Marie Osmond on Weight Loss

Marie Osmond, age 49, lost 45 pounds 2 years ago and has managed to keep it off.
She dropped from a size 12/14 to a size 2/4. She says it only took her four months to do this. She now weighs about 120 pounds (she is 5'5" tall) and is a spokeswoman for NutriSystem. See some great before and after photos of her here.

She discusses her weight loss story in her new book Might As Well Laugh About It Now

The race is off...the email to end it

I had a bad weekend. After being weak, sick, shaky, high blood pressure, low blood sugar, I decided to hell with the "getting to the finish line" first that I initiated with my girlfriend that's on Medifast. Here's the email I sent her this morning:

Hi Dawn,
Okay, I'm calling our friendly competition to an end. The reason is that I think it's killing me. I've known you for over twenty years and this isn't the first time we've had a weight loss competition.

Remember 1990, we entered that lose 20 pounds in a month contest at work. I weighed 155. We both made goal...by taking laxatives at the very end to lose the last few pounds. We were both so sick we thought we were going die. We lived in the bathroom the day of our weigh in. It was the first time we'd taken a laxative and the last. We promptly gained back the 20 pounds and more.

We did the Weight Watchers at work three years ago and even though it wasn't a formal competition, we were both competing each week to lose the most weight. We both know what happened there, again we both gained the weight back.

You would think I'd learn after all these years that losing weight as quickly as possible is positively idiotic. I always gain it back as fast or faster than I lost it. Since we (I know, it was my blasted idea) started this last Tuesday, I've dropped five pounds. Yesterday I was 151.2. Last Tuesday I was 156.6.

How did I manage to lose that much at this stage in the game? Simple, I over-exercised and didn't eat enough. I had a few days of three hours of exercise and several days of two hours. I've worked out the last seven days without a day off.

Yesterday it all came to a head. I woke up feeling kind of nauseous and weak. I weighed and was thrilled to see 151.2 on my scales. I went for a bike ride where 3/4 up the steepest hill and when my heart rate was 161, I had to stop and throw up. Stopping so suddenly when my heart rate was so high made me feel like I was having a heart attack. I barely made it the rest of the way home (another four miles of hills).

I got home and went to Costco, where half-way through shopping I almost past out. I went to the bathroom and threw up again. Except there was nothing to throw up because I hadn't eating since 8am and it was 3pm (there was the bike ride at 1pm where I burned 540 calories). I had to call Jack to come finish the shopping so I could go home. When I got home I checked my blood pressure, it was 139/80. That's the highest it's been in over a year. I think my body was overly stressed.

I think you can see what I've been doing. Basically, everything wrong. Too much exercise, not enough food, trying to lose weight as fast as possible so I can win. If I continue down this path I'm going to lose my health and that certainly won't make me a winner.

I'll happily pay you for whatever you lose. I just want out of the race. I still want to lose my last 20 pounds (okay, now it's only 16 pounds), but I don't want to lose everything I've work towards for the last 14 months. I don't want to lose my health. I'll lose the weight at my own pace, maybe six months, maybe a year, but I refuse to set unrealistic goals for myself.

This way, it's a win-win situation. You'll win because you'll make goal sooner than me, and you're as competitive as me, maybe even more, so that will make you happy. I'll win because I'll get to stay healthy and feel good.

Your friend,
Diana
P.S. -- if I ever suggest a weight loss competition again, you have my permission to slap me up side the head.

Healthy Snack Ideas

If you are trying to lose weight you should eat a snack for morning tea and afternoon tea. Snacking means you’ll be less likely to overeat at lunch and dinner, and as an added bonus it boosts your metabolism.

It's advisable to plan your snacks in advance so you have healthy options available. We've listed some ideas below:

Savoury Snacks

- Vegetable sticks (carrot, celery, capsicum and snow peas) with low fat dip such as hummus
- A toasted pita pocket cut into triangles with 2 Tbsp low fat tomato salsa dip
- 3 Ryvita, 4 x 9-Grain Vita-Weats, 2 rice cakes or 5 corn thins topped with 1-2 Tbsp cottage cheese and a slice of low fat cheese or vegemite
- A mini can of baked beans
- A small handful of unsalted raw nuts (30g)
- A small low fat savoury muffin
- Up to 20 rice crackers (plain or flavoured)
- A sushi roll
- An English muffin topped with fresh tomato slices and low fat cheese
- Celery boats filled with cottage cheese, low fat peanut butter or low fat hummus
- Continental Cup of Soup
- 2 cups of cooked microwave popcorn (plain or low fat with flavouring)
- 1/2 – 1 cup salt reduced pretzels
- A snack packet of low fat corn chips (1 snack packet)
- Dried cereal - ¾ cup Mini Wheats or ¼ cup natural muesli

Sweet Snacks

- Two low fat biscuits (Weston Oatmeal, Weight Watchers or Arnott’s Snack Right Full o’Fruit biscuits)
- A slice of raisin toast or multigrain bread
- A piece of fresh or frozen fruit (banana, apple, orange or pineapple)
- A cup of fruit salad (tinned or fresh)
- 200g tub of low fat or diet fruit yoghurt or a 150g tub of Fruche Light
- A pikelet, crumpet or English muffin topped with 100% fruit jam or red gum honey
- A low fat sweet muffin
- An Uncle Toby’s Real Fruit bar
- 200g low fat custard, or half a cup of custard with a piece of fruit or a cup of fruit salad
- Half a scone (fruit or plain, topped with 100% fruit jam)
- A breakfast bar such as Kellogg’s K-Time
- A muesli bar such as Nature’s Own with nuts and seeds

A healthy snack should fill you up for at least two hours, so next time you’re tempted to reach for the biscuit jar at work ask yourself, “Will this fill me up for at least two hours?”. If the answer is no, try some of the options above.

153.2 and I feel like hell

It's official, I'm into new fat territory.

5/3/2009 weigh-in: 153.2 pounds

Total lost: 86 pounds

Pounds to lose to 135 goal: 18.2 pounds

How I feel: Like crap

I seriously don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I'm running on empty. I'm shaky and weak. If I bend over and stand up too fast I get dizzy and see stars. I've felt like this all week. What's wrong with me?

I've been over my bronchitis and coughing for at least a week. I'm completely off my codeine cough medicine. I'm taking my vitamins, eating all my Points (19 + 4 AP + 5 Flex...or 28 a day and sometimes more). I'm not starving myself, although I am very hungry. The only thing I'm doing differently is killing myself with the exercise.

Each day during the week I go to the gym, never later than 5:30am, and work out for 1 1/2 hours. At lunch I've been walking for an hour, as long as it's not pouring down rain. At night I do an hour bike ride as long as there's no rain (stupid Northwest weather). The walking and biking don't seem like exercise since they're fun.

On weekends I work out a little longer at the gym, yesterday my heart rate monitor said I burned 666 calories in one hour and forty minutes. I noticed the "666" and thought great, the mark of the devil. Whatever. My heart rate monitor always says about 1/2 of what the machines say so it's pretty accurate.

I just don't know know why I feel so weak and light headed. I told my husband this morning that if I'm late eating a meal I really feel like I'm going to pass out. The first thing I do when I get home from my morning workouts is make breakfast and God help you if you get between me and my food. Hint: stay out of the kitchen when I'm making breakfast.

My only hope is when I reach maintenance I can cut back a little on the exercise and maybe I won't feel so crappy. I really felt my best at 160. I felt healthy then. Now, not so much. Now I just feel tired and weak. Not muscular weak since I can military press 70 pounds, but a general weakness and exhaustion that I can't shake. Being thin isn't really my goal, feeling healthy is my goal. Whatever is wrong with me I sure hope it passes soon. Anyone else feel like this as they neared their goal weight? Does it eventually pass?

The Best Sources of Protein

A high protein diet is increasingly being recommended for fast weight loss. A friend of mine needs a hernia operation and he was told he had to lose almost 25 pounds in less than three months before the operation. A hernia operation is much less risky if there is less stomach fat. He has been placed on a high protein, low carb diet. It's not recommended for the long term, but as a fast way to lose the extra weight.

The Harvard School of Public Health has a great article about the best sources of protein. They say the best sources are fish, beans and chicken.

Iodine

I recently saw a post on Dr. Davis's Heart Scan Blog that reminded me I intended to write about iodine. Iodine is an essential trace mineral. It's required for the formation of activated thyroid hormones T3 and T4. The amount of thyroid hormones in circulation, and the body's sensitivity to them, strongly influences metabolic rate. Iodine deficiency can lead to weight gain and low energy. In more severe cases, it can produce goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland.

Iodine deficiency is also the most common cause of preventable mental retardation worldwide. Iodine is required for the development of the nervous system, and also concentrates in a number of other tissues including the eyes, the salivary glands and the mammary glands.

There's a trend in the alternative health community to use unrefined sea salt rather than refined iodized salt. Personally, I use unrefined sea salt on principle, although I'm not convinced refined iodized salt is a problem. But the switch removes the main source of iodine in most peoples' diets, creating the potential for deficiency in some areas. Most notably, the soil in the midwestern United States is poor in iodine and deficiency was common before the introduction of iodized salt.

The natural solution? Sea vegetables. They're rich in iodine, other trace minerals, and flavor. I like to add a 2-inch strip of kombu to my beans. Kombu is a type of kelp. It adds minerals, and is commonly thought to speed the cooking and improve the digestion of beans and grains.

Dulse is a type of sea vegetable that's traditionally North American. It has a salty, savory flavor and a delicate texture. It's great in soups or by itself as a snack.

And then there's wakame, which is delicious in miso soup. Iodine is volatile so freshness matters. Store sea vegetables in a sealed container. It may be possible to overdo iodine, so it's best to eat sea vegetables regularly but in moderation like the Japanese.

Seafood such as fish and shellfish are rich in iodine, especially if fish heads are used to make soup stock. Dairy is a decent source in areas that have sufficient iodine in the soil.

Cod liver oil is another good source of iodine, or at least it was before the advent of modern refining techniques. I don't know if refined cod liver oil contains iodine. I suspect that fermented cod liver oil is still a good source of iodine because it isn't refined.

Omega-6 Linoleic Acid Suppresses Thyroid Signaling

Iodine

I recently saw a post on Dr. Davis's Heart Scan Blog that reminded me I intended to write about iodine. Iodine is an essential trace mineral. It's required for the formation of activated thyroid hormones T3 and T4. The amount of thyroid hormones in circulation, and the body's sensitivity to them, strongly influences metabolic rate. Iodine deficiency can lead to weight gain and low energy. In more severe cases, it can produce goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland.

Iodine deficiency is also the most common cause of preventable mental retardation worldwide. Iodine is required for the development of the nervous system, and also concentrates in a number of other tissues including the eyes, the salivary glands and the mammary glands.

There's a trend in the alternative health community to use unrefined sea salt rather than refined iodized salt. Personally, I use unrefined sea salt on principle, although I'm not convinced refined iodized salt is a problem. But the switch removes the main source of iodine in most peoples' diets, creating the potential for deficiency in some areas. Most notably, the soil in the midwestern United States is poor in iodine and deficiency was common before the introduction of iodized salt.

The natural solution? Sea vegetables. They're rich in iodine, other trace minerals, and flavor. I like to add a 2-inch strip of kombu to my beans. Kombu is a type of kelp. It adds minerals, and is commonly thought to speed the cooking and improve the digestion of beans and grains.

Dulse is a type of sea vegetable that's traditionally North American. It has a salty, savory flavor and a delicate texture. It's great in soups or by itself as a snack.

And then there's wakame, which is delicious in miso soup. Iodine is volatile so freshness matters. Store sea vegetables in a sealed container. It may be possible to overdo iodine, so it's best to eat sea vegetables regularly but in moderation like the Japanese.

Seafood such as fish and shellfish are rich in iodine, especially if fish heads are used to make soup stock. Dairy is a decent source in areas that have sufficient iodine in the soil.

Cod liver oil is another good source of iodine, or at least it was before the advent of modern refining techniques. I don't know if refined cod liver oil contains iodine. I suspect that fermented cod liver oil is still a good source of iodine because it isn't refined.

Omega-6 Linoleic Acid Suppresses Thyroid Signaling