So, how did the January Top Ten Diet Tips go for you? Post a comment and let us know. Share your success and your frustrations!
Top Ten Diet Tips For February 2007
1. Buddy Up
Find a friend to diet and exercise with. Some people find that dieting with a friend that is skinny is a great way to learn "skinny" habits. Other's find that too intimidating and judgmental, so they pair up with a friend that also wants to lose weight. Whichever you decide, you will have more success with a diet buddy.
2. Locate A Resource Online
Find an online resource to help you lose weight. These memberships can offer all the same benefits of an "in person" membership but are often easier and less intimidating. Even if you go to a real world weight loss group, an online group can help you feel connected during the week. Participate in their forums and connect with others on the same road as you are.
3. Convert High Fat Recipes To Low Fat Recipes
Make a list of your favorite full fat recipes and then convert them to low fat recipes.
4. Make a list of "conversion" comfort foods
Make a list of easy convenience foods that are low in sugar and fat. This list can get you through the cravings with ease.
5. Listen To Music While You Exercise
Listening to music makes exercising easier and more enjoyable. Use your exercise time as "your time". In other words, enjoy this time and teach yourself to look forward to it. Music makes the experience a positive one.
6. Eat Half
Let's face it we live in an "eat out" society and much of what we do socially centers around restaurants. So when you go out to eat, don't just look for the healthiest choices, eat only half. Consider sharing an entree with someone else. Restaurants offer huge serving sizes. By eating half, you keep your portions under control.
7. Trade Soda For Water Or Very Low Calorie Drinks
Full sugar sodas have a ton of calories and sugar. Even diet sodas have large amounts of sodium making it hard to lose weight. Switch to water. Or if you really need a little flavor consider drinks like Crystal Light.
8. Chart Your Progress
Chart your progress weekly. This gives you both a reality check and a pat on the back when you make progress. Both are essential for long term success.
9. Measure, Don't Weigh
For the first two to three months, measure your body, don't weigh it. If you are eating to gain muscle, or lifting weights to gain muscle, you will lose a ton of inches but not as much, (if any)weight. Don't be discouraged. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be. That is VERY important. Gaining muscle is vital to your long-term weight loss goals. So measure for three months, do not weigh.
10. Eat Almonds
Almonds have nutrients in them that actually aid in the weight loss process. One small handful a day can help you lose weight faster. They are also very high in fiber.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Top Ten Diet Tips - First Diet Tip For January 2007
Top Ten Diet Tips - First Tip For January
Every month we will post the Top Ten Diet Tips from our extensive reading and research. We are only interested in information that we feel is healthy and realistic in helping you to reach your weight loss goals. However, keep in mind that this is only our opinion. What works for us, may not work for another and nothing posted here should ever be viewed as medical advice. It's really important that you visit your doctor and make sure that you are in good health and can implement any diet safely. If you read something here and implement it, you do so at your sole discretion.
It's January, "National Make A Diet Resolution", right? How about if this year we actually succeed with our weight loss goals? Let's get healthy, slim, and great looking in 2007! I'm ready, are you?
Our First Diet Tip: Eat, Diet, and Exercise To Build Muscle, Which Will Burn More Fat.It is so important to eat in such a way as to maintain and encourage the growth of more muscle. Your muscles are like the little internal fat burners in your body, the more you have the higher and more efficient your metabolism will be. If you just do this one thing this year, you WILL lose weight...period.
Men don't usually have a problem with the idea of gaining muscle, but women often do. Women often believe that if they focus on gaining muscle, they will look bulky, perhaps like the professional body builders, but this just isn't true. Women who eat to gain muscle and engage in weight lifting firm their bodies, slim their bodies and also strengthen their bone mass!
2. Water
We hear it all the time, that we must drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water. Did you know that you will improve your weight loss by as much as 25% if you drink the water your body needs? Also, water helps to lubricate your joints making it easier on them when you exercise. Water flushes your body of fat. It is absolutely necessary for succesful weight loss.
3. If You Never Exercise
Exercise is learned habit. I was told to look at it like brushing my teeth. In other words as something I do because it's healthy and something that I would never consider skipping. Absolutely necessary for good health is 30 minutes of aerobic activity a day, every day. Okay, but say you haven't been exercising and just really don't love the idea...yet. Start small. Make a small goal to walk 5 minutes a day. Once around the block, or on the tread mill. (Remove all the clothing that you've stacked on it over the years.) Start small and build up. It won't take long before you will WANT to do more.
4. Use 1% Milk instead of full fat milk. It's healthier and you will lower calories and fat per day.
5. Do a stand up stomach crunch. Hold your stomach in very tightly and count to 20 slowly. You have just done a ab crunch. Try to add stomach crunches several times a day. When you are standing in line, on the telephone, talking to the boss, etc.
6. Trade regular size plates for small plates. Smaller plates will help you with portion control.
7. Vary your diet by the week. It actually helps to stick to certain foods over a period of time and limit the types of foods you eat. However, this is best done by the week. Every week, pick a day to outline the foods you will eat the following week and change the variety by the week.
8. Plan your meals. Write out your meals for a week, including snacks. A plan will help you stay on track. However, keep in mind that weight loss is not a straight line of progress. Life has a way of changing our best plans. So be flexible. If the meal plan changes, make the best choices you can and then move on. Don't beat yourself up for going off the plan.
9. Watch TV Without Food. So often we associate TV with food and it becomes an ingrained habit. Consider starting a hobby that you go do while watching TV. Knitting, cross stitch, ceramics, etc. Keep your hands busy!
10. Every week give yourself a treat. Have a treat day, instead of having a treat everyday, have one special treat a week. You will look forward to it and it will mean more to you if you do it once in awhile.
Look for our Top Ten Diet Tips For February!
Every month we will post the Top Ten Diet Tips from our extensive reading and research. We are only interested in information that we feel is healthy and realistic in helping you to reach your weight loss goals. However, keep in mind that this is only our opinion. What works for us, may not work for another and nothing posted here should ever be viewed as medical advice. It's really important that you visit your doctor and make sure that you are in good health and can implement any diet safely. If you read something here and implement it, you do so at your sole discretion.
It's January, "National Make A Diet Resolution", right? How about if this year we actually succeed with our weight loss goals? Let's get healthy, slim, and great looking in 2007! I'm ready, are you?
Our First Diet Tip: Eat, Diet, and Exercise To Build Muscle, Which Will Burn More Fat.It is so important to eat in such a way as to maintain and encourage the growth of more muscle. Your muscles are like the little internal fat burners in your body, the more you have the higher and more efficient your metabolism will be. If you just do this one thing this year, you WILL lose weight...period.
Men don't usually have a problem with the idea of gaining muscle, but women often do. Women often believe that if they focus on gaining muscle, they will look bulky, perhaps like the professional body builders, but this just isn't true. Women who eat to gain muscle and engage in weight lifting firm their bodies, slim their bodies and also strengthen their bone mass!
2. Water
We hear it all the time, that we must drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water. Did you know that you will improve your weight loss by as much as 25% if you drink the water your body needs? Also, water helps to lubricate your joints making it easier on them when you exercise. Water flushes your body of fat. It is absolutely necessary for succesful weight loss.
3. If You Never Exercise
Exercise is learned habit. I was told to look at it like brushing my teeth. In other words as something I do because it's healthy and something that I would never consider skipping. Absolutely necessary for good health is 30 minutes of aerobic activity a day, every day. Okay, but say you haven't been exercising and just really don't love the idea...yet. Start small. Make a small goal to walk 5 minutes a day. Once around the block, or on the tread mill. (Remove all the clothing that you've stacked on it over the years.) Start small and build up. It won't take long before you will WANT to do more.
4. Use 1% Milk instead of full fat milk. It's healthier and you will lower calories and fat per day.
5. Do a stand up stomach crunch. Hold your stomach in very tightly and count to 20 slowly. You have just done a ab crunch. Try to add stomach crunches several times a day. When you are standing in line, on the telephone, talking to the boss, etc.
6. Trade regular size plates for small plates. Smaller plates will help you with portion control.
7. Vary your diet by the week. It actually helps to stick to certain foods over a period of time and limit the types of foods you eat. However, this is best done by the week. Every week, pick a day to outline the foods you will eat the following week and change the variety by the week.
8. Plan your meals. Write out your meals for a week, including snacks. A plan will help you stay on track. However, keep in mind that weight loss is not a straight line of progress. Life has a way of changing our best plans. So be flexible. If the meal plan changes, make the best choices you can and then move on. Don't beat yourself up for going off the plan.
9. Watch TV Without Food. So often we associate TV with food and it becomes an ingrained habit. Consider starting a hobby that you go do while watching TV. Knitting, cross stitch, ceramics, etc. Keep your hands busy!
10. Every week give yourself a treat. Have a treat day, instead of having a treat everyday, have one special treat a week. You will look forward to it and it will mean more to you if you do it once in awhile.
Look for our Top Ten Diet Tips For February!
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