Houston.

Here she is showing off some leg workouts:

Here are some arm workouts:

The ab workouts are here:

Finally, take care of your skin. It’s interesting that “maximum protection” was SPF 15 back then:

I almost feel a little cheated by this article. When I read Seventeen Magazine, I used to think that the workouts that they showed me were actually performed by the models. I believed that the reason they looked good was because of the workout routines shown.

Call me naive, but I was sixteen years old. If you can’t be naive at sixteen, when can you? I’m glad that Seventeen Magazine has changed so much over the years. I loved the magazine that they used to be, but I really don’t think they were that healthy for me.

Something has gone terribly wrong at JCPenney. They have started a new clothing line called A.N.A.

• JCPenney : Womens Clothing : A.N.A

Their signage says that A.N.A means, “A New Approach,” but either they are consciously trying to get the pro-ana girls to buy their clothing or they are COMPLETELY out of touch with teens.

The pro-ana movement is a group who believe that women with anorexic bodies are beautiful. They don’t believe anorexia is a disorder. They aren’t necessarily an organized group, but there are MANY pro-ana sites on the Internet that glamorize the anorexic form. Wikipedia has a good article about it:

• Pro-ana – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In fact, JCPenney’s advertisements could be used on a pro-ana site for “thinspiration.”

I don’t believe that JCPenney could be evil, so I have to deduce that they are just clueless about the pro-ana movement. They need to think of a new approach in naming their clothing lines from now on.

You can only buy Clementines during this time of the year, and lately, you can only buy them in a HUGE bag. I’ve talked about Clementines before:

• Starling Fitness » Clementine Season

My favorite aspect of clementines is how easy they are to peel and the fact that they have no seeds. I DON’T like that I have to buy a huge container of them instead of being able to just buy a couple at a time. The big box of clementines inevitably goes bad before I can finish them all.

NOT THIS YEAR!

This year, Mike had a great idea. We took half of the clementines, peeled them and put them in plastic bags to freeze them.

“I don’t think you can freeze citrus,” I told Mike. “They’re going to go bad anyway, so let’s just try it,” he replied, “Maybe they’ll be like frozen grapes.”

Just last week, I tried using the frozen clementines in a smoothie and they worked PERFECTLY!

Clementine Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen clementine sections
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 tsps of healthy oil (I like to sneak it into treats so I don’t notice it)
• 1 packet of Stevia (or Splenda) – optional (most of the time the clementines are sweet enough)

Put all the ingredients into the blender and mix on high until smooth.

1 serving – Approximately 250 calories – 5 WW Points – 2 fruit, 2 oil and 1 milk serving.

The smoothie tasted like a healthy dreamsicle, and I LOVE that I get to check off so many boxes on my food journal.

Clementines are only available for a short time each year, so make sure you grab a bag of them and enjoy them both fresh AND frozen.

I had never heard of freezing grapes until about five years ago. We had just moved into our present house and the back yard had grape vines. We had so many grapes that there was no possible way for us to eat them all. A friend of mine recommended that we freeze them.

You don’t have to do anything special, you just wash them, pull them off the vine and freeze them in a ziploc bag. You can take them out later, defrost them to eat. You can eat them frozen (my favorite after a hot workout). You can put them in smoothies to make delicious grape shakes. Here is my recipe for that:

Grape Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen grapes
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 tsps of healthy oil (I like to sneak it into treats so I don’t notice it)
• 1 packet of Stevia (or Splenda) – optional (most of the time the grapes are sweet enough)

Put all the ingredients into the blender and mix on high until smooth.

1 serving – Approximately 250 calories – 5 WW Points – 2 fruit, 2 oil and 1 milk serving.

Without frozen grapes, eating healthy would be much more difficult for me. If you are having a hard time getting all your fruit servings in, get a bunch of grapes today and freeze them in one cup bags today. Then all you need to do each day is take out one bag and you knock out two servings in one punch.

For the second time in a row, a woman has won The Biggest Loser.

Michelle, who was actually tempted to just leave the campus when things got really tough, stuck it out and ended up being 2008’s Biggest Loser. Here is her when she made it to the Final Three:

Here is a horrible quality video of her win:

Both she and last year’s winner, Alli, were coached by Jillian. She has her own website where you can get a daily email and other great information:

• Jillian Michaels: Lose Weight Fast with Diet and Exercise Plans

I have a love/hate relationship with The Biggest Loser. The contest aspect of the show really pushes the contestants to lose weight quickly. Some of the people keep the weight off, but there are many contestants that we never hear from again, who just DON’T maintain their losses. Additionally, watching the show can be inspiring because you see these people working so hard, but it’s also de-motivating because when I compare my weekly weight loss with theirs, I am suddenly unhappy with my “measly” one pound a week.

As far as reality television goes, The Biggest Loser is the only one I can stand to watch. As far as REALITY goes, however, The Biggest Loser leaves a lot to be desired.

I have been racking my brain trying to think of easy things to cook just like the Mexi-Beans and the Italian Beans. This week, I came up with this one.

Refried Beans – 5 Points – Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 can of fat-free refried beans
• 1 small can of corn
• 1 bottle of salsa
• 3/4 cup of shredded cheese
• 3 tsp of Mexican seasoning
• 3 Glad or Ziploc bowls

Directions

• Open the can of refried beans and divide among the three bowls.
• Drain the can of corn and divide among the three bowls.
• Open the bottle of salsa and divide between the three bowls. This is ALOT of salsa, so if you’re sensitive to spiciness, make sure you choose the mild.
• Add 1 tsp of Mexican seasoning to each bowl. You can also spice it up with Tabasco sauce, taco sauce packets from Taco Bell, etc.
• Add 1/4 cup shredded cheese to each bowl.
• Cover the bowls and put them in the fridge.

When it’s time to eat, pull out a bowl from the fridge, crack the lid and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. This recipe makes three meals and it’s EASY!

I usually heat one up immediately (only takes one minute when everything is at room temperature) and then store the other two for later. I count this as one protein, one dairy and two veggies. It’s a little more points than Mexi-Beans, but it’s a nice change of pace so I don’t get bored eating the same thing all the time.

It’s the middle of December. If you’re reading this, you are trying your darndest to stay on your program during the holidays. Right now, you’re tempted to just give up for a couple of weeks so you can enjoy the holidays. Of course, that implies that it’s impossible to enjoy the holidays and eat healthy, and logically you know that’s not true, but you’re still tempted.

You’re tempted to put your weight loss dreams off until “someday.” Zen Habits has the answer for you. They have a great article about how to cure Someday Syndrome.

• 11 Ways to Cure Someday Syndrome | Zen Habits

Here’s how their cures can help you have a Healthy Christmas:

1. Be you: Firstly, you have to make sure that the goal you’ve set for yourself really works for you. BMI might be the end all for health insurance companies, but instinctively you know if you are at a healthy weight. Is where you are now where you want to be?
2. Clear out the junk: We have a lot of junk in our lives: negative thoughts, cluttered homes, and junk food. Clearing them all out gives you space to have positive thoughts, room to workout and a cupboard full of healthy food.
3. Know what you want: I know this sounds kind of silly, but WHY do you want to lose weight, eat healthy and get strong? That sounds like such an easy answer, but if the answer was easy, DOING it would be easy. WRITE DOWN WHY you want to stay on your program. Draw pictures or talk to yourself.
4. Make a grand plan: Look at your BIG goal. Make a plan to get there in the next year or so. You would be doing this on January First, so get a two week head start on yourself. Plan out where you want to be in a year.
5. Take one step at a time: Next, plan what you need to do over the next two weeks to get through the holidays. Every party, every office treat, every neighbor gift, ALL OF IT. Plan out what you’re going to do and what you’re going to say so you can keep on program.
6. Ignore the rest: This is their best suggestion. After planning for the big picture, ignore it. FOCUS on what you have to do TODAY.
7. Get help: This is HARD. If it were easy, everyone would look like a supermodel. Get help from somewhere. It doesn’t really matter where. I always recommend Weight Watchers because they worked for me, but others have had success with Overeaters Anonymous, Jenny Craig, and even simple community programs at their local schools. Friends and family are another resource that you can ask for help.
8. Don’t compare: This one is particularly bad if you attend a weight loss meeting of some sort. It’s very easy to compare ourselves to others. That can be good because we might aspire to being better, but it can also be very discouraging. Our bodies are different and they are going to react differently.
9. Be uncomfortable: It’s okay if this is hard. When you start a new eating program, you’re going to be eating different foods that might affect your digestion. Stick with them. When you start a new exercise program, your muscles are going to ache a little. That’s a sign that you’re stretching. If you’re completely comfortable, you’re doing it wrong.
10. Celebrate the process as well as the end: Never underestimate the power of shiny stickers. Every day that you’re able to follow your program perfectly should be rewarded. Print out a calendar for the rest of the month and give yourself a sticker for every day you follow your program.
11. Don’t stop at the easy point: Most lists have ten items, but this one has eleven. It’s a reminder to push yourself. When you’re working out, remember to go a little further. When you’re choosing your food, remember to go with the healthy and filling foods rather than the decadent treats. Just a little extra push every day over the next two weeks will get you further than a huge push on January First.

The difference between the people who succeed and the people who don’t are these next two weeks. If you can stay on your program during these two weeks, you have a jump on yourself. You fall into the category of those who succeed and it’s just one step at a time until you reach your goal.

This funny photo from Lolcats says everything:

It reads:

Diet: Fish (on the thin cat)
Diet: Birds (on the thin cat)
Diet: Yorkshire Terriers (on the medium sized cat)
Diet: Cheezburgers (on the fat cat)

Sometimes I like to believe that no one can tell what I have been eating. If they didn’t see me eat it, they can’t tell, right?

Wrong.

They can tell EXACTLY how I eat just by LOOKING at me. My body reveals my diet far more readily than I like to believe.