Day 23 - Almost 20 Diet Tips

As I mentioned in the last posting, I have a guest post today. But before we get to that I will give you my daily update, which is the whole reason for this blog. I managed to get to the gym last night instead of going during the day. I left work and got home to greet my wife as she arrived home and her first announcement was that she was going to make me dinner. That may not sound strange to you but we usually make our own means and eat them together. My only concern was to eat fast and get to the gym while I still felt like it! So after an hour of dinner preparation and a great meal, the thought did cross my mind that maybe I could pass on the gym. However, it was just a fleeting thought and I did manage to break the gravitational pull of the couch and I got out the door.

This morning I weighed 205 pounds for a loss of 2 over the day before. That is a milestone for me... I have lost a total of 10 pounds to date in 23 days. Now about our guest post...

I have a very close friend, who wishes to remain nameless, that agreed to put together a list of tips that helped her lose a significant amount of weight years ago and kept it off. I have witnessed her living by these tips and she looks marvelous!

1. Don’t let yourself get hungry. If you are hungry, you will be tempted to eat something you will regret later. Always keep healthful, low-fat munchies with you. In your purse, desk drawer and glove compartment.


2. Plan ahead. If you know you will be out shopping all day, or on a long drive, take your health snacks/meals with you! Buy a thermal food bag if you need your foods cold/warm.


3. Snack between meals. There is nothing wrong with snacking as long as it is healthful. With healthful snacks, you will not be as hungry for your main meal and will be less apt to eat too much.


4. Learn what healthful snack foods you like and keep them with you. Don’t carry carrot sticks with you for later if you really don’t like them. You will only end up eating the carrot sticks AND still crave the junk food.


5. Read “ingredients.” You need to read more than the label on the front. The front label is merely a sales tool so read the ingredients. Stay away from hydrogenated oils, coconut oil, salt, white sugars, white rice, and white flour.


6. Don’t eat junk food; eat real food. If you eat “junk food” with white sugars, white flour, preservatives, other “junk ingredients,” the food item will not satisfy you. You will be hungry again very soon. Junk foods have been proven to give you the munchies and cause you to crave MORE junk food! Eating healthful foods causes you to crave healthful foods.


7. Eat “natural” foods. Purchase foods that are as close to “natural” as you can get them. Natural foods satisfy hunger and the body will process the food and not store it as fat. If you eat junk food, the body will not know how to process it, so will store it as fat. Nuts – with no oils and salt - whole wheat breads, whole grain rice, dried/fresh fruits are great sources of vitamins and very filling.


8. Eliminate milk products from your diet. Milk is very important when we are growing, but once we are adults, we don’t need it. Yes, we still need calcium, but it can be taken in vitamin form. (I was told, just this week by my doctor, to get more calcium and Vitamin D in a pill form!) Milk products - cheese, butter, ice cream, and milk - all very fattening! Try to find a substitute for the milk on your hot and cold cereals - soy/almond, rice milk are great. If you need real milk, drink fat free milk, but it is not as filling as the other milks listed above.


9. Only take one bite. If you MUST eat junk food, smell it, think about how it will look on your hips and make you feel afterwards. If you still want to eat it, smell it, savor it and take ONE bite and throw away the rest…quickly. Why temp yourself?


10. Don’t buy foods you love!! You may eat more than you intended. I LOVE granola, and you can buy pretty healthful granola nowadays, but I don’t buy it because I will eat the entire box in ONE sitting.


11. Know yourself. Know your habits, likes and dislikes so you can create a “healthful” environment for you and surround yourself with as little temptations as possible.


12. Ignore what magazines and advertisements state. Healthy low calorie, fat free snacks, power bars, cookies, cakes, just make you crave more junk food. It’s not food. Frozen diet meals, including “Lean Cuisines” are not healthful either. They are loaded with salt, preservatives, white rice, and unhealthful oils… ingredients that will only cause you to be hungry soon.


13. Don’t eat late at night. I don’t eat after 7:00 pm. I’ve heard some people don’t eat after 5:00 pm. Otherwise, it will not digest well and will be stored as fat.


14. Eat breakfast! Even if it is only one slice of bread or a piece of fruit. Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, which helps you lose weight.


15. Don’t tell people you are “on a diet.” They will probably just tell you, you don’t need to lose weight and continue to offer you fattening foods. Tell them you are trying to eat a more “healthful diet and not eat junk food.” They will probably ask you more about your new diet and want to join you!


16. Weigh yourself often! Weigh yourself at least once a day, preferable in the morning before you eat. This will give you an idea of how your diet and exercise worked the day before, so you can plan your day before it starts. Statistical, if you weigh yourself often, you will lose weight.


17. Get enough sleep. If you do not get enough sleep your insulin glands are off for the day and one will have the munchies ALL day... this is a proven fact and I know it from experience.