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The purpose of our blog is to share what we have learned about nutrition, weight loss, fitness, and health, in order to help you find ways to feel better and live longer. It is amazing how much our diet and lifestyle affect our health and well-being.

Did you know that you can reduce your risk and even prevent many diseases and health conditions simply by making some changes to your diet? Check back often for valuable tips and information.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF:

For the first time in my life I have found weight loss success. During my adult life I have tried dozens and dozens of so-called "diets" and none of them worked over the long-haul. Oh, I was able to lose weight with some of them, but once I went off of the "diet" I quickly gained back all of my weight (plus some).

I have finally learned that losing weight has to be a lifestyle change, not a temporary fix. Crash diets and all the other crazy diets will not only cause you to fail, they are harmful to your health. To lose weight and keep it off you must NOT go on a "diet." What? Why? Because we all consider a "diet" a temporary thing. For example, how many times have you said, "Oh, I will go on this low-fat diet until I lose 20 pounds." Okay, what happens after you lose the 20 pounds? Or you simply give up? You go back to your old habits and gain that 20 pounds back.

The only way you will ever be successful at losing weight, with the added benefit of improving your health, is to make healthy changes that you can live with for the rest of your life. Period. Not for a week, a month or 3 months, but for life. For me, my initial goal was to lower my cholesterol level. I had to have a blood test for my insurance coverage and my cholesterol level had to be lower than the previous year's levels or I would have to pay a much higher premium. Well, that was a pretty good incentive for me make some positive changes.

I sat down and figured out what I needed to do. I knew I had to change the way I ate and I knew I had to exercise in some form or other every day. So, I made a list and I stuck to it. It was difficult at first. To make matters worse, I am a compulsive eater. However, as the days went by, it became much easier because my body stopped craving sweets and processed foods. For the first time in my life, I was never tempted to binge because I never felt deprived.

Use the list below and make whatever changes you need to make in order for it to work for you. FYI, my cholesterol level dropped 65 points after 7 weeks, and my triglycerides dropped 70 points! Another benefit that I hadn't planned on was that after being an insomniac since my teen-age years, I now sleep like a baby every night!

MY LIST FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCESS:

1. Avoid "white" Foods & Processed Foods. These foods have no nutritional value and are "empty" calories. Sweets, anything made with white flour,and anything that comes in a package with a long list of ingredients. Always read the food labels. Stay away from those long lists of ingredients. The longer the list, the more chemicals and additives are present. These are extremely toxic to your body.

2. Drink Lots of Water. Water keeps your body's organs hydrated and flushes out unhealthy toxins. It helps to fill you up and reduces your urge to over-eat.

3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast. Instead of coffee and donuts, try fruit, yogurt, grains like oatmeal or whole grain toast, and lean protein. NEVER skip breakfast. By eating a large, healthy meal when you get up in the morning, your metabolism will "rev up" and you will not be hungry by mid-morning. If you skip breakfast, your body will go into starvation mode and store calories in your body as FAT, yes FAT! So do yourself a big favor and eat breakfast.

4. Reduce Your Stress Level. So many of us live with too much stress. Stress lowers your immune system, making it easier to get sick. It also makes us lethargic, tired, and depressed. There are a lot of simple things you can do and a lot of ways to feel better about yourself and your life. Take a long, hot bath, read a book, listen to music, get a massage. Do something nice for yourself. Giving yourself something to look forward to is a tremendous mental incentive.

5. Move! Oh my gosh! There are so many ways to incorporate movement into your day, even at work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up every hour and walk around your floor, your hallway or your desk. Park your car in the farthest space from where you need to be. Walk or bike to work. Skate, dance, golf, jump rope, clean house, play tag. The best exercise you can do is to walk. Try to take a walk every day! The more you move, the more your metabolism will be your friend. (I walk 3 miles every day whether it is raining, snowing or freezing.)

Smart Snacks

7:09 AM  , , , ,  No comments

People who are successful at losing weight do not skip meals and they do not wait until they are horribly hungry before they eat.  They spread their calories throughout the day. This keeps the body’s blood sugar at a consistent level and you will not feel like you are starving yourself.   


What are some ways you can beat snack attacks?

PRE-PLAN and PRE-PACK SNACKS. 

This is one of the best things you can do to lose weight without feeling deprived. When you come home from the grocery, before you put any food away, do this instead:

*     *Count out 100-calorie baggies of healthy snacks like pretzels, whole grain crackers, raisins, dates, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc. 

      *Cut up veggies like carrots, bell peppers, celery, cucumbers,  etc. and bag them, either one kind to a bag or mix and match.

This is one of the smartest and easiest things you can do for yourself. Whenever you feel a snack attack coming on, grab a bag and munch away. This way you still get to snack but will never feel like you are depriving yourself. Plus, you will keep your body satisfied and your metabolism working efficiently.

HOW TO AVOID MINDLESS EATING.

This has always been my downfall. If I sit down in front of the television in the evening, I am doomed. I will start eating whatever food I can find, completely ignoring the fact that I am not hungry. 

Hunger has nothing to do with it! If you do this as well, you must make a deliberate effort to make some changes or you will not be able to maintain a healthy weight.
The first thing you must do is change your mindless eating to purposeful eating. Once you make yourself aware of exactly what you are eating, you will not be so inclined to indulge. If you must eat, grab one of your pre-packed snack bags and eat. If sitting in front of the television is a trigger for mindless eating, get up and do something else. 

      *Take a walk. If you can’t go outside in the evening to walk, walk around your house. Walk from one end to the other as many times as you can, or do a few jumping jacks, or run in place. The exercise is excellent for your body and will make you more mindful of what you eat later.

*Listen to music. Put some headphones on, close your eyes, and listen to your favorite band or listen to some soft music that will help relax you. It’s difficult to eat when your eyes are closed!
 
      *Curl up and read a book. It’s a lot more difficult to eat when you are trying to hold a book and concentrate on reading. If you don’t have a book, read a magazine or play around on the Internet. The idea is to do something that will take your mind off of food.

Smart snacking and purposeful eating will change the way you look at snacking. It’s all about taking charge of your eating habits.  Only you can control what you eat. Once you are aware of exactly what you are eating, you will begin to make the change from empty calorie snacks to healthy and nutritious snacks.

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