I read a great post today at Inland Empire Family blogs, titled "Why I Refuse to Diet to Lose Weight!" You can imagine with a name like that that I had to read it.
People often say they refuse to diet--and it is usually that they have been on diets before. Lots of diets. Diets that let them down. That is the case with "Skinny Jeans Mom" who wrote this post.
I agree with just about everything she (SJM) says...and I've written much of the same thoughts, both here and in my book, Refuse to Diet: Weight Loss Success Starts with Your Mind...Not Your Mouth. She talks about getting ample sleep, getting rid of the guilt if you do have a treat, not skipping meals and moderation to name a few tips. She just makes sense, small changes to get the results you want, diets don't work, don't deprive yourself, etc.
Check out SJM's blog post, it has lots of great tips...but one word of caution--
When SJM talks about water she suggests "stashing" water in your car. Drinking sufficient water a big part of being healthy since our bodies are mostly water, but here is a word of caution. There is so much documentation that shows the sunlight and heat in our cars can cause plastic to leach into our water bottles, so using plastic bottles in our cars is just not a good idea. If I'm out and about I carry a bottle with me, either BPA-free plastic or metal. If I'm driving for a long time or want to leave water in the car then I also have a small cooler with me. Even though I like my water room temp, I will put a small ice bag in the cooler, thereby helping the water to stay fresh and safe.
I would add one big tip: eat consciously. When we stop our unconscious eating by limiting our multi-tasking while eating we experience more satisfaction with the food we do eat and we get full more quickly--we have more pleasure (so if you truly love food, as opposed to loving to put food in your mouth, this is a good thing) and we actually will successfully lose weight.
Read SJM's post in full by clicking here.
Showing posts with label drinking water to lose weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drinking water to lose weight. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Monday, November 8, 2010
Weight Loss Secret: Treat Yourself Like Your Car
I recently heard from a young man who said he knew he would lose weight even if he ate snacks and treats all the time as long as he burned more calories than he ate. He went on with some extensive math calculations on how many calories the average sedentary person burns and how he will be able to lose weight by adding some additional exercises and dropping his calorie intake to under 2000 per day.
My first reaction is, Heaven help this guy...I wonder if he has ever tried to diet before?
Begin healthy and losing weight is not just a math equation...and certainly not a simple one! First of all, there is no "average" person...we are all unique and we react differently to different foods, exercise and moods.
Second, even if you caloric intake is low, you can not heal your body and create healthy, lean tissues if you eat junk food all day long.
Rather than counting calories and trying to figure out the math of losing weight, treat your body at least as well as you would your vehicle. You wouldn't put sugar in your car's gas tank and expect it to run, would you? No, you give your car the proper grade gasoline and oil that it requires. You keep the radiator filled. You check your battery. You inflate the tires to get the best mileage.
Your body is a fantastically complex machine and deserves similar treatment. Give your body good quality fuel, as in lean protein, complex carbs, healthy fats. Drink plenty of pure water (filter it yourself and save money and the environment) to help keep your system flushed and well regulated. By eating small amounts fairly often you keep your battery charged and like putting your car on cruise-control you can keep going and going without the roller-coaster ride of sugar rushes and crashes.
Quit counting calories and keep yourself on the highway of life, looking good and cruising by eating the right foods every day!
My first reaction is, Heaven help this guy...I wonder if he has ever tried to diet before?
Begin healthy and losing weight is not just a math equation...and certainly not a simple one! First of all, there is no "average" person...we are all unique and we react differently to different foods, exercise and moods.
Second, even if you caloric intake is low, you can not heal your body and create healthy, lean tissues if you eat junk food all day long.
Rather than counting calories and trying to figure out the math of losing weight, treat your body at least as well as you would your vehicle. You wouldn't put sugar in your car's gas tank and expect it to run, would you? No, you give your car the proper grade gasoline and oil that it requires. You keep the radiator filled. You check your battery. You inflate the tires to get the best mileage.
Your body is a fantastically complex machine and deserves similar treatment. Give your body good quality fuel, as in lean protein, complex carbs, healthy fats. Drink plenty of pure water (filter it yourself and save money and the environment) to help keep your system flushed and well regulated. By eating small amounts fairly often you keep your battery charged and like putting your car on cruise-control you can keep going and going without the roller-coaster ride of sugar rushes and crashes.
Quit counting calories and keep yourself on the highway of life, looking good and cruising by eating the right foods every day!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Dump Diet Soda for Health and Weight Loss Success
It may seem to some that the suggestion to dump the diet soda goes against the idea of losing weight. The truth is that diet sodas do NOT help you lose weight. The reasons why may be controversial, but here are some of the facts behind soda...diet and non...that might just burst your soft drink bubble.
Bone Killers: some sodas will actually take calcium out of your bones. Sodas with caffeine seem to be the biggest culprits here...whether the soda is diet of regular doesn't seem to matter.
Diabetes Risk: even one diet soda a day is linked to a increased odds of risk of both Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. Research has not conclusively shown why, but one possibility is the caramel flavoring in cola, which actually affects the boy at a molecular level and inhibits the ability to process sugar.
Weight Gain: yep, diet sodas can actually lead to weight gain because they increase carbohydrate cravings and get us used to taking in super sweet substances.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup: switching to regular soda is not necessarily healthier...most are filled with HFCS which is complete void of nutrition, spikes the body's blood sugar levels and get us on the simple carb roller coaster ride of wanting more carbs to help fight the fatigue caused by the inevitable sugar crash.
The healthiest solution is to drink lots of clean, pure water. Although tap water is "safe" I filter mine to get rid of the chemicals that municipalities put in it to make it safe.
Sometimes plain water is just not enough though, so if you want some flavor to your drink here are some of my favorite suggestions:
Don't think you can cut out the soda habit entirely? Try cutting it in half! Get your taste buds used to less sweet by splitting the soda pop with club soda or Perrier. Alternate plain water with a bubbly drink to reduce the number of sodas in a day.
Remember, improving your health and losing weight permanently is a gradual process. Don't expect to make the change in a day...keep at it and find the balance that works for you...and don't be surprised to see you have actually lost weight once you've dumped the diet soda habit!
Bone Killers: some sodas will actually take calcium out of your bones. Sodas with caffeine seem to be the biggest culprits here...whether the soda is diet of regular doesn't seem to matter.
Diabetes Risk: even one diet soda a day is linked to a increased odds of risk of both Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. Research has not conclusively shown why, but one possibility is the caramel flavoring in cola, which actually affects the boy at a molecular level and inhibits the ability to process sugar.
Weight Gain: yep, diet sodas can actually lead to weight gain because they increase carbohydrate cravings and get us used to taking in super sweet substances.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup: switching to regular soda is not necessarily healthier...most are filled with HFCS which is complete void of nutrition, spikes the body's blood sugar levels and get us on the simple carb roller coaster ride of wanting more carbs to help fight the fatigue caused by the inevitable sugar crash.
The healthiest solution is to drink lots of clean, pure water. Although tap water is "safe" I filter mine to get rid of the chemicals that municipalities put in it to make it safe.
Sometimes plain water is just not enough though, so if you want some flavor to your drink here are some of my favorite suggestions:
- Add a splash of 100% fruit juice
- Toss in some fresh berries (or frozen if you want a chill)
- Squeeze in a little lemon or lime juice
- Throw in some ice cubes made from juice or with berries hidden inside
- Brew some green or herbal tea...chill it for a summertime treat
Don't think you can cut out the soda habit entirely? Try cutting it in half! Get your taste buds used to less sweet by splitting the soda pop with club soda or Perrier. Alternate plain water with a bubbly drink to reduce the number of sodas in a day.
Remember, improving your health and losing weight permanently is a gradual process. Don't expect to make the change in a day...keep at it and find the balance that works for you...and don't be surprised to see you have actually lost weight once you've dumped the diet soda habit!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Losing Weight is Not a Math Equation
Lots of so-called "experts" will tell anyone who is trying to lose weight that it is simply a matter of consuming fewer calories than you expend. These "experts" make it sound like weight loss is a math equation.
Having dieted most of my life and calculated calories, fat grams, carbs and just about anything else one can calculate, I can tell you that weight loss success is definitely NOT a simple math equation.
The math equation myth prevails despite evidence by millions of people like me. We are accused of cheating. We are accused of being lazy. We are told we just aren't counting everything that we are eating. We are accused of lying.
The math equation myth goes hand in hand with the diet myth. Neither is right, it isn't simply math and diets don't work either. Neither take into account human beings and our infinite variety.
In my book, Refuse to Diet: Weight Loss Success Starts with Your Mind...Not Your Mouth I explain more about some of the diet myths and why they are fact, not fiction...but still countless people just don't believe that there is any other explanation, they WANT to believe that is just math.
Except for those of us caught up in the math equation nightmare, of course.
What I find ironic is that many of the "experts" who claim you just have to expend more calories (work out more) or consume fewer calories (eat less, or eat lower calorie foods) will be the very same people who will then say on national television that we hold onto weight when we are stressed!
Hello??? Which is it, folks? Don't try to tell me that it is math and then excuse 1 person because of stress. Math is math. Math is not biased. Math doesn't give a *&#$ about your stress level. This is why mathematicians love math. This is why the rest of us do not.
Are there extenuating circumstances that can cause you to either gain weight or not lose weight despite your efforts to exercise and eat fewer calories? You betcha!
OK, there's the infamous aforementioned stress for one. Weather can actually also affect your weight loss. Whether or not you drink ample water will affect the number on the scale...and water has zero calories so that would not figure into any math equation. Some medical conditions and medications will affect your weight. Traveling, eating different foods, or eating more salt than normal...these can all affect your weight temporarily. And of course when you are building muscle while you lose fat (a good combination to go after) there will be times when your pounds will go up, even though your fat content will be dropping. Beyond all that, the source of calories is an important factor on whether or not you lose weight...and especially if you can keep it off.
These are just some of the weight loss challenges we face that dispute the math-equation theory.
I say none of this to discourage your from improving your health.
I say it to free you from the tyranny of the scale! There are no health benefits to staying obese. There are tons of health benefits for improving your health by improving your eating and moving your body more--even if you don't drop a single pound!
To lose weight successfully, permanently, you must work on your mindset. You must believe that it is possible and that you are worth it...and the number on the scale has no bearing on your value as a human being!
You must eat food that nourishes and fuels you body. The same number of calories consumed can have a different impact on your health and your weight depending on where those come from. You can eat zero fat and not lose weight...because your body needs some fat in order to lose fat. You can count calories every day but if the calories don't count you won't be healthy or have a sustained weight loss.
If you are struggling with losing weight I suggest you start with your mindset. Once you have that straight then weight loss happens naturally. If you find that you aren't dropping weight and you have made sure there is not a medical reason for it (for example, did you know that diabetes medication almost always makes a person GAIN weight?) and you truly have excess fat to drop, then
Having dieted most of my life and calculated calories, fat grams, carbs and just about anything else one can calculate, I can tell you that weight loss success is definitely NOT a simple math equation.
The math equation myth prevails despite evidence by millions of people like me. We are accused of cheating. We are accused of being lazy. We are told we just aren't counting everything that we are eating. We are accused of lying.
The math equation myth goes hand in hand with the diet myth. Neither is right, it isn't simply math and diets don't work either. Neither take into account human beings and our infinite variety.
In my book, Refuse to Diet: Weight Loss Success Starts with Your Mind...Not Your Mouth I explain more about some of the diet myths and why they are fact, not fiction...but still countless people just don't believe that there is any other explanation, they WANT to believe that is just math.
Except for those of us caught up in the math equation nightmare, of course.
What I find ironic is that many of the "experts" who claim you just have to expend more calories (work out more) or consume fewer calories (eat less, or eat lower calorie foods) will be the very same people who will then say on national television that we hold onto weight when we are stressed!
Hello??? Which is it, folks? Don't try to tell me that it is math and then excuse 1 person because of stress. Math is math. Math is not biased. Math doesn't give a *&#$ about your stress level. This is why mathematicians love math. This is why the rest of us do not.
Are there extenuating circumstances that can cause you to either gain weight or not lose weight despite your efforts to exercise and eat fewer calories? You betcha!
OK, there's the infamous aforementioned stress for one. Weather can actually also affect your weight loss. Whether or not you drink ample water will affect the number on the scale...and water has zero calories so that would not figure into any math equation. Some medical conditions and medications will affect your weight. Traveling, eating different foods, or eating more salt than normal...these can all affect your weight temporarily. And of course when you are building muscle while you lose fat (a good combination to go after) there will be times when your pounds will go up, even though your fat content will be dropping. Beyond all that, the source of calories is an important factor on whether or not you lose weight...and especially if you can keep it off.
These are just some of the weight loss challenges we face that dispute the math-equation theory.
I say none of this to discourage your from improving your health.
I say it to free you from the tyranny of the scale! There are no health benefits to staying obese. There are tons of health benefits for improving your health by improving your eating and moving your body more--even if you don't drop a single pound!
To lose weight successfully, permanently, you must work on your mindset. You must believe that it is possible and that you are worth it...and the number on the scale has no bearing on your value as a human being!
You must eat food that nourishes and fuels you body. The same number of calories consumed can have a different impact on your health and your weight depending on where those come from. You can eat zero fat and not lose weight...because your body needs some fat in order to lose fat. You can count calories every day but if the calories don't count you won't be healthy or have a sustained weight loss.
If you are struggling with losing weight I suggest you start with your mindset. Once you have that straight then weight loss happens naturally. If you find that you aren't dropping weight and you have made sure there is not a medical reason for it (for example, did you know that diabetes medication almost always makes a person GAIN weight?) and you truly have excess fat to drop, then
- Reduce your stress
- Reduce your salt intake
- Increase your pure water intake
- Be sure the calories you are eating are the right ones
Saturday, February 13, 2010
5 Weight Loss Tips for the 21st Winter Olympics
I love watching the Olympics...winter and summer both...heck, I'd probably watch a spring and fall Olympics...ooh, guess they'd better call it the autumn Olympics...
Anyway, watching the opening ceremonies last night got me thinking...and a sore butt...
I'm visiting my mom, helping her recover from surgery (she's doing great and I'll be heading home soon) so I'm a bit out of my element and it really was an eye-opener.
Wow, was that show long! I have TIVO (and if you don't, you really ought to consider it) so I fast forward through all the commercials. On a typical hour-long show that saves me about 20 minutes! I cringe to think how much time we would have saved if we had been able to cruise through the commercials last night. Maybe my mom would have even been able to stay awake for it.
One of the frustrating things for me, besides the length and the number of commercials, was here I am in California...on the same time zone as the Olympics...and we are having to wait to watch them until "prime time." What is up with that? It meant the show wasn't over until midnight. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Especially when it was well over an hour into the show before the ceremonies even started.
OK, so what does this have to do with losing weight?
First, do what you can to NOT sit on your butt for 4 hours of television. The athletes certainly don't...if they want to achieve their goals they are out moving...some may be sitting for hours on sleds...but they are actively working their muscles while doing it.
Tivo is one option. Don't have Tivo and want to watch the Olympics? I understand...get up and move as much as you can. There are plenty of commercials which allow for you to get in some quick laps around the living room or do some isometric exercises.
Second, eat like an athlete...sort of...smaller quantities, but eat the same good healthy food that an athlete eats, a good balance of protein, complex carbs and fats. Be sure to eat lots of veggies and fruits.
Third, drink lots of clean, pure water. I know Coke and Budweiser are sponsors, but you don't need the empty calories. The athletes will be drinking more water than anything else...again, follow their model and keep hydrated...the best way to do that is with good ol' water!
Fourth, avoid eating unconsciously throughout the games. Don't have snacks out unless you are going to be okay with eating them...because you probably will. Figure out what you are going to eat...have some easy foods...or if you can prepare foods and watch the athletes at the same time, do that. Most experts will tell you not to eat in front of the television...but I don't find that to be very realistic, especially during the Olympics...heck, when are they NOT on? Instead make your goal to be mindful about your eating.
Fifth, if you have trouble keeping from eating while watching then figure out something else you can do with your hands. This can be a big challenge...keeping your hands busy and watching television at the same time...but experiment with a few things and see if they help you. I used to do a lot of embroidery and found that I could do that while I was watching television. I know others who knit. The other night I did some mending. But sewing is not the only thing you can do to keep your hands busy...you can even combine keeping your hands busy with exercising by using some light hand weights (or canned goods from the kitchen cupboard)...do some curls and other upper body work and you might just look more like the athletes you are watching!
Our Olympic challenge--to achieve our health goals...we may never be Olympians, but we can and will achieve an Olympic feat...we will achieve the healthy, energetic, slender bodies we deserve--as long as we focus on our goals and take steps every day to get closer and closer to them!
Anyway, watching the opening ceremonies last night got me thinking...and a sore butt...
I'm visiting my mom, helping her recover from surgery (she's doing great and I'll be heading home soon) so I'm a bit out of my element and it really was an eye-opener.
Wow, was that show long! I have TIVO (and if you don't, you really ought to consider it) so I fast forward through all the commercials. On a typical hour-long show that saves me about 20 minutes! I cringe to think how much time we would have saved if we had been able to cruise through the commercials last night. Maybe my mom would have even been able to stay awake for it.
One of the frustrating things for me, besides the length and the number of commercials, was here I am in California...on the same time zone as the Olympics...and we are having to wait to watch them until "prime time." What is up with that? It meant the show wasn't over until midnight. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Especially when it was well over an hour into the show before the ceremonies even started.
OK, so what does this have to do with losing weight?
First, do what you can to NOT sit on your butt for 4 hours of television. The athletes certainly don't...if they want to achieve their goals they are out moving...some may be sitting for hours on sleds...but they are actively working their muscles while doing it.
Tivo is one option. Don't have Tivo and want to watch the Olympics? I understand...get up and move as much as you can. There are plenty of commercials which allow for you to get in some quick laps around the living room or do some isometric exercises.
Second, eat like an athlete...sort of...smaller quantities, but eat the same good healthy food that an athlete eats, a good balance of protein, complex carbs and fats. Be sure to eat lots of veggies and fruits.
Third, drink lots of clean, pure water. I know Coke and Budweiser are sponsors, but you don't need the empty calories. The athletes will be drinking more water than anything else...again, follow their model and keep hydrated...the best way to do that is with good ol' water!
Fourth, avoid eating unconsciously throughout the games. Don't have snacks out unless you are going to be okay with eating them...because you probably will. Figure out what you are going to eat...have some easy foods...or if you can prepare foods and watch the athletes at the same time, do that. Most experts will tell you not to eat in front of the television...but I don't find that to be very realistic, especially during the Olympics...heck, when are they NOT on? Instead make your goal to be mindful about your eating.
Fifth, if you have trouble keeping from eating while watching then figure out something else you can do with your hands. This can be a big challenge...keeping your hands busy and watching television at the same time...but experiment with a few things and see if they help you. I used to do a lot of embroidery and found that I could do that while I was watching television. I know others who knit. The other night I did some mending. But sewing is not the only thing you can do to keep your hands busy...you can even combine keeping your hands busy with exercising by using some light hand weights (or canned goods from the kitchen cupboard)...do some curls and other upper body work and you might just look more like the athletes you are watching!
Our Olympic challenge--to achieve our health goals...we may never be Olympians, but we can and will achieve an Olympic feat...we will achieve the healthy, energetic, slender bodies we deserve--as long as we focus on our goals and take steps every day to get closer and closer to them!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Weight Loss Tip: Drink Water
Okay, I know you've heard this before...from me (Dec 2008, Oct 2008, and Aug 2008) and from loads of other folks...but it really is true.
Water does a lot of good for our bodies, including keeping our skin more supple and helping us to feel more full without feeling stuffed.
Not everyone finds drinking water to be an easy habit to adopt...it can be especially hard if you are used to drinking things with loads of flavor or sugar. If that is the case you can ease into drinking more water by trying some herbal teas. Let them steep for a long time so you get loads of flavor.
Amanda Wicker, a fellow Lovelander, a weight loss inspiration and success story (she has lost 130lbs) wrote recently that she had a hard time getting enough water and felt it was a chore. I thought it would be good to share her perspective on drinking water.
Amanda points out some more benefits to drinking water:
Water can be one of your best health and weight loss tools...but there is the ongoing debate over tap versus bottled water. Most tap water has a lot of chlorine in it...it will test "safe" but I don't like the way it smells or tastes. You might not even be aware of it--but that in itself may keep you from drinking enough water. Water should not have an odor or taste. Buying bottles of water can be expensive and it results in lots of little plastic bottles around which is not good for our environment. I recommend filtering your water rather than buying those expensive bottles...you get the same clean water without all the plastic.
So drink up! To your health and the health of our planet!
Water does a lot of good for our bodies, including keeping our skin more supple and helping us to feel more full without feeling stuffed.
Not everyone finds drinking water to be an easy habit to adopt...it can be especially hard if you are used to drinking things with loads of flavor or sugar. If that is the case you can ease into drinking more water by trying some herbal teas. Let them steep for a long time so you get loads of flavor.
Amanda Wicker, a fellow Lovelander, a weight loss inspiration and success story (she has lost 130lbs) wrote recently that she had a hard time getting enough water and felt it was a chore. I thought it would be good to share her perspective on drinking water.
"I found that I had to change my mind-set about it. When I started thinking about water as the conductor to flush fat and toxins out of my body, I was actually excited to drink my daily water."This is an important point--we must change our mindset in order to lose weight. If we continue to think about them in the same way, we will have the same results.
Amanda points out some more benefits to drinking water:
- Helps control hunger and cravings
- Enhances fat loss
- Boosts metabolism
- Helps us look younger
- Flushes toxins from our bodies
- Key to disease prevention
- Have a water bottle for home, car and work
- Add a piece of fruit or mint to your water for a splash of flavor
- Drink from a straw, it helps you drink more in a shorter amount of time
- Drink a glass of water before each meal, it will curb hunger and increase hydration
- Order water instead of soda at a restaurant
"We are literally exposed to hundreds of harmful substances daily. Our air, our foods and everything we touch has traces of harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, we can't keep toxins from getting into our bodies, but we can help our bodies get rid of them with water. Most of the degenerative diseases are the result of toxins building up in the body."Tap water vs Bottled water
Water can be one of your best health and weight loss tools...but there is the ongoing debate over tap versus bottled water. Most tap water has a lot of chlorine in it...it will test "safe" but I don't like the way it smells or tastes. You might not even be aware of it--but that in itself may keep you from drinking enough water. Water should not have an odor or taste. Buying bottles of water can be expensive and it results in lots of little plastic bottles around which is not good for our environment. I recommend filtering your water rather than buying those expensive bottles...you get the same clean water without all the plastic.
So drink up! To your health and the health of our planet!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Weight Loss Proof: Look Beyond the Scale
Amanda Wicker is a weight-loss success story having dropped 130 pounds using diet and exercise. While I put much more emphasis on change your thought patterns to achieve in permanent weight loss, I agree with the points she brought up this month about looking at other measures of success beyond the scale.
Amanda admits that she has at times given the number on the scale too much power--a very common occurrence! I once was as addicted to the number on the scale as I was to food--often getting on it 3 or more times in a day. And that doesn't count the times I got on and off, moving the scale a few inches trying to find the "sweet spot" on the bathroom floor!
If you are going to weigh yourself, do so no more frequently than once a week. Anything more often doesn't accurately reflect "real" weight loss and can be demoralizing or lead us to false conclusions about what does or does not work for us.
So if you have reached a plateau or not...be sure to use gauges other than the number on the scale to bolster you during your weight loss journey--and for the rest of your life!
Some suggestions from Amanda are:
I'll add to that, check in with yourself and see how you feel...physically, mentally and emotionally...are you feeling stronger, more in control, better about yourself and the choices you are making, empowered to live better...when you are improving your feelings you will be improving your body size, too!
Above all, keep up the good work! You are doing great! Certainly don't give away your power to change your life--not to another person and certainly not to a box called "the scale"!
Amanda admits that she has at times given the number on the scale too much power--a very common occurrence! I once was as addicted to the number on the scale as I was to food--often getting on it 3 or more times in a day. And that doesn't count the times I got on and off, moving the scale a few inches trying to find the "sweet spot" on the bathroom floor!
If you are going to weigh yourself, do so no more frequently than once a week. Anything more often doesn't accurately reflect "real" weight loss and can be demoralizing or lead us to false conclusions about what does or does not work for us.
So if you have reached a plateau or not...be sure to use gauges other than the number on the scale to bolster you during your weight loss journey--and for the rest of your life!
Some suggestions from Amanda are:
- Make a list of non-scale victories...I fit into my skinny jeans; I exercised 2 days in a row; I passed up the sweets at the office and didn't miss them; I drank more than my minimum in water today; I went for a walk when I was having a desire to eat that was totally emotional--and it helped! You can keep this in your food journal or a separate document. When you write these victories down say them aloud and express gratitude for that win!
- Use a tape measure and take your measurements once a month. Keep a record so you see the progress. Include the basic chest/bust, waist and hips...but also measure thighs, calves, upper arms, neck. One of my big surprises is the necklaces that I can wear now that I thought were tiny before! (Hey--there's another non-scale victory!)
- Track your body fat percentage. This is a better indicator of fat dropped which is what we really want to achieve...muscle does weigh more than fat.
- Check to see if you clothes fit better or if you could go to a smaller size.
- Are you able to exercise longer, harder with less effort?
I'll add to that, check in with yourself and see how you feel...physically, mentally and emotionally...are you feeling stronger, more in control, better about yourself and the choices you are making, empowered to live better...when you are improving your feelings you will be improving your body size, too!
Above all, keep up the good work! You are doing great! Certainly don't give away your power to change your life--not to another person and certainly not to a box called "the scale"!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Getting Enough Fluids In During Cooler Weather
I've had several people lately tell me they have trouble drinking enough water when the weather is cold...as we come into Spring that problem seems to resolve itself.
It is very common that warm weather makes drinking water easier for most people.
But what do we do if Spring turns cold?
To make it easier to get in ample water during the cooler weather I suggest drinking room temperature water...or warm it up slightly and add a splash of lemon.
Also try decaffeinated green tea or herbal teas (no sugar)...many have great antioxidants! That way you get a double-whammy of health!
It is very common that warm weather makes drinking water easier for most people.
But what do we do if Spring turns cold?
To make it easier to get in ample water during the cooler weather I suggest drinking room temperature water...or warm it up slightly and add a splash of lemon.
Also try decaffeinated green tea or herbal teas (no sugar)...many have great antioxidants! That way you get a double-whammy of health!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Weight Loss Tip: Flush those Pipes
Start every day with a bit of flushing...
No, I don't mean THAT kind of flushing...I shouldn't have to tell you to do that!
I mean flush your personal pipes...
How? By drinking a large (at least 8 oz) glass of water first thing.
I keep mine by my bed at night so I can drink it before I even leave the sheets.
If you cannot take the water plain add a little lemon juice. That is one of my favorites.
Tastes much better than the apple cider vinegar that was touted in the 70s!!!
Keep your body flushed all day by drinking water on a regular basis. Drink before you feel thirsty. A lot of times we think we are hungry and therefore eat, when we are really thirsty--food does contain a lot of water--so drink water first and see if that helps!
If you don't have a good, refillable water bottle--get one! They don't cost a lot and are much better for the environment than those throw aways.
Get a filtration system of some kind (I use a Brita...it is pretty inexpensive and does a good job) and drink, drink, drink!
No, I don't mean THAT kind of flushing...I shouldn't have to tell you to do that!
I mean flush your personal pipes...
How? By drinking a large (at least 8 oz) glass of water first thing.
I keep mine by my bed at night so I can drink it before I even leave the sheets.
If you cannot take the water plain add a little lemon juice. That is one of my favorites.
Tastes much better than the apple cider vinegar that was touted in the 70s!!!
Keep your body flushed all day by drinking water on a regular basis. Drink before you feel thirsty. A lot of times we think we are hungry and therefore eat, when we are really thirsty--food does contain a lot of water--so drink water first and see if that helps!
If you don't have a good, refillable water bottle--get one! They don't cost a lot and are much better for the environment than those throw aways.
Get a filtration system of some kind (I use a Brita...it is pretty inexpensive and does a good job) and drink, drink, drink!
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