Tips on Good Nutrition
To lose weight in a healthy manner, we need to eat healthy,
wholesome foods that support and nourish our bodies in the right balance and without
overfeeding ourselves.
The following nutritional tips can help you in your efforts
to reduce your weight when considered as part of a complete weight management
program.
Anyone wanting to lose weight should seek advice from their
health care practitioner to ensure that they do not have any underlying medical
problems such as diabetes, thyroid malfunctions etc. that need to be addressed.

Foods to Reduce and/or Eliminate From Your Diet
- Refined
sugar products like cake, pie, cookies, ice cream, chocolate bars, candy
- Refined
and highly processed foods like French fries, potato chips, white bread,
deep-fried foods.
- Pop
and alcohol.
Foods Good To Eat
- Water
with a spritz of lemon juice (the lemon tastes refreshing and helps to
make your body more alkaline rather than acidic). 8 glasses a day.
- A wide
variety of fresh vegetables and fruits
- Protein
in meat like chicken, fish, beef, pork, lamb as well as dairy, eggs and
tofu and other soy products
- Complex
carbohydrates like whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal,
kamut, spelt cereals and other products and beans)
- Healthy
fats like olive oil, grape seed oil and nuts in small portions.
- Dairy
products, especially low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt
Did You know?
- You
can stop cravings for sugar by weaning yourself off sugary food products
and caffeine products. Slowly
reduce the caffeine so you don’t get headaches.
- Eat
well balanced meals that include: protein; “good” complex carbohydrates
like vegetables and fruits and some grains and beans; and healthy fats
like olive oil, some nuts and seeds.
- Protein
helps to moderate your appetite and to burn off excess calories. It also
increases muscle mass if combined with weight resistance training.
- When
overweight, eat 25% less each day and you can and will lose weight!
- Exercise
in the morning helps to decrease carbohydrate cravings (breads, pastas, rice
and potatoes).
What else can help me?
- Plan
ahead. Shop for healthy foods and
prepare home-cooked yet easy meals.
Make your own healthy lunch and take it to work. Carry healthy
snacks with you like walnuts, almonds, strips of peppers, carrots. This is
an important step to weight loss success.
You are worth it!
- Eat
three meals per day and two snacks.
- Don’t
eat after dinner. You will find
that you sleep better and this will help you lose weight. You won’t be
digesting the excess food while you sleep.
- Become
of aware of your food associations…ice cream and rest or maybe you
associate ice cream with play and fun, buttered popcorn and movie, driving
by the donut shop for a coffee and while you are there you pick up a donut
or two. Try taking a new route or
don’t stop for coffee if you know that you have a weakness for donuts.
- Get enough Essential Fatty Acids in your diet. By eating salmon, mackerel, sardines and
flax seeds you can get Omega 3 fats and by consuming Evening Primrose and
Borage oils as well as sunflower and safflower oils you can get Omega 6. We can also get these essential fatty
acids through supplements at the health food store or at your local
pharmacy.
Essential Fatty Acids either in
food form or in supplements such as an Omega 369 formula support healthy
weight, hormonal balance and improved circulation. They also help us to have healthy nerves and provide
nutrition so our brain works well.
Besides eating healthy foods and exercising what can I
do?
- Do
self-hypnosis to reinforce positive suggestions about your goal to lose
weight and to lead a healthy lifestyle that includes eating healthy foods
and exercise. Imagine how you are getting slimmer and fitter,
healthier. Imagine how you look,
feel and what sounds you hear (maybe compliments about how you look). Imagine how good it feels to be relaxed,
calm and in control.
- Have
compassion and patience for yourself as you develop new healthy habits. Remember it takes time to lose the
excess pounds.
- Determine
if your food “craving” is a physical or an emotional one. If you are really physically hungry then
you may need to eat something.
It’s not good to skip breakfast,
miss a meal or eat hours later than normal as it adversely affects your blood
sugar levels and then you are so hungry that you eat more than you should or
you eat unhealthy foods.
- If
you have an emotional craving or desire to eat foods that generally cause
you to eat too much, then you can deal with that by examining what is it
that you really need in your life.
Is it more love? Is it
learning how to deal with stress or loneliness? In other words, what’s
eating you.
You can choose new
behaviours and activities that you enjoy instead of eating.
§
Exercise including going for a walk in nature,
yoga, tai chi, weight lifting, biking, tennis, golf, soccer, dance, aerobics.
§
Deep, calm breathing
§
Practice positive self-talk. Are you thinking I can’t lose weight or do
you criticize yourself. Monitor those
negative thoughts and cancel them when you are aware of them. Next think positive thoughts about yourself
and your efforts to lose weight.
§
Write in a journal to express your feelings
§
Visit a museum, take in a play, sign up for a class
§
Participate in hobbies that you enjoy
§
Talk to a positive and supportive friend. In fact have a whole support group that you
can call on to help you be responsible to yourself.
§
Feel the feeling instead of masking it by
eating. Get help if you need it.
§
Celebrate your successes along the way. No that doesn’t mean going out to a
restaurant for a big meal…. When you lose 5 or 10 pounds and you still have 15
or more to go, then reward your 5 pound success by buying a relaxation or
hypnosis CD or buy yourself a new t-shirt in your favourite colour or pamper
yourself with a massage. Remember to
celebrate when you’ve reached your goal weight.
Really do something that reminds you of how proud you are of yourself.