Posts Tagged ‘Calories’

Good News: Succeed at Weight Loss/Gain

Sunday, November 30th, 2008
weight loss resort - Morning Beach Walk
Image by ninahale via Flickr

How can you reach your weight loss/gain goal?  Just as there are simple rules that cannot be changed to lose weight, there is one rule to succeed.  ‘The only way you can fail is to quit.’

I heard this in regards to starting an online business.  Thinking about it, I realized that this is true in my weight loss also.  I did so well when I started the last time.  I lost almost 30 pounds.  The length of time it took me to lose it really doesn’t matter unless I am trying to spin it to sell something.  The thing that matters is that I lost it.  Then I gained it back, or most of it.  The good news is I was gaining about 10 pounds a year previous to the last year and a half.  Then I started taking a medication that some people gain 20 pounds a year on.  I still am under my starting weight.

Why am I boring you with my story?  Not because I am proud of it.  I feel a bit ashamed to admit it.  I am telling you this so you realize – just because you gain some weight (or lose if you are trying to gain) is NO reason to quit.  In fact, just because you reach your goal is no reason to quit (or you might back slide, so you have to maintain).

What I can say is  I am more aware of what I eat and why I eat.  Everyday I realize what I eat that is outside my eating plan – it may be a ‘permitted’ food, but over the calories or just foods that I shouldn’t eat to continue to lose.

If I am going to be of any help to anyone reading this, I must be honest.  And being honest to you I have to be honest with myself.  That makes me accountable since I care what my readers feel.  Each of you are a unique and precious individual.  Each of you deserves to reach your healthy goal.  And every pound we gain or lose towards our goal makes us healthier.  It boosts our self-image and self-confidence.

So remember when you decide to tell yourself what a failure you are to stop yourself.  Remember what you have accomplished.  And always remember that

The only way you can fail is to QUIT.   So don’t.

Now it is your turn.  Share what progress you have made in your thinking, attitude, education, and/or weight change.  Remember – this applies whether you are trying to gain or lose weight.  Leave your comments!

Also, I have started a forum at I have started a new forum on weight loss and weight gain. Come join in http://groups.myspace.com/betheweightyouwant.  It is on MySpace.com, so be sure to add me as a friend also.

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You Say You Want to Gain Weight?

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Are you one of those people who have a hard time gaining weight?  I googled the keywords ‘weight gain’ and guess what I found?  The first entry was “How can I Gain Weight” and then came a series of links to ‘build muscle and gain weight’ and ‘the reasons for weight gain’.  It would seem that the internet is not interested in those that need to gain weight.

Actually, that is not true.  Unfortunately, most people have a problem with being over weight.  There are tons of sites out there (including this one) which address that subject.  This blog’s aim is to cover subjects around ‘Be the Weight you Want’.  That means weight loss for some, weight maintenance for others, and weight gain for others.

What I find interesting is that the answers for ‘how to gain weight’ are so similar to the answers of ‘how to lose weight’.  I suspect that the reasons, barring medical reasons, are similar also.  I posted an article and post on my other blog Weight Workouts are for Teens, Women, and Men entitled Guide To Gaining Weight and The Skinny Gal’s/Guy’s Guide To Gaining Weight.  They have some good pointers about gaining weight besides the ones for the weight training which i would like to explore here.

Eat every 2-3 hours. I would say every 3-4 hours.  Eat your first meal within 15-30 minutes of waking up – absolutely no later. This first meal of the day should always consist of REAL food to flood your body with quality nutrients.

Sound familiar?  it should.  This is what you need to do to lose weight and to maintain weight.  The difference? You eat more when you are trying to gain weight and less when you are trying to lose weight.  In fact, the rule of thumb for gaining is to double what you are eating.  And no, it isn’t as simple as this.

Eat Nutritional High Calorie Foods. In other words, eat foods that have more calories per volume and not so many with less calories per volume.  Eat a chef’s salad with ham, dressing, cheese if you do eat lettuce salad.  Choose corn and potatoes more for your vegetables, or flavor you green beans, butter beans, etc, with bacon grease (but not too much, we don’t need clogged arteries).  Focus on caloric-rich foods that are loaded with nutrients.

Here are some of the best choices: Oatmeal, rice, breads, yams beans, potatoes, fruits and veggies. Steak, chicken, lean beef, cottage cheese, whole milk, eggs and salmon. Olive oil, flax oil, avocados, nuts and peanut butter.  Ice cream, raisins, dried fruit and trail mix.

Use Big eating utensils: Get a BIG cup, get a BIG bowel, and get a BIG plate so your smaller portions will get lost on the plate.  This will encourage you to double your portions.  The opposite of losing weight by using smaller eating utensils.

Never Stop Eating sounds a bit harsh.  You do need to eat regularly.  As you set up your habits of eating more and eating more frequently, it will be easier to eat during those ‘emotional’ or ’stressful’ times.  Caution, do not make eating your comfort, your stress re-leaver, or your pleasure.  This will set you up for the opposite problem – wanting to lose weight because of emotional eating.

I promise you this will not be the only post for people who want to gain weight.

What are some of the ways you use to gain that hard to gain weight?      

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