10 Things Losing Weight Has Made Me Thankful For

The season of giving thanks has taken me over! I am completely full of thanks for such a wonderful life.

Here are 10 things Im thankful for! Share the images that relate to you. :)

1. My Health
Being overweight was always scary. Now that Ive lost weight, I have a greater appreciation for health. I am so thankful that I dont have to take medications or poke myself with needles. It truly is a blessing.

2. The People Who Make Me Feel Confident

 I am surrounded by friends and family who constantly help me feel my worth by recognizing my hard work. I have had to re-learn what it means to feel confident and I am so thankful for the people who strive to teach me.

3. A Place To Call Home

No matter how hard my day is, how down I feel about myself or how frustrated I am with not reaching a goal, I always have a place to call home. And the more I think about that, the more I realize how insignificant my other problems are compared to other things I could be going through. 

4. My Family

However dysfunctional and frustrating they may be. I love my family. They have supported me through this journey. They have dealt with my crankiness. They have been there to celebrate my triumphs. They are so dear to me. 

5. My Job 

I realize that the job market is tough, and I am so thankful to have a job and not have to be looking during the holiday season. It isnt the easiest job, but it teaches me a lot. It has helped me accomplish a lot of goals, and it pays my bills. 

6. My Car

I am so thankful to have a car that lets me drive up to the mountains to go hiking, drive down to the health food store, and take me anywhere else I need to go. 

7. My Body

Its a work in progress, but I am so thankful for the body that I have. Through improving it, I have learned to respect it. I am so thankful that its working, that its healthy and that its beautiful. 

8. Tomorrows

I am so thankful that no matter what happens, I always know that tomorrow is going to be a fresh start. No matter what the scale says, I can do better tomorrow. 

9. Endorphins

I am so thankful for the feeling that exercise gives me. I am so thankful that endorphins help me feel satisfied, accomplished and happy after I spend time challenging myself physically. 

10. Access to Healthy Food

I am so thankful that I have access to food, and not just food but healthy food. I have so many choices and so many ways to fuel my body. I recognize that having such an abundance of food is truly a blessing. 

What are you thankful for?

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8 Valentines Day Gifts for the Fitness Fanatic you Fancy

Got a fitness junkie in your life, whom you love and want to spoil this Valentines Day, or are you the beloved fitness junkie (if so, pass this along to your lover for a subtle hint)?

Chocolates arent the best idea for the runner, the lifter, and the lover of clean eating... Here are some gift ideas that are so awesome they are better than chocolates, and dare I say roses?

The Aqua Zinger Flavored Water Maker

Aqua Zinger

Water is the center of a fitness junkies world. Adding mint, lemons, and raspberries adds a myriad of health benefits, but choking on seeds is never fun. This bottle mixes the juices in to the water but holds the pulp in a separate little grinder. They go for around $20 and you can find them at Brookstone.

Salad Dressing Portion Control Lids

As someone who is watching my weight, I am constantly counting calories. One of my biggest pet peeves is measuring out every little thing. Im all for gadgets that make measuring easier, and this is one of them. This Portion Control Lid fits different bottle sizes and when you squeeze the bottle, the chamber fills with 2 Tbsps of the dressing, one serving size, and its ready to pour. This handy gadget is about $20 at Brookstone.

Gnarly Workout Tank

Gnarly Workout Tanks

Every Fit Female needs an awesome workout Tank. Gnarly Nutrition has a great line of neon acid worn tank tops. They have multiple colors and sizes range from small to large. You can find them at GoGnarly.com for only $19.

Food Huggers

Fitness addicts need fuel. Fresh fruits and veggies are usually a major part of a healthy, balanced, diet but a lot of times they go to waste because the left overs dont keep well. The frugal fitness geek will LOVE this Food Huggers. Cut a tomato, use whats need, then put a Food Hugger around the rest. It stays fresher than using a Ziplock bag! A set of four multi-sized Food Huggers is only $19!

Zip Tunes Earphones

Food Huggers

Tangled earphones can mess up momentum on runs, bike rides, kickboxing and more. Zip Tunes Earphones get rid of the hastle with a tangle free design, plus they have a built in handsfree microphone component. Find these on Boxwave.com for under $30.00.

Isobag Lunch Cooler

If your fitty is constantly packing lunches and planning ahead for meals on the go, this Isobag is a perfect way to help them stay organized. This lunch cooler can hold multiple meals (containers included) and has compartments for protein shaker bottles and utensils. No more packing multiple bags for multiple meals, this cooler lets you easily do it all in one. The three meal bag is only $54.99 on IsolatorFitness.com. 

FT4 Cross Training Heart Rate Monitor

FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

The price tag on this item is a little steeper than the others, but it is definitely worth it. The FT4 tracks heart rate, calories burned and shows when youre improving your fitness based on heart rate zones. It has button free operation to keep the focus on working out, and is made with comfortable, water resistant material. There are four different colors available. You can find this nifty gadget for $99 on Polar.com.

Bodum Tea For One Tea Strainer

Sometimes your valentine doesnt have time to make tea for two, and if thats the case, this Bodum Tea Strainer is perfect. Its strains a single serving of tea in a very portable container. It comes in multiple colors and is available for $18 at Bodum.com.

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5 Ways to Avoid Emotional Eating

Weve all had those bad days that send us running into the arms of our favorite comfort food. Your hair is too frizzy, your boyfriend is avoiding your calls, you got a flat tire on the way to work, you are late for a major meeting with your boss! Nothing is going right. Everything seems out of control and all you want from life is a slice of pizza, or two, or three.

Youre stressed and hungry. Everything would just be better if you could eat that pizza.

But will it really be better? In reality the answer to that is no. Food will not fix your hair, your boyfriend, your flat tire or your boss opinion of you. Yet many of us let ourselves get caught up in the frustrating cycle of emotional eating. 

Not only does emotional eating not fix anything, often times it makes you feel worse leading to another binge.

Its time to break that cycle! I want to share how to recognize emotional hunger and how to avoid giving in.

When your emotions are driving your appetite, you may feel hungry, but this feeling is not physical. Its all in your head.

Sometimes stopping a binge is as easy as taking the time to evaluate your situation. Before you grab whatever food is in reach, run through the following questions:

-Did this feeling of hunger occur suddenly?
-Am I craving a specific food?
-Will I feel guilty after I eat?
-Will I still feel unsatisfied after I eat this?

If you answer yes to two of these questions, chances are your hunger is emotional. Once you recognize that your feeling of hunger is emotional try these five things to avoid a binge:

1. Write down everything youve eaten for the day. Add up the calories. If you like what you see youll know that resisting this urge to binge will pay off in the morning, if you dont like what you see youll know emotional eating will make you feel even worse.

2. Find a good replacement activity. Instead lingering in the kitchen, paint your nails or write a letter to a friend. Youre less likely to be munching on snacks if your hands are busy.

3. Dont skip meals! Letting yourself get too hungry during the day will lead to overeating. Eat regular balanced meals. 

4. Take a nap. Often times stress leads to a lack of sleep. If you are having a hard time, try turning to sleep instead of food.

5. Keep healthy snacks in your kitchen. Remove temptation from your life. Clean out all your cupboards of unhealthy things. Fill your fridge with fresh fruit and vegetables. If you cant shake the feeling to eat, at least eat healthy foods. Its better to binge on celery than on potato chips. 

I can say for myself that I am starting to recognize some of my personal emotional triggers. I eat emotionally when I feel rejected or am trying to fit in with friends. Now that I recognize this am able to handle these situations better.

What situations drive you to emotional eating?

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5 Ways to Avoid Stress During the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us. Houses are being decorated with glowing lights and sparkling ornaments. Neighbors are dropping off Christmas cookies shaped like stockings and snowmen. Invitations for holiday parties are coming in.

December is a lovely time of year, but its also very busy and sometimes stressful, and as the party invitations pile up and your gift list gets longer and longer, its easy to stop enjoying the beauty of the season. If you let yourself get too stressed out, it can completely ruin the holidays. One stressful situation too many, and suddenly instead of laughing with friends and family around the fire, youre curled up alone  in the fetal position on a pile of crinkled wrapping paper gorging yourself on Nanas rum cake.

Dont let a busy holiday season ruin your holidays. Here are five ways to avoid (or perhaps deal with) holiday stress:

Plan Out Your Month & Dont Deviate
This month, I printed out a December calendar (I do have calendar apps, but I remember things better when I actually write them down). I filled it in with parties, date nights, school tests, work deadlines, ect. This way I dont forget anything, and I can see how far in advance I need to bake treats, wrap presents, or complete assignments. Ill keep this calendar with me and add things when needed. Keeping a calendar prevents me from forgetting things and having to rush last minute to finish an important project. If its not on the calendar, I wont do it. As much as I love girls nights or spontaneous movies, they can set me back when I know I should be home wrapping gifts or studying for finals.

Keep Things Simple
Simplify as much as you can. Try spending more nights with your loved ones. Instead of doing a huge family outing, you can spend a night in playing games or watching old home movies. Instead of doing extravagant neighbor gifts, pick something simple that you can make or put together with your family.

Sip Tea Before Bed
You need your rest to keep up with all the festivities of the season. To ensure you get a good rest, sip some caffeine-free herbal tea before bed. It only takes a few minutes to make and its incredibly relaxing. A good night of sleep does wonders for minimizing stress.

Volunteer
It may not directly reduce stress, but spending a couple hours with your family at the local food bank can  help put your priorities into perspective. It is a good reminder that rushing to keep up with the Jones will never bring you the happiness that serving others will.

Stay True to the Spirit of the Holidays
Whatever your religious views may be, there is one thing most people can agree on:  the holidays are better when they are spent with the ones you love. If youre stressed out, the people you care about arent going to want to spend as much time with you. So when you feel yourself getting stressed, remember that above all else, your family takes priority. My ultimate tip for avoiding holiday stress is making your traditions less about rushing, running errands, and giving the newest and best gifts and more about expressing love for those around you. Focus on your family, focus on your friends, not what you can buy them or what they can buy you. Focus on helping others feel happy and accepted. Its hard to feel stressed when you are surrounded by love.

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3 Tips To Avoid Fall Weight Gain

I love fall. It is my favorite season. The temperature is perfect, the colors in the mountains are beautiful, and I can finally wear cardigans, scarves and boots without burning up. Its the season of soup and haunted hay rides. Its the season of cuddling and wearing leg warmers. But of course with all of my favorite fall activities also comes the season of eating.

Tends to bring out everyones desire to bake rolls and pies. Just since the beginning of October Ive had co-workers bring in pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, cheesecake, homemade biscuits and home made cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. Oh. My. Word. Its like carbohydrate heaven around here!

As easy as it may seem to stuff my face with all this bready goodness and wear baggy sweaters for the next three months, I know that I have a goal that is much more important than snacking on the fall foods that make me pack on the pounds.
Im not saying it is easy, because its incredibly hard to be surrounded by friends when they are eating rich, homemade confections while Im crunching on an apple, but I am saying youll feel better about yourself come January when youre already making progress toward your weight loss goal.

Here are 3 Tips to avoid Fall weight gain:

1. Sweaters are good, just dont hide under them
Big sweaters are in right now. They are easy to dress up with a pair of leggings, boots and a chunky necklace, but they also give you the perfect excuse to gain a little weight and have it go unnoticed. Tempting
right? Nothing hides a food baby (the bloat you get after overeating) better than a cute, off the shoulder, sweater. Keep in mind, though, that sweater season wont be around forever. It takes a lot longer to take off pounds than it does a sweater. Even though its tempting to use this fashion trend as an excuse to indulge in pumpkin spiced lattes from Starbucks, ditch the over-sized sweaters and pick up some fitted cardigans.

A couple months ago, target was having a sell on their boyfriend cardigans, and I stocked up. They are form fitting enough that if I put on too much weight they will show off my muffin top. Its good incentive to eat healthy even when everyone around me isnt.

2. Go for foods that are warm but not rich

Theres nothing quite like the feeling of broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl, or hot apple pie settling in your stomach. Usually when its cold outside we want something warm to eat or drink, right? Unfortunately a lot of the things we end up eating and drinking are warm but they are also rich. Cream based soups, hot pie, and creamy lattes are loaded with calories. But just because youre on a diet doesnt mean you cant have something warm and delicious, its all about making some healthy swaps. For instance, instead of Broccoli Cheese Soup go for vegetable soup in broth. Its incredibly tasty but it doesnt have the flour and butter that are usually in cream based soups. Instead of apple pie, slice an apple, sprinkle it with cinnamon and Trulicious powdered stevia, and bake it. You still get sweet, warm apples but you cut down on calories tremendously. Instead of a latte add a tablespoon of milk and a teaspoon of stevia to a cup of black coffee. Again, its a lot less calories but you still get that warm, full feeling.

3. Keep exercising
I live in Utah, and eventually its going to get dark earlier than I get home from school and too cold for me to
go jogging outside (yup, Im a sissy). If youre anything like me, staying home seems so much better than braving the cold for a workout.  But NO EXCUSES! There are hundreds of exercise videos out there that you can do in the comfort of your headed home. You can also check out HCGDiet.coms fitness board on Pinterest for some awesome and FREE stay at home fitness ideas! Even if its a 30 minute zumba video, its better than nothing. Keep moving. Your body will feel so much better if you continue to exercise through fall and winter!

Dont use fall as an excuse for weight gain. Enjoy fall without packing on the pounds with those three tips!

Need additional help reaching your goal weight in time for the family Christmas party?  Order your HCG Triumph kit today and you can lose up to 40 pounds before Christmas! Get your kit now while its on sale: http://www.hcgdiet.com/

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