| Fat to Thin Weight Loss Tips Food Tips 1. Get to know the food you eat intimately. Purchase a book that lists calories and fat grams, and make a list of the foods you eat most often, to help make it easier to plan your meals. 2. Plan your meals!!! Planning is a key element to success with your food plan. 3. If you are a snacker by nature, plan to leave room in your food plan for snacks. 4. Work with the way you like to eat. If you make your food plan too rigid and don't include the foods you like to eat, you will be setting yourself up for failure. This is a journey for life. If you can't eat this way for the rest of your life, you will need to reassess your food plan to find a way to eat that you can live with. 5. Carry a healthy snack with you at all times. If you are stuck out somewhere and become hungry, you won't need to resort to a vending machine or fast food if you carry your own snack. 6. If you feel compelled to eat something that is high in fat and calories, wait 5 minutes. Take that 5 minutes to think about whether that food is really want you want, whether you will truly enjoy it, think about if you can work it into your day, and how you will feel after you've eaten it. If you find after that 5 minutes that you still want it--enjoy it!!! Leave the guilt behind. Guilt is an incredibly counterproductive emotion. 7. Once you have decided to eat that high-fat or high-calorie item (guilt-free, remember!), take a bite and then put your fork or spoon down. Really taste it. Is it as good as you thought it would be? If so--GREAT! Continue eating it. If it isn't everything you expected and more--put the fork down. You don't need to finish it just because it's there. Save that special treat for something really worthwhile. 8. If you work it in, it's not a sin! 9. Try to limit salt. Too much salt will cause you to retain water, which can cause temporary weight gain. 10. Before going to a restaurant--get a copy of their menu (many restaurants will fax it) and choose what you will eat before you get there. 11. Instead of pouring salad dressings on your salad, try ordering the dressing on the side and dipping your fork in the dressing instead. That way, you still get a taste of the dressing with each bite, and use about 1/4 of salad dressing that you would normally use. 12. Eat slowly and enjoy your food. Try setting the fork down between bites. You will find you'll get fuller faster, and have a more enjoyable meal. 13. Take control of what you eat, rather than letting the food control you. Make deliberate choices, rather than impulsive ones, and you'll have nothing to feel guilty about later. 14. Drink lots of water with your meals. It will help you get your water quota in (see miscellaneous tips), and also help fill you up faster. 15. Never go below 1200 calories per day. It will send your body into starvation mode, and your metabolism will slow, causing you to stop losing weight. 16. If you eat something counterproductive to your food plan, forgive yourself and move on. Don't use it as an excuse to continue eating poorly, and don't wait until the next day to get back on track. Drink a large glass of water to signal the end of the "binge" or poor eating episode, and immediately get back on track. ----------------------------------------------------------- Exercise Tips 1. It is recommended that you exercise for at least 20 minutes per day, at least 4 times per week. 2. Choose an exercise that elevates your heart rate, but make sure you're not out of breath. 3. The best kind of exercise equipment is one that you will use! Choose something you know you can stick with. 4. If you're looking into buying exercise tapes, rent them first from your local video store or take them out of the library to find out if you like them. You can also purchase good used tapes cheaply on e-bay. 5. Keep a glass of water nearby while you exercise. Drink plenty of water before, during (if you need to) and after exercise to keep hydrated. 6. If a part of your body is feeling sore, be sure not to overtax it by exercising on it. You could make an injury worse by doing so, and have a much longer recuperation time. Try a different type of exercise for a while while your injury heals. 7. Remember that a health plan should include 3 elements--healthy eating, exercise and water. All three elements work together to help you lose weight and get healthy. If you are eating healthy, but not exercising, you are doing yourself a disservice, and will be extending the length of time you will need to take the weight off. Exercise raises your metabolism, helping your body to burn calories more efficiently. Also, as you tone and build muscle tissue, you will burn calories at a higher rate. Motivational Tips 1. Set small goals, and as you reach them, celebrate your successes. 2. Don't become obsessed with the scale. It is a good basic guide to follow for checking progress, but there are many other ways of measuring progress. How do your clothes fit? Have your measurements changed? 3. Buy yourself some small stickers (smiley faces, stars, whatever you choose) and start putting them on your calendar for achieving daily goals. Use one for exercise, one for healthy eating, etc. 4. Start a weight loss journal. Write down daily quotes, challenges, food intake, feelings, etc. Anything that you think will help you stick to your health plan. This is a wonderful way to hold yourself accountable, and learn more about what motivates your eating habits. 5. Go to the board often. Posting and answering posts is a wonderful way to connect with others who know exactly what you're going through, and to keep you moving on your journey. 6. Start taking extra time to make the most out of you. Put on make-up in the morning. Do something special with your hair. Take care in your appearance. You don't need to wait until you are thin to care about how you look. 7. Treat yourself with nonfood items, either for reaching goals, or just to make yourself feel good. A massage, manicure or new hairstyle can go a long way toward lifting spirits. 8. As you lose weight, get rid of your old "big" clothes. Wearing them may make you feel frumpy. Don't wait until you reach goal to buy a few wardrobe refreshers. Buying something new will accentuate your progress, and make you feel good. ----------------------------------------------------------- Shopping Tips 1. Never go shopping on an empty stomach. 2. Purchase a diet soda or tea to sip on while shopping. 3. Make a list and stick to it. Don't buy impulse items. 4. Low fat does not necessarily mean low calorie. 5. Read the labels--many items that say low fat and low calories are actually higher than cheaper brands that do not advertise. That is a lead in often to make you feel you are eating healthier, even though it may not be the best choice. 6. Go shopping by yourself if you can. Children often want you to put unhealthy junk food in your basket. 7. Plan meals ahead, check recipes and then make your list. That way you are prepared for the week. 8. Have the butcher remove extra fat from meats before you leave the store--most supermarkets don't charge extra for custom cuts of meat. 9. Don't sample in the store, munches minutia adds up! 10. Check out the frozen foods carefully. Many frozen dinners have less calories and fats than the "Healthy Variety" of frozen dinners and cost a lot less. 11. Watch canned vegetables, many varieties add sugar to corn, carrots, etc. ------------------------------------------------------ Miscellaneous Tips 1. Always consult a physician before starting a weight loss program. It is important to make sure you are in good health, and a physician can give you basic guidelines that are specific for your current weight and condition. 2. Most of us don't have a weight problem. We have an eating problem. We gained weight because of the way we eat, and a sedentary lifestyle. If you make permanent changes in your lifestyle, the weight will come off as a byproduct of those changes. 3. WATER, WATER, GET YOUR WATER!!! Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day (8 - 8 oz. glasses). Water will flush out the impurities in your system, keep you from retaining water, and make your skin healthier. 4. DON'T SET TIME LIMITS FOR WEIGHT LOSS GOALS!!! We have very little control over how long it will take for our bodies to lose the weight. 1 to 2 pounds per week is a healthy guideline. If you expect more, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. Concentrate on getting healthy, rather than quick weight loss. 5. Stay away from any and all over-the-counter diet aids. Many are downright unhealthy, and offer false promises of "quick weight loss." You are much more likely to keep the weight off if you lose it slowly ------------------------------------------------------------ Fats In the morning and sugar in the evening--Contributed by WebMD.com Lipids such as cheese, deli meats and fried foods take four hours to be digested by the body. Therefore, it is better to eat cheese at breakfast or lunch. Forget about fondue at dinner, unless you plan on spending the whole night dancing. Instead, eating cheese at breakfast can make you lose 5 pounds in a month without changing your usual intake. This is also true for salads eaten with dressing. If you eat these in the evening, you end up stocking up on the dressing while you're sleeping. Considering that there is 9 calories in a gram of oil, there is easily 400 calories of fat in salad dressing. It is the other way around for sugar, which is more easily processed in the night as we sleep. Instead of munching on cheese while watching some late night television, you'd be better off with some chocolate! Take sauce on the side--Whether you're at a snack bar, at a friend's house or in a restaurant, always ask for the sauce on the side, so that your carrots or meat won't be doused in gravy. Have a craving? Breathe deeply--When you have a craving, try to determine whether you are actually hungry or simply want to eat. In the first case, have an apple or a hard-boiled egg. If it's the latter case, concentrate on another activity: turn on the television, do household chores or calm down by breathing deeply, holding your breath for a few seconds before letting out the air slowly. Do this three times in a row. (Conversely, you should always try to eat before you feel hungry, since it will keep you from overeating later.) Find the balance between cooked and raw food---Too much raw food makes you bloated and too much cooked food takes away precious vitamins and minerals. The solution? Eat raw food at lunch and cook it for dinner. This will help you avoid the nightly fermentation of fruits and vegetables. Watch out for processed food---As an occasional last minute solution, processed food is okay. As an everyday choice, you will quickly gain weight. Pre-packaged salads soak in oil and lasagnas are full of sugar and fat. Avoid seasoned canned food. Choose your cans of fish (tuna, salmon) in water rather than broth or oil. Opt for unprocessed frozen food. Choosing a restaurant---To maintain your figure, choose fish and seafood restaurants. Japanese, Korean and Thai cooking, which use vegetables, broth, rice and herbs, are much lighter than Italian or Chinese food, which tends to be greasier. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fat and You-Contributed By Janice Since a calorie of fat can put twice as much fat on your body as a calorie of carbohydrate,substantial weight loss occurs by simply substituting slow-burning carbos for fat calories. There are big differences in how fast carbohydrates break down. The slower the break down,the more energy your body expends,and the fewer calories will end up around your belly. For example,a tablespoon of sugar takes a lot less energy to digest than a thick slice of coarse European bread. Avoid too much fructose because it can go to fat around the belly. The main naturally occurring sugar in fruit juices is fructose. Better to eat the fruit. If you're fatigued,prone to frequent infections, make little progress with your workouts, or are just too tired to exercise, consider too little protein as a posssible cause. Protein is used during continuous aerobic exercise,the body does not store protein for fuel,you can theoretically begin chewing up muscle to use as a source of protein.During aerobic exercise,5 to 10 percent of carlories burned are protein, but if your muscle runs out of carbohydrate,up to 15 percent of the calories consumed come from protein. Eat quality protein-Whole egg-Egg whites-Skim milk-Milk and cheese-Fish-Lean meat and chicken-Rice-Oatmeal-Peanut butter. Protein needs carbohydrates to make its way to the muscle. You need about 200 calories of carbohydrate to nurse along the protein you've eaten. That's enough to increase your insulin levels to increase the transport of amino acids into your muscles. Eat protein and carbs together. Also remember to get plenty of fiber in your diet. ------------------------------------------------------ Understanding Protein-Contributed By Chan Not counting water, protein makes up three quarters of your body and is found in every cell. Your muscles, organs, some hormones, and certain antibodies and enzymes are all made up of protein. No wonder this incredible substance was named from the Greek root meaning 'of first importance.' What is Protein? Proteins are complex compounds that are made up of smaller compounds called amino acids. There are twenty different amino acids that can be combined in an infinite number of ways to make up all the thousands of different proteins your body needs. Of these twenty amino acids, your body can manufacture eleven. The other nine must be supplied by your diet and are therefore called 'the essential amino acids.' How Does Your Body Use Protein? When you consume protein, your digestive system will break it down into its component amino acids. These amino acids go into an amino acid 'bank' that your body can draw from to put together the proteins that it needs for tissue building and repair. If your body goes to the bank, and a particular amino acid is overdrawn, or in such short supply that the required protein cannot be built, then your body's tissues begin to break down. What Foods Contain Protein? Protein in your diet can come from two sources: animal products, such as milk, meat and eggs plant products, suchas legumes, nuts and whole grains There is a major difference between these two protein sources however. Animal products contain 'complete proteins' and a single source will supply you with the essential nine amino acids. Plant proteins, on the other hand, are considered 'incomplete proteins,' as they are usually deficient in one or more of the nine. The notable exception to this is soy protein. In order to get a complete protein from plant sources you need to combine different foods such that their proteins complement and make up for each other's shortages: peanut butter on whole wheat bread beans and rice corn bread and baked beans tofu and rice Incomplete proteins can also be complemented with the use of a small amount of animal protein like macaroni and cheese or milk and cereal. You need not eat complementary proteins at the same time, usually within the same day is enough. ------------------------------------------------------ How Much Protein Should You Eat a Day? Your body can not 'bank' or save a significant amount of the amino acids, so it is important to eat some protein every day. But how much? The recommended protein intake for women is 44 grams a day and for men is 56. Please note: a typical American diet provides almost twice the necessary protein. There are no benefits, and some risks associated with eating too much protein. What are the Risks of Too Much Protein? It is important that you consume protein from a VARIETY of sources each day, and not from animal products only. If you get protein solely from animal sources, you risk endangering your heart and blood vessels from an over consumption of fat and cholesterol. Also, diets very high in protein increase the body's excretion of calcium, necessitating a higher intake of that mineral. Finally, too much protein can also cause dehydration, since water is pulled from the body to dilute the nitrogen waste from protein. What is left behind, after your body rids itself of the unnecessary nitrogen, becomes a source of calories. Each gram of protein supplies four calories. If your daily need for calories has been met, then these excess calories from protein will be stored as fat. What Can You Do Instead of Getting Protein From Animal Sources Alone? Try getting two thirds of your protein from plant sources, in order to reduce the risk of too much fat and cholesterol while simultaneously increasing your intake of fiber and, other important vitamins and minerals. What are Some Suggested Foods and Their Protein Amounts? Here's a list of protein amounts that are found in some foods: 3 ounces of cooked meat, fish or poultry- 21 grams 1/2 cup cooked legumes, dried peas or lentils - 7 grams **(1/2 cup cooked beans = 1 oz meat) 1 large egg - 7 grams 1 cup milk - 8 grams 1/3 cup peanuts - 12 grams 1 slice of whole wheat bread - 3 grams **Remember women are aiming for 44 grams of protein a day. The Quick and Dirty Way To Figure Out How Much Protein You Need An easy way to be sure you are getting enough protein each day is to follow the simple guideline of including two cups of skim milk or non-fat yogurt plus 3 ounces of lean meat or the equivalent. That amount, combined with the incidental amounts of protein you get from other sources, such as whole grains and vegetables, will meet your need of approximately 44 grams of daily protein. Summary: Your body's first priority of operation is to meet its energy needs. If you don't eat enough fat and carbohydrate to meet your energy needs your body will begin to break down protein from food or from body tissues. Getting enough energy every day in the form of carbohydrates or fat will spare protein for the work it does best. If you eat more protein than you need for tissue building or to meet energy demands, the surplus is stored as fat. Tip to Remember: Proteins are for building and repair. Emphasize plant proteins. You are aiming for 44 grams of protein a day. |
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