email from readers

Staying Motivated

One of the questions I get asked quite frequently is “How do you stay motivated after all this time?” My weight loss journey hasn’t been a sprint, it’s been more of a marathon.

And, right about now… I know that many of you who resolved to eat healthy this New Year may need a little extra motivation, or to hear about how I stay motivated. Well, here goes…

While I lost the bulk of my weight during the first year, it’s been an ongoing process to get to goal. While I’m not there yet, I’m really ok with that. I’m in such a better spot than I was on Day 1 and know that I’ll be reporting a healthier, happier, more fit me again when I check in on day 1095.

Honestly, my motivation levels change from day to day… so it really depends on the day but here are a few things I do that keep me on track.

1. Checking in With My Support System

Blogging REALLY keeps me on track. I write about what I’m doing, what I’m eating, what I’m cooking…. and I’m constantly checking in on my progress. I feel a high amount of accountaility to all of you, believe it or not. I can’t just leap off plan for days at a time, or begin cooking high calorie meals and over-indulging. That’s recipe for disaster.

I also check in with others that I know are working to lose weight. Whether it’s cooking a healthy dinner with my friend Robin, exchanging daily pictures of dinner with my sister-in-law Beth, or texting my friend Natalie about our need to get to the gym, I check in with those that are on a similar journey and try to surround myself with like-minded people. Some of my “virtual” friends have also been really helpful in this process. Do not underestimate the power of social media connections!

Amongst these folks, we really encourage each other to ASK THE QUESTION. How is it going? Have you been to the gym? What does your meal plan look like this week? This constant banter between friends also helps a lot.

2. Mix it Up!

I find that changing things up constantly has been really helpful to me. I never get bored with any aspect of my journey. For me this means, cooking new recipes all the time…. and healthy ones at that! The internet gives us SUCH a huge resource for healthy recipes. I’m always finding something new that I want to cook. Pinterest is HUGE for this, and I find a lot in cookbooks as well.

As for the gym, I love trying new classes, incorporating new treadmill workouts, and going to different yoga studios. Having only spent about a year as a gym member, there are a LOT of classes that I’ve never done and a lot of equipment that I’ve never tried. This gives me a lot of options. I also know that the moment I get bored with the gym, I’ll do something else with that time. I refuse to let that happen.

3. Stay Informed

I spend a lot of time reading articles about weight loss, books about healthy living, and finding out about new opportunities in my area to explore my new lifestyle further.

There are a lot of blogs I read daily to check in on new ideas, but I also find myself gravitating toward magazines like Fitness, Self, and Shape. Lots of great ideas in all these publications.

4. Be Selfish

Yes, I’m suggesting you be selfish. Most people will encourage you to do the opposite. Not this girl.

If you let your life lead you around, you won’t ever get what you want… you have to be an active participant.

When I say “be selfish”, I mean that you should go after what you want and take steps to get there. If you know that you can’t go to the girl’s night your favorite pizza place without having several slices of that amazing pie, it’s ok to skip this week or suggest an alternate location. If you know that you want to take a Zumba class on Monday nights, ask your boss if you can work a different shift on Mondays so that you can get there on time. Do what you have to do, and prioritize yourself accordingly.

5. Don’t Forget to Live

If you deprive yourself all the time, you’re going to get sick of your program/lifestyle and change it.

I was reminded of this lesson last week when it was my birthday. I almost said no to celebrating… but why? It’s my birthday and I deserved to celebrate my life with my friends. Yes, that meant wine, dessert, and the most delicious Indian food ever. Yes, that was over my calorie goal for the day, but the world didn’t end because I celebrated my birthday. I got right back on track the next day… and with very little impact on the scale.

Fun things will always come up. The tricky part is choosing which ones are worth it, and which ones are not. And, the most important part is that you RECOVER shortly after, getting back on track as soon as possible.

You’re THAT important, which is why you do it.

How do you stay motivated on your weight loss journey?

Staying Motivated (Letter from a Reader)

730 Days Later

Happy

Letter from a Reader: Cooking for One

Being single and never having been married… I’ve pretty much MASTERED the cooking for one concept. I used to cook WAY too much every time that I would fire up the stove, but now… I’ve really changed my ways.

I received a question from one of my dear readers asking for tips about how I handle cooking for one, and I’m going to share how I do it; however, I’d love to hear other ideas for how you guys do it! See Pam’s question below!

Hi Kelly!

I’ve been following your blog for awhile and absolutely love it! Thank you so much for sharing your personal stories, you are very inspiring! I have a question I’d like your take on. Im constantly struggling with portion control and food going to waste. Any tips on cooking for one? I feel like I buy things for a recipe and then the majority goes unused or I eat it all! What do you find your staples to be?

I really appreciate any advice!

Thanks,

Pam

What a GREAT question! This is actually something I struggle with as well. There is nothing worse to me than throwing away uneaten food or getting sick of eating something before it’s gone.

So, here’s a few tricks that I use when eating for one:

I Never Make A Full Recipe… Ever

You’ve probably noticed this in my recipes that I feature here on NTTC. When a recipe makes enough for 5-6 servings, I can guarantee that I am going to be done eating it once there are about 4 servings left. So, I simply cut the recipes in half.

If you are cutting recipes in half, two items will be your friend: 1) Food Scale 2) Google

Food Scale – I use my food scale to measure out things like 1/2 a packet of ranch dressing mix or 1/2 of a cake mix. You can easily check the package’s label to find out how many ounces are in the entire package and then do your math from there. I definitely recommend a digital scale, but a traditional one will work as well. Scales are also super-helpful for measuring out a serving of pasta so that you don’t make more than your serving(s).

Google – When I’m halving my recipes, I am constantly googling things like: How many Tbsp are there in a 1/4 cup? or How many tsp. in a Tbsp? This way, I can split the recipes easily and not sacrifice the original flavor.

Lastly, something great about making half a recipe… is that you can save the leftovers in serving size containers. This makes it easy for you to reheat and helps you to avoid overeating. PRESTO!

Let the Freezer Be Your Friend!

When I buy chicken breasts, I split the package before I freeze them. I put each breast in a snack-sized ziploc bag, and then put all of the breasts in a larger quart sized bag. This way, I can take the breasts out one at a time, without wasting any of the others.

When I finish a recipe if it makes a little too much, I put a serving immediately in the freezer in a freezer-safe container.

I Go the The Grocery Store A LOT

I tend to go to the grocery store a few times a week, and it is very rare that I make a huge haul. I get a few things each time, things that I am hungry for… things that I am going to cook in the next 48 hours.

I find that if I buy a LOT of stuff on the weekend, I forget what’s in the fridge later in the week. I’ve thrown away WAY too many veggies this way. If I’m hungry for pears, I’ll buy TWO not five. If I have a taste for them, the two I bought will get eaten and then I can reassess what I need from there. I find that when I buy a bag of something…. that’s where I run into trouble and where the food goes to waste.

As for Sam’s and Costco, I also avoid these places except for staples: Fiber One bars, cocktail cucumbers, and sometimes green beans or asparagus or brussels sprouts (never all at once!). Again, I have to be hungry for the item before I’m willing to purchase it. If it has a limited shelf life, the LAST thing I need to do is buy it in mass quantity.

I wish I were better at meal planning, and I could probably do a once a week trip, but this works for me.

I lean on Jenny meals

When I’m in a rush, when I don’t know what to cook, when I feel like I want something that I shouldn’t be eating, I reach for a Jenny Craig frozen meal. Afterall, there are so many Jenny meals that I love.

This pre-packaged and pre-portioned out wonder saves me a few times a week. These are also really helpful when I don’t feel like going to the grocery store, as well….

Truth: Ingredients Sometimes Go to Waste

This one I haven’t quite figured out. My friend Angela has actually mentioned the same, that when she makes a meal that has special ingredients… those ingredients get wasted.

I really suggest only buying the amount you need for the recipe whenever possible… and using up the leftovers in whatever creation you can. I often try to buy from the bulk bins, whenever possible, and to weigh out exactly how much of a certain veggie I’ll need. I don’t need extras… and I don’t need for ingredients to shrivel up in my fridge.

Most likely to die in my fridge: Cilantro, milk, yogurt, extra sour cream, prosciutto, veggies if I don’t slice them right away. Lately, tomatoes have also been going bad. GASP! I love tomatoes, but I’m not feeling them these days, I guess. So, I need to take a break from buying them until I’m really committed to eating them or making a recipe with them.

I know that there are more ideas out there! What other suggestions do you have for Pam?

A Fantastic Evening

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