Jenn's Losing It

Use Weight Watcher's guidelines to make them powerful and effective. I know I am guilty of setting unrealistic goals for myself ALL THE TIME.  I get my mind in place that I want to get fit, healthy and lets be real skinny - then I want those things to happen overnight with little to no effort by me.  Because let's face it - all of those things take a lot of work, dedication and time.  Lasting results don't happen overnight. Setting specific, attainable goals make it more likely for you to accomplish them and make the behaviors you want to adopt long-lasting.  Weight Watcher's Weekly on this subject give you some suggestions on setting SMART goals! So let's take a look at what goes into a powerful goal. It's specific.  Describing what you want, be exact on what you want to accomplish.  Saying you are going to do yoga this week is less likely to happen than saying - I'll go tot the 10am class on Monday and Wednesday after dropping the kids at school...

It's always with us, but there are ways to rethink, reframe, and respond to stress that are healthy - and helpful. Stress is natural and it's something that everyone experiences.  It's your body's automatic response to perceived pressure or threat.  Stress seems to know when to hit you and it can hit you all at once - like on the day of your big presentation or it can build up over time - exploding like a time bomb.  I know my tendency is to try and suppress the stress as long as possible and when it bubbles up BOOM...there's either a cry fest, scream fit or both.  I'm the worst at handling stress.  I may look like I have it together, but most days this is what's happening inside.  Bless my family for braving those storms!  I have yet to learn how to channel that stress into something positive or useful. The Weight Watchers Weekly on this subject reminds you that you can use stress to motivate you, like when you pull all the details together for ...

Something that has been on my mind a lot lately is all of the different weight loss and “healthy lifestyle” programs that are out there. Now let me begin by saying that whatever program you choose has to be what’s right for you and I don’t judge anyone’s personal choice. This is just me being honest and sharing what’s best for me. What’s not a surprise is I’ve been struggling to lose weight. I feel like I’ve been in battle for the past 4.5 years-since having James aka baby #2. I’ve run the gamut during this time of different programs. From seeing a dietician that had a fat and weight loss formula - which I liked the program because it was focused on eating “real” foods to doing a few Standard Process Cleanses with supplements and protein shakes to Weight Watchers - off and on between these other programs. During all of this I never really focused on exercise. I focused on the scale and how quickly I could get that number down.  One thing I learned quickly is that I strug...

Planning when you'll eat helps you manage hunger, avoid unplanned eating and make healthier choices.   There's a lot to be said for this.  If you have a scheduled healthy eating plan for the day, you're definitely less likely to go off the rails and eat unplanned foods (and for most of us, that's junk food- Am I right?).  A few years back i saw a nutritionist to help me in my weight loss efforts and that was the main sticking point to her whole program.  Eating breakfast as soon as you wake, then a snack a few hours later, then lunch, another snack, dinner and an optional snack in the evening if you needed something to tide you over until the morning.  Her schedule also included "food rules", that I won't go into all of them here, but one of them sticks with me today - which I still try to achieve (not nearly as much as I should) is no carbohydrates for dinner - proteins and veggies only.  Which makes sense if you really think about it.  Going to...

Moving more is the gist that keeps giving.  Stretching, walking, yoga, running - any sort of physical movement doesn't just help you shake the cobwebs from your brain and strengthen your body - but it can boost your self esteem, lighten your mood and even help you sleep better. The second "gift" that comes with moving more is it helps with weight loss too!  Changing your eating and moving more - you can shed up to 20% more than if you only changed your eating habits.  Keep moving for the long term and you're more likely to keep the weigh off too! So here's the secret - choose activity for its feel good benefits, rather than what you think you "should do".  When you choose an activity that you enjoy, you are more likely to continue doing it, succeed in your weight loss and maintain it.  In one study that the Weight Watchers weekly sites, they asked people to walk a mile for "fun.  those people said they felt less tired and in a better mood than...