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Weight Loss Quick Tips - 2
Even if you don't follow The Zone diet, it has something very important to teach us all: portion control. If you have read any of Dr. Sears' Zone books then you have probably noticed a diagram where a drawing of a plate is divided into a sort of pie chart. Sears shows how to portion out your carbs and protein with this diagram. You can apply the same line of thinking to a low-fat diet, or, for that matter to no diet at all, just as a way to work towards healthier eating in general. Mentally dividing your plate into different sections this way helps you make sure your meals are well-balanced, which will keep your meals nutritious and satisfying. It will also help you practice portion control by letting you know when to say when as you are loading up your dinner plate. Imagine a vertical line going through the middle of your plate; picture a horizontal line on one side of it. Fill up half your plate with raw or steamed veggies (Say no to butter and cheese toppings, though!). Cover the other half as follows: 1/4 whole grains like whole wheat pasta or bread, long grain rice, etc., and the other 1/4 with protein, like lean meat, chicken or fish. Your best choices are grilled, baked or boiled chicken or broiled fish if you're trying to reduce fat. Other protein-rich foods include low-fat dairy products, tofu and beans.
You can ruin a healthy diet by chug-a-lugging cola at every meal. A normal-sized bottle of soda can pack in around 350 calories. Go back for a large soda refill or two at your local fast food restaurant and you could swallow as many as 1,000 extra calories with your meal. If you're anything like me, diet soda is definitely a no-go. Instead, start cutting back until you only allow yourself one cup soda at only one meal a day. Or, have lunch with a friend and split a can of cola. The best alternative for soda is to drink water instead... not only is it calorie-free, it offers many other health benefits. Try adding a sprig of mint or a slice of lemon to make it more palatable.
Skipping meals will not -- I repeat -- will not lead to healthy, permanent weight loss. By doing without a breakfast here and a lunch there, you may take off a few pounds at first, but eventually eating in such a careless way will catch up with you and your body will send itself into "starvation mode" and start banking the calories you do eat. This means you will inevitably hit a plateau and not lose at all. You simply must give your body the fuel it needs to run on. A good rule of thumb is that you actually shouldn't go more than four or five hours without eating something. If you don't make a habit of eating that often, you may find yourself feeling light-headed or weak. Your body will definitely start sending hunger signals, and, in the end if you force yourself not to eat when you feel hungry... by the time you do sit down to finally eat something, you will be very prone to over-eat. When all is said and done you could feasibly take in as many -- or more -- calories during a binge than you would have eating three square meals! Thus, by skipping meals, you will do more harm than good.
Why not pre-prepare and schedule mini-snacks to eat every couple of hours? Plan to have single servings of easily-"munchable" foods on-hand. Single-serving yogurts or cubes of reduced-fat cheese make a great snack to have on hand in the mini-fridge. Don't have a way to keep your snack stash cool at work? Make your munchies something you can keep in your desk drawer. Dry cereal, raisins, carrot sticks are all common fare, but you can also jazz things up by doing things like throwing in zucchini sticks with those plain Jane carrot sticks. Or try reduced-fat pretzels dipped in honey mustard. Mix in some almond slivers with vanilla yogurt. Yum! Snack time doesn't have to be boring! By including a little variety in your planned mini-meals, you'll look forward to your snack break and you'll be less tempted by that vending machine in the corner.
Don't let a hectic work schedule get in the way of healthy eating. Eating well is worth the extra time and effort it takes to do it right. Get up a half hour earlier than usual to prepare a hearty breakfast with some protein (like veggie links or turkey sausage), eggs or egg beaters and whole wheat toast, or a bowl of low-sugar, high-fiber cereal with reduced-fat milk and some fruit. If you find you have to eat on the run, make a quick smoothie and pour it into a sports bottle, or, top your container of yogurt with some low-fat granola for a fast, portable meal. Normally dine out at your lunch hour? Better have a back-up plan. Prepare a brown bag lunch every day just in case you're not able to leave the office. Working through lunch shouldn't mean you have to make it on an empty stomach until quitting time or... even worse... to make a meal off of candy bars and chips from the vending machine! A peanut butter or turkey sandwich, an apple, some carrot sticks and a container of low-fat yogurt will provides enough protein so you'll have the energy you need to make it through the rest of your day. Plus, by including fruit and a veggie, the fiber will help you stay full so you won't be famished by dinner-time. Another "back-up" option is to always keep a frozen entree in the freezer or a can of soup in your desk drawer. Go to Part 1 of Weight Loss Quick Tips This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not imply the approval or recommendation by Weightloss.ms . Always consult a medical professional before significantly modifying your diet or beginning an exercise program. |