Week two, day two

OMG, I drank an innocent glass of grape juice today. I just about fainted when I read the label and found I’d just consumed 160 calories and 40g of carbohydrates.  I wanted to stick my finger down my throat and throw it right back up.  I thought grape juice was supposed to be good for you!  It did have some vitamin C in it, but what a price to pay.  I can eat a 50 calorie orange that only has 11 carbs in it and get more vitamin C.  Good to know.  Also a good lesson to read the labels before I eat or drink something, not after.

I think one of the reasons I’m able to stick to my target numbers (300 calories, 30g protein, 25g carbs, and 8g fat 5 X day) is because I stopped drinking coke about a year ago. I used to love that stuff more than anything else I could possibly drink.  It was heaven every time I tasted that yummy “cancer in a can”.  Kangen Water helped me kick that bad habit.

I read a new study from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that said “reducing liquid calories, especially those that come from sugar-sweetened drinks like sodas, punches, and packaged fruit juices is one of the most effective ways to help people lose weight and keep it off.”  The single largest source of calories in the American diet is from liquids, with soft drinks leading the way. It’s also totally hard to track the amount of calories in beverages  because we enjoy those "unlimited refills" in those “Big Gulp” containers!

Now I drink at least a gallon of Kangen Water every day...and you can bet your sweet boots I won’t be drinking anymore of that evil grape juice!

Week 2 Day One

I’m feeling really self-absorbed writing about myself all the time, but I need to get past that.  If I can help others while I helping myself, it will be well worth it.  Today will be very educational for people who want to get in shape and lose weight because I talked with my phone-in-trainer Tim.

Tim is great; I’d highly recommend him to everyone. I’m going to keep you updated on everything he asks me to do, and if you follow this blog you’ll learn a lot.  If you sign up as a follower on the blog, you won’t be sorry!

Tim has been training people for over 25 years and has tried many different ways to help people lose weight.  Having people eat what they want, but sticking to the daily nutrient numbers he suggests is the only way to get them to stay on their diet. Trying to follow someone else’s list of what to eat works for a while, but in a very short time people tire of it and drop out.  He promised that if I believe in him and do the work he asks, I’ll see the results.  I do believe in him 100% and I’m excited to get in shape by my 
BIG 6-0.

Planning meals and logging nutrients is a huge pain.  It takes a lot of time and planning, but it is paying off.  I lost 4 lbs my first week.  YAY ME!  If you’d like a copy of the sheet I use to track my food and exercise, I’d love to send it to you.  Just give me a call at 949-419-6510 or send me a message at  DebbieFabbri88@aol.com

Tim suggested that I have a whey protein shake before and after every workout.   Whey protein absorbs very fast and it helps your recovery.  He also asked me to take two omega-3 fish oil tables in the morning and two in the afternoon.  These fats help you burn more calories.  He suggested I buy them at Costco because they turn over their stock so often that their supplements are extremely fresh.   If you take a fish oil tablet and burp it up, it is a sign that the tablets are old.

Tim changed my goals a little for the coming week.  I still need to workout six times a week, but I need to burn 500 calories at least twice a week for a total weekly burn of 2500 calories.  He lowered my daily calories goat to 1500/day.  I’m usually under that anyway, so that should be easy.  

Today I drank a shake, walked for ½ hour to water aerobics, worked out in the pool for an hour, walked home (burned 600 calories) and drank another shake.  Then I donated a pint of blood to the Red Cross and they gave me a pin for donating a total of 1 gallon of blood (8 different donations) so I’m feeling pretty darn proud of myself.  Way to go Grandma!

Week one, day seven

I don’t have to workout on Sundays, but my husband and I went for a walk for about an hour after dinner. It was a great time to talk about all the little things that we don’t usually bother telling each other.  It was fun!

I fixed tons of vegetables for dinner and some chicken breasts.  We have two exchange students who live with us, and one of them wants to eat everything I eat so she can lose weight too, and it’s working!   She went from 99 lbs to 97 lbs. Her Mom’s going to kill me!

Breaking Bad 5

Here's Shauna's 5th edition.  Can't figure out why she's not interested in any of my boyfriends!


"Shoot gal you can keep all those boyfriends. I just want one that can
crack a whip and say let's get goin girlfriend. You know my dream has
always been to get a cowboy with a testamony. I've been doing pretty
darn good today.

A protein shake for breakfast, a salad and small steak tips for
lunch. Dinner will be another shake and some oranges for a late
snack. Debbie you totally motivate me with your water class, so I
think I'll be going swimming tonight as well. shake it up baby now
twist and shout with all the grannies. yee haw"

MY NEW BOYFRIENDS!!!

I can't resist posting this.  My sister Sherrie sent it to me because it reminded her of our Mom.  It's pretty darn funny, but the sad part is, it could be us in a few short years if we're not careful!


I think if we go steady with Will Power and just use John we may never have to date the rest of those losers!

 

MY NEW BOYFRIENDS!!!
I am seeing 5 gentlemen (give or take) every day!.
 


As soon as I wake up, Will Power helps me get out of bed.

Then I go to see John.

 Then Charlie Horse comes along, & when he's here, he takes up a lot of my time & attention.

When he leaves, Arthur Ritis shows up & stays the rest of the day. He doesn't like to stay in one place very long so he takes me from joint to joint.

After such a busy day, I'm really tired & very glad to go to bed with Ben Gay.

 What a life! Oh, yes, I'm also flirting with Al Zymer; or whatever his name is. I forget!

and I'm thinking of calling JACK DANIELS, Jim Beam, Jose Quervo or JOHNNY WALKER to come over and keep me company.

 Now remember: Life is like a roll of toilet paper.....the closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. So have fun, think 'good thoughts' only, learn to laugh at yourself, and 'count your blessings!!!!!!!

Week one, day six

Man, food is starting to consume my life!  It’s not that I crave food, or even that I’m hungry; it is just that I am now aware of everything I eat.  The hardest thing for me is getting enough protein.

Tim told me about this website:  http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/  It is an excellent way to track all the nutrients in everything you eat.  I'm learning that  if I get enough protein, I’m getting too much cholesterol.  I’m extremely healthy for my age, but I do have borderline-high cholesterol, so I have to watch it.  

It really helps to have two protein shakes a day, and my friend Jerry told me to eat one egg mixed with ¼ c egg whites.  That way you get a complete protein with less fat and cholesterol.  I scrambled them up this morning and they tasted pretty good!  Great tip Jerry!

I was really busy today but at 8:00 PM I finally had time to get in a brisk 50 minute walk.  I downloaded trainer Kathy Smith on my keychain trainer and away we went.  I’m so glad I did, it made me feel proud of myself for not messing  up my perfect exercise attendance!  

Breaking Bad 4

Here is Shauna's latest post.  Hey Shauna, did you still hit your numbers, even though you ate an ice-cream cone? I know it is possible!


"March 27  Ahhh I just ate an ice cream cone. Once in a while I can treat 

myself, I say, yeah right, not when I’m committed to a better me! I had 
a piece of salmon and a small salad for lunch. That was good, now 
I’m going to walk with Kathy Smith over to the gym. She sure gets me 
going with the crazy upbeat music. I’m going to send Tiffinni in 
Canada a keychain trainer, because she just got a brand new 
treadmill for her birthday from her husband Greg.

week one, day five

Did I ever mention that I LOVE living in Southern California?  I don’t ever have to go to the gym, I just workout outside.  I’m crazy about my water aerobics class!   Water Aerobics are low impact and offer a fun, fast paced workout designed to shape you up with little to no stress on your back or knees. First we do cardio conditioning, then total body resistance work and toning.  I thought it was just for old ladies, but there are men and women of all ages in my class.  It is totally fun, an awesome workout, and I’m starting to get a tan!

That’s the good news.  I didn’t do as well with my food intake.  My friend and I went to Hollywood and Venice Beach most of the day.  Even though I was very aware of what I was eating and tried to hit my numbers, I didn’t do as well as I do when I eat at home.  Next time I’m going to be sure to take along some protein powder and fruit and see if I can do better.

Week one, day four

Tomorrow...Tomorrow...I love ya, Tomorrow, you're always a day away! That can't be my motto anymore!

I’m almost 60 years old and I have never really gone on a diet and stuck to it.  I just keep gaining about 3 lbs every year and that adds up to a lot!  I’ve attempted to go on a diet many times, but never succeeded.  It seemed like I was always hungry and my junk food cravings were always a lot stronger than usual when I was trying to lose weight.

This time it is different.  I know it hasn’t even been a week yet, but I know I will succeed.  I have to!  I’m not only accountable to my trainer Tim, but I’ve blogged about it, tweeted about it and told my whole family and all of my friends about it.  Accountability is the key!

Another thing that is extremely important is planning.  On this program, if you don't plan, you are doomed to fail.  Planning isn’t one of my strong points, to say the least, so I have to put extra effort into each day’s activities and meals.  It is probably taking me a lot longer than your average list-making – Day Planning - Outlook following - overachiever, but it’s never too late to change, right?

So far, I’m an A student on the exercise side.  I haven’t missed a day of my one hour (or more) workout commitment.  I love using my keychain trainer.  I download a different walking workout every time I go out and feel like I’m getting a lot more out of the hour I put in.  I think I’ll keep the walking up for one more week, and then add some other exercises.  Tim said I could do whatever exercise I feel comfortable enough to stick to, as long as I go for an hour six times a week and at least one of those days burn more than 500 calories.

I need to keep track of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat grams and today I was under on all four them.  Poor planning!  I know that skipping food doesn’t work and I’ll do better tomorrow!

Women Should Exercise an Hour a Day to Maintain Weight

Los Angeles Times March 24, 2010

Gloria Hale rose at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, as usual, to swim laps before work. Active though she is, however, the 55-year-old Orange County woman was a bit stunned to learn the latest advice from researchers regarding exercise -- that women should work out 60 minutes a day, seven days a week, to maintain a normal weight over their lifetime.

"Most people are going to say, 'No way. I don't have time for that,' “said Hale, a trim 5-foot-5 and 138 pounds.

The 60-minute-a-day recommendation, released online Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., is aimed at women of normal weight who don't want to diet but do want to avoid gaining weight over time. Most Americans gain about 1.5 pounds a year between age 25 and 55.

Week one, day three

One thing I can say about this 10-week program is I’m always full!  I didn’t realize that skipping meals and eating an unbalanced diet was making me gain weight until now.  I really have to eat a lot to hit my numbers.  It’s also a lot easier to skip junk food and sweets because it’s such a big pain to look up the carbs, protein, fat and calories and write it all down!

I made a great new discovery today.  Whey protein powder tastes A LOT better than soy protein!  That soy was pretty nasty stuff.  Whey Rules!

Another thing that’s great is I have tons of energy and I’m sleeping better.  I conk out as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I’m also working out a lot harder in my water aerobic classes.  I used to just go through the motions, now I put a lot more effort into every move.  

I can’t wait to start seeing some positive results!

One-third of breast cancer cases avoidable

You know when you get a new car, you notice that make and model a lot more than you ever did before?  That's exactly what's happening to me with diet and fitness.  Here's more proof that diet and exercise will make a valuable difference in our lives. (The recommendation to stay slim has only been proven for breast cancer in post-menopausal women.)

USA Today March 25, 2010  

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Up to a third of breast cancer cases in Western countries could be avoided if women ate less and exercised more, researchers at a breast cancer conference said Thursday.

While better treatments, early diagnosis and mammogram screenings have dramatically slowed the disease, experts said the focus should now shift to changing behaviors like diet and physical activity.

Breaking Bad 3

Here is Shauna's March 24th installment.  Way to go Shauna!


"I'm feeling so good about my eating plan. Yesterday I had fruit which
I don't eat enough of . Because I don't take time to prepare and it
takes too long to eat, so I put it all in a blender and drank it with a
little spinach and a pinch of kale. I had a California sushi roll for
dinner. MY plan is to stay away from fast food, which is so tempting
when you're single and don't want to cook for one. Tomorrow I'll spend
some time planning and preparing all my food for a week. That way I
won't grab the wrong things. Kathy Smith is waiting on my nextfit
trainer , we are all about walking outside today. I'm starting to
like her."

Breaking Bad day 2

Here is Shauna's post for March 23.  I'll be sure to let you know when she sends her picture in her biking shorts and sports bra!


"Wow yesterday I had a great workout with my keytrain, trainer Kathy
Smith. She kicked my butt. I realized I was working out at a medium
level and had a hard time keeping up. Today I'm going to configure
down to a beginning level I burned around 400 cals.yesterday and
dropped a pound. I expect in the beginning a lot might be water
weight. I believe when I follow Tim's plan with Debbie I will
eventually get to the fat weight. Today is the beginning of my
learning curve about protein carbs. etc. Also I am not looking
forward to the dreaded side shot of my body Tim wants. This is going
to take courage. "

Week one, day two

This was my best food day so far.  I was 43 calories over my target, 10 g under for protein, 4 g under for carbs and 2.7 g over for fat.  Not too bad, but I still need to do better.

I really like using my keychain trainer. It’s an audio fitness system where you go online and download workouts on an MP3 player.  You have a “personal coach” giving you exercise directions in your ear while cool music plays in the background.  You can customize your workout based upon your own weight loss and fitness goals.  The coach speaks to you throughout your workout, guiding you through your exercise.

The computer recommended that I start out by walking for 50 minutes a day.  I’ve been using famous trainer Kathy Smith.  I had my third workout with her today and noticed that each day I received different instructions with different music.  I like that; it won’t get boring that way.

Breaking Bad

My BFF and fellow Grandma, Shauna is inspired!  She’s going to join me in my Get in Shape journey!  She also started on Monday!  Her posts will be cleverly entitled “Breaking Bad” and we’re going to put her weekly pictures right beside mine.  Way to go Shauna!

If anyone else wants to join us, please be my guest!  The more the merrier!  You can either send your stories to:  Debbie@AvantiWellnessWater.com or write them yourself in the comments section after each of my posts..

Here’s Shauna’s cute picture and first installment:

March 21, 2010  BREAKING BAD No more sitting around sniffing sugar. I'm joining 
Debbie and recruiting myself to loose weight and get fit. I'm taking a giant step by putting my picture on this blog. Debbie you have 
inspired me now we are in this together. I'm tying up my tennis 
shoes and going for a walk. oops first I have to throw my favorite 
oatmeal cookies away.

Week one, day one

Tim’s pep talk really helped me today.  I have a lot more confidence in myself and now that we’ve broken it down to 30 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates and 8 g fat per meal (5 per day), it does seem pretty simple.  I was a lot closer to my target food intake... but not right on.  I had a piece of delicious roast for dinner which helped boost my protein, but in turn I went 7 g over my fat target.

I used my keychain trainer and walked the mile to and from my water aerobics class and burned 640 calories today.  I can cross the 500 calorie workout off my list for this week!

Day One of My Ten-Week "Get in Shape Grandma" Program

March 22, 2010.  I was so happy to speak with my trainer Tim this morning.  I truly needed help!  He looked at my practice food log from last week and said “Now you know what "normally happens" when people start to navigate their way through this jungle” He promised it will be much easier as we go along. 

He said that he likes to start out by letting people “skin their knees” (trying to eat correctly all by themselves).  Now he is going to pick me up and help me along.  He said to use last week as a learning experience. I’m on a journey to learn healthy habits and change bad habits. Yay Tim!

He could see by my posts that I’m overwhelmed with too much information.  He said I needed to educate myself, not try to get an overnight PHD,  I simply need to hit my target numbers!

The main thing is to set goals, hit my numbers, and keep it simple.  Tim’s most successful clients eat 20-30 food items over and over all week long and they are usually within 5 g of their target numbers each day.  I want to be like them! I asked him if I could see food log samples of these super-stars and he wouldn’t let me.  “Other people’s menus and lists don’t work”.  I need to eat what I like and there’s nothing I can’t eat… portions are the key!  I need to hit the target numbers, not eliminate the food I love. 

My goal is to lose at least 2 lbs a week for 10 weeks by exercising 6 days/week and sticking to this food plan:  1548 calories a day, taking in 138 grams of protein, 155 g. carbohydrates and 42 g fat.  It’s that simple.  My basic formula is to eat 5 small meals per day with 30g protein, 28g carbs and 8g fat. Always hit these numbers!

Protein is the most important element, and so far the hardest number for me to hit.  Tim suggested I get protein powder and drink protein shakes throughout the day.  I found that it tastes the same (yucky) whether I mix it with soy milk or skim milk, so I’m using soy. Soy milk has less calories, carbs and cholesterol and almost as much protein.

I’m posting my pitiful “before” picture today.  That alone should prove my loyalty and commitment to this program: Set Goals, Hit Numbers, and K.I.S.S!

March 21

Today is the last day before I officially start my 10 week training/diet program with Tim.  I followed the Eating plan for 1500 calories  list  that I posted on March 19 to a tea!

 

I ended up with too little of everything except carbs!  I totally need help!

Saturday, March 20

I attended a seminar most of the day today.  I gobbled down 2 waffles with peanut butter and jelly and a glass of skim milk before I left. Bad choice!  I had way too much peanut butter, which meant way too much fat.

I ate everything they server at the luncheon, bad choice #2.  I also drank 2 glasses of the most wonderful fresh lemonade on earth, but it contained almost 200 calories and tons of carbs!

I won’t mention dinner.  It was that bad!

I ended up with too many calories, carbs and fats and still not enough protein.  I’ll never lose weight this way!

The best thing I did was go for a walk when I got home at 9:00 PM.  I downloaded the famous fitness trainer Kathy Smith’s 50 minute walking workout on my new MP3 “keychain trainer” and went on the hardest “walk” I’ve ever been on in my life!  She has you pump your arms (I’ve never had sore arm muscles from a walk before) and go at different degrees of speed and difficulty.  She gave great hints and encouragement and I burned over 300 calories, who-hoo!

Sleep More, Lose Weight

I love this idea! Sleep More, Lose Weight! I can do that!

Research shows that lack of sleep might be related to weight gain.  The reason could be due to changes in levels of the hormone leptin, which suppresses the appetite, and grehlin, which makes you hungry.  Sleep deprivation lowers leptin and raises grehlin, and that seems to make people crave high energy foods.  For good health, try to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. 

 

Sleep More, Lose Weight

Getting Enough Snooze Time May Be the Best Diet Secret of All

By Mary Shannon, About.com Guide 

Updated: September 07, 2007

If you want to lose weight, experts say you need to get enough sleep. Specifically, researchers have reported that women who sleep 5 hours or less per night generally weigh more than women who sleep 7 hours per night.

Friday. March 19th.

I went to water aerobics for an hour today.  I love that class.  We swim outside and the weather was beautiful today in Irvine, CA., which made it  extra enjoyable.  I burned 314 calories!  Yay! I’d recommend water aerobics for everyone.  You feel really light in the water and 30 minutes of full-on cardio was still easy on the joints!

I’m not thrilled at all about my meals.  It is a good thing I’m just getting warmed up for Monday, my official first day of the 10-week program. I’m going to have to carefully follow the 1500 calorie plan (March 19^th).  Just guessing what to eat isn’t working at all.  I still didn’t get the calories, protein and carbs I needed and today I didn’t even eat enough fats.

Eating plan for 1500 calories

I’m so lost!  I need a guide, and I think I found a good one!  It is from The Nutrition and Food Web Archive (www.nafwa.org)  At least it's place to start!

Eating plan for 1500 calories

There are many different types of eating plans available; however, the key to success is finding one that works for you. One key ingredient for a meal plan to work is consistency. Many of us fail to keep consistency in our lives or we stay consistent with bad habits. Two examples that come to mind include skipping meals and breakfast. Failure to break-the-fast every day and skipping meals improves the chance that you will fail to reach your goals. Eating breakfast and consuming small meals (4 to 6 per day) prevents binge eating, nighttime snacking, and weight gain. It also keeps your metabolic rate at an optimal pace.

The body requires fuel to keep your metabolism burning. Think of metabolism as a campfire. To keep a fireburning strong, it must be fed small doses of wood (ie, fuel). Dropping a large log onto the fire will keep the fire burning, but not as effectively as if it was fed small portions of wood.

With the fire still in mind, you have to look at its preferred fuel choice. Adding paper or “empty calories”, the fire will burn through it very quickly. As a result, the fire becomes starved and must be fed very often. Now if you added a mixture of paper and wood, the fire will have enough fuel to burn for a longer period of time. The wood will satisfy the fire’s appetite more than the paper. Wood is to fire as protein is to humans. Your diet should always include a source of protein at each meal and snack.

Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are not designed to tell you how much you should eat at each meal, but rather, to give you a pattern which to compare your intake with your goals. Based on the goals set above, try to consume the appropriate amount of food based on the following serving sizes.

What is a Balanced Diet?

I didn’t do very well on my meal planning yesterday.  I had already eaten two meals before I knew I had to keep a log.  I didn’t eat enough of anything, except fats, thanks to a fish burrito from Rubios that I had for lunch.

First, I needed to figure out the amount of calories, protein, carbs and fat are in the foods I eat.  I found an awesome site called http://caloriecount.about.com I just plugged in what I had eaten and it gave me all the information I needed.

Now I need to get serious and plan a well balanced menu out for a week.  Here's what I learned from caloriecount.com:

Fitness Boosts Brain Power in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Here’s a bit of good news, new study findings suggest exercise appears to protect the brains of people with multiple sclerosis.  If it protects MS patients' brains, I’m sure it protects ours as well. Another excellent reason to Get in Shape, Grandma!

MRI scans show less structural damage in those who exercise                      

HealthDay, Robert Preidt, February 24, 2010

Patients who were classified as being highly fit performed much better on cognitive function tests than less-fit patients. MRI scans also showed that higher levels of fitness were associated with greater volume of gray matter, which is linked to vital brain processing skills, and less damage in parts of the brain where MS-related deterioration occurs.

"We found that aerobic fitness has a protective effect on parts of the brain that are most affected by multiple sclerosis," study lead author Ruchika Shaurya Prakash, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University, said in a news release. "As a result, these fitter patients actually show better performance on tasks that measure processing speed."

Wo, oh, what want to know-oh, where does the time go?

A few weeks ago I was listening to that old Grateful Dead song and I said to myelf, Wo, oh, what I want to know-oh, where does the time go? It dawned  me…wo, oh I’m going to be 60 years old in a few months and I’m a Grandma!  OMG, what an eye-opener!  I said to myself, “If I’m going to BE 60, I sure don’t want to LOOK 60”.  After all, 60 is the new 40, right? 

I never really went through a mid-life crisis.  I had two daughters in my 20’s and two more in my late 30’s, so until 2 ½ years ago, I had young kids at home to keep me young and focused.  

I was a Marketing Manager for a major airline and worked with a group of super-sharp young people, all under 40 years old. I was busy and happy and I felt like I was just as young as everybody else.  I had my “dream job” for over 15 years, but a few months ago I was offered the “opportunity” to “retire” (go ahead and read between the lines) so I thought I‘d better take them up on the offer.

Now I find myself an over-weight, empty-nester with plenty of time on my hands, and realize it is about time to focus on myself. So here goes, it’s time to GET IN SHAPE, GRANDMA!

Today's Grandmas are not the same as they were 20 years ago.  They are still very much alive, vibrant, attractive and healthy women who are now empty-nesters and able to focus on making the most of their lives, right?   Right!