Tag: at home

Drop Fat and Inches by Eating More!

Does your head spin when you try to figure out what to eat and how much?  Have you ever gone a little insane counting calories and grams of fat and carbs and weighing out every morsel of food that passed your lips?  Chances are that if you are struggling with weight loss like I did for nearly my entire adult life you really need to simplify your approach and just focus on the quality of your foods.  The best foods in combination with the best portions will help you get results you have been chasing with super low calorie diets that haven’t worked.  Depriving ourselves is not sustainable and it isn’t healthy. 

You can’t lose weight without watching portion size and removing the junk from your food. The surprising thing about this though is that you may need to eat more throughout the day, but of the right foods. Rather than skipping meals and then binging at the next meal, it’s really a matter of spacing out your eating to keep your body and metabolism fueled all day long. So while it’s true that there can be too much of a good thing, it’s all about refocusing on eating more of the right foods but ensuring proper amounts all day long.

Here’s how to eat more of the right foods and how to balance out your portions. These are tips that I use to help others gain control of their health and live happier healthier lives.  It isn’t some magic pill but simple principles and focusing on quality.

1. Replace Your Bad Habits: Have you ever heard it takes 21 days to learn a new habit.  This is very true.  Don’t expect to suddenly wake up tomorrow and know exactly what to eat, when to eat, and how much if today you are used to meals from a box or the freezer. Know that you will not make healthy changes overnight, so do not beat yourself up if it takes you some time.  But that being said, you also cannot get lazy about it.  You must actively participate in the process of learning healthy habits for them to become second nature.  The average time to create a good habit is about 3 weeks or 21 days. So give yourself this time, allow yourself to transition and embrace the change, and commit to it as your body gets used to powerful and nutritious foods.
2. Learn portions: Yes portion and quantity does matter and so you need to learn what a serving of chicken or whole wheat bread.  This is not something to leave to your “eyeball estimation” when you are new to portion control.  Find a system and learn the system.  Then once you know it go back every once in a while and check your portions.   
3. Quality is Queen: If it is labelled “Low Fat” “Diet” “Snack Pack” “Natural” or “Low Calorie” it likely means devoid of nutritional value.   Processed foods, fast foods, fried foods, and even “diet foods” will only harm your body not help it. Artificial preservatives, flavors, colors, added sugars and chemicals found if processed foods only slow your body down.  They are not proper fuel and your body many times doesn’t know what to do with it and it is stored in fat cells.  YUCK!  When you focus on whole foods that come from the ground (veggies, fruits, nuts, grains) or eat something that grows in the ground (grass fed patured meats and fish) your body will respond amazingly!  You are now giving it the fuel it knows how to manage and it will boost your metabolism.  Once you get rid of the wrong foods and really welcome in the right ones, you can enjoy healthy eating in a whole new exciting way.
4. Mini-Size my meals: By tossing out the window 3 meals a day and fueling your body with 5-6 mini meals you will keep your metabolism buzzing right along all day.  If you aim for 3 hour in between eating your body will turn into a calorie busting machine.  You will have more energy, you close will start to fit differently and you have more clarity of mind.  The first thing that is impacted by blood sugar drop is our thought process.  I don’t know about you but I like to think clearly all day long, not just 3 times a day.  
5. Hydration is Happiness:  I remember learning that the human body is made up of 75% water in 3rd grade.  I remember thinking WOW!  How am I not slushing around non stop, but that is how my brain worked as a kid.  So if we are three quarters water it is very important that we are replenishing our system throughout the day for proper function.  The best rule of thumb is to take your body weight, divide by 2 and this is how many ounces you should drink throughout the day.  It is also best to “wake up” your metabolism first thing in the morning with a glass.  So for a 150lb woman that would equate to 75 ounces.  If you do intense exercise add 8 ounces for every hour you exercise to compensate for sweat. 

Changing the way that you eat and keeping yourself fueled like this will not only help you to lose weight, but also to feel more satisfied all day long—and that’s what it means to manage your portions, eat better foods, and to get healthier through all of this in the meantime!

If this makes a lot of sense to you and you want to give portion control eating a try, I have just the group for you! We start in just a few weeks, so let me know if you are interested by filling out the application for my Portion Control Challenge HERE