Shaken things UP!

Okay, ...so as I am approaching week 3 at being the same weight/inches so I decided to shake things up a bit. Hoping that by my next weigh-in (October 1st) that the Metal Monster, er I mean that Sweet Scale of mine will be kind and move on out of the 70's!

As for eating, I decided to keep my muffins in the freezer and switch to some Pro/Fats breakfasts for a week. Yes, ...I am feeling a bit of withdrawl over that decision, but it's only a short term change so it won't be long until I add them back in.

Next, I have increased my water consumption and have increased my exercise, ...whether the scale moves next week or not I'm doing good things for my body and I'm feeling great about that!

Okay, ...so while making changes, thought I'd try to add some more information to my Blog, so bear with me as I shake things up over here!

Plateau's, yes they are going to happen.

After 2 weeks of my weight and measurements remaining the same, ...I think I've hit a plateau!?!

I"m not feeling worried, nervous or anxious about it, I know that I've made a commitment to eating healthy and being fit and that this was going to happen sooner or later.

A Plateau is your bodies way of adjusting and establishing a balance when your body undergoes changes. I have been loosing inches and weight at a nice steady pace since July, ...and although I want it to continue I understand why my body needs to take a break.

Plateau's can last from a few days to several weeks to months, it just depends on your individual body.

With Somersizing, counting calories or staying within a certain daily caloric range is not required as part of the program. As long as you correctly follow the guidelines on Level 1 you will loose weight. However, ...the rate at which you loose weight is determined by several factors.

Here are just a few ...

• Diet
• Current weight
• Calorie Consumption
• Calories Burned
• Exercise
• Water

If you find that your weight loss is slowed, stalled or you experience a plateau, ...I offer some helpful suggestions, just follow this link "Breaking through a Plateau" for more information!

BetsC's QUICK Guide to Food-Combining

I choose healthy foods from the following four food categegories:

Complex Carbohydrates
Proteins/Fats
Veggies
Fruits

Whether I am trying to loose weight or maintain my weight, I eat these foods in moderation, following simple food-combining principles, which includes eating them in combinations at appropriate times to assist the bodies natural digestion process.

Carbs w/Veggies (no fats)
Wait 2 hours before eating Fruits
Wait 3 hours before eating Proteins/Fats

Proteins/Fats and Veggies (no carbs)
Wait 2 hours before eating Fruits
Wait 3 hours before eating Carbs

Veggies (no fruit)
Wait 0 minutes before eating Carbs or Proteins/Fats

Fruits (no carbs/proteins/fats)
Wait 20 minutes before eating Carbs
Wait 1 hour before eating Proteins/Fats
NOTE: Best when eaten on an empty stomach.

I avoid all refined sugars, simple carbohydrates, processed foods and foods with added chemicals. You may have noticed that I did not mention Sweets? Well, I did that for a reason. As much as I love Sweets, they do not serve the body with any real nutritional value, so I don't like to include them as a separate food category.

It's better to focus on real, whole foods, such as complex carbs, lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies.

Then, once you have established good eating habits, you can have a little sweet treat if you like. If you learn not to incorporate Sweets as a "food" category to begin with you will be more successful in eating healthy and not falling into the bad habit of substituting "Sweet Meals" in place of healthy, nutritious meals!

Suzanne Somers Weight-Loss Program SOMERSIZE

To learn more about Somersizing, please visit Suzanne's site at www.somersize.com !

Betsy's Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:

3 large green peppers
1 ½ pounds ground beef
8 ounces ham (diced)
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 large onion
2 tablespoons garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon peanut oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 can (Hunt's) no sugar added spaghetti sauce
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese



Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400*
   
2. Brown ground beef, drain, set aside.
   
3. Wash green peppers, cut in half, blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
   
4. Place peppers in baking dish, cut sides up.
   
5. In a large stockpot, saute onion and garlic in peanut oil until tender. Add, ham and ground beef, stir to combine. Remove from heat.
   
6. Add, shredded cheddar cheese, one half can of spaghetti sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
   
7. Spoon mixture into open peppers, using all of mixture. Pour remaining half can of spaghetti sauce on top of peppers, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
   
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. (Allow to cool for 6-8 minutes before serving.)

Eat & Enjoy!, Betsÿ

Welcome to "Looks Aren't Everything"

An introduction and how-to navigate my Blog!

Welcome to "Looks Aren't Everything," ... where I share my weight-loss experiences, product recommendations, original recipes, and provide support to those who follow a way of eating (woe) that promotes a healthy lifestyle through the reduction and/or elimination of refined sugars, high starch fruits/vegetables, and simple carbohydrates.

I have been following the Suzanne Somers Weight-Loss Program called Somersize since March 05, 2001, ...to learn more about my journey, please visit my page "On my Weigh" and read My Success Story!

New to blogs?

Here are a few hints and tips to help you navigate through this site ...

1. Contact Me - to contact me via email "click" here!


2. About Me - my Google profile.


3. Quick Glance at My Stats - a click review of my statistics.


4. Graphic Collection - my collection of weight-loss graphics


5. Categories - list of categories that my messages are posted under.


6. Blog Archive - list of my recent/past messages organized by month.


7. My Websites - list of my websites that I own and maintain.


8. Weight-Loss Websites - list of other weight-loss and support websites.


9. Tag Board - click here to leave me a message
   

Note about Messages:

At the bottom of each message, you will find the following tabs:

1. Comments - click on this tab and you can leave a comment regarding the message post.


2. Labels - this tab shows which category the message is located in.


3. Older Posts - click this tab to access all posts in this category


4. HOME - click this tab to return to the most recent post.

Monday, 08/20/2007

B - (2) peach bran muffins, 8 oz. ff milk S - none L - mashed cauliflower, bacon, cheese S - pina colada cooler D - ham/cheese (no bread), pork rinds w/spinach-artichoke dip S - none

Tuesday, 08/21/2007

B - (2) peach bran muffins, 8 oz. ff milk S - strawberry fruit chiller L - mozz. marinara, iced coffee cooler S - beef & cheese sticks D - hot dog (no bun), crispy jicama chips S - iced coffee cooler

Wednesday, 08/22/2007

B - (2) peach bran Muffins, 8 oz. ff milk S - ham/swiss roll ups, garlic dill pickle L - hot dog (no bun), cheese, bacon, sf pudding S - strawberry/apple chips D - Mozz. Marinara S - none

Thursday, 08/23/2007

B - orange juice (wait 20 minutes), (2) peach bran muffins, 8 oz. ff milk S - ham/swiss w/tartar sauce (no bread) L - chili w/cheese, iced coffee cooler S - strawberry/apple chips D - ham/swiss roll ups, iced coffee cooler S - none

Friday, 08/24/2007

B - (2) peach bran muffins, 8 oz. ff milk S - pina colada cooler L - ham/swiss (no bread), dill pickle S - none D - corned beef, string cheese, iced coffee cooler S - bbq pork rinds

Saturday, 08/25/2007

B - (1) peach bran muffin, 8 oz. ff milk S - spinach salad w/oil & vinegar L - mozz. marinara S - cucumbers, meat & cheese bites D - none S - none

Sunday, 08/26/2007

B - (2) peach muffins, 8 oz. ff milk S - 1/2 cantalope L - (2) chili dogs with cheese (no bun) S - sugar snap peas, cheese cubes D - none S - none

Weighing in on my Progress 09/17/07

Wow, it's been 9 weeks and I have had a steady loss of pounds and/or inches during this time. So, ...I don't mind at all that the scale didn't move today and that my inches remained the same.

Not sure if this will be the beginning of a plateau or not but I do think that at times our body does need to just stop to catch up with the changes that are going on when we are in the process of loosing weight.

I know this is a lifestyle change and that means adjusting to new habits. So, I'm not feeling discouraged at all and I will continue to focus on eating healthy foods and becoming fit!

BetsC's QUICK Guide to Food-Combining

I choose healthy foods from the following four food categegories:

Complex Carbohydrates
Proteins/Fats
Veggies
Fruits

Whether I am trying to loose weight or maintain my weight, I eat these foods in moderation, following simple food-combining principles, which includes eating them in combinations at appropriate times to assist the bodies natural digestion process.


Carbs w/Veggies (no fats)
Wait 2 hours before eating Fruits
Wait 3 hours before eating Proteins/Fats

Proteins/Fats and Veggies (no carbs)
Wait 2 hours before eating Fruits
Wait 3 hours before eating Carbs

Veggies (no fruit)
Wait 0 minutes before eating Carbs or Proteins/Fats

Fruits (no carbs/proteins/fats)
Wait 20 minutes before eating Carbs
Wait 1 hour before eating Proteins/Fats
NOTE: Best when eaten on an empty stomach.

I avoid all refined sugars, simple carbohydrates, processed foods and foods with added chemicals. You may have noticed that I did not mention Sweets? Well, I did that for a reason. As much as I love Sweets, they do not serve the body with any real nutritional value, so I don't like to include them as a separate food category.

It's better to focus on real, whole foods, such as complex carbs, lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies. Then, once you have established good eating habits, you can have a little sweet treat if you like. If you learn not to incorporate Sweets as a "food" category to begin with you will be more successful in eating healthy and not falling into the bad habit of substituting "Sweet Meals" in place of healthy, nutritious meals!

Do fat jeans become skinny jeans?

Yes, 11 lbs. and 15.5" do make my fat jeans feel like skinny jeans! LoL

Okay, I'm still in the 11/12's and they are really starting to become baggy, ...but I just can't bring myself to buy a pair of 9/10's yet? I guess I'm waiting on my mind to catch up with my body?

Anyway, I am really glad that Fall is here. I was telling Kenny that I get to feel like I'm having a seasonal transformation, because in the Fall/Winter I tend to wear lots of comfy sweat shirts, ...and I'm hoping by Spring when I shed those big, heavy clothes, that I will be able to reveal my body at my goal weight.

Usually, I'm in such a hurry to loose weight, ...and this time I'm not. And, it makes me feel so good, because I know that this is truly a lifestyle change when my focus is on eating healthy foods and reaching my ideal body weight at a slow and steady pace.

Weighing in on my Progress 09/10/07

I'm feeling like the Energizer Bunny as I am moving towards my goal, ...to date I have now lost 11 lbs. and 15.5" overall and I'm still going, and going, ...and going!