ABC’S OF GETTING STARTED

Welcome to TO GOAL AND BEYOND with Salle.  A place for you to go to get tips in losing weight, maintaining weight, eating healthy, changing “bad” habits for healthy habits, a place to learn how to handle every challenge that you have in getting to your goal.  We’ll be covering different topics each week.  Some of the upcoming topics will be how to handle the holidays (they’re approaching rapidly), when to recognize your hunger signs (instead of letting your appetite rule you), how to work in exercise even when you’re super busy (aren’t we all?).  We’ll talk about eating out “how to’s”, menu planning, label reading and more.

To get what you need from this site I need your input so….start out and add your comments on your biggest weight loss challenges.  I’ll be sure to add them to future posts.  Or, you can e-mail me at salle@comcast.net

I’ve been on every diet imaginable (and some of them more than once), I’ve lost weight, put it on, lost it again, ad nauseam.  After being a Weight Watchers leader for over ten years talking to hundreds of people a week (I facilitated 21 meetings a week, some days I did 4 in a row!) I know that the only way to lose weight in NOT TO DIET!  You have to make it a rule that, while losing weight, don’t do anything that you’re not willing to do for the rest of your life!  You have to make eating healthy (and that means not eating too many calories) a way of life.  

If you have a lot to lose don’t even think, “oh no, I have “x” pounds to lose, I’ll never do it”.  First of all, YOU WILL, second of all, we’re going to break it down in 5 pound increments.  We’re only going to think of “going below the zero or five”.  What does that mean?  If you now weigh, let’s say, 197 your first goal in to “go below the 5″ or get to 194 AND NEVER GO ABOVE IT AGAIN!  Next concentrate only on going “below the zero”.  That one’s fun because it’s a “getting out of” in this case the 90’s!  Below the zero would be 189. Get it?  Small steps done consistently reap big rewards!

If you don’t know how many calories you should eat just search calorie charts.  Those attending my class here in Tucson were given one.  Go to today’s weight and see how many calorie you need.  To lose weight try staying closer to the bottom of the calories for your weight.  You can eat less if you want but don’t EVER go below 1200 and don’t EVER let yourself get too hungry.  We’ll talk about hunger-appetite  soon.  If you’re now doing points and enjoying it – keep it up.  I do calories because it’s on all labels and, I think, easier and everyone can do it.  After awhile you’ll JUST KNOW what foods you can eat and how much.  That’s when you’ve made it a lifestyle!

I will say that whenever I go up a pound or so I go back to basics (and this is where you should start)

1. I weight and measure everything.  Get a good food scale, measuring cups and spoons and keep them handy.

2.  I write down everything I eat BEFORE I EAT IT!  Write it BEFORE you bite it.  Just seems to me a lot easier weighing a measuring BEFORE it’s eaten!!

3.  I walk, go to the gym, go my Wii Fit (love it, love it, love it) AT LEAST 30 minutes a day and I try for 60.

Do those three things, believe in yourself and soon you’ll be at your goal!  I’ll be here to help. Make it a great week!

Your friend TO GOAL AND BEYOND,

Salle