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  • 80Bites Update and a menu

    I completely slacked off in my 80Bites updates here. I was doing great until the Holidays and then my posting just got thrown off. I’m still trying to find a good groove for 2013.

    I finished the 12 week program with 80 Bites though, and am really feeling great about it. I am no dieter. In fact I am as far from dieting as you can get. I love food, very much. Not only does it keep us going, the flavors you can create are so extraordinary. So you will never see me taking hunger suppressors, counting points or calories, or going on Juice Fasts.

    (FYI, if you choose to do those things, more power to you! They just aren’t for me)
     
    The 80 Bites program is not a diet. I’ve referred to it in the past as a diet program, but truth be told, it’s not. Yes I was hoping to lose weight while following the program, and I did. The truth about 80 Bites though, is that it is a food guide – a healthy way to eat, that doesn’t restrict, is easy to understand, and really just a bunch of facts put together in a way to transform eating habits.
     
    Before getting to what I learned over the course of 12 weeks, I’d like to share this fun little rap put out by the folks at 80 Bites and Sam Stomach.
    
     
    So what did I learn from 80 Bites?
    – 80 Bites is a good guideline for food each day. A little over 80 Bites won’t hurt, but keeping it as close to 80 as possible really makes for the ideal stomach size.
    – You won’t starve. It takes a little getting use to, but turns out I was eating close to 80 bites already.
    – I learned about my own eating habits as I had to reflect and be more observant. Breakfast is very important to keep me from snacking crazy the rest of the day.
    – I learned how to balance a simple meal using the 80 Bites building blocks – protein, veggie, fruit, grain, and beverage.
    – Did you know juice during a meal is better than water, as it helps aid digestion?  Water is best to curb hunger between meals, and keep you hydrated.
    – Last and most important, I learned that I have more self control than I’ve given myself credit for. I can have leftovers, and turn it into an easy snack/meal the following day. I don’t have to eat it to avoid waste 🙂
     
    One last tidbit for you – When I started the 80 Bites program I weighed 165. Today I weigh 156.
    I am pretty proud of the weight I’ve lost, and I know with the things I learned from 80 Bites, I can maintain, and hopefully lose a little bit more. It’s a slow weight loss, but I also haven’t been exercising lately. Once I add that exercise back in, I have hopes of reaching my goal weight, and maintaining it.  No more over-indulging for this girl.
     
    Weekly Menu –
    Monday – Sausage, Egg Potato Skillet
    Tuesday – Honey Mustard Pork Chops
    Wednesday – Tortilla Soup
    Thursday – Fondue “Tea” Party (Valentines!)
    Friday – Pork Chow Mein
    Saturday – Princess C’s birthday. She has requested we go to Chinese.
    Sunday – Salmon Quiche
     
     
    *I received the 80 Bites program free of charge to write my honest review.
     
     
    

  • Frequency and Quality {80 Bites Week 7}

    I know I missed the last two weeks of letting you in on my progress here. What a wonderful, but busy time of the year for everyone.
    This last week especially though, I have had a different perspective on my life, and the things that truly matter. This diet plan does matter to me.
    Why? Although I would love to be losing a lot of weight, what really matters to me, is being healthy. The 80 Bites plan teaches you in small steps how to eat right, and stay healthy through food.
    The program started with Quantity, then moved into Frequency. I learned how to listen to my body, and stop eating when I was full. I am still working on my frequency of eating. Maintaining 4 “meals” a day – Breakfast, lunch Mid-afternoon Snack (I call this my afterschool meal with the kids), and Dinner. In between those times if I feel inclined to eat something I brush my teeth, or find something productive to do instead.

    This last week started the Quality section with 80 Bites. The first week is what I have been looking forward to. A chart of how to balance my meals to get the appropriate nutrition. 
    Here is my condensed version:

    A handful of carrots may be healthier than a couple cookies – but it’s not balanced. Every meal should be balanced. 

    80 Bites has an easy to grasp, with fun graphics, building blocks for a balanced meal.  Now every time I grab something to eat, I run through the building blocks. What am I eating? A piece of bread? Where’s my protein, veggie/fruit, and drink?  And voila, I’ve sat down to a balanced meal.

    Now to figure out where my chocolate fits in…..

    How Many Bites did you take?
    80-90/day

    Feeling
    deprived?
    No. Especially now that I have the tools to balance my meals, I’m feeling more empowered

    Weight at beginning of diet?
    165

    Weight
    today?
    159.5  Yes I am losing weight, and peopple are noticing.

    Are you still motivated?
    Very much so. If it hadn’t become suddenly very cold, I’d be out running even more.  As it is, I’ve recomitted to my morning crunches with an ever growing baby lying on my legs.

  • Eliminate the Snacking {80 bites Week 4}

    It’s week 4 with my 80 Bites diet plan. We’ve moved on from talking about Quantity to learning about Frequency.

    This last week has been more of a mental struggle for me. I love that I’m seeing results, and feeling better about my body, but I’m longing for snacks, and to not feel guilty whenever I eat something. I think my biggest problem right now is perhaps getting the right foods. Something I should probably take a closer look at, or at least at some vitamins to my diet.

    So back to Frequency.  According to the 80 Bites program, there is a very simple way to cut back the snacking between meals – just brush your teeth.

    Yep. Simple and easy really. You brush your teeth and you won’t want to put anything into your mouth and ruin that clean feeling.

    I was a little skeptical at first. The I decided to pay attention to my eating habits after brushing my teeth. I was pleasantly surprised. After brushing my teeth after breakfast, I don’t really snack during the mornings. Brushing my teeth after lunch though is more of a foreign concept to me. It’s definitely a good practice, but not one I’ve ever done. I’ve also noticed that most of my snacking, happens between lunch and dinner.

    So looks like I’ll be adding a good hygiene practice to my afternoons, in an effort to curb those snacking urges. To tell the truth, I’m excited. I don’t usually snack because I’m hungry, more because it’s “something to do” and “it looks good”.  I guess what I’m saying is I’m a boredom eater. I look to food to satisfy things other than actual hunger. Go ahead, tsk tsk me.

    In regards to last weeks lesson, I have slowed my eating considerably. No longer focused on that next bite.

     
    How’s it Going?
    How Many Bites did you take?90-100/day

    Feeling
    deprived?
    Starting to a little. Just in the amount that I eat, though.

    Weight at beginning of
    diet?
    165

    Weight today?
    161

    Are you still
    motivated?
    Yes. Not as much as I had been, but I think it’s just a phase. It’s that mental block I mentioned above.

  • Slow Down {80 Bites Week 3}

    Well, it’s week 3 of my 80 Bites Diet Plan.  I’m really enjoying this plan. It’s easy for me to follow, I don’t have to give up my favorite foods, and I have actually seen the results!

    Week 3 is the last week focused on quantity.  It supposedly takes 21 days to form a habit. I’m not sure anyone anticipated Thanksgiving in this quantity thing though….

    Actually, I impressed myself. I did indulge in Thanksgiving feasting, but I know in years past, I’ve eaten way more than I did this last week.  I actually felt full, and made that decision to stop eating. I didn’t NEED a second serving potatoes and turkey, so I didn’t have one.

    This last week of learning about the quantity of food we eat, 80 bites talked about my food, in the moment. Focusing on one bite at a time. Are you one of the many that think about their next bite while still chewing the first?  I noticed I was quite a bit. Not neccesarily consiously, but I’d have bite 2 on the fork before I had even swallowed, which led to swallowing before really having my food chewed properly.

    So the lesson learned this week –  SLOW DOWN. Chew your food. Enjoy the flavors.

    How Many Bites did you take?
    aprox. 80-90

    Feeling deprived?
    nope

    Weight at beginning of diet?
    165

    Weight today?
    Since I’m on vacation, and Thanksgiving was this week…I’m not weighing..

    Are you still motivated?
    Yes. I even brought my running clothes on vacation. I didn’t go running, but we did take a very long walk to the park, instead of driving.
    Even better, Mark noticed, and asked if I had lost weight this week.

    Week 3 Question: Are you a fast eater?
    Sadly, yes. I will be working on putting my utensils down between bites, and really chewing my food properly.

  • How Big? {80 Bites, Week 2}

    How Big? {80 Bites, Week 2}

    Well, it’s week 2 of my new diet. Since week 1 was more about observation, I was pretty excited. This week, not so much. Trying to limit my number of bites, while remembering to count them as well, has been difficult. Mark needs the Ipad at school, so I don’t always have the 80 Bites App available to count for me.

    Remember how I said I thought the talking stomach was cute? Admittedly, I do still think he’s cute, but I found myself talking back to him when I disagreed with his comments. 

    Have you ever seen that commercial, where the teenage girls follow a man around and make comments about what he’s eating?  Haha, yeah. That’s what I felt like with this talking stomach. If I was eating too fast, he’d tell me to slow down, but in very humorous and um…snarky ways. When I reached over the “right” number of bites per meal he started congratulating me on eating for two….yep, I’m not eating for two.

    But I’m going to keep at it! I think over time I won’t feel as guilty or like a rebelling teen against the snarky stomach. That is the hope at least!

    Week 2’s tasks in the 80 Bites program includes watching the size of your bites. It really should be no bigger than a quarter….or an inch of a banana.  Which really makes sense to me, but I’ve also got a fairly small mouth. So I think I’m good on this one!

    Enough of my rambling, on to the weekly questions!
    Depending on the weeks tasks I may add to these questions.
     
    How Many
    Bites did you take?
    – I’m still trying to remember to count, but when I do, I am actually keeping it pretty close to 80.
    Do you feel
    deprived?
    – A little, but not in the sense I thought I would. I feel deprived of bites. I try to give myself 20 bites per meal, with 20 more for the rest of the days snacking. When I hit 20 though, and there’s still some yummy food in front of me, that is when I feel deprived. I’m big on flavors and taste, so I tend to over eat just to enjoy that flavor a little longer.
    Weight at the
    beginning of the diet?
    – 165 (that’s
    right I’m telling the world my weight!)
    Weight
    today?
    – 161.5
    Has it
    motivated you?
    – This week, not so much. But, I’ve been sick this week, so that really sucks the motivation out of me. All I’ve really wanted to do was indulge in quick and easy treats. Hopefully once I get over this, I’ll be motivated again to workout daily. I want to up my crunches from 50/day to 75/day, and go running at least once a week.
     
    Week 2 Question: Are there any times/situations that cause you to mindlessly eat?
    – You bet! Sometimes I get so focused on getting kids ready and fed, and dresses and laundry started in the mornings, that I forget to sit down and eat breakfast myself. I find when I skip breakfast, it causes mindless snacking the whole rest of the day! And I should know better. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all.
  • Counting, but not Calories: The 80 Bites Diet

    Counting, but not Calories: The 80 Bites Diet

    So I finally did it, I decided to diet.

    I’ve never been a fan of dieting. Counting calories and giving up my favorite foods, just have not been things I wanted to do. So I didn’t. Well, I guess I did a couple years ago when I gave up sugar, but I found a lot of yummy sugar-free foods during that time too. I was asked to test out 80Bites, all opinions are my honest thoughts. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click on and purchase from them.

    Trying to lose weight, but hate counting calories? Try the 80Bites diet. ad

    Anyways – back to this new diet I’m trying out. First off, why? Well because I really needed to lose some weight. Since Lincoln was born I haven’t done much to get back in shape. I had these grand plans of running and eating lots of veggies. The veggies have worked out great, but the running not so much. I find I don’t have a lot of time with 4 kids underfoot, and a husband whose schedule is ever changing.

    Basically, it didn’t matter how healthy I was eating at this point, I wasn’t losing any more weight. I hit a plateau, and it wasn’t changing anytime soon. So what happened next? I stopped eating healthy. I gave in to my sweet tooth. Exchanged water for more milk and juices. Went without some meals, in favor of quick and unhealthy snacking throughout the day.

    Something had to change!

    Then I found 80 Bites. Ha, that totally just sounded like an advertisement didn’t it…ok maybe it is…but really I did find it at the right time for me.

    So how does it work? Well, instead of counting calories, 80 Bites has you count the bites you take. Cool right? I mean, counting your bites is pretty easy. You don’t give up your favorite foods, you don’t change anything actually, except for how much you take in.

     
    I think we’ve all heard it before, but it really is about portion control. Too much of anything, including food, isn’t good for us. 
     
    I started this “Diet” at the beginning of the week. The program lasts 12 weeks and is separated into 4 themes. Each lasting 3 weeks – because as they say (who is they anyway?) it takes 21 days to create a habit.  Each week in the program new information is provided to you with tasks to complete. Week 1 is all about getting started and observing your regular eating patterns.
     
    I really love how simple 80 Bites is to follow. They don’t overwhelm you (a big turn off for me from other diet plans), and they keep it fun.
    The 80 Bites program was developed by Joan Breibart, creator of the first Pilates Certificate program (I LOVE PILATES!!!), and Meredith Luce, dietician for 30+ years!  If that doesn’t qualify for a great diet plan, I don’t know what does.
     
    Once you’ve joined the program, you’ll want to download the App.  The app helps keep track of how much you eat, plus it’s cute to boot! Is it weird I find a talking stomach cute? The program is 100% FREE! 
     
     

    Week 1 Take Aways from 80 Bites

     
    How Many Bites did I take?
    – Well, I’m still trying to remember to count my bites. It may take a bit, but I’m getting better at remembering.
     
    Do you feel deprived?
    – Nope. I’ve even enjoyed some brownies
     
    Weight at the beginning of the week?
    – 165 (that’s right I’m telling the world my weight!)
     
    Weight today?
    – 162 (note, these are my results only, everyone will be different. This includes a dose of exercise in addition to just observing what I eat.)
     
    Has it motivated you?
    – YES! On top of just being excited about this diet, I decided I really was going to start running again. So last night, I grabbed my 4-year-old, and we took a run after dinner. It felt so good, despite being a slow jog and the amazing back pain I woke up with.