At some point in our lives, we have all made big promises as we start the new year. And then we fail to stick to the program…
Here’s a real world guide to keeping your willpower up and the number on the scale down. Everyday methods to promote health and avoid weight gain. Maybe even help you drop a few!
Get reacquainted with your kitchen and home cooked meals. Why? Because people who eat out consume an average of 200 additional calories PER MEAL (more saturated fat, sugar and salt, too) than people who ate at or from home. Eating from restaurants should be the exception, not the norm.
Become a morning muncher. Front load your fiber (try for 50% of the 30 grams needed daily) and it will increase your satiety and even out your blood sugars. And get at least 1/3 of your daily calories before lunch. This helps keep calories down through out the day.
Quit eating and texting. Research shows that being distracted while eating can be a real diet killer. Not only do you make poor food decisions, but you are not paying attention to your body’s hunger cues. Plus, multitasking leads to eating amnesia, making for a less than accurate food journal.
Focus on the good. Instead of cutting out the “bad” foods, think about what you should be adding. Keep the banishment of food to a minimum or else you will feel deprived and will be more likely to binge. Focus instead on getting the right amount of produce (7 servings daily for women, 9 for men), lean protein (20% of your daily calories), whole grains (2 servings daily), legumes (part of your veggie serving) and calcium (3-4 servings daily equaling 1100 mg).
BUT, know that you can get too much of a good thing. Studies show that the average person underestimates the amount he/she downs in a day by more than 20%! Even worse, the more we eat the less accurate we are.
Go to bed. Late sleepers consume 250 calories more per day and have higher BMI’s than early risers. Why? Late night (unnecessary) eating. When you consume calories at night that your body doesn’t use (because of stress? boredom?), the surplus calories are sent to fat cells.
Always have a plan B. You know that temptations will trip you up, like the sugary snack calling your name during the afternoon slump or the spouse who offers to open another bottle of wine… So be ready with a specific plan to fight them off. An “if-then” tactic is very beneficial. “If I want chocolate at 4 pm, I will eat an apple instead.”
Don’t go into f*** it mode. Just because you made one bad choice in a day (skipped a workout, ate a burger for lunch instead of the salad you brought) doesn’t mean the day is shot.
When you do slip up, figure out WHY. Were you starving when you met your friend for drinks? Did you skip breakfast? Have you stayed up late too many nights in a row?
Keep commitments to yourself. Its easy to keep commitments to everybody else and make their needs a priority. But what about you? You’ve got all the excuses in the world. Don’t use them.
Fitness Matters Inc 