I'd like to start you off with a GREAT article. One of our contestants sent this to me during third season. This is the best published overview I've found of my philosophy on diet lifestyle to lose weight and become optimally healthy. Everyone may have differing opinions on what's best for your body, but for me, this hits it right on the head.
Way to go for taking the first step to becoming a new you!
Amy
Eight Eating HabitsThat Will ChangeYour Life!
by Zonya Foco and Stephen Moss
Never underestimate the power of One Good Habit. It’s time to ditch the diet
mentality and master diet-free, guilt-free weight loss. These seemingly simple
habits, when adopted one after the other--at a pace that works for you--will become an
invisible force that will change your life. And since these are habits that you apply at
your own pace, according to your lifestyle and circumstances, the pounds you lose will
stay off. So begin living--today!
1. Drink water. Water is the body’s most important nutrient…for better concentration,
fighting disease and flushing fat. Begin drinking water first thing in the morning and
add [slices of a citrus fruit] for a refreshing taste change throughout the day. Replace
calorie-filled sodas with water because unconsciously drinking high-sugar beverages
can account for up to 50 extra pounds you may be carrying around. And just one can of
soda per day can double your chances of type-2 diabetes.
2. Include breakfast and stop eating two or three hours before bed. Studies show that
people who include breakfast eat 100 fewer calories a day than people who don’t. And
if you stop the unconscious evening snacking, you’ll save another 200-500 calories
each day….But after a full year of including breakfast and eliminating evening
snacking, you can be up to 30 pounds lighter!
3. Eat often and include a fruit or vegetable each time. Eating often keeps your hunger
hormones under control and prevents you from feeling starved and then overeating. By
including a fruit or vegetable with every meal or snack, you’ll be satisfied with fewer
calories while loading up with disease-fighting, fat-flushing vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants….
4. Tame your sweet tooth....First, put a halt to your sweet cravings by eating three
fruits a day. Fruit is nature’s candy and a natural way to give your brain the simple
carbohydrates it needs to prevent sweet cravings. Then, learn to dial down the level of
sweetness you desire by gradually choosing lower sugar cereals, unsweetened beverages
and desserts made with half the sugar…you’ll naturally eat less sugar without
feeling deprived….
5. Find the fat and know the good, the bad and the ugly. Choose foods that are as low
in fat as possible, then add back limited amounts of good fat….Choose lean meats,
low-fat cheeses and skim milk. Clear your pantry of anything labeled “partially
hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated.” Then add back limited portions of unsaturated and
omega-3 good fats found in foods like nuts, seeds, olive oil and salmon….
6. Replace processed, chemically-enhanced foods for wholesome, close-to-the-farm
foods…Choose whole-grain breads, rice and pastas instead of white. Go for fresh
meats and cheeses, not processed. And don’t be suckered into thinking fruit-flavored
snacks or vegetable chips are healthy alternatives to real fruit and vegetables. Wholesome
food means less sugar, fat, sodium and chemicals and provides more fiber and
natural nutrients…and provide greater hunger control than processed and
chemically-enhanced foods.
7. Eat only until you are no longer hungry….This is the most difficult habit to
master and the most important to adopt. Share an entrée, quit the “clean plate club,” eat
slowly and savor every bite. Learn to enjoy feeling satisfied and light on your feet
instead of unbutton-you-pants stuffed….When you regularly stop eating just when
you’re beginning to feel full and don’t taken even one more bite, you can save as many
as 500 calories a day…!
8. Every once in a while, when the urge or circumstance dictates, it’s all right to
eat outside the guidelines of the other habits. And understand that this habit is just as
important as the other seven. All the other habits are designed to make your body lose
weight, and when that happens, your body compensates by slowing down your metabolism.
To keep your metabolism stoked and burning calories at the appropriate rate, this
habit tells your body there’s no need to store calories because there’s no pending famine.
This habit makes the other habits fit into your life and eliminates the diet mentality
of feeling deprived and guilty…because this isn’t a diet--this is living!
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