Tag: weight loss

Balance is the Key To Long Term Weight Loss

 

If you’re alive and breathing it’s pretty difficult to get through one single day without media bombardment of the latest and greatest fad diet or workout.  While these various diets, potions, and exercise routines all boast phenomenal results, the reality is that most of these are unrealistic and next to impossible to sustain. In the worst case scenarios they can even be dangerous for your body.

Lost Weight Loss Wisdom?

 

The key to long term weight loss has been and always will  be a healthy, balanced approach. There’s nothing complicated about it and it does not require deprivation, pain, fancy shakes, eliminating whole food groups, or any other fad that’s out in the media.

However, it does require a little bit of knowledge, consistency, and planning.

Six Things to Remember to Find Balance

 

1)  Calories count.  In order to lose a pound of fat per week, a reduction of 500 calories per day is required.  A combination of exercise and adjustments to caloric intake is the most balanced approach to creating a caloric deficit. Free apps like loseit make it easy to track your daily caloric intake based on your weight loss goals.

While counting calories may seem restrictive, it’s actually empowering. If you treat calories like a bank account, knowing how much you can spend each day gives you flexibility. A great tip from celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels is to follow the 80/20 rule. Allow yourself 20% “fun calories” each day. Use the 20% for things like a glass of wine, small dessert, or any other special treat you enjoy.

2)  Meal planning. Have you heard the old saying “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail?” Planning what you will eat for the week takes the guesswork out of whether or not you are staying on track with your calorie cutting and weight loss goals. Use “light” or “low cal recipes” to keep the food choices interesting so you won’t feel deprived.

You don’t have to give up planning when eating out. Check out the menu online before you get to the restaurant. Use apps like loseit or healthy dining finder to help you evaluate menus. Choose your lower calorie meal before you arrive at the restaurant to avoid being tempted by the higher calorie choices.

Allow yourself to go for it once in awhile and forget about the calories. Have fun and don’t allow yourself to feel guilty. Simply get back on your plan the following day.

If you’re on vacation, make it your goal to not gain any weight. Use your loseit app to find out how many calories you can spend.

3)  Regular Exercise. Regular daily exercise combined with a healthy eating plan is the best recipe there is for weight loss and weight management. Shoot for 20 minutes per day of regular activity like walking, hiking, biking,swimming, etc.

5)  Leisure Time Activity. Use leisure time to relax AND burn calories. Try things like a walk on the beach, kayaking, horseback riding, walking your dog, or playing with your kids. You’ll not only feel rejuvenated, but you’ll contribute to your daily weight loss goals.

6)  Make sure your goals are realistic. You may not have the time nor the desire to do what it takes to look like a model on the cover of a health magazine. If you can’t go out to dinner once a week without “blowing” your plan, your weight loss goal will be very hard to maintain. Set a goal to reach a desired weight that allows you to look good, feel good, and enjoy yourself. Then stick to it.

Avoid letting the media or anyone else pressure you into thinking your goal isn’t good enough or that you should be comparing yourself to others. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. What’s most important is that you are comfortable, happy, and satisfied with your own personal results.

Now, that my friend is balance!

To your health and fitness!

Jennifer

Questions or comments?  Please leave me a note below.  I love to hear from you!

 

 

Sugary Drinks and Weight Loss

What They Say — Is it True?

Everyone has heard it. Cut sugary drinks from your daily diet. It’s supposed to be a popular and effective strategy for weight loss. Just eliminate extra “liquid calories” to create the caloric deficit needed to start shedding those unwanted pounds.

But wait! There is more to it than meets the eye. Current research shows it may not just be cutting the calories that helps you lose weight. It can also have something to do with the type of sugar you are consuming! The latest research reveals that the type of sugar in your beverage could affect whether or not you feel hungry after drinking it.

What’s the Real Culprit?

 

In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers determined that your brain processes fructose and glucose differently. Apparently, glucose helped participants to feel full — but fructose did not.

You’re probably asking “what was the reason?” The study authors discovered that the glucose drink suppressed activity in the brain that regulates appetite, motivation and reward processing. Fructose based drinks on the other hand, were associated with reduced levels of insulin — a hormone responsible for sending satiety messages to the brain.

In a nut shell, fructose in its simple form may cause you to feel hungry based on the messages that the brain is receiving, but not because you really need food.

Four ways to limit too much fructose in your diet:

 

1)  Skip the soda. Based on the study, it’s best to avoid carbonated drinks with fructose and/or high fructose corn syrup to help you stabilize your appetite and curb overeating. You’ll benefit from the caloric reduction as well!

2)  Eat whole fruit!  It’s important to know that fructose found in fruit is absorbed differently in the body due to the fleshy fiber in the fruit. Skip the juice and eat the whole apple or orange instead.

3)  Add greens to your smoothie. Most smoothies are considered healthy foods, but if you’re noticing you’re ravenous shortly after having one, consider switching the majority of the fruit in the smoothie to greens. Include protein in your smoothie to help sustain you longer.

4)  Read the labels! Sugar comes in many different forms, so make sure to read the labels on drinks before purchasing. If the packaging lists dextrose in the ingredients, that’s glucose. Sucrose is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. If’ the label says “high fructose corn syrup” skip it!

And, don’t forget to make sure to check the serving information and calories before buying. Even if it is a “better” sugar, the drink could still have more calories than you wish to consume.

The more you know about what’s in your food, the easier it gets to make healthy choices that foster weight loss!

Have a question?  Ask me by leaving a comment below.  I love to hear from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

 

 

 

Lose Weight With These Easy Portion Control Tips

Did you know that the average restaurant meal is now four times larger than a meal in the 1950’s?  It’s no wonder that the average adult is 26 pounds heavier than sixty years ago!

You can lose weight with portion control. That’s one of the most important secrets behind weight loss.  When you cut back on portion sizes and take a balanced approach to healthy eating, you will see your weight drop.

Unlike restrictive diets which can lead to binging, portion control teaches you how to eat the foods you like in moderation. You may be asking how to control portion sizes without scales and various other measuring tools, or what to do when you eat out. Great questions!

Five Simple Tips for Portion Control:

1)  Read the fine print!  Yes! The labels will tell you how many calories, but make sure you read how many servings are in that bag of chips, energy drink, soda, box of crackers, etc.  Most snack size bags are actually two servings — not one!

2)  Are your plates super sized? Over the years it’s become fashionable to have large plates. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to get new dishes! However, a plate that is smaller will appear fuller and may satisfy you more.

If you feel like you need the extra visual help, you can purchase plates that have the portion sizes built into them. Everything from plastic to china. Another way I combat the empty looking plate is to use bowls. They appear fuller and I am able to scoop out the proper portion sizes with a ladle.

3)  Develop a simple visual system. Not all plates are created equal. so it’s helpful to know what a proper serving is. Here are some visual cues/examples to help you with portion size:

  1. Vegetables or fruit: about the size of your fist.
  2. Carbohydrates like pasta, rice, and starchy vegetables: A single serving is 1/2 cup or the size of a cupcake wrapper.
  3. Meat, fish, or poultry: the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (minus the fingers).
  4. Snacks such as pretzels and chips: about the size of a cupped handful.
  5. Apple: the size of a baseball.
  6. Potato: the size of a computer mouse.
  7. Bagel: the size of a hockey puck.
  8. Pancakes or lunch meat: the size of a compact disc.
  9. Cheese: the size of a pair of dice or the size of your whole thumb (from the tip to the base).
  10. A tablespoon of food such as peanut butter, salad dressing, hummus:  The size of your whole thumb.

4)  It’s okay to go back for seconds! Try serving from the kitchen counter to avoid reaching mindlessly for a second helping. If after 20 minutes you are still hungry, then go back and load up on veggies or a 1/4 to 1/2 second serving.

Eating out?  No problem. Ask your server about the portion sizes. Start with one or two dishes and then decide if you want more. The kitchen will still be there!

5)  You do not have to finish everything on your plate!  Many of us were raised not to waste. This was a really important thing to teach us as children, and I am grateful for that up-bringing. Unfortunately, this has been linked to overeating in adults.

I give you full permission to leave food on your plate. You will not be sent to your room! That may sound silly. However, so much of our childhood training affects the way we look at food. If you are like me and really dislike wasting food, then simply place whatever is left in a small container. You can have it as a snack or combine it with your lunch.

So there you go! These strategies can be implemented right away to help you with weight loss. Portion control is one of the best ways to begin cutting back on unnecessary calories without depriving yourself.

Have questions or tricks to share?  I’d love to hear from you below!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer