SLOW DOWN...You eat to fast...you got to make your meal last!

Well this weeks tip...as I am noticing seem to be all my eating/exercise issues, is to slow down while eating. WHY??

Because:
it takes about 15-20 minutes for our brains to register that we’re full.
So if you're a speed eater, wolfing down bite after bite in rapid succession, you can pack in a lot of extra mouthfuls -- and calories -- during that lag time.
By slowing down, you give those natural signals of fullness a chance to register--so you can stop eating -- before you've polished off way more food than your body needs. Eating more slowly also allows you to savor the tastes, smells, and textures of your foods, which contribute to your sense of satisfaction.
Here are a couple of tips I found that I think could be useful...others that were just weird!!:

1 Put your fork or spoon down after every bite.
2 Swallow what is in your mouth before preparing the next bite. Many people are busy loading up their utensils while their mouth teeth are still chomping away.
3 Take a brief break for a minute once or twice during the meal. Talk, sip a beverage, or fold your hands in your lap.
4 I think talking more helps to break up the eating speed!
5 Dine -- don't just "inhale" your food.
6 When it's time to eat, do nothing but eat. Devote your full attention to the meal. Make it a habit to turn off the television and take the phone off the hook. If you're distracted by other activities, you may not notice how fast -- or how much -- you are eating.

7 Other dumb ones were play soft music, eat with chopsticks, etc...try them if you want though!

Anyways the whole point of slowing down the eating is to lower the amount of food you are ingesting and allowing your body to naturally regulate the intake. Your body tells you when you are full...it just takes time!
Lastly meal time should be fun; a great time to reflect on the day, chat with the kids, fight(yeah that was me growing up!). So one thing I am good at is MORE TALKING...LESS EATING!
Good luck this week! Hopefully week 4/5 will be kinder to us all on the scale than the last was!

Remember only 8 weeks left, 1/3 the way there...who will take the title as the BRAMHALL- BIGGEST LOSER!!

Tip #3- The Dreaded PORTION CONTROL!!

This I must admit is my downfall!! I know I am not alone, most the world has this issue. We live in a world where meals are getting larger and larger. If you just think the last time you went out to eat...was that meal you got at Cafe Rio, Chili's, or Friendly's really the amount I should eat in one sitting?? NO!!
So first things first...why do they give you so much...they want you to come back, which means you need to feel satisfied and feel you got your moneys worth. (Take some home!) (Tracie makes 3 meals out of a Cafe Rio pork salad...no that's a deal!)
Will you starve if you don't eat the entire Cafe Rio Burrito...heavens NO!!
And trust me the problem isn't just at restaurants, though I do think that is where these insane portion sizes are originating.
Filling your plate is not the goal...and not necessary to feel full! Portion size like all things is something that comes with growing pains...well actually shrinking pains. You do need to train your body(stomach) to fill up on less. Trust me if you stop stretching it, it will shirk. You will feel fuller with less intake! (=weight loss!)
Today I am not going to get into calorie counting, that will be for a later week for now lets just focus on size!!
So below I have attacted a copy of a helpful guide of what appropriate portions sizes are. Some may come as a surprise to you...if so it is because you have been taught for so long incorrectly!!
One thing to remember in all of this is moderation. Granted you can eat as much as you want of healthy food. But when it comes to some of the guilty delights, don't try to cut them out all together, because you will end up going back and binging later. Rather go 2/3 days without 1 day with a treat, then 3 without. You deserve special treats, but make sure they are just that special not everyday or multiple times a day!
Here is that list and good luck this week...just eat less, (NO SECONDS THIS WEEK!, except on veggies) once you body adjusts you will never know the difference...REALLY!! I tried it!

Tip #2

Exercising....ughhh!!
Yeah I dont like it either...unless it's something fun like biking or trail running, etc. And as we all know one can rarely find time for that on a daily basis.
SO.... Here is you challenge for the week...ACTIVITY- in general!!
But as that is hard to gauge here is something you can all try that will help to make the most of your relaxation time!
While watching you favorite shows each evening...which I would be willing to bet you all do, after the kiddos have retired, try to set side one 30min block to exercise in front of the TV!
Tracie and I have tried this a few times and once you get over the embarrasement of doing sit-ups and push-ups in front of your partner it isnt too bad!
Now start out easy so that on day 2 your arms and abs dont hurt so bad that you can justify not doing them again!
Do a couple of reps of 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups, maybe 2 or 3 to start.
Then I also like to stretch while catching my breath between sets! Strecthing is awesome...doesn't burn a lot of calories, but it will make you feel tons better and lead you to want to workout more!!
Start with these sets and go from there...build on it day by day ,little by little...you will find yourself getting stronger and it getting easier I promise!
Then feel free to throw in anything else, leg lifts, squats, chair dips!!
Have fun with it!!
Good luck and do it at the risk of looking dumb to your PEEPING TOMS!!
Dave

ps- I dont recommend jumping jack, unless you want to deal with screaming kids during American Idol (or your fav show!)

Good morning!!

For those of you whose brains dont work on Monday morning like mine and still havent entered your weights...if you need help with the %age calculation here is a link to an easy calculator!

http://www.fitwatch.com/qkcalc/calculate-weight-loss-percentage.html

Mom hopefully you still remeber out cut and paste lesson....???

Tip #1

So as promised each week I am going to try to post a tip for healthy eating, exercise, etc. I hope that as hard as the idea may seem to be that we can all try it, see if it works, and then later use it as you please! So the goal is to try the new task for 1 week...you can do it!
This week is going to be related to EATING...one of my favorite activities.
SO here is the plan this week, I want all of us to try eating meals in reverse order. Health tips say that those who eat their largest meals in the morning and then eat consecutively smaller meals as the day goes on will be more apt to burn the intake calories and lose weight. This makes sense...if most of my calories come at 6:30 at night...and I choose to watch TV the rest of the night I have no chance to lose those calories and they are then stored as FAT! Conversely if I eat a large breakfast, medium lunch and smaller dinner I will have the entire day to burn off those calories. This to me will mean getting up a bit earlier but I am willing to give it a shot (I normally skip breakfast...thats really bad... I guess?!) They also said that by eating more of your calories earlier in the day will prevent night time cravings of snacks (my weakness potato chips and ice-cream on the couch). If the night time munchies still come try to eat healthy or fight the habit all together. Last night I chose carrots and almonds for a night time snack.
Good luck guys, mind over belly!! We can do it!!
Post how you are doing and what you have found helps!!
Dave

Here We Go!

Okay, everyone, here goes our Biggest Loser blog.  I have added links to the side so we can all track our weight progress.  If anyone wants to replace their "X" with their actual weight they are welcome (but not required) to.  Be sure to update your loss every Friday by 10 p.m.  For those of you new to blogging, once you are signed in just click on "Customize" at the top of the blog and then click on the "Edit" button of your progress and update it.  Then click "Save" and you are all set.

As we go along, everyone can add  posts to encourage, give recipes or exercise ideas, brag about how great they are doing, trash talk about how they are going to win, or just vent about how much they wish to eat chocolate!

I put an X plus weight for Emily since we don't want her losing here.  But it would still be fun for her to play along and track the twins weight gain along with us.  (Optional, not required, of course)!

If we label our posts with our name and what it contains (recipe, exercise idea, etc.) it will be easy to find what we are looking for later.  (There is a label area on the bottom right of each new blog post). 

Good luck everyone!  May the best Bramhall win!