Merry Christmas 2013!

I wish you joy all though your holidays,
I wish you good luck that forever stays.
I wish you the love of family and friends,
I wish you happy days that never ever ends.
Merry Christmas to all Her Weight Loss Diary's friends!

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Weight Loss: How to Save Your Diet In the Middle of December

Hello December.

Can you hear the Christmas bells ringing? Christmas is just around the corner I am super excited. I absolutely love December because it's the Christmas season and I simply love Christmas. This is the month we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and it's also the time for the family to get together. Eating cookies is a good thing too!

I haven't update this blog in a while because I feel less motivated. I blew my diet BIG time and I gain 2 kg. I totally pigging out most of the time and sometimes I just feel like giving up and forgetting about the whole idea of weight loss. Even though December is a joyous month, I know it can be awful for people with eating issues like me.

I admit the thought of binge in December did cross my mind. I tell myself, I will start fresh after the holidays. But then I think again. If I splurge my diet during this holiday and I probably gain 2 or 4 kg, wouldn't it be like having a double effort to lose weight on the New Year’s weight loss bandwagon then?

It's difficult to stick to your diet during the holidays and it's not hard to understand why. Huge dinners and parties will always be a major part of the holiday season. Maintaining a control is a huge challenge. 

Are you going to stick to your diet to lose weight during Christmas or are you going to start your diet in January?

I find this useful tips on Binge Theraphy so I decided to reblog this here as a reminder to myself before heavy foods coming my way. I hope you will find it useful too.

1. Don’t use the impending New Year as an excuse to binge

No more "I will lose 10 pounds" New Years resolutions this year. Each morning, when you wake up, begin anew by telling yourself, "today I will do my best to go toward health and wellness." And each morning, set a mini goal for yourself. A mini goal might be, "I will allow myself to sample some office goodies intentionally and consciously, but will not binge on them," or "I will do 10 minutes of meditation at some point today," or "I will reach out for support today if I want to binge" or "if I've already begun eating something that I didn't intend to in order to prevent a binge."

2. Don’t engage in black & white thinking

If you find yourself eating something unconsciously, like snacking on chocolates from a bowl in your office or eating too many bagels one morning, don’t let that turn into a binge. Remember that it happens. Just because you ate a handful of Hershey’s kisses, doesn't mean you have to spend the rest of the day bingeing on cookies and cakes and eggnog or whatever else it is. Stop, take a breath, and be kind to yourself. Take a moment to reorient yourself and bring yourself back to the present. What happened? How did you wind up at the chocolate bowl? Was it a conscious choice or were you putting something off, or were you upset or stressed about something? Think backwards to what might have happened. Forgive yourself and accept that it happens. Make a plan for something else that you’re going to do to make you feel good about yourself that day. If you think that you might not be able to resist, call a support person and tell them that you’re feeling shaky because of the unintentional kisses, but your intention is not to binge and you could use a check in call. Let them know that you’ll call them at the end of the day.

3. Focus on people rather than food

Before holiday parties or luncheons, make sure that you've eaten before you go so that you are able to focus on the people around you rather than the food. If you find that you are only focused on food, take some time to breath and try to refocus on someone interesting. Make a goal for yourself at the party, such as, you are going to talk to 3 new people and try to focus on that rather than food.

4. Don’t drink too much at holiday functions

Binge drinking is a prelude to binge eating. It immediately brings you into an unconscious state which then does not allow you to have a choice around food.

5. Be cautious about leftovers

If you host a party, either have someone help you to clean up or have someone else clean up for you. Often for hostesses with eating issues, it’s not the party that’s challenging, it’s cleaning up. Leftovers can be a huge binge trigger for many people. If tit is for you, give them away or bring them down to a hungry/homeless person.

6. Don’t keep trigger foods at your desk at work

Just because the holidays are here doesn't mean you need to have a bowl of candy on your desk for people. If you must bring it, put it out of reach from yourself so that you need to actually think about what you’re doing every time you get up to grab something.

7. Eat a breakfast with lots of protein each morning

This will keep you satisfied and your blood sugar stable so that you’re not looking for a pick me up come mid-morning.

8. Recommend a Wellness program at your office

Instead of junk food, suggest that people bring fruit baskets. Make a suggestion that the food baskets you receive be donated to a homeless shelter nearby. See about starting a lunchtime yoga class for your office.

9. Stay active

The winter months are a good excuse to hibernate. Don’t succumb. Get out of the house or office. Take a vigorous walk during your lunch break. Go ice skating! Go window shopping! Move. Activity is a stress reliever. Letting go of stress will help you not binge.

Losing weight during the holidays can be incredibly rewarding. You feel better. Your clothes fit better. You avoid the post-holiday feelings of guilt. You don’t need to make weight loss your New Year’s resolution, because you are already doing this. And best of all you are healthier.

Are you going to stick to your diet to lose weight during Christmas or are you going to start your diet in January?

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Confession of a Fatso

Yesterday was my birthday. 09.11.2013.

I vowed earlier this year to lose 20kg by my birthday.

...and on my birthday, I still stuck.

I know this gets old, and boring but I just post my frustration anyway.

I love eating, but hate exercise. I am lack of discipline. My motivations keep fading. My diet has always start tomorrow.

I want to lose weight to set a good example to my children. And maybe I want to lose weight to impress my husband. But most importantly I want to lose weight to end the cycle of dieting. I want to be healthy. I want to fit into nice dresses. The bad thing is I can't fight my inner demons. If I can write about something positive it's perhaps I didn't gain weight. I neither gain nor lose any.

It's less than 2 months until New Year 2014. I want to stop wishing. Maybe I just stop posting about my weight loss progress here for now (and by the way I'm not making any progress) and simply follows Nike's slogan - JUST DO IT. Let's see if I really can end this cycle of dieting this year. Let's see. I dare you, myself.

End. Good night.

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Time Management Tips: Top 3 Ways to Control Your Time

I've been M.I.A lately.

Yes. This what was happened to me the past few weeks. I am hooked to Korean drama after a friend mentioned about it on Facebook. After watching the first episode I continue to the next episode and I ended up spending the whole day just watching all the episodes. And this habit continues for weeks. I must say, watching Kdrama online is so addictive. The plots and dramas are so captivating. It's my biggest distraction. For a while, I lost the momentum and excitement of blogging. And I got enough plain lame excuses too for why I have "no time for exercise" or "not enough time to exercise".

But here I find my focus back. Thank you for not abandoning me.

Well, time management is very crucial for everyone's personal life. It is very easy to lost time on unimportant activities. The greatest procrastinator is certainly you. I found this old book. Not very old actually. It's the Sunday Times' Creating Success book series called Successful Time Management by Patrick Forsyth. I'd like to share snippet from the book that I thought helpful to me and hopefully to you too.

Three Critical Ways to Stop Wasting Time and Get Organised:

1. Do not put off the things you find difficult
The time wasted here can occur in two ways. First, decision making is delayed, then implementation is delayed and both let time leak away. The task is difficult so you put it off, perhaps you try to think of some best way of doing it.

2. Beware of cyberloafing
With internet, informations are only at your finger tips. Some real discipline may be necessary when surfing the internet. It can be tempting to spend a minute or two more 'just in case you can access something better or more specific', and then a minute or two more again.

3. Make use of checklist
Checklist will save time, by preventing those pauses for thought and more importantly removing the necessity to do something again.

Do you waste time? How do you combat the time wasters?

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Weight Loss Success Story: How Kelliann Lost 175 Pounds

We all need some inspiration from time to time. You have read how Elizabeth lost 150 pounds and other success stories on Her Weight Loss Diary. Every weight loss success comes in all shapes and sizes but there's one thing in common, every success story has a turbulent journey filled with many failures prior to that celebrated point of success. Kelliann of Life in Crisis shares how she finally lost 175 pounds. I hope you inspired!

As always, leave you precious thoughts in comments "do you think sharing stories of success is important? If yes, why? And if you say no I'd like to know your reason."

My name is Kelliann and 5 years ago I weighed 365 lbs. It’s hard to “tell my story” because like so many journeys there are twists and turns, failures and successes. Although, I have learned along the way that “failures” are merely a stepping stone in the journey as a whole – still leading me down the path I am meant to be on.

I remember the moment I really knew I had to lose the weight. I was carrying my then-8-month-old son up the stairs for his nap. I had to stop midway up the staircase to catch my breath. I stood there and I thought “He’s only going to get bigger. I can hardly carry him now!” It was then I knew something had to be done. So, after months of researching and studying, doctors appointments and evaluations, I had gastric bypass surgery.

Sometimes people ask me why I decided to go the surgery route. Well, I knew I needed a heavy-duty tool to help me get moving in the right direction. I had dieted/restricted/binged my way all the way up to 365. I knew I needed more help.

I had my surgery in June of 2008. My son was just over 1 year old. I remember when the anesthesiologist was putting the mast over my face I said “Please take care of me. I have a baby who needs me” And then, I was out. Yes, it was very scary to make this decision, but I maintain it was the best decision of my life. After the surgery, I lost about 100 lbs over the next year. Then, I got pregnant with my second son. During the pregnancy, I gained about 50 lbs. I was terrified. What if I couldn’t get it off? What if I ended back up where I started? I wasn’t going to let that happen. So, after I had my little punkin’, and I was cleared by the docs, I went right into exercise and back to my bariatric diet. Exercise was not something I had done a LOT of up to this point. But it has now become an irreplaceable part of my life.

Eating right and exercising (and also dealing with a diagnosis of post-partum depression) with 2 small children at home was very difficult. Difficult, but not impossible. My husband is incredibly supportive of me and I am so blessed by him. Over the last few years I have not only dropped that 50 lb of pregnancy gain, but an additional 75, bringing my total to 175 lb lost.

Losing weight is hard, regardless of how you go about doing it. Having surgery was not “easy”, although some may think it is. A lot of my personal problem with food was mental and emotional. No surgery was going to do THAT work for me. I work on that every single day, even now.

My eating has changed a lot since the surgery. I focus a lot on whole foods with lots of fruit, veggies, protein, grains… I don’t “cut” anything out of my diet. Yes, I even eat treats! I eat to support my activity level, which is now very high. I train hard, weight lifting, circuit and HIIT training 4-5 days per week. I love every second of it. I never used to understand those people who loved to exercise, but now I am really one of them! Exercise has transformed my body into a strong, functional, beautiful thing. I am competing in my second mud run, called The Rugged Maniac in September. If you had told me a few years ago I would be doing that, I would have laughed in your face!

My motivation is easy: I look at my two gorgeous boys, now 6 and 3. I want them to be active, healthy and happy, and I know I have to lead by example. I admit, sometimes I just don’t want to go to the gym. Sometimes I want to go home after a long day of work and just snuggle up with my little “tribe”. And you know what? On those days, that is exactly what I do. I have discovered along the way that it’s not just about my physical body, (eating right and working out.) It’s about my life as a whole person. As a mom, a wife, an employee, a part time student, a church member, etc. I’m all these things, and I need to care for all of my needs – even the ones that tell me I need some REST and ALONE time! The weight loss by itself was not what made me happy. Discovering how to live and love my life, with the weight loss ENABELING me to do that, is what has made me happy.

I have also discovered that “perfect” is way over rated. I’m NOT perfect, and I am finally OK with that. I obsessed for a long time about losing another 25-30 lbs. Now, I love my body the way it is. When I stopped obsessing about the number on the scale, and started focusing on being very active, getting strong and eating yummy nutrient dense food, I started very slowly losing again. But frankly, even if the scale never moved down another notch, I would be entirely happy! Now THAT is some amazing progress!

Miss Honeybee asked me to share my 5 best weight loss tips, but I had 6, so here they are:

1. Love and honor yourself exactly where you are right now. That is how you can begin to move forward.

2. Get active. Not for the “calorie burn” or to “earn extra points, or food” but because it’s just GOOD and healthy for you! The body WANTS to move, so move it! Start with 5 minutes of whatever activity you LIKE to do. You’ll be amazing at what you can do!

3. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and surround yourself with people who believe in you too!

4. Ask for support. Everyone needs it, and it’s your responsibility to get it!

5. Eat food. Don’t try and restrict yourself to an impossibly low amount of calories. It will result in quick weight loss (of water, muscle and very little fat) and will promptly cause regain when it can’t be maintained. Figure out what your body really needs to sustain your activity (whether you are sedentary or active) and eat those calories. Check out this calculator to help you figure it out: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ Your BRM is the amount of calories you would use if you laid in bed all day. Your TEDD is the amount you use doing your everyday activities.

6. Eat whole foods. Whole meaning as few ingredients as possible. Lots of whole, fresh foods, with your favorite treats thrown in here and there and you will be satisfied with your eating!

Although I have not been writing lately, living life and all, I will be re-launching my blog http://lifeincareer-sis.blogspot.com/ very soon! Please come take a look!

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Weight Loss Success Story: How Elizabeth Lost 150 Pounds

When someone loses a lot of weight, they get "How'd you do it?!" kind of question a lot. Elizabeth of The Singing Bird is remarkable for her 150-lb weight loss. In an exclusive interview with Her Weight Loss Diary, she tells how she has overcomes weight loss obstacles and shares how she keep motivated to finally lose the weight for good. 

In case you have missed, Elizabeth has also wrote a guest post How To Get Social While Keeping Your Diet Intact.

Don't forget to share in the comments, what is the best lessons you've learned from the journeys of others?

Her Weight Loss Diary (HEWLD):  You have lost over 150 lbs - What is the biggest factor in your weight loss success? 

Elizabeth (E): The biggest factor is tracking. When I am not tracking my food intake, I never lose as much weight. It's easy to think you're eating in a particular calorie/point range, when really you're eating too much. So, I try to track as much as possible. Find a way to track your food that works for you, whether it's a journal or something online like Sparkpeople (what I use) or my fitness pal. How many calories you will need to eat will vary, so if you go to a site that has the calorie counting, there are ways they compute it for you to take out the guesswork. When I first started out I ate around 2000 calories per day. 

HEWLD: How long does it take to see your weight loss result? 

E: If you are just starting out and being honest with your food intake (like measuring things and not overeating) and exercising, you should definitely see a loss in even the first week. You usually will lose more in the beginning, however, every person is different. I consistently lost weight every week for the first year. The closer I am to my goal (still about 20 pounds away) the harder it gets to lose. A good thing to do is find a pair of pants that are too tight, and try them on every few weeks, and then you can really see that you've gotten smaller, even when the scale doesn't move much. Someone who isn't very overweight will probably not have huge results each week. It's easier to create a calorie deficit when you're very overweight–like I was at 325 pounds. 

HEWLD: When you didn't lose weight for a few weeks - how did you keep motivated? 

E: It's hard to stay motivated when your weight doesn't budge. There were times I've been discouraged and gotten a little off track, but I always get right back to what I know I need to do, which is count calories, drink a lot of water, and work out. I know that even if I am not seeing a huge change in the scale, or even my clothes, that I am still living a healthy lifestyle, and eventually, it will pay off. 

HEWLD: What foods and habits were the most difficult for you to give up and change? 

E: I still have a hard time not overeating when we go out to eat. It's hard to see everyone else eat certain foods. That is why I try to limit how often I eat out. Also, I have a hard time not overeating things like candy and ice cream, so I don't allow much junk food in the house. Occasionally I still have a problem with binge eating, so if the house is full of sweets, it only makes it worse. 

HEWLD: Diet or exercise - which one helps you lose weight faster?

E: I think they are both equally important. For me, unless I am on point with both of them, I don't lose weight. Everyone is different, and some people are able to eat a lot and as long as they exercise, they lose weight. I am not one of those people. When I was training for a half-marathon last year I barely lost any weight. I was running so many miles that I thought some extra snacks wouldn't hurt, but they did. What they say about you not being able to out train a bad diet is true. 

HEWLD: Can you share your diet plan and workout routine? 

E: I don't follow a specific diet plan. What I do is try to eat a variety of healthy foods in a balanced way. Currently, I eat around 1600 calories per day. I don't do low carb or low fat, but I eat "good" carbs like oatmeal, brown rice, lentils, fruit and whole wheat bread. I avoid foods that don't give me much nutrition (junk food) but still have them on occasion. I've found that moderation works for me, so I won't say no to an occasional cupcake at a birthday party or something. I just don't eat those things every day. On my facebook page, From Fat to Fit, I have a photo album where I've taken pictures of many of the meals I eat. I don't make anything too fussy or complicated. I eat things like oatmeal and eggs for breakfast, and sandwiches fruit and yogurt for lunch, and then some sort of meat or fish for dinner with veggies.

As far as working out, right now I am doing half marathon training, so it's 4 days a week of running, and one cross training day where I do the elliptical or bike, and I do some strength training on a couple of those days (various machines at the gym, or I use my own body weight to do push ups, crunches, squats, etc). Before the half training, I ran 2-3 times a week and I did Jillian Michaels' workouts. Typically, I work out 5 days a week for about 45 minutes each time. When I was first starting out, I just walked. It was all I could do then because of my weight. 

HEWLD: Do you believe in "cheat days"?

E: Not really. I believe in eating well most of the time, but if I have the calories and I want to have a piece of pizza or something, I will. For me, it just works better than having one big meal out. I don't worry about counting calories for my birthday dinner or Thanksgiving. I think as long as you eat well most of the time an occasional splurge is ok, but I don't consider it cheating. While I try to eat healthy most of the time, I don't think it's horrible to have some ice cream sometimes. I think just the term cheating can bring up negative thoughts about yourself and food, and I don't like that. 

HEWLD: How do you make sure you stick on your diet plan at social gatherings?

E: This is hard for me, and I've definitely slipped up before, but I've found that with a little planning it's easier. I try to find out what food will be served, so I can sort of estimate the calories. I will try different things, but keep the portions of them small. If there are sodas, I try to just have water to save calories, but I will occasionally splurge on wine. Never go to a party or dinner starving, because you just end up overeating. I make sure I've eaten well during the day and sometimes will save some calories, but I don't starve myself beforehand, because then I know I'll eat way too much. 

HEWLD: What advice would you give to your "100 pound heavier" self? 

E: You will have bad days and good days. Just know that you can do this, and even when it's hard and you want to give up, don't. 

HEWLD: What advice would you give to your "50 pound heavier self?" 

E: Don't be scared to attempt running because you think only thin people can run. You will be great.

Pictures are copyrighted by Elizabeth of The Singing Bird. Do you have an inspiring weight loss story? Share your success story here. You just never know how your story could change someone else's life today.

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What to Do When Life Doesn’t Seem to Be Working for You

When things happen in the world that seem so far beyond our individual control, it can feel unsettling. But don’t give up on your goals and dreams just because “the time isn’t good”... you can still make 2013 the year to uncover a personal breakthrough! 

Even in tough times, you get to decide how to respond to certain conditions, opportunities, and outcomes—both good and bad. 

Life will always be a series of choices and YOU get to decide on what will move you closer to your goals, or farther away from them. External forces will always be part of the equation, even during the good times when the world is thriving. 

When people ask me about the single most important ingredient to success, I always share the same response: realizing what’s making you achieve success, and then realizing what is stifling your success. 

Sometimes recognizing the things that are NOT working in your life can be painful, yet VERY powerful to shaping the life you want. 

Don’t try to rationalize them, make excuses for them, or hide them. This is when it’s even more critical to take personal inventory and evict those excuses, rationalizations, and hidden habits that don’t serve you. These things will keep you from the life you want to be living. 

Let me give you some examples (do you see yourself in any of these questions?): 

• Do you want to be active, fit, and strong? Then you have to stop making excuses about your weight, diet choices, and lack of exercise. 

• Do you want to be in a loving relationship based on friendship and respect? Then you have to stop rationalizing why your mate is so unsupportive or why you are not communicating well. 

• Do you want to embrace Monday mornings and feel joyful about going to work every day? Then you have to stop hiding your true passions and go after whatever it is you really want to be doing day in and day out. 

• Do you want to lose the debt forever? Then you have to stop ignoring your spending habits and get real about a budget that will pull you out of debt and allow you to reach financial freedom. 

• Do you want to feel more connected to the people in your life, such as your children, friends, and colleagues? Then you have to stop complaining about your poor relationships and figure out why you don’t feel as connected as you’d like to be. 

These things can be painful to look at because the truth is that you have to do something about them in order to make it work in your life. 

You’ll have to say no to the second helping of dinner and the dessert to follow and go through the action steps to get into shape... You’ll have to confront your partner about the areas that need work... You’ll have to get past fears about changing your job or professional path... You’ll have to cut back on your spending and be a bit more frugal... You’ll have to take a good hard look at your personal relationships and perhaps consider your own shortfalls and weaknesses in communicating your needs and concerns. 

Plain and simple, you will have to do something uncomfortable. 

Successful people don't waste time in denial (or complain or make excuses for that matter). They face situations like a warrior. They look for the warning signs, they find out why things aren’t working, and they go about fixing them- even when fixing requires problem solving, hard work, risk, and a level of uncertainty. 

It’s okay to identify a problem even though you haven’t a clue about how to go about solving it right away. The first step is just recognizing the issue, and then having faith that you’ll figure it out with careful attention to it. That’s how successful people live—in constant focus on goals, on results, on problem solving, and on the actions that get them to where they want to be. 

Following are three things to do constantly in pursuit of your goals and dreams, however big or small: 

• Awareness: Keep your awareness on the feedback you are getting from life and decide to address the situations immediately. Don’t bottle up feedback, cast it aside, and avoid it like you would a pile of dirty laundry or a stack of unopened bills. Life tells you things every day. Do this. Don’t do that. Think about this. Try me. Forget that. We live in a world that seemingly encourages us to live on autopilot. Successful people fly manually every day and so should you. When those feedback signals come in, listen to them and use them in planning your next step. 

• Commitment: Commit to finding out why things aren’t working and learn what will fix them. Once you start the process it will be much easier to continue. Nothing fruitful stems from inaction. 

• Trust: Trust that making changes to the situation will ultimately bring about the best results. Sure you might go through a bit of discomfort during the change, and some unlikely or unwanted outcomes, but in the end you will triumph! 

So are you ready to admit the things that just are not working out? 

Make a list of the things in your life that are working against your success and ask how the situation can be improved. Commit to tackling just one of those issues and be brave! 

If you need help organizing those “things” in your life, try using the following list of categories. I recommend reflecting on each of the 7 areas and ask yourself, what’s not working here in each one and then brainstorm 3 potential solutions. 

1.) Financial Goals 

2) Career/Business Goals 

3.) Free Time/Family Time

4.) Health/Appearance Goals

5.) Relationship Goals

6.) Personal Growth 

7.) Making a Difference 

Remember, by facing what is not working, you can only improve your life! 

Share in the comments:
What is a difficult or troubling situation in your life? How are you creating it or allowing it to happen? What are you pretending not to know? What is the payoff for keeping it like it is? What would you rather be experiencing? What actions will you take to create that? By when will you take that action? 

About the Author:

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul® and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com.

*Reblog from JackCanfield
Image from that arthletic girl

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30 Days 30 Letters: An Open Letter To My Diet Buddy #19 - Wise Weekend Word to Motivate You

This is letter #19 in Her Weight loss Diary's new series - 30 Days Letters to My Diet Buddy project. The road to weight loss can be tough. If you want to feel like you aren't alone in your diet endeavors, buddying up can hold you accountable for every bite you take. Subscribe here, because you don't want to miss any letter.

P.s. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts, the best thoughtful comments will be featured every Friday.

Email:

Dear Diet Buddy,

If you need just one word to inspire your weekend, I'd say: COURAGE.

Words have the ability to inspire, motivate, and persuade; or discourage, dismiss, and dissuade.

Tell me one word you use to describe what motivates you in life?  

Yours truly,

This inspiring picture quotes is contribute by Tamara. She is a professional photographer, a mama of two, a writer/blogger at Tamara Camera Blog and a nearly professional cookie taster. She's been known to be all four of those things at all hours of the day and night. After two cross country moves, due to intense Bi-Coastal Disorder, she lives with her husband, daughter and son in glorious western Massachusetts. Pets are soon to follow. She dreams about northern lights, moose and whales always. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Bloglovin.

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30 Days 30 Letters: An Open Letter To My Diet Buddy #18 - Weight Loss Freedom

This is letter #18 in Her Weight loss Diary's new series - 30 Days Letters to My Diet Buddy project. The road to weight loss can be tough. If you want to feel like you aren't alone in your diet endeavors, buddying up can hold you accountable for every bite you take. Subscribe here, because you don't want to miss any letter.

P.s. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts, the best thoughtful comments will be featured every Friday.

Email:

Dear Diet Buddy,

What does weight loss freedom means to you? For me, weight loss freedom is not wearing husband's t-shirt anymore. Weight loss freedom means not hiding my body under a baggy t-shirt anymore. Weight loss freedom means I can order clothes online without worrying if they're fit or not.

You'll see my picture how I hide behind my children to try and cover my fat. Weight loss freedom means I will no longer hide behind others on purpose when taking pictures! I want to lose weight so I can increase my self-confidence, be happy and have pictures with my kids. I refuse to have my picture taken all because of that.  

Gwen of Sky and Surf share the glorious wonder of freedom on her blog. So beautiful, I thought I'd share:

You want to know what I suddenly realized Sunday? I AM FREE. I now have:

FREEDOM from the addiction to starches and sugar.

FREEDOM to enjoy a day, or an outing, or a special occasion....and not fret over what I can eat, or 'not eat.'

FREEDOM from the guilt of overeating. Because I never overeat any more.

FREEDOM from the sense of dietary deprivation. I don't need 'cheat' days or meals...because I don't want crap food much anymore. Even a tiny teaspoon of it, when I consume it at all, is more than enough. But 95% of the time I have no interest in it. At all.

FREEDOM from embarrassment over what size clothes I wear. That's because I'm between a size medium and a size small...and now am a true size 8 petite. YAY! (yep. it's true. tried those jeans on and they fit.) (woot woot!!)

FREEDOM from fretting over what I should eat, or can eat, at any restaurant. I can go to any restaurant, and not only tailor my meal to my food ideals, but enjoy exactly what I eat. I don't rue what anyone else is eating. I am excited by what I'm eating!

FREEDOM from a fear of 'maintenance.' Because there is no maintenance. This is a life style change. Nothing will be any different in 2 years from now than it is right now. And I find that not a challenge, but very soothing. I got this. I not only 'got this', but 'I got this' is now EASY.

FREEDOM from restrictions. I don't feel restricted by my food choices. Each choice is based on choosing health and life over disease and premature death. When you feel that way, there is only one choice.

I have every one of those freedoms now.

Repost from Sky n Surf

Freedom is a life without boundaries, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever your want, with whoever you want. Now, I want to hear from you:

What does freedom means to you?

Yours truly,

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30 Days 30 Letters: An Open Letter To My Diet Buddy #17 - Grieving: How to Deal With Sadness Without Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Plan

This is letter #17 in Her Weight loss Diary's new series - 30 Days Letters to My Diet Buddy project. The road to weight loss can be tough. If you want to feel like you aren't alone in your diet endeavors, buddying up can hold you accountable for every bite you take. Subscribe here, because you don't want to miss any letter.

P.s. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts, the best thoughtful comments will be featured every Friday.

Email:

Dear Diet Buddy,

Ball workout? Eating clean plan? My diet and exercise plan while on vacation is not working. I'm not eating well and I didn't workout. 

Unexpected thing happened during our holiday. Our beloved grandfather - my mom's father - has been called to eternity. He was 81. I'm not so sure what cause his death, but he had been suffering from Alzheimer for a while. Basically, Alzheimer's does not kill a person directly. But factor that work against those with Alzheimer's like the inability to take care of himself leads to other complications, infections and diseases that lead to death. Death is a natural part of life. We know that every human being will die someday. But losing someone you loved is still hurt and make you feel sad. 

Grieving and Weight Gain

Grief affects different people in different ways. The symptoms of grieving can feel similar to depression. Grieving people just want to hole up in bed and do nothing. Food is all the comfort you can find. After losing someone close to you, you may not even care if you get fat. Emotional eaters may find that grief is the road to obesity.

Weight-Loss Grief
Not everyone gain weight, of course. Loss of appetite is also an option. Some people stop eating when they are grieving. They may even experience fatigue and sleep disturbance. On the Dr. Oz show, Eva Longoria revealed how her traumatic divorce results in weight loss.

Eva Longoria recalled how her divorce affecting her health: "I was not eating. I was depressed. I was sad. My diet was coffee."

People grieve for many reasons -- when you lose someone dear to you, the loss of a job, break up, the loss of a pet, divorce, etc.

How to Handle Sadness Without Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Plan 

There's no quick fix but there are practical things you can do to deal with the loss of a loved one:

• Express yourself - Talking is often a good way to soothe painful emotions.
• Allow yourself to feel sad - Crying is a healthy part of the process and enables your body to release tension.
• Maintain a schedule - It reduces the panicky feelings. I
• Sleep - If you’re having trouble sleeping, see your GP. 
• Eat healthily - A healthy, well-balanced diet will help you to cope with your emotions. 
• Avoid things that ‘numb’ the pain, such as alcohol. 
• Go to counselling if it feels right for you.

Source: NHS Choices

I want to hear from your personal experience, how do you manage sadness and stick to your weight loss plan while grieving?

Yours truly,

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Google+ Profile on Your Blog: How to Change Your NO-REPLY BLOGGER Status

I switched to Google+ and had no idea I was a no reply blogger! Thanks to Veronica from V Watts' Thoughts for the quick heads-up. I'm sorry, all this while I was a no-reply blogger. How rude of me! That was not by choice but it's all fixed now. So, if you have switched to Google+ and are experiencing this no-reply blogger, here's the remedy.

First off, why fixing the "No-Reply Blogger" thing is such a big deal?

1. Follow up comments made easy

If you leave a comment on a blog post that you like, you will get a notification via email when the blogger reply. If your profile status is a "no-reply blogger" then you will not see the reply unless you go back to blogs you comment and look for it.

2. To make better connection between reader and blogger (admin)

Once the blogger receive a comment, they can reply straight from their comment notification and then hit "Send" from their email to carry on a conversation. The reply will not be added as a comment on your blog. Personally, I reply comments on my blog because I like to put myself on a reader perspective. If I were new to a blog and browsing but never see the admin respond to comments, then I'll be less likely to leave my own comment. Some people email directly, but new reader has no knowledge of that.

You may want to read Joi's 24 Reasons You Don’t Have Comments on Your Blog.

But on the other hand I also find a "thank you" email is a little more personal, and this often leads into a conversation and perhaps a relationship. By changing your setting, people can find how to contact you easier. After all, blogging is about building a real connection.

For Google+ User: How to Change Your "No-Reply Blogger" Status

Step 1: Go to Blogger Dashboard

Click on the gear in the upper right hand corner and choose "Revert to Blogger Profile" (Don't worry, this is only temporary)

Step 2: Change Your Google+ Profile to Blogger Profile
Choose "Switch to a limited Blogger profile" button.

Step 3: Confirm your profile
Fill in the "Display Name" box with your desired alias and after that click the "Continue to Blogger" button.

Step 4: Edit your profile
Go back to the Blogger Dashboard. Choose "Connect to Google+" on the gear in the upper right hand corner.

Step 5: View your complete profile
You will be directed to "Connect to Google+" page, prompting you to switch from Blogger profile to Google+ profile. Click the "View my complete profile" link on your Blogger profile side. (left)

Step 6: Edit your Blogger profile
You will be directed to a new window. Don't close the "Connect to Google+" window yet. Click the "Edit Profile" button in the upper right hand corner.

Step 7: Changing Email Settings
Tick the "show my email address" box on Privacy section.

Step 8: Key in your email address
Fill in your "Email Address" on the Identity section.  Please take note, this is the email address that the comment notifications are sent to.

Step 9: Save your changes
Click on "Save Profile" at the bottom of the page.

Step 10: Switching back to Google+ profile
I know some people quit blogger platform because they get too frustrated that their GooglePlus account keep their email address private. But now you know how to fix this. If you prefer to use Google+ profile, go back to "Connect to Google+" page. (see step 5). Tick the box at the bottom to accept the T&C and proceed to click the "Switch Now" button to complete profile switch.

How to check if you are a no-reply blogger:
Leave comment on your own blog. Check your email to see if your received the comment. If you are a no-reply blogger, your email address will appear as "noreply-comment@blogger.com."

"No-reply blogger" setting

After remove the "No-reply blogger" 

To end this post, I'd like to hear from you:

• Which do you prefer, Blogger profile or Google+ profile? And why? 
• Google+  vs Facebook, which one is the best?

Leave your opinion in the comments, I am all excited to hear about it.

  

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30 Days 30 Letters: An Open Letter To My Diet Buddy #16 - 10 Inspiring Thoughts to Kickstart Your Week

This is letter #16 in Her Weight loss Diary's new series - 30 Days Letters to My Diet Buddy project. The road to weight loss can be tough. If you want to feel like you aren't alone in your diet endeavors, buddying up can hold you accountable for every bite you take. Subscribe here, because you don't want to miss any letter.

P.s. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts, the best thoughtful comments will be featured every Friday.

Email:

Dear Diet Buddy,

I'm back! You might not have noticed the long gap between post, but in case you did—my apologies for the long wait. It was school holiday last two weeks so I took a blogging break to spend the holidays with my darlings.

Many people dread Monday especially after having a great weekend. Some people think that Monday is the worst day of the week. Oh, yes I can read it from your Monday's status on Facebook. No matter how much you hate Mondays, it will come and you can do nothing about it. But, I know that there are some positive people that actually like Monday. Some of them are seeing glass as half full, saying that Monday is the best day in week. For these optimist, Mondays mean a new start - a fresh slate - a chance to make things happen. 

To provide you some Monday's motivation, I thought I'd share some of my favorite quote to kickstart your week.

Motivational Quote #1 - Start your day by saying life is good. Positive attitude is a great stress buster.

Motivational Quote#2 - Every day is a new opportunity

Motivational Quote #3 - The best way to deal with hard situations? Smile!

Motivational Quote #4 - Unconditional love is truly amazing. How do you define love?

Motivational Quote #5

Motivational Quote #6

Motivational Quote #7

Motivational Quote #8 - Ain't no mountain high enough

Motivational Quote #9 - Get up!

Motivational Quote #10

Do you hate Mondays? If you do why do you hate Mondays? Please feel free to share in the comments. If you like this Inspirational Picture Quote, don't forget to pin this on Pinterest, share on Facebook or Tweet this!

Yours truly,

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