Category: Health

If I Skip Meals Will I Lose Weight?

Woman is Hungry Dieting

Does your new year’s resolution have you tempted to skip meals to lose weight? If so, you’re not alone. It’s very common for people to experiment by skipping meals to accelerate their weight loss — especially in January after the holiday festivities!

It’s no secret that you must cut and/0r burn calories to lose weight. And, while skipping meals may produce quick weight loss in the beginning, the reality is, the long term results of a “starvation” type diet can be devastating.

Four Reasons not to skip meals!

1)  Slows down your metabolism. When you skip meals, your body goes into “starvation” mode. This causes the body to slow the metabolism for survival and use less calories throughout the day. That’s the last thing you want when you are trying to lose weight!

2)  Unsustainable! Skipping meals to lose weight does not create habits that will help maintain your weight loss for good. It actually does the opposite. Once you’ve lost the weight and begin eating normally again, you will most likely gain all of the weight back. In many cases more than you started with!

3)  Harmful to your health! Skipping meals deprives your body of the fuel it needs to operate properly. It affects your blood sugar, which will cloud your thinking and cause fatigue. People who skip meals are usually robbing their body of essential nutrients and can experience a weakened immune system as well as other negative side effects.

4)  Causes Overeating! When you allow yourself to get overly hungry, you are more likely to overeat and/or binge. This will cause you to consume more calories than you normally would in one sitting, sabotaging all of your efforts to cut back.

Lose weight the smart way!

1)  Knowledge is key! Start by figuring out how many calories you need to cut out in order to reach your goal. Use an app like loseit to calculate what you consume versus how much you burn. Once you determine the deficit, you can decide each day what changes you want to make.

2)  Make a plan! The best way to lose weight permanently is to create a healthy eating plan and an exercise routine you can stick to.

A healthy (balanced) eating plan is usually a combination of three larger meals (aka breakfast, lunch, and dinner) with two snacks in between. Depending on what time you eat dinner, an evening snack may be needed as well. Don’t go to bed hungry!

Here’s an example of a balanced approach to a healthy eating plan:

  • Breakfast 400 calories
  • Snack 200 calories
  • Lunch 400 calories
  • Snack 200 calories
  • Dinner 400 calories
  • Total calories 1600.
This is for sample purposes. You’ll want to calculate your own total. You may discover you need more than 1600 calories depending on how active you are or how much exercise you plan on doing.

Skipping meals may seen enticing in the beginning, but long term success comes from a more balanced approach.  Besides, a balanced approach should sound a whole lot more fun and realistic to you than being hungry all the time.

Please let me know if you have any questions by commenting below! I am here to help you succeed!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six of the Best Healthy Christmas Food Gifts

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Are you considering a food gift for someone on your list? Food is a great Christmas gift for the people that are hard to buy for and almost everyone likes to receive a goody in the mail! However, many people are working hard to maintain their weight this time of year. So if you know your recipient is trying to watch calories, you may want to skip the giant box of truffles and go for something a bit easier on the waistline.

1)  Fruit Basket or box of fruit. Harry & David is a great option. One of their most popular gifts this time of year are fresh pears. They’re delicious and can be served in multiple ways. You can even suggest poaching them and topping them off with a bit of cinnamon for a dessert! 

 2)  Indoor Herb Garden. Great idea for families and people who love to cook! Kids will enjoy the gardening project, and it’s convenient to have your herbs fresh in the kitchen. 

3)  Flavored Oils. Heart healthy flavored olive oil is a treat that cooks might not buy for themselves, but would enjoy having in their kitchen.

4)  Coffee and Tea. Specialty coffees and teas with a nice mug are a great Christmas gift that won’t sabotage a person’s healthy eating plan. If you’re not sure about the caffeine, go for an herbal tea that is naturally caffeine free.

5)  Subscription to a healthy cooking magazine or a cookbook. If you know the person on your list likes to use “lighter” recipes, this is a great gift. If they’ve never mentioned a desire to use low-cal recipes, I would skip this idea. A random arrival of a magazine like “Cooking Light” could be taken the wrong way. Best to know for sure on this one.

6)  Gift Cards. Restaurant or coffee shop gift cards are excellent Christmas gifts to send someone. You can be sure it will get used and won’t linger around the house like a box of chocolates! Your recipient will be able to work the gift into their healthy eating plan and will love you for the treat!

So relax and enjoy that last bit of shopping! It’s easy with the gifts I mentioned above!

Have a gift idea you’d like to share? Please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear your ideas!

Merry Christmas!

Jennifer

 

 

Seven Easy Ways To Exercise During The Holidays

Finding yourself struggling to squeeze in exercise during the holiday season? You’re normal! The good news is it doesn’t have to be a struggle for you. There are plenty of easy ways to work exercise into your day during the holidays.

Seven Easy Ways to Exercise During the Holidays

1)  Shopping! Walking while you shop is a great way to exercise during the holidays. To get the most out of a shopping trip, try taking breaks and bringing your packages back to the car in between stores. Consider wearing a pedometer to help motivate you to take those extra steps.

2)  Baking! Standing burns more calories than sitting, so working in the kitchen counts. Make sure to avoid the temptation to taste test too often. Have a low cal snack nearby to keep you from being too tempted.

3)  Deck the halls! Hauling boxes out of the attic and putting up decorations indoors and outdoors is a great way to get festive while logging your exercise minutes for the day.

4)  Cleaning! You may not be able to make that circuit class, but you know you have to clean the house before guests arrive. No worries! Cleaning house counts as lifestyle exercise. Turn on some music and keep a steady pace going to maximize caloric burn. Just don’t forget to take water breaks!

5)  Get some fresh air! Step outside and go for a walk.  Even if it’s just a short one. Something is always better than nothing!

6)  Let it snow! Fun in the snow isn’t just for down hill skiers. Snow shoeing, cross country skiing, walking, sledding, ice skating, and hiking, are all examples of ways you can have fun outdoors while getting your exercise.

Invite family and friends to join you for outdoor activities. This will help you combine family and/or social time with exercise. Don’t be afraid to go solo if you don’t have any takers. Recreation alone can be used as relaxing time you spend on your own.

7)  Listen to your mother! Seriously, standing up straight burns more calories than slouching. For an extra workout try keeping your stomach muscles tight while standing. Take advantage of moments like waiting in line or standing at a cocktail party to work those stomach muscles!

Take the pressure off of yourself. Shoot for 30 minutes per day total. Every minute counts at the end of the week. Studies have actually shown that people that took 3 ten minute walks per day showed an improvement in blood pressure because they were moving more often throughout the day.

Please understand, I’m not suggesting you quit your current exercise routine if you exercise longer than ten minutes. What I’m saying is the more you move throughout the day, the more you benefit. Take advantage of every opportunity you get to move your body. Whether it’s part of a formal exercise routine, or shoveling snow in your front driveway.

The most important thing is to have fun this holiday season!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer