Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle

Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle

For anyone really serious about losing weight and keeping it off, dieting is NOT the answer. You need to look at three key factors: Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle. Let’s look at diet today.

1. Diet. This is what you eat; what you drink; how much you eat and drink; how often you eat and drink and snacking.

Snacking is a killer when it comes to losing weight. I find that, although it is sometimes very difficult to change habits, the first four days are the toughest for me. If I can get through those four days, I will be successful. If you have to snack, instead of a chocolate doughnut or muffin with your morning coffee, try an apple. It is better for you, far less calories and should tide you over till lunch.

Portion Control is absolutely necessary. Forget the 16 oz. steak. Try a breast of chicken instead. With a salad and a small portion of noodles and you have a good balanced meal.  Don’t forget to add watercress to your salad.

Plenty of fruit and veggies. Fruit has a lot of natural sugar but a banana with your breakfast, an apple and perhaps another fruit later in the day is a healthy way to go. Vary your vegetables. Different colors of vegetables provide different nutrients so vary them…yellow, orange, red, light green, dark green, white. You have many to choose from and a cup of each provided the nutrients you need.

If you don’t think these will fill you up, try drinking one or two glasses of water about 20 minutes before a meal. It takes about that long for your stomach to get a message to your brain that you are full.  Soon your stomach will start to contract and those portions should satisfy you…and that’s when you begin to lose weight.