Lose Weight Find Life

One of the best ways to lose weight is to grocery shop regularly.  As a former junk food addict, if I didn’t have anything at home that I wanted to eat or prepare, I ate out.  I drove my way through 147 excess pounds! 

If you depend on restaurants, fast food places, or junk snack food for your meals, you’re going to get huge portions, lots of excess fat, sugar, carbs and calories, and foods void of nutrition but plenty of extra weight.  It is challenging, if not impossible, to reach your goal of losing weight and maintenance with these foods as your primary source of nutrition. 

If you make a short visit of planned grocery items on your list every few days, you can get many healthier, fresher foods.  You have a huge range of healthy choices.  You’ll save lots of money and calories too.   By shopping for your own food you will naturally begin to choose and eat in a more healthy, conscious way.

Cooking yourself lets you control your carbs, fats, sodium, and sugars.  If everything is prepared for you, then you give up control.

Shop and prepare your own food…..you and your health are worth the time and energy.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

If you find it challenging to get into the vegetable habit, you don’t have to eat huge plates of broccoli and cauliflower.  You can include (okay, okay, hide) serving-sized portions of vegetables into meals you already enjoy.  Here’s some ideas:

*Add chopped spinach to lasagnas and meatloaf. 

*Mix shredded carrots into tuna or chicken salad.

*Create a fancier version of a sandwich by adding sprouts, cucumber slices, carrot slices, and other vegetables.

*Grill vegetables.  Grilled vegetables have a different flavor that many dieters enjoy.

*Prepare a brunch omelet with sauteed peppers and tomatoes.

*Try one new vegetable per week.  You never know what new discoveries you may make.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

Let’s face it…Going out to dinner is fun.  No dishes, no cooking or preparation, people to wait on you!  Food is entertainment.  The problem is that when we go out to eat, we want it to be a special occasion.  We don’t want to spoil the fun by eating “healthy.”  Make a few small adjustments in your restaurant choices can make a big difference.  Something as simple as not putting sour cream on your baked potato or skipping that extra piece of bread. 

With the food they serve before your dinner, it can turn into a meal itself.  Before you reach for the bread basket or bar treats, consider this:

French bread (4 slices):  384 calories, 4 grams of fat, 72 grams of carbs.
Garlic bread (4 slices):  545 calories, 21 grams of fat, 75 grams of carbs.
Butter (2 pats):  72 calories, 8 grams of fat, 0 carbs.
Olive oil (2 tablespoons):  240 calories, 27 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs.

Snacking on bar treats to pass the time waiting for your table or guests simply packs on additional calories to your meal.

Peanuts (1/4 cup):  212 calories, 18 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbs.
Tortilla chips (1 cup):  130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs.
Pretzels (1 cup):  171 calories, 2 grams of fat, 36 grams of carbs.

Do the french fries or pasta sound good?  Check this out:

French fries (1 medium order):  450 calories, 22 grams of fat, 57 grams of carbs.
Pasta with meat sauce (1 cup):  301 calories, 10 grams of fat, 33 grams of carbs.

Be prepared and plan before you eat out…your waistline will thank you and so will the scale.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

As we know, vegetables are packed full of nutrition and antioxidants.  To maximize the antioxidants you obtain from your vegetables, eat them raw or steam them.  Using other cooking methods to prepare veggies can result in a significant loss of antioxidants.

Nutritionists have tested the various methods of cooking vegetables and the effects of each.  The study used fresh broccoli to compare the effects of steaming, boiling, and microwaving.  Steaming resulted in only a minimal loss of antioxidants.  Boiling led to a 66% loss of flavonoids (a type of antioxidant).  Microwaving resulted in an amazing 97% loss of flavonoids, and major losses of other antioxidant types as well.

Vegetables are a wonderful source of fiber and nutrition.  Get the most from your vegetables as possible! 

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Protein plays a big part in our healthy eating habits.  Have you been to the store lately?  They no more took the Valentine’s Day candy off the shelves and put up the Easter candy.  With the spring fling of sugary treats we’re encouraged to commemorate the holiday with, give yourself the treat of a healthy body.

Make protein the first thing you eat when you’re hungry.  Whether it is a meal or a snack, protein is where it is at!  Protein gives you the long-lasting go power you’re looking for, it’ll keep you satisfied longer, and protein helps to shut off the brain’s hunger mechanism while building lean muscle.  Wow!  All that by eating protein?!

Be prepared with your favorite protein-packed meals and snacks:

* Beef or steak jerky.
* Bean deli slices like turkey.
* Lean chicken breast.
* Non-fat or low fat cottage cheese.

Another great snack I enjoy are Chocolate Crunchies from Smartforme.  I enjoy them as a regular snack lus have some with me for “those times” when I’m wanting something to eat.  They are made with soy and a treat that I enjoy.  They have a few carbs but I plan for them throughout my day.  They are chocolatey, crunchy, and have protein.  I took them to the moview with my family and my kids preferred them over the concession junk.  You can order them through www.smartforme.com.

You can be creative with your healthy choices.  You and your leaner body will be glad that you did!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Do you know that certain types of fats are better choices than others in terms of keeping your heart healthy?  Now there’s even more good news…scientists now know that when people use healthier fats instead of the less desirable fats, they lower their total body fat and burn more calories after a meal. 

Here’s the skinny on fats:

HEALTHIER FATS are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  These are found in certain oils such as olive, peanut, and canola along with many nuts, some seeds, and avocados.

LESS DESIRABLE FATS are saturated fats and trans fats.  Saturated fats are found in foods such as bacon, butter, full-fat cream cheese, sour cream.  Trans fats are found in many packaged baked goods such as cookies, crackers, and margarine and shortening.

By knowing what is in the foods that you eat, you are able to make smart decisions in your choices.  Make the healthiest choices possible for a balanced diet from all of the food groups. 

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Food rules can be so limiting and restrictive.  No wonder diet programs only work temporarily.  You can create your own diet program through working with a weight loss coach.  Here’s some food rules to ignore:

Eat at the same time every day:

Huh??!!  Listen to your body and its hunger cues.  Eat when you’re hungry and not when the clock says it is time to eat.  It can help to keep some consistency to your meals, but don’t eat when you’re not hungry.  Don’t override your body’s hunger cues to favor the clock.  Forcing yourself to eat when you’re not hungry or forcing yourself to wait until you are makes it harder to stick to your diet.  If your schedule requires that you eat at a specific time, such as lunch hour at work, plan your other meals accordingly so you are able to eat only when your stomach says it is time.

If you eat something off your diet, you’ve blown it so wait until the next day to get back on track:

Your diet isn’t made up of blowing it or not blowing it.  What you need to blow out is the black/white thinking of being on/off your diet.  This is completely fiction and not fact.  Every meal matters.  If you ate some cookies, get right back on track with your next meal.  A day of being on your diet plan isn’t determined by full days of healthy eating.  The choice to get back on track is available at any time of the day. 

To maximize your weight loss, skip a meal:

Not only does this not work to promote weight loss, it actually compromises it.  You’re more likely to overeat when you skip a meal.  You’ll be more hungry throughout the day so your chances of overeating are greater.  Skipping meals also slows your metabolism so you’ll burn fewer calories throughout the day.  To keep your body’s furnace burning consistently and weight loss steady, keep your metabolism high.

Clean your plate club:

It is better to have food go to waste than to your waist.  Zero in on your body….are you satisfied?  Let your body tell you when you’ve had enough rather than your plate. 

Maximize your weight loss success by following your own set of rules as to what works best for your body and you!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Of all the equipment or machines you will ever use, there is none more important or requiring more careful maintenance than your own body.  Your body is miraculous yet you must treat it with care and proper maintenance.  Would you drive your car without oil, good tires, and regular maintenance and expect to obtain high performance?  Your body is one machine that, at least for now, you cannot trade in for a newer model if it should fail and break down. 

How much time do you spend taking care of your body?  How much maintenance do you give to it in the form of healthy nutrition and adequate exercise?  How careful are you to fill your body’s tank with the right, high quality fuel and keep out contaminants that will make it break down?  Do you let your body operate regularly with exercise, activity, or movement?

Take as good of care of your body with high quality fuel and regular exercise as you would any other valued possession such as your car.  The way to enjoy your life and live to the fullest is to take care of your body.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Deciphering the information on food labels can be tricky.   With marketing strategies designed to grab our dollars in purchasing products, knowledge is power.  Power for your weight loss and health.

Here is important information to assist you in quickly identifying what you’re getting (or not getting) when you buy a product:

Calorie Free = Less than 5 calories per serving
Low Calorie = 40 calories or less per serving
Light or Lite = 1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat than the referenced food
Fat Free = Less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving
Low Fat = 3 grams or less of fat per serving
High Fiber = 5 grams or more of fiber per serving

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

It’s important to eat a lunch that is high in protein.  If you find yourself getting into a lunch rut, here are some protein-rich meals you can try for a change of pace to lunch routine:

*An omelette.  If you want a lower fat version, use egg whites only (such as Egg Beaters).  Fill it up with vegetables for crunch and chunks of meat or cheese to add flavor and even more protein.

*A green salad or spinach salad that features meat, cheese, and/or eggs.  Other salad alternatives are Greek, Caesar with grilled chicken, Cobb or lean meat Chef salad.

* Leftovers from dinner.  Sliced or shredded beef or chicken can be used in sandwiches, salads, or even by itself for tasty lunch options.

* Canned chicken mixed with light mayo, celery, hard boiled eggs, and a taste of sweet relish for a high protein chicken salad.

Break out of your lunch routine and try new things to avoid lunchtime boredom.  Let your creativity flow into lunch masterpieces!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy