Do you HAVE to exercise to lose weight????

Hi all!


     So, the ultimate question... Do you HAVE to exercise to lose weight??...

   Real answer... NO... Weight loss is about 80-90% what you eat and drink.

   You technically don't have to work out to lose weight. I wrote a post about calories that explains what a calorie is and how it works with your body http://fatfreevee.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-does-she-know-getting-started.html.

   In that post I state that in order to loose weight you have to do the following:  If you consume more calories (energy) than your body can burn off or use, it gets stored as FAT; You have to reduce how many calories you are consuming now so that it's less than the calories you burn... that way your body HAS to start burning the FAT it's storing for energy! 

    As long as the amount of calories you are eating or drinking in the day are less than the calories you burn, you will lose weight.

   BEFORE YOU START CELEBRATING, here are just a FEW of the reasons why you SHOULD definitely work out!

1. Paired with a healthy diet it will help you not only lose weight, maintain the weight loss, prevent weight gain or even help you achieve FASTER weight loss results.

2. Helps improves your chances of living longer

3. Helps you sleep better

4. Helps fight off symptoms of depression and anxiety

5. Helps prevent type 2 Diabetes

6. Helps to prevent some types of cancer

7. Helps prevent heart disease, high blood pressure

8. Helps prevent loss of bone

9. Helps improve circulation, which can lead to a better sex life

10. Gives you energy

11. Natural stress reliever

12. Helps improve your confidence

13. Helps improve your memory

14. Helps you look younger

15. Helps you boost your metabolism

   That's really just the TIP of the iceberg in the reasons why you should work out and why it is so important in your life! The key here people is better HEALTH and exercising is SUCH an important key to that!

   I wrote this post today because although I've LOST 140 pounds I still need motivation sometimes to get my exercise in, even though I know how amazing it is for you.

  Some of you may be intimidated or not even know where to start? Don't worry this week will be devoted to work out tips and advice! I hope you take the time to check it out!

  Keep reading and following so you too can have your before and after:

FAT FREE VEE'S BEFORE AND AFTER

FOLLOW, SHARE AND COMMENT!

Love you for reading!
Fat Free Vee

WHY AM I SAD?

Hi all,

     Today I am a bit down about my weight and, although candid, I'm going to write about it. Went to Orlando last week for about nine days to visit some family and got the opportunity to head out to a girls weekend in St. Augustine. It was awesome! I had so much fun reconnecting with my best friends just lounging, relaxing, laughing and did I mention eating?!  St. Augustine has some pretty amazing restaurants! 

 I didn't go CRAZY with food and still stuck to some of my rules for eating at a restaurant without curbing your progress http://fatfreevee.blogspot.com/2014/05/step-away-from-bread-basket-restaurants.html?m=1. CHECK it out. Very helpful.  Although, I did give into some things I normally wouldn't, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed them!!! But came home and of course was no longer 142 (weight I left to Orlando at), I weighed145 this morning!!!  I know you are probably saying, " SERIOUSLY??? What is the big deal??? SO what? You had a good time and you gained three pounds. Hardly anything!", Right? WRONG!

 Well? A combination of the two. I am not sad I let go and didn't go crazy with counting calories or watching all of the ingredients and I do not regret any of the choices food wise I made while away; but I am disappointed that I did gain the weight. I was hoping by some miracle I would stay the same. Hahah. 

  I am not defined by my weight. I am not a better person if I weigh 140 versus 145 but I FEEL better about myself when I do. Or do I????!!!!! Here is a question I asked my self after I weighed myself this morning?      WHY AM I SAD???  

   When I looked in the mirror BEFORE I weighed myself I was happy!  But after, I was sad..... so why am I sad? Before the scale told me I gained three pounds, I looked in the mirror and actually liked the way I looked, I was in a great mood and ready to start the day! But AFTER,  I was disappointed, sad, felt really gross, even put on some super baggy clothes to mask the three pounds. But WHY?  Why did this number upset me... THAT was the question?

I started thinking and it was a mix of a couple things. Call me crazy,  judge all you want. I guarantee you at some point of your life have gone through this. 

1. I was upset because LOOSING WEIGHT IS HARD... and I am very upset I now have to start a new five pound weight loss goal which will take at least two to three weeks.

 2. 140lb is A LOT closer to 139lb which is in the 130's!! Versus 145 which is rounded to 150 which would now be in the 150 's. Crazy?! I KNOW!  BUT it was a thought in my head!!

3. Lastly, I had a play date/group meeting scheduled and these ladies last saw me weighing in at 142... ahhhhhh???!!!

     WALA!!!!  THAT was it!! The real reason I was sad!!! Having someone see me heavier                         than before, even if JUST three pounds, is terrifying for me...

I know some of you are like what in the WORLD?  BUT when you grow up your entire life hearing," Oh you look heavier, fatter, bigger, than the last time I saw you," It AFFECTS YOU!!!

People don't understand the consequences of their comments and judgements upon other people. Those things hurt so much growing up that now, I am literally scared of gaining weight. I recognize this issue. I would never ever let it escalate to something greater. I DON'T let it stop me from eating, and it doesn't even cause me to yearn EXTREME dieting methods. It just keeps me aware of what my body is doing and always pushing me to improve.

In that aspect being OVERLY CRITICAL is really not that bad?! I kind of encourage being on your toes and recognizing your body BUT I do not condone negative self talk and being sad at the scale!  Which is something I am working very hard at!!!

 I love being a positive person,  I try to promote positivity in everything I do, expecially in weight loss and this journey! It should be about being HEALTHY versus skinny and we should focus on living happily, versus just caring about what we look like. 

BUT I would be a phony if I told you I didn't care about it somewhat!  I would be a phony if I told you that I didn't worry about what others thought and I would be a phony if I told you I didn't care about the scale!

 But I would also be lying if I told you I wasn't PROACTIVELY working on making all those things back ground noise to simply LIVING HEALTHY and being happy with myself! THAT for me is the WHOLE point of this journey! To FEEL good... to be a woman comfortable in her own skin...

I love this poster. It says exactly how I feel. I am obsessed with becoming a woman comfortable in her skin! And that obsession as long as it's a HEALTH Y balanced one that doesn't cause you harm or to have a disease is actually GREAT motovation. I hope that being this candid helps you get through your struggles because we all have them.

Love you for reading,
Fatfreevee

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The skinny side of drinking!

Hey all!

    I am going away this weekend for a much needed girls weekend!! I am so very excited!  We will be visiting a vineyard and it got me thinking about something that most people don't realize can be a very big reason for weight gain. Drinking!

       I want to preface this article with saying I hardly drink, although don't judge those who do and this article is strictly about calories not health. At the end of the day social drinking is a big aspect of most people's lives regardless the health risks. If you are interested in those statistics please do some research on the topic. This article will be on which alcoholic beverage are "better" for you STRICTLY on a caloric basis. Ok now...

       I am always saying don't drink your calories!  1. Because water is the best thing on the earth for your body. And 2. The amount of sugar and calories in most drinks are very high. But most people don't realize is that alcohol is also full of sugar and very high in calories.

       I know know! WHAT!? I am not trying to ruin your glass of wine or put a damper on your girls/guys night, but I am here to EDUCATE you on HOW TO be able to have a couple of drinks WITHOUT ruining your figure or progress!!! Here we go!!

        There are many drinks out there but they all basically fall into a couple types. Distilled spirits (hard liquor), beer, mixed drinks and wine.


        Of course there all kind of brands and types of each of those types of alcoholic beverages. But I'm going to give you the basics and some charts to help out on your night's out!

Here is a very, very basic break down:

DISTILLED SPIRITS ( HARD LIQUOR ) :

Average : 1.5 oz 100 cals

BEER :

Average : 12 oz Regular - 150 cals
                  12 oz Light - 100 cals

WINE:

Average : 5 oz Red 100 cals
                  5 oz White 120 cals

MIXED DRINKS :

Average : 4 oz 150 cals

        Again this is a very basic break down of the calories in the extremely large list of alcoholic beverages out there. But just something to take a quick look and help make you AWARE of the calories you are consuming if you are watching your waist line!

        Here is a quick chart that I really like that encompasses a good list of popular drinks :

http://pinterest.com/pin/277112183296825630/

THANK YOU FOR READING!  

Share, follow, and comment!! 

Monday Motivation!

It's Monday again!

Let's start the week with some motivation!!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/277112183296071198/

Did you make a bad decision this weekend? 

Did you gain a pound? Not loose any weight?

Are you sad or frustrated your will power was weaker than you'd hope?

Don't give up on your goals because of a set back! Just move forward and start living healthy once again! 

I made some not so awesome choices, and guess what! It made me more motivated than ever! 

Let your FRUSTRATIONS be your MOTIVATIONS!!! 

Turn those things that make you frustrated into the fuel you need to move forward!

Let's make it a great week all!!!

Any questions please let me know! 

PLEASE SHARE AND FOLLOW! 

THANK YOU!

Set back? Move on and stop feeling FAT!

           I woke up today and got on the scale and I was FIVE pounds heavier at 143 than I was at my skinniest 138 (a month ago). I instantly felt down, sad, angry, depressed, mad and really, really, REALLY fat!

    I started thinking of all the things that I had done WRONG the day before, the week before. I was mad at myself for eating dinner so late and not watching my portions, mad at skipping my exercise routine and being so WEAK....

    I mentioned it to Rob (my boyfriend of nine years and father of our child) and he once again was flabbergasted. He couldn't believe that after all this time and all this work and all this SUCCESS and 140 pounds gone that I could seriously be so negative toward myself. That I could look at myself as anything else but amazing? That I once weighed 280 pounds and now was SAD that I was 143, when in my wildest DREAMS, I would have never imagined being this small. SO this really got me thinking. It made me think of one of my favorite quotes:

    To reduce depression, and anxiety to merely the past and the present may seem absurd to some but to me it makes perfect sense in terms of my journey! Too often I find myself depressed due to TODAY not being as skinny as I was YESTERDAY and anxious because I feel I will never get to 129 in the FUTURE.... Where in there do I leave time to enjoy the present? When do I give myself time to live in the NOW and be grateful for where I am today? 

    Can YOU relate to this? Does this resonate with you? Do you feel depressed because you aren't where you where once? Anxious because you don't seem to be getting where you want to be in the future fast enough? 

     Let's take a minute to realize, that where you are TODAY is beautiful, and the now will only be here, well, NOW.  That today, will be the past tomorrow. And the future, that is tomorrow, will be the present way too soon! 

    It took some serious me time and prayer and meditation to snap myself out of this negative attitude I woke up with and some serious reflection to realize how absolutely ridiculous I was being. That I am human and worth so much more than five pounds on the scale. But I did.

    Are you STUCK within your diet? Are you at a place where you are depressed and anxious? CUT yourself a break and realize you can always just move forward and keep right on your journey regardless of your SET BACKS. WE ALL HAVE THEM! They are extremely common when trying to get to a goal, especially a weight loss goal; but hardly anything worth having comes easy! And that hard work and those set backs are what will make the VICTORY that much sweeter. 

    Those set backs will help you become the person you want to be! Not only physically by helping you push your body beyond limits you thought impossible, but mentally, you will KNOW that you faced hard times and WON the battle that is WEIGHT LOSS and healthy living! 

    SO, STOP wasting time on being overly critical because pouting doesn't create RESULTS! Instead realize you are human and you stumbled, get back up and WALK TALLER, stronger and more confident knowing you had a disappointment and decide to KEEP GOING instead of quitting! 

And remember to keep those BEFORE AND AFTER's handy!:

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Open to your questions!!

Hi all!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine involved a frozen dark chocolate banana as dessert! Talk about delicious AND nutritious! Yum! Hahah.

I just wanted to open up the floor to any and all questions???!

I will do my best to give you an answer :)

Would love to help! :)

ALSO if anyone feels this blog could possibly help someone. Please share and follow!  I look forward to your questions!

Clean eating shopping lists!

Hey guys!

    I found some awesome examples of some CLEAN EATING grocery lists on pinterest and wanted to share them with you! Even a vegetarian list and vegan shopping list!

PRINT them out!
POST them on your fridge!
SAVE them to your phones or computers.

    The grocery store can be a scary place for those beginning this CLEAN EATING jouney, so these really are such helpful tools and reminders on WHAT TO BUY to eat clean!

10 EASY way to EAT CLEAN!!! (With pictures!)

Hey all,

    So you are probably wondering, "What CAN I eat to loose weight?"  Or "What did SHE eat too loose the weight?"

ANSWER!!!:

EATING CLEAN

What is eating clean?

This can DRAMATICALLY change your life, physically and mentally!

10 EASY ways to EAT CLEAN!! (with pictures)!!

1. STOP EATING CRAP!

2. LIMIT your processed foods!

 Now it is impossible to avoid all processed foods because even foods like milk and frozen foods have been processed, just minimally. The KEY here is to avoid foods that have been HEAVILY processed like precooked frozen foods and canned foods that have tons of additives especially sodium!

3. Eat more foods with NO LABELS?

Have you ever noticed vegetables and fruits have no labels? These things are extremely important for your body! EAT more fruits and vegetables! There is NOTHING added to these foods, especially if you go organic!

4. If you can't PRONOUNCE the ingredient, it is most likely bad for you:

The less ingredients listed on something the closer to it's original source of food it is. If you cannot read the ingredient it is most likely something you want to avoid. Read the ingredients. If you know what most of them are... you are probably ok to eat it, in moderation!

5. Watch your SALT!

There is a reason why our foods don't naturally come salty... because they are perfect the way they are! If you must add seasoning try going natural! SPICES that come from the earth! There are soooo many! Tumeric, Basil, Cilantro, Paprika, Oregano, Mint, I mean I could go on and on and on! WATCH out for pre mixed spices, those typically have a lot of salt! Look for salt free ways to flavor your food!

6. Watch your bad fats!

7. Choose HEALTHY proteins:

8. Choose your CARBS carefully:

10. Drink plenty of water, the cleanest stuff on earth!:

11. Watch added SUGARS!

TADA!!!!!!!

HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!!

PLEASE SHARE SHARE SHARE! FOLLOW AND COMMENT!!

You can do it guys! 

Bison Portabella mushroom caps!

Hi all!

So this recipe is all my creation!  And it wow! SO GOOD! and SO easy!

Bison Portabella mushroom caps:

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup onion
1 medium tomato
2 tablespoons dry basil
Sea salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
4 oz Bison
1/2 cup Light marinara sauce
2 Portabella mushroom caps
1/4 cup goat cheese

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a sauce pan spray a couple sprays of the cooking spray of your choice and add in onions and 1/2 of the tomato, cook till onion is transparent.

2. Add Bison, basil, salt and pepper and cook till meat is browned.

3. Add marinara sauce and cook another minute.

4. Top each mushroom cap with half of the Bison mixture.

5. Top each mushroom cap with half of the left over tomato.

6. Top each mushroom cap with half of the goat cheese.

7. ENJOY!!!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

SUBSUBSTITUTIONS: 

The meat can be substituted for any meat or even tofu or even a fried egg... play with it! The posibilities are endless! Just take into account nutrional values will change with substitutions. 

Same with the cheese! Any cheese you like can be easily switched. Take into consideration nutrional values will change with substitutions. 

Feedback is appreciated! !!!!!!!!! 

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THANK YOU!!!