All In The Mind
GET THE BALL ROLLING ON LOSING WEIGHTposted 1/23/10 5:55 am GET THE BALL ROLLING ON LOSING WEIGHT Losing weight is not easy. You will never hear me say that it is. It takes dedication, motivation and hard work. But by making a few easy changes you can get the ball rolling on losing weight. If you're serious about changing your lifestyle, these steps help get you there. The key is to dedicate yourself to these changes and do them consistently. No, losing weight isn't a walk in the park. But by following these steps ... you may find it's a little easier than you think! CHANGE ONE: WHAT YOU EAT
By building your meals around fish and poultry, you can more easily keep temptation at bay by eliminating many poor fast food and restaurant choices, which are over-sized and high in fat. To keep your shellfish, fish, chicken, and turkey diet-friendly, be sure to choose the right preparation method (see #2). Be wary of creamy, high-cal condiments that come with entrees, like tartar sauce or special sauce on grilled chicken sandwiches.
Not only will you save fat and calories, you will also have the added benefit of extra vitamins, minerals and fiber. Few of us eat as much fruit as recommended. In time, you will become accustomed to foregoing sweets and you'll look forward to your healthier treat just as much. CHANGE TWO: WHAT YOU DRINK Sometimes it's easy to focus so much on what we eat that we forget to include what we drink in our diet analysis. That can be a big problem, because the number of liquid calories you can consume without even realizing is quite astounding.
For example, for every 20 ounces of Coca-Cola you drink, you're consuming 250 calories. Drink several glasses a day and you can easily down 1,000 liquid calories. If you're attempting to consume around 1,500 to 1,600 calories a day in order to lose weight, you've almost blown your entire calorie budget on soda! When you think about how many calories you eat on average and then add in those empty calories, you'll realize what a waste drinking these sugary drinks is -- literally -- they go straight to your waist! If you drink a lot of soda, think of how many calories you'll be saving if you trade it in for diet soda or water. Hundreds? Even thousands? Remember, every 3,500 calories saved equals one pound lost!
Plus, drinking water more often will help you with tip #1 . You won't have time to drink soda! You may even find you crave water instead of soda once you begin drinking it more often. Try going a day or two with no soda and then sit down to a glass; you'll probably be shocked at how overly-sweet it tastes.
In the mid-1980's -- when the safety of artificial sweeteners was often headline news -- a study was published in a medical journal that suggested artificial sweeteners cause one's appetite to increase. More recently, some health experts have suggested that artificial sweeteners actually cause cravings for sweet foods to increase. If so, this reaction definitely sets you up for making poor food choices. This can lead to a big problem, particularly if you tend to binge when you eat high-carb and sugar-rich foods.
CHANGE THREE: WHAT YOU DO Next up are some behavior modifications that will help you get -- and stay -- focused on losing weight and taking care of yourself.
I'd suggest you keep a detailed food diary for at least two weeks to accurately reflect your habits.
You should record how you feel before, during, and after eating. Periodically check over your entries to see what cues set you off to binge most often. If you discover frequent binges or you can't seem to cope with stress or sadness without eating, you're an emotional eater. Don't hesitate to make an appointment with a qualified therapist or clinical social worker. Cognitive behavior therapy is extremely effective in treating over-eating due to emotions.
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