Break a Sweat.
Physical activity does more than simply burn calories; it also nourishes psychological wellness. "Exercise is crucial for feeling good about yourself and in control of your life," says John P. Foreyt, Ph.D., professor of medicine and psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. And when you have a sense of control, it's easier to stick to a healthy diet. Aim to burn an extra 300 calories per day. That means 35 minutes of running or cycling, 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer or 40 minutes of aerobics. Already an avid exerciser? Try interval training to torch more calories in less time. Alternate between 30 seconds at the highest speed you can sustain and 90 seconds at a comfortable pace.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
~ Day 10 ~
Resize Servings.
Today's goal is simple: Reduce portions of meat, desserts, baked treats and starchy snacks, and pump up servings of fruit and veggies. "When you increase portions of healthy, low-cal foods, you still feel as if you're eating a lot, so you won't feel deprived," says Lisa Young, Ph.D., adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University in NYC and author of The Portion Teller Plan (Broadway Books). Before you dig in, make sure three fourths of every meal or snack is made up of produce and whole grains, and higher-calorie eats form the last quarter. Except for dried or sugary fruit (like grapes), fruit and veggies are all-you-can-eat.
Today's goal is simple: Reduce portions of meat, desserts, baked treats and starchy snacks, and pump up servings of fruit and veggies. "When you increase portions of healthy, low-cal foods, you still feel as if you're eating a lot, so you won't feel deprived," says Lisa Young, Ph.D., adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University in NYC and author of The Portion Teller Plan (Broadway Books). Before you dig in, make sure three fourths of every meal or snack is made up of produce and whole grains, and higher-calorie eats form the last quarter. Except for dried or sugary fruit (like grapes), fruit and veggies are all-you-can-eat.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Monday, January 7th, 2008 -- Diet Journal
Breakfast:
1 Orange
Lunch:
1/2 Turkey Sandwich on wheat with cheese
1/2 c pineapple and melon
1 cup iced tea, no sugar
Snack:
2 cups Red Grapes
1 Orange
Lunch:
1/2 Turkey Sandwich on wheat with cheese
1/2 c pineapple and melon
1 cup iced tea, no sugar
Snack:
2 cups Red Grapes
Biggest Loser Kickoff!
So, today the diet starts... on high speed. The Biggest Loser competition in our office kicked off today, so I have to be on my best behavior.
Wish me luck!
Wish me luck!
~ Day 7,8, & 9 ~
Spoon Up Soup.
Studies find that when people start their meal with broth-based soup, they eat 100 fewer calories overall. Because of its high water content, soup fills you up—with fewer calories. Spoon up those with fibrous contents (beans, veggies, whole grains), says Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan (HarperCollins).
For the steady snacker: Soup is a super snack, as long as it's low-sodium (no more than 550 milligrams per cup) and low-cal (about 80 to 150 calories per cup). Try Healthy Choice, Progresso and Campbell's microwavable soups.
Chew Some (Healthy) Fat.
Fat can be a dieter's friend—if you pick the right kinds. Trade foods high in saturated fats for those full of monounsaturated fats (olive oil and avocados) and omega-3 fatty acids (wild salmon). "Too little fat can harm your waist," says SELF contributing editor Janis Jibrin, R.D. Keep your daily intake at less than 30 percent of your total calories and less than 10 percent from saturated fats.
Thing Outside the Fridge.
It's great to have healthy food at home, but unless your refrigerator is strapped to your back, you have to stock places outside your kitchen as well. Make it your goal today to create a healthy stash in your car, office, purse and gym bag, says Audrey Cross, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
Studies find that when people start their meal with broth-based soup, they eat 100 fewer calories overall. Because of its high water content, soup fills you up—with fewer calories. Spoon up those with fibrous contents (beans, veggies, whole grains), says Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan (HarperCollins).
For the steady snacker: Soup is a super snack, as long as it's low-sodium (no more than 550 milligrams per cup) and low-cal (about 80 to 150 calories per cup). Try Healthy Choice, Progresso and Campbell's microwavable soups.
Chew Some (Healthy) Fat.
Fat can be a dieter's friend—if you pick the right kinds. Trade foods high in saturated fats for those full of monounsaturated fats (olive oil and avocados) and omega-3 fatty acids (wild salmon). "Too little fat can harm your waist," says SELF contributing editor Janis Jibrin, R.D. Keep your daily intake at less than 30 percent of your total calories and less than 10 percent from saturated fats.
Thing Outside the Fridge.
It's great to have healthy food at home, but unless your refrigerator is strapped to your back, you have to stock places outside your kitchen as well. Make it your goal today to create a healthy stash in your car, office, purse and gym bag, says Audrey Cross, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
Friday, January 4, 2008
~ Day Six ~
Surrender Your Sweet Tooth.
Not only does added sugar do zilch for you nutritionally, it can also trigger a binge. Your body digests sugar quickly, so your blood sugar level spikes, the hormone insulin rushes in to lower it and you're left with a low blood sugar level, which makes you hungry. Today, check the labels of your favorite foods and ditch anything that has more than 10 grams of sugar per serving. (The exception is dairy, because of naturally occurring milk sugar.) It's better to sate a sugar craving with a complex carb like fruit, which comes wrapped with fiber. Refined carbs such as bagels and white rice also unleash the spike-and-plummet effect, so try to reach for whole grains whenever possible.
Obviously, the sugar is why my diet has failed the past two days. Tomorrow, I plan on nixing all unnatural sugars from my diet for the rest of the weekend. We shall see how it works. And, I have to remember that weigh-in begins MONDAY!
Not only does added sugar do zilch for you nutritionally, it can also trigger a binge. Your body digests sugar quickly, so your blood sugar level spikes, the hormone insulin rushes in to lower it and you're left with a low blood sugar level, which makes you hungry. Today, check the labels of your favorite foods and ditch anything that has more than 10 grams of sugar per serving. (The exception is dairy, because of naturally occurring milk sugar.) It's better to sate a sugar craving with a complex carb like fruit, which comes wrapped with fiber. Refined carbs such as bagels and white rice also unleash the spike-and-plummet effect, so try to reach for whole grains whenever possible.
Obviously, the sugar is why my diet has failed the past two days. Tomorrow, I plan on nixing all unnatural sugars from my diet for the rest of the weekend. We shall see how it works. And, I have to remember that weigh-in begins MONDAY!
Getting Started On a Diet... The New Tips for Me to Use.
A few tips on how to get your diet started from www.1is2fat.com.
Remember that starting your diet is the hardest part, and it does get easier after that. (AMEN! That is good news to hear. I knew this, but having it reiterated to me makes it seem more viable.)
"Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, objects at rest tend to stay at rest." This applies to dieting as well. Once you build up a little momentum and start living healthier, you'll automatically start making healthier decisions. Soon, it will snowball into a healthy lifestyle.
How exciting that an energy law can describe dieting. It makes dieting more appealing to me to have it tied into physics.
An important first step, when starting a diet, is to get on the scale, see what you weight now, and then define your goal weight. You will know where you are now and where you want to be. Then, the only challenge is filling in the middle, but it's important to define the journey before you take on the challenge.
I have done this. And will re-weigh myself on Monday, for the first day of my Biggest Loser competition. I have to win this competition.
Never say you're going to start your diet "tomorrow." Instead, set an actual date on the calendar and address that date as the day you will start your diet. It's important that you be a specific as possible and when you use a general term such as "tomorrow", you're really not defining your goal properly. If you say you're going to start your diet on the "15th", you've clearly defined your start date and when the 15th comes around, you know it's time for action.
My diet start date was always "yesterday", but this time it is January 7th. Of course I have to start then, as people will be observing my weight etc.
When your setting a diet goal, tell that one person who would make sure to “rub-it-in” if you failed. By doing this, you put yourself in a position of “I’d better do this or I’m never going to hear the end of it.” By putting yourself out on a limb, you expose yourself to a potentially embarrassing situation, but now you have given yourself a major reason why you have to lose the weight. It’s amazing what humans can do when there’s no backing out.
Of course my "rub it in" person would be Barb or Chrissie, both knowing about the Biggest Loser competition.
Walking is one of the best exercises we can do! Look at your life and see if more walking can be inserted. For example: If you're going to 2 different stores, in close proximity of each other, park in the middle and walk to both, as oppose to driving to one and then driving to the other. Another example is to take the stairs instead of the elevator. The point is: there are many little choices throughout the day that can add up to a very healthy lifestyle.
Done and done. Thank you.
Hiring a personal fitness trainer is an excellent way to lose weight. Not only will they help you exercise properly and eat better, but just having someone watch over you is often enough to be the difference for some people.
Like I have the finances to pay for a personal trainer. I wish I did, but alas... what to do. Now, I will rely on websites and personal experience to act as a personal trainer.
Remember that starting your diet is the hardest part, and it does get easier after that. (AMEN! That is good news to hear. I knew this, but having it reiterated to me makes it seem more viable.)
"Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, objects at rest tend to stay at rest." This applies to dieting as well. Once you build up a little momentum and start living healthier, you'll automatically start making healthier decisions. Soon, it will snowball into a healthy lifestyle.
How exciting that an energy law can describe dieting. It makes dieting more appealing to me to have it tied into physics.
An important first step, when starting a diet, is to get on the scale, see what you weight now, and then define your goal weight. You will know where you are now and where you want to be. Then, the only challenge is filling in the middle, but it's important to define the journey before you take on the challenge.
I have done this. And will re-weigh myself on Monday, for the first day of my Biggest Loser competition. I have to win this competition.
Never say you're going to start your diet "tomorrow." Instead, set an actual date on the calendar and address that date as the day you will start your diet. It's important that you be a specific as possible and when you use a general term such as "tomorrow", you're really not defining your goal properly. If you say you're going to start your diet on the "15th", you've clearly defined your start date and when the 15th comes around, you know it's time for action.
My diet start date was always "yesterday", but this time it is January 7th. Of course I have to start then, as people will be observing my weight etc.
When your setting a diet goal, tell that one person who would make sure to “rub-it-in” if you failed. By doing this, you put yourself in a position of “I’d better do this or I’m never going to hear the end of it.” By putting yourself out on a limb, you expose yourself to a potentially embarrassing situation, but now you have given yourself a major reason why you have to lose the weight. It’s amazing what humans can do when there’s no backing out.
Of course my "rub it in" person would be Barb or Chrissie, both knowing about the Biggest Loser competition.
Walking is one of the best exercises we can do! Look at your life and see if more walking can be inserted. For example: If you're going to 2 different stores, in close proximity of each other, park in the middle and walk to both, as oppose to driving to one and then driving to the other. Another example is to take the stairs instead of the elevator. The point is: there are many little choices throughout the day that can add up to a very healthy lifestyle.
Done and done. Thank you.
Hiring a personal fitness trainer is an excellent way to lose weight. Not only will they help you exercise properly and eat better, but just having someone watch over you is often enough to be the difference for some people.
Like I have the finances to pay for a personal trainer. I wish I did, but alas... what to do. Now, I will rely on websites and personal experience to act as a personal trainer.
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