Category: Healthy Diet

Back To School Weight Loss Tips

You can feel it in the air! Summer is ending. The light is changing and it’s back to school time! Whether you are a parent, teacher, student, or simply getting back to a Fall routine, the new season usually means much busier schedules.

A shift in schedule can potentially derail your weight loss goals if you let it. I’ve put together some simple guidelines on how to stay on track while adjusting to the new season.

Five Easy Weight Loss Tips for the Back to School Season!

1)  Plan!  Back to school usually means a more set routine. This can be used for your benefit to help you lose weight! Pull out your calendar and determine when you have time for exercise, meal planning, and healthy meal preparation.  Write these activities in like like any other important appointment.

Avoid biting off more than you can chew.  Look at your calendar before saying yes to extra projects.  If saying yes will interfere with your weight loss goals, you may want to take a pass for now.

2) Brown bag it! Breakfast is key to successful weight loss. If time is tight in the mornings, a healthy egg sandwich or smoothie are easy to eat on the go. Do your best to eat by 9:00 am, and no later than 10:00.

Pack lunches and have healthy snacks on you at all times. No matter what your day looks like, busy and hungry are a dangerous combination for weight loss. By planning ahead, you’ll have more control over the food you eat.

And if you are shuttling kids, pack snacks to have on hand. Not only will it contribute to their good health, it will save you time as well.

3)  Order out!  After looking at your schedule, you may realize that cooking some nights will be a stretch.  Let someone else do the cooking for you! Order healthy pre made meals from a company like Magic Kitchen.

4)  Get creative! If your normal exercise time is conflicting with your child’s activity or sport, go for a walk while you are waiting for them. One of my clients decided to get a low cost membership at the gym across the street from her daughter’s dance class.  She’s going to run on the treadmill while her daughter is taking class.  Another option would be to see if there was an adult class to try during her daughter’s class.

Early morning and lunch time workouts are a great way to sneak exercise into the day. This strategy helps you avoid evening interruptions such as working late. 

5)  Create a fit lifestyle!  One of the reasons people are so much more active in the Summer is all of the fun outdoor activities that are available. That doesn’t have to end just because it’s Fall.  Like the beach or hiking? Bundle up and take a walk. Personally, I think Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year!

Choose active recreation on the weekends to counter the less active time during the week. Recreational activities are a great cross trainer if you are doing more formal gym workouts during the week.  Try turning off screens (computers, TV, phones, etc. ) as much as possible on the weekends!

All it takes is a little bit of planning. Fall is a great time to meet your weight loss/management goals.  Embrace this time of year and all of the fullness it brings!

Please let me know if you have any questions or a tip you’d like to share!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 


 

How To Handle A Food Craving And Avoid Binging!

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Food cravings can lead to binging and sabotage your weight loss efforts!  If you haven’t already, read part 1 — Cravings vs. Hunger: How to Tell the Difference  The last thing I want is for you to ignore true hunger signals. 

Food cravings are normal!

We all experience food cravings from time to time.  Don’t worry!  It’s normal.  You just need to follow some simple steps that will help you handle the craving and avoid the binging.

First off, there is a difference between craving food and experiencing real hunger.  Part 1 gives you detailed steps on how to tell the difference.

Have you ever heard that if your body is craving a certain type of food, then “it probably needs it?”  This is not always true.  If your body is craving a big salad with lots of raw vegetables, that concept is totally reasonable.  However, I don’t think there is anyone on the planet that has to eat Chocolate Chip Cookies to survive!

Simple Tips to Stop Food Cravings from Controlling You!

1)  Give in!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Years ago I was taking classes from a well known nutritionist in southern California.  Because of her location, many of her clients had eating disorders.  She told me a story about a young model who would eat an entire bag of baby carrots in one sitting to keep herself from eating a chocolate chip cookie.  She told the nutritionist she was trying to avoid the “bad” food.

Fortunately, she got some health benefits from  eating the carrots.  But, she consumed more calories with the carrots than if she ate one small cookie.

The point of the story is that when you attempt to eliminate a food from your diet entirely, it can trigger binging. You’ll may redirect the binge to another food. Or once you allow yourself to eat the “forbidden” food, you are at risk of over doing it.  Better to have a small amount of the food you are craving than to try avoiding it entirely.  For example, if you crave ice cream, find a low calorie flavor you like and measure out a serving.  You may even find a half serving will do the trick.

Don’t let food control you!  If it’s only certain foods, try keeping them out of the house for awhile until you can practice moderation.

2)  Go to bed!  When you are in need of rest your body will crave sugar for a pick me up.  Go to bed early that night.  Your body will thank you for it.

3)  Drink some water!  Dehydrated bodies can send a hunger signal.  If you have eaten a full balanced meal within the last few hours, then try a glass of water before you eat more.  If you are still hungry, have a small snack.

4)  Redirect!  Find yourself digging through the cupboards for no reason?  You could be bored.  When you find your self mindlessly foraging for food redirect that behavior.  Try walking, doing a household chore, meditating, catching up on phone calls or email, or reading.  Make a list of replacement activities and keep it posted.  Use the list when the craving begins.

5)  Avoid using food for comfort! We’ve all heard of “comfort food.”  There’s no such thing as comfort food.  Food does not offer comfort.  We can associate a positive time in our life with certain foods, which is why you may feel warm and fuzzy when you eat them.

With that being said, elevating your serotonin levels does help fight depression.  But, turning to the sweets to elevate your serotonin levels is not the best choice.  You may feel great for a moment after eating a large piece of cake.  However, when your blood sugar drops, you can go right back into the dumps and may experience guilt for sabotaging your weight loss goals.

Choose a balanced meal with complex carbohydrates to elevate the serotonin in your body.  If dessert is really your thing, have a small serving that will fit into your daily calorie expenditure.

Just remember we all have food cravings from time to time.  It’s how we deal with them that will make or break our weight loss and management goals!

I hope this has been helpful.  Please let me know if you have any questions or tips you’d like to share to control food cravings.  I love to hear from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

Cravings Vs Hunger, How To Tell The Difference!

Is this scenario familiar? The kids are in bed, you’ve settled in to watch your favorite show, and now you’re craving something to eat. Or, you’re in your office and you start dreaming of that other 1/2 sandwich you left in the fridge. You try to suppress it until you just can’t stand it any longer and head for the kitchen. Don’t worry, this happens to everyone at some point!

It’s important for you to know when it’s a craving and when you are experiencing real hunger. Knowing the difference between the two can help you lose weight and maintain it for life. When the craving or potential hunger signal occurs all you have to do is ask yourself a few questions.

How to tell if it’s hunger or a craving in 30 seconds or less!

1)  Check the time!  Ask yourself when was the last time you ate? Your blood sugar begins to drop within two hours after eating so, after about 3-4 hours you are justifiably hungry.

2)  Did you eat enough? If you are hungry within two hours after eating you may not be eating enough calories during your meal. A meal should be a minimum of 300 calories for a woman and 450-500 calories for a man.

3)  Are you satisfied?  I am a huge believer in portion control versus dieting. However, you also need to satisfy your body so that it feels full. Super small portions of high calorie foods make it difficult to feel full. Choose high volume low calorie meals for optimal results. Eat a balanced meal of veggies, whole grains, and protein so your body has to take time to digest or “burn off” the meal.

One of the best ways to get high volume low calorie foods is to meal plan with light recipes. You can cook them yourself using magazines like Cooking Light and Eating Well, or you can order pre–made low cal meals from companies like Magic Kitchen.

4)  Are you dehydrated? If after going through the above checklist you’ve decided you really shouldn’t need more food, try drinking an 8 oz glass of water. See if the hunger disappears. A dehydrated body can send hunger signals!

5)  Do you need to get some rest?  When you lack sleep, the body tends to crave sugar for a pick me up.

6)  Are you bored? I know it’s hard to believe that anyone can be bored these days! However, just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you are not bored with the task at hand. Procrastination and boredom can send you right into the kitchen. Ask yourself if you are trying to avoid something or are looking for something to do.

7)  Are you stressed? About 50% of the population turn to food when they are stressed. The other 50% don’t eat at all.  Stress can trigger cravings for things like sugar, salt, & fat. Pay attention to stressful situations that come up. See what types of eating patterns the circumstances  trigger.

If  after asking yourself the above questions you have determined that you really are justifiably hungry — eat! Do not starve yourself! If your larger meal is in the next hour or two or you just had dinner, then have a light snack to tide you over before the larger meal or bedtime.

Some examples of good snacks are a single serving of crackers with hummus, yoghurt with a sprinkle of granola, a single serving of chips and salsa with 1/4 cup of yoghurt, a piece of fruit, oatmeal, or a piece of toast with a tablespoon of peanut or a 1/2 tablespoon of butter.

Hopefully these tips will help you tell when you are experiencing cravings versus hunger. If you have determined that you are craving food without being hungry, do not worry! You are normal! In my next article I am going to teach you how to manage and satisfy your cravings without sabotaging your weight loss/management. So stay tuned!

Please let me know if you have any questions about cravings versus hunger. Or, please feel free to share your own personal weight loss tip.  I want to hear from you!

To your health!

Jennifer