It's the small things!

OK so in this blog I am going to talk about all the small things that make such a huge difference in weight loss.
1:) DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES!!!!  I cant tell you how huge this one difference is. The average soda has 150-250 calories, if you cut that alone and replace it with H20, diet soda or crystal light you can drop 10-15 lbs in a year easy.  Something else to note is that if you are a coffee drinker and you cut out your 2 spoon fulls of sugar and cream every cup you can also lose 10 lbs in a yr. if you can go with black coffee like me replace real sugar with splenda. (I know its not healthy but you can cut it out later when  your body is at a healthy weight and you aren't at risk of heart probs or diabetes or other health problem's)
2.) This is a multi part thing, If you order a salad get your dressing on the side, also try to go with low cal dressing or use Mustard, or (mustard with splenda in it which gives a honey mustard taste) instead of dressing. If you order your dressing on the side and dip your fork in it with each bite you typically use about 1/2 as much. Also This is Texas and I know we are huge Ranch people here ( I use to put it on everything from salad, to pizza to fries) but sadly 2 TBSP of most ranch dressings have the same amount of fat and cal as 1 piece of fried chicken, and I know I use to use way more then 2 tbsp per meal/salad.
3.) Set goals and have then in writing, posted where you are forced to look at them each day. By setting a written goal rather then just having one in your head you are more likely to achieve it. If you are looking at it especially daily then when you are facing a tough choice you are more likely to choose the healthy option because you will remember your goal and will be holding yourself accountable.
4.) Speaking of accountability, find a friend, family member, coworker etc... that you can share your goal with who wants you to succeed that will hold you accountable. Often sharing your goal with someone who isn't struggling with the same issue if helpful. Don't get me wrong it's great to have a workout partner, and someone you are dieting with. This does make the process a little easier, however if you are both having a week moment or day you may be more likely to cheat on your healthy lifestyle, or skip the workout. If your accountability partner can help you threw those moments it makes a huge difference.
5.) Do not completely deprive yourself of the tasty fun stuff, it is OK to splurge once a month, or to have 1 bite of a candy bar or 1 slice of pizza every now and then. What is not OK is making a day of it, or week of it. Have one day a week or a month where you choose one meal to eat whatever(keep portions reasonable) but when that meal is over the rest of the day you eat like you would on any other day of the diet. If your really craving candy try dome skinny cow candy(lower cal) or opt for 1 square of chocolate or 1 or 2 bites of a candy bar rather then the entire thing. If you completely deprive yourself of the things you love you WILL FAIL!!!! you will eventually fall and you will fall hard. I am not saying any of this to be mean I am saying it because I have been there and done that time and time again.
6.) Take on one major change at a time!  Let me explain don't set your goals too high, don't plan to lose 25-50- or 100lbs this year, get your body toned, quit smoking, quit drinking and give up caffeine, and get that promotion at work all in one year. (these are just some extreme examples) Rather sit down put them in order of importance to you. Once you have them ranked choose the 1st one, the most important one. If the above list were mine I would say OK I'm going to tackle my weight 1st. Then I would set a small weight loss goal. Say I have 100 lbs to lose I am going to focus on getting 10% of my 100lbs off in 2 months, once I hit that goal I would go on to the next and so on and so forth until I completed that goal. Then I would set out to tackle my 2nd goal. Taking on to many projects or goals at once tends to put too much stress on us and we usually fail and just make matters worse for ourselves.


In conclusion I want to remind you that you didn't gain all your weight over night and you should not expect to lose it quickly. Do not listen to people who are cheating themselves and their bodies by using harmful diet pills, shots, and starvation plans to lose the weight. They are only harming their body, diet pills are just legalized speed, the shots are basically the same, or worse and starvation wrecks your metabolism, for life in some cases. Losing weight and getting healthy is NOT EASY, FUN OR QUICK!!!! It is however, Hard work, it takes commitment, dedication, exercise and determination. There are no quick fixes and you cant cheat your body or the consequences will be severe, in alot of "quick fix cases" the person gains it all back and in most cases plus some. I urge you don't fall victim to this Garbage and people who push it. I lost 92 lbs over 3 years using good old fashion portion control, watching calories, and adding in exercise. That is how to make it a lifestyle change and that is how to make your weight loss permanent!
Side note: if you cant exercise at 1st then just watch portions, calories, and the types of food you are putting in your body. After a few weeks of that when  your finally getting the hang of it add in walking 30 min, take the stairs rather then the elevator,light weights, or something else. Eventually you can make it harder or add in more. Small changes, small goals and baby steps are KEY to changing your life!

Healthy Eating Facts and Myths!

Healthy lifestyle Facts and Myths:
I am only going to address a few facts and myths in this blog I will probably do several series of these blogs to keep things fun.
Where to begin.........Well.....
1st 2 Myths go hand in hand so I will address them together. They are also issues I am facing now that I am thinner, & let me state for the record. I may be thinner then I was 90 lbs ago, (I officially hit the 90lb mark this past Monday), but I am still considered over weight by the Dr.'s charts for my height to weight ratio. I also still have 20 lbs to lose to be in the upper/middle section of my healthy weight range. With that said....
MYTH:  When people say "Thin people can eat whatever they want & they don't have to watch what they eat, they are so lucky"  Or "If you eat XYZ.....(fill in w/ Cake, fast food, choose your poison) only once in a while it's OK it wont make you gain weight."
TRUTH:  Skinny, thin, healthy, in shape people MOST OF THE TIME, have to work very hard to stay that way. Sure we all know that one person that is 6' tall & thin as a rail who eats like a pig, workout very little & still remains thin but that is not the norm. Most thin people are very conscience of their weight, their diet & how much they exercise. I am finding out that losing the weight was easy, keeping it off is very difficult. Maintenance is much harder than losing weight. With weight loss you know how many calories to eat, how much you have to workout etc... to burn off fat, but keeping the weight off is a whole different ballgame(to be addressed in another blog.) 2nd Please don't take this wrong but with anyone who is making positive changes in health & fitness you cant say to them eating XYZ every now & then is OK,  Here is why. If that person is in the 1st 24 months of weight loss or trying to overcome a food addiction, They Truly CAN NOT Cheat every now & then.  To that person having those sugar's, fats, junk food's etc... triggers a physical response in their body (much like an alcoholic or drug addict) where if they get that food they cant stop with just one, they physically are dependant on that food, for the surge of dopamine the brain produces when they eat that food(drug of choice). I know that is hard to understand but it is a scientific fact.( for more info please visit (foodaddictions.org, the New England journal of Med. or any other medical publication)

Myth #2: If the package says fat free or Low fat it's healthy.
Fact:  While in some cases low fat or fat free foods can be better for you the truth is that in order for the food manufacturer to make the food taste good they have to add something. Fat makes the food taste good so in taking it out most add SUGAR, to the food in order to enhance flavor. You may ask whats wrong with that? Well our body can process & break down Fats naturally but Sugar is converted to fat in our body it is almost instantly absorbed into the blood stream, & our bodies were not designed to process sugars as easily.
So you may ask whats worse a sugary snack or a fatty one. The sugary snack is worse.

Myth#3 Natural snacks like nuts, avocados, peanut butter, milk, etc... are so fattening & bad for me.
Fact: While these foods are higher in Fat it is healthy fat, EVERY ONE NEEDS SOME FAT IN THEIR DIET! Let me clarify you don't need fast food burger & fries kind of  fat, the trans, & saturated kinds. You need natural fats that are found in foods high in protein, & nutrients. Avocados are a great source of potassium, vitamin C & other key nutrients our bodies crave. Nuts are high in Protein, fiber & minerals the body needs to function. By eating healthy fats you are actually doing your body a favor & fueling it right.

Finally The Dreaded E word:
Myth: Exercise Makes me tired, I don't have time for it & I don't have the energy to do it. But I cant Lose weight if I don't exercise alot or at a high intensity.
Fact: 1st You can lose weight without adding exercise at 1st, just by changing a few bad habits in your daily life, & in your daily diet you can begin to lose some weight. However eventually you do need to add exercise in to your daily lifestyle to maintain & gain muscle mass, to help improve your heart health & to feel better in general.
YES exercise will make you tired @ 1ST.  However I guarantee you if you have been cleared by your Dr. & told to go ahead with exercising, then if you give it 2 weeks of daily exercise, be it walking, jogging, weight lifting, dance, taking the stairs rather then the elevator, etc... You will actually have more energy. Like with anything it takes time but if you stick with any Diet or exercise plan for more then a month you WILL SEE Results.

In my next blog I will talk about the small things that make all the difference.

When you feel like you are at your lowest, weakest, and most venerable, when you just don't care, Then you are the most likely to Succeed, or fail depending on the path you choose. CHOOSE SUCCESS!!!

Remember You can make a change! You are worth it! You are Beautiful, Special &  Important!
YOU MATTER! Make your change starting today!!!!

"NO GYM, NO FANCY EQUIPMENT, NO PROBLEM!"

How I lost the weight? This is probably the biggest question I get asked.  I told you in my last blog about how I gained that weight, well today I will share how I got it off. I was frustrated with myself, with how I looked & felt. Here I was at a heavy 250lbs and I was miserable. The 1st 40 lbs came off pretty quickly, I was going to the gym, doing Zumba, turbo kick & walking our neighborhood with my newborn baby. I kinda plateaued at 210. I was comfortable I looked in the mirror and no longer saw a super fat girl, but I was still very over weight and very physically uncomfortable. The next Year I spent in denial, not wanting to admit I needed to lose more weight. Finally in early 2011 my husband was hospitalized for a heart condition at the age of 32. I was rocked to my core! This was not the 1st time we had visited the ER with his condition but it was the 1st time I felt 100% vulnerable, exposed & partly to blame. As I stated before I am a food addict always have been and always will be. My husband is too, and while his condition is genetic it is made worse by his weight issue. I knew I wasn't doing my all to help either of us lose weight & get healthy.  In that moment I realized if we didn't take our lives back then our precious 2 year old boy would lose his parents.  I dedicated the rest of my year to health and wellness. More importantly I sat down and wrote out my goals, & I decided what was most & least important to me. I wanted to Quit making EXCUSES, I wanted to disprove all the haters that said it couldn't be done. Mostly I wanted to do it all on my own. So I went and canceled my Gym membership & took up running again.  I was dead set on proving you could lose weight with No Gym, No fancy/expensive equipment, No drugs and absolutely NO Starvation.  I began eating a diet that I created based on the food pyramid. I began running again, something I started before I got pregnant with my son. Now let me state that when I say running that is a very loose term at the beginning. I started walking 5 minutes, jogging 60 seconds, then walking 5 more minutes. Slowly but surely each week I added in more time or running faster & harder in the time I did run. I built up my strength by doing crunches & push ups, and every now and then I threw in a biggest loser, Pilate's, or Turbo Jam DVD. When I say that I did push ups I started out only being able to do 1 but slowly added in 1 more, then another, & another. It was the same with crunched & the DVDs I couldn't do the entire thing at 1st but I kept trying. Over time with the right diet and exercise I started dropping lbs. I was averaging 1 to 2 lbs per week. Now I know when you are extremely over weight you get upset with a loss that small. I was no exception to that, but what you need to remember is you didn't gain 5, 10 or 15 lbs in a week you should not expect to lose it that quickly either. My Dr. also told me that any more that 2 lbs a week and you are probably going to eventually gain it all back.  Then in the summer I tried Low Carb, High Fiber, with lots of Dark Green Leafy Veggies, lean protein, (fish 3 days a week, chicken 3, and beef 1). Its not something I recommend but it was great for us for summer since we BBQ alot. Then in October I was down to 165lbs, & I was ecstatic.  From Oct to Jan 1 we went off of any kind of DIET and just tried to maintain the loss we had all year. You may ask why I say we, well my husband was doing this with me & I am proud to say he has lost 38lbs so far, & that's with a full time Job working 40+ hours a week and entertaining people for business.  The next question I am sure You may be asking is, why we did this? Well its simple really we wanted to see if we could. We needed to make sure when we do lose the rest of the weight, that are we going to be able to maintain and not gain it back. I am happy to say that even with all the holidays, the temptations and treats we did manage to keep it off.

To the present.....

Since Jan of 2012 we have changed a few more things. We are back on the food pyramid kind of eating I described earlier & we are cutting calories to finish losing weight, but more importantly we are making it a lifestyle change we aren't crash dieting, we aren't starving ourselves & we are working out 5 days a week minimum. I am now in the process of studying to become a certified personal trainer, & I am about to run another half marathon & am training for a full. 

Let me address another issue really quickly that I will go into more in the next blog.

When you Eat the Right foods, I.E. Fruits & veggies, lean protein and the proper amount of healthy fat and dairy you can still cut calories and be extremely full.

I hope I have helped you understand me and my journey a little better in this blog.  In the next blog I will address healthy eating facts & myths and touch on the issues I have now that I am thinner.

In the Beginning!

This is the 1st blog in a set of many dedicated to weightloss and fitness.My name is Kristen Landon, I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, & friend, but moer then that I am a former Fat person.  This blog will tell my story, my struggles with weight, & how I fought back against my inner demons.  I am also going to share my success in weight loss, fitness & health, as well as share tips and advice.  My Goal is to inspire, motivate, & encourage others the way I was encouraged.  By writing this free blog I hope to inspire others take their lives back by paying it forward to you my readers.  I will preface that I am not a professional writer, doctor, nurse or fitness professional, so please go easy on me.

With that said let me share my story with you.....

All my life I have struggled with weight.  As far back as I can remember I was teased for being over weight.  Looking back at photos I know now that I was not a fat kid, but I was bigger then the skinny mini's in my class so I was the butt of many jokes.  I attribute all the teasing and jokes to where my selfesteem was crushed, Because my parents were the most supportive, loving and encouraging parents a kid could have.  To them I was beautiful, talented, & special no matter how big or little I was, & they told me that very often.  Unfortunatly my parents praise's fell on deaf ears because the only opinion that mattered to this teen girl was that of my peers.  There for I struggled with "Diets" on and off durring High School & College, with my weight having major fluctuations durring that time. Funny part about that is that durring college I was doing some local modeling, so I couldnt have been as big as I thought I was.  After college I moved about 2 hours from home, I had no family or friends there so I turned to food. I gained alot of weight and was not happy or confident in myself.  Unfortunatly all my weight issues & low selfesteem contributed to me making bad choices one of which was to marry a man who never really loved me. So after our divorce I moved back home. Once I moved back home I dropped 80lbs., but sadly it didnt last.  I got into a relationship with my husband, and best friend since we were kids, Ryan and I was happy, and once again found my love affair with food.  Ryan & I got pregnant & unfortunatly lost 3 children before having our son.  With each pregnancy I gained 10 lbs., but never got it all off before getting pregnant with the next child.  Then when we got pregnant with our son I gained 80 lbs.  This happened for a number of reasons I"ate for 2", I gave up all artificial sweeteners(that means all food had Real sugar in it), I couldnt workout except to walk(high risk) which hurt more then you know, I suffered for severe swelling, etc... After teh birth of our son I was tipping the scales at 250lbs I was mortified.  Finally I decided to take my life back.  While watching the Biggest Loser I was inspired by something someone said, they said "Everyone has excuses & everyone has a reason they Can't, QUIT Making Excuses and Just do it! Just get your lazy fat butt off the couch and do Something."  So I did & let me tell you I was the Queen of Excuses. 
I wasnt going to share this but lately every time someone asks for my advice & I give it to them, they then come up with yet another excuse for why it wont work for them. So here goes just some of my excuses (& maybe you can relate) were, I weight 250 lbs it hurts to exercise, I have depression, I am on med's that make me gain weight, I have no support, I got divorced, I got remarried & need to focuse on that, I lost 3 children,I have several close family members that are sick, and 3 died in 3 years, I have low bloodsugar and other health problems, Ive tried every diet and nothing works for me, a Gym costs too much money, I have no energy, my Job takes to much out of me, I have no time, & ON & ON & ON.
I QUIT MAKING EXCUSES!  I picked up Running(to start w/ not really running) More on that in the next blog. I adopted a healthy lifestyle of eating that worked with me and my body, & lost 90 lbs. I still lack 20lbs., to be at my Goal weight, & I'm in the process of getting my certification to be a personal trainer, but I have to save something to share in my next blog.  In the next blog I will share how I lost the weight and am keeping it off. Until then Quit making excuses, Quit letting your family & yourself down & take the 1st step to your new life.

YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!!!!!

Before                                             Now