You could GAIN WEIGHT in the first few weeks.  Does this mean you are a failure?  NO WAY!  The main culprit is when you start exercising when you have been sedentary in the past.  The reason:  MUSCLE.  You are building your muscle back up to a normal level during this time, and muscle weighs more than fat!  This is very important to remember.  You see, you WANT more muscle, because the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns all day long, even when you aren’t doing anything!  Consider this your secret lose-while-you-sleep weapon.  This also means your body will need more calories to maintain its weight, which means you can eat more, and really should, to maintain the extra energy your new muscle needs.  This is why Weight Watchers advocates adding points to your daily intake according to the amount of exercise you have done that day, but only up to a certain amount.  For example, you shouldn’t add more than 200 calories if you’ve burned 200 or more while exercising.  Your goal at this point is to keep losing, after all!

You could lose weight very rapidly the first week or two, then slow down to a more reasonable amount.  Don’t be disappointed, nor expect that rapid weight loss to continue.  This is ENTIRELY NORMAL.  Especially if you are drinking the proper amount of water, and getting a decent amount of fiber in your new diet plan.  Some may experience it because they have reduced the amount of salt intake; today’s fast food diet is shockingly high in salt content.  Your body is losing its “water weight” as your system flushes out.  As you drink enough water for your body to stay hydrated, you will retain less water in your tissues.  This is also a good thing; consider it a bonus if you lose those fast pounds at first!

You COULD stay the same.  Despite following your new diet and exercise plan to a T, you are not losing!  Easily explained:  See both reasons for gaining and losing above.  What has happened, is that both of these processes are happening at the same time.  Fear not; stick it out for at least a month before determining any changes that need to be made.  The weight WILL start to drop at a reasonable amount after the first few weeks, if you are on an appropriate plan for your weight, age, and lifestyle.

What is reasonable?  Anywhere from one to three pounds per week lost.  Losing any more than five pounds a week is not healthy; it is likely you are losing muscle as well, and it will be way too easy to gain it back.  If you are losing too much, you aren’t eating enough to keep your body supplied with the nutrients it needs.  The old saying is true:  You didn’t gain it in a day, and you won’t lose it that fast, either.  Slow and steady wins the race to keep your body healthy for a lifetime!

I used to refuse to weigh myself except once every week or two. I can understand why this is important for some people, to keep from feeling bad about the numbers, and to be really happy with being able to see the progress.  I know many diet gurus advise this, since most people are so hooked on the scale.

But it just didn’t work for me. I know that my weight fluctuates based on how much I’m working out, how much water I’m drinking, even if I had a really salty snack the day before. I could show a two pound increase over the last week, yet still be losing overall, based on what time of the day it was!

So I started to weigh myself every morning. Of course, I still saw fluctuating, but it kept me motivated to keep that early morning weight down. If I was a bit up that day, I would watch what I ate more, and maybe exercise a little extra.  I’m never concerned unless I see an increase of two pounds over my best weight the week before.

Then, for about two months, I started weighing myself every time I entered my bathroom. It was really interesting to figure out how your weight changes throughout the day, anywhere from three to four pounds!  It varies before and after meals, workouts, and showers.  It was  kind of fun, and educational, too.

I don’t really need to do this, so I returned to weighing myself each morning. It seems my weight is lowest after waking up and moving around for about half an hour. And it is so much fun on days when I see new low numbers, when I dance around the room and announce to everyone what I weighed!

Here are the ingredients – I have milk pictured but it is not needed – there is plenty of liquid from the clams.

Ingredients:
3 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Flour
1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp Salt
12 oz clams, canned, liquid reserved (2 small cans minced or chopped)
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/8 tsp Paprika

Mise en place (all ingredients prepped and ready):

This video shows the assembly of the Clam and Potato Casserole recipe. The first few minutes show how to make a roux.

Instructions:
1. Cover cubed potatoes with water and microwave 10 minutes (stirring after 5 minutes) or until tender. (Or boil on the stove about 15 minutes.)
2. Drain clams and save liquid. Chop onion.
3. (This is the roux.) Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Blend in flour and seasonings. Stir constantly and cook until it gets some color. Slowly add clam juice to flour blend; stir constantly until mixture is thick and smooth.
4. Stir clams into the butter and flour mixture.
5. Place drained potatoes in greased casserole, add onions and cover with the sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle with paprika.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This one also tastes MUCH better than it looks! I guess I should find a pretty dish next, eh?

Serve with a green vegetable or salad and fresh fruit.

But in the dream, my immediate answer was, “Make it fun.”

The subconscious can get right to the bottom of things, can’t it? You HAVE to make it fun, to make it part of your life. Anthony Robbinsonce said that successful people got up early in the morning out of sheer excitement for life. I find myself looking forward to my workout in the morning. And I’ve really had fun tracking points on all the food I eat. I’ve got a record of everything I’ve consumed since January 3rd, without fail. That wouldn’t have happened had I approached it grudgingly. I love finding out how to work in my favorite foods, some of which aren’t so healthy, into a healthy lifestyle. Yes, it CAN happen! You can’t eat junk food all the time, and certainly not in the serving sizes promoted today, but it certainly is possible. And I don’t feel deprived. I still eat lots of ice cream and chocolate, and periodically get things like pizza, fried chicken, and buffalo tenders. I’ve even had fun getting my water in. Admittedly the first couple of days that 64 ounces wasn’t that easy – but on that third day I discovered the skin on my face was so baby-soft that I was excited to see what else drinking water could do!

So how can you make it fun? Even if it is a simple thing like buying some cute exercise clothes, do it. I now have five outfits I can wear, so I can put a fresh one on every time I work out. Exercising is way more fun when I can wear a cool outfit! Yeah, I still bulge in weird spots, but Maya does, too – just look at her plie! Only my family will see me, anyway, and they are very supportive and know what I’m about when I have the proper attire on.

Of course, periodic rewards are really great, too. I cleaned out my wardrobe, including a TON of “skinny clothes” (you all know what I’m talking about!) that were SO out of style it was embarrassing! Or at least it would have been had I worn them again! Would you believe I donated over ten pairs of pants with pleats! I’ve refused to buy any REAL clothes until I’m at my initial goal of 120. I have plenty of items left to wear in my closet that are relatively stylish, except for needing some jeans as I lose sizes. I’ll be getting those at the thrift store, since I won’t be wearing them for long, if the past few months is an indicator of how I’ll be dropping sizes. But that doesn’t mean I can’t replace and update my other basics – shoes, accessories, purses, exercise equipment! And, most importantly, the exercise clothes I mentioned before!

So, here’s to making it fun! *toasts with her water bottle*

Originally written on July 6th, 2007; I found out a few weeks later that I was pregnant with my first child.

The biggest factors that make your immune system stronger are: exercising regularly, eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, and maintaining proper weight. I’m sure you’ve heard those phrases a million times, but they are very true. I’d like to share some specific tips that have helped my family.

1. Maintain your proper weight. Determine what you need to lose (or gain), discuss your ideas with your doctor, and get started on a program right away. The Better Homemaking Network is currently developing a meal plan that can be used for weight loss and is Weight Watchers compatible. Stay tuned! In the meantime, these tips for your immune system are all ideal beginnings for weight management.

2. Walk 30 minutes a day. More activity is always good, but this the threshold where the benefits really start to kick in. Try wearing a pedometer and get yourself over the 10,000 mark every day.

3. Vitamins – take a good multi or do some research and put together your own regimen. 500mg Vitamin C every 12 hours is a great place to start. I keep a bottle of chewables in my nightstand and munch on one when I get up and when I go to bed.

4. Eat fruits and veggies! At least five servings, but seven to nine is preferred. Be sure to wash them really well – just think about how many times they have been handled before getting into your kitchen! Wash all of it, even the items that you peel. Dry them off with a paper towel instead of letting them air dry. There are more things in fresh food that prevent disease, many of which we haven’t discovered yet, that we just can’t reproduce in a pill. (Or juice!)

5. Drink water! It helps flush out body waste and anything else that shouldn’t be there. Here are some tips to get the most out of your water.

6. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face. Sanitizing wipes are a big help. Keep some in the car, and every time you come out of a store or doctor’s office, wipe down your hands, the door handle, the gearshift, and the steering wheel. Remember after pumping gas, too. I try to wipe the baby’s hands since they usually end up touching the floor somewhere!

7. Get enough sleep; an average of 7 hours a day. Your body needs sleep to regenerate itself. Another very interesting thing that happens while you sleep, is the replenishment of certain chemicals in your brain. If you don’t get enough sleep, your brain doesn’t get enough of these chemicals, and it wants them so badly it will trigger hunger cravings! Food can only provide cheap substitutes for these chemicals, however, so it can become a vicious cycle if you do not catch enough of those zzz’s.

8. Chiropractic Care – this can be a controversial option, although I can say that I have personally documented improvement in my own immune system since I started getting adjusted regularly. Imagine your spine as a huge switchboard, relaying all the information your body needs from your brain. So when you are out of alignment, nerves get pinched, switches turn off, and those organs can’t get all their messages back and forth, which impedes healing.

I’d like to note that I used to get sick all of the time.  Since I started doing these things I have only been sick two or three times a year, and I recover very rapidly; usually in less than twelve hours!

How much water should you drink? Approximately 1-oz per 2lbs of body weight. Just don’t drink more than 12 ounces in half an hour very often – it can be a little TOO hard on your kidneys. Hyponatremia is extremely rare though, and I wouldn’t worry about it unless you can’t stop to go to the bathroom for an extended period of time. And while you are exercising, you should try to drink 8 ounces every half-hour.

Try different kinds of water and stock up on your favorite. I personally found that I like plain ol’ distilled water and dislike most others, including the most popular and preppy brands. Deer Park is tolerable, and Sam’s Choice brand (from WalMart) is my favorite. But this is all personal preference, based on your taste for different minerals in your water. I really wish I could get Sparklett’s water on the East Coast!

Find some different and fun water bottles; use what you like best. I use a few of the big Propel bottles – I like the way the cap works and I refill them with my water. I also have a cool purple bottle with a straw from FlyLady.com that I use, too. And my husband surprised me with a sexy-looking Deer Park water bottle when we stopped at a gas station the other day – too bad it fell apart! Make it fun, and it is easier. Don’t worry about BPA leeching out of your bottles! Just make sure they are clean if you reuse them, throw them away if they are worn or cracked, and don’t heat them up in the microwave.

I sometimes add a little bit of flavoring to my water, but I can’t use Crystal Light, I am allergic to Nutrasweet. Weight Watchers JUST came out with their version of the Crystal Light packs, they have raspberry, lemonade, and peach tea, and use Splenda instead. You don’t have to use the entire packet, either; sometimes just a sprinkle is enough. I love just squeezing a lemon or lime into my water. Try an orange or grapefruit!

Caffeine is a diuretic, it will leech out any water you take in – that is why drinks with it don’t count, including coffee, tea, and green tea. Drinking soda does more harm than good with the amount of sugar, sodium, and chemicals (sodium benzoate is baaaaaad for you) so it doesn’t really count, either. Juice, well, it is really high in calories, and eating the actual fruit is so much better for you, and filling, too. But you CAN count it towards your intake. (Be sure it is 100% juice and not a juice drink which is mostly sugar syrup.) You can count milk, too. But… AT LEAST HALF of your recommended water intake is supposed to be just that: WATER.

Drink it COLD whenever you can. Your body has to spend calories to raise the water to your core temperature. Cold is good!

Drinking water doesn’t really “melt” fat, but… if your kidneys don’t get plenty of water, your liver has to help them out, and that takes it away from its primary job of… metabolizing stored fat!!

I drink at least 3 22-oz bottles of water (I refill them from big jugs of distilled which is my preference) and a glass of low-fat milk each day. I treat myself to the occasional natural soda (with REAL sugar, stay away from the high fructose corn syrup). No more than once a week, though; the carbonation isn’t all that great for you, either. I like to call it my “Soda-Pop Sunday”!

You will BE AMAZED at what that magic 64 ounces of water a day will do. I was like, yeah, I’m losing weight just fine, who cares about the water, I drink a little milk and lots of fruit and veggies with water in them… but when I hit a plateau after losing the first 16 pounds, I tried it. The first thing I noticed was how SOFT my skin felt! And how FULL I felt – I wasn’t hungry at all, it was easier to stretch out my points, and for the first time in five months I was able to go without dipping into those extra 35 weekly bonus points! And I just plain feel better!

What has drinking water done for you? Share your favorite tips here!