Judge weight loss by your clothes, not your scale

Our education this week for Get Fit! focuses on body composition and what our bodies do when we are on an exercise/eating plan. The #1 goal for most of our participants is to lose weight. However, the scale can play mind games – especially when deciphering muscle weight from fat. So it's best to concentrate on how you’re feeling and what kind of gains you are experiencing in your life. And another good measure is how your clothes fit.

The most effective way to build lean muscle and reduce the size of your fat cells is to establish a healthy eating and exercise plan. And our Get Fit! participants have really embraced this lifestyle change. It’s exciting to see how exercise is making them feel good about themselves regardless of what the scale says.

I’m curious, how does exercise make you feel?

~Kim

Catching up and still making progress

Took a vacation - but not from exercising and mindful eating. As I shared my goal was not to gain weight on my vacation. I enjoyed fresh white fish and trout - one supplied an hour after catch from our neighbors! Got my once a year fix of wine bread - not to be missed from the Candy Shoppe in Bayfield. Also enjoyed wine in a glass! But this year I really increased my activity level at the same time. Several long bike rides and quite a few power walks.

So did I reach my goal of not gaining weight. I think so. What I learned is that one should not eat popcorn the night before a weigh in. So while the scale did not reflect the good news - how my clothes fit did. Thanks Kim for that reminder.

The Get Fit instructors and fellow classmates share so much information and good cheer. It reinforces my need for a healthy social atmosphere - that provides fun, a bit of competition and another level of accountability. Good to know what you need when designing a successful workout program.

I meet with Kim tonight to go over my goals and check in to see how I'm doing.

Is It Hunger or Appetite?

Now that we’ve passed the halfway mark of our 10-week program, I checked in with our Get Fit! participants about how they are doing. Overall, I feel they have welcomed exercise into their lives – congratulations! Still, a lot of them are struggling with the eating part of the program. This is often a difficult change in one’s lifestyle, especially when there are summer holidays to celebrate and cookouts to attend.

Therefore, this week we talked about what triggers us to eat. Are we hungry or just bored and need something to do? Do we have the urge to eat while watching TV? Or, are we stressed and turn to food as comfort? Tips were shared about how to handle these urges especially when we truly are not hungry.

Take a look at this article, Is it Hunger or Appetite? and tell us what has helped you overcome these feelings. Please share, we’d like to know!

~Kim

Eating Healthy....Everyday

Like anyone, I enjoyed the festivities of the Fourth of July - going to parties and overindulging in food. I am curious how the Get Fit! group did over the holiday. Most of the participants are losing weight and enjoy their increased energy. Eating a little more is certainly okay, just as long as you stay active. Going for a brisk walk before a party or filling your plate with fruit and vegetables first, are good ways to maintain weight.

An important component of the Get Fit! program is healthy eating. Our dietitian will work with the group, focusing on Meal Planning. I’m a busy mom and know how hard it is to prepare meals that are fast and healthy. I found you need to be organized and prepare meals or part of the meal when you have time and not wait until 6:00pm to make the meal! Discussion will include how to simplify meals. Here are a few simple recipes that are heart healthy.

Do you have any favorite recipes to share?

~Kim

The challenges of goal setting

Coming up with Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) goals is harder than you think. I'm trying to tie them to behavior changes that I want to achieve.

So here goes -

Drinking at least 6 glasses of water/day

Exercising 3 x week through Aug. 13

Averaging 8,000 steps a day by Aug. 13

Filling out an emotional eating sheet everytime I feel like going on a snack binge

Fitting in one bike ride per week

I have one more goal for this week - not gaining weight over vacation!

I am prepared. I stopped this morning at the Wellness Center to weigh in. My bike is going too - and I picked up extra audio books to make walks more entertaining. Susie Brueggeman, the Meriter dietitian and I talked about eating out strategies.

Off to Madeline Island!