Preserve your life - cut PRESERVATIVES!

One of the firs things I changed about my lifestyle when I began my weight loss journey almost 3 years ago, and the thing that I preach the hardest to those who ask my advice is: DO NOT EAT PRE-PACKAGED FOOD!

This means things like Hamburger Helper, canned chili, frozen dinners, already seasoned meat in the butcher department, etc.

First, all of these are obviously loaded with salt and we already know the travesty that salt is to our bodies. But, what are equally or even worse, would be the PRESERVATIVES. These are chemicals that simply are not conducive to a "healthy body".

Here's the way I look at the matter. Preservatives are designed to stop the metabolic life of food that we eat. If we then consume these preservatives through the food we eat we are doing two detrimental things to our bodies. First, how can this food (that has been chemically altered to NOT metabolically age) be properly broken down and the necessary nutrients extracted for our bodies to function as intended?

Secondly, now that we have consumed these preservatives and they are now residing within our bodies, would they not continue to "preserve" food/nutrients? Could they be stopping our very bodies from functioning as they are designed? Would they not prohibit our bodies from "breaking down" the nutrients and "keeping" them unused in our systems, inadvertently causing us to gain weight?

Firsthand, I can tell you that within a matter of only a couple of weeks, I personally noticed a dramatic difference in my own body when I eliminated such foods from my diet. Not only, did my weight noticeably drop, but I also found that I ate less. This seemed to be due to the more "natural" foods that I was consuming, was filling me up quicker and for a longer duration than when I ate the "pre-packaged" food. A totally unexpected benefit that I found was that my tastes changed! Once I worked those chemicals out of my system, I found that I actually LIKED the healthy fruits and veggies a lot!

It has now been about 3 years since I have prepared anything like this for my family and you can even see the difference in them! My husband (who would never actually diet or exercise), has actually lost about 50 pounds! As someone who has lost over 120 pounds and kept (all but 15 pounds) it off, my FIRST piece of advice that I pass on to you, is this, "CUT THE PRESERVATIVES!" I do feel this strongly about preservatives.

Being a mom, I also know how it's extremely difficult to find the time to prepare "home cooked" meals everyday. So, I'll give up another secret about me: I am the consummate cheat on cooking! I find shortcuts for everything and over the last 3 years have developed quite a file of "healthy" recipes that actually FOOL my picky family! Be sure to check my Tasty MORSELS section as I will be weekly adding recipes that are "healthy" and yet family tested and approved! And be sure to send me YOUR healthy recipes! I'll try them on my family and if I can slide it by them, I'll add them to my Tasty MORSELS with a Credit to the submitter.

My First Weight and Exercise Post

Well, if you read A Big FAT Welcome, then you are aware that one of the reasons for this Blog is for me to create a foundation of "personal accountability", to which will firmly motivate me to "stay on the wagon" of fitness. As I mentioned, after my family moved across the country, cutting me off from several circles of "exercise buddies", I lost my motivation for exercise. That, coupled with the holidays led me to one day discovering that my weight had crept back up a little over 160 pounds!

Needless to say, I was floored! I hadn't weighed that much in over 2 1/2 years and had promised myself, I'd never see it again on my scale. So I scared myself straight, conceived the idea for this blog, and drug my big butt back to the gym.

A week has gone by since I've been back "on-track" with both my exercise and healthy eating lifestyle and I am already seeing results. Today the scales rewarded my sweat, tears, and cramps with - Drum roll please ...

156.8 pounds!

So, 10 or so more pounds to go until I reach my "happy place" and I now feel confident that I'll be there before Valentine's Day. Check back next week for my weight then and keep me in check!

Family Fave Pita Pizza

This is one of my family's "staple" meals. Everyone loves it SO much I have to make it once a week. The best part is that since its LOW FAT and each serving is approx 400 calories, I don't mind at all!

You'll need:

* One package of WHOLE WHEAT PITA BREAD (5 loaves)
* One jar of LOW SODIUM, ORGANIC spaghetti/pizza SAUCE
* Chopped GARLIC (excellent for Heart Health)
* Italian Seasoning
* 2 Tbsp PARMESAN CHEESE for EACH pizza
* One package of Low Fat TURKEY PEPPERONI
* One 2 Cup package of Low Fat shredded ITALIAN CHEESE
* ALL THE VEGGIES YOU DESIRE
* Olive Oil

Each loaf of Pita will be its own Personal Pizza. First, brush bottom of each loaf with a TINY AMOUNT of Olive Oil (approx 1/4 tsp each loaf). Place each on a foil lined baking sheet. Top each loaf with 2 Tbsp of SAUCE. Season sauce with additional ITALIAN SEASONINGS, Chopped Garlic, and any other VEGGIES you desire. Sprinkle each loaf with 2 Tbsp of PARMESAN CHEESE. Add 4-5 slices of TURKEY PEPPERONI, and then divide the SHREDDED CHEESE among each loaf. Add another layer of TURKEY PEPPERONI and/or VEGGIES if desired. Season top of each with more ITALIAN SEASONING.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

A few notes:

According to my calculations and the brands that I use, I calculate each pizza to be approx 400 calories, high in fiber, and low in fat.

I have ALWAYS been a Pepperoni girl and I have to say that I can NOT tell a difference in the TURKEY PEPPERONI, it tastes EXACTLY like regular to me. The best part is there are ONLY 50 calories per 14 slices! If you put all 14 on each pizza- it's really jammed with PEPPERONI.

I find that the ONE jar of SAUCE will last me making these PIZZAS for about 3 weeks, so the way I store it is, after I open the jar and make the first week's, I use ice cube trays to freeze the rest. After keeping them in the freezer over night, "pop" them out and put them in a FREEZER BAG, then put back in freezer until I'm ready for them. You can then use half the bag for the next batch, and so forth.

2009 Current Resume

Heather Merriman
One Jefferson Parkway #132
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
503-305-6607
h_merriman@yahoo.com

Objective :

After moving from Florida to Oregon and ready to jump back into the work force am currently seeking challenging managerial position in a fast-paced, team environment. Enthusiastically seeks a position in which to utilize current business experience while also developing further advanced business acumen.

Summary :

With nearly 15 years management experience in both the transportation and lighting industries, garnering hands-on experience in nearly every department; HR, Customer Service, Marketing, Shipping/Receiving, Dispatch, Production, etc and successful with coaching, training, procedure establishment, negotiations, B2B, customer relations and more.

Experience :

Aug 2006- Sept 2008 Legends of Mernac, Pompano Beach, FL Publicity Mgr (Temp Project)

Key Accomplishments:

* Surpassed business plan goals i.e.: promotions, programming, & user interactions.
* Coordinated contests including, advertising, maintaining entries, judging, & payment schedules.

* Write & distribute Press Releases pertaining to all matters of contests, promotions, industry news, & new releases.

May 2004-Aug 2006 Delta Light USA/ FAD Lighting, Ft Lauderdale, FL Operations Manager

Key Accomplishments:

* Wholly responsible for day-to-day operations, staff supervision, production schedule, P&L, purchasing, inventory, accounts payable/receivable, customer service, collections, logistics of European imported product, sales support, provided back-up support for Shipping Manager.
* Constructed teams for Bills of Materials, Lighting Quotations & Customer Service.
* Successfully re-negotiated several vendor contracts, realizing a 35% savings for the company.
* Developed procedure for Order Entry, Purchasing, & invoicing allowing business to expand with no decrease in service while also eliminating the need for further human resources.

August 2000-Sept 2003 East to West Lighting, Severn, MD Operations Manager

Key Accomplishments:

* Worked in conjunction with partner to create & stabilize a new start-up lighting supply company.
* Responsible for legal matters, P&L, marketing functions, liaison between customers & manufacturers, sales travel matters & customer service.

July 1998-October2000 HBI of Maryland, Hanover, MD Operations Manager

Key Accomplishments:

* Provided all reporting for weekly business trend meetings with all terminals, A/P reconciling, Payroll reconciling, & provided back-up support for all office positions.
* Supervised all office, driver, and warehouse personnel at busy airfreight company & oversaw all Customs, D.O.T., vehicle maintenance regulations.
* Implemented successful procedure for In-Bond freight, regarding customs, billing, & customer notification.

July 94-June 98 AutoQuik/Roberts Express, Akron, OH Customer Svs Manager

Key Accomplishments:

* Supervised & coached Customer Service Agents & assumed final responsibility for service failures while developing, implementing, & managing project teams.
* Responsible for D.O.T. safety regulations & compliances.
* Recognized repeatedly for innovative methods of problem resolution.
* Created tracking method for Service Failures that deduced causes & was integral in reducing the failures & improving customer relations.

Education :

1990 Honors Graduate Barberton High School Barberton, OH
“Meet you at the Top” -Zig Ziggler
“Communications & Team Building” -Creative Training Concepts
“Harassment and Hostility in the Work Place” -Creative Training Concepts
“7 Step Correction Action Process” -Oakland Community College

Skills :

Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, Project Expert
Microsoft Access Novice
Goldmine Intermediate
Dreamweaver Novice
QuickBooks Expert

Welcome to Escaping Fat!

My name is Heather and in March of 2006 I underwent Gastric Bypass surgery. It has NOT been the cure-all that many would suspect, however, I have been successful in maintaining a healthy weight and would now like to pass some of the rules, exercises, recipes, and such that I feel have contributed to my success to anyone who also struggles with their weight and/or fitness.

A little more about me, prior to my surgery I rocked the scales at a staggering 281 pounds. I stand 5’5” tall, which brought my BMI (Body Mass Index) to 46.8. Morbidly Obese is anything over 30. You can calculate your BMI here. I have found my most comfortable weight to be 145. At this weight, I feel at my “fittest” and most comfortable in my own skin. Yes, that’s a loss of over 130 pounds!

But, don’t get me wrong! I am NOT an advocate of weight loss surgery! In fact, most often, everyone I have personally met or encountered via the media, have definitely FAILED with the surgery! I feel that the most probably reason for this failure is because the surgery has been viewed as a quick-fix, surgical miracle, or easy-out to what is more than likely an unrealistic goal. I believe that the surgery is probably only appropriate for the rare individual, who truly sees it only as one TOOL of many, to be utilized for the rest of their lives on a journey to a “healthy lifestyle”.

If I have learned one thing over the last 3 years, it's that a DIET will NOT solve my weight problems. I've had to change my life. For most, it’s not realistic to change your entire life overnight, so my goal is to provide various tidbits that you will be able to implement into your lifestyle, one or two weeks at a time. These are changes that will be for the REST of YOUR LIFE, so this is much more easily done step-by-step. I encourage first examining your lifestyle, in depth (being brutally honest with yourself), then formulating a plan whereby you commit to making a small change every week or two. With that in mind, I will be posting a “morsel of advise” every week or so (this will be a post that will capitalize on one of the healthy “rules” of life that I have personally found success with), a “tasty morsel” (a healthy recipe that I personally use AND like), and a “morsel of movement” (an exercise that I personally do/have done and have found to be worth it).

I also have another, more selfish, reason for this project, and that would be creating a means of “personal accountability” for me. Why, you ask? Well, in September of 2008, my family moved from Florida to Oregon, causing me to lose several circles of “exercise buddies” that I very much enjoyed having. With the loss of these friends, my level of exercise dropped dramatically, and of course, my weight again began to climb back up. In those first 4 months, I gained back about 15 pounds. A definite eye-opener for me and proof positive how extremely important exercise is! To achieve this accountability, I will be weekly posting how much and what type of exercise I have accomplished for the week AND I will also be posting my actual WEIGHT! As you say, “Are you nuts?!? You’re going to post your real weight on the World Wide Web!”, I will explain that for me, I personally do well under this type of pressure and it is one thing that I know will most definitely keep me honest with myself, my weight at my preferred 145 and my fitness to the level that I am most comfortable with. Rest assured, I have already “amped” up my exercise routine and will be posting my starting weight shortly.

I look forward to developing many friendships here as we join together to travel the same path, each of us encouraging the others. Please, I implore you, be generous with your feedback! We all know that what works for “one”, doesn’t work for “every” one. If you have a different opinion that mine by all means, say so! There’s probably someone out there who can benefit from your opinion/advice. I DEFINITELY look forward to YOUR “healthy” recipes! I can’t wait to try them out and then add them to our catalog, and the same with your exercise tips! Should you just be at the beginning of your journey and be totally confused as to where to even begin, I would be more than happy to help if I can. I will have you log everything you consume for a week and any/all exercise that you currently do, then give some suggestions as to what you may want to try to change for the first week, and so on. Sometimes, an honest outside opinion is just the trick. Remember, I DO NOT endorse any diets, nor will I ever suggest anything that I haven’t tried myself and been pleased with! And the best benefits that EVERYONE will enjoy will only come with the PARTICIPATION of everyone! So have your say!

I know that by working together we’ll be CHANGING LIVES and ESCAPING FAT!