Anytime we start a weight control program there seems to be so much enthusiasm. Then the difficulty sets in and it gets hard. But you can take one step at a time. I give people the tools to start and keep at it and encourage them to find the support they need because it can get rough. Eating well takes effort particularly in our fast food culture. But it can be done. The step by step weight control plan offers the steps to overcome the obstacles and make eating and food simple but delicious.
Here are the steps-Remember to take it one at a time.
Step by Step Weight Loss Plan
Take it one step at a time
Eat 5-6 small meals daily.
Have Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack (if desired)
OR
Have contact with food only 4 times a day.
1. Eat lean protein at every meal.
2. Eat breakfast every morning
3. Eat vegetables or fruit at every meal. Fill ½ your dinner plate with vegetables.
4. Drink enough fluid. Choose water, sparkling water, and unsweetened iced green, black or herb teas. Add lemon, lime or a bit of berry juice for flavor. Enjoy a cup or two of coffee or tea with low-fat milk or lemon. Avoid sweet drinks of all kinds including juice and sports drinks.
5. Avoid processed foods made with white grains and white sugar. For a sweet tooth have a piece of dark chocolate and a few nuts. Choose chocolate with 70% or more cocoa butter.
6. Benefit from red wine or other alcohol by drinking it with meals.
Daily recommendation: One 5 oz glass for women and two 5 oz glasses for men.
7. Take your supplements everyday.
8. Journal-people who journal lose weight.
9. Exercise 5-6 days a week. Start slow…
10. Join a weight loss group or start one with friends.
Showing posts with label Weight loss tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weight loss tips. Show all posts
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Exercise and execise tips
Exercise
Aerobic exercise burns fat: It is any activity using large muscles done for an extended time both burning calories and providing cardiovascular benefit. Examples include biking, jogging, swimming, dance classes and walking.
Anaerobic exercise builds muscle. It includes resistance or weight training.
Yoga and Pilates strengthen the core, stretch and sculpt muscles.
Quicker weight loss
Interval exercise involves mixing high intensity bursts of exercise with moderate intensity recovery periods. This boosts the metabolism and burns more calories.
Exercise Tips
Move daily for 30-90 minutes
Pick a partner or exercise buddy
Set goals
Be active in 10 minute spurts
Plan ahead and plan a regular exercise time
Track your exercise program and success
Think frequency, not duration
Start slow
Wear a pedometer and work up to 10,000 steps a day (about 5 miles)
Aerobic exercise burns fat: It is any activity using large muscles done for an extended time both burning calories and providing cardiovascular benefit. Examples include biking, jogging, swimming, dance classes and walking.
Anaerobic exercise builds muscle. It includes resistance or weight training.
Yoga and Pilates strengthen the core, stretch and sculpt muscles.
Quicker weight loss
Interval exercise involves mixing high intensity bursts of exercise with moderate intensity recovery periods. This boosts the metabolism and burns more calories.
Exercise Tips
Move daily for 30-90 minutes
Pick a partner or exercise buddy
Set goals
Be active in 10 minute spurts
Plan ahead and plan a regular exercise time
Track your exercise program and success
Think frequency, not duration
Start slow
Wear a pedometer and work up to 10,000 steps a day (about 5 miles)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Weighing the risk
Excess weight, no matter how it is measured is associated with increased risk for heart disease. Reducing body fat is hard but necessary. Find the help you need, support helps. Keep a journal, eat more vegetables and fiber and stay hydrated. Work up to exercising 6 hours a week and find friends to work out with because good habits are as contagious as are bad.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Five more weight loss tips
1. Even if they eat the same amount of calories, people feel less guilty about over-eating “healthy” foods (like granola) than “unhealthy” foods (like chocolate).
2. Over seventy percent of what we eat is determined by the main cook in our families.
3. If you think about food you are more likely to eat it.
4. When variety increases, people eat more. For example when people were offered three different types of yogurt they ate as much as 300% more than when offered only one type.
5. A variety of foods available makes people think they will enjoy more foods.Relying on our mental resistance to change our habits is less effective than changing our environment.
2. Over seventy percent of what we eat is determined by the main cook in our families.
3. If you think about food you are more likely to eat it.
4. When variety increases, people eat more. For example when people were offered three different types of yogurt they ate as much as 300% more than when offered only one type.
5. A variety of foods available makes people think they will enjoy more foods.Relying on our mental resistance to change our habits is less effective than changing our environment.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Five of ten weight loss tips
To change habits, improve diet or lose weight consider the following.
1. Fifty-four percent of American adults aim to finish everything on their plates. This behavior can lead to weight gain.
2. Most of us underestimate how much we eat.
3. People eat more food off of large plates than they do off of small ones, but feel equally full.
4. The more beautiful that a food looks and the better it smells, the more delicious you think it is the more you are willing to pay for it.
5. Even if they eat the same amount of calories, people feel less guilty about over-eating “healthy” foods (like granola) than “unhealthy” foods (like chocolate).
1. Fifty-four percent of American adults aim to finish everything on their plates. This behavior can lead to weight gain.
2. Most of us underestimate how much we eat.
3. People eat more food off of large plates than they do off of small ones, but feel equally full.
4. The more beautiful that a food looks and the better it smells, the more delicious you think it is the more you are willing to pay for it.
5. Even if they eat the same amount of calories, people feel less guilty about over-eating “healthy” foods (like granola) than “unhealthy” foods (like chocolate).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Hidden and Wondrous Value of Keeping a Food Record
Keeping a Food Record
Want to lose weight? Write down what you eat.
Why does this tedious and slogging activity work?
A few simple reasons.
1. We all underestimate what we eat. It is human nature.
2. We are presented with so many food cues during each day that without control we overeat. It too is human nature.
3. We live up to our ideals. If we set a goal and track it we are many times more likely to meet the goal.
4. Food records provide accountability and allow us to assess personal issues.
5. Using food records helps us determine triggers and determine where we eat.
6. It is hard, but it also gets easier.
7. Remember, self monitoring encourages us to compare our actual behaviors to ideal behaviors and we are motivated to live up to our ideals. The act of recording cues us to manage our behavior.
Basic rules
1. Write down EVERYTHING! Keep your form with you all day long and write down everything you eat and drink. A piece of candy, a handful of pretzels, a bottle of soda or a small donut may not seem like much, but these calories can add up!
2. Do it now. Don’t depend on your memory at the end of the day. Record your eating as you go.
3. Be specific. Make sure you include ‘extras,’ such as gravy on your meat, cheese on your sandwich or vegetables, butter, and salad dressings.
4. Measure or estimate amounts. If you have a bowl of cereal, measure out or estimate the actual amount (rather than writing ‘bowl’ of cereal)
Want to lose weight? Write down what you eat.
Why does this tedious and slogging activity work?
A few simple reasons.
1. We all underestimate what we eat. It is human nature.
2. We are presented with so many food cues during each day that without control we overeat. It too is human nature.
3. We live up to our ideals. If we set a goal and track it we are many times more likely to meet the goal.
4. Food records provide accountability and allow us to assess personal issues.
5. Using food records helps us determine triggers and determine where we eat.
6. It is hard, but it also gets easier.
7. Remember, self monitoring encourages us to compare our actual behaviors to ideal behaviors and we are motivated to live up to our ideals. The act of recording cues us to manage our behavior.
Basic rules
1. Write down EVERYTHING! Keep your form with you all day long and write down everything you eat and drink. A piece of candy, a handful of pretzels, a bottle of soda or a small donut may not seem like much, but these calories can add up!
2. Do it now. Don’t depend on your memory at the end of the day. Record your eating as you go.
3. Be specific. Make sure you include ‘extras,’ such as gravy on your meat, cheese on your sandwich or vegetables, butter, and salad dressings.
4. Measure or estimate amounts. If you have a bowl of cereal, measure out or estimate the actual amount (rather than writing ‘bowl’ of cereal)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Outwitting Appetite
Are you really hungry? Outwit your appetite.
Eat protein for breakfast. It takes about 4 hours for protein to digest so it literally stays with you longer than carbohydrates. Researchers at St. Louis University gave overweight women two eggs and toast and they ended up eating 267 fewer calories during the day than the group given half as much protein.
Get enough sleep. When we are tired we produce a hormone called ghrelin in our gut that increases our appetites. When we are rested we produce leptin, a hormone that decreases our appetites.
Keep foods out of sight. Brian Wansink, PhD and food psychologist from Cornell believes if food is in front of us we eat it. It doesn’t matter if it is a warm batch of chocolate chip cookies or pieces of cabbage when we see it, we eat it, quite unconsciously. Keep foods off the counters, out of sight and out of your house or freeze it.
Do something else so you think about something else. Leave the kitchen, keep your fingers busy, chew gum, take a walk, call a friend… Use a smaller plate. The more food in front of us the more we eat. At a restaurant spilt the meal or pack up half. You can also cover the plate with your napkin so you don’t keep picking while you wait for the bill. Sit down when you snack. . If you use utensils and a plate instead of snacking from a bag you'll eat fewer calories at subsequent meals.Limit your choices. Wansink finds more variety encourages a greater intake of calories which is why so many of us overeat at buffets.
Take a drink of water. Sometimes the feeling of hunger masks true thirst.
Limit the number of food episodes. Remember the taste of cookie dough or the slices of cheese are calories that add up without notice.
Trust your taste buds and eat a varied and diverse diet that is high in nutrients and low in calories.
Eat protein for breakfast. It takes about 4 hours for protein to digest so it literally stays with you longer than carbohydrates. Researchers at St. Louis University gave overweight women two eggs and toast and they ended up eating 267 fewer calories during the day than the group given half as much protein.
Get enough sleep. When we are tired we produce a hormone called ghrelin in our gut that increases our appetites. When we are rested we produce leptin, a hormone that decreases our appetites.
Keep foods out of sight. Brian Wansink, PhD and food psychologist from Cornell believes if food is in front of us we eat it. It doesn’t matter if it is a warm batch of chocolate chip cookies or pieces of cabbage when we see it, we eat it, quite unconsciously. Keep foods off the counters, out of sight and out of your house or freeze it.
Do something else so you think about something else. Leave the kitchen, keep your fingers busy, chew gum, take a walk, call a friend… Use a smaller plate. The more food in front of us the more we eat. At a restaurant spilt the meal or pack up half. You can also cover the plate with your napkin so you don’t keep picking while you wait for the bill. Sit down when you snack. . If you use utensils and a plate instead of snacking from a bag you'll eat fewer calories at subsequent meals.Limit your choices. Wansink finds more variety encourages a greater intake of calories which is why so many of us overeat at buffets.
Take a drink of water. Sometimes the feeling of hunger masks true thirst.
Limit the number of food episodes. Remember the taste of cookie dough or the slices of cheese are calories that add up without notice.
Trust your taste buds and eat a varied and diverse diet that is high in nutrients and low in calories.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Losing weight is harder than we think
Americans are getting fatter and the conventional wisdom may not be helping. Scientists are clear that the "so-called" facts about obesity are oversimplified. Of course, diet and exercise matter. What goes in and out does influence storage. Yet, scientists now know that body composition, genetic tendencies and hormones influence our waistlines. Willpower is only a piece of the puzzle.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as many as 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese today. Yet, the risks are growning. The American diet is not without blame but banning junk foods and disclosing caloric values on labels may not be the answer. In fact the rise in obesity may have more to do with our sedentary life styles than diets high in junk food.
But losing weight is harder than gaining so eating well during the process protects our bodies and brains. Below are the suggestions proven my research to help people lose weight.
Eat 5-6 small meals daily. Or eat no more than 4 times a day.
)
Eat breakfast every morning.
Eat lean protein at every meal.
Eat vegetables or fruit at every meal. Fill ½ your dinner plate with vegetables.
Drink enough fluid. Choose water, sparkling water, and unsweetened iced green, black or herb teas. Add lemon, lime or a bit of berry juice for flavor. Enjoy a cup or two of coffee or tea with low-fat milk. Avoid sweet drinks of all kinds, including juice and sports drinks.
Avoid processed foods made with white grains and white sugar. For a sweet tooth have a piece of dark chocolate and a few nuts. Choose chocolate with 70% or more cocoa butter.
Benefit from red wine or other alcohol by drinking it with meals. Daily recommendation: One 5 oz glass for women and two 5 oz glasses for men.
Take your supplements everyday.
Journal. People who journal lose weight.
Exercise 5-6 days a week. Start slow…
Join a weight loss group or start one with friends.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as many as 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese today. Yet, the risks are growning. The American diet is not without blame but banning junk foods and disclosing caloric values on labels may not be the answer. In fact the rise in obesity may have more to do with our sedentary life styles than diets high in junk food.
But losing weight is harder than gaining so eating well during the process protects our bodies and brains. Below are the suggestions proven my research to help people lose weight.
Eat 5-6 small meals daily. Or eat no more than 4 times a day.
)
Eat breakfast every morning.
Eat lean protein at every meal.
Eat vegetables or fruit at every meal. Fill ½ your dinner plate with vegetables.
Drink enough fluid. Choose water, sparkling water, and unsweetened iced green, black or herb teas. Add lemon, lime or a bit of berry juice for flavor. Enjoy a cup or two of coffee or tea with low-fat milk. Avoid sweet drinks of all kinds, including juice and sports drinks.
Avoid processed foods made with white grains and white sugar. For a sweet tooth have a piece of dark chocolate and a few nuts. Choose chocolate with 70% or more cocoa butter.
Benefit from red wine or other alcohol by drinking it with meals. Daily recommendation: One 5 oz glass for women and two 5 oz glasses for men.
Take your supplements everyday.
Journal. People who journal lose weight.
Exercise 5-6 days a week. Start slow…
Join a weight loss group or start one with friends.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A Few Good Weight Control Tips
A Few Good Diet Tips
- Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages.
Sometimes we confuse thirst with hunger and end up eating extra calories when an ice-cold glass of water is really what we need. Add citrus or a splash of juice, or brew peach or black current tea. They have a lot of flavor and no calories. - Get calories from foods you chew, not things you sip.
- Never eat to fast. Do you eat standing up? Do you rush your meals? Do you eat in your car? Pay attention to where you eat and limit the places. You will eat less.
- Visualize your success. Use affirmations.
- Think about what you can add to your diet, not what you should take away.
- Shoot for a healthy weight. Redefine the “Perfect Body.”
When I show teenagers a picture of Marilyn Monroe they think she is overweight! Yet, if Marilyn Monroe lived during the Renaissance period, she would have been considered too thin. When food was scarce to be “fat” was considered a sign of health and wealth. Today we consider “very skinny” beautiful but it may not be very healthy.
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