Choosing and Maintaining a Weight Loss Plan

Choosing and Maintaining a Weight Loss Plan

Weight has been an issue with me since high school and I have tried different things. Having kids and breastfeeding seemed to keep my weight down but then when I quit breastfeeding I gained weight, about 15 pounds then I gain more from what I would attribute to a slower metabolism. So I have thought a lot about weight loss, and I want to share some more advise with you in deciding what to do to lose weight.

1.    Think about something you can live with for the rest of your life.  There are many weight loss programs. You can purchase pre-made meals, there are shakes and diet pills. There are many fad diets where you are very restricted in what you can and can’t eat. Diets that eliminate or greatly reduce a certain food groups like lo-carb or vegan diets seem to be popular. But what I would like to advocate is something very different from all of these. 

      You need to come up with your own plan because it is necessary that you think about what you can live with for the rest of your life. Every one of our lives is different, some people work, others are stay-at-home parents. Some are required to travel a lot and are constantly eating at restaurants and there are those who enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. This is the reason that it is very difficult to have one diet for everybody. So this process requires a lot of thought and analyzing of your specific situation. I would also suggest maintaining all food groups and to avoid any unreasonable diet (specifically fad diets). Ask yourself what you enjoy eating and then think about how to make it healthy and light. For example, I enjoy soup a lot so I have taken my favorites soups and have made light recipes. I like pasta, but instead of making pasta the main part of the dish, I make veggies the main part, then add some pasta. I have been inclined to do this because of the gage that I use, TRACKBITES. It encourages veggies because most veggies are 0 points. 

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2.    Think about what you will do when you are in a different situation other than your normal lifestyle.

We all have our regular routines but we frequently have to make changes especially when we travel, or go out to eat, or any other activity that is out of the ordinary. We can think ahead and plan for those events. We can check the restaurant’s menu beforehand to decide on a healthy option. We can pack healthy snacks when we travel

3.    Think about what you will do when you inevitably will “fall off the wagon.”

When we make a change and experience success we feel so good about ourselves and the results we see. But, inevitably, we will have setbacks. It is not a matter of “if” rather “when.” So, when we do experience a lapse in our weight loss journey we need to be kind to ourselves and not beat ourselves up. If we see that we have chosen a weight loss plan that is not sustainable then we need to reevaluate and make changes that are more practical for our lifestyle.

Basic Soup Recipes

Basic Soup Recipes

In my original post I talked about consistency and eating the same thing over and over. Is still love my bowel of oatmeal for breakfast, I haven't gotten tired of that at all. However I do have regular bran cereal sometimes or some eggs and toast, but mostly I stick to the oatmeal. However, now I am to the point where I really want some more variety with the soup that I have for lunch. So I am starting to make different types of soups.

To come up with these, I look for recipes on the internet and then make sure that they are based on vegetable, and if not, I add more vegetables to the recipe. I think if we can think in terms of a vegetable based soup and meals, with the carb being the secondary source then it will be something healthy and better suited for weight loss. 

This is a list of the soups that I have so far (I will add to it as time goes on):

1. Basic mixed veggie soup
2. Zupa's Garden Chowder (light version)
3. Indian Spinach Garbanzo soup
4. Mexican soup
5. Asian Soup

So today I am going to include the recipe for: 


Basic Mixed Veggie Soup

cook in a sauce pan: 1 lb package mixed veggies, 1 medium potato, 1 cup butternut squash, and 1 Maggi bullion cube) 

Zupa's Garden Chowder (Light Version)

Dice and saute (with water, not oil or butter)

1 large onion with 2 Knorr or Maggi bullion cubes, or just use salt

Add the following and boil until zucchini is tender:

2 cans of diced tomatoes

4 small zucchini, diced into small pieces

1 can corn

Parsley (fresh or dried)
Chicken broth (if you didn't use bullion cubes) or water

Remove from heat and add:

1/4 cup cream

1 tsp- 1 1/2 TBSP dried Basil LITEHOUSE (it's the best!)

1-2 tsp lemon juice

This isn't exactly like Zupas, but it is a really great imitation and is very satisfying and best of all, it's healthy and light. 

Indian Spinach Garbanzo soup.

In a 4-6 quart pan saute 1-2 diced onions.

Add:
2 bags of 16 oz frozen spinach (you can use fresh spinach as well)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 medium diced potato
1/2-2 TBSP garam masala
1/2-1 tsp turmeric
1-2 bullion cubes (I prefer Maggi or Knorr)
dash of sugar
Water

Boil until the potato pieces are almost tender, then simmer for a while

Add:
1 can Garbanzos (chickpeas)
1-3 cloves minced garlic and enjoy!
1/4-1/2 cup cream or yogurt (can be fat free)

Dealing with Weight Gain after having reached goal :(

So it's been 10 months since I reached my goal weight, one of the most exciting days of my life. But now, after Christmas indulging, splurging vacations, carefree living in a hotel for nearly a month, I find myself 7 pounds heavier. I knew I had gained weight, I could feel it in my clothes and I could see it in the mirror. In reality, anyone who has struggled with weight before and has had success must surely know that the battle has never ended! So, this morning, after mustering up courage I finally weighed myself to know exactly how much I had gained. Yep, 7 freaking pounds! After giving myself a pep talk and meditating my future actions I came up with my combat plan:

1. Weigh myself once a week, not everyday. Everyday weight assessment doesn't work for me, but once a week gives me an idea of my accomplishment, or lack thereof. 

2. Go back to iTrackBites. Even though I am allowed 18 points I am going to try to stick to 12 and under, I am going to focus on veggies, veggies, veggies and log everything that goes into my mouth. I did this before and I did very well. I know that the recommendation is to stick to the number of points calculated but this works for me when I eat lots of veggies. 

3. I'm going to vamp up my basic soup recipe, make it a little more exciting, and add variety.

4. Get going on other projects to keep myself out of the kitchen and focused on other activities. 

5. Walk twice a day.

Any of you who were in Las Vegas during Christmas time most likely saw that the new Zupas was half off for about a week. Since I was feeding so many, we decided to eat there every day for lunch. I love their soups. But when I look at the copycat recipes, I see that they are loaded with butter, cream, and other fattening stuff. So I want to try to get a very similar flavor but I also want to lighten it up significantly. So here is my first attempt: