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Tuesday, January 3, 2017

How I Lost 15 Pounds Last Year


I wanted to share this with you because I know I'm not the only
middle aged lady out there that wanted to take off a few pounds!
I've carried around an extra 10 pounds for a few years now
and I'd gain and loose the same 3 pounds over and over.
I only needed to loose 10 and I tried all the tricks and tips
I read about but nothing really seemed to work.
And I really dislike exercise....the sweating or the time.
And I have a sweet tooth!  And very low willpower.
So last June I took all the tips that seemed to work for me
and combined them into a plan and that's all it took!
And after I reached my goal of 10, I just keep eating the way
 I had been because I felt really good....and another 5 came off!

I know everyone is different but I'm hoping this will help
someone else.  A few things to consider....

  1. I'm an active person.  I manage a household, run a business and don't sit down during the day.  I even have my computer at counter height so I can stand while I work.  I don't sit and watch TV until the evenings. I am busy on my feet all day.  Because of this, I tried my food plan without additional exercise.  And, I think I have a high metabolism.  That might have helped, too.
  2. I realized I was stress eating!  Years ago if I was stressed, I lost my appetite!  But I noticed that I'd reach for food a lot of times when I was worried, tense or stressed.  Once I realized this, it was easy to stop myself before I stuffed chocolate in my mouth!
  3. I feel better if I don't eat too much gluten.  I can tolerate it in moderation alright, but if I have pancakes, a sandwich, pasta and cookies all in one day, I feel bloated and lethargic.  So I avoided things with gluten but wasn't super strict about it.
  4. I focused on lean protein for every meal.  Protein keeps me satisfied longer and makes your body burn fat for energy.
  5. I didn't cut out sugar.
  6. I ate dessert every night.
  7. I drank 8 glasses of water every day.
Here's what I ate every day.
  • Breakfast ~ A Nature Valley Protein Bar.  Salted Caramel is my favorite.  This bar is gluten free.  The store brand alternative is not. Just be aware of that.  10 grams of protein and 190 calories.  It satisfies my sweet tooth.  And...it's easy to grab in the morning.  Of course I still had my various cups of coffee through out the morning!
  • Lunch ~ Fat free cottage cheese with a few spoons of cherry pie filling.  I know this might sound crazy, but I experimented with adding fresh fruit, preserves,  etc. and the cherry pie filling was the best to me.  I needed something with intense fruit flavor.  Like I said, I didn't worry about sugar. Duncan Hines Comstock is the best, I think.  This lunch is about 28 grams of protein.  250 calories. Since I was the only one eating this, I just added my cherries right in the cottage cheese container and ate until I was satisfied.  It was about 1 cup in total.  Again, super easy to grab and eat.  Nothing to fix.  Not even a dirty bowl.
  • Afternoon snack ~ usually it was Chobani Greek Yogurt Flips.  Key Lime and Almond Coco Loco are my favorites.  These are 200 calories and 12 grams of protein.  And if during the afternoon I was still hungry and it was a couple of hours before dinner, I would eat a cup of Honey Nut Chex cereal (gluten free) with a few peanuts mixed in.  Another favorite snack was Skinny Pop Popcorn.
  • Dinner ~ I just ate a sensible dinner.  Almost always it was a good sized piece of protein (salmon, chicken, steak) and the other half of the plate was filled with veggies or a salad.  I didn't make the portions small.  I ate until I was full.  And, we still had pizza on Sunday nights.  
  • Dessert ~ This was almost always a scoop of ice cream.  Not three scoops.  One. :)  And caramel or chocolate sauce.  The key to dessert is to eat it immediately after dinner, while you're sitting at the table.  Your body already has a rise in blood sugar.  If you wait until later in the evening, you will cause another rise, which means you will store more of the calories as fat.  I really tried not to eat anything else at night, but if I was starving, I would eat a piece of fruit.
So, there you have it!
If you try this, let me know!
I hope it works for you, too.  I had to buy new clothes which
was a lot of fun.  My jeans fell off without unzipping them. haha.
And I didn't think anyone would notice but I've had several
people who hadn't seen me in a year ask me what I had done
to myself because I looked totally different.  
I could have kissed them. haha.  :)  





33 comments:

  1. Amazing! Your diet is very close to mine. I have bran flakes and a Kellogs Nutri Bar and a coffee for breakfast. Lunch is a wholemeal bread sandwich filled with cottage cheese and pineapple bits, and a banana and apple. Next is dinner with Chicken Fajita Bake, or something French. Dessert is Ice Cream with raspberries or strawberries. A pint of beer just before retiring for the night to help me sleep.

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    1. Oh, and sometimes I go mad and make French Fries, shallow fried in lashings of duck fat! Yum!

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    2. Well, you have a lot of gluten in every meal! Although, that fajita bake sounds really yummy!

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  2. I'm happy for you, losing weight is harder the older you get, this past year has been a hopeless one for me sitting in a wheelchair for so many months. I think the only way I would lose fifteen pounds is if I go shopping in England....😁
    I'm going to try better this year.
    Hugs
    Jo

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    1. haha...well, what a perfect excuse to go abroad! :) Yes, that ankle gave you fits all last year. 2017 will surely be better!

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  3. I was wondering...haha! Thanks for sharing. I actually like your choice of cottage cheese for lunch. That's a protein source I had forgotten about.

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    1. The fat free kind made it even better...and I think it's really filling!

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  4. Good for you! I've been working on losing weight as well, but I have to lose a lot more than you! I walk on the treadmill every morning, eat oatmeal for BF, yogurt or cottage cheese for lunch and a sensible supper. Friday is my day off - as it's our date night. I don't go crazy but I don't worry much about what I order when we go out on that night. I've lost 43 pounds and am feeling good! I managed to maintain over Christmas too.

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    1. Wow....that's wonderful! Keep at it! When the scale looks good, it's motivation to continue on, isn't it? So fun!

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    2. And don't forget the water! It makes a HUGE difference!

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    3. I'm drinking my water too!

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  5. Sounds like it might actually suit me. Certainly the part about a sweet tooth and no willpower! But I could do to lose ten pounds too.

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    1. I hope you give it a try! Sweet tooth and no willpower..haha...it's a deadly combination!

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  6. I like your plan. Made me think of my mom, who had a canned 1/2 peach on a scoop of cottage cheese on a lettuce leaf for lunch as long as I can remember. My mom was never heavy. Had a cute little shape.
    I may not go on yours perfectly, but it's pretty close to what I already do. I like your tips, and will let you know how it goes.

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    1. I guess your mom knew the power of cottage cheese! haha. I've seen photos...she was darling!

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  7. Congrats to you on losing that weight in a healthy and not extreme manner.

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    1. Thanks, Terra. It wasn't extreme and easy to do....easy to keep doing, actually!

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  8. That's intetesting, Betsy. I keep forgetting about cottage cheese, too, and I like it.
    I've lost a lot of weight in the last few years but I've got a ways to go. And illness isn't the preferred method!
    But the BIG thing I need to do is drink more water. I am not a water lover so I usually add a tiny bit of juice to each glass to give it a tinge of flavour. It helps.
    Well done, you!

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    1. I was never a water lover, either! But I have found that once you drink enough and your body isn't holding on to it because of dehydration, you get thirsty easy and it goes down better. A little flavor added helps a lot....great little trick!

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  9. Fascinating Betsy .. and I'm so glad you've managed to lose that weight. The water is really the best thing - but eating sensibly and eating within your own regime ... I can't do breakfast - never have ... just the way it is - if I have it ... I'm lethargic to put it mildly ... I'll have some fruit ... congratulations - cheers and your suppers always look brilliant! Hilary

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    1. I am the only one in my family that doesn't eat as soon as their feet hit the floor in the morning! I can't do it either! Breakfast for me comes after I've been up a couple of hours. Everyone is different and you just have to figure out what works best for you!

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  10. Lots of water for the win
    5-6 liters get drank every day at my bin
    And people don't believe it and roll their eyes
    But limiting gluten is always wise
    That crap just keeps things on
    As it's not actual food and one's body has to work harder to get it gone

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    1. I totally agree
      and didn't know until it was tried by me.
      Feel much better for sure
      and really don't miss it, so I endure.

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  11. Now this is the kind of plan I can do! The sweet tooth is something that's so hard to give up and the way you've approached it makes sense! Thanks for sharing this. ;)

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    1. Isn't that the truth?! It can't be a diet...it's more like a meal plan or way of life. And it has to stop your hunger and taste good. Took me a while to figure it all out...seems like a lot of things didn't work for me until this! You look awesome, though...can't believe you have any extra pounds lurking around. :)

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  12. Happy New Year!! In our household Type2 Diabetes rules. Though your way of eating worked {beautifully} for you, it would raise our BG levels to "unhealthy." Carl remains on Metformin, I am managing with diet alone for now. But it is a struggle some days. Carl continues to maintain a 40+ pound weight loss since 8/2014 and part of my success regarding Blood Glucose is a result of 30 pounds gone since this July. Low carb/high fat/moderate protein ~ Going to make every effort in 2017 to maintain this, avoid meds. Hug your boys from Helen and her boy, Carl in beautiful snowy Bend!

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    1. Right...this would not work for you! But I'm glad you've figured out what does work!

      Send me some of that snow!

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  13. Seems strange that you describe yourself as a middle aged lady . . . . maybe you have a time machine tucked away somewhere . . . . lol
    Well done, you, for losing the 10 pounds and for sticking to your sensible diet. I think Rod Stewart is right in your case because in all your smaller clothes I expect you will 'wear them well', as does the lady playing the violin . . . lol

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I10VdQOl_Mk

    I lost a few pounds during the summer but I need to lose quite a lot more . . . but meanwhile I am cuddly . . . :)



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    1. Ah, you're sweet. I had to look up the lyrics to that song....a new one to me.
      Yep, 55 is middle aged, is it not? haha.

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  14. You need to show us at your stand up computer. I have tables that can be adjusted to stand up but never really thought about using them that way.

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    1. I have a laptop and I put it on the kitchen island or on a counter height bar in my studio!

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  15. Congratulation on your weight loss. I bet you had a blast finding new clothes. I too like having my computer on a counter where I can stand up or sit in the swivel bar chair. I find myself standing a lot more than sitting, which is a good thing. I need to recommit to my weight loss goals this year. I lost 12 lb. last year and gained 10 of it back. Unfortunately I can't tolerate cottage cheese or yogurts. I do things like eat soups and lettuce and tomatoe sandwishes, and have and avocado three times a week. That avocado really works to cut down belly fat. It's funny because that weight I originally lost was mostly belly fat but the weight I've gained back is not in the belly now it's in the thighs. It's tricky like that! LOL

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    1. Best of luck doing it again this year! I know you can do it again! Too bad about the milk tolerance. Lean meats and veggies will do it! I hear you on the counter...works best for me!

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