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| Thursday, July 02, 2009 |
| Summer Slim-Down |
There’s a ritual occurring across the country. You yourself have probably participated recently. You know… the one where you pull the shorts or bathing suit out from the bottom of the drawer, all while saying a little prayer under your breath. Slowly you undress and pull on the clothing, except now you’re holding your breath and sucking in, well…everything. You get the clothes in place and slowly turn around to face the mirror. The next few seconds are filled with either a gasp or a sigh of relief. Those who are gasping are having flashbacks to holiday dinners and comfort food indiscretions from the winter and spring.
Warmer weather means stripping off all those layers of heavy clothes…exposing body parts that have been in hiding for months. If you’re looking to undo that comfort food damage, you’re not alone. Everyone wants to look and feel good this summer, but getting there can take a little work.
It’s never too late, or too early, to start eating right and getting healthier. But there’s no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to weight loss. So, if you’re planning on sending away for that new miracle weight loss pill you saw on TV, forget it. The only thing losing weight will be your wallet. Repeat after me…“There are NO quick fixes!”
So what’s a gal (or guy) to do? Well if you want to get to, and stay at, a healthy size you’ve got to get serious. Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to get you on your ‘weigh’…
Let’s start by getting the ‘Don’ts’ out of the way, the things that absolutely won’t work. Sure, you could practically starve yourself for a couple weeks and lose a few pounds. But as soon as you start eating again, the weight (and more) reappears faster than sitcom reruns. Why? Because you’re losing muscle and water, not the fat that you wanted to lose. Your metabolism slows down and when you begin eating normally, your body replaces the lost muscle and puts extra fat in storage… just in case you try to do that starvation thing again.
So here’s the lecture…DON’T: skip meals, starve yourself, cut too many calories, eliminate food groups, focus on some ‘miracle’ food, buy into ‘magic’ pills, plans or plastic clothing that promise quick weight loss. Don’t try to ‘spot’ reduce, because that (you got it) doesn’t work either.
So here are the things that CAN help you get to your healthy size! These 10 tips will help you look and feel your best!
- Get started! Make a simple shopping list. Plan ahead for meals and snacks to have healthy, filling foods on hand to defend yourself from sneak attacks of mischief and desire – like vending machines, pizza and donuts.
- Plan Ahead! Bring lunch and snacks to work. This saves you time, money and calories!
- Get Smart! Get rid of those chips, cookies, and snacks that weren’t doing you any favors earlier in the year.
- Don’t skip meals! Eat 3-5 small, balanced meals each day. You won’t get ‘over’ hungry and out of control.
- Put away those dinner plates. Use salad size 8 or 9 inch plates from now on! This controls your portions automatically and the smaller plate looks so full! Fill your plate like this:
- ¼ with lean meat, or another protein like chicken or fish
- ¼ with starch
- Fill the other half with vegetables
- Try skinny-dipping. We’re talking bare-naked here! Fact is that anything covering your food (sauces, salad dressing, mayo or gravy) hides unwanted calories. Think light and look for low calorie alternatives:
- Mustard instead of mayo
- Balsamic vinegar instead of salad dressing
- Low fat mayo instead of regular
- Strip the fried foods and let them go naked as well! Bake or broil to save hundreds of calories each meal!
- Get Fresh! Summer brings wonderful seasonal fruit! Satisfy your sweet tooth with the best the season has to offer for dessert and snacks.
- Replace bad habits. Do you snack at night because you’re bored? Stressed? Hungry? Snack like a rabbit…find healthier snacks to fill the need.
- Stay hydrated. Fluids are important any time of year, but especially when it’s warmer outside. Try to drink 8 to 10 glasses of fluid each day.
Remember, it’s not about losing the weight fast; it’s about losing it for good!
- Renee
Labels: healthy tips, Renee, Weight Loss
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posted by My Sensei @ Thursday, July 02, 2009   |
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| 2 Comments: |
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What a great post with TONS of advice everyone can use.. you don't have to do everything at once too!!! Love your last statement. So true!
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lol, when you said try skinny-dipping, my eyes popped out of my head...then I realized you meant otherwise!
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What a great post with TONS of advice everyone can use.. you don't have to do everything at once too!!! Love your last statement. So true!