We need the whole weight- loss story, not the abridged version....

Sometimes we see memes that call the scale a liar...I've called it a liar too :)
In reality, the scale just doesn't tell the whole story, but it tells you SOMETHING. It might be saying you ate a lot of salt, it might say you gained muscle, or fat, or had a busy day and didn't drink a lot, or you drank a ton, or your cycle is coming, or you're bloated...it tells us a TON, we just need to figure out what it's saying.

Take me for example. On Sunday we spent all day outside in the humidity (retaining water in the humidity) I felt bloated and my eyes were even a tad swollen when I woke up. On Monday the scale was up 3 lbs from what it was Saturday morning. 3 whole pounds.
Monday during the day, I only drank a few extra glasses of water but I began peeing All. DAY. LONG. for no real reason other than I was holding water from being outside the day before and finally letting it go.

Upon waking up Tuesday morning the scale is down the 3 lbs of water that I peed out all day Monday. And that was just from normal life hanging out outside and probably not hydrating enough.

Water can make a huge difference on the scale, so don't take what the scale says and make it ruin your day. If I had, I would have been saying that all the fun we had outside the day before ruined my next day...it didn't, it was fun and the scale can't say how much fun we had, only that I was out in the humidity!  Don't let the scale be your FUN-METER.

I use the scale for my clients because it's part of the math...and it is a TOOL to tell us where you're at but we have to look at the whole picture (yesterday's activity, 2 days ago food, cycle, hormones, weather...) to figure out what the scale is telling us on that one day. From there I make decisions on what we change or if we change nutrition.

Things that make your scale go up...and then go down:

Being dehydrated

Being Overhydrated

Just eaten a meal

Not enough SLEEP

Heavy lifting workout the day before (muscles retain water)

Extra carbs than normal (holding water...not a bad thing)

Extra salt

Humidity in the air

hormones fluctuating

time of the month bloating 

weighing before voiding bladder

wearing different clothes than normal (or wearing clothes at all!)

Dr office scales....check to see if it's on carpet, that makes it inaccurate

Different scale than normal

If you weight, weigh 2 or three times a week and then look at the TREND OVER TIME. Day today will be different, week to week is a better way of seeing how you progress. If you weigh every day, that's ok too...but take a weekly average and then compare it to the weekly average of the next week, that is a more fair comparison of progress. 

And if you don't weigh at all...and it's working for you, you're in a good place in life and happy where you're at....be happy and don't change your ways!

New Year, New food mmmm...

So January is over and I am now asking about the resolutions you've made for 2014....why now? Because it's about now that you are probably moving on from them :)  Resolutions, goals, personal fixes, do-overs,...whatever you call them I want you to think about them as Superbowl Sunday approaches us this weekend!

One of my many goals I set for myself was to add more recipes. I used to do it a lot so I'm going to post more recipes and workouts per blog. The recipes will be gluten free and mostly dairy free so I hope I can help those of you who are just finding out you need to be either one, or both, of those. It's rough when trying to change how you eat/cook so if I can help I will certainly try. Eating healthy is pretty much the only way we eat in our house, not because we try so hard but mostly because that's the stuff I like, and I cook so it ends up that way. We do like to splurge but our splurges tend to be Thai or sushi which are not the worst we could choose.

Here's the deal though. I'm not a chef, not even a wonderful cook. But I love to eat and I hate to shop soooo that means that I've become really good at figuring out how to put together meals with whatever is in the cabinet and they usually end up tasty, if I do say so myself.  I also have a few rules when it comes to recipes that I use. Due to my laziness most recipes will have 6 ingredients or less and about 5 steps or less (most will include one step that says "put all ingredients in a bowl and stir" :) ) So if you want easy and fast...I'm your girl...wait, I mean...you'll like my food suggestions.

Here's a great one for the Superbowl:

Peanut butter balls...

we did this regularly as a kid, it may even be the first recipe i memorized. It is great for the sweet tooth but will fill you up.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup peanut butter (an all natural PB is recommended — the only ingredient necessary is crushed peanuts)
1 cup honey
3 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)
1 cup dried fruit (we like crasins in our house but mini dark chocolate or rasins would do)
unsweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS

Mix the first four ingredients together thoroughly. Form them into balls (makes about 10-12 depending on size) then roll them in the crushed nuts, granola cereal, or unsweetened coconut. Serve or refrigerate.

Nutrition Info:

Recipe yields four dozen quarter-sized balls.

Nutritional information per serving: 100 calories; 5 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 12.2 g carbohydrates; 2.8 g protein; 4.4 mg sodium; 1.5 g fiber; 7.1 g sugar

Super Workout:
10 "field goal" Crunch- Lay on back with arms and legs stretched out and raise shoulders up while lifting legs and hold for 2 counts.
10 supermans- (reverse of elongated crunch) Lay on belly and raise legs and arms, hold for 2 count and lower
10 out and in ab crunches
20 touchdowns- stand with feet apart take left hand and as you side step to the right you touch left hand to the right foot. Then side jump/step to the left and bend to touch right hand to left foot. Alternating sides.
10 Squat sidekicks each leg - squat and then kick leg to the side kind of like a roundhouse kick.
10 Switch lunge jumps
15 Single leg squat each side
10 run-downs...20 high knee run in place and drop down for a pushup then repeat
15 tricep dips.

Repeat this 1 to 5 times before the game starts then at least once at the end....so you don't snack too much!