Tag: “ways to lose weight

Celebrate This Fourth of July Without The Extra Calories!

 

This year my dog (Dillon) and I will be marching in our local parade on the Fourth of July. I am super excited to be part of the celebration honoring the birth of our country and the people who fought for our freedom.

I do have a confession to make!

There’s another personal reason I agreed to do it. I wanted the exercise! What a fun way to get my workout in for the morning. It’s always great to find fun ways of exercising so it never feels like a chore.

One of my tricks to weight management without dieting is to get exercise on days I will be indulging.  I don’t use this method only on the Fourth of July — I practice this principle all summer long! For more tips on how to lose weight while enjoying your summer, read Tips for Your Summer Weight Loss Plan.

It is totally possible for you to have fun and avoid the extra calories this year!

1) Exercise! If you are walking in your local parade, this is a great way to get exercise. Committing to an event will help keep you on track when you might be tempted to “blow off” exercise.

You don’t have to be in a parade to get exercise on the fourth! You and your family and/or group could walk or hike before all of the grilling starts. Try calling to set it up in advance. If it’s too tough to fit in — plan fun, active games. This will also prevent the mindless snacking that can occur while visiting.

2)  Go Light! Having a potluck? Bring the lighter version of your traditional dish. Something as simple as substituting regular mayonnaise with the light version can cut back significantly on calories! Google is great for helping you find the lighter fare without compromising taste. Ask other friends if they want to bring light dishes as well. If appropriate, why not make “cooking light” the theme?

Choose leaner meats for the barbecue. A Kielbasa sausage has 330 calories. That doesn’t include the bun! Substitute with a chicken sausage that has 170 calories.

3)  Make calorie conscious choices! Limit foods like chips and dip. Nine chips and two tablespoons of dip is usually a serving and can have 200 calories easy! Load up on fruits, veggies, and green salad. Take smaller “taste size” portions of the heavier dishes like potato salad. This allows you to keep from feeling deprived and stay on target with your weight loss/management goals.

Substitute sparkling water or plain iced tea for sweet tea, energy drinks, and soda. Wine and beer have a lot less calories than blended “umbrella” drinks. If you plan on drinking some of your calories, you may want to skip dessert or vice versa.

Make a plan before the party starts. For example if the tea is sweet, I”ll choose water.

4)  It’s only one day!  You have to really pig out to gain weight in one day. However, the fourth can set the tone for the rest of the week and even the summer. If you overdo it, get right back on your normal eating and exercise plan the following day!

These tips will help you have fun without gaining weight! If you have a great tip you want to share or have a question, please leave a comment below!

Have a super fun and safe Fourth of July!

Blessings to you and your family!

Jennifer

 

 

Can Eating Late Make You Gain Weight?

For years we have been teaching a calorie is a calorie no matter what time it is consumed. I mean it makes sense. It’s dark in your stomach. How does your body know what time it is? But, there is growing research now telling us that the body burns those calories differently at night than it does during the day.

Your body has a secret fat burning process at night!

The new thinking based on the research by Satchin Panda at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, is that the body burns some of the calories you eat for fuel during the day and the rest is stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. At night, your body converts the glycogen into glucose and releases it into your bloodstream to keep your blood-sugar levels steady during this fasting period called sleep.

Once the glycogen is gone, your liver starts burning fat cells for energy.

Lose weight in your sleep!

The concept that we burn fat while we sleep is not new at all. But, this new research gives some merit to the theory that a midnight snack could interfere with your body’s ability to burn fat between the time you go to bed and the time you sit down to breakfast.

So what time should you stop eating? Late night snackers tend to eat an average of 248 calories more per day than those who go to bed earlier. Most of those calories are consumed after 8pm.

Depending on what you have had for dinner that night, you may actually be hungry right before bed time. Make sure you are eating a balanced meal with lost of veggies, whole grains, healthy oils, and protein in order to feel satisfied.

Don’t go to bed hungry!

If you really are hungry and not just craving or bored, then have a piece of fruit, a 1/2 serving of yoghurt, or 1 piece of whole wheat bread to tie you over until morning.

If you are a late night snacker, you may not be getting enough sleep. This can cause weight gain. If you work the night shift, your body will adjust. However, the new research tells us that trying to “fit in” to a day schedule on your off days could be throwing your body out of whack. If you are used to having your larger meals during a swing shift, experiment with keeping the portions small when you normally would have been sleeping. Regular meals and sleep patterns seems to be the key.

Start the day of with breakfast!

Research has proven that regular breakfast eaters weigh less. When you eat within an hour of waking up, you help jump start your metabolism! Read  How Eating Breakfast Helps You Lose Weight for more details about breakfast and weight loss.

What do you do if you ate late the night before? Based on Panda’s research you want to wait 12 hours between the evening meal and breakfast. If you ate a big dinner at 11pm, then eating closer to lunch may help you burn off that late meal.

Overall the “new thinking” is telling us something we already know. While I wouldn’t get too freaked out about the occasional late night meal, regular meals and regular sleep help you lose weight and maintain it permanently!

Has this helped you with this subject? Have a late night habit you want to discuss? Please leave a comment below.  I love hearing from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

 

Can Convenience Make Us Fat?

America is blessed with so many conveniences! Unfortunately, it has also increased our obesity rate! Fortunately you don’t have to be a casualty.

Your great-great grandmother would laugh!

She’d wipe the sweat off her brow and let out a belly laugh. “A what? A gym?” Especially after coming in from milking the cows, weeding the garden, churning the butter and doing the family laundry by the river.

It hasn’t been until recently (about the 1950’s) that Americans have faced a need for formal exercise. With automation came less lifestyle activity. About the same time more processed “fast” foods entered the scene. Convenience crept in — and it is here to stay!

It’s no mystery when you stop and calculate how automation has caused us to burn less calories and consume more of them.

Today, it is possible to stay home for 30 days straight and never leave the house. You can have your food delivered, your trash picked up, your movies delivered, your mail picked up, and even have your dog walked!

Hang on Jennifer. Do you want me to live like the Amish?

Now please don’t get me wrong. I like my washing machine, dishwasher, and my automobile. Since I live on an island, I really like that I can have some of my favorite retailers deliver to my front door. These conveniences free up my time for other priorities.

For busy people, outsourcing some of the less physical everyday tasks will actually assist you with your health and weight loss goals. It will free up your time to plan healthy low-cal meals, exercise more, and even rest.

Here are some everyday tasks that can help you lose weight:

  • Park in the back of the lot.
  • Walk downtown for an errand.
  • Take the stairs.
  • Walk your kids to school.
  • Walk the dog.
  • Walk to the mailbox.
  • Go shopping.
  • Do careful meal planning and cooking.

You can exercise during leisure time as well!

  • Turn off the screen and go for a walk.
  • Walk to your local video store for a movie. (Multi-task by bringing the dog.)
  • Walk to your local restaurant.
  • Plan outdoor activities for your off time.
  • Meet a friend for a walk and then have coffee or lunch.
  • Walk on the beach.
  • Go hiking and have a picnic for a date.
  • Plan vacations that offer physical activities.

Last Tuesday, a close friend of mine was in town. She wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge and sight see. We walked a little over three miles and had so much fun. It was a beautiful day. After, we went to Sausalito for lunch.

It would have been so much easier to stop in the car, take a few photos, and drive on to Sausalito. I’m so glad that we made the extra effort to walk across it. We combined our exercise with our leisure time. We had fun and met our daily exercise goal all at the same time.

There’s no getting around it — we have to plan to lose weight!

Modern convenience has permanently created an environment that requires us to pay more attention to calories burned versus calories consumed. In order to lose and/or maintain our weight for the years to come, healthy eating and regular exercise must be incorporated into our daily lives.

Whether you prefer to “disguise” exercise in your every day activities or like to do formal workouts, it will require some thought and planning. Check this out for tips on how to lose weight living your life.

Convenience can open the door for a “last minute” mindset. Use your calendar to schedule exercise and healthy meals into your day. If you’d like suggestions on how to do that, I offer you nine meal planning tips that lead to weight loss. Don’t worry. They’re perfect for busy people, and even save you money!

Please leave a comment below and let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything you are struggling with. Or, if you have a success story you would like to share! I love hearing from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer