Weight-Loss Wednesday #4

I'm back for week 4 of my weight-loss Wednesdays! If you haven't seen this weekly thing I am now doing, you can check out my first entry HERE. As I mentioned in week 1, I am going to be sharing Bob Harper's Skinny Rules over the course of the next 13 weeks and I am going to share my progress on meeting his rules and trying to incorporate them into my life! 

Last week I shared Rules 4 and 5.

All of that being said, I am now moving on to the next rule.

Rule #6 - Eat apples and berries every single day. Every. Single. Day!

Bob's section for this rule included some helpful tips that I wanted to share regarding fruits and vegetables. 

Worth it organics

-          Apples

-          Asparagus

-          Celery

-          Cherries

-          Lettuce

-          Nectarines

-          Peaches

-          Pears

-          Spinach

-          Strawberries

-          Sweet bell peppers

-          Tomatoes

Not worth it organics

-          Avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, frozen peas, kiwi, mangos, onions, papayas, pineapple

Berries and apples are good because they have phytochemicals that restore balance. Also Bob talks about how frozen berries are just as good as fresh and can often be cheaper, if price is your main issue. Just be sure they don’t have extra added sugar!

Weight-Loss Wednesday #3

I'm back for week 3 of my weight-loss Wednesdays! If you haven't seen this weekly thing I am now doing, you can check out my first entry HERE. As I mentioned last week, I am going to be sharing Bob Harper's Skinny Rules over the course of the next 13 weeks and I am going to share my progress on meeting his rules and trying to incorporate them into my life! 

Last week I shared Rule 3. I have ate protein at every meal, just probably not as much protein as Bob would suggest. Sometimes I find it difficult, so I need to work on finding quick and easy ways to incorporate a good amount of protein into my daily meals.

All of that being said, I am now moving on to the next rule.

Rule #4 - Slash your intake of refined flours and grains

If they are at all “refined” they will make you fat. Even if they state that they are heart healthy, low fat, etc.

Grains are a lot like liquid calories once your body processes them.

Farro to barley are good grains that you soak.

Bread should say “whole grain wheat flour” or “sprouted whole wheat”

Check to see that no sweetener is included in the first five ingredients!

No more than ½ cup of brown rice at a time (will be hard for me)

 
Rule #5 - Eat 30 to 50 grams of fiber a day

Fiber is so important. Bob emphasizes that whole grain fiber diets are associated with lower BMIs. He highly recommends fruits and veggies with high fiber contents as well as some cereals and beans.

Weight-Loss Wednesday #2

I'm back for week 2 of my weight-loss Wednesdays! If you haven't seen this weekly thing I am now doing, you can check out my first entry HERE. As I mentioned last week, I am going to be sharing Bob Harper's Skinny Rules over the course of the next 13 weeks and I am going to share my progress on meeting his rules and trying to incorporate them into my life! 

Last week I shared Rules 1 and 2. I have done pretty good at drinking water and staying hydrated, but I do need to continue to try drinking a glass of water before EVERY meal. That is definitely something I struggle with. Also, drinking a glass of water right after I wake up. Usually I go for the coffee first thing and then have water afterward. As for rule 2, I am doing a lot better about not drinking my calories. For example, this weekend when I got Joe and I coffee at Dutch Bros I made sure to get a sugarfree nonfat white mocha, which is definitely a better option than the regular white mochas I so often would enjoy. 

All of that being said, I am now moving on to the next rule. 

 

Rule # 3 - Eat Protein at Every Meal - Or Stay Hungry and Grouchy

Bob suggests that we eat protein at EVERY single meal. Not just because it is so very important to our bodies, but because we should be eating at least half of our body weight in grams of protein EVERY day. That means for a 170 pound person you should be eating 85 grams of protein A DAY. Obviously that is not something you could easily consume at one single meal.

Plus keeping protein as something you include all day throughout the day will help the body to be able to stay full and satisfied without eating a lot of other junk that we often turn to in times of hunger.

Types of protein he focuses on in the book include those that are found in:

- Fish (his NUMBER ONE choice)

- Eggs

- Chicken and turkey (preferably organic or "free range")

- Pork (loin for lowest in calories, while rump has highest fat and should be avoided)

- Beef (preferably organic and grass fed, with the leanest cuts being eye of round and sirloin tip side, and the fattiest being t-bone and rib-eye)

- Cheese (not bad, just remember to eat it in moderation, with many low in calories and high in protein, there are some "healthier" options available)

- Tofu and tempeh (which he suggests are good to have on your "meatless" days, which he suggests to try for at least 1 day per week).

Weight-Loss Wednesday #1

Today at the library I finally was able to get the book I have been waiting anxiously for... 

The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper! It was published on May 15, 2012 and I was on the waiting list at my library for about a month-ish. I am soooo glad I got on the list earlier or I could have been waiting awhile!

Here is a brief description of the book for those of you who are not familiar with this book...

"THE LAST DIET BOOK YOU’LL EVER NEED

With so much conflicting weight-loss advice out there to confuse your efforts, it’s no wonder you haven’t been successful losing weight and keeping it off. But with Bob Harper, superstar trainer and co-host of NBC’s hit show The Biggest Loser as your personal authority and coach, you can and will finally shed the pounds—whether you want to lose two or two hundred!

Distilling Bob’s vast knowledge of nutrition, weight-loss strategy, and human nature down to twenty simple, nonnegotiable principles, The Skinny Rules will help you step away from a reliance on processed foods and the need for so much sweet and salt and step into a newly thin lifestyle. And Bob’s methods couldn’t be more straightforward.

Taking the guesswork out of implementing the Skinny Rules, Bob offers a month’s worth of menu plans and more than 90 delicious, rule-abiding recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to keep you cooking and eating skinny for life. You’ll be happily astounded to see the variety and volume of the tasty food on your plate! He also includes terrific tips for what to stock in your fridge and what to prepare every weekend in order to set yourself up for success during your too-busy-to-cook weekdays.

A virtual GPS to your weight-loss goals, The Skinny Rules takes the mystery out of the process, offering the fastest route to your skinny destination.

LOSING WEIGHT IS NOW AS SIMPLE AS 1-2-3 . . . AND 3-15-18-20 TOO!" 

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For those of you who are interested in this book you can get it HERE on Amazon, in hardcover, in Kindle edition, or on audiobook. You can also be like me and get it from your local library for free!

Now, all of that being said, with the starting up of the LoseAMarathon Challenge HERE, I have decided that while I will be weighing in on Mondays for the challenge (and Thursdays for my own personal wishes) that I also wanted to start a weekly bloggy link-up for all of my fitness-conscious bloggy buddies who wish to participate. 

Without further ado I would like to introduce you to "Weight-Loss Wednesdays"! This is my (and your) opportunity to look at what sorts of things are working, what things aren't working, and what new things we might like to try as we progress on our weight-loss journeys.

I don't want this to be too structured, but I thought for the first 13 weeks while I am doing the LoseAMarathon Challenge, I could utilize the 20 "rules" that Bob Harper lays out in his book.

I have decided that since there are 20 rules that I will discuss 2 rules every other week and 1 rule every other week... (if that is confusing just think of it this way... Week 1 = rules 1 and 2, week 2 = rule 3, week 4 = rules 4 and 5, and so on.)

I will share the rule(s) here on my blog and then discuss how I am will work toward incorporating them into my weight loss, or if I am already doing so I will discuss that and how it is working (or not working) 

If you wish to participate you can do so by linking-up on Wednesdays and sharing how you are working toward incorporating the "rules" etc. 

Rule #1 - Drink a large glass of water BEFORE every meal - NO EXCUSES!

Bob re-iterates the importance of staying hydrated and he specifically emphasizes the importance of drinking your first glass of water within 15 minutes of waking up. He also emphasizes how you can burn increasing amounts of calories, just by drinking water! That is definitely something I can get on board with! :)

While I am getting a lot better about drinking water regularly and staying hydrated, but I am definitely not drinking a full glass of water within 15 minutes of waking up! This is something that I want to set as a personal goal for myself.

Rule #2 - Don't Drink Your Calories  

Love soft drinks? Love fancy coffee drinks? Love alcohol? Yes, they may taste good, but do you realize they often have the caloric content of a full meal?

I recently decided to stop drinking soda. It has been tough and I won't say that I haven't slipped up and drank soda on occasion, but it is definitely not the staple it used to be in my life.

If you have an addiction to soda Bob suggests slowly weaning off of it by experimenting with other flavored drinks without calories. Like the fizz? Try seltzer water with lemon juice. Make unsweetened tea, or juice! 

I will admit, I love coffee. When I am getting coffee out and about I will generally try to be good and get non-fat, sugar-free, no whip, etc. Which is better than full calories any time, but it is still something I need to work on. I enjoy a cup of coffee every morning and I do enjoy nondairy creamer. Bob suggests using skim milk or soy milk if you cannot drink just black coffee. Do not add sugar. This is something that I would like to try to do and will report back on.

**As of right now I do not have a cute little button (or any button for that matter) for this link-up, but rest assured, I will soon! 

Don't forget to link-up below so that I can see your post!