Portion control in an increasing world

This week, Susie, our Registered Dietitian, talked about dining out. When restaurants are continually increasing their portion size, it certainly makes it challenging for us to lose or maintain weight!

A great example Susie shared was the size of a sandwich 20 years ago compared to restaurant sandwiches today. Today’s version? Now more than 500 calories! Two easy ways to skirt the extra calories (and avoid overeating) – share with a friend or eat half now and take the rest home! You’ll find that you really won’t miss the extra food. And if you’re still hungry, munch on some fruit or veggies. You will feel better and look better for it!

I can’t believe this is the last week of class! This has been such a great group of Get Fit participants! I believe each person has improved their overall health and well-being as a result of the program. Most everyone has lost weight, inches or body fat since the start of class in June. And I know everyone is feeling better physically and emotionally; which is what regular exercise and healthy eating is all about! All of the participants should be proud of what they’ve accomplished and continue to include exercise in their daily routine.

Interested in joining our next Get Fit! session? Classes begin September 13 and 14. Spaces are filling so register today!

~Kim

Emotional Eating and Overeating

This week, our Wellness Counselor offered a great discussion about emotional eating patterns and how mind-body techniques can help curb overeating. She provided many examples and tips on how to redirect your thinking when you have the urge to eat – like drinking a big glass of water before eating or slowing down when enjoying your meal. She suggests taking a bite of food, putting your fork down and enjoying every flavor and texture. One fact I found most interesting was that it takes about 20 minutes for our bodies to realize it’s full. Wow, I will definitely slow down my eating!

I have been talking to a few Get Fit! participants lately who feel guilty about eating too much or the wrong kind of food. I want them to realize that it’s okay if they eat a piece of dessert or enjoy going out for dinner. The feeling of failure or guilt can lead to giving up. My advice to everyone is, instead of feeling guilty, eat better the next day or exercise an extra 15 minutes.

I know some participants have been battling emotional eating their entire life. Food should be thought of as a source for fuel and nutrition rather than a coping mechanism. This is a work in progress but I think everyone is getting much better at distinguishing true hunger from a bad-day-at-work-I-want-to-eat-everything-in-sight craving. And for this, they are well on their way to achieving a healthier life.

For more on this topic, read Curb Emotional Eating.

~Kim

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