Meet a Member - Melissa T, Week 20

Week 20

June 24, 2014

Thoughts for the Week…

·        No weigh in this week because I’m on vacation once again!

·        I went back to my hometown of Cambridge, NE, for their annual Medicine Creek Days. Going home means going to the bar, seeing old high school friends, eating, and usually lots of drinking! Thursday I did very well on the food end of things; but on the drinking side, not so well! Friday I stayed on track all day with food and only drank iced tea at the bar that night because of the 5k on Saturday. Saturday was a free for all. Sunday I was back on track and continue to be on track. So 2 drunken sad faces for my time back home is better than three!

·        About that 5k I said I was going to be in…I didn’t get to sleep Saturday morning until about 2a.m. I had to be up by 7a.m. so I knew I could eat a little something well before I had to run. I could NOT sleep that night. Constant crazy dreams about racing and not waking up in time filled my 5 hours of sleep. I got up on time though, ate a little bowl of cereal, and headed to the start line. It was raining a little and lightning. By the time 8:00 rolled around, the rain had dissipated and we were on our way.

·        The started gun was shot and I turned on my Run Keeper app that keeps track of distance and time. My goal was to complete this in 40 minutes or less. I wanted so bad to check my time along the way, but I knew that would only slow me down. I refrained. My other goal was to jog the entire time, no walking. That didn’t happen. I stopped 4 different times to walk and catch my breath. I only allowed myself about 30 steps of walking before I made myself get back to jogging. Each time I walked I thought that would be what kept me under the 40 minutes. Constant thoughts of “I can’t do this…I am seriously going to die” ran through my head the ENTIRE time. Letting that fear of failure overtake my confidence was discouraging. The song “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger” came on the ipod and I kept replaying that song until the finish line.

·        Jogging down Main Street I was counting the number of blocks I still had to go. Four…okay three more…I can do this…two…I see my BFF cheering me on…one more…faster, faster…tears of happiness are filling my eyes because I can’t believe that I did it! I made it! Stop the Run Keeper…my time? 34 minutes and 59 seconds! What an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment! Now I’m ready for the next 5k!

WOD (Workout of the Day)

·        School workouts will resume once school is back in session!

Ponder this…

·        The fear we have in our minds about not being able to accomplish something most often takes over what our bodies could actually accomplish. Our minds give up well before our bodies ever will. When we do something we never thought we could do in a million years, it builds our self-esteem. It helps give us that warrior-like attitude…I CAN do this! I AM a WARRIOR! Put on your warrior caps this week and do something that you never thought you could!

Meet a Member - Arianna P, Week 19

I've lost a two year old! Now nobody panic. I don't mean a little human two year old. The average two year old weighs 25 pounds. That's how much weight I've lost. I'm still here, still plugging away at my weight loss journey. It's been 19 weeks and I've averaged about 1 pound a week. Thinking about it like that, it doesn't seem like much. I can hear some of the haters in the back of my mind right now...

"Whooooa. Big whoop. You've lost A POUND."

"You act like that's a big amount."

"I've lost a pound in one trip to the bathroom."

You know what? IT IS A BIG WHOOP! IT IS A BIG AMOUNT! I don't care what you do in the bathroom, as long as you wash your hands when you come out of there! 

In 19 weeks of trying to be more conscious of my eating habits, working out, all the stress I've had and continue to have, I've lost 25 pounds. You're darn right I'm happy about that. 

Meet a Member - Melissa T, Week 19

Week 19

June 17, 2014

Thoughts for the Week…

·        Well, I didn’t lose any weight this week, but I didn’t gain any either. I’m okay with that.

·        In Accountability, we redid my measurements. Since March 25 when my measurements were last taken, I’ve dropped my body fat percentage 3.8%, have lost an additional 3.5 inches from my waist, 3.75 inches from my chest, 2 inches from my arms, and another 2 inches from my thigh. Altogether since I started my journey here at SquareOne, I’ve lost a TOTAL of 18¼ inches off of my body. WOW!

·        Mindi also recalculated my daily calories based on my new numbers. My star calorie range (the range of calories for losing weight) went down about 100 calories. So instead of being able to eat 1360-1560 calories per day to lose weight, I’m now at 1258-1458. As I look back at the previous week, if I were to rate my days based on the new calorie range I’d have had only 2 stars, with the rest being smiley faces. Having more “maintaining” days than “losing” days may explain why I didn’t have a loss this week.

·        I’m registered for the 5k back in my hometown of Cambridge, NE this Saturday. I have my i-pod all ready to go with some upbeat fitness songs that will hopefully help me keep a steady pace. I’ve never completed a 5k before where I haven’t had to walk almost all of it instead of jog. So one of my goals is to jog the whole time…another goal is that I’d like to complete it in less than 40 minutes.

WOD (Workout of the Day)

·        School workouts will resume once school is back in session!

Ponder this…

·        In Train Your Brain, Marty reiterated several important things we need to remember…

o   We need to eat for FUEL, not pleasure.

o   On Social Events – We drastically underestimate the number of social events we take part in. Sometimes they happen so often that we feel as if we can’t control them, which leads to giving in to eating for pleasure once or twice and then giving up. We need to be DOUBLY PLANNED.

o   Our body doesn’t know that we are at a celebration or on vacation. It expects good nutrition ALL the time!

o   We cannot relax our rules! It’s NOT okay to abandon my plan for special occasions.

o   Lastly…Practice Makes Perfect! The quote I chose this week goes along with this statement. Oftentimes we use the excuse that “the weekends are difficult to stay on track”. Why should that day be any different than Monday through Friday? If we can make good choices during the week and not abandon our plan, it can also be done on Saturdays (and Sundays!). Once again…We cannot relax our rules!

Meet a Member - Arianna P, Week 18

Catching a break (I hope)

There has been a fair amount of changes in my life this week. I moved and I'm taking six online classes. Somewhere in between all of that studying, driving three people back and forth, and working summer school, I have to find time to work out. I still have to try and unpack and get everything together too! Phew! It had been particularly difficult to eat healthy and work out with everything going on right now. I have very much enjoyed my summer school post -- those little guys' laughter is the best sound -- but I will be very happy when I just have to finish my classes and work out. I did lose 5 pounds this week (yes!!!) The best thing though? I was able to put on a jean skirt I haven't worn in about 2 years! Woot woot! 

Meet a Member - Melissa T, Week 18

Week 18

June 10, 2014

Thoughts for the Week…

·        Despite the fact that I was on vacation all this past week, I still managed to lose weight! Albeit only 0.6 pounds, I am patting myself on my back for not gaining!

·        I spent the first part of our vacation week in Grapevine, Texas with my girls, my mom, my sister in law and my niece at the Great Wolf Lodge. It was SO much fun! And quite a workout too! I climbed the 103 stairs 6 times to the big slides. To keep the children entertained outside of swimming and sliding, Great Wolf Lodge has quests for them to conquer. We did the MagiQuest, which consists of 10 different scavenger hunts throughout the main hallways of the 8 floors of the hotel, getting to each floor using the “Hidden Stairwell”…which means more of a workout!

·        When on vacation eating out is inevitable. In a previous Train Your Brain session, Marty discussed “The Cliff”. We are living on unstable ground (the edge of “The Cliff”). It’s unstable because we struggle with taking full control of our eating behaviors. Taking one bite of something can trigger that BAD switch in our brains that allows us to lose control of our eating, then falling off the cliff into a lapse or relapse. I was very mindful in my eating out choices. Some of my mindfulness included: ordering a burger and not eating the bun, asking for a salad instead of eating an unhealthy side, no mindless snacking in the van while traveling and really looking at the menu for a meal that didn’t just sound good, but was also a healthy choice.

WOD (Workout of the Day)

·        Here’s a workout you can do at home if you aren’t able to get to the gym. The only equipment you will need is a chair or bench for the tricep dips.

o   50-40-30-20-10

§  Squat jumps

§  Ice skaters (standing and jumping like an ice skater from side to side)

§  Laying leg lifts (lay on your back and lift your legs up and down)

§  Tricep dips

Ponder this…

·        I love this quote! It reminds me of when I’ve tried to lose weight in the past but “couldn’t”. And in looking back, it’s not that I couldn’t lose weight, I lacked the skills and tools needed to take back control of my eating, behaviors and my life. SquareOne has done an exceptional job of helping me realize I actually have tools and skills to be successful! Thanks SquareOne!

Meet a Member - Arianna P, Week 17

Ho Hum....
It's been another boring week on my end. I'm not sure what my weight is. My accountability class is on Tuesdays, but they were cancelled because of the severe weather we had that night. I'm wishing and hoping and thinking and praying (name that song anyone?) that I lost another pound. I'm fairly certain I did.

This week I have been especially tired. Summer school started and I am in an early childhood room. If you don't know, early childhood teachers have the patience of a saint and a seemingly endless amount of energy... that I don't have. I am so tired at the end of every day, I don't know what to do with myself. Yesterday, I walked in the door, collapsed on the stairs, napped for about 15-30 minutes and then went to bed. Yes, I was in bed before 6pm.  On top of that, I am having car issues and have not gotten to the gym yet. But I'll be there tonight. Thursday. Tabata. Good googily moogily. =)

Meet a Member - Melissa T, Week 17

Week 17

June 3, 2014

Thoughts for the Week…

·        No weigh in for this week because I’m on VaCaTiOn! My girls and I went with my mom to Texas for my niece and nephew’s high school graduation.

·        I ended this past week with 5 stars, 1 smiley face and 1 sad face, along with 5 workouts.

·        I am finally back into the “skinny clothes” I was in 3 years ago, so I haven’t had to purchase any new clothes. I’m still thinking about my ultimate goal. After talking to the Accountability leader at last week’s weigh in, I thought to myself, “Maybe I DO want to complete a 5K and actually JOG the whole thing instead of walk it. Maybe that will give me a sense of accomplishment.” So I signed up for the 5K run in Cambridge for Medicine Creek Days. After doing the first 400 in the workout below, I thought to myself, “What the heck was I thinking…I can barely make it through a 400 meter run (jog), how am I going to complete a 5K without walking?” It’ll be tough, but I’ll do it!

WOD (Workout of the Day)

·        I haven’t received any new workouts since our summer break began so I’m reposting one of the previous ones. I did this one at home by myself the other day. What I like most about this one is that it requires NO equipment. You do need a TABATA timer though. I downloaded one through the Play Store and it works well. This workout is a tough one, but a good one!

o   TABATA – 8 rounds

§  Burpees

§  Pushups

§  Situps

§  Jump Squats

o   Immediately after 8 rounds of each exercise, run a 400, rest 2 minutes and then repeat run/rest 3 more times.

Ponder this…

·        In Train Your Brain Marty talked about “The Love Affair” many of us have with food. We need to make food a friend, not a lover.  How can food be a lover? Since many people have such an emotional connection with food, they find pleasure in food. We need to make mindful choices and be sure that the food we eat is “What’s right” instead of “OMG, I LOVE their ________!”. 

Nutrition Notes by Dietitian Jess: Protein, Protein, Protein

Protein, Protein, Protein… The glorified nutrient! Should I be eating 6 small meals or 3 regular sized?

You can only imagine how many times a day I hear people say “it’s healthy it has protein in it”. So what exactly does the body do with Protein and why is it so popular right now? As with carbohydrates, protein provides four calories per one gram you consume, wouldn’t that make it pretty much equal to carbs in the weight loss world? The answer is yes and no. If you remember back to the late 80s and early 90s everyone went “fat free” and we thought “if we eat less fat then we will be less fat”. Unfortunately we forgot that calories matter! Well this still applies today; calorie management is the most important nutrition change for promoting weight loss; however protein can help you to be satisfied on smaller amounts of calories.  This is one of biggest barriers to weight loss; if we are not satisfied with our foods then we tend to over eat.

We have learned that protein offers other benefits to weight loss besides satiety or feeling full after eating it also helps keep muscle mass during weight loss. Research supports eating 72 grams per day can help retain muscle mass during a weight loss diet. We also know that the carbohydrates digest quickly which can lead to early hunger and over eating. High-protein foods take more work to digest, metabolize, and use, which means you burn more calories processing them. In a study published in Nutrition Metabolism, dieters who increased their protein intake to 30 percent of their diet ate nearly 450 fewer calories a day and lost about 11 pounds over the 12-week study without employing any other dietary measures.

As with most dieters, you probably like burning calories as well as eating calories. Your body uses the amino acids in protein to build lean muscle, which not only makes you stronger and more toned but also helps you to burn calories even when you're not active. Which helps keep your metabolic rate revving high even while you are at rest! This is unlike fat which is inactive tissue that does not burn calories at rest.  

The USDA set the recommended daily allowance for protein at .8 grams per kg of body weight, for a 140 lb. person that is 50 grams per day. However the RDA does not account for any physical activity.  This will only provide the minimum for essential amino acids for the body. As a Dietitian I advise consuming between 0.5-.75 grams of protein per pound of your body weight. That's 70 to 105 grams a day for a 140-pound person. Shoot for the high end if you're very active. According to Dr. Layman Ph.D. professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois., breaking this up into 30 gram feedings of protein is the way to go. His recent research reveals that if you consume high quality protein in 30 gram increments during the day you will activate Muscle Protein Synthesis by the amount of Leucine in the food.  Leucine is an essential amino acid founds in high quality protein and it provides a dietary signal to the muscle. The threshold is around 2.5 grams of Leucine per feeding. Muscle Protein Synthesis is beneficial for athletes for recovery but also for the lay person trying to lose weight without losing muscle mass.

So the answer is “Yes” protein is important for weight loss but more importantly is how and what you are consuming. It is not just cramming 60-80 grams of protein in a protein shake at the end of your day to meet your total protein needs per day. There does not seem to be added benefit for eating larger than 30 grams doses per feeding.

Which leads to the next questions which is… what types of protein have higher Leucine content to help us reach 2.5 grams Leucine per feeding?  The foods with the highest percentage of Leucine are whey protein isolate, milk protein, egg white, meat, soy protein, oat protein and wheat gluten. You can take in 20 grams of whey isolate or 38 grams of wheat gluten to get approximately 2.5 grams of Leucine. So the definition of high quality protein includes animal based sources like meats, eggs, whey protein, and then Soy. So which is better…. Eating 6 small meals per day that include on 10-15 grams protein or 2-3 larger meals with 30 grams protein? Hopefully you know that the latter is a better option!

This blog is written by Registered Dietitian Jessica A. Wegener RD, CSSD, LMNT you can contact her at pnomaha@gmail.com , 402-669-2705 or visit www.pnomaha.com for more information on Jessica and her services. She will be at Square1Club every 4^th Wednesday of the month for one complimentary 15 minute session for Square One members.

Meet a Member - Arianna P, Week 16

Week 16: ???

I write ??? as this week's title because there hasn't been much going on -- for once. I am still doing what I said I'd do last week, which is eat and work out. I did not work out this past week as much as I wanted to. Family plans that were supposed to happen two days this week did not happen and I was left sitting there instead of working out. As far as food has gone, I've had two or three stars. The ones that aren't stars have been darned close. That's the biggest thing I have to work on. Food is hard. I've had a kind of epiphany about it though, and I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks, I will have that more under control, God willing. =)

"Don't give up on what you want most for what you want now."

~ Unknown~