Obesity Free Forever Blog™

Hi Everyone,

While losing 140 pounds, I learned the hardest part of losing weight was finding the balance between eating healthy food and having some junk food every so often. 

As a registered nurse I knew the benefits of healthy eating but my experience with diets never allowed me to splurge.  Following a high protein diet, low fat diet plan or no carb diet left little room for me to treat myself to foods I loved. 

Here are some tips I used to transition to eating healthy food and lose, and keep off, over 140 pounds.

Learn the Basics

Understanding the macronutrients of carbohydrates, protein and fats, and how they are used in the body can help you make better choices for eating healthy food.  The healthy eating pyramid at the My Pyramid website is a great resource to use to learn the basics.

Start Slow

Turning bad eating habits into healthy ones is easy if you take it one step at a time.  Try to eliminate one high calorie food weekly from your diet rather than go cold turkey!  Eliminating or reducing one high calorie food while introducing a low calorie one will help you stick to a healthy eating plan. 

These are a couple of tips I used to help me lose over 140 pounds and keep it off since 2005.

Take care,

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

I recently shared some easy weight loss tips that I used to lose over 140 pounds.  One easy weight loss tip is jello!  Yes, sugar free Jello is one of the best ways I found to add pleasure to my healthy eating plan.  In fact, I still eat sugar free Jello with each meal during the maintenance stage today.  It is a refreshing dessert that contains less than 10 calories.  Also, it is considered a free food which means you don’t have to count it in your calorie intake (provided you keep your free foods below 50 calories daily).  

I purchase the multipak of Jello found in the dairy department of my local grocery store.  I even add fruit and Fiber One to it with a little artificial sweetner.  This makes a great dessert and adds variety and very little calories. 

When I travel, I purchase the Hunt’s brand.  Unlike the Jello brand, Hunt’s does not need refrigeration.  Hunt’s also contains Sucralose which may upset your stomach.

Stop back frequently.  I’ll share more easy weight loss tips in the future.  Feel free to post your tips to help others.

Take care,

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

Many women fear aging because of the possibility of menopause and weight gain.  I actually experienced just the opposite.  In fact, one of the benefits of healthy eating at that stage in my life was menopause weight loss.  Why?  I’m no expert on the endocrine system (hormones) but it seemed that by balancing the nutrients my body needed, many of the annoying symptoms such as hot flashes and irritability were less noticeable while I experienced menopause weight loss.

I remember when I was 280 pounds and I would binge eat on carbohydrates, that the hot flashes seemed worst.  As I experienced weight loss during menopause and my healthy eating plan became nutritionally balanced, these symptoms subsided and were more manageable by waiting them out. 

Menopause and weight gain do not necessarily go together, contrary to popular belief.  While aging may cause our metabolism to slow down which could lead to weight gain, my experience was menopause and weight loss with less symptoms! 

Check with your doctor or a nutritionist to see if nutrition can reduce your symptoms and you can avoid menopause and weight gain.

Have a great day!

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

Work, school, family and a business can get stressful at times.  This week was an exception as many deadlines came to a close and the pressure was on to meet them.  In fact, it reminded me of stress and weight loss when I set out to become obese free in 2004. 

Stress and weight loss can really derail you and test your healthy eating plan.  Worse, stress and weight loss can put a negative slant on your diet motivation and weight loss inspiration!

Here is what I did to manage stress and weight loss.

First, I made a list of every task I needed to do.  Once I saw on paper what was expected of me, I was  able to deal with the challenges.

Second, I placed a completion date next to each task.

Third, I checked to see if I could postpone any task or whether the task was even necessary.  Anything that was not a priority for the day was placed on the bottom of the list.

Fourth, I watched what I said to myself.  When I weighed 280 pounds, I was so very negative!  My communication to myself was full of gloom and doom.  As I lost over 140 pounds, I stopped myself from thinking and speaking negatively.  I immediately corrected myself and replaced the conversation with the bright side of the situation.  My problems are little compared to what other people face.  It is important for me to remind myself of my blessings when I feel stressed.

Fifth, I stayed true to my healthy eating plan.  Mindless eating is so common with stress and weight loss.  As you mentally make lists of everything you need to do, it is easy to eat and forget what you consumed.  When you know you are under stress, take a moment and write down what you will eat for your meals and snacks.  Then make sure you follow the plan.  The tasks will get done, they always do.  And it is important to stay true to your healthy eating plan during times of stress and weight loss to avoid relapses and feeling guilty later.

Sixth, I asked for help.  When things really spiraled out of control, I asked for help during times of stress and weight loss.  Each of us has a few people we can rely on to help us out every once in a while.  We always return the favor and then some.

Stress and weight loss can be manageable.  I used these tips to lose over 140 pounds naturally and safely beginning in 2004.  These are the same tips I use today to maintain my weight loss since 2005.

Take care,

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

I was recently asked what the causes of obesity are.  Actually, obesity can be caused by several factors including genetics, environment, social and behavioral.  Here is some background information on each of the causes of obesity.

Obesity due to genetics is very rare.  At 280 pounds, I wanted to believe that genetics was my problem but no dice! 

Environmental and social causes of obesity often go together.  Environmental factors are whether you have access to eating healthy food and exercise for weight loss.  Social factors are those cues or triggers that drive us to eat.  Social causes of obesity can be as subtle as going to a restaurant known for fattening foods every Tuesday with your friends or as blatant as your spouse filling the house with junk food when you start a diet for fear you’ll leave him when you get skinny!

Behavioral causes of obesity are the choices we make.  Whether we pick eating healthy food and a weight loss program or we choose to continue our bad eating habits remains within our control.  Keeping our bad eating habits is an example of a behavioral cause of obesity.

The effects of obesity were devastating for me.  Besides the health problems I developed such as severe shortness of breath and symptoms of GERD and Gastritis, I suffered from depression and social isolation. 

What’s the obesity solution?  Take control today!  Think about the cause and effect of your obesity and make a list of how obesity is holding you back.  Writing down the cause and effect of obesity and looking at the limitations it caused me was the first step I took in 2004 to lose over 140 pounds.  Once I made a decision to accept obesity no more, the path became clear and I’ve kept the weight off ever since.

Georgene Dana Collins, 134 Pounds

Here’s my latest picture as of October 31, 2008. 

Take Care,

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

I am traveling again, this time for work, and once again there are challenges to my healthy eating plan.  Here are the strategies I am using to stick to my healthy eating plan.

I planned my food intake before my trip and shopped for items that stored well without a fridge.  Luckily, though, the hotel I am staying at has an option to use a fridge during my stay for a minimal fee.  I brought items such as salads, fresh fruit and Jello brand diet jello (a staple food of mine!), and stored them in the fridge.

I also brought lots of Fiber One products such as my favorite cereal and bars.  In addition, I brought along some of Aunt Millies high fiber bread.  Fiber is very important to maintaining a healthy eating plan and it is equally important to prevent my symptoms of GERD and Gastritis.  Of course, everyone knows that fiber helps reduce the risk of many cancers, especially colon, which is a family history of mine.

Maintaining my healthy eating plan was easy on this trip because I was able to drive.  However, in the past, I’ve shipped my favorite foods to the location I was traveling to.  I just called ahead and asked for the process to ensure my box would find me once I arrived.

Maintaining a healthy eating plan is easy with proper planning and anticipation of challenges.

These are the tips I continue to use to maintain my weight loss of over 140 pounds, which I have kept off since 2005.

Take Care,

Georgene

I am often asked what I used to keep my daily weight loss motivation.  After losing over 140 pounds and now keeping it off since 2005, I learned a lot about weight loss motivation.

 Here are some weight loss motivation tips I used to lose my weight.

 Start by remembering why you started your exercise and weight loss plan. For me, it was to decrease my health risks of obesity including GERD and Gastritis and chronic knee pain.  Losing weight can be the difference between living a healthy life and being on medication for conditions that are a result of obesity, like diabetes and heart disease.

 Move More. 

Another weight loss motivation tip I used was to move more.  Exercise is great for relieving stress.  You don’t have to go to the gym, though.   You can do stuff around the house like work in the garden. Housework is a great stress reliever and helps you burn those calories.

 Celebrate Successes!

At 280 pounds I found a lot of things wrong with me and very little right!  I hardly celebrated any personal successes.  This changed quickly as I began my healthy eating plan.  Regardless of what I did, whenever I stayed true to my healthy eating plan, I celebrated by privately congratulating myself in my journal.

 It took me 13 months to reach my initial weight loss goal of 120 pounds but I kept my daily weight loss motivation by using these tips.  If I can do it, you can too!

Take Care,

Georgene

Hi Everyone,

Another post for the men in your lives…

One of the best ways how to lose body fat is through exercise.  Changing your exercise habits are often easier than changing your bad eating habits

Strength training is one component of exercise for men. The benefits of exercise for men are endless.  Besides making you look better, it will also make your body more durable.  Exercise might help you stave off diseases too.  Research has shown that exercise for men like strength training will lower your LDL cholesterol (the bad kind).  Strength training may even reduce the effects of aging. 

The next question is how do you strength train to get the results that you want, without over training or under training?  If you are new to strength training the best thing you can do is a 3 day a week total body split.  What you do is choose 2 exercises per body part.  By doing this split you will train one day on and one day off. 

The next component of exercise for men is cardiovascular training.  There are so many benefits to performing cardio on a regular basis.  The first one everyone is interested in, and that’s one way how to lose body fat.  Do cardio training regularly and the weight will come off.  Next to that your heart will be stronger, you will have better circulation and your lungs will be stronger.  For years people thought that the only way to do cardio was to trod along for an hour or more being bored out your mind.  This is not the case, you have countless options.  One option is to do high intensity interval training.   High intensity interval training consists of is running at a pace that is 50% of your maximum ability for 2 minutes and then sprinting for one minute.  You then repeat this process for 20 to 30 minutes.  You can also take a kickboxing lesson, play a game of basketball or go out and ride your bicycle.  The sky is the limit and your body will thank you. 

One of the best ways how to lose body fat is just start moving!

Disclaimer:  Remember to check with your doctor before making changes to your health.

Ryan Collins

Master Fitness Trainer

Certified Personal Trainer

Certified Cardiovascular Trainer

Certified Medical Exercise Therapist

Hi Everyone,

I’d like to introduce my son, Ryan, to you.  He is a Personal Trainer and holds many certifications.  I asked him to write some blogs for the men in your lives. 

Enjoy…

So you have decided that you want to learn how to lose body fat and get into shape.  Maybe you want to lose a little and tone up or maybe you want to feel better and have more energy so that you can keep up with your children.  Congratulations on taking the first step. Making the choice to get into shape is half of the battle.  Over the next few blogs, you will learn how to lose body fat.  You will learn the steps needed to lose the weight and get into the shape you want.

Now for the fun part, what is the best way how to lose body fat?  What is the best diet for men?  With all of the information out there it can be a little confusing.  There are thousands of gimmicks that claim you can get into the shape you want with just 5 minutes a day 3 times a week for the low cost of 4 payments of $19.99!  Fast weight loss for men is not that easy.  If it were everyone would be walking around sporting a six pack and biceps the size of bowling balls!  There are 4 components of getting into shape.  Think of it like a car, without all 4 wheels, the car won’t drive.  The same goes for your body.  Many life style changes are needed to get healthy and if you’re missing one of these components your body won’t work right either.

One of the most important components is nutrition.  Going back to the analogy of your body being like a car, think of your nutrition as the fuel.  There are endless fad diets that promise to be the best diet for men.  Here is the simple truth of the matter; none of them work long term.  Advertisers may promise fast weight loss for men, but most likely it will not be permanent because it is water weight.  Once you stop the diet for men, you’ll gain the weight right back and you may even gain more then you lost.  The best nutrition program is one that is balanced with the right combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats for you.  Many factors play into the best diet plans for men including your age, current health and body composition.   The best thing that you can do is contact either a nutritionist or a registered dietitian and have a plan designed specifically for you. 

Ryan Collins

Master Fitness Trainer

Certified Personal Trainer

Certified Cardiovascular Trainer

Certified Medical Exercise Therapist

Disclaimer:  Remember to check with your doctor before making changes to your health.

Hi Everyone,

My travels for school this week have been a little trying, especially for my healthy eating habits.  Challenges such as a bad flight and a long check in time of one hour became quite stressful for me yesterday.  In fact, I felt so stressed, I was tempted to overeat on some Fiber One cereal!  Although Fiber One is still considered eating healthy food, I would have only ate because of stress and not due to hunger.

Stress eating reminded me of the weight loss motivation I used to lose over 140 pounds in 2005.  There are some days that seem to just spiral out of control and even the best weight loss plans get challenged.

Here are the tips I used to keep my weight loss motivation and achieve a healthy BMI (body mass index).

Identify where you feel your stress.  Stress can develop pain in the neck, head and shoulders.  I feel my stress in my neck and stomach.  Once you become aware of your individual symptoms of stress, you can work to reduce it quickly.

Find things you like to do that give you a brief break from the stressful environment without food.  Some examples are to take a bubble bath or a walk or possibly listening to your favorite music or venting to a friend. 

If you do accidentally eat in response to stress, forgive yourself quickly and go back to your healthy eating plan with your next scheduled meal.  Everyone makes mistakes and it is important to accept yourself “as is”, with imperfections.  The benefits of healthy eating the majority of the time is that you have a frame of reference of what the best weight loss plan is for you.  Trust yourself to return to your healthy plan and let go of your mistake quickly.

Finally, remember why you began your healthy eating habit.  Did you want to improve your health?  Do you want more energy to play with your children or grandchildren?  Was your weight holdng you back in your career or personal life?  My weight loss motivation came when I could no longer take medications for my GERD and Gastritis symptoms.  Each of us has a different weight loss motivation and it is important to keep it in mind frequently for days when you don’t feel like eating healthy food.

Take care,

Georgene