Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole-grain products. These products are less refined than their white counterparts and often have much more fibre in them which is digested slower, keeps us feeling fuller longer and releases its energy slower which keep our blood sugar levels even and helps us avoid cravings.
Buy a new cookbook or food magazine for healthier food ideas.
Focus on your food. Slow down. Don’t eat on the go or while watching TV. Eat at a table if possible.
Allow soups to cool and then skim off all fat that has collected at the top of the pot or bowl. Also keep in mind that the leaner the cut of meat, the less fatty the soup. Healthy vegetable soup is an even healthier option.
Support - Finding a support group online or in person can help you tremendously.
Stop buying on impulse. Never shop for groceries without a list.
Do not bounce when warming up with stretching as you can cause tears in your muscle fibers.
If you internalize hurt and rely on food to deal with negative emotions, don't swallow your emotions for the sake of sparing others from getting upset. If they've upset you, let them know about it and tell them that you won't tolerate that kind of behaviour in the future.
Exchange healthy recipes with friends and family.
I am not proud of it but like your doctor I'm about 60- 70 lbs overweight. Most of it due to the nature of my work where I sit at the table and have little time to exercise. Your web page has set me thinking and I'm going to try out some of the tips and see what happens. Anyway, I like to share with you an Iranian proverb that a friend told me. " Breakfast you should eat alone; Lunch, you share with a friend; Dinner, you should give to your enemy!" That sums it up quite well, doesn't it?
Before and after pictures - Be sure to take before and after pictures and in-between pictures. Seeing is believing.
Avoid shopping when you are hungry – eat first!
Be sure you stretch lightly during warm up to prevent stretch reflex. This is caused by over using a cold muscle.
Alternate alcohol with low calorie drinks (water is perfect).
Think about your drinks. Choose water or sugar-free squashes. Unsweetened fruit juice contains natural sugar so limit it to 1 glass per day (200ml / 1/3 pint). Alcohol is high in calories; try to limit the amount you drink.
Up on your feet. Break up your sitting time. Stand up for ten minutes out of every hour.
Go hog wild with paper towels! Always take advantage of pressing out extra grease with paper towels. The towels can make a piece of microwaved bacon one very lean strip of ham.
Everyone has a bad day or two where all they do is eat the wrong stuff; but to try the next day to start out fresh and stick to the plan, whether it be diet, exercise, or both! Don't beat up on yourself, for that only prolongs success! And you usually feel better pretty quickly after getting back to it; mentally and physically. No one seems to have mentioned that part!
Weigh yourself - Weigh yourself once a week in the morning enjoy your lost pound or two.
Shop for groceries once a week and only buy from your prepared list.
Breathe slowly and evenly throughout your warm up.
Invite friends over for a vegetarian (or other theme) meal or join them at a new vegetarian restaurant that neither of you have tried.
Caution with your portions. Don’t heap food on your plate (except vegetables). Think twice before having second helpings.
I think the problem is that people try to lose weight for a special occasion. When the task is done and the weight is gone then it's back to all the bad habits! You have to make a change in the way you eat and exercise for the rest of your life if you want to be fit and look great for the rest of your life. The benefits of good nutrition are enormous and I'm not just talking about the way you look. I'm talking about your self esteem and the way you feel. Definitely younger!! Let's wise up and live healthy for the rest of our lives.
Go reduced fat. Choose reduced fat versions of foods such as dairy products, spreads and salad dressings where you can. Use them sparingly as some can still be high in fat.
Develop a routine - A routine helps you stick to your plan it becomes just another part of your day after a week or so.
Head directly to the fruit and vegetable aisles when you enter the grocery store. Fill up your basket in these aisles and you’ll be less likely to buy binge food.
If you have a tendency to become stiff, take a hot shower or bath before beginning your warm up.
Feel proud every time you say "no" to a problem food.
Look at the labels. Be careful about food claims. Check the fat and sugar content on food labels when shopping and preparing food.
A scant 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar sprinkled over 2 slices of microwave bacon adds yum-yum to the bacon without adding a ton of calories. Brown sugar is also virtually fat-free.
I believe that weight loss success is due to eating naturally fat free foods, moderate exercise (aerobic & weighted) and having PATIENCE. It took me 2 months before the compliments started rushing in, but they did!
Limit fast and snack food temptations by eating healthy food choices before visits to shopping centres, the movies, etc.
Don’t be too hard on yourself - You will slip once in a while accept and get back on track!
If you have a local “farmers market” where you can buy your fruits and veggies off the truck, by all means do so. They’ll be fresher and tastier.
Breathing is extremely important when exercising as your body need to process oxygen that will transfer from your lungs through the bloodstream to the muscles that are being worked. Normal breathing is shallow meaning that the air is not reaching deep into the lungs. This can tighten neck muscles which can cause stiffness and pain in the neck, shoulder upper back and chest.
As well as doing whatever we can to make sure our children are eating healthy foods, it's just as important to also make sure they are getting enough exercise and developing a love of being active.
Walk off the weight. Walk 10,000 steps (about 60-90 minutes of moderate activity) each day. You can use a pedometer to help count the steps. You can break up your walking over the day.
Removing Starch From Starchy Foods. Low carb diet tip: Rinsing pasta, noodles and rice can remove a good deal of starch while contributing to a tastier dish.
This one is for women on birth control, hormone replacement therapy for menopause or because of hysterectomy including the ovaries. The New England Journal of Medicine in 1995 (I don't recall the month-either December or January, I think) had a small article regarding oral estrogen and weight loss problems. It seems that estrogen taken by mouth causes the body to produce and hold onto large amounts of hard fat around the liver and stomach which is not seen in women WITH THE SAME BLOOD LEVELS OF ESTROGEN who were getting it transdermally ("the patch"). This has to do with some by-products produced by the liver as it tries to break down the hormone to be used from the stomach. I was on Premarin, a VERY WIDELY prescribed estrogen pill, at the time, and asked my doctor to switch me to the patch just to see for myself. That was 3 months ago. (I had a hysterectomy in 1992, and steadily have been gaining weight ever since). I have lost 6 pounds without trying, have lost my cravings and, though it is very slow going after 4 years of buildup, am seeing the truth of this study show in my own body. PLEASE tell overweight women taking oral hormones to consider talking to their doctors about this study and about possibly switching to patches!
Start teaching your kids good eating habits as early as possible.
Avoid fast food - Instead of using the drive thru try the drive by!
Make sure you buy everything you need for your weekly meal planning. Returning to the grocery store numerous times increases the risk of buying what you shouldn’t. The grocery stores know their business very well and present items that are hard to resist.
Always inhale before you lift, exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower the weight for maximum benefit.
Neutralize food. There are no good or bad foods - all foods are OK when eaten in moderation.
Watch your language, especially when talking to yourself. Try to be positive and encouraging and don't be too hard on yourself. Treat yourself with the same level of respect and understanding that you would a close friend.
Pack a healthy snack. If you snack, choose a healthy option such as fresh fruit or low calorie yogurts instead of chocolate or crisps.
Oh yeah, another tidbit: This fact is much more widely known: Tricyclic antidepressants cause incessant cravings for carbohydrates. This is in the accompanying literature and even in the Physicians' Desk Reference. People who think they are getting fat on these often think they are imagining this, or that it is indicative of their depression. I have, unfortunately, also personally experienced this. I gained 20 pounds several years ago on Imiprimine, a very common anti-depressant. Folks with this going on might want to talk to their doctor/therapist about switching to Effexor, Paxil, Prozac or Zoloft- all "new" , non- tricyclic antidepressant brands. I hope these tips help some poor soul who is sitting out there hating themselves, as I did, when their doctors are actually writing them prescriptions for a fat body!
Beef jerky and turkey jerky make ultra low-calorie treats that are great for most any type of diet plan - from counting calories to counting carbs.
Help your kids to develop basic fitness skills by helping them to enjoy swimming, walking, cycling, running, dancing, hiking, skating, etc.
Sleep - Getting enough rest is as important as any other part of your weight loss plan.
Vary your foods – introduce something new each week. Menu planning can become boring when you eat the same things. That boredom translates into over eating. Try new healthy recipes each week.
Turn every day activity into exercise. Try balancing on one foot without support while putting on your shoes and socks.
Encourage your kids to eat healthy food by making sure it is tasty, well prepared, and easily available at home.
Here’s another reason to keep level-headed all the time: Pennsylvania State University research has found that women less able to cope with stress—shown by blood pressure and heart rate elevations—ate twice as many fatty snacks as stress-resistant women did, even after the stress stopped (in this case, 25 minutes of periodic jackhammer-level noise and an unsolvable maze).
Go wheat! Choose wheat bread over white bread, wheat pasta over white pasta and brown rice over white. Use complex carbs to simplify your diet!
Unless your tuna is packed in spring water, drain off all excess liquid before using. You'll save a lot of calories, particularly for tuna packed in oil.
Here are a couple of tips which seem to work for me 1. Serve your food piping hot - that way you are forced to eat it slower! 2. If you get home starving hungry ready to empty the fridge, plan for it. I nibble on fresh fruit and vegetables while I get my supper ready which means I'm getting an extra portion of fruit and the edge has gone off my appetite by the time I get to eat my evening meal.
Skate your way to good health. Do you remember rolling around on skates as a child or teenager? Did gliding down the street or around the rink make you feel free? You probably didn't even notice you were exercising. When exercise is fun it's easy to keep doing. When exercise is too hard and no fun, many of us get bored and unmotivated and stop altogether.
Your happy medium - Everyone has a happy medium when trying to lose weight finding yours will make it a more enjoyable experience.
Stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Yes, they are very convenient. They are also loaded with fat and/or sugar, not to mention the chemicals.
Forget about the elevator and use the stairs. Take the stairs two at a time.
The best place to drop pounds may be your own house of worship. Researchers set up healthy eating and exercise programs in 16 Baltimore churches. More than 500 women participated and after a year the most successful lost an average of 20 lb. Weight loss programs based on faith are so successful because there’s a built-in community component that people can feel comfortable with.
I like regular food -- no diet foods for me. We usually end up eating more of it because it wasn't satisfying in the first place. And feel so deprived. The cost isn't cheap either. If you can keep your quantity down, try eating EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. But ALSO one thing, eat the BEST ice cream bar, the BEST choc. candy, the BEST cookie..... (singular--hard to do, huh???? when in the store, buy a single one only) Remember the old adage--don't go into the grocery store, hungry, though. Also I like FIT FOR LIFE regarding fruit-only-for-breakfast. But then I'm not a breakfast person, yet its so easy to do. Then I have a nice lunch and light dinner.
It's all a matter of time. Getting healthier and losing weight takes the same thing as anything else worthwhile; time. Getting fitter and stronger and eating healthier food takes time and effort and plenty of it. The good news is that after a while doing the right things becomes second nature and it doesn't feel like you are doing anything special at all - you're just living your new life.
Activity - Find a physical activity you always wanted to try like salsa dancing.
The ads are so compelling. Cut fast food from your diet!
Instead of shoving your chair, lift it bending your knees and keeping your back straight.
Be a role model by being active yourself and engage your children in activities like walking, hiking, tennis, swimming, basketball, or bike riding.
If you purchase large containers of sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt and whipped topping (just to give a few examples) measure out the serving size rather than guessing. The larger containers make serving sizes difficult to guess and odds are, you'll be eating closer to two servings than one without measuring. Take heart for soon you'll be an old pro!
Eat Shredded Wheat for breakfast it seems to be the only cereal which fills you up until lunch. I found that I didn't get hungry until a much later time.
Be yourself - This one may cause a little confusion so I’ll explain. No two people are alike don’t even try to keep up with someone else weight loss is not a competition it is a lifestyle change. You reach the finish line when you reach it the most important and obvious thing it to reach it!
Eat more fish but avoid breading or batters. Fish oil is good for you.
Hide your remote control and get up and down to change the channels.
Sitting at a computer may help you slim down. When researchers at Brown University School of Medicine put 92 people on online weight loss programs for a year, those who received weekly e-mail counseling shed 5 1/2 more pounds than those who got none. Counselors provided weekly feedback on diet and exercise logs, answered questions, and cheered them on. Most major online diet programs offer many of these features.
Here's a tip that the doctor told me: When ever you get cravings for something that you have no business with while you are on a diet...eat it, because if you don't, you're probably eat up the whole refrigerator.
Shopping - When you go shopping make sure you get a little extra. Running out of your “special” food is not a good idea it can cause a setback in your weight loss program.
Eat more vegetables. Try mixing and matching fresh vegetables for variety.
Walk your dog and keep pace.
Drinking too few can hamper your weight loss efforts. That’s because dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent, or about 45 fewer calories burned a day, which in a year could mean weighing 5 pounds more. The key to water isn’t how much you drink, it’s how frequently you drink it. Small amounts sipped often work better than 8 ounces gulped down at once.
Fat Free Sour Cream - Not a Tasty Option for All Dieters - Sour creams have made a comeback in not only the 'non-diet' daily diet, but in the daily diet of dieters. Regular sour creams stand shoulder-to-shoulder at local markets with their healthier, thinner sisters - including light sour cream, reduced fat sour cream and virtually fat-free sour creams. Fat-free sour creams may leave a sour taste in many dieter's mouth but when used in recipes, one would be pressed to tell the difference. Our diet tip for sour cream: Use fat-free sour cream in recipes and opt for LIGHT sour cream as a stand alone over full-blown sour cream.
Let your clothes be your guide. 'Clothes don't lie' is something a friend said to me the other day, and they're right. They were explaining that their clothes were starting to feel tighter and it was time to up the intensity of their exercise. Rather than buy larger clothes, they diet and exercise until their clothes fit comfortably.
My husband was 20 pounds overweight and went to an Acupuncture doctor. She told him to eat 1/2 cup of white or brown rice and a Dill pickle for each meal (nothing else) and drink plenty of water for two weeks to cleanse his system. He followed her suggestion and lost 20 pounds and has kept it off. He weighs every morning and if he is a pound or two overweight he eats rice for a meal and his weight goes back to normal. If he eats a big meal or two (Holidays) he just eats rice for a meal or two afterwards and maintains his weight.
Water - Make sure you get plenty of water, because keeping the body hydrated will increase your weight loss.
Steam your veggies instead of boiling them. They’ll taste better and you’ll retain more of their nutritional value.
Take a Frisbee along and play in the park with your dog.
