It’s all in the baby steps…

A new year…a new you, right?

Aaaaahhhh not so much. The first thing most everyone pledges at the beginning of a new year is to get organized, start exercising, eat better…think about it – I know at least one of those things has popped in your head over the past two weeks or so.

Let’s take exercising and eating better – because every year I say the same thing…and every year I do manage to make some sort of small change…but my ass is still fat….

Today in my “talk” I am going to focus on eating better…(sit back and relax this may take a while)

I have always been an overweight person…I never grew out of my baby fat – it just stayed with me…didn’t matter that I was an active child, playing sports and playing outside – growing up we had 5 channels…no cable for us…although I do cop to having an Atari…so I am sure there were some long Frogger or Pitfall sessions.

When I hit high school I was overweight…I have discussed this before…if you are going by weight alone I weighed more in high school at my peak than I weigh now…lovely isn’t it.

DIETS…there is a reason you can’t have Diets without DIE…the thing about diets are – if you follow them chances are good you are going to loose weight…why? Because you are more cognizant of what you are doing on a day to day basis…what you are eating…how you are moving.

The basic tenant of weight loss is burning more calories than you take in – simple as that, right? WELL, not really – genetics does play a part in body composition and weight loss. Here is the thing – I could loose 50 lbs – but I will always be a curvy girl…it is the way I am built – no amount of restricting calories or working my ass off will change my bone structure. Considering my sister who is 4 inches taller and has a flat stomach wears a size 10 because of her hips (about the only thing we have in common) I know I will probably never see a size on my body that is less than double digits – I AM OK WITH THIS…..

Add into body composition there is a genetic factor in your metabolism…some people are born with extremely fast metabolisms – others not so much. My BIL stands about 6 ft and can shovel things in his mouth left and right and not work out and he is still skinny as a rail…whereas my husband is far shorter and should he shovel things in his mouth right and left he would quickly become a square – as wide as he is tall…

So what is one suppose to do…I have been on quite a few DIETS in my life…I started back in High School with Physicians Weight Loss – a program where you go and meet with your “counselor” once a week – get weighed in – talk about appropriate food choices – get sold some supplements and be on your way. Very akin to Weight Watchers in a smaller individual setting…

Did I loose weight….YES – I actually lost about 50 lbs…why – because I was watching what I was eating and making smart decisions about what I put in my body AND what I did with my body, as I had also joined a gym. Calories in – Calories burned = Weight Loss…

That simple..right…

You know that 50 lbs I lost…Over the years it found me again – then I would loose it and sure enough it would find me…one thing after another…although I did manage to keep the bulk off it off for a number of years – even thorough my college years…I am guessing the 1/2 mile walk up a hill everyday to get to class negated the beers I drank freshman year…then later all the very bad white girl dancing at the bars negated all the 7&7’s I drank…

I have done Weight Watchers a few times…did it work – YES it did – once again I was watching what I ate…

All these “diets” – WW, South Beach, Atkins. Mediterrian, etc…they all WORK because they all force to you control what goes in…so that in a typical day you burn more than you consume – even if you aren’t going beyond your normal day…it takes 3500 burned calories to loose a lb…so if in an average day on a “diet” you are taking in 1500 calories and burning 2000 calories – then in an average week you should loose 1 lb.

But like I said not everyone is built the same…one person with a high metabolism can burn through those calories like no ones business – I am told there are people out there that actually try to GAIN weight – crazy talk I say…

Something else that can affect how calories we intake are burned is the food itself – the more “pure” and natural a food is – the faster your body will break it down into the nutrients it needs, thereby consuming it in a faster manner and could allow for a higher metabolism ultimately “burning” the calories in any given day…

One of the main thinking with most diets, like WW, South Beach, Atkins, etc…is fairly simple – low calorie, cut out sugar, cut out processed food – then each one has it’s own little quirk – for some they advocate no carbs…for others no fats…and others still no sugar…

But the thing is our bodies NEED carbs…they NEED fats….they NEED sugar…it is the TYPE that you have to watch out for…

Over the years I have adjusted things – I got rid of a lot of “white” carbs…switched to wheat pasta, wheat bread, wheat flour – I rarely drink sugary drinks – soda, fruit juice (take a look at some of those fruit juice labels) – I stay away from Alcohol (except in party situations…which in my life I can count on one hand the number of parties I go to in a given year).

I drink a ton of water and eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruits and partake in a lot of lean protein – chicken, fish, etc…

I have learned there are GOOD fats…GOOD carbs…GOOD sugars…it is just a matter of reading and researching and making good balanced choices to fuel your body to the best of it’s ability.

So after this long winded typing…it comes down to this learning what things are GOOD for you and how to eat them in combinations that help your body to the best of it’s ability.

The other day I ordered Jillian Michaels new book – Taking Charge of Your Metabolism – is it a “new” way of thinking…NOT AT ALL…it purports the same thing most every other plan does…cut out the bad stuff…eat less…burn more…WHAT I am hoping I gleen from this book is the proper way to eat – what foods work well together for optimal intake.

Since we are doing the $40/week grocery plan for January (only spent $38.40 this week…) – trying to use up stuff in our deep freeze and pantry my plan for February is a food overhaul for our house…(cause we will need some after eating it all up in January)

I only got a chance to skim through the book last night (cause DUH…Biggest Loser was on…at least for the 1st half of the season it makes me feel better…the last half just makes be feel like a big fat sea slug…) and I came across a section where Jillian talks about not eating anything after 9pm…so that your body has the time to process food and sugars before you lay down and go to sleep…that your body trying to digest food while you are sleeping could effect your sleep patterns or habits…

So my baby step for this week is to not eat or drink anything, but water, after 9pm…My thinking is if I start small and slowly incorporate this and that into my life then it isn’t a burden…it isn’t a “PLAN”…it isn’t a “DIET” …it’s a change, a LIFE CHANGE….

What's your baby step for 2010?