Friday, April 19, 2019

How to Get Your Grill BBQ-Ready

With warm sunny days and the fresh smell of spring in the air, we can’t help but think about one thing: Grilling. There’s just something about beautiful weather that makes us want to get grilling. But, before you head outside, turkey burger or veggie kebabs in hand, there are a few important spring cleaning tasks to check off your list:

13 Kitchen Hacks to Make Healthy Living Easier

Wash it Up
It’s not a fun job, but it must be done if you want to enjoy the full flavor potential and maximum performance that your grill can offer.

If you own a gas grill…
Disconnect the tank first, and peek to see if any of the hoses need to be replaced. Test the knobs and controls to ensure they still work properly. Remove any internal parts that can be disconnected and soak them in hot soapy water; then, scrub the parts with a rag and rinse well. Soap up a wire brush and scrub the grates; if you have aluminum grates, use a plastic-bristled brush. Be sure to rinse all of the parts thoroughly. To prevent grease fires, don’t forget to clean your grill’s grease tray and to replace the drip pans. Finish cleaning the interior of the grill by scraping accumulated gunk and debris. Lastly, clean the outside of the grill; using the appropriate cleaner for stainless steel surfaces.

If you own a charcoal grill…
You will perform many of the same steps as outlined above, but you will first need to focus on cleaning out ash and coal that may have been left behind. Then, scrub and hose out the inside and outside of the grill, wiping it down with a rag to finish, and wash the grates with dish soap. Let everything air dry. Once everything is completely dry, add charcoal and the grates and light the grill. Put the lid on top for about 20 minutes, allowing the fire to burn off any remaining debris.

How to Spring Clean Your Way to Weight Loss

Examine the Tank
If you have a gas grill, you will want to check to see if you have any propane leaks. Use soapy water to coat the regulator, valves and hoses, and turn on the tank. If you see bubbles forming, turn off the tank and tighten the connections. Run the test again. If you still have a leak, you will need to replace the hoses, or even the tank. Check your propane levels on your grill’s built-in gauge or purchase a grill gauge at a local hardware store.

The post How to Get Your Grill BBQ-Ready appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf http://bit.ly/2UtIIf1

7 Warm Weather Weight Loss Blunders to Avoid

Summer tends to be the most fun and active time of year. And all kinds of delicious and nutritious foods are fresh and abundant in this season. Those are great reasons why summer is prime time to work toward your healthiest weight.

But the hot weather, along with picnics, cookouts and other parties that pop up on the calendar, present a variety of temptations that can derail progress to your weight loss goal. You can avoid these pitfalls if you remember that you have better options that can be satisfying without being disruptive.

Here are seven summer weight loss mistakes, and better choices to keep in mind while you’re enjoying sunshine and good times:

BATHING SUIT DIETING

Whether you’re at the beach or lying by the pool, you want to look your absolute best in your swimwear. That can entice you to try to shed a few extra pounds with a crash diet or to just skip meals. Crash diets are not only unhealthy, they tend to slow your metabolism, making it difficult for you to drop more than just a few pounds. Even more frustrating, you are unlikely to lose weight in the areas of your body where you’d like to see a difference. And any weight you lose in the short-term will be regained as soon as you resume your normal eating habits.

Better choice: Stick with your Nutrisystem plan for sustained weight loss and a healthy approach to eating everyday. You’re sure to see real results each week that will last through the summer and beyond. (Not on Nutrisystem? What are you waiting for?! Get started here >)

8 Science-Backed Reasons You Need to Try Nutrisystem

PERSPIRING TO LOSE

When you exercise in the heat, you think you can feel the pounds melting off with each bead of sweat. And if you weigh yourself right before and after you work out, you may see a difference. That can tempt you to overdo it, leaving you too sore to move much for a few days afterward. As soon as you quench your thirst and replace the fluids you’ve sweated out, you will see on the scale that you’ve lost little (if any) weight.

Better choice: Maintain a steady activity level every day so you get in the 150 minutes of movement a week recommended by the experts at Nutrisystem. The regular activity keeps your metabolism burning continually, even if you’re just walking inside an air-conditioned mall.

MORE SMOOTHIES AND FRAPPS

On cold days, we warm up with coffee and tea. When the weather turns hot, most of us would rather have a cool smoothie or other blended drink to start the day or as an afternoon pick-me up. Coffee and tea are no-calorie “free” foods. Blended drinks from coffee shops and convenience stores tend to be high in sugar, and many are also loaded with fat. A 16-ounce serving may have more than 400 calories, 25 percent of them from fat.

Better choice: Order unsweetened iced coffee or tea instead. Or build the perfect smoothie at home using fresh, nutritious ingredients. Click here to find out how >

5 Ways You’re Ruining Your Healthy Smoothies

CASUAL ALCOHOL

Sunny days and balmy evenings are ideal for hanging out with friends, enjoying beer, wine and other adult beverages. They are so refreshing in warm weather you can drink a few without feeling full. But even a light beer or white wine comes with more than a 100 calories per drink, and the sweet drinks like hard cider and wine coolers that are popular today have as many 180 calories each.

Better choice: If you want to enjoy a drink or two, at least alternate each one with fizzy seltzer over ice with a lime wedge. You still get to chill with your friends, but limit how many extra calories you get.

BBQ FAVORITES

Eating outdoors is one of summer’s pleasures and backyard barbecues bring out so many favorite foods, including classics like potato salad and cole slaw. While those dishes start with healthful vegetables, they get weighed down with excessive saturated fats from mayonnaise and sour cream. Even just a spoonful of each adds up to more calories and fats than you want. What’s more, the loads of sugar in popular barbecue sauces can heap calories on a lean chicken breast.

Better choice: Pick grain or bean salads instead of the creamy ones. Even better, get your barbecue fix with these delicious options on the Nutrisystem menu >

23 Dishes to Bring to the BBQ

LOADED SALADS

With so many fresh vegetables in season and abundant in summer, salads are never more appealing. And there’s no reason not to enjoy as much of the non-starchy veggies as you’d like. Just beware of bottled dressings that are laden with fat or non-fat dressings flavored with extra sugar. They lay on the empty calories, turning your healthy salad into a nutritional mistake.

Better choice: Use light vinaigrette or even better, just drizzle on a little vinegar infused with herbs such as tarragon. Or try one of these five simple but tasty homemade dressings >

NOT SO COOL TREATS

You may not be a kid anymore, but when you hear the jingle of the bell as the ice cream truck comes down your block you may still want to go running. Or maybe you’re just craving a cool treat on a sweltering day. Before you go to the ice cream shop, consider that a small cone of soft-serve adds more than 120 calories to your diet. Surprisingly, frozen yogurt can have even more—150 calories or more per serving at the big chains.

Better choice: Your Nutrisystem weight loss plan offers you satisfyingly cool treats, like ice cream sandwiches and fudge bars. Each is made according to the strict standards of dietitians, so you stay on track to your weight loss goal. Click here to check out some of the awesome frozen treats >

The post 7 Warm Weather Weight Loss Blunders to Avoid appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf http://bit.ly/2XlPDbK

My Weight Loss Theme Song

It isn't the song I work out to, or entirely upbeat, but this rings so true for me. It was written about alcohol addiction, but my food addiction has also done its best to put me in the ground. Link to YouTube and below that the lyrics. They show up wonky on mobile even though when editing all the spaces and breaks are correct.

I hope someone else finds themselves in this. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/W0SHXTDmras

An open door I can't walk through 'Cause I can't leave behind all these things that I knew They're all gone And I've lost track Of all the ones I loved and turned me back Inside myself the words I say It couldn't be the truth when lies got in the way

But tomorrow will be a brand new day And I hope that it brings the chance that I forgot to take And I know there's so much I can be If I can be strong enough to throw away these weak pieces of me

These tired eyes and hollow skin They remind me of the places that I've been I feel so far, but still so close It feels like I'm living inside my own ghost

But tomorrow will be a brand new day And I hope that it brings the chance that I forgot to take And I know there's so much I can be If I can be strong enough to throw away these weak pieces of me

I've gone to sleep in heaven Only to wake in hell If I'm gonna make it through this now then I'll have to save myself

'Cause tomorrow will be a brand new day And I hope that it brings a chance I forgot to take And I know there's so much I can be If I can be strong enough to throw away these weak pieces of me oh no

Songwriters: Brad Arnold

Pieces of Me lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2Gvl3a5

Finding a balance, being happy with myself

Hi, I don't know whether anyone will read this but I suppose I just wanted to get some feelings out. Sorry if formatting is off or something, I'm on mobile.

In school, I was never fat, I was chubby, and have always been curvy, but became obsessed with weight loss due to my peers being slimmer than me and others calling me fat in an attempt at bullying. I joined this school in year 6, and got called fat on my first day- I'd never really heard that term used against anyone before.

Before college, I worked hard with exercise and diet and was becoming happy with my body, however during college I let it slip. I was at a UK size 8-10 and while I didn't gain a large amount, I still thought I was huge.

In university things got much worse. I went through a depressive period and would starve myself, not usually intentionally just a lack of will and energy, only to binge on takeaway and rubbish. I gained weight during this period and while I don't know how much, I was up to a UK12-14.

I know this isn't the worst spot to be in, but I was really struggling with myself and how I looked. When I discussed this with others, the term "body dysmorphia" came up a lot. While I'm not sure about labelling myself under that bracket, I had never liked what I saw in the mirror - to put it loosely.

I graduated last year and moved in with my boyfriend. Being happy meant that I started eating more frequently. My body was not used to this and I feel like this was yet another reason to gain weight. I was steadily gaining weight, though I found an active job working with children.

This year, I'm still struggling with my weight but I'm eating regularly and (mostly) sensibly. I'm trying not to be scared of food, or obsess over it. I loosely count calories and it seems to be working for me. I am almost back to fitting comfortably in my size 10s but the most important part to me is that I am happy with myself. I'm aiming to keep going and get healthy, but doing it in a non-obsessive way. I've cut out sweeteners and doing this has stopped stomach aches. Also, an added benefit is I haven't been ill as often, I guess my immune system is getting better too! I'm trying to exercise as much as possible and I definitely feel a change in myself.

If anyone reads this, I'm really interested to know whether my previous habits confounded my weight-loss in the way that I had to get heavier before I lost weight. I'm also interested to know what your favourite snacks are. Personally, I keep loads of cucumbers in the fridge and just eat a whole one plain with my lunch. No idea if it is bad to eat a whole one. My second one is Ryvita crackerbreads with some cream cheese.

Tl;dr: I've had unhealthy habits all my life and I'm finally becoming happy with who I am.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2PlVPOu

Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Friday, 19 April 2019? Start here!

Today is your Day 1?

Welcome to r/Loseit!

So you aren’t sure of how to start? Don’t worry! “How do I get started?” is our most asked question. r/Loseit has helped our users lose over 1,000,000 recorded pounds and these are the steps that we’ve found most useful for getting started.

Why you’re overweight

Our bodies are amazing (yes, yours too!). In order to survive before supermarkets, we had to be able to store energy to get us through lean times, we store this energy as adipose fat tissue. If you put more energy into your body than it needs, it stores it, for (potential) later use. When you put in less than it needs, it uses the stored energy. The more energy you have stored, the more overweight you are. The trick is to get your body to use the stored energy, which can only be done if you give it less energy than it needs, consistently.

Before You Start

The very first step is calculating your calorie needs. You can do that HERE. This will give you an approximation of your calorie needs for the day. The next step is to figure how quickly you want to lose the fat. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So to lose 1 pound of fat per week you will need to consume 500 calories less than your TDEE (daily calorie needs from the link above). 750 calories less will result in 1.5 pounds and 1000 calories is an aggressive 2 pounds per week.

Tracking

Here is where it begins to resemble work. The most efficient way to lose the weight you desire is to track your calorie intake. This has gotten much simpler over the years and today it can be done right from your smartphone or computer. r/loseit recommends an app like MyFitnessPal, Loseit! (unaffiliated), or Cronometer. Create an account and be honest with it about your current stats, activities, and goals. This is your tracker and no one else needs to see it so don’t cheat the numbers. You’ll find large user created databases that make logging and tracking your food and drinks easy with just the tap of the screen or the push of a button. We also highly recommend the use of a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. Knowing how much of what you're eating is more important than what you're eating. Why? This may explain it.

Creating Your Deficit

How do you create a deficit? This is up to you. r/loseit has a few recommendations but ultimately that decision is yours. There is no perfect diet for everyone. There is a perfect diet for you and you can create it. You can eat less of exactly what you eat now. If you like pizza you can have pizza. Have 2 slices instead of 4. You can try lower calorie replacements for calorie dense foods. Some of the communities favorites are cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash in place of their more calorie rich cousins. If it appeals to you an entire dietary change like Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian.

The most important thing to remember is that this selection of foods works for you. Sustainability is the key to long term weight management success. If you hate what you’re eating you won’t stick to it.

Exercise

Is NOT mandatory. You can lose fat and create a deficit through diet alone. There is no requirement of exercise to lose weight.

It has it’s own benefits though. You will burn extra calories. Exercise is shown to be beneficial to mental health and creates an endorphin rush as well. It makes people feel awesome and has been linked to higher rates of long term success when physical activity is included in lifestyle changes.

Crawl, Walk, Run

It can seem like one needs to make a 180 degree course correction to find success. That isn’t necessarily true. Many of our users find that creating small initial changes that build a foundation allows them to progress forward in even, sustained, increments.

Acceptance

You will struggle. We have all struggled. This is natural. There is no tip or trick to get through this though. We encourage you to recognize why you are struggling and forgive yourself for whatever reason that may be. If you overindulged at your last meal that is ok. You can resolve to make the next meal better.

Do not let the pursuit of perfect get in the way of progress. We don’t need perfect. We just want better.

Additional resources

Now you’re ready to do this. Here are more details, that may help you refine your plan.

Quick Start Guide - Build your foundation!
Loseit Compendium - Frame it out!
FAQ - Answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions!

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2vefMxc

Has anyone reached a weight they felt truly happy at before reaching their ‘ultimate goal weight’? I think I have, and I’m ‘stopping’ early.

Hi everyone

I have posted about my journey a few times before and asked a question a week or two ago about taking the occasional maintenance day as I get closer to my goal weight. So I suppose this question has been on my mind recently.

I had a long, hard think yesterday about what my goals really are. I started at 156lbs in May 2018 and arbitrarily picked 116lbs as my goal weight because I liked the idea of losing 40lbs. I had previously been 105lbs after a very unhealthy diet in my early 20s and I regained that weight super fast because I learned nothing about nutrition and healthy lifestyles while restricting myself so heavily. This time I’ve been slowly working my way down, starting with 1200 calories a day last summer (I wanted to be at a healthy weight for my September wedding, which I was!) and eventually changing to a more sustainable 1350ish for a slower loss.

I’ve lost another 9lbs since Christmas putting my total loss at around 36lbs. Recently I’ve noticed some major differences in how I look and how my clothes fit. I’m now a size S/8UK after being a 12-16UK (large boobs, clothes never fit me right) when I started. Clothes look good on me now!, which is something I’ve never been comfortable saying before. My BMI is in the middle of the healthy range (21.2). I’ve been doing cardio for 300 minutes a week for the past month and I’m loving it and feeling amazing. I’m drinking so much water now and it’s helping every part of me feel more energetic and healthy. I want to introduce strength training in the future, hopefully soon. I’ve learned how to cook tasty, healthy meals and I’ve started meal prepping. I still get tempted by foods I love but I’m much better at eating in moderation to feel satisfied. Everything feels like permanent, positive changes and I feel like I’ve learned so much about myself in the past 11 months.

So I wasn’t really sure why I was trying to reach 116 anymore. Other than being able to say to myself that I lost 40lbs, I started wondering why I didn’t make 120 my new goal. So that’s precisely what I’m going to do. But it’s a mental struggle to admit my goal is no longer weight loss. I’ve never reached this point of ‘stopping’ before (though I don’t look at it as actually stopping, more as a shift in focus) and the fear of not eating at the right maintenance calories and gaining weight back is very real. But part of me is also completely ready to up my calories a couple hundred more a day and really put my focus onto my fitness and reshaping my body. I’ve heard maintenance can be just as hard as weight loss and that it takes a while to find the balance of what your body needs to maintain your weight. So this isn’t the real end of the journey by any means, this is the ‘forever’ part.

Seeing the scale go down is the biggest motivator in the world but there needs to be an end point and I think I’m there now. Maybe in the future I’ll want to lose those extra 4lbs but for now I think I’m actually happy. It’s so strange to admit but I think I actually did it, I achieved what I set out to do. I feel like I love myself now and feel comfortable in my own skin. It’s a weird place to be but I’m really happy to be here. :)

I’d love to hear from others who have stopped losing weight earlier than they anticipated. Did you feel you missed out on the celebratory day when you finally reached your pre-set goal weight? Did you end up maintaining for a while before returning to a calorie deficit to reach your original goal? Let me know! :)

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2GtgprU

Not a succesful begin to loseit challenge week 0, I didn't give up, I have big plans!

Not gaining a weight is success, right? Than maybe I didn't do that bad. I really wanted to join this challenge because I cannot motivate myself enough to go on anymore. This weight loss issue is going on a long while already. And I got so tired and bored of logging all. And I saw this challenge an option to motivate myself by reminding myself that I am not alone... But week 0 I stayed at the same weight. I stayed active but I didn't really take good care of what I ate... I didn't eat any unhealthy stuff but seems like I also didn't eat correct healthy amount. But I am here to say that I decided to take one more BIG,HUGE step today. I has been some time this idea is in my mind but until last week it was never felt doable. Since last week I asked can I do it? This week I really did a big researc and decided I can. And that big step is biking to work! It is a big distance. But I am not afraid. I made plans and researches. But If you have anything to add this idea of mine, or any advice, you are welcome.

Here some more information: 36F 5'2" SW199 CW156.5 . I am not perfect fit but I am doing OK. I can run 5k and thats all my condition. The distance I will bike is 25 km(15.5miles) ( to come back home it is another 25, so 50km(31miles in total)

I am aware that it will be hard. But I heard with a good bike it can be doable for me. I don't own a good bike yet but OK. I am living in a country that biking is in peoples standard life. Everyone bikes here so we have nice biking paths. Expecially from home to work it is a nice bike path with trees, parallel to the highway. So I have no worries about road, safety on the road or else. Rain , I even love it. I don't care if it rains. And I am planning to shower at work so being wet before shower will not bother me. I have also colleagues who comes with bike and showers . So as I said biking is just a daily thing here. Biking 50km is rare, but again, I'm sure there are people doing it.

So my plan is tomorrow I will hire a bike. Ask bike shop to help me with bike because I don't know much about bikes. Hire a bike and ride to a place which is 13km(~8miles) far and sells biking equipment. And buy a helmet and come back home. So in total I will ride 16miles to see how it will feel for me. And I really belive I can do it. If I feel tired I will slow down and make it. Then here comes my weekly plan until I gain enough condition to ride bike all the time:

Monday: Go work with bike and car, come back home with bike. (Leave car at work. I don't use it else than going to work anyways)

Tuesday:Go work with bike and come home with car

Wednesday:Go work with car , come home with bike.

Thursday: Come work with bike and go back home with car and bike so I have the car for weekend. (I dont work Friday)

This will make cycle everyday 15 miles. And when I am in good shape to do it all car will stay home always! (At least most of the time)

Thanks for reading if you did. I am that excited, I needed to share. What kind of bike advices are also welcome.

TLDR: I made a big decision of cycling to work

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2KP5Tkn