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Journey To Renewal
Be
transformed by the
renewing of your mind
Begin the journey to renew your attitudes, actions
and appearance!
Renew Your Weight! |
Cookies
Apples
Pizza
Buttered Toast
Salty Snacks
Blueberries
Caramels |
Renew Your
Weight
Weight control shouldn't be that hard -- eat less, exercise
more. Not that easy, huh? Some women eat to compensate for loneliness, stress, and who
knows what all else. Food should be enjoyably tasty and, food should be beneficial fuel
for our bodies!
The secret is to adopt a lifestyle of eating that will enable you
to be healthy, happy but not too heavy. You should control your food. It should never
control you.
A jump-start "diet" is not a bad idea. After that, you
can adopt a :"live-it" that will be your new way of eating! Find a weight-loss
program that works for you. I have a friend who lost 40 pounds on NutriSystem. Another
lost 35 pounds on Weight Watchers. Another lost over 100 pounds with gastric bypass, but I
DO NOT recommend anything that drastic unless it's a last resort and you've discussed it
thoroughly with your doctor! Avoid kooky, trendy or overly-expensive programs. You want to
lose weight, not get sick or go broke.
Below is the weight loss plan that worked for me. Adopt it to work
for you, or follow another program. |
Apples Protein Shakes
Mashed Potatoes
Cereal
Veggies
Tamales
Peanut Brittle |
Donna's Weight Loss Program
This tasty protein shake was at the heart of my weight loss program. Put all
these ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth. It's the quintessential
smoothie.
12 ounces of cold water (preferably from the refrigerator rather than the tap)
3-4 large or 6-8 small frozen strawberries
1/2 to 1 cup frozen blueberries
a few small ice cubes
1/2 - 1 banana
1 scoop Splenda (same size scoop as in protein container)
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1 scoop vanilla soy protein *(see note below for cancer patients)
I buy the protein powders in the health and beauty section of Wal*Mart. Most protein
products are the same but they can vary in price. I prefer the vanilla taste. Most
drug-stores, retailers and health-food stores carry protein powders.
This gigantic blenderful of liquid protein has only about 200-300 calories. (Compare to
one single piece of buttered toast with 200 calories.) You can share and only drink half
or drink the entire pitcher. I have a glassful in the morning and one in the evening. It's
quite satisfying.
I have a large salad with one hardboiled egg, a sprinkling of cheese, and a few
croutons. I hate dressing, so that's not a problem. If you must do dressing, go
low-cal.
The rest of the day, I enjoy beef, chicken, fish or whatever in small
quantities. (A reasonable serving is about the size of a deck of cards or what will fit in
the palm of your hand.) Include fresh or frozen (steamed) veggies like carrots,
broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans but avoid corn, peas, and potatoes. You can have
them later but while you're on the losing trail, avoid them.
Include one piece of whole wheat or nutty bread. Forget the white bread. And
definitely avoid butter while you're losing. You can start eating a little after you lose
all you want to lose. Each tablespoon of butter/oleo has 100 calories!!!!! If you don't
want bread, you can have a small bowl of cereal like Frosted Mini-Wheats. Cheerios or
something with substance. (Avoid sugary, kid-targeted cereals.)
This is not a low-carb diet but it is a healthy carb diet. I ate about six
times a day but in small quantities.
This is what worked for me. I lost weight, and it stayed off! At first I didn't
think it was working -- but one pound at a time I did lose weight. Of course, I also
walked 30-40 minutes every day 5-7 days a week. If the weather is stinky, go to a mall.
You can lose weight without exercise, but it will take you twice as long. (I lost 10
pounds when I was in the wheelchair for 8 weeks, so I know it can be done. When I was in
the wheelchair, I was unable to get to goodies. Hence, the weight loss. Unfortunately, I
gained it back because I hadn't changed my eating habits then.) |
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If you eat out, take the top bun off the hamburger
and forget the cheese. Split desserts. Eat half a meal and take the rest home for later.
If you want Italian dishes, put the Ragu and meat sauce/meatballs over cauliflower instead
of pasta.
If you want Mexican, eat the goodies inside but lose the shell.
Snack on baby carrots or carrot wedges, hard-boiled eggs, Hormel turkey pepperoni, or
Butterball turkey bacon. (The latter two are high in salt but LOW in calories and HIGH in
taste.)
Even though it's not healthy, diet pop will NOT prevent you from
losing weight. I drank a lot of Diet Pepsi throughout my weight loss program. It was my
only treat. Yes, I know it's not very healthy but I'm a regular human, not a super-woman. |
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* Many cancer patients (especially breast
cancer/uterine cancer) may be advised to avoid soy products. Soy is a phyto (plant)
estrogen, and many female cancers are estrogen-fed. Consult your doctor before using soy
products. If your doctor says it's okay to include soy, you can
supplement a meal or snack with one or two protein bars as long as they have 18 or more
grams of protein. Avoid them if they're more candy bar than protein bar/meal supplement.
Some will give you gas or tummy-upset but I'm not sure why.
Take a vitamin/mineral supplement and any other supplement your doctor
suggests. I use chromium picolinate because it's a metabolism booster and will curb your
cravings for sugar after about three days. (Has something to do with balancing your
insulin levels.)
Protein shakes have a lot of calcium, so you may not need an additional calcium
supplement. Whey protein is a milk by-product, so it's high in calcium. Interestingly,
too, it rarely causes upset in people who are lactose intolerant. |
Cutting out just a few
calories -- or adding a few-calorie burning activities-- can add up to a big weight
loss.
The secret is to lose a little at a time!
BE REALISTIC!
Add exercise if you can. (Walking is best. Rebounding is fun, too.)
If you eat God-given food, you will probably never be overweight.
You will note that God did not make cupcake trees or soda-pop rivers!
Don't forget that your body is the temple of God! (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Be healthy. Be realistic. Be the best you
can be. |
Journey To
Renewal is for women seeking renewal of their attitudes, actions and appearance
as they journey to become the woman God wants them to be.
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